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

As night slowly fell, the Wei camp gradually descended into the stillness of the night.

Cao Pi, dressed in simple civilian clothes, slowly inspected the camp.

At this point, the Wei army had been besieging Jieting for a long time but had failed to capture it, and the battle had reached a stalemate.

The prolonged and fruitless campaign left the soldiers feeling exhausted and frustrated, and their morale gradually declined.

Cao Pi was well aware that the morale of his soldiers had plummeted.

His personal inspection was to see firsthand how low the morale of the troops had fallen, and then to determine whether it was still necessary to continue the attack on Jieting.

After surveying the scene, Cao Pi looked at the dejected morale and sighed softly:

"The morale of the troops has plummeted to this point; it seems there is no hope of recapturing Jieting..."

That sigh couldn't hide the helplessness and disappointment.

Clearly, at this point, he was already inclined to retreat.

Before he knew it, Cao Pi had arrived at Xu Huang's camp.

As soon as he approached, he keenly noticed the soldiers' unusual behavior.

Inside the tents, Wei soldiers were busily packing their belongings, looking hurried and flustered, as if they were about to break camp immediately.

Cao Pi's heart tightened, and he hurriedly ordered Xu Huang's son, Xu Gai, to go and inquire about the situation.

Xu Gai accepted the order and left, returning hastily shortly afterward. The result he brought back greatly surprised Cao Pi:
It turns out that this morning, his father, Xu Huang, ordered the soldiers to pack their belongings in advance, because he was worried that the evacuation would be too rushed.

Upon hearing this, Cao Pi's face instantly turned ashen, and his eyes widened in fury:

"When did I order the withdrawal from Jieting? What exactly is your father trying to do?"

This angry roar caused Xu Gai's expression to change drastically, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

"Someone, summon Xu Huang!"

At Cao Pi's command, the Imperial Guards immediately sped off.

Before long, Xu Huang rode up and, upon reaching Cao Pi, immediately dismounted and knelt to pay his respects.

"Your Majesty was unaware that Your Majesty was inspecting my camp and did not come to greet you. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

Cao Pi looked coldly at Xu Huang and asked in an icy tone:
"Xu Gongming, why did you order the soldiers in the camp to pack their belongings in preparation for evacuation?"

"When did I issue the order to withdraw from Jieting?"

Upon hearing Cao Pi's question, Xu Huang dared not conceal anything and quickly replied:

"Your Majesty, after today's military meeting, Grand Commandant Jia said that Your Majesty will withdraw from Jieting in a few days. I was afraid that it would be too hasty, so I had the soldiers prepare in advance."

"Jia Xu?"

Cao Pi frowned, his suspicion deepening, and asked again:
"How did he determine that I intended to withdraw from Jieting?"

Xu Huang raised his head slightly and glanced at Cao Pi.

He sensed something was amiss in Cao Pi's tone and couldn't help but feel secretly worried.

However, since things had come to this point, he dared not hide the truth and could only continue answering:
"Grand Commandant Jia said that today His Majesty said the password for passage was chicken elbow, which means it is tasteless to eat but a pity to throw away. This means that His Majesty is giving up the attack on Jieting."

Upon hearing this, Cao Pi was slightly taken aback, but then realized what he meant and looked at Xu Gai beside him.

Xu Gai nodded hurriedly and said:

"Your Majesty truly responded with a 'chicken rib' (a metaphor for something of little value)."

Cao Pi frowned and remained silent.

"Chicken rib...chicken rib..."

Suddenly, Cao Pi snorted coldly and said sarcastically:
"He dares to guess what I'm thinking based on my casual remark about something being 'chicken rib'? Does he think he understands me at all?"

After saying this, Cao Pi ignored Xu Huang and his son and left.

Xu Huang and his son watched Cao Pi's departing figure, their expressions suddenly changing.

They all understood that Cao Pi was dissatisfied with Jia Xu.

