Cao Cao spoke: "Lü Bu's army is now trapped inside Xiapi. Although he has only five thousand soldiers, most of them are veterans from Bingzhou. Not only are they highly skilled, but they are also extremely loyal."
"If the city walls don't fall, it would be difficult to break the city quickly, wouldn't it?"
Lü Bu was now like a tiger trapped in a cage, with no chance of escaping again.Whether he died soon or later, Cao Cao didn't care too much.
What truly worried him was that Yuan Shao had already unified the regions of Ji, Qing, and Bing, and would soon lead his forces south to cross the Yellow River!
As for Jingzhou, Liu Biao had stationed Zhang Xiu in Nanyang, which could also pose a threat to his rear.
As for Liangzhou, after Li Jue and Guo Si's deaths, the various warlords were in disarray and fighting amongst themselves.
And the line from Chang'an to Luoyang was practically undefended!If they truly wanted to raid, they could continue to push east toward Guandong!
Thus, Cao Cao urgently needed to eliminate Lü Bu so he could quickly return to defend his own lands.
Guo Jia comforted him: "My lord, rest assured! Xiapi's situation is precarious, and the morale inside the city is unstable!"
"Furthermore, Lü Bu is a man of rash decisions and has no support from his people. If my calculations are correct, within three days, someone inside the city will defect and surrender!"
Xun You nodded: "Fengxiao is right. Lü Bu has never had the temperament of a true ruler. At the height of his power, he may have used his martial prowess to dominate, but now, a few soldiers can take him down! We only need to wait for the situation to unfold."
Cao Cao smiled: "Since both Fengxiao and Gongda are so confident, then we shall wait a few more days!"
General Cao Ren spoke: "My lord, although we have trapped Lü Bu inside the city, Zhang Liao still has around two thousand men stationed outside."
"Should we consider dealing with Zhang Liao's forces first, just to be safe?"
Cao Cao shook his head: "No need. Lü Bu is a formidable warlord in his own right. Even after his death, someone must take responsibility for his body!"
"Since Zhang Liao once served under him, this task should fall to him!"
Cao Ren spoke again: "If my lord wishes to wait until the city falls to receive Zhang Liao's surrender, I support this plan."
"But the issue is, Lü Bu still has the strength to fight. And with Zhang Liao stationed outside, it creates a variable. If we don't prepare thoroughly, I'm still uneasy."
Cao Cao laughed: "You are overthinking. Zhang Liao, though a veteran from Bingzhou, is not a core general of Lü Bu's forces. More importantly, he doesn't respect Lü Bu as a lord."
"He's stationed outside because he's observing how my army will act. Once we break the city, we will treat those old Bingzhou soldiers well, and order the troops not to disturb the civilians. Zhang Liao will immediately surrender."
"But if we attack now, Zhang Liao will be forced to fight!"
Some things didn't need to be laid out so clearly.Cao Cao knew exactly what Zhang Liao was thinking.
Once Lü Bu was dead, and the city was breached, sending someone to offer Zhang Liao a chance to surrender was the most natural course. He'd likely accept the offer, perhaps asking to bury Lü Bu's body in Jiu Yuan.
Seeing that Cao Cao had made up his mind, Cao Ren didn't argue any further.
Cao Cao then turned to Guo Jia: "How are things in Nanyang and Liangzhou?"
Compared to Yuan Shao, the warlords in Liangzhou and Zhang Xiu's forces were far less significant.
But to focus on Yuan Shao, Cao Cao needed to ensure his rear was secure.
Guo Jia spoke: "In Guanzhong, after the defeat of Li Jue and Guo Si, the warlords have fallen into chaos. Han Sui, Ma Teng, and others are still trying to build up their forces, but for now, they are limited to the area west of Tongguan. So there's no need to worry about them for now."
"As for Zhang Xiu in Wancheng, according to scouts, he is still bickering with Liu Biao over winter supplies. In this cold weather, I doubt he will take any action. We don't need to worry before spring next year."
Cao Cao chuckled: "Liu Biao was once a mighty figure, single-handedly securing Jingzhou. Too bad, as he ages, his vision narrows and he's getting more cautious!"
Guo Jia continued: "When Zhang Xiu first surrendered to our army, Liu Biao already hated him. If he didn't still need him to block us from marching south, they would have likely fallen out by now."
"Zhang Xiu is just a watchdog to Liu Biao now. He can't be fed too much, or he'll turn on his master!"
Cao Cao smirked: "Now that Nanyang and Liangzhou are temporarily quiet, we'll just keep an eye on things!"
"Once we eliminate Lü Bu and pacify Xu Zhou, we'll turn our attention to Yuan Shao!"
"Send my orders: Have the generals remain alert at night, always ready to enter the city and engage in battle!"
The generals around him nodded, immediately leaving to make preparations.
Later that night, near Cao Cao's tent, Cao Ren hurriedly approached.
"Zhongkang, has the lord retired for the night? I have urgent military news!" Cao Ren greeted Xu Chu and was about to enter the tent.
But Xu Chu blocked his way, standing stoically."The lord has already retired. What urgent news do you have? Please tell me, and I'll report it to him."
Cao Cao had strict military discipline. Only Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun were allowed to enter the tent without prior announcement.
But Xu Chu, as the chief bodyguard, wouldn't allow anyone else to disturb Cao Cao, especially late at night!
Cao Ren frowned: "We've captured several enemy scouts. This clearly means Lü Bu is seeking help from outside!"
"Is this not urgent? Let me in now!"
Xu Chu shook his head: "It's normal for Lü Bu to send out a few trusted death warriors to seek help."
"If you've questioned these scouts, I'll go report it immediately. But if you've learned nothing from them, please return tomorrow!"
"Didn't I tell you? These scouts are death warriors! They won't give up any information easily!"
Xu Chu calmly replied: "If you haven't learned anything from them, then wait until tomorrow. You can't disturb the lord's rest now, can you?"