On October 19th, several Cao soldiers surrendered and took Cao Ren's body back to Xudu.
Before Cao Cao sent out troops, he received the news that Wancheng had been defeated and Cao Ren had committed suicide!
"Zi Xiao! Zi Xiao..." In front of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Cao Cao looked sad and lay on Cao Ren's body, crying bitterly.
"Alas! I am a filial son, I am a filial son..."
"How could this be so? Zi Xiao...it hurts so much..."
When he was young, Cao Ren liked hunting with bows and horses, and did not practice martial arts. After leading the army, he obeyed the law and obeyed the orders. He followed Cao Cao in all directions, defeated Yuan Shu, attacked Tao Qian, captured Lu Bu, defeated Liu Bei, participated in the Battle of Guandu, and made great contributions.
For Cao Cao, Cao Ren was not only his clan brother, but also an arm he could trust. With Cao Ren around in the military affairs, Cao Cao could rest assured.
In the entire process of the rise of the Cao family, Cao Ren may not have the highest credit, but he is definitely one of the people who makes Cao Cao most at ease!
"Ah! Gu's headache happened again!" As he cried, Cao Cao suddenly held his head and said hoarsely, gritting his teeth in pain.
"My lord! My lord!"
"Prime Minister, help the Prime Minister in quickly!"
"Go and get the medical officer!"
"Carry General Cao Ren's body in!"
Everyone was in a panic. After the medical officer came to diagnose and treat him, Cao Cao finally felt better.
"Reorganize your troops immediately, mobilize troops from all over the country, and go south to avenge Zixiao!" Cao Cao lay on the bed and ordered to everyone with red eyes.
Xun Yu directly advised Cao Cao, "Prime Minister, we don't have enough food and grass, and we have just decided on the policy of farming to support the people. It is really not appropriate to start a big war."
"Yes, if the Prime Minister goes south to deal with Liu Cong, the number of troops cannot be less than 200,000. Ma Teng, Han Sui and other Xiliang princes will definitely not sit idly by and ignore it."
"The Lord must not raise an army in anger, Prime Minister, please think again!"
"Prime Minister, please think again!"
Seeing that everyone disagreed with going south, Cao Cao closed his eyes in pain. He also knew that it would be inappropriate to go south at this time, but Cao Ren's death was a huge blow to him.
Opening his eyes, Cao Cao asked again, "Is it possible to recover Wancheng?"
"No matter how many General Cao Ren has, there are only 30,000 men. Even though Pang Tong leads more than 100,000 troops, he still can't conquer the city in one day. There must be something fishy in this." Cheng Yu analyzed Cao Cao.
Xun You continued, "Prime Minister, if we want to regain Wancheng, we must first know how Pang Tong defeated the city and understand the enemy's true and false strength, so that we can use our troops."
"Know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger. Call those soldiers in and ask them in person." Cao Cao pulled off the forehead cloth from his forehead and sat up.
"promise."
"I'll wait to see the Prime Minister."
Cao Cao didn't even say anything as he stood up and asked directly, "How was Wancheng captured?"
Several soldiers looked at each other and told Cao Cao the specific battle situation that day.
"Niu Jin is really an idiot. It's not like he has never seen the power of the Black Armor Cavalry. How can he dare to directly hit it?"
"The catapults brought down the city wall?"
"Niu Jin was defeated first, and then Pang Tong destroyed the city wall. The morale of the soldiers dropped to freezing point. It is indeed difficult to defend the city."
The counselors were talking a lot, and Cao Cao waved to a few soldiers, "Go down."
"promise."
"Pang Tong led 120,000 troops, but Kewan City was so simple, with almost no casualties. As a result, it will be a bit difficult to recover Wancheng."
The one who spoke was Cheng Yu. While he was speaking, he looked at Cao Cao's expression. At this time, it was really not appropriate to compete with Pang Tong for supremacy.
If the north is defeated again, even Cao Cao will be unable to suppress the Emperor Zun faction who is ready to move. The princes from all over the country will also take advantage of the tiger's injury to attack in groups!
