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

Leng Li fought Zhang Liao for a long time without success, and a minor injury appeared on his shoulder. He was secretly anxious and suddenly came up with a plan.

He launched a fierce attack with several slashes, forcing Zhang Liao to retreat half an inch. He then jumped out of the battle and spurred his horse eastward to escape.

"You ruthless scoundrel, don't you dare run away!"

Zhang Liao roared like thunder, dragged his sword, mounted his horse, and gave chase.

The two riders, one in front and one behind, maintained a distance of ten paces at all times.

As Leng Li heard the approaching hoofbeats behind him, he suddenly reined in his horse, grabbed the sword at his waist, quickly unloaded the iron bow from his back, nocked an arrow, and locked the arrowhead onto Zhang Liao's face.

The bow was drawn as full as a moon, its cold light bursting forth. With a soft whistle, the arrow pierced the air and hurtled straight at Zhang Liao.

"You dare to show off your meager skills before an expert with such a clumsy arrow!"

Zhang Liao remained unfazed, and his long sword instantly transformed into an impenetrable iron shield.

"clang--"

The metallic clang was piercing; the arrow was deflected by the blade and fell to the ground, breaking in two.

"Damn it!"

With a cold, sharp curse, he drew his bow again and nocked an arrow, the second arrow following closely behind, even faster than the first.

Zhang Liao swung his longsword again, his wrist strength concentrated, deflecting the arrow to the side once more.

With a surge of cold-blooded killing intent, he drew his bow three times in quick succession, firing three sharp arrows from different angles, all of which Zhang Liao calmly deflected.

He was about to reach for the quiver to shoot again when his fingertips went empty, and he realized with a start that he had run out of arrows.

"waste!"

Leng Li angrily threw the iron bow.

Unable to stop the enemy with arrows, he had no choice but to run wildly. He clenched his horse's flanks, wishing his warhorse could go even faster.

Zhang Liao behind him suddenly slowed down, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Leng Li, it's my turn."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Liao unloaded his iron bow. He then drew three arrows from his quiver and simultaneously nocked them.

"go with!"

Zhang Liao let out a low roar, released the bowstring with his fingertips, and three sharp arrows shot out like arrows from a bow, heading straight for Leng Li.

Hearing the twang of the bowstring, Leng Li sneered inwardly, guessing that Zhang Liao was also trying to shoot a sneak arrow like him.

He discerned the arrow's trajectory by sound and parried it with a backhand slash.

"clang!"

With a crisp sound, an arrow was deflected precisely.

Leng Li was just looking down on Zhang Liao, thinking that his archery skills were nothing special, when suddenly two cold lights flashed before his eyes.

The remaining two arrows, one to the left and one to the right, bypassed his sword strike and came straight at him.

"Three arrows fired simultaneously?"

Leng Li was shocked; he had never imagined that Zhang Liao's archery skills were so exquisite.

Realizing what was happening, he hurriedly raised his longsword to try and block again, but the arrow was too fast, and it was already too late.

He barely managed to deflect one of the blades, but the other was unavoidable and struck him squarely in the abdomen with a "thud."

With a sharp scream, Leng Li fell off his horse in excruciating pain, his head slamming heavily against a sharp rock, and blood gushed out instantly.

"I was shot down by a stray arrow? That's impossible!"

Leng Li lay on the ground, his vision gradually blurring, his heart churning with overwhelming resentment, his self-esteem shattered.

Zhang Liao stood before him, sword drawn, the bloodstains on his armor still wet, his eyes cold as ice.

"With your meager skills, you dare to fight me? Today is your death day."

Zhang Liao snorted coldly, slowly raising his long sword, its cold light reflecting on his pale and stern face.

Leng Li was shocked and his previous arrogance vanished, leaving him only with a pleading expression.

"General Zhang, spare my life! I am willing to surrender to the Han Dynasty and serve you like a dog or a horse... Please spare my life!"

His posture was extremely humble, and the more humble he was, the more contemptuous Zhang Liao looked at him.

Before a cold snort could even finish, the blood-stained blade had already swung down.

"Crack!"

The head fell to the ground, blood splattering three feet high. The cold, ruthless body twitched twice, then remained motionless.

Zhang Liao stepped over the cold, lifeless corpses, mounted his horse, and pointed his long sword straight at the enemy camp ahead.

At this moment, countless Han soldiers surged into the Liao camp on the ice like a tide. The Liao soldiers guarding the camp were caught off guard and were slaughtered in an instant. Only a few hundred remnants were left, abandoning their armor and fleeing in panic towards Pingchang City.

As dawn broke, the morning light pierced through the swirling snow and spilled onto the ocean.

Xiao He reined in his horse and was the first to step onto the frozen eastern shore.

Tens of thousands of Han soldiers followed closely behind.

Zhang Liao spurred his horse to Xiao He's side, his eyes brimming with barely concealed excitement, and exclaimed in amazement:
"Grand Marshal is truly a divine strategist! The ocean indeed froze overnight, and our army crossed the natural barrier and reached the east bank without losing a single soldier!"

Xiao He remained calm, and slightly raised his riding whip:
"No need to delay, take Pyeongchang immediately!"

