Chapter 157 Wearing the Dragon Robe Doesn't Look Like a Prince
The new governor of Jizhou, Zhao Yi, gradually gained a firm foothold in Yecheng and personally led his army to recapture Fukou.

Also on the north bank of the Fushui River, they formed a battle array and engaged in a fierce battle with more than 30,000 Turkic cavalry led by Zhishisili.

Relying on the cooperation between the infantry and cavalry, they defeated Zhishishili's troops and beheaded 1,800 of them, achieving a significant victory.

He took advantage of the situation and marched back to recapture Handan, the capital of Zhao County.

After crossing the Yellow River, Li Shenfu left behind 25,000 infantry and cavalry under the command of Fu Xiuzhi, the governor of Yuzhou, to contain the remaining Tuoba forces, and led 50,000 infantry and cavalry north to join forces with Zhao Yi's troops to resist the still raging Turks.

In the Jianghuai area, Li Yuanhui had received news that the Turks had invaded Hebei, and he expressed strong indignation and helplessness about this.

The dust raised by the Turks in the north could not be seen in Jianghuai.

However, a private salt dealer from Jiangdong named Cao has already taken over three of the four counties of Jiangdong and now has an army of more than 200,000. His next goal is either to go north to attack Jianghuai or to go west along the river to capture Yuzhang.

Jianye, inside the palace city.

Cao Yuanjing was wearing a dragon robe, in his forties, with a dark complexion and a majestic appearance, quite impressive. He sat on a large chair in the pavilion, facing everyone, leaning against the railing.

Si Tu Gu Xian, Si Kong Zhang Hongping, General of Chariots and Cavalry and Grand Commander of the Navy Miao Xianyun, General of Cavalry and King of Chu Cao Cheng, General of the Front Li Xiong, General of the Left Lu Gongren, General of the Right Zhu Jun, General of the Rear Liu Changyan and other generals were all sitting opposite Cao Yuanjing.

However, there were two empty chairs in the front row; their owners were Crown Prince Cao Yan and King of Wu Cao Rong.

This is not to put on airs.

Brothers Cao Yan and Cao Rong went to Liyang opposite Caishiji and Guazhoudu opposite Jingkou respectively to investigate the situation. Although they came back together today, they met outside the palace gate, and the two brothers went straight to drink.

In Cao Yan's words, the palace was too boring and one had to be serious in everything they did, so he went out drinking with Cao Rong.

Cao Yuanjing was still waiting for the two brothers to report the situation. On the one hand, he called all the important ministers to listen to the defense situation of Jianghuai and discuss the next direction of the troops.

After asking, they found out that the two brothers had gone out to drink, and they immediately asked the palace guards to take them away.

Cao Yan walked in front with a ruddy complexion. He was over eight feet tall, with a sturdy build, and looked very much like his father Cao Yuanjing. Cao Rong followed behind, and his figure seemed much thinner than his elder brother Cao Yan, but that was only an appearance.

In fact, he is a very capable warrior, and it is difficult for three or five ordinary people to get close to him.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Cao Yan sat down in a casual manner to take the position where Cao Yuanjing was supposed to start, while Cao Rong bowed to his father first, then nodded to several ministers before sitting down.

Cao Yuanjing scolded him with a dark face: "You have been the crown prince for so long, how come you don't know the slightest bit of etiquette?"

Cao Yan smiled and said, "Why are you angry? I will be the crown prince for at most two months, but I haven't been a crown prince for the past twenty years, and I haven't learned anything. So, you have to give me, no, give me some time. Besides, you said I don't look like a crown prince, but now you are sitting upright like an emperor?"

Miao Xianyun, Cao Cheng, Cao Heng, Li Chengsi, Liu Changyan and others below were all old brothers who followed Cao Yuanjing from being private salt dealers. They had been friends with the Cao family for decades. After hearing what Cao Yan said, they couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahahaha"

"Hahaha"

After hearing this, Cao Yuanjing's face turned dark, and he subconsciously wanted to hit his rebellious son with the sole of his shoe, but then he thought about it and realized that Mr. Zhang said that this was not in line with etiquette, so he stood up and pointed at his eldest son Cao Yan, meaning that you just wait for me.

