My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 633 Strange Events in Chengdu
"My lord, there seems to be some unusual activity in Chengdu."

On this day, Liu Feng was handling military affairs in Guangdu City when Xu Shu suddenly walked in from outside, carrying a military report. Upon arriving in front of Liu Feng, Xu Shu first bowed respectfully, and then placed the military report in front of Liu Feng.

Liu Feng opened it and began to read. As time passed, his brows furrowed slightly: "Has Cao Ang gone mad?"

The military report recorded Sima Yi's plan for transferring supplies.

Starting four days ago, Cao Ren's troops had already begun to withdraw ahead of schedule. Cao Ang assigned half of his cavalry to Cao Ren's troops, putting him in charge of all affairs around Chengdu.

Cao Ren stationed Niu Jin in Pixian, Cao Xiu in Fanxian, and Wang Shuang in Xindu, while Cao Ren personally led his own troops, along with the cavalry of Cao Chun and Zhang Xiu, to garrison in Guandi, providing central support and overseeing the overall situation.

To maintain morale, Cao Ang remained in Chengdu, commanding his own troops, as well as Chang Diao's troops under Cao Ren, Zhang Xi's cavalry, Dongzhou soldiers, and Shu troops to defend Chengdu.

The grain transport went even better than expected, because Sima Yi had acquired a batch of small boats from the port of Chengdu for water transport.

These small boats were far inferior to Liu Feng's navy and had no fighting capability whatsoever. However, they proved remarkably effective in transporting grain over short distances.

These more than 600 small boats can transport anywhere from 30 to 100 or 200 shi of grain at a time, and can reach the irrigation area in just one day.

This means that with these ships, the daily transport of grain can be increased by an additional 50,000 to 60,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). Moreover, because they can travel on the Jinshui River and the Tuojiang River, which are dredged year-round and are not at risk of silting up, and with the arrival of spring and the rise in water levels, it can be said that the timing and location are both perfect.

Unfortunately, all these rivers run east-west, with none running north-south. Therefore, these boats could only handle the distance from Chengdu to Guandi; further travel would still require land transport.

Even so, Sima Yi was pleasantly surprised and quickly made adjustments, transferring most of the labor force to the east of Guandi to increase the speed of transportation to Fanxian, Shifang, and Mianzhu.

Hundreds of boats are now traveling on the Jinshui River and Tuojiang River, all fully loaded with grain, which naturally attracted the attention of the Zuo Mu Army scouts.

Xu Shu naturally understood the meaning behind Liu Feng's words.

The Jinshui River and the Tuojiang River converge south of Chengdu, providing water for the city's moat and continuing south to flow into the Yangtze River.

Therefore, the passage of the Jinshui River and the upper reaches of the Tuojiang River was contingent on Chengdu being able to control the lower reaches; otherwise, Liu Feng's navy could easily move north and enter the Jinshui River and the Tuojiang River.

Even if only small warships can enter these two waterways, they will still be no match for the fishing boats and merchant ships in Chengdu.

As for whether Chengdu can block the river, under normal circumstances, there is no doubt that it can. Not to mention small boats, even large ships like warships and tower ships would not be able to pass safely under the city of Chengdu.

However, the southern part of Chengdu is almost destroyed by the counterweight catapults of the Zuo Mu Army. Although a lot of fortifications have been repaired in recent days, the Zuo Mu Army is still capable of clearing out the enemy and covering their own ships to enter the Jinshui River and Tuojiang River if a real battle breaks out. It will just take more effort.

Instead of taking advantage of the fact that the Left Guard Army wasn't targeting him, Cao Ang actually planned to empty Chengdu. Dragging his family along like this was tantamount to suicide, so it's no wonder Liu Feng thought Cao Ang had gone mad.

In the previous military council, most people thought that Cao Ang would quickly retreat eastward, partly to relieve the siege of Zitong, and partly to get as close to Hanzhong as possible, so as to reduce some of the pressure on the reinforcements that came to relieve the siege.

Lu Xun, however, felt that Cao Ang might not be willing to abandon tens of thousands of Shu troops and Liu Zhang and retreat alone. He would likely hold Chengdu for a period of time in order to try to join forces with Liu Zhang and the Shu army to retreat together.

Neither Liu Feng nor Lu Xun expected that Cao Ang was such a miser, unwilling to even abandon the stockpiled supplies in Chengdu, and even daring to transfer them right under their noses. It was simply outrageous.

Xu Shu smiled and said, "My lord, this is a good thing for us."

"Of course it's a good thing."

Liu Feng chuckled coldly, "Since Cao Zixiu is courting death, I don't mind sending him on his way."

Xu Shu suddenly asked with a smile, "My lord, do you intend to open up the Jinshui River and the Tuojiang River to seize their grain and supplies?"

"Oh?"

Liu Feng sensed the hidden meaning in Xu Shu's words and couldn't help but laugh and tease, "Well done, Xu Yuanzhi! You have a plan but don't offer it. What are you planning?"

