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

Chapter 247 Using the help of water, we will conquer Linzi! Drown Cao Zhen and kill another of Cao Cao's sons to seek justice for the people!
The generals were greatly alarmed and rushed to look at the map.

Gasps of shock rose and fell.

"As Governor Sun said, Linzi City is surrounded by water on all sides, making it an excellent location for a water attack!"

Gan Ning pointed to the map, his gaze turning to Xiao He in surprise:

"The strategist's point is that the reason Cao Cao left Cao Zhen to hold Linzi and not retreat was not to hold us back and buy him time to gather reinforcements."

"Cao Cao's intention is to use Linzi as a lure to gather our army under the city walls, so that he can dig up the surrounding lakes and rivers and drown our 20,000 troops in one go?"

"Linzi City is a trap set for us!"

Xiao He gave a cold smile and nodded slightly.

In fact, from the very beginning, he had some doubts about Cao Cao's motives.

Logically, after the major defeat at the Wei River, Cao Cao's wisest choice would have been to retreat north of the Ji River and rely on this major waterway to block the Chu army's northward advance.

As for the prefectures south of the Ji River, such as Qi and Le'an, they are all indefensible, and abandoning them would be the best policy.

Cao Cao, however, refused to abandon his adopted son. He fled to the west of the Ji River, leaving his son in Linzi, a desperate and isolated city.

Although Cao Zhen wasn't his biological son, he was still a son; he wasn't a meat bun (a metaphor for someone who is not born of marriage).

You just don't care about him at all, and you don't care whether he lives or dies?
The only explanation is that defending Linzi was too important, and Cao Cao had to choose an absolutely loyal general to hold it for him.

Cao Zhen was naturally the only choice.

Now, with the arrival of Sun Qian, who explained the geography of Linzi in detail, Xiao He naturally deduced Cao Cao's plan.

"Although Qi County is small, it has a large population. Apart from Linzi City, the number of people in the surrounding counties is at least fifty or sixty thousand."

"If Cao Cao really uses this plan, wouldn't he sacrifice all the people and citizens of the entire prefecture?"

Sun Qian gasped.

Xiao He, however, was unconvinced and sneered:
“Gongyou, you and Cao Cao are old acquaintances. Don’t you know how ruthless he is?”

"He could order the three massacres of Xuzhou. Now, he's sacrificing tens of thousands of his own people in exchange for the huge profits of annihilating my 20,000-strong army and recovering Qingzhou. Do you think he cares about the lives of those tens of thousands of people?"

Sun Qian was startled and fell silent.

After a moment, he smiled wryly:
"The strategist is right. Cao Cao has always been cruel and ruthless. Massacring cities is a common occurrence for him. During the battle of Yanzhou, he even used human flesh as rations for his troops."

"Given Cao Cao's brutality and ruthlessness, the lives of tens of thousands of people are indeed insignificant to him."

Xiao He's eyes flickered slightly before he said:
“Using human flesh as military rations was Cheng Yu’s idea, but I suspect that the plan to flood Qi County was Jia Xu’s doing.”

"Looking at the pseudo-Wei, these two can be described as one ruthless and the other vicious. Such a vicious plan could only have come from the hands of that cunning strategist."

The generals suddenly realized the truth and were all indignant at Cao Cao's ruthlessness and Jia Xu's viciousness.

"Although Cao Cao and his ministers' plan was vicious, now that we have seen through it, it can actually help us to quickly capture Linzi."

Xiao He changed the subject, his gaze falling on the city of Linzi on the sand table:
"Linzi is surrounded by water on all sides. If the surrounding lakes and rivers were dug up, the water would be raging, even more so than when we flooded Fancheng."

"I anticipated that the water level outside the city would rise sharply, reaching at least level with the city walls, allowing our army to sail directly to the city walls and capture Linzi in one fell swoop!"

This statement came out.

The generals' initial anger instantly transformed into exhilaration.

Gan Ning laughed heartily and mocked:

“Military Advisor Xiao is right. This is indeed an excellent opportunity for us to capture Linzi City.”

"If that's the case, then Cao Cao has only himself to blame, he's only reaping what he sowed!"

