Chapter 239 The calm before the storm!
Mangdang Mountain, located to the east of Yingshui River, is the nearest land route to Runan.

Three days ago, Ye Feng led 20,000 elite troops to this place. During the three days, the army did not train or be on alert, and was completely hidden in the mountains and valleys.

On a rock, Ye Feng stood in the wind, gazing into the distance. He saw white clouds, lush trees and the blue sky, which made his restless heart extremely calm.

"rustle."

The sound of footsteps on leaves was heard, and Zhang Liao came over breathing heavily.

"My lord, good news, good news!"

"General Zilong defeated Liu Yao at Gepo, and only a hundred of his 40,000-man army escaped. Now the news has spread to Xiaopei. Cao Cao and Tao Qian have finally emerged from their tortoise shells."

"We are marching day and night and are already inside Jiuli Mountain. According to the calculations of the Night Guards, we can reach Mangdang Mountain in two days at most."

"My lord, the big fish has indeed taken the bait."

Ye Feng raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Zilong did a good job, winning easily and neatly, it's finally our turn."

"But how should we arrange it?"

Zhang Liao knew that Ye Feng was testing him, so he did not answer without authorization. He was silent for a while, then said seriously, "We just passed Jiuli Mountain. Cao Cao and Tao Qian's army must be very relaxed. We can set up an ambush at the exit of Jiuli Mountain."

"Although it's not very wide, it's big enough for our 20,000 troops to charge in and block the exit. I'll lead a group of elite soldiers to attack from the rear and attack from both sides. Then we can accomplish our goal."

Ye Feng's eyes flashed with praise: "You have made great progress during this period of time."

"This ambush plan is very good."

"But there is a question, why didn't Cao Cao take the water route?"

"waterway?"

Zhang Liao pondered for a while and said, "The water route will take time. Cao Cao and Tao Qian are eager to save the people, so we can only go by land, right?"

Ye Feng said: "Yesterday I received an interesting news, 'There are merchants along the Yingshui River recruiting merchant ships.' Do you know how many merchant ships they have gathered?"

"More than 500 ships, almost all the unorganized ships of all sizes on both sides of Yingshui River were gathered together."

"Who do you think is so generous?"

Zhang Liao's eyes flickered with a hint of disbelief: "Could it be that Cao Cao is planning to build a plank road in the open while secretly marching through Chencang?"

"Is this army deliberately trying to attract our attention?"

Ye Feng shook his head: "A hundred thousand troops came out, that's right."

“The flags are right along the way, too.”

"But who is behind these 500 large and small boats?"

Zhang Liao's eyes were filled with confusion. He was silent for a while, then smiled bitterly and said, "My lord, please explain clearly."

Ye Feng looked in the direction of Jingxiang: "Cao Cao has a trick up his sleeve!"

"Later move?"

Ye Feng said: "Cao Cao guessed that we might ambush him here, but he was not sure, so he could only send someone to go."

Zhang Liao was confused and said, "If he guessed right, wouldn't it be a waste of time to do this?"

"How could Cao Cao do such a losing business?"

Ye Feng smiled and said, "Cao Cao certainly has a plan."

"What if he gets Jingxiang?"

"Do you think this loss is worth it?"

"Jingxiang?"

Zhang Liao was even more confused: "My Lord, your words are too..."

Ye Feng said: "After a few days, you will understand everything."

"You discuss the ambush with Ji Ling. I will not interfere. If you can win within two days, it will be a great achievement. If you cannot win, not only will it be a failure, but you will also be guilty." "Do you understand?"

Zhang Liao nodded heavily: "Don't worry, lord. We have the best timing, location and people. If we can't win, I will bring my head to you."

After Zhang Liao retreated, Ye Feng moved. He had already mastered [Heavenly Escape] and appeared directly at the bank of Yingshui River hundreds of miles away.

Standing on a huge tree that was hundreds of years old, Ye Feng looked into the distance and saw the five hundred large and small ships stagnant in the river, a smile flashed in his eyes.

In the next two days, Ye Feng traveled back and forth between Mangdang Mountain and Yingshui River every day.

As night fell, Ye Feng, who thought he would return empty-handed again today, suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves, followed by thousands of soldiers and horses walking towards the cabin.

In just an hour, the riverside returned to calm again, and then more than a hundred large ships left.

Ye Feng raised the corner of his mouth, and his figure flashed and disappeared on the giant tree.

Jiuli Mountain, in a temporary camp.

Cao Cao was still lying on the bed, looking weak.

"Tap Tap"

There was a sound of hurried footsteps, and Xun Yu came in quickly from outside, leaning over and whispering in Cao Cao's ear: "My lord, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry has been transported to Jingxiang in advance, and it's time for us to leave."

Cao Cao subconsciously glanced outside the tent. When he saw Xun Yu's reassuring eyes, he got up from the bed and asked, "Isn't it too early?"

"We haven't left Jiuli Mountain yet. If Tao Qian finds out if we leave now, won't that just cause trouble?"

Xun Yu lowered his voice and said, "A team of scouts we arranged in Mangdang Mountain disappeared. Although there is no solid evidence, I think Ye Feng's ambush is in Mangdang Mountain, and it may appear tonight or tomorrow morning."

"If you don't leave now, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave."

Cao Cao's expression changed drastically: "Is this really what Ye Feng was planning?"

"What a plan."

After a long silence, Cao Cao hesitated and said, "It's impossible to compete with Ye Feng. What if Ye Feng doesn't bring many people with him?"

Xun Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Others may not know how terrifying Ye Feng is, but my lord, don't you know?"

"Ye Feng has reached the level of a God General. It can be said that he is unstoppable. Even if all of us rush in, we are not sure whether we can kill him. How can we turn defeat into victory when the terrain is not good?"

"Not to mention that Tao Qian would trust us. How would the lord explain what happened before?"

"Indecisiveness leads to disaster."

"As long as they can delay Tao Qian and buy us some time, their sacrifice is justified."

Cao Cao nodded slowly: "Well, once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back."

"For the sake of the Han Empire and to deal with Ye Feng, we must pay the necessary price."

"I will let Cao Hong spread the news that my condition has worsened. Let the army set up camp and delay time!"

Xun Yu said: "My lord, this game of chess has become a dead end. It is impossible to turn defeat into victory, but if my lord can get a chance to play chess outside the chessboard, everything will be worth it."

"I believe that if Tao Qian is truly a loyal minister of the court, he will support you silently."

Cao Cao stood up and paced back and forth: "It is not for us to judge right and wrong, merits and demerits."

"Everything should be done according to the plan. The personal soldiers and elite troops should leave first. Cao Hong and Xiahou Yuan will cover the rear. Remember, no matter what happens, you must take your own lives as the most important. Even if these tens of thousands of people are wiped out, these two must escape."

Xun Yu nodded, then clasped his fists and bowed before leaving.

After he walked away, Cao Cao looked at the bright full moon in the sky and said quietly, "Ye Feng, I'll let you have one move first."

"But the best is yet to come!"

"I, Cao Mengde, will never admit defeat."

(End of this chapter)