The game starts with Cao Cao as the main character, and the beauty sheds countless tears.

Chapter 340 Cao Cao Wants to Retire to the Mountains? And He Returns the General's Garment to L

Xuchang

Shangshu Lingfu

Xun Chen anxiously awaited the outcome of the Battle of Guandu.

Although nominally, Xun Chen chose to join Cao Cao's camp.

But behind the scenes, he was still secretly working to provide intelligence to Yuan Ying.

However, what Xun Chen didn't know was...

The intelligence he sent out was all wrong.

Without exception, they were all misleading messages that Xun Yu wanted him to send out.

now.

When Xun Yu entered the room with a happy expression, the last glimmer of hope in Xun Chen's heart vanished.

Lost!

Yuan's army suffered a major defeat at Guandu!

Xun Yu told his third brother Xun Chen the good news, and Xun Chen managed a weak smile.

Third Brother, are you unhappy?

"This is a resounding victory! A truly great victory!"

Xun Yu waved the enormous battle report fiercely in front of Xun Chen, who, on the verge of tears, echoed:

"Excellent! Excellent! In that case, Commander Cao will soon return in triumph, won't he?"

Xun Yu smiled and said:

"I heard that Yuan Shao was hit by an arrow and fell into a coma."

"With this crushing defeat, I reckon he doesn't have much time left to live."

"After Yuan Shao dies, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang will inevitably fall into a rift."

"My lord's intention is to support Yuan Tan in dealing with Yuan Shang."

"No matter what, Yuan Tan is my lord's own nephew, and Yuan Shao's true eldest son."

"With him inheriting the position left by Yuan Shao, there should be no more conflict between Yuan's camp and my Cao camp!"

Under Su Yu's influence, Xun Yu's shamelessness also grew day by day.

For example, when they lie, they don't even blink.

Xun Chen's impression of his fourth brother, Xun Yu, was still that of a diligent, honest, and obsequious person.

Therefore, Xun Chen didn't think much about what Xun Yu said and subconsciously believed it.

This is a matter of credibility.

If it were a notorious bad guy like Su Yu arguing with Xun Chen here, no matter how much he argued, Xun Chen would at most be half-convinced.

But Xun Yu was different.

Xun Chen thought to himself, others might deceive him, but how could his own fourth brother possibly deceive him?

Xun Chen immediately made up his mind to write a secret letter to Yuan Tan, informing him in detail of the information he had obtained.

……

Qingzhou

Linzi City

Yuan Tan did not lead his troops into battle during the Battle of Guandu.

Firstly, Yuan Tan needed to guard against Xu Rong, Cheng Yu, and others from Cao Cao's camp in Xuzhou.

Secondly, before the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Tan had been taken prisoner by Cao Cao's camp.

After being misled by Cao Cao and Cao Ang, Yuan Tan's hostility towards Cao Cao's camp was not as great as before. He knew that the real enemy was Ju Shou and his cronies.

At this moment, Yuan Tan held the battle report of the Battle of Guandu, sighing and remaining silent for a long time.

The good news is that Ju Shou is finally dead!

If this were the only piece of news that came, Yuan Tan would probably immediately order a general amnesty for Qingzhou and celebrate with singing and dancing for three days straight!

But fuck...

Of the soldiers from Yuan Ying who participated in the Battle of Guandu, only about 10% returned to Jizhou!

The remaining 90% have either died in battle or been taken prisoner.

The enormous losses have fundamentally weakened Yuan Ying, severely diminishing his strength!

Although the powerful families of Ji Province are wealthy and can amass large armies.

But how can the newly recruited soldiers be compared with the battle-hardened veterans of Yuan's camp?

Those veterans were all elites who fought against Gongsun Zan back then!

Now look what's happened, everything's gone in an instant.

To put it simply, it will take Yuan Ying three to five years to recover any of his strength.

In addition, Yuan Tan was also very worried about Yuan Shao's injuries.

Unlike Yuan Shang, who was a "filial son," Yuan Tan was much more mature than Yuan Shang and had a genuine affection for his father, Yuan Shao.

Seeing Yuan Tan's dejected appearance, Xin Ping advised him:

"Young Master, please pull yourself together."

"Although my words may sound alarmist, I still hope that the eldest son will prepare for inheriting the position of lord as soon as possible!"

