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

"Wenhe, what are your thoughts?"

Cao Cao's gaze slowly turned to Jia Xu.

At this moment, Sima Yi's performance had greatly disappointed him.

In this turbulent situation, among the remaining strategists, Jia Xu had become the only one he could trust and rely on.

His eyes reflected both anxiety about the situation and anticipation for Jia Xu.

Jia Xu bowed slightly, his expression solemn, and slowly said:
"Your Majesty's concerns are absolutely valid. Yongzhou is the only fertile land left in our Great Wei!"

"This state is rich in resources, providing a continuous supply of materials to our Great Wei."

"Chang'an is the capital, the symbol of the nation, and the place where people's hearts are tied!"

"If we were to abandon it so easily, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"If Chang'an is lost, the foundation of the Great Wei will be shaken, the people's confidence will collapse instantly, and the Great Wei will be plunged into an abyss of no return."

Jia Xu abruptly changed the subject, first coughing a few times, a helpless expression on his face:

"However, what Yang Yishan said is not without reason."

"The Yellow River, once an insurmountable natural barrier, has now fallen, and this natural shield no longer exists."

"The only thing we can rely on is the Wei River."

"But now the weather is freezing cold, and the Yellow River is already frozen. How could the Wei River be spared?"

Jia Xu frowned slightly and continued:

"If the Han army can cross the Yellow River on ice, they can naturally also cross the Wei River on ice and seize Weikou in one fell swoop!"

"Once Weikou falls, Tongguan will certainly fall as well. At that time, the two Han armies will join forces, and nearly 400,000 troops will surge like a tide to threaten Chang'an. How can we resist them?"

"I fear that at that time..."

Jia Xu stopped there, glancing up at Cao Cao with a look of worry and helplessness in his eyes.

Cao Cao remained silent, the excitement and anger on his face vanished, and he slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon.

Although Jia Xu did not say it explicitly, his implication was clear that he also agreed with Xu Huang's strategy of abandoning Yongzhou and retreating to Liangzhou.

What Jia Xu said was true, regardless of whether Cao Cao accepted it or not.

Back then, Cao Cao spent a great deal of manpower and resources to build the Puban defense line.

He mobilized countless craftsmen and soldiers, all to build a defense line as solid as a rock.

He believed that the Puban Pass defense line was an iron wall comparable to the Liyang defense line of yesteryear.

Cao Ren held the Liyang defense line for at least half a year.

He thought that this defensive line, even if it couldn't stop the Han army, could at least hold them off for a year or two.

In a year, he could recruit another 50,000 to 60,000 fresh troops and revitalize the Wei army.

In this way, we can buy the Great Wei a chance to catch its breath.

But reality proved cruel; this much-vaunted defensive line couldn't hold off the Han army for even an hour.

The fall of the Puban Pass defense line shattered Cao Cao's hopes in an instant.

If Puban Pass couldn't hold them off, how could your hastily constructed defenses on the south bank of the Wei River possibly stop the Han army crossing the frozen river?
If you keep trying to stop them when you can't, it will inevitably lead to another crushing defeat!
The same mistake at Puban Pass is about to be repeated at Weikou, and it will be another crushing defeat!
Chang'an will still be lost, and Yongzhou will also be lost; all that will happen is the needless loss of tens of thousands of precious soldiers.

These soldiers are the last remaining elite troops of the Great Wei, but now they are going to sacrifice themselves in this battle that they are destined to lose. Is it worth it?
Why persist in a battle you're destined to lose?

Wouldn't it be better to retreat to Liangzhou?

The Longshan Mountains in Liangzhou are at least ten times more treacherous than the Wei River.

By relying on the Longshan Mountains to hold out, even if the final result is still that they cannot stop the Han army and are defeated by Liu Bei, they can at least prolong their lives for a few more days.

If we drag this out, what changes might occur?

For example, the thought of Liu Bei suddenly dying suddenly came to Cao Cao's mind.

If Liu Bei were to suddenly pass away, it would inevitably plunge the Han state into chaos. Once the Han state is in chaos, wouldn't there be a turning point?
To defend the Longshan defense line, the first thing we need is troops!
But if you stubbornly defend the Weikou line and lose all your remaining troops, what will you use to defend the Longshan Mountains?

Cao Cao began to hesitate.

Whether to hold Weikou or retreat to Liangzhou was a difficult decision to make at the moment.

Sima Yi, standing to the side, frowned deeply, hesitating several times as if he wanted to speak but then stopped, seemingly wanting to oppose Xu Huang's strategy.

He had his own considerations.

Several times, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he had to swallow them back.

On the one hand, he feared that Cao Cao had lost faith in him.

Sima Yi knew that the fall of the Puban defense line had diminished his standing in Cao Cao's eyes.

In this situation, if you rashly offer advice, you might only get a scolding.

Secondly, there was a crucial problem that he couldn't solve.

The weather is freezing cold, and the Wei River is frozen solid!
This is the immediate reality, and also the biggest obstacle to Sima Yi's opposition to Xu Huang's strategy.

If the Wei River freezes over, the Han army can indeed easily cross the river on the ice, making it pointless to hold the Wei River mouth. Therefore, retreating to Liangzhou is the only wise choice.

Sima Yi could only rack his brains for a solution, but he could not find a perfect one.

Cao Cao remained silent, the hesitation in his eyes almost completely gone.

Just then, Sima Yi's ears twitched, as if he had noticed something.

The faint sound, like a flash of lightning in the night sky, instantly drew his attention.

The sound of water.

That was the sound of dripping water.

The sound of water dripping from the eaves onto the ground.

In the silent hall, the sound of dripping water was exceptionally clear.

Sima Yi felt a sense of doubt. Wasn't it freezing cold outside, with even the Yellow River frozen over? Why was there a dripping sound?
Has the weather changed?

Sima Yi's eyes darted around a few times, then suddenly he thought of something, his eyes lit up, and he jumped up and rushed out the door.

This impolite act startled everyone in the hall.

Everyone looked at them with surprise, their hearts filled with doubt.

Before the emperor, you remained silent, then suddenly jumped up and rushed out of the palace. What did you mean by that?
This is utterly disrespectful to the emperor!

Cao Cao frowned, a hint of annoyance flashing across his puzzled eyes.

He was quite dissatisfied with Sima Yi's behavior.

Cao Cao did not immediately react; he wanted to know why Sima Yi was so agitated and suddenly acted so rudely.

Sima Yi pushed open the door and looked up excitedly.

Sure enough, the snow on the roof had melted sometime earlier and was dripping down the eaves.

Water droplets rolled down like beads from a broken string.

Not only the rooftops, but also the snow on the ground was melting into water, and the yard was starting to become muddy.

The temperature didn't seem as cold as it had been a few days ago, and Sima Yi even felt a bit warmer.

"My judgment was correct, my judgment was correct, hahaha—"

Sima Yi suddenly went berserk, gesturing wildly and laughing out loud. (End of Chapter)