Three Kingdoms: I, the eldest son of Cao, a loving father of a great man!

"Third brother, don't panic. Father has made up his mind and we cannot interfere. We just need to hold on until reinforcements arrive." Yuan Tan said calmly.

"Yeah." Yuan Shang was not a fool. He knew that Yuan Shao was determined now, so he had no choice but to listen to Yuan Tan's words.

Yuan Tan's calmness made Yuan Shang feel much more at ease.

"I hope Cao Ang can keep his promise, otherwise we will be in trouble." Yuan Shang said with emotion.

When Cao Ang received the news that Cao Cao and Yuan Shu had joined forces, he was overjoyed.

"Can't you hold it in any longer? I want to see who will have the last laugh." Cao Ang said coldly.

"My lord, the alliance between Cao Cao and Yuan Shu is very unfavorable to our army. We must deal with it with caution." Pang Tong said seriously.

Cao Ang nodded and said, "I know."

Cao Ang knew very well that this alliance would bring him a lot of trouble, but he had to do it.

Cao Cao and Yuan Shu were colluding with each other, and Cao Ang could not sit idly by. To resolve this matter, Cao Ang had to first defeat the alliance between Cao Cao and Yuan Shu.

"Wenyuan, Fengxiao, I order you to lead the elite troops to Xu County, kill Yuan Shu and seize Yanzhou." Cao Ang said.

Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Huang Zhong, Lu Bu, Guo Jia and other generals stood up and said in unison: "We will definitely fulfill our mission!"

"Good!" Cao Ang said with satisfaction.

The alliance between Cao Cao and Yuan Shu put great pressure on Cao Ang. But this did not mean that Cao Ang would just sit there and wait for death.

He has an army of tens of thousands, plus the people of Yanzhou, so his strength should not be underestimated.

Cao Ang could not, as he did in history, run away in fear when faced with the enemy's siege.

"My lord, I suggest that we mobilize troops in Dongjun to reinforce Xu County to prevent any unexpected events." Xiahou Yuan said with a bow.

Cao Ang agreed and said, "Feng Xiao, what do you think?"

Xu Shu shook his head and said, "My Lord, although Xu County has about 15,000 people, the food and supplies are limited. I'm afraid it won't last long."

Cao Ang frowned. He was so excited that he almost forgot about Xu County's embarrassment.

"Inform all departments that starting today, they will recruit civilians to build fortifications and ensure logistical supplies." Cao Ang gave the order.

Cao Ang is now short of food, which is not good news. Cao Ang can only let his soldiers work hard.

"My lord is wise!" the generals said with relief.

Cao Ang now not only has to consider his own safety, but also the well-being of the Han Dynasty, so he has to be cautious.

Cao Cao also received a signal from Yuan Shao's envoy asking for help.

Cao Cao was very angry about this. It was a shame that Yuan Shao actually asked him for help.

Yuan Shao had looked down upon him and even considered making an enemy of him. Cao Cao had long wanted to destroy Yuan Shao, so there was no way he would help him.

"Hmph, Yuan Shao, ah Yuan Shao, you are courting death!" Cao Cao showed a ferocious face.

Xun Chen, a counselor under Cao Cao, advised: "My lord, Cao Ang is now eyeing us covetously, so it is better for our army not to provoke Yuan Shao."

Cao Cao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Prime Minister, what choice do you think I should make?"

Xun Chen lowered his head and thought for a while: "My lord, Cao Ang occupies Yuzhou, Nanyang, Hejian, and Sili.

He now has a strong army and a powerful force. If we cannot annihilate him in one fell swoop, I am afraid there will be endless troubles in the future."

"Then according to the Prime Minister's opinion, how should I respond?" Cao Cao asked.

Xun Chen's eyes flickered a few times: "My lord, Cao Ang has just been defeated, and the country is empty. If our army pursues the victory, we may be able to destroy his rear."

"This. How could I be so despicable?" Cao Cao hesitated.

