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

Chapter 202 He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world! Liu Bei: Use Bo Wen's strategy, borrow the power of heaven, and overthrow Shouchun!
Liu Bei couldn't help but look surprised.

The condition proposed by Xiao He and Yang Xiu was not mentioned in advance, and it seemed more like a sudden inspiration.

However, Xiao He had also analyzed the situation of the Cao family in advance. Although Cao Cao currently wanted to support Cao Chong as the crown prince, Cao Pi and Cao Zhi had not accepted their fate and were still trying to rescue themselves.

Otherwise, Cao Zhi would not have given up the pleasures of Xudu and traveled all the way to Huainan to eat dirt.

Let Cao Zhi go back and let him continue to fight for the throne with the two brothers Cao Pi and Cao Chong, just like the Yuan brothers fought for the throne back then. Letting the brothers kill each other and consume themselves will be beneficial to himself.

If I could exchange Cao Zhi for Shouchun, that would naturally be a pleasant surprise and the best thing could be.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei remained silent and let Xiao He take control of the situation.

"It's impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"If I blatantly betray the Prime Minister, how can he forgive me, and how can he forgive my Yang family?"

"Military Advisor Xiao, your condition is too unreasonable. There is absolutely no way I can agree to it!"

Yang Xiu was surprised and flatly refused on the spot.

Without Cao Zhi, he and the Yang family would only be likely to be liquidated by Cao Chong in the future. The Hongnong Yang family might also lose their original status as a century-old prestigious family in the new dynasty of the Cao family.

But if he openly betrayed Cao Cao and helped Liu Bei capture Shouchun, the consequences would not only be liquidation but also the decline of his family.

Given Cao Cao's ruthlessness, it is not impossible that he wiped out the Hongnong Yang family in a rage.

Yang Xiu wanted to rescue Cao Zhi, but he definitely didn't want to sacrifice the lives of more than a hundred members of his entire family!

"Master Yang, don't get excited. I only asked you to help our general capture Shouchun. I didn't ask you to betray Cao Cao."

Xiao He smiled disapprovingly.

Yang Xiu's excitement had just subsided a little, but he said in confusion:
"Xiu is just a small clerk, without power or troops. How can he help you take Shouchun? Military Advisor Xiao, please explain clearly."

Xiao He smiled and said lightly:

"All you need to do is enter Shouchun under the pretext of tipping off Cao Ren and persuade him to drive all the people out of Shouchun. Then, you can secretly report Cao Ren's every move at any time."

Yang Xiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his eyes revealed deep confusion.

On the surface, what Xiao He asked him to do did not show any signs of betrayal to Cao Cao.

But he couldn't understand what driving out the people in the city had to do with taking over Shouchun City?
After all, Cao Ren relied on more than 30,000 soldiers to defend Shouchun, not on the tens of thousands of Shouchun people.

Not only Yang Xiu, but Liu Bei also looked puzzled and could not guess the intention of Xiao He's action.

Only Pang Tong's eyes flickered, and he vaguely guessed something.

"Military Advisor Xiao, I don't quite understand how what you asked me to do can help you capture Shouchun."

Yang Xiu, who had recovered from his shock, asked blankly.

Xiao He did not point it out, but just said lightly:
"How we take Shouchun is not something you need to worry about. I just want to ask you one question: do you agree or not?"

Yang Xiu didn't dare to ask any further questions, so he could only look at Liu Bei.

Xiao He’s words don’t count, he still needs Liu Bei’s approval.

Although Liu Bei was also doubtful, he had complete faith in Xiao He and said:

"What Bowen said is what I say. If you can do this, I will release Cao Zhi as promised."

Yang Xiu fell silent and weighed the pros and cons.

"They asked me to do this, which certainly won't make the Prime Minister suspect that I've betrayed him, and it shouldn't bring me any fatal disaster."

