Chapter 65 Cao Cao was forced to cry and ceded the land for permanent rule!

Chapter 65: Cao Cao was forced to cry and ceded the land for permanent rule!

“Cede the land!!”

When the word "Liu Wu" was uttered, everyone in the field became completely nervous at this moment!
Cede land!

Cut off the land!!
Who is the fattest person in the world? Cao Mengde!
Gao Shun and Wei Yan felt a fire burning inside of them...

at last!

Using Xiling City as an anchor point, Cao Mengde was pried open!

Although they were outnumbered and could not control too much territory, Xiling City was ultimately a dead city and was just a stronghold at best.

But if they attack everywhere, not to mention the losses, these princes are not easy to deal with. Even if they attack by force, it will be a problem whether they can collect food.

But once the land is ceded, it will be justified...

Attacking and seizing territory is as difficult as changing dynasties, but ceding land is the same as abdication, which is legitimate and can save you from countless troubles!

Lu Xun looked a little dazed, his mouth was dry and he couldn't help swallowing his saliva...

Wasn’t it the result of the efforts of three generations of the Jiangdong Sun family that we were able to establish only six counties and eighty-one counties?
Liu Xuande, who is now considered a great warlord, has only occupied the four counties in southern Jing, right?
If they could just cut off one or two counties from Cao Mengde, they would truly have their own foundation!
He can be regarded as a true local lord!
Now, their Xiling Group is finally going to go public through the shell of Prime Minister Cao...

Cao Cao stood up straight, his face was terribly solemn and his brows seemed to be full of water. He didn't speak for a long time.

It is so shameful to cede territory and pay compensation! It is so humiliating!

Lu Xun looked at Liu Wu, Liu Wu gave him a look, and Lu Xun immediately understood...

Canglanglang! ~
Lu Xun drew his sword and stepped forward, approaching Cao Mengde step by step: "Cut the land!!!"

After shouting, although Lu Xun felt a little guilty, he still felt confident!

My dear, how many generations of my Lu family's ancestors...

He held a sword to force Cao Mengde to cede territory and pay compensation.
If this were to be made known to others, I'm afraid that no one in Jiangdong would dare to believe it, and no one in their Lu family would dare to believe that Lu Xun would be so brave!

Cao Mengde gritted his teeth: "How much do you want..."

Liu Wu: "How much can you give..."

Cao Mengde: "You don't have enough manpower. One county is enough. You can't occupy too many."

Liu Wu: “Too little…”

Cao Mengde: "I will give you two counties, no more! Otherwise, how can I face the people of the world?!"

Liu Wu did not answer...

The field fell into silence again...

Snapped! ~
Wei Yan slammed the table and stood up: "Two counties are too few!!"

Lu Xun took another step forward, waving his shuriken, ready to strike Cao Mengde...

Cao Mengde was forced back two steps by Lu Xun and couldn't help but ask: "Liu Zilie, what do you want?!"

Liu Wu: "Hefei..."

Ding! ~
The sword tip fell suddenly, and Lu Xun pointed at the city of Hefei on the map!
Cao Mengde clenched his fists under his sleeves: "Hefei is such an important city, are you kidding me?!"

Hefei, Hefei! It is named after the confluence of the Fei River and the Hefei River.

The Shuijiang navy patrolled on the Yangtze River, and could go from the Yangtze River to Yuxi and then to Chaohu Lake, and then approach the city of Hefei.

Once the city of Hefei fell into the hands of Jiangdong, their invincible navy ships of that era would be able to set out from the Yangtze River, pass through the Nanfei River, turn to the Dongfei River, and go all the way north directly into the Huai River!
Then they used the Sishui River, Woshui River, Hongshui River, Rushui River, Yingshui River and many other tributaries of the Huai River to threaten most of the core areas of the Central Plains, including Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Xuzhou, Xiapi, Qiaoxian, Xuchang, Luoyang and other important towns! !
As well as Yingchuan County, Runan County, and Huaibei area, several major farming areas in Cao Cao's hands...

