Chapter 22 Cao Cao shows his skills [Seeking votes and reading]

Lu Bu climbed to the top of the city wall and looked at Cao Cao.

"Father said that the upper army wants to give up the defense of this place, and specifically asked Bu to lead the troops to guard it?"

Seeing Cao Cao nod, Lu Bu was still a little bit unbelievable.

He was not ignorant of military affairs and had seen clearly that Ding Yuan and Cao Cao occupied the city wall, which was the key to the current situation in Luoyang. As long as they held the city wall firmly, they could advance or retreat.

In a sense, defending the city wall is equivalent to "making the most of a rare commodity", and its importance is self-evident.

It is incredible that Cao Cao occupied the east gate first and was willing to give it to Ding Yuan.

"Shang Jun Gao Yi."

After receiving Cao Cao's confirmation, Lü Bu was overjoyed and continued, "On behalf of my adoptive father, I would like to thank you, General. From now on, if you have any orders, I will never refuse them."

Cao Cao glanced at Lu Bu.

The plug-in entry in front of me is disappearing.

The plug-in gives a very high evaluation of Lu Bu’s martial power, calling him Lu Bu among men and unparalleled flying general, and also gives him a purple label of a brave and godly general.

Purple God General!

It was the first time Cao Cao had met him. "You don't have to be polite, Fengxian."

Lu Bu asked, "I wonder if we can switch defense now?"

Cao Cao sent someone to inform Ding Yuan and asked him to come and take over the city gate.

Part of the Xiyuan Army's troops will be transferred to assist in defense, and the main task of defending the city gate will be handed over to Ding Yuan, and Cao Cao will return to the city.

What a trust this requires!

There were many crises in the city, but Cao Cao was willing to give up the city gate.

When they first heard the news, Ding Yuan and Lu Bu were stunned and couldn't believe it.

Cao Cao: "Of course we can switch defenses. Fengxian, please let your men come up."

Lu Bu bowed again and waved his hand. The soldiers below the city climbed up to the top of the city wall one after another to carry out the handover.

Cao Cao only left some troops to assist, and gave the initiative to Lu Bu.

"The army is going back to the city?"

Lu Bu's eyes were earnest and a little envious.

Cao Cao, the captain of the Xiyuan Army, was promoted twice in just two or three days and was appointed captain of the Shang Army.

Lu Bu was very envious of the other party's "luck". He felt that he had arrived at the palace late the night before yesterday, otherwise killing Zhang Rang would have been effortless, and rescuing the emperor would have been his credit, and he would have been promoted as a result.

Before Cao Cao walked down from the tower, he told Lu Bu:

"Fengxian, guard this city gate well and don't be deceived by others. The lives of many people in the city are related to this city gate. If Fengxian can guard the city gate well, it will be a great achievement!"

He added: "But if we can't defend it, Fengxian will not only suffer a loss of prestige, but will also be a wanderer for half his life."

Lu Bu looked conceited and said confidently:

"If I cannot hold on to the city's strong defenses, I will bring my head to the general. If the evil villain Dong Zhuo dares to come, I will let the world know that he will not be able to be a hero in the world."

Lu Bu's arrogance is well-founded.

His talent in martial arts was innate.

But why could I not hold on and end up wandering for half my life... Lu Bu didn't understand Cao Cao's plot at all.

Cao Cao went down the stairs and returned to the city.

Lu Bu raised his eyes and looked inside and outside the city, his heart filled with heroic spirit.

At this moment, the safety of the world is related to Luoyang, and it is the time for Lu Bu to become famous.

Cao Cao came down from the city wall, but without mounting his horse, he came to Diao Chan's carriage, lifted the curtain and got on.

Diao Chan let out a low cry as Cao Cao got into the carriage, which was a little bit against etiquette.

But when the city was in chaos, Cao Cao could get on the car to unify the defense. Otherwise, if there was danger, the guards would definitely give priority to protecting Cao Cao, which was Cao Cao's way of protecting her.

Diao Chan was very smart and understood these details immediately.

The girl bit her lip slightly, stood up shyly and moved forward to make room for Cao Cao.

This was her first time riding with a man other than her adoptive father, and she felt some indescribable emotions.

For many people, the first time they do something is very important. If there is someone with them, they will inevitably think of it when they experience the same scene in the future.

"Shall I take you home first?" Cao Cao asked.

There is a pleasant fragrance in the car, you can smell it with your breath.

"No, my godfather is not at home, and it would be useless for Diao Chan to worry if she goes back. The army has entered the city, so there must be something big going on. If it doesn't interfere, Diao Chan would like to go with them to see what's going on, rather than waiting at home and feeling uneasy." Diao Chan's voice was clear.

Cao Cao agreed.

The emperor's carriage set off, accompanied not only by Xiao Xiang and other personal guards, but also elite soldiers from all camps of the Xiyuan Army gathered at the east gate, with several thousand men accompanying them as they headed into the city.

The sound of horse hooves and the might of the army are magnificent!
Diao Chan secretly looked at Cao Cao who was so close to her, and seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.

