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

Chapter 268 My dear son-in-law, you are still as shrewd and far-sighted as ever! May Heaven bless the King of Chu and help him recapture Xuchang in this battle!
"A surprise force?"

Guan Yu slightly opened his phoenix eyes, but failed to understand Xiao He's implied meaning.

Xiao He then pointed to the map and said:

"Now that Your Majesty is locked in a stalemate with Cao Cao in Chenliu, I think that the cavalry is temporarily useless. Why don't you come with me south to Xuchang? Perhaps you will be of great use there."

"Therefore, I have come here to request Your Majesty to order Zilong to lead seven thousand elite cavalry to accompany me south."

“I originally intended to use this cavalry as a surprise force, so I did not have Zilong accompany me, but instead had him take a shortcut and secretly head south.”

"Zilong's current location should be in the Xinji area."

"The important task of ambushing the Wei army that came out of the city can be entrusted to Zilong's seven thousand iron cavalry."

Guan Yu suddenly realized what was happening, and the atmosphere in the tent became lively again.

Seven thousand iron cavalry, moving like the wind, could easily slip past the Wei army's scouts.

Everyone present knew just how formidable the cavalry was.

Moreover, the commander of the army was none other than General Zhao Yun.

If used properly, it is not impossible to defeat not only tens of thousands of Wei soldiers, but even a million enemy troops.

"I didn't expect you to have such a trick up your sleeve, Bowen. It's been a long time since we last met. You're still as shrewd and far-sighted as ever."

Guan Yu nodded repeatedly, praising the performance.

Looking around, both Xu Shu and Fa Zheng were in high spirits and had no further objections.

Guan Yu sat back in his superior position, surveyed his generals, and said with pleasure:
"It's settled then. We'll use Bo Wen's strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, severely damage the Wei invaders, and take Xuchang!"

The generals accepted the order with great enthusiasm.

...

Two days later, in Xuchang.

Inside the city gate tower, Cao Chun, Xu Huang, Dong Zhao, Chen Qun, and others stared at the map on the wall with expressions of suspicion.

A few days ago, Guan Yu captured Linying without bloodshed, and then more than 70,000 troops crossed the Ying River in a grand procession, their advance clearly aimed at Xuchang.

Cao Chun and Xu Huang had already withdrawn all 60,000 troops to the Xuchang line, where they built and reinforced the city's defenses, set up large camps in the corners, and waited for Guan Yu to attack with deep trenches and high walls.

But who would have thought that tonight a scout would report that Guan Yu's army did not head straight for Xuchang, but instead crossed back to the south bank.

Such unusual behavior naturally aroused suspicion among Cao Chun and others.

After discussing it, the group concluded that Guan Yu was most likely using a tactic of retreating in order to make them mistakenly believe that the Chu army was retreating south, thus lowering their guard. Guan Yu then launched a surprise attack on Xuchang, catching them completely off guard.

Cao Chun and others dared not underestimate the threat, so they ordered the entire army inside and outside the city to be on high alert. Soldiers in each camp were all armored and armed, eating and sleeping on the city walls, ready to respond to any surprise attack by the Chu army.

After waiting for two days, the soldiers were exhausted, but the Chu army still did not come to attack.

"What do you all think Guan Yu is really up to?"

Cao Chun couldn't figure it out, so he had to seek the opinions of others.

"General of Chariots and Cavalry, could it be that scoundrel Guan Yu, seeing that we are holding our positions with deep trenches and high walls and not engaging in battle, knowing that Xuchang is a strong city with ample supplies, and figuring that it would be difficult to take, so he retreated in the face of difficulty?"

Xiahou Jie, a member of the imperial clan and a military general, was the first to guess.

These words immediately drew scorn from Xu Huang and Chen Qun.

“General Xiahou, you don’t understand Guan Yu’s temperament. In his eyes, you and I are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs, and Xuchang City is nothing but a mud house and thatched hut.”

"Given his arrogance and self-confidence, do you think he would back down and give up such a great achievement as conquering Xudu?"

Xu Huang smirked, his words containing both sarcasm towards Xiahou Jie and a hint of reverence for Guan Yu.

Chen Qun nodded slightly and said:

After Liu Bei's great victory at Huating, he did not retreat south but instead pursued his enemies northward until he reached the city of Chenliu.

