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

"This is impossible!"

"My plan is flawless; how could Liu Bei possibly see through it?"

"This is impossible, impossible~~"

Cao Chong was completely flustered at this moment, muttering to himself, unwilling to accept this cruel reality.

"If Liu Bei hadn't already seen through Cang Shu's plan, how could Liu Bei's cavalry have arrived at Yan Jin so quickly and caught He off guard?"

Fearing that Cao Chong would shift the blame to him, Zhang He quickly launched into a series of well-reasoned and logical counter-questions.

Cao Chong was speechless.

Sima Yi, who was standing to the side, had recovered from his shock and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

This sigh was naturally a lament for the hopelessness of relieving the siege of Liyang and for the bleak future of the Wei Kingdom.

In addition, Sima Yi was secretly relieved.

He was glad that he hadn't acted impulsively that day and personally suggested to Cao Cao that they launch a surprise attack on Yan Jin, but instead had induced Cao Chong to offer his own plan.

Since the plan failed, Cao Chong should naturally take the blame.

Sima Yi rolled his eyes, then sighed with a bitter face:
"Young Master Cang Shu, don't you understand yet? You have once again underestimated Xiao He's wisdom and cunning!"

"This must be his brilliant strategy. He saw through the true intention of our army's retreat to the north, and deduced your plan to launch a surprise attack on Yanjin, so that Liu Bei could send light cavalry to Yanjin ahead of time."

"It was only because Chu's five thousand iron cavalry arrived at Yanjin in time that they were able to defeat our surprise attack!"

"Young Master Cang Shu, your plan has failed. We have not only suffered heavy losses, but we have also lost our last hope of lifting the siege of Liyang!"

Sima Yi went along with it, placing all the blame and all the blame on Cao Chong.

There was no other way; since Liyang couldn't be saved, the only option was to take advantage of the situation and kick Cao Chong while he was down.

It can be considered a funeral turned into a celebration.

Cao Chong trembled, opened his mouth as if to defend himself, but could not utter a single word.

He was trembling, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, and turned around in shame and fear, looking shakily at Cao Cao.

Cao Cao snapped out of his daze, abruptly raised his head, and shot his gaze at Cao Chong with a sharp, piercing look.

Those wide-open, bloodshot eyes were filled with deep resentment.

"How many times... Over the years, how many times have you miscalculated because you underestimated that Xiao thief?"

Why can't you ever learn your lesson?

"Tell me, given this situation, what do you expect me to do?"

Cao Chong tapped his cane on the ground, and roared angrily at his son, filled with disappointment and resentment.

"Father, your son...your son..."

Cold sweat streamed down Cao Chong's forehead. He was ashamed and flustered, but he didn't know how to face Cao Cao's questioning.

"you you--"

Cao Cao wanted to complain about Cao Chong, but after holding his words in for a long time, he swallowed them back and just angrily flicked his sleeves.

Now that things have come to this, what's the point of blaming Cao Chong anymore?
Moreover, Cao Cao understood that given Xiao He's extraordinary talent, it was not unreasonable that Cao Chong's seemingly flawless plan was exposed.

After all these years, not only Cao Chong, but also many of his strategists and brilliant schemes have been exposed by Xiao He.
Why should this time be an exception?
Cao Chong, however, was utterly disheartened.

He naturally knew what Cao Cao's flick of his sleeve meant.

This represents utter disappointment in him.

From this day forward, he will completely lose Cao Cao's trust and return to the status of a son of a concubine.

"Tell me, what should we do now?"

Cao Cao slumped down weakly, his helpless gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Your Majesty, since Prince Cangshu's plan has failed, our army has suffered heavy losses, and the Big-Eared Bandit must have taken precautions. It is no longer possible for us to attack their flanks and rear."

"In my opinion, given the current situation, the hope of defending Liyang City is slim."

"In that case, why not have the General of the Flying Cavalry lead the troops to abandon the city and break out? Perhaps we can still save our lives and preserve the life of the General of the Flying Cavalry, the pillar of the nation, and the lives of our 20,000 precious soldiers!"

Sima Yi offered his advice without hesitation.

This time, he did not hesitate or have any concerns.

After all, Cao Chong had already taken the blame for the loss of Liyang, so there was no risk in him suggesting abandoning Liyang.

Since there is no risk to ourselves, minimizing the losses to the State of Wei is the top priority.

"Your Majesty, I believe Sima Zhongda is absolutely right."

"The fall of Liyang is a foregone conclusion. Since that is the case, minimizing the losses as much as possible is the best way to remedy the situation."

"I believe it is time to order the General of Chariots and Cavalry to abandon the city and break out of the siege."

At this point, Jia Xu also spoke up, agreeing with Sima Yi's suggestion.

Cao Chong wanted to agree, but the words were on the tip of his tongue, and he dared not speak, so he could only sigh inwardly.

Cao Cao sat sullenly on the throne, his brows furrowed, his fists clenched, and his eyes burning with deep resentment.

He was well aware of how important Li Yang was.

He was well aware of the impact of the fall of Liyang on the overall war situation in Hebei, and even on the fate of the Wei state.

If he hadn't been driven to desperation, how could he have been willing to give up?

However, judging from the current situation, we have indeed reached a dead end.

"Cang Shu—"

Cao Cao glared at Cao Chong with a reproachful look, clearly placing all the blame for the loss of Liyang on his so-called "prodigy" son.

"Enough, enough! Quickly send assassins to storm Liyang and order Zixiao to abandon the city and break out..."

After much deliberation, Cao Cao finally let out a helpless sigh and reluctantly shook his hand.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Liyang.

