EBE Chapter 247 Zhang Xiu, caught in a trap, vows to attack Cao Cao.
Chapter 247 Zhang Xiu, caught in a trap, vows to attack Cao Cao.
Cao Cao suddenly awoke with a start.
The series of resounding victories did indeed make him somewhat arrogant.
I almost forgot that when I first started my business, the size of my army was far smaller than Zhang Xiu's now!
What happened to the 30,000 troops?
Zhang Xiu's Xiliang army was quite different from the undisciplined armies of Li Jue and Guo Si; almost every soldier there was an elite force.
In particular, the proportion of cavalry was very high, at least five to one, with a conservative estimate of six thousand Xiliang cavalry!
If Zhang Xiu surrenders and then rebels again...
Once the gates of Wancheng were closed, the 20,000 Cao army soldiers were like fish on a chopping board, with no chance of escape!
But Cao Cao still managed to grasp the key information.
"Does Ziyi believe that Zhang Xiu might have feigned surrender but actually betrayed the regime again?"
Su Yu shook his head and said:
"It's not necessarily a fake surrender."
"True surrender is also a possibility."
"But a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. My lord, you cannot entrust your safety to Zhang Xiu."
"How about this..."
Cao Cao's eyes suddenly lit up.
That's a brilliant plan!
If Zhang Xiu had truly surrendered, then this action would be considered giving him face.
If Zhang Xiu harbors ill intentions...
If you dare to harbor ill intentions, we'll smash your dog's head in!
……
three days later
The envoy returned to Wancheng and reported to Zhang Xiu that Cao Cao had accepted the surrender.
Zhang Xiu nodded expressionlessly, then ordered the envoy to leave.
Although the envoy was filled with doubts, he could not bring himself to ask unless Zhang Xiu spoke up.
What if Zhang Xiu's "unhappiness" is simply because of a woman?
As his subordinate, he shouldn't interfere, right?
After the envoy left, Zhang Xiu slammed his fist on the table in anger.
"Bastard!"
"Mr. Wenhe's whereabouts are unknown, and you expect this general to surrender to them?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
Zhang Xiu's thinking was very simple.
In addition, the misleading information sent from Xiangyang in the past few days, whether intentional or unintentional, made Zhang Xiu even more convinced that Cao Cao's camp had kidnapped Jia Xu!
The purpose was to remove Jia Xu from his strategist's side, seize his military power after his surrender, and use his head to curry favor with Liu Xie!
This shows that Zhang Xiu's intelligence gathering was inadequate.
Cao Cao and Su Yu outwardly treated Liu Xie with respect.
In reality, that's completely inhumane!
Su Yu, in particular, looked at Liu Xie as if he were looking at a green-haired turtle.
Zhang Xiu was, after all, a formidable general.
Using Zhang Xiu's head to curry favor with Liu Xie—what kind of brain-dead tactic is that?
However, historically, it is certain that Cao Cao coveted the military power held by Zhang Xiu.
His desire to have an affair with Zou was not simply a matter of being impatient; he was also spending heavily to win over Zhang Xiu's generals, led by Hu Che'er.
Such behavior completely disregards Zhang Xiu and attempts to sideline him!
But upon closer reflection, one can actually understand Cao Cao's mindset at that time.
Years of warfare have severely depleted his troops.
Zhang Xiu's soldiers were all readily available elite troops.
The Xiliang cavalry, in particular, were a tremendous asset.
Cao Cao naturally wanted to keep such elite troops under his control.
But now, with Su Yu's help, Cao Cao's camp is significantly stronger than it was at the same time in history.
Furthermore, they possess three elite cavalry units: the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry trained by Lü Lingqi, the Dragon Cavalry of Zhao Yun, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry of Cao Chun.
Their desire for the Xiliang cavalry was no longer so strong.
After accepting Zhang Xiu's surrender, military power can remain in Zhang Xiu's hands, as long as Zhang Xiu is obedient and has no intention of rebelling.
But Zhang Xiu knew nothing about these things, and he couldn't figure them out using his own logic.
