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

Sima Yi was taken aback and quickly advised:
"Your Majesty, our army is limited in strength. If Your Majesty personally leads the army back north, what should we do if Liu Bei's 300,000 troops take advantage of the situation to cross the river and launch a full-scale attack on Yijing?"

Cao Cao stiffened, suddenly calmed down, and asked urgently:
"Then tell me, how should I deal with this?"

After a moment's thought, Sima Yi cupped his hands and said:
"The defense line of Yijing is crucial to the survival of Youzhou. We must leave the main force to guard it and we must not easily withdraw troops."

"I deduce that the Chu army that landed numbered no more than 20,000. Moreover, the Chu army had come from afar, so the amount of food they carried must have been limited, and they would have needed to transport it north along the Gu River to Ji County."

"My opinion is to first transfer 3,000 troops to Ji County to reinforce its defenses, and at the same time send out light cavalry from Youyan to intercept the Chu army's supplies instead of blocking their landing."

"If we can cut off their supply lines, the Chu army that lands will inevitably fall into disarray and retreat without a fight."

"In this way, we do not need to send a large force back. With just 7,000 infantry and cavalry, we can hold Ji County and drive the Chu invaders who landed on the Bohai Sea!"

Upon hearing Sima Yi's advice, Cao Cao felt somewhat relieved.

Cao Cao rose again, leaning on his cane, and after staring at the map for a long time, he turned around and shouted:
"Zhongda's plan is a win-win strategy."

"Li Tong and Xiahou Ba, listen to my command. You are hereby ordered to lead three thousand troops north immediately to reinforce the defense of Ji County."

"Gao Lan and Xiahou Chong, aren't you two eager for battle? Now the opportunity is right in front of you."

"I command you to lead my Youyan Iron Cavalry to Gushui immediately and intercept the Chu invaders' supply lines."

The four generals readily accepted the order.

Gao Lan and Xiahou Chong were already brimming with confidence, hoping to achieve further merits.

Seeing that an opportunity to make a contribution was right in front of them, the two men were greatly encouraged.

"You two remember, never underestimate the enemy. Make sure you are sure that the Chu bandits are not lying and have no ambush before engaging in battle."

“You command these four thousand cavalrymen, who are my last remaining cavalry in Hebei. Under no circumstances can the slightest mishap occur to them.”

"Remember, remember!"

Cao Cao was afraid that the two generals would become arrogant and underestimate the enemy, so he gave them another serious warning before they left.

The two generals naturally nodded and readily agreed.

The four generals accepted the order and left, while the seven thousand infantry and cavalry took advantage of the cover of night to leave Yibei.

Cao Cao personally escorted the two groups of troops out of the camp, watching as the seven thousand infantry and cavalry, carrying his hopes, disappeared into the night.

"You scoundrel with big ears, I don't care how your navy suddenly appears at Gukou, your scheme to disrupt my heartland of Youzhou will not be allowed to succeed, not ever!"

Cao Cao looked back at the south bank of the Yi River, secretly gritting his teeth.

...

The Wei army had deployed numerous spies and scouts on the south bank, while the Chu state naturally had many eyes and ears on the north bank of the Yi River.

As soon as the 7,000 troops were dispatched, the Chu spies on the north bank quickly sent the message to the south bank.

"Your Majesty, our spies have reported that approximately seven thousand Wei troops have left Yijing and headed north, and their whereabouts are currently unknown."

"However, of these seven thousand men, nearly four thousand are cavalry. I suspect that there has been a change in Youzhou."

"I believe that General Boyan and his men have successfully launched a surprise attack on Gukou, forcing Cao Cao to send cavalry north."

Ma Su reported the latest intelligence from his spies and casually mentioned his own speculation.

Inside the royal tent, the ministers of Chu immediately erupted in jubilation.

"Bowen, your compass and sextant are indeed navigational marvels, they truly guided our navy to the port with unerring accuracy!"

Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed, looking at Xiao He with admiration.

Everyone was delighted and impressed.

Among them were eager-to-learn young people like Ma Su and Deng Ai, who immediately asked Xiao He about the principles behind the compass and sextant, explaining their remarkable abilities.

"It's good that young people are eager to learn. I'll teach you properly when I have time, but we don't have time right now."

Xiao He smiled and bowed to Liu Bei:

"Your Majesty, Cao Cao's cavalry has been dispatched in full force, and their morale must have been shaken. This is a golden opportunity for us to cross the Yi River."

"I believe that time is of the essence. Our 300,000 troops should immediately cross the river and march straight to the walls of Yijing!"

Liu Bei slammed his fist on the table and roared:
"By my order, all camps shall immediately board the ships. With an army of 300,000, we shall cross the Yi River in one fell swoop!"

When the order was issued, all the generals were greatly encouraged and readily accepted it.

The gates of each Chu camp were wide open, and hundreds of thousands of Chu soldiers rushed to the shore.

Thousands of boats and rafts, carrying the Chu army, began a full-scale crossing of the river along a twenty-mile-long battlefront.

Liu Bei and Xiao He stood side by side on their horses, watching the hundreds of thousands of troops cross the river.

"Your Majesty, I am worried that Cao Cao has sent these four thousand cavalrymen to raid the supply lines of my expeditionary force."

