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

Abandon Jizhou!
Jia Xu actually advised Cao Cao to abandon Ye City, Ji Province and even You Province, and flee to Bing Province without a fight.

Cao Cao looked shocked, thinking he had misheard.

Jia Xu, who always preferred to "stay out of things," either didn't offer any advice at all, or when he did, he offered such an explosive plan!
"Your Majesty, Jia Wenhe's plan is jeopardizing the nation and must not be implemented!"

After his initial shock, Sima Yi was the first to object.

"Ye City is the capital of our Great Wei, and Ji Province is the heartland of our Great Wei. How can we abandon it without a fight?"

"If the capital is lost, the morale of the people and the army in all the states will surely collapse."

"If Ji Province is lost, it will be equivalent to losing 50% of our manpower and food supply. Even with strong passes and strategic advantages, we will have no chance to withstand the Chu army's advance, given the barren lands of Bing Province, Guanzhong, and Liang Province."

"Your Majesty, if we abandon Ye City and Ji Province, what difference is there between us and waiting for death?"

"Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider. You must not adopt Jia Wenhe's disastrous policies!"

Sima Yi was also anxious, and without caring about offending Jia He, he directly tore off the mask and launched a furious attack.

There's no other way; if we abandon Ji Province, we'll definitely have to abandon Hanoi as well.

At that time, he and his brother Sima Jin would lose their ancestral homeland of Henan, and like Xin Pi and other scholars from Yingchuan, they would become rootless water, lonely ghosts.

But Jia Xu was from Liangzhou.

Once Cao Cao retreats westward, Guanzhong, Longxi, Yongzhou, and Liangzhou will be elevated to the heartland of Wei, and Wei will inevitably have to vigorously promote scholars from Guanzhong.

As a representative figure of the Guanzhong scholars in the court, Jia Xu would undoubtedly rise to become Cao Cao's chief strategist and the head of all officials.

Therefore, the attitudes of scholars from Guanzhong, such as Jia Xu, would directly influence Cao Cao's decision on who to appoint as his heir.

What if Jia Xu and other scholars from Guanzhong look down on Cao Pi and want to make Cao Chong the heir apparent?

Wouldn't this change the already certainty of Cao Pi's position as heir apparent?
Whether for Cao Pi's sake or for his own selfish reasons, Sima Yi naturally had to strongly oppose giving up Ji Province.

With Sima Yi taking the lead, a group of strategists from Ji and You provinces responded one after another, all standing up to oppose him.

Even a military general like Zhang He had to voice his opposition to abandoning Ye City.

There was nothing that could be done; after all, Zhang He was also from Ji Province and was the leader of the military generals among the people of Ji Province.

“Zhongda is right. Ye City is the capital of our Great Wei, and it concerns the hearts of the people. Ji Province is our source of soldiers and food. How can we abandon it without a fight?”

"Wenhe, although your plan can save hundreds of thousands of troops, it is too short-sighted and fails to consider the long-term prospects of our Great Wei."

"This plan is not feasible, it is not feasible at all."

Cao Cao was naturally unwilling to abandon his base, so he took the opportunity to reject Jia Xu's suggestion.

Jia Xu sighed.

He was well aware that offering this plan would not only offend Sima Yi and other scholars in Hebei, but also displease Cao Cao.

Unless absolutely necessary, he, who is usually low-key, would never resort to such a desperate measure.

In his view, the State of Wei was now at a critical juncture, and his own life was seriously threatened.

It was precisely out of self-preservation that he could no longer remain silent, and he was willing to offend Sima Yi and other scholars in Hebei in order to offer this strategy.

However, Cao Cao's refusal, due to the strong opposition from the scholars of Hebei, was naturally within Jia Xu's expectations.

His suggestion was merely a tentative attempt to see what would happen.

"Then...then I have no other choice..."

Jia Xu shook his head and sighed, his aged face showing only helplessness.

Cao Cao swallowed hard, his gaze inevitably turning to Sima Yi:
"Zhongda, since we cannot abandon Ye City and Ji Province, tell me how I should stop the big-eared thief?"

All eyes turned to Sima Yi.