Liu Wu turned his head slightly and looked directly at Cao Mengde: "We will defend Hefei for the Prime Minister..."

"Don't let Jiangdong get even one step closer to the Central Plains..."

Cao Cao couldn't understand it at all, he was going crazy!

But Liu Wu had no idea what Cao Cao was feeling at the moment. He only said the last sentence: "I will let Gao Shun lead the 800-man Xianzhen Camp to guard Hefei, and Sun Zhongmou will not be able to come."

"From Xiling to Hefei..."

"Through Jiangxia County..."

"Lujiang County..."

"Jiujiang County..."

"Don't give up Shouchun. I know you can't bear to give it up..."

"North of the Yangtze River, 800 miles from east to west, there are 32 counties..."

"Go ahead."

Cao Mengde was lost in thought, his heart was bewildered. It was probably the territory of three counties, but without Hefei, he really couldn't accept it for a while.

Lu Xun couldn't wait any longer and directly put the sword into Cao Cao's hand: "Prime Minister Cao, cut it."

Wei Yan seemed to be thirsty and impatient: "Cut it!"

Prime Minister Cao really wanted to cry but had no tears at this moment.
He was about to cry...

Ugh!
Cut it!

Cut to rule forever!

……

……

call! ~
The wind howled across the river, and the heavy snow that had fallen all night finally stopped.

The sky in the east was turning pale and the sun was rising!
The first ray of light from the horizon sprinkled on the land of Jingchu and on the mighty river.
It sprinkled on the densely packed warships of the Jiangdong navy!

It spilled on the ship of Zhou Yu, the Grand Commander of Jiangdong!
On the top floor of the ship, in the dim cabin, the first ray of light passed through the cabin window and sprinkled on Zhou Gongjin's slightly closed eyes. He slowly opened his eyes...

The brilliance in those eyes almost overwhelmed the first ray of light in the sky.

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and decided that the great cause of Jiangdong must be accomplished from today!

He stood up suddenly, his cloak flying.

Zhou Gongjin said in a deep voice: "Go ashore and attack Cao's army!"

Taishi Ci, who was standing by, was in high spirits and hurried out of the cabin: "The Grand Commander has ordered us to go ashore! Go straight to Cao's army!"

Zhou Gongjin's voice was not loud, but it was like a thunder in summer, echoing among the Jiangdong navy, awakening the deaf...

"The Grand Commander has ordered us to disembark! Go straight to Cao's army!"

"The Grand Commander has ordered us to disembark! Go straight to Cao's army!"

"The Grand Commander has ordered us to disembark! Go straight to Cao's army!"

boom! ~
In a moment, the densely packed boats, large and small, suddenly raised their sails again.

The howling wind blew up the densely packed sails in the middle of the river!

in an instant,
On the river,

But see thousands of sails competing!

Hundreds of boats are competing for the current!

End to end!

The mighty Jiangdong navy, taking advantage of the strong wind on the river, headed straight for the Xiling bank in the north of the river...

……

The first rays of light from the sky fell on Cao's army camp.

An atmosphere of panic quickly spread throughout the camp... It was dawn, but Prime Minister Cao had not appeared in the camp yet!

All the soldiers were panicking. Yesterday, under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of soldiers, Prime Minister Cao was abducted by the Xiling garrison commander and taken into Xiling City. Until now, there has been no news of the Prime Minister. Could it be...

"Could it be that Prime Minister Cao has been killed by the Xiling Guardian?!"

"Impossible! Prime Minister Cao has many generals under his command, and he has occupied eight states of the Han Dynasty, with countless soldiers and money! If he harms the Prime Minister, he will be courting death!"

"Stupid! That guy rode into the battle alone yesterday, risking his life. How could he care about the life or death of the Prime Minister?"

"We have been attacking Xiling fiercely these days, and I don't know how many soldiers of Xiling garrison have died. Even if the Xiling garrison commander doesn't want to harm Prime Minister Cao, I'm afraid the remaining soldiers in Xiling City won't let the Prime Minister go!"

