Chapter 157: Cao Cao Dispatches Generals to Lift the Siege of Ye City

Cao Hong led Qu Ah, galloping all the way toward Cao Cao's main encampment.

Inside the Cao army's main camp.

Cao Cao was pacing back and forth within the central command tent, asking every now and then, "Is there any news of my son, Su Ming?"

"Has Cao Hong returned yet?"

Anxiety was written all over Cao Cao's face, and Guo Jia, standing nearby, was equally worried.

What was Guo Jia worried about?

He was worried that if the Prime Minister kept worrying like this, what would happen if he fell ill from the stress!

"My Lord, you must not worry so much."

"The Young Lord is blessed and will surely turn misfortune into fortune. I believe the Young Lord will be fine!" Guo Jia consoled him.

In truth, Guo Jia had no certainty in his heart right now.

Logically speaking, no matter where Su Ming had gone, he should have sent someone back to deliver some news.

With no news for so long, there was only one terrifying possibility to ponder.

That was...

The entire army had been wiped out.

"Report—" At that moment, a messenger soldier ran in, drenched in sweat, and dropped to one knee to report, "Prime Minister, General Cao Hong has returned! General Cao Hong has returned!"

Hearing that Cao Hong was back, Cao Cao was overjoyed.

With Cao Hong back, he might just bring news of Su Ming.

Soon, Cao Hong brought Qu Ah into the central command tent.

The moment Cao Cao saw Qu Ah, he was even happier.

To Su Ming, Qu Ah was what Xu Chu was to him.

Qu Ah was Su Ming's personal bodyguard. If anything truly unfortunate had happened, Qu Ah would certainly have died before Su Ming.

Since Qu Ah was fine, Su Ming must be safe and sound.

"General Qu, how is my son Su Ming?" Cao Cao hurriedly asked Qu Ah.

Qu Ah quickly drew from his bosom the letter for help that Su Ming had given him and said, "Prime Minister, please read this."

Cao Cao took the letter and began reading it word by word.

Cao Cao read with utmost care, taking about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

While Cao Cao was reading the letter, all the generals gathered in the tent stretched out their necks, eager to see what was written inside.

However, since the Prime Minister was reading it himself, none of them dared to crowd forward.

They could only wait here, waiting for Cao Cao to finish so they could take a look as well.

After finishing the letter, Cao Cao slowly spoke, "Yuan Shao is dead!"

Guo Jia: "??????"

Cao Hong: "??????"

All the civil and military officials: "??????"

Hearing this news, all the civil and military officers present were utterly stunned.

Everyone thought to themselves, didn't Yuan Shao run away ages ago? How could he be dead?

"My Lord, how did Yuan Shao die?" Cao Hong asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

Cao Cao gazed intently at the crowd, his expression grave, and said, "He was crushed to death by a horse!"

Guo Jia: "??????"

Cao Hong: "??????"

All the civil and military officials: "??????"

Earlier, hearing that Yuan Shao was dead was already outrageous enough.

Unexpectedly, outrageous news came one after another.

That Yuan Shao was crushed to death by a horse was even more absurd.

Everyone present opened their mouths wide in shock, wide enough to stuff an egg into each.

Just as everyone was still reeling from the shock, a booming voice rang out inside the central command tent.

Everyone looked closely and saw that it was Xu Chu, standing behind Cao Cao, who had spoken.

"I know!"

"Yuan Shao must have been running away in too much of a hurry. His horse stumbled, causing it to fall, and he fell off the horse and accidentally got crushed to death by it!" After sharing his deduction, Xu Chu looked at Cao Cao and said, "My Lord, if we ever suffer a defeat in the future and you have to flee, you must not ride a horse."

"How about we take a carriage? No, a carriage won't do either; carriages are pulled by horses too, and they aren't stable."

"How about this, My Lord? If we are ever defeated and have to flee in the future, I'll carry you on my back. I run much more steadily than a horse."

Xu Chu's completely solemn delivery of such utter nonsense instantly cracked up all the civil and military officials present.

"Get lost, you rascal!" Cao Cao scolded with a half-smile, tossing the letter in his hand forward as he said, "See for yourselves."

Xu Chu was big in stature and equally big in curiosity.

The moment Cao Cao threw the letter out, Xu Chu was the first to catch it.

After taking the letter, Xu Chu slapped his forehead and said with a sudden realization, "Oh mother dear, I don't know how to read! I can't understand it!"

With that, Xu Chu handed the letter to Guo Jia, saying, "Military Advisor, why don't you read it out loud so everyone can listen together!"

With so many civil and military officials present, if everyone had to read it one by one, how troublesome would that be!

It was much simpler for Guo Jia to just read it aloud.

Guo Jia read the letter word by word while everyone present listened with rapt attention.

The letter detailed how Su Ming, after burning Wuchao to the ground, decided to launch a surprise attack on Yecheng and then used a stratagem to capture the city.

Finally, he waited for the rabbit by the stump and killed Yuan Shao.

Now, Zhang He's army of fifty thousand was besieging Yecheng, and Su Ming urgently needed reinforcements, requesting the Prime Minister to dispatch troops with all speed to provide support.

After listening to the letter, everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

One had to know that many of the people present were renowned and formidable generals.

To say they struck awe into half the realm would be no exaggeration at all.

Yet upon hearing Su Ming's dazzling achievements, they truly felt that comparison only invites humiliation, and goods compared are meant to be thrown away!

Originally, they considered themselves to be of quite a high caliber within the circle of generals.

However, compared to Su Ming now, it was like a tiny campfire compared to the sun, or a firefly compared to the moon.

There was simply no comparison; it was completely incomparable!

"My Lord, we must dispatch troops immediately to rescue the Young Lord!"

"After this battle, the Young Lord will surely strike terror across the realm, and the world will tremble at the sound of his name."

"With the Young Lord serving as your sword, My Lord, sweeping across the empire is within arm's reach!" Guo Jia said with a solemn expression.

Guo Jia's words made the stakes crystal clear!

Su Ming could not be allowed to die!

With today's accomplishments under his belt, Su Ming was no longer just Cao Cao's son!

He was a fierce young tiger nurtured by Cao Cao.

From now on, whenever Cao Cao wanted to attack someone, he could just let Su Ming take the vanguard.

As for any cowardly enemies, upon hearing Su Ming's name, they would likely abandon their cities and surrender on the spot.

Although Su Ming had not been active for long, his record of achievements could truly be described as legendary throughout the land.

Even Lü Bu, the mighty Lü Fengxian of days past, would have to step aside when facing the present Su Ming.

How could Cao Cao not understand what Guo Jia was saying?

As things stood, Su Ming was unquestionably Cao Cao's most brilliant son!

If Su Ming were to fall in battle, Cao Cao would have no face to meet his ancestors in the netherworld a hundred years from now.

Without a doubt, the top priority for the Cao army right now was to dispatch troops to lift the siege of Yecheng and save Su Ming.

Moreover, it had to be fast—saving Su Ming with the utmost speed.

Cao Cao stepped up to his desk, gazed intently at his subordinate generals, and asked in a ringing voice, "Generals, who is willing to lead troops to lift the siege of Yecheng and rescue my son Su Ming!"