My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 655 A Game Within a Game
The Nanyang water system was not connected to the Central Plains and required a land transport route to make contact. Therefore, the naval forces in Nanyang Prefecture were all local powerful families, such as the Ying family of Xi'e and the Wei family of Xinye, who controlled a large number of Nanyang ships.

However, ninety percent of these ships were small boats, and even experienced sailors couldn't contend with Dong Xi's forces. If Dong Xi wanted to leave, even if the entire Nanyang navy were present, they wouldn't be able to stop him.

After thinking for a long time, Jia Kui finally made a decision: "Brother Yuandai, your plan is excellent, and I agree with it very much. However, there is one thing you must do as I say."

Dong Xi shook his head directly, clearly guessing Jia Kui's intention to keep him: "I know Liang Dao means well, but this plan is of great importance, and I am really worried about it."

Jia Kui remained silent for a moment, and finally could only sigh. But at the end, he said unwillingly, "Since that's the case, then Brother Yuan Dai must grant me a request, otherwise this matter will be dropped. The position of Commandant of Nan Commandery appointed by the Left General is mine, Jia Kui."

Despite Jia Kui's harsh words, Dong Xi understood that he was worried about him, and could only reply, "If Liang Dao gives any order, I will certainly not refuse."

Jia Kui then relaxed: "In this operation, Brother Liang should take command from the center of the ship and must not enter the city lightly."

Burning supplies in the city was actually the last step, and Dong Xi didn't need to personally go into the city to handle this matter.

Therefore, Dong Xi immediately agreed.

Afterwards, the two discussed many things and finalized the details of the operation.

This operation involves 2,000 elite naval troops and 80 warships, personally commanded by Dong Xi, and is scheduled to depart in two days.

Afterwards, they summoned Hou Yin and Wei Kai and gave them detailed instructions. Hou Yin was detained by Jia Kui as a hostage, while Wei Kai returned to Xinye ahead of time to prepare for Dong Xi's subsequent sneak attack.

After meticulous planning, two days later, late at night, a fleet consisting mostly of warships supplemented by a small number of early scouts quietly set sail from the Xiangyang Water Gate, heading upstream along the southern channel, turning into the Yu River, and heading north.

The operation went very smoothly. Dong Xi's fleet hid in the reeds during the day to rest, and sailed under cover of darkness at night.

The Yu River is quite different from other rivers. Not only does it flow over plains with almost no reefs in its course, but it is also quite straight with no sharp bends or dangerous shoals, making it quite safe to travel by boat at night.

With favorable winds, the fleet arrived outside Xinye City two days later.

Before setting off, Dong Xi had already made an appointment with Wei Kai. The next day, he made contact with Wei Kai's confidants, and then Wei Kai arranged for two hundred elite troops to be secretly brought into the city.

At midnight, Dong Xi led his fleet out of the reeds and quietly approached the port at the east gate of Xinye.

Yu Zhen, a military officer under Dong Xi, led the way ahead, secretly transferred to an early boat, and arrived at the port. At the same time, he took out torches, lit them, and waved them as agreed, three times bright and three times dim.

Time ticked by, and Yu Zhen stared intently at the city wall without blinking, his palms sweating as he held the torch.

After about half a cup of tea's time, a torch was lit on the city wall, responding to the call from below.

Yu Zhen did not relax after receiving a response; in fact, he was extremely nervous at this moment.

As he looked toward the city gate, he instructed his deputy and several garrison leaders: "Once the city gate opens, enter the city in the pre-arranged formation. Once inside, the front team must take the city gate first. The rear team will then immediately deploy and provide cover for the front team with crossbows. Do you all understand?"

The subordinates whispered in unison, "Yes, sir!"

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the city gate quietly opened.

Yu Zhen immediately stood up and led his warriors towards the city gate. What followed went surprisingly smoothly; the city gate was already occupied by those who had entered earlier, and there were more than a dozen corpses there, all wearing county soldier uniforms.

Upon entering the city gate, it was discovered that the east gate of Xinye did not have a barbican design, and the comrades who had entered the city first and the guides sent by the Wei clan had already taken control of the situation.

Yu Zhen was overjoyed and quickly made contact with the other party, leading his troops to follow the guide.

Dong Xi divided his troops into four groups: 1,200 men entered the city, 400 men were left to defend the port, and the last 400 men were to be on the ships to provide support.

The entire operation went surprisingly smoothly, to the point that Yu Zhen and his men, who had entered the city, began to feel somewhat guilty.

On the way Yu Zhen and his men made their advance, they encountered few obstacles, and the important places such as the warehouses were guarded by only one or two hundred private soldiers.

Yu Zhen and his men were routed and scattered in all directions after their initial charge.