"Prime Minister, if something happens to you, what should we do?"

"If Prime Minister Cao fails, the army will be leaderless. Sun Quan and Liu Bei will definitely send troops to attack us. We don't know how many of us will be able to return north safely!"

As time passed, various rumors fermented and spread in Cao's camp, and the soldiers became more and more uneasy.

At the same time, inside the central army tent, the generals who had not seen Cheng Yu return for a long time became increasingly panicked.

"Why hasn't Cheng Zhongde come back yet?"

"If the discussion with Liu Zi went smoothly, Cheng Yu would have returned long ago. Now I am afraid..."

"Does Liu Zilie really dare to harm the Prime Minister?!"

"This man is extremely arrogant and daring! He rode alone and captured Zixiao and the prime minister. Is there anything he dare not do?"

"It's already dawn. If the Prime Minister doesn't come back..."

When daybreak came, there was still no sign of Cheng Yu, and they didn't know whether Prime Minister Cao was alive or dead. The generals in Cao's camp were as anxious as ants on a hot pan. If the situation continued, and Prime Minister Cao couldn't show up to stabilize the morale of the army, they were afraid that the camp of tens of thousands of troops would be blown up and collapsed!
Wow! ~
At this moment, the curtain of the central army tent was suddenly opened, and Xiahou Shang ran in with a pale face: "Generals, the camp is beginning to get out of control!"

"The soldiers are discussing the prime minister's life or death in private. People are panicking and the morale of the army is shaken. I'm afraid... the camp will collapse soon!"

boom! ~
All of a sudden, all the generals in the tent stood up suddenly. They all looked pale, and some of them even knocked over the tables in front of them without even caring about them.

The thing they were most worried about and feared finally happened!

Once tens of thousands of troops mutinied and collapsed, these generals would probably not be able to command a single soldier except their own personal guards. It would be difficult for them to escape alive from their own chaotic army!

At that moment, everyone's eyes turned to Cao Hong, hoping that the highest-ranking general in Cao's camp and the cousin of Prime Minister Cao would make the decision.

Gulp! ~
Cao Hong struggled to move his throat.

His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat...

Seeing that a change in the camp was imminent, this minister who had made many military achievements and was a close friend of Prime Minister Cao was also at a loss.

He subconsciously looked at Xun You, the military advisor who was praised by Prime Minister Cao as "loyal and conspiratorial, and pacifying both the inner and outer worlds", second only to Xun Yu.

Cao Hong's voice was dry: "Mr. Gongda, what should we do now?"

"Anyone who believes or spreads rumors in the army will be executed!" Xun You spoke without hesitation, decisively: "For the time being, suppress the voices of chaos in the army, and then..."

Xun You's old eyes were as sharp as arrows: "Just wait! Wait for Cheng Zhongde to come back!"

"We must not lose our composure until the last moment!"

……

The first rays of light from the sky fell on Xiling City.

Da da da! ~
Three figures rode slowly through the mist.

Cao Ren was in a trance. Since he was captured, he acted crazy and stupid, and didn't want to leave Xiling City day and night. But now he was really going to leave Xiling, and he felt a sense of unreality.

Both he and the prime minister had fallen into the hands of Liu Zilie. It was no exaggeration to say that the lifeline of the north had been controlled by Liu Zilie. How could that guy let him and others go so easily?

unless……

Cao Ren looked at the silent Cao Mengde tentatively and said, "My lord, did you promise Liu Zilie something to let us leave the city?"

Although Cao Ren was not present when Liu Wu met Cao Mengde, Cao Ren's vision and insight were there after all. Unless Prime Minister Cao paid a heavy price, Cao Ren really could not think of any reason for Liu Wu to let them go.

Listening to Cao Ren's questions, the expression on Cao Mengde's face became increasingly gloomy.

Creak! ~
Prime Minister Cao did not answer Cao Ren's question, but his back teeth were already creaking.

