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

All eyes turned to Xiao He.

Besides being surprised, I also feel admiration.

"Bowen, the thoughts of Cao Cao and his ministers were indeed all within your keen insight!"

Liu Bei looked back at Xiao He and sighed.

Xiao He smiled faintly, but said:

"In this battle, the two young generals, one defended well and the other made a great rescue, and together they defeated the Wei invaders."

"Among the younger generation of our Great Chu, there is such a talented general. Great Chu has successors."

Xiao He then attributed all the credit to Deng Ai and Zhao Tong.

Liu Bei agreed wholeheartedly and immediately issued an edict to reward the two generals handsomely.

Xiao He then suggested to Liu Bei that Xiahou En's head be thrown onto the walls of Liyang to further demoralize the defending troops.

Lu Xun then offered a plan: to make thousands of copies of the facts of Cao Cao's failed attack on Yan Jin, in which he suffered heavy losses, and to launch them into Liyang City using catapults, so that Cao Ren and his troops would know that Cao Cao's attempt to relieve the siege had failed, thus breaking their confidence in holding on.

Liu Bei gladly accepted it.

So Chen Dao personally led a team of men and used the Divine Thunder Cannon to shoot Xiahou En's head, along with more than a thousand copies of the proclamation, into the city.

The proclamations, scattered across the sky, fell into the city of Liyang and were quickly picked up by the Wei army.

When these starving and freezing Wei soldiers learned of the devastating defeat the Wei army suffered at Yan Jin and the execution of Xiahou En, they were all filled with terror.

The already low morale of the troops suffered another heavy blow...

Inside the main hall of the prefectural government in Liyang.

Cao Ren frowned deeply, his face was ashen, and his eyes were fixed on the bloody head on the table, his hand tightly gripping the proclamation.

The severed head was that of his nephew, Xiahou En.

The proclamation, on the other hand, revealed the fact that Zhang He's surprise attack on Yanjin had failed, resulting in heavy losses of troops and soldiers.

Cao Ren naturally understood what these two things meant.

This means that there is no hope of relieving the siege of Liyang.

This means that the already low morale of the troops in the city has been further dampened.

This also means that the fall of Liyang City has begun its countdown.

"General of the Flying Cavalry, I believe this is a psychological warfare tactic by the big-eared traitor, solely intended to disrupt the morale of our army."

"The General of the Flying Cavalry shall immediately order the confiscation of all proclamations, and anyone who dares to keep them shall be severely punished according to military law."

Cheng Wu, with a stern expression, stepped forward and spoke.

Jia Kui frowned slightly, his face bitter, and said:

"General Xiahou's head is here, which is enough to prove that Your Majesty sent troops to launch a surprise attack on Yanjin, and it also proves that the surprise attack failed!"

Cheng Wu glared at him and said in a deep voice:
"Of course I know that's true, but it's also true that the big-eared scoundrel is using this to undermine the morale of our troops."

"If we don't seize the proclamation and forcefully suppress it, are we just going to let that traitor with the big ears succeed and watch the morale of the army get even worse?"

Jia Kui was speechless after being confronted.

"Zilie is right. How can I let that big-eared thief's plot succeed!"

Cao Ren tore the proclamation to shreds and shouted sternly:

"By my order, all proclamations shall be confiscated immediately. Anyone who dares to keep them will be executed without mercy!"

Everyone was in awe.

Cao Ren was even more ruthless than Cheng Wu.

The latter was only punished under military law, while Cao Ren was to be beheaded directly.

Jia Kui, however, frowned deeply, his eyes filled with worry.

The decision to execute soldiers based solely on a proclamation, while seemingly swift and decisive, actually reveals Cao Ren's deep-seated insecurity and lack of confidence.

The more ruthless your methods, the more guilty you appear, which in turn shakes the morale of your soldiers.

"General of the Flying Cavalry, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it or not."

After hesitating for a long time, Jia Kui finally couldn't help but cup his hands and say.