Once the order was given, the Han soldiers, with their morale soaring, surged towards Pingchang City like a tidal wave, stepping over the remaining corpses of the enemy soldiers along the way.

At this time, the night had not yet completely faded in Pyeongchang, and the cold wind howled from the city walls.

General Shen You, who was on duty, leaned against the pillar of the arrow tower. He was exhausted from days of duty and couldn't help but let out a long yawn.

As the soldiers changing shifts approached along the city wall carrying lanterns, he rubbed his throbbing temples and prepared to go down the wall to rest.

Just then, a series of urgent shouts of killing suddenly came from the direction of the naval camp on the shore.

The sounds of fighting grew closer, mingled with the clanging of clashing weapons and the screams of soldiers.

Shen You's eyes widened, instantly dispelling his sleepiness, and he leaned forward to look towards the direction of the water camp on the shore.

But the sky was still dark, and the wind and snow obscured the view, so all that could be seen was a blurry light and shadow, and it was impossible to see what was happening at the water camp.

"impossible……"

Shen You muttered to himself, forcibly suppressing the unease in his heart, and comforted himself:
"Even if the Han army really dared to cross the river, how could General Leng Li, who was stationed at the water camp, be completely unprepared? It must be that his soldiers were making noise during their drills. I must have misheard."

Before he could finish speaking, a flurry of shouts suddenly came from below the city.

Shen You looked down and saw more than a hundred Liao soldiers, their helmets and armor discarded, running frantically toward the city gate in a disheveled state. They were all terrified, crying and pounding on the city gate.

"Open the gates! Open the city gates now! The Han army has breached the naval camp! If you don't open the gates, we'll all die!"

The cries of the fleeing soldiers were hoarse and broken, filled with despair.

"what?!"

Shen You was shocked, and his last bit of hope instantly vanished.

Without a second thought, he sternly ordered the soldiers beside him:

"Open the city gates quickly and let them in!"

The city gates slowly opened, and hundreds of defeated soldiers rushed in, collapsing to the ground one by one.

Shen You strode forward, grabbed a blood-soaked junior officer, yanked him up, and angrily demanded:

"What exactly happened? How could the naval camp be so easily breached?"

The junior officer knelt down with a thud, sobbing as he recounted his story:

"Reporting to General Shen, the Han army... the Han army launched a surprise attack on our naval camp in the dead of night. Our army was caught completely off guard and has been annihilated."

"The naval camp has fallen, and General Leng has been killed by Zhang Liao of the Han army!"

"What?" Shen You was struck dumb, frozen on the spot, her mind blank.

He shook his head instinctively and rebuked sharply:
"Nonsense! The Yangshui River is swift, and the Han army has no way to cross it. How could you have been completely unaware?"

"It's frozen!"

"The temperature plummeted last night, and the ocean water froze completely overnight!"

"The Han army crossed the river on the ice and silently crept up to the camp. Our army didn't even notice until the enemy was right in front of the tents, and there was no time to resist!"

Shen You was jolted awake, instantly snapping out of his daze, and turned to look at the shore again.

This time, as dawn broke and the snow subsided, he could clearly see that the once surging ocean water had become still, and the ice surface reflected a white light.

That's a sight that only appears after the river freezes over.

"The ocean water... has indeed frozen."

Shen You was shocked, his heart filled with turmoil.

"Could it be that Xiao He's previous inaction was not due to a lack of options, but rather because he was waiting for the river to freeze over?"

"That guy... he can actually predict celestial phenomena and weather? How is that possible!"

Before they could even process their surprise, a deafening roar swept in from the riverbank.

The Liao soldiers guarding the city walls peered out, and when they saw the Han army marching across the frozen river, they were terrified.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The urgent sound of gongs immediately echoed across the city walls, shattering the tranquility of Pyeongchang.

Shen You suddenly snapped back to his senses and shouted sharply:
"Quickly! All soldiers, ascend the city walls and prepare for battle! Archers, take your positions! Send another messenger on horseback to General Gongsun with a message: the Han army is launching a major offensive, and he must come to the city walls to take command!"

A rider spurred his horse and galloped towards the prefectural government...

Inside the prefectural government office, Gongsun Ze was sitting at his table having a meal.

He was known for his strict discipline and strict adherence to military rules. He would inspect each camp before sunrise every day, and today was no exception.

The food on the table was simple, just a few side dishes and a bowl of coarse rice. He quickly ate a few mouthfuls, then put down his chopsticks and got up to change into his armor and leave the mansion.

Just then, a soldier, disheveled and exhausted, burst through the gate, stumbled into the hall, knelt before Gongsun Ze, and cried out:

"Reporting to General Gongsun, something terrible has happened! The Han army has breached our riverside camp and is now crossing the river on ice, approaching Pingchang City!"

"General Shen requests your immediate presence on the city wall to oversee the situation!"

Gongsun froze, and the armor in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

He stared at the soldier, his face filled with disbelief:
"The Han army? They actually managed to cross the river successfully? And they even dared to besiege Pingchang City? That's impossible!"

