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

Chapter 226 Liu Bei: The roles of offense and defense have shifted; I will suppress Cao Cao! Do you remember how 30,000 defeated 560,000?

Cao Cao's whip slipped from his hand, his face frozen in a moment of astonishment.

The advisors and generals on either side, including Xun You, Cao Chong, and Xu Chu, were all horrified.

Even Jia Xu, who was resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

Has Xiapi fallen?
This is too fast! It completely exceeded the expectations of the Wei rulers and their ministers.

Xuzhou surrendered entirely, and Zang Ba was trapped in an isolated city, facing a dire situation, which they were naturally aware of.

However, they also knew that the soldiers under Zang Ba's command were not ordinary soldiers from Xuzhou, but soldiers from Mount Tai.

This was essentially a private army belonging to Zang Ba.

With a loyal private army that is loyal only to you, and a fortified city like Xiapi, which is equivalent to a prefecture-level city, given your military talent, Zang Ba, even in the most dire situation, you should be able to hold out for a month or two without any problem.

It's only been a few days, and it's already broken like this?

The entire army was wiped out, and even Zang Ba lost his life.

At this moment, even Jia Xu looked confused, mistakenly thinking that the intelligence might be wrong.

"boom!"

Once he regained his senses, Cao Cao leaped off his horse, kicked the messenger to the ground, and snatched the urgent report from his hand.

The Chen family led the rebellion, Yin Li defected and staged a mutiny, seizing the city gate. The Chu army broke into the city without bloodshed, and Zang Ba was killed by Guan Xing…

The details of the fall of Xiapi are written clearly.

Every word was like a knife, piercing Cao Cao's heart.

"Chen Gui, you fickle old scoundrel! I knew your Chen family had always been loyal to that big-eared traitor. I should have wiped you out long ago!"

"And you, Zang Ba, I trusted you so much, entrusting Xiapi to you, yet you are so incompetent, betraying your own brothers!"

"You people from Xuzhou are either treacherous villains or incompetent good-for-nothings!"

"If I recover Xuzhou, I will slaughter you all—"

Enraged, Cao Cao tore the silk scroll to pieces and roared and cursed almost hysterically.

Seeing Cao Cao's appearance, the remaining hope of the crowd vanished, and they all knew that the intelligence was true.

Sighs and lamentations rose and fell.

"By my order, attack the city immediately! I will crush Lü You and reclaim Xiapi!!"

Cao Cao drew his sword, his eyes bloodshot, and pointed it furiously at Lü Youcheng before him.

Everyone was taken aback. Xun You, Cao Chong, and the others exchanged anxious glances.

Let's not even talk about whether you can conquer Lü You or not. Even if you do, what then?

Liu Bei has already captured Xiapi, so what if you go back to attack?
The Chu army is well-rested and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, holding a fortified city. If you attack back, you will not only fail to recapture Xiapi, but you will also be courting death.

"Father, calm down!"

At the critical moment, Cao Chong had no choice but to step forward.

"The fall of Xiapi is a foregone conclusion. Liu Bei currently has more than 50,000 troops. If he joins forces with Lü Youcheng's troops, he will have nearly 70,000 men."

"Father's current military strength is only over 50,000 men, and their morale, fighting spirit, and bravery are all inferior to those of the Chu army."

"Even if we manage to march back to Xiapi, I'm afraid it will be extremely difficult to recapture it."

"Moreover, the enemy outnumbers us, and the Chu army is well-rested and has the city of Xiapi at its back. If there is the slightest mistake, our army will be in danger of being defeated again."

"If these 50,000 troops are lost, we will have no soldiers available west of Xuzhou. If Liu Bei takes advantage of this to attack Pengcheng and then march west into Yan and Yu provinces, the Central Plains will be in grave danger!"

"Your subject begs Father to consider the overall situation and to remain calm!"

Cao Chong, disregarding his disobedience to Cao Cao, had no choice but to explain the pros and cons.

Seeing this, Xun You had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak:
"Lord Wei, what Young Master Cang Shu said makes sense."

"Although our total strength is greater than that of the puppet Chu army, we lost nearly 60,000 to 70,000 troops in the Battle of Xuzhou. Now, on the Xuzhou front, the total strength of the Chu army is greater than that of our army."

"Our Great Wei controls the nine provinces. Although the loss of these 60,000 troops is not a crippling blow and can be recovered in time, there is no time to recruit new soldiers."

