People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 436 Doubts
The wind rises, the war continues.

Since Liu Xie surrendered in the last Battle of Xuchang, the capital of Wei has become lively again. The last war directly led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty, and this war may bring about the destruction of Wei.

At least at this moment, the Wei king and his ministers standing on the city wall had already sensed the danger of the country's demise.

This new nation has not even gained a firm foothold yet, and is about to perish in the midst of wind and rain.
Cao Cao, dressed in military uniform, stood on the gate tower. Below him he saw the Yellow Turban army advancing one after another. They were attacking the city gate that had been blasted open. Although a series of defense lines had been built inside Xuchang to block the offensive, the war situation was still very dangerous.

Cao Cao has been on the battlefield for many years, so how could he not see the strength of the battlefield? If the battle continues like this, it is only a matter of time before Xuchang City falls.

However, this is his foundation, and no matter how difficult it is, he will never give up.

When the battle was going badly, Cao Cao personally beat the drum to cheer for the Wei army. The battle lasted for almost ten days, and he also stayed on the city wall for almost ten days, day and night, and never out of the soldiers' sight.

This indeed boosted the morale of the Wei army to a considerable extent and was one of the factors that enabled them to withstand the attack of the Yellow Turbans.

No matter how much water there was in Cao Cao's identity as an emperor, he was indeed the monarch of Wei. The fact that the king of a country personally went to the front line to supervise the battle was enough to inspire the soldiers.

Even when the battle was fierce, Cao Cao would shoot arrows from the top of the city walls. Once a Yellow Turban soldier died on the way to the charge, regardless of whether he was shot by Cao Cao or not, it would cause cheers from the top of the city walls.

Today was no exception. Although Cao Cao could not really go to the front line to fight the Yellow Turbans with real swords and guns, he still shot from the top of the city for a long time.

As dusk approached, the Yellow Turbans' offensive gradually slowed down and they were ready to withdraw their troops back to the camp, which also meant that the battle for the day had come to an end.

On the top of the city wall, Cao Cao threw the bow and arrow in his hand to the side and breathed a sigh of relief.

At least I made it through today.
"The army should immediately start taking turns to rest. The baggage camp should prepare to light a fire and cook. The rear should immediately organize the civilians to rebuild the city defenses. Many matters should not be relaxed."

Cao Cao skillfully issued various orders, which was also what Cao’s army had to do every day.

The defense of Xuchang was almost identical to the defense of Jinyang. The two sides once again turned it into a game of wills. Every day, the Yellow Turbans fought back and forth with the Wei army at the city gates and on the city walls. Although there had been many thrilling moments, they were still unable to completely penetrate the Wei army's defense.

During the day, the Wei army would always suffer defeats in the face of the Yellow Turbans' fierce attacks, but at night they would return to the front line to build fortifications. Soldiers and civilians were working hard to defend Xuchang.

The soldiers might have been loyal to Cao and fought hard, but the common people were mostly forced to do so.

The people of Xuchang still remember Zhao Yun's surprise attack on Xuchang during the last war. The Yellow Turbans opened their granaries to distribute money, and the Wei soldiers came to levy and rob, which made them feel quite resentful.

Although the people of Xuchang are the people of the Wei capital, the so-called Wei has only been around for a short time, which is not enough for them to build up deep feelings. Even if most people say it, they would most likely still say that they are the people of the Han Dynasty.

After all, the soldiers at least had a bite of food from the State of Wei, but the common people did not really enjoy anything at all. All they had was exploitation and plunder by the Wei army.

Cao Cao knew this very well, and he reminded them: "No matter how difficult the front line is, the city must always be strictly controlled." After that, he looked at Cheng Yu and said: "Our army has abandoned a lot of baggage during the evacuation, and the military food reserves in the city are insufficient. Tonight, we must continue to collect food from the people for military use. This matter must be done well!"

As soon as these words came out, Xun Yu frowned and said, "Your Majesty, the Wei army has already collected grain from the people several times during the expedition to Bingzhou. Even if we collect grain again now, I'm afraid we won't be able to collect it. This is not a question of good or bad, but a question of whether there is grain or not."

Guo Jia on the side also had a puzzled look on his face. Just as Xun Yu had said, the little food that the people in the city had stockpiled had long been looted by the Wei army. How could they get new food?
No matter how short of food the Wei army is now, the current situation of having no food to conquer cannot be changed.

He didn't believe that Cao Cao didn't know this. If that was the case, why did he issue this impossible order?

"I obey your command!" Cheng Yu agreed without hesitation.

Xun Yu and Guo Jia both looked over. They glanced back and forth between Cao Cao and Cheng Yu and slowly realized something was wrong. Both Cheng Yu and Cao Cao looked too calm, as if they had some kind of tacit understanding.

Cao Cao did not answer Xun Yu's question, and the matter was just resolved calmly. Although Xun Yu and Guo Jia were full of questions, they did not dare to ask any more. Instead, they wanted to see where Cheng Yu would get the military rations.

Seeing Cheng Yu leave, Xun Yu and Guo Jia also took their leave one after another. Cao Cao's eyes flashed, but he spoke to keep them.

Cao Cao glanced into the city. The laborers were working hard under the whip, while the soldiers were resting in various places. The veterans lay down on the ground without even taking off their armor, and most of the new recruits who didn't even have armor were silent.

The atmosphere in the city was visibly depressed and gloomy. This was the psychological impact of the war itself on the soldiers, as well as the soldiers' deep-seated pessimistic expectations about winning or losing.

"Up to now, our army is in a very unfavorable situation. Not only are we short of food, but morale is also low. From what I can see, the battle becomes more and more difficult every day. I'm afraid we can't resist it by ourselves. How long do you think it will take for Sun Quan and Liu Bei's reinforcements to arrive?"

Cao Cao's tone was deep and melancholy. Guo Jia and Xun Yu looked at his back, and saw a rare sense of loneliness in him.

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly in silence.

Guo Jia said: "I think if Wu and Han are quick, they may arrive in half a month. As long as our army can hold out until then, the danger in Xuchang can be resolved."

This answer did not surprise Cao Cao. He just sighed and said, "It's easier said than done."

Xun Yu remained silent. This was not just a question of difficulty, in fact it was just like a dream. More than half a month was already an extremely ideal time. Even at this time, it would be almost impossible for the Wei army to hold on given their current situation.

After a long while, Xun Yu said: "No matter what, our army should make the greatest effort. If we don't make any changes, we will just have to wait for death. I think it's better to take the initiative to try something, maybe we can change the situation."

Cao Cao perked up when he heard this: "What good ideas does Wen Ruo have?"

Xun Yu said: "After a long battle, our army has not launched an active counterattack. Perhaps the Yellow Turbans will relax their vigilance. If we send Zhang Liao to lead elite soldiers to attack the camp tonight and set fire to it, burning the Yellow Turbans' logistics and supplies, it will greatly delay our army's time."

(End of this chapter)