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

Cao Cao's expression changed.

The officials in the hall were all greatly shocked and taken aback.

What does Sima Yi mean by this?
Was he advising Cao Cao to abandon Ye City and flee without a fight?
Didn't you just angrily confront Jia Xu and insist on holding Ye City? Now, after only a few days, you're trying to persuade Cao Cao to abandon the city and leave?

If Ye City cannot be defended, how can Ji Province possibly be defended?

If Ji Province is lost, You Province will surely be lost as well!
At that time, wouldn't we still have to follow Jia Xu's advice, cross the Taihang Mountains, and retreat to Bingzhou?

If you had known this would happen, Cao Cao would have used Jia Xu's plan back then. Why did you oppose it?

Isn't this like taking off your pants to fart...?

Cao Cao's expression changed, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to finish speaking. I am not asking Your Majesty to abandon Ye City."

Sima Yi hurriedly explained:

"Ye City is the capital of our Great Wei, and its survival in Hebei is at stake. How could I possibly allow Your Majesty to abandon it without a fight?"

"Given the fortification of Ye City and the abundance of its provisions, there is absolutely no need for Your Majesty to personally oversee the defense. Simply leaving one general to guard the city would be sufficient to stop the attack of the Big-Eared Bandit."

"My suggestion is that Your Majesty may leave a large force to continue defending Ye City, while leading the main force north to Zhao County and stationing it along the Liangqi City line."

"In this way, firstly, it can ensure that the king is not in danger; secondly, it can form a north-south pincer movement with Ye City; and thirdly, it can ensure that the supply lines to the north of Ye City are not cut off by the Chu army."

"In this way, Ye City can be defended, and Your Majesty's invaluable life can be preserved. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

After listening to Sima Yi's lengthy analysis, Cao Cao's anger gradually subsided, and he stroked his short beard, lost in thought and remained silent.

While Cao Cao was still weighing the pros and cons, Jia Xu said:
"Sima Zhongda, although your plan may prevent the king from standing under a precarious wall, it is wishful thinking to think that you can defend Ye City."

"If you divide your troops like this, Ye City will only have about 40,000 troops left at most, while the Chu army of 300,000 can easily surround Ye City completely."

"Have you forgotten the lesson of Liyang? Do you want the garrison of Yecheng to repeat the same mistakes as the garrison of Liyang?"

Cao Cao felt a chill run down his spine and abruptly looked up at Sima Yi.

The Battle of Liyang was incredibly fierce.

Cao Ren and his 20,000 Wei troops were trapped for six months, and Cao Ren was even forced to eat the people.

With immense determination and perseverance, Liu Bei managed to keep Cao Ren besieged until he abandoned the city and attempted to break out.

The Battle of Liyang ended in the loss of Liyang and the annihilation of Cao Ren and his 20,000 soldiers.

If the defense of Ye City was a repeat of the defense of Liyang, then what was the significance of holding Ye City?

In the end, they still couldn't hold the line and even lost tens of thousands of soldiers in vain.
Cao Cao needed Sima Yi to give him an explanation.

Sima Yi gave a cold laugh and said slowly:
"Commander Jia is overthinking it. Since you mentioned the defense of Liyang, you should remember that Liu Bei had besieged Liyang for nearly six months."

"After six months of fierce fighting, the Chu army's morale and physical strength are already at their limit. Even if they besiege Ye City again, how many more months can they hold out?"

"At most, he can wear a bandage for another six months."

"The grain and fodder stored in my city of Ye are enough to last a year, so why should I fear fighting against the big-eared bandits?"

Jia's words were blocked.

Cao Cao's brows relaxed, and his eyes brightened slightly.

Sima Yi was right.

Liu Bei's Chu state was powerful, but it couldn't possibly be powerful enough to support an army of 300,000 to besiege the city twice, for a total of a year.

Even at the height of the Han Dynasty's power, it was never this arrogant.

“Zhongda is right. The enemy, Da'er, will be besiege the city for at most half a year. The country will eventually be too weak and will have no choice but to abandon the siege and retreat south.”

"The food supplies in Ye City can last for a year. As long as we hold our ground and do not fight, we will surely be able to hold out until the big-eared bandits retreat!"

Cao Cao's confidence soared, and he slammed his hand on the table:
"Excellent, excellent! Zhongda's plan is truly a win-win strategy, and it's feasible!"

Seeing that Cao Cao had made the decision, Jia Xu had nothing to say and could only sigh and shut his mouth.

The plan has been decided; the next step is to decide who will stay behind to defend Ye City.

Cao Cao glanced at his ministers, but his brows furrowed again.

Looking around, he was shocked to find that he had no one he could use.

Ye City is the capital, and its importance is paramount. The general guarding it must first and foremost be someone trustworthy, absolutely loyal to him and the State of Wei, and someone who has no possibility of betraying the country and surrendering to Chu.

This person is naturally the first choice among the Cao and Xiahou clans.

What a pity, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Xiahou Shang...

Among the imperial clan, those capable of shouldering great responsibilities have all perished at the hands of Liu Bei!

Only Xiahou Dun remains as their sole heir, and he is currently guarding Guanzhong.

The imperial family members in Ye City are now mostly mediocre; none of them are capable of shouldering great responsibilities.

If we don't use members of the imperial clan, then we can only use people with different surnames.

Apart from Xu Huang, only Zhang He could shoulder this heavy responsibility.

But could he entrust tens of thousands of troops and Ye City to Zhang He with peace of mind?

Of course not.

Neither his own family nor any other relatives were suitable, leaving Cao Cao in the awkward situation of having no one to rely on.

"Father!"

One of them suddenly stood up, his expression resolute, and said with conviction:

"Your subject wishes to stay and defend Ye City in place of Father!"

