Cao Cao became excited upon thinking of this.
The immortal is really confident in himself!
He composed himself and was filled with confidence for the future!
Yuan Shao? 700,000 troops?
I have the help of a celestial being, what can you do to me?
Guided by the information in his mind, Cao Cao's development was smooth sailing, and he hardly took any detours. This included seizing Yanzhou, which became the foundation of his hegemony, successfully subduing the Yellow Turban rebels, forming the Black Mountain Army, and conquering Xuzhou!
However, once Cao Cao had the strength, he immediately dispatched his best generals to capture Luoyang.
Although Luoyang has no strategic significance, as long as Meng Fan is there, that place is his domain!
What should have been a ten-year journey, Cao Cao completed in just two years!
Moreover, because he anticipates the enemy's every move and has Xuzhou as a major granary with a continuous supply of soldiers, he can now be considered the number one warlord in the world!
With nearly 400,000 soldiers at his command, he is far stronger than Yuan Shao, who is still locked in a fierce battle with Gongsun Zan!
As his power grew exponentially, Cao Cao then employed a series of dazzling maneuvers, including using a honey trap to turn Dong Zhuo against his generals Li Jue and Guo Si. The two then joined forces to kill Dong Zhuo and ultimately defected to Cao Cao.
With the help of Dong Zhuo's troops, Cao Cao's strength grew even greater. He held the emperor hostage and commanded the feudal lords, his power shaking the entire land. All the feudal lords feared he would cause them trouble and avoided him, not daring to contend with him!
Even Yuan Shao now addresses Cao Cao as "brother" in his letters, fearing that Cao Cao might cause him trouble.
Cao Cao's power grew rapidly in a short period of time, and he became complacent and stopped coming to kneel before Meng Fan.
According to his current thinking, although Meng Fan knows some magic, he is not worth mentioning compared to his hundreds of thousands of soldiers!
He doesn't even kneel before the emperor, let alone Meng Fan, a mere commoner.
Sometimes people are like that; once they become powerful in a short period of time, they become infinitely arrogant, and time makes them forget how terrifying Meng Fan was!
However, Meng Fan didn't care much. As long as Cao Cao didn't cause him any trouble, he was too lazy to pay any attention to Cao Cao.
Although Cao Cao had become much more arrogant, he still wouldn't do anything to offend Meng Fan. After all, he still had some sense and wouldn't make enemies out of thin air.
Therefore, he simply did not come to kneel and pay homage, but he managed to maintain the ancient and orderly environment within a three-mile radius of the courtyard, which could be considered Meng Fan's fiefdom.
He's smart, but his sons are probably a bit dim-witted.
Cao Zhang, Cao Cao's third son, had been in Luoyang for over a month and was ordered to repair the imperial palace.
That day, he was having a good time in the city. When he came out of the widow's house, it was already late at night. He was helped onto his horse by his servants.
He perfectly inherited Cao Cao's strengths and was deeply fond of the legacy of Wei Wu.
Moreover, he was strong and powerful; even after drinking several jars of wine, he wouldn't be unable to walk. Now he looks weak and listless, which is not due to the effects of alcohol at all.
The servant knew his master's character very well. Since the war ended, people had been moving back to Luoyang, and the city had become more lively.
Since Cao Zhang arrived here, his servants have understood his preferences with just a blink of an eye.
Therefore, by catering to their preferences and acting as a go-between in recent days, their role has been quite significant!
"Young master, I saw an absolutely stunning beauty the other day. Her face, her figure, her demeanor were simply breathtaking! She was a hundred times more beautiful than any woman I had ever seen!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Zhang immediately became excited. Although this servant loved to flatter and had no other skills, he had a discerning eye for women. Hearing him say this, he knew that this was definitely a top-tier beauty.
“However…” the servant hesitated.
"But what? Speak quickly!" Cao Zhang shouted.
"The woman entered the enclosed area mentioned by the Prime Minister, and I dared not follow her any further."
Snap!
A handprint appeared on his face, and Cao Zhang cursed, "Bastard! This Luoyang was all conquered by my Cao family. You think a mere three-mile fiefdom can scare you away?"
The servant, enduring the pain, forced a smile and said, "Young master is right, I know I was wrong. But that woman looked like she was no ordinary person; her clothes were very elegant, and she didn't look like someone to be trifled with..."
Snap!
The servant's face was now symmetrical.
"Fool, you're going to point the way? I want to see what this beauty you've described in such glowing terms looks like. If you dare to lie to me, don't blame me for skinning you alive!"
"Yes, yes, please come this way, young master."
A large group of people followed the servants towards Meng Fan's courtyard...
Xuchang, inside the Prime Minister's residence.
As everyone was discussing matters, an urgent report came through, and the messenger rushed into the council hall.
"Reporting...Reporting to the Prime Minister, an urgent report from Luoyang!"
Cao Cao instantly had a bad feeling. If the messenger was so anxious, something big must have happened.
He disregarded everything else and hurriedly walked up to the messenger, grabbed the bamboo slips, and began to examine them carefully.
The letter was delivered by Xiahou Dun, who was stationed in Luoyang and reported the matter immediately.
"This is outrageous!"
Cao Cao slammed the bamboo slips to the ground, veins bulging on his face. After a moment's thought, he turned and roared at the messenger, "Order General Xiahou to close the city gates and send out 100,000 troops to surround and kill this man!"
The messenger acknowledged and hurriedly went out.
"My lord, what exactly happened in Luoyang?" Xun Yu asked.
Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, let's continue our discussion."
He knew that Xun Yu was extremely impressed by Meng Fan and had always wanted to visit him alone, but Cao Cao had stopped him. If he were to reveal his intention to ambush and kill Meng Fan now, Xun Yu would probably be the first to object!
In Luoyang, Xiahou Dun was also filled with apprehension. He knew who he was about to kill, but when he saw Cao Zhang being torn apart by five horses not far away, he felt a surge of anger.
In his heart, she was just a woman. Even if Cao Zhang had gained an advantage, he wouldn't let Cao Zhang pay with his life!
It was even rumored that Meng Fan said something like, "Only when Cao Cao loses five more sons will the matter be settled."
It should be noted that Cao Cao had a total of 25 sons in history, but it was still early, and only five sons had been born. How could this not make him angry?
However, Meng Fan doesn't care about any of that. As long as you don't provoke me, it's fine. Even if you don't respect me as much as before, it doesn't matter. But if you provoke me, I will make you pay a hundredfold.
"Listen up, soldiers! There are four people inside: three women and one man. Whoever kills the man inside will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and be ennobled as a marquis!"
As soon as the order was given, the soldiers were surprised, but was it too much to give up on those few people by using 100,000 men to surround and kill them?
But with the reward right in front of them, the eyes of 100,000 people were red with envy. Normally, killing the leader of the opposing side would reward a thousand gold pieces, but this one would reward ten thousand gold pieces. They all saw the courtyard as an opportunity to get promoted and make a fortune!
"kill!"
At Xiahou Dun's command, 100,000 men charged towards the crowd, following the flag bearer's signal.
For a moment, the entire city of Luoyang trembled slightly, and shouts of battle shook the heavens!
Buzz!
A ripple flashed by quickly, spreading rapidly outwards from the courtyard.
All the soldiers who were touched stood frozen in place, as if they had been immobilized!
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