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He didn't impose his own view immediately, instead, he guided the council toward a consensus, making each man feel his concerns had been heard. This was the Xun Yu that Cao Cao relied on, not just a brilliant mind, but a masterful leader of men.
Slowly, a coherent picture emerged. The risks at Hangu Pass, while militarily sound in a vacuum, were politically and psychologically disastrous. The sheer size of Hongnong offered both a challenge and an opportunity, a challenge to defend, but an opportunity to bleed the enemy white and demonstrate Wei's enduring resolve.
Seeing the council leaning decisively toward a defense of Hongnong, Cao Cao finally nodded, a sense of grim resolution settling over him. The path was clear.
"Then it is settled what our plan is," Cao Cao declared, his voice firm, cutting through the last murmurs of discussion. "We make our stand here. At Hongnong. We will turn this city into a fortress that will break the Hengyuan war machine upon its walls."
He turned his gaze to Xun Yu, the trust absolute in his eyes. "Wenruo, draft the missives. I want half the garrison forces from every major prefecture in our domain, from Henei, from Chang'an, from Anding, to march with all haste to reinforce Hongnong. Strip the lesser commands if you must. Every able bodied soldier is to report here."
Xun Yu bowed his head. "It will be done, Your Majesty."
A wave of purposeful energy filled the room. The indecision was over. A plan was in motion. Cao Cao pushed himself up from his chair, a surge of adrenaline masking his deep exhaustion. "Good. Then let us—"
The word died in his throat. The dull throb in his temples, which had been held at bay by the intensity of the moment, suddenly exploded into a white hot spike of agony. It was a familiar pain, the old affliction that had haunted him for years, but this was sharper, more violent than it had been in a long time. He staggered, his hand flying to his brow.
"My lord!" Xiahou Dun's voice was sharp with alarm. He and Cao Ang were at Cao Cao's side in an instant, their strong arms catching him before he could stumble.
"Father! Are you alright?" Cao Ang's face was a mask of youthful concern.
Cao Cao waved a dismissive hand, though his vision swam. "It is… it is nothing. The old enemy of my body. It merely… caught me by surprise." He tried to stand straight, to shrug off their support, but the room tilted ominously.
Xun Yu stepped closer, his expression deeply troubled. "Your Majesty, you have not rested properly since the campaign against the Han court began. The constant marching, the strategic withdrawals, the weight of these decisions… it has drained your vitality. The body has limits, even yours, Your Majesty."
"Wenruo is right, you need to rest," Cao Ang insisted, his grip tightening on his father's arm.
Cao Cao tried to shake his head, a gesture of defiance, but the movement sent another lance of pain through his skull. "There is… no time for rest. The enemy is at the gate. I am fine. I just need a moment…" His voice was strained, losing its commanding timbre.
He looked at Xun Yu, his eyes glazed with pain. "Wenruo… you will oversee the overall preparations. The fortifications, the supplies, the troop movements, everything." His gaze then shifted to Guo Jia, who was watching with a pale, anxious face. "Fengxiao… you will take charge of the military deployments. The defensive formations, the placement of the artillery, the traps we need… you know my mind."
Both men bowed deeply, their hands cupped in salute. "We will not fail you, Your Majesty," Xun Yu said, his voice thick with emotion.
Satisfied that the machinery of state and war was in capable hands, Cao Cao attempted to take a step forward, leaning heavily on Xiahou Dun and his eldest son. It was a step toward his chambers, a step toward the rest he so desperately needed.
But it was one step too many.
The pain, held back by sheer willpower, finally overwhelmed the dam. It was not just a headache; it was a vortex, sucking the light and sound from the world.
He remembered this feeling, this specific, terrifying descent into oblivion that had seized him a handful of times before in his life, always at moments of extreme stress. His mind, in its last conscious second, registered the pattern. Not again…
And then, the world went black.
His body went limp between Xiahou Dun and Cao Ang. The mighty Cao Cao, the man who had carved a kingdom out of chaos, the strategist who had outwitted countless foes, collapsed like a felled tree.
The chamber fell into instant panic.
"Imperial Father!" Cao Ang's voice cracked as he caught his father before he could collapse completely. Xiahou Dun grabbed the other side, supporting Cao Cao's weight as his knees gave way. The rest of the council immediately approach the three of them, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Xun Yu, all frozen for a heartbeat in disbelief before the instinct of loyalty and fear spurred them into action.
"Summon the physicians! Quickly!" barked Xiahou Dun, his one eye blazing as he looked toward the guards. The nearest soldier bolted out of the hall like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Cao Cao's face had gone pale as paper, beads of cold sweat dotting his brow. His lips twitched, as though trying to form words, but no sound came out, only a ragged breath.
"Father, hold on!" Cao Ang pleaded, lowering him carefully into the seat at the head of the hall. "It's just the pain again, isn't it? You'll be fine."