Cao Cao's expression changed drastically.

The astonished gazes of all the officials turned to the person who had volunteered.

It was Cao Chong! After falling for Xiao He's scheme to lure the tiger away from the mountain, Cao Cao was greatly disappointed in his prodigy son and gradually neglected him, rarely consulting him on important state affairs.

Cao Chong was also pragmatic; knowing that he was no longer trusted by Cao Cao, he offered no more advice or suggestions.

Unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, Cao Chong suddenly stepped forward and volunteered to take on this important task.

It should be understood that although Sima Yi claimed everything was foolproof, everyone knew that staying in Ye City was a gamble with their lives.

No matter how fortified Ye City is, or how abundant your supplies are, the enemy you face is Liu Bei, who possesses a genius like Xiao He.

Many fortified cities in the world initially appeared invincible, but in the end, they were all breached by Xiao He's ingenious schemes.

Who can guarantee that Yecheng will be an exception?
Once Ye City falls, as a member of the Cao family and the son of the King of Wei, do you, Cao Chong, still have a chance to live?
"Cang Shu, you...you really want to stay and guard Ye City?"

Cao Cao's eyes showed both surprise and doubt.

Cao Chong was his own son, so his loyalty was beyond question.

With Cao Chong's intelligence and abilities, even if he couldn't defeat Xiao He, he should have been more than capable of defending Ye City.

Cao Chong was indeed the most suitable candidate to be stationed in Ye City and command the troops to defend it.

This is a pleasant surprise.

Cao Cao questioned whether Cao Chong truly had the courage to risk being trapped in an isolated city and bravely step forward to share his burdens.

"The survival of Ye City is related to the survival of our Great Wei, and to the survival of the Cao family's empire."

"At this critical moment for the survival of our nation, how can I, as the son of the King, not risk my life for the sake of Cao Wei, even at the cost of fire and water?"

Cao Chong resolutely expressed his determination, then bowed again:

"Your son begs Your Majesty to grant him an opportunity to serve the country loyally and to fulfill his filial duty to Your Majesty!"

Cao Cao's eyes welled up with tears.

Even brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons still have to fight side by side.

In this moment of crisis, Cao Cao was deeply moved by his son's selfless act of risking his life.

Cao Cao's previous disappointment and resentment towards Cao Chong vanished at this moment.

"Well done, Cang Shu! You have such a sense of responsibility and such courage. This is the kind of son Cao Cao should have!"

Cao Cao, leaning on his cane, descended the steps and patted Cao Chong heavily on the shoulder:

"Cang Shu, since you have such a heart to serve the country, I will entrust the heavy responsibility of guarding Ye City to your shoulders."

"If you can live up to my expectations, I will certainly not let you down!"

Sima Yi, standing to the side, frowned and secretly cast a wary glance at Cao Chong.

In his view, Cao Chong dared to take this risk simply because he wanted to make a desperate gamble and, with the unparalleled achievement of defending Ye City, regain his right to sit back at the table in the struggle for the throne.

Cao Cao's words, "I will never let you down," were clearly a promise to Cao Chong, implying that as long as Cao Chong defended Ye City, he would make him his heir.

This was clearly not a good omen for Cao Pi.

"I never expected Cao Chong to have such a do-or-die courage; this is not a good thing..."

Sima Yi's mind raced, and a hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.

The decision to leave Cao Chong to guard Ye City was thus made.

Cao Cao then looked around at his ministers and asked:
"Cang Shu has decided to take my place in guarding Ye City. Who among you has the courage to stay and assist Cang Shu in this defense?"

The words trailed off.

Xinpi stood up abruptly, cupped his hands, and said:

"Your Majesty, I wish to stay and assist Prince Cangshu in guarding Ye City."

Immediately afterward, Chen Tai also leaped to his feet and said with great emotion:

"Your Majesty, I am also willing to stay and defend Ye City to the death!"

Following the lead of these two, officials from Henan, including Zhao Yan and Li Tong, stepped forward and volunteered to serve.

Conversely, the military generals and strategists from Hebei all chose to remain silent.

Cao Cao looked at Xin Pi and the others and immediately saw through their motives.

Since the fall of Henan, officials from Henan who fled to Hebei, such as Xin Pi and Chen Tai, have become like water without roots, and their status in the Wei state has plummeted.

This was not because Cao Cao intentionally neglected them, but rather due to the circumstances.

These scholars from Henan were clearly unwilling to accept reality, so they wanted to seize this last opportunity and take a desperate gamble.

By assisting Cao Chong in defending Ye City, he would have made an unparalleled contribution and regained his lost voice in the Wei court.

Even if they cannot rival the scholars of Hebei, they can at least maintain their current power and status to prevent it from declining further.

Cao Cao was perfectly aware of these people's selfish motives and could see them clearly.

However, this was exactly what Cao Cao wanted.

Since they have gone all out, they will inevitably spare no effort to help Cao Chong defend Ye City.

In this way, Cao Chong's chances of defending Ye City will greatly increase.

This is naturally a good thing.

Furthermore, if Ye City is defended, these Henan scholars will have made a great contribution, and he will be able to rightfully appoint them to important positions, while also appropriately restraining the increasingly powerful Hebei scholars.

Cao Cao's eyes darted around, and in a moment he had weighed the pros and cons.

He then took a deep breath, threw down his cane, and solemnly bowed deeply to the assembled officials:
"It is truly a blessing for Cao Cao and the nation that our Great Wei has such loyal and righteous ministers as you."

"The heavy responsibility of defending Ye City, the very fate of our Great Wei, rests entirely on your shoulders."

"My lords, I, Cao Cao, entrust this matter to you all!" (End of Chapter)