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

Chapter 156: Divide the River and Rule? Liu Bei, you have a big appetite! Xiao He: What about Cao's cavalry? I can defeat them with of them!
"The Prime Minister is returning south to deal with Liu Bei and avenge Zilian. Yuan naturally has no objection."

"But there are only 100,000 Western Liang troops gathered at the Puban-Tongguan line. If the Prime Minister leads the army south, these Western Liang tigers will take advantage of the situation and break out of the pass, endangering Xu Luo. What should we do?"

Xiahou Yuan, however, had some concerns.

Cao Cao frowned slightly, stroked his newly grown short beard, and pondered in silence.

Xiahou Yuan's concerns were not unreasonable. If 100,000 soldiers from Liang Province took advantage of the situation and went out of the pass, it would be like releasing 100,000 tigers and wolves, which would inevitably evoke the terrifying memories of Dong Zhuo among the people in the Central Plains.

Even if a large number of troops were deployed on the Hongnong front to prevent the Liangzhou army from advancing eastward, the people in the Central Plains would definitely be unstable.

The people in the Central Plains were unstable. How could he go south with peace of mind to take over Jiangdong and deal with Liu Bei?
"Miaocai is right. What foolproof plan do you have?"

Cao Cao had no choice but to turn his attention to his advisers.

Cheng Yu, Liu Ye and others frowned and thought hard.

Only Jia Xu was hiding in a corner, closing his eyes and resting, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.

Cao Cao looked displeased when he saw him like that, so he asked:

"Wenhe, you are also from Xiliang. Tell me, how can I stop the 100,000 Liangzhou troops from leaving the border?"

Jia Xu had to open his eyes, end his health-preserving state, and quickly stood up.

After coughing lightly a few times, Jia Xu slowly bowed his hands:

"In my opinion, today's Xiliang army is very different from the one led by Dong Zhuo back then."

"Back then, the Western Liang army obeyed Dong Zhuo's orders. Now, while this Western Liang army may be powerful, it was only put together temporarily to fight against the imperial court. Han Sui is only the nominal leader, and the ten Western Liang tribes do not follow his orders."

After swallowing his saliva, Jia Xu continued slowly:
"Since the generals of Xiliang have gathered together because of the Prime Minister, their common enemy, when the Prime Minister withdraws his troops, the generals of Xiliang will surely disperse, having lost their common enemy."

"Besides, among the generals of Xiliang, only Ma Chao has some ambition. The others, such as Han Sui, have no ambition at all. Their lifelong wish is nothing more than to establish their own territory in Liang Province and command an army."

"Xu believes that the Prime Minister only needs to pardon their crimes in the name of the court and appease and win over some of them. Then the 100,000 Xiliang troops will naturally scatter like birds and beasts, and will have no intention of leaving the border to threaten the Central Plains."

"Perhaps, they will even develop suspicion of each other and start internal strife, which will actually benefit the Prime Minister in his future campaign against Guanzhong."

Jia Xu either kept silent or proudly offered a plan as soon as he spoke, and it was obvious that he had already made up his mind.

Cao Cao's brows relaxed, and he complained with a smile:

"Wenhe, Wenhe, I know you must have a good plan. If I don't ask you, are you going to keep it to yourself?"

Jia Xu bowed hurriedly and said self-deprecatingly:
"As a Prime Minister, I should share his worries. How dare I keep my ideas to myself? I just thought of this."

Cao Cao knew that he was deliberately keeping a low profile, so he stopped blaming him.

Then he waved his hand and said happily:

"Follow Wenhe's plan and quickly ask the emperor to draft an edict to pardon the crimes of the Xiliang generals and confer higher titles on Han Sui, Yang Qiu, Cheng Yi, and Liang Xing."

"Quickly transfer Zixiao from Wancheng to Hongnong to monitor the Xiliang generals. The rest of the generals, follow the original plan and march south with me to deal with the Big Eared Bandits!"

The generals accepted the order with great enthusiasm and immediately took their leave.

All the generals retreated, but only one young general stayed.

"Father, I want to follow you and my uncle and lead the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry south to establish our achievements in Jiangdong!"

The young general stepped forward and volunteered.

Cao Cao looked up and saw that the person asking for orders was his third son Cao Zhang.