Cao Ren's anger subsided slightly, and he waved his hand, indicating that Cao Ren should speak if he had something to say.

Jia Kui took a deep breath, and with a sorrowful and resolute expression, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect:

"General of the Flying Cavalry, I believe that the fall of Liyang is a foregone conclusion. It is time for you to make the decision to abandon the city and break out to save the lives of these 20,000 soldiers for the country!"

Cao Ren's expression changed drastically.

Le Jin, Cheng Wu, and the others were all taken aback.

"Jia Kui, do you know how important Liyang is? How dare you make the General of Chariots and Cavalry abandon the city and flee?"

"Are you crazy?"

Before Cao Ren could respond, Yue Jin jumped up and questioned him passionately.

Jia Kui remained fearless and said solemnly:
"Of course I know that Liyang is the shield of Yecheng and the gateway to Hebei, and it concerns the survival of the nation!"

"But the reality is that we are running out of firewood and the city's food supplies are only enough for less than twenty days. The morale of the army is on the verge of collapse."

"Once we run out of firewood and food, let alone our army of less than 20,000, even a million-strong army would be no match for us!"

"Liu Bei didn't even need to attack the city; he only needed to shout a message outside the city, and our army would probably surrender."

"At that time, not only will Liyang be lost, but the General of the Flying Cavalry, a pillar of the state, and his 20,000 precious soldiers will all be annihilated by Liu Bei!"

"Since the fall of Liyang is a foregone conclusion, why should the General of Chariots and Cavalry make further pointless sacrifices? Why not save your men and the land, and at least be able to return to the King and preserve these 20,000 troops for our Great Wei?"

Cao Ren's body stiffened, and he fell into deep thought.

Le Jin fell silent, losing his temper. Although Cheng Wu and Jia Kui were at odds, Cheng Wu also stopped uttering a word of dissent.

Simply because they are not stupid.

They naturally knew that everything Jia Kui said was true.

If they were able to hold on before, it was because of the sliver of hope that Cao Cao would lift the siege.

Zhang He's crushing defeat at the Battle of Yan Jin means that Cao Cao's meticulously planned strategy to relieve the siege has been rendered useless. After this battle, Cao Cao will have no further means to extricate himself from a siege.

With no reinforcements from outside and no food supplies inside, how can Liyang City be defended?
Abandoning the city and breaking out is the wisest choice.

If they don't take this step, there's only one fate awaiting them:
The city falls, and I die, my name is forgotten!
They didn't want to die, so naturally they only agreed with Jia Kui's suggestion, but they didn't dare to express their opinion.

There's no way around it; whoever advocates abandoning Liyang might end up taking the blame later.

Neither Le Jin nor Cheng Wu wanted to take the blame.

All eyes turned to Cao Ren, hoping he would adopt Jia Kui's suggestion and choose to abandon the city and break out.

After weighing the matter for a long time, Cao Ren let out a long sigh:
"The king's decree ordered me to hold Liyang firmly. Without the king's decree, how could I abandon the city and flee?"

"If Ji Province is lost and Hebei falls in the future, wouldn't I, Cao Ren, become a sinner of the Great Wei?"

Upon hearing these words, Cheng Wu and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing a hint of disappointment.

Cao Ren was stubborn and inflexible; even at this point, he clearly still intended to continue holding out for Liyang.

Jia Kui panicked and hurriedly said:
"General of the Flying Cavalry, as the saying goes, when a general is in the field, there are times when he may not obey the emperor's orders."

"Liyang City is currently completely besieged, so even if His Majesty issues an edict, it's impossible for it to get through!"

Kui believed that the General of the Cavalry should be—

Cao Ren waved his hand, interrupting Jia Kui's advice, and said resolutely:
“You don’t need to say anything more. In my entire life, I have never disobeyed the King of Wei’s orders, and I will not do so this time either.”

"No matter what, I will never abandon the city and break out unless I receive the king's decree to do so!"