After saying this, Xin Ping lowered his head slightly and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Yuan Tan sighed:

“Zhongzhi, that Yuan Shang brat is a complete waste.”

"I heard that this fellow even thought of pleading for Ju Shou's life after his father placed him under house arrest."

"Ah……"

"If my Yuan family were to be inherited by such a good-for-nothing, then we would truly be doomed."

Xin Ping said with delight:

"It's good that the eldest son understands this."

"You are the only true successor to our lord."

"As for the Battle of Guandu, I believe that our lord was not defeated by Cao Cao, but rather by that damned Ju Shou!"

"If it weren't for Ju Shou's internal strife, which would have weakened the strength of my Yuan camp."

"What right does Cao Cao, a mere nobody, have to be our lord's opponent?"

After saying that, Xin Ping raised his head, his face full of pride for Yuan Ying.

Yuan Tan pondered:

"Ju Shou is dead, but Shen Pei, Feng Ji, Cui Yan, Ju Hu and others are still alive."

"I want to get rid of these bastards, but I don't have enough strength."

"I don't know what to do."

Xin Ping laughed and said:

"Young Master, success depends on human effort."

"And no one has ever said that an enemy is always an enemy, and a friend is always a friend."

"Perhaps the eldest son can use Cao Cao's forces against him!"

Yuan Tan nodded heavily.

He had the same idea.

Without exception, no matter how much infighting there is among the powerful families of Ji Province, they will definitely choose to support Yuan Shang rather than Yuan Tan.

Since we cannot gain the support of the powerful families of Ji Province, we should try to win them over from the outside.

A few days later

The arrival of Xun Chen's letter further solidified Yuan Tan's idea of ​​contacting Cao Cao's camp.

Envoys from both sides began to frequently cross the border.

They even signed some trade orders with Xuzhou and Qingzhou.

As for what is being sold, only the two parties involved know the truth.

……

Xuchang

Cao Cao led his army back to the capital.

To show his welcome to Cao Cao, Liu Xie specially went out of the city five miles to greet him.

Although this five-mile journey caused Liu Xie, who had long lived in the deep palace, to develop two large blisters on his feet.

But compared to Liu Xie's anxiety, the two large blisters were really no big deal.

What is Liu Xie worried about?

Cao Cao was already the Minister of Works, one of the Three Dukes.

The Minister of Works (司空) is the lowest-ranking of the Three Dukes (三公).

However, Cao Cao's defeat of Yuan Shao was nominally to eliminate treacherous officials for the Han court, so Liu Xie, as the emperor, would certainly reward him.

Liu Xie, who was penniless, could only reward Cao Cao with official positions or noble titles.

He was granted a title, but it was too low a rank.

Conferring a title of nobility? Liu Xie was stirring up trouble.

Conferring a title of king? Liu Xie can now prepare for the abdication.

For a time, Liu Xie was at his wit's end, not knowing how to reward Cao Cao.

Banners obscured the sky.

Cao Cao rode Jueying, dressed in the ordinary clothes of a high-ranking official, and took the lead.

Upon seeing this, Liu Xie quickly walked towards Cao Cao, taking three steps at a time.

"You have worked hard for the country this time, my dear minister!"

Liu Xie grasped Cao Cao's hand, his eyes gradually turning slightly red.

In terms of acting skills, Liu Xie is far inferior to Cao Cao and Su Yu, two veteran actors.

But it's still quite commendable.

unexpectedly.

Cao Cao suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Liu Xie, and said:

"Your Majesty, I am guilty of failing to kill Yuan Shao. Please punish me!"

"Your humble servant is willing to relinquish the position of Minister of Works and retire to the mountains from now on!"

Liu Xie was dumbfounded.

No... are you trying to advance by retreating here?

Who doesn't know that the Battle of Guandu was a great victory?

Yuan Shao fled, so be it.

Judging from the current trend, Yuan Shao won't last much longer.

At this critical juncture, you want to relinquish your position as Minister of Works and retire to the mountains?

No... No...

"Minister Cao, what will I do if you leave?"

Now, Liu Xie was truly about to cry.

Because he saw that Cao Cao had taken off his personal robes, which were the official robes of the Minister of Works. (These robes were just outer garments; there were other inner garments underneath.)

This was the first step in the Three Great Hans's decision to retire and return to their hometown: handing over their ordinary clothes!

……