His third son had been brave and aggressive since childhood, obsessed with martial arts and military tactics, had no interest in reading at all, and his poetry and prose were even worse than usual.

Looking at his eagerness to fight, he seems to be anxious to go into battle and kill the enemy to show his strengths.

"Ziwen, you should learn from your elder and younger brothers and focus more on reading the teachings of the sages. Leading troops to war and fighting in battles will be done by your father and your uncles."

Cao Cao gave Cao Zhang an earnest instruction, obviously wanting him to learn more from Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, and use his excess energy on cultivating literature rather than practicing martial arts.

Cao Zhang, however, was dismissive and said arrogantly:
"A real man should follow the example of Wei Huo, fighting for his country on the battlefield. How can he be a corrupt scholar who only knows how to talk big?"

"Father, I don't want to be a great scholar, I only want to be a great general, to avenge my uncle Zixiao and to kill all the enemies in the world for you!"

Cao Cao's eyes lit up. He never thought that his third son had such ambitions.

After a brief pause, Cao Cao stood up, stepped forward, and patted him on the shoulder:

"Since you have such ambition, there is no reason for your father not to fulfill your wish."

"How about this? You will serve as your son and uncle's deputy general and lead the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to Huainan first."

"But you must remember to learn and listen more, and never be too brave. And don't underestimate Liu Bei or underestimate the enemy. Do you understand?"

Cao Zhang was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed:

"Thank you very much, father. I will definitely keep your teachings in mind!"

Cao Zhang immediately received the order and left happily.

Cao Cao sent his son out of the tent, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked towards the direction of Jiangdong from afar, with a chill in his eyes.

"Liu Bei, you are insatiable. You have already stolen Jingzhou, and now you want to swallow up Jiangdong. You want to divide the river and rule it separately, and confront me from north to south, and we will compete with each other!"

"Do you really think I will let you get what you want?"

"Humph!"

...

The seat of Wu County was Wu County.

Inside the palace hall, Sun Quan sat high on the throne, his face ashen, his gaze fixed on the document in his hand with deathly intent.

That was a handwritten order from his good nephew Sun Shao, announcing to all officials of Wu County, big and small, that he had taken over the position of Lord of Jiangdong and inherited the title of Marquis of Wu, and ordered the officials of Wu County to serve the new master.

His good nephew, in the name of the Lord of Jiangdong, instructed Lu Xun and others to quickly escort Sun Quan to Moling, and led the newly recruited Shanyue soldiers to respond.

The hall was completely silent. Everyone was stealing glances at Sun Quan cautiously, their eyes rolling, each with their own thoughts.

"Bo Yan, are you planning to obey my good nephew's orders and tie me up and send me to Moling to ask for reward?"

"You have 10,000 Shanyue soldiers under your command. If you really want to do this to me, Sun Quan will have no choice but to surrender and help you win credit for your achievements to your new master."

Sun Quan looked at Lu Xun with a bitter and helpless expression, but his tone was sarcastic.

Zhou Tai, standing by, had already grasped the hilt of the sword. With just a glance from Sun Quan, he would have chopped off Lu Xun's head in an instant.

Lu Xun, however, showed a look of fear and bowed hurriedly:
"My Lord, your words really make me feel uneasy and panic-stricken."

"This Lord of Jiangdong, Xun, only recognizes the Lord. Xun and the Shanyue soldiers he recruited also only obey the Lord's orders."

"As for Sun Shao and Zhou Yu, they are nothing but traitors plotting rebellion. With just one command from my lord, I will personally lead my troops north to Moling to defeat the rebels and bring them down on your behalf!"

Sun Quan secretly looked at Lu Xun and saw that his statement came from the heart, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Lu Xun's attitude also represents the attitude of the four major surnames in Jiangdong, Gu, Lu, Zhu and Zhang. These local tyrants in Jiangdong did not choose to defect, at least they still remained loyal to him in words.

Sun Quan raised the corner of his mouth with an expected expression.

These people were scared because they were killed by Sun Ce back then.

Sun Shao is the son of Sun Ce, and Zhou Yu is a hardliner who shares the same ideals as Sun Ce. If these two people were to take charge of Jiangdong, and if they followed Sun Ce's example and restored the high-pressure policy they imposed on the Jiangdong clans in the past, who could stand it?
"Bo Yan, I know you are unwilling to follow me and surrender to Cao, but I am doing this not only for myself and the Sun family, but also to find a way out for you."

