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

Chapter 227 Traitor, your entire clan will be exterminated! If Liu Bei were to be reborn as Liu Bang, I would become the Hegemon-King of Western Chu once again!
The Battle of Pengcheng!

Xiang Yu's 30,000 troops defeated 560,000!
Jia Xu's words instantly stirred up Cao Cao's memories.

Right here in Pengcheng, a thrilling battle took place back then, a battle where the weak triumphed over the strong.

At that time, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang had pacified the Three Qin regions. Taking advantage of Xiang Yu's northward attack on the State of Qi, he led a coalition of 560,000 feudal lords and captured Pengcheng, the capital of the Western Chu state, in one fell swoop.

An army of 560,000 men—if each of them spat out a single drop, they could flood Pengcheng.

Upon hearing the news, Xiang Yu immediately led 30,000 cavalry south to Pengcheng, launching a lightning attack on the allied forces of the feudal lords and decisively defeating the 560,000-strong coalition army.

That battle resulted in a massive bloodbath among the allied forces, causing the Si River to become blocked, and the fighting nearly cost Emperor Gaozu his life.

After this battle, in the struggle between Chu and Han, Xiang Yu once again gained the upper hand.

"All cavalry, Xiang Yu defeated Liu Bang, Pengcheng..."

Cao Cao pondered Jia Xu's suggestion, looked up at the strategist's enigmatic smile, and suddenly had a profound realization.

"Wenhe, do you mean that I should emulate that battle from back then, using Pengcheng as bait to lure Liu Bei westward to set up camp, while I lead light cavalry to circle around to the east of the Chu camp and launch a surprise attack from the rear to defeat them in one fell swoop?"

Cao Cao was so excited that he stood up abruptly.

With his intelligence, and given that Jia Xu had already given him such a detailed hint, how could he not have guessed Jia Xu's deeper meaning?

Jia Xu smiled and quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of flattery:
"Lord Wei is wise; this is exactly what I meant."

Cao Cao's spirits lifted, and he descended the steps in a few strides, rushing to the map hanging on the wall, his eyes scanning it rapidly.

Xun You and other strategists and generals were all overjoyed and gathered around.

"Lord Wei, Wenhe's plan is indeed a decisive and victorious strategy that can turn the tide of battle!"

"Xuzhou is a place of constant warfare. Although there are natural barriers like Pengcheng, there are many other routes into Xuzhou besides the main road from Pengcheng to Xiapi."

"Just like when Duke Wei attacked Xuzhou twice, he went south from Taishan County in the north and entered Xuzhou from Langya."

"Our cavalry can march lightly, bypass the city, and penetrate deep into the heart of Xuzhou, launching a surprise attack from behind before Liu Bei receives any warning."

Xun You immediately grasped the meaning and quickly sketched out the entirety of Jia Xu's plan.

Cao Cao nodded slightly and pointed to the map:
"If we follow Wenhe's plan, we need to show weakness to the big-eared bandit and lure him to set up a camp east of Pengcheng so that he can attack our Pengcheng with all his might."

"As for my cavalry corps, it will enter Xuzhou from the north at Mount Tai, travel day and night through Lanling and Wuyuan, and go south to the east of Pengcheng, launching a surprise attack on the rear of the Chu camp."

"In that case, the existing cavalry is not enough, and we do need to mobilize at least 20,000 to 30,000 cavalry."

Cao Cao began to calculate in his mind the cavalry forces that Wei could currently mobilize.

The battle of Sishui resulted in the loss of several thousand cavalrymen, leaving only two or three thousand cavalrymen at our disposal.

If this cavalry force were to engage in open field battles, outflank the enemy's formation, they would still have a chance of winning.

If it were an attack on an enemy camp, three thousand cavalry would be insufficient.

Let's not even talk about Xiang Yu's 30,000 cavalry back then, he must have had at least 20,000 cavalry.

Then we'll have to draw them from other places.

The existing cavalry is roughly divided into three parts, with the main force stationed in Guanzhong to suppress the remnants of Liangzhou, such as Han Sui and Ma Chao.

One unit was stationed on the border of Bingzhou and Youzhou to monitor the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and other northern nomadic tribes.

The remaining several thousand cavalrymen were scattered among the troops in Nanyang, Runan, and Xuzhou.

Cavalry from Guanzhong and the border counties of You and Bing can certainly be transferred, but not all of them can be transferred. Otherwise, what if Ma Chao and his Liangzhou remnants take advantage of the situation to march east out of Longshan?
Taking advantage of the situation, the Xianbei and Xiongnu people invaded the border and plundered. What could they possibly use to resist them?

