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

Chapter 332 Crossing the River on Ice? Quite imaginative! Xiao He: You think we'll retreat without a fight? Old Cao, you're overthinking it.
Liyang, Chu Camp.

An exciting battle report was sent from Neihuang City to the royal tent.

Cao Cao withdrew his troops!
Cao Cao, who had been fiercely attacking Neihuang City for nearly five months, broke camp and headed north two days ago, leading 90,000 Wei troops in retreat!

This is a pleasant surprise!

This means that if Cao Cao completely abandons the plan to relieve the siege of Liyang, the 50,000 troops under the command of Zhang Liao and Gan Ning in the Neihuang direction can be withdrawn to join the siege of Liyang.

The situation for capturing Liyang will be extremely favorable.

"Your Majesty, I suggest we leave a gap so that the Wei army in the city can learn of Cao Cao's main force's northward retreat."

"The morale of the Wei army was already low. If they learned that Cao Cao had abandoned them, their morale would surely collapse."

"In that case, Liyang City can be captured in no time!"

Lu Xun seized the opportunity to offer his advice.

All the ministers nodded in agreement.

Liu Bei, unable to hide his smile, nodded in agreement, his gaze turning to Xiao He with amusement.

"Bowen, what do you think of Boyan's plan?"

Xiao He remained calm and composed, examining the battle reports in his hands, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Bowen, could it be that Cao Cao is plotting something?"

Liu Bei noticed the change in Xiao He's expression, and his smile immediately vanished as he became alert.

Xiao He raised his head, a look of doubt flashing in his eyes, and asked in return:

"I am thinking that if Liyang City falls, the gateway to Hebei will be wide open, and my 300,000 troops will be able to march north and take Ye City without any obstacles. Cao Cao will have no defenses."

"Cao Cao could not have been unaware of the consequences of the fall of Liyang."

"If Liyang has already been captured by our army, and the situation is hopeless, then it is fine for Cao Cao to withdraw his troops and retreat north."

"But Liyang has not yet fallen, and Cao Ren is still holding on desperately. Is Cao Cao really going to give up hope and lead his army away?"

Liu Bei was startled, and a look of doubt appeared in his eyes.

"According to what you've said, Bowen, it does seem a bit too hasty for Cao Cao to abandon the siege of Liyang at this point."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, then suddenly remembered something and quickly said:

"Could it be that Cao Cao is feigning a retreat to lure Wen Yuan and his men into pursuit, then ambushing and severely injuring them, so that he can take advantage of the victory to capture Neihuang and open up the road south to Liyang?"

Everyone immediately became alert.

Lu Xun nodded repeatedly and said:

"Cao Cao's military tactics have always been cunning. With the Grand Commandant's reminder, Cao Cao's retreat this time may indeed be a tactic to lure the enemy."

"Then Your Majesty should quickly send a messenger north to Neihuang and strictly order General Wen Yuan and his men not to leave the city to pursue them."

Liu Bei agreed wholeheartedly and dared not delay, immediately preparing to issue an edict.

"Cao Cao's withdrawal this time is certainly intended to lure our army into pursuit, but I believe the key point is not here."

As he spoke, Xiao He presented one of the battle reports to Liu Bei:

"In my opinion, the real suspicious point about Cao Cao's withdrawal this time lies in Zhang He's army."

Liu Bei took the battle report, and Zizai reread it. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed a hint of doubt.

Zhang Liao's battle report stated that Cao Cao's retreat was not a simultaneous withdrawal of 90,000 troops northward.

According to intelligence from spies and scouts, Zhang He led 8,000 Wei troops and withdrew north a day ahead of schedule.

Only then did Cao Cao lead his main force of over 80,000 men northwards.

There was a gap of one to two days between the two armies.

"Since Cao Cao wants to withdraw his troops, why not have all 90,000 troops break camp and return north at the same time? Why should Zhang He withdraw north first?"

Liu Bei noticed something amiss and asked:
"Bowen, do you perhaps believe that Zhang He's army is not retreating north, but rather has another purpose?"

Everyone immediately became alert, and their eyes all turned to Xiao He.

