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

Puban Pass.

Inside the mansion, Cao Cao was holding a report in his hand, his expression and eyes shifting constantly.

That was a report sent by Xiahou Dun a few days ago.

There are two points:
First, he took it upon himself to offer the four prefectures of Xihe as a condition for successfully enticing Huchuquan to lead 40,000 cavalry south to assist in the battle.

Secondly, Huchuquan divided his troops to raid the Han army's supply lines, achieving great success and reaping excellent benefits.

Looking at this intelligence report, Cao Cao had mixed feelings.

My first reaction was naturally a sense of relief.

Xiahou Dun, true to his brotherly nature, understood his implication perfectly and readily took the blame, borrowing troops from the Xiongnu without prior notification.

The results far exceeded expectations.

The Xiongnu's strategy of raiding grain supplies successfully forced Liu Bei to repel his attack on Jiexiu Pass, temporarily relieving the danger of Bingzhou falling into enemy hands.

This bought him more time to cross the Yellow River, capture Pubanjin on the opposite bank, and re-enter Hedong.

Even in an optimistic scenario, even if he couldn't defeat the Yellow River, Liu Bei's 100,000-strong Han army would likely be forced to retreat due to the Xiongnu's supply raiding tactics.

The recapture of Hedong gave us hope.

The unfavorable situation in Bingzhou, and even in the state of Wei, seems to have a chance to be completely reversed.

Cao Cao was naturally relieved and felt extremely gratified.

Besides feeling gratified, there was also a sense of helplessness.

The unprecedented humiliation of ceding territory to the Xiongnu was still staged in the Wei Kingdom under his rule.

Although he took the blame for both himself and others, implying that Xiahou Dun should take the fall for him, on the surface, he, as the emperor, was unaware of the situation.

But such self-deceiving tricks can only fool illiterate people; no one with any sense would believe them.

This infamy will likely never be erased from history books.

"I hope that when the historians record my deeds in the future, they will understand my helplessness..."

Cao Cao sighed to himself, then showed the memorial in his hand to his ministers, trying to boost morale.

really.

Seeing that the situation in Bingzhou had turned from danger to safety, all the officials were greatly encouraged.

The dark clouds that had been hanging over Wei's camp also dispersed.

"The general's tactics have struck right at the heart of the Han army."

"The Han army is elite, and Xiao He is cunning and treacherous. Even if the general has the help of the Xiongnu cavalry, he must not engage the Han army in a direct confrontation."

"Using our strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, and raiding the Han army's supply lines, is indeed the best strategy to repel the enemy!"

After praising it repeatedly, Sima Yi cupped his hands and smiled, saying:
"Your Majesty, if the General can persist with this tactic, I predict that within two months, the Big Ears bandit will be forced to retreat to Anyi due to the unbearable harassment of his supply lines, thus completely halting his attack on Bingzhou."

"By then His Majesty will surely have captured Pubanjin, and then, together with the Grand General, they will launch a pincer attack, driving the big-eared traitor out of Hedong and recapturing Jiguan Pass!"

Sima Yi's blueprint greatly boosted Cao Cao's confidence, allowing him to temporarily forget the humiliation of ceding territory to the Xiongnu.

"You wicked scoundrel, I... Yuan Rang sacrificed so much to achieve this situation. Let's see how you break this deadlock this time..."

Cao Cao's lips curled up, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face.

All the ministers smiled and chatted, making the atmosphere even more relaxed.

At this moment, the rulers and ministers of Wei seemed to have regained their confidence, as if saying, "I can do it again."

Cao Cao was in high spirits and ordered his men to pour him some wine, wanting to have a small drink.

Just as he raised his wine cup, he noticed Jia Xu staring intently at Xiahou Dun's report, his eyes filled with growing suspicion and his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

"Wenhe, have you noticed something?"

Cao Cao's smile vanished, he put down his wine cup, and immediately became wary.

Inside the hall, the ministers' laughter and conversation ceased, and all eyes turned to Jia Xu. "Your Majesty."