"In my opinion, the situation regarding the attack and defense of Xuzhou has reversed. Our current strategy is no longer to recapture Xuzhou, but to preserve our existing troops and keep Liu Bei trapped in Xuzhou, preventing him from entering the Central Plains."

"Therefore, I believe that our army should immediately abandon the attack on Lü You and retreat to Pengcheng. We should first switch from offense to defense and wait for reinforcements from the rear before attempting to recapture Xuzhou."

With one son and one minister, two buckets of cold water were poured down on Cao Cao, completely extinguishing his pent-up anger.

Cao Cao slowly lowered the long sword he had raised high, his clenched teeth loosened, and he staggered backward like a deflated balloon.

"Duke Wei!"

"Father!"

Cao Zhi, Xu Chu, Xun You, and the others rushed over and helped Cao Cao up.

At this moment, Cao Cao's face was as pale as paper, as if he had suffered a serious illness, and his whole body had become extremely weak.

It was clear to anyone with eyes to see that the fall of Xiapi was a devastating blow to Cao Cao's morale.

This blow shattered Cao Cao's confidence and his pride.

"We'll do as you say. Let's retreat! The entire army should withdraw to Pengcheng!"

Cao Cao waved his hand listlessly.

Cao Chong and the others all breathed a sigh of relief.

The 50,000 Wei troops then lifted the siege of Lü Youzhi, marched north along the Si River, and retreated back to Pengcheng.

...

The main hall of the prefectural government in Xiapi City.

A huge sand table of Xuzhou has been placed in the center of the government office.

The news of Cao Cao's withdrawal and retreat north had reached Xiapi City yesterday, bringing a slight sigh of relief to everyone.

This means that the battle of Xuzhou has temporarily come to an end. Except for Cao Zhen's troops in Langya in the north, who are still attacking Yangdu, the Wei army's offensive has basically stopped.

Liu Bei then had time to allow his soldiers, who had been fighting for a long time, to rest for a few days in Xiapi, and at the same time, to discuss with his strategists the next step in the battle to recapture Pengcheng.

"The five commanderies and kingdoms of Xiapi, from north to south, are Langya, Pengcheng, Xiapi, Donghai, and Guangling." "Now, the three commanderies of Xiapi, Donghai, and Guangling are entirely under our control, and the southern part of Langya has also defected and surrendered."

"At present, only Pengcheng Kingdom remains, and most of it is still in the hands of the traitor Cao."

Pang Tong, who had rushed back from Lü You, pointed to the northwest corner of the sand table with a bamboo-shaped object:

"Pengcheng Kingdom is located in the northwest corner of Xuzhou. Although it only governs five counties, including Pengcheng, and is the smallest of the five kingdoms, its importance is second only to Xiapi, and can even be said to surpass Xiapi."

"Pengcheng is located at the confluence of the Bian River and the Si River. It is surrounded by water on one side and mountains on three sides, making it one of the few strategically important places in Xuzhou."

"North of Pengcheng lies the flat Central Plains, while south of Pengcheng lies the Huai River network, with the Si River being the only river that flows into the Huai River."

"Therefore, Pengcheng is not only the gateway to Xuzhou, but also a vital waterway and land route. Only by recapturing this city can we protect Xiapi and rely on its strategic location to prevent the Wei army from penetrating deep into the heart of Xuzhou."

"At the same time, only by capturing this city can we implement General Xiao's strategy of advancing north along the Si River into the Central Plains and sending our navy directly into the Yellow River."

Pang Tong spoke eloquently, clearly explaining the importance of Pengcheng.

Liu Bei nodded repeatedly, agreeing deeply.

As the former governor of Xuzhou, Pang Tong knew all too well just how important Pengcheng was, even without Pang Tong explaining.

When Cao Cao launched two campaigns against Xuzhou, one of them involved marching south from Xiaopei, passing through Pengcheng, and penetrating deep into the heart of Xuzhou.

Lu Bu's surprise attack on Xiapi also began when he traveled south from Pengcheng along the Si River, heading straight for Xiapi.

Later, Cao Cao defeated Lü Bu and took over Xuzhou, following the same path.

"Shiyuan is right. Pengcheng is the gateway to Xuzhou. Without Pengcheng, Xuzhou will be in turmoil. If I want to take the Central Plains, I must get Xuzhou!"

