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

Gongsun Kang, holding his cup, laughed heartily, his brows furrowed with pride, and loudly praised:
"Huang'er's performance this time has truly impressed me. It turns out that he is my son of Qilin. This is a blessing from heaven for Liaodong!"

Below the steps, Prince Gongsun Yuan's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched quietly, a hint of barely concealed jealousy flashing in his eyes.

Gongsun Huang's victory not only robbed his father of all his praise, but also put his position as the heir apparent in jeopardy, filling him with a sense of crisis.

So he stepped forward, suppressed his surging emotions, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying:
“Father, although my second brother has achieved a great victory, Xiao He is a cunning and scheming man who is not easy to deal with. Father should send a message as soon as possible to warn my second brother to be cautious and not to underestimate the enemy because of a temporary victory.”

These words extinguished the joy in the hall like cold water. Gongsun Kang's smile vanished instantly, and he said in a deep voice:

"Yuan'er, your brother has won a battle, and instead of celebrating, you're saying such discouraging things? Are you perhaps jealous?"

"As the heir apparent, you should be tolerant and show the proper magnanimity!"

With his thoughts exposed on the spot, Gongsun Yuan's cheeks flushed slightly, and he looked extremely embarrassed, speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, Chen Yi quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. What the Crown Prince said makes some sense. Xiao He is cunning and unpredictable. Although the Second Prince is stationed in Dongguan City, we must still be wary of his underhanded schemes."

Gongsun Kang's expression softened slightly, and after a moment of silence, he waved his hand:
"Very well, for the sake of Prime Minister Chen, I will write a letter to Huang'er, instructing him not to underestimate the enemy."

Having said that, he gestured to his servant to bring him pen and ink, and raised his hand to write.

Before the ink had even touched the paper, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, and a guard rushed in, kneeling down in front of Gongsun Kang with a thud.

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"

The guard cried out in a sobbing voice:
"The Han army captured Dongguan City in one fell swoop, and Young Master Huang... was ordered by Xiao He to be torn apart by chariots!"

"boom!"

A thunderclap resounded in the hall, instantly freezing all the atmosphere.

There was silence in the hall.

Gongsun Kang's wine cup froze in mid-air, the wine nearly spilling, and the color drained from his face at a visible speed.

Chen Yi's expression changed drastically, his brows furrowed into a knot, filled with disbelief.

Only Gongsun Yuan, upon first hearing the news, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by a barely perceptible sense of relief.

Gongsun Huang is dead.

The younger brother, whom the king praised as the son of a unicorn, ultimately fell into Xiao He's hands.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, but he still pretended to be grief-stricken.

"What did you say! Say it again to me!"

Gongsun Kang snapped out of his daze, slammed his wine cup on the table, roared as he stood up, staring at his guards with bloodshot eyes, his tone full of rage.

The guard trembled with fear, prostrating himself on the ground and repeating in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, Young Master Huang was indeed killed by Xiao He, and Dongguan City has fallen... The defending troops in the city fought bravely, but in the end, they were all wiped out!"

Gongsun Kang felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, his body swayed, and he staggered back onto the throne, his eyes vacant and astonished.

"How could this be... Huang'er just sent back good news a few days ago, how could this be..."

Chen Yi steadied himself and said sternly:

"Young Master Huang just sent good news the day before yesterday, saying that Dongguan City was impregnable. Why did the city fall and people die in just a few days? What exactly happened in the fall of Dongguan City?"

The guards dared not delay and launched a fierce attack on the Han army day and night. Xiao He cleverly used siege equipment to break through the city, and Gongsun Huang was ambushed and captured in detail.

Gongsun Kang gasped in shock, his grief and indignation rising once more.

He had never imagined that the Han army's siege capabilities were so formidable, nor had he expected that Xiao He would so easily capture the important town of Dongguan with just his own schemes.

"Father!"

Gongsun Yuan seized the opportunity, and with a pained and indignant tone, lamented:

"I warned my second brother beforehand not to be overconfident and underestimate the enemy, but he refused to listen to my advice. In the end, he not only lost his own life, but also caused the fall of Dongguan City, ruining Father's grand plan!"