"Judging from this, Liu Bei's ambition was not only to repel our army's three-pronged southern expedition, but also to take advantage of the situation to swallow up Yuzhou."

"The key to conquering Yuzhou now lies in whether we can capture Xuchang. Guan Yu will never retreat without a fight and give up the attack on Xuchang!"

Hearing what the two said, Xiahou Jie swallowed hard and said sullenly:
"If that's the case, then why doesn't Guan Yu attack my Xuchang? Instead, he crossed back to the south bank?"

Xu Huang was speechless for a moment.

Chen Qun also pinched his forehead with his fingertips, unable to guess for a moment.

Dong Zhao, who had remained silent until now, was suddenly startled, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"This is terrible! This is terrible!"

Dong Zhao took a few steps forward, his eyes scanning the map, his forehead already beaded with cold sweat.

Everyone tensed up, and Cao Chun asked urgently:
"Gongren, what terrible thing has happened? What are you thinking?"

Dong Zhao pointed to the southwest of Xuchang and said in a deep voice:
"General of Chariots and Cavalry, you must immediately send more spies and informants to Liang County and Jia County to conduct thorough reconnaissance. Be quick!"

Cao Chun was taken aback.

Their mission was to defend Xuchang.

Liang County and Jia County are already close to Henan Yin and Luoyang. What does that have to do with guarding Xuchang?

Xu Huang's expression suddenly changed, and he said urgently:

"Master Dong, are you perhaps guessing that Guan Yu has changed his strategy, abandoning the attack on Xuchang and instead heading west, passing through Jia and Liang counties, and entering Henan Yin through Luhun Pass, intending to attack my Luoyang city?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Chun's expression changed abruptly.

Dong Zhao nodded slightly, his face solemn, and said:

"After much thought, I believe that the only reasonable explanation is that Guan Yu did not attack Xuchang but instead crossed back to the south bank of the Ying River."

Cao Chun stared at the map, but looked puzzled.

"Didn't you just say that Liu Bei's ambition is to swallow up Yuzhou, and to take Yuzhou, he must take Xudu?"

"If that's the case, why did he abandon Xuchang and instead turn his attention to attacking Luoyang?"

Dong Zhao sighed and muttered to himself:
"I'm afraid we've all underestimated Liu Bei. His ambition goes beyond just taking Xuchang and even Yuzhou. He wants to cut off Your Majesty's right to ascend to the throne, block the Yellow River, and swallow up all of Henan in one fell swoop!"

Cao Chun shuddered and was terrified.

Dong Zhao pointed to the map and said in a solemn tone: "Although Xudu has a large army, Luoyang and Henan Yin only have more than 15,000 troops, and their defenses are much weaker than Xudu's."

"The Emperor has now temporarily moved to Luoyang. If Guan Yu captures it, the Emperor will fall into Liu Bei's hands and will surely be harmed by him."

"The emperor is the embodiment of righteousness and legitimacy. If Your Majesty loses the emperor, how can you rightfully replace the Han dynasty with the Wei dynasty and ascend the throne as emperor?"

"Furthermore, if Luoyang falls, Guan Yu can attack Guanzhong to the west and march out of Hulao Pass to the east, joining forces with the Chu army of Qingzhou to advance from the east and west, thus cutting off the Yellow River in one fell swoop."

"At that time, not only will we lose all of Henan, but the hundreds of thousands of troops of our Great Wei in Henan will also die without a burial place!"

"If that's really the case, then our Great Wei will..."

Dong Zhao became increasingly alarmed as he spoke, and eventually dared not continue.

Cao Chun gasped in shock, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

Good heavens, now that Dong Zhao has said that, if Guan Yu were to take Luoyang, wouldn't the Wei Kingdom be completely finished?

Luoyang is far more important than Xuchang!
"In that case, we must quickly send a messenger to Chenliu to report to the King."

Cao Chun turned to look at Xu Huang and the others.

Xu Huang shook his head and said in a deep voice:
"Guan Yu's army has already set off. We sent someone to Chenliu to report, but by the time we get there, it will be too late."

Cao Chun frowned and looked back at the map.

Dong Zhao pointed to the map and said:

"Even if Your Majesty learns of this, the only course of action you can take is to send more troops to Luoyang."

"My main force is confronting the main force of the pseudo-Chu in Chenliu. Your Majesty is unlikely to be able to spare any troops. If you have to spare any, you can only send troops from Xudu to defend Luoyang."

