Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 184: Conspiracy to lure Cao Pi, Liu Bei offers sacrifice to heaven in Wancheng (Additional chapter)
If it succeeds, it will provoke Cao Ren's anger.

If defeated, Cao Ren would become arrogant.

Regardless of success or failure, there is a great chance to lure Cao Ren into Bowangpo. Once Cao Ren's cavalry reaches the narrow area of Bowangpo, they will be useless.

Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses, and take advantage of the geographical location.

This is the core of dealing with cavalry.

Huang Zhong gently twirled his graying beard, and after thinking carefully about Yue Ju's proposal, he adjusted his plan: "If General Yue goes to raid the camp, the generals in Cao's camp may not chase him. We can let General Kou lead his troops to raid the camp, and General Yue will support them from the rear, and there may be a chance to lure the Wei troops into Bowangpo."

In short: Kou Anguo mocked Bai Ri La too much, and as he was the main general, the generals in Cao's camp might not be able to hold back.

Kou Anguo and Yue Ju had no objection to this plan.

Kou Anguo was in high spirits: "Tonight I will let all the generals in Cao's camp know my reputation."

Immediately.

Huang Zhong selected a thousand elite soldiers, led by Kou Anguo and two generals Fang Yue and Pan Feng, to attack Cao Ren's large camp north of Bowangpo at night.

Generals Yue Ju and Yang Xing led a thousand men to support in the rear, while Huang Zhong personally led generals Yu She, Mu Shun, Yan Cheng, and He Yuan to lead three thousand men to set up an ambush at Bowangpo.

That night.

The moon is dark and the wind is high.

The early spring nights are still chilly.

In Cao Ren’s camp.

The camps were on high alert, even more so than usual.

In recent years, Cao Ren's military record has been a mess. He was either beaten by Guan Yu in Fancheng or by Liu Bei in Fancheng. Even at Ruxukou he was ridiculed by Sun Quan.

Not to mention the "General of Heaven", even this "Great General" is increasingly being questioned.

Therefore, Cao Ren became more cautious and conservative in the use of troops and was unwilling to take risks easily.

Not only was he ordered that all camps were not allowed to go out into battle without orders during the day, but at night he also arranged for the generals to take turns patrolling in pairs.

In the first half of the night, Zhu Gai and Yin Shu were in charge, and in the second half, Xu Shang and Lu Jian were in charge. Cao Tai, Chang Diao, Zhuge Qian and Wang Shuang were also ordered to guard the four sides of the camp.

Even his eldest son Cao Tai could not understand such a cautious style.

The other party was just a small lieutenant general under Liu Feng, and it was very likely that he was promoted through connections. It was not worth Cao Ren's caution at all.

Using the same method of guarding against generals like Liu Feng, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong to guard against Kou Anguo is like killing a chicken with a butcher knife.

South camp.

Cao Tai, feeling depressed, asked his personal guard officer Cao Fang to get some wine.

Looking at Cao Tai, whose face was full of "Don't mess with me", Cao Fang gritted his teeth and advised:

"General, the general has already issued a military order that alcohol is prohibited in the camp without permission."

next moment.

Cao Fang felt like he was falling into an icy cave.

Cao Tai's cold voice sounded: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Cao Fang was so frightened that he immediately apologized: "General, calm down, I dare not!"

A cold snort followed.

Cao Fang gritted his teeth and dared not persuade him anymore. He fetched some wine to warm up Cao Tai.

Looking at Cao Tai who was drinking sip by sip, Cao Fang secretly found an excuse: the general is the son of the great general and should not be punished.

While drinking, Cao Tai cursed Kou Anguo's three generations of ancestors who had challenged him to a fight in broad daylight.

When he was cursing angrily, he gritted his teeth and his eyes were wide open.

After finishing the wine, Cao Tai took off his armor and went to bed cursing.

As the saying goes: What you think about during the day, you dream about at night.

In a dream.

Cao Tai saw Kou Anguo showing off his might in front of the enemy and was furious. He shouted and rushed into the battle line, then shot Kou Anguo down with one shot.

Then he rode his horse between the two camps, shouting in delight.

"General, wake up! General, wake up!"

Cao Tai, who was killing people everywhere in his dream, was awakened by Cao Fang.

