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

Will it count?

Upon hearing those four words, Xiao He smiled knowingly.

Ma Su was quite capable; he managed to turn the tables on Cao Cao by taking advantage of Cao Cao's divisive tactics.

Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and other bigwigs immediately realized what was going on, and their faces showed approval.

"Your Majesty, I think Youchang's plan is excellent."

"Your Majesty can feign falling for the trap and, under the pretext of suspecting Bowen, transfer him to inspect the various prefectures in Henan and supervise the transport of grain and fodder."

"After the various armies of the puppet Wei regime had been mobilized, Bowen led his troops to board ships at Baima and sailed westward up the river towards Jiguan Pass."

"In this way, we will surely be able to deceive Cao Cao, take Jiguan by surprise, and march into Hedong in one fell swoop!"

Zhuge Liang smiled and cupped his hands, pointing out the deeper meaning behind Ma Su's plan to turn the tables on him.

Liu Bei suddenly realized what was happening, and a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face.

Then, strangely, he asked:

"Did Cao Cao really use some kind of divisive tactic? How come I didn't notice it at all?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and said sarcastically:
"Rumors are spreading throughout Ye City, saying that Bo Wen's achievements overshadow the emperor's and that he harbors rebellious intentions. His Majesty has already become suspicious and wary of him."

"This rumor is clearly spread by Cao Cao's spies in an attempt to sow discord and make His Majesty suspicious of Bowen, so that he will not dare to let Bowen lead the army in this campaign against Wei."

"How ridiculous! Cao Cao is unaware that His Majesty and Bo Wen are close friends and have no reason to be suspicious of each other. He thinks that His Majesty is as suspicious as he is."

Liu Bei then realized what was happening.

In fact, how could he not have heard those rumors circulating in Ye City?

If it were Cao Cao, even if he wasn't swayed by the rumors, he would still be somewhat concerned.

Liu Bei paid no attention to it at all; the rumors went in one ear and out the other, and he never even gave them a second thought.

In other words, in his subconscious, he never suspected Xiao He.

Therefore, when Zhuge Liang and Ma Su brought it up, he realized that this was Cao Cao's scheme to sow discord.

"I see. I didn't know about this until you told me."

Liu Bei gave a cold laugh, his sarcastic gaze turning towards Chang'an:
"That traitor Cao doesn't know me, much less Bowen. If he knew how much I had to say to persuade Bowen to become the Grand Marshal, he certainly wouldn't have resorted to such a clumsy scheme to sow discord."

Everyone laughed.

Xiao felt a surge of relief, thinking that Old Liu still understood him.

From the moment he first met Lao Liu in Fancheng, his dream was a life of leisure, working nine to five, living a life of luxury, with beautiful women and fine wine.

If it weren't for Lao Liu's persistent invitation, he would never have been given the title of strategist.

Even his later positions as military advisor, general, grand commander, and now grand marshal, he declined them all, but Liu refused, and he could only obey the imperial edict.

Xiao He only wanted to talk his way out of court, enjoy his beautiful wives and concubines, and indulge in poetry, wine, and romance. He didn't want any official documents or military affairs to bother him.

Old Liu said, with great power comes great responsibility. You, Xiao He, are a disciple of the immortals, a reincarnation of the God of War. If you don't take on this heavy responsibility, who will?
There was no other way; the boss had put it that way, and refusing would be seen as lacking social skills.

It was for this reason that Xiao He reluctantly accepted the position of Grand Marshal, taking on a burden he did not want to shoulder.

It's laughable that Cao Cao didn't understand Liu Bei's magnanimity or his ambitions, which is why he resorted to such a clownish and disloyal tactic.

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

Liu Bei stopped being sarcastic and looked at Xiao He with a smile.

Xiao He nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"Your Majesty, I think Youchang's strategy of using a counter-strategy is excellent and feasible."

Without further hesitation, Liu Bei readily agreed:

"Alright, it's settled then. Once the autumn harvest is over, we'll mobilize the entire nation's army to attack Wei!"

"We will not withdraw our troops until Bingzhou is captured!"

The ministers gladly accepted the order.

The decision to attack Wei was thus finalized.

