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

Crossing the river on ice!

Liu Shan's four simple words enlightened everyone present.

Old memories suddenly surfaced in my mind.

Back when Cao Cao still occupied Hebei, Liu Bei, in order to recover Hebei, led a large army to the Yellow River, intending to seize Liyang.

At that time, Cao Ren built a seemingly impregnable defense line along the Yellow River, centered on Liyang, on the north bank of the Yellow River.

However, Xiao He offered a plan: taking advantage of the arrival of winter and the freezing of the Yellow River, the army would cross the river on the ice, rendering the natural barrier of the Yellow River useless, and the army would besiege Liyang.

"Yes, how could I forget?"

In a daze, Liu Bei suddenly slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed with delight:
"If the Yellow River can freeze at Liyang, it will naturally freeze at Puban as well. My army will cross the river on ice. Even if Cao Cao has a large force stationed at Puban Pass, how can he stop me?"

"Bowen, your 'old trick' is truly brilliant!"

Liu Bei clicked his tongue in praise and looked at Xiao He with a smile.

The ministers all realized what had happened, and were all overjoyed.

Xiao He's gaze, however, drifted toward the Crown Prince.

Although Liu Shan was not exactly incompetent, he was far from being intelligent and decisive; he was just an ordinary person.

But Liu Shan, before him, was able to understand his strategy before even the brilliant strategists Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, and uttered the four words "cross the river on ice"!

This made Xiao He look at him with new respect.

It seems Zhuge Liang's letter was right; Liu Shan, after recovering from dementia, did indeed become even more intelligent than before…

"Your Highness, you were able to guess Bowen's plan. You truly impress me."

Liu Bei also noticed the change in his son and praised him with a look of satisfaction.

As a father, how could he not be overjoyed to see his "foolish son" become smart?

Liu Shan remained calm and simply said:
"The Grand Marshal is a celestial being descended to earth, a trusted minister of my father, and a pillar of our great Han state. He is naturally a role model for your son to learn from."

"After recovering from his illness, I studied in detail the various ingenious plans and strategies that the Grand Marshal had presented to the Emperor over the past ten years, as well as the divine weapons he had created, such as the Divine Thunder Cannon and the Repeating Crossbow."

"Therefore, when I heard the Grand Marshal mention the Battle of Liyang just now, I remembered the Grand Marshal's plan to cross the river on ice back then."

Liu Bei suddenly understood, and his expression of appreciation and approval deepened. He nodded repeatedly.

“Your Highness, you did the right thing. Bowen was a genius beyond compare. As the heir apparent, you should indeed learn more from him.”

"I am very pleased that you have done this, very pleased indeed."

Liu Bei was full of praise and was naturally even more satisfied with the newly appointed crown prince.

Xiao He, of course, could not admit that he was some kind of otherworldly genius or a deity descended to earth. He was bound to be humble and shifted the blame to his fictitious mentor.

However, a hint of curiosity crept into his eyes as he secretly glanced at Liu Shan.

Unexpectedly, this prince, who had recovered from dementia, was so interested in me. He had only been cured for a few days, yet he was able to spend so much time studying and understanding me.

Even Cao Cao, his mortal enemy, probably wouldn't have had the time to spend so much energy studying him.

"Could it be that when A Dou fell into the water, he was frightened, and the stimulation to his brain made him smarter, and his previous dementia was just a temporary side effect?"

Xiao He couldn't help but have this speculation in his mind.

“We can indeed use Bowen’s plan to cross the ice river again and take Puban Pass.”

Zhuge Liang also agreed, but then changed the subject:
"However, last year and the year before, the winter weather was not cold enough, and the middle and lower reaches of the river did not freeze for two consecutive years, including the Puban section."

"I am worried that if this year is another mild winter and the river still doesn't freeze over?"

"Or perhaps the next two years will also be warm winters, and we will never have the chance to cross the frozen river. Are we going to have to postpone our campaign against Wei indefinitely?"

"The war to destroy Wei cannot be delayed."

