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

Chapter 89: What a great trick to deceive the world and make a long-term plan! Just do it, kick Zhou Yu’s ass!

"Crossing the river in white?"

Liu Bei blurted out these four words.

Guan Yu, Xu Shu and the others all changed their expressions and stared at the letter in Liu Bei's hand.

"Brother, what did Military Advisor Bowen write in the letter? What does "Crossing the River in White Clothes" mean?"

Guan Yu put down the tea bowl in his hand and asked with curiosity.

Liu Bei calmed down a little and passed the page of the silk book he had read to a few people.

"In his letter, Bo Wen stated that he had calculated that Sun Quan was feinting his attack on Hefei, but in reality he had secretly increased his forces in Chaisang, intending to attack Xiakou."

"Bo Wen also predicted that Zhou Yu would use a Jiangdong general named Lu Meng to offer a plan. He would disguise himself as a merchant ship and quietly remove the beacon tower set up by Wei Wenchang downstream from Xiakou. This would prevent Gong Wei and Wenchang from raising any alarm and allow them to launch a surprise attack on Xiakou."

Liu Bei told everyone the general contents of the letter.

After Guan Yu heard what Liu Bei said and passed it around one by one, everyone looked surprised.

"If we go by Military Advisor Bowen's previous assessment of Sun Quan, he's short-sighted and profit-driven, treating loyalty and trust with disdain. Breaking the alliance and launching a surprise attack isn't out of the question."

"However, how could Military Advisor Bowen predict that Zhou Yu would use the White Clothes Crossing the River tactic to destroy our beacon towers?"

"As far as I know, Lu Meng was recently promoted by Sun Quan for his contribution in rescuing the emperor in Hefei. Before that, he was not well-known in the Jiangdong army."

"How did Military Advisor Bo Wen figure out that this person was the one who offered Zhou Yu advice?"

Xu Shu put down the silk book in his hand, looked up at Liu Bei, and asked a series of questions.

These questions were also the questions of everyone present.

After thinking for a long time, Liu Bei sighed:

"This isn't the first time we've witnessed Bowen's ability to predict the future and calculate things. He probably has his own methods."

"Since Bowen didn't tell us directly, he must have his reasons. Why should we delve into the details? We should just believe it."

Guan Yu nodded slightly, stroking his beautiful beard and said:
"Brother, what you said makes sense. Since Bowen has made such an inference, we should just believe it."

"If that's the case, should we immediately withdraw our troops and march south to reinforce Xiakou?"

Liu Bei agreed with this.

He naturally knew how important Xiakou City was.

If Sun Quan were to break the alliance and launch a surprise attack, the Jiangdong army, with its huge naval advantage, would easily be able to cut off the Yangtze River and the Han River.

At that time, both he and Liu Cong would become fish on the chopping board of Sun Quan, and could only be slaughtered by him.

In a sense, Sun Quan's current threat is even greater than Cao Cao's.

After all, no matter how powerful Cao Cao is, his weakness in navy is a fatal flaw.

In a place like the Han River, the strength of the navy is the key to determining victory or defeat.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei said:
"Then I will immediately mobilize 20,000 troops and march south overnight to support Xiakou!"

The words trailed off.

Xu Shu frowned and said with a folded hand:
"My lord, please calm down. I believe that now is not the time to withdraw all the troops south to Xiakou."

As he spoke, Xu Shu stood up and pointed towards the map.

"Cao Cao has now pacified Hou Yin and is stationing his troops in Wancheng. After gathering the defeated troops, his strength has been restored to 80,000."

"Compared to the 150,000-man army before the southern expedition, although more than half of them were lost and their vitality was severely damaged, they still cannot be underestimated."

"According to common sense, Cao Cao should have returned north to recuperate and regain his strength, at least until next year when he would be able to march south again."

