The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 140 The Only Way

Tao Qian was not a good lord, but he had a good reputation in Xuzhou and received support from many clans, especially the Chen family and a portion of the Mi family, which allowed him to gain a foothold in Pengcheng.

However, the Xuzhou army, under Tao Qian's leadership, has suffered repeated defeats, which has left many Xuzhou clans without hope, especially the Mi family, some of whom have already aligned themselves with Chen Er.

The business environment in the autonomous region is far superior to that of Xuzhou, and under such circumstances, the Xuzhou clan has begun to waver.

Tao Qian certainly saw the wavering of those clans, but that's how family investment is; few families are willing to completely link their family's success or failure with that of an individual.

Only the Chen family is currently maintaining sufficient support for Tao Qian. Everyone in the Mi family knows that their main investments are in the autonomous region. Tao Qian doesn't dare to do anything about this; on the contrary, he has to try to win over the Mi family as much as possible, because he doesn't want to face the threat from the autonomous region.

The Chen family, which was originally Tao Qian's strongest supporter, has started to act strangely in recent days. Cao Bao has become somewhat distracted from defending the city, and as a general, Cao Bao's behavior is very abnormal.

Cao Bao is a historical figure.

Moreover, starting yesterday, the Chen family refused to provide food supplies to the defending army, citing the excuse that they didn't have much grain left. Without the Chen family's food support, the grain reserves in Pengcheng wouldn't last even three days, looking at Chen Deng.

Tao Qian brought up the matter directly, wanting to see what Chen Deng's solution was, or rather, Tao Qian wanted to test Chen Deng's reaction.

"My lord, the only option now is to force the Chen family to provide supplies. Once we run out of supplies, the remaining 50,000 to 60,000 troops will collapse. If we don't have enough muskets, we can use bows and arrows. If all else fails, we can engage the enemy in close combat."

"But once the food supplies run out, the soldiers will be hungry and weak. Without strength, they won't even be able to lift a sword, and the city will definitely not be able to be defended."

Chen Deng said to Tao Qian that as the Agricultural Commandant, Chen Deng had vigorously promoted the military farming system in Xuzhou. However, the military farming system in Xuzhou had only been in place for less than two years, and the grain reserves were very limited. Moreover, there were still a large number of people in the city who needed grain.

If the Chen family really doesn't provide supplies, this city definitely won't hold. Moreover, Cao Bao, as the chief military commander of Xuzhou, doesn't seem worried about defending the city at all. All of this is too suspicious.

Tao Qian still had shown Chen Deng kindness and favor. Unless absolutely necessary, Chen Deng would never betray Tao Qian. Chen Deng said to Tao Qian, "My lord, the best course of action now is to reduce the supply of provisions to the people and prioritize the supply to the army. As long as the people don't starve to death, that's fine."

“But this isn’t a long-term solution,” Tao Qian said.

Chen Deng said, "The only way to resolve the current predicament is to repel Yuan Shu's army, but with our army's strength, it is already very difficult to defend Pengcheng, let alone launch a counterattack."

"Is it really the only option to ask Chen Er for help again?" Tao Qian said unwillingly.

“This may be the only way.” Chen Deng nodded.

Chen Er was nominally an ally, but in reality, he was also taking advantage of Tao Qian's misfortune, which greatly angered Tao Qian. However, there was nothing he could do about it. Although he was being ripped off, Chen Er had at least helped him directly eliminate an enemy force.

Tao Qian had no choice but to express his gratitude for the support from the autonomous region's army, but now he had to ask for help from the autonomous region again, and he really didn't know how much more he would have to pay.

"But is it too late?" Tao Qian asked hesitantly. "Pengcheng is already surrounded by the enemy. How can the messenger requesting help break through to deliver the message?"

"Breaking out shouldn't be a problem. The main issue is that the person who breaks out must be someone of high status who can fully represent you, my lord. Otherwise, even if they manage to break out, they won't be able to reach an agreement with Chen Er."

"Chen Deng's words hit the nail on the head. Indeed, if Tao Qian cannot satisfy Chen Er's appetite, Chen Er will definitely not send reinforcements. But we must negotiate with Chen Er."

"Moreover, when it comes to issues such as military expenditures or even the cession of cities, without someone of sufficient status who can represent Tao Qian, this messenger really cannot complete the mission."

"Then who do you suggest we send?" Tao Qian asked.

“Mi Zhu,” Chen Deng said.

"Mi Zhu? Is this appropriate?" Tao Qian asked Chen Deng doubtfully. Is this really appropriate?

Chen Deng nodded in agreement, after all, the Mi family was a powerful family in the autonomous region, and Mi Zhu, as an important member of the Mi family and a high-ranking official in Xuzhou, had enough status and connections.

“Then let Mi Zhu go,” Tao Qian said. “We will break out under the cover of night. I will send fifty men from my personal guard to protect Mi Zhu as he tries to break through Yuan Shu’s encirclement.”

However, Tao Qian did not wait for Mi Zhu to successfully bring back reinforcements. The day after Tao Qian ordered Mi Zhu to break out of the siege, and Mi Zhu successfully broke out, the gates of Pengcheng were opened, and Cao Bao, who had been behaving strangely these past few days, indeed ran into trouble.

Perhaps sensing Tao Qian's wariness of him, and the changing situation after Mi Zhu's breakout, Cao Bao immediately took over the defense of the western city with his own elite troops after the troop rotation that day, and then used his personal guards to open the city gates and let the Yuzhou army into the city.

Cao Bao has rebelled! Tao Qian received this news half an hour later, by which time the Yuzhou army had already stormed the city. Upon receiving the news, Tao Qian coughed up blood and said to Chen Deng, "I regret my actions so much!"

Tao Qian originally intended to begin restricting Cao Bao's power, but before he could take action, Chen Er rebelled first, and Pengcheng fell!

Under the protection of Chen Deng and other loyal followers, Tao Qian broke through the north gate and fled to Xiapi. When Tao Qian entered Xiapi, he had less than 10,000 soldiers left with him, and together with the county soldiers of Xiapi, there were only 12,000 men.

The main force of the Xuzhou army was completely wiped out. However, it cannot be said that they were completely gone; 20,000 to 30,000 men surrendered to the Yuzhou army under Cao Bao's inducements and threats. Yuzhou general Ji Ling decisively incorporated these troops into his own forces and used them as cannon fodder in the upcoming siege.

As a surrendered general, Cao Bao had no right to criticize Ji Ling's decision. He could only accept Ji Ling's arrangement, otherwise he would not even be able to keep his current position.

Cao Bao at least managed to secure some opportunity for his future. Tao Qian, on the other hand, was already in despair. At the age of sixty, he had no chance to turn the tide. The successive defeats and the constant travel had completely ruined Tao Qian's already poor health.