Free Web NovelChapter 251: Engage in Battle
Tao Qian, you old villain! You killed my entire family. I swear I will tear out your heart and extract your gall to avenge my hatred!!!
"Do not bother to dissuade me!"
This... sigh...
Chen Gong sighed deeply. He was too insignificant alone, facing such a worldly hero as Cao Cao.
Then he took his leave, sighing, "I have no face to see Tao Qian anymore!"
Next, where should he go? Chen Gong had no idea...
Walking through the streets, he heard the discussions of the people.
"Brother, have you heard? Yangzhou to the south is now thriving, perhaps the safest place without war in all of Han’s thirteen provinces."
"What! Are you kidding me? In these chaotic times, how can there be a place without war? Isn’t it like a utopia?"
"This is true, you can’t make this up! I’m preparing to move my whole family to Yangzhou!"
"Alright! I’ll come and see for myself when the time comes!"
As Chen Gong passed by and heard these words, he couldn’t help but be intrigued.
Yangzhou? Peaceful?
Interesting. Since he didn’t know where to go next, why not head to Yangzhou and see for himself?
He heard that Long Chen, the governor of Yangzhou, was already famous throughout Han’s various provinces.
Some even called him the Guardian God of the End of the Han Dynasty!
Was that true? Was he really that formidable?
This thought stirred him, and without further hesitation, Chen Gong turned his horse towards Yangzhou.
...
...
Xu Province.
Many counties near Yanzhou had already turned into dead cities.
What are dead cities?
They’re places devoid of life, just scorched earth...
A chilling wind howled across Xu Province, and the number of vengeful spirits continued to rise...
Wherever Cao Cao’s army went, innocent civilians were slaughtered, and the graves of wealthy merchants and aristocrats were plundered.
Speaking of which, much of Cao Cao’s wealth came from the position of Minister of Works.
That is, he made his fortune by looting burial goods from royal tombs.
Now in Xu Province, Cao Boss was doing the same thing, looking to make another killing.
The smell of death hung over the entire Xu Province, and countless people lived in fear, terrified of Cao Cao’s impending attack. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
In Xu Province, Tao Qian learned that Cao Cao was raising an army for revenge and slaughtering innocent civilians. He cried out in despair:
"I have sinned against Heaven, causing the people of Xu Province to suffer such calamity for no reason!"
"Cao Cao, you heartless fiend!!!"
Immediately, he hastily gathered his officials to discuss how to deal with this matter.
General Cao Bao stepped forward with a cupped fist and said:
"Since Cao’s army has arrived, how can we sit back and wait for death?"
"I am willing to personally lead my soldiers to help Lord Tao defeat Cao’s army!"
All the officials responded eagerly, which surprised Tao Qian.
Because in previous discussions, officials were not so united and harmonious.
The reason was simple: officials represented the interests of different aristocratic families in Xu Province. Past decisions often resulted in gains for one side and losses for another, or uneven distribution of gains.
Now it was different. They faced a common enemy.
Cao Cao’s desire to bloodbath Xu Province touched everyone’s interests.
Naturally, they had to unite and resist Cao Cao together.
For a while, there were donations of grain and money...
Tao Qian led his generals, including Cao Bao, to march out.
From afar, one could see Cao Cao’s army dressed in the overwhelming aura of frost, like a sea of snowflakes, all covered in white.
Among them were soldiers carrying white flags, two in total, with the words "Revenge and Hate" written in large characters.
Mounted soldiers formed a powerful formation, and Cao Cao himself wore white, with a white cloth tied around his head, his eyes red and swollen, as if he had just cried.
Riding forward, he whipped his horse and cursed Tao Qian for killing his father.
After his words fell, all three armies wept bitterly, their morale rising instead of falling!
Tao Qian wore a green and yellow silk robe, his face haggard as he stroked his long beard, also riding under the gate flag.
Seeing Cao Cao, Tao Qian bowed respectfully, like a wise elder:
"I originally just wanted to befriend Your Excellency, so I entrusted Zhang Kai to escort Your Excellency’s family."
"But I didn’t expect Zhang Kai’s heart to remain wicked, leading to this incident."
"This really has nothing to do with Tao Qian!"
"I hope Your Excellency will see this clearly."
At this point, Tao Qian revealed an expression of extreme sorrow, his body even more bent...
Seeing Tao Qian’s innocent demeanor, the anger in Cao Cao’s chest soared.
In his heart, he thought: "This old fox is really cunning. To act so innocent, it’s disgusting!"
Thinking back to how Tao Qian had recently attempted to vie with him for Yanzhou, Cao Cao harbored an endless murderous intent towards this man.
Not long ago, due to the rebellion of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, an attack on Yanzhou ensued, and Liu Dai, the governor of Yanzhou, led his troops to battle, ultimately losing and dying in battle.
With this death, the position of governor of Yanzhou became vacant, immediately attracting the attention of the princes of the world.
At that time, Long Chen was still in Chang’an, and he was already overburdened, naturally unable to reach Yanzhou. Even if he took down Yanzhou, it would not be conducive to Long Chen’s strategic intentions.
If he wanted to take Yanzhou, he would have to take Xu Province first.
Speaking of which, after the governor of Yanzhou, Liu Dai, died, Cao was appointed governor of Dong Commandery in Yanzhou, showing outstanding ability and gaining support from other county governors.
Eventually, Cao Cao became the Governor of Yanzhou.
However, upon assuming office, Cao Cao immediately became the target of surrounding feudal lords eyeing the rich pickings of Yanzhou.
Many sought to intervene, with Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, and Yuan Shu among the main contenders.
Nevertheless, Cao Cao, relying on his strength, firmly held onto the position of Governor of Yanzhou amidst this chaotic struggle.
This battle officially established his status as a major warlord and demonstrated Cao Cao’s ability to control and defend his territories across multiple battles.
Now, facing Tao Qian, both old and new grievances resurfaced.
Pointing at Tao Qian’s nose, Cao Cao cursed loudly:
"You old fool! You killed my father, yet dare to speak nonsense here! Who can capture this old thief alive?"
At his side, the general Xiahou Dun responded promptly.
Brandishing his long spear, he charged forward, the spear points forming a formidable earth-yellow spear aura.
Like a fierce wind and torrential rain opening a vast mouth, devouring everything before it.
Seeing this, Tao Qian hastily fled into the formation.
As a mere scholar and elderly, he couldn’t withstand such turmoil.
Xiahou Dun continued his pursuit, his flowing sand spear rushing forward like the arrival of the Yama of Hell.
Clang!
A burst of firelight splattered out.
It was Cao Bao, leaping on horseback with his spear raised, coming to confront the enemy.
Roar!
The fierce roar of a leopard echoed through the wilderness, Cao Bao’s spear technique was swift and agile, much like a nimble leopard.
However, Xiahou Dun handled the confrontation with ease, his strength and power sufficient to match ten opponents.
In terms of sheer strength, Xiahou Dun far surpassed Cao Bao.
As the two clashed, a sudden strong wind whipped up, sand and stones flying.
Xiahou Dun unleashed his Tornado Spear Technique, stirring up a whirlwind of sand and stones.
