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

Chapter 201 Let Cao Cao lose more than he gains! Xiao He: Exchange Cao Zhi for Shouchun City, we both win!

Xiao He smiled.

As he expected, as Cao Zhi's trusted adviser, Yang Xiu came here naturally for Cao Zhi.

What was unexpected was that there was a Lady Bian behind Yang Xiu.

As Cao Cao's legal wife, Bian was really brave enough to send her confidant to visit Lao Liu, her mortal enemy, without Cao Cao's knowledge.

But on second thought, it makes sense.

Bian had four sons: Pi, Zhang, Zhi, and Xiong.

Cao Zhang was killed by Gan Ning in the Battle of Yandu, and Cao Xiong died of illness in his early years. Two of his four sons were already dead. If Cao Zhi also died, Cao Pi would be the only one left.

It was reasonable for Bian, who was eager to save her son, to come to see Liu Bang without telling Cao Cao and ask him not to kill Cao Zhi.

Liu Bei quickly figured this out, and since he had no intention of killing Cao Zhi, he was about to speak.

The words remained unspoken.

Xiao He's eyes turned, but he sneered first:

"Cao Cao is a Han minister, and the entire Cao family is a traitor to the Han Dynasty, and anyone can kill them."

"Yang Xiu, tell me, why didn't my general kill Cao Zhi?"

Pang Tong saw Xiao He's intention at a glance, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Military Advisor Xiao didn't want Liu Bei to suffer any loss, so he wanted to take this opportunity to negotiate terms with Bian and Yang Xiu.

Yang Xiu hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said:

"My wife said that as long as Lord Xuande doesn't kill our son, Zijian, we can reveal a secret military intelligence to him as a token of our gratitude."

Xiao He sneered secretly.

As he expected, Yang Xiu was not planning to get something for nothing, but came with conditions.

"What kind of military intelligence could be worth Cao Zhi's life?"

However, Xiao He did not ask Liu Bei to agree on the spot, but wanted to test the value of the information first.

Yang Xiu said confidently:

"This piece of information is related to the war situation in Huainan and the success or failure of Shouchun. Xiu dares to guarantee it with his life. It must be worth exchanging it for the life of my son Zijian."

It concerns the gains and losses of Shouchun...well, the value is barely enough.

Xiao He turned around and nodded slightly to Liu Bei, hinting with his eyes.

Liu Bei understood Xiao He's thoughts and said:

"If, as you say, this military intelligence is truly so important, then I will agree to your terms and spare Cao Zhi's life."

Yang Xiu secretly rejoiced, and after thinking for a moment, he lowered his voice and said:

"This secret was revealed a few days ago by our wife from General Yuan Rang. She said the Prime Minister had secretly ordered Xiahou Mao and Zhang Yan to mobilize approximately 5,000 troops from the capital, under the pretext of transporting grain to Nanyang."

"Halfway along, these five thousand troops changed course and headed east, rushing through the Ying River at full speed to attack Yingkou City. They opened up the route from Xudu southward to the Huai River, threatening your army from upstream and forcing you to dispatch a large force to retake Yingkou and relieve the pressure on Shouchun."

Yang Xiu leaked the so-called confidential military information.

Liu Bei's eyes trembled slightly, and he stood up suddenly and walked to the sand table in a few steps.

Yingkou City is where the Ying River and the Huai River meet.

Since ancient times, there have been only two ways to seize Huainan from the north.

One route is from Xia Pi, flowing south from the Si River into the Huai River, and the other route is from Yingchuan, flowing south from the Ying River into the Huai River.

Before the troops move, the food and supplies must be sent first. Going down the water can transport both troops and food.

After his troops arrived at the city of Shouchun, Liu Bei, at the suggestion of Xiao He and Pang Tong, divided his troops and marched upstream to capture Yingkou City in order to block the Yingshui River from flowing into the Huai River.

Considering that the main forces of Cao's army were mostly in Nanyang and Guanzhong, the only ones who could lift the siege of Shouchun were Zang Ba's Qingxu Town Army.

Therefore, while Liu Bei was besieging Shouchun, he ordered Gan Ning to lead an army of 10,000 and station them in Xuyi to prevent Zang Ba's army from moving south.

The troops stationed in Yingkou City were only Liao Hua's two thousand men.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao withdrew the troops from Xudu and played a tactic of feinting to the east and attacking in the west. If those 5,000 soldiers were allowed to suddenly attack the city of Yingkou, Liao Hua might really be killed by surprise and lose Yingkou.

This piece of information from Yang Xiu was indeed worth exchanging for Cao Zhi's life.

Liu Bei turned around and asked Xiao He for his opinion, and Xiao He nodded slightly.

"Okay, if your information is true, I promise not to kill Cao Zhi!"

Liu Bei turned around and looked at Yang Xiu, and happily made a promise.

Yang Xiu felt relieved and expressed his gratitude.

"The general is truly a benevolent and righteous ruler. My mistress will be extremely grateful to him. If..."

