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

Chapter 331 I'd rather be a scapegoat than a slave of a conquered nation! Cao Cao: Are you, Xiao He, the only one in the world who knows how to use surprise tactics?
North of Neihuang City, Wei Camp.

The atmosphere inside the royal tent was heavy and oppressive.

Cao Cao, leaning on his cane, listened intently to Sima Yi's report on the intelligence from Liyang, his brow furrowed and his face ashen.

"Although the big-eared bandit has surrounded Liyang completely, my spies still managed to bribe a few Chu soldiers with a large sum of money and learn a lot of information."

"It is said that five days ago, Xiao He forged a weapon called the 'Water Dragon Cannon' for Liu Bei, which could shoot water dozens of steps away."

"Liu Bei used this water cannon to freeze Liyang, catching our soldiers in the city off guard, and many died or were injured by frostbite."

"Then, the big-eared traitor ordered Hao Zhao to persuade the soldiers defending the city to surrender, inciting them to rebel. The General of Chariots and Cavalry, overwhelmed with anger and grief, fainted on the spot..."

When Sima Yi read this passage, a look of surprise appeared on his face. He widened his eyes to confirm carefully, lest the information be incorrect.

The Wei strategists and generals in the tent were all in an uproar, and their faces were filled with surprise.

"Water...water dragon cannon?"

Cao Cao turned to look at Sima Yi, his eyes filled with the same bewilderment and disbelief.

After composing himself, Sima Yi said:
"Xiao He, that sorcerer, is not only cunning, but also said to be skilled in weapon making. It is rumored that he made the Divine Thunder Cannon for the Big-Eared Bandit."

"I suspect that this water cannon is probably a new type of weapon created by this traitor. It can probably launch water onto the city wall, soak our soldiers, and then use the freezing weather to frostbite them."

Cao Cao gasped, nearly dropping his cane, and his eyes became utterly bewildered.

Although the Divine Thunder Cannon was powerful, it was essentially derived from a catapult and bore some resemblance to a trebuchet. At least he could roughly imagine what it was.

This water dragon cannon, however, has no real-world counterpart.

Cao Cao exhausted his imagination and racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what kind of magical weapon could launch water, which was ubiquitous and almost invisible, onto the city wall of Liyang, dozens of steps away.

"This sorcerer is truly..."

Cao Cao slammed his cane against the ground, but found himself speechless, unable to utter a single word.

Fearing that Cao Cao might lose his balance, Xu Chu hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

Cao Cao grabbed Xu Chu and sat him back on the throne. He then drank several cups of water before he could barely suppress his turbulent emotions.

After taking a deep breath, he looked at his ministers and sighed bitterly:
"You all know the current situation in Liyang City. Tell me, what should I do?"

The crowd looked at each other, and apart from shaking their heads and sighing, no one dared to utter a sound.

"Zhongda, what do you suggest we do?"

Cao Cao had no choice but to call out Sima Yi's name personally, pointing his cane at him.

Sima Yi swallowed hard and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:
"The grain stored in Liyang City was originally only enough for half a year. Now that we have been besieged for five months, the grain will probably not last much longer."

"Besides the lack of food supplies, the city should also be severely short of firewood. This time, in order to deal with the water dragon cannons of the big-eared bandits, a lot of firewood must have been consumed again."

"I believe that under such dire circumstances, General of the Flying Cavalry cannot hold out for long. We must go to relieve the siege within a month, otherwise Liyang City may not be able to be saved!"

Cao Cao rolled his eyes at Sima Yi and said with displeasure:
"Of course I know that Zixiao can't hold on for long, and I also want to go and save Liyang immediately."

"But now Zhang Liao and Gan Ning are holding firm in Neihuang City and refusing to fight, blocking my army here and preventing it from moving south. How can I go to rescue Liyang?"

"I asked you how to defeat the enemy in Neihuang, but you just quoted a bunch of things that everyone knows. What's the use of that?"

After being publicly reprimanded by Cao Cao, Sima Yi clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves, a barely perceptible glint of malice flashing in his eyes.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Taking Neihuang and opening up the road to the south is indeed the key to saving Liyang."