Gongsun Kang's grief and indignation were instantly replaced by rage. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily:

"Huang'er, you have truly disappointed your father. You became so arrogant after a moment of victory that you have ruined the important affairs of Liaodong!"

After cursing for a long time, Gongsun Kang felt his blood surging in his chest, and as if all his strength had been drained, he slumped back onto the throne.

Seeing this, Chen Yi once again cupped his hands and offered his advice:

"Your Majesty, things have come to this point, grief is useless. Dongguan City is the shield of Liaodong. Now that the shield has been lost, Xiangping is in danger. The most urgent task is to discuss countermeasures to stop the Han army from continuing its northward advance!"

Gongsun Yuan quickly echoed, his tone firm:

"Father, Dongguan City is a strategically important military stronghold and must not be given up easily. We should immediately mobilize our troops and retake Dongguan!"

"No! Your Majesty, you absolutely must not!"

Chen Yi immediately spoke up to dissuade him:

"The Han army has just broken through Dongguan, so they must have set up tight defenses. Moreover, the city's wealth and food must have been looted. Even if we forcibly take it back, rebuilding the city will require a lot of manpower and resources. At that time, it will only waste the strength of our Liao army and be a loss."

"Your Excellency is mistaken!"

Gongsun Yuan turned to look at Chen Yi and said sternly:
"Dongguan City guards a vital passage. If we abandon it, the Han army can advance unimpeded, and Xiangping will be in imminent danger. How can we give up so easily?"

The two men stuck to their own versions of events, and the hall fell into a stalemate once again.

Gongsun Kang slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials below the steps, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Dongguan has fallen, and Xiangping is in dire straits. Do any of you have other ideas? Quickly share my worries!"

In the main hall, before the argument had subsided, a general stepped forward, cupped his hands, and proclaimed in a loud voice:
"Your Majesty, Dongguan City has been lost. We should not dwell on the past. In my humble opinion, we should immediately and strictly defend Huyang City behind Dongguan to block the Han army's northward advance."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Gongsun Yuan retorted:

"You are mistaken. Huyang's food supplies have always relied on the Dongguan Pass for transshipment. Now that the Dongguan Pass has fallen into the hands of the Han army, Huyang has become a tree without roots. How can it be defended?"

Chen Yi then stepped forward and offered his advice in a deep voice:

“Your Highness’s concerns are reasonable, but they are not without a solution. We can urgently transfer grain from Xiangping and the surrounding counties and send it to Huyang overnight. At the same time, we can send more elite troops to garrison the area and keep the Han army out of Huyang.”

"Afterwards, we will secretly transfer troops from various cities, assemble them into an army, and surround Dongguan. Even if we cannot annihilate the Han army, we will drive them out of Liaodong and recover the lost territory in one battle."

Gongsun Yuan turned to look at Chen Yi and pressed for an answer:
"Although the Prime Minister's plan is thorough, what should we do if the Han army sees through our intentions and does not fight us to the death, but instead retreats to Dongguan City and holds its ground?"

"Then we will surround them without attacking."

Chen Yi spoke with certainty, slowly saying:
"Although Dongguan City is strategically important, it was damaged in a major battle. With 100,000 Han troops stationed there, the consumption of food and supplies must have been enormous."

"We only need to maintain the encirclement and wait for the city's supplies to run out, and the Han army will fall into disarray without a fight."

"The Prime Minister only considers the losses suffered by the Han army, but has forgotten that our army has also suffered losses!"

Gongsun Yuan pressed on relentlessly:
"The army has been besieging the city for a long time, and has consumed a great deal of food, supplies and weapons. If we are attacked by the enemy from other directions at this time, our army will be unable to defend both ends, and will we be in a dilemma?"

The two men each held their own version of events and could not reach an agreement.

Gongsun Kang was already agitated, and upon seeing this, he abruptly raised his hand to stop:
"Enough! Stop arguing! Any of you others have any other good ideas?"

