xymnovel Chapter 74 Yuan Shao's Second Poisonous Scheme
Chapter 74 Yuan Shao's Second Poisonous Scheme
Chapter 74 Yuan Shao's Second Poisonous Scheme
Cao Cao put down his teacup, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Cao Ang then asked Cao Cao and those who did not know Gu Cheng's identity, such as Yu Jin, to temporarily withdraw. There were no outsiders in the tent.
Cao Angfang said, "Just now I was talking to my brother-in-law about Zhang Liao. He said that Zhang Liao not only knows how to train the Bingzhou cavalry, but he will also be of great use to my father in his future campaigns against the northern barbarians. He said that Zhang Liao must not be killed."
"Li Heng?" Cao Cao's spirits lifted, and he hurriedly ordered Cao Ang to continue. Cao Ang then recounted Gu Cheng's entire scheme to Cao Cao, word for word. Cao Cao suddenly understood, and the murderous intent in his eyes vanished instantly.
"I never imagined that my son-in-law would have planned so far ahead for me, even to conquer Youbing and subdue the Hu people. Such foresight makes me seem short-sighted..."
After a self-deprecating remark, Cao Cao said with a smile, "Your brother-in-law is right. Fortunately, he reminded me in time, otherwise I would have mistakenly killed a great general!"
He immediately stood up and waved to Yu Jin: "Lead the way quickly, I want to personally persuade Zhang Wenyuan to surrender!"
An hour later, Zhang Liao had changed into Cao Cao's army armor and was sitting in his own tent.
Cao Cao not only spared his life but also appointed him as a lieutenant general, giving him a higher military rank than he had under Lü Bu or even Yuan Shao. "I thought Cao Cao would kill me, but I never expected him to be so magnanimous, personally coming to persuade me to surrender and even appointing me as a lieutenant general. I never dreamed of this..."
Zhang Liao murmured to himself, feeling a sense of unreality, as if in a dream. "Wen Yuan!" A familiar voice rang out, interrupting his thoughts.
Zhang Liao looked up and saw Lü Lingqi and Gao Shun entering the tent. "Brother Boping, Miss!" Overjoyed to see his old friends again, Zhang Liao quickly rose to greet them. Gao Shun patted his shoulder and said, "Wenyuan, we were separated in Xuzhou. I never thought we'd have the chance to be comrades again, and even serve Cao Cao together!"
"Yes, I didn't expect it either." Zhang Liao was also overjoyed and said with emotion, "I thought I was going to die for sure, but I didn't expect that Cao Cao would not only spare my life, but also promote me. If I hadn't seen you all, I would have thought I was dreaming."
"Wen Yuan, you have someone to thank for this," Lü Lingqi said with a smile. "Thank someone?" Zhang Liao's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked urgently, "Wasn't it you who pleaded for me and persuaded Cao Cao not to kill me?" Gao Shun waved his hand, "We don't have that much influence. Cao Cao only spared your life because of that young master Gu Liheng!"
"Gu Liheng, Gu Cheng?" Zhang Liao was taken aback and asked in surprise, "It was actually him who saved my life?" "Who else could it be?" Lü Lingqi then explained the whole story to Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao suddenly understood, and a deep sense of gratitude welled up on his face.
He pondered for a long time, then suddenly a determination flashed before his eyes. Without saying a word, he got up and left the tent.
Before long, he arrived outside Gu Cheng's tent. Taking a deep breath, Zhang Liao stepped into the tent.
"Zhang Liao is deeply grateful to Young Master Gu for saving my life. I have no way to repay this great kindness, please accept my deepest bow!" With that, he bowed deeply to Gu Cheng.
Gu Cheng was still dozing in his tent when Zhang Liao suddenly entered and knelt down, startling him awake. "So it's General Zhang. This is too much of a greeting. Please get up." Gu Cheng rubbed his eyes and helped Zhang Liao up.