Xun Yu stepped closer, composed despite the worry creasing his usually calm features. He placed two fingers on Cao Cao's wrist, feeling the erratic pulse beneath his skin. "His Majesty pulse is weak and unsteady," he murmured. "The headaches have grown worse, no doubt from strain and sleeplessness. He must rest at once."
Guo Jia frowned deeply, his sharp eyes studying Cao Cao's pallid face. "Like Xun Yu have just said previously, His Majesty hasn't rested properly in months. Since the campaign against the Han, he's been carrying the burden of the entire empire on his back. Even the strongest man will falter under such weight."
Cao Pi clenched his fists tightly at his side. "Then we should move him to his chambers now. This hall isn't fit for him to recover."
Xiahou Dun and Cao Ang nodded, lifting Cao Cao carefully between them as Xun Yu and the others cleared the way. The air in the Governor's Castle grew heavy with silence as they carried their ruler out of the council chamber.
Outside, the night had fallen. The flicker of torchlight cast long shadows along the stone corridors. Every soldier and attendant they passed stopped and knelt, their faces stricken with worry as word spread like wildfire, the Emperor of Wei had collapsed.
They reached the private quarters swiftly, where the imperial physicians had already gathered in haste. The head physician, an old man with steady hands and a furrowed brow, immediately examined Cao Cao while everyone part of the council waited outside, the tension gnawing at them.
Minutes stretched into an eternity. Finally, the physician emerged, bowing deeply. "Your Highnesses and my lords, His Majesty's condition is not life threatening, for now. The attack was brought on by exhaustion and accumulated stress. His mind has been burdened too long without rest. However," he paused, glancing toward Xun Yu, "if he continues to push himself, I fear the next collapse may be fatal as his body can't take much of it anymore."
The words hung like a blade over the gathered men.
Xun Yu exhaled slowly, nodding. "We understand. His Majesty's mind is his greatest weapon, but even the sharpest sword dulls with overuse. We will see that he rests."
Cao Ang's voice was low, tight with suppressed emotion. "Father have carried us this far. I can't bear to see him like this."
Guo Jia placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "He will recover, Your Highness. His Majesty has the will of iron. He has faced death more times than any of us can count and always returned stronger. But for now, the realm must rest with us."
They all knew what that meant.
That night, as Cao Cao was laid to rest in his chamber, Xun Yu and Guo Jia gathered the advisors and generals once more, this time in the antechamber beside the great hall. The mood was grim but steady.
Xun Yu stood at the head of the table, the faint candlelight reflecting off his calm, unreadable face. "His Majesty entrusted us with the preparations," he began softly. "Until he wakes, we will see them through exactly as he commanded. Hongnong will become an iron fortress, a bulwark that not even the Hengyuan armies can breach."
Cheng Yu nodded, stroking his beard. "Our first priority must be to fortify the outer ramparts. The walls of Hongnong are strong, but they were never meant for a siege of this scale. We'll need to raise palisades, deepen the moats, and station crossbow towers along the eastern wall."
Jia Kui spread a map open on the table, pointing with a thin wooden rod. "The Hengyuan forces will definitely strike from two directions, the east through Hangu Pass, and the north from the plains. If they manage to seize the ridgelines here," he tapped a mark near the pass, "they'll gain a height advantage that could devastate our defenses."
Xu You chuckled dryly, though there was little humor in his voice. "Then we must ensure they never reach it. I'll dispatch scouts to the ridges immediately and have archers stationed along the slopes. If the Hengyuan banners appear, they'll face a rain of bolts before they ever get close."
Tian Feng, at this time, interjected. "All this will take men and time. We can use the laborers from the city to build fortifications, but we'll need reinforcements from the entirety of Liang Province, especially Chang'An, for manpower."
"Already taken care of," said Xun Yu quietly. He unfurled another document, the orders bearing Cao Cao's personal seal, signed before his collapse. "Half the garrisons from Wei's western territories are to move here. They'll arrive within several days. In the meantime, our engineers will begin constructing secondary walls within the city itself."
Guo Jia smiled faintly, eyes gleaming in the candlelight. "So even before his body gave out, His Majesty had already foreseen the need for every contingency. He prepares for tomorrow even when death stares him in the face. That is the mind of our Emperor, Cao Cao, Cao Mengde."
The others nodded solemnly. Outside, the wind howled across the ramparts. Soldiers moved through the night with torches and shovels, the clatter of hammers and the groan of wood filling the air. The city of Hongnong, once a quiet provincial seat, was transforming into a fortress before their eyes.
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 35 (202 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 966 (+20)
VIT: 623 (+20)
AGI: 623 (+10)
INT: 667
CHR: 98
WIS: 549
WILL: 432
ATR Points: 0