The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 145 Cao Cao Sees Through Liu Bei's Treacherous Scheme

Upon hearing this, the emperor and his ministers in the hall were all stunned. They looked at each other for a long time before Cao Cao finally couldn't help but ask tentatively, "What do you mean? Are you saying that the Big Ears traitor has other schemes?"

Jia Xu looked down at his toes again, pretending not to hear as if he were deaf.

Cao Cao was so angry at not getting a reply that he wanted to hit someone. He really couldn't understand why this old man was so stingy with words. Would it kill him to say a few more words?

Everyone in the hall was also very dissatisfied with Jia Xu's performance, but they all knew what kind of person he was and didn't bother to argue.

After a moment's thought, Zhong Yao continued, "It is indeed abnormal that Liu Bei has been unable to capture Yidao City for so long. That is the big-eared bandit who has dominated the world for decades and even defeated us in Hanzhong. Is it possible that he has been blocked by two unknown generals, Lu Xun and Sun Huan, in Yiling for months without making any progress?"

"Moreover, with Guan Yu besieged, Jianye could be destroyed at any moment. Liu Bei should be anxious and launch a full-scale attack. Even if he doesn't launch a full-scale attack, he should send an envoy to contact Sun Quan and exchange Jianye for Guan Yu and Jingzhou. That's what that big-eared scoundrel should do."

"The fact that the Big Ear Thief didn't take either of the two most likely options means that he had a third option."

Theoretically speaking, Guan Yu's solo raid on Jianye would have been fraught with danger even if he had captured the city. Whether out of brotherhood or political considerations, Liu Bei should have prioritized rescuing Guan Yu.

But what was Liu Bei doing? He stayed in Yiling for months without moving, as if he couldn't wait for Guan Yu to die, which was clearly illogical.

It should be noted that Lü Meng's withdrawal of troops was only a matter of a few days, and Liu Bei may not have even received news of Lü Meng's retreat yet. So the question is, how did he remain calm and composed, sitting on the fishing platform, without knowing the news of Jianye or the fate of Guan Yu?

After Jia Xu's prompting, everyone realized Liu Bei's unusual behavior, and they all frowned and fell into deep thought, trying to figure out Liu Bei's purpose.

Liu Ye pondered, "Let's go back to the day Guan Yu launched his attack on Jianye and look at it from the beginning. Logically speaking, after Guan Yu took Jianye, he would have faced a fierce counterattack from the Wu army, and we would have taken the opportunity to go south and plunder. Guan Yu's situation would have been even more dangerous than it was at Maicheng."

"Liu Bei, not knowing the specifics of Guan Yu's whereabouts, would certainly be anxious and make wild guesses. He would either launch an eastern expedition to reclaim Jingzhou or negotiate with Sun Quan to ransom Guan Yu and his son. But what did Deng Zhi do in Jiangling? He did absolutely nothing."

"Let's talk about us. What will His Majesty's reaction be after receiving news of Guan Yu's surprise attack on Jianye? He will definitely launch a two-pronged attack from Xiangyang and Hefei, striking wherever he can gain an advantage. But once the war starts, we'll be bogged down, while Liu Bei can calmly retreat from Yiling back to Bashu, and then..."

Cao Cao's face darkened, and he said through gritted teeth, "Then he'll lead his army north, take advantage of the emptiness of Yong and Liang to attack Chang'an. Is Chang'an the target of that big-eared traitor?"

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock. Zhong Yao exclaimed, "It's very possible! During the Battle of Xiangfan, we mobilized troops from all over to rescue Fancheng. The troops in Guanzhong were all transferred to Xiangfan. In other words, Guanzhong is now very vulnerable. If Liu Bei really launches a surprise attack, he could very well succeed in stealing our base just like Guan Yu did."

"Moreover, now that we have Ruxukou, the court will definitely send all the troops it can muster to Ruxukou to attack Jiangdong. If Liu Bei really attacks Guanzhong then, we won't have time to come back to defend it."

"If Liu Bei takes Chang'an, the court will suffer great trouble and losses, so great that even taking Jingzhou and Jiangdong cannot make up for it. You must know that Liu Bei is fighting under the banner of restoring the Han Dynasty, and Chang'an is the old capital of the Han Dynasty and the place where the Han Dynasty rose to power."

