Chapter 97

When Cao Cao opened the piece of cloth, he became very uncomfortable. ※％

Yuan Shao, on the other hand, was laughing heartily. After waving the piece of cloth, he turned around and strode to the commander's position. He turned again, lifted his robe, and sat down steadily. This was the first time in his life he was taking charge alone, and he couldn't help but get excited, saying, "Brother Mengde, Brother Zijin, why don't you come and pay respects to the commander?"

Cao Cao's face turned purple and then green. He lowered his head, looking at the piece of cloth in his hand that read "not selected." He was very disappointed, as this was the first time he had a chance to take charge alone, and he had lost, which was a great blow to him.

Qin Feng didn't care much. He didn't value the current situation at all because he knew that everything now was fleeting. The real power would come during the division of territories. He patted Cao Cao's shoulder and comforted him, "Brother Mengde, there's no need to be like this. In the future, you will have many more opportunities."

Cao Cao was deeply moved.

Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao, then at Yuan Shao, pondering his current position and decided to remain silent for the moment.

However, Qin Feng couldn't stand Yuan Shao's arrogance and said with a smile, "Brother Benchu, that seat belongs to General Huangfu Song. Is it appropriate for a Commander of the Rapid Response Force like you to sit there?"

"Huh?" Yuan Shao was taken aback, then suddenly realized. Although he was the commander, this was not an official appointment by the court. Sitting in Huangfu Song's seat was a breach of etiquette, and if reported, it would damage his reputation.

A person like Yuan Shao was very concerned about his reputation. He quickly stood up, and as he walked down, he said awkwardly, "I'm used to sitting at home."

Cao Cao rolled his eyes, "This isn't your couch at home."

Yuan Shao laughed awkwardly and immediately said to Liu Bei, "Xuande, go and deliver my orders. Command all the middle-ranking officers and above to gather in the main tent."

"Understood!" Liu Bei was delighted, as he was a commoner and this was the first time he had been given such a task.

Shortly after, with the sound of drums, all the middle-ranking officers and above were in place.

Although Yuan Shao was not sitting in the commander's position, he was still seated at the head of the table, exuding an extraordinary demeanor. As a descendant of a family with four generations of high officials, he said to the gathered officers, "Before General Huangfu Song arrives, I will command the entire army. When you return, tell the soldiers that although the enemy is numerous, they are just a rabble. If we are united, we will surely defeat them and earn merit."

The officers, though of low rank, were all veterans with many years of military service. They feared the lack of unified command after Dong Zhuo's departure. Seeing that Yuan Shao had quickly taken charge, they felt somewhat relieved and bowed, saying, "We are willing to follow General Yuan's orders."

Yuan Shao was very satisfied and waved his hand, saying, "Go and stabilize the troops. I will send people to the surrounding counties to requisition food and supplies, and soon we will have a strategy to deal with the Yellow Turbans."

The officers, seeing that he could secure food and supplies and had a strategy against the Yellow Turbans, felt even more reassured and left.

Qin Feng pulled aside one of the officers and asked, "Where are General Han Fu and General Zhang He?"

The officer, not daring to be negligent, hurriedly saluted and said, "When General Dong retreated, they were not seen. They must have gone elsewhere."

Qin Feng didn't ask any more questions.

After the officers left, Yuan Shao felt even more in control of the situation. Born into a noble family, he had studied military strategy since childhood and had some tactical skills. After some thought, he came up with a plan to deal with the Yellow Turbans. Since it was his first time using a strategy, he was eager to try it out and said to Qin Feng and the others, "I have a plan to defeat the Yellow Turbans!"

Cao Cao, with one eye larger than the other, squeezed them together and said coolly, "What is your plan?"

Yuan Shao, quite solemn, stood up and went to the military map, pointing and saying, "Our army is in the eastern part of Guangping Commandery, which is all flat land with no terrain to use. If the Yellow Turbans attack, it will be difficult for us to resist!"

Cao Cao sneered, "Your point is that we should retreat, right? Excellent, I fully agree with the retreat."

Retreat was good, and Qin Feng quickly said, "Brother Benchu is right. If so...," he said to everyone, "Let's follow General Yuan's orders and retreat the entire army."

Liu Bei was overjoyed, thinking that Qin Zijin and Cao Mengde were too mean. If they had retreated earlier, they would have been blamed by the court. Now, retreating would be following orders, and Yuan Benchu would bear the responsibility. So Liu Bei immediately said, "General Yuan is wise; retreating is the best choice!"

Yuan Shao wasn't stupid. If the court ordered resistance and he ordered a retreat, his career would be over. He said angrily, "Who said we should retreat?"

Qin, Cao, and Liu remained unperturbed.

Yuan Shao then said loudly, "Not only will we not retreat, but we will also launch an offensive to eliminate the Yellow Turbans."

Cao Cao put his hands in his sleeves, turned his head away from Yuan Shao, and said, "Isn't this the same as sending us to our deaths?"

Yuan Shao's veins bulged, and he shouted, "Bring Cao Mengde to the gate and give him eighty... twenty lashes!"

Several soldiers rushed in, and Cao Cao immediately slammed his hand on the table and pointed angrily, "I'll see who dares to touch me!"

The soldiers, intimidated by Cao Cao's authority, indeed did not dare to move.

Liu Bei immediately started being a good guy, saying, "Let's listen to General Yuan. It must be a good plan. If we defeat the Yellow Turbans, we will all benefit, benefit..."

When Qin Feng waved his hand, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly withdrew. He said, "Since Brother Benchu is in charge, we must listen. In the future, if Brother Mengde is in charge, it will be the same."

Cao Cao snorted and said nothing.

Yuan Shao was very grateful to Qin Feng, so he didn't get angry. His enthusiasm for using a strategy quickly rose, and he said excitedly, "Our army has just suffered a defeat, and Dong Zhuo has left. The enemy will be relaxed. We can raid their camp tonight and catch them off guard."

"What does Mengde think?"

Cao Cao remained unperturbed.

"What does Xuande think?"

Liu Bei, looking delighted, said, "General Yuan's plan is deeply rooted in military strategy. A night raid, I think it will work."

Yuan Shao, pleased with Liu Bei's praise, said, "Brother Zijin, what do you think? Is it feasible?"

Qin Feng, with two lifetimes of experience, was much more experienced than the young Yuan Shao. After some thought, he shook his head and said, "Although we can gain the upper hand, the enemy's strength is overwhelming, and it may be difficult to withstand their counterattack."

Cao Cao immediately became interested. After some thought, he felt that Qin Feng was right and immediately agreed, "Brother Zijin is right." He then gave Yuan Shao a cold look, "Brother Benchu needs to think more carefully."

For Yuan Shao, this was the first time he was using a strategy and taking charge alone. His enthusiasm made him increasingly believe that his plan would succeed. Moreover, Qin Feng said they would gain the upper hand. Additionally, Cao Cao's look was something Yuan Shao couldn't accept. He vowed to win this battle and show everyone that he, Yuan Benchu, was better than Cao Cao, better than Qin Feng, and even better than famous generals like Huangfu Song.

"Win, and I will be the greatest general of the Han dynasty!" Yuan Shao's mind was now completely filled with enthusiasm, and he raised his arm, saying, "Xuande, go and deliver my orders. Eat well tonight, and at the third watch, we will move out and raid the enemy camp!"

Qin Feng and Cao Cao exchanged a glance, both thinking, "We don't know if we will win the battle, but the last of the food supplies will be gone."

"Understood!" Liu Bei turned and left, thinking that this time, following Yuan Benchu into battle, he might not dare to hope for a generalship, but at least a high-ranking officer position would be possible. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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