After glancing around in confusion, Cao Tai could not help but shout angrily: "Why did you scare me?"

The dream of killing everyone in the dream was suddenly cut short, and Cao Tai just wanted to take a nap to continue the dream.

Cao Fang said anxiously: "General, there are bandits raiding our camp!"

Hijacking the camp?

Do you really dare to raid the camp?
Cao Tai was no longer sleepy, he suddenly stood up and asked, "Who is coming?"

Cao Fang shook his head: "I didn't hear clearly, General Xu has already led his troops to fight."

The "General Xu" that Cao Fang mentioned was the night patroller Xu Shang.

Xu Shang happened to be inspecting the south gate and was surprised to see Kou Anguo leading his troops to raid the camp, so he led his troops to meet them and ordered the "enemy attack" horn to be blown.

Cao Tai was already full of anger, and was woken up from his dream by Cao Fang. He was extremely annoyed and wanted to find someone to kill.

Immediately.

Cao Tai put on armor and held a gun, and called on the elite guards to charge straight at the South Gate.

Seeing Xu Shang commanding his soldiers to guard the camp, Cao Tai rode his horse and shouted, "General Xu, who dares to raid the camp?"

Xu Shang called back, his tone somewhat angry: "It's that bastard Kou Anguo!"

Hearing the words "Kou Anguo", Cao Tai's anger soared again: "Good! Good! Good! I didn't go looking for him, but he came looking for me.

General Xu, the Han dogs have raided our camp, so they must not have too many soldiers and horses. You and I will fight together and capture Kou Anguo alive!"

Xu Shang hesitated: "But the general has ordered that if someone raids the camp tonight, we can only defend it and not leave the camp to prevent an ambush by the Han dogs."

Cao Tai shouted angrily: "Kou Anguo is just a small lieutenant. He challenged me to a fight in the daytime and raided my camp at night. You can tolerate such contempt for the general, but I cannot! If you don't want me to, I will go out of the camp and fight you!"

How can a kid like that set up an ambush? Look, I will seize Bowangpo tonight, kill Kou Anguo, and vent the anger of the general."

Done.

Cao Tai personally led the infantry and cavalry out, and shouted angrily: "I am Cao Tai, the son of the general. You dog thief An Guo, do you dare to fight me?"

Kou Anguo heard shouts faintly and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a flag with the word "Cao" on it and saw that the number of Cao's soldiers was increasing, so he didn't want to fight anymore.

As soon as the horn sounded, the Han soldiers followed Kou Anguo and ran away.

Seeing that Kou Anguo was about to escape, Cao Tai was even more unwilling to give up the pursuit. He drove his troops in pursuit while shouting "Capture and kill the Han dog Kou Anguo, and there will be a huge reward."

Xu Shang was worried that Cao Tai might be in danger, so he sent someone to inform Cao Ren while leading his troops to support him.

The chase won't last long.

Yue Ju and Yang Xing rushed out from the side and said, "General, don't panic. We are here!"

Kou Anguo turned around and shouted, "Kou Anguo is here, who among you dares to fight? Haha!"

Seeing this, Cao Tai became extremely aggressive and advanced instead of retreating: "What can a mere ambush do to me!"

And the rear.

Seeing the Han soldiers' ambush, Xu Shang also rushed over and said, "Don't panic, General Xu Shang is here!"

Both sides responded with support, and the fight became a melee, with neither side willing to yield.

And in the big camp in the rear.

Cao Ren was shocked to hear that Cao Tai had disobeyed orders and left the camp. He said, "How dare you disobey my orders, fool!"

If anyone else disobeyed orders, Cao Ren would directly punish them by military law and execute them; but when his eldest son disobeyed orders, Cao Ren did not dare to really execute him.

Fearing that Cao Tai would be defeated again, Cao Ren urgently ordered Generals Zhu Gai and Yin Shu to lead troops to provide support. He also ordered Chang Diao to lead Zhuge Qian and Wang Shuang to guard the camp to prevent Han troops from taking advantage of the situation and invading.

Subsequently.

Cao Ren personally led the cavalry out of the camp to provide support.

Although his fighting spirit was not as strong as before, Cao Ren's ability to command the troops was not diminished. Instead, it became even more handy.

