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

"Give me the map, quickly!"

Cao Cao shouted at Xu Chu.

Xu Chu was startled and hurriedly ordered his guards to bring the map immediately.

Before the Tiger Guards could bring the map forward, Cao Cao, leaning on his cane, staggered forward, his eyes frantically scanning the map.

Cheng Yu, Jiang Ji, and others rushed forward in a panic.

Mengjin!

Cao Cao's gaze swept across the long Yellow River, past Puyang, Baima, Yanjin and other cities, across the entire Yanzhou, and landed on that famous ferry crossing north of Luoyang.

Mengjin Ferry is located less than ten miles north of Luoyang.

Crossing the Yellow River from Mengjin, the opposite bank is Henan Commandery. Although this commandery belongs to Sizhou, it is geographically located in Hebei.

In other words, the area north of Luoyang was the heartland of the Wei Kingdom's Hebei region.

For this reason, although Mengjindu was important, it had fewer than a thousand troops stationed there, making it virtually useless.

If the Chu army were to land at Mengjin, tens of thousands of troops could raze Mengjin to the ground in an instant.

If the Chu army had cavalry, their iron cavalry could reach the walls of Luoyang in less than half an hour!

At this time, most of the garrison troops along the Luoyang line were deployed at the three southern passes, including Dagu Pass, to block the attack of Liu Bei's 150,000-strong army.

There were no more than five thousand soldiers left in Luoyang.

If the Chu army were to land at Mengjin and besiege the city with an army ten times larger, wouldn't that be...

Cao Cao shuddered and dared not think any further.

"Your Majesty, if the Chu army lands at Mengjin, they will immediately divide their forces to seize Hangu Pass and Hulao Pass to block the reinforcements from Xingyang in Guanzhong by the General and the General of the Cavalry, and then calmly besiege Luoyang."

"Whether it was Liu Bei's western army or Guan Yu and Xiao He's eastern army, their target from the very beginning was Luoyang, not Yanzhou!"

"Liu Bei's offensive in the south is only to draw our troops from Luoyang to the Three Passes and Xingyang."

"Xiao and Guan's attack on my Yanzhou was just a smokescreen, to cover their advance up the Yangtze River by naval warships, bypassing my defenses and heading straight for Mengjin."

"Your Majesty, this must be a trick by Xiao He!"

Jia Xu's voice was excited as he deduced Xiao He's entire overall plan.

At this moment, even this usually calm and collected strategist, who had seen many storms, was clearly flustered.

If Luoyang falls, Yanzhou will certainly be lost, and Guanzhong, Henan, and even Hedong will be under the attack of the Chu army. The situation of Wei will then take a sharp turn for the worse.

At that time, the state of Wei was not just losing a single city or place, but was in danger of collapse and overthrow.

When the nest is overturned, how can there be any eggs?
Even for his own life and death, Jia Xu dared not remain aloof and had no choice but to step forward and offer his advice.

Cao Cao's arm trembled, and he almost dropped his cane.

"Your Majesty!"

The officials rushed forward to help him up.

"Get out of my way!"

Cao Cao raised his cane, shoving his ministers aside, and glared angrily around them:

"You all pride yourselves on being exceptionally intelligent and resourceful, so why is it that not one of you has seen through that traitor Xiao's scheme?"

"You all know that the pseudo-Chu has the advantage of a navy, and that no one can stop them as they roam the Yellow River. Why didn't you warn me earlier that the Chu army could take Luoyang directly?"

Cheng Yu and the other strategists were all so ashamed that they lowered their heads, unable to face Cao Cao's questioning.

"And you!"

Cao Cao raised his cane and angrily pointed it at Jia Xu:
"Every time there's a military council, you just close your eyes and rest, acting as if it's none of your business, as if the survival of our Great Wei has nothing to do with you!"

"Since you knew of Xiao's treacherous scheme, why did you only tell me now?"

Jia Xu inwardly groaned.

He admitted that on several occasions before, he had indeed seen through Xiao He's schemes... no, to be precise, he had seen some clues.

However, adhering to the principle of self-preservation and keeping a low profile, he did indeed choose to remain silent, watching coldly as Cao Cao jumped into the pit dug by Xiao He.

But this time it's different.

