Chapter 137: Silence Speaks Volumes

Inside the main commander's tent of Cao Cao's camp.

Cao Cao frowned slightly as he looked across at his civil and military subordinates. Liu Bei and Sun Ce's contingents were also present. He spoke in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, that Chu Feng has already arrived within dozens of miles, and he has even sent a challenge letter!"

"A challenge letter?" Everyone was startled.

"Indeed. He has invited me to a decisive battle to the death in three days. Do you all think we should fight, and how should we fight?" After finishing, Cao Cao looked around at the gathering.

Upon these words, the generals were astounded.

An active decisive battle in three days? This was something none of them had ever imagined.

Xu Huang immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Lord, the Chu army is a force that has marched from afar, yet they dare to be so arrogant! This subordinate requests to lead the vanguard to utterly defeat the Chu bandits and take their heads!"

Le Jin was not to be outdone. He also stepped out, cupped his fists, and said, "Lord, our army outnumbers the Chu forces several times over. Since they are courting death, how can we not grant their wish? This subordinate is willing to take his head!"

Cao Cao frowned. He had not received the answer he was looking for. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Liu Bei and asked with a mild smile, "Xuande, do you think we should fight? Or rather, how should we fight?"

Liu Bei's eyes were deep and profound. After a slight hesitation, he raised his hands in a bitter, respectful bow and replied, "Reporting to Lord Cao, Bei has always lacked wisdom—not even a ten-thousandth of Lord Cao's—and truly does not know how to break the enemy."

Cao Cao fixed his gaze on Liu Bei.

Guan Yu's silkworm-browed eyes twitched slightly, and he was about to step forward to request battle when he noticed Liu Bei's hand already pressing down on his arm. Puzzled, Guan Yu had no choice but to let the matter drop.

After a long silence, Cao Cao let out a hearty laugh. Looking at the others, he said, "Xuande is being too modest. If any of you have brilliant strategies, please feel free to speak your minds. I shall certainly deliberate upon them."

Sun Ce turned his gaze toward Zhou Yu.

Knowing that Sun Ce was burning with eagerness to defeat the enemy, Zhou Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "Lord Cao, this Chu Feng is cunning and full of stratagems. Furthermore, he commands an army that has traveled from afar. To proactively seek battle—there must be a trap."

"A trap? Let's hear it!"

Cao Cao raised an eyebrow. Finally, someone had touched upon what was on his mind. The very moment he received the challenge letter, his first thought was that it must be a scheme, but try as he might, racking his brains to the limit, he simply could not figure out what Chu Feng was up to!

"Lord Cao, my lord has clashed with Chu Feng several times. This man uses military tactics like a god; he dislikes meeting the enemy head-on with conventional methods, and instead frequently wins by turning to unexpected stratagems and all manner of underhanded schemes."

"This time, Chu Feng has just arrived with a force of no more than ten thousand, and his objective is to relieve Shouchun. Yet, he proactively seeks a decisive battle. When the abnormal occurs, there is bound to be a demon. Therefore, Yu asserts that Chu Feng's move definitely conceals a plot."

Zhou Yu frowned, speaking with absolute certainty.

Nearby, Sun Ce, Cheng Pu, and the others all nodded in deep agreement. Chu Feng's cunning was not a matter of a day or two, and they had suffered losses at his hands more than once or twice.

Cao Cao felt a wave of frustration. *You motherfucker, you've been talking for half a day, yet you still haven't said what Chu Feng's actual plot is! Are you just spinning me around in circles?!*

"Lord, what Gongjin said is entirely correct. That little thief Chu Feng has always been treacherous and deceitful. This subordinate has suffered deeply from it, and this time there is bound to be a vicious trap!" Sun Ce chimed in hastily as well.

***

Cao Cao: !!!

*You lord and vassal deserve every bit of your defeat, you motherfuckers!*

Seeing Cao Cao's face pull into a long, drooping frown, Guo Jia pondered for a moment and said, "Lord, this battle is by no means as simple as it appears on the surface. My lord might as well think carefully: what is the purpose of Chu Feng returning to reinforce the area?"

"To beat back our army and protect Shouchun."

"Precisely. And since our army outnumbers his several times over, knowing he is bound to fail, he still dares to seek a decisive battle. My lord should not confine your view to this alone; you might as well look elsewhere, for instance..."

Guo Jia left his implication hanging without finishing the sentence.

"You mean Shouchun?" Cao Cao's eyes flashed brightly, as if all the pieces of the puzzle had suddenly clicked into place. An expression of sudden realization dawned on him. No wonder he had been wondering why Chu Feng would act with such sheer foolishness without any reason.

So that was it! So that was it!

"Precisely. Although the garrison guarding Shouchun numbers only a few thousand, the retainers and private household troops raised by the aristocratic families within the city likely still number several thousand. Now that Chu Feng has returned to reinforce them, how could they possibly not assist?"