"As for Shouchun and even Huainan, although they have fallen into the hands of Liu Bei, which is detrimental to the country, with the Prime Minister's strength, they will be recaptured sooner or later."

"If we can get Master Zijian back, there's still hope for the Yang family and me. So, trading Shouchun for Master Zijian is definitely worth it..."

Yang Xiu's thoughts were swirling.

After a long moment, his eyes turned into a look of determination, and he bowed:

"Okay, let's make it a deal. I'll persuade Cao Zixiao to drive the people out of Shouchun City, and the general will release my son, Zijian!"

The deal was done.

Liu Bei then instructed Chen Dao to arrange for Yang Xiu to go to Shouchun.

As soon as Yang Xiu left, the tent was in an uproar.

"Military Advisor, I don't understand. How can you help us capture Shouchun by asking Yang Xiu to incite Cao Ren to drive out the civilians?"

Zhang Fei scratched the back of his head and shouted with a confused look on his face.

Liu Bei and everyone else looked at Xiao He, all with the same puzzled expression.

"According to Cao Cao's current strategy, he should focus on capturing Guanlong. He should order Cao Ren to hold Huainan and wait for him to pacify Guanlong before returning south to provide support."

"Not to mention that Ma Chao and Han Sui are not united, even if they were united, now that they have lost the natural strongholds of Tongguan, they are no match for Cao Cao. It is only a matter of time before they are defeated."

"Therefore, our strategy for capturing Shouchun must not drag on into a protracted war. We must capture Shouchun quickly!"

Xiao He pointed at Shouchun City on the sand table and spoke in a firm tone.

Liu Bei agreed with this and nodded repeatedly, then asked hurriedly:
"Then, Bowen, do you have any good plan to quickly capture Shouchun?"

Xiao He took a deep breath and slowly said four words:

"Shouchun is flooded!"

At the same time, Xiao He's hand had moved to the west of Shouchun, pointing to the Fei River that runs from south to north.

Shouchun flooded?

Liu Bei's expression was slightly shocked, and his gaze shifted to the Fei River.

The next moment, he suddenly realized.

Shouchun City was built along the Fei River. Now it is autumn and the Fei River has risen sharply. If the Fei River dam is dug up, the power of the flood can be used to submerge Shouchun City.

In this way, we can borrow the power of heaven and quickly break Shouchun without any effort!

"Flood Shouchun, flood Shouchun... Bowen's plan is indeed a brilliant one to quickly capture Shouchun!"

Liu Bei suddenly understood and a look of joy appeared on his face.

There was an uproar in the tent, and all the generals were ecstatic.

"Military Advisor Bo Wen, I knew you were full of evil intentions. This plan to flood Shouchun is truly ruthless~~"

Zhang Fei was excited and delighted, and he praised Xiao He in his unique way of praising people, which made it difficult to tell whether it was praise or criticism.

Liu Bei was extremely embarrassed when he heard the words "full of evil intentions" and had to cough lightly to remind his sworn brother.

"Military Advisor Bowen, I'm not trying to say you're full of evil intentions. I'm trying to praise your foresight..."

Zhang Fei scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. Suddenly he remembered something and said puzzledly:
"By the way, Military Advisor Bo Wen, what does your plan to flood Shouchun have to do with Yang Xiu? Why did you ask him to encourage Cao Ren to drive the people away? I'm a little confused."

Xiao He smiled, looked at Liu Bei, and was about to explain.

Pang Tong's eyes lit up, and he spoke first:
"Although this plan is powerful, it will flood Shouchun, drowning not only the 30,000 Cao troops, but also the entire city's civilians."

"Our army is a righteous army. Although war will inevitably hurt civilians, the general will never ignore the lives of tens of thousands of civilians and use such a thundering strategy."

"Military Advisor Xiao ordered Yang Xiu to incite Cao Ren to drive all the civilians out of Shouchun. Without the worry of accidentally injuring civilians, wouldn't the general be able to flood Shouchun without any worries?"