This time, he truly did not see through Xiao He's deceptive scheme.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I am paid by the people of Wei. How can I knowingly stand by and watch the enemy's trickery?"

"I am indeed old and blind, and my wisdom is limited. I failed to see through Xiao He's plan in time."

"My words come from the bottom of my heart; I humbly beseech Your Majesty to see for yourself."

Jia Xu could only bow deeply and defend himself with a wronged expression.

Cao Cao's cane trembled slightly.

At this moment, he even had an urge to pick up his cane and give this old fox a good whack.

At the last moment, he managed to hold back.

Of all the strategists, only Jia Xu was the first to see through Xiao He's scheme. At this point, perhaps only this old poisoner could put up a fight against that sorcerer.

"boom!"

Cao Cao slammed his cane on the ground, barely suppressing his anger, and demanded angrily:

"Then tell me, now that things have come to this, how should I remedy the situation?"

Jia Xu breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes darting around a few times, and quickly said:

"If Luoyang falls, our defenses in the Jifan region will be rendered useless, and Yanzhou will face a pincer attack from the east and west by the Chu army, making it difficult to defend."

"The most important task at present is to rush to Luoyang's aid."

"Therefore, I believe that Your Majesty should leave a general to command the army to defend Cangting and block Guan Yu's Chu army, while Your Majesty should quickly lead the troops westward to rescue Luoyang."

"At the same time, Your Majesty should send a messenger day and night to Xingyang to warn the General of the Cavalry and order him to immediately send troops from Xingyang to the west to relieve Luoyang."

"Even if we can't save Luoyang, we must at least hold Hulao Pass to ensure that the road to Luoyang is open to the west, so that our reinforcements will not be blocked by the Chu army east of Hulao Pass."

Hearing Jia Xu's series of remedial measures, Cao Cao's anger finally subsided somewhat.

At this moment, Cheng Yu also recovered from his shame. Upon hearing what Jia Xu said, he frowned and said:
"But when we received the latest news, the Chu army's warships had already passed Baima, and now they have probably passed Yanjin and entered the territory of Henan Yin."

"Even if my messenger travels day and night, I'm afraid it will be too late by the time he arrives in Xingyang."

Cao Cao shuddered, his nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up again, and his gaze quickly turned to Jia Xu.

Jia Xu sighed and said helplessly:

"What I just said is the only remedy I can think of. As for whether it can be done in time, that's up to fate..." Man proposes, God disposes!
These eight words, like thunder, resounded in Cao Cao's ears.

Jia Xu's implication was that whether or not they could make it in time depended on the will of Heaven.

If he was truly even half a step too late, it would mean that fate favored Liu Bei, not Cao Cao!

Cao Cao stamped his foot, gritted his teeth, and said sternly:

"I have never believed in fate, I only believe in human effort, and I only believe in myself!"

Cao Cao immediately ordered Zhang He and Cheng Yu to lead 40,000 troops to continue guarding Cangting and blocking Guan Yu's 100,000-strong army.

At the same time, someone was urgently dispatched to Ye City to summon Cao Chong to Cangting to supervise the army.

Cao Cao personally led 40,000 troops along the west bank of the Yellow River, marching day and night straight towards Luoyang.

The messenger was sent out first, galloping at full speed towards Xingyang to warn Cao Ren.

...

The east was getting light, and daybreak was approaching.

On the Yellow River, a fleet was discreetly sailing westward along the northern bank under the cover of darkness.

The silence on the ships was broken by the sound of a gong.

The Chu soldiers, who had been sleeping in their cabins and armor, were roused and brought out of their cabins by their officers.

While chewing their dry rations, they tidied their armor and weapons, and soon lined up neatly on the deck.

Flagship bow.

Xiao He, dressed in a fox fur coat, held a steaming cup of warm wine in his hand and looked towards the south bank through binoculars.

With the help of a sliver of dim morning light, Mengjindu came into view.

"We've finally arrived..."

Xiao He let out a soft breath, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

The young generals, including Deng Ai and Guan Xing, were immediately ignited by Xiao He's words, and the crowd was in an uproar.

After passing the Cangting waters, the five hundred warships took advantage of the favorable wind and sped against the current day and night.

Do not attack Puyang, do not attack Baima, do not attack Yanjin…

They traversed the heart of Yanzhou without stopping, sailing over 700 li, heading straight for Yin in Henan.