"Young Master Gu, from this day forward, my life belongs to you. I, Zhang Liao, will obey your every command without hesitation."
Zhang Liao was filled with gratitude and was quite emotional.
Gu Cheng said self-deprecatingly, "I was just talking. Your life was given to you by Cao Cao. If you really want to repay him, you should do more to kill enemies and make contributions for Cao Cao."
Zhang Liao cupped his hands in thanks: "Young Master Gu's instructions are etched in my mind and I will never forget them." After expressing his gratitude, Zhang Liao took his leave. Gu Cheng yawned, lay back down in the rocking chair, and felt sleepy again. "Gu Lang, thank you for helping me and saving Zhang Wenyuan's life," Lü Lingqi's voice rang out. Gu Cheng squinted and saw that her face was filled with gratitude as she walked up to him with a smile. "Then how do you plan to thank me for saving your Lü family's old subordinate?" Gu Cheng pretended to be serious. Lü Lingqi's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting him to actually ask her for a repayment. Since she had already said it, she couldn't go back on her word, so she asked, "Then how do you want me to repay you?" "Let me think about it," Gu Cheng tapped his forehead with his fingertip, looking quite serious.
Suddenly, he patted his shoulder and said, "I recently had a stiff neck, and my shoulders are sore. Why don't you give me a shoulder massage?" Lu Lingqi was surprised that Gu Cheng would make such a request, and her face flushed. Gu Cheng closed his eyes, leaned back in the rocking chair, and looked ready to enjoy himself.
Lu Lingqi hesitated for a moment, gritted her teeth, came behind Gu Cheng, her face flushed, and placed her hands on Gu Cheng's shoulders.
"You actually pressed it?" Gu Cheng looked surprised and turned to look at Lü Lingqi.
He had only joked with her on a whim, but he never expected that the daughter of the world's number one warrior would actually put aside her pride and massage his shoulders and back.
"Didn't you tell me to rub it?" Lu Lingqi asked blankly, fluttering her eyelashes.
Gu Cheng was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "You are Lu Bu's daughter. You are good at killing on the battlefield. Giving me a shoulder massage is not like your style."
Lu Lingqi's face flushed even more, and her eyes flickered with shyness.
"If it were anyone else, I would have killed them with a single sword stroke if they dared to make such a request, but you..." Lu Lingqi's proud eyes softened, "If it's you, then I'm willing." The words "willing" made Lu Lingqi blush deeply, her face flushed with shyness. Gu Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood her feelings.
He turned his head and laughed, "Then I'll enjoy what it's like to have the daughter of the world's number one warrior massage my shoulders. But be gentle, or you'll break my shoulders."
Lü Lingqi chuckled, her embarrassment fading slightly. She rolled up her sleeves and began massaging with her delicate hands. "You're using a bit too much force! Could you be gentler?" "I'm already being very gentle~" "Then be even gentler—"
Five days later, 90,000 Yuan troops arrived at Guandu.
Only then did Yuan Shao realize that his old friend had already built a city at Guandu, waiting for him to come to him. Yuan Shao had no choice but to set up seven linked camps in an area less than ten li (approximately 5 kilometers) long and wide north of Guandu. Once the camps were set up, Yuan Shao gave the order to launch a fierce attack on Guandu day and night. After ten days of continuous attacks, suffering over three thousand casualties, he could not budge Guandu an inch. This decisive battle between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had thus reached a stalemate at Guandu. Yuan Shao was furious.
He marched south with an army of 100,000 men, confident of victory and certain conquest, believing the war would end in less than a month. However, the Battle of Baima resulted in the loss of Yan Liang and the surrender of Zhang Liao, along with the loss of nearly 10,000 elite soldiers in the first battle. Now, at the gates of Guandu, he had repeatedly failed to capture the city, suffering further casualties. Yuan Shao felt humiliated by Cao Cao. (Yuan Shao's camp, central command tent)
"You all pride yourselves on your wisdom and strategy, yet you can't even handle a small place like Guandu. Where is your dignity? And where is mine?"