Yu Zhen, having followed Dong Xi for many years and possessing extensive battlefield experience, immediately sensed something amiss. He summoned his personal guards and ordered them to immediately notify their platoon leaders to inspect the supplies in the granaries. He also instructed his personal guards and the rear garrison to guard the rear and await further news. Finally, he dispatched messengers to the other granary areas to inform his colleagues to be cautious and check the situation.

Not long after, some terrible news arrived.

"The warehouse is full of sand and soil? There's only a layer of grain and straw on the outside?"

Yu Zhen felt a chill run down his spine and grabbed the captain of his personal guards, asking, "Are the Wei family's men still around?"

The guard was somewhat surprised, but immediately replied, "He's still here."

Hearing that the Wei family was still there, Yu Zhen breathed a slight sigh of relief. He felt a cold sweat break out on his back, and the lining of his armor was sticking to his body. When the evening breeze blew, it felt extremely cold and uncomfortable.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Zhen barely suppressed his inner shock and fear, and quietly ordered his personal guards to bring the Wei family guide, while also instructing all units to prepare for retreat.

In addition, he also sent several teams to other areas to issue warnings.

After doing all this, he turned to the Wei family guide in front of him and asked, "There is no grain in the warehouse, it is full of sand. What is going on?"

Upon hearing this, the Wei guide was stunned, his face filled with shock and doubt, clearly unaware of the situation.

Immediately afterwards, the Wei guide knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to Yu Zhen: "General, we did not deceive you in the slightest. These warehouses were full of grain and weapons just a few days ago. I saw it with my own eyes."

Just as Yu was filled with shock and doubt, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out outside. The clear, cold sound of hooves seemed to strike his heart, making him tremble with fear.

When the person got closer, they realized that it was none other than Wei Kai.

"General, retreat immediately! This is a trap!"

As soon as Wei Kai dismounted, he shouted impatiently to Yu Zhen, "Cao's army has already hidden outside Xinye City. Retreat immediately!"

Upon hearing Wei Kai's words, Yu Zhen calmed down and a thought arose in his mind: "Just as I thought."

Yu Zhen supported Wei Kai's arm and said solemnly, "Don't panic! Explain in detail!"

“Your army was exposed when it arrived. The grain and weapons in Xinye City were fake from beginning to end; they were bait.” Wei Kai explained, panting heavily, “If Deng hadn’t secretly informed me, my family would have been kept in the dark as well.”

Shocked by the aftershocks, the commander immediately made a decision: "Do not light any fires, withdraw the troops immediately!"

In his view, the storage area was all sand and soil, so even if he set fire to the firewood outside, it would be meaningless. On the contrary, the fire would give Cao Cao's army a signal.

"Get out!"

Yu Zhen immediately used Houtun as the vanguard to reinforce the city gate and make sure to hold the rear. Then the rear guard became the front guard, and the front guard became the rear guard, and they quietly withdrew, with their troops heading straight for the city gate.

As he expected, the failure to ignite the fire bought him some time.

This period of time was short. Cao Cao's army in Xinye City quickly noticed the abnormality and completely tore off their disguise, beginning to surround the Left Army in the city from all directions.

Fortunately, the Wei family's hundreds of retainers protected over a hundred women and children, and together with the two hundred Left Guard soldiers guarding the city gate, they held off Cao Cao's surprise attack and defended the city gate, thus preserving a passage for the Left Guard soldiers inside the city to survive.

Yu Zhen and two others broke through the encirclement from different directions one after another.

Yu Zhen arrived at the East Gate first, then took over the defense, leaving half of Wei's troops to assist in the defense, while the rest were led by Wei Kai to escort the women and children onto the ship first.

Cao's army launched a fierce offensive, frequently attacking from inside the city and from both sides of the port outside the east gate.

Yu Zhen's Left Guard Army remained steadfast. Although they wore simple armor and carried only short weapons, their fighting spirit was extremely strong. Coupled with the advantage of bows and crossbows, they finally managed to hold off the ferocious Cao army.

However, the casualties were also quite heavy. More than a hundred people died on the spot, and another three or four hundred were wounded, some seriously and some lightly. When they withdrew from the city gate, there was hardly a single person who was unharmed.

The Left Army fought and retreated, and when they reached the dock, they received fire support from warships and early boats.

Dong Xi personally commanded the navy to provide support and directed the crossbows to fire in stages, maintaining a continuous stream of firepower.

Naval operations are mostly conducted at long range. Although large machines such as catapults and crossbows cannot be mounted on warships, there is an ample supply of powerful bows and crossbows. Moreover, there are storage compartments on board, and the amount of ammunition for arrows far exceeds that of the army at the same time. There is no need to worry about the consumption of arrows in a short period of time.