Xu Shu quickly protested, "How can you wrong me like this, my lord? I was just about to offer a suggestion!"

Liu Feng laughed loudly: "Let's see if you dare to hide your talents in the future. Tell me quickly. If the plan works, I will reward you. If it doesn't, you will be punished for all your crimes. I will punish you by making you work three nights in a row starting today."

After exchanging a few jokes, Xu Shu revealed his true thoughts.

"My lord, in my opinion, our army should observe the situation and not obstruct the transport."

Xu Shu's insights were surprisingly bizarre, completely different from Liu Feng's, making him seem almost like an inside agent within Cao Cao's army.

However, Liu Feng naturally did not think that Xu Shu was a spy for Cao Cao's army. Instead, he became curious: "Yuanzhi, your suggestion is really unexpected. There must be something extraordinary about it. Please tell me in detail."

Having received Liu Feng's permission, Xu Shu's spirits lifted, his heart burning with enthusiasm: "My lord, my plan is not focused on Chengdu alone, but on the overall situation in Shu. Please consider this carefully. If we truly send the armies of Gan and Huang to enter the Jinshui River and Tuo River, it will inevitably completely thwart Cao Cao's transport plan. At that time, how will Cao Cao's army react?"

As Liu Feng listened, his brows furrowed, and his heart sank.

"Cao Cao's army will surely be filled with fear and unease, and even Liu Zhang will be unable to eat or sleep in peace."

At this moment, a man walked in from outside the hall; it was Lu Xun. Liu Feng had sent someone to invite Lu Xun to a meeting after receiving the military report, and he had just arrived.

"My lord, Yuanzhi is right. At that time, both Cao Ang and Liu Zhang will be worried about being trapped in Chengdu. Therefore, they are very likely to abandon everything and retreat as soon as possible. Although our army is elite, it is small in number. Moreover, there are many rivers blocking the way near Chengdu. Even with the help of the navy, it is far less convenient than the allied forces."

After listening to Lu Xun's explanation, Liu Feng finally understood.

"If He Qi is unable to evacuate in time, he may be in danger."

As time went on, Liu Feng's forces were rapidly redeploying and adjusting their deployment. First, Zhou Yu's troops had arrived in Jiangzhou in mid-April and would continue north to besiege Fucheng. Meanwhile, Xu Chu's forces in Guanghan would join forces with Jiang Qin and Wang Wei to reinforce Zitong, aiming to capture it as quickly as possible. The troops along the Jiameng line were under the unified command of Zhou Tai, with Huo Du and Wang Ping serving as deputy commanders. Their sole task was to hold Jiameng Pass and Tianxiong Pass, preventing Cao Cao's reinforcements from the north from crossing Jinniu Mountain.

As for the Left Guard Army in Guangdu City, they will launch a diversionary attack on Chengdu in the hope of tying down the main force of the allied forces and preventing them from returning to reinforce.

Now, Tianxiong and Jiange have been occupied by the Left Army, and the allied forces are trapped in Sichuan with their retreat cut off.

The only thing the Left Army needs to do next is to continue dividing and encircling the Allied forces. The best outcome, of course, is to cut the massive Allied forces into small pieces and then devour them. Even if they cannot be divided, they must do their best to compress the enemy's living space.

Among them, Zitong and Fucheng are excellent targets.

With Zhou Yu's troops surrounding Fucheng and Zhou Tai, Huo Du, and Wang Ping's troops blocking enemy reinforcements, He Qi's troops could launch a siege of Zitong without any worries about their rear. Moreover, He Qi's troops had already built a considerable amount of siege equipment during this period, making it the most suitable battlefront to launch the attack.

Once He Qi captures Zitong, Fucheng will inevitably be unable to survive alone, and the allied forces' living space will become increasingly smaller.

However, all of this is based on the premise that the main force of the allied forces will be reluctant to leave Chengdu and will not be able to withdraw easily. Otherwise, they will have to let He Qi retreat first and wait for Zhou Yu's troops to arrive before launching an attack.

Now Cao Ang is reluctant to part with the abundant resources in Chengdu, especially the million shi of grain, and attempts to take these resources with him when he leaves.

This gave Liu Feng ample time to adjust and deploy his troops, and gave Zhou Yu time to march north from Jiangzhou to besiege Fucheng. Moreover, since Cao Cao's army had voluntarily surrendered the city, it would not arouse any suspicion or unease among Cao Cao's forces.

Originally, the Left Army planned to launch an offensive against Chengdu in hopes of containing the main force of the Allied forces and relieving pressure on the eastern front.

Now, Cao Ang, Sima Yi, Cao Ren and others have given themselves a tremendous opportunity. The armies of Guangdu only need to continue to watch from the sidelines and wait for the allied forces to drag on for a while before walking into their trap.

