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

Le Jin vomited violently.

The other generals were stunned for a moment, then they all realized what was happening and began to vomit in droves.

Cao Ren frowned slightly and subconsciously raised his hand to cover his mouth and nose to mask the overwhelming stench.

Jia Kui, the only one who hadn't touched his chopsticks, looked up at Cao Ren in disbelief.

Shock, disappointment, horror...

He never expected that the dignified General of the Cavalry of Wei would commit such a vicious and beastly act!

What's even more infuriating is that they tried to trick them into eating it without informing them beforehand.

"Cao Zixiao!"

Jia Kui was furious. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up, angrily asking:
"You are the General of the Cavalry of our Great Wei, how could you do such a thing?"

Cao Ren remained calm and coldly said:
"Didn't you say that without food supplies, the soldiers would rebel and Liyang City would fall?"

"Now that the soldiers are well-fed and watered, they will have the strength to fight and will naturally fight to the death for Cao Wei and defend Liyang for Your Majesty."

"What's wrong with this?"

Jia Kui, his face filled with grief and indignation, questioned in a stern voice:

"But you shouldn't...you shouldn't be so vicious!"

By this time, Yue Jin and the other generals had finished vomiting, and they all raised their heads, their reproachful gazes all fixed on Cao Ren.

The generals clearly needed an explanation from Cao Ren.

Cao Ren, however, remained expressionless, surveying the assembled generals with a calm demeanor, and said:

"The reason I did this is so that you can live, so that I can defend Liyang City for the Great Wei!"

"If we don't do this, the soldiers will run out of food and rebel, and Liyang City will fall to the big-eared bandits. We will all die without a burial place!"

"Now, I, Cao Ren, have fed and watered you all, and enabled the soldiers to continue fighting to the death to defend the city, thus saving your lives. But I will bear the infamy for you in the future!"

"You should be thanking me, so what right do you have to hypocritically question me?"

Cao Ren was perfectly justified, and his gaze fell on Jia Kui.

The phrase "hypocritical benevolence and righteousness" clearly refers to him.

Jia Kui was speechless again.

At this time.

Cheng Wu also stood up, and said with righteous indignation:
"I can tell you all that this plan was presented to the General of the Flying Cavalry by me. Even if there is any infamy in the future, the General of the Flying Cavalry and I will share the responsibility, and it will have nothing to do with you."

"What I want to tell you is that in the face of life and death, humanity and reputation are nothing but dung."

"If we die, Liu Bei can write whatever he wants in the history books."

“If we die, our sons and nephews will die under the swords of the Chu army, and our wives and daughters will become playthings of the Chu people.”

"If you don't want to see all this happen, we have to survive, and if we want to survive, this is the only way we can do it!"

"Only when we are well-fed can we continue fighting and defend Liyang!"

Cheng Wu's words, each one like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the hall, shattering the anger of all the generals.

The generals, who had been complaining, suddenly fell silent and fell into deep thought.

"Jia Liangdao is right. If we want to survive, we have to do this!"

Le Jin grabbed another piece, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to wolf it down again.

Seeing Yue Jin devouring his food, and recalling Cheng Wu's words, the generals, already ruthless killers, hardened their hearts.

At this moment, Cao Ren's eyes darted around, and he smiled:

"To tell you the truth, the meat I'm giving you is all rat meat. You can eat it without worry."

The generals exchanged glances, understanding each other perfectly. Then, with a determined look, they picked up their chopsticks and resumed their hearty eating.

Once the psychological burden was lifted, the generals no longer felt nauseous; instead, they ate with relish and exclaimed how satisfying it was.

"You, you—"

Jia Kui stared in astonishment at his colleagues who were engrossed in eating, speechless with disbelief.

That horrified expression was as if he were looking at a group of demons.

Seeing his generals wolfing down their food, Cao Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He then used his knife to stab a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth to set an example.

“Jia Liang said, ‘Eat up, don’t let your outdated ideas hold you back.’”

"Only when we are well-fed can we fight for the Great Wei, and only then can we survive."

Cao Ren picked up a piece with the tip of his knife and looked at Jia Kui with a mocking smile.

Jia Kui's gaze fell on the object on Cao Ren's knife, but his brows furrowed slightly as the scene from ten days ago involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

At that time, in order to advise Cao Ren, he barged into the hall without being informed, and just happened to find Cao Ren eating and drinking.

Clearly, this General of the Cavalry had secretly hoarded a batch of horse meat for himself, secretly preparing special meals for himself behind the backs of his subordinates.

At present, Cao Ren appears to be setting an example by sharing meals with everyone, but in reality, what he eats is completely different from what the others eat.

Thinking of all this, Jia Kui felt a surge of disgust and disappointment.

He did not expose him, but slowly rose and bowed to Cao Ren:

“I understand General Huo Qubing’s predicament, but I have been studying the classics since childhood and believe in the way of the sages. I am sorry that I cannot do it.”

"Kui will take his leave now."

Having said that, Jia Kui turned to leave.

Cao Ren frowned and immediately asked coldly:
"Jia Kui, are you really not afraid of death?"

After a moment's hesitation, Jia Kui resolutely said:
"At worst, it's just death. I, Kui, will die for the Great Wei!"

Having said that, Jia Kui turned and strode away without looking back, under the complex gazes of the crowd. The crowd's expressions varied; some admired Jia Kui's integrity, some felt ashamed of themselves, and some laughed at his pedantry.

