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

Chapter 276 All the wise men and capable advisors of the world cannot escape your discerning eyes, Bowen! Divine thunder clears the way, the heavens and earth collapse and Xuchang is destroyed!
By this point, how could Chen Qun still not understand the meaning behind Xun Yu's three beacon fires?

Xun Yu's plan was not just a trap, but a scheme to lure the enemy into a trap.

Those three beacon fires must have been the signal for the agreed-upon attack on the city with Guan Yu.

Once the beacon fires are lit, the 70,000 Chu troops outside the city will surely launch a massive attack on the city in an instant.

Cao Chun was well prepared and had no fear of Guan Yu's night attack.

However, it should be noted that half of the troops in the city were private soldiers of aristocratic families, who only obeyed the orders of their aristocratic generals, and Cao Chun could not mobilize them.

These military generals from aristocratic families are currently being held captive here by Xun Yu.

When the Chu army attacks the city, half of the private soldiers are leaderless and do not obey Cao Chun's orders, which will surely cause chaos in the army.

In this way, how could they withstand the Chu army's fierce attack?

"You, Xun Yu, you are truly treacherous and cunning beyond measure! You, you—"

Chen Qun was furious and pointed at Xun Yu's nose, cursing loudly.

The others also realized what was happening, and they were all as anxious as ants on a hot pan, and they started cursing Xun Yu.

Xun Yu, however, remained calm and composed, his heart unmoved. He simply sat upright in his seat of honor, quietly savoring the fine wine.

...

South of Xudu City.

The divine thunder cannons have stood for a long time.

After a hearty meal, the 70,000 Chu soldiers stood in their camp for more than half an hour, full of energy.

The appointed time was approaching, but there was still no movement from the city.

"Bowen, what means do you think Xun Wenruo, who has no troops and no power, have that could help us break through the city?"

Unable to suppress his suspicions, Guan Yu turned and glanced at Xiao He.

Xiao He pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly:
"If it were me, I would definitely hold a treacherous banquet and summon all the Wei generals from aristocratic families to my residence."

"In this way, without the need for a thousand troops, we can easily control these people with just a few dozen servants."

"The saying goes, 'To catch the thief, first catch the king.' Controlling these aristocratic generals is equivalent to controlling half of their private troops."

"Without these people, Cao Chun couldn't mobilize these private soldiers. If our army attacks the city now, the Wei army in the city will be reduced by half."

"Even if Cao Chun is well-prepared, how can he possibly withstand the General's offensive?"

Guan Yu suddenly understood and nodded in approval:
"If that is indeed the case, then this Xun Wenruo is truly a man of great wisdom and resourcefulness."

Xiao He smiled and asked:
"Has the General forgotten that this Lord Xun was Cao Cao's chief strategist back then?"

"Without this man, Lü Bu would have seized Yan Province long ago, and Cao Cao would probably be dead and forgotten. How could we have achieved our current power?"

Guan Yu was taken aback, then remembered what Xun Yu had said.

After stroking his beard and smiling, Guan Yu sighed:
"The King once said that Xun Yu is indeed a talent fit to assist a king. Without him, Cao Cao would not have been able to unify the north."

"It's a pity that no matter how wise and unfathomable the strategists in the world are, they can't escape your eyes, Bowen."

Xiao He could only laugh off his father-in-law's praise.

"General, Grand Commandant Xiao... Fire... Beacon fire!"

Suddenly, Deng Ai pointed into the city and shouted excitedly.

The father-in-law and son-in-law looked up simultaneously and saw that three beacon fires had already shot into the sky from the southeast corner of Xuchang.

Xun Yu's signal has arrived.

Xiao He raised his hand and pointed into the distance, smiling faintly:
"General, whether our guess is right or wrong, and regardless of what methods Xun Yu used, since the flames of war have already been lit, we should just focus on attacking the city."

Guan Yu, his heroic spirit blazing, drew his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and pointed it towards the enemy city:
"By my order, the entire army shall march out of the camp and head straight for the city."