"However, I believe..."

Sima Yi clearly had a plan in mind, but he swallowed it back before he could speak.

There is a plan, but if the plan fails, who should bear the blame for the miscalculation?
He certainly can't take the blame.

However, the situation in Liyang is now extremely precarious. If Liyang falls, Yecheng, Jizhou, and even the entire Hebei province will be indefensible, and the Wei kingdom will be in danger of collapse!

Under the nest, have the eggs finished?
Putting aside Cao Cao and the Wei Kingdom, even for his own survival, he could no longer remain indifferent to the current crisis.

We need to find a way to offer advice to Cao Cao without risking being blamed if the plan fails...

Sima Yi rolled his eyes a few times, glanced sideways at Cao Chong, and made up his mind.

Then he changed the subject and sighed:

"Zhang Liao and Gan Ning are both veteran generals, and the Chu army has 50,000 troops. It will not be easy for our army to break through Neihuang."

"But if we don't capture Neihuang, how can we head south to Liyang? We can't just bypass Neihuang without attacking it..."

Sima Yi stopped there, raising his hand to rub his forehead, pretending to be deep in thought.

Jia Xu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, quietly opened them and glanced meaningfully at Sima Yi before turning his gaze to Cao Chong.

The Cao family prodigy, once the undisputed heir of Wei, suddenly had a glimmer of hope in his eyes, as if he had been inspired by Sima Yi's words.

Jia Xu's lips curled into a slight smile.

He realized that Sima Yi was trying to lure Cao Chong into a trap, hoping to trick this child prodigy of the Cao family into offering him a solution to the impasse.

Jia Xu understood perfectly, but he didn't point it out. He continued to half-close his eyes and rest.

really.

Cao Chong, who had been frowning and deep in thought, suddenly had a flash of inspiration from Sima Yi.

He shifted his position, pretending to get up, intending to offer his advice to Cao Cao.

But after rising halfway up, Cao Chong hesitated again.

The previous schemes failed, and Xiao He's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain was used, resulting in the siege of Liyang. Liu Bei's army of over 300,000 easily landed on the north bank of the Yellow River, and the situation in Hebei became extremely dire.

That defeat had greatly disappointed Cao Cao, who openly declared that he was not qualified to be the heir apparent of Wei.

What will be the consequences if this plan fails again?

Cao Chong knew very well that his father, after repeated defeats and blows to his spirit, had long lost the magnanimity and breadth of mind he once possessed.

When Cao Cao suffered a defeat, he would usually take the blame himself and rarely shift the blame to his subordinates.

Now things are different. If your plan fails, you'll have to take the blame yourself. If you fail again this time, not only will you lose your chance at the position of heir apparent, but it's also possible that Cao Cao, in a fit of anger, will completely sideline you.

Cao Chong clenched his fists, caught in a dilemma.

Personally speaking, now is certainly not the time to risk making suggestions.

If we do not speak the truth and act impartially, once Liyang is lost, Hebei will be in danger, and the Great Wei will be in peril!
After weighing his options for a moment, Cao Chong gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and said:

"Father, I have come up with a plan that may allow us to repel the Chu army and lift the siege of Liyang!"

Cao Cao's heart skipped a beat, and a glimmer of light suddenly appeared on his gloomy face as he looked at Cao Chong with delighted surprise.

Just as he was about to ask, the joy on Cao Cao's face vanished almost instantly.

He recalled that five months earlier, Cao Chong's plan had failed.

The battles of Huainan and Xuzhou, and Cao Chong's various miscalculations, all flashed before my eyes.

Is this so-called prodigy son still trustworthy?
If he miscalculates again, the consequence will inevitably be the fall of Liyang, leaving Hebei wide open.

When Liu Bei's army of over 300,000 marches north, how can my mere 90,000 men possibly resist?

"Father, I have a plan to repel the Chu army!"

Seeing the hesitation in Cao Cao's eyes, Cao Chong leaped up and shouted confidently.

The son's confident demeanor and resolute gaze rekindled Cao Cao's trust in him.

