Three Kingdoms: The Peerless Strategist of Wei

Chapter 11 My Father-in-Law Was Actually a Middleman

As the sun set in the west, the deafening sounds of battle fell silent.

The raging fire gradually died down, and more than 20,000 Jingzhou soldiers perished at Bowangpo. Countless others surrendered or were wounded.

Cao Cao won a great victory in this battle and then withdrew his troops and returned to Wancheng.

It was the middle of the night.

Cao Cao sat high at the head of the hall, his face as cold as frost.

Cai He was dragged into the main hall by soldiers and slammed down at Cao Cao's feet.

He was ordered by Cai Mao to cover the rear, but ultimately failed to break through Cao Cao's encirclement and was captured alive by Yue Jin.

Cao Cao lowered his eyes and looked down at him, demanding in a stern voice, "Cai He, you traitor, do you know your crime?!"

Cai He forced himself to remain calm and spoke loudly, "Minister Cao, my elder brother Cai Mao and you have been friends for many years. I hope you will consider my brother's reputation..."

"presumptuous!"

Cao Cao interrupted him sharply, shouting angrily, "Liu Biao has seized power and is plotting rebellion against the emperor. I have come here on the emperor's orders to punish him. You brothers, Cai, dare to aid and abet this tyranny and help Liu Biao resist the imperial army. You deserve to die a thousand deaths! And yet you still have the nerve to claim kinship with me here!"

Cai He was so frightened that he trembled all over and was at a loss for what to do.

"Guards, drag this traitor out and behead him as a warning to others!"

Cao Cao flicked his sleeves and coldly gave the order to kill.

Cai He was instantly terrified and hurriedly knelt down, begging for mercy.

The Tiger Guards outside the tent immediately swarmed forward, grabbed Cai He, and dragged him out.

On that day, Cai He's head was hung high above the south gate of Wancheng as a show of force to Liu Bei of Jingzhou.

...

Inside the prefectural government building in Xiangyang City.

Liu Biao stood in the hall with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed intently on the map on the wall.

"De Gui's army has already passed Xinye. If they proceed cautiously and steadily, they can advance to the south of Wancheng in seven days."

"He was also a seasoned general who had fought many battles. He believed that as long as he followed his master's instructions and held his ground without fighting, Cao Cao would be helpless."

Seeing the worry on Liu's face, Kuai Yue comforted him from the side.

The gloom on Liu Biao's face dissipated slightly, and he said, "Yidu, you guessed wrong. I naturally trust Degui. I was just thinking about who this extraordinary person is who is advising Cao Cao."

"In my opinion, there may not be such a remarkable person as Jia Wenhe mentioned at all. Cao Cao's previous success in defeating Zhang Xiu was merely a fluke."

Kuai Yue said with a dismissive expression.

"What you said makes some sense."

"I really don't want to believe that there is such a person of extraordinary wisdom in this world. Even if Zhang Liang were to be reborn, he would not be any better."

Liu Biao smiled and raised the wine cup in his hand, slowly bringing it to his lips.

The words had barely left his mouth.

A guard staggered in, shouting, "My lord, urgent news has arrived from the north! General Cai led a light cavalry on a rapid march north, but was ambushed by Cao Cao at Bowang Slope. His army was almost completely annihilated, and General Cai himself was beheaded by Cao Cao and his head displayed to the public!"

Liu Biao was jolted, and the wine cup in his hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. Forty thousand elite troops!

In just a few days, they were completely wiped out?

Liu Biao stood frozen in place, looking dazed and bewildered, thinking he had misheard.

"Absolutely impossible!"

"Cai Mao had been advancing north cautiously, so how could he have fallen into Cao Cao's ambush without any precautions?"

Kuai Yue snapped out of his utter shock, his face filled with disbelief.

The guard bowed and said, "Reporting to Prefect Kuai, General Cai did not proceed cautiously but led his army in a lightly armed and swift advance, which is why he fell into Cao Cao's ambush."

"To advance lightly and recklessly?"

Liu Biao's face darkened abruptly, and he angrily demanded, "I clearly ordered him to proceed cautiously and slowly northward. Why does he dare to disobey orders and advance hastily with light equipment!"

The guard hung his head, unable to answer any more questions.

Kuai Yue's eyes darted around quickly, and suddenly he thought of something.

He immediately lowered his voice and said, "My lord, I heard that Cao Cao ordered the confiscation of all the Cai family's land in Wancheng. This must be a trap set by Cao Cao to lure the enemy. Cai Degui fell for this trap and thus underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly!"

Liu Biao instantly realized what was happening, and gritted his teeth as he cursed, "That De Gui! He only cares about the Cai family's selfish interests, and has actually ruined my important military and national affairs!"

"The person who offered this plan to Cao Cao was extremely knowledgeable about the Cai family's situation in Nanyang, and even predicted that Cai Degui would recklessly advance his troops because of this. This person's wisdom and strategy are truly terrifying!"

Kuai Yue's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and even his voice trembled slightly.