Seeing Cao's army approaching, Kou Anguo did not want to fight anymore and sounded the horn to retreat again, fighting as he went.

Cao Tai hated Kou Anguo deeply, but relying on the support of a large army in the rear, he refused to retreat and instead held on to the rear of the Han army.

When they reached a narrow place, Xu Shang chased them from behind.

He urged: "General Cao, this is Bowangpo, where Liu Bei once set up an ambush to defeat the late General Xiahou. The road ahead is narrow and difficult to guard in the dark. If Kou Anguo sets up another ambush, our army will be unable to advance or retreat, and it will be dangerous."

Cao Tai reacted instantly. Looking at the dark and narrow mountain road ahead, he felt a cold wind blowing in his face, and the air of death was everywhere, which dispelled the last trace of Cao Tai's drunkenness.

"Humph! Let's spare this fellow for now!"

Cao Tai did not choose to continue the pursuit.

Although he was angry, Cao Tai was not a forgetful person.

Since ancient times, it is difficult for a surprise attack or ambush at the same location to succeed a second time because future generations will regard it as a lesson from the past.

Just like after Han Xin secretly crossed Chencang, any slightly more powerful general in later generations would deploy heavy troops in Chencang.

To achieve victory by surprise, the key is surprise.

If everyone had guessed it, it wouldn't be surprising.

Cao Tai did not withdraw his troops, but ordered the soldiers to rest on the spot.

Cao Tai only listened to half of Xu Shang's words: It is difficult to guard against at night, but it is easy to guard against during the day.

Taking advantage of Kou Anguo's recent defeat in the raid, Cao Tai wanted to make a final move.

In this regard.

Xu Shang didn't try to persuade him any further.

As long as Cao Tai did not seek merit and act rashly, he would not have been ambushed by the Han army.

When Cao Ren arrives later, he will naturally restrain Cao Tai, and there is no need for Xu Shang to offend Cao Tai at this time.

After a while.

Cao Ren came on horseback.

When Cao Ren saw Cao Tai, his face turned dark and he ordered his men to arrest Cao Tai.

"General, why are you arresting me?"

Cao Tai had no idea how angry Cao Ren was for disobeying orders tonight, and he struggled to ask back.

Cao Ren, however, whipped Cao Tai with a whip and shouted, "You disobeyed my military orders and didn't even know it? Your crime is even more serious!"

Cao Tai hurriedly explained: "General, please calm down. During the day, the enemy An Guo insulted you, and I was angry, so I went out of the camp to chase him. I just regret that the road ahead is narrow and it is difficult to guard against it in the dark, so I want to wait until dawn to chase him."

Cao Ren raised his voice, unable to suppress his anger: "Do you still want to chase me? Are you still unaware of your guilt?"

Cao Tai said confidently: "In public, the general has been humiliated, and all of us generals should kill Kou Anguo to vent his anger; privately, as the general's son, my father has been humiliated, how can a son not be filial and kill the one who humiliated his father? I am not guilty!"

Seeing this, Xu Shang hurriedly stepped forward and advised: "General, calm down. If General Cao had not been here tonight, I might not have been able to defeat Kou Anguo. General Cao was eager to kill Kou Anguo, and although it violated military orders, it was understandable."

Xu Shang is a man who knows how to talk.

It not only gave Cao Ren a way out, but also did Cao Tai a favor.

Zhu Gai and Yin Shu, who followed him, also came forward to persuade him. Some thought that "punishing Cao Tai would damage morale" and some thought that "blaming the general for victory would only make the Han army laugh at him."

Seeing that all the generals were impressed by Cao Tai's beauty, Cao Ren's anger gradually subsided.

Cao Ren, who had no intention of really punishing Cao Tai, took advantage of the situation and asked his subordinates to let Cao Tai go.

Seeing that Cao Ren had calmed down, Cao Tai said, "General, Wancheng is under siege now. If we cannot pass Bowangpo as soon as possible, I am afraid that the morale of the people in Wancheng will be difficult to improve.

I admit that Kou Anguo is quite capable. He actually dared to raid the camp tonight and even deployed troops outside the camp to support us in advance.

