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

As the sun rises in the east, the sky brightens with the dawn.

Liu Bei had already ridden out of the camp and arrived at the battlefield outside the camp.

Looking around, one sees the corpses of Wei soldiers everywhere.

Thousands of Wei soldiers were captured and knelt on the ground in twos and threes, all of them filled with fear and unease.

"Your Majesty, in this battle we have killed five thousand enemies and captured eight thousand, nearly annihilating the attacking Wei invaders!"

Zhao Yun rode forward to report the results of the battle.

Immediately afterward, Zhang Liao arrived on horseback, carrying a severed head.

"Your Majesty, I have personally beheaded the enemy general Xu Yi, and his head is here!"

Zhang Liao held the bloody severed head high.

Upon hearing of such a victory, all the ministers on either side were overjoyed and laughed heartily.

Liu Bei also laughed heartily, turning back to look at Xiao He:

"Bowen, your plan has annihilated half of the Wei army. Let's see how Cao Chong will hold out!"

Xiao He smiled faintly and looked at Deng Ai:

"Shizai, go and throw Xu Yi's head into Ye City, to scare Cao Chong and the Wei bandits in the city!"

Deng Ai accepted the order, immediately took Xu Yi's head, and spurred his horse to gallop straight to Ye City.

East Gate of Ye City.

Cao Chong was still looking up at the sky and sighing, Xin Pi and others were still stamping their feet and sighing, while the Wei soldiers were discussing the matter in astonishment.

An atmosphere of panic and despair permeated the city walls.

Amidst the panic and confusion, Deng Ai rode alone outside the city, carrying a bloody severed head, and galloped to the city gate.

The Wei soldiers on the city wall immediately tensed up.

They were already on edge, and even a single rider was enough to put them on edge.

Cao Chong looked down at the outside of the city with a suspicious look in his eyes, not daring to make any rash moves.

Deng Ai reined in his horse before the moat, raised the severed head in his hand, and shouted:
"Listen up, Cao Chong! Xu Yi's dog head is here, and my king has ordered me to return it to you!"

With that, he swung his tiger arm fiercely, and the severed head in his hand flew into the air, heading straight for the city wall.

Cao Chong didn't react for a moment. Seeing a cloud of blood mist flying towards him, he instinctively stepped back to avoid it.

"boom!"

The head fell to the ground, and coincidentally rolled right in front of him.

Before his death, Xu Yi's grief-stricken face, with its eyes wide open and filled with resentment, was turned towards Cao Chong.

Cao Chong was so frightened that he trembled, gasped, and took two steps back, leaning against the broken pillar of the city gate.

When Xin Pi and the other Wei officials saw Xu Yi's head, they were all horrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

Cao Chong was startled, but quickly understood.

Liu Bei not only thwarted his plan and annihilated nearly 20,000 of his troops, but also intended to use Xu Yi's head to intimidate the Wei army.

This was more like a death ultimatum to him.

Continue to resist stubbornly, and that will be your fate, Xu Yi!
"Liu Bei~~"

Enraged, Cao Chong gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the wooden stake.

Xin Pi's eyes darted around, and his face immediately contorted with grief and indignation. He shouted at his soldiers:

"Soldiers, do you see? This is how brutal the Big-Eared Bandit is. He will not let any of us go."

"Only by going all out and following Prince Cang Shu to defend Ye City to the death can we have any hope of survival!"

"Otherwise, if the city falls, we will all follow in General Xu's footsteps!"

Xin Pi wanted to ensure that Xu Yi's death was not in vain, so he wanted to use Xu Yi's killing to boost morale and inspire them to fight to the death.

Unfortunately, the soldiers remained silent, their faces still filled with fear and dejection, and no one responded with enthusiasm.

Xinpi was momentarily embarrassed and stood there, at a loss for what to do.

"Young Master Cang Shu!"

Chen Tai took a deep breath and bowed to Cao Chong:

"Our army suffered such a crushing defeat in this battle. Tai cannot escape the responsibility for the miscalculation and is willing to accept the punishment."

"What I want to say is that although our army has lost 17,000 soldiers and General Xu, we still have more than 20,000 soldiers, and our food supplies can last for several more months."

"Ye City can still be defended!"

"Young Master Cang Shu, please do not lose heart. You must cheer up and lead us to defend Ye City to the death and fight the big-eared traitor to the bitter end!"

Cao Chong's eyes, which had been gloomy and dejected, suddenly flashed with a glimmer of light.

Chen Tai was hinting at him.

The original plan was to resolve the predicament of running out of food supplies.

Why?

There are more than 40,000 mouths to feed in the city. Even if all the food supplies of the people are taken away, it will only last for one or two months.

Although Chen Tai's plan has failed and nearly half of his soldiers have been lost, it also means that half the mouths to feed have been cut short.

If the existing food supplies remain the same, but the number of mouths to feed decreases, wouldn't that be equivalent to doubling the food supplies in disguise?
Looking at today's defeat from this perspective, it may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Given the formidable defenses of Ye City, even with half its supplies depleted, it should still be able to hold out, albeit barely.

"Xuanbo is right!"

"Although we have lost half of our men, the extra food can be distributed to the remaining soldiers, which will allow us to hold out for several more months."

"The Chu army's offensive is nearing its end. They can only hold out until the beginning of summer at most, after which they will surely retreat."

"Gentlemen, we still have hope, so let's not lose heart!"

The funeral turned into a celebration, and Cao Chong's spirits were lifted. He gave a passionate and inspiring speech.