Over the next two months, the entire land of the Han Dynasty began its mobilization to attack Wei.

Millions of grain supplies began to be transported in all directions to their designated locations. Grain supplies in Luoyang, Wancheng, Yecheng, and Jixian were already piled up like mountains.

Once autumn is over, the time will come.

Liu Bei then built an altar in the southern suburbs of Ye City, offered sacrifices to Heaven, and issued an order to attack Wei.

Upon receiving the imperial edict, troops from various prefectures and counties quickly assembled.

Hebei Province.

Zhang Fei led an army of 100,000 men westward from Ji County into Shanggu, attacking the Pingcheng line of Dai County.

Along the central route at Changshan, Lu Xun and Zhao Yun led an army of 100,000 to attack the Wei forces along the Jingxing Pass.

Liu Bei, the emperor of the Southern Route, personally led 100,000 Han troops, advancing from Ye City towards Huguan.

From Henan.

General Guan Yu personally led 70,000 Han troops to launch an attack on the Tongguan line.

Meanwhile, in Wancheng, Wei Yan led 30,000 Han troops toward Wuguan.

A total of over 400,000 Han troops were divided into five routes and launched a massive offensive against the State of Wei along a battle line stretching for thousands of miles from north to south.

Chancellor Zhuge Liang was ordered to guard Ye City and assist Liu Yong and Liu Li in managing military and political affairs.

Xiao He, the Grand Marshal, unusually did not participate in the war against Wei. Instead, he went south to Henan with imperial credentials to inspect the region and supervise the transport of grain and fodder to the rear.

In the autumn of that year, the war against Wei broke out again.

...

Chang'an, the capital of Wei.

When news of the Han army's massive invasion reached the capital, the entire city's residents were greatly alarmed.

Inside the Wei imperial palace.

Cao Cao, however, remained remarkably calm, even sporting a rare relaxed smile.

"Wenhe, it seems your plan to sow discord has succeeded. As expected, Big Ears didn't dare to let that Xiao traitor participate in the battle."

Cao Cao smiled and showed the intelligence report in his hand to his ministers.

That intelligence report detailed the number of troops in the five routes of the Han army, as well as the assignments of generals and strategists.

Xiao He was not present in any of the five armies.

Furthermore, the spies reported that Xiao He had been ordered to go to Henan to inspect and supervise the transport of grain and fodder.

In addition, spies from Yanzhou, as well as local officials of the Han Dynasty who were secretly exchanging glances with the Wei Kingdom, had sent secret reports claiming that they had personally seen Xiao He.

Based on various intelligence reports, Cao Cao concluded that Xiao He had indeed not participated in Liu Bei's western expedition.

"As long as that traitor Xiao is not here, even if Liu Bei brings a million troops, what do I have to fear?"

Cao Cao spoke arrogantly and his back straightened, clearly showing that he did not take Liu Bei seriously.

He certainly had the confidence to make such outrageous statements.

After all, before Liu Bei acquired Xiao He, he had never won a single battle against him.

Even though it's currently a three-state versus nine-state situation, Cao Cao is absolutely confident that as long as Xiao He doesn't come, dealing with Liu Bei will be a piece of cake.

"Your Majesty, Liu Bei fell for my scheme to sow discord and did not allow Xiao He to participate in the war, which is indeed a great blessing for our Great Wei."

"However, the enemy outnumbered us, and Liu Bei's military prowess should not be underestimated. His advisors, such as Pang Tong and Fa Zheng, were also no ordinary men."

"I believe that we should still adopt our established strategy of holding firm and not venturing out. We must not underestimate the enemy and give the Han army an opportunity to take advantage of us."

Jia Xu, however, did not appear relieved; he still solemnly reminded him.

Cao Cao suppressed some of his arrogance, nodded slightly, and waved his hand, saying:

"Wenhe is right. Even with Xiao Ze not around, we still cannot underestimate the Big-Eared Thief."

"By my decree, all commanders of the passes must adhere to the original plan and hold their positions firmly. Anyone who dares to engage in battle without authorization will be executed without mercy!"

"I order you to hold out until the end of time, until you reach the old city of that treacherous scoundrel Shi Lao. If your supplies run out, retreat without a fight!" (End of Chapter)