Without Jia Xu's advice, he subconsciously began to view Cao Cao with the same perspective he had used to have on Li Jue and Guo Si.
They believe that Cao Cao, like Li Jue and Guo Si, was a warlord with short-sighted vision and an ugly way of making money!
"What should this general do?"
Zhang Xiu was lost in confusion.
Just then, a guard came to report that Kuai Qi had arrived again.
Following behind Kuai Qi were hundreds of grain transport vehicles loaded with grain and fodder.
Zhang Xiu quickly led his men out to greet them.
city gate
Kuai Qi smiled broadly and said:
"General Zhang, I've brought you grain!"
Seeing Kuai Qi's beaming face, Zhang Xiu's suspicions about Liu Biao's side lessened even further.
He even thought Liu Biao was a really good ally!
Even though this shipment of provisions didn't need to be provided, Kuai Qi was still sent to deliver it.
Therefore, Zhang Xiu's attitude towards Kuai Qi was much better than the last time.
He invited Kuai Qi to sit down at his residence and personally poured him a glass of wine.
But Zhang Xiu was worried about Jia Xu's safety. After chatting with Kuai Qi for a few minutes, he kept pouring himself more wine.
Anyone could see that Zhang Xiu was preoccupied, and Kuai Qi was no exception.
A smile appeared on his lips:
"General Zhang, my lord asked me to tell you that if you go to war with Cao Cao, he will do everything in his power to send troops to support you!"
"If General Zhang is no match for Cao Cao and wants to abandon Wancheng, Xiangyang will always be a strong support for General Zhang!"
These words really struck a chord with Zhang Xiu.
With only 30,000 troops, he would certainly not be a match for Cao Cao if he did not resort to trickery.
But if Liu Biao were willing to give his full support, perhaps a real fight could be fought!
Furthermore, with Kuai Qi's assurance...
Even if Zhang Xiu's army is defeated, he will have a way out and no longer have to worry about the future.
"Mr. Kuai, I, Zhang, would like to offer you a toast."
"What Zhang wanted to express is all in this wine."
Kuai Qi chuckled and raised his wine glass to clink with Zhang Xiu's.
He understood that Zhang Xiu had completely taken the bait!
Moreover, Zhang Xiu currently has no advisors by his side.
If Kuai Qi were to offer him a plan, Zhang Xiu would most likely accept it!
"General Zhang, do you have any strategies to counter Cao Cao?"
Zhang Xiu shook his head.
He had originally planned to surrender to Cao Cao, so where did he get the strategy to defeat Cao Cao?
Kuai Qi's eyes darted around as he reminded him:
"Cao Cao had just wiped out the false emperors Yuan Shu and Yuan Yao a little over a month ago, and was in the midst of his triumphant moment."
"If General Zhang were to express his willingness to surrender to him at this time, he would probably accept it."
"But General Zhang is, after all, a powerful and ruthless man. To show his sincerity, Cao Cao will definitely come to Wancheng in person to accept General Zhang's surrender."
"At that time, if General Zhang attacks him again, he can take Cao Cao's life directly!"
"With Cao Cao dead, his camp was thrown into chaos. General Zhang's northward campaign to attack Nanyang is also a way to expand our territory!"
Kuai Qi's plan made Zhang Xiu blush with embarrassment.
At this moment, he was unaware that Liu Biao, Kuai Yue, Kuai Qi, Feng Ji, and others already knew about his secret dispatch of envoys to Cao Cao!
He thought Kuai Qi was genuinely planning something for him!
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiu felt even more strongly that Liu Biao's side consisted of honest and kind people.
Kuai Qi's strategy was perfectly suited to Zhang Xiu's current situation.
Zhang Xiu, being so single-minded, agreed to Kuai Qi's plan in just two and a half seconds, without Jia Xu's help.
Having witnessed the tragic deaths of various warlords, Zhang Xiu had long since lost much of his ambition.
But now, out of self-preservation, he has fallen into the trap that Feng Ji and his group have carefully set up for him!
Let's attack Cao Cao!
This is Zhang Xiu's inner cry!
……
P.S.: Just a heads-up, there will be a major plot twist later on.
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