After hesitating for a moment, Sima Yi gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and said:

"Your Majesty, I still maintain the original plan: to form an alliance with the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and other nomadic peoples, and lead their cavalry south to assist in the battle!"

Cao Cao's expression changed, and his brows furrowed.

Sima Yi is bringing up old matters again!

Before the Chu army crossed the Yellow River, Sima Yi offered this plan, asking him to form an alliance with the Xiongnu and Xianbei through marriage, and lead the Xiongnu cavalry into Hebei to block the Chu army.

As a result, he immediately lost his temper and refused, citing that it would go against his original intentions and damage the prestige of the country.

Unexpectedly, less than a year later, Sima Yi brought up the old matter again.

Cao Cao frowned, his expression clearly showing displeasure.

This time, however, he made an exception and did not lose his temper.

Sima Yi saw a glimmer of hope and seized the opportunity to say:

"The big-eared thief will surely march on Ye City next. Apart from the troops guarding Guanzhong and Bingzhou, our army can only muster a maximum of 100,000 soldiers by piecing together what we have."

"One hundred thousand against three hundred thousand, such a disparity in strength makes the situation even more dire than during the Battle of Guandu."

"However, the Chu army is not without its weaknesses..."

Sima Yi changed the subject and sneered:
"The rebel leader Da'er has an army of 300,000, and the amount of food he consumes is countless. All of this food must be continuously transported from Liyang to Yecheng."

"The section from Yecheng to Liyang is entirely flat plains, which is most conducive to the movement of cavalry."

"If Your Majesty can form an alliance with the Xiongnu and Xianbei and obtain tens of thousands of Hu cavalry, you can take advantage of your cavalry advantage to penetrate deep into the south of Ye City and wantonly rob their supply lines."

"Although the Chu army is strong, its cavalry is ultimately its weakness, and naturally cannot stop my iron cavalry from moving like the wind and cutting off their supply lines."

"With insufficient supplies, even with a million-strong army, the Chu army will eventually run out of food and retreat." "Then Your Majesty can switch from defense to offense, recapture Liyang in one fell swoop, re-block the Yellow River, and drive the Chu army back south of the Yellow River!"

Sima Yi wrote a lengthy and detailed account of the many benefits of allying with the Northern Hu for Cao Cao.

Cao Cao fell into deep thought.

The initial aspirations of youth, the dignity of being the ruler of Wei, the hidden danger of letting wolves into the house, the current predicament, and the beautiful blueprint drawn by Sima Yi…

All sorts of advantages and disadvantages churned within Cao Cao's mind like a turbulent sea, plunging him into a deep dilemma.

The tent was silent; everyone remained quiet.

These shrewd people were well aware of the advantages of Sima Yi's plan, but they were also well aware of its long-term disadvantages.

Whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or vice versa, who would dare to confidently assure Cao Cao?
They weren't confident enough to speak recklessly, lest they become scapegoats in the future.

After a long silence, Cao Cao finally took a deep breath.

“I can establish friendly relations with the Xiongnu and Xianbei. I can bestow official titles and ranks upon Kebineng Huchuquan and others, and even win them over with large sums of money.”

"I cannot accept a marriage alliance with them, nor can I tolerate the barbarian cavalry advancing south and penetrating deep into the heart of my capital!"

Cao Cao, with a stern expression, made his decision.

Sima Yi's heart skipped a beat, his eyes filled with disappointment, and he hurriedly tried to persuade him again.

Cao Cao waved his hand to interrupt, softening his tone, and continued:
"I have left several thousand cavalrymen along the Yan-Dai line to guard against the invasion of the Xianbei and Xiongnu."

"If I establish friendly relations with them, I can temporarily eliminate the threat to the border and transfer all these border cavalry south to Ye City to await orders."

"With these cavalrymen at our disposal, we can still use your strategy, Zhongda, to raid the supply lines of the Big Ears bandits!"

Sima Yi understood.

Cao Cao did not completely reject his plan, but instead settled for a less desirable one.

We will continue to befriend and win over the Hu people, but we will not allow their cavalry to march south. Instead, we will send our own border cavalry south to assist in the battle.