"However, Cao Cao has always been cunning and unpredictable in his military operations. We cannot rule out the possibility that he took advantage of the fact that our lord led his main force south to Xiakou, significantly weakening the forces in northern Jing, and suddenly marched south again."

"Xinye is the northern gate of Jingzhou, and Xiangfan is the base of our lord's army. We absolutely cannot afford to lose even the slightest bit."

"So, I think that my lord should still lead our main force to Xinye at this time. This will not only appease the people, but also prevent Cao Cao from moving south again."

"Only when Cao Cao evacuates Nanyang and retreats to Xudu can you lead your main forces south!"

Xu Shu's fingertips moved between Wancheng and Xinye, and he stated the reasons for his opposition.

Liu Bei stared at the map, chewing on what Xu Shu said, and obviously understood the interests analyzed by Xu Shu.

"Brother, Yuan Zhi's words are quite reasonable. We must be on guard against Cao Cao. Brother and the main force of our army must not act rashly."

Guan Yu stood up and said with emotion:

"However, Xiakou cannot be abandoned. Let me lead 10,000 naval and land troops there. With me in command and military advisor Bo Wen as advisor, even if that little Sun Quan brings all his troops against us, I will still give him a bloody beating!"

Liu Bei stood up and paced around, weighing the pros and cons for a moment before happily saying:

"Okay, let's do as Yunchang said. You will lead 10,000 soldiers and horses south to Xiakou to provide support!"

At this time.

Xu Shu's eyes were still filled with gloom, and he pointed his finger towards the south.
"The number of troops Sun Quan used to attack Xiakou was at least 30,000, and they were mainly naval forces."

"With such a force, Zhou Yu could easily send a naval force into the Han River while attacking Xiakou to block our army from advancing south to support Xiakou."

"General Yunchang is undoubtedly an expert in naval warfare, but the Jiangdong generals are no match for Yu Jin. Every one of them is a skilled naval warrior."

"I'm worried that if we can't win the naval battle quickly and the Han River is blocked, it might delay the opportunity to rush to Xiakou to provide assistance." After Xu Shu reminded him of this, Liu Bei's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again.

Even Guan Yu himself did not make the arrogant claim that defeating the Jiangdong navy and opening up the Han River route would be a piece of cake.

Guan Yu was conceited, but not arrogant.

He was naturally well aware that he was able to capture Yu Jin alive and annihilate Cao Cao's navy because of his proficiency in naval warfare, but the fact that Yu Jin did not understand naval warfare and Cao Cao's navy was not proficient could not be ignored.

The Jiangdong navy is different.

The soldiers are pure Jiangnan people. They are all familiar with water since childhood and can ride a boat as if it were flat ground.

Most of the Jiangdong warriors were from Huai and Si provinces, and any one of them was an expert in naval battles.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Jiangdong navy is the best navy in the world.

Facing such a powerful enemy, even someone as confident as Guan Yu would not dare to pat his chest and declare victory.

"How to get the Jiangdong navy to block this barrier is indeed a difficult problem..."

Liu Bei sighed softly, stroked his thin beard and stared at the map, with a layer of cloud in his eyes.

"Cough cough~~"

Yi Jiguan, who had been silent the whole time, coughed a few times and reminded:
"Military Advisor Bo Wen mentioned a plan in his letter before leaving. My Lord, please follow it."

"My lord, didn't the military advisor's letter consider the difficult issue of the Jiangdong navy?"

This statement came out.

Liu Bei's eyes lit up and he suddenly turned around to look at the table.

I haven’t read half of Xiao He’s letter yet.

Liu Bei hurried back to the table and picked up the remaining silk book.

Xu Shu, Guan Yu and a few others were also cheered up and surrounded them.

"Zhou Yu will certainly attack Xiakou with a large army and send troops to the Han River to prevent our army from advancing south along the Han River to support Xiakou."

"My lord, you can order General Guan to lead our navy through Mianyang and into Xiashui. From there, we'll enter the Yangtze River and head east along the river. We'll first capture Baqiu along the way, then head straight for Xiakou and surprise attack Zhou Yu from behind!"