Xun Chen continued, "My lord, our army is strong and well-equipped, and we have sufficient food and fodder.

Cao Ang was crippled. As long as our army can win the battle quickly, we can definitely keep Cao Ang in Xu County."

"What if Cao Ang escapes?" Cao Cao did not dare to take the risk. "If Cao Ang escapes, my lord, retreat immediately.

If Cao Ang returns to Xu County, even if Cao Ang has great abilities, it will be difficult to reverse the situation. "Xun Chen analyzed.

Cao Cao thought carefully for a moment and found that Xun Chen's suggestion seemed effective, so he said.

"Okay, I'll do as you say. Prime Minister, go and make preparations. I will lead my troops westward immediately."

"Yes!" Xun Chen bowed respectfully and left.

Cao Cao called Xun Yu over and said, "Yuan Hao, go and urge the troops to attack Yuan Shao tomorrow!"

"I obey your order!" Xun Yu smiled slightly.

Cao Cao was testing Yuan Shao. If Yuan Shao refused to send troops, Cao Cao might give up. After all, compared with Yuan Shao and Cao Ang, Cao Cao would rather choose to fight Cao Ang head-on.

After Xun Yu left, Cao Cao summoned Tian Feng, who quickly came to meet Cao Cao.

"Meng De, Yuan Shao has asked me to send more troops to Xuchang. Do you think Yuan Shao is cheating?" Cao Cao asked Tian Feng.

"My lord, you are absolutely right. Yuan Shao is a child of an aristocratic family and is afraid of death. Why would he ask you for reinforcements? There must be something fishy about this." Tian Feng expressed his opinion.

"Meng De, how many troops do you think Yuan Shao has?" Cao Cao asked again.

"Well, Yuan Shao is a cunning and treacherous villain. Since he asks the lord for help, his strength should not be as good as the lord's." Tian Feng thought for a while.

When Cao Cao heard Tian Feng's analysis, he thought it was quite reliable, so he said.

"Zhongda, I will lead my army to attack Xu County tomorrow. You will be the commander-in-chief and be in charge of the overall situation."

"Don't worry, my lord. I will do my best to clear the obstacles for you!" Tian Feng assured.

Cao Cao was very satisfied with Tian Feng's ability and patted him on the shoulder: "Zhongda, I am very optimistic about you."

"Thank you, my lord, for your cultivation!" Tian Feng said happily.

The next day, Cao Ang ordered all his troops to leave the city to fight Cao Cao.

In the court of Xudu, Dong Cheng said to Cao Ang, "My lord, Cao Cao's army is still 800 miles away from us.

If we don’t stop them in time, I’m afraid they will break through Xu County and march straight into Luoyang.”

Cao Ang said calmly: "Feng Xiao, what do you think we should do?"

"My lord, I think our army should go around from the north and cut off Cao Cao's retreat." Ju Su suggested.

"Oh? What does Fengxiao mean?" Cao Ang asked with interest.

Ju Su said: "It is very cold now, and Cao Cao's cavalry simply cannot gallop in the ice and snow.

Cao Cao's infantry also needed to rest, so our army took the opportunity to attack them. Cao Cao's retreat was cut off, and he must have been in a panic.

If we take the initiative to attack, Cao Cao will definitely be defeated.

If we do not attack, Cao Cao's cavalry will harass our army again, and it will be difficult for our army to gain stability.

Therefore, I think we should take the initiative to attack and cut off Cao Cao's retreat."

Ju Su's words were very well spoken, and Cao Ang was very happy to hear them.

"Okay! Fengxiao is right. Let Fengxiao be the commander-in-chief, and I will personally lead the troops for you!" Cao Ang agreed to Ju Su's suggestion on the spot.

Ju Su knelt down to express his gratitude.

Cao Ang then said to Chen Gong, "Gongtai, you will be the deputy commander and assist Fengxiao in the attack."

"I obey your command!" Chen Gong had no objection.

Cao Ang then ordered his troops to go out. (End of this chapter)