My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 126 You are plotting to murder your husband! Liu Bei: Switch from defense to offense, I want to kick open the gate of Jiangdong!

"I just hugged her for a bit, it won't kill me..."

Xiao He's drunkenness was instantly dispelled, and he secretly groaned in his heart.

He opened his eyes to see what Guan Yinping, who was looking down at him, was doing, but suddenly found that his view was blocked and he couldn't see her face.

Goodness, I only remembered her martial arts prowess before, but I didn't realize that her superiority wasn't just in martial arts, but also...

Just when Xiao He was secretly blaming himself for not knowing how to appreciate him, Guan Yinping had come to her senses, quickly let go of his hands, and got off him.

"I didn't hurt you, did I? How's your arm? Does it hurt?"

"Who would have thought that you would follow those scoundrels and dare to—"

Guan Yinping felt both distressed and complaining, her expression sometimes angry and sometimes embarrassed.

Looking at that rosy face and listening to her mumbling, Xiao He's heart moved again.

After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and grabbed her slender waist, pulling her into his arms again.

"you--"

Guan Yinping was shocked. She didn't expect that he would dare to "flirt" with her, and she instinctively wanted to resist.

But this time, when she put her hands on Xiao He's chest and was about to push him away, her heart suddenly shook, as if she suddenly understood something.

Just as she was about to exert force, she hesitated for a moment and then let go.

Guan Yinping did not resist, but with her face flushed and her heart pounding, she was obediently embraced by Xiao He.

"Yinping, since when did you start to like me?"

Xiao He held her waist tightly with one hand and stroked her long black hair with the other.

As soon as these words came out of her mouth, Guan Yinping's eyes suddenly became blurred, and she felt so excited that she was crying with joy.

Even a fool could understand that this sentence meant that Xiao He had understood her feelings.

Not only did he understand, he also accepted her feelings.

"Bah, who's into you? You're just being sentimental~~"

Guan Yinping broke free from his arms, punched him lightly on the shoulder with her little fist, and complained unhappily.

When she punched him lightly, Xiao He cried out "Ouch" and grimaced in pain.

Guan Yinping suddenly became worried again, and hurriedly rubbed his shoulders with a distressed look on her face.

"Luckily, my shoulder isn't broken. Can we make a deal? From now on, we should use words instead of fists. My body can't withstand a beating from a tiger girl like you..."

Xiao He held her hand and discussed the conditions seriously.

Guan Yinping laughed and snorted:
"A gentleman uses his mouth, not his fists, but I'm a woman, not a gentleman."

"Besides, who told you to be so stupid? You only realized my feelings now, you really deserve a beating~~"

Guan Yinping pretended to be angry and raised her fist as if to hit again.

Xiao Heze grasped her wrist and said seriously:

"If you punch me with that one, I'm afraid you'll break me apart. That would be murdering your husband!"

Hearing the words "plotting to murder your own husband", Guan Yinping's heart blossomed and her pretty face turned red with shame, but she could not bring her fist down again.

"Bah, you haven't even kissed me yet, how can you be my husband? Aren't you ashamed~~"

Guan Yinping put down her fist and turned around. Although she was complaining, she was actually chuckling.

The originally aloof heroine now looked shy and delicate like a beautiful girl from a small family. This contrast made Xiao He's heart beat faster.

So, he turned Guan Yinping over, put his arm around her slender waist, and lifted up her rosy face with the other.

"What...what do you want to do?"

Guan Yinping fluttered her eyelashes, and her shy eyes flashed with clarity and innocence.

"Didn't you say you didn't even kiss me? I'll make it up to you now."

Xiao He smiled with good intentions, lowered his head slightly, and moved closer.

"I mean we didn't even kiss, not that we didn't even kiss..."

Before Guan Yinping finished speaking, she suddenly understood what Xiao He's intention was.

In an instant, the originally innocent and clear look in her eyes was replaced by deep shame, and her heart was pounding as if it was about to burst out of her chest.

She was fearless and could kill people without blinking an eye on the battlefield, but now she was so nervous that she was at a loss. Her nose twitched rapidly, her pearly teeth bit her red lips, and she looked at the handsome face approaching little by little with expectant yet panic eyes.

Just a stone's throw away.

"No, we haven't gotten married yet~~"

Guan Yinping suddenly woke up, let out a soft cry of complaint, and gently pushed Xiao He away with both hands.

"It's getting late, you should rest early. I...I...I'm leaving first~~"

After saying that, Guan Yinping lowered her head, smoothed her hair, and walked out in two steps.

With a bang, the door was closed and Xiao He was left in the room.

"You're not afraid of being killed, but you're afraid of this?"

"It seems that the tiger girl of the Guan family also has a weak spot..."

Xiao He shook his head and smiled.