"If this happens, the Jiangdong army will surely be defeated, and Xiakou can be saved!"

Liu Bei and the others looked at each other, with a look of deep surprise on their faces.

Xiao He had already anticipated that they would discuss sending Guan Yu to lead an army to rescue Xiakou, and he also predicted that Zhou Yu would send troops to the Han River to block Guan Yu from moving south!
Therefore, Xiao He gave a plan to break the deadlock in the letter he left behind:

Change the route to Xiashui and enter the Yangtze River, bypass the blockade of the Jiangdong Army, and go straight to Zhou Yu's side and rear, killing him by surprise!
"Military Advisor Bowen truly has foresight. This strategy is truly a brilliant plan that will achieve a surprise victory!"

Xu Shu clapped his hands in praise, then jumped up and ran to the map, pointing excitedly:
"My lord, please look. Between Xiangyang and Xiakou lies the city of Mianyang. In Mianyang lies a river called Xiashui, which flows westwards to the Yangtze River about thirty miles downstream at Jiangling."

"Although Jiangling has a navy, Cai Mao is currently leading his main force to station in Dangyang to prevent our army from advancing south from Xiangyang to capture Jiangling. Most of his navy is still stationed in the Jiangling Water Camp."

"Cai Mao and Kuai Yue thought we would save Xiakou and would only take the Han River southward to the Yangtze River. They never expected that we would divert the Xia River and enter the river right before their eyes."

"Cai and Kuai didn't expect this, and Zhou Yu certainly didn't expect this either. He was only focused on the Han River, but he didn't expect us to deceive the world and suddenly attack from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River!"

Xu Shu excitedly revealed the ingenuity of this plan, and then pointed to Baqiu City on the map:
"This Baqiu City is where the Yangtze River, Xiang River, and Dongting Lake converge. It's the throat that controls the Xiang River's entry into the Yangtze River!"

"Capturing this place will block the route from the Xiang River to the Yangtze River for Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang counties, thus blocking the most convenient route for transporting food, fodder, and troops from southern Jing to Jiangling!"

"This plan is not only to relieve the crisis at Xiakou, but also to lay the groundwork for our lord to capture Jiangling and eliminate Liu Cong, Cai Kuai, and other bandits in the future!"

"Military Advisor Bo Wen's foresight and foresight are truly rare in the world, beyond our reach!"

Xiao He left a few short messages in the letter, while Xu Shu gave a thorough analysis in a long and eloquent manner.

At the end of the analysis, Xu Shu's face was filled with only sincere admiration.

The hall was in an uproar, with exclamations everywhere.

"So that's how it is. What a great plan to enter the river from Xiakou. What a great deception! What a farsighted plan!"

"Bowen, Bowen, you really are..."

Liu Bei, who suddenly realized the truth, couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration. He was so excited that he didn't know how to praise Xiao He.

Guan Yu let out a long breath, slowly stood up, and absolute confidence was burning in his half-open eyes.

"Brother, this plan by Military Advisor Bowen is truly a brilliant plan for achieving victory by surprise!"

"If you use this strategy, I will issue a military order to defeat Zhou Yu!"

"Brother, there is no time to lose. Please give the order!"

Guan Yu was arrogant and confident, and he generously asked Liu Bei to fight.

Liu Bei picked up the silk book from Xiao He's hand again and read it carefully, reading every word several times.

Then he came to the map and deduced and outlined Xiao He's layout on the map.

After a long time, Liu Bei suddenly turned around, his eyes filled with confidence.

"Zilong, you and your followers will travel south by land to Xiakou to protect Bowen."

"Yun Chang, you will immediately lead 10,000 soldiers and horses south by boat, cross the Xiashui River and enter the Yangtze River. Using a deceptive strategy, you will first capture Baqiu and then defeat Zhou Yu!"

(End of this chapter)