I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Runan County, Langling County.

Cao Cao, who was far away from the battlefield in Xiangyang, was watching the fire from the other side of the river with a very calm mood. After all, it had nothing to do with him now, and he felt comfortable being a spectator.

Hearing the news of the Nanyang Incident in recent days, Cao Cao immediately guessed that Yuan Shu might be running away, and he immediately felt contempt for him. He thought that this man was indeed a waste, who was more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything.

But then Cao Cao felt uncomfortable again: "Alas, what is the difference between me and Yuan Gonglu at this moment? I am even worse than him. At least he can go back to Runan, but where should I go?"

Even a man as determined as Cao Cao has faced continuous blows in recent years. He was hindered by his colleagues at Hulao Pass, suffered a defeat on the battlefield in the Battle of Yanzhou, and now was stabbed in the back by his close friend Chen Gong in Xu County. He was deeply shocked and could not help but reveal a bit of confusion and helplessness in his heart.

In the Central Plains, the two states of Jingzhou and Yuzhou have no place for them to stay.

Even if you have great ambitions, how can you achieve great things if you have no land, lack soldiers and food?
Let alone great undertakings, if he doesn't find a place to settle down as soon as possible, the soldiers under his command will probably be blown away by the wind and rain.

Cao Hong walked into the tent and saw Cao Cao frowning. He immediately asked, "Brother, why are you frowning?"

Cao Cao sighed, but did not tell Cao Hong and the others about his predicament. He just thought about it in his heart and replied casually: "I'm fine. Yuan Shu is about to withdraw his troops, and we should also leave this troubled place of Runan."

Cao Hong was stunned: "Are we leaving now?"

He stayed outside Langling City to rest. Although it was a bit troublesome that he could not enter the city, he lived a comfortable life with Kong Rong sending people to deliver food and grass. He did not have to worry about food and drink during these days. Cao Hong even gained a few pounds, and his original armor was no longer suitable for him.

Therefore, when Cao Hong heard Cao Cao say that he was leaving, he felt quite reluctant.

But Cao Cao knew that a comfortable life would only destroy people's fighting spirit, so he was very determined: "We have to leave. If we don't leave now, once Yuan Gonglu's army arrives, we will be unable to escape."

"Is Yuan Gonglu really planning to withdraw his troops?"

"If my prediction is correct, Yuan Gonglu will withdraw his troops within ten days. Now there are aristocratic families in Nanyang who are rebelling, and Liu Biao of Jingzhou is eyeing him covetously. His only chance of survival is in Runan. If we linger here, we will have a battle with Yuan Gonglu."

Cao Cao does not want to conflict with Yuan Shu now. It is not because he is afraid of losing, but because winning will be meaningless and losing will be irreparable. Cao Cao is determined not to do such a losing deal.

Anyway, in Cao Cao's view, Runan is definitely not a place for him to live for a long time. It is better to take advantage of it and leave, and get all the benefits that can be obtained first.

A bird in the hand is worth a hundred in the bush.

The more critical the moment was, when it came to his own life and death, Cao Cao was always able to make decisions quickly and carry them through to the end.

After listening to Cao Cao's analysis, Cao Hong looked confused and asked, "Where should we go?"

Not only him, but everyone in the entire army cannot see their future clearly.

Cao Cao weighed the pros and cons for a long time, then gritted his teeth and made a decision: "Head north, we will go to Wang Yuanxu."

"Ah? Go to Marquis Qi!"

Although Cao Cao had mentioned this matter when he first came to Runan, no one was willing to believe it at the time, especially during the time Cao Cao stayed in Runan. Even Cao Hong thought that Cao Cao had changed his mind.

But it is obvious that Cao Cao's thoughts have not changed.

Now, the south and west of Cao Cao's army are all Liu Biao's territories, the east is Chen Wang Liu Chong and Xuzhou Tao Qian, and the southeast is Yuan Shu. Each of them either has a grudge against Cao Cao or dislikes him.

What's more, Cao Cao was so arrogant, how could he be willing to join a waste?
Even if you want to sell yourself, you have to sell it for a good price, right?

Who would look for a boss to find flies?

Cao Cao took out a letter from home and said to Cao Hong: "Let's not talk about anything else for now. Our family is now in Yuan Xu's hands. If we don't go to him, who else can we go to?"

Chenliu County, the former royal mansion.