That's true. The political influence that Liu Bei gained from taking Chang'an was something Cao Cao could never make up for, no matter how many battles he won. Thinking of the terrible consequences, Cao Cao was horrified and broke out in a cold sweat. He slammed his fist on the table and cursed through gritted teeth, "Damn it, I almost fell for that big-eared traitor's trick again."

Cao Cao paced back and forth for a long time before saying, "Send orders to Zhang He and Cao Zhen, ordering them to lead 50,000 troops back to Chang'an immediately. Zhongda, you also go. Go back and pack your things to go to Chang'an to assist Zhang He. You must stop Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang from entering."

"Then Cao Ren was ordered to lead 50,000 troops to Ruxu and take full command of the eastern army to attack Jiangdong."

"I hereby order Xu Huang and Xiahou Shang to guard Xiangfan and consolidate the defense line. Do not go south to attack the Wu army or do anything that would cause Sun Quan to misunderstand. But they must guard Fangling and Shangyong and keep a close watch on the Shu army. If Liu Bei launches a northern expedition, immediately lead the army to launch a full-scale attack on Xicheng, and enter Hanzhong through the three eastern counties to cut off Bashu from Liu Bei's northern expeditionary army."

"Damn you, you big-eared scoundrel! I, Cao Mengde, will soon show you what it means when absolute power renders all schemes and tricks meaningless. I can fight on two or even three fronts. Can you do that?"

Cao Cao's primary objective is Jingzhou. In addition, during the Battle of Xiangfan, he dispatched troops from various directions to provide support but failed to return in time, resulting in more than 200,000 troops currently gathered in Xiangfan. Even if Cao Ren and Zhang He take away 100,000, there are still 100,000 left. If they launch a full-scale attack on the three eastern counties, the Shu army may not be able to withstand it.

If we can break through Xicheng and rush into Hanzhong at the crucial moment of Liu Bei's Northern Expedition, that damned Liu Bei will be finished.

Everyone bowed in unison and said, "Yes..."

Zhong Yao continued, "The idea of ​​the big-eared traitor is good, but too naive. I suggest we give him some more trouble by sending envoys to contact various clans in the south to rebel and harass the rear of Sichuan and Chongqing, so that he will be unable to attend to both sides."

Cao Cao said with a toothache, "The idea is good, but the south is too far away, and that place is notoriously chaotic. The powerful clans like Yong Kai and Meng Huo are constantly fighting amongst themselves. How can they unite to deal with Liu Bei?"

Zhong Yao laughed and said, "Why not give it a try? There's no loss if you fail, and you'll make a profit if you succeed."

Cao Cao thought it over and couldn't help but laugh, "Then let's select an envoy to go to Xiangyang as soon as possible, and ask him to pass through Jingzhou to Nanzhong. Let's use this opportunity to test Sun Quan's attitude. Go back and prepare."

After everyone bowed and took their leave, Cao Cao's gaze swept over their retreating figures, lingering for a moment on Jia Xu.

To be honest, he didn't like Jia Xu very much. This man was taciturn and had a deep mind, making it hard to figure out what he was thinking. He always had to be on guard.

Although such people are not good at speaking, they often say surprising things and can always easily grasp the core of the problem, making you feel disgusted but also unable to ignore them.

For example, this time, without his reminder, I might have been so immersed in the joy of about to take over Jiangdong that I neglected Guanzhong. By the time I remembered, Liu Bei would probably have already moved into Chang'an.

Thinking of Sun Quan's expression when he learned of the fall of Jianye, and recalling his own horror upon learning of the fall of Chang'an, Cao Cao couldn't help but shudder.

But now, Cao Cao sat leisurely on his heels, his hands resting on the edge of the table, a smug look on his face, muttering to himself, "Big-eared scoundrel, big-eared scoundrel, your idea of ​​using Guan Yu to distract me and then launching a surprise attack on Guanzhong was indeed good, but what good is it now that you've been found out?"

"If you attack my Guanzhong, I'll seize your Hanzhong. Let's see who's faster!"

Thinking of how he had taken advantage of Liu Bei's northern expedition to storm Hanzhong and cut off Liu Bei's army's connection with Bashu, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel excited again. He muttered to himself, "Big-eared scoundrel, big-eared scoundrel, I never thought that we would have another chance to fight to the death in my lifetime. This time, I want to see who will win between us."