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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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I prepared to leave, having secured ample grain supplies.
As I left Chenliu, the people from Xu Province were repairing houses and building livestock pens using the lumber and tools provided by Wei Hong’s merchant guild.
“There’s quite a demand for labor within the city. It’s the autumn harvest season.”
It was September, the harvest season. Since the men of Chenliu had been conscripted for the war, there was a need for laborers.
And so, the people of Xu Province were gradually being integrated into Yan Province.
“The harvest has just begun in Chenliu, and Puyang will be harvesting soon, so we’ll have no issues with supplies.”
“Thank you, Uncle Yuanrang.”
I left Chenliu with Xiahou Dun’s farewell and a large supply of grain, heading back to Xu Province. I could now freely travel to and from the front lines. I arrived at Cao Cao’s camp.
“Halt! Who goes there?”
“We’re from Chenliu, bringing grain supplies.”
Xiahou Yuan rushed out to greet us.
“From Chenliu? The supplies have arrived already?”
“Uncle Miaocai, it’s me!”
“Ah, Wenlie! Come in, come in!”
Xiahou Yuan was covered in dried blood, and his arms and legs were bandaged.
It seemed a fierce battle had taken place while I was away.
“My lord, Wenlie has arrived with the grain supplies.”
“Bring him in.”
A strong stench assaulted my nose as the tent flap opened. The smell of blood. The putrid stench of blood after days of intense fighting.
I instinctively recoiled, but I maintained a neutral expression before Cao Cao.
“Uncle, I’ve settled the people of Xu Province around Chenliu and brought the grain supplies.”
“Ah, good work.”
Cao Cao was washing the blood from his face and hands with a wet cloth.
“Anything else to report?”
“Uncle Yuanrang asked me to tell you something.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Bian Rang, the elder of the powerful families in Puyang, has died.”
“!”
Cao Cao froze, the wet cloth still in his hand. My mind raced, but I carefully observed his reaction. He slowly lowered the cloth and looked at me, his eyes filled with a chilling intensity.
“Master Bian is dead?”
“Y, yes. Uncle Yuanrang received the news from Puyang.”
“That’s… unfortunate. A great man has fallen.”
Cao Cao finished wiping his face and pointed at me.
“Cheng Yu, go and inspect the new grain supplies with Wenlie.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Cheng Yu, with his usual stern expression, called me over, and we left the tent.
“Did you settle the people from Xu Province?”
“Yes. Wei Hong’s merchant guild provided them with seeds, farming tools, and even livestock.”
“Well, that’s good.”
I asked Cheng Yu,
“How is the war progressing?”
Cheng Yu held up five fingers.
“Five battles? And the results…?”
“We won all five, of course.”
As expected of Cao Cao’s army. Even though they were on an expeditionary campaign and outnumbered, they were still victorious.
But why did Cheng Yu look so grim?
“Tao Qian has holed up in Xiaopei and refuses to come out. We lack siege weapons, so we’re building ladders and battering rams.”
They were invincible in open battle, but if the enemy hid within their city walls, there was little they could do.
“I advised him from the start to attack Xiaopei and Xiapi immediately and finish this quickly…”
Cheng Yu clicked his tongue, his face etched with displeasure. It seemed he had initially proposed a swift campaign, focusing on capturing Xiaopei and Xiapi.
But his suggestion had been rejected in favor of my proposal, supplemented by Xun Yu, to relocate the people of Xu Province to Yan Province.
“If we had just captured the cities and taken Tao Qian’s head, this war would be over. We’ve wasted too much time.”
“But if that hadn’t worked, we could have been bogged down in a protracted campaign.”
“!”
Since I was being treated as an advisor, I decided to speak my mind.
“Our troops have been victorious thanks to Uncle’s brilliant military tactics. But if we had focused solely on Xiaopei from the beginning, as you suggested, we could have been at a disadvantage due to our lack of siege weapons.”
“That’s assuming Tao Qian wouldn’t leave Xiapi. If we captured Xiaopei and then Pengcheng, Xiapi would be surrounded.”
Xiaopei – Pengcheng – Xiapi
Those cities were aligned, connected by the eastern route. So, we just needed to capture Xiaopei and then Pengcheng.
“In my humble opinion, if we had done that, the enemy forces from the forts and villages we captured would have converged on Xiaopei, making the battle even more difficult.”
“They’re just farmers and militia. Leaving them wouldn’t have changed the outcome… No, this was the lord’s decision. We must focus on winning under the current circumstances.”
Cheng Yu seemed to have more to say, but he shook his head. Continuing this line of argument would only be criticizing Cao Cao’s strategy.
We inspected the grain supplies I had brought. More would be arriving soon, as the harvest continued, but we needed to conserve what we had.
“This will only last twenty days. Even with the additional supplies, two months at most.”