"First, bombard the city with divine thunder cannons, then crush Xuchang in one fell swoop!"

Inside the camp, bugles sounded.

With the camp gates wide open, rows of Shenlei cannons, pulled by mules and horses, advanced like colossal beasts toward the south gate of Xudu.

Tens of thousands of Chu soldiers surged out of their camp like a torrent, approaching Xuchang.

On top of the city.

The Wei soldiers on duty were immediately alerted, and the sound of gongs and alarms rang out in an instant.

A lone rider galloped into the city to warn Cao Chun.

In a certain mansion.

At this time, Cao Chun was also drinking with Dong Zhao.

"Gongren, I heard that Xun Wenruo also sent you an invitation. Why didn't you go to his residence for the banquet?"

Cao Chun sipped his wine and asked casually.

Dong Zhao smiled and sighed softly:
"Master Xun invited me, but that was just a polite gesture. Most of the people going were from Yingchuan. Why should I, a native of Dingtao, bother to join in the fun?"

Cao Chun seemed to understand something, but then asked doubtfully:

“When the king was promoted to duke, Xun Wenruo vehemently opposed it and even resigned from his post.”

"Now that Xuchang is in danger, he suddenly steps forward to gather the people of Yingchuan to discuss a plan to defend the city. Do you think he is speaking from the bottom of his heart?"

Dong Zhao stroked his fine beard, a playful smile on his face:
"If Xun Wenruo truly opposed the King's establishment of a state and the conferment of dukedoms, he should have stayed in the court to oppose it to the end. But he chose to resign and return to his hometown. Isn't this a form of acquiescence, a form of submission?"

Cao Chun's eyes lit up, as if he had realized something.

Dong Zhao took a sip of wine and continued:

"Xun Wenruo may be willing to support the Han dynasty, but he is ultimately a member of the Xun clan and cannot disregard the future and destiny of the Xun clan."

"The King's favor towards the powerful and influential families, and Liu Bei's suppression of them, are common knowledge. With Xun Wenruo's vision and understanding, how could he not see it?"

"So it is only reasonable that he stepped forward at this critical moment to protect the future and destiny of the Xun family, and used his old reputation to rally and inspire the morale of the people of Yingchuan."

After listening to Dong Zhao's lengthy analysis, Cao Chun suddenly realized the truth, and the doubt in his eyes vanished.

Cao Chun's lips curled up slightly, and he sneered:
“Gongren, when it comes to the ability to see into people’s hearts, no one in the world can surpass you.”

"Now that you've said that, I understand. Xun Wenruo's so-called support for the Han Dynasty is just lip service."

"In the end, he's just seeking fame—" Before the sarcastic words could finish, the guards rushed in.

"Reporting to the General of Chariots and Cavalry, the guards on the city wall report that the Chu army has suddenly amassed a large force outside the city, showing signs of a night attack!"

Cao Chun's expression changed, and he suddenly looked at Dong Zhao.

Although Dong Zhao frowned slightly, his expression remained calm, and he said dismissively:
"The big-eared bandit has been besieging the city for many days, and finally could not bear the loneliness any longer, so he is preparing to attack the city."

"General Chariot and Cavalry, I suspect he has already built the so-called Divine Thunder Cannon, and tonight's night attack will surely be a fierce bombardment of my city walls."

"The wooden palisades we prepared beforehand should come in handy in this battle."

Cao Chun quickly calmed down, leaped to his feet, and proudly declared:

"Issue my order: all units shall immediately ascend the city walls and fight to the death to repel the enemy."

"In this battle, I will make that bastard Guan Yu taste the bitterness of defeat beneath the city walls, and I will severely dampen the arrogance of the Chu army!"

Cao Chun immediately donned his armor, drew his sword, and headed straight for the south gate.

At the same time, he sent people to Xun’s residence to recall all the aristocratic and military generals who had attended the banquet to lead their troops into battle.

A moment.

When Cao Chun and Dong Zhao arrived at the city wall, the Chu army outside the city had already formed ranks, and dozens of Shenlei cannons had been brought within range.