Surprise and shock welled up in his heart. Before he could think it through, Gongsun rushed out of the hall, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the city wall.

By the time Gongsun Ze climbed onto the city wall, the city wall was already in complete chaos.

The soldiers ran around frantically, carrying stones and setting up bows and arrows.

He leaned against the crenellations of the city wall and looked out, where he saw Han troops pouring in through the wind and snow.

Thirty to forty thousand Han soldiers had already gathered below the city, and the soldiers were setting up camp in an orderly manner, clearly having been prepared in advance.

Gongsun Ze's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the last glimmer of hope in his heart vanished.

The Han army has indeed crossed the Yangshui River and is now at the gates of Pingchang.

"Shen You, what exactly is going on?"

Gongsun Ze had just climbed onto the city wall when he saw the chaos and his anger flared up. He shouted at Shen You in a stern voice.

With a bitter expression, Shen You bowed and recounted in detail the entire process of the Han army crossing the river on the ice to launch a surprise attack on the water camp, as well as Zhang Liao's killing of Leng Li.

He deliberately slowed down his speech, afraid of provoking the already furious Gongsun Ze.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Ze swayed violently, then froze on the spot as if struck by a heavy blow, staring blankly at the Han army camp outside the city, his mind reeling.

At that moment, he finally realized what was going on.

Xiao He's inaction over the past half month was not due to a lack of options, but rather because he was waiting for the opportune moment when the ocean waters would freeze over!
In other words, as early as ten days ago, Xiao He had accurately predicted that the ocean water would freeze into ice today, and thus waited patiently for the right opportunity.

"How can it be……"

"His ability to accurately predict when the ocean water will freeze is truly terrifying!"

Shen You stood to the side, sighed softly, and a hint of regret crossed his voice:
"General Gongsun, we underestimated Xiao He before. We never expected him to have such divine power."

Gongsun Ze's face instantly turned ashen.

He felt a burning sensation on his cheeks, as if Xiao He had slapped him hard in public.

He was ultimately no match for Xiao He!

Seeing Gongsun Ze's unpleasant expression, Shen You hesitated for a moment, but still mustered the courage to speak:

"General Gongsun, General Leng Li has died in battle, the entire naval camp has been wiped out, our army has lost more than half of its strength, and the natural barrier of Yangshui has also been breached by the Han army."

"Now that the enemy outnumbers us, we are afraid that Pingchang City cannot be defended. We should abandon the city as soon as possible, lead the army to break out and leave. As long as we have our strength, we can always rebuild."

"Bastard!"

Gongsun then turned around and angrily rebuked, saying in a stern voice:

“His Majesty ordered us to hold Pingchang and buy him time to regroup. I delivered the victory report to His Majesty yesterday, and today I am going to abandon the city and flee. How can I face His Majesty?”

He stared intently at Shen You and questioned him.

Shen You, still with a bitter face, advised:

"But General, the enemy's strength is far inferior to ours. The Han army's morale is high, and Xiao He is a brilliant strategist. If we insist on defending the city to the death and refuse to abandon it, our army may be wiped out!"

"so what!"

Gongsun stood tall and proud, saying:
"Pingchang City has strong walls and ample food supplies. With me stationed here, we are confident that we can defend the city and repel the Han army!"

Shen You's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said:
"General Gongsun, please remain calm. Xiao He is a brilliant strategist, invincible in battle. Many cities fell in the blink of an eye. General, you must not be careless!"

"No need to say more!"

Gongsun interrupted him, his eyes as firm as iron:
"With me here in Pingchang City, Xiao He will never be able to break through the city walls!"

Shen You felt increasingly flustered and wanted to speak again to persuade him, but was forced back by Gongsun Ze's stern gaze.

"Stop talking nonsense and undermining morale!"

Gongsun waved his hand and shouted sharply, his tone resolute:
"My mind is made up. I will defend Pyeongchang to the death and will not retreat a single step!"

Shen You swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and could only sigh helplessly, bowing his head in silence.

Gongsun then turned around and sternly ordered his personal guards:
"Pass down the order: all soldiers must follow me to defend Pingchang City to the death. Anyone who retreats in the face of battle will be executed on the spot!"

Although the Liao soldiers below the city were fearful, military orders were paramount, so they had no choice but to muster their spirits, pick up their weapons, move rolling stones to set up bows and arrows, and hastily prepare to fight.

Gongsun Ze leaned against the crenellations of the city wall, looked out at the densely packed Han army camp outside the city, and snorted coldly:
"Xiao He, if you have the guts, then come and attack! I, Gongsun, will be here to fight you to the bitter end!"

Looking at the imposing Han army outside the city, Shen You then turned to look at the resolute-looking Gongsun Ze, a deep sense of worry welling up in his heart…

Within two days.

One hundred thousand Han soldiers crossed the Yangshui River and surrounded Pingchang City.

The Han army set up camps on all four sides, completely surrounding the city.

Inside the central command tent of the Han camp.

Xiao He has already gathered his generals to discuss how to breach the city.

Zhang Liao and other generals volunteered for battle.

Xiao He smiled but remained silent, watching the generals vie for credit. (End of Chapter)