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

Sima Yi nodded slightly, acknowledging Cao Cao's decisive action without any objection.

If the Han army were to mobilize a large number of warships, forming a vast and imposing fleet, Cao Cao would naturally not dare to underestimate it in the slightest.

If the Han army intends to cross the river, it will be a matter of life and death.

Therefore, Cao Cao would certainly not hesitate to send a large force to follow the Han army fleet closely, keeping a close eye on the Han army's movements, in order to prevent the Han army from taking the opportunity to break through the defenses and cross the river.

However, the Han army only dispatched a mere twenty ships this time.

In the eyes of Cao Cao and Sima Yi, there was really no need to make a fuss about these twenty ships.

After all, the carrying capacity of these twenty ships is limited.

Even if the Han army were eager to transport troops across the river, they could only transport a few hundred people in one round trip.

Take Zhang Fei's 10,000-strong army as an example. If they wanted to cross the river, it would take at least a day, based on the carrying capacity of these 20 ships.

Cao Cao planned that once the Han army showed any signs of crossing the river, his scouts would quickly send the message back.

He himself could then calmly deploy troops and send a large force to intercept and attack during this time.

When the Han army is halfway across the river, it will inevitably be in chaos. With superior forces, how could we not defeat the Han army?
Moreover, in order to prevent the Han army from crossing the Wei River, Cao Cao had already left more than 2,000 Xiliang cavalrymen in his camp at the mouth of the Wei River.

These Xiliang cavalrymen are capable of launching a swift attack and delivering a fatal blow to the Han army in the event of an emergency.

"Your Majesty is holy."

Thinking of this, Sima Yi cupped his hands and said with a flattering expression.

Cao Cao stroked his beard, a slight sneer appearing on his lips.

Then his gaze slowly swept over the assembled officials, only to find Jia Xu's brows furrowed and his eyes seemingly filled with worry.

His tightly furrowed brows, like two mountains, pressed down on Jia Xu's face.

"Wenhe, judging from your expression, could it be that my response was flawed or inappropriate?"

Cao Cao's sneer vanished instantly, replaced by a wary expression.

Jia Xu coughed a few times, cleared his throat, and then slowly said:

"Your Majesty's response was appropriate, so there was naturally no chance of failure."

"But I always feel that the Han army's schemes are not as simple as we imagine."

Every word he uttered seemed to have been carefully considered.

"Although Liu Shan was just a young boy, he nominally commanded the Han army, but the actual commander of the army must have been Xiao He."

"Given the thief's numerous ingenious schemes, knowing full well that twenty-odd ships would not be enough to get the Han army across the Wei River quickly, why did he still resort to this tactic?"

Jia Xu continued, his eyes revealing a sense of worry and doubt.

In his view, every move Xiao He made was likely to conceal some ingenious scheme or trickery.

Cao Cao felt a slight chill, and a ripple of emotion stirred within him.

Recently, Liu Shan has appeared far more frequently in intelligence reports than Xiao He.

This made him unconsciously overlook Xiao He's existence, as if Xiao He had disappeared from the war.

Only after Jia Xu's reminder today did he become vigilant again.

"Indeed, it seems this plan isn't very clever. Could it really have come from that scoundrel Xiao?"

Cao Cao stroked his fine beard and muttered to himself, his brows furrowing deeply once more, a hint of confusion and unease in his eyes.

"In Wenhe's opinion, what other tricks does that traitor Xiao have up his sleeve?"

Cao Cao raised his head, his worried gaze returning to Jia Xu.

Jia Xu, however, looked helpless and shook his head with a soft sigh:
"Forgive my stupidity, but I have racked my brains and still cannot figure out what tricks Xiao has up his sleeve."

Cao Cao's face darkened, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

He didn't expect that even Jia Xu couldn't figure out Xiao He's trick.

After a brief silence, Cao Cao waved his hand and decisively said, "Since that's the case, we can only take it one step at a time and deal with it this way for now."

"I hereby issue another order: closely monitor the movements of the Han army on the north bank. If any unusual activity is detected by the enemy, report it immediately!"

Jia Xu remained silent, only nodding quietly.

He knew that they had fallen into a passive situation, and their only option now was to do what Cao Cao had done: observe the movements of the Han army before making any plans.

Cao Cao rose with his cane, slowly walked out of the tent, and looked towards the north bank of the Wei River with a worried expression.

"Xiao He, you country bumpkin, are you perhaps plotting some insidious scheme again?"

...

At dawn, thirty li upstream from the mouth of the Wei River.

As dawn broke, a pale light appeared in the east, bringing a faint glimmer of light to the earth.

Ten thousand Han soldiers, under the command of Zhang Fei, are advancing from the west along the north bank.

Behind us, billowing dust rose in the morning light.

After leaving the Weibei camp, this Han army marched westward, heading straight for Chang'an.

They rushed forward at breakneck speed, displaying an aggressive posture as if they were about to launch a rapid attack on Chang'an, covering more than forty li in one go.

However, this was merely a smokescreen by Xiao He, intended to mislead Cao Cao.

Before dawn, Zhang Fei, following Xiao He's prior instructions, took advantage of the darkness and returned more than ten miles away.

On the shore ahead, a beacon fire flickered faintly in the dim morning light.

The flickering flames, like the light of a lighthouse, guided the Han army.

The appointed time has arrived.

Zhang Fei's eyes narrowed, a hint of excitement igniting within them.

He immediately urged his men and horses to gallop at full speed.

A moment later, Zhang Fei reined in his horse and arrived at the designated location.

Ding Feng was already waiting on the shore.

"Reporting to General Flying Cavalry, I have completed the construction of the pontoon bridge in accordance with the Grand Marshal's instructions. General Flying Cavalry, you may cross the river now!"

Ding Feng greeted him with a smile.

Zhang Fei glanced around and saw, in the faint morning light, a pontoon bridge built from warships, indeed spanning the Wei River.

The pontoon bridge, resembling a giant dragon, spans the Wei River, connecting the north and south banks.

Looking at the south bank, no large force of Cao Cao's army was seen; only scattered scouts were visible.

Clearly, Xiao He's plan succeeded.

These twenty-odd warships did not arouse Cao Cao's suspicion, nor did he send a large force to follow them, only dispatching a dozen or so scouts to monitor them.

Therefore, Ding Feng only had a few hundred men who were able to build this pontoon bridge over the Wei River overnight.

Now, his 10,000-strong army will cross the river as easily as walking on flat ground and smoothly head to the south bank.

By the time Cao Cao realized he had fallen into a trap and sent a large force to intercept him, Cao Cao had already established a fortified camp on the south bank.

Even if you send your entire army, what can you do to me?
"Xiao Bowen, who says you're not a celestial being descended to earth? I'm the first one who doesn't believe it!"

Looking at the pontoon bridge in front of him, Zhang Fei burst into laughter with excitement.

As a die-hard fan of Xiao He, Zhang Fei always saw Xiao He as an omnipotent deity.

This time, Xiao He did not disappoint him again.

After praising him, a murderous intent burned fiercely in his eyes. He raised his spear and roared:
"By my order, the entire army will cross the bridge and march across the Wei River!" (End of Chapter)