"Could it be that this treacherous scheme, once again, was devised by that eccentric figure whom Jia Wenhe had previously speculated about, and was offered to Cao Cao?"

Liu Biao gasped sharply, instantly breaking out in a cold sweat.

Kuai Yue's face turned deathly pale. He sighed and said, "It seems that Jia Wenhe's guess was correct. That extraordinary person really exists, and we have all greatly underestimated his wisdom."

Liu Biao swayed a few times, then collapsed onto his seat, completely exhausted, his mind in a daze.

Much later.

Liu Biao finally came to his senses and asked, "Now that things have come to this, what should I do?"

Kuai Yue sighed and said, "The 40,000 troops have been wiped out, and our army has been severely weakened. I'm afraid we won't be able to send troops north for another year or two. The only option now is to abandon Wancheng and send someone to Xudu to pay tribute, thus showing weakness to Cao Cao."

Liu Biao sighed repeatedly, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.

After hesitating for a long time, he could only wave his hand helplessly: "Do as you say, and do it quickly."

"promise."

Kuai Yue quickly bowed and accepted the order, then turned and left.

"etc!"

Liu Biao stopped him again and ordered in a deep voice, "Send more spies to Xuchang and find out exactly who this person is who has been advising Cao Cao all this time."

"My lord is absolutely right. If we don't find out this person's background, we'll suffer another great loss sooner or later!"

Kuai Yue nodded repeatedly in agreement.

On that day, news of the crushing defeat at Bowangpo spread rapidly throughout the counties and prefectures of Jingzhou.

The entire Jingxiang region was shaken.

North of the Han River lies Longzhong.

Inside a secluded thatched cottage, two young men, one ugly and one handsome, sat facing each other, playing chess.

"Kongming, Cao Cao suffered an initial defeat but ultimately triumphed, annihilating Zhang Xiu and capturing Wancheng in less than two months. What are your thoughts on this?"

Pang Tong slowly asked, twirling a black chess piece between his fingers.

"Cao Cao was already suspicious of Zhang Xiu and secretly won over Zhang Xiu's subordinates, which angered Zhang Xiu and caused him to surrender and then rebel again. All of this was within my expectations."

"However, I was quite surprised that Cao Cao was able to sense it in advance and abandon the camp to retreat at the critical moment of life and death."

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan and spoke calmly, placing a white chess piece on the board with his fingertip.

Pang Tong laughed loudly, "What's so surprising about that? It's natural that his strategist warned Cao Cao in advance."

"Among all the strategists in Cao Cao's camp, only Xun Yu was able to see through Jia Xu's cunning schemes."

"But in the battle of Wancheng, Xun Yu was far away in Xudu. With only Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu, it was not certain that they could see through Jia Xu's scheme."

Zhuge Liang, however, looked doubtful and harbored some suspicions in his heart.

"Oh?"

Pang Tong looked up at him, nodded, and said, "What you said is indeed reasonable; there are indeed suspicious aspects to this matter."

"There's one more thing."

Zhuge Liang then continued, "When Cao Cao retreated to Ye County, he should have run out of supplies and had to retreat to Xuchang. Why then did Ye County stockpile 5,000 hu of grain beforehand, giving Cao Cao the confidence to counterattack and return to Wancheng?"

"Could it be that Xun Yu anticipated Cao Cao's defeat and sent provisions to Ye County in advance?"

Pang Tong, fiddling with the black pieces, guessed what was going on.

Zhuge Liang smiled faintly and asked in return, "Xun Yu certainly possesses the talent of a king's advisor, but Shi Yuan, do you think his wisdom has reached such a transcendent level?"

Pang Tong was speechless for a moment and could not answer.

After a long silence, he shook his head and said, "Xun Wenruo certainly doesn't have such foresight. It seems that Cao Mengde must have gained a new strategist, whose wisdom surpasses even Xun Yu's."

Zhuge Liang remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement with his speculation.

Pang Tong couldn't help but show a surprised expression, and asked, "There are already very few strategists in the world, and even fewer who can surpass Xun Yu in wisdom. Just who is this new strategist of Cao Cao?"

"Regardless of who this person is, his assistance to Cao Cao is tantamount to aiding and abetting evil, and is despised by us scholars!"

Zhuge Liang gave a cold snort, his face full of resentment and indignation.

Pang Tong laughed loudly and said, "No matter what, Cao Cao has already captured Wancheng. With that extraordinary person assisting him, Cai Mao's northward march this time is likely to be fraught with danger."

"That may not be the case!"

Zhuge Liang chuckled coldly and said, "Jia Xu has already defected to Liu Biao. He will surely offer Liu Biao a plan to have Cai Mao advance north step by step, maintain a stalemate with Cao Cao, and wait for Cao Cao to encounter trouble elsewhere and be forced to return to his capital, then take advantage of the situation to recapture Wancheng."

That's true.

Pang Tong nodded slightly: "It seems that although Cao Cao has captured Wancheng, whether he can hold it firmly is still an unknown."

