Chapter 20: The Power Increases [Please Read and Vote]

Cao Cao has been training his troops diligently these past two days.

He was standing on the school platform, watching the military drill in person.

It was midsummer, and because they were in the military camp, many soldiers were not wearing armor and were bare-chested, charging with spears.

The parade ground was filled with blood and smoke, and shouts of killing were heard one after another.

Cao Cao's face was serious and he looked at the audience fiercely.

You may be able to get closer to the army when you are free, but you must be strict in training the soldiers and not allow any slackness, so that you can gradually become a strong army that obeys orders.

Under Cao Cao's watchful eyes, the army was arranged in a square formation. When the two wings pressed forward and retreated, simple changes in formation could occur, strangling the enemy like scissors, combining offense and defense.

An hour later, nearly 2,000 soldiers from the two schools switched to cavalry training, practicing precise thrusts while galloping.

Cao Cao has been in the parade grounds for the past two days. In addition to training his troops, he has also been waiting for distant reconnaissance, hoping to find out the direction of Dong Zhuo's subsequent troops in advance.

At noon, a maid came to the palace and summoned Cao Cao to enter the palace to receive the emperor's order.

Cao Cao then went into the palace to see the Queen Mother.

The decree issued by Empress Dowager He was to promote Cao Cao to the rank of senior lieutenant of the Xiyuan Army.

Liu Bian was young, so Empress Dowager He was regent.

From the moment the decree was issued, Cao Cao officially took over the military power of the Xiyuan Army.

Empress Dowager He summoned him personally because she wanted him to swear allegiance in person.

After Cao Cao received the order and left the palace, he couldn't help feeling a little happy.

The political situation is chaotic, and having soldiers in hand is the most solid trump card.

"Congratulations, Cao Dianjun. Now it's time to call up the army."

Lu Zhi was standing at the corner of a palace in Nangong. When he saw Cao Cao, he greeted him.

"The Minister is waiting for me?" Cao Cao responded.

When the Xiyuan Army was first established, eight colonels were appointed.

The eunuch Jian Shuo was in charge of commanding the troops and was the commander of the upper army.

Yuan Shao was the captain of the central army.

There were also the lower army captain Bao Hong, the auxiliary army left captain Zhao Rong, the auxiliary army right captain Feng Fang, the left captain Xia Mou, and the right captain Chunyu Qiong.

Among them, the famous drunkard Chunyu Qiong was a direct descendant of Yuan Shao.

Xia Mou, the commander of the left army, had followed Lu Zhi.

The other captains also have their own qualifications.

Although Cao Cao had previously served as the captain of two armies, the soldiers he could command were no more than two thousand.

But at this moment, he became the captain of the upper army, directly in charge of the entire Xiyuan army, and his power increased several times.

Cao Cao knew that it was Lu Zhi who advised the Queen Mother that led to this appointment, "I haven't thanked Minister Lu yet."

"I'll go to the military camp with you!"

Lu Zhi was handsome and tall.

Cao Cao knew that he wanted to help him establish his authority.

If Lu Zhi accompanied him personally, Xia Mou from his faction would obey Cao Cao's orders.

Cao Cao and Lu Zhi rode their horses to the military camp on the outskirts of the city again.

Two days ago, Cao Cao was promoted to Captain of the Central Army, and one day later he became Captain of the Upper Army. His promotion was so fast that it was jaw-dropping.

But it also shows from another perspective that the political situation was unstable and that Empress Dowager He was eager to seize power and reward and win over officials.

When Cao Cao, accompanied by Lu Zhi, met the entire army in Xiyuan, he was announced as the captain of the upper army and returned to the city in the evening.

Cao Mansion, study.

After Cao Cao cultivated his internal strength, he exited the state of visualizing two purple spells, one civil and one martial, in his sea of ​​consciousness and dantian, and opened the plug-in to take a look.

His reputation is close to four thousand five, not far from five thousand.

Cao Cao was looking forward to his innate ability of listening to the battlefield being improved again.

This ability is quite practical, and continuous improvement will provide great convenience for commanding troops in the future.

The night is dark.

The sleeping Cao Cao suddenly woke up.

The ground in Luoyang was shaking slightly, as if a huge army was approaching.

A tiger cub poked its head out of the nest next to Cao Cao's bed, uttering a childish sound as if warning.

An invisible murderous aura seemed to permeate the city, and even it was aware of it.

Cao Cao patted the little guy's head and said, "This fat guy Dong Zhuo is quite capable. His troops came in a very secretive way. Even with many scouts, we only found traces of part of his troops."

Cao Cao put on his military uniform and thought to himself that the number of his soldiers seemed to be more than what was recorded in history...

When the door was opened, Xiao Xiang and other personal troops were ready to go.

"Let's go to the east gate."

“Go and inform Ding Yuan that Jingzhao Yin Gai Xun and Weiwei Yang Biao have ordered him to take over the defense of Luoyang South Gate. Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!”

Cao Cao's goal was to control the east and south gates first.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard outside the palace.

Cao Cao led his personal soldiers and headed straight for the east gate. While riding, he said, "Go and tell Lu Zhi, Gai Xun, and Weiwei Yang Biao to take over the defense of the palace and control at least two palace gates."

