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

The first top scholar of the Great Chu Dynasty!
Liu Bei was well aware of the immense value of this title.

The imperial examination system was an innovation, and using examinations to select officials was a groundbreaking move.

This imperial examination was the first of its kind since the inception of the imperial examination system, and it will surely be recorded in history forever.

As the first top scholar in the imperial examination system since its inception, he will naturally leave a significant mark on history.

Throughout history, how many heroes and great figures have left their mark on history?

If he were to be appointed the top scholar in the imperial examination, Guanqiu Jian would be able to make a name for himself in history based solely on his strategy for attacking Wei.

That's quite a heavy stroke!

"Bowen, the question of who will be the top scholar is of great importance. Are you sure this person deserves the title of the first top scholar in the imperial examination of our Great Chu?"

Out of caution, Liu Bei had no choice but to ask again.

Xiao He knew what Lao Liu was worried about. He was afraid that although Guanqiu Jian was talented, he was only good at theoretical discussions and empty talk.

Such a person is indeed a talented individual and is truly capable.

Whether he truly deserves the title of top scholar is another matter.

Xiao He, however, gave a meaningful look, cupped his hands, and smiled:
"This Guanqiu Jian is by no means a mere armchair strategist. He is both a man of letters and a man of martial prowess, and has the makings of a great general. Given time, he will surely become a pillar of our Great Chu."

"Your Majesty, please believe me, this man is absolutely worthy of the title of the first top scholar of our Great Chu!"

Liu Bei was startled, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.

He was all too familiar with this situation.

Wei Yan, Gan Ning, Huo Jun…

Those talented individuals who were buried in the sand and remained unknown in the past were all recommended by Xiao He in this way.

As it turns out, Xiao He was not only incredibly resourceful, but also a talent scout; every person he recommended was a genius.

Now that he has praised Guanqiu Jian for having the potential to become a famous general and that he will surely become a pillar of the Great Chu sooner or later, how could he be wrong?
With this in mind, Liu Bei no longer hesitated and readily agreed:

"Since he is the person you have chosen, Bowen, he must be absolutely right. Very well, I hereby appoint Guanqiu Jian as the first top scholar of our Great Chu!"

Liu Bei made the decision, and Pang Tong and the others naturally had no objections.

Thus, the first new top scholar in the imperial examination system since its inception was established.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Bei asked everyone to discuss the specific strategy for capturing Luoyang.

“The area west of Luoyang, including Hongnong and even Guanzhong, was all under the control of the pseudo-Wei state.”

"When our army fought a major battle with Cao Cao in the Central Plains, Cao Ren used a divisive tactic to cause Ma Chao and Han Sui to turn against each other again. He took advantage of the situation to capture the counties of Longxi, drove Ma Chao to Hanzhong, and basically wiped out Liangzhou."

"It is obviously impossible for our army to attack Luoyang from the west, and Cao Ren can lead the Guanlong Army out of Tongguan to reinforce Luoyang at any time."

"The area east of Luoyang, from Hulao Pass to Xingyang, is still occupied by the puppet state of Wei, and Cao Cao has stationed at least 20,000 troops there."

"If our army attacks Luoyang from the east, we would have to go north to capture Xingyang and Hulao Pass first, which would require crossing a large area of ​​marshland south of the Ji River, which is obviously unwise."

"So, after all this calculation, the only option is to advance from the south, starting from Xuchang and heading north to take Xinzheng first, and then attack Henan Yin through Huanyuan Pass, Xuanmen Pass, or Dagu Pass, and then bring troops to Luoyang."

"These three passes are among the eight passes of Luoyang. Although they are not as treacherous as Tongguan, they are still easy to defend and difficult to attack. If each pass is guarded by 5,000 elite troops, it will be enough to stop my army of ten times the size from attacking."

"Therefore, I believe that if we want to recover Luoyang, we must first devise a foolproof plan to capture these three passes."

Pang Tong pointed to the sand table and explained in detail all the difficulties they would face in capturing Luoyang.

Liu Bei frowned slightly, stroked his fine beard, and nodded slightly:

“Shi Yuan’s words make sense. If we want to attack Luoyang, we can only advance from the south. And if we advance from the south, we can only break through one of these three passes first.”

"Cao Cao couldn't possibly be unaware of the importance of Luoyang, and he would surely have left elite troops and generals at the three passes."

"How to overcome these three hurdles still requires careful consideration..."