However, Kou Anguo's skills only reached this point. Although Bowangpo was strategically important, he did not rely on it to defend the place but chose to provoke a fight and raid the camp, which showed that he was guilty.

As long as the army is on the front line, Kou Anguo will be defeated!"

Seeing Cao Ren, he remained silent.

Cao Tai asked anxiously: "General, please forgive my ignorance, I really don't know why you are so afraid of a small Han dog general.

He is just a cousin of Liu Feng's Kou clan, not Liu Feng himself, so why should we be afraid? If we continue to be so cautious, the morale of the generals may be damaged."

Cao Ren glanced around.

When he saw generals Xu Shang, Zhu Gai, Yin Shu and others, they all looked confused.

He then sighed and said, "You guys only know how to charge and kill, but you don't understand the overall situation. Although Kou Anguo is just a small general, Liu Feng is a good fighter.

You all can guess it, how could Liu Feng not know it?
It is true that Kou Anguo is Liu Feng's relative, but since Liu Feng became famous in Jingzhou, has he ever suffered a defeat?

Would Liu Feng allow Bowangpo to fall into our hands?

Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang are experienced in battles. Even if they cannot repel Liu Feng's troops, they are more than capable of defending Wancheng. Why should they rush there?

If we are greedy for merit and advance recklessly, once we fail, at best the morale of Wancheng will be crushed, and at worst Liu Feng will break into the city and kill the generals.

You must remember: Your Majesty sent us to reinforce Wancheng not to kill the generals and defeat the enemy, but to buy time for Your Majesty to requisition food and fodder for the army.

As long as we are not defeated, even if we cannot pass Bowangpo, Liu Feng will not be able to take Wancheng!

I will only say this once, if you can understand then understand, if you can't then just obey me, if anyone violates my military orders again, even if it's my son, I will kill him without mercy!"

Cao Ren emphasized the tone of his last sentence and stared at Cao Tai sharply.

Obviously.

The last sentence is specifically for Cao Tai to hear!

Subsequently.

Cao Ren led his troops back to the camp, reorganized the troops, and recuperated.

Huang Zhong, who had been lying in ambush at Bowangpo for a whole night, saw that Cao Ren actually retreated at the critical moment. He could not help but secretly marvel: Cao Ren is so cautious, it will be difficult to defeat him!

Yue Ju and Kou Anguo also secretly felt regretful.

Cao Tai chased the enemy to a narrow place, but he turned back abruptly.

The fighting tonight also made Yue Ju and Kou Anguo realize that if they could not rely on the narrow terrain of Bowangpo, they would not be able to compete with Cao Ren’s infantry and cavalry on flat ground!
"Old General, what should we do now?" Yue Ju was at a loss and looked at Huang Zhong to ask questions.

Huang Zhong frowned and pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Arrange the soldiers to cut down trees and reinforce the camp. Since we cannot lure Cao Ren into a trap, we should guard Bowangpo carefully."

Subsequently.

Huang Zhong also sent scouts back to the main camp outside Wancheng to report in detail everything that happened before and after the battle with Cao Ren at Bowangpo.

After careful analysis, Yu Fan asserted: "Cao Ren was not worried about the loss of Wancheng at all. In addition to believing that Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang could hold Wancheng, he also wanted to delay.

I guess that Cao Pi is very likely to dispatch troops from all directions behind Cao Ren to deal with your majesty's subsequent troops.

Your Majesty, it’s time to head north!”

Liu Feng chuckled, "Mr. Zhongxiang's thoughts coincide with mine. Cao Pi must still be hesitating whether Your Majesty really intends to fight a decisive battle. If so, let's add fuel to Cao Pi's fire and make his suspicion burn even more fiercely."

Originally, Liu Feng wanted Huang Zhong to ambush Cao Ren at Bowangpo. If successful, it would greatly undermine the morale of the people in Wancheng.

They could also take the opportunity to capture Wancheng, and then use Wancheng as a stronghold to create the momentum of attacking Luoyang, forcing Cao Pi to focus all his attention in the direction of Wancheng.

And now.

This tactical objective was not achieved.

Although he felt a little regretful, Liu Feng was not discouraged.

In a battle between evenly matched opponents, it is normal for tactical goals to not be achieved.