Looking at Jia Kui's retreating figure, Cao Ren's eyes held both anger and a hint of respect.

He was angry because the other man disrespected him, openly contradicted him, and even made sarcastic remarks.

The admiration stems from his unwavering integrity in refusing to eat the people's food, even at the cost of his life.

"Very well, everyone has their own ambitions. Jia Kui, if you can truly do it, preferring to starve to death rather than eat a single bite, then I, Cao Ren, will respect your integrity!"

Cao Ren snorted coldly and shoved the object on the tip of the knife into his mouth.

...

Three days later, at the Chu camp.

On the watchtower, Liu Bei held up his binoculars, surveying the situation in Liyang City.

A hint of doubt flickered in Liu Bei's eyes.

According to Xiao He and his advisors, the Wei army in the city should have run out of food supplies.

When soldiers run out of food, their morale naturally collapses, and in order to survive, they plot rebellion and surrender the city.

Surprisingly, Liyang City was extremely quiet, and the anticipated mutiny did not occur.

In recent days, a faint fragrance has even been wafting through the city.

"Logically, Cao Ren should have finished eating the warhorse, so why is there still a fragrance wafting through the city?"

"Bowen, what is the reasoning behind this?"

Liu Bei put down his binoculars and turned to look at Xiao He.

Xiao He frowned slightly, gazing in the direction of Liyang City, his thoughts racing.

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, and he said:
"Your Majesty, I fear that Cao Ren is resorting to his old tricks, imitating the actions of the traitor Cao in Yanzhou, which is why he has been able to keep the Wei army alive and prevent them from rebelling so far."

What are some old stories from the time of Yanzhou?

Liu Bei looked bewildered, unable to immediately understand the implication of Xiao He's words.

Ma Su's expression changed, and he quickly whispered:
"Your Majesty, I have heard that when Cao Cao was short of food in Yanzhou, he used Cheng Yu's treacherous scheme."

"The city is clearly out of food supplies. Does Grand Commandant Xiao mean that Cao Ren is following Cao Cao's example and actually..."

Ma Su didn't dare to say anything more.

Liu Bei shivered, his expression suddenly changed again, and he hurriedly raised his binoculars to look at Liyang City once more.

Those rising wisps of steam from the cooking fires were clearly visible.

Looking closer, one can vaguely see the Wei soldiers on the city wall, laughing and eating.

All signs proved that Xiao was right.

"That scoundrel Cao Ren is capable of such a vicious act; he is truly worse than a beast!"

Liu Bei slammed his fist against the railing, his face burning with deep hatred.

Xiao He, however, regained his composure and coldly snorted:
"Like brother, like brother. Cao Cao did that in Yanzhou back then, so it's not surprising that Cao Ren is doing the same thing in Liyang today."

"That Cheng Wu was part of Cheng Yu's scheme. Perhaps he and his son are of the same lineage. This insidious plan might have been presented to Cao Ren by him."

The words trailed off.

Zhao Yun returned with a patrol team, bringing back about a dozen people who were emaciated and skin and bones from hunger.

Zhao Yun said that these people had risked their lives to cross the city walls and come to join the Chu camp.

Liu Bei immediately descended from the watchtower and ordered that the people who had fled the city be appeased with wine and food, and that he take the opportunity to inquire about the situation inside the city from them.

These refugees were clearly starving. Upon seeing Liu Bei, they disregarded all etiquette and grabbed flatbreads to devour.

Liu Bei didn't find it strange and patiently waited for them to finish eating.

It wasn't until they were almost choking that the starving people came to their senses. Once they regained their senses, they all knelt down and thanked Liu Bei for his kindness.

After calming Liu Bei down with gentle words, he inquired again about the situation in the city.

"Your Majesty, that Cao Ren is truly wicked; he forcibly took away the remains of our loved ones..."

"Later on, the Wei army would even break into our homes at night and forcibly take away those who had not yet starved to death..."

"We were so hungry and scared, and had nowhere else to go, that we risked our lives to escape the city."

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty! Thank you so much, Your Majesty!"

The starving people knelt on the ground, weeping and wailing, recounting the events that had transpired with lingering fear.

The generals of the Chu army on both sides were all shocked and horrified upon hearing this.

"That traitor Cao Ren, I will surely kill him!"

Liu Bei flew into a rage and shouted:
"If we don't capture Liyang soon, won't all the people in this city die at Cao Ren's hands?"

"By my order, the army shall immediately attack the city!"

Liu Bei was furious; he was absolutely enraged and wanted to launch a full-scale attack on Liyang City ahead of schedule.

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yun reminded him:
"Although Cao Ren is worse than a beast, he has indeed solved the Wei army's urgent problem. Even if our army launches a strong attack from all sides, we may not be able to quickly break through Liyang."

Liu Bei frowned slightly and looked at Li Yang again.

Previously, it was precisely because of the fortification of Liyang City that a siege tactic had to be implemented, aiming to besiege the Wei army until their food supplies ran out and their morale collapsed, causing them to crumble without a fight.

Now that Cao Ren has used such a vicious move, he has pulled his army's morale back from the brink of collapse.

At this point, a direct assault on Liyang might not be an easy victory.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan. Perhaps we can invite Cao Ren to come and die, and Liyang City will fall without a fight."

Xiao He, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. (End of Chapter)