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

Chapter 244 A flick of the finger, and an army is annihilated! Cao Cao wanted to cry: Is it so hard for me to win against Xiao He even once?

The upper reaches of the Wei River, on the west bank.

Zhang Liao stood on his horse, sword at the ready, in the Wei River, his eyes fixed on the direction of Gaomi City downstream.

Behind them was a dam!
To be precise, it should be a sand dam built with sandbags.

It was this sandbar that intercepted the river water coming from upstream, reducing the water level downstream, which would normally be above shoulder height, to less than knee height.

Just last night, Zhang Liao, on Xiao He's orders, led three thousand cavalrymen to the upstream area, filled sandbags, and built this sandbar upstream.

The purpose, of course, was to lower the downstream water level so that Cao Cao could confidently wade across the river.

When half of his 40,000 troops were crossing the river, Zhang Liao removed the sandbar, and the floodwaters accumulated upstream could rush down and wipe out the Wei army crossing the river downstream.

This is Xiao He's improved version of "attack while the enemy is crossing the river"!
During the Chu-Han Contention, the military genius Han Xin used this very strategy to defeat Long Ju's army on the Wei River.

Xiao He intended to borrow Han Xin's strategy to defeat Cao Cao in the same place four hundred years later.

"General, the water level is rising higher and higher, and the sandbar is about to collapse."

Behind them, on the top of the dam, the shouts of soldiers rang out.

Zhang Liao did not turn around, but his brows furrowed, his gaze remaining fixed on the direction of Gaomi downstream.

"Strategist Bowen, your military tactics are so ingenious that even if Han Xin were reborn, he would probably have to admit defeat."

"But if Cao Cao doesn't cross the river soon, my sandbar won't hold, and your plan will likely fail..."

Zhang Liao muttered to himself, his fists clenching tightly.

Sudden.

The soldiers on the sandbar shouted excitedly again:
"General, smoke signals have risen over Gaomi City. It's the strategist giving us a signal!"

Zhang Liao gathered his thoughts and focused his gaze intently.

really.

Three thick black plumes of smoke rose into the sky above Gaomi City downstream.

Xiao He's orders have been issued.

That means Cao Cao had already fallen into the trap and mobilized all 40,000 troops to cross the river.

With half the enemy already crossing the river, this is the perfect opportunity to breach the sandbar and flood the Wei army!

"Military Advisor Xiao is truly a reincarnation of a military genius!"

Zhang Liao laughed and praised, then turned his horse around and shouted:

"What are you waiting for? Remove the sandbags, breach the dam, and flood the Wei army!"

The order was given.

Three thousand elite Chu soldiers immediately rushed forward and overturned the sandbags blocking the river.

Streams of sand began to seep out from the cracks in the sandbar, penetrating every nook and cranny.

Seeing that the digging was nearly complete, Zhang Liao decisively ordered all his men to disembark.

In a single instant, the sandbar collapsed with a deafening roar, and a torrent of water rushed down from the breach.

The floodwaters, nearly two meters high, surged downstream towards Gaomi like a vast army.

The Chu soldiers on the shore cheered and jumped for joy, their excitement reaching a fever pitch.

Zhang Liao let out a hearty laugh, brandished his sword, and shouted:

"Tiger Cavalry, listen to my command! Mount your horses and charge downstream to intercept the Wei invaders!"

The three thousand soldiers, disregarding their exhaustion from digging the dam, were all in high spirits and mounted their horses one after another.

The iron cavalry rolled along the west bank of the Wei River, rushing downstream.

...

Downstream.

At this time, Cao Cao had already driven his horse into the water and led his central army into the Wei River.

When Wei Gong went down to the river, the morale of the Wei army was greatly boosted.

The 40,000 Wei soldiers, with high morale, advanced steadily toward the opposite bank, their weapons raised high like walls of bronze and iron.

Zhang He's 4,000 cavalry remained on the west bank, constantly on guard in both the north and south, to prevent Chu cavalry from sneaking across the Wei River from upstream and downstream, and taking advantage of the Wei army's main force crossing the river to outflank them.

