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

Chapter 228 Too many unfavorable games, not used to favorable ones! Xiao He: If you learn from Xiang Yu, you'll end up like Xiang Yu!

"Something's wrong? What's wrong?"

A hint of alertness appeared between Liu Bei's brows.

After all, given Xiao He's keen insight, he couldn't help but take this statement seriously.

"I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong, but I feel that the battle of Pengcheng went a little too smoothly."

Xiao He waved Yang Xiu's secret letter and said:

"As we originally predicted, Pengcheng is such a strategic location that Cao Cao would defend it at all costs, and we would also take it at all costs."

"This battle, if it doesn't last three to five months, I'm afraid we won't be able to determine a winner."

"At this critical moment when our army is at the gates of the city, Cao Cao has fallen ill from anger, which has left the Wei army leaderless and given us the opportunity to launch a strong attack."

"If Cao Cao is unable to recover from his illness and take charge of the overall situation for a long time, the morale of the Wei army will inevitably collapse and the army will be destroyed under our continuous strong attack."

"Based on this calculation, Pengcheng will surely fall in fifteen days at most!"

"To capture such a crucial town, which is located on both the north and south sides, in just fifteen days, is far too easy."

"We've never fought a battle so smoothly and easily before."

Upon hearing what Xiao He said, Liu Bei seemed to be deep in thought.

Looking back on the history since the uprising began, Xiangyang, Jiangling, Chaisang, Yingtian, Hefei, Shouchun... and even the newly captured city of Xiapi.

No major town could be captured without considerable effort and complications.

As Xiao He said, if the army could defeat the Wei army and capture Pengcheng, a strategic location between the north and south, in just ten days of strong attack, it would indeed be an unprecedentedly easy victory.

"Bowen is right. In this light, the battle of Pengcheng was indeed far too easy..."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, but then said:

"In Bowen's opinion, could it be that Yang Xiu's secret letter contained a deception?"

Everyone's expression changed, and a hint of doubt appeared in their eyes.

"Not necessarily."

Xiao He shook his head and said:

"Since Yang Xiu has already secretly leaked the secret to us, we have no choice but to go down this path to the end, there is no reason to turn back, otherwise we will only face death."

"Given Yang Xiu's intelligence, he would not dare to deceive anyone with this secret letter, both logically and emotionally."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and the others were all confused.

If Yang Xiu's leaked intelligence was accurate, then Cao Cao had indeed fallen ill due to depression and was unable to attend to affairs. As a result, the 50,000 Wei troops in Pengcheng were leaderless and their morale was shaken.

Such a golden opportunity should not be missed; we must muster our full strength and launch a full-scale attack on Pengcheng.

Following this line of reasoning, it would be perfectly logical to easily capture Pengcheng within fifteen days.

We can't just give up this golden opportunity to capture Pengcheng and sit and wait for Cao Cao to recover from his illness just because you, strategist Xiao, said something was wrong, can we?
“Strategist Bowen, Zhang Zhongjing is a renowned physician on par with Mr. Hua. With his help, Cao Cao will most likely recover in a few days.”

"If we wait until Cao Cao recovers from his illness and takes charge of the overall situation, and the morale of the Wei army is restored, we will miss this opportunity to quickly capture Pengcheng."

Pang Tong had to offer a reminder from the sidelines.

Xiao smiled, his expression relaxing.

"I'm just having a feeling. Of course, we still have to attack Pengcheng. We can't miss this opportunity."

Liu Bei then suppressed his worries, his expression hardened again, and his fierce gaze swept over his generals.

"By my order, starting tomorrow, the entire army will be mobilized. We must capture Pengcheng before Cao Cao recovers from his illness!"

The generals were filled with enthusiasm and readily accepted the order.

Upon receiving the order, the 80,000 Chu soldiers were all eager to fight, hoping to capture the city and achieve merit.

The next day.

Liu Bei then mobilized his entire army and launched a full-scale attack on Pengcheng.

As Yang Xiu's secret letter stated, Cao Cao did not appear on the city wall to oversee command and boost morale.

The 50,000 Wei troops, under the command of Cao Chun and Xun You, could only defend the city and resist the fierce attack of the Chu army.