Then he glanced at everyone and said, "Alright, stop laughing. This is so embarrassing."

The old brothers below also shut their mouths wisely, lowered their heads, and tried to hold back their laughter. Not to mention the old brothers, even Situ Guxian, Right General Zhu Jun, and Left General Lu Gongren almost couldn't hold back their laughter.

Only Sikong Zhang Hongping had a look on his face and coughed lightly. Then everyone stopped smiling, and even Crown Prince Cao Yan, who had crossed his legs just now, straightened up.

Sikong Zhang Hongping was born into the Zhang family of Wujun, but he was indeed a illegitimate child of a side branch. However, he was extremely talented and he was also the first scholar to defect to Cao Yuanjing.

The Cao family was able to seize the three counties and revive the Wei Dynasty, and the credit for the planning went primarily to Zhang Hongping.

It was he who proposed to seize Jianye while the court had no time to look south when Murong Zan started the rebellion.

He was the one who brought over the prominent families of Gu, Lu, Zhu and Zhang from Wu County.

Moreover, before the Cao family became powerful, Zhang Hongping was responsible for the formulation and implementation of military law. So on the one hand, these people admired his talent and respected him, but on the other hand, they were afraid of his strict law enforcement.

Cao Yuanjing looked at everyone and said, "We have taken the three counties of Jiangdong, Danyang, Wujun, and Kuaiji. There is not much to gain from going south, so next, we should attack Yuzhang or Jianghuai on the other side of the Yangtze River. We have to come up with a plan today. You two bastards went to see Guazhou Ferry and Liyang. How are they? Are they easy to attack?"

Cao Yan shook his head and said, "In Liyang, the Yan army is well guarded. It's not easy to get there."

Cao Rong said, "It's the same at Guazhou Ferry. The Yan army has set up a camp behind the ferry, and they have crossbows and catapults. All the places suitable for landing are heavily guarded."

Cao Yuanjing said, "Since neither of these two places gives us a chance, how about Ruxukou? I heard that when our Great Wei Wu King Sun Zhongmou led an expedition to the north, he took the Ruxu River and then landed at Chaohu Lake to attack Hefei. How about this route?"

Zhang Hongping, the Minister of Works, shook his head. "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Wu did go north from Ruxukou to attack Hefei many times, but he never succeeded. Moreover, the new city of Hefei is 30 miles west of the old city, which means that we didn't have to camp along Chaohu Lake, but now we can't. The extra 30 miles has added a lot of variables. Yuzhang is just upstream of the Yangtze River. If we don't take Yuzhang first and attack Jianghuai instead, once the war becomes intense, the Yan army navy in Yuzhang can come down at any time, cut off our food and return route, and block us in Chaohu Lake."

Cao Yuanjing frowned when he heard this. "But that young man named Li from Jianghuai is recruiting soldiers. If we don't attack Jianghuai now, he will become powerful in the future and it will be difficult to fight him, right? There are only tens of thousands of people in Yuzhang. Isn't it the same if we eat early or late?"

Zhang Hongping said, "Your Majesty, what you said is not without reason. Although Li Yuanhui is young, we should not take him lightly. If we let him grow stronger, he will be a formidable enemy of our Wei. Moreover, even if we attack Yuzhang first, the enemies in Jianghuai will not necessarily sit idly by. Therefore, we should divide our troops into two groups. Your Majesty can lead the army to attack Yuzhang in person. The Yan army in Yuzhang will surely call for help from Jianghuai. The King of Chu and General Miao can intercept the Yan army at Rushu River. If there is a chance, we can seize Lujiang. It is also a good opportunity to test the quality of the Jianghuai army, know ourselves and the enemy, and make some preparations for the Northern Expedition."

Cao Yuanjing clapped his hands when he heard this. "Okay, Mr. Zhang's words are exactly what I want. Let's do this. Second brother, you and Xianyun will block the Chaohu navy of the Yan army at Ruxukou. If there is a chance, take Hefei in one go."

"What Sun Zhongmou couldn't accomplish, we in the Wei Dynasty may be able to accomplish"

(End of this chapter)