Chapter 89

Shixun felt that the past two years had been a waste, and now, looking back, he felt like a clown. He had thought he could change the course of history... Well, in a certain sense, he did change it. Lü Bu's entry into Yanzhou was advanced by more than half a year. The Cao family's foothold in Yanzhou was reduced from three cities to two, and the difficulty of Cao Cao's retreat from the front lines was upgraded from E to C...

With the presence of Xun Yu and Cheng Yu, he believed that Juancheng could certainly be defended, and he also believed that Cao Cao would soon retreat from the front lines. Even if it meant taking the greatest risk, he would certainly return to save his base. But what would happen next? Originally, Cao Cao and Lü Bu would have fought for nearly half a year, during which time the surrounding forces would not have had a chance to intervene. Now the situation was more urgent, and who knew how long the battle would last? If it dragged on, perhaps Yuan Shao from the north and Yuan Shu from the south would take advantage of the situation.

Now, the eastern Xu Province, which was once an enemy, had become an ally, but was Tao Qian really reliable? In the original history, Tao Qian died soon after Cao Cao's retreat, and Liu Bei took over Xu Province. Liu Bei, being new to the region, had an unstable foundation and did not stab Cao Cao in the side until Lü Bu was defeated and sought refuge. But now Tao Qian was still alive and would likely not die soon. Seeing Lü Bu about to seize Yanzhou and Yuan Shu possibly attacking Xu Province, would Tao Qian weaken and return to Yuan Shu's camp?

Although Xu Province was vast, the only person Shixun trusted was Chen Deng. Not to mention the Mi and Cao families, even his own elder brother, Shi Kuan, he did not trust. But could Chen Deng alone persuade Tao Qian to continue cooperating with Cao Cao?

Shixun's mind was in turmoil, but his ears were not idle. He heard Xun Yu say, "Now Juancheng has 13,000 troops, mostly farmers-turned-soldiers... cough, soldiers from Qingzhou. If Guan Hai were well, he might be able to rally the troops and fight a fierce battle, but unfortunately, Guan Hai is injured and cannot move..." He looked at Shixun, "I wonder what good strategy Hongfu has?"

Shixun thought to himself, "I don't know anything about war, why are you asking me for a good strategy?" Then he noticed Xun Yu's eyes flicking to the side, and he understood—sitting next to him was Taishi Ci. Xun Yu was asking if Taishi Ci was reliable and if the military power could be entrusted to him.

Ultimately, all those present in the hall were civil officials, with only Ren Jun having some military experience. But even Ren Jun, if placed in a modern army, would be a logistics minister, not a great general. Originally, Cao Cao had entrusted the military affairs of the rear to Chen Gong, who was capable in war. But now Chen Gong had become an enemy!

Shixun did not answer Xun Yu's question immediately but turned to Taishi Ci and bowed, "To save the lives of the entire city, we rely on your assistance, Zi Yi. I hope you will not refuse."

Taishi Ci, who had been eager to act, countered, "I just saw the defensive posture on the city walls, and the soldiers are quite disciplined. But relying solely on defense will not repel the enemy. If I were to lead the troops out of the city to engage Lü Bu in the field, would you all agree?"

He did not really intend to defeat Lü Bu in the field. Lü Bu's reputation was renowned, and his troops from Bingzhou were invincible. Moreover, Lü Bu's main force had not yet arrived, and the enemy situation was unclear. Talking about going out to fight in the field was nonsense. He wanted to see if these civil officials would really entrust the military power to him or if they would just say one thing and do another. If they interfered too much, he would rather not take the military power.

The others were still pondering, but Shixun, who had been in contact with Taishi Ci for a long time, roughly guessed his intentions. He gritted his teeth and said, "If the enemy arrives and Zi Yi deems it necessary, you can go out to fight. War has no fixed form; it depends on the situation."

Cheng Li nodded, "Hongfu's words are very appropriate." He turned to Xun Yu and said, "Since Taishi Ci is in charge of the city's defense, I request to lead a force out of the city to Fan County to contact the county magistrate, Jin Yun, to form a pincer movement." Xun Yu immediately agreed, "If Lü Bu and Chen Gong send a large army, the people of Juancheng and Fan County will be shaken. If Zhongde goes to stabilize Fan County, I will have no worries." He ordered 1,000 troops to be dispatched to Fan County under Cheng Li's command.

Then he turned to Ren Jun and said, "Boda, the defense of the city is a complex task, and Boda may find it difficult to handle alone..." Ren Jun replied without hesitation, "Since Hongfu says Taishi Ci can handle the city's defense, I will step aside. All the affairs on the city walls will be entrusted to Taishi Ci, and the internal security and conscription will be my responsibility, so that Taishi Ci has no worries."

