Three Kingdoms, Myth

Chen Xi's words left everyone speechless. Indeed, they couldn't prove it, but neither could Cao Cao. This whole situation was turning into a joke—a mere excuse to launch an attack!

"What are we afraid of? Do we think we will lose?" Chen Xi sneered.

"Losing isn't the issue. It's that there's no value in this." Jia Xu sighed. "I don't recommend exhausting our forces over this. We should focus on smoothly taking over Xuzhou with minimal cost. Only when we control Xuzhou, with Qingzhou and Mount Tai in hand, can we truly be considered a dominant force."

"Cao Mengde is too dangerous. If we let this chance slip by, I'm not sure if we'll get another. So let's vote—raise your hand if you don't want to deal with Cao Mengde now," Chen Xi said, glancing at the others. "But first, let me say this: Once Lord Liu learns the truth about Cao Mengde's massacre, it's a certainty that they will be at each other's throats until one of them is dead."

Not a single hand was raised. Chen Xi let out a long breath. "In that case, let's join forces and end Cao Mengde here in Xuzhou. I'll make sure this Xuzhou plain becomes his grave!"

"Let me handle it this time. Ordinary strategies won't work here," Jia Xu sighed. Although he didn't want to fight Cao Cao, it was better for him to handle this than to let Liu Bei lead an enraged army. "Although I really don't want to face off against Cao Cao, I suspect I'm not the only one who feels that way, except for you, Zichuan."

Chen Xi noticed a strange look in Jia Xu's eyes. Was something off today?

"Don't look at me like that. I've left a bit of a bad impression on Lord Liu recently, so let me take care of this. I need to prove that I am indeed looking out for him," Jia Xu said helplessly.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Wenhe," Chen Xi nodded. "Within three days, the proclamation by Chen Gongzang and Mi Zhengping will reach Xuzhou. That will mark the beginning of our righteous battle against Cao Cao, where we stand on the moral high ground, condemning him!"

"Alright, alright, a righteous battle," Guo Jia said with a hint of sarcasm. "As long as we win, it'll be a righteous battle. Just find a way to cut down Cao Mengde for good. If you don't kill a snake, it will come back to bite you—solve the problem in one strike."

"Liu Bei won't care about the details. He will understand that we are doing this for his own good. But after this battle with Cao Cao, prepare to face Yuan Shao in Qingzhou," Liu Ye sighed. "Cao Cao's personality is full of contradictions. When you find the right opportunity, make sure to kill him in one strike."

"Wenhe, if you need help, I'm available," Li You offered. "Cao Mengde's advisors, Xun Gongda and Cheng Zhongde, are no easy opponents."

"Don't worry, I know how to handle it," Jia Xu nodded. "Since we've decided to deal with Cao Mengde in Xuzhou, Zichuan, mobilize the field troops to bolster our ranks. Let them see some blood. Since we need to prepare for the battle in Qingzhou afterward and to take over Xuzhou, let's solve all the problems at once."

"My original plan was to mobilize 100,000 troops so we'd have enough to handle anything that comes up. Looking back, you all never intended to deal with the massacre, did you? You just wanted to put on a show! Five thousand troops were meant to handle the local clans, not Cao Mengde! You all planned this behind my back!" Chen Xi grumbled. "No wonder you all agreed to deploy troops but never mentioned how to resolve the situation!"

"Five thousand troops are more than enough. If we handle things well, they'll suffice," Liu Ye said, dissatisfied. "Mobilizing 100,000 is excessive. Besides, as you said, none of us planned on taking down Cao Mengde. The five thousand troops were just meant to intimidate—we never intended to fight."

"No wonder Lord Liu's intentions changed. Even if he had goodwill toward Cao Mengde, without your manipulation, we would have been fighting by now. You used dealing with the refugees as an excuse to sit back and watch. The reason Lord Liu is still tied up here is all your doing!" Chen Xi accused Liu Ye, frustrated that the others had conspired to follow a unified strategy without telling him.

Seeing Chen Xi's gaze, Liu Ye voiced what he'd wanted to say all along. "What value is there in fighting Cao Cao? Yanzhou? It's a battleground on all sides. If we take it, once we go to war with Yuan Shao, we'll have too many enemies to defend against. Expanding our territory could even reduce the forces we can mobilize!"