Cede land for peace!

Cao Mengde had fought many battles in the south and the north, and had been defeated many times, but had he ever suffered such a great humiliation?
Being captured by the enemy, he even had to cede territory in exchange for peace in order to save his own life!

shame!

What an unprecedented shame!

"My Lord, please stop being angry..." Cheng Yu, who was standing beside him, saw Cao Cao's frustration and said in a deep voice, "Now our army is no longer able to march south, and the Sun and Liu families must increase their strength."

"If the lord can support Liu Zilie to establish himself in Jiangbei, he can be the lord's dog and contain the Sun and Liu families on the other side! Liu Zilie is quite brave, and the Sun and Liu families are not weak either..."

"If we can let these three families fight each other and consume each other, and we can reap the benefits, wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Cheng Yu was half trying to comfort Cao Cao, and half trying to seriously analyze for Cao Cao the benefits of ceding land to Liu Wu for Cao's army.

Fight against Sun and Liu, and the three families will be exhausted!
Just for this reason, Cao Cao's act of ceding land and offering the city to Liu Wu was a win.

Just as Cheng Yu said, he is now unable to march south. If Liu Wu's forces are stationed in the north of the Yangtze River and can deal with Cao and Liu on his behalf, it would be a great opportunity.

only……

But is it the same thing to voluntarily cut off the land and to have someone cut off the land with a knife at your neck?
Cao Cao was still holding his breath and couldn't relieve it.

"Prime Minister Cao, slow down!"

Suddenly, a rider came flying from behind, shouting Cao Cao's name.

Cao Cao's heart suddenly trembled. Could it be that Liu Zilie regretted letting me go back?
Xilulu! ~
A man on horseback suddenly blocked the horses of Cao Cao and his two companions. The man on the horse was none other than Liu Wu's top strategist, Lu Xun Lu Boyan.

"Prime Minister Cao, my master has admired the emperor's majesty for a long time, but has never been able to see him..." As he spoke, Lu Xun reached out and pulled out a scroll of bamboo slips from his arms.

"We have lived in the southeast corner for a long time, and it is difficult for us to see the emperor. My master knows that Prime Minister Cao has been accompanying the emperor for a long time... so I wrote a letter in person and asked Prime Minister Cao to present it to the emperor."

Liu Wu wrote a letter to the emperor?
Is he related to the emperor?

For a moment, Cao Cao, Cheng Yu and Cao Ren all looked shocked. What was Liu Wu trying to do?
……

The sun in the sky rose higher and higher.

There were constant cries for mercy in Cao's army camp.

Dozens of human heads were hung on the gate. On the lookout tower, the two soldiers on duty watched with fear.

These people were accused by General Cao Ren of spreading rumors and misleading the people because they discussed the life and death of Prime Minister Cao in the camp, and they were punished by military law!

But even so, it is not possible to calm the morale of the army.

After all, everyone saw Prime Minister Cao being captured yesterday. Even if they killed more people, it would not cover up the fact that Prime Minister Cao's life or death was uncertain.

If something really happened to Prime Minister Cao, would ordinary soldiers like them be able to return to the north safely?
The soldiers on the observation deck were a little distracted for a moment...

Suddenly, the soldier on duty on the observation tower saw something blurry in front of his eyes: "What is that?"

On the river, a dark shadow was rapidly approaching the shore.

It's a ship flying the Jiangdong flag!!
The black shadow was moving rapidly on the river surface, becoming clearer and clearer. It was...

It's a boat!

There are boats of all sizes!
The soldiers on the watchtower changed their expressions instantly, and anxious voices roared in the Cao army camp: "Enemy attack! Jiangdong Navy! Jiangdong Navy is coming!"

……

There is still one chapter left and it will be very late. Let’s go to bed first. You can read it when you wake up tomorrow. Good night.

　There is still one chapter left and it will be very late, everyone go to sleep first, you can read it when you wake up tomorrow. Good night.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)