All eyes were focused on the three passes south of Luoyang, and everyone's thoughts raced.

"Your Majesty, there are many roads to Luoyang, so why must we insist on tackling those three tough challenges?"

Xiao He, who had remained silent until now, suddenly uttered this sentence in a playful tone.

Liu Bei's eyes flickered, and everyone's gazes converged on Xiao He.

Everyone looked bewildered.

Pang Tong has already explained the route for attacking Luoyang in detail, and it has been approved by everyone.

The west is impassable, and the east is also blocked, leaving only the south.

If you attack Luoyang from the south, what else can you tackle if you don't take on those three tough passes?
Under the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Xiao He picked up a bamboo stick and slashed it north of Luoyang:
"Your Majesty, we can also take this route to conquer Luoyang."

Liu Bei and his advisors followed Xiao He's gaze, their eyes narrowing slightly, still bewildered.

The next moment, everyone's expressions changed, as if they had suddenly woken up.

The crowd's gazes instantly shifted from confusion and bewilderment to boundless joy.

"Brilliant! Grand Commandant Xiao's plan is truly a stroke of genius. This route of attack perfectly leverages our strengths!"

"Brilliant, brilliant! How could I not have thought of that!"

Pang Tong clapped his hands in approval, and when he looked back at Xiao He, his gaze was full of amazement and admiration.

The hall was in an uproar; everyone was overjoyed, as if their meridians had been opened.

Xiao He then put down the bamboo stick, smiled, and bowed to Liu Bei.

"Your Majesty, what do you think of my plan to capture Luoyang?"

Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed heartily, saying with delight:

"Excellent, excellent, Bowen, your plan perfectly utilizes our army's greatest advantage and will surely catch Cao Cao off guard."

"Luoyang can be captured! Luoyang can be captured!"

Seeing that Lao Liu had made the decision, Xiao He didn't say anything more, just smiled faintly.

Liu Bei then ascended the high steps, surveyed his ministers, and declared with great pride: "My lords, Cao Cao occupies the fertile lands of the two rivers, and the potential of the pseudo-Wei is unfathomable. As Bo Wen aptly put it, the campaign against Wei cannot be delayed."

"My mind is made up. Once the autumn harvest is over, I will immediately raise an army to attack the false Wei again. I must capture Luoyang, recover Yanzhou, and drive the Cao traitors out of the south of the Yellow River!"

The ministers were filled with fervor and readily accepted the order.

Liu Bei immediately appointed Guanqiu Jian as the new top scholar.

The first imperial examination in the State of Chu thus came to a successful conclusion.

Many talented individuals from the six prefectures were ranked among the top three and were put to good use by the nation.

Most of these successful candidates in the imperial examinations came from wealthy and powerful families, but there were also many from humble backgrounds.

Liu Bei appointed all those who passed the imperial examinations to official positions, either keeping them in Xuchang for service or sending them to prefectures and counties to take up posts, and everyone was granted an official title.

As soon as the imperial examinations ended, Liu Bei began preparations for another campaign against the puppet Qin dynasty.

Imperial edicts were issued to various Eagle Banner prefectures, and the Eagle Banner captains began to gather their troops for drills and training after the autumn harvest, and were tasked with preparing provisions and weapons.

On the surface, all six provinces of Chu appeared calm, but in reality, they were secretly making preparations for another campaign against the puppet state of Wei.

The spies from Wei were not to be underestimated. Intelligence about Chu's impending northern expedition was quickly sent to Ye City like snowflakes.

...

Ye City, the Wei King's Palace.

"That big-eared thief is truly insatiable, always pushing his luck. He has only occupied my Yuzhou for less than half a year, and now he wants to raise an army to invade the north and seize my Yanzhou."

"Outrageous, utterly outrageous!"

Looking at the intelligence report in his hand, Cao Cao couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and start cursing.

The assembled officials in front of the palace immediately erupted in a clamor of surprise.

The devastating defeat in the Battle of Yuzhou, with its heavy losses of soldiers and generals and the loss of territory, is still vivid in my memory.

Cao Chun, Chen Qun, Du Xi, Dong Zhao…

In that battle, countless colleagues and high-ranking officials died under the blades of the Chu army.

These surviving Wei officials, which one of them wasn't filled with lingering fear and unease, still haunted by the shadow that loomed over them to this day?

Now that they have learned that the Chu army is about to invade the north again, everyone is naturally filled with fear and anxiety.

Immediately, a great deal of discussion arose.