"Five thousand troops are enough to intimidate Cao Mengde. We could secure Xuzhou without much effort. With Xuzhou backed by Yuzhou, we only need good generals to guard Xiapi and Guangling, and we can easily deal with Yuan Gonglu. Our power will soar without any real loss. There's no need to fight Cao Mengde," Guo Jia said, also puzzled by Chen Xi's insistence.

"What's the point of all this slander? What does it mean to us, who already control Qingzhou, Xuzhou, and Mount Tai? Do you think Sun Gongyou and Mi Zizhong haven't been in contact with the local forces in Xuzhou? Chen Yuanlong is on our side! We were just stalling Lord Liu, giving him time to cool down!" Li You added with a bitter smile. "Fighting Cao Cao offers no benefit. Taking over Yanzhou after securing Jizhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou, making Yanzhou the front line, is what's in our best interest! Zichuan, what are you thinking?"

Chen Xi struggled to explain. After a moment, he looked up and said, "It's hard to put into words, but Cao Cao is truly a formidable enemy for us, and compared to Yuan Benchu, Cao Mengde is far too unpredictable!"

"Alright, I believe you," Liu Ye and the others sighed. "You are known for planning ahead. Maybe you've seen something we haven't. If that's the case, then let's eliminate Cao Mengde. We'll hand Yanzhou over to Lü Bu and let him and Yuan Shao fight over Bingzhou. That way, we can keep Yuan Shao occupied. As for the reason to take down Cao Cao, let it be the massacre of 100,000 people!"

"Only a foolish move would make the world think that Lord Liu's actions are driven by rage. So, let's go to war. If we take down Cao Cao here, it will be one less warlord to worry about!" Li You said with resignation.

"Yuan Gonglu has likely already sent troops to Nanyang. Cao Mengde's forces in the rear are dwindling. Once Lü Bu cuts off his retreat and his supply lines are severed, our victory is inevitable," Chen Xi said, pointing to Nanyang and Yanzhou. Defeating Cao Cao would be a decisive move.

"Too bad others will reap the benefits," Guo Jia quipped. Since they'd decided to take down Cao Cao, there was nothing more to say.

"The greatest benefit is securing Xuzhou," Chen Xi sighed.

If Chen Xi didn't know Cao Cao's character, he would have agreed that there was no need to fight him. With Yanzhou under attack, even if Cao Cao still coveted Xuzhou, he would have no choice but to retreat to Yanzhou. They could have sent a small force to Xuzhou and gained control without a bloody battle.

"Who says there are no benefits? If Lü Bu takes over Yanzhou, we'll gain a natural ally. Compared to the ambiguous relationship between Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu, Lü Bu is much easier to manage," Jia Xu said, having come to terms with the situation. If they were going to destroy Cao Cao, they might as well focus on the positives.

"True. Lü Bu's generals Gao Shun and Zhang Liao are among the best of the best. His other commanders are also fierce warriors, and they are the talents we need," Li You added, understanding the implications.

"Thinking about it that way, I feel much better. Having a more manageable neighbor will make things much easier for us, especially since we'll share a common enemy. The best part is that Lü Bu isn't exactly known for his intelligence," Guo Jia laughed heartily.

The others joined in the laughter, smoothing over the previous strategic disagreements. They united once more, ready to eliminate Cao Cao in Xuzhou.

Meanwhile, in Pengcheng, Cao Cao had already clashed with Cao Bao several times. The elite Danyang soldiers had prevented Cao Cao from gaining any advantage, and for some reason, Cao Cao hadn't recalled his forces from disaster relief efforts, relying solely on his core troops to deal with Cao Bao. This only made Cao Bao more confident with each battle.

Buoyed by his recent victories, Cao Bao's confidence soared. He finally decided not to continue defending the city and instead planned to lead his entire army to meet Cao Cao in a decisive battle outside Pengcheng. He was convinced that this one battle would bring him glory, and with it, the position of Governor of Xuzhou!

P.S.: I'm just curious—how come none of you noticed that getting Xuzhou without a fight isn't as important as eliminating Cao Cao? I've written so many strange details, and no one seems to have caught on. Not a single advisor spoke up during the troop deployment, and somehow, our 100,000-strong army mysteriously shrank by half. What's even more puzzling is that the remaining 50,000 troops are now focused on relief efforts rather than combat—how can this happen during a war?

For us, Cao Cao is indeed an important figure, but considering the situation in this story, take a look at Yanzhou on the map. Calculate how many troops it would take to defend it, and see who our potential enemies are. Then, evaluate the situation in Xuzhou and think about which side has more strategic value for top-tier advisors like Guo Jia.