The 10,000 troops directly under the Wei court have all been ordered to be deployed on the four city walls for defense.

The remaining 10,000 private soldiers of the aristocratic families remained in their camps, with none of them going up the city walls to prepare for battle.

There's nothing you can do; a private army is a private army. Even if you were Cao Chun, or even Cao Cao himself, they wouldn't obey your orders.

If you want to mobilize these private soldiers, you can only do so through aristocratic military generals.

The problem is that most of the aristocratic generals are still in Xun Yu's residence and haven't had time to come over yet.

As a result, although the private soldiers received Cao Chun's orders, they remained still and waited for their commander to arrive.

Left with no other option, Cao Chun had to send someone to Xun's residence again to urge them on.

It's too late.

Dozens of Divine Thunder Cannons outside the city have been loaded.

At Guan Yu's command, the Divine Thunder Cannon was suddenly activated.

"Uuuuuu——"

Dozens of stone projectiles, each the size of a bull's head, accompanied by deafening roars, flew towards Xudu City like falling stars.

Cao Chun's eyes widened instantly, as if he had seen a ghost.

Just as rumored!
The range of the Thunder Chariot was far greater than that of the Thunderbolt Chariot.

The stones they fired were far heavier than those fired by a trebuchet!
Dozens of giant rocks, accompanied by a deafening roar, swept in from all directions.

"Dodge the bullets! Dodge the bullets!"

Cao Chun suddenly woke up with a start, shouting as he shrank back towards the battlements.

"Boom boom boom!"

A deafening roar, like thunder, suddenly erupted.

The earth shook and mountains trembled, and dust billowed into the sky...

More than ten stones hit the city wall, smashing through the gate tower, shattering the battlements like paper, cracking the thick wall, and causing large sections of the wall to collapse...

Those Wei soldiers who hid under the battlements and behind their shields were blasted to pieces, shield and all, like ostriches burying their heads in the sand.

Amidst the roar, screams of agony rose and fell.

After a round of deafening roars, the earth-shattering noise finally subsided.

Cao Chun breathed a sigh of relief, shakily raised his head, and looked around.

Take a breath.

The south gate city wall is now a scene of devastation.

Half of the city gate tower was destroyed by the bomb, and the city wall, which was a hundred paces long, was severely damaged, cracked everywhere, and collapsed in countless places!
"This...this is the power of the Divine Thunder Cannon?"

Cao Chun's voice trembled, and his horrified gaze turned to Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao swallowed hard, then feigned composure and said:
"General of Chariots and Cavalry, don't panic. This was expected. It's nothing serious."

"Quickly order the soldiers to have the laborers prepare to carry earth and stones to fill the gap, and have the soldiers prepare wooden palisades to block the Chu army!"

Cao Chun composed himself and hurriedly shouted out the order in a hoarse voice.

The order had barely been given when the nightmare struck again.

The second and third rounds of the divine thunder cannon bombardment began immediately afterward.

With the azimuth calibration from the first round of bombardment, the Chu army adjusted the firing angles, and the accuracy of subsequent bombardments greatly increased.

"Boom boom boom!"

The deafening roar of the sky collapsing and the earth splitting apart was deafening, drowning out all other sounds in the world.

The Wei soldiers could not even breathe because of the loud noise; they could only close their eyes and pray that they would not be the unlucky ones.

The third round, the fourth round, the fifth round…

Within half an hour, the Chu army fired more than a thousand stone projectiles.

"Boom~~"

"Boom~~"

A sound of collapse was heard.

The city walls of Xudu could not withstand such a powerful and terrifying bombardment, and three sections of the walls finally collapsed.

Three gaps were clearly visible.

Guan Yu's half-open eyes suddenly snapped open, and he brandished his Green Dragon Crescent Blade:
"Cease fire, Thunder Cannons!"

"All troops, advance straight at the breach in the city wall, and charge into Xuchang in one fell swoop!"

(End of this chapter)