Cao Cao could only muster a maximum of 15,000 cavalry at most.

Not enough.

"Wenhe's plan is good, but our cavalry seems insufficient..."

Cao Cao frowned and looked back at his ministers.

After Jia Xu presented his plan, it seemed as if he had completed his task, and the rest was none of his business; he remained indifferent and uninvolved.

Xun You stroked his thin beard, frowned, and pondered deeply, but could not come up with a solution for the time being.

“Father, I have a plan that can add several thousand more elite cavalry to our army.”

Cao Chong suddenly spoke.

Cao Cao's eyes lit up, and he quickly gestured for him to continue.

Cao Chong pointed northeast towards Qingxu and said:

"Gongsun Kang occupies Liaodong and commands tens of thousands of elite Liaodong cavalry, all of whom are brave and fierce warriors."

"Gongsun Kang's previous attempt to help us seize Xuyi failed, which has already put us at odds with the puppet state of Chu. His brother, Gongsun Gong, was also captured by Liu Bei, and the two families have become enemies."

"Gongsun Kang has always wanted to restore Yingzhou, which his father Gongsun Du built in Donglai. Why doesn't Father use this as a condition to get him to send elite cavalry from Liaodong to help us in this battle?"

Cao Cao's eyes lit up.

It has to be my child prodigy! His quick thinking solved a huge problem for me in no time.

"Cang Shu is right. These elite cavalry from Liaodong are indeed useful to me..."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and nodded slightly, but then a look of concern appeared on his face:
"But allowing Gongsun Kang to establish Yingzhou seems..."

We have already granted Gongsun Kang four counties. If we now allow him to establish Yingzhou, wouldn't that be giving away most of Donglai County to Gongsun Kang?
This is asking him to cut off his own flesh.

"Donglai County is located on the Jiaodong Peninsula, far from the heart of Qingzhou, and faces the Liaodong Peninsula across the sea. It is a hot commodity for Gongsun Kang, but a useless commodity for us."

"Your subject believes that it would be better to give this piece of chicken rib to Gongsun Kang. Firstly, it can be exchanged for his military assistance, and secondly, it can be used as an opportunity to bring the Gongsun family closer to us, so as to prevent him from occupying Liaodong far away, separated from the Central Plains by mountains and seas, and gradually becoming independent."

"If Wenhe's plan fails and we are unable to defeat Liu Bei, we can still lure the Gongsun family into Qingzhou and borrow their troops from Liaodong to help us defend Qingzhou."

Cao Chong eloquently listed out all the benefits.

Cao Cao's worries gradually dissipated, and his old admiration for Cao Chong reappeared.

"Cang Shu, I never imagined that you would be so farsighted and have such a broad vision."

Cao Cao clicked his tongue in praise and said happily, "Very good, very good, I will follow your plan and lure Gongsun Kang into the arena!"

Jia Xu's plan was thus decided.

Cao Cao immediately dispatched an envoy to cross the sea to Liaodong to request troops from Gongsun Kang.

At the same time, a secret edict was issued, ordering cavalry to be drawn from Guanzhong, the border counties of You and Bing, as well as the armies of Runan and Nanyang, and to assemble along the Taishan line.

After giving his instructions, the officials took their leave.

"Father, I request that you send someone to secretly and closely monitor Yang Xiu's every move!"

Cao Chong stayed behind alone and spoke in a low voice.

Cao Cao was taken aback.

"When our army's surprise attack on Xuyi at sea failed, didn't Father suspect that someone in our army was secretly colluding with Liu Bei and leaking our military secrets to him?"

"After much thought, I think Yang Xiu is the most suspicious."

“After all, he was captured by Liu Bei in the Battle of Shouchun. I suspect that he may have already switched allegiance to Liu Bei at that time.”

"Afterwards, he was released, but was ordered to infiltrate our Great Wei army and act as Liu Bei's spy and inside agent."

Cao Chong explained his reasoning.

Cao Cao stiffened, his expression suddenly becoming alert.

He remembered that Cao Ren had mentioned that it was Yang Xiu who advised him to expel all the people of Shouchun, after which Liu Bei was able to flood Shouchun without any worries.

In the breakout battle at Shouchun, Li Dian and others were surrounded outside the city, while Yang Xiu was captured inside the city.

Yang Xiu happened to be present when Cao Chong suggested surfacing to launch a surprise attack on Xuyi.

