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

Chapter 143: My dear son-in-law, you finally proposed marriage! Cao Cao: What? My brother was killed by Liu Bei?
"So those few strokes were made by Military Advisor Xiao. It was his plan to sow discord!"

"With just a few strokes, he was able to toy with Lü Meng and Ling Tong. Military Advisor Xiao's wisdom is truly well-deserved. No wonder Zhou Yu and Lü Meng were defeated so many times..."

Gan Ning, who was standing by, suddenly realized what was going on and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

Xiao Heze stepped forward and smiled apologetically:
"Xingba, I also want to conquer Chaisang as soon as possible. I recruited you, a powerful general of the time, for my lord, so I resorted to this strategy."

"I'm afraid this plan of mine has caused you great harm. This glass of wine is my apology."

As he spoke, Xiao He raised his glass and drank it first as a toast.

"Today, I finally got to experience firsthand the brilliant foresight of Military Advisor Bo Wen. With such a brilliant advisor as your lord, Lü Meng's defeat was not at all unfair."

Gan Ning's eyes showed no resentment, only admiration, but he sighed:

"In fact, if the people of Jiangdong didn't have a prejudice against Ning and never considered him one of their own, how could they have fallen out with him over a suspicious letter?"

"They forced Ning to rebel, and it was their own fault. They are reaping the consequences."

Say it.

Gan Ning showed respect, raised his glass and said with a smile:
"I should thank the military advisor. If it weren't for his plan to sow discord between us, how could I have seen through the true faces of these Jiangdong rats? How could I have come to my senses and submitted to a true and wise leader like my lord?"

"This glass of wine should belong to Military Advisor Ning Jing."

Gan Ning raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

The two looked at each other and laughed.

Soon, the Bai Li soldiers came to report that Lu Meng's head had been chopped off.

Liu Bei ordered that Lu Meng's head be hung under the city tower of the east gate of Chaisang and displayed for three days to deter the villains in Jiangdong.

Then he ordered all the treasures in the Chaisang Treasury to be taken to reward the soldiers of the three armies who had fought bravely and made great contributions.

All the soldiers of Liu’s army in the city were cheering.

Liu Bei held a celebration banquet in his mansion, firstly to celebrate Gan Ning's return, and secondly to celebrate the achievement of capturing Chaisang.

As a military strategist, Xiao He was the one who made the greatest contribution to the capture of Chaisang, so naturally the generals took turns to toast him.

After drinking more than a dozen glasses of wine, Xiao He was already feeling a little drunk.

"Bo Wen, since my brother's expedition to the East, I have fought these few battles with great pleasure!"

"It's been a while since we've had a good drink together. Today I'm going to have a good drink with you!"

Guan Yu also put down his airs for once and personally raised his wine glass to toast Xiao He.

Xiao He had to give face to the man with beautiful beard, so he raised his glass and stood up to drink it all.

Guan Yu was in high spirits and wanted to pour wine for Xiao He.

"Father, drinking too much is harmful to the body. Bowen is already a little drunk. Please don't force him to drink any more."

Guan Yinping reached out to stop Guan Yu.

Guan Yu couldn't help but sigh when he saw that she looked so distressed about Xiao He.

After raising a daughter for more than ten years, she now only feels sorry for her ideal husband, worried that he might hurt himself by drinking too much, but she doesn't care about her old father.

This daughter is really raised in vain...

Guan Yu smiled bitterly and nodded:
"Okay, okay, since you're so protective of Bowen, I won't drink with him."

Guan Yinping heard a different meaning in her father's words and suddenly realized that her behavior seemed inappropriate.

"I'm not protecting him, I'm just worried that if he drinks too much and ruins his brain, how will he be able to give advice to my uncle..."

Guan Yinping's face turned red and she hurriedly began to explain perfunctorily.

However, the reason for this explanation was a bit funny, and Liu Bei, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but laugh.

Guan Yinping became more and more embarrassed and didn't know what to do for a moment.

Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Xiao He rolled his eyes and couldn't help but recall the matter that was on his mind.

"General Yun Chang!"

Xiao He's expression became serious, and he bowed to Guan Yu:

"I have long admired your daughter. I would now like to ask General Yunchang to betroth Yinping to you as your wife. I hope General Yunchang will agree."

Inside the palace hall, the generals who were drinking and chatting happily suddenly stopped talking and laughing, and pairs of eyes gathered over to watch the fun.

Guan Yinping was startled and looked at Xiao He with surprise and joy.

He is actually proposing marriage to his father?

Ever since the day before the expedition when the two confessed their feelings to each other, Guan Yinping has been looking forward to this moment day and night.

I finally got it today, and I was naturally overjoyed. A big stone in my heart was lifted off my shoulders.