"Do you have something to ask?" "General Shang just said the importance of the city gate and how indispensable it is. When Diao Chan returned to the car, she thought about what General Shang said and felt that General Shang's actions were ingenious, but why did he give the city gate to someone else in the blink of an eye?" Diao Chan asked.

If someone else asked him, Cao Cao would not say what he was thinking.

But if Diao Chan asked, he could say a few more words. It was not because of her beauty, but because of what this girl had done, willing to devote herself to Dong Zhuo, to repay Wang Yun for raising her, and for the suffering of the world.

Cao Cao thought for a moment and said, "Giving up the city gate will certainly cause some losses, but there are also benefits."

"First, I can't be trapped on the top of the city. I don't feel comfortable letting others deal with Dong Zhuo."

"If you return to the city with your army, you will give up the advantage of guarding the city walls. Aren't you afraid that the evil villain Dong Zhuo will do something bad to you?" Diao Chan asked worriedly.

Cao Cao laughed and said, "I am afraid. Don't you see there are so many soldiers following us? If a fight breaks out, we can always run back to the city walls."

Diao Chan smiled sweetly, with a look of joy in her eyes.

Cao Cao's entry into the city was the result of careful consideration.

At the moment, various forces in the city are intertwined. Although Dong Zhuo apparently occupies most of Luoyang, it is not stable and he is unlikely to put all his strength into dealing with Cao Cao.

He has too many enemies.

When Taifu Yuan Wei discovered that he was out of control and counterattacked, Cao Cao placed Ding Yuan in front.

The ambitious people in the court, such as Lu Zhi, Wang Yun, Gai Xun, and even Huangfu Song who were commanding troops outside, would do their best to work together internally and externally to deal with him.

Cao Cao had elite troops under his command and was very powerful.

No matter how you look at it, Dong Zhuo will not target him first. He is difficult to deal with, the effect is small, and the cost-effectiveness is too low.

More importantly, Cao Cao knew part of the plot.

He knew very well that Dong Zhuo came to Luoyang not just for the sake of violence.

At least in the early days of his reign, he wanted to govern the country well, so he reinstated many officials who had been dismissed, hoping that these people could help him govern the country and further consolidate his power.

Among the people he reinstated was Wang Yun, who was appointed as Si Tu.

The third benefit of Cao Cao giving up the city wall was the soldiers under his command.

When he first took charge of the Xiyuan Army, he wanted to quickly integrate the entire army and have it lead by himself, but this was fraught with difficulties.

However, the arrival of Dong Zhuo gave the various factions under the Xiyuan Army a common enemy target, which provided them with an opportunity to unite closely around Cao Cao and face the outside world together.

This would provide him with a good opportunity to take control of the entire army and unite them.

By leading his troops into the city, he can also better protect his own safety and external deterrence.

There is another reason, which is unknown to the public, which is what Cao Cao chose to enter the city and what he was about to do.

Cao Cao briefly explained to Diao Chan the reasons for entering the city.

The girl suddenly realized.

It turns out that giving up the city gate involves so many pros and cons.

"General Shang is truly a man of extraordinary strategy." Diao Chan said sincerely.

Cao Cao laughed in silence: "You think I am using strategy? Wrong, I am using people."

Cao Cao did not explain this sentence, and Diao Chan did not fully understand it.

For a true superior, what is important is not strategy, talent, etc. What is most important is to use people, let the generals do what they should do, attack the city and defend the land, and be invincible.

A strategist does what a strategist does, planning and strategizing, and being skilled in calculations.

Cao Cao's series of operations are all about using people!
Whether it was Ding Yuan, Lu Bu, or even the hostile Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao would weigh the situation, take advantage of the situation, and use people from all sides to find a balance in order to seek greater development, power, and reputation for himself.

But there is no need to tell Diao Chan about this.

At this time, the carriage was passing through a place in the city, and shouts of killing suddenly became louder.

But Cao Cao's troops were thousands of elite soldiers wearing armor, all riding tall horses, and they looked tough. Not only did no one come to attack them, but when they saw them, they would stay away from them to avoid being strangled.

Cao Cao lifted the curtain of the car, looked at the scene on the street, and felt a little heavy in his heart.

Luoyang fell into complete chaos. The most damnable thing about Dong Zhuo was that once he went mad, he would do all kinds of evil and indulge his subordinates to destroy everything including the city and the people.

The carriage continued to move forward and arrived at the palace near dawn.

The open and covert fighting inside and outside the palace had been going on for several hours, and the situation was chaotic.

Cao Cao got off the car and chose the east gate of the imperial palace.

At the same time, the north gate of the imperial palace had been occupied by Dong Zhuo's men.

He was also preparing to enter the palace.

"Diao Chan, you wait here. The East Gate has not been captured. I will leave some soldiers to protect you."

Diao Chan hummed, stretched out her hand to lift the carriage curtain, and poked out half of her pretty face, "General, remember to be careful."

In the light of the fire, even the tips of her fingers that lifted the curtain of the car shone with a beautiful color.

Cao Cao smiled, turned around and walked towards the palace.

(End of this chapter)