All the generals laughed and mocked.

Xiao He then waved his hand and said happily:

"Now that we have this plan, what are you waiting for? Go and carry it out immediately."

"I will conquer Linzi, kill Cao Zhen, and then kill one of Cao's sons!"

The order was given, and the generals acted accordingly.

The messenger urgently sent warnings to the counties of Qi Commandery, ordering the county magistrates to expedite the construction of city walls and temporarily relocate all the rural residents outside the city into the city.

On the high ground near Linzi City, new camps sprang up within days.

Meanwhile, the soldiers in each camp were busy felling trees and cutting bamboo, secretly building rafts in the camp in preparation for any eventuality.

At the same time, Su Fei, commanding the navy, also began to sail north along the coastline and into the Zi River.

Zhang Liao's elite Tiger Cavalry was dispatched to closely monitor the situation on all waterways, and to report back to the main camp immediately if any signs of flooding were discovered.

...

West of the Ji River lies Linji City.

Nearly 10,000 Wei reinforcements, under the command of civil and military officials such as Cheng Yu, Chen Qun, Li Tong, and Hou Cheng, arrived at the Qingzhou front ahead of time.

As the saying goes, "With soldiers in hand, one has nothing to fear."

Cao Cao gained 10,000 fresh troops, which, combined with his existing forces, brought his total strength to 13,000, thus slightly boosting his military power.

Cao Cao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lord Wei, Qi Commandery is the richest place in Qingzhou. The land in one commandery is enough to support an army of twenty to thirty thousand."

Why didn't the Duke of Wei relocate all the people of Qi Commandery beforehand to prevent the Chu army from obtaining food locally?

Unaware of the situation, Cheng Yu questioned Cao Cao upon their first meeting.

Cao Cao's lips curled into a sly smile. He glanced at Jia Xu and sneered:
"Zhongde, if I were to relocate all the people of Qi County to the north, wouldn't that be like stirring up the grass and alerting the snake, allowing Xiao He and that scoundrel to escape?"

"If that's the case, how can I achieve a complete victory in one battle and annihilate his 20,000-strong army?"

Cheng Yu was taken aback, his eyes blank, clearly unable to grasp the implied meaning in Cao Cao's words.

Cao Cao then smiled coldly and slowly revealed Jia Xu's entire plan.

The confusion and bewilderment on Cheng Yu's face were instantly replaced by surprise.

"So Lord Wei had already laid such a vicious...brilliant plan!"

Cheng Yu was overjoyed and slammed his hand on the table in praise:

"Wenhe's plan, which sacrifices only a few tens of thousands of civilians, can annihilate the Chu army in one fell swoop and take the opportunity to recover the lost territory of Qingzhou. It is truly a brilliant plan!"

Cheng Yu was overjoyed, and in his words he even regarded the drowning of tens of thousands of Wei citizens as a matter of course.

After all, as the one who suffered the most damage and poison in the Wei Kingdom, he was unmoved even when human flesh was used as military rations, let alone the drowning of tens of thousands of civilians.

"If it weren't for the sake of the overall situation, I wouldn't have been able to bear sacrificing those tens of thousands of people, after all, they are all my subjects."

Cao Cao, however, could not be as blatant as Cheng Yu; in front of his ministers, he had to put on a show.

Cheng Yu disagreed and offered some explanation:

"The lives and deaths of tens of thousands of people are utterly insignificant compared to the gains and losses of Qingzhou and the survival of the Great Wei."

"What Lord Wei wants to protect is the people of the entire land. How can he abandon the greater good for the sake of petty righteousness, showing the compassion of a woman?"

"In my opinion, Duke Wei's decision was truly wise and insightful!"

Cao Cao's lips curled up slightly.

Of all the ministers, only Cheng Yu suited his taste the best. Now it seems that he made the right choice by sending Cheng Yu to lead the army.

"Lord Wei, with the recent spring rains, the lakes and rivers near Linzi must have already risen significantly."

"I believe that we should launch a water attack as soon as possible without delay."

"You must know that Xiao He is a master strategist. I fear that things might change if we wait too long and he discovers Wen He's plan."

