"Thou may bring this imperial edict back to His Majesty and Cao Cao. Let them see if there are any differences between the two imperial edicts and if there are any differences between the imperial jade seals …"
Yang Rui casually tossed Liu Bian's imperial edict to the little yellow disciple and said, "Perhaps I will not ask about the matter of the Han Dynasty. It does not matter who is in the Luoyang Imperial City. I only order Grand Marshal Cao Cao not to make a fuss about it and to properly prepare for the defense of the city. I will lead an army to the Luoyang Imperial City in a few days. When the time comes, just order Cao Cao to accept the challenge …"
The little yellow disciple received the imperial edict that Yang Rui tossed over and carefully examined it. His entire face seemed to have turned deathly pale. Clearly, he did not need Yang Rui's guidance to discover the differences between the two imperial edicts.
Especially when he discovered that the imperial edict was issued a few months ago, the little yellow disciple was even more shocked. In truth, he was not really a second-rate person. Instead, he was a die-hard Han Dynasty loyalist. His previous attitude was only a facade. However, in the face of the two imperial edicts, the little yellow disciple did not know who to be loyal to.
Yang Rui's words were even more shocking. As an existence at the level of the little yellow disciple, it was very difficult for him to come into contact with some secret information. However, he was very familiar with the imperial jade seals on the two imperial edicts. He knew which one was real and which one was fake. He could not help but be shocked.
The little yellow disciple left dejectedly, and the matter came to an end for the time being. Yang Rui had to carefully consider this matter. Although it could not be said that the Han Dynasty was needed to continue existing in the Three Kingdoms Civilization, without the Han Dynasty, the situation would only become more chaotic.
Therefore, Yang Rui had to make a choice between Liu Bian and Liu Xie. Especially when the Luoyang Imperial City was imminent and Cao Cao was about to be chased out of the Si Li Province. Yang Rui might have to make such a choice very soon.
If Yang Rui had to make a choice between the two, Yang Rui was more inclined to maintain the status quo. After all, the less trouble the better. The change of the Han Dynasty did not have much meaning to Yang Rui. In a situation where it could cause the Three Kingdoms Civilization to change, Yang Rui would not easily choose to change it.
The arrival of Liu Xie's imperial edict was only a small interlude. Yang Rui and his troops did not change their progress because of it. Another ten gaming days passed. Yang Rui's troops had already taken down the remaining five counties in Cao Cao's hands: Yan Clan, Gong County, Cheng Gao, Yanshi, and Liang County, as well as a few other small cities. On average, they took down a county every two gaming days.
The main reason why Yang Rui's army slowed down was because they were already approaching the core area of Cao Cao's influence in Luoyang Imperial City. Regardless of whether it was the penetrating and cutting of the vanguard cavalry or the marching and sieging of the central army, they were all incomparable to before.
During these ten gaming days, the other feudal vassals that Yang Rui had been paying close attention to did nothing. This cold winter had provided Yang Rui with a great degree of protection, and it also tested the strength of Yang Rui and the other feudal vassals, including their ability to replenish rations, transport, and handicrafts.
It could be said that in this cold winter, Yang Rui's forces had been able to sustain their production and military operations. These two aspects were like two tightly clenched fists of Yang Rui's forces. They were unstoppable in the wind and snow, widening the gap between them and the other feudal vassals even further.
"Reporting to the Lord, the Ethereal Ninja has sent back news that when he was in seclusion in the evening, there was a sudden change in Hangu Pass. A few powerful figures forcefully opened a gate, and a large number of troops hidden nearby suddenly appeared. They actually managed to take down Hangu Pass without expending much effort.
Although the forces that took over Hangu Pass did not use any banners, most of them appeared in the form of NPC refugees, most of which were Cao Cao's troops in disguise. There were no less than a hundred thousand of them.
The number of Ethereal Ninjas we have stationed near Hangu Pass is extremely limited, and we only heard about this from the large player organization. The Ethereal Ninjas are currently on their way to investigate … "
On this evening, Yang Rui was in the study of Yanshi County's City Lord's Mansion with Guo Jia, discussing their next move. Yang Rui was stunned when Imperial Guard Kaneki suddenly brought this piece of news to Yang Rui.
Yang Rui had been overseeing Yanshi County for more than a game day, and he had planned to wait until all the troops had gathered before setting off for Luoyang Royal City. He did not expect Imperial Guard Kaneki to bring this piece of news to Yang Rui.
Originally, in the last few game days, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, Yu Jin, and the other vanguard cavalry had already pushed their range of activity to the vicinity of Luoyang Royal City. Moreover, the Ethereal Ninja had also been paying close attention to the situation in Luoyang Royal City. However, Yang Rui did not expect that there would still be a slip-up.
With the sharpness of the three vanguard cavalry, as well as the Ethereal Ninja's extraordinary ability to detect and transmit information, Yang Rui did not expect such a situation to occur.
Yang Rui had thought that Cao Cao might choose to escape, so he had been paying attention to the relevant movements. However, he did not expect that Cao Cao had once again fooled him by using the identity of NPC refugees to conceal so many of his troops.
Cao Cao was very methodical in his actions. It was obvious that since there was a problem at Hangu Pass, Cao Cao's corresponding backup plan had already been put in place. By the time the matter at Hangu Pass surfaced, perhaps the people and resources that Cao Cao wanted to evacuate would have already arrived near the pass.
After the Excellent Alliance Conference, Cao Cao had used extraordinary methods to avoid the pursuit of Yang Rui's troops and successfully replaced his real body with Liu Ye, allowing him to escape in the end. He did not expect that Cao Cao would use a similar method again, and Yang Rui was still caught off guard.
"Something's not right …"
Yang Rui stood up and paced back and forth a few times.
If it was said that Liu Ye's skills were exceptional last time and helped Cao Cao fool Yang Rui's troops, then this time, he had successfully fooled Yang Rui's troops. This meant that Cao Cao himself had some powerful methods. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for a refugee NPC to fool the vanguard cavalry and the Ethereal Ninja.
"My Lord, it's normal that Cao Cao still has some tricks up his sleeve that we don't know about. However, now is not the time to consider this matter. My Lord, order the three vanguard cavalry units to immediately pursue Hangu Pass. At the same time, order the Ethereal Ninja and the flying pet units to increase their surveillance and ensure that the information is transmitted in real time … "
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