Wang Jing was in a good mood as he revisited his old place. At this moment, he was wearing a brocade robe with black scales and fire cloud patterns, a purple gold crown with sky-feather phoenix feathers on his head, and riding on a horse. Accompanied by Guan Yu, he was inspecting the spring farming conditions in various places in Chenliu.

The most important affairs of a country are sacrifices and warfare. From this we can see that farming, warfare and culture are actually the foundation for the survival of a regime and the cornerstone of civilization. Therefore, no matter who is the ruler, they must pay enough attention to them.

Now that Chenliu County is his own territory, Wang Jing returns to his old residence not just to take a look, but to inspect it in person. At the same time, he is also making his attitude clear and urging officials from all places to do their work well so that the new policy can be implemented in Chenliu and benefit the local people.

Guo Jia was accompanying him. He looked around and saw the people working hard in the fields without any fear or anxiety on their faces. He immediately sighed: "Under the rule of the lord, the people are able to live and work in peace and contentment. This is the foundation of a king's career."

The essence of grand ambitions is to win the hearts of the people. Only in this way can the whole world come together to follow and establish an unprecedented prosperous era.

What do the people want?
It's just a few acres of good farmland and a few full meals.

But even such a humble wish is a luxury that most people cannot achieve in today's chaotic world. The thirteen states of the imperial dynasty are filled with refugees and starving people in the wild. Everywhere you look are numb and desperate eyes. Even if you regard the common people as worthless, you should know that a single spark can start a prairie fire.

Although Zhang Jue was dead, the Yellow Turban Army could never be wiped out because there were so many refugees, like weeds, that only a small spark could completely ignite the anger in their hearts.

Wang Jing knew the root cause of the unrest, so he did not hesitate to make enemies with the aristocratic families and powerful clans in order to promote new policies, especially in the newly occupied Yanzhou.

Chenliu County was a large county under the jurisdiction of Yanzhou. After Wang Jing implemented the new policy here, Chenliu quickly resumed production. The people had fields to farm and homes to return to, and the people's hearts were settled for a time.

Guan Yu, who was traveling with the group, was deeply moved by what he saw and heard along the way.

Wasn't it because he had a sense of righteousness in his heart and wanted to wipe out evil spirits and bring peace to the world that he was willing to follow Liu Bei?

Although things have gone a little wrong now and the three brothers are rarely together, Guan Yu feels that his current life is not bad, especially since he led his troops to garrison Chenliu, eliminate bandits, punish corrupt officials, and ensure the stability of people's lives. This feeling of being praised and loved really makes him "happy and not miss Liu".

In Guan Yu's mind, his impression of his elder brother Liu Bei faded a little unconsciously.

The original vows are still there, the ideals are still there, but the people around us no longer get together all the time.

Guan Yu looked at Wang Jing's back, feeling inexplicably emotional, but after thinking for a long time, he finally decided to be content with the status quo. He just hoped that life would always go on like this, at least no one would force him to make a dilemma.

Just as Guan Yu was lost in thought, a carrier pigeon fell from the sky.

goooo~
A secret guard took out the secret letter and handed it to Wang Jing.

"Fengxiao, the big fish we've been waiting for has finally been caught."

"I hope this big fish doesn't become a dead fish too quickly."

Guo Jia couldn't help but make a teasing remark, but Cao Cao was now like a fish out of water, and was indeed not far from death.

"In order to prevent Cao Cao from becoming a dead fish, it seems I must go and meet him in person to be on the safe side."

Wang Jing had tried to recruit Cao Cao at the beginning, but the two had different political views and eventually parted ways.

However, Cao Cao was at the end of his rope at this time, and this was Wang Jing's best opportunity. Although Cao Cao was as panic-stricken as a dog that had lost its home, in Wang Jing's opinion, Cao Cao's strength was still good. He had at least 10,000 soldiers, many of whom were veterans on the battlefield and could be called elite.

This is at least a decent fighting force. If too many losses occur on the way to Chenliu, then Cao Cao's value as a chess piece will depreciate significantly.

This was naturally not a result that Wang Jing wanted to see, so sending troops to provide support was extremely necessary.

Wang Jing personally led 3,000 Shenwu troops and marched south, galloping day and night, and soon approached Xu County.

When passing Yanling, the huge noise created by the actions of the large group of cavalry even caused extreme anxiety to Chen Wang Liu Chong, who thought that Wang Jing was going to mobilize troops against the State of Chen. Frightened, he lined up his army on the border and prepared for battle.