"Your Majesty, the combined cavalry of You and Bing provinces number only four or five thousand, a number even less than that of the pseudo-Chu cavalry."

"I am worried that with only a few thousand border cavalry, we may not be able to cut off the Chu army's supply lines."

Sima Yi had to remind him again.

A hint of arrogance flashed across Cao Cao's face as he coldly snorted:
"Our Youyan border cavalry has long been stationed on the border, constantly clashing with the barbarian cavalry. They are all elite troops, how can they be compared to the cavalry of the big-eared bandit?"

"I have faith in them, Zhongda, you should also have faith in them."

Cao Cao's inexplicable self-confidence greatly puzzled Sima Yi, who immediately wanted to offer further advice.

Cao Cao waved his hand and resolutely said:
"My mind is made up. Zhongda, there's no need for further words. It's settled then."

"Order the army to immediately break camp and return north, and prepare to defend Ye City as soon as possible."

Sima Yi had to swallow back the advice he was about to give, and shook his head with a sigh of helplessness.

Cao Cao then led the main force of the Wei army northwards day and night, heading straight for Ye City.

Upon arriving in Ye City, Cao Cao immediately followed Sima Yi's advice and dispatched an envoy with an imperial edict, along with generous rewards such as gold, silver, and silk, to travel north from Youzhou and west to Bingzhou to establish friendly relations with the Xiongnu and Xianbei.

Then, cavalry from the border regions of You and Bing, as well as infantry cobbled together from various counties in Hebei, were transferred to Ye City from all directions.

In early spring, Cao Cao assembled a large army of nearly 120,000 men along the Ye City line, preparing to defend the capital.

Liu Bei then led over 300,000 Chu troops northward from Liyang, and soon reached the south of Ye City.

At this time, Cao Cao had already set up a formidable defensive line with Ye City as its core, with camps on the east and west sides. In between, he built earthen walls, palisades, arrow towers, and other structures, creating a defensive line that stretched for several miles.

The Chu army advanced to the south of Ye City and set up camp for ten miles.

After setting up camp, Liu Bei adopted Xiao He's strategy and, relying on his superior troop strength, began to send troops to attack satellite cities near Ye City.

As the capital of the State of Wei and the largest city in Hebei, Ye City was surrounded by seven or eight satellite cities of varying sizes, including Wu City, Jiuhou City, Wu City, and Pingyang City.

Cao Cao had limited military strength and could only concentrate his main forces on the Ye City line, leaving the satellite cities with weak military forces.

Within ten days, the Chu army effortlessly eliminated all these satellite cities.

Thus, the 300,000 Chu troops formed a semi-circular encirclement of Ye City from the southwest and east...

Chu camp, royal tent.

"Our army has captured all the cities near Ye City, essentially eliminating Ye City's wings."

"However, spies reported that Cao Cao had already made peace with the Xianbei and Xiongnu and had transferred his cavalry from You and Bing to the south."

"Bowen, do you have a plan for how we should fight this battle?"

Liu Bei showed Xiao He stacks of intelligence reports.

After Xiao He looked through them one by one, he lightly tossed them onto the table and sneered:
"Cao Cao wanted to use the Hu people to help him resist our army, but he was afraid of being accused of colluding with the Hu people and losing face, so he had no choice but to settle for second best."

"I estimate that the number of the pseudo-Wei border cavalry is only four or five thousand, which is less than the number of our Great Chu Iron Cavalry. They are not worth fearing at all."

"Cao Cao will surely send these several thousand cavalry deep into our flanks and rear to raid our supply lines, attempting to deplete our supplies and force us to retreat without a fight."

"Your Majesty can counter this head-on by sending out all of our cavalry; we can defeat them with cavalry!"

Having said that, Xiao He turned his gaze towards Li Yang, his eyes blazing with confidence, and pointed with his hand:
"As for the present situation, Your Majesty can mobilize a large army for a strong attack, first breaking through their main camps to eliminate the left and right arms of Ye City, and then besieging the city from all sides."

"If that traitor Cao dares to defend Ye City to the death, then we will surround him and kill him in Ye City, achieving our goal in one battle!" (End of this chapter)