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

Cao Cao stiffened and suddenly turned to look at Jia Xu.

The hall fell silent once more, and the ministers, as if suddenly realizing something, all shuddered.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Grand Commandant Jia's words are reasonable."

Zhang He was the first to stand up and echo:

"Over the past ten years, we have fought countless battles against Liu Bei, losing countless fortified cities. Neither the Yellow River nor Yijing could stop Liu Bei."

"Is it because our city is not strong enough, or our soldiers are not skilled enough?"

"neither!"

"It's just because Liu Bei has Xiao He that no matter how impregnable our cities and passes are, they are always vulnerable to his schemes."

"If Xiao He were to participate in Liu Bei's westward invasion, I believe that no matter how strong our passes are, how well our soldiers fight, or how impeccable our defenses are, we could still be defeated by Xiao He."

"Therefore, I share the same view as Grand Commandant Jia: if we want to win this battle to defend Bingzhou, we must find a way to ensure that Xiao He cannot participate!"

Zhang He's words revealed the meaning behind Jia Xu's words.

The hall erupted in a thunderous roar, and all the ministers nodded in agreement.

Cao Cao's brows furrowed into a single line as he slowly stroked his thin beard, his eyes revealing deep apprehension.

"You are right. Xiao He is the sharpest sword of that big-eared thief, invincible and impossible to defend against..."

Cao Cao sighed, then glanced at Jia Xu:

"Wenhe, in your opinion, how should I prevent that traitor Xiao from participating in the war?"

Jia Xu was about to speak.

Sima Yi's eyes darted around, but he spoke first:

"Your Majesty, I believe we should send Wang Yue to lead assassins into Ye City to secretly assassinate Xiao He. This would eliminate this enormous threat once and for all!"

Cao Cao's eyes lit up.

Jia Xu shook his head and sighed:

"Liu Bei regarded Xiao He as a treasure, and the personal guards he provided for him were all elite warriors who could fight ten men each."

"Moreover, Xiao He's wife is Guan Yu's daughter, who always accompanies him and protects him."

"In my opinion, it is almost impossible to eliminate Xiao He by assassination."

"Furthermore, His Majesty has sent assassins over the years, but they have never even had a chance to get close to Xiao He; all of them have never returned."

"I believe that if we send assassins now, not only will we fail to kill Xiao He, but we will also only invite ridicule from the world."

Jia Xu rejected Sima Yi's plan.

Now that the flames of war have reached the doorstep of Guanzhong, as a representative of the officials from Guanzhong, Jia Xu dared not take the path of self-preservation for both public and private reasons, and had to step forward to offer advice and strategies to protect Cao Wei.

Preserving Cao Wei meant preserving the interests of the scholars in Yong and Liang, and ultimately, preserving his own life!

Seeing that his plan had been rejected by Jia Xu, Sima Yi frowned, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

“Wenhe is right. That good-for-nothing Wang Yue couldn’t even kill that vile woman Bian, let alone that traitor Xiao.”

Cao Cao nodded slightly, clearly still harboring resentment over Wang Yue's failed assassination attempt on Cao Zhi of the Bian clan years ago.

Changing the subject, Cao Cao asked:
"Wenhe, in your opinion, how should I stop this traitor Xiao He from joining the war?"

Jia Xu coughed lightly and slowly uttered two words:
"Sow discord!"

Cao Cao's eyes lit up, signaling Jia Xu to continue.

After a moment's thought, Jia Xu calmly and slowly said:
"Since Xiao He began assisting Liu Bei, he has made numerous outstanding contributions. It can be said that half of Liu Bei's current success is attributable to Xiao He."

"With such unparalleled achievements, how could it not overshadow the ruler?"

"Furthermore, after Liu Bei usurped the throne and declared himself emperor, he bestowed titles upon his officials, appointing Xiao He as Grand Marshal, whose rank was equal to Guan Yu's, or even slightly higher."

"As for his title, Liu Bei even created the title of Marquis of Jibei and enfeoffed Xiao Ze as the Marquis of Jibei."

"In terms of official rank and title, Xiao Ze is already the most prominent among the officials of the pseudo-Han regime, second only to the emperor!"