After praising Cao Cao, Cheng Yu decisively offered him advice.

A hint of wariness flashed in Cao Cao's eyes, and he nodded, saying:
“Zhongde is right. This plan is bound to cause problems if it drags on any longer. It is indeed not advisable to delay any longer.”

"Immediately order Zhang He to dispatch cavalry immediately and, according to the plan, dig up all the lakes and rivers within the territory of Qi Commandery for me."

"Within two days, I will turn Qi County into a vast swamp!"

The order was passed down.

Zhang He's more than 3,000 Wei cavalry immediately crossed the Ji River and headed south to various parts of Qi Commandery.

The cavalry moved swiftly, able to evade the Chu army's notice and retreat quickly after digging the river.

Cao Cao learned this trick from Xiao He.

Two days later, the turbid water, the Shi water, the Zi water, and the Juding Lake…

Within the territory of Qi Commandery, all the waterways near Linzi were secretly breached by the Wei army.

A raging torrent swept towards Linzi City from all directions…

Early that morning.

On the walls of Linzi, seven thousand Wei soldiers had gathered at the four gates, cheering and shouting with excitement.

On the East Gate tower.

Cao Zhen was so excited that he clenched his fists and his eyes were filled with tears.

From the east of the city, a surging torrent, like a thousand horses galloping, rushed toward the east gate of Linzi.

He knew that Zhang He had successfully breached the Linzi River embankment.

Almost simultaneously, a torrent of water from the northeast was also approaching Linzi City from the north.

That torrent came from the direction of Juding Lake, and it should have been breached by Zhang He as well.

Cao Zhen waited 20 days in vain, and finally Cao Cao launched Jia Xu's plan to flood Linzi.

"Xiao He, even if you were a god, you'd be helpless this time..."

Cao Zhen's lips curled into a cold smile, then he waved his hand and shouted:
"Order all soldiers to immediately move to the city wall, and also order the laborers in the city to be on high alert and ready to fill any gaps at any time!"

Seven thousand Wei soldiers all climbed the city walls to prepare for battle.

More than three thousand laborers carried soil and stones, preparing to seal the leak.

Cao Zhen stood proudly with his sword at his side, watching with a cold smile as the torrents from all directions surged towards the city and engulfed the besieging Chu army.

Outside the four gates, camps were destroyed, countless tents were submerged, and countless Chu soldiers were swept away by the torrent and rushed towards the city walls.

A murderous glint ignited in Cao Zhen's eyes, and he roared:

"Archers, listen to my command! Aim at the Chu soldiers charging down the city walls and shoot them all dead!"

The Wei archers immediately drew their bows and aimed at the Chu soldiers who had been swept to the front of the city.

Arrows rained down. The Chu soldiers in the torrent were all hit by arrows; before they could drown, they were riddled with arrows.

The Wei soldiers shouted excitedly, as if venting their frustration from repeated defeats against the Chu army.

“Something’s wrong…”

Cao Zhen's smile gradually faded, and doubt began to creep into his eyes.

Normally, when a person is swept into a torrent, their instinct is to cry for help and struggle desperately.

But the Chu soldiers in the torrent remained motionless, neither struggling nor calling for help.

Even more incredibly, after being hit by arrows, they didn't even utter a sound of pain!

Cao Zhen noticed the abnormality and immediately ordered his soldiers to use grappling hooks to drag the Chu soldiers from the water onto the city wall.

"A straw man? This Chu soldier is actually a fake man made of straw?"

The Wei soldiers exclaimed in surprise.

Cao Zhen bent down for a closer look and indeed found that these so-called Chu soldiers were actually dummies made of firewood and armor!

Cao Zhen suddenly realized his mistake.

No wonder the Chu soldiers in the water were silent and did not struggle; they were all dummies.

In other words, the Chu camp was already deserted, and the Chu soldiers they saw were all fakes in disguise!
Why did Xiao He do that?
Could it be that…

Cao Zhen suddenly shivered, and his face turned pale instantly.