After all, the Wei army also had spies and informants near Gaomi.

On his way to the capital, Cao Cao learned from scouts that Xiao He had sent three thousand cavalrymen out of Gaomi the previous night, and their whereabouts were unknown.

Xiao He's wishful thinking was already anticipated by Cao Cao.

It was nothing more than using Bian's letter of divorce to provoke him into crossing the Wei River, then attacking him halfway across.

As for the three thousand cavalrymen, they had already secretly crossed the Wei River from either upstream or downstream and were lying in ambush on the west bank.

When the Chu army was halfway across the river, these three thousand cavalrymen would then flank him from the west bank and attack from both sides, thus defeating his forty thousand-strong army in one fell swoop.

To guard against Xiao He's scheme, Cao Cao left Zhang He to command the cavalry on the west bank to protect his flank and rear.

"Xiao He, having fought you so many times, do you think I don't understand your methods?"

"It's all the same old tricks: feinting to the east while attacking in the west, and using surprise attacks to win."

"What a pity, you overlooked one thing despite your meticulous planning; you forgot to take the Wei River water level into account today."

"I really want to see what kind of face you'll have when you see my army wading across the river without boats or rafts?"

Cao Cao stroked his short beard, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Xu Chu, standing to the side, made no attempt to hide his excitement and exclaimed:

"We've lost to that wicked man surnamed Xiao so many times, but this time we've finally managed to defeat him! It's truly a blessing from heaven!"

"Lord Wei, the army is about to land on the east bank. I request to lead a squad of Tiger Guards to join the battle!"

"If that sorcerer is also on the east bank, I will personally cut off his head and present it to Duke Wei!"

At this moment, even Xu Chu could see that the outcome of this battle was already decided.

Cao Cao's lips curled into a cold smile.

Over the years, he had never felt such a strong premonition that he was only one step away from defeating Xiao He.

That enigmatic figure who had narrowly missed his chance had, ever since the Southern Expedition to Jingzhou, used ingenious schemes and tactics to help Liu Bei repeatedly defeat and humiliate him. Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Xiu…

Many of his brothers and nephews died because of Xiao He's treacherous schemes.

Today, he seems to finally see the opportunity to defeat Xiao He, kill Xiao He, wash away the shame, and avenge himself.

A murderous intent blazed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he pointed his whip:
"By my decree, whoever slays Xiao He will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces and granted the title of Marquis of the Township!"

"Whoever captures Xiao He alive will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and a county-level title—"

Before the word "Marquis" could be uttered, the generous reward had not yet been bestowed.

Jiang Ji, who had been on guard, suddenly pointed to the opposite bank:
"Lord Wei, three smoke signals have been lit on the walls of Gaomi City. It must be the enemy sending a message. Could it be that Xiao He is up to no good?"

Cao Cao looked up and saw that behind the Chu army on the east bank, three plumes of smoke were indeed rising from the top of Gaomi city.

Cao Cao's heart tightened, and his mind raced, instantly considering all the possibilities.

More than 20,000 Chu troops were on the east bank, the only missing being 3,000 cavalry. The surrounding area stretched as far as the eye could see, making an ambush impossible…

Cao Cao racked his brains but couldn't figure out what scheme was hidden in Xiao He's three smoke signals.

"The army is already halfway across the river; we must not speak recklessly and disrupt the morale of the troops!"

Cao Cao glared at Jiang Ji and snorted coldly:
"That country bumpkin is nothing more than sending cavalry to sneak across and attack my flank and rear. I have already left Zhang He on the west bank to protect my rear. What do I have to fear?"

"Pass down the order: the army shall continue its advance and push onto the east bank in one fell swoop!"

Although Jiang Ji had doubts, he had nothing to say at this moment.

Although Cao Cao's words were somewhat arrogant, they were all reasonable and there was nothing wrong with them.

