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

Sima Yi, who was usually calm and wise, made a shocking and outrageous move at this moment.

"Is he crazy?"

The same thought flashed through everyone's minds, their eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Sima Yi in astonishment.

He was speaking incoherently, waving his hands wildly in the air, and his body swaying uncontrollably with his emotional outburst.

His appearance was completely different from his usual calm, composed, and unassuming self; he had completely lost his former rationality.

Cao Cao was already distraught due to the recent setbacks in the war. Seeing Sima Yi in such a state of disarray, he was immediately enraged. His brows furrowed and his eyes burned with fury.

His face darkened, and he shouted:

"Sima Yi, what are you talking about? What's wrong with you?"

This angry shout, like a muffled thunderclap, made everyone's eardrums ache and quieted down the previously noisy atmosphere.

This shout finally brought Sima Yi back to his senses from his excited state.

He realized his lapse in composure, paused slightly, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

Sima Yi, however, did not rush to apologize as usual. Instead, he returned to the palace with a beaming smile and bowed to Cao Cao.

"Your Majesty, may Heaven bless Your Majesty, may Heaven bless our Great Wei!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, and the tense atmosphere instantly became somewhat subtle.

Cao Cao's originally annoyed expression suddenly changed upon hearing these words, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

However, amidst the hope, a sliver of doubt remained, prompting the question:

"Zhongda, what do you mean by that? Don't try to be mysterious."

Sima Yi suppressed his excitement and turned to point outside the hall:
"I predicted earlier that this year would definitely be another warm winter, and it was unlikely to be a cold one."

"I believe that the freezing of the Yellow River at Puban was merely a temporary change in the weather and could not last long."

"Your Majesty, please look. The snow outside has melted, the temperature has risen significantly, and the weather has warmed up again. This is clearly a sign of a return to a mild winter."

"The Yellow River must have melted by now, which proves that my judgment was correct!"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers turned their gazes toward the outside of the palace.

The world, which was originally covered in silver, is now gradually revealing its original colors.

A gentle breeze swept by, no longer carrying the biting chill, but rather a touch of warmth, as if spring had arrived early.

Everyone couldn't help but wonder if what Sima Yi said was true.

Only Jia Xu, with his shrewdness and meticulous mind, subtly shifted his gaze to the scene outside the hall, vaguely guessing Sima Yi's unspoken meaning.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Cao Cao's tone softened instantly, even becoming tinged with expectation, as he asked:

"Zhongda, continue. What exactly do you mean?"

Sima Yi took a few more steps to the map, his finger lightly sliding across it, a confident glint in his eyes:
"Since the Yellow River can melt, the Wei River will naturally melt as well. An unfrozen Wei River will become a natural barrier for us to block the Han army." "In that case, why should we fear that the Han army will try to copy us and cross the Wei River on ice?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao was deeply shaken, as if he had been given a shot of adrenaline.

He jumped up without using his cane, staring intently at the map, his eyes gradually burning with joy.

Sima Yi's expression grew increasingly excited as he continued:
"Since the Wei River is not frozen, we can still retreat to the mouth of the Wei River and use it as a barrier to block the Han army from advancing south."

"As long as Weikou is not lost, Tongguan can be defended. Tongguan is a vital strategic location in Guanzhong. The Han army's food and military supplies cannot enter Guanzhong via the Tongguan road and can only be transported through Hedong."

"Then its grain supply route must first enter Hanoi, then enter Hedong from Hanoi, and then cross the river at Pubanjin before entering Guanzhong."

“The grain transport route will inevitably suffer huge losses due to its detour, and it cannot last long.”

"The Han army was already exhausted from their long march, and the difficulty in supplying food and provisions would inevitably affect their morale."

At this point, Sima Yi swallowed hard, paused briefly, and then pointed sharply at the location of "Weikou":
"Then after the Han army captures Puban Pass, they will certainly not go straight to Chang'an. They will have no choice but to go south along the Yellow River, capture Weikou, and force us to abandon Tongguan."

"In this way, the Han army's provisions could be transported into Guanzhong via the Tongguan Pass. Only with the shortened supply route could the provisions be supplied to hundreds of thousands of Han soldiers."

"But how can we let them succeed so easily?"

"We can then withdraw our troops to Weikou, using the Wei River as a barrier, and attack them while they are crossing the river to prevent the Han army from crossing and attacking our Weikou."

"At the same time, the Xiliang cavalry can be mobilized to continuously raid the Han army's supply lines. The Xiliang cavalry are swift and difficult for the Han army to defend against."

"The Han army cannot cross the Wei River, and the supply lines are not safe. If they can hold out for several months, the spring rains will make the roads muddy and difficult to travel, and the big-eared tyrant will have no choice but to order a retreat."

"In this way, we will not have to give up Yongzhou, and we can outlast the Han army and recapture Puban Pass."

"Your Majesty, our Great Wei has thus turned the tide and survived this crisis of national annihilation!"

After Sima Yi finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao stared intently at the map, pondering Sima Yi's words. His lips twitched, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes grew increasingly excited.

He seemed to see the Han army standing helplessly before the Wei River, and he saw the Xiliang cavalry galloping like the wind along the Han army's supply lines...

Suddenly, Cao Cao slammed his hand on the map and laughed loudly:
"Heaven has not forsaken me! Heaven has not forsaken my Great Wei! Hahaha—"

That laugh was full of pride and joy, and all the gloom in my heart was swept away.

The ministers now understood Sima Yi's meaning and were overjoyed.

At this moment, the confidence of the Cao Wei rulers and their ministers was rekindled.

Despite the unusually mild winter, the Yellow River suddenly froze over, allowing the Han army to cross the river on the ice and capture Puban Pass in one fell swoop.

Heaven is helping Liu Bei!

And why was the help so obvious?
From Cao Cao down to the generals, everyone had the same thought:
Heaven is helping Liu Bei; the fate of the Wei Kingdom is sealed!
Heaven has so directly helped Liu Bei, what confidence does Cao Cao have left to continue his dying struggle?
Cao Cao verbally declared that he would fight to the bitter end, but in his heart he was already in despair and almost ready to give up.

But who would have thought that at this critical moment when their faith was about to crumble, the weather turned cold again, and the Yellow River and the Wei River miraculously melted!
Isn't this a signal that Heaven hasn't given up on him or Cao Wei yet, and is going to help him overcome his difficulties?
"Even Heaven couldn't stand your arrogance anymore and had to step in to help me!"

"Liu Bei, do you really think you can destroy me?"

Cao Cao's maniacal laughter subsided, his gaze turning towards Ye City, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. (End of Chapter)