"In my opinion, we might as well report to the King and send troops north from Xinzheng, entering Luoyang through Huanyuan Pass. We should be able to get there before Guan Yu!"

Everyone's attention returned to the map, and Chen Qun and others agreed.

Xu Huang, however, looked hesitant and said in a deep voice:
"Guan Yu has 70,000 troops. If our army is too small, it will not be able to resist the Chu army. We will have to transfer at least 40,000 troops."

"This means that the main force of my Xudu garrison will be transferred to Luoyang, leaving less than 20,000 troops in the city."

"I'm worried that if this is Guan Yu's plan to relieve Zhao by besieging Wei, deliberately drawing out our main force and then setting up an ambush halfway, what should we do?"

Xu Huang's words immediately alerted Cao Chun.

"General Xu's concerns are not without merit. Xu Shu and Fa Zheng, who are by Guan Yu's side, are both cunning and deceitful. This may very well be a scheme devised by the two of them."

Dong Zhao nodded slightly first, then said:

"It's better to be safe than sorry. Even if we know this might be Guan Yu's plan, we can't risk ignoring it."

"In my opinion, we should still send troops to reinforce Luoyang, and at the same time send more scouts to closely monitor the movements of Guan Yu's army."

"If Guan Yu were to ambush our army or turn back to attack Xuchang, he would inevitably use his main force. Such a large-scale troop movement could not be kept secret from our scouts."

"Once we detect any unusual activity from the Chu army, we will act accordingly and respond accordingly."

Cao Chun nodded repeatedly, praising:
"Gongren's solution is truly a win-win situation. I think it's feasible. What do you all think?"

Xu Huang remained silent.

Chen Qun and Xiahou Jie both agreed.

Seeing that no one had any further objections, Cao Chun decided to mobilize the entire army to reinforce Luoyang.

The decision has been made; the next step is to send someone to lead an army to rescue Luoyang.

Of all the generals present, besides him, only Xu Huang was qualified to command an army of 40,000.

Cao Cao's task for him was to stay in Xuchang, and without Cao Cao's order, he naturally dared not leave without permission.

Since he cannot leave, Xu Huang will have to take command of the army.

But that's an army of 40,000! How can we entrust it to a commander like Xu Huang, who is not a member of the same family?
After much deliberation, Cao Chun decided to personally lead 20,000 troops to garrison Xuchang, while ordering Xu Huang to lead 40,000 troops to rescue Luoyang. He also appointed Xiahou Jie as Xu Huang's deputy, who would accompany him on the journey.

As a result, a large number of scouts were dispatched to the Jia County and Liang County front lines to monitor Guan Yu's army.

Generals Xu Huang and Xiahou Jie led 40,000 Wei troops out of Xuchang and headed straight for Huanyuan Pass.

...

Jia County is located 50 li southwest of Xuchang.

More than 70,000 Chu troops were stationed here.

Inside the Chinese army's tent.

Guan Yu stood with his hands behind his back, stroking his magnificent beard, staring at the map in deep thought.

Fa Zheng, Xu Shu, Guan Ping, Wei Yan and other generals all remained silent.

Everyone was waiting for intelligence from Xuchang.

Whether the big fish in Xuchang can be lured out, whether Xiao He's plan will succeed, and whether Yuzhou can be recovered all depend on this long-delayed intelligence report.

Only Xiao He remained calm and composed, sipping his tea with relish.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed outside the tent.

Everyone's expression brightened, and their gazes all turned to the tent flap.

"General, urgent report from the scouts in Xuchang!"

Zhao Lei, holding the silk scroll high, rushed into the main tent excitedly and shouted:

"Wei general Xu Huang led 40,000 Wei troops out of the city yesterday, heading towards Luoyang!"

"Grand Commandant Xiao's plan has succeeded, it has succeeded!"

The tent was in an uproar.

Guan Yu stepped forward, snatched the silk scroll from Zhao Lei's hand, and eagerly examined it closely.

"Bo Wen's plan has indeed succeeded! Heaven is on our side! Heaven is blessing King Chu!"

Guan Yu laughed heartily, then shouted with delight:
"Quickly send an order to Zilong, tell him that the snake has emerged from its hole, and immediately lead his seven thousand iron cavalry to give Xu Huang a severe beating!"

"Whether I can capture Xuchang and recover Yuzhou depends on this battle!"

(End of this chapter)