Changing the subject, Yang Xiu said with a wry smile:

"If the general can release my son Zijian, my wife will remember the general's kindness and repay him in the future!"

Xiao He smiled.

This Yang Xiu was really getting more and more greedy. He had just asked Liu Bang not to kill Cao Zhi, but now he wanted to take Cao Zhi back.

He really has the nerve to say this...

"Yang Dezu, my general is kind and righteous, but he is not a woman's heartless man!"

"Do you think that just because of your few compliments, our general will release Cao Zhi?"

"You really are a whimsical person. You dare to have any daydreams!"

Without waiting for Xiao He to speak, Pang Tong started to mock and ridicule Yang Xiu and retorted.

Pang Tong's words were both a satire on Yang Xiu and a reminder to Liu Bei not to be so soft-hearted as to let go of Cao Zhi, a rare treasure, out of gratitude to Bian for her eagerness to save her son.

Liu Bei understood Pang Tong's hint, so it was naturally impossible for him to just let Cao Zhi go.

"Since I promised not to kill Cao Zhi, I will certainly keep my word. You can rest assured about this."

"As for releasing Cao Zhi, we'll talk about it later."

Liu Bei did not say anything definite and gave Yang Xiu an ambiguous answer. He then instructed Chen Dao to arrange for someone to temporarily place Yang Xiu in the camp and not to neglect him.

Yang Xiu also knew that Liu Bei was not so easily fooled. He wanted to temporarily detain him in the Shouchun camp and would only let him go after confirming whether the information he provided was true.

Yang Xiu had no choice but to bow and leave.

"Bo Wen, Shi Yuan, Xia Hou Mao, and Zhang Yan are all coming together. How should I deal with this Cao army? Do you have any good plans?"

As soon as Yang Xiu left, Liu Bei asked.

"Use the trick!"

Xiao He and Pang Tong came out at the same time and gave a four-word solution in unison.

The two looked at each other, and a tacit smile of understanding flashed across their faces, as if they were wise men with similar views.

...

Five days later, north of Yingkou City.

The east was getting light, and daybreak was approaching.

More than forty civilian ships were sailing southward along the Ying River in the still dark.

"Father, please watch from Heaven. I will personally go into battle and kill the enemy as a tribute to your spirit."

Xiahou Meng at the bow looked up at the sky, gnashing his teeth and muttering to himself, his eyes burning with the rage of revenge.

Among the two Xiahou brothers, Xiahou Dun had the youngest son and Xiahou Yuan had the most sons, so in his early years Xiahou Yuan adopted Xiahou Mao to Xiahou Dun as his heir.

On the surface, Xiahou Mao could only call Xiahou Yuan his uncle, but in his heart he still regarded Xiahou Yuan as his father.

Ever since he heard that Xiahou Yuan died in Hefei, he thought day and night about leading his troops into battle and avenging his father.

Today, he finally got the chance he had been waiting for.

Just as Xiahou Mao was secretly swearing, the river ahead gradually opened up. They had reached Yingkou, and the Huai River lay ahead.

In the hazy morning light, the outline of a city on the opposite bank is vaguely visible.

"General Zilin, Yingkou City should be ahead. We must prepare for a surprise attack."

Zhang Yan's reminder sounded behind him.

Xiahou Meng withdrew his thoughts and subconsciously tightened his grip on the knife handle, the excitement between his brows difficult to conceal.

Although he came from a family of generals and prided himself on being as brave as his father, he had very little experience in battle. Now that he was facing a major battle for the first time, he couldn't help but feel excited.

In comparison, Zhang Yan, the "veteran", had seen many storms and waves, but he was much calmer. He just calmly conveyed orders and ordered the soldiers on each ship to prepare for battle.

As the boat entered the Huai River, Yingkou City became clearly visible ahead.

At the ferry north of the city, there were about ten warships docked sparsely, and the number of soldiers at the ferry was roughly estimated to be no more than two hundred.

Obviously, Liu Jun in Yingkou was not prepared and did not expect Cao Jun to launch a surprise attack from the south.

"Sima Zhongda's plan is truly a brilliant one that achieves victory by surprise!"

"Uncle, you have another brilliant and resourceful man under your command. This is truly a blessing from heaven..."

Xiahou Mao laughed wildly, pointed his sword at the other side, and shouted:
"All ships, listen up! Charge to the ferry, kill all the enemy troops, and charge into Yingkou City in one go!"

The command flag waved and the order to attack was given.

When the orders were received, the 5,000 Cao army soldiers hiding in the cabins were quickly urged by the generals to go up to the deck and stand solemnly with their swords in hand.

A large "Xiahou" flag was raised above the flagship.

Dozens of ships, with full sails and oars, roared towards the ferry.

Above the ferry, the sounds of gongs and drums suddenly rang out.

The Liu army defenders, numbering less than 200, were thrown into disarray and fled in panic when they saw Cao's army descending from the sky.

All the boats had unimpeded access and successfully reached the ferry.