With a snap, Liu Feng slapped his forehead with one hand: "If it weren't for Yuanzhi, I would have almost ruined everything. Cao Zixiu is greedy, Sima Zhongda is blinded by greed, and Cao Zixiao is short-sighted. They really walked right into the trap."

Actually, Liu Feng's words were a bit too harsh; it was entirely due to the information gap between the two sides that caused the error.

No matter how astute and vigilant Cao Ang, Sima Yi, and Cao Ren were, they could never have imagined that Liu Feng was still holding onto a reserve force in Jiangling. If they were in different positions, Cao Ang would have already ordered Zhou Yu to advance westward and fight Chengdu to decide the outcome.

But Liu Feng was thinking of swallowing Cao Cao whole. If he swallowed Cao Ang in one bite, Cao Cao would have no target for rescue, so why would he go south?

Therefore, Cao Ang, Sima Yi, and Cao Ren all mistakenly believed that Liu Feng had already used up all his troops, otherwise he would not have been able to defeat a large force with a small one in the Battle of Guangcheng.

Having realized this, Cao Ang, Sima Yi, and Cao Ren naturally felt that it was better to waste a little time than to carry more food. With food, Cao Ang and his men could hold out longer, thus buying more time for Cao Cao to relieve the siege in the north.

This was not a mistake in the first place, but rather a brilliant strategy. However, it has now become a fatal oversight that has led to the downfall of the Sichuan coalition.

This is what makes intelligence so valuable.

Lu Xun and Xu Shu naturally reassured him, saying, "Even the wisest person can make a mistake, and even the most foolish person can have a stroke of genius. Besides, nothing has happened yet, so why should our lord blame himself?"

Liu Feng became somewhat excited, thinking that if he could take advantage of the allied forces' transport of supplies to seize Zitong and Fucheng first, and with Luocheng already in his hands, the allied forces would have no other fortified city to rely on besides Chengdu.

Does that mean we'll have to transport the grain back to Chengdu?
Just thinking about the expressions on Cao Ang's, Sima Yi's, and Cao Ren's faces back then makes Liu Feng want to burst into laughter.

Lu Xun suddenly spoke up, reminding him, "My lord, there is something we must plan ahead for."

Liu Feng asked suspiciously, "What is it?"

Lu Xun explained, "Cao Cao's army's transport of grain this time is probably not just for the grain itself, but may have a deeper conspiracy. My lord, imagine, once Cao Cao's army has transported the grain away and then withdrawn from Chengdu, after we enter the city, all the granaries will be empty, and the people will have no food for the night. What will the situation be like then?"

hiss……

Liu Feng felt a chill run down his spine. Sima Yi truly lived up to his name; so cunning and ruthless. The sudden need to feed tens of thousands more mouths would be an extremely heavy logistical burden on the Left Guard Army.

If caught off guard, the grain reserves we have accumulated will likely be exhausted in a short time. In addition, the allied forces will inevitably take away the able-bodied men and women from Chengdu. At that time, even if the Left Army wants to pursue the enemy, it will lack able-bodied laborers to transport grain and will instead take on the burden of the elderly, weak, women and children for the enemy.

That's a truly vicious plan.

Fortunately, Lu Xun saw through the enemy's intentions first; otherwise, being caught off guard would not have allowed Cao Cao's army to reverse the situation, but it would have inevitably caused great trouble for his side.

However, while this treacherous scheme was easy to see through, it was rather tricky to resolve, because it was completely contrary to Xu Shu's advice.

Xu Shu wanted to allow Cao Cao's army to transport supplies, thus buying time for the eastern front. He planned to prioritize capturing Zitong and Luocheng, making the encirclement even tighter, and at the same time, while squeezing Cao Cao's living space, he would first eliminate a portion of Cao Cao's forces.

However, this also gave Cao Cao's army more time to transport more grain and supplies, which would make the burden on the Left Guard Army, which would take over Chengdu, even heavier, unless the Left Guard Army didn't care about the lives of the people of Chengdu.

But this is clearly not feasible.

This is neither conducive to the Left Guard Army gaining popular support and prestige in Shu, nor to quickly stabilizing the situation in Yizhou.

Zhang Song, Qin Mi, Yang Hong, and Huang Quan were all from Shu (Sichuan). Leaving Zhang Song aside, the latter three are remembered in history for their benevolent treatment of the people. More importantly, the families of officials throughout Shu, from top to bottom, were all in Chengdu, including the elderly, women, and children.

Faced with this dilemma, Liu Feng, Lu Xun, and Xu Shu all fell into deep thought.

The three men racked their brains for a long time but could not come up with a solution that satisfied both sides, so they could only make some preparations first. Liu Feng then instructed Zhuge Liang in Jiangzhou, as well as the officials in charge of Jianwei, Yizhou and other counties, to do their best to transport and deliver grain and fodder.

At the same time, he also wrote letters to Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu and others, informing them of the situation in Chengdu and asking for their opinions and views.

(End of this chapter)