The accompanying military advisor Guo Jia mocked, "The Lord's sudden attack seems to have frightened His Highness Prince Chen. However, we should be on guard against others. We can send a pigeon to have General Guan lead 5,000 troops to monitor the confrontation, so as to prevent our army's retreat from being cut off."

This was the words of an old man, so Wang Jing would naturally listen: "Feng Xiao is indeed very careful, so I'll follow your words."

"It is my duty as a counselor to help my lord find out what he has missed and fill in the gaps."

As a strategist, Guo Jia often comes up with surprising ideas, but in fact he is very prudent in his actions. What he hates most is taking risky moves and risking his life.

In Guo Jia's view, only those who can nip all risks and accidents in the bud can be called truly wise men.

Wang Jing galloped all the way and soon led his troops to the outskirts of Xu County, where he encountered the main force of Cao Cao's army which was being blocked.

In the wilderness, two armies were fighting.

Cao Cao's army was large in number, but its soldiers were tired and unwilling to fight. The other army was small in number, but they were well rested and their morale was high.

And the person leading the army was none other than Chen Gong!
"Public platform!"

"Munde."

Once a close friend, today’s enemy.

Two friends who once shared the same aspirations are now fighting each other on the battlefield.

Cao Cao was angry, Chen Gong was indifferent, and an invisible murderous atmosphere was echoing between their brows at this moment.

Where their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly.

"Gongtai, you really don't care about our old friendship and want to kill me?"

Cao Cao was riding on his horse, and there was only anger in his eyes when he looked at Chen Gong.

Chen Gong's expression was very calm. He did not feel guilty towards Cao Cao for what he had done. Instead, he said as if it was a matter of course: "Meng De, things have come to this point, what else can I say?"

Chen Gong chose to betray friendship for the sake of ideals, just as Cao Cao chose Mohism, chose to support talents from poor families, and chose Wang Jing's new policies.

For the sake of power, fathers and sons kill each other, and brothers kill each other. How many such things are there in history books?

But Cao Cao was still angry because he was the one who was betrayed.

On the battlefield, two armies fought.

Cao Cao's army was already at the end of its strength. It was at an absolute disadvantage in both physical strength and morale. No matter how hard they fought, it was difficult to break out of the encirclement.

Encountering Chen Gong's ambush, Cao Cao was put into a desperate situation where he was doomed to die.

As a last resort, in order to save the situation, Cao Cao had to step forward and try to delay time.

In front of the two armies, Cao Cao brandished his famous sword Yitian, performed the Qianqiu Sword Song to drive back the enemies who were attacking like a tide, and roared angrily: "Gongtai, come out and see me!"

"Meng De, do you still want to delay time?"

Chen Gong rode his horse out of the line, with a mysterious aura all around him. Under the blessing of the Confucian secret arts, his spiritual energy shone as brightly as the sun.

"Meng De, you have no help from inside or outside. You are doomed to fail. Don't struggle any more."

Cao Cao was powerless to refute. He just looked angry and asked in a stern voice: "Gongtai, I am promoting Mohism as a temporary measure. Why can't you understand my good intentions? Have you forgotten that you once said you wanted to reform the world?"

Chen Gong knew that Cao Cao was delaying time, but he didn't care. In his opinion, Cao Cao was now surrounded by enemies and had no way of survival. The longer the time dragged on, the better it would be for him.

Therefore, in order to reduce losses, Chen Gong was happy to chat with Cao Cao.

Chen Gong was very disdainful of Cao Cao's questioning: "Meng De, do you also think that Mohism is the school of thought that can save the world? Qin destroyed Han and other schools of thought were defeated, while Confucianism flourished. This is the will of heaven. Heaven favors our Confucianism. Only Confucianism can save the world. You want to follow Wang Jing's example and reuse Mohism. This is to be an enemy of our Confucianism!"

"You used to be open-minded, why have you become so extreme now?"

"I am extreme?"

Chen Gong showed a ferocious expression. In addition to anger, he also showed hatred. "The Han Dynasty was founded on Confucianism. Since Dong Zhongshu, Confucianism has taken hundreds of years to find a true path to heaven. But you want to overturn everything. Who is so radical?"

Cao Cao was angry, and Chen Gong was even angrier.

Confucianism represents the interests of aristocratic families. Although it was originally a means used by Emperor Wu of Han to strengthen centralization, after hundreds of years of improvement and the exploration and revision of countless Confucian celebrities, it has gradually been perfected and formed a self-consistent political logic.