Zhuge Liang smiled faintly, picked up a white piece with his fingertips, and was about to place it to settle the score.

But just then...

The pageboy burst through the door, bowing and saying, "Young Master, an urgent report has just arrived from Xiangyang! General Cai's light troops advanced recklessly and were ambushed by Cao Cao at Bowang Slope. His entire army has been annihilated!"

Zhuge Liang's hand trembled slightly, and the chess piece between his fingers immediately fell onto the chessboard. "Kongming, it seems we've both miscalculated."

Pang Tong sighed softly, picked up the fallen chess piece, and gently placed it back in Zhuge Liang's hand.

Zhuge Liang gripped the chess piece tightly, his brow furrowed, and asked, "Cai Mao knew Cao Cao was cunning by nature, so why did he dare to rashly advance with his small army?"

"It is said that it was Cao Sikong who ordered the confiscation of tens of thousands of acres of fertile land owned by the Cai family in Nanyang. General Cai was anxious and wanted to catch Cao Sikong off guard, so he led a light army to march north quickly."

The pageboy recounted everything he had learned in detail.

"Bang!"

Zhuge Liang slammed the chess piece down on the board: "That fool Cai Mao, for his own selfish gain, has squandered 40,000 troops here!"

"Cai Mao is indeed incredibly foolish."

Pang Tong chimed in with a few curses, but then added, "However, Cao Cao really saw through Cai Mao. This plan to lure the enemy is truly a stroke of genius."

"Do you think someone like Xi Zhicai, who works for Cao Cao, could have come up with this plan?"

Zhuge Liang asked indifferently.

Pang Tong's eyes flickered slightly, and he said with a strange expression, "Could it be that this plan to lure the enemy was also devised by the same person, perhaps the work of Cao Cao's newly acquired strategist?"

Zhuge Liang remained silent, his brows furrowed, as he slowly waved the feather fan in his hand.

Pang Tong gasped slightly, clicking his tongue in amazement, "This man's schemes are truly unparalleled. I wonder who he is? I really want to see his talent for myself!"

His words carried a hint of admiration.

"Shiyuan, you still have this much free time!"

Zhuge Liang glared at him fiercely and said in a deep voice, "That traitor Cao Cao holds the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords. He is ostensibly the Chancellor of Han, but in reality, he is a traitor to Han. Now, with such a brilliant strategist by his side, isn't the fate of the Han dynasty even more precarious?"

Pang Tong felt a slight chill run down his spine and couldn't help but shiver.

The two, Zhuge Liang and Feng Chu, knelt facing each other on the mat, remaining silent for a long time, their faces shrouded in a heavy shadow.

...

South of Ye County lies the Gu family residence.

Gu Cheng leaned back in his rocking chair, sipping his fine wine, admiring Diao Chan's graceful dance.

With her alluring eyes, Diao Chan danced gracefully, her tender gaze always shyly and smilingly fixed on Gu Cheng.

"With wine, wealth, and beautiful women, and such leisure is a rare treat; what could be more delightful in life!"

Gu Cheng felt a sense of contentment and couldn't help but sigh.

"Brother Liheng, something terrible has happened!"

Zhou Tai burst into the courtyard, his face full of excitement, interrupting Gu Cheng's leisurely mood.

Diao Chan gave him a reproachful look and had no choice but to stop dancing.

"The sky isn't going to fall down. Come on, have a couple of drinks with me first."

Gu Cheng didn't take it to heart at all and casually handed him a glass of wine that had already been poured.

Zhou Tai tilted his head back and gulped down the drink, panting heavily as he said, "The latest news I just heard is that Cao Sikong laid an ambush at Bowangpo and utterly defeated Cai Mao's rapidly advancing light army. Almost all of the 40,000 Jingzhou troops were wiped out!"

"Oh?"

Gu Cheng immediately sat up straight, his face full of confusion, and asked, "Although Cai Mao is of mediocre talent, he is not stupid either. Why would he rashly advance with his troops?"

Zhou Tai hurriedly said, "I heard that Cao Sikong ordered the confiscation of all the Cai family's land in Nanyang, which completely pushed Cai Mao to the brink. That's why he led his troops in a rash advance, hoping to catch Cao Sikong off guard."

They actually confiscated the Cai family's land!

Isn't this the same strategy I personally told my father-in-law a few days ago to defeat the enemy?

How come Cao Cao actually used it in the blink of an eye?

"My father-in-law is probably a middleman. He sold my plan to someone who could meet Cao Cao. He really knows how to use someone else's talent to curry favor."

Gu Cheng instantly understood the reason behind it and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Just then, the system notification sounded suddenly.

"The host's two-month seclusion period in Wancheng has expired, and the seclusion mission has been successfully completed."

"Congratulations, host, on successfully obtaining the [Dragon Scale Armor], the [Complete Set of Blueprints for the Curved Plow], and [Adrenaline]."

All three task rewards were stored in the system's storage space.

"Although the number of rewards this time is not large, each one is extremely valuable."

Gu Cheng's eyes lit up instantly.