Cao Cao looked at the bloodstained effects sent along with the letter before him. Unable to contain his grief any longer, he collapsed over his desk and wept bitterly.
Xiahou Dun and Cao Chun had been not only two great generals he relied upon, but also his kinsmen. Their deaths dealt him an unbearably heavy blow, no different from severing both his arms!
Seeing Cao Cao so stricken with grief, Cao Xiu hesitated briefly before stepping forward to ask, "My lord, the people sent by Wu Commandery's four great clans have arrived. Should I tell them to return another day for the banquet?"
After they arrived in Wu Commandery yesterday, Cao Cao had sent invitations to its great clans, asking them to attend a banquet and discuss important matters together.
But in his current state, Cao Cao was probably in no condition to attend.
"No need."
Cao Cao raised a hand to reject Cao Xiu's suggestion and forced down his grief as he said, "Yuanrang and Zihe both died for our great plan to move into Jiangdong."
"Now that the plan is almost complete, all that remains is to win over these Jiangdong gentry clans. How could I let private feelings undermine public affairs and allow their lives to be wasted?"
"Go, bring me a basin of water to wash my face."
Grieved though Cao Cao was, he knew even more clearly that this was no time for sorrow. Winning over these Jiangdong clans and establishing himself in Jiangdong as quickly as possible was what truly mattered now.
After leading his army across the river from Lujiang Commandery, he had marched at full speed straight into the heart of Wu Commandery, intending to seize Jiangdong before Sun Quan on the front lines could react.
Today's banquet was the key to