He said this because he hoped that Cao Cao would be more sensible and not send troops easily.
Xiangyang was already strategically located and difficult to attack, with Fancheng and Xinye to the north. Now Liu Cong occupied Wancheng and pushed the frontline so far north.
It was too unfavorable for Cao Jun. What could he do if he went south? How many troops would be needed to capture Wancheng, which was guarded by a hundred thousand troops? After Wancheng was captured, what about Fancheng and Xiangyang behind it?
Besides, will Liu Cong watch helplessly as Cao Cao conquers Wancheng? A hero like Liu Cong will spit out the meat he eats?
"Alas, Xudu is no longer safe." Cao Cao sighed, "Let's focus on Hebei, and let the emperor and those old stubborns stay in Xudu."
After Liu Cong took control of Wancheng, the military front had directly threatened the safety of Xudu. In history, Guan Yu only surrounded Xiangyang and Fancheng, which scared Cao Cao into moving the capital. Not to mention Liu Cong who controlled Wancheng.
"My lord is wise!"
After hearing what Cao Cao said, everyone understood that Cao Cao had no intention of going south.
"The son of Xiao was buried with honor, and hundreds of officials came out of the city to pay their respects!"
"promise."
"I want to recruit Ma Teng to serve as an official in the court. Do you think it is possible?"
If you lose on the battlefield, you can only use diplomacy to seek benefits for yourself.
"My lord, when we went south last time, although Ma Teng was encouraged by Liu Cong to attack Guanzhong, Ma Teng is already old and has no big ambitions."
"Moreover, he also saw the elite of our Cao army last time. I think that a summons is enough to make Ma Teng come!"
Cao Cao smiled and said, "What the long article said is true. It relieves Gu Yi's worries."
Changwen, the cousin of Chen Qun, Chen Qun was born in the Chen family of Yingchuan, a member of a famous family. His father Chen Ji and uncle Chen Chen were both famous.
When he followed his father to avoid trouble in Xuzhou in his early years, he served under Liu Bei. After Cao Cao captured Xuzhou, he conquered Chen Qun and became Cao's vassal in Sikong West. After Cao Cao became prime minister, he was promoted to participate in the military affairs of the prime minister.
Chen Qun has a handsome appearance and a stalwart figure, making him a rare great husband.
"Please send a summons from the Emperor to refute Liu Cong, and the bandits will go north in an attempt to rebel!"
"promise."
This is just a simple way of saying something. These days, even if the real emperor doesn't work, who will care about the emperor's edict?
"Everyone, please step aside. I need to rest."
"promise."
"Wenhe!" Just as everyone was bowing to leave, Cao Cao called Jia Xu again.
Everyone looked at each other and continued to walk outside the house. Jia Xu came to Cao Cao on crutches and said, "The Prime Minister is staying here. I don't know what my orders are."
"Wen He is serious. Gu Gu has been treating you politely, so how can he give you orders? Sit down, Gu wants to talk to you."
"No." Jia Xu sat down as ordered.
Cao Cao smiled bitterly and said, "Since Fengxiao (Guo Jia) passed away, Wen He, the counselor under Gu's command, is undoubtedly the wisest, but you have no choice but to avoid suspicion and benefit yourself, and are unwilling to serve Gu wholeheartedly."
Jia Xu still looked like an old man, "The Prime Minister has many talents under his command, and the Prime Minister himself is also a man of extraordinary wisdom, so why do you need the humble opinion of an old man like me?"
"Wenhe!" Cao Cao suddenly yelled, "Today, Gu no longer sees the hope of unifying the world. Instead, he feels like he is sitting on a roof without beams. I need help from Mr. Gu!"
Cao Cao had been cunning and treacherous all his life. After learning that Pang Tong had captured Wancheng, he really felt that he was powerless.
The old ministers holding support for the Han Dynasty below will definitely be ready to take action again, and the surrounding princes will no longer be as afraid of him as before. The Cao family's influence has plummeted since then.
The most important thing is that the Cao family no longer has the ambition and indomitable fighting spirit to dominate the world and sweep away the princes as they did after the Battle of Guandu.