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

Faced with Cheng Gongying's powerful rebuttal, Yan Xing was speechless for a moment. He opened his mouth, but could not utter a rebuttal.

The slight hesitation in Cao Pi's heart was completely destroyed by Cheng Gongying's words.

“Cheng Gongying’s words are reasonable. Xu Zhi, as an important minister of our dynasty, betrayed his country and surrendered to the enemy at a critical moment. Such behavior is unforgivable.”

"If I do not punish them severely, others will surely follow suit in the future?"

Cao Pi slammed his hand on the table and said sternly:
"My mind is made up. Issue an edict to exterminate Xu Zhi's entire clan immediately!"

Seeing that Cao Pi had made up his mind, Yan Xing knew that there was no point in trying to persuade him further, so he could only sigh and silently shut his mouth.

After venting his anger, Cao Pi felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He slumped back into his seat, leaning weakly on the table, and asked his ministers:

"Ji County has fallen. Tell me, what should we do next?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Gongying stepped forward:
"With Ji County lost, the counties of Longyou and others will surely surrender to the Han without resistance. Judging from the current situation, the fall of Longxi is a foregone conclusion."

"Fortunately, His Majesty led 20,000 elite troops north, thus preserving the main force of our army."

"With this main force here, and given that Liangbei is located in a remote area with difficult roads, Zhang Fei will certainly not pursue us relentlessly. We still have hope!"

"Therefore, given the current situation, after careful consideration, I believe that Your Majesty should personally oversee the situation in Jincheng."

"We must deploy troops and assign elite forces to guard key strategic points."

"Your Majesty can also form an alliance with Liu Zhang and win over the Qiang and Hu tribes. When the time is right, we can gather our forces and launch a thunderous attack southward to recover Longyou in one fell swoop."

With unwavering eyes, Cheng Gongying sketched out a magnificent blueprint for Cao Pi.

At this time, Cao Pi was already deeply mired in the predicament of the city falling.

When he heard Cheng Gongying's description, a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.

Cao Pi then jumped up excitedly and said domineeringly:
"Good, you are right! Although I have lost Longyou, I firmly believe that my Great Wei still has hope of turning the tide!"

Upon hearing Cao Pi's bold words, Yan Xing and the others all raised their heads, their faces filled with surprise and disbelief.

These two, the emperor and his minister, really dare to think big!
In this situation, how could they still dream of recovering Longyou?

Isn't that just wishful thinking?
Despite their many doubts, none of them dared to utter a sound.

...

Longyou region.

On the very day that Xiao He successfully captured Ji County, he quickly issued a proclamation to all the prefectures.

At the same time, Xiao He divided his troops and ordered his elite forces to rush to the key cities in various prefectures.

When the counties of Longyou learned that Cao Pi had been defeated and fled, their morale collapsed instantly.

Officials from various counties surrendered without a second thought, daring not to offer any resistance.

Within just a few days, the counties of Longyou surrendered without a fight, and the entire Longyou region fell into the hands of the Han army.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Zhang Fei and Xiao He led an army of 100,000 men northward in a grand procession.

Cao Pi was naturally greatly shocked by the Han army's military campaign against Liangbei.

He never expected that after conquering Longyou, the Han army would not rest and disregard the difficulties of the long distance and treacherous terrain in Liangbei, and would still lead a large army to attack aggressively.

Cao Pi inwardly groaned; this was clearly a move to wipe him out completely!
Although Cao Pi was shocked, he had no choice but to mobilize his entire army and set up a defensive posture in Liangbei in an attempt to resist the Han army's attack.

...

golden city.

The atmosphere in the imperial court was heavy. "Longxi has already fallen, and Xiao He and Zhang Fei are leading a large army with great force. If we insist on holding Jincheng, we may repeat the same mistake as Ji County."

"Your Majesty, we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom, or the consequences will be unimaginable."

Overwhelmed with grief, Cheng Gongying said in a tearful voice:
"Your Majesty, the situation is extremely critical. If we do not act immediately, we will surely be doomed!"

Cao Pi felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes filled with dread.

After hesitating for a moment, a flash of anger appeared in his eyes, and he said bitterly:
"You said that Liangbei was far away and Xiao He would never attack, but now the Han army is at the city gates. So tell me, what should I do?"

Cheng Gongying looked ashamed, her heart filled with self-reproach and regret.

He gritted his teeth, then solemnly cupped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, the only option now is to retreat north. This is the only way for us to preserve our strength."

Cao Pi looked completely bewildered upon hearing this.

Upon seeing this, Cheng Gongying quickly brought out a map and carefully laid it out in front of Cao Pi.

He pointed to the map and analyzed:

"Your Majesty, we are now outnumbered by the Han army. Whether we confront them head-on or hold our ground and refuse to fight, we will all face certain death."

"With our current strength, we are simply no match for the Han army. Therefore, our only hope for survival is to force the Han army to retreat."

"So, how can we get the Han army to retreat on its own initiative?"

"The only solution is to address the Han army's food supplies. If the Han army's food supply cannot be met, they will inevitably retreat without a fight."

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Cheng Gongying pointed to the map and continued:

"The counties of Liangbei are located in the Hexi Corridor, more than a thousand miles apart from east to west. This is our advantage!"

Then, he gestured westward and said:
“My strategy is for us to abandon Jincheng County and retreat to Xiutu City. If the Han army wants to pursue us, they must chase us from Jincheng to Xiutu, which adds nearly 600 li to the distance. Along the way, it will be even more difficult for the Han army to replenish supplies.”

"In this way, the Han army's supply lines will be stretched to over a thousand miles. Such long supply lines will not only be difficult to transport, but will also be extremely vulnerable to our attacks."

"Although the Han state is strong, how can it bear such a huge expenditure?"

“If this continues, the Han army will inevitably fall into difficulties due to insufficient food supplies.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Pi understood Cheng Gongying's deeper meaning, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes:
"If we retreat to Xiutu, the Han army's supply lines will be overwhelmed, and we will have no choice but to abandon the pursuit! Is that what you mean?"

Cheng Gongying smiled and said confidently:
"Your Majesty is wise. This is exactly what I was thinking. If the Han army abandons the pursuit, our Great Wei will be out of danger and can retain the two northwesternmost commanderies to plan for the future!"

"Although these two counties are located in remote areas, their terrain is strategic and they form the foundation for our comeback."

"As long as we can manage these two prefectures properly, accumulate strength, and wait for the right opportunity, we will surely be able to march south and recover Longyou!"

Cheng Gongying traced a blueprint on the map with her finger, outlining a plan for Cao Pi.

Xu Huang, Yan Xing, and the others on either side frowned deeply as they watched.

On the surface, Cheng Gong's description does indeed seem very tempting.

But upon closer examination, it turns out to be nothing but a fantasy.

Despite the perilous Tongguan Pass and the Longshan Mountains, you couldn't stop the Han army or Xiao He.

With just two counties, you think you can stop them and find a way to survive?
Keep dreaming! (End of Chapter)