The Chu army's attack on Liyang City has finally officially begun.

More than three hundred divine thunder cannons were pushed inside the walls and began to launch a saturation attack on Liyang City day and night.

In Xiao He's words, we don't expect to collapse the walls of Liyang; our goal is only to shatter the morale and will of the Wei army.

Countless boulders rose into the air day and night, like meteors falling from the sky, crashing down on Liyang City.

The sky collapsed and the earth cracked; the ground shook and mountains trembled, as if the end of the world had arrived…

The Wei soldiers, already suffering from hunger and cold, could only huddle behind the city walls like frightened birds, trembling and enduring the psychological torment.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The city of Liyang had been blasted beyond recognition. The 20,000 Wei soldiers, under the combined pressure of bitter cold, hunger, and the "giant rocks falling from the sky," were on the verge of mental collapse...

Inside the mansion, wisps of aroma from wine and meat mingled together, wafting out and making the guards standing outside drool.

In the hall.

Cao Ren was gnawing on a lamb leg and drinking fine wine.

Although the city's food supplies were running low, the soldiers' rations had been reduced to less than one-tenth of what they used to be, and they were so hungry that they could barely lift their weapons.

However, as the commander of the three armies and the General of the Flying Cavalry of Wei, Cao Ren could not be allowed to go hungry.

Therefore, the storehouse also contained dozens of kilograms of mutton and more than a dozen jars of fine wine, specially supplied for Cao Ren alone.

"General of the Flying Cavalry—"

Jia Kui forced his way in without being announced by his guards.

When Jia Kui saw the abundant wine and meat in front of Cao Ren, he was taken aback and his brows furrowed suddenly.

Clearly, Jia Kui had not expected that Cao Ren, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, would not share the hardships with his soldiers in this predicament.

The soldiers were half-starved, and even officers of their rank were barely getting enough to eat.

You, Cao Ren, actually get to eat meat and drink wine?
Upon seeing Jia Kui barge in, Cao Ren blushed slightly and looked somewhat embarrassed, as if he had been caught in the act of adultery.

The next moment, Cao Ren returned to normal, and slowly waved his hands to the left and right, signaling them to remove the wine and meat.

The guards understood, and hurriedly, with mouths watering, removed the unfinished food and wine.

Cao Ren wiped his mouth, pretending nothing had happened, and asked with displeasure:
"Jia Liang said, 'You're becoming more and more unruly. How could you barge in without asking permission?'"

Jia Kui snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
"General of the Cavalry, fifty soldiers in the East Gate camp, unable to bear the hunger, openly stormed the grain depot in an attempt to seize grain. They have all been captured."

“There are thousands of people in the south of the city who are dissatisfied with the forced collection of their grain rations. They gathered in front of the government office and made a fuss, demanding that we return their grain rations and give them a way to survive.”

"General of the Cavalry, the soldiers and civilians are all rioting because their food supplies are running out!"

Cao Ren's face flushed with anger, he slammed his fist on the table and stood up, shouting:

"How dare they! These unruly peasants and scoundrels, are they planning a rebellion?"

"By my order, behead all the soldiers who looted the grain, and kill all those troublemakers as well!"

"I will kill one to warn a hundred!"

Jia Kui's expression hardened; he clearly hadn't expected Cao Ren to be so ruthless and vicious.

He did not accept the order, but instead sighed:
"Whether the soldiers are looting grain or the people are rioting, it's all because they're starving and have nowhere else to turn."

"If the day truly comes when food supplies run out, the common people can still be suppressed, but how can the soldiers suppress them?"

"If things get out of hand then, it won't just be a few dozen people; I'm afraid the entire city's soldiers will rise up in rebellion!"

Cao Ren shivered and slumped down, a look of fear flashing across his face.

Seeing this, Jia Kui seized the opportunity and said:
"General of the Cavalry, the supply line will be cut off in the next few days, and the mutiny of the soldiers throughout the city is imminent."

"If it really drags on until that day, not only will Liyang City be lost, but the General of the Cavalry and we will all die without a burial place."

"I urge the General of the Flying Cavalry to give the order: while the supplies are still running out and the soldiers have not yet all rebelled, let us abandon the city and break out!"

Cao Ren was suddenly startled and glared angrily at Jia Kui.

After all that buildup, it turns out that Jia Kui's real purpose was to persuade him to abandon the city and break out of the siege.

Cao Ren slammed his hand on the table, jumped up, and said fiercely with a ferocious expression:

"I have said before that without the King of Wei's edict, I will never abandon Liyang and break out on my own!"

"You must not undermine the morale of the troops again, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The attempt to persuade them failed once again.

Jia Kui sighed helplessly and could only silently take his leave.

Watching Jia Kui leave, Cao Ren collapsed weakly to the ground, his furious expression turning into one of sorrow and helplessness.

Just then, Cheng Wu walked in.

Cao Ren's face immediately turned ferocious again, and he waved his hand dismissively:

"If you also want to persuade me to abandon the city and break out, you should take back your words now. I have said before that I will never give up Liyang without the King of Wei's edict!"

Cheng Wu coughed a few times, then said:

"General of the Flying Cavalry, you have misunderstood. I have not come here to advise you to abandon the city and break out, but to help our army temporarily relieve the urgent need for food supplies."

Cao Ren's eyes lit up, his anger instantly turning to joy, and he hurriedly asked:

"Zilie, what methods do you have to resolve this urgent crisis?"

Cheng Wu leaned closer, took a deep breath, and lowered his voice:

"General of the Cavalry, don't forget, besides our soldiers, there are tens of thousands of civilians in the city, cough cough..." (End of this chapter)