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

Chapter 37: Don’t always think about getting a high score. Let’s stay steady and not act recklessly, okay?

One plan defeated 150,000 Cao troops!
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

Everyone held their wine glasses and looked at Xu Shu in surprise, with joy gradually welling up in their eyes.

"What good plan does Yuanzhi have?"

Liu Bei put down his wine glass in a hurry and looked at Xu Shu happily.

Everyone listened attentively and became excited.

Only Xiao He breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Shu is going to get a big score as soon as he comes back.

"It seems like it was the right decision to bring him back. With him taking on the responsibility, I can finally rest for a while..."

Xiao He was secretly delighted, his appetite instantly increased. He didn't bother to listen to what Xu Shu said, and started to eat with big mouthfuls of food.

Xu Shu asked Chen Dao to bring the map and spread it out in front of Liu Bei and everyone.

"My lord, please see that Cao's army has two food storage locations. One is Chaoyang City, sixty miles north of Fancheng, and the other is Deng County, fifteen miles northwest of Fancheng."

"Although Deng County is very close to Xiangyang, it is also close to Cao's main camp, so we can only leave it alone."

"Although Chaoyang is sixty miles behind enemy lines, it is located on the banks of the Yu River. Our army can march north along the Yu River at night and appear outside Chaoyang City at dawn."

"The granary outside this city holds nearly 60% of Cao's army's food and fodder. If you can capture the Chaoyang granary and burn all the food and fodder, it will surely cause great chaos in Cao's army."

"Cao Cao is running low on food and supplies, his army is wavering, and he's been sieging Fancheng for a long time without success. He has no choice but to retreat north!"

"This is Shu's plan to repel the enemy."

Xu Shu pointed at the map and slowly laid out his plan.

The hall was in an uproar, and discussions broke out.

Liu Bei stared at the map, savoring what Xu Shu said, and his eyes gradually became excited.

"During the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao relied on burning Wuchao, which destroyed a million hu of Yuan Shao's grain and fodder in one fell swoop, to break the morale of Yuan Shao's army and ultimately win the Battle of Guandu."

"Brother, Yuanzhi's plan is similar to Cao Cao's surprise attack on Wuchao."

Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard and nodded slightly.

As soon as the words fell, someone said:
"I remember that during the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao dared to launch a surprise attack on Wuchao because Xu You defected to him before the battle and brought with him information about Yuan's garrison and defenses, as well as the true and false deployment of Wuchao's troops."

"Our army will go north along the Yu River. Although we can avoid the eyes and ears of Cao's army, we have no idea of ​​the strength of Cao's army in Chaoyang granary."

"Even if you launch a surprise attack on Chaoyang, the maximum number of troops you can mobilize is just over 10,000. If there are heavy troops stationed in the Chaoyang granary, even if we launch a surprise attack, the disparity in numbers is too great, and I'm afraid we may not succeed."

The one who gave the reminder was Ma Liang.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Liu Bei agreed with this and looked at Xu Shu to see how he would respond.

Xu Shu seemed to be prepared and smiled faintly:
"Only by knowing both yourself and your enemy can you fight a hundred battles without danger. I have naturally considered this as well."

"This time, I went north to Chaoyang to welcome my mother. I took the opportunity to take a close look at Cao's food camp. There were no more than 10,000 Cao's troops in the camp."

"It is for this reason that I dare to offer this plan to you, my lord."

As soon as these words were spoken, the worries on Ma Liang and the others' faces disappeared.

Liu Bei's doubts disappeared, he became more energetic, and slapped the map fiercely.

"So Yuanzhi had a plan in mind long ago. If that's the case, then this surprise attack on Chaoyang is indeed feasible."

"If we can burn all of Cao's food supplies in one battle and force Cao Cao to retreat north, then the danger to Xiangfan will be over!"

Liu Bei was eager to fight and obviously planned to use Xu Shu's strategy.

Guan Yu and other generals were also excited and eager to try.

Xiao He, who was eating and drinking by himself, suddenly heard something wrong.

