The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

"Your Majesty, Lord Huangfu, give me a straight answer: kill me or torture me. You two have been staring at me for so long, it's really creepy."

At Sishui Pass, under Xiang Yu's watchful gaze, Cao Cao huddled in a ball.

He genuinely couldn't understand when he had caught the eye of these two.

Even when he worked under Huangfu Song, his performance was not particularly outstanding.

Is it possible...

"Was that me speaking on the sky earlier?"

This was the only possibility Cao Cao could think of.

He always thought it was just a coincidence of names, after all, he was a loyal minister and general who was determined to restore the Han Dynasty, how could he become the emperor?

But now it seems...

"To be honest, I don't know if that person is really you, but right now I'm in dire need of someone to manage logistics, so I've brought you here to give it a try."

Cao Cao: “…”

Regardless of who spoke on the sky earlier, you've really put me in a difficult position!

He looked at the two people in front of him with a mournful expression.

"Lord Huangfu, as you know, I, Cao Cao, have aspired since childhood to restore the Han Dynasty and become a capable minister in times of peace. As for joining the rebel army..."

"Your father, Cao Song, is still an official in the imperial court, isn't he? I once said that once Luoyang is captured, from the emperor down, not a single chicken or dog will be spared!"

Xiang Yu's voice was icy cold.

Cao Cao: “…”

Brother, listen to me, this isn't how you persuade someone to surrender.

I shouldn't have to be so polite first.

Then you promise me great benefits and express your appreciation for me.

Finally, I was moved and bowed down. You helped me up. Shall we, ruler and subject, rejoice together?

Why did they start by killing the whole family?

Overlord, where did you learn this method of persuading others to surrender?

I, Cao Cao, would definitely give this a bad review!

"Mengde, surrender. I will show you with your own eyes that the current court is not worth supporting at all."

"If you aspire to be a capable minister in times of peace, serving under the Hegemon is more suitable for you."

Fortunately, Huangfu Song was there and gave him a way out.

Cao Cao was deeply moved.

Lord Huangfu, you are like my own brother!

I love these steps!

"Since the King of Hegemony has not abandoned me, I, Mengde, am willing to surrender!"

Cao Cao knew perfectly well that if he didn't take the opportunity Huangfu Song had offered, he would be in trouble.

Then all that's left is the knife.

"Since you are willing to surrender, let's see your abilities first. From today onwards, the 100,000 people outside the city will be under your command."

"Your task is to ensure that their food, as well as essential supplies such as tents and charcoal, are not lacking."

what?

Are they assigning tasks so directly?

What I'm saying is, I just surrendered, and you didn't even bother to observe for a couple of days before handing over 100,000 troops to me?

"What if there isn't enough food supplies inside the pass?"

Cao Cao thought for a moment and asked.

"You need to ask me when there aren't enough supplies? What kind of logistics do I need you to manage? When did Xiao He ever ask Liu Bang what to do when there weren't enough supplies?"

Xiang Yu replied as a matter of course.

He had planted spies in Liu Bang's army.

Liu Bang never had to worry about logistics and supplies, as Xiao He always took care of it for him.

Cao Cao slowly typed a question mark at this.

Your Majesty, you have only just met me today, yet you are already comparing me to Xiao He, one of the Three Heroes of the early Han Dynasty.

Should I say you're overestimating me, or that you're underestimating Xiao He...?

I'll try my best.

Cao Cao opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't dare to refuse.

At the same time, he had already started making plans in his mind.

Emperor Gaozu almost never lacked food supplies, and the most important reason for this was that he had the support of the people!

The common people would voluntarily pay more taxes to ensure that the Han army could have enough to eat.

But now, can the rebels still have that kind of popular support?

If not, where should he procure provisions?

Forced conscription?

"Don't worry, Mengde."

"The Overlord will not forcibly seize the people's food supplies. The Yellow Turbans' ultimate goal is to give the people hope for survival!"

"If you run out of food, just tell me and I'll take you to get some."

After Xiang Yu left, Huangfu Song smiled and patted Cao Cao on the shoulder.

"Go and fetch it? Could it be that our army has stored provisions somewhere? Why not move them to Sishui Pass?"

Cao Cao was a little confused.

Huangfu Song generously helped him resolve his doubts.

"A considerable number of them are stored in the supply depots of the allied forces of various lords, as well as in Zhu Jun's main camp."

He counted on his fingers, calculating.

Cao Cao: “…”

He suddenly regretted it.

If I hadn't charged so far forward while in Zhu Jun's camp, or if I had noticed the danger earlier and retreated sooner...

Wouldn't we have avoided this situation?

Is there really any good outcome to working with these two lunatics?

The future looks bleak!

But with that in mind, he realized he was wrong in the following days.

And it’s so wrong!

First, there's the issue of public sentiment.

After taking over the civilians camped outside the city, Cao Cao discovered that their numbers were not just the 100,000 that Xiang Yu had told him, but were approaching 150,000!

Most of these people carried a small amount of food with them.

A few hungry people, after eating two full meals, were also very concerned about whether there was enough food in Sishui Guanzhong, and said that they could dig wild vegetables and eat tree bark so that they could leave the food for those who really needed it.

The will of the people!

The rebels we encountered in Zhu Jun's army before were so bad that even calling them a rabble would be an understatement.

Although they seem to have occupied eight states, in reality, the behavior of most of them is no different from that of bandits!

The Yellow Turban Rebellion had spread too far, and Zhang Jiao didn't have the ability to unify everyone, so he couldn't eliminate the bad elements among them.

Therefore, Cao Cao's impression of the rebels was somewhat rigid.

After spending these few days in Sishui Pass, he couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.

Are they really rebels?

Judging from the people's support and protection of them, they are even more like government soldiers than the armies of the feudal lords outside the pass who came to the aid of the emperor!

They can squeeze into their own tents, and when they occasionally run out of food, they can find a way to get through a few meals.

No one complained!

What the people want!

In just a few days, Cao Cao gained a clearer understanding of this rebel army.

These are not rebels, these are the true royal army!

Especially after learning that the court was using the people as a threat to force Xiang Yu to defend Sishui Pass and dare not launch a full-scale attack on Luoyang, he felt no regret whatsoever.

Cao Cao only wanted to be a capable minister who could govern a peaceful world, and he didn't care whether the world was still the Han Dynasty!

If we can't make him famous for all time, then it's better to change things up!

Just as more and more people were gathering outside the city, he was preparing to find a way to get some food from other places.

Another incident occurred, confirming another statement Huangfu Song had made to him.

When we run out of food supplies, we go to the supply depot of the allied lords to get some!

Xiang Yu actually did just that.

Cao Cao was ordered to lead an army of 100,000 to wait outside for reinforcements.

He originally thought his task was to cover their retreat when Xiang Yu attacked the camp and withdrew.

But he only found out soon afterward.

He wasn't there to support Xiang Yu, but rather to provide supplies for the camp.

What he saw as a formidable enemy was, in Xiang Yu's eyes, merely a source of supplies, silver, and sometimes even small monsters belonging to the Han imperial family!