We didn't get to kiss each other, but the truth is that it's only a matter of time. There's no need to be anxious.

Recalling the hints and reminders made by Liu Bei at the provincial banquet, they should have been discussed with Guan Yu. The two brothers intended to match him with Guan Yinping.

Since this is the case, there is nothing to worry about. After this battle, I will propose to the man with the beautiful beard.

Having made up his mind and put his mind at ease, Xiao He felt refreshed both physically and mentally, and fell into a deep sleep.

outside the room.

Guan Yinping was leaning against the door, pressing her hand on her chest and breathing heavily.

I touched my face gently and it was already burning hot.

"Guan Yinping, oh Guan Yinping, look how panicked you are. He actually made a fool of you. What is there to be afraid of..."

As her mood gradually calmed down, she began to complain about her "cowardice" and suddenly felt a little regretful.

When I wanted to go back, I heard Xiao He's snoring in the room. In a moment, he had fallen asleep.

In the darkness of the night, a slightly melancholy sigh was heard.

...

Xudu, the prime minister's residence.

"Big-eared thief, by what means did you convince Liu Zhang to betray me and help you capture Jiangling?"

Cao Cao in the mansion hall was furious, holding the information about the fall of Jiangling.

He thought about it for three days and three nights, but couldn't figure out what was wrong with Liu Zhang that he dared to play tricks on him like this.

"If Ruoyu's guess is correct, it must be Zhang Song, who harbored resentment towards the Prime Minister for his negligence, and therefore persuaded Liu Zhang to secretly form an alliance with Liu Bei."

"As for Liu Bei's plan of using the Shu army as bait to lure the snake out of its hole, such a brilliant plan must have come from Xiao He." Xun Yu stroked his thin beard lightly and guessed the mystery.

Cao Cao suddenly came to his senses, and the name "Zhang Song" rang in his mind again.

If I had known that Zhang Song had the power to influence Liu Zhang's position, I should have treated him with courtesy and tried to win him over.

Cao Cao gritted his teeth secretly and couldn't help feeling a little regretful.

"Our allied forces have retreated to Chaisang. Liu Bei has now conquered Jiangling and completely controlled Jingzhou. His power has grown and he has become a powerful force."

Xun Yu sighed again and stabbed Cao Cao again.

Cao Cao felt a pang of pain in his heart, and slammed the table and said angrily:

"I have expended countless sums of money, food, and troops, yet I have not acquired an inch of Jingzhou. Instead, that big-eared thief has taken advantage and swallowed up Jingzhou. How can I tolerate this?"

"I will personally lead the army and march south again to destroy the big-eared thief!"

Seeing that Cao Cao was furious and was about to take Jingzhou again, Xun Yu's face changed slightly.

"Prime Minister, Liu Bei has already captured Jingzhou. Without a navy, even if our army marches south to Jingzhou again, I'm afraid we will return empty-handed."

"Liu Bei and Sun Quan are now at loggerheads. I predict that within a few months he will mobilize his entire army and march eastward, aiming to seize Jiangdong."

"I think the Prime Minister should order Cao Zilian and his men to remain stationed in Chaisang to help Sun Quan stop Liu Bei and seal him off in Jingzhou, preventing him from expanding his territory."

"The Prime Minister can take this opportunity to eliminate the generals in Guanzhong once and for all, completely bring Guanlong and Liangzhou under the imperial court, and truly unify the north."

"In this way, the Prime Minister can march south without any worries!"

Xun Yu and Guan were not simply opposed, they also planned a strategy for Cao Cao.

Cao Cao stood up and paced in the hall, as if lost in thought.

"With my 30,000 infantry and cavalry, plus Sun Quan's navy, it should be no problem to pin the big-eared thief down in Chaisang."

"Until Han Sui and Ma Chao, the scoundrels in Guanzhong, are eliminated, the north will remain in turmoil. How can I march south with peace of mind?"

"Wen Ruo's strategy is indeed the best one..."

After pondering for a long time, Cao Cao suppressed his anger and reluctantly waved his hand:

"Let's follow Wen Ruo's plan and have Zi Lian and the others cooperate with Sun Quan to lock up the big-eared thief in Jingzhou!"

"After I have defeated the Han and Ma bandits, taken over Guanzhong and Liangzhou, and completely pacified the north, I will then march south to deal with that big-eared thief!"

...

In the autumn of that year, Cao Cao began to gather troops in Hongnong under the pretext of attacking Zhang Lu.

The following month, Liu Bei issued the "Exhortation to Punish Sun Quan", listing Sun Quan's crimes of slaughtering people at Xiakou, breaking the alliance twice, and surrendering to Cao and rebelling against the Han Dynasty, and announced that he would swear to attack him.