Cao Pi is not a soft persimmon that can be manipulated by Liu Feng.

The key point is: if one plan fails, can you come up with another one?

And now.

After the plan to lure the enemy at Bowangpo failed, Liu Feng planned to give Cao Pi a severe blow: invite Emperor Liu Bei to Wancheng to offer sacrifices to heaven!
When Liu Bei offered sacrifices to heaven in Wancheng, the nature of the battlefield changed.

In the southern suburbs, people worship the heaven, and in the northern suburbs, people worship the earth.

Normally, sacrifices are offered outside one's own capital city in order to pray for peace and prosperity for the country; but offering sacrifices outside the enemy's city as is being done now, the symbolic meaning is different.

Offering sacrifices to heaven in the southern suburbs is a ritual exclusive to emperors. Liu Bei offered sacrifices to heaven in enemy territory (Wancheng) as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, symbolizing that Wancheng was "destined to be under the control of heaven", which was to strengthen the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty.

In short: I have captured Wancheng, and even if Cao Pi comes, he won’t be able to defend it. I say that!
Cao Pi's many speculations about Liu Bei's strategic intentions will also be put aside when Liu Bei appears in Wancheng.

Yu Fan added: "In order to avoid any accidents before your majesty arrives, we have to increase the defense of Bowangpo."

Liu Feng nodded: "This is easy.

It just so happened that Zhang Sili had also arrived, so he could set up a camp to the west of Wancheng, and Zhao Zhengnan to the east of Wancheng, thus forming a pincer attack with General Huang Lao at Bowangpo.

They could provide reinforcements when Cao Ren was attacking Bowangpo, and could also be on guard against Xu Huang in Wancheng's sneak attack on Bowangpo.

I will build an altar in the south of Wancheng, prepare all the necessary things for offering sacrifices to the heavens after my father arrives, and leave a few small paths so that Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang have a chance to send scouts to deliver messages. "

Whether it was letting Kou Anguo be the main general at Bowangpo or inviting Liu Bei to appear in Wancheng, the essence was to confuse the monarch and ministers of Cao Wei. Liu Feng naturally did not mind leaving a few small roads for Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang in Wancheng.

Although Liu Feng had a chance to capture Wancheng if he led his troops to attack it, the damage would be too great and he would also be vulnerable to a counterattack from Cao Wei's army.

Taking down Wancheng does not mean obtaining Wancheng. Only by repelling the counterattack of Cao Wei’s army can we truly advance the defense line.

Otherwise, even if they temporarily obtained Wancheng, they would eventually have to give up Wancheng and retreat back to Fancheng.

But if that happens, the battle will be fought in vain!
The messenger rode at full speed and delivered Liu Feng's handwritten document to Liu Bei.

Upon learning that Cao Ren was being cautious and showing signs of delaying at Bowangpo, Liu Bei made a prompt decision. After leaving Guan Yu in Xiangyang to coordinate all parties, he took the Bai Li soldiers and headed straight for Wancheng.

Five days.

Liu Bei arrived at the Han army camp outside Wancheng.

Liu Feng had already set up the altar and prepared the items for the emperor to offer sacrifices to heaven.

"I am incompetent and have caused you to come all this trouble. Please punish me." Liu Feng went up to Liu Bei and bowed to plead guilty.

As the vanguard of the attack on Wei, the original intention was not to let Liu Bei be tired, but in the end, Liu Bei still came to Wancheng.

Liu Feng also felt guilty in his heart.

Liu Bei didn't care about this. He laughed and comforted him, "My son can make the famous generals of Cao Wei either stay in the city or hesitate to move forward. He is already a great talent. How can he call himself 'incompetent'? If my son is incompetent, then the famous generals of Cao Wei are all a bunch of good-for-nothings."

Liu Feng was touched. After reminiscing about the past for a while, he welcomed Liu Bei to the altar and said, "All the things needed for offering sacrifices to the heaven have been prepared. If we offer sacrifices to the heaven at this location, Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang in Wancheng will be able to see and hear us."

Speaking of this, Liu Feng couldn't help but smile.

Just as Liu Feng said.

