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

Boom!

A thunderbolt struck the tent, hitting everyone on the head.

Sima Yi was horrified.

Yang Fu's expression changed drastically.

Jia Xu, who was sitting idly stroking his beard, swayed slightly and then suddenly stood up.

"You...you...what did you say?"

Cao Cao slammed his hands on the table, stood up abruptly, and roared at Mao Jie, demanding an answer.

His trembling voice and bewildered expression clearly showed that he understood what Mao Jie was saying, but still clung to hope and refused to accept it.

"Your Majesty, Ji Pass has fallen, and General Xiahou has been killed by Xiao He!"

Mao Jie, choked with sobs, held up the intelligence report with trembling hands.

Cao Cao stepped over the table, grabbed it before Xu Chu could present it, and hurriedly unfolded it to read it.

The words, written in black and white, were like knives, piercing Cao Cao's heart.

His own nephew, another member of the Xiahou clan, died once again under Liu Bei's blade.

The fortress connecting Hanoi and Hedong was captured by the Han army overnight, as if divine soldiers had descended from the sky!
Most importantly, the person in charge of the troops was actually Xiao He?
"That's impossible. Wasn't that traitor Xiao inspecting grain supplies in Dingtao? How could he possibly lead his troops to launch a surprise attack on Jiguan Pass?"

"This is impossible, impossible--"

Cao Cao's hands trembled, his body shook, and he kept shaking his head, muttering incoherently to himself.

The tent erupted in chaos.

The officials were horrified and their voices rose and fell in astonishment.

Jia Xu was startled, as if he had deduced something, and was about to speak.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back, raised his head, and glanced at Cao Cao with trembling eyes.

"Your Majesty, Jia Wenhe has miscalculated!"

Sima Yi slammed his fist on the table and said the words that Jia Xu dared not utter.

Cao Cao suddenly looked up at Sima Yi.

"The Han army intends to attack my Bingzhou, but not from east to west, but from south to north, taking my Bingzhou from Hedong."

"Therefore, their five armies invaded our Great Wei only as a cover for launching a surprise attack on Jiguan Pass and seizing Hedong."

"Therefore, taking advantage of Jia Wenhe's divisive tactics, the Big-Eared Bandit and the Xiao Bandit turned the tables on each other. The Big-Eared Bandit pretended to be suspicious of the Xiao Bandit and dared not let him command troops. Instead, he ordered him to go to Henan to inspect grain."

"That's why we became complacent and neglected to guard against Jiguan Pass and the Xiao traitor."

"Afterwards, the big-eared bandit secretly mobilized troops in Qingzhou, went up the river westward to join forces with the bandit Xiao, and launched a surprise attack on my Ji Pass!"

"Your Majesty, Jia Wenhe's scheme to sow discord not only failed, but was also used by the two traitors Liu and Xiao to seize our Ji Pass!"

Sima Yi finally revealed the true strategy of the Han army.

Of course, he also made sure to emphasize Jia Xu's miscalculation in every sentence.

Cao Cao was suddenly enlightened and looked at Jia Xu with surprise.

His eyes held shock, anger, and a deep sense of disappointment.

"Your Majesty, minister, minister..."

Jia Xu was pale, sweating profusely, and his eyes were filled with panic and unease.

At this moment, the poison master truly felt some regret.

Back then, I either stayed out of things that didn't concern me, or I never offered advice unless Cao Cao asked me.

Either I offer advice, I leave myself room for maneuver, so that even if the plan goes wrong, I won't be blamed.

But now, in order to protect himself, he had no choice but to offer a plan for the first time. However, he was exposed by Xiao He again, and his plan backfired, causing Cao Cao to be furious and disappointed.

Jia Xu felt wronged.

"Jia Wenhe, you—"

Provoked and instigated by Sima Yi, Cao Cao immediately began to question Jia Xu.

"His Majesty!"

Yang Fu, the strategist from Xiliang, spoke first:
"I believe that Grand Commandant Jia's plan to sow discord was not wrong. But who could have predicted that Liu Bei would have such a magnanimous heart and mind? Even though Xiao He's merits were so great that they threatened the emperor's position, he still trusted him and did not harbor any suspicions."

"If we say this plan was a miscalculation, it was only because we underestimated Liu Bei's magnanimity; we cannot blame Grand Commandant Jia entirely."

Following Yang Fu's lead, many strategists and generals from Yong and Liang provinces came forward to defend Jia Xu.

Cao Cao's complaints, which were on the tip of his tongue, were forcefully swallowed back by his ministers from Yong and Liang. There was nothing they could do…

Jia Xu was a representative of the Yongliang faction. If you blame Jia Xu, you are blaming the Yongliang scholars behind him.

