Chapter 52: Hope Amid Despair

Cao Cao’s temper was clearly not at its best at the moment. His subordinates knew him well enough to understand that if truly provoked, he would not hesitate to draw his sword and behead someone—it was hardly an uncommon occurrence. So, when Cao Cao threw out his remark, the entire room fell into silence; not a single soul dared utter a word.

“Ahem… Gentlemen, in your opinion, who is our true enemy now—Sun Ce of Jiangdong or Yuan Shao?” Guo Jia, not wishing to be the cause of his colleagues losing their heads, softened his tone as he spoke again. After all, when the leader is holding a meeting, showing respect to colleagues is also a matter of self-respect.

“It is surely Yuan Shao. If we can defeat him in this battle, who would care whether we have the emperor in our hands?” The speaker was not one of the civil officials skilled in rhetoric, but the ever-keen Xiahou Yuan standing at the back. For this battle, the military leaders plainly had greater authority; since breaking the siege at Baima, they had followed Cao Cao’s orders to make preparations at Guandu for more than a month, all for the purpose of withstanding Yuan Shao’s attack and then seeking an opportunity to counterstrike.

Among Cao Cao’s forces, not a single general wished to retreat merely because Liu Xie had escaped; their thoughts were only on whether they and their troops were capable of facing Yuan Shao’s army head-on.

Indeed, after their outnumbered victory at Baima, the morale and confidence of Cao Cao’s soldiers had been built up; they had come to realize that aside from sheer numbers, Yuan Shao’s army had few advantages. In single combat, they were markedly inferior and unable to fight a hard battle.

In such circumstances, a larger scale victory against the odds was no longer an unattainable dream. Furthermore, the prospect of defeating Yuan Shao’s main force and reshaping the situation in the Central Plains was a constant source of motivation for every soldier under Cao Cao.

To abandon the battle simply because an insignificant figure had departed would mean losing a once-in-a-lifetime chance to seize the heartland, and the hot-tempered, stubborn generals were naturally unwilling.

“General Xiahou is right. No matter what news comes from Jiangdong, it is nothing but news to us. They will not rashly send troops; in fact, they would rather see us fight Yuan Shao to mutual exhaustion! In my view, the emperor’s arrival in Wu Commandery without immediately announcing a relocation of the capital is likely a sign he is observing our struggle with Yuan Shao. If the fighting reaches a critical point, news of the relocation will surely follow.” Guo Jia’s analysis made the eyes of the assembly brighten; the emperor’s delay in announcing the move was not likely due to unforeseen events, but rather a calculated wait for opportunity—though this was not Sun Ce’s usual style.

“If, during our fierce struggle with Yuan Shao’s army, news of the relocation comes, Yuan Shao will surely use it to strike at our troops’ morale. Even if we make preparations in advance, the waxing and waning of morale may still affect the outcome of the battle!” This time, it was Cao Cao who spoke. He was bold enough, but caution was unavoidable; after all, he had staked everything he owned on this battle. If he won, he would be the prime contender for dominion over the realm; if he lost, the world would drift ever farther from his grasp.

Cao Cao absentmindedly stroked his beard, carefully pondering Guo Jia’s words. This time, he truly could not give orders blindly; he needed to understand the underlying causes and effects, for a defeat would be a lifelong regret.

“So our plan must change. It takes time for news to reach Jiangdong, and for Jiangdong’s rumors to spread through the army. We must move quickly to tackle Yuan Shao—ultimately, the greatest burden falls on you generals!”

“Hmph! Fengxiao, there’s no need for such worries. Simply call for a swift and decisive battle. Though our forces are fewer than Yuan Shao’s, if he dares attack, we will make him pay dearly!” Xiahou Yuan, intolerant of such talk, patted his chest in promise as soon as Guo Jia finished.

Yet Guo Jia shook his head at this.

“Minister, General Xiahou, our current problem is that our forces are not strong enough to take the initiative and destroy Yuan Shao’s main army. We must wait for Yuan Shao to attack, which gives Jiangdong the opportunity to observe us secretly.”

“So what Fengxiao means is… we can’t wait any longer?” Guo Jia’s words were somewhat obscure to Cao Cao and several generals. If they couldn’t attack, nor wait, what did he expect them to do?

“We must devise a way to force Yuan Shao to launch his offensive quickly. As for whether we can win quickly after that, I, as a strategist, cannot predict. If the Minister can defeat Yuan Shao’s main force, then Xuchang and even the emperor can be dispensed with. As long as we hold enough land and troops, and they are willing to follow the Minister, what does it matter whether he represents the Han or not?”

Guo Jia’s explanation clarified the plan for the coming battle.

To swiftly crush Yuan Shao and then declare independence was the true path of kings. The reason Cao Cao had cloaked himself as a loyal Han subject was simply to develop in obscurity; once he was sufficiently strong, the disguise could be discarded.

“Very well! Let us now discuss strategies for luring the enemy!” The gloom on Cao Cao’s face lessened noticeably, and he held his head higher than before. Such small changes in expression, which mattered little to him, greatly eased the tension among his strategists and generals.

Cao Cao’s men were certainly capable of devising brilliant schemes. At this stage, Cao Cao understood that his task was to race against time. Their only chance was to annihilate Yuan Shao’s main force before news could circulate.

Cao Cao’s worries and calculations were, of course, unknown to Yuan Shao. At this moment, Yuan Shao was not in a hurry; he intended, upon launching a full-scale assault, to annihilate the enemy and march straight to Xuchang, so that Cao Cao would lose all opportunity.

Such an attack required time to prepare, so Yuan Shao had not followed Ju Shou’s early advice to wear down Cao Cao’s forces with a protracted campaign. Instead, he was planning to strike decisively after thorough preparation.

Among Yuan Shao’s strategists, Tian Feng, estranged from Yuan Shao due to earlier events, had remained at home. Ju Shou, after repeatedly proposing plans that displeased Yuan Shao, had gradually been sidelined over the past few months.

Apart from these two, another advisor, Xu You, had suggested sending cavalry swiftly to raid the poorly defended Xuchang, capture Liu Xie, and then turn the tables by executing Cao Cao as a traitor. But Yuan Shao had also dismissed this plan.

His reasoning was that he must first defeat Cao Cao and win his submission.