The Chu army has already withdrawn!
Why evacuate?
It must be Xiao He who saw through Jia Xu's plan and calculated that they would flood Linzi!
Cao Cao's meticulous planning and Jia Xu's ingenious and treacherous scheme have all failed at the last moment!
"Impossible. Xiao He isn't from Qingzhou. How could he have seen that the terrain of Linzi was advantageous for water attacks, and how could he have seen through Jia Wenhe's plan?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible~~"

Cold sweat poured down Cao Zhen's forehead, but he kept shaking his head, unwilling to accept this despairing conjecture.

The Wei soldiers on either side were completely unaware of anything amiss, and continued to cheer and fire arrows indiscriminately at the "Chu army".

Cao Zhen's body was already stiff, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

Several miles away, on a high ground.

Xiao He was lounging in a recliner, sipping the tea served by Bu Lianshi, and admiring the magnificent sight of the floodwaters in Linzi.

"My lord, you guessed right. Cao Cao did indeed breach the riverbank and flooded Linzi!"

Guan Yinping pointed to the surging torrent below the high ground and exclaimed with admiration.

Zhang Liao, standing to the side, sighed with lingering fear:
"Fortunately, our strategist was incredibly insightful and saw through Jia Xu's treacherous scheme; otherwise, our 20,000 troops would have been annihilated by now!"

Xiao He gave a cold laugh and pointed his teacup toward Linzi City:
"Then let Cao Cao lift a rock only to drop it on his own foot, and let him taste the pain of losing his son again."

"Order all troops to send men out on rafts to attack, taking advantage of the floodwaters to capture Linzi City in one fell swoop!"

Deng Ai immediately accepted the order, raised a command flag on the high ground, and lit several smoke signals.

On the high ground surrounding Linzi City, the Chu soldiers who had moved to their new camp all saw the signal sent by Xiao He.

Gan Ning, Su Fei, and other generals immediately led an army of 20,000, boarded pre-built bamboo rafts, and plunged into the torrent, sweeping towards Linzi City from all directions.

The city walls of Linzi.

"A bamboo raft! A bamboo raft is approaching Linzi!"

"The Chu army! The people on the bamboo rafts are all Chu soldiers!"

"How is this possible? Wasn't the Chu army wiped out by the flood...?"

The Wei soldiers' astonished cries echoed across the city walls, and their previous cheers and jubilation were now replaced by fear.

"How hateful!"

Cao Zhen's fist slammed heavily against the battlement, his face contorted with grief and indignation.

The evidence was irrefutable, leaving him no choice but to accept it.

Xiao He not only saw through Jia Xu's plan and secretly moved 20,000 Chu troops to high ground to avoid the flood, but also prepared enough boats and rafts to take advantage of the flood and capture Linzi City!

Xiao He wants them to reap what they sow!

Taking a deep breath, Cao Zhen drew his sword and shouted sharply:

"Soldiers of Wei, listen to my command! The time has come for you to serve your lord!"

"Grasp your weapons tightly, fight alongside me, Cao Zhen, and defend Linzi to the death!"

"If the city falls, we will all perish without a burial place. Only by fighting to the death can we have a glimmer of hope!"

Cao Zhen's slightly guilty roar echoed across the city wall.

The Wei soldiers looked at each other, their faces filled with fear and confusion, but Cao Zhen's heroic words did not inspire their morale.

Seven thousand Wei soldiers, filled with fear and trembling as they gripped their weapons, watched helplessly as thousands of bamboo rafts surged toward Linzi City from all directions.

Countless arrows soared into the air, raining down on the city walls.

Screams filled the air as panicked Wei soldiers were nailed to the ground in droves.

Cao Zhen brandished his sword while ordering his soldiers to return fire with arrows.

However, they had used up most of their arrows shooting at the dummies, and there wasn't enough time to replenish them.

The Wei army's arrows were scattered and ineffective in stopping the Chu army's bamboo rafts from approaching.

"boom!"

With a dull thud, the first bamboo raft crashed into the city wall.

Gan Ning, at the bow of the raft, used the momentum to leap onto the city wall.

With a swift stroke, three terrified Wei soldiers were cut down and fell to the ground.