"Our expeditionary force numbers only a little over ten thousand men, and we have limited supplies to carry. Moreover, we need to transport them north via the Gu River. If we cannot withstand the enemy cavalry, the consequences of losing our supplies would be unimaginable!"

After much hesitation, Ma Su finally voiced his concerns.

Liu Bei and Xiao He exchanged a glance, their lips curving slightly upward.

“Youchang, if you can think of this, Bowen must have thought of it long ago.”

"So, the troops that raided Youzhou on the Lone Sea this time were not just 10,000 infantry, but also 800 Beiwei cavalry under the command of Tan Zhi..." Liu Bei said with a meaningful smile.

When Ma Su heard the words "Beiwei Cavalry," he was first taken aback, but then he suddenly understood.

"It turns out that Grand Commandant Xiao had planned ahead. I even brought the Beiwei Cavalry into my expeditionary force. In that case, Cao Cao's light cavalry from Youyan will be no threat."

Ma Su smiled with relief.

Liu Bei pointed his whip across the river and said happily:
"Come on, let's cross the river!"

...

Yuyang County, Yongnu Ferry.

Dusk.

Dozens of grain ships slowly approached the shore and entered the ferry terminal.

After a day's journey, the Chu army sailors disembarked from their grain ships and sat together in twos and threes to cook their meals.

Guan Ping, however, stood at the bow of the ship, gazing into the northwest.

Yongnu Ferry is located at the confluence of the Gu River and the Sang River. The two water systems, which come from the northwest, meet here and form a narrow, inverted V-shaped terrain.

“Yongnu Ferry is a narrow place, with the Sang River and Gu River blocking its way on both sides. It is not conducive to light cavalry scattering and escaping. It is indeed an excellent place for military operations.”

"Lu Boyan's choice of this place to wage war is truly a mastery of military strategy."

"His Majesty's decision is correct; he is indeed more suitable than I to be the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force..."

Guan Ping surveyed the terrain before him, muttering to himself and nodding repeatedly.

Looking back, the Beiwei cavalry hidden in the granary were all eager to move and ready to go.

Everything is ready; all that's left is to see if the fish will take the bait...

"General Tanzhi, dust and fog are approaching from the northwest!"

The guard's reminder rang in my ears.

Guan Ping looked back and saw a cloud of dust rolling in from the northwest of the ferry crossing, rapidly approaching.

In a short while, the figures of thousands of cavalrymen emerged from the dust and mist and came into view.

The Youyan cavalry!

As expected, the Wei cavalry from Youyan came to rob the grain!

"My brother-in-law is truly a remarkable person..."

Guan Ping looked at the approaching enemy cavalry and couldn't help but sigh.

Then, raising his longsword, he shouted:

"Beiwei cavalry, listen to my command! Disembark and form ranks to meet the enemy!"

Upon receiving the order, the eight hundred cavalrymen hidden in the grain depot surged off the ship like tigers released from their cages, and assembled in formation at Yongnu Ferry.

Guan Ping stood proudly before the Beiwei cavalry, sword at the ready.

Behind him were eight hundred cavalrymen, all clad in heavy armor and wielding crescent blades, truly heavy armored cavalry.

Heavy armored cavalry is expensive.

Not only were both men and horses clad in armor, but the horses were also top-quality Liaodong steeds, and the riders were elite soldiers selected from among the best.

The cost of just these eight hundred heavy cavalrymen is enough to form a light cavalry force of five or six thousand men.

At Xiao He's suggestion, Liu Bei spared no expense in building this heavily armored cavalry, which he named the "Beiwei Cavalry".

Beiwei is a mountain.

It symbolizes an unstoppable, overwhelming force, like a mountain pressing down.

Before the battle, Xiao He predicted that Cao Cao would definitely send light cavalry from Youyan to intercept them. If he sent light cavalry on a distant expedition to Youzhou, the large number of them would cause too much of a disturbance and would surely alert the Wei army.

Therefore, Liu Bei used Xiao He's plan, only ordering him to lead 800 heavy cavalry to accompany him, so that they could hide in the grain ships, deceive the enemy, and catch them off guard.

Although the Beiwei cavalry is few in number, they are heavily armored and indestructible. In terrain like Yongnu Ferry, which is not conducive to the deployment of light cavalry, eight hundred of them are enough to defeat four thousand enemy soldiers!

In front.

Gao Lan and Xiahou Chong, leading four thousand Youyan cavalry, swept in like a storm.

Seeing that the Chu army lined up to resist the enemy at the ferry crossing was only a little over a thousand infantrymen, the two generals' eyes instantly turned red.

"General Gao, the Chu army numbers only a little over a thousand men. This is a great achievement bestowed upon the two of us by heaven!"

Xiahou Chong shouted excitedly.

Gao Lan let out a wild laugh, brandished his gun, and shouted:
"The Iron Cavalry of Youyan is about to achieve great success. If we win this battle, King Wei will surely reward us handsomely."

"Follow me, and we will slaughter all the Chu dogs and raze Yongnu Ferry to the ground!"

The bugle sounded, piercing the sky.

Four thousand Wei light cavalry, like tigers and wolves injected with adrenaline, roared and charged wildly towards the Chu army. (End of Chapter)