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

That autumn, the six provinces of the Great Chu enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests.

From the capital to the prefectures and counties, the grain and fodder collected from the official granaries were piled up like mountains.

The government granaries were full, and the surplus grain of the people in various prefectures was the highest since Dong Zhuo's chaos in the country.

With surplus grain in their homes, the soldiers naturally had enough resources to procure weapons and armor, and to prepare ample provisions for the autumn northern expedition.

When the autumn harvest ends and the grains are stored in granaries, it will be time for the Chu army to launch another northern expedition.

Liu Bei then issued a royal edict in Xuchang, gathering troops from various prefectures and counties, and once again marched north to attack the puppet state of Wei.

When the imperial edict was announced, the entire province was in an uproar.

The soldiers of each prefecture were filled with enthusiasm and eager to try their luck. They all wished they could rush to the battlefield immediately and exchange the heads of Wei soldiers for land grants and promotions.

From Jingzhou in the west to Yangzhou in the east, from Jiaozhou in the south to Qingzhou in the north…

Hundreds of thousands of fierce warriors of the Great Chu are all poised to strike.

One day in late autumn, Liu Bei built a high platform south of Xuchang, offered sacrifices to Heaven, and issued an edict to launch a northern expedition.

This Northern Expedition, on the surface, only has two routes: east and west.

On the western route, Liu Bei personally led 150,000 Chu troops, marching north from Xudu to attack three passes including Dagu Pass, with his forces heading straight for Luoyang.

On the eastern route, General Liu Bei and Grand Commandant Xiao He led 150,000 troops, advancing upstream along the Yellow River from Qingzhou, advancing by both land and water towards Yanzhou.

Two armies, totaling 300,000 men, marched in a mighty force towards the puppet state of Wei.

Before the Chu army had even moved, spies had already posted proclamations denouncing the traitor Cao Cao in various cities of the puppet Wei regime.

This proclamation was personally written by Xun Yu, detailing Cao Cao's various atrocities, including usurping the Han throne, massacring cities and drowning people. It called on the soldiers and civilians of the northern provinces to abandon Cao Cao, offer food and drink, and welcome the royal army.

The proclamation caused great shock in the northern provinces.

Who is Xun Yu? He was Cao Cao's chief strategist and the former head of the civil officials of Cao Wei.

This trusted minister of Cao Wei actually betrayed Cao Cao. How unpopular must Cao Cao be?
Previously, Cao Cao had diverted the Ji River to prevent the Chu army from advancing north. He had lied to the outside world, claiming that a once-in-a-century flood had occurred in Henan, causing the entire Ji River to collapse and destroying countless fields.

Xun Yu's proclamation, however, revealed the truth: it was Cao Cao who breached the dike.

The entire puppet state of Wei was terrified.

In order to resist the King of Chu, you, King of Wei, were so ruthless as to breach the dikes and flood the people of Yanzhou, treating them like ants.

If the Chu army crosses the Yellow River and reaches Hebei in the future, how will you treat us?
If you were ever in danger, would you be like an ant and sacrifice us without a second thought?
The entire puppet state of Wei was filled with unease.

Xun Yu's proclamation killed no less than 100,000 soldiers, severely damaging the morale of the Wei state even before the two countries clashed.

Ye City, the Wei King's Palace.

"Xun Yu, you ungrateful, shameless scoundrel!"

"I truly never imagined you were this kind of person!"

"I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted back then; I should have killed you!"

Cao Cao gripped Xun Yu's proclamation tightly, his teeth clenched, his eyes blazing with fury.

The ministers around him wanted to offer words of comfort, but they didn't know how to start, so they could only sigh inwardly.

"By my order, confiscate this document written by the traitor Xun at once. Anyone who dares to keep it will have their entire family wiped out!"

Cao Cao tore the proclamation in his hand to shreds and threw it angrily to the ground.

All the ministers looked solemn.

His own King Wei was so angry that he lost his composure.

Whether Xun Yu wrote this proclamation voluntarily or under duress, the purpose was to confuse the public and sow discord among the people.

Your correct course of action is either to ignore it or to post an imperial edict declaring that Xun Yu is colluding with the rebels and slandering you in an attempt to mislead the people.