Jia Xu raised the report in his hand and said:

"I saw in the last part of the General's report that Liu Bei was going to take 20,000 heavy troops and transport 100,000 bushels of grain northward. He and Huchuquan discussed the idea of ​​concentrating 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry to raid the 100,000 bushels of grain."

"I wonder if there are any risks involved?"

Cao Cao was startled and quickly took the report to re-examine it.

In Xiahou Dun's lengthy report of over a thousand words, he did indeed mention such a passage at the end.

Cao Cao read it many times but never paid much attention to it, until Jia Xu suddenly mentioned it.

The word "risk" made him tense.

"Wenhe, what exactly do you mean? Just say it directly."

Cao Cao waved his hand and urged him on.

After a moment's thought, Jia Xu said:

"I am worried that Liu Bei's large-scale military operation to transport grain northward is a ploy to lure Chu Quan into concentrating all his cavalry to seize the grain."

"In this way, the big-eared bandit can remain calm and lure the main force of the Xiongnu into a direct confrontation with him."

"If Huchuquan suffers a defeat and something happens to the 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry, wouldn't this excellent situation be ruined in an instant?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao trembled and broke out in a cold sweat.

Cao Cao involuntarily stood up, clutching the memorial in his hand, his eyes scanning it up and down nervously, his mind racing.

“Wenhe’s words make sense. This is very likely a trap set by the Xiongnu chieftain to lure the enemy. If Yuanrang orders the main force of the Xiongnu to go out and seize grain, he will probably fall into the trap!”

Cao Cao broke out in a cold sweat, slammed his fist on the table, and shouted:

"Guards, quickly draft an edict to warn Yuan Rang: under no circumstances should the Xiongnu be allowed to come out in full force, falling into the trap of that treacherous Da'er!"

The courtiers were in an uproar, and the previously relaxed atmosphere was instantly replaced by a heavy tension.

As soon as Cao Cao issued his decree, Sima Yi comforted him, saying:

"Your Majesty, please do not be too nervous. The Xiongnu's supply corps is only 20,000 men. If they really want to defeat 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry with just 20,000 infantry and cavalry, they will surely resort to their old tricks and use those repeating crossbows again."

"Given the example of the Wuhuan people, I believe the General will be more vigilant and will surely remind Huchuquan to guard against the Han army's repeating crossbows."

"As long as we can defend against the Han army's repeating crossbows, I think Huchuquan has 40,000 iron cavalry. Even if we suffer some setbacks, we should not suffer heavy losses."

"As long as the main force of the Xiongnu is not severely damaged, the situation in Bingzhou will not deteriorate to the point of rapid decline."

Say it.

Sima Yi then added:

"Furthermore, if the General does not take any action, the 100,000 bushels of grain belonging to the Big-Eared Bandit can be transported to Yong'an smoothly."

"If the big-eared thief repeats this several times, the army will be able to stockpile enough grain, and the general's plan to seize grain will be in vain."

"I suspect that the General's actions were out of necessity."

Cao Cao, who was initially tense and excited, instantly calmed down.

After carefully considering what Sima Yi said, Cao Cao nodded slightly:
“Zhongda is right. We cannot let the Xiongnu cavalry transport grain north. If we want to stop this 100,000 bushels of grain, we must send out the entire Xiongnu cavalry.”

"Since that's the case, then I must change the decree and remind Yuan Rang to be extremely careful of the Big-Eared Thief's schemes—"

Before the word "crossbow" could even be uttered...

Tiger Guards rushed into the main hall, holding up the battle report and shouting:
"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Bingzhou."

"The Xiongnu army ambushed the Han army in Baibo Valley, and 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry were wiped out. The Xiongnu Chanyu Huchuquan was captured by the Han army and has been executed by Liu Bei in front of Jiexiu Pass!"

Cao Cao's mouth gaped open, his face turning pale with shock. (End of Chapter)