Zhuge Liang was still in charge of Xiangyang, one to guard against Cao Cao in the north, and the other to raise supplies of food and military supplies for the front line.

A total of about 20,000 troops were deployed in the important cities of Xinye, Fancheng and Xiangyang to ensure the safety of northern Jing.

Wei Yan, who was originally guarding Xiakou, was transferred to Jiangling, and Zhang Fei replaced Wei Yan and stayed in Xiakou.

Liu Bei, together with Guan Yu, led an army of more than 50,000 soldiers and sailors, marching eastward from Wuchang down the river and heading straight for Chaisang.

In the early winter of that year, 50,000 Liu troops entered the enemy territory and reached the Chaisang River area.

At this time, Sun Quan had appointed Lu Meng as the commander-in-chief, commanding more than 50,000 Cao-Sun coalition troops to retreat to the Chaisang line.

Lu Meng stationed his army in the northwest of Chaisang, relying on the mountainous and narrow terrain on the south bank to block Liu's army's advance along the south bank land route to Chaisang.

In view of the coalition's deployment, Liu Bei stationed 50,000 troops on the relatively flat and open north bank, and built water and land camps along the river.

The two armies formed a confrontation across the river at Chaisang.

On the south bank, the allied camp.

There was a lot of noise inside the central army tent.

The right commander-in-chief, Han Dang, clamored to lead the navy out in full force, taking advantage of the fact that Liu's army had not yet established a stable camp, to destroy Guan Yu's navy in one fell swoop, march to the north bank, kill Liu Bei, and avenge his old brother Cheng Pu.

Ling Tong, Xu Sheng and other generals from Jiangdong also joined in the fun, challenging each other to a fight in order to avenge their previous humiliation.

Lu Meng frowned, and the tea in his hand made a crackling sound.

He knew clearly that Han Dang and Ling Tong were not obedient to him as the naval commander.

There was no way around it. His qualifications and prestige were too shallow. In just less than a year and a half, he succeeded Zhou Yu and was promoted to the position of commander-in-chief like a rocket.

Not to mention Han Dang, a veteran of the third generation of the Sun family, even the younger generation of generals like Ling Tong were dissatisfied with him.

Lu Meng himself had also resigned from Sun Quan, and Zhou Yu continued to serve as the commander-in-chief, with himself serving as Zhou Yu's deputy.

However, Sun Quan rejected Zhou Yu's resignation on the grounds that Zhou Yu was bedridden and unable to lead the army. He also had high hopes for Zhou Yu and ordered him to take up the responsibility of fighting against Liu Bei in times of crisis.

Lu Meng had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the position of Grand Commander.

But before he could even get comfortable, Han Dang and his gang started causing trouble for him when they met in the tent for the first meeting.

"Commander-in-Chief Lu, we almost ran out of arrows during our previous attack on Wuchang. Now that the battle is about to begin, our army has not yet replenished the missing arrows. We only have a little over 50,000 arrows left."

"I'd like to ask, when will you in Jiangdong be able to replenish the arrows you need? You can't possibly be helping you fight Liu Bei, but you can't even afford a few arrows and still ask us to ship them from Hefei."

Cao Hong also complained with a dissatisfied look on his face.

Obviously, this general of the Cao family was also dissatisfied with him as the nominal commander of the coalition forces.

Cao Cao had instructed Cao Hong to prioritize the overall goal of defeating Liu Bei and to temporarily lower his status and obey Sun Quan's unified orders.

Although Cao Hong obeyed orders, it did not mean that he would not embarrass Lu Meng and vent his dissatisfaction.

Faced with the provocations from his own men such as Han Dang, and the difficulties posed by his friendly army Cao Hong, Lu Meng stroked his beard lightly and pondered in silence.

"Ziming, you have to find ways to establish your authority so that they will obey you..."

Sun Yu, who was beside him, reminded him in a low voice.

This member of the Sun clan was known for his composure and sensibility, and was specially arranged by Sun Quan to be Lu Meng's deputy.

After all, as Sun Quan's cousin, Sun Yu's words carry some weight in the army, which helps Lu Meng suppress the voices of dissatisfaction.

"Establish your authority, establish your authority..."

Lu Meng's thoughts raced, as if he was thinking about something.

"General Lu, when will Jiangdong be able to replenish its arrows? Can you give me a definite answer?"

Seeing that he didn't answer, Cao Hong asked impatiently.

Arrows...

Lu Meng looked through the open tent door and looked towards Liu's camp on the north bank.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before my eyes.

Lu Meng raised the corner of his mouth slightly and smiled coldly:
"It's just a few arrows. General Cao, why worry so much? Within three days, I will replenish 100,000 arrows for our coalition forces!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the tent fell silent.

Han Dang, Cao Hong and other generals of the coalition army all looked at Lu Meng with surprise and doubt.

(End of this chapter)