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

"The Wei army is trying to turn water into ice!"

Xiao He, with his keen insight, pierced through the fog and revealed the secret within.

Upon hearing this, everyone was astonished, and their eyes all focused on Xiao He.

It turns out that this was a clever scheme devised by the Wei army.

They poured the boiled snow water onto the city walls.

The scalding water flowed down the city wall, instantly merging with the cold air. After it completely froze, the surface of the city wall was as if it were covered with a layer of hard and smooth ice armor.

The Wei army used this ingenious tactic of turning water into ice to reinforce the city walls, hoping to withstand the Han army's fierce and relentless bombardment.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei nodded slightly, a look of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection) appearing on his face:
"I heard that the ruthless Jia Xu was forced to flee to Liangbei by that brat Cao Pi. I never expected that there would be someone in the Wei camp who could come up with such an ingenious plan!"

"I wonder who came up with this plan? It seems that there are other strategists hidden among the pseudo-Wei."

Xiao He, however, disagreed.

Liangzhou still has some talented people, such as Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing, who are more or less intelligent.

It's not surprising that these people could come up with this plan for Cao Pi.

Xiao Hesui gently stroked his chin and slowly said:

"However, in my opinion, the Wei army currently stationed in Pingxiang City is not the main force of Wei. I think the Wei army in Pingxiang City is just bluffing under Cao Pi's banner. In reality, there are at most eight thousand Wei troops in the city."

These words caused a huge stir, and everyone was shocked, their faces filled with disbelief.

Zhang Fei's eyes widened like copper bells, and he asked urgently:
"Why do you say that, Bowen? What makes you so sure that the main force of Wei is not in the city? And how did you conclude that there are only eight thousand Wei soldiers in the city?"

Zhang He also looked doubtful, his brows furrowed, and his voice tinged with skepticism as he said:

"According to the intelligence from my scouts, nearly 10,000 Wei troops enter Pingxiang City every day. If we calculate it now, there must be 40,000 people in the city. How come the Grand Marshal says there are only 10,000 Wei troops?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, expressing their doubt and their eyes revealing their incomprehension of Xiao He's assertion.

Xiao He's lips curled into a meaningful smile as he asked Zhang Fei:
"Yide, do you still remember how that traitor Dong Zhuo suppressed all the forces in Luoyang and seized power from the court?"

When the old story was brought up again, Zhang Fei looked bewildered, scratching his head in confusion, his rugged face full of incomprehension.

At this moment, Ma Su suddenly realized something, a glint of inspiration flashing in his eyes, and hurriedly said:

"Su heard that when Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang with only a few thousand soldiers, he knew that it would be difficult to suppress the forces of all sides, so he came up with a trick."

"He then ordered these several thousand soldiers to secretly leave the city every night and return to the city during the day, repeating this process to make everyone believe that 100,000 Liangzhou troops were continuously entering Luoyang."

"It was precisely with this petty trick that Dong Zhuo managed to deceive all the nobles and seize power in the Han court!"

Ma Su recounted the events of that year, then turned his gaze to Xiao He and asked:

"Could it be that the Grand Marshal has deduced that the Wei army is imitating the tactics of Dong Zhuo back then, leaving the city at night and entering Pingxiang during the day? That's why my scouts were deceived and brought back false intelligence?"

Xiao He nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing with Ma Su's speculation.

Zhang Fei and the others then realized what was happening, their faces showing expressions of sudden understanding.

Zhang He's doubts remained. He frowned and continued to ask:
"Grand Marshal, this method can indeed create the illusion of a large army entering Pingxiang, but how did you see through it?"

Xiao smiled and pointed south:
"Those who offered advice to Cao Pi were indeed quite capable, but unfortunately there weren't many. He overlooked the importance of grain carts."

"According to my intelligence, the grain carts that have been delivering grain each day in the past few days are only enough for 8,000 soldiers." "If Cao Pi's main force is in Pingxiang, then the grain convoy should be large enough to supply 40,000 men."

"Therefore, I deduce that Cao Pi's main force was not in Pingxiang City, and Cao Pi himself was not even in the city."

"The city only has eight thousand soldiers; their purpose must be to lure our army away!"

Xiao He stated his reasoning directly, with clear logic and logical structure.

Just like a skilled chess player, he carefully plans his moves on the chessboard, observing every move his opponent makes.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei immediately understood, and admiration flashed in his eyes:

"Grand Marshal, it's all thanks to you! Otherwise, we would all have been fooled by that brat Cao Pi!"

All of Zhang He's doubts vanished, and a relieved expression appeared on his face.

Everyone present seemed to wake from a dream, and they all exclaimed in admiration.

"I see. The size of the Wei army can be determined by the scale of the grain and provisions. The Grand Marshal has thought things through very well!"

"The Grand Marshal truly lives up to his reputation as a reincarnation of a military genius; his strategies are truly admirable!"

Ma Su echoed this sentiment, his eyes filled with admiration.

A hint of confusion appeared in Zhang Fei's eyes, and he frowned as he asked:

"But if what you say is true, and Cao Pi's main force is not in Pingxiang, then where is it?"

Zhang He nodded slightly and then asked:

“Pingxiang City is the only city north of Ji County that can block our army from advancing south. Cao Pi should do everything in his power to stop our army.”

"Why has he only sent 80,000 men here?"

The crowd was puzzled and began whispering amongst themselves, their faces filled with confusion.

Xiao He didn't speak, but his gaze fell on his disciple Deng Ai, giving him a chance to show off.

Deng Ai pondered for a moment, his mind racing through various possibilities, before slowly saying:

"Although Pingxiang is the only barrier north of Jicheng, Cao Pi knew in his heart that Pingxiang alone could not withstand the powerful offensive of our Han army."

"Even if he covers the city with ice, it can only last for three months at most. When spring comes and the ice melts, Pingxiang City will still be blasted apart by my Divine Thunder Cannon."

"At that time, if Pingxiang is lost, the State of Wei will still be unable to escape destruction."

After a pause, Deng Ai continued:

"For Cao Pi, the best strategy is to concentrate his forces on the Ji County line and use the Wei River as a barrier to block our army."

"This strategy offers some hope compared to holding Pingxiang, but it is only a sliver of hope; the Wei Kingdom will still be doomed."

Changing the subject, Deng Ai said with certainty:
"Therefore, Ai believed that if Cao Pi wanted to hold Longyou, his only chance was to launch a surprise attack now. Thus, Ai speculated that Cao Pi ordered 8,000 troops to pretend to be the main force and hold Pingxiang City here."

"Their real intention was to distract and draw our army away, so that we would focus our main force on attacking Pingxiang City, while in reality they would send a surprise force to launch a deadly surprise attack on our army!"

"Only in this way can we have a sliver of hope to repel my hundreds of thousands of troops, turn the tide, and save the puppet Wei from annihilation!"

Deng Ai recited his calculations in one breath. (End of Chapter)