"Lord Cao is a great ruler of the time. He has always employed people based on their talents. Even if he doesn't value you as much as I do now, he will still make use of you."

"But if we don't surrender to Cao, we will be powerless to resist the big-eared thief, and Jiangdong will surely be taken by him."

"That big-eared thief started his career in Jingzhou, so he will only favor people from Jingzhou. From now on, you Jiangdong heroes will be dominated by people from Jingzhou, and you will never be able to stand up again!"

"Especially you, Boyan. You went to Liu Bei's camp to feign surrender and even proposed the iron chain boat connection plan to Liu Bei. If Jiangdong falls, do you think Liu Bei will not come after you for that?"

Hearing this, Lu Xun shuddered.

Gu Yong, Zhu Huan and the others all had their brows furrowed, with a layer of gloom covering their faces.

Glancing at everyone's expressions, Sun Quan felt more confident and sighed:

"So, Jiangdong must not fall into Liu Bei's hands, and neither must I or you."

"In this case, surrendering to Lord Cao is our wisest choice!"

"Bo Yan, you are a man who understands the current situation. I think you should be able to figure out the pros and cons of this!"

Lu Xun's thoughts were churning, and his eyes gradually became clear. He looked at Gu Yong and others to exchange his thoughts.

Gu Yong, Zhu Huan and others all nodded slightly, obviously convinced by Sun Quan.

The hesitation in Lu Xun's eyes disappeared, so he took a deep breath and said with gratitude:
"My lord, your painstaking efforts have finally been understood by me today. Thank you for your far-sighted consideration for the people of Jiangdong."

"We are willing to follow our lord, submit to the court, and submit to Lord Cao!"

Sun Quan felt relieved and glanced at Zhang Zhao, and the corners of their mouths rose slightly at the same time.

"Bo Yan is indeed a wise man who understands the current situation. You are so understanding of justice, which is a blessing for Jiangdong."

Zhang Zhao nodded in approval, stroked his beard and sneered:
"If that's the case, then we'll just sit back and watch as that self-righteous traitor Zhou Yu dies at the hands of Liu Bei, and wait for Prime Minister Cao to bring his million-strong army across the river, annihilate Liu Bei, and save Jiangdong from disaster!"

...In Moling, Liu’s army surrounded the camp.

Inside the central army tent, Liu Bei was poring over the victory report from the eight hundred li journey that Xu Shu had just delivered.

In his victory report, Xu Shu stated that he had warned Han Sui and Ma Chao according to what was written in Xiao He's secret letter that Cao Cao would use a tactic of feinting to the east and attacking in the west, pretending to attack Tongguan but actually sneaking across to Puban.

Ma Chao then followed his plan and led 20,000 Xiliang troops to secretly march north, set up an ambush at Puban, and dealt a heavy blow to Cao's army that had sneaked across the river.

Cao Cao's plan to sneak across the Yellow River failed.

"So, Bowen's secret letter to Yuanzhi actually predicted that Cao Cao would make a feint to the east and attack in the west, secretly crossing the Yellow River at Pubanjin!"

"Planning strategies and winning battles from a thousand miles away, that's exactly what you are, Bowen."

Liu Bei held up the victory report in his hand and exclaimed in admiration.

Everyone suddenly realized and remembered that Xiao He's letter that day had actually revealed Cao Cao's plan to pacify Guanzhong.

Xiao He just smiled.

This was the same tactic Cao Cao used to pacify Guanlong.

The enemy is the same, the battle place is the same, so it is natural and reasonable for Cao Cao to use the same strategy.

"Ahem, my lord, you are too kind. I feel ashamed to accept your words."

Xiao He changed the subject in time and asked:
"Cao Cao suffered a setback at Pubanjin, and his chances of advancing into Guanzhong are over. Now that Sun Quan has surrendered Jiangdong, Cao Cao should turn south. Did Yuan Zhi mention this?"

Liu Bei put the book away with emotion and continued reading.

Sure enough, Xu Shu claimed in the victory report that after Cao Cao was defeated at Pubanjin, his army began to retreat to Luoyang one after another.