You're making a mountain out of a molehill. Not only have you confiscated the proclamation, but you've also exterminated anyone who dares to keep it hidden, along with their entire family.

Isn't this just a case of being enraged and embarrassed, or having a guilty conscience?
Cheng Yu, Xin Pi, and the others exchanged glances, all knowing the truth, but none dared to utter a sound.

“Father, I believe this proclamation is a psychological tactic by Liu Bei and should be ignored.”

"Now that the false Chu is about to invade the north, I think that Father should quickly mobilize troops and make corresponding arrangements."

Cao Cao's anger subsided slightly, and his attention returned to the battle situation before him.

"Cang Shu is right. At present, resisting the Chu army's northern expedition is the most important thing."

"The Big Ear Bandit's military strategy is now crystal clear. Although he led a large army to attack Luoyang, he ordered Xiao He to advance from Qingzhou with Guan Yu. Therefore, Cangting and Dong'e must be the Big Ear Bandit's main attack direction."

"I will personally lead the main force of my Great Wei to the east of Cangting and Wuyang to block the westward advance of the two traitors, Guan and Xiao."

"As for Luoyang, according to the original plan, Hao Zhao will guard the city and use elite troops and generals to defend the three passes of Dagu and block the big-eared bandits from advancing north."

"Zixiao led 40,000 elite troops to garrison Xingyang, ready to rush to Luoyang's aid at any time. At the same time, he monitored the direction of Chenliu to prevent the Da'er rebel from launching a feint attack on Luoyang while actually attacking Xingyang."

Once he regained his composure, Cao Cao made a series of corresponding deployments.

This time, he was clearly smarter and learned from his previous experiences.

The direction of the Chu army's main attack should not be determined by where Liu Bei, the ruler, is, but by where Xiao He, the strategist, is.

The battles of Yuzhou and Qingzhou were no exception.

Now that intelligence has confirmed that Xiao He has gone to the Qingxu line, there is no doubt that the main direction of the Chu army's attack will be Qingzhou.

Cao Cao naturally had to personally lead his main force to block the Chu army from Qing and Xu.

Cao Cao and his ministers had discussed this strategy more than once beforehand, and now everyone naturally had no objections.

“Father, although Liu Bei is not the main target of the Chu army, Luoyang has now become the front line of the battlefield.”

"Isn't it a bit unsafe for the emperor to remain in Luoyang? I think it might be better to move him to Hebei?"

Under Sima Yi's subtle prompting, Cao Pi cupped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"Zihuan has considered things thoroughly; I should indeed consider moving him back to Hebei..."

Cao Cao nodded slightly in approval, but then hesitated.

At this moment, Cao Chong cupped his hands and said solemnly:

“Father, the rightful heirs of the world are the ones who hold the true lineage, and the people’s hearts are the ones who truly care for the world.”

"With the Emperor in Luoyang, all the soldiers and people of our Great Wei know that Father King is determined never to give up the Henan region." "If Father King moves the Emperor to Hebei, will the soldiers on the front lines and the people of Yan and Si provinces think that Father King has no confidence in defending the Henan region, and that is why he wants to move the Emperor north ahead of schedule?"

"Wouldn't this be detrimental to Father's grand plan to resist Chu?"

Cao Cao was startled, suddenly awakened by his son's words.

After weighing his options for a while, Cao Cao waved his hand and said:
"Cang Shu's concerns are not without merit, and Zi Huan's worries should not be ignored."

"Alright then, Zihuan, I hereby order you to go to Luoyang in my place to manage state affairs and protect the Emperor from the shadows."

"In the event that the situation in Luoyang changes, I grant you the authority to act expediently. You may decide, as the circumstances allow, whether or not to move the emperor to Hanoi Prefecture."

Cao Pi was overjoyed.

Cao Cao intended for him to go to Luoyang to oversee the country, command all officials, control the government, and monitor the emperor.

Although all government orders originated from Ye City, the Han court in Luoyang was merely an empty shell, existing in name only.

The so-called acting administration was merely a nominal title.

Even a false reputation is still a reputation, and it carries significant meaning.

From a certain perspective, this represents Cao Cao's high regard and trust in him.

Cao Pi couldn't help but feel that he was more trusted by Cao Cao than Cao Chong in this regard.