Given Wei's current dependence on the Yongliang people, do you have the guts to do this?

Cao Cao swallowed hard, suppressing his resentment, and could only ask helplessly:
"Then tell me, what should I do now?"

Jia Xu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed:

"Your Majesty, Xiao He's purpose in launching a surprise attack on Jiguan Pass was to seize Hedong and then invade Bingzhou in the north."

"Then their next step will inevitably be to march westward, seize Anyi, attack Puban, blockade the Yellow River, and cut off the connection between Guanzhong and Bingzhou."

"I believe that Your Majesty should quickly lead a large army north to Hedong to intercept the traitor Xiao."

"If we can take the lead in entering Anyi and ensure that Hedong is not lost, that would be the best outcome."

"At the very least, we must ensure that we have Puban Ferry in our hands, so that the Han army cannot block the Yellow River."

"In this way, even if Liu Bei's army enters Hedong, he certainly won't dare to go north and attack my Bingzhou."

"In this way, Bingzhou can still be preserved, Your Majesty!"

Jia Xu immediately offered another plan, hoping to salvage the situation after all.

These words calmed Cao Cao down, making him realize that the situation was not yet beyond repair.

"You're right, it's not too late to mend things now!"

Cao Cao, leaning on his cane, rose to his feet and shouted sternly:
"By my decree, the army shall immediately march north from Huayin to Puban Pass, immediately!"

At that moment, Cao Cao dared not delay for a moment. That very night, he led 40,000 Wei troops northward, marching day and night, heading straight for Puban Pass.

Puban Pass and Puban Ferry stand side by side on opposite banks of the Yellow River; the former is located on the west bank of the Yellow River, while the latter is located on the east bank.

Puban Pass belonged to Fengyi Commandery, which was under the jurisdiction of Guanzhong, while Puban Ferry belonged to Hedong Commandery.

If the Wei army wanted to enter Hedong, it had to first reach Puban Pass, which was more than 140 li away, and then cross the Yellow River to the east to land at Puban Ferry.

However, when Cao Cao was only thirty li away from Puban, he received another piece of bad news:

About two days ago, Han general Wen Qin led 3,000 light cavalry to seize Pubanjin on the east bank by surprise.

They then crossed the river with lightning speed, captured Puban Pass, and after a campaign of burning, killing, and looting, retreated to the east bank of the Yellow River.

This news greatly shocked Cao Cao.

First, the Han cavalry reached Puban, which meant that Anyi had been lost and most of Hedong Commandery had been occupied by Xiao He.

With Pubanjin occupied by Wen Qin, the Han army had already completed the blockade of the Yellow River. How could his 40,000 troops cross the river?

"Your Majesty, do not be anxious. Even if the Han army seizes Puban Ferry, its strength is ultimately no more than three thousand men. This is also why Wen Qin retreated to the east bank after capturing Puban Pass."

"With a mere three thousand soldiers, how could he possibly stop my army, which is ten times larger, from crossing the Yellow River?"

Before Cao Cao could react, Jia Xu quickly offered some words of comfort.

Cao Cao's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

"You are right. The Yellow River is not an insurmountable barrier. With my 40,000 troops crossing the river, how can a mere 3,000 Han traitors possibly withstand us?"

Cao Cao's confidence was rekindled, and he immediately ordered the army to continue advancing towards Puban Pass.

Dusk.

Forty thousand Wei troops advanced to Puban Pass.

By this time, the fortress was shrouded in thick smoke and in complete disarray.

After looting all the grain and military supplies in the pass, Wen Qin did not forget to set fire to it before leaving, reducing Puban Pass to ashes.

Before sunset, the Wei army finally extinguished the fire in the city.

Cao Cao walked through the ruins of the city and ascended the east gate of Puban Pass.

Looking into the distance, one sees the rolling Yellow River ahead, and on the opposite bank lies Puban Ferry, where Han flags are already flying high.

"This nobody Wen Qin dares to burn down my city gates; he's utterly arrogant!"

Cao Cao gritted his teeth and shouted angrily:
"By my decree, the army shall immediately cross the Yellow River. I will recapture Puban Ferry before nightfall and kill that treacherous dog Wen Qin!"

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Cao Cao was eager to lead his army across the river.

Half an hour later, news that chilled Cao Cao to the bone returned:

Wen Qin not only burned down Puban Pass, but also reduced all the boats and rafts along the west bank of the Yellow River to ashes! (End of Chapter)