At the same time, the imperial edict also followed. The emperor not only pardoned the crimes of treason among the generals in Guanzhong, but also promoted Han Sui, Yang Qiu and five others.

"The thief Cao must be heading back south. To prevent the Xiliang generals from taking advantage of the situation and threatening the Central Plains, he forced the emperor to issue an edict to appease and win over the Xiliang generals to relieve his worries!"

Fa Zheng decisively exposed Cao Cao's intention.

Liu Bei nodded slightly, but sighed:
"It seems Cao Cao is planning to march south again to stop me from conquering Jiangdong. Unfortunately, the Xiliang army only has 100,000 soldiers. If we can get out and fight, we can at least tie down a lot of Cao Cao's forces."

So someone suggested that they should quickly send a letter to Xu Shu, instructing him to persuade the generals of Xiliang to go east through Tongguan.

"There's no need for that. The Xiliang generals are a loose bunch, each lacking ambition. Having been pardoned by the imperial court and wooed by Cao Cao with official titles, there's no way they'll ever come out and fight again."

"The fact that these Xiliang people were able to hold Guanlong and prevent Cao Cao from completely pacifying the north is sufficient for us. We don't need to expect more from them."

"My lord, Yuanzhi's mission is complete. Send a letter to summon him back."

Xiao He's words pointed out the fatal flaw of the Xiliang Legion and dispelled everyone's hope that the Xiliang Army would leave the border.

Liu Bei thought about it and it made sense, so he immediately wrote a letter to Guanzhong, summoning Xu Shu to return south.

"Our army has completed the siege of Moling City, but if we want to capture the city, we must be prepared for a long siege. We can't be impatient for a moment."

"I thought that the first thing we have to deal with is the incoming Cao Cao army!"

Fa Zheng came to the map and pointed:
"Zhang Liao's Hefei corps has marched south to link up with Xu Huang's Cao army. The two armies, totaling 20,000 men, are now stationed at Ruxukou."

"I heard that Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry have arrived in Shouchun and will soon reach Ruxukou and join forces with Zhang and Xu's army."

"This is just Cao's advance guard. Cao Cao has nearly 200,000 soldiers. In 20 days at most, they will reach Ruxukou and drink from the Yangtze River."

"Although Cao Cao lacks a battle-worthy navy, he has the advantage of having more soldiers and generals. The Yangtze River is crossable at many points. Although Cao's army cannot defeat our navy, it can threaten our food supply."

"Furthermore, Cao's army only needs to gather enough boats and rafts to easily transport troops across the river, land on the south bank, and then attack cities and seize territory, thereby destabilizing our rear."

After some analysis, Fa Zheng bowed:

"Therefore, my lord, you must first resolve the threat from Cao's army on the north bank, so that you can be free to lay siege to Moling with all your strength!"

Liu Bei nodded repeatedly, agreeing deeply, and said:

"Xiaozhi is absolutely right. As long as Cao's army can drink from the Yangtze River, our rear will be unstable, and our army will not be able to lay siege to Moling with all its might."

"Do you have any good ideas?"

There was a lot of discussion in the tent.

During the Battle of Fancheng, no one was afraid of Cao Cao and they acted as soon as they said they would. Moreover, today we have a strong army and it is even less likely that we would be afraid of Cao Cao.

All the counselors and generals, though they all expressed their own opinions, were all unanimous on one point:
Just do it!

As for how to do it, people have different opinions and it is difficult to reach a conclusion.

After all, Cao Cao had a large family and a great business. Although he lost tens of thousands of elite soldiers in the Battle of Fancheng, he was able to recover in less than two years by relying on the control of the two river states.

The number of troops Cao Cao led south this time was at least 200,000, which was more than the number of troops he led to the southern expedition to Jingzhou that year.

On our side, if we put aside the troops besieging Moling, draw some troops from Jingzhou, and add the 7,000 soldiers from Yizhou, the total number of troops available for fighting Cao Cao is only about 60,000.

Sixty thousand versus two hundred thousand, the disparity in military strength is still huge.

How to win this battle when outnumbered is natural, so one must be extremely cautious.

"Build Ruxu Fort!"

Xiao He, who had been silent all the time, suddenly spoke up, breaking the argument among the crowd.

