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

Chapter 196 This plan can defeat a million-strong army! The world has only one stone, and you, Xiao He, have eight buckets. I am willing to admit defeat!
"Could it be that the military advisor has a brilliant plan? I'd like to hear its details."

Gan Ning saw something from the change in Xiao He's expression and asked impatiently.

"Our army's biggest challenge right now is to cross the Fei River and successfully establish camp on the west bank."

"As long as we can gain a foothold on the west bank, Cao Ren will have no choice but to abandon Chengde City and retreat to Shouchun City with his entire division."

"This way, the general's main force can march north unimpeded and join us at the gates of Shouchun."

Xiao Heyao pointed to the other side of the river and explained the current situation.

However, Gan Ning could see the situation clearly without Xiao He's explanation.

Chengde City is located on the east bank of the Feishui River. As long as their army crosses the river, it is possible to cut off the food supply route from Shouchun to Chengde.

Once the food supply was cut off, the 10,000 Cao troops led by Zhang Liao were in danger of losing morale and collapsing without a fight.

Given Cao Ren's wisdom, he would naturally choose to give up Chengde and shrink his defense line to Shouchun.

But the key to the problem is how to cross the Feishui River.

"Xingba, do you still remember how we won the Battle of Ruxukou?"

Xiao He asked back without waiting for Gan Ning to ask again.

Gan Ning was startled for a moment, then replied:

"Of course I remember. Back then, the military advisor used Cao Xiu to issue a declaration of war to the Three Caos, luring them to retreat from the shore and allowing our army to cross the river and land."

"The military advisor used the Repulsive Moon Formation to inflict heavy damage on Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, allowing the army to flow smoothly across the river and severely defeat Cao Cao's army..."

Speaking of this, Gan Ning's eyes suddenly lit up:
"Could it be that the military advisor is trying to use his old tricks again, using provocation to induce Cao Ren to retreat and allow our army to cross the river?"

Xiao He nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"That's exactly what I meant. Xingba, didn't you capture Cao Zhi alive? Of course, you won't let us go. But you can use his pen to send a declaration of war to Cao Ren, urging him to let our army cross the river for a decisive battle."

Gan Ning suddenly understood Xiao He's intention.

After hesitating for a moment, he said:

"Cao Zhi is Cao Cao's son, so using him as a mouthpiece could indeed irritate Cao Ren."

"Just in the Battle of Ruxukou, the military advisor's Queyue Formation shocked the world. Given Cao Ren's military prowess, I'm afraid he might be prepared."

"If he learns from his mistakes and doesn't give our troops a chance to land and deploy, but instead attacks us halfway across the river upon seeing us land, I'm afraid this military advisor's plan will pan out..."

Gan Ning did not finish his words and stopped talking.

But the meaning is clear. Cao Ren is not a fool. How could he let you use the same strategy twice?

Cao Ren must have pretended to fall into a trap and retreat. As soon as your troops and chariots land, before you have time to deploy the Que Yue Formation, he will launch an attack and drive your landed troops back into the Fei River in one fell swoop.

"Once you use the Queyue Formation once, it will be ineffective the second time."

Xiao He also acknowledged Gan Ning's concerns, but then changed the subject and smiled meaningfully:
"But I'm using this old trick again, not to set up the Moon Formation, I just want Cao's army to retreat."

"If he dares to retreat, I have my own way to make him collapse."

Gan Ning's eyes became more and more confused.

As long as Cao's army retreats, it will collapse thousands of miles away...

Cao's army was not a mob, and Cao Ren was no good-for-nothing. How could they be defeated so quickly after a slight retreat?
What's more, Cao's army had 40,000 soldiers and horses, and had a twice-to-one advantage in terms of manpower. Why would they retreat?

"I won't hide it from you, Xingba. Didn't Cao Cao previously use Sun Deng and Zhang Zhao to recruit Sun's former subordinates? After discussing with the general, I ordered Liu Zan to lead his troops north and feign surrender to Cao Ren. He should be among Cao's troops on the other side of the river right now."

"Now is the time to make use of this hidden chess piece. Also, with Bagong Mountain behind us, we can also use the strategy of seeing every tree and grass as an enemy..."

There was no need for Xiao He to keep the secret, so he told Gan Ning all his plans.

The confusion in Gan Ning's eyes gradually turned into surprise.

"It turns out that Military Advisor Bo Wen had already planted an internal support within Cao's army. And this strategy of seeing enemies everywhere is truly a brilliant idea..."

Gan Ning was full of surprise and praised it highly.