But what she didn't expect was that Xiao He didn't even hint to her in advance to let her leave, but proposed to Guan Yu in front of her and in front of so many people!
As a girl, facing this unexpected situation, she would be shy...

"You, you~~"

Guan Yinping punched him lightly with her fist, then quickly stood up and fled the mansion with a blushing face.

"Okay, okay, this is really a great thing."

"Bo Wen is handsome and intelligent, and Yin Ping's niece is naturally beautiful. She is also the daughter of a general. They are truly a perfect match made in heaven!"

"Yunchang, how could you not make such a good match happen?"

Liu Bei was the first to react. He was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He quickly reminded his sworn brother.

Guan Yu suddenly realized what was happening and his brows lit up with joy.

If it were someone else proposing marriage in public, Guan Yu would definitely be angry at such an abrupt act.

Xiao He is not just anyone else, he is the son-in-law he has always dreamed of!
Guan Yu was looking forward to it day and night, hoping that Xiao He would come to his senses soon and propose to his daughter.

Now I have finally got what I wanted. A wish has been fulfilled. I am so happy that I don’t even have time to be angry.

However, in front of everyone, Guan Yu naturally couldn't show his joy, so he had to pretend to be calm.

After stroking his beautiful beard and pretending to think for a moment, Guan Yu nodded slightly:

"Bo Wen was rescued by Yin Ping. You two are truly destined to be together."

"Since my brother agrees with this marriage, and your relationship is destined, how can I refuse?"

"Bo Wen, I will give you the silver screen, but you must treat her well."

Xiao He breathed a sigh of relief, and naturally he made some statements and promises.

Thus, the marriage was arranged, and the two would get married after pacifying Jiangdong.

Today can be said to be a double happiness. Liu Bei laughed and clapped his hands, and his mood was even better.

The generals raised their glasses and congratulated him in turn.

The atmosphere in the mansion hall became lively again.

Outside the hall.

Guan Yinping, who was leaning against the window sill, was lowering her brows in shame, twisting her long black hair with her bare hands, and eavesdropping on the conversation in the hall with her ear tilted.

When she heard Guan Yu agreed to the marriage, a stone in her heart fell from her heart and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Guan Yinping felt relieved, smiled, hummed a folk song and left quietly.

In the hall, after several rounds of drinking, the personal guards delivered a secret letter sent by Xu Shu from Tongguan to Liu Bei.

Upon hearing Xu Shu's news, everyone fell silent. A few months ago, Cao Cao, under the pretext of conquering Zhang Lu, began gathering troops toward Hongnong and Luoyang, intending to use the pretext of conquering Guo and taking down the generals in Guanzhong.

Han Sui, Ma Chao and other ten generals in Guanzhong were naturally not stupid. They knew that Cao Cao was coming to take them down, so they immediately raised the banner of rebellion.

The ten generals immediately put aside their past grudges, formed a coalition army in Guanzhong, and began to gather towards Tongguan.

The two leaders, Han Sui and Ma Chao, also sent envoys to Jingzhou to seek an alliance with Liu Bei to fight against Cao Cao.

In Xiao He's opinion, those Xiliang generals were extremely powerful, but unfortunately most of them were brave but not wise, so how could they possibly defeat Cao Cao.

So, at his suggestion, Liu Bei sent an envoy headed by Xu Shu to Tongguan to assist the Han and Ma generals in resisting Cao Cao.

This delegation was equivalent to a military advisory group. Xu Shu's mission was to provide advice to those reckless men from Xiliang to prevent them from being crushed by Cao Cao's intelligence.

After Xu Shu arrived in Guanzhong, he would report the battle situation in Guanzhong to Liu Bei from time to time.

In this secret letter, Xu Shu said that Cao Cao had personally led a large army and stationed it under Tongguan, but had not yet attacked.

The generals from Guanzhong have led their troops to the scene one after another, and the number of the Xiliang Legion gathered at Tongguan has reached 100,000.

The two armies formed a standoff on the Tongguan line.

"Cao Cao delayed attacking Tongguan, but allowed the Xiliang army to gather at Tongguan. This must be his intention to lure all the generals in Guanzhong to Tongguan so that he could defeat them in one fell swoop and complete his victory in a single battle."

Fa Zheng revealed Cao Cao's intentions in one sentence, and then he bowed:

"I thought that my lord should reply to Xu Yuanzhi and ask him to persuade the generals in Guanzhong to hold Tongguan firmly. No matter how Cao Cao provokes them, they must not leave the pass to fight him!"

Liu Bei nodded repeatedly, agreeing deeply.

He was naturally very clear about Cao Cao's ability in commanding troops.

Han Sui, Ma Chao and other generals in Guanzhong seemed to be very powerful, with a force of 100,000, but in fact they were only an alliance in name only and had no subordinate relationship with each other.