Xiahou Mao jumped on his horse, was the first to jump off the warship with a sword in hand, and rushed to the ferry.

Zhang Yan and more than 5,000 Cao's infantry and cavalry rushed to the south bank, crossed the ferry, and headed straight for the nearby Yingkou City.

When the five thousand Cao troops rushed out of the ferry like tigers and wolves, they were all dumbfounded and stopped.

Xiahou Meng, with a murderous look on his face, suddenly reined in his horse, and the murderous look on his face was instantly replaced by horror.

Ahead at the foot of Yingkou City, eight thousand soldiers of Liu's army had already lined up with their backs to the city.

An old general with white hair and beard stood on his horse with his sword drawn, staring coldly at the rushing Cao army with a sarcastic look.

Behind him, a large flag with the word "yellow" on it was flying brightly.

"This this…"

Xiahou Mao was stunned for a moment and was at a loss.

Zhang Yan's face turned pale with fear, and he cried out:
"Oh no! The enemy is well prepared. Our plan to launch a surprise attack on Yingkou has been discovered!"

"General Xiahou, withdraw your troops and return to the ship immediately!"

Xiahou Mi's face turned pale with horror, and he froze in place in shock, completely bewildered.

His fatal flaw of lack of experience was clearly revealed at this moment.

Faced with this sudden change, Xiahou Mao was so confused that he forgot to order a retreat.

"Kill all of Cao's troops——"

The veteran Huang Zhong in front has already brandished his sword and issued an order.

The war drums sounded, and the eight thousand Liu troops broke through the formation and rushed towards the crowded and panicked Cao army like a tide.

Huang Zhong squeezed his horse's belly, raised his sword, and rushed towards Xiahou Mi like a stream of fire.

"Xiahou, little thief, I will send you to reunite with Xiahou Yuan and his son!"

With a thunderous roar, Huang Zhong appeared in front of Xiahou Mi like an iron tower, and the long sword in his hand stirred up a cloud of dust in the air and swept across.

Xiahou Mao just woke up at this moment and hurriedly tried to raise his sword to resist.

It's too late.

The sword strikes before it strikes, but the lightning flashes.

A scream sounded.

Xiahou Mao was cut in half and fell off his horse with a loud bang.

Zhang Yan was horrified and hurriedly turned his horse around and fled.

The five thousand Cao troops fled in panic like ants in a broken nest.

Liu's army rushed forward like a tide, and in an instant, the Cao army was left screaming and howling, leaving not a single piece of armor behind.

When Zhang Yan fled to the shore with his remaining troops and was about to board a ship, his body froze into ice and his eyes were instantly filled with despair.

On the surface of the Huai River ahead, more than a hundred warships of Liu's army had been lying across the river at some point, blocking their way to retreat to the Ying River.

"Lord Cao, Lord Cao, if you don't trust me, you should have left me idle forever. Why bother to use me again and let me come here to die?"

Zhang Yan looked towards Guanzhong, his face filled with grief, anger and bitterness.

...

Two days later, Liu Jun's main camp was in Shouchun.

Xiahou Mao's head was placed on Liu Bei's desk along with Huang Zhong's victory report.

Zhang Yan was captured alive, Xiahou Mao was beheaded, and 5,000 Cao troops were completely wiped out...

"Bowen, Shiyuan, it seems your strategy of turning the tables has resulted in a resounding victory!"

Liu Bei closed the battle report and looked at Xiao and Pang Tong with a smile.

Xiao He smiled and turned his gaze towards Yang Xiu:

"General, it seems that Yang Zhubu is also a man of integrity, and the information he gave us is indeed true."

Yang Xiu, however, looked embarrassed, with mixed feelings in his heart.

Liu Bei's great victory confirmed that his intelligence was correct, so he naturally kept his word and did not kill Cao Zhi.

But when he looked at Xiahou Mi's head, Yang Xiu felt guilty and ashamed of betraying his lord Cao Cao.

"Master Yang, please tell Madam Bian that I, Liu Bei, have kept my promise and will treat her son well. Tell her to rest assured."

Liu Bei made another promise.

Yang Xiu's mood was just relieved a little, so he forced a smile and bowed to express his gratitude.

The mission was completed, Yang Xiu did not dare to stay any longer and left immediately.

"Master Yang, wait a minute!"

Xiao He stopped him and asked:

"Don't you want to bring back your son, Master Zijian? This matter is not impossible to discuss."

This statement came out.

Yang Xiu's body trembled, and ecstasy suddenly surged in his heart.

From what Xiao He said, it seemed that he wanted to negotiate with him on the conditions for getting Cao Zhi back.

"I wonder what the General needs us to do in order to release our son, Zijian?"

Yang Xiu hurriedly turned around and asked impatiently.

Xiao He pointed outside the tent in the direction of Shouchun and smiled faintly:
"It's simple. If you help our general capture Shouchun City, he will return your son, Zijian, to you. It's a win-win situation for both families!"

(End of this chapter)