Jia Xu's interpretation, to put it kindly, is called understanding the emperor's intentions; to put it more seriously, it is called presumptuous criticism of the emperor's mind.

"Grand Commandant Jia, Grand Commandant Jia, alas..."

Xu Huang shook his head and sighed, his face full of worry.

The next day, at dawn.

The Wei army, which had been attacking for months, did not launch an attack as usual, and an unusual atmosphere permeated the entire camp.

Cao Pi gathered all his strategists and generals in his tent.

Inside the main tent, the ministers whispered amongst themselves, their faces filled with doubt and speculation.

Everyone was speculating that the Emperor must have something important to announce at this military council.

"You don't need to guess anymore. Didn't our Grand Commandant Jia already announce what I wanted to announce?"

Cao Pi's voice rang out from outside the tent, his tone clearly sarcastic.

The officials were taken aback and hurriedly bowed to greet him.

Jia Xu, however, understood the deeper meaning behind it, and his heart tightened. A trace of unease appeared on his aged face.

Cao Pi entered the main tent, sat high on the imperial throne, and glanced at Jia Xu:
"Wenhe, didn't you guess that I planned to abandon the attack on Jieting and retreat back to the capital?"

"I knew it, you're the one who understands me best."

Cao Pi's words, though seemingly complimentary, actually contained a hidden sarcasm.

Jia Xu felt a chill run down his spine.

So he coughed a few times, then quickly bowed and apologized.

"I was confused for a moment and presumptuously tried to guess Your Majesty's thoughts. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"What are you guilty of?"

Cao Pi sneered again, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials:

"I know that you people have all lost confidence in recapturing Jieting and are all hoping to return to the capital in triumph. Do you think I don't know that?"

"With the war at this point, recapturing Jieting is no longer possible, and further fighting is pointless. I hereby issue an edict to immediately withdraw the troops and return to the capital. Are you satisfied now?"

Upon hearing this, the generals felt a great sense of relief.

At this moment, Cao Yu stepped forward and asked Cao Pi for permission:

"Your Majesty, I believe that Xiao He will surely lead a large army across the Longshan Mountains to invade our Great Wei, and his military might will be aimed at the capital!"

"With the current strength of the Israeli army, I fear my brother will be unable to withstand them!"

"Your Majesty, I request to go north to Liangbei to recruit new troops for Your Majesty and threaten the Han army from the north."

After a brief consideration, Cao Pi nodded and said:
"Very well, Prince Yan, I am very pleased that you volunteered."

Cao Yu was secretly delighted upon hearing this.

At this moment, Cheng Gongying's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward, cupping her hands in greeting:
"Your Majesty, I believe that in addition to His Highness the Prince of Yan, we should also send a minister who has influence in Liangbei. In my opinion, Grand Commandant Jia is the most suitable."

Cheng Gongying was incredibly clever; he discerned Cao Pi's dissatisfaction with Jia Xu from his earlier words.

Therefore, he seized the opportunity to suggest that Jia Xu be driven away from Cao Pi's side under the pretext of accompanying Cao Yu to recruit soldiers.

Once Jia Xu went to Liangzhou, he was essentially kicked out of the court and lost all ability to influence the emperor.

In this way, he could replace Jia Xu and become Cao Wei's chief strategist.

Everyone knew Cheng Gongying's intentions, and all eyes turned to Jia Xu.

Jia Xu frowned.

Unexpectedly, before he could express his opinion, Cao Pi waved his hand and said:
"Then Wen and I will go north together to recruit soldiers for Liangbei."

Jia Xu was taken aback and looked up at Cao Pi, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.

He did not expect that Cao Pi would grant Cheng Gongying's request even though he knew Cheng Gongying's intentions.

This means that Cao Pi has lost trust in him and intends to effectively exile him.

A wave of sadness washed over Jia Xu.

"Your subject... obeys the decree."

After a silent sigh, Jia Xu could only accept the imperial decree. (End of Chapter)