"His achievements overshadow his lord, his position is the highest among ministers, and his official rank surpasses all others. How could Liu Bei truly not have the slightest suspicion towards such a minister?" Cao Cao suddenly realized.

Jia Xu was trying to persuade him to use a divisive tactic.

Which emperor throughout history wouldn't be wary of a minister like Xiao He?
How could Liu Bei be an exception?
Wasn't he afraid that Xiao He, while in control of a large army, would suddenly stage a coup, seize the throne, and usurp his power?

If it were Cao Cao, he would naturally be extra wary of such a minister.

Liu Bei was probably the same.

That makes things much easier. All we need to do is send spies to Ye City to spread rumors that Xiao He is plotting a rebellion and trying to usurp Liu Bei's throne.

If Liu Bei believed this, his suspicion of Xiao He intensified, and he prevented Xiao He from participating in the invasion of Wei, then Bingzhou would be safe and sound.

"His achievements overshadow the emperor's, a scheme to sow discord... brilliant, truly brilliant!"

Cao Cao grew increasingly excited as he thought about it, and slammed his fist on the table, exclaiming:
"Wenhe's plan is truly brilliant, striking right at the heart of that big-eared scoundrel."

"Very well, I will use your strategy to sow discord between the emperor and his ministers!"

"Hahaha~~"

Inside the main hall, Cao Cao's long-absent triumphant laughter rang out.

The plan was thus decided.

So Cao Cao deployed troops to Bingzhou while simultaneously sending a large number of spies deep into Han territory to spread rumors and sow discord in the Yecheng area.

...

Ye City, the Han Imperial Palace.

Inside the main hall, Liu Bei and his ministers were discussing strategies to conquer Bingzhou.

The prevailing opinion among the ministers was naturally to divide the army into five routes to attack Wei.

Among them, there are two routes south of the Yellow River: one route attacks Tongguan from Luoyang, and the other route attacks Wuguan from Wancheng.

These two armies were feigning an attack to distract and tie down the Wei army.

North of the Yellow River, the attack was divided into three routes, with the main force targeting Bingzhou.

One route marched westward from Hanoi to capture Huguan, another route marched westward from Changshan to capture Jingxing, and the third route marched westward from Shanggu to capture Pingcheng.

The three armies eventually converged at the city of Jinyang, the capital of Bingzhou.

"My intention is that I will lead 100,000 troops to attack Huguan, Yide will lead 100,000 troops to attack Jingxing, and Bowen will lead 100,000 troops to capture Pingcheng from Shanggu County."

"The two armies south of the Yellow River will be under the command of Guan Yu to contain Cao Cao's troops in Yongzhou."

"What do you think, Bohr and the others?"

Liu Bei gave his initial plan and looked at Xiao He and the other ministers.

Before Xiao He could express his opinion, Pang Tong was the first to bow:

"Your Majesty, I believe that given Cao Cao's strategic acumen, it should not be difficult for him to deduce that our army will focus its main attack on Bingzhou."

"The fact that the puppet Wei regime has been continuously reinforcing its troops in Jingxing, Pingcheng and other directions, and strengthening its passes and cities day and night, should also confirm this point."

"Furthermore, Cao Cao has ordered Xiahou Dun to garrison Jinyang and control the various armies in Bingzhou, which also proves Cao Cao's emphasis on the defense of Bingzhou."

"In that case, key passes and cities such as Jingxing, Huguan, and Pingcheng will surely be heavily fortified with troops and have ample supplies, making full preparations for a fierce battle with our army."

"The three passes, including Jingxing, are protected by the Taihang Mountains, which is not conducive to the deployment of our large army, the use of strategies, or the transportation of supplies."

"With these three disadvantages, it will be very difficult to achieve a quick victory."

"If the stalemate continues for several months, and the weather warms up, the snow melts, and rain falls, the roads in the Taihang Mountains will inevitably become muddy and difficult to travel, making the transportation of our supplies even more difficult."

"I fear that by then, our war against Wei, which has mobilized the entire nation's army, may end in failure."

Pang Tong analyzed the situation, pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of this battle.

Liu Bei stared intently at the map, nodding repeatedly as he listened to Pang Tong's words. A shadow gradually clouded his previously confident expression. (End of Chapter)