The Yellow River surges and roars, and the boats lurch and sway.

Fortunately, Xiao He and his soldiers were mostly southerners who were used to the rocking of the boat, so they were not seriously injured.

However, spending seven consecutive days on the ship, eating, drinking, and relieving oneself in the cabin, was still quite exhausting.

Fortunately, the hardships were worthwhile, and we finally arrived at Mengjin Ferry.

The soldiers on each ship were naturally invigorated, eager to fight and wishing they could immediately land on the beach and start a fierce battle.

Xiao He remained calm and carefully observed the enemy situation in Mengjin using binoculars.

According to calculations, Cao Cao would have been at least two to three days late in figuring out Cao Cao's plan to launch a surprise attack on Mengjin.

Even if Cao Cao reacted and led his army to travel day and night, it would still take him about five to six days longer to reach Luoyang.

Even Cao Ren of Xingyang, after receiving the warning and sending troops to his aid, would arrive about two days late.

This time difference was enough for him to deploy his 50,000 troops and complete his planned deployment.

Looking at Mengjin Ferry on the south bank, it remained calm as ever, clearly having not yet received any warnings.

According to intelligence gathered by spies, the garrison at the ferry crossing numbered less than a thousand, and the commander was a minor figure like Cao Tai, the son of Cao Ren.

This battle went very smoothly...

Xiao He downed the warm wine in one gulp, threw the cup into the Yellow River, and pointed to the south bank:
"Mengjin is right in front of us! What are we waiting for? All ships, charge forward! The entire army, land!"

The order was given, and the chilling sound of bugles rang out.

More than 500 warships immediately turned around and swept up towards Mengjin Ferry on the south bank.

The soldiers on each ship were like hungry tigers and wolves, gripping their swords and spears tightly, their eyes burning with bloodlust.

They had only one thought in their minds:
Steal kills!
At the Mengjin ferry crossing, gongs were sounded loudly, and warnings were issued from all sides.

The Wei soldiers on duty were running around aimlessly on the pier like headless flies.

The Wei soldiers, still lost in their dreams, were shouted at by their officers and driven out of their tents, and hurried to the beachhead to set up defenses in a daze.

When they rubbed their sleepy eyes and, by the morning light, saw the overwhelming Chu army warships approaching on the Yellow River, they were instantly filled with terror.

These thousand-plus Wei soldiers were all as if they had seen a ghost, and they couldn't understand why the Chu army had come here!
Isn't Mengjindu the rear area?
Cao Tai, who hadn't even finished putting on his armor, stared in astonishment and shock at the approaching, dark mass of Chu army fleet, as if he had seen a ghost.

Knowing son Moruo father.

As Cao Ren's eldest son, his father knew that he was mediocre in talent and strategy, but also cared about his life and safety, so he arranged for him to take on a sinecure as guarding Mengjin Ferry.

In this way, one could both participate in the defense of Luoyang and gain some merit after the battle, and also stay away from the front lines, avoiding confrontation with those ruthless Chu soldiers—a win-win situation.

Cao Tai was also self-aware, so he spent his days drinking a little wine and fishing for small fish, enjoying a leisurely life.

He never dreamed that when he woke up, more than 500 Chu warships would fall from the sky and crash down in front of him.

His leisurely life was shattered in an instant, and he had to look up to face the thousands of Chu soldiers who were about to storm the shore.

As a prime example of a wicked son of the Cao family, this spoiled brat had never seen anything like this before. He was thrown into a panic and completely at a loss.

Just as he was filled with fear and helplessness, the first thirty or so warships rushed onto the riverbank.

"Mo Dao soldiers, follow me to slay the bandits!"

Guan Xing let out a sharp cry and leaped onto the riverbank.

With a swift slash, three terrified Wei soldiers were cut down as easily as paper.

The soldiers on each ship swarmed forward, their gleaming swords like the scythe of death, slashing down on the Wei soldiers.

These thousand Wei soldiers were no match for such a force; they crumbled and scattered in an instant.

"Chu...Chu army?"

"Wasn't the Chu army blocked at Cangting by the King? How come they've appeared at Mengjindu?"

"This this…"

Cao Tai stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the surging Chu army approaching. (End of Chapter)