When Dong Zhuo's troops arrive, they will immediately take control of the city and palace defenses.

If the city defense and palace defense fall into his hands, he will control Luoyang, and history will repeat itself. Dong Zhuo will have no scruples.

Because everyone is under the control of his troops.

Cao Cao asked people to notify Lu Zhi, Gai Xun, and Yang Biao one after another as a multiple insurance measure for fear that something might go wrong if he told just one person.

He had communicated with Lu Zhi in the afternoon and believed that Lu Zhi would respond quickly.

At this time, outside the north gate of the city, Dong Zhuo's vanguard army gathered one after another.

"Li Jue greets you, my Lord!"

A middle-aged man with thin cheeks and a strong body was at the forefront of the approaching troops.

In the darkness of night, Dong Zhuo stood on a low hill, his imposing manner like a mountain.

They have been helping to defend Luoyang's north gate for two days.

The army arrived and the north gate was slowly opening.

"This time, let's see who dares to stop me."

On the north gate, many former garrison troops were hacked to death without mercy by Dong Zhuo's personal troops who had been assisting in the defense over the past two days.

Dong Zhuo came down from the hill, mounted his horse and headed for the north gate: "The troops will enter the city, march east-west along the north gate, and take control of the city defense first!"

East Gate of Luoyang.

Among the hundreds of elite troops under Dong Zhuo who had secretly sneaked into the city earlier, some were captured by Ding Yuan, and some escaped the net.

Their purpose was to find an opportunity to assist Dong Zhuo's army and seize the city gate.

Some people will set fire to the city to create chaos, responding to Dong Zhuo's entry into the city and facilitating the action.

Although the person was caught, not much was found out during the interrogation.

But if you put Dong Zhuo's plan into perspective, it's not difficult to guess.

So Cao Cao had to seize the city gate first.

Outside the east gate, dozens of people were attacking the city gate in the dark.

Dong Zhuo's men were all elite soldiers who had fought for a long time and fought fiercely.

When Cao Cao came over, the city gate captain at the east gate led his troops to defend the city and shoot the attackers, resulting in many casualties.

Cao Cao's personal army attacked from the side and rear, but Dong Zhuo's troops entering the city lacked weapons and armor, and were immediately at a great disadvantage, with many of them knocked down by the galloping horses.

Clang!

Cao Cao moved forward under the protection of his personal troops. Xiao Xiang, who was beside him, suddenly drew his sword and chopped off one of the men in the face, chopping off half of his cheek.

In the battle, the goal is to kill the opponent as quickly as possible and intimidate the enemy. There is no room for mercy or leniency.

Cao Cao arrived at the foot of the city and said, "I am under the order of your majesty to take over the defense of the city."

This is pure nonsense.

But after Cao Cao finished speaking, he showed the empress dowager's decree to the city gate captain.

In fact, the imperial edict was also fake. It was the one issued by the Empress Dowager at noon to reward him with the promotion to the captain of the upper army.

The city gate captain knew Cao Cao, and when he saw the imperial edict, he did not dare to stop it. Cao Cao had already quickly climbed up the city wall.

Xiao Xiang whistled, and out of the darkness outside the city, teams of Xiyuan troops stationed on the outskirts of the city rushed out.

They were the two armies under Cao Cao's command.

These troops had received orders earlier, but due to an unexpected event, they gathered at the east gate first, and thus arrived at the same time as Cao Cao.

"Open the city gate!"

Liu Feng, the captain of the city gate, turned pale. He was not stupid, and he did not believe the imperial edict completely.

Opening the city gate without permission is a capital crime.

But if he didn't open it, Xiao Xiang, who had moved to his side, would immediately chop off his head with his sword. At this moment, things were changing rapidly, and occupying the city gate was crucial and there was no time to waste.

If you open the door, you may die later. If you don’t open it now, you will die!

Liu Feng's expression changed continuously, and he finally shouted: "Open the door!"

The soldiers below opened a gap in the city gate, and the Xiyuan Army outside the gate rushed in, climbed to the top of the city wall, and seized the city defenses.

Dozens of people who attacked the city gate were killed or injured, and the rest quickly evacuated.

Cao Cao sent his personal troops out of the city again to the Xiyuan military camp and ordered the entire army to deploy defenses at the east gate.

Controlling the city gates and palace gates was equivalent to opening a gap in Luoyang. Dong Zhuo would not be able to control the entire city, so he would not dare to act recklessly and without scruples.

Cao Cao stood on the top of the city wall and looked back towards the direction of the imperial palace.

At this time, outside the palace, Lu Zhi received the news and was rushing into the palace. As he walked, he asked the soldiers sent by Cao Cao, "What is Meng De doing?"

"Young Master, please leave the house and head straight for the East Gate. If nothing unexpected happens, you should have occupied the East Gate." The personal army replied.

Even under the current circumstances, Lu Zhi couldn't help but be stunned.

Lu Zhi was greatly pleased by Cao Cao's quick action and the speed with which he captured the city gate.

North Gate.

Dong Zhuo walked into the city with his hands behind his back and asked his attendants, "How are the other city gates?"

(End of this chapter)