Going sixty miles deep into the enemy's rear and attacking Cao's grain camp with 10,000 troops is more than ten times more difficult than the surprise attack on Xiangyang.

Yes, the returns are great, but the risk factor is also great.

The surprise attack on Xiangyang was a last resort. While the current situation isn't entirely favorable, it's not so dire that we have to take any risk. Shouldn't we just defend Fancheng and the Han River, holding steady and not making any more moves, until Cao Cao loses his patience and withdraws north?
"My lord, let me say a few words."

Xiao He put down his wine glass and coughed a few times.

Everyone's eyes turned immediately.

Liu Bei then remembered that he had not yet consulted Xiao He's opinion, so how could he make the decision so easily?

So he hurriedly asked, "Bo Wen, what do you think of Yuan Zhi's plan?"

"Yuanzhi's strategy is indeed a brilliant one. I've heard from my lord that Yuanzhi is adept at using ingenious strategies, and his reputation is well-deserved..."

As usual, Xiao He started by praising him, then changed the subject:
"But, let's be honest. No matter how brilliant this plan is, it still requires us to deploy troops sixty miles behind enemy lines and place our main forces there. There are always risks involved."

"Our current situation, while not entirely good, is at least moderately good. It's not yet to the point where we have to resort to risky tactics."

"So He's opinion is that it's better for us to be more cautious."

Xiao He’s attitude is clear, let’s stay calm and don’t act recklessly!

These words extinguished most of the fighting spirit in Liu Bei's eyes.

"Brother Bowen's words are indeed reasonable. This plan is of course risky, but the greater the risk, the greater the reward. It would be a shame not to use it."

Xu Shu did not confront Xiao He, and his words still suggested a surprise attack on Chaoyang.

The seven words "the greater the risk, the greater the reward" made Liu Bei's heart beat faster, and a hint of unwillingness flashed in his eyes.

Xiao He understood that although Liu Bei was kind and righteous, he had the blood of a hero in his bones.

As a hero, courage and the willingness to gamble are essential qualities.

The same goes for Xu Shu. When he was young, he was a chivalrous man who killed people for revenge. He was wanted by the government, so he changed his name and became a disciple of Yu Shuijing.

The reason why the master and the minister hit it off right away was that they both came from heroic families and had similar tastes.

Now that they saw that there was a chance to force back 150,000 Cao troops by taking a risky tactic, the two men were naturally itching to make a big move.

"It seems we need to come up with some solid stuff to suppress these two people's impulse to take risky measures..."

After Xiao He rolled his eyes a few times, a mysterious expression appeared on his face, and he said meaningfully:

"Cao Cao was known for his cunning ways, and his advisors, such as Cheng Yu and Jia Xu, were also known for their resourcefulness and cunning tactics."

"My Lord, Yuanzhi, have you ever considered that, with the lessons learned from the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao would have taken extra precautions against such a strategic location as the granary?"

"What if this Chaoyang granary is a trap set by Cao Cao for us?"

Hearing these words, Liu Bei shuddered slightly.

Xu Shu's expression also changed slightly, his eyes darted around, and he racked his brains to recall.

In the lobby, the atmosphere suddenly became tense and everyone started talking.

"Bo Wen, you've always been incredibly resourceful. Could it be that you figured out Cao Cao's plan in Chaoyang?"

Liu Bei looked alert.

"Well, cough cough..."

Xiao He picked up the wine glass and took a sip, quickly formulating his words in his mind.

I just said these words just now just to scare Liu Bei. As for whether Cao Cao was deceiving me, I really haven't thought about it carefully.

Just as he was about to explain, Xu Shu's face changed drastically and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Brother Bowen is truly a master of foresight. He actually figured out that we had fallen into Cao Cao's trap!"

"If it weren't for Brother Bowen's warning, it would have almost caused a disaster and destroyed tens of thousands of our lord's elite troops!"

"Please accept Xu Shu's greeting!"

As he spoke, Xu Shu jumped up and bowed deeply to Xiao He.

"what?"

Xiao He was stunned.

(End of this chapter)