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

Five days later, in Ji County.

The vanguard of 100,000 Chu troops marched into Youzhou, the capital of the puppet state of Wei.

The city was now in ruins, with thick smoke billowing everywhere.

Five days earlier, Cao Cao had led more than 50,000 Wei troops, along with Wei civil and military officials and their families, westward to Dai County.

Upon learning of the approaching Chu army, Tian Yu, the magistrate left to guard Ji County, ordered the burning of the Ji County granary and military supplies before abandoning the city and fleeing north.

The Chu army captured Ji County without bloodshed.

The first thing Liu Bei did upon entering the city was to order the extinguishing of all the fires within the city, to appease the people and soldiers, and to send out scouts and spies to track down Cao Cao's whereabouts.

By dusk, the fire in the city was largely under control, with only a few wisps of smoke remaining.

The people of the city were reassured and things quickly returned to normal.

Inside the fake imperial palace.

Liu Bei had already prepared a banquet to celebrate with Lu Xun, Guan Ping, and the other generals of the expeditionary force who had come to join him.

"Boyan, Tanzhi, you are the ones who made the greatest contribution to my swift victory over Yijing and the recapture of Jixian."

"Come, let's drink this cup to the brim!"

Liu Bei raised his wine cup high and praised Lu Xun several times.

The generals drank it all in one gulp.

Setting down his wine glass, Lu Xun looked at Xiao He with admiration:
"If it weren't for the new type of seagoing vessel created by Grand Commandant Xiao, as well as that compass and sextant, how could we have deceived Cao Cao's eyes and ears and successfully crossed the Bohai Sea to land at Gukou?"

"If we are talking about the greatest credit, it should go to Grand Commandant Xiao. We dare not accept it!"

Guan Ping hurriedly chimed in, attributing the credit to his brother-in-law.

Xiao He, naturally, wouldn't be arrogant about the credit, and instead attributed the achievement back to Liu Bei's skillful command and extraordinary magnanimity...

The emperor and his ministers inevitably engaged in a round of mutual flattery.

"Enough, enough, my lords, there's no need for further modesty. This is all thanks to the concerted efforts of the ruler and his subjects."

Liu Bei laughed heartily and raised his cup again:

"Come, come, let us drink this cup together!"

The generals raised their glasses in a roar and drank them down in one gulp.

A hearty laugh echoed from inside the hall.

Next, Ma Su summarized and reported the latest enemy situation.

Regarding the various prefectures of Youzhou, Zhuojun had already surrendered without resistance when they marched north from Yijing.

After Cao Cao abandoned Ji County and fled west, Guangyang Commandery, which belonged to Ji County, Yuyang to the east, and Youbeiping surrendered without resistance and changed their allegiance.

Meanwhile, in Liaoxi Commandery, the easternmost region, Gongsun Kang, the ruler of Liaodong, seeing that the fall of Youzhou was inevitable, sent troops to capture the eastern counties of Liaoxi Commandery.

"At present, except for Dai County and Shanggu County in the west, Youzhou is basically under the control of our Great Wei."

"However, several counties in the eastern part of Liaoxi Commandery, such as Yangle, were occupied by Gongsun Kang, while several counties north of Yuyang Youbeiping, close to the Great Wall, have always been occupied by the Wuhuan people."

"According to the reports from my scouts, Cao Cao has probably completely abandoned his intention to defend Youzhou and has led his remaining troops westward from Dai County to Bingzhou."

"Shanggu Commandery is located east of the Taihang Mountains, and Cao Cao will likely abandon it. However, Dai Commandery is located west of the Taihang Mountains and has natural defenses. Cao Cao will likely choose to hold this position to prevent his army from taking advantage of the situation to attack Bingzhou from Dai Commandery."

Ma Su presented the latest intelligence report in detail, and then bowed respectfully.

"Based on the various intelligence reports, I believe that our army should press on while we are ahead, in order to catch up with and annihilate Cao Cao's main force."

"If not, we should at least annihilate the enemy's manpower and recover Shanggu County. If we can recover Dai County as well, that would be even better."

Lu Xun and others all agreed, expressing their approval of Ma Su's strategy.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and said with pleasure:

“You Chang’s words make sense. If we can annihilate all of Cao Cao’s remaining forces in Youzhou, that would be the best outcome.”

"Very well, I will lead my 300,000 troops to continue pursuing Cao Cao to the west!" The generals gladly accepted the order.

"Bowen, what do you think of Youchang's strategy?"