Cheng Yu quickly calculated in his head. I took the opportunity to observe the troops. The twenty-thousand-strong army showed signs of fatigue after five battles.
War was indeed a grueling affair.
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“Urgent report! Urgent report!”
“What is it at this hour?”
Cao Cao emerged from his tent to receive the messenger’s report. I was organizing supplies in a nearby tent and rushed over to listen.
“My lord, there’s a large-scale military mobilization in Huainan.”
“Why there?”
“Yuan Shu’s army is marching from Shouchun towards Xiaopei. Their numbers are estimated to be around forty thousand.”
“Forty thousand?!”
Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, and Cao Ren’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That fool Yuan Shu is coming after me?”
“My lord, Shouchun is only three days away from Xiaopei.”
The defending forces in Xiaopei numbered around twenty thousand, and Yuan Shu was bringing forty thousand. That was already three times our current strength.
And our actual strength wasn’t even twenty thousand. Accounting for the wounded, we probably had sixteen or seventeen thousand men at most.
“Urgent report! Urgent report!”
“What now? Is there something even more urgent than Yuan Shu’s advance?”
Cao Cao, his face creased with annoyance, received another report.
“My lord, it’s a disaster! A large army is marching down from You Province and Qing Province.”
“What’s that now? Explain yourself!”
“G, Gongsun Zan of You Province is personally leading an army of ten thousand cavalry and twenty thousand infantry. They’ll reach Xu Province in three days.”
“Oh dear…”
Cao Cao clutched his head and slumped back in his chair.
This was a truly dire situation.
Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu were coming to Tao Qian’s aid against Cao Cao? If Gongsun Zan brought thirty thousand, Yuan Shu forty thousand, and Tao Qian managed to maintain thirty thousand, their combined forces would number one hundred thousand!
“Those bastards have joined forces to take me down? Insolent fools!”
“My lord, the situation is unfavorable. We could be surrounded and suffer a crushing defeat.”
Cheng Yu urged Cao Cao to retreat. But despite clutching his head, Cao Cao’s eyes were still sharp.
That look meant he would never retreat in disgrace.
“Cheng Yu, how much grain do we have left?”
“Why…?”
“Just answer the question!”
“We have ten days’ worth of supplies left, plus the twenty days’ worth we brought from Chenliu. Enough for a month.”
“Good. Double the soldiers’ rations starting tomorrow morning.”
Was he seriously planning to fight? Even for Cao Cao, facing the combined forces of Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan, and Yuan Shu would be difficult. One hundred thousand men!
Even though Yuan Shu and Gongsun Zan were warlords who would eventually be defeated, their numbers were overwhelming.
And both Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu had capable generals under their command. At this time, Gongsun Zan had Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, and Yuan Shu had Sun Ce and Zhou Yu!
Even with my knowledge of the future, this was a situation that called for retreat. I had knowledge, not cheat codes or special abilities that allowed me to single-handedly fight against ten thousand men.
“My lord, we’re trapped.”
Cheng Yu’s voice was urgent, and although Cao Ren and Cao Hong tried to hide it, they also seemed to favor retreat. But Cao Cao calmly tapped his command baton and addressed his generals.
“We will return to Yan Province. In four days.”
“My lord, by then, we’ll be facing Yuan Shu and Gongsun Zan’s armies in Xiaopei.”
“And we’ll fight them! Do you want the whole world to know that Cao Cao ran away from Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shu without even putting up a fight?”
“!?”
Cao Cao made his intentions clear.
“This war is about punishing those bandits who tried to kill my family and steal our wealth. My father nearly died in Xu Province!”
“My lord, that’s true, but…”
“Yuan Shu from the south, Gongsun Zan from the north? I’ll take them all on. I’ll show that old bandit Tao Qian, hiding in Xiaopei, what happens when he calls upon such rabble to oppose me!”
Cao Cao was seriously planning to fight and defeat the combined forces of Tao Qian, Yuan Shu, and Gongsun Zan.
Four days… That meant he intended to wait until Yuan Shu and Gongsun Zan arrived in Xiaopei, defeat them in front of Tao Qian, and then retreat.
Like Xiang Yu of old, who fought and defeated three of Liu Bang’s armies in succession.
“Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren, Cheng Yu, Cao Xiu. I ask you all. Do I, Cao Cao, seem like a coward who would run with his tail between his legs?”
“Never, Brother Mengde!”
“My lord, Miaocai will follow you to the ends of the earth.”
“Whether they bring one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand men, let them come! I’ll take all their heads!”
“Good! We’ll settle this in four days. Make sure you all eat your fill!”
This was the true Cao Cao.
I had to risk everything and fight alongside him.
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One hundred thousand enemies? Pfft. Cao Cao sees it as a warm up. 🍖🔥