With the ships providing support, the pressure on the Left Guard troops in the harbor was greatly reduced, and they boarded the ships while covering each other. Cao Cao's army pursued them to the shore, only to watch helplessly as Dong Xi and his men sailed away.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Dong Xi was about to ask Yu Zhen and Wei Kai about the situation when a sudden change occurred.

Suddenly, a number of rafts of varying sizes appeared downstream of the Yu River. Each raft had several soldiers on it, rowing and spreading across the river as they charged straight toward the Zuo Mu Army's warships.

"not good!"

Dong Xi hurriedly ordered the boats to set off.

The Left Army's navy consisted entirely of veteran soldiers who had fought countless battles. Although they continued to expand, they primarily recruited from the Yangzhou navy, Sun Ce's navy, Jiangxia navy, and Xiangyang navy, making them extremely experienced.

Even before Dong Xi gave the order, the early boatmen had already made preparations when these rafts appeared.

Upon Dong Xi's command, the early boats immediately sped up, broke out of the formation, and rushed towards the rafts coming against the current like arrows.

Upon seeing the Left Army's change of formation, the soldiers on the opposite raft realized they could no longer approach the warship, so they began to set it ablaze.

Besides the standing area, the raft was piled high with firewood and straw. Once the fire started, it quickly ignited the entire raft. The soldiers on board then leaped into the Yu River and swam towards the shore.

For a moment, all that could be seen on the Yu River were tiny sparks.

Like stars, these rafts moved closer to the warship due to inertia.

The soldiers of the Left Army were prepared and immediately went to meet them. They then set up a seven- or eight-meter-long iron spear, with the spearhead pointing outwards, and placed it against the bow of the ship.

The next moment, Zuo Mujun's boat, propelled by iron spears, rammed into the wooden raft, the immense impact causing the boat to shake violently.

However, the raft's inertia was quickly dissipated, and then, under the influence of the boat and the current, it was pushed backward.

Twenty early boats lined up in formation, blocking all the burning rafts, as well as the rafts behind them.

With the help of the Yu River's current, the early boats, each carrying five or six to more than ten pieces of wood, sailed downstream in a grand manner.

At this moment, a group of elite cavalrymen were found stationed on a high point on the shore.

These cavalrymen were all tall and strong, clad in iron armor, and mounted on fine horses, protecting several men in civilian clothes in the middle.

"Dong Yuandai truly deserves to be called one of Zisheng's top naval generals. His troops are all elite. In the land battle breakout just now, his bravery was already evident, charging into the fray and drinking blood, fearless and reckless. Now, facing danger on the river and engaging in a boat battle, his heroic spirit, quick thinking, and decisiveness are even more apparent. His naval combat skills are particularly outstanding. Such a fierce general and powerful army are truly admirable and enviable!"

The speaker, dressed in brocade robes, was short in stature but possessed an air of dominance; he was none other than the great general Cao Cao.

No one knows when, but the person had already sneaked into Xinye, and instead of staying in the city, he was sitting on the earthen slopes and hills outside the city in the middle of the night, looking out over the Yu River.

Beside him stood a tall, thin scholar who smiled calmly upon hearing this and said with composure, "Although Dong Yuandai is brave and skilled in battle, and his men are all fierce warriors, his head is already in the General's hands. If it weren't for the General's foresight and other profound plans, Dong Xi would have already been beheaded by now!"

"Ha ha……"

Cao Cao laughed loudly, showing no displeasure at what was happening on the Yu River below. Instead, he said to the tall, thin scholar, "Wenhe, you flatter me."

It turned out that the tall, thin scholar standing beside Cao Cao was none other than Jia Xu, also known as Jia Wenhe, a strategist of the late Han Dynasty.

Jia Xu was tall and thin, with a kind and refined appearance and simple clothes. However, his eyes were bright and clear, leaving a deep impression on anyone who saw him.

Just as Xi Zhong was about to speak, he suddenly felt a chill in his chest and began to cough violently.

Cao Cao turned to look at him abruptly, his expression changing drastically. He hurriedly stepped forward to support him, saying, "I told you not to come on this expedition, but you insisted! You've always been weak, and you were seriously ill before. If it weren't for the miraculous healing skills of the legendary physician Hua Tuo in Xuzhou, you would have been terminally ill. Recently, I've seen you working tirelessly on your documents, reviewing them under the lamp until the third watch. Even an iron body couldn't withstand such exhaustion!"

As he spoke with great emotion, he couldn't help but pat his back, his voice growing increasingly somber: "This war and slaughter, with its overwhelming stench of blood, is most exhausting. Why force yourself to endure this scene of swords and shadows while you are ill? If anything goes wrong, how will I, Cao Cao, bear it?"

After speaking, he took off his own brocade robe, intending to drape it over the other person to keep them warm.

(End of this chapter)