Chapter 647

Liu Bei thought with some confusion in his heart.

One day later,

Liu Bei received the intelligence gathered by the scouts.

"My Lord, we have already investigated clearly; Peng Cheng and other places have indeed fallen into Cao Cao's hands!"

"In addition, Cao Cao's main army has already set off, and it is expected to arrive at Xiapi City in another day!"

The scout centurion detailed the situation in Peng Cheng and what they had seen and heard along the way.

Not only Peng Cheng, but other parts of Donghai Commandery had also fallen.

Even, it is said that Taishan Commandery and Langya Kingdom are no exception.

However, time was limited and the situation was urgent, so they didn't have time to investigate the situation in Taishan Commandery and other places before rushing back to report.

"Has it really fallen?"

Liu Bei's expression sank upon hearing this, and his heart sank to the bottom. At this moment, all the luck in his heart disappeared.

"Sigh! I would rather this all be Lu Bu's trick than the current situation!"

"Forget it! Let's not talk about this! Sir Gongyou! I will trouble you to go out of the city to invite Mr. Chen Gongtai to discuss the matter of joining forces against the enemy!"

"Yes!"

Sun Gan cupped his hands and left to carry out the order.

After Sun Gan left, Zhang Fei couldn't help but ask: "Big Brother! Are we really going to let the thief Lu Bu in and join forces with him?"

He could only lament that the world changes really fast!

A few days ago, they were fighting to the death, but now they are starting to join forces against the enemy and are about to become brothers in the same trench.

It's simply unbelievable.

"Otherwise?"

Liu Bei glared at Zhang Fei and warned: "Only by joining forces with Lu Bu do we have a chance to defeat Cao Cao. It is very important for Lu Bu to help with all his might next. Third Brother, you absolutely must not act foolishly during this period and cause conflict with Lu Bu!"

"Even if you are angry, you must hold it in for me, understand?"

If Zhang Fei were to anger Lu Bu and drive him away, and they had to face Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of troops alone, Liu Bei would really be at a loss.

"That's right."

At this moment, Especially Guan Yu Yu, who was on the side, saw Zhang Fei's reluctance and immediately warned: "Third Brother! This matter concerns whether Big Brother's foundation can be preserved!"

"Just restrain your temper! Otherwise, if you ruin Big Brother's affairs, watch out, I'll beat you!"

Seeing Especially Guan Yu Yu holding his fist, Zhang Fei felt his face ache and waved his hands repeatedly: "Second Brother, put your fist away first! I'll agree, okay?"

"Seriously! Am I the kind of person who can't distinguish priorities?"

Liu Bei and Especially Guan Yu Yu were speechless upon hearing this and said in unison: "You are!"

Zhang Fei: "..."

So that's the image I have in your hearts, right?

Soon, Chen Gong was invited by Sun Gan.

The subsequent process went smoothly; Chen Gong and Liu Bei successfully reached an alliance agreement, and then Liu Bei opened the city gates to let Lu Bu's main army into the city.

After the two met, they both looked at each other with a look of "just seeing each other."

"I didn't expect you to really agree, Brother Liu Xuande! Magnanimous!"

Lu Bu gave Liu Bei a thumbs up.

If it were him, he might not necessarily be willing to agree.

It can only be said that Liu Bei is truly capable of enduring.

"Hehe! Not at all! You flatter me, Marquis of Wen!"

Liu Bei smiled modestly: "In matters of great right and wrong, I, Liu Bei, can still distinguish clearly!"

"It is you, General Lu, who could have left directly, but were still willing to stay and help me. This is what I admire!"

"Next, whether this Xiapi City can be held or not will likely depend heavily on you, General Lu!"

As long as he can use Lu Bu's strength to hold this Xiapi City and force Cao Cao to withdraw his troops, that is victory.

As for whether he can take back the entire Xuzhou later, and who Xuzhou will belong to then?

Now is simply not the time to consider these questions.

"Not at all!"

Lu Bu waved his hand: "I am just unwilling to leave so dejectedly, and I want to properly retaliate against Cao Cao and teach him a lesson!"

"As for whether we can win in the end, I cannot guarantee it! You must be clear about this, Brother Liu Xuande!"

"I will say the ugly words first: if we really reach the end of our rope and there is no hope of winning, I will definitely not lead my family and subordinates to defend Xiapi City to the death!"

"I hope you are clear about this!"

He can put in effort, but risking his life is impossible!

"You..."

Zhang Fei was immediately unhappy upon hearing this, pulled a long face, and was about to speak.

He was directly pulled by Especially Guan Yu Yu, who glared at him.

Zhang Fei immediately became obedient.

"Hehe!"

Liu Bei shook his head with a bitter smile: "This is natural! The General is here to help this time, so naturally, you are free to come and go!"

"However, it seems the General is not very optimistic that we can win!"

This is clearly not good news.

Liu Bei himself has not truly fought Cao Cao.

His only understanding is their cooperation when attacking Yuan Shu.

But Lu Bu is different; he has truly fought Cao Cao many times.

Since Lu Bu doesn't have much confidence in winning, the situation might be even worse than he had previously estimated.

"More or less!"

Lu Bu spread his hands: "Although Cao Cao is definitely not as good as me in terms of individual martial prowess or the most elite troops!"

"But this person not only has many troops, but the key is that he is also full of tricks. I don't have much confidence that I can outsmart him!"

"Of course, if it's just a head-on collision, I won't fear him at all!"

He even wished Cao Cao would collide head-on with him.

Not to mention defeating Cao Cao, he would at least bite a big piece of meat off him.

He is only afraid of Cao Cao's conspiracies and tricks.

That is not what he is good at.

"Hmm!"

Liu Bei nodded knowingly and comforted: "I am not afraid of conspiracies and tricks! We are not pushovers either. With Mr. Chen Gongtai and Mr. Chen Yuanlong here, I don't believe we can lose to Cao Cao in strategy?"

Saying this, Liu Bei looked at Chen Gong and Chen Deng, his eyes full of expectation.

Chen Deng smiled modestly: "You flatter me, my Lord! I can only do my best! Cao Cao has countless capable people under his command!"

These words are not perfunctory; it is indeed the case.

The Secret Guard's news is very well-informed!

Of course, even if he now utilizes the Secret Guard's intelligence network and has the ability to counter-calculate Cao Cao, he wouldn't do so.

This does not conform to the Lord's plan.

"I can only do my best!"

Chen Gong also cupped his hands helplessly.

He had already suffered a crushing defeat at Cao Cao's hands before, so he was clear about his own capabilities.

Not to mention the strategists under Cao Cao, Cao Cao himself is a top-tier strategist!

He is very difficult to deal with.

"That is enough!"

Although Liu Bei's heart sank, he pretended to be calm and encouraged them, then began to order people to settle Lu Bu's army and began to prepare for war with all his might.

1 day later,

Cao Cao led a mighty army of nearly 200,000 troops and arrived a few miles outside Xiapi City. While sending people to set up camp, he took some generals and a small number of personal guards to stand on a high ground outside the city to overlook Xiapi City.

"This Xiapi City seems difficult to deal with! Just the city defenses are more than ten zhang high; ordinary scaling ladders can't reach them!"

"In addition, I see that there are not only Liu Bei's flags on the city walls, but also Lu Bu's flags. It seems that my prediction was correct; they have indeed joined forces and are preparing to resist me!"