He has taken another step closer to becoming the heir apparent of the State of Wei!
Cao Pi suppressed his secret joy and quickly presented his hand in acknowledgment:
"Father, rest assured, I will set off for Luoyang immediately and will certainly live up to your expectations."

Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction, clearly placing high hopes on Cao Pi.

Cao Chong, who was watching from the side, felt a pang of sadness.

Back then, Cao Cao doted on him immensely.

During one southern expedition, he even publicly promised that if he could conquer Huainan, he would make him the heir apparent.

But who would have thought that his repeated failures in offering advice would have consumed most of Cao Cao's appreciation and favor towards him?

With his intelligence, how could he not see that Cao Cao's appointment of Cao Pi was sending a clear signal to the outside world:

I am inclined to make Cao Pi my heir.

"Father, oh Father, you...sigh..."

A barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in Cao Chong's eyes as he looked at Cao Cao...

It was late autumn or early winter of that year.

Cao Cao personally led an army of 80,000 south from Ye City, heading straight for the Cangting-Dong'e line.

...

Qingzhou, Pingyuan County, Gaotang Port.

More than fifty warships slowly came from downstream and entered the port.

Xiao He stood at the bow of the ship and looked into the distance. He saw hundreds of Chu warships moving in and out of the water camp in an orderly manner, creating a magnificent sight.

At the ferry crossing, tens of thousands of Chu soldiers began to board the ships one after another.

“Husband, it’s Father. He’s come to welcome us personally.”

Behind her, Guan Yinping pointed her delicate hand toward the pier.

Xiao He looked into the distance and indeed saw Guan Yu standing on the pier, followed by Gan Ning, Ding Feng, and others.

Guan Yu, the military commander of Qing and Xu provinces, led his army to Gaotang ahead of time after receiving the imperial edict for the Northern Expedition.

Xiao He departed from Xudu and then followed the grain ships to join them.

As for Guan Yinping behind him…

Naturally, the father-in-law was eager to have a grandson, so he secretly contacted Lao Liu and made an exception for Guan Yinping's family to accompany the army on the expedition.

The boat docked, and the couple disembarked hand in hand.

"I have met the General."

"The daughter has met her father."

Guan Yu quickly stepped forward, smiling as he helped his daughter and son-in-law up, showering them with concern and care.

"General, has our army completed its assembly?"

Xiao He steered the conversation away from mundane family matters and back to the immediate war.

Guan Yu also stopped smiling and pointed around:
"With the troops from Qing and Xu prefectures, plus the tens of thousands of troops that Yide transferred from Huainan, the combined force of 150,000 can be ready to break camp and advance westward at any time."

Xiao He nodded slightly, then looked at Gan Ning:

"Xingba, how are the preparations for the naval warships going?"

Gan Ning cupped his hands in greeting and said happily:

"Grand Commandant Xiao, rest assured, we have been preparing for a month. More than 700 warships of various sizes are ready. We are just waiting for the General and Grand Commandant's order to charge straight for Cangting and defeat Cao Cao!"

Xiao He and Guan Yu exchanged a glance, a slight smile playing on their lips.

Then, Xiao He, with a mysterious look in his eyes, asked in return:

"Xingba, the King's decree only ordered us to attack Wei. When did it say that we were to attack Cangting?"

Gan Ning was taken aback.

Zhang Liao, Ding Feng, Su Fei, Zhu Huan, and other generals were all taken aback.

To attack Wei, the natural course of action would be to advance westward along the Yellow River and capture Yanzhou.

Cao Cao has already led his army to the line of Dongwuyang in Cangting. If you don't defeat Cao Cao, how can you invade Yanzhou?
Gan Ning and the others were completely confused.

Xiao He stopped being mysterious and said:
"Now that the arrow is on the bowstring, there's no need to hide it from you any longer."

"Our mission in this campaign against Wei is not to capture Yanzhou."

"We must lead a large army on warships, cross Cao Cao's Cangting defense line, advance westward up the Yellow River, land at Mengjin, and attack Luoyang from the north!"

Xiao He finally revealed his strategy for capturing Luoyang to the generals of Qingxu Town.

Gan Ning and the other generals were all greatly alarmed. (End of Chapter)