But after the excitement, Gan Ning's eyes still showed a trace of worry:
"This plan, military advisor, is truly ingenious, but Cao Ren is a renowned general of his time..."

What Gan Ning meant was that he was still worried that with Cao Ren's military ability, he might be able to resist this plan.

Xiao He looked towards the other side, a sneer appearing on the corner of his mouth.

How powerful was the Former Qin Emperor Fu Jian? He wiped out all the kingdoms, unified the north, and led a million troops south, intending to destroy the Eastern Jin Dynasty and unify the world.

However, they were defeated by Xie Xuan in a battle at the foot of Shouchun City, on the banks of the Fei River, and their million-strong army was wiped out.

The strategy used by Xiao He was the strategy for the Jin army to defeat the Former Qin army.

No matter how powerful Cao Ren is, can he be stronger than Fu Jian?
Xiao Hesui's eyes were as hard as steel, and he smiled proudly:
"If Cao Ren dares to retreat and let us cross the river, he will undoubtedly lose this battle!"

"Xingba, don't worry too much. Just make preparations quickly."

Gan Ning was shocked.

The person standing in front of me is Xiao He, a man of great foresight who has never been defeated in his life!
Such a genius is already confident, and you still have concerns, isn't that ridiculous?

Gan Ning no longer had any worries and gladly accepted the order.

So Gan Ning took the order and followed Xiao He's plan, preparing for a battle by crossing the river.

Xiao He ordered Deng Ai to do it, but asked Cao Zhi to write a declaration of war to Cao Ren on his behalf.

Xiao He went into the tent and leisurely sipped tea, waiting for everything to be ready.

Half an hour later, Deng Ai returned empty-handed.

Cao Zhi actually refused to write this declaration of war!
This surprised Xiao He.

According to Gan Ning, this talented man from the Cao family was so frightened when he was captured in Huaiyin that he collapsed on the ground, introduced himself, and begged Gan Ning not to kill him.

Logically, this is a person who is afraid of death and loves life.

But Deng Ai said that he used both soft and hard tactics, even threatening Cao Zhi with death, but Cao Zhi remained stubborn and would rather die than obey.

"This Cao family may seem cowardly, but they actually have some backbone. Interesting..."

Xiao He became interested instead, so he ordered Cao Zhi to be brought in to see him.

After a while.

A dejected and haggard young man was escorted into the tent with a nervous look on his face.

Xiao He did not make things difficult for Cao Zhi, but gave him a seat and served him tea.

Cao Zhi seemed to have been thirsty for a long time. He didn't care about his manners and drank the whole bowl of tea in one gulp.

Xiao He waited patiently for him to finish drinking before asking:
"Cao Zijian, I heard that you refused to write a declaration of war to your uncle Cao Ren. Is that true?"

Cao Zhi's body shuddered slightly, and a vague ominous premonition arose in his heart.

After hesitating for a while, Cao Zhi still nodded:
"Yes, I did refuse to write the challenge."

"How can you be so confident as to refuse? Aren't you afraid that we will kill you?"

Xiao He stared at the talented man from the Cao family in front of him with curiosity.

Cao Zhi took a deep breath, a hint of generosity ignited in his eyes, and he said seriously:
"I am not a saint, and fear of death is human nature!" "But if I write this declaration of war, it will be equivalent to announcing to the world that I, Cao Zhi, have betrayed my father and am helping you to deal with my Cao family."

"If I do so, I will become a disgrace to the Cao family, a disgrace to my father, and the ridicule of the world!"

"Although I, Cao Zhi, fear death, I still have some integrity. I would rather die than do something that will leave me in disgrace for eternity!"

After hearing Cao Zhi's impassioned speech, Xiao He couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for this great talent of the Cao family.

Cao Zhi still had some shame and would rather die than bring shame to Cao Cao.

Of course, we’ll have to try to find out whether he really has guts or is just talking big.

With a frying pan and a knife placed on your neck, you will know whether you are really not afraid of death or just pretending.

However, Xiao He disdained to use these means. After all, the lord he followed was a benevolent and righteous leader like Liu Bei.

Xiao He rolled his eyes and a plan came to his mind.

So he sighed and pretended to be embarrassed:

"Master Cao has such character, which I truly admire. However, this declaration of war of yours is crucial to whether our army can cross the Fei River, so you must write it."

"Well, do you have the courage to compete with me?"

Cao Zhi was stunned and asked suspiciously what they were comparing.