This man was Cao Zhi's confidant, and his own good-for-nothing son had been neglected by him and lost the struggle for the crown prince position to Cao Chong.

So, for Yang Xiu to find a way out for himself and the Yang family of Hongnong, secretly joining Liu Bei seemed to be an option...

As the clues came together, Cao Cao's expression grew increasingly suspicious.

"boom!"

Cao Cao slammed his fist on the table and roared:

"Well done, Yang Xiu! You disloyal, unjust, and shameless scoundrel! You eat my food and yet you dare to betray me! You are truly hateful!"

"Guards! Seize Yang Xiu and torture him severely. If he has truly betrayed me, I will exterminate the Yang clan of Hongnong!"

Seeing this, Cao Chong quickly said:
"Father, please calm down. I am only speculating. The Yang family of Hongnong is a prominent family in the world. If we exterminate the entire family without real evidence, it will be difficult to convince the public."

"That's why I asked Father to send someone to monitor Yang Xiu. I suspect he will send his trusted confidants out of Pengcheng to secretly reveal Jia Wenhe's plan to Liu Bei."

“If we can intercept his letters, we will have solid evidence that he is secretly communicating with Liu Bei. Then, no matter how Father deals with him and the Yang family of Hongnong, he will not be dissatisfied with the people.”

Changing the subject, Cao Chong lowered his voice and said:
"Moreover, if Jia Wenhe's plan is to succeed, he needs to lure Liu Bei to launch a full-scale attack on Pengcheng, leaving his main camp vulnerable so that our cavalry can launch a surprise attack from the rear. Only then can we be certain of victory."

"Since that's the case, I think we might as well turn the tables and use Yang Xiu..."

Upon hearing Cao Chong's plan, Cao Cao's expression changed from gloomy to cheerful, and he burst into laughter.

"Very well, Cang Shu, I told you long ago that you have the wisdom of Feng Xiao, and are truly Xiao He's nemesis."

"In the battle of Xuyi, if Yang Xiu hadn't leaked the secret, your plan would have succeeded long ago, and I might already be drinking from the Yangtze River right now!"

"If we can decisively defeat the big-eared bandits in this battle, recover Xuzhou, and even take advantage of the situation to recover Huainan, it will be a piece of cake."

"Cang Shu, the credit still belongs to you."

"My promise remains unchanged; I will certainly make you my heir!"

Cao Cao's gloom vanished, and he patted Cao Chong on the shoulder, promising him a bright future.

Cao Chong, however, remained indifferent, only offering a few perfunctory words as if it were merely his duty.

Cao Cao immediately ordered Xu Chu to arrange for the Tiger Guards to secretly monitor Yang Xiu's every move.

...

Three days later.

Eighty thousand Chu troops marched north along the Si River and reached the walls of Pengcheng.

Given that there are still 50,000 Wei troops in the city, it is unrealistic to besiege the city with the current numerical advantage.

Liu Bei then ordered his troops to set up camp east of Pengcheng, north of the Si River, making it appear as if he was preparing for a protracted war.

Seven days later, a secret letter from Yang Xiu was delivered to Liu Bei.

In his secret letter, Yang Xiu claimed that Cao Cao suffered a severe mental blow after learning of the fall of Xiapi. He fell ill in anger and depression and has been bedridden ever since.

At present, Cao Cao can only order Cao Chun and Xun You to take command of the troops in Pengcheng, and has secretly summoned Zhang Zhongjing from Yecheng to Pengcheng to treat him.

Yang Xiu's news caused an uproar in the tent.

Originally, with a force of 50,000, it was unrealistic for the Wei army to launch a direct assault on Pengcheng. Liu Bei had already prepared for a fierce battle at the city's gates.

But now an unexpected surprise has occurred: Cao Cao has fallen ill!

This means that the Wei army in Pengcheng will be in a state of panic, and their determination to hold their ground will be greatly diminished.

If we don't take advantage of Cao Cao's illness and attack Pengcheng now, and crush the Wei army, when will we ever get another chance?
So everyone quickly reached a consensus:

Change the original strategy of a protracted war and immediately launch a full-scale attack on Pengcheng!
"Bowen, what do you think?"

Although Liu Bei was full of confidence, he did not dare to make a decision easily and turned to Xiao He for his opinion.

Xiao He held Yang Xiu's secret letter, his brows furrowing slightly as he murmured:

"Since Cao Cao has fallen ill, it seems reasonable for our army to take advantage of the situation and launch a strong attack on Pengcheng."

"However, I always feel that something is not quite right..."

(End of this chapter)