When Taishi Ci went to rescue Duchang, no one listened to him despite his efforts. Now, in Juancheng, he was immediately given command of the troops, and Ren Jun, who had the military power, readily handed it over. He was almost moved to tears. "A man will die for those who understand him." Since Hongfu was here and the Cao family was led by civil officials who were fair and selfless, he decided not to run south. He would sell his life to the Cao family, and what regret would he have? Thinking of this, he bowed deeply to everyone, "I am honored by your trust and will not fail you. With me here, the barbarians from Bingzhou will not dare to underestimate Juancheng!"

After the meeting, Shixun followed Taishi Ci on a tour of the city. He met more than ten military leaders and felt somewhat reassured. He realized that he had initially overestimated the severity of the situation.

Unlike the original history, Cao Cao had already started farming in Yanzhou and had a first-year harvest, so the granaries in Juancheng were full, and the morale was higher. On the other hand, Lü Bu and Chen Gong, like in the original history, could only gather the grain stored in the counties, which was very limited, and their supplies were a problem. Now, the main defender of Juancheng was not Xun Yu, Cheng Li, Ren Jun, or Xue Ti, but Taishi Ci. The others were capable but not great generals, good at defense but not at offense. With Taishi Ci leading the troops, there was a chance to deal a heavy blow to Lü Bu at Juancheng. When Cao Cao returned to Yanzhou, although he would have one less city as a foothold, the strategic situation might be better.

It was winter, and there was no work in the fields, so Cao Cao had brought the elite troops from Qingzhou to the front lines. The troops now defending Juancheng were mostly old and weak, but they had years of experience fighting in blood and gore. Now, with full bellies, their fighting spirit was high. More than half of the dozen officers who came to meet the new commander, Taishi Ci, were former Yellow Turbans. They greeted Shixun first—everyone knew him, knew that he had saved their lives and the life of their leader, Guan Hai, and heard that Miss Guan was going to become his concubine. "Damn, he's our Yellow Turbans... Qingzhou troops' son-in-law!"

Taishi Ci saw this and, after the officers left, said to Shixun, "Hongfu, come and help me defend the city. You have high prestige among the Qingzhou troops, and rallying their morale will depend on you." Shixun really did not want to go up to the city walls to fight. He had been following Taishi Ci to help him gain control over the officers, using his status as Cao Cao's brother-in-law. But since Taishi Ci asked directly, he could not refuse outright and said, "You know my archery and horsemanship are a joke. So I will only help defend the city, not go out to fight."

Taishi Ci smiled, "If we really have to fight in the field, if you come along, I will have to divide my attention to protect you, which will make it harder to fight. It's better if you don't go."

Two days later, Lü Bu's main force arrived at the walls of Juancheng. Shixun and Taishi Ci climbed the city walls and saw a vast sea of enemies, including many cavalry. Taishi Ci quickly estimated the numbers and said to Shixun, "About 17,000 to 18,000, with 2,000 cavalry—these troops are not enough to attack the city. If we are afraid and do not dare to go out to fight, it will weaken our morale."

A voice came from the side, "If Chen Gong gathers all the troops from the counties and the slaves of the wealthy, there will be no less than 30,000, but they have not yet gathered. Taishi Ci, do not underestimate the enemy." Shixun turned to see Xue Ti. Taishi Ci smiled, "We have more than 10,000 troops, and if we mobilize the civilians to help defend the city, we can easily get 40,000. What is there to fear? Thank you for the reminder, I will not be careless."

He then ordered the troops to be mustered and the city gates to be opened to go out and meet Lü Bu, to dampen the enemy's morale. Shixun said, "I will cheer for you from the city walls, but I won't go down." Taishi Ci laughed, "Hongfu, you are getting older, and your courage is waning. When we fought out of Duchang, you were not so timid... so concerned about your status."

Shixun thought, "Don't swallow that word, let me hear if it's 'timid' or 'cowardly.' Times have changed, Duchang and Juancheng are completely different. Back then, it was safer outside the city, but now it might not be..."

Taishi Ci went down to the city, and Shixun, following the old routine, held a bow and arrows to observe the enemy from the city walls. Unlike the previous two times he defended the city (Handan and Duchang), he now wore a leather helmet and armor, which provided +3 protection—although the iron armor plates ordered from the city's blacksmith had already been delivered, Shixun, after feeling the weight of the package, decided to stick with the leather armor... "Damn, if I put these on, I won't be able to walk!"

Taishi Ci, on the other hand, changed into a set of iron armor, not as ornate as Sun Ce's but with similar protection—Juancheng was Cao Cao's base, and there were many good items. He rode his horse from Beihai, held the long spear he had taken from Wei Yue, and led 3,000 troops out of the city, spreading out on both sides of the moat.

He then raised his spear and shouted to the opposite side, "I am Taishi Ci from Donglai. Does Lü Bu dare to order his troops to step back and fight me in a single combat?!"

Shixun shuddered at these words— "Damn, another single combat, you are so confident after defeating Sun Ce! But that's Lü Bu, Lü Bu, whose martial prowess is far above yours, Zi Yi, why are you seeking your own humiliation?!"