"I fear Chu Feng's very intention is to feign weakness to the enemy, and then catch us unawares with a pincer attack from the front and rear, thereby shattering our forces in one fell swoop!" Guo Jia stated with ringing conviction.

This was the only scenario he could think of, and he was firmly convinced of it.

Otherwise, he truly could not fathom what kind of courage Chu Feng possessed to dare fight Cao Cao in a head-on, conventional battle.

Listening to Guo Jia finish, the officers all nodded one after another, feeling a sense of awe. Guo Jia was indeed extraordinary. Even Zhou Yu was utterly convinced by this deduction of Guo Jia's.

"That Chu bandit is actually so treacherous!" Cao Xiu said indignantly.

Had it been him, he most likely would have believed Chu Feng's words, engaged the enemy head-on, and fallen into a front-and-rear pincer trap. By that time, even if it didn't result in the annihilation of his entire army, they would have suffered a devastating blow.

That being the case, Chu Feng would be able to unite with Shouchun, and this campaign would end in nothing more than a fruitless retreat.

"Chu Feng is insidious. Fortunately, the strategist saw through his scheme," Xu Huang also said sincerely.

Cao Cao nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Guo Jia and asked, "Fengxiao, since we already know Chu Feng's intentions, do you have a brilliant strategy to help me defeat the enemy?"

"Lord, our army's objective this time is Shouchun. Since Chu Feng wishes to coordinate from the inside and outside, why don't we turn his own strategy against him?"

At this, the corners of Guo Jia's mouth curled upward.

"Fengxiao, you mean..."

"Swallow Shouchun whole!" Guo Jia's eyes tightened.

"Chu Feng is luring our main force into a decisive battle here precisely for the sake of a pincer strike. Very well, my lord shall accept the challenge, but secretly dispatch troops to loop back and defend Shouchun."

"The moment Shouchun's garrison dares to sally forth for a pincer attack, we will take Shouchun in one stroke. With their base destroyed, what combat power will the Chu army have left? They will collapse without us even needing to attack."

"By then, my lord can even press the advantage in pursuit. With General Sun's prestige in Jiangdong, you can easily cross the river to take Jiangdong, conquer the six commanderies of Yangzhou, and subsequently cast your gaze down upon Xizhou."

"Scum like Lü Bu can be pacified by my lord in a matter of months."

"When that time comes, my lord can sharpen your weapons and train your troops, taking Yan, Yu, Xu, Yang, and Guanzhong as your foundation. Strike left into Henei, take Qingzhou to the right, and launch a pincer attack against Yuan Shao—then our grand enterprise can truly be fulfilled."

Guo Jia cupped his fists and spoke with resolute strength.

As he finished, a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

It had to be said—this series of blueprints left Cao Cao grinning from ear to ear. Such a grand vision was simply too wonderful.

This battle would utterly cripple Chu Feng, secure Xu and Yang, and allow them to hone their blades in preparation for the decisive showdown with Yuan Shao. When that day came, how could the empire possibly belong to anyone other than Cao Cao?

"Splendid! Exceedingly splendid! With Guo Fengxiao at my side, I can regard Chu Feng as nothing more than an ant, and crushing him will be as easy as turning over my hand!" Cao Cao laughed heartily.

The generals were all beaming with joy as well. Once Cao Cao ascended the throne, the absolute least they would secure was the title of a village-sealing Marquis, bringing prosperity to their wives and children—how wonderful was that!

Sun Ce remained silent, feeling more than a little bit of jealousy in his heart. Why did he feel that this Guo Jia's intellect was somewhat superior to Zhou Yu's?

As for Liu Bei, his expression revealed neither joy nor sorrow, remaining perfectly placid. Little did anyone know, his heart was burning an envious, vibrant shade of purple. Why could he never have such a transcendent talent to assist him?

He was not lacking in ferocious generals, but he lacked a supreme talent capable of devising grand strategies for him.

Yet such supreme talents were as numerous as the hairs on a cow around Cao Cao; pluck out any random one and they would utterly crush Jian Yong, Sun Qian, and Mi Zhu. How could he not be consumed by envy?

"Xu Huang, Li Dian, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai—I order the four of you to lead ten thousand men tonight to slip out of the camp. Have the soldiers bite on gags to keep silence and wrap your horses' hooves in cloth. Gallop to reinforce Cao Ren and inform him of Chu Feng's challenge."

"In three days, there will inevitably be major movements in Shouchun. Tell him to let down his guard, lure the enemy out of the city, and then annihilate them completely." Cao Cao issued his commands with swift and decisive thunderous efficiency.

"Understood!" The four generals cupped their fists in acknowledgment.

In this battle, Cao Cao's core objective was clearly to capture Shouchun.

This was also a prime opportunity for them to build merits and establish their careers. One had to realize that Shouchun did not possess many elite troops or formidable generals.

"The rest of the divisions will stay with me and await developments. In three days, you will accompany me to meet Chu Feng. I'd like to see what kind of abilities he really has," Cao Cao shouted aloud.