Xiao He sipped his tea and said calmly:

"I've heard that you, Cao Zijian, are extremely talented, and your poetry and prose are unrivaled in the world. So I'd like to compete with you in poetry and prose."

"I will write you a poem. If you can defeat me, I will not trouble you with this letter of challenge."

"If you are willing to admit defeat and consider yourself inferior, then you should obediently write this declaration of war to me."

"what do you think?"

After hearing this, the corners of Cao Zhi's mouth twitched slightly, and he raised his eyebrows slightly.

It was obvious that he was trying his best to restrain himself and not show any contempt or arrogance.

I’m not good at martial arts, I’m not good at governing the country, but when it comes to poetry and prose, can’t I beat you in every minute?
When it comes to writing poetry and prose, if I, Cao Zhi, am second to none in the world, no one dares to claim to be number one!

"Do you really mean what you say?"

Cao Zhi suppressed his joy and asked with a questioning look on his face.

"That's natural."

Xiao He nodded slightly and sneered:

"Why, Master Cao, you're not afraid of death, so why are you afraid of a poetry contest with me?"

Under this stimulation, Cao Zhi no longer hesitated and said happily:
"Okay, then let's make it a deal. I'd like to see your masterpiece!"

When Xiao He saw him fall into the pit, the corners of his mouth curled up secretly, and he asked Deng Ai to bring paper and pen.

"At this point in time, he probably hasn't written it yet..."

After a brief thought, Xiao He picked up his brush and began to write on the silk paper.

Deng Ai opened his eyes wide, full of curiosity, thinking that he had never heard that his own military advisor was also well versed in poetry and literature?

Cao Zhi was also full of curiosity, wondering which scholar in Liu's camp this person was who had the confidence to compete with him in poetry.

While the two were speculating and doubting, Xiao He had already written a long fu in one go.

"Here is my humble work, and I hope Master Cao will give me some comments."

Xiao He threw away his pen, picked up the tea bowl again, and sipped it leisurely.

Cao Zhi walked forward, his eyes fixed on the piece of poetry, full of speculation.

The first three words of the title: The Goddess of Luo River.

"In the third year of Jian'an, I went to the capital and returned to Luochuan..."

Cao Zhi slowly recited this "Ode to the Goddess of Luo River".

His eyes widened, and his expression changed from curiosity to surprise, and then from surprise to shock.

As he was reading, Cao Zhi suddenly picked up the silk paper, his hands trembling, and his voice hoarse and excited.

He looked as if what he was holding in his hands was not a piece of poetry, but a priceless treasure.

Finally, the whole text was finished.

Cao Zhi sucked in a breath of cold air and looked at Xiao He in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe that there was such a talented person under Liu Bei's command.

I've never heard of such a person in the Jingyang area?

"Master Cao, what do you think of this poem, The Goddess of Luo River?"

Xiao He put down the tea bowl and asked calmly.

Cao Zhi was shocked for a moment before he came to his senses and carefully put down the silk paper.

Then he sighed deeply, and bowed to Xiao He with complicated eyes:
"Your poem, The Goddess of Luo River, is truly a masterpiece unparalleled in history!"

"If the world's talent is only one stone, I will have one bushel. If the ancient and modern times share one bushel, you alone will have eight bushels!"

"Zhi feels inferior and is willing to admit defeat."

Xiao He's mouth corners slightly raised.

This "Ode to the Goddess of Luo River" is your masterpiece. It's impossible for you to write a better work than this one. You have no choice but to admit defeat...

"Since I have won this competition, please accept the defeat, Master Cao."

Xiao He picked up the pen and handed it to Cao Zhi.

Cao Zhi sighed helplessly.

Knowing that this declaration of war would bring shame to Cao Cao and make him ridiculed by the world, he had no choice but to write it anyway.

Xiao He stood aside with his hands behind his back, reciting the contents of the declaration of war.

Cao Zhi was reluctant, but he had to write silently without missing a single word.

A moment later, a provocative declaration of war was written by Cao Zhi.

Xiao He accepted it with satisfaction, and ordered Cao Zhi to be invited down and treated with courtesy.

Cao Zhi shook his head and sighed, then turned around and left sadly.

Just as he was about to leave the tent, he suddenly remembered something and turned around and asked:

"I don't know your name, could you tell me?"

Before Xiao He could answer, Deng Ai sneered:
"Cao Zhi, you're Cao...Cao Cao's son, yet you don't even recognize my military advisor Xiao?"

Cao Zhi's expression suddenly changed, and he looked at Xiao He in astonishment.

(End of this chapter)