He racked his brains, but he really couldn't think of any other ingenious schemes or plans that Xiao He might have up his sleeve to scheme against them.

"Xiao He, with his brilliant strategies, actually made a mistake. Did he not consider the water level of the Wei River?"

Jiang Ji frowned deeply, his mind filled with questions, his heart filled with unease.

"Water...water...flood!"

Suddenly, screams of alarm rang out from the right flank.

Jiang Ji couldn't help but look upstream.

His eyes widened, his face changed drastically, and for a moment he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Upstream, a flood peak as tall as two people surged down like a stampede of ten thousand horses!

"Flood! There's a flood upstream!"

"How is this possible? It hasn't rained for so many days, how could there be a flood?"

"Are you blind? What else could that be but a flood?"

"Run! The flood is coming!"

The Wei army was thrown into chaos in an instant, with screams of terror filling the air.

Cao Cao's arrogance had shattered completely.

His mouth gaped open, and his eyes widened like copper bells, as if he were witnessing the most unbelievable scene of his life.

"It's the dry season now, and it hasn't rained for many days. How could there be a sudden flood upstream?"

"This, this, this..."

The look of horror on Cao Zhen's face was no less than that on Cao Cao's.

The entire state of Wei was thrown into chaos, plunged into a state of shock and disbelief.

Only Jiang Ji shuddered and cried out in alarm:

"Lord Wei, we have fallen for Xiao He's trick!"

"His three thousand cavalry did not outflank our army, but instead went upstream and built a dam under cover of night to block the water from the upstream, which is why the water level downstream dropped to below knee level!"

"In this way, he can lure us to wade across the river. When our army is halfway across, he will send an order upstream with smoke signals, commanding the Chu army to dig open the sandbar and release the flood to drown our army!"

"Lord Wei, Xiao He is imitating Han Xin's victory over Long Ju back then!"

Cao Cao was struck as if by a thunderbolt, and suddenly realized what was happening. He was so startled that he dropped his horsewhip to the ground.

Four hundred years ago, the history of Han Xin defeating Long Ju in the Battle of Wei River resounded before my eyes.

What about attacking halfway across the river, what about cavalry outflanking maneuvers...

Everything was nothing but his delusional fantasy.

It turns out that Xiao He's real intention was to emulate Han Xin and deal with him like Long Ju!

He was outmaneuvered by Xiao He again!
"Xiao He, you fiend! You actually mistook me for that brute Long Qie and made a fool of me!"

Enraged, Cao Cao roared at Jiang Ji:
"It was right here on the Wei River that Han Xin defeated Long Ju, a fact known to all. Why didn't you remind me, causing me to fall into the trap of that rustic villager?"

Jiang Ji was thoroughly offended and felt deeply aggrieved.

You, Lord Wei, are well-versed in history. You know the story of Han Xin defeating Long Ju, so why do I need to remind you?
Besides, I have repeatedly warned you to be careful of Xiao He and not to cross the river lightly.

You're so stubborn and won't listen!

Now that I've fallen into their trap, you're blaming me for not warning me? How unfair is that...?

Jiang Ji felt wronged but dared not show it, so he could only hurriedly advise:
"Lord Wei, things have come to this point. We must immediately order the entire army to retreat to the west bank, or our army will be wiped out here!"

Cao Cao suddenly awoke with a start, no longer caring about shifting the blame, and shouted hoarsely:
"Sound the retreat! All troops, withdraw to the west bank! Retreat!"

Surrounded by the Tiger Guards, Cao Cao hurriedly turned around and fled on horseback towards the west bank.

A golden sound suddenly rang out.

The vanguard of the Wei army, who had already landed on the east bank, heard the sound of metal and saw the approaching torrent. In an instant, their morale collapsed.

Tens of thousands of people, like ants fleeing from a collapsed nest, scrambled to escape to the west bank.

It's too late.

Before most of the Wei army could rush to the west bank, the surging torrent had already arrived like a thousand horses galloping in.

In an instant, the Wei army was submerged in the torrent.

(End of this chapter)