Although Liu Bei issued the edict, he still did not forget to consult Xiao He's opinion.

“You Chang’s strategy is sound. Although Cao Cao is a desperate enemy, we must pursue him to the bitter end.”

Xiao He nodded first, then changed the subject:
"However, I believe that Cao Cao is already a desperate enemy, and even if we were to pursue him, there is no need to mobilize an entire army of 300,000."

"Moreover, once Cao Cao retreats to Dai County, with the natural barrier of the Taihang Mountains to rely on, our army, even with 300,000 troops, will have no use for them."

"I believe that we should send a portion of our troops north to wipe out the Wuhuan army entrenched in the northern part of Youbeiping in Yuyang, thus eliminating the border threat to Youzhou in one fell swoop!"

Karasuma!

When those two words rang in our ears, the hall fell silent.

Liu Bei and his generals alike couldn't help but glance northwards.

This group of nomadic people from beyond the Great Wall, like the Xianbei and Xiongnu, migrated south and submitted to the Central Plains decades ago, and settled outside the Great Wall.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Han Dynasty declined, and the Wuhuan, along with the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and other Hu tribes, took advantage of the situation to invade the border and continuously nibble away at the border counties of You and Bing.

From the time of Gongsun Zan to the present, the Wuhuan people have become increasingly powerful, and the territory they control has become increasingly larger.

Their iron cavalry even crossed the Great Wall and penetrated deep into Xuwu, Pinggu, and other cities near the heart of Youzhou.

Tadun, the Chanyu of Wuhuan, was said to have commanded 50,000 Wuhuan cavalry and was the most ambitious and capable Chanyu in Wuhuan history.

This powerful barbarian group, which has spread to the heart of Youzhou, is indeed a considerable threat.

Perhaps it was Xiao He's arrival that changed the timeline, and Tadun, who should have been killed by Cao Cao, survived the battle of White Wolf Mountain.

So he gathered his old troops and, taking advantage of the deadly battle between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, revived and rose again both inside and outside the Great Wall.

"Your Majesty, I believe that what Grand Commandant Xiao said is absolutely right."

"If we do not severely damage the Wuhuan and curb their plot to continuously nibble away at Youzhou, Youzhou will never be at peace."

"Youzhou is in turmoil, so we must leave a large force, especially our precious cavalry corps, to guard Youzhou and prevent the Wuhuan people from invading from the south."

"In this way, we cannot concentrate our forces to advance westward, seize the three prefectures of Yong, Liang, and Bing, completely destroy the pseudo-Wei, and unify the world!"

"Now that our army has just captured Youzhou, the soldiers are in high spirits. If we can take advantage of the momentum of our great victory and wipe out the Wuhuan in one fell swoop, thus eliminating the border troubles of Youzhou, then this northern expedition to Youzhou can be considered a perfect ending!"

Ma Su also stepped forward and gave a lengthy analysis of the advantages and disadvantages, strongly agreeing with Xiao He's strategy.

The generals' blood boiled instantly.

Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, Zhao Yun, and many other generals stood up in a great wave, all advocating for the annihilation of the Wuhuan people.

"Bowen's plan is a long-term strategy for Youzhou, and it is truly a profound and far-sighted plan!"

Without further hesitation, Liu Bei readily agreed:

"Very well, I will use Bowen's plan. We will divide our troops into two groups."

"I will lead an army of 200,000 westward to pursue the traitor Cao, and you, Bowen, will lead 100,000 troops northward to wipe out the Wuhuan!"

Xiao He stood up to accept the order, but then changed the subject:
"With 100,000 men, I fear the Wuhuan people will be terrified at the mere mention of our name, and that Tadun will lead his people north to the grasslands to avoid our army's advance."

"Our Great Chu has just acquired Youzhou, and our cavalry is limited in number, not enough to venture beyond the Great Wall to the grasslands to pursue the Wuhuan."

"I believe that Your Majesty's provision of 30,000 troops is sufficient."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's expression changed slightly, and he quickly said:
"I have heard that Tadun has 50,000 iron cavalry. Even if it is just a bluff, he still has at least 30,000 cavalry at his disposal."

"Bowen, you only have 30,000 infantry and cavalry heading north, and you still want to wipe out the Wuhuan army? Isn't that too few troops?"

Xiao He, however, looked confident and a playful smile played on his lips as he said:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the batch of secret weapons that I requested Your Majesty to forge is almost here."

"I possess this batch of secret weapons, along with 30,000 infantry and cavalry, enough to annihilate the Wuhuan army!" (End of Chapter)