Liu Bei nodded emphatically, his gaze turning to Xiao He:
"Bowen, I intend to mobilize all the Northern Army troops and, while our morale is high, recapture Pengcheng in one fell swoop. What do you think?"

Xiao He, however, had a distant gaze and said:

"We know how important Pengcheng is, and Cao Cao certainly knows it too."

"Unless he intends to abandon Xuzhou, I predict that he will spare no effort to defend Pengcheng and hold this gateway to Xuzhou firmly in his hands!"

"The battle of Pengcheng is bound to be a fierce one, and we must be mentally prepared."

Liu Bei's expression turned solemn, and his generals immediately followed suit.

Xiao He then changed the subject and said with a smile:

"On the other hand, we've already fought the toughest battle at Sishui. How much tougher can the battle at Pengcheng be?"

"Relax, everyone. In the battle of Pengcheng, we must despise Cao Cao strategically, but take him seriously tactically."

"In that case, Pengcheng can be secured!"

Liu Bei's solemn expression transformed into one of triumph.

“Bowen is right. We’ve passed the hardest hurdle. Even if the rest isn’t all smooth sailing, how difficult can it get?”

"By order of me, in three days our entire army will march out, recapture Pengcheng, and drive the Cao traitor out of Xuzhou!"

...

Pengcheng.

In the dimly lit hall, Cao Cao's face was gloomy, his brows furrowed, staring at the urgent report on the table.

Liu Bei assembled an army of 80,000 and set out from Xiapi, heading north along the Si River, heading straight for Pengcheng.

An army of eighty thousand!
He currently has only 50,000 troops at his disposal.

This was the first time since he had fought against Liu Bei that he had been outnumbered by Liu Bei in terms of military strength.

Although it was only a localized suppression of troops, Wei still held the upper hand in terms of total troop strength across the three fronts, and the significance of this was no small matter.

"That big-eared thief is insatiable. Not satisfied with just stealing Xiapi, he also wants to swallow Pengcheng and drive me out of Xuzhou completely."

"I don't need to tell you how important Xuzhou is, I would never give it up."

Cao Cao spoke with unwavering resolve, his sharp gaze sweeping over the assembled officials:
"You all, tell me, how should we fight this battle?"

The crowd whispered among themselves, offering their opinions.

However, the strategies they offered were either to transfer more troops from Nanyang and Runan to Pengcheng, or to hold their ground and fight Liu Bei in Pengcheng until Liu Bei ran out of food and retreated.

"If we transfer troops from Nanyang and Runan again, our army will be at a disadvantage on those two fronts. What should we do if we are defeated by the enemy?"

"Furthermore, regarding holding the land, I alone hold the entire land of China, yet now Liu Bei is forcing me to cower and refuse to fight. Where is my dignity?"

"How will the people of Wei view me? How will the world laugh at me?"

"What you have suggested is not a good strategy, so we should not use it!"

Cao Cao looked annoyed and vehemently rejected everyone's suggestions.

Xun You and the others fell silent, at a loss for what to do.

"Wenhe, I know you have the ability to turn the tide. The gain or loss of Pengcheng is related to the gain or loss of the Central Plains and the prestige of our Great Wei. How can you stand aside any longer!"

"I command you to devise a plan to defeat the enemy, not only to defend Pengcheng for me, but also to enable me to recapture Xuzhou!"

Cao Cao's cold gaze shot towards Jia Xu, and he shouted in a commanding tone.

All eyes turned to Jia Xu.

Jia Xu's body stiffened slightly.

Cao Cao was pushed to the limit and could no longer allow him to slack off; he had to force him to offer a plan.

Jia Xu's eyes darted around a few times, he coughed a few times, then cupped his hands and said:

"As for this plan, I have come up with one, but it would require the use of all the cavalry of our Great Wei."

Cao Cao's spirits lifted.

That old cunning Jia Xu really does have a plan.

With a wave of his hand, he said with delight, "I can bring all my cavalry to Pengcheng. How do you plan to use them to defeat the Big Ears bandit?"

A profound look crossed Jia Xu's face as he countered with a question:
"Does Lord Wei still remember how, during the Chu-Han Contention, after Emperor Gaozu of Han led a coalition of 560,000 feudal lords to capture Pengcheng, he was defeated by Xiang Yu with 30,000 Chu troops?"

(End of this chapter)