Xiao He smiled faintly and said unhurriedly:
"Your Majesty is right. I was just wondering if Cao Cao's retreat was a cover for the whereabouts of Zhang He's troops?"

"Those eight thousand Wei soldiers did not retreat to Ye City, but came south to relieve the siege of Liyang?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and his ministers were all bewildered.

To relieve the siege of Liyang, Zhang He needed to capture Neihuang.

If they could have broken through, Cao Cao's 90,000-strong army would have done so long ago. Why would they need to feign a retreat?

"Grand Commandant, I don't quite understand. Neihuang has 50,000 troops. Even if Zhang He wanted to catch us off guard, he only has 8,000 soldiers. What can he possibly do?"

Zhang Bao saw through the flaw and couldn't help but ask.

Xiao He smiled and asked:
"Xingguo, I never said that Zhang He was going to launch a surprise attack on my Neihuang City."

"Besides, to lift the siege of Liyang, why must we first break through Neihuang City?"

Zhang Bao was taken aback.

Liu Bei and his ministers were all taken aback.

Clearly, Xiao's question confused everyone, leaving them momentarily at a loss for words.

Only Ma Su's eyes lit up, and he said urgently:

"Does the Grand Commandant perhaps speculate that Zhang He's eight thousand troops intend to bypass Neihuang City and relieve the siege of Liyang from the flank?"

Xiao He smiled.

Regardless of Ma Su's actual combat skills in commanding troops, his strategic thinking and resourcefulness were truly remarkable.

“You Chang is right, Zhang He does indeed want to bypass Neihuang City.”

Xiao He nodded in agreement with Ma Su's conjecture, but then changed the subject:
"However, he doesn't just want to lift the siege of Liyang; he wants my 300,000-strong army besieging the city to retreat without a fight!"

These words caused an uproar in the tent.

Liu Bei was taken aback and hurriedly asked:
"Bowen, how could Zhang He's mere eight thousand soldiers cause my three hundred thousand troops to collapse without a fight?"

All eyes turned to Xiao He in astonishment once again.

Xiao He then stopped his preamble and pointed at the sand table:
"In my estimation, Zhang He's troops must have pretended to retreat north, then changed course to the west, passed through Dangyin, went south, crossed the Yellow River, and headed straight for Yanjin Ferry on the south bank!"

"My main force is all on the north bank of the Yellow River, and the troops on the south bank are extremely weak. The garrison at Yanjin is only a little over a thousand men."

"Once Zhang He captures Yanjin, he can march south to Chenliu and threaten Xudu. If he breaks through Xingyang and takes Hulao Pass to the west, he can threaten Luoyang." "If he marches east along the south bank of the Yellow River, he may even capture Baima and cut off our army's retreat."

"No matter which direction he chooses, whether it's Chenliu, Xingyang, Hulao Pass, or Baima, if he succeeds, and we lose our rear, our morale will be greatly shaken, and we will have no choice but to withdraw and retreat south."

"Thus, the siege of Liyang will be lifted!"

Xiao He pointed to the sand table and explained the entire plan in one breath.

There was an uproar.

Liu Bei broke out in a cold sweat, gasping for breath as he said:
“Bowen is right. Cao Cao must have bypassed Neihuang and sent Zhang He across the river to attack Yanjin. Only in this way can he create chaos in our rear and force us to lift the siege and retreat south.”

"This plan is truly ruthless. Fortunately, you saw through it, Bowen. Otherwise, our army's northern expedition would have failed at the last moment!"

The officials all gasped in astonishment, praising Xiao He's uncanny foresight, yet all were filled with lingering fear.

At this moment, Guan Xing said:
"Sister... Grand Commandant, there's something I don't understand."

"If Zhang He wants to seize Yanjin, he must first cross the Yellow River, but my navy has already controlled the Yellow River waterway, and all the ships belong to my army."

"Zhang He has no boat, how will he cross the river?"

The brother-in-law's question immediately startled everyone, and doubts rekindled in their eyes.

Xiao He smiled and asked in return:
“Anguo, think about it carefully. At this point, does Zhang He still need a boat to cross the river?”

Guan Xing was taken aback, his eyes darting around, unable to grasp Xiao He's implied meaning for a moment.