Yuan Shao's face turned ashen, and he unleashed his fury on his advisors. The advisors lowered their heads in dejection; even Ju Shou was at a loss for a solution. Yuan Shao frowned, about to erupt in anger again.
"My lord!" Xu You suddenly stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Our army's advantage lies in its large number of soldiers. I have a plan that can take advantage of our large number of soldiers and crush Cao Cao head-on!"
Yuan Shao's spirits lifted, and he hurriedly asked Xu You what brilliant plan he had. Xu You, with a smug look on his face, calmly and slowly explained his plan.
Yuan Shao was overjoyed upon hearing this and sneered, "Excellent, Ziyuan, this plan is brilliant! I'll use it and see how long Cao Cao can remain holed up in Guandu!"
The next day at dawn, Yuan Shao's 90,000 troops once again arrayed themselves in battle. Upon hearing the news, Cao Cao immediately led his generals to the city walls.
Looking north, 90,000 Yuan Shao's troops were arrayed in the open field, hundreds of formations of varying sizes, overwhelmingly approaching Guandu City. "Yuan Shao just suffered a defeat in his attack on the city yesterday, losing over a thousand soldiers, and he's attacking again today. Has he never learned his lesson?" Cao Hong mocked.
The generals in Cao Cao's camp on the city wall laughed heartily, having repelled Yuan Shao's repeated attacks. Their confidence was soaring, and they began to underestimate Yuan Shao. Cao Cao, however, stroked his long beard, remaining silent, his eyes showing no sign of underestimating his enemy. "Minister Cao, this time, Yuan Shao doesn't seem to be planning a full-scale attack on Guandu!" Guo Jia, standing beside him, noticed something amiss.
Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Guo Jia pointed: "Minister, please look. Yuan's army did not bring siege ladders, nor did they deploy battering rams. Without these siege weapons, how can they attack the city?"
Cao Cao looked closely and indeed it was just as Guo Jia had said.
Cao Hong asked curiously, "Yuan Shao can't attack a city without siege weapons, so what is he planning to do with his entire army?" Before he finished speaking, the drums of Yuan Shao's army sounded, and countless troops began to advance towards Guandu. "Yuan Shao, could it be that you intend to..."
An ominous thought arose in Cao Cao's mind, and he hurriedly shouted, "Archers, fire arrows! Stop Yuan's army from advancing!" As soon as the order was given, arrows rained down from the walls of Guandu.
Yuan's army was prepared, holding up thick shields and braving Cao's arrows as they continued their advance. After nearly fifty paces, Yuan's army halted. The sound of the war drums suddenly changed.
Behind the large shields, Yuan's troops, under the cover of their shield bearers, were actually digging in the ground. "What are Yuan's troops doing?" Cao Hong asked, his eyes full of confusion.
The other generals were equally bewildered. Guo Jia, however, saw through the scheme and frowned, saying, "Yuan Shao intends to build a mound of earth in front of our Guandu city, using the high ground to suppress us with arrows and force us to abandon the city!"
The generals suddenly realized what was happening, and their expressions changed drastically. "It really is just as I suspected—" Cao Cao exclaimed, "Yuan Shao has a wealth of strategists under his command, and they have indeed come up with such a vicious plan for him!" The entire Cao army was filled with unease.
With arrows ineffective and unable to leave the city to fight, they could only watch helplessly as Yuan's army piled up more than thirty earthen mounds in front of Guandu City.
Each earthen mound was three or four zhang high, taller than the walls of Guandu. (Yuan's central army)
Yuan Shao watched with a cold smile as the earthen mound rose.
"Cao Cao, do you think you can get away with this just because you have Gu Cheng giving you advice? Yuan Shao raised a disdainful sneer and cracked his whip: "Archers, get up on the earthen mound! Keep firing arrows at Guandu City day and night! Don't stop until Cao Cao abandons the city and flees south!"