The tent suddenly became quiet, and everyone's eyes turned to Xiao He.

"Although Cao Cao had a large army, his route south was limited. He could only go south through Hefei to Chaohu Lake, then along the Ruxu River to Ruxukou and into the Yangtze River, and then expand east and west along the north bank of the Yangtze River."

"So, Ruxukou is the key."

"My point is, we should build a fortress at Ruxukou before Cao Cao's main force arrives."

"Once this fortress is built, we can use the Yangtze River as a waterway to move our navy in and out freely, transporting food and supplies, and relying on the fortress to resist Cao's attacks."

"As long as Cao Cao can't capture Ruxu Fort, his army won't be able to drink from the Yangtze River. Naturally, he can't deploy along the north bank and threaten our Yangtze River food supply route, let alone cross the river and land on the south bank to disrupt our rear."

"This Ruxu Fortress is like Fancheng. With a small number of troops, our army can stop Cao Cao north of the Yangtze River. My lord, you can free up enough troops to lay siege to Moling with all your strength!"

Xiao He tapped the map with his fingertips and offered a plan to break the deadlock.

Of course, Sun Quan also had some credit for this strategy.

Sun Quan had the foresight to build Ruxu Fort at Ruxukou, and he managed to withstand several large-scale expeditions led by Cao Cao.

Sun Quan was able to use the same method to defeat Cao Cao, so there is no reason why Liu Bei couldn't do the same, right?
As soon as this plan came out, the tent was immediately in an uproar.

"Build Ruxu Fort and transform Ruxukou into Fancheng..."

"Bowen, your strategy is truly brilliant!"

Liu Bei was greatly encouraged, clapped his hands in admiration, and looked at everyone with a smile:
"What do you all think of Military Advisor Bo Wen's plan to build Ruxu Fort?"

Everyone was enlightened and naturally praised it highly, agreeing with it wholeheartedly.

"Military Advisor Xiao's method of resisting Cao Cao is indeed brilliant, but..."

Lu Su changed the subject and said:

"However, Cao's army at Ruxukou on the north bank currently numbers nearly 20,000 men. If Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry arrive, Cao's cavalry alone will number as many as 4,000 to 5,000."

"With such a large force of infantry and cavalry, and commanded by talented generals like Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, it would be difficult for our army to even reach the shore, let alone build a fortification."

Lu Su's words of cold water immediately cooled the excited atmosphere in the tent.

Liu Bei still had confidence on his face. He looked at Xiao He, knowing that since Xiao He had proposed to build Ruxu Fort, he naturally considered how to attack the north bank.

"My lord, do you remember that we still have Cao Xiu as our captive?"

"My lord, please use Cao Xiu to issue a declaration of war to the Cao army on the north bank, ordering them to retreat and allow our army to land and fight them on land."

"Since Cao Xiu knows our army's strengths and weaknesses, and having been a captive for two years, he must be deeply resentful of our lord and eager to avenge his previous humiliation."

"I predict he will incite Zhang Liao and other Cao generals to pretend to agree to let our army land, but then suddenly launch a surprise attack when our army is halfway across, so as to inflict heavy damage on our army and avenge the humiliation of the Fancheng soldiers and the murder of Cao Hong!"

"In this way, won't our army be able to land on the north bank smoothly?"

Xiao He naturally thought carefully and offered another plan.

There was another round of discussion in the tent.

This time, without waiting for Lu Su to speak, Liu Bei said:

"Military Advisor, this plan can certainly induce Cao's army to retreat and allow our troops to land."

"But Zi Jing just said that Cao's army has nearly 20,000 men, including 4,000 to 5,000 cavalry. They will definitely attack us halfway across the river!"

"The vanguard corps I've landed has limited manpower. How can we withstand the onslaught of thousands of cavalry and buy enough time for the main force to land?"

The tent fell silent again, and everyone's curious eyes were focused on Xiao He, eager to know what clever plan their military advisor Xiao had to break Cao's cavalry's plan of crossing the river halfway.

Xiao He smiled and said slowly:
"Don't worry, my lord. I have already worked out a battle formation in private. We only need 800 people to land, and that will be enough to stop the 5,000 cavalry of Cao's army!"

(End of this chapter)