Gather the world's noble families to restrict the imperial power!
Then use the principles of benevolence and filial piety to establish order in the world!
Confucianism is the study of seeking peace for all generations!
As long as Confucianism flourishes, the world will be well governed, and when the world is well governed, all people will enjoy peace!

It was with this as the core of thought that Confucianism completely monopolized the power of thought. Even the emperor of the Yanhan Dynasty, who held the map of the country, could not compete with the entire Confucianism and had to compromise.

In the past, Emperors Huan and Ling carried out the Party Ban in order to break the dominance of Confucianism. Emperor Ling, Liu Hong, even founded the Hongdu School in an attempt to break the monopoly of Confucianism in the field of thought.

Unfortunately, the effect had not yet been seen when Emperor Ling died. If Wang Jing had not taken over the Hongdu School and carried out a "backdoor listing", the Hongdu School would probably have been dead long ago.

As one of the vested interests, Chen Gong naturally did not want the monopoly of Confucianism to be broken. Therefore, in Chen Gong's cognition, Cao Cao, who came from a noble family, was the traitor. He betrayed his own ass and abandoned the interests and positions of the aristocratic families and the nobles.

"Surrender, Meng De, everyone outside is my people."

Behind Chen Gong, military flags were fluttering and swords and spears were like a forest. With the power of thought, the army was in the most perfect state in terms of morale and combat effectiveness.

In contrast, Cao Cao's army was busy and exhausted, and their morale was low. If they were to engage in a battle, they would undoubtedly be defeated.

"Meng De, the winner has been decided. For the sake of our past friendship, I can spare your life."

"Save me a life?"

Cao Cao sneered: "You want me, Cao Mengde, to surrender? It's impossible!"

"Brother, why waste time talking to this guy? At worst, we can just fight him!"

Cao Hong's words were echoed by everyone: "That's right! At worst, we can fight this son of a bitch to death! We are real men who stand tall and proud, how can we be the kind who are afraid of death!"

Who among those who have fought till now is not a die-hard fan of Cao Cao? Who is not inspired by the ideal blueprint in his mind? Who is not convinced by his charisma?

Fight to the death, and at worst you'll be buried here!
"You are stubborn and unyielding. In that case, I will send you off."

Chen Gong sighed lightly, but showed no mercy. He gave a cold order: "All troops, attack, kill them all!"

"Yes!"

A group of wealthy families whose interests were damaged by Cao Cao's military farming policy looked at Cao Cao with angry eyes. This was the person in front of them who had suppressed them in every way. They must kill him today!
"Kill!"

"Cao Mengde, your death is coming!"

Anger and hatred, surging emotions wrapped around weapons and armor, gathered into a torrent of steel, rushing towards Cao Cao's army, and it seemed that it was about to swallow up and tear Cao Cao and his men into pieces, leaving no one alive.

Suddenly, a muffled thunder came from the north.

Rumble~
Chen Gong looked up at the sky and frowned in confusion: "It's a sunny day, could it be thundering? Weird..."

Then he suddenly woke up: "No, this is not thunder!"

As the earth's tremors intensified, Chen Gong knew that the thunder-like sound was clearly the sound caused by a large number of cavalrymen galloping at full speed.

"Enemy attack!"

A scout from the army came back to report the news with a body full of arrow wounds, but was soon pinned to the ground by an armor-piercing arrow shot from behind.

Chen Gong's face changed drastically: "Why did the enemy come so quickly? I clearly arranged scouts and sentries in the north!"

Invasion is like fire!

Three thousand elite soldiers of the Shenwu Army, each riding two horses, wearing armor and holding spears, moved with swift and decisive force. They came too fast and too fiercely!

In the black crowd, Wang Jing was the first to take the lead, holding the Overlord Bow, shooting and killing dozens of scouts with his left and right arrows, and killing them with a single arrow from five hundred steps away. The enemy had no time to run to Chen Gong to report the news.

"Follow me to break through the formation and kill the general!"

Wang Jing put away his bow and drew his sword, his brows furious as a sword, pointing diagonally to the sky: "Let's kill to our heart's content today!"

The main force of Chen Gong's army was fighting fiercely with Cao's army at a critical moment, when they were suddenly attacked from behind by cavalry. The front line collapsed immediately and they were dispersed by Wang Jing and his men.

The three thousand Shenwu soldiers, all wearing heavy armor, once they launched a charge, it was truly a thunderous and unstoppable force, attacking like a toppling sea. (End of this chapter)