Chapter 109 The Prophecy Comes True

A few days later, news came from Xuchang that Sun Ce had been killed by assassins from Xu Gong's household on his way to the capital. Upon hearing this news, Cao Cao's camp was greatly encouraged.

Guo Fengxiao hit the nail on the head.

When I heard the news, Guo Jia was holding the medicine I had brought him, drinking it sip by sip, and the whole tent was filled with the strong aroma of Chinese medicine.

"The Half-Immortal truly lives up to his name!" I laughed, holding the steamed bun.

"Yiya ya... Awoo..." Baozi joined in the fun, blowing bubbles as he played.

Guo Jia laughed, a very soft laugh, a laugh that was completely calm.

As they left Guo Jia's tent, they encountered a soldier carrying a box.

"What is this?" I asked curiously.

"Reporting to Madam, this is a gift from Li Tong, the Commandant of Yang'an," the soldier said respectfully.

"Oh? What is it?" I became even more curious.

"This..." the soldier hesitated slightly.

I opened the box to take a look, and as soon as I opened it, I screamed "Ah!" and jumped back a step.

It is a human head.

"Don't be afraid." Guo Jia came out of the tent upon hearing the voice, and waved his sleeve to signal the soldier to leave quickly.

I was still in shock, trembling as I held the steamed bun.

Baozi, on the other hand, was full of energy, his bright eyes shining as he continued blowing bubbles and playing. He didn't seem to notice how terrified his mother was. Or... I should consider changing Baozi's name... how about Little Crab? A little crab that blows bubbles!

"Yuan Shao sent an envoy to win over Li Tong, the Commandant of Yang'an, and offered him the title of General Who Conquers the South. To show his loyalty, Li Tong sent the envoy's head," Guo Jia explained with a smile.

I blinked, indicating my silence.

"Liu Bei has also broken away from Yuan Shao, but he hasn't accomplished anything significant yet. Cough cough..." Guo Jia coughed lightly with his hands behind his back. "Our army is well-trained, but we lack sufficient supplies. If Yuan's army uses delaying tactics, we'll be in trouble."

As it turned out, Yuan Shao was not a patient person.

In August, Yuan Shao pushed his army camp forward, covering an area of ​​only a few dozen miles.

In September, Cao Cao's army and Yuan Shao's army began a fierce battle.

The fighting suddenly intensified.

Of all the soldiers in the camp, I was the one with the most nothing to do, but I was also placed under house arrest and forbidden from stepping out of the camp.

For several days in a row, Cao Cao did not sleep a wink, engaging in endless warfare with Yuan Shao.

As night fell, I coaxed Baozi to sleep, and finally couldn't resist putting on a robe to go find Cao Cao.

Candles were lit inside the main tent. Cao Cao sat at his desk, his brows slightly furrowed, looking at a simple map.

Having grown accustomed to his fox-like demeanor, it was rare to see him so serious. I stood at the tent entrance, tilting my head slightly to look at him.

"The enemy outnumbers us and we are short of supplies. What should we do? Retreat?" Cao Cao suddenly spoke, but he did not look up. Instead, he raised his hand and gently pressed his forehead as if he were tired.

“The one who retreats first will lose the upper hand. You have been fighting Yuan Shao for half a year with only one-tenth of his troops. Yuan Shao is exhausted. This is a good opportunity to achieve a surprise victory,” I couldn’t help but say.

"It's you?" Cao Cao looked up at me with some surprise, then raised his eyebrows slightly.

I paused for a moment, then realized that I had said something I shouldn't have in a moment of weakness.

"Hehe, the fortune teller taught me that." I grinned and joked.

Cao Cao smiled with narrowed eyes, clearly not believing him, "Alright, we'll do as the lady says, and we won't retreat."

I cursed myself for being stupid.

"My head hurts so much..." Cao Cao frowned and suddenly sighed.

My feet moved forward automatically, and by the time I realized what was happening, I was already standing behind him, gently massaging his temples.

He closed his eyes comfortably, leaned towards me, and chuckled softly, "Madam is indeed tough on the outside but soft on the inside."