Ever since Liu Feng had been building an altar and preparing sacrifices to heaven outside the south gate of Wancheng with great fanfare, Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang had been paying close attention to and speculating on Liu Feng's intentions every day.

Liu Feng ignored Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang and just focused on making preparations.

And today.

When the emperor's big tooth flag appeared on the altar, Xu Huang and Xiahou Shang on the city wall widened their eyes and stared in disbelief at the emperor's big tooth flag swaying in the wind on the altar.

The appearance of the emperor's big flag meant that Liu Bei had also arrived at Wancheng.

"What is Liu Bei going to do?"

"Just to fight for Wancheng, Liu Bei has to lead the army in person?"

Neither Xiahou Shang nor Xu Huang could understand Liu Bei's intention.

Although Wancheng is an important city, there is no need for Liu Bei to fight for it personally. At least Luoyang is the city that is qualified for Liu Bei to fight for in person.

"Luoyang?"

Suddenly.

Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang looked at each other and both subconsciously uttered the word "Luoyang".

"We must immediately send someone to Luoyang to convey a message to His Majesty. Liu Bei is personally visiting Wancheng, and his intention must be in Luoyang. If Your Majesty does not send a large army to support us, we will definitely not be able to defend Wancheng!" Xu Huang's tone became solemn.

If it were only Liu Feng, Wancheng could still be defended.

But when Liu Bei came, things became unpredictable.

Liu Feng's words could be a lie; but Liu Bei's words were the emperor's words.

There were already many people in the counties of Nanyang who responded. If Liu Bei promised high positions, generous salaries or other benefits, not to mention the counties of Nanyang, there would probably be people in Wancheng who would want to surrender to the Han.

This is essentially the same as Cao Pi appointing Cao Rui as the crown prince to supervise the wars in Yong and Liang.

If Liu Bei sent a prince and Cao Pi did not, he would be suppressed. The prince is the heir to the throne, and the promises must be fulfilled. If the prince is not the prince, it will be different. This is called deception in war.

same.

If Liu Bei came to Wancheng and Cao Pi did not come to Nanyang, he would still be suppressed by Liu Bei.

War is the continuation of politics.

It can be a test of the bravery of the soldiers on both sides, or it can be a test of the reputation of the emperors on both sides.

For ordinary officials, soldiers and civilians, the key to whether to follow Cao Pi or Liu Bei is "who gives more."

Talking about loyalty, that's too far away.

For example, the counties in Nanyang have followed Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, Zhang Xiu and Cao Cao successively. To whom should they be loyal?

Xiahou Shang also realized the seriousness of the problem, and could not hide his worry in his tone: "But now, Zhang Fei is in the west, Zhao Yun is in the east, and Bowangpo in the north has also been seized by Liu Feng's troops. How can the messenger get through?"

Xu Huang took a deep breath and said, "Liu Feng can only send troops to seize the main road of Bowangpo, but cannot block all the mountain roads.

Send more scouts and have them take smaller routes. As long as one route can pass through Bowangpo smoothly, Your Majesty will be able to learn about the changes in Wancheng.

I just hope that Your Majesty can send troops as soon as possible, otherwise if Liu Bei completely wins over the counties of Nanyang, we will be trapped."

Xiahou Shang and Xu Huang were dispatching messengers.

Liu Bei also changed into the clothes for offering sacrifices to heaven, climbed onto the altar, and read the sacrificial text.

Summary of the memorial:

The land of Wancheng was originally Han territory, with tens of thousands of people, but now it is infested with wolves.

I hold my sword in my hand and march to the southern suburbs, vowing to cleanse the world, punish all the villains, and recover my old territory.

I only hope that the Heaven will watch over us and the Earth will see clearly.

I wish that the soldiers will fight bravely, break through the enemy lines, and raise the banner of Yan Han;
Second, I wish that the loyal souls can have a home, be feasted with blood, and comfort their heroic spirits in the netherworld;

Third, I wish that the people will be loyal to me, be provided with food and drink, and open a smooth path for the royal army.

I will personally hold the drumsticks and drink from the Luo River with you all.

After the memorial, Liu Bei drew his sword and swore an oath to his troops, and the shouts of his soldiers resounded through the sky.

The Wei army officers and soldiers on the top of Wancheng city all changed color.

(End of this chapter)