Pang Tong finally figured out Xiao He's intention.

Xiao He smiled and agreed.

He knew Liu Bei too well. Given Liu Bei's benevolent and righteous character, he would never adopt a strategy that would disregard the lives of tens of thousands of people.

It was because he understood Liu Bei that he had to use Yang Xiu's hand to remove the restraints that bound Liu Bei's hands and feet.

Zhang Fei and the others suddenly realized and understood Xiao He's good intentions.

"Military Advisor Bowen, you've really thought it through. I don't submit to anyone but you!"

Zhang Fei's face was full of admiration, and he turned into a fanboy of Xiao He, exclaiming in admiration.

Liu Bei also showed a relieved smile, and sighed while stroking his thin beard: "The one who understands me is Bo Wen!"

The plan to break the city was thus decided.

Liu Bei immediately followed Xiao He's plan and secretly made preparations to accommodate the people, move the camp to high ground, and dig a dam on the Fei River.

...

Inside Shouchun City.

Yang Xiu, who had "broken through", was standing in front of Cao Ren.

"What did you say?"

"My five thousand soldiers were completely wiped out, Zhang Yan was captured, and Zilin was killed by Huang Zhong?" Cao Ren was horrified and asked Yang Xiu excitedly.

Zhang Liao, Li Dian, Liu Ye and others were also shocked.

Yang Xiu sighed and said with a bitter face:

"Xiu, following General Yuan Rang's orders, originally wanted to wait until our army succeeded in its surprise attack on Yingkou, then enter the city to report the victory to the general stationed there, to reassure the soldiers of Shouchun."

"Who would have thought that Liu Bei had already deployed a large force at Yingkou? Our surprise attack was completely annihilated, Zhang Yan was captured, and General Xiahou..."

Yang Xiu's voice was choked with sobs and he could no longer speak, so he could only sigh again.

Cao Ren sat down slowly, the shock on his face gradually gave way to anger, and he slammed his fist on the table.

"Big-eared thief, you've killed another of my nephews!"

"You have so much blood debt on your hands from our Cao and Xiahou families. Sooner or later, I, Cao Ren, will make you pay for it with blood~~"

Cao Ren beat his chest and stamped his feet, gritting his teeth in anger and helplessness.

Liu Ye sighed and said helplessly:
"Zang Ba of the East Route has been unable to break through Xuyi, and the reinforcements from the West Route have suffered heavy losses. The Prime Minister has decided to pacify Guanlong first, and then go south to rescue Huainan."

"General Zhendong, it seems we can't expect reinforcements anytime soon. We must be prepared to hold Shouchun on our own for a long time."

Cao Ren recovered from his grief and anger, gritted his teeth and said sternly:

"I have an army of 30,000. Shouchun City is as solid as a rock. Even if there are no reinforcements, we can still hold it on our own."

"If the big-eared thief dares to attack the city, let him attack with his horses. I wonder if he has the ability to break through Shouchun!"

Li Dian and other generals all agreed with enthusiasm.

Yang Xiu rolled his eyes and said:

"General Zhendong, according to Xiu, Liu Bei clearly doesn't intend to storm the city by force. Instead, he intends to lay siege for a long time. When our food supplies are exhausted, he will launch a strong attack from all sides."

"In addition to the food and fodder in our city, we also have tens of thousands of civilians to support our 30,000 soldiers. Can we really hold out until the day when the Prime Minister pacifies Guanlong and returns south?"

Cao Ren shuddered, suddenly reminded, and a look of worry appeared on his face.

Because of the sudden defeat, they had no time to harvest the autumn crops and were besieged in the city by Liu Bei.

The food and fodder stored in Shouchun City was enough to feed 30,000 soldiers for about three months.

Of course, if you eat sparingly, it's possible to last for five months.

Five months later, Cao Cao should come to rescue them, right?

The key point is that in addition to 30,000 soldiers in the city, there are tens of thousands of civilians who need to be fed.