"Anyone who dares to suggest abandoning the city again will be punished for undermining the morale of the army!"

Jia Kui stiffened, and the advice he was about to give was swallowed back down by Cao Ren's intimidation.

"Ah~~"

He could only stomp his foot in frustration and let out a helpless sigh.

Cao Ren stood up, walked outside the hall, and looked towards the north. A hint of pleading flashed across his originally resolute face.

"Your Majesty, if you truly cannot save Liyang, then send assassins to infiltrate and deliver to me the imperial edict to abandon the city and break out."

"Otherwise, I, Cao Ren, fear I would die here in Liyang, and we brothers would never see each other again..."

...

Seventy li north of Neihuang City lies Wei Camp.

Inside the military tent.

Cao Cao was leaning on his cane, toying with a wine cup in his hand, his eyes fixed on the map.

His eyes never left the word "Yanjin".

"If all goes well, General Zhang should have captured Yanjin two days ago and should now be advancing eastward to Baima."

"As long as General Zhang can capture Baima and break through the ice on the Yellow River in time, he can cut off the Chu army's retreat. Liu Bei will then have no choice but to lift the siege of Liyang and retreat eastward from Pingyuan County to Qingzhou."

"The key to this battle lies in whether General Zhang can capture Baima within a single day."

Cao Chong, standing behind him, pointed to the map and analyzed it.

Cao Cao suddenly gripped his wine cup tightly, a long-lost arrogance igniting on his face, and said confidently:

"The elite troops and generals of the Big Ear Bandit are all on the north bank, while the Yanjin White Horses on the south bank are just a bunch of mediocre men. How could they be a match for Zhang He, one of the Four Pillars of Hebei?"

"I believe that at this very moment, Zhang He has already planted my Great Wei King's banner on the walls of Baima City!"

The words trailed off.

A commotion arose outside the tent.

Then Xu Chu hurriedly entered the tent, looking flustered, and said:

"Your Majesty, Zhang He has returned!"

Cao Cao swayed, the wine cup slipped from his hand, and his confident and arrogant expression was instantly replaced by panic.

Cao Chong's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Sima Yi, Jia Xu, and the others all changed their expressions.

Zhang He actually came back?
According to the original plan, shouldn't Zhang He already be standing on the top of Baima City, waving the Great Wei King's flag, announcing the successful relief of Liyang?
How come he's back?

The only explanation is...

Everyone was shocked and looked at each other in astonishment, none daring to think any further.

"Quick, bring him in!"

Cao Cao was breathing rapidly, but he forced himself to remain calm and roared in a deep voice.

A moment.

Zhang He, covered in dust and blood, entered the tent dejectedly and knelt before Cao Cao.

"Your Majesty, I...I am guilty——"

Zhang He kowtowed to the ground, too ashamed to face Cao Cao.

The phrase "Your subject is guilty" was like a sharp blade, instantly piercing Cao Cao's heart.

Cao Cao's hand, gripping his cane, was trembling. He wanted to question Zhang He, but he was afraid of the outcome. After a long while, he couldn't utter a single word.

"I have had a smooth journey. I had already crossed the ice river and launched a surprise attack on Yanjin. I was almost successful."

"But who would have thought that when the city fell, the Chu general Deng Ai led five thousand iron cavalry and suddenly attacked from the direction of Baima, catching me completely off guard."

"I fought to the death but was defeated and forced to retreat. Xiahou En was also killed by Deng Ai."

"Your Majesty, Prince Cang Shu's plan to launch a surprise attack on Yan Jin has been seen through by Liu Bei!"

Zhang He recounted the devastating news in a sorrowful voice.

Of course, while he claimed to be apologizing, he ultimately pointed out that Cao Chong's plan had failed.

The subtext is, of course, that I, Zhang He, have done my best, and the blame for this defeat should be borne by your son, Cao Chong!

Inside the large tent, there was a deathly silence.

Cao Cao's mouth gaped open, his eyes bulged, and his face froze in a moment of despair. (End of Chapter)