Chapter 126: Keep the Daughter of the Zhen Family Safe, Wait for My Arrival

Zhen Yao’s life was hanging by a thread; he no longer cared about his original purpose for coming here. He nodded desperately and pleaded, "As long as the General spares my life, let alone one thing, even a thousand or ten thousand things—I am willing to do them all!"

"This task is not difficult. If you succeed, I will agree to the deal you just proposed and hand Yuan Xi over to you to take back!"

Cao Peng’s words left Zhen Yao stunned. He had not expected such a stroke of luck; this way, he could curry favor with Yuan Shao while avoiding death.

Cao Peng waved his hand, and Zhang Liao brought forward a man dressed in black. The man’s head was covered by a black hood, making it impossible to see his true face. Zhang Liao handed Zhen Yao a blade.

Zhen Yao asked hurriedly, "General, what does this mean?"

Cao Peng smiled. "Young Master Zhen, kill this man, and I will agree to your deal. Otherwise, you will not walk out of this door today."

Zhen Yao begged in every way possible, but Cao Peng remained unmoved. Finally, left with no choice, Zhen Yao tremblingly approached the man in black with the blade.

"Ugh, what a useless coward. Wen Yuan, give him a hand!"

At Cao Peng’s command, Zhang Liao immediately stepped forward, gripped Zhen Yao’s hand, and thrust it forward. The sharp blade plunged deep into the heart of the man in black. The man collapsed into a pool of blood, struggled for a moment, and then went still, his life extinguished.

Zhen Yao, pale with terror, collapsed to his knees. As he slowly regained his composure, he felt a strange sense of relief; at least he had secured the deal with Cao Peng. He could now take the captive back to gain favor with Yuan Shao.

Cao Peng walked over to him with a smile and removed the hood from the man’s head. Zhen Yao saw a handsome face—a face that looked somewhat familiar.

"Young Master Yuan Xi?!"

Zhen Yao shrieked in terror. Cao Peng, however, grabbed his hand and smeared it with the blood on the ground. "You were the one who killed him. Tell me, what should we do about this?"

Zhen Yao looked devastated. "I didn't kill him! It was you, General, you forced me!"

Cao Peng looked at his pathetic appearance and almost laughed, spreading his hands helplessly. "There are so many people here who witnessed you commit the act. How can you falsely accuse me?"

"Everyone, tell me, who killed him?" Cao Peng asked.

"Haha, it was obviously Young Master Zhen!" the crowd replied with laughter.

Zhen Yao wailed, kneeling on the ground in utter despair. Cao Peng walked up to him and slowly grabbed him by the collar, pulling his face close.

"Zhen Yao, if you have the guts, take this head back. Let’s see if your sister thinks Yuan Shao will spare you then."

Zhen Yao’s face turned deathly pale. He knew well that if he brought this head back, Yuan Shao would likely not only execute him but also implicate the entire Zhen clan.

Cao Peng added, "Under the current circumstances, your only path is to cooperate with us. When our army eventually breaks Yuan Shao’s forces, only then will your Zhen family stand a chance of survival!"

Zhen Yao was deeply reluctant, but did he have any other choice? If he refused...

"The Zhen family will serve the General!" Zhen Yao said helplessly.

Cao Peng smiled, patted his face, and signaled that he could leave. Just as Zhen Yao was about to head out, Cao Peng called him back.

"Wait a moment."

"Does the General have further instructions?"

Cao Peng laughed. "Give up on the idea of an alliance with Yuan Shao! Keep your sisters safe and wait for me to claim them. Stay put and collect whatever intelligence you can; I will send someone to Jizhou to make contact with you."

"General, rest assured, I understand," Zhen Yao said hastily.

After Zhen Yao left, Zhang Liao asked Cao Peng, "What shall we do with Yuan Xi?"

Cao Peng chuckled. "Send his head to Yuan Shao. It’s a good gesture—let the family be reunited."

Zhang Liao shrugged, said nothing, and went to carry out the order. When Yuan Shao received Yuan Xi’s head, he wept for an entire day. In a fit of rage, he personally led his troops into battle. Faced with Yuan Shao’s suicidal onslaught, Cao Cao was initially bewildered, wondering if the man had gone mad, as he was now sparing no cost.

Only when Cao Cao heard the news did he grit his teeth and curse, "Cao Anmin, you little brat, you really are a nightmare!"

...

Cao Peng guarded Xuzhou for several months, and the Battle of Guandu continued for just as long. Throughout this time, both sides had engaged in an exchange of attacks and defenses, with victories and defeats on both sides. Although Yuan Shao made repeated strategic blunders and was frequently toyed with by Cao Cao, he remained a powerful warlord sitting on the wealth of four provinces, with ample troops and provisions, and a countless number of brilliant strategists and generals under his command. Even after successive defeats, the Yuan army’s morale remained high.

It was the Cao side that had fallen into a state of gloom. The reason was the problem of provisions. Cao Cao had already considered retreating and had written to Xun Yu and Cao Peng, as one was stationed at the Yan Province headquarters and the other in Xuzhou. To withdraw, he needed the coordination of both men. Cao Cao explained that he could not break Yuan Shao’s army for the time being and wished to pull back temporarily.

However, Cao Peng’s reply infuriated Cao Cao, telling him the timing was not yet right. Xun Yu went even further, effectively pinning Cao Cao to the fire; if he retreated now, he would be trapped in a dilemma.

"Prime Minister, we only have enough grain for three days," the supply officer reported to Cao Cao again.

Cao Cao frowned upon hearing this. "You must make these three days' worth of grain last for seven."

The supply officer immediately asked, "How can three days' worth of food possibly sustain us for seven?"

Cao Cao smiled. "That depends on your ingenuity. Come here, let me tell you."

Cao Cao whispered his plan into the man’s ear—to mix sand and gravel into the grain. The officer’s expression changed drastically. "Prime Minister, forgive my boldness, but this is no laughing matter. If we do this and a mutiny breaks out, what then?"

Cao Cao smiled coldly. "This is my order. I will naturally back you up when the time comes; just do as you are told."

With a trembling heart, the officer retreated. Standing nearby, Guo Jia frowned deeply. He knew Cao Cao’s temperament; he intended to use the officer’s head to solve the immediate crisis.

"Prime Minister, continuing this stalemate is likely not the best strategy!"

Cao Cao rolled his eyes. He knew it wasn't the best strategy, but what else could he do?

"Ah, if only Cao Peng were here, he would surely be able to share my burdens!"

In such a desperate situation, he thought again of his Cao family’s "Qilin child." Although that brat had told him not to retreat not long ago, deep down, he felt that whenever he faced a true predicament, he could only rely on Cao Peng.

The rations for the Cao army grew worse by the day. Among the troops under generals like Cao Ren, some unruly soldiers had already begun to stir up trouble.