Gan Ning, like a god descending to earth, leaped off the battlements and charged at the retreating Wei soldiers, brandishing his long sword.

Then, one ship, ten ships, a hundred ships…

Countless bamboo rafts crashed into the city wall one after another, and tens of thousands of Chu soldiers easily climbed onto the city wall and rushed towards the Wei soldiers who were retreating in panic.

In the blink of an eye, the Chu army had fully stormed the city.

The morale of the seven thousand Wei soldiers collapsed, and they were slaughtered by the Chu army in an instant, leaving them screaming and howling.

Cao Zhen brandished his long sword, desperately cutting down Chu soldiers and urging his men to fight to the death.

To no avail.

The Wei soldiers, whose morale had collapsed, scattered in an instant and fled into the city.

On the four city gate towers, all the Wei flags were cut down, and the Chu flags were raised over Linzi.

"Could it be that Heaven is truly going to destroy Cao Zhen, and destroy our Great Wei?"

Watching his army crumble, Cao Zhen gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with grief, indignation, and despair…

As dusk fell, the killing gradually subsided.

Seven thousand Wei soldiers were either killed or surrendered, and the entire army was almost wiped out.

The Chu army's battle flags had been raised above all four gates of Linzi City, and the cheers of the Chu soldiers echoed everywhere.

A boat came from the north and slowly approached the city wall.

Xiao He leaped lightly and ascended the North Gate of Linzi.

"Reporting to the strategist, we have followed your plan and annihilated all seven thousand Chu soldiers, thus gaining complete control of Linzi City."

"We have captured the bandit leader Cao Zhen alive. Please, Military Advisor Xiao, decide his fate!"

Gan Ning excitedly stepped forward to claim credit, then waved behind him.

Several soldiers dragged one person forward and forcefully pressed him to his knees on the ground.

"You're Cao Zhen?"

Xiao He coldly looked down at the young military officer kneeling on the ground, half of his body covered in blood.

In terms of military talent, this man can be considered the foremost among the younger generation of the Cao family, comparable to his uncle Cao Ren.

Historically, he was also a general of the Cao Wei state.

Now, however, he is kneeling here in a sorry state, a defeated general and a prisoner.

Cao Zhen raised his head shakily, and upon seeing Xiao He, he couldn't help but stiffen.

at last.

That legendary strategist of Liu Bei, that extraordinary man who missed his adoptive father Cao Cao, that cunning schemer who repeatedly outwitted them...

Cao Zhen finally saw his face in person.

He doesn't have three heads and six arms, nor does he look like a Taoist immortal; he doesn't seem like some kind of otherworldly deity.

Cao Zhen couldn't understand how a mere mortal of flesh and blood could be so unpredictable and inconceivable, forcing the Cao family to such a state.
"Xiao He, don't be so smug. My father will get his way sooner or later..."

"Somebody come!"

Xiao He waved his hand, interrupting Cao Zhen's verbal sparring, and said sternly:

“The traitor Cao is cruel and inhumane. He did not hesitate to sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of civilians in an attempt to scheme against our army. How can we not punish such crimes?”

"Since the Duke of Chu has granted me the authority to act as his general, today I will issue an order in the name of the Duke of Chu to drown this traitor Cao Zhen in the flood, and to seek justice for the people of Qi!"

Cao Zhen swayed, his expression changing drastically.

He never expected that Xiao He would be so ruthless and decisive, taking his life before he could even finish speaking.

Or should we take his life by the humiliating method of drowning?

The soldiers on both sides deeply hated Cao Cao and had been waiting for Xiao He's words. They rushed forward and captured Cao Zhen.

The crowd quickly tied Cao Zhen up, stuffed him into a sack, and filled it with stones.

Cao Zhen panicked, struggled desperately, and shouted:

"Xiao He, you country bumpkin! I am the adopted son of the Duke of Wei! How dare you kill me? I demand to see Liu Bei! I demand to see—"

The sack was sealed, and everyone worked together to lift it and throw it off the city wall.

"Boom!"

Cao Zhen fell into the raging flood and sank to the bottom in the blink of an eye, leaving only bubbles behind.

(End of this chapter)