Your Majesty, please spare Diao Chan; your yang energy is too strong.

"Wen Yuan and I will each train a unit; Wen Yuan will be in charge of the cavalry, and I will be in charge of the infantry."

"Among them, I selected eight hundred strong and healthy men to form the Trapped Camp."

"They are also the best trained, and their current combat strength is estimated to be no less than that of the major legions of other feudal lords."

"However, there is still room for improvement in terms of coordination."

"I divided the 17,000-strong force into eight battalions."

"Among them, the eight hundred elite soldiers of the Vanguard Camp are the lord's personal guards, and they will be responsible for the lord's safety from now on."

"The remaining battalions each have two thousand men and are headed by a captain."

"Furthermore, my lord's training method is excellent; it can at least triple the results of our combat training."

Gao Shun and Zhang Liao then shared the results of their training over the past period.

"Very good, everyone, you've worked hard."

"This time, Wen Yuan is traveling with me, bringing with him the eight hundred elite troops and seven hundred cavalry."

"The rest of the troops will be left to the general to train."

"Also, for now, hand over the armor worn by that cavalryman to the Trapped Camp."

"The fighting power of the Trapped Camp is greatly reduced if they don't have armor."

"We'll fill in the gaps ourselves once the armor is forged."

Zhou Heng thought for a moment and then said.

Since we're going to someone else's territory this time, it's not advisable to bring too many people.

More people means bigger targets.

The reason he brought Zhang Liao along was because Zhang Liao was currently the most powerful fighter among his subordinates.

Their combat prowess is absolutely top-tier.

Apart from the four famous generals from Hebei, virtually no one under Yuan Shao was a match for Zhang Liao.

With him around, safety is greatly improved.

"Yes."

Everyone obeyed the order.

"Yes, let us all strive together."

"After I left, everything in Xuzhou City was handled by Mi Zhu, with Chen Chong and Gao Shun in second place."

"Zizhong, during this period you will be in charge of maintaining order in the city and vigorously developing the economy."

"By the way, how are the horizontal sword and long sword I taught you to forge?"

"We've already built 1,800."

Mi Zhu replied.

"Alright, hand over eight hundred to the Trapped Camp, and store the rest away for now."

"Gao Shun, select two troops from the eight battalions to form the Mo Dao Battalion and the Heng Dao Battalion."

Zhou Heng said.

"As ordered."

"Yes, while I'm gone, be careful of Lü Bu. He's fickle and we absolutely cannot give him any opportunity to take advantage of us."

"Yes."

"I won't say much about other matters. Everyone should do their job. I, Zhou Heng, have always rewarded people according to their merits. The capable rise and the weak fall. I hope you all will work together to achieve this."

"Yes."

"Furthermore, if Cao Cao issues a warrant for surrender after a while, although we do not have official status, everyone in the world has a part in the fight against the bandits. How can we remain behind? When the time comes to respond, whether for our own face or for other reasons, Cao Cao will surely give us the status we want. At that time, I will reward those who have contributed."

A response is definitely necessary, because only after a response can one be considered a regional power.

At that time, Cao Cao was either concerned about his own reputation or trying to make the campaign seem more legitimate.

They would all use the emperor's name to bestow official titles upon Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng would naturally not miss such an opportunity.

"Yes."

"Alright, I believe this time won't be too late. I'm afraid it won't be long before Cao Cao's edict reaches our Xuzhou. Yuan Shu won't be able to keep up for many more years. Mi Zhu, you should personally write a letter to Zifang and tell him to act according to the plan."

"Yes."

After making all the arrangements in Xuzhou City.

Zhou Heng then led Zhang Liao, along with seven hundred cavalry, eight hundred elite troops, and Liao Hua, out of the city in secret, heading towards Ji Province.

.............

On the other hand, as news of Yuan Shu's declaration of himself as emperor spread throughout the land, almost the entire world's attention was drawn to Cao Cao and Yuan Shu.

Naturally, it was impossible for them to pay attention to the movements of Zhou Heng's small force.

Xuchang, Yanzhou.

"Hahaha, this is hilarious! Yuan Shu actually declared himself emperor."

"He actually declared himself emperor?"

Cao Cao laughed so hard that tears almost streamed down his face.

Little did he know that Zhou Heng had figured out his every move.

If he knew, I wonder if he would still be smiling so happily?

"I once regarded Yuan Shu as a hero, which was my fault; I lacked foresight."

"They actually regarded a dog as stupid as a pig or a dog as a hero."

"I, Cao Cao, actually mistook a pig or a dog for a dragon or a phoenix."

Cao Cao sighed.

“Sikong, I was worried that if the two Yuan brothers joined forces, we might have no place to stand in the world.”

"Now that Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Although the Han Dynasty was already in ruins at this time, the hearts of the people still turned to the Han."

"To declare himself emperor at this time would be nothing short of self-destruction."

"I suggest that we should now appeal to the Emperor, issue a proclamation, and send a call to the world to jointly attack Yuan Shu."

"In this way, Yuan Shu will inevitably be defeated and killed."

"Even if he wanted to ask his brother Yuan Shao for help, the brothers had always been at odds, and he had already declared himself emperor. How could Yuan Shao dare to defy the world and send troops to help him?"

"At that time, once Yuan Shu is defeated and killed, only Yuan Shao will remain. What is there to fear?"

Guo Jia spoke first.

"That's right, we definitely need to issue a proclamation, and not only should we issue one, we should issue one in large quantities."

"He commanded all the feudal lords under heaven to jointly punish the traitors of the state."

"Only in this way can we confirm our position."

"If they are willing to obey the imperial edict, it means they acknowledge my position in the court."

"If you are unwilling, then we can obey the emperor's orders to punish the traitors and eliminate the villains."

Cao Cao said coldly.

For Yuan Shu, declaring himself emperor was only beneficial, not harmful.

It can be said to be entirely beneficial with no drawbacks.

Not only could they rightfully eliminate Yuan Shu, but they could also further demonstrate their status to the world.

The legitimate successor to the Han dynasty.

At the same time, there is no longer any need to worry about the Yuan brothers uniting.

It should be noted that the power of the two Yuan brothers had long been a thorn in Cao Cao's side.

Even though it was clear that the two were at odds and could not possibly join forces.

But don’t be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the unexpected.

If this person really did that, then Cao Cao would truly be doomed.

Now that such an opportunity has come up, how could he not feel excited?

"Xuan De, what do you think?"

At this point, Cao Cao suddenly turned his gaze to Liu Bei, who was standing to the side.

Yes, it was Liu Bei.

After the defeat at Xuzhou, Liu Bei had nowhere to go and could only flee in panic.

He eventually fled to Yanzhou and joined Cao Cao's forces.

Cao Cao was very fond of Guan Yu, who served under Liu Bei.

Furthermore, with the Yuan brothers now wielding considerable power, it is natural for them to unite with all available forces.