Deng Ai's eyes lit up, and he spoke first:
"It is currently the dead of winter, and the Yellow River is frozen over except for the section in Qingzhou. The Wei army does not need boats and can cross the river on the ice!"

"That's why Cao Cao dared to use this plan!"

The Yellow River is frozen over!

Crossing the river on ice!

The eight characters, like thunder, instantly shattered everyone's doubts.

Guan Xing suddenly realized something and slapped his thigh:
"That's right, how come I didn't think of that? It's freezing cold now, and we can freeze Liyang, so the Yellow River must have been frozen long ago. The Wei invaders could easily cross the river on ice!"

Liu Bei's last doubts dissipated, his expression became solemn, and he said:

"If that's the case, then we have nothing more to discuss. Time is of the essence, I should immediately send light cavalry to rescue Yan Jin!"

The plan has been decided; the next question is who to send to rescue Yanjin.

Zhao Tong, the garrison commander of Yanjin, is Zhao Yun's eldest son and a member of the younger generation of the Great Chu.

Liu Bei originally wanted Zhao Yun to lead troops and light cavalry to rescue his son.

After all, Zhao Yun was skilled in commanding cavalry and was eager to save his son, so it was most appropriate for him to go.

“Your Majesty, Zhao Tong is my son. If I lead the army there, I may lose my composure in my eagerness to save him.”

"I believe that Shi Zai should lead the army to relieve Yan Jin!"

Zhao Yun, however, did not let personal matters interfere with public duty; instead, he recommended Deng Ai.

Liu Bei was pleased with Zhao Yun's impartiality, and then turned his gaze to Deng Ai:
"Deng Shizai, listen to my command! I order you to lead five thousand light cavalry south under cover of night to relieve Yanjin!"

Deng Ai readily accepted the order.

...

Two days later, north of the Yellow River.

The cold wind was like a blade.

Eight thousand Wei soldiers were braving the cold wind and marching south through the snow.

Zhang He rode his horse swiftly, his gaze fixed on the south, silently calculating how far he was from Yanjin.

"General Zhang, we have been marching for a day and a night, and the soldiers have only rested for less than half an hour from beginning to end, and haven't even had a hot meal."

"How about we stop for a while, at least let the soldiers catch their breath, have a hot meal, and a drink of water?"

Xiahou En rode up from behind, sweating profusely and panting as he pleaded.

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. The longer we rest, the longer we risk being detected by the Chu army!"

Zhang He resolutely rejected Xiahou En's request, his face turning ashen as he said:

"Pass down the order: the marching speed may be slowed down slightly, but it must not be stopped."

"When we were hungry, we would nibble on a few pieces of flatbread; when we were thirsty, we would grab a handful of snow to eat."

"We must bring our troops to the gates of Yanjin before dusk!"

Helpless, Xiahou En could only mutter complaints under his breath as he turned his horse around to relay the order.

So the eight thousand Wei soldiers had no choice but to eat flatbread and chew on snow as they continued their frantic advance.

They ran tirelessly for half a day.

At dusk, Zhang He suddenly reined in his warhorse.

The soldiers who had been running wildly behind them also stopped in their tracks.

As they panted and looked up, the exhaustion on their faces gradually gave way to ecstasy, and cheers erupted.

finally reached.

A frozen river lies before us.

Looking south across the ice, a city can be vaguely seen in the wind and snow.

That is Yanjin City.

"We've finally arrived..."

Zhang He smiled and let out a long breath.

He then took a deep breath, pointed his long sword forward fiercely, and shouted:
"Soldiers of the Great Wei, the time has come to serve your country! Do you see it? Yanjin City is on the other side of the river, and that is our target for this raid!"

"Follow me, we'll cross the ice river and take Yanjin in one fell swoop!"

"Tonight, I, Zhang He, will drink with you all in Yanjin City to celebrate our victory. We will not stop until we are drunk!"

Inspired by his large pancake, the eight thousand Wei soldiers rallied and roared as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Zhang He spurred his horse and was the first to charge down the Yellow River.

Eight thousand Wei soldiers followed closely behind, rushing down the riverbank like a tidal wave and onto the frozen river surface.

(End of this chapter)