With so many people having no food to buy and being extremely hungry, they are bound to riot. If that happens, Liu Bei won't need to attack the city, won't they riot without fighting?

"Dezu, you're right to remind me. This is indeed a difficult problem..."

Cao Ren stood up and paced back and forth, his brows furrowed in a frown.

Yang Xiu saw that the groundwork had been laid, and said:

"General Zhendong, Xiu has a plan that can help our army maintain its food and fodder for a few more months."

Cao Ren's eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked Yang Xiu what methods he had.

Yang Xiu pointed outside the mansion and said with a smile:

"General Zhenjun, don't forget that there are still tens of thousands of civilians in the city, and every household still has some food stored."

"If we can forcibly seize their stored grain, the food and fodder we obtain will be enough to feed our 30,000 soldiers for at least another two or three months."

Cao Ren seemed to be awakened, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Before he could express his opinion, Zhang Liao's face darkened:
"Yang Dezu, what kind of bad idea is this?"

"The people of this city are the Prime Minister's subjects. You ordered General Zhendong to seize their food. Aren't you trying to make the Prime Minister lose all support?"

"Furthermore, these people's life-saving food has been robbed. If they don't rise up in anger and resist, they will starve to death. If they force a rebellion, the city will be in chaos, giving Liu Bei an opportunity to take advantage. What will we do then?"

Zhang Liao asked a series of questions and retorted to Yang Xiu.

Liu Ye also nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Zhang Liao's concerns.

Yang Xiu smiled mysteriously and said disapprovingly:
"That's easy. General Zhendong just needs to drive these tens of thousands of people out of Shouchun and bring them to Liu Bei."

"Liu Bei has always prided himself on being benevolent and righteous, so he certainly wouldn't ignore the lives of these people. I have no choice but to take them in."

"This way, we don't have to worry about the people revolting, and we can use these tens of thousands of mouths to consume Liu Bei's army's food and fodder. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"

Cao Ren's worries disappeared and he praised happily:

"What a great plan that kills two birds with one stone! People say that you, Yang Dezu, are extremely intelligent, and your reputation is well-deserved."

"Okay, okay, if you can hold Shouchun this time, you will have made a great contribution. I will personally commend you to the Prime Minister!"

Yang Xiu pretended to be flattered and acted modestly to hide his shame.

Everyone thought that he was helping Cao Ren, but who would have thought that he was actually harming Cao Ren?

"General Zhendong, forgive my bluntness, but although Yang Zhubu's plan kills two birds with one stone, in the long run it will push the people of Huainan towards Liu Bei."

"The people of this city should have been protected by us, but now we have robbed them of their food and driven them out of their homes. How can they not feel resentment towards the Prime Minister?"

"If Liu Bei helps these people again, they will surely be grateful to him and he will win their hearts."

"He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. General Zhendong, Liao believes that you should be cautious."

Zhang Liao frowned deeply and gave a serious reminder.

Cao Ren snorted coldly and said disapprovingly:
"It's certainly good to plan for the long term, but we must first overcome the current difficulties and defend Shouchun. Otherwise, everything will be in vain."

"As for the people's hearts, my Cao family's rule relies on the Prime Minister's great talent and strategy, on you and I sacrificing our lives, on the blades in our hands. How could it ever rely on the people's hearts?"

"Back then, the Prime Minister massacred the people of Xuzhou, causing rivers of blood to flow. Now, aren't the people of Xuzhou just obedient citizens of the Cao family?"

"Wenyuan, don't let those empty and vain reputations tie your hands and feet."

Zhang Liao remained silent.

Liu Ye also wanted to persuade him, but after hearing what Cao Ren said, he knew that persuasion was useless and had to give up.

Cao Ren no longer had any scruples, so he shouted:
"Pass on my command. Immediately collect all the food stored by the people in the city. Anyone who refuses will be killed without mercy!"

"Then drive those