Cao Pi and the other two nodded repeatedly, their eyes already filled with shock.
Maybe Wang Lie's personal ability is not that strong, but his performance in this battle is not inferior to anyone at all.
As I said just now, luck is definitely a part of strength.
Without this incredible luck, the feat of reversal would never have been possible.
Even if the most powerful generals such as Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, and Dian Wei are placed on the battlefield, it will not help.
It is simply not a situation that a few people can reverse.
Wang Lie succeeded in doing this through luck.
"General Wang, not only have you performed great and heavenly feats, but you have also saved Grand Administrator Gongsun's life!"
Cao Zhi just praised him, but Cao Pi immediately denied it.
"No!"
"Not only that, it simply saved the lives of the entire Liaodong, all the soldiers and civilians, and the entire Gongsun family!"
"Once Goguryeo is defeated, Liaodong will be in danger!"
Cao Zhi suddenly understood and looked at Cao Pi with admiration.
Indeed, this rhetoric is more flattering.
Unfortunately, such praise did not make Wang Lie feel happy, but made him laugh miserably.
"To be honest, Mr. Cao, I thought it was the same."
"I just didn't expect that military achievements and rewards are not equal at all!"
Cao Pi was not surprised. He had already seen the clues from guarding the city gate.
"General Wang, what's the reason?"
"Because...his great achievements shock the Lord!"
Those four simple words awakened Cao Pi as if he had been enlightened.
Yes, how could he forget this possibility.
Wang Lie was Gongsun Du's confidant and his prestige in the army was already high.
After this incident, his prestige was unprecedented, and it was inevitable that he would overshadow the self-willed Gongsun Kang.
In this way, how can we not be resented?
It would have been the same if Cao Pi had been Gongsun Kang.
What if Wang Lie's mind is not pure?
"General Wang, punishment must be justified. Aren't you afraid of unreasonable punishment and chilling the hearts of tens of thousands of soldiers in Liaodong?"
"Hehehe..."
Wang Lie smiled miserably, his voice extremely pale.
"Why not? Just for this reason, it is better for me to be punished without reason!"
"In the battle of Goguryeo, more than 20,000 people were lost in the end, which was a fatal blow to Liaodong. Not only the casualties, but also the loss of food, grass, and countless ordnance. Fortunately, Goguryeo was plundered in the end and some were saved."
"But the casualties were irreparable, so we had no choice but to withdraw from Goguryeo."
Cao Pi became enlightened again.
Originally he had doubted Gongsun Kang's move to abandon the capital of Goguryeo, but now he understood it completely.
Not enough troops!
The king of Goguryeo died and the country's capital was occupied, but the country was not destroyed.
The king will definitely appear again in the future and counterattack the capital.
Gongsun Kang took it by force, and he must be the unlucky one.
Abandoning the city is also a last resort decision and the only way.
"And after that?"
"After returning to Liaodong, Governor Gongsun immediately launched a large-scale recruitment to supplement the incomplete troops."
"But Liaodong is barren. Population, land, and food are all in short supply. After the men were forced into the army, there were fewer people to farm."
"As a last resort, Grand Administrator Gongsun had no choice but to issue a ban on alcohol. He ordered his soldiers and civilians not to drink alcohol at all."
Cao Pi suddenly realized, and the doubts in his heart were finally lifted.
I have been wandering around Liaodong for a long time and visited countless places, but I have never seen any drinks.
At first I was curious and didn't understand why.
Today, I finally understand.
The source turned out to be Gongsun Kangna.
However, Cao Pi didn't feel any disgust at all.
Before, when Cao Cao was defeated and his power was in crisis, he also issued a ban on alcohol.
Folks are strictly prohibited from privately brewing wine to avoid wasting food.
Once discovered, severe punishment will be imposed.
Compared to brewing wine, the penalties for drinking are much lower.
There is still a lot of wine in stock, so if you drink a little secretly, there is no problem.
This is much more forgiving than Gongsun Kang.
Prohibition of brewing and prohibition of alcohol consumption are two completely different concepts.
After all, if there is someone to drink, there will be someone who secretly brews it, but if there is no one to drink, what’s the point of brewing it?
"General Wang, could it be that you immediately disobeyed Grand Administrator Gongsun's drinking order?"
"of course not!"
Wang Lie denied it with a firm attitude.
"I am not a stupid person, how could I do such stupid things? The prefect just issued an order, and no matter how stupid I am, I will not violate it immediately."
"Actually, I've been waiting for a long time, until this matter has almost been forgotten by everyone as a habit."
"After the prohibition, the food supply obviously eased, and the prefect also began to drink occasionally. It happened that there was a fine wine given by the prefect in the lower house, so he couldn't help but drink a few drinks secretly."
"Who would have thought that I would be discovered by the prefect immediately! Hey!"
Wang Lie was full of regret and unwillingness.
"It would be fine if he really made a big mistake, but because of a few glasses of wine, or after the prefect drank it himself, how can anyone accept this?"
Cao Pi looked at Wang Lie in shock.
"General Wang, you're not going to tell me that you were demoted to be a city defender just because of a few drinks, right?"
Wang Lie nodded helplessly.
"To be fair to Mr. Cao, it is indeed the case."
"After the prefect learned that I was drinking, he was furious. He publicly rebuked me for disrupting military discipline and ignoring the law. He wanted to kill me as a warning to others!"
"Fortunately, my colleagues begged for mercy to save me from death, but I was still deprived of military power and assigned to defend the city."
Looking at the empty wine glass, Wang Lie felt sad and helpless.
After a while, he reached out to fill a glass for himself and drank it all in one gulp.
"Hi...!"
"General Wang, don't drink any more!"
Cao Pi suddenly screamed.
"If Grand Administrator Gongsun holds a grudge against the general, he will definitely find ways to make things difficult for him. If you are drinking now, aren't you throwing yourself into a trap?"
Wang Lie trembled, and his eyes immediately showed panic.
Then he slapped his forehead and let out a scream.
"ah!"