...

Night falls at the west gate of Pengcheng.

Cao Cao, clad in armor and holding his sword, discreetly exited the city gate, surrounded by Xu Chu and other elite guards.

Cao Chong, Cao Chun, and others then saw them off at the city gate.

The cavalry mobilized from all directions have secretly assembled along the Taishan County line, and Gongsun Kang's seven thousand Liaodong iron cavalry have also landed by sea.

Nearly 20,000 cavalrymen have assembled and are ready to be deployed.

Tonight, Cao Cao will personally head north to Taishan Commandery to command the cavalry corps and implement Jia Xu's plan.

"Cang Shu, your strategy of turning the tables on us is indeed a brilliant plan."

"The big-eared scoundrel has now mobilized a large army and launched a fierce attack on Pengcheng for days. It seems that he really believed Yang Xiu's secret report and thought that I was really sick, so he wanted to take the opportunity to break through Pengcheng."

"I will head north now to command 20,000 iron cavalry. You and your uncle will guard Pengcheng for me. Within seven days, I will surely defeat the big-eared traitor!"

Cao Cao looked at his son with approval and satisfaction, and then gave him some instructions.

"Father, rest assured, your son will stand firm in Pengcheng with my uncle and the others, awaiting your return!"

Cao Chong responded readily.

Cao Chun, however, looked hesitant and cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"Lord Wei, this battle requires us to penetrate deep into the heart of Xuzhou. I believe that you should not risk your life by personally leading the troops. Perhaps I should go to Mount Tai to command the army instead."

Cao Cao shook his head, his expression solemn, and said:
"The success or failure of this battle will not only determine the gain or loss of Xuzhou, but also whether the balance of power between our Great Wei and the pseudo-Chu will shift."

"The importance of this battle is no less than that of the Battle of Guandu. In the Battle of Wuchao, when I broke the cauldrons and sank the boats, how could the soldiers fight with their lives if I did not personally lead the army?"

Cao Chun remained silent.

In the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao also defied public opinion and personally led 5,000 elite troops deep into enemy territory, seventy miles behind enemy lines, to burn Wuchao.

There was no other reason than that this was a battle for survival.

As Cao Cao said, in such a life-or-death battle, if the commander of the three armies does not personally take to the front lines, how can he inspire the soldiers to fight to the death? Cao Cao was trying to emulate the Battle of Guandu, personally leading the 20,000-strong decisive army deep behind enemy lines to deliver the fatal blow to Liu Bei.

Having understood Cao Cao's predicament, Cao Chun stopped trying to persuade him and resolutely said:
"Lord Wei, please rest assured, I will defend Pengcheng as solid as a rock, and wait for the day when you, Lord Wei, will utterly defeat the false Chu!"

Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction and patted Cao Chun on the shoulder to show his trust.

Then he looked at Cao Chong and said coldly:

"Keep a close watch on Yang Xiu. Continue the interrogation. I need to know all the things he did to betray me."

"After I defeat that big-eared scoundrel, I will personally finish off this shameless villain!"

Just ten days ago, Xu Chu's Tiger Guards successfully intercepted Yang Xiu's trusted confidant who was leaving the city and found Yang Xiu's secret letter.

Just as Cao Chong had guessed, Yang Xiu indeed revealed Jia Xu's plan in the letter, intending to curry favor with Liu Bei.

Cao Cao was furious and immediately ordered Xu Chu to secretly capture him and interrogate him in secret.

Unable to withstand the beating, Yang Xiu had no choice but to confess everything, including his attempt to secretly communicate with Liu Bei to secure a way out, and his role in the previous battle at Xuyi where he had leaked information.

Cao Cao then used Cao Chong's plan to force Yang Xiu to write another secret letter to Liu Bei, falsely claiming that Cao Cao was ill and unable to attend to affairs.

Its purpose, of course, was to lure Liu Bei into taking advantage of the situation and launching a full-scale attack on Pengcheng.

Liu Bei's attention and troops were all focused on Pengcheng, so that his 20,000 cavalry could implement Jia Xu's plan, emulating Xiang Yu's strategy of outflanking the Chu army from behind and launching a fatal surprise attack on the Chu camp, which was sparsely defended.

