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

Chapter 38 Cao Cao wants to set a trap for us, but we will try our best to find a way out!
"Before the Lord sent Gong You to negotiate the exchange for Shu, Cao Cao was discussing with his advisers how to lure the Lord to lead his army across the river and annihilate our main force."

"This is Jia Xu's plan to lure the snake out of its hole."

"But when Shu was still present, they hadn't yet decided what bait to use to lure the lord to send his troops across the river."

Xu Shu stood up and turned his gaze towards Liu Bei:
"Later, Gongyou arrived, and after Cao Cao agreed to the exchange, Shu withdrew to avoid suspicion. Then Cao Cao ordered me to go north to Chaoyang to welcome my mother south."

"It was precisely because of this that I was able to gain insight into the Cao army's food camp in Chaoyang, and thus came up with the idea of ​​offering my lord a plan for a surprise attack on Chaoyang."

"Looking back now, Cao Cao must have reduced the garrison at Chaoyang Granary beforehand, taking advantage of my departure to greet my mother and allowing me to glimpse the granary camp without leaving any trace."

"He has calculated that after returning to Xiangyang, he will definitely offer advice to the lord and launch a surprise attack on Chaoyang!"

"If the lord really follows Shu's plan, Cao Cao will surely ambush a large force in Chaoyang. Our army will be caught in a trap and face the danger of annihilation!"

Xu Shu deduced the whole picture of Cao Cao's strategy from Xiao He's few words.

By the end of his speech, Xu Shu's forehead was covered with cold sweat.

Liu Bei and the others were terrified and gasped.

Everyone finally understood, and all their eyes turned to Xiao He with enlightened looks.

Liu Bei suppressed his emotions and asked hurriedly:
"Bo Wen, is what Yuan Zhi said exactly what you implied?"

Xiao He swallowed.

To be honest, he hadn't thought about it so deeply, or he hadn't had time to consider it carefully.

These words of Xu Shu were completely made up by his own imagination.

But when you think about it carefully, Xu Shu's imagination is really reasonable, and it connects seamlessly with his previous words of "scare" to Liu Bei, forming a perfect closed loop.

"Right, right, that's exactly what I meant."

Xiao He naturally had no reason to deny it, so he nodded in agreement.

Liu Bei took a deep breath and sighed with lingering fear:

"Cao Cao's wisdom and strategy are truly unfathomable. I am far inferior to him."

"Fortunately, Bo Wen is here, otherwise I would have been plotted against by Cao Cao again and would have made the same mistake as before."

Xu Shu looked ashamed and bowed to Xiao He again:
"Thank you, Bowen, for awakening me in time. Otherwise, I would have caused great disaster and become the sinner of my lord."

"It is truly a blessing for you, and a great fortune for the Han Dynasty, that you have met a rare and remarkable man like Bo Wen."

Liu Bei and Xu Shu praised Xiao He in various ways, which made Xiao He feel a little embarrassed. He could only smile awkwardly but politely.

"Yuanzhi said it was serious. There's no such thing as a sinner or not."

"Cao Cao has many advisers under his command, such as Cheng Yu, Jia Xu, and Liu Ye. These people are not easy to deal with."

"They teamed up to plot against you. Who wouldn't fall for them, let alone you?"

Xiao He smiled and paved the way for Xu Shu.

The shame on Xu Shu's face faded a lot, but he sighed:

"Now it seems that this surprise attack on Chaoyang is indeed not feasible."

"If Cao Cao's plan fails, he will have no choice but to continue the confrontation with us in Xiangfan. Based on what I know about Cao Cao, he is determined not to withdraw his troops until he captures Jingzhou!"

Having said that, Xu Shu looked at Liu Bei:
"My lord, I wonder how long our army's food and fodder can last?"

Liu Bei winked at Mi Zhu.

Since the Xuzhou era, Mi Zhu had been in charge of military rations and supplies, so naturally he had to be asked about such matters.

Mi Zhu calculated in his mind for a moment and replied:
"The grain stored in Xiangyang City is enough to sustain our army for about ten months."

"However, after Liu Cong, Cai Mao, and others fled to Jiangling, they cut off the grain trade with Xiangyang. The grain produced in Xiangyang and the surrounding counties alone was no longer enough to feed the people."

"So the lord recently issued an order to release some of the grain stored in the treasury for the people of Xiangyang to purchase." "According to this calculation, the grain stored in our treasury should only be enough for a little over five months."

Five months!
Hearing this number, Xu Shu frowned and a cloud of gloom covered his face.

"Cao Cao has made up his mind this time to not withdraw his troops until Jingzhou is captured. Now that his plan has been exposed, and he cannot quickly defeat our lord, he will surely turn the tide of the war into a protracted one."

"Even Cao Cao was able to hold out for half a year after the Battle of Guandu. Given Cao Cao's current wealth, holding out for a year or two is no problem."

"I'm afraid that with our army's food and fodder reserves, if we enter a stalemate, we won't be able to outlast Cao's army."

Xu Shu's words were like a wake-up call, making everyone's nerves tense immediately.

"Brother, what Yuan Zhi said makes sense. If we compete with Cao Cao in a war of attrition, our city will ultimately be no match for an entire country."

"We must find another strategy. We must quickly drive Cao Cao away. We must not engage in a protracted war with him."

Even someone as conceited as Guan Yu was feeling a bit worried at this moment.

Liu Bei's face gradually became gloomy. He stood up and paced around the hall, his brows furrowed.

All the counselors and generals discussed the matter for a while, but they could not come up with a plan for a quick victory for a long time.

Xiao He also felt that the wine was no longer tasty, so he put down the glass and pinched his forehead with his fingertips.

"If this drags on until the food and fodder run out, and the army loses its morale without fighting, then it's all over. Wouldn't all our previous efforts be in vain?"

"Well, after all, we really need to find a way to quickly repel Cao Cao."

"It seems we still have to use Xu Shu's strategy. However, according to his calculations, Cao Cao has already dug a trap in Chaoyang, and we can't just jump into it foolishly..."

Xiao He's thoughts raced, his brain racked, and his eyes swept over the map.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to my mind.

"My lord, we still have to use Yuan Zhi's plan and launch a surprise attack on Cao Cao's granary and burn his food supplies!"

Xiao He suddenly said something decisive, interrupting everyone's discussion.

Liu Bei suddenly turned around, and Xu Shu also looked up suddenly.

Everyone looked at Xiao He in confusion and surprise.

"Bo Wen, didn't you predict that Cao Cao had laid a tight net in Chaoyang? If we still launch a surprise attack on Chaoyang, wouldn't we be walking into a trap?"

Guan Yu's eyes flashed with confusion as he asked a question that expressed everyone's doubts and confusion.

Xiao He jumped up and walked to the map with a meaningful smile on his face.

"General Guan misunderstood. The surprise attack on Cao's granary I mentioned was not a surprise attack on Chaoyang, but a surprise attack here!"

Xiao He came to the map and pointed his finger at it.

"Deng County?"

Everyone was shocked and called out the place name in unison.

"Let's not forget that Deng County also stores 40% of Cao Cao's grain. If the grain in Deng County is burned, it will be a heavy blow to Cao's army."

"This is what I think. Since Cao Cao has set a trap for us in Chaoyang, he will definitely dispatch a large force to set an ambush there."

"As a result, Cao Cao's vigilance against Deng County will surely be relaxed."

Xiao He turned around and looked at Liu Bei, sneering:

"In that case, we'll try our best to avoid a surprise attack on his Chaoyang granary, but instead burn down his Dengxian granary!"

The gloom on Liu Bei's face suddenly dissipated, and surprise instantly flashed in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)