The order was issued.
More than seven thousand archers immediately ascended the earthen mound and began firing arrows down on Guandu from their elevated position. A hail of arrows rained down upon Cao Cao's army. "Yuan Shao!" Cao Cao's brow furrowed deeply as he watched the arrows raining down.
"Sikong, watch out!" Dian Wei shouted, raising his large shield to block Cao Cao. The next instant, a rain of arrows fell. Along the city line, screams rang out as Cao Cao's soldiers, unable to dodge the arrows, were instantly felled in droves. "Dian Wei, protect Sikong and get him to the city wall!" "Archers, counterattack!" Cao Ren brandished his sword, deflecting the arrows while shouting fiercely. Dian Wei, protecting Cao Cao, hurried towards the city wall.
Cao's archers, braving a hail of arrows, laboriously fired at Yuan's troops atop the earthen mound. Yuan's superior position immediately became apparent, quickly suppressing Cao's archers. The counterattack proved ineffective.
Cao Cao's archers dared not show themselves; the soldiers either huddled under the battlements or hid behind their shields, helplessly allowing Yuan Shao's army to unleash a barrage of arrows. Yuan Shao's archers held a clear advantage, and seeing Cao Cao's disarray, they laughed wildly, mocking them mercilessly. Some Yuan Shao soldiers even spat at Cao Cao's troops, hurling insults at them. Cao Cao's soldiers along the city walls were seething with rage, seething with resentment. Inside the city walls...
Cao Hong was furious and shouted, "Yuan's army is going too far! Minister of Works, let me lead the army out and break through their earthen mound!" All the generals were indignant and volunteered to fight.
"Minister, we must not go into battle!" Guo Jia hurriedly cupped his hands and advised, "Yuan Shao's move is to lure our army into battle. We must remain calm!" "Then what should we do? If we don't go into battle, we won't be able to break through Yuan Shao's earthen mound. If we are suppressed like this, how many days can we hold out?" Cao Hong shouted with a face full of dissatisfaction.
Although Cao Cao was furious, he remained calm and said in a deep voice, "Fengxiao's words are reasonable. Issue an order to all armies that they are not allowed to engage in battle without authorization, or they will be executed on the spot!"
The generals were all indignant, but had no choice but to obey. Outside the city, on the earthen mounds, Yuan's army rained arrows down relentlessly. The entire city of Guandu was shrouded in a hail of arrows.
South of Guandu City, there was a side camp.
While Cao Cao's army in the city was suffering from the arrows of Yuan Shao's army, Gu Cheng was leisurely drinking wine in this small camp far away from Guandu City. "Gu Lang, why did we move here from Guandu City?" Lu Lingqi behind him asked, rubbing his shoulders.
Xu Chu added, "Yes, young master, we were living comfortably in Guandu City, why did we suddenly move outside the city?" "If we didn't move out, would we just be sitting ducks with Cao Cao's army?" Gu Cheng said dismissively. "Sitting ducks?" Lü Lingqi and Xu Chu exchanged a glance, both looking bewildered. Just as they were about to ask more, footsteps sounded, and Cao Ang lifted the tent flap and rushed in. "Brother Gu, why didn't you call out before moving here? I searched for ages to find you." Cao Ang asked breathlessly as soon as he entered.
Gu Cheng poured him a cup of tea and said calmly, "Judging from your anxious and agitated state, young master, could it be that Yuan Shao is up to his old tricks again?" "Brother Gu is right!" Cao Ang said irritably, "That old dog Yuan Shao, using some wicked scheme, has piled up more than thirty earthen mounds in front of Guandu City. Relying on his superior position, he's indiscriminately firing arrows into Guandu City, suppressing us so much that we dare not show our faces. We even have to carry shields when walking inside the city!"
Gu Cheng nodded slightly, but there was no surprise on his face.
Lu Lingqi and Xu Chu were both taken aback and looked at Gu Cheng in surprise.