Seeing Cao Chong regain his spirits, Chen Tai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The Wei soldiers around him, their fear subsided somewhat, and they finally regained some strength.

Cao Chong returned to the battlements, his gaze fixed on the Chu camp bathed in the morning glow, a renewed determination rekindled in his eyes.

"Perhaps I am being overly pessimistic. This defeat is both a misfortune and a blessing in disguise."

"I may not be unable to defend Ye City, and the fate of Cao Wei may not be sealed."

"Liu Bei, Xiao He, don't be too happy yet..."

...

Chu Camp.

Inside the king's tent.

Liu Bei and his ministers were celebrating their great victory the previous night with tea instead of wine.

The generals were full of vigor and made many bold statements, seemingly certain that they would capture Ye City.

After all, Cao Chong lost half of his troops in the battle. After suffering such a heavy blow, what confidence did he have to defend Ye City?

In the eyes of the generals, Ye City was now like a crumbling wall, ready to collapse with just a light kick.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Wei army's crushing defeat in this battle is both a blessing and a curse for Cao Chong. Our desire to easily conquer Ye City may not be as simple as everyone says."

Amidst the atmosphere of arrogance and confidence, Lu Xun suddenly poured cold water on the situation.

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly became quiet.

"Boyan, we don't quite understand what you're saying."

"Cao Chong has lost half his men. With such a heavy blow, how can he possibly withstand the onslaught of our 300,000-strong army?"

Gan Ning looked unconvinced and was the first to question it.

Liu Bei and everyone else turned their gazes toward Lu Xun.

Lu Xun put down his teacup and said unhurriedly:
"Although Cao Chong lost half of his troops, there are still 20,000 Wei soldiers in the city. Given the strength of Ye City, if these 20,000 troops are properly deployed, they may not be unable to stop our attack."

"The key issue is that he lost 20,000 men, which is equivalent to losing 20,000 mouths. The already unsustainable food supplies have doubled overnight."

"For Cao Chong, wasn't this a misfortune turned into a blessing, a tragedy turned into a joyous occasion?"

Everyone suddenly realized.

Gan Ning gripped his wine glass so tightly it made a clicking sound, and said with a furrowed brow:

"Boyan, what you say makes sense. Could it be that our battle has actually helped Cao Chong solve his food shortage problem?"

The generals immediately began to discuss the matter.

Liu Bei frowned and looked at Xiao He.

Before he could speak, Xiao He smiled dismissively and asked in return:
"Boyan's concerns are valid, but has Your Majesty forgotten how we originally planned to capture Ye City before last night's battle?"

Originally planned to…

Liu Bei's eyes darted around a few times, then suddenly lit up, and he blurted out:
"We are going to breach the Zhang River and flood Ye City!"

Xiao smiled, picked up his teacup again, and continued to ask:

"Since we are going to breach the Zhang River and flood Ye City, what does it matter whether Cao Chong has enough food or not?"

Liu Bei suddenly realized what was going on, his worries vanished, and he couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.

Lu Xun and the others realized what was happening in an instant and burst into laughter.

The people of Ye City have been released by Cao Chong. Even if you lose 20,000 mouths, what difference does it make if the remaining food supplies can only sustain you for a few more months?
Once I breach the Zhang River and flood the area, how can you possibly stop me with your 20,000 demoralized soldiers?
Once this point is understood, everyone will naturally have no more worries.

"boom!"

Liu Bei slammed his hand on the table and stood up, delighted, saying:

"By order of me, begin preparations to move the camp to higher ground immediately. Within three days, I will flood Ye City!"

All the generals stood up and accepted the order with great enthusiasm.

With the decision made, the generals immediately began to get busy.

Therefore, the generals each dispatched their soldiers to begin rebuilding new camps on the high ground near Ye City for the purpose of moving camps.

The soldiers who remained at the camp then gradually demolished all the earthen walls surrounding Ye City to facilitate the flooding of the city.

Otherwise, wouldn't this wall become a barrier for Ye City, blocking the surging waters of the Zhang River?
Three days had passed before they knew it.

With everything in place, Liu Bei gave the order, and the 300,000-strong army, under the cover of night, withdrew from the surrounding camps and retreated to the high ground.

Meanwhile, Ding Feng, on the banks of the Zhang River, upon receiving Liu Bei's order, immediately mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers to begin digging along the riverbank that stretched for several miles...

Ye City, inside the government hall.

A military meeting is underway.

The atmosphere, which had been somber in the past, was now relaxed and welcoming.

Firstly, they had enough food and supplies, and secondly, the Chu army did not take advantage of the situation to attack Ye City for three consecutive days.

This situation rekindled the optimism of Xin Pi, Xiahou Chong, and others, giving them more confidence to continue their perseverance.

"That big-eared scoundrel never expected that his great victory would actually solve our food shortage problem. He's really shot himself in the foot!"

Xinpi held a wine cup in his hand and sneered sarcastically.

Everyone burst into laughter, and sarcastic and mocking remarks filled the air.

Although Cao Chong was not as optimistic as the others, he still had a slight smile on his lips, a stark contrast to his despondency on that day.

Only Chen Tai had a deep frown on his face, looking preoccupied.

For the past three days, the image of the Chu army dismantling the earthen walls outside the city has been constantly flashing through his mind, making him restless.

Sudden.

Chen Tai's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in surprise:

"This is terrible, Young Master Cang Shu! We're about to be in deep trouble!" (End of Chapter)