My lips started twitching; "taking an inch and wanting a mile" is the perfect way to describe this kind of guy.

The new wedge arrived soon, and a scout reported that Yuan Shao had sent his general Han Meng to transport grain to the front lines. It was said that Han Meng was as fierce as his name suggested, but he underestimated the enemy.

So Cao Cao readily sent men to set fire to all the grain supplies that Han Meng was escorting...

At dinner time, Cao Cao was in high spirits and said, "The day when Yuan Shao is deserted by his followers and friends is not far off."

That night, Cao Cao took off his clothes and shoes, but sat leisurely on the couch, keeping his eyes open and not sleeping.

I glared at him for a long time, but he still had a smiling look on his face.

"What are you doing?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Waiting for someone." Cao Cao winked mysteriously.

"Waiting for whom?"

"A person who abandons darkness and embraces the light."

"Who is in the shadows and who is in the light?" I blinked and asked deliberately.

"Of course I'm in the open, while Yuan Shao is in the shadows," Cao Cao said, completely oblivious to the concept of humility.

"Are you really that sure?" I asked, feigning suspicion.

"Simply put, I kidnapped his family, and Yuan Shao is arrogant and self-willed; he certainly won't be able to retain talented people," Cao Cao said confidently.

Before he could finish speaking, someone outside the tent announced, "Prime Minister, Xu You requests an audience!"

Cao Cao smiled and glanced at me slowly, "You've arrived."

Xu You? Wasn't he from Yuan Shao's camp? Did he really come to join Cao Cao?

Cao Cao stood up, barefoot, and ran out barefoot. He grinned at me and then ran out barefoot.

I was dumbfounded, and then I remembered a certain anecdote.

Barefoot to greet Xu You?

This fox certainly put on a very convincing act.

Xu You brought some big news: Yuan Shao's military supplies were all in Wuchao, and the garrison was not strict.

Cao Cao was delighted. He had become addicted to burning enemy supplies. He personally led 5,000 elite troops, each carrying a bundle of firewood, and launched a night raid under Yuan Shao's banner, leaving Cao Hong and others to guard the main camp.

The next day, Yuan's army on the opposite side made a move, launching a fierce attack on Cao's camp.

"Report! Zhang He and Gao Lan are leading their troops to attack!"

When Guo Jia heard the news, he simply smiled, showing no sign of nervousness.

“Yuan Shao is an impatient and opportunistic man. When he learned that Cao Cao was personally leading troops to attack Wuchao, he must have thought that the main camp was leaderless and wanted to take the main camp directly. Instead, he neglected the matter of the military supplies in Wuchao. We only need to hold the main camp and wait for the Prime Minister to return.”

Cao Cao's camp was unexpectedly well-defended.

Yuan's army was unable to capture the city after a prolonged siege.

"Baozi, your fox dad is about to win." While the fighting raged outside, I was playing with Baozi in the tent.

"Chirp...chirp...ya...ee-ah-woo..." Baozi blew bubbles and danced around.

I laughed.

"The Prime Minister is back!"

Suddenly, someone shouted.

In an instant, Cao Cao's army erupted in cheers, and their morale soared.

I left the tent with the steamed bun in my arms, and in the distance I saw Cao Cao leading his army back on horseback. He was clad in armor, covered in blood, and his narrow eyes were filled with arrogant domineering aura.

Strangely, behind Cao Cao were two horses carrying a large basket. As I was staring at it, I saw Cao Cao suddenly raise his hand, and the soldiers on both sides overturned the basket.

I was dumbfounded.

What lay scattered on the ground was a basket full of bloody noses and tongues.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Cao Jun shouted repeatedly.

Yuan Bing lived in constant fear from then on.

Soon after, Zhang Hegao surrendered.

From then on, Yuan's army's food supplies were burned, and his generals deserted him. How could he possibly fight against Cao Cao?

The routed Yuan Shao led his cavalry across the Yellow River to retreat, leaving tens of thousands of men as prisoners.