Even if such an army was brave and fierce, how could it be a match for Cao Cao in a head-on confrontation?
The wisest choice, of course, was to hold the position and rely on the natural barrier of Tongguan to wear down Cao Cao's troops and force them to retreat.

"Xiaozhi's words make sense. I will write a letter right now to remind Yuanzhi."

Liu Bei immediately put down his wine glass and picked up his pen to write a letter.

Just as Xiao He was about to send the messenger away, his eyes suddenly lit up as he thought of something, having been playing with his wine glass in silence.

"Wait a minute!"

Xiao He stopped the messenger, then picked up a pen and wrote a letter, which he also handed to the messenger, asking him to give it to Xu Shu.

"Bowen, you are..."

Liu Bei stared at the letter with a strange look on his face.

Fa Zheng and the others were also curious about what their military advisor had written to Xu Shu.

"Tongguan is a strategic pass in the world. If the generals in Guanzhong hold on and cannot come out, even if Cao's army has a million men, they will be useless. Cao Cao must have known this."

"This letter is to remind Yuanzhi that Cao Cao is best at using surprise attacks to win battles. I predict that he will not force his way through the difficult Tongguan Pass, and will most likely..."

Xiao He calmly explained the reason.

Only then did everyone suddenly realize.

Fa Zheng's face was filled with admiration, and he cupped his hands and sighed:

"Today I finally understand what it means to plan and win battles thousands of miles away!"

Liu Bei also nodded heavily and said happily:

"With this letter from you, Bo Wen, Cao Cao will never dare to get his hands on Guanlong!"

At that moment, Liu Bei ordered the messenger to take the two letters and rush north to Tongguan overnight.

...

a long distance away.

To the east of Tongguan is Cao’s main camp.

"Prime Minister, yesterday Yang Qiu led 7,000 Xiliang troops to Tongguan to join forces with the Mahan bandits."

"The Xiliang rebels currently gathered at Tongguan have a force of nearly 100,000."

"Prime Minister, we can't wait any longer. We must attack Tongguan as soon as possible!"

In the central military tent, Xiahou Yuan gave advice to Cao Cao with an urgent look on his face.

All the generals were impatient and uneasy, and they all agreed to fight.

Cao Cao, however, looked relaxed. He played with his wine glass, glanced at his advisors, and asked with a smile:
"Do you know why my army has been stationed at Tongguan for over a month, yet we haven't attacked yet?"

The counselors looked at each other.

"Prime Minister, in my opinion, the reason you stationed your troops under the city for a month without attacking was intentional, simply to lure all ten generals from Guanzhong to Tongguan."

"In this way, the Prime Minister can complete his mission in one fell swoop, annihilate all the generals in Guanzhong, and pacify Guanlong in the shortest possible time."

"Otherwise, the generals in Guanzhong are scattered all over the place. It would take an incalculable amount of time to defeat them one by one. This would give Liu Bei the opportunity to swallow up Jiangdong."

"Prime Minister, you must quickly secure Guanlong so that you can free up your forces to march south and deal with Liu Bei."

Cheng Yu made a lot of speculations.

Cao Cao laughed heartily and praised:

"The only one who understands me is Zhongde!"

The generals suddenly realized the truth and all praised Cao Cao's foresight.

At this time.

Xia Houyuan suddenly realized, but said:
"This plan, Prime Minister, can certainly lure all the generals in Guanzhong to gather at Tongguan."

"But Tongguan is already a fortress in the world. If a hundred thousand Xiliang rebels gather at the fortress, it will be very difficult for our army to break through it."

Xiahou Yuan's question immediately cast a shadow over the faces of the generals.

Cao Cao raised a cunning smile and sneered:
"Miaocai, do you really think that even though I know Tongguan is a tough nut to crack, I will still risk breaking my teeth and still attack it..."

Before Cao Cao could finish his words, the Tiger Guards rushed into the tent, holding a silk letter high.

"Your Excellency, General Xu Gongming has sent back an urgent report from Jiangdong, eight hundred miles away!"

"Our allied forces were severely defeated by Liu Bei at Chaisang, and the Jiangdong navy was almost completely destroyed. General Cao Zilian was ambushed by Liu Bei's army at Guangji, and our entire 20,000-man army was annihilated!"

"General Cao Zilian was killed by the enemy general Zhao Yun!"

Boom!

It was like a bolt from the blue, hitting the tent and everyone's head.

Inside the big tent, there was a sudden deathly silence.

Xiahou Yuan, Cheng Yu... everyone was stunned, their eyes instantly filled with shock and horror.

Cao Cao was like a stone statue, frozen in his seat with a stiff expression.

"what--"

After a long time, a hoarse and painful scream was heard.

Cao Cao covered his forehead with his hands, tilted his head back and slumped down on his seat.

(End of this chapter)