Seeing that his ministers feared the Chu army like tigers, Cao Cao frowned and showed displeasure, slamming the intelligence report in his hand onto the table.

"In the battle of Henan, I only lost Yuzhou and tens of thousands of soldiers; the sky hasn't fallen yet!"

"The two provinces of Yan and Si are still in my hands, and Hebei is still in my hands. Even if the big-eared traitor raises the whole country's army to invade, what do I have to fear?"

"All of you, be alert! Don't be afraid of that big-eared thief like a tiger. The false Chu army hasn't even arrived yet, and you've already thrown yourselves into disarray!"

Cao Cao spat and berated his ministers.

Inside the main hall, the anxiety and tension among the officials were finally dispelled.

"Your Majesty is right. Even if we lose all of Henan, as long as we hold Hebei and Jizhou, what is there to fear from the big-eared thief?"

General Cao Ren rose abruptly, bowed to Cao Cao, and said with great emotion:

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Henan in person. If that traitor with the large ears really raises an army to invade, I will make him suffer a crushing defeat!"

Cao Ren was bursting with confidence.

This is not surprising, since Cao Cao had suffered setbacks in Yuzhou, while Cao Ren had a smooth run in Guanzhong.

A divisive tactic broke the alliance between Ma and Han, killed Han Sui, drove Ma Chao to Hanzhong to join Zhang Lu, and conveniently recovered Liangzhou in Longxi.

Although Cao Cao lost Yuzhou, he unexpectedly regained Liangzhou, which can be considered as a slight recovery.

This achievement in expanding territory boosted Cao Ren's confidence, and now he dared to speak arrogantly, seemingly forgetting his past experience of being brutally defeated by Liu Bei.

However, Cao Ren's generous statement did indeed boost morale and invigorate the spirits of the officials.

Therefore, all the ministers expressed their willingness to fight to the death for the country and resist the invasion of the Chu army.

Cao Cao was satisfied and then ordered his ministers to discuss strategies for defending against the enemy.

"With the existence of the marshes south of the Ji River, Liu Bei's route of advancing from the south has been blocked. Our army only needs to leave several thousand elite troops in key towns on the north bank, such as Dingtao and Juye, along the Yannan line."

"In this way, Liu Bei's only route of advance is to go upstream along the Yellow River from Qingzhou, advancing by both land and water, and attacking my Yanzhou from the east."

"I believe that Your Majesty should personally lead a large army to set up defenses along the line of Dong'e, Cangting and Dongwuyang, hold the city and not fight, and hold the position to block the main force of the Chu army."

"In addition, Your Majesty should leave a certain number of troops in Luoyang, especially deploying elite troops and supplies at the three passes south of Luoyang, including Dagu Pass, to prevent Liu Bei from advancing north from Xudu to invade Luoyang."

"At the same time, Your Majesty should also send General of the Flying Cavalry to lead an elite force to garrison the Xingyang-Hulao line. This force can reinforce Luoyang to the west at any time, support Your Majesty from the east along the river, and monitor the Chu army at Chenliu to the south."

"With this deployment, our army only needs to hold firm and not fight, keeping Liu Bei's troops at bay beneath the fortified city. We will surely be able to outlast him until his supplies run out and he retreats without a fight."

"As long as we repel Liu Bei's northern invasion this time, we can buy enough time to recruit new soldiers and recover our strength."

"At that time, the situation of the enemy being strong and us being weak will surely be reversed again, and the situation will change from Chu being strong and Wei being weak to Wei being strong and Chu being weak!"

"At that time, Your Majesty switched from defense to offense, and led your army south. How could you not recover the lost territory!"

Cheng Yu was the first to step forward, and with great passion and eloquence, he outlined a blueprint for Cao Cao to defend against the enemy.

The gloom on Cao Cao's face vanished, and he nodded repeatedly, his gaze sweeping over his advisors.

Neither Jiang Ji nor Xin Pi had any objections to Cheng Yu's strategy.

"Alright, let's proceed according to Zhongde's plan!"

Cao Cao slammed his hand on the table, stood up leaning on his cane, and looked arrogantly southward:
"This time, I and you will adopt a defensive strategy instead of an offensive one, let that big-eared thief run rampant for once, and let him come and attack as he pleases."

"Let us, ruler and ministers, unite as one, hold our ground, and let that treacherous bastard taste the bitterness of being defeated and forced to retreat in disarray!" (End of Chapter)