"Father, rest assured, I will keep a close watch on Yang Xiu and continue to interrogate him to find out what treasonous acts he has committed!"

Cao Chong readily agreed.

Cao Cao was then relieved and said boldly:

"I am leaving. You all guard Pengcheng well. In seven days, I will watch you defeat the big-eared thief!"

Having said that, Cao Cao spurred his horse and rode away in a cloud of dust.

So, under the cover of night, and surrounded by Xu Chu and several hundred Tiger Cavalry Guards, he headed north from Pengcheng straight for Taishan County.

...

Six days later, at dusk.

Beneath Pengcheng, as usual, the sounds of battle shook the heavens and the drums thundered.

The main force of the Chu army, numbering 80,000, under the command of Liu Bei, was still launching a fierce attack on Pengcheng.

No one could remember how many times the Chu army had attacked the city.

Beneath Pengcheng, a thick layer of bones had already been piled up, and the city walls were stained red with blood.

The Chu army's morale remained high, while the Wei army's resistance within the city gradually weakened.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that if the attack continues for another five or six days, the enemy in Pengcheng will not be able to hold out.

Inside the camp.

On the watchtower, Xiao He was scanning the surroundings with binoculars.

"Reporting to the strategist, the 50,000 bushels of grain from Xiapi have been delivered... and are being handed over at the camp."

Deng Ai climbed the watchtower and stammered his report.

Xiao He glanced down and saw hundreds of oxcarts pulling grain carts into the camp.

After Xiao hummed in agreement, he continued to scan the area through his binoculars.

After hesitating for a moment, Deng Ai couldn't help but ask:
"Strategist, there are two things that I don't quite understand. Could you please explain them to me?"

"What two things?"

Xiao asked casually, but his eyes remained fixed on the binoculars.

"The first thing is that recently, several batches of grain... supplies, why did the strategist specify that they must be transported to the front-line camp by ox... oxcarts?"

"The second thing is that the strategist has been looking into the distance from the watchtower every day lately. But Pengcheng is to the west, yet the strategist never looks to the west, only to the other three sides. Ai really doesn't understand this."

Deng Ai stammered as he expressed the confusion that had been weighing on his mind for so long.

Xiao He nodded slightly, secretly praising Deng Ai for being so clever, noticing his unusual behavior these past few days.

"Your first question is about why I ordered the rear to transport supplies by oxcart. The real reason was..."

The words have not yet fallen.

Xiao He's expression changed, his eyes widened, and he quickly adjusted the focus of his binoculars, staring intently towards the east.

In the distance, billowing dust rose, obscuring the sky as it approached.

Within the dust and mist, tens of thousands of cavalrymen appeared and disappeared, like ghostly riders emerging from hell, sweeping towards the camp.

"Cao Cao, you really are trying to emulate Xiang Yu..."

Xiao He gave a cold laugh, turned around and shouted:

"The Wei cavalry is attacking! Quickly report to the Duke of Chu at the Pengcheng front and issue the order that all the troops left behind immediately move to the rear camp to repel the enemy!"

This order caused great alarm among those present.

Deng Ai's expression changed, and he quickly looked up to see what was happening. Sure enough, he saw a cloud of dust rapidly approaching.

Although he didn't have a telescope to see clearly, he could still tell from the sound of the dust and smoke that tens of thousands of cavalry were attacking.

"Why would Wei cavalry attack from the east?"

Deng Ai looked on in surprise and doubt, but said urgently:

"Strategist, the enemy cavalry is coming too fast. Our main force is still attacking Pengcheng. I'm afraid we won't have time to retreat and set up a defense against the enemy."

"My camp only has two or three thousand soldiers left to guard it. How can we possibly withstand a sudden attack by tens of thousands of enemy cavalry?"

Deng Ai was clearly flustered.

Xiao He put down the binoculars, his face regaining its composure, a playful sneer playing on his lips.

"Shizai, didn't you ask me why I ordered the rear to send grain and fodder by oxcart?"

"Now I'm telling you, I did this right now to use these hundreds or thousands of cattle to stop the Wei army's iron cavalry from attacking!"

(End of this chapter)