His gaze swept over the assembled officials below, but the hall was deathly silent; no one dared to respond.

The ministers either bowed their heads in silence or looked at each other blankly, none of them able to find a way to break the deadlock.

Seeing this, Gongsun Kang's anger surged again, and he slammed his fist on the table and roared:
"You bunch of good-for-nothings! You all pride yourselves on being capable ministers and fierce generals, but now that Dongguan has fallen and a powerful enemy is pressing in, not one of you can come up with a foolproof plan!"

"Does Liaodong have no one else of use?"

Before the shout had even finished, a military officer suddenly stood up, knelt down, and requested permission to take command:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This humble general, Xu Kuan, is willing to lead troops to retake Dongguan City at the cost of our lives. As long as we can drive the Han army out of Dongguan, we will surely be able to boost our morale and stabilize the situation in Liaodong!" A glint of light flashed in Gongsun Kang's eyes as he leaned down to look at Xu Kuan and praised him highly.

"Good, I am pleased that you have such lofty ambitions, Xu Qing. Now tell me, how do you plan to retake Dongguan City?"

Xu Kuan raised his head and replied, "Your Majesty, after I lead my troops to Dongguan, I will immediately concentrate my forces to launch a forceful attack on the city, taking advantage of the Han army's unstable foothold to catch them off guard."

"After recapturing Dongguan City, we will strictly guard the city gates, close the city and refrain from fighting, and build a solid defense line to await further developments."

"This humble general, Zheng Shan, is willing to go with General Xu!"

"This humble general, Xun Shi, requests permission to fight!"

"This humble general, Zheng Fu, is willing to follow General Xu into battle and vow to capture Dongguan!"

Three military officers rose in succession, knelt down, and begged for orders.

Gongsun Kang was overjoyed and slammed his hand on the table, shouting:

"Good, you are indeed fine sons of Liaodong. I hereby appoint the four of you to lead the troops and you must retake Dongguan City!"

"Father, I am also willing to go with you!"

Gongsun Yuan suddenly stepped forward, bowed, and asked for permission.

Gongsun Kang was slightly taken aback, scrutinizing Gongsun Yuan:
"You want to go too?"

Gongsun Yuan spent most of his time in the court and rarely went into battle, which made him somewhat suspicious.

"Exactly."

Gongsun Yuan's expression was serious, and his gaze was resolute as he said:
“Father, with the nation in peril, how can I, as the Crown Prince, remain in Xiangping? I am willing to join the generals on the front lines, fight to the death to retake Dongguan, drive out the Han traitors, and fulfill my duty as Crown Prince!”

Seeing this, Gongsun Kang inwardly approved and immediately nodded:
"Very well! I grant your permission!"

He then stood up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said in a booming voice:
"All soldiers, listen to my command! Immediately march towards Dongguan, reclaim the lost territory, and show the Han army the might of the Liaodong soldiers!"

"Retake Dongguan City! Drive out the Han traitors! Defend Liaodong to the death!"

The ministers and soldiers shouted in unison.

"Somebody come!"

Gongsun Kang sternly ordered:
"Immediately dispatch 40,000 elite troops, to be commanded by the Crown Prince and the four generals, and set off for Dongguan immediately!"

"I await good news in Xiangping, hoping you will return soon with reports of victory!"

"As Your Majesty commands!"

Gongsun Yuan and the four generals responded in unison, then turned and left the main hall.

The five men split up, quickly took stock of their troops, and led their army in a grand procession toward Dongguan City.

...

Inside Dongguan City, the smoke of the great battle still lingers among the ruins.

Xiao He and his generals sat around in the temporary meeting tent, with a map of the Liao Kingdom spread out on the table.

Xiao pointed his finger at the Xiangping direction on the map and deployed:
"Tomorrow, the entire army will rest and prepare. Once supplies are complete, we will set off immediately and continue our advance towards Xiangping, giving Gongsun Kang no chance to catch his breath."

Ma Su leaned over, staring at the map, his gaze landing on the point between Dongguan and Xiangping. He cupped his hands and asked:

"Grand Marshal, our next move should be Huyang City, right?"