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat, and the look of relief and joy on his face instantly cooled.

In recent years, the weather in northern China has indeed become warmer and rainy more frequently. Warmer weather and increased precipitation in the north, along with favorable weather conditions, are naturally a great thing for the country and its people.

However, with the rising temperature, the Yellow River will not freeze, and without freezing, there is no way to use the method of crossing the river on ice.

This might not be a good thing for the campaign against Wei.

This was also not a good thing for Liu Bei.

With consistently mild winters, the Yellow River has remained unfrozen. Does this mean the campaign against Wei will be delayed indefinitely?

Given Liu Bei's current age and physical condition, can he afford to delay this?

Of course not.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei frowned slightly and had no choice but to turn his gaze to Xiao He.

Xiao He smiled faintly and said unhurriedly:
"Since ancient times, the temperature has been both cold and hot, and the changes have often been measured in hundreds of years."

"Currently, temperatures in the north are rising, the precipitation line is shifting northward, and rainfall is increasing, which is naturally a good thing for our great Han people."

"However, the temperature rise is often a spiral rather than a straight line, so winter is unlikely to be a warm winter all the time, and there will most likely be fluctuations."

"We have had two consecutive mild winters, and this summer has been particularly hot. Based on my experience, there is a high probability that this winter will be a cold one."

These words, about the northward shift of the precipitation line and the spiral rise, left Liu Bei and his ministers completely bewildered, only vaguely understanding them.

Liu Shan nodded repeatedly and quickly replied:

“Father, I think the Grand Marshal is absolutely right. After a hot summer comes a cold winter. Moreover, we have had two consecutive mild winters. This year is very likely to be a cold winter.”

"Your subject believes that we should make preparations first. If this year is indeed a harsh winter as the Grand Marshal has predicted, then it is a blessing from heaven for our Han Dynasty. We can then take advantage of the Grand Marshal's plan to cross the river on ice."

"If this year is another mild winter and the river does not freeze, then we will seek another good strategy to attack Wei."

"Your subject believes that with the wisdom of the Grand Marshal and his ministers, even without the plan of crossing the river on ice, they will surely be able to come up with other ingenious strategies to destroy Wei."

Liu Bei seemed to understand something, the doubt on his face disappeared, and he said happily:

"I understand now. Very well, then let's do as Bowen says."

"By my decree, we shall immediately begin mobilizing provisions, intensifying the training of soldiers, and forging and repairing armor, flags, and drums to prepare for the campaign against Wei."

"If the Yellow River freezes this winter, we will cross the ice and attack Guanzhong from Puban to destroy Wei. If it is another mild winter, we will find another better plan."

"In short, the war to destroy Wei cannot be delayed. In my lifetime, I must destroy the false Wei and leave a unified world for the Crown Prince!"

The ministers rose to their feet in a great uproar and gladly accepted the decree.

The strategy for attacking Wei was thus decided.

The next question is who will lead the army to attack Wei.

On the southern front, the Tongguan and Wuguan lines were naturally to be attacked by General Guan Yu, who commanded the troops from Henan.

The focus is on Bingzhou, specifically on the main army attacking Puban Pass.

The best option, of course, is for Liu Bei to personally lead the expedition.

However, after his serious illness at Jiguan Pass, Liu Bei's health was not as good as before. According to Hua Tuo, if Liu Bei insisted on personally leading the expedition, he might collapse and meet with unforeseen circumstances.

Therefore, all the ministers strongly advised Liu Bei to prioritize his health and not to personally lead another expedition.

Unable to resist the earnest pleas of his ministers, Liu Bei had no choice but to compromise, and turned his gaze to Xiao He:

"Since I cannot personally lead the expedition, then only you, Bowen, will be able to do it—"

The words remained unspoken.

Liu Shan leaped to his feet and exclaimed:

"Father, I am willing to lead the main force of our Han army in your stead, to break through Puban Pass, recover Guanzhong, and destroy Cao Wei!" (End of Chapter)