After a moment's deliberation, Cao Cao waved his hand dismissively:

"Cang Shu, what good plan do you have? Tell me quickly."

Cao Chong immediately went to the map, took a deep breath, and pointed:
"Actually, I have always thought that Hebei is flat and accessible in all directions. Neihuang City is not a formidable pass or strategic stronghold. It is just an ordinary city."

"The only advantage of this city is its proximity to Liyang, nothing more."

"If that's the case, why are we so stubborn and insist on taking this city before we can lift the siege of Liyang?"

"Your subject believes that we cannot..."

Cao Chong then pointed to the map and slowly revealed his so-called strategy for breaking the deadlock.

Sima Yi's lips curled into a barely perceptible cold smile.

Sure enough, under his guidance, this child prodigy from the Cao family revealed the plan that he dared not personally present to Cao Cao.

The tent erupted in excitement, and all the ministers were overjoyed.

Cao Cao's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and he stood up abruptly, taking three steps at a time, before rushing to the map.

"Excellent, excellent, Cang Shu, your plan is truly brilliant!"

"Why didn't I think of that? Why do we have to attack Neihuang City to the death? We want to relieve the siege of Liyang, not necessarily defeat these 50,000 Chu invaders!"

"Cang Shu, oh Cang Shu, your words have truly awakened me from my dream!"

Cao Cao tapped the map with his cane, bursting into laughter, the gloom on his face vanishing completely.

After laughing, Cao Cao gently patted Cao Chong on the shoulder. Although he didn't say anything, Cao Chong could understand the approval in his eyes.

Regaining his father's favor filled Cao Chong with joy, so he seized the opportunity to bow respectfully.

“If Father thinks my plan is feasible, then we must implement it quickly. I am afraid that the situation in Liyang is dire and Uncle Zixiao will not be able to hold out for long.”

Cao Cao agreed wholeheartedly and glanced at his generals.

To win this battle, we need a general who is familiar with the terrain of Hebei and has exceptional military talent to lead the troops.

Since then, Cao Wei has suffered heavy losses, with many generals dying out, either killed by Liu Bei or surrendering to him.

Looking around, there were very few seasoned generals capable of shouldering great responsibilities.

After scanning around for a long time, Cao Cao finally fixed his gaze on one of them and asked:

"Zhang Junyi, do you have the courage to shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

Cao Cao selected Zhang He.

He was once one of the Four Pillars of Hebei. In terms of both military talent and martial arts skills, he and Xu Huang could be considered the foremost military generals from outside the imperial family.

Cao Cao could only feel at ease entrusting such an important task to Zhang He.

Zhang He swallowed hard.

Cao Chong's plan was still risky; to be honest, he was actually unwilling to take on this task.

Cao Cao had already personally selected the generals; how could they possibly disobey or refuse?
Zhang He had no choice but to leap up and feign generosity, saying:

"Your subject is willing to go through fire and water for the Great Wei, without hesitation!"

Cao Cao was greatly encouraged and said happily:

"Very well, very well. You, Zhang Junyi, are a general of Hebei, renowned throughout the land. I have no worries about having you lead the army there!"

"I will give you eight thousand elite troops and appoint Xiahou En as your deputy general. Go and implement Cang Shu's plan to relieve the siege of Liyang!"

Xiahou En immediately stood up and took the lead in accepting the order.

Zhang He frowned slightly.

Xiahou En was a man of shallow talent, and in his eyes he was nothing but a good-for-nothing.

For such an important mission, Cao Cao appointed Xiahou En as his deputy, which clearly showed that he did not fully trust him and wanted to send a military officer from the Xiahou clan to accompany the army and supervise him.

Zhang He was naturally resentful, but dared not express his opinion, and could only accept the order generously.

So Zhang He and Xiahou En led eight thousand elite troops and left the camp first.

Cao Cao, leaning on his cane, arrived outside the tent and looked at the Neihuang city, which he had been besieging for a long time without success. A cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Xiao He, aren't you fond of using surprise attacks? This time, I'll show you that you're not the only one in the world who knows how to use surprise attacks..."

(End of this chapter)