"Exactly."

Xiao He moved his fingertip to Hu Yang's position. He said slowly:

"Huyang is a key pass guarding the south of Xiangping. It is built against the mountain and has a strategic location. It has always been easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is a place that Gongsun Kang must defend, so it is natural to take it."

At this moment, Fei Yi stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before speaking:

"However, Grand Marshal, Huyang's food supplies have always relied on the East Pass for transshipment. Now that the East Pass has been captured by our army, Huyang has become an isolated city, and the supplies stored in the city will certainly not last long."

"In my judgment, Huyang will collapse on its own within seven days due to running out of food and soldiers."

Xiao He nodded slightly, turned his gaze to Deng Ai, and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Deng Ai, tomorrow you will lead 7,000 troops to Huyang to test the enemy's ability to defend the city."

"Here."

Deng Ai stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and accepted the order.

Xiao He then scanned the crowd and raised his core concern:
"Regarding the subsequent advance, do any of you have other opinions? If Gongsun Kang discovers our intentions and sends troops to reinforce Huyang, how should we respond?"

Ma Su spoke first, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"I believe that Gongsun Kang will definitely send a large army to press on the border. Huyang is related to the safety of Xiang'an, and he will never sit idly by."

"In addition, although we have captured a lot of food and equipment from Dongguan City, our army of 100,000 has huge daily expenses. According to our calculations, it can only last for one month. We must win this battle quickly."

After listening to Ma Su's analysis, everyone fell into deep thought.

Huyang City is situated on high ground with strong walls. If the Han army were to launch a frontal assault, they would suffer heavy casualties, which would be an unwise move.

However, if they abandon Huyang and take a detour, it will not only waste time, but may also give Gongsun Kang the opportunity to gather his troops, putting them at a disadvantage.

Xiao He stared at Huyang on the map, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, momentarily hesitant.

Just then, a commotion of shouts suddenly arose outside the tent:

"Quickly fetch water, quickly put out the fire, the tents are on fire!"

Xiao He frowned slightly, then immediately summoned Chen Dao from outside the tent and asked:

"Uncle, what's happening outside?"

Chen Dao bowed and replied, "Reporting to the Grand Marshal, a soldier in the camp just drank too much and accidentally knocked over a candle, which set fire to two adjacent tents. We are currently doing our best to put out the fire."

"fire?"

Xiao Fei was not angry at all. Instead, his eyes lit up and he suddenly clapped his hands and laughed.

Fei Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked:
"Grand Marshal, are you laughing because you've come up with a brilliant plan to defeat the enemy?"

Xiao He suppressed his smile and slowly said:

"We can use fire to attack Huyang."

"Fire attack?"

The generals inside the tent all looked surprised and turned to look at Xiao He, puzzled by his intentions.

Xiao He raised his hand and pointed to the stream below Tiger Yang Mountain on the map, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes, and slowly explained:

"Huyang is situated on higher ground, and the city's water source is all drawn from the streams at the foot of the mountain. It relies entirely on water being brought into the city from upstream. As long as we secretly send people to cut off the water flow from upstream, and wait for the city's water source to run out and the vegetation to dry out before launching a fire attack, Huyang will surely fall!"

Everyone suddenly realized.

Fei Yi was overjoyed and clapped his hands in praise:
"This plan is brilliant. It avoids the losses of a direct assault and can quickly break through the fortified city. Grand Marshal, your plan is indeed ingenious. I wonder who you will send to cut off the water flow?"

Xiao He looked at Deng Ai again and gave the order in a deep voice:
"It's still Deng Ai. When you go to Huyang tomorrow to probe the enemy's forces, secretly keep an eye on the defenses of the upstream water source."

"Here!"

Deng Ai accepted the order once again.

Xiao He's fingertip landed heavily on the upstream position of the water flow on the map, his gaze sweeping over the generals in the tent, and he said loudly:
"Cutting off the water flow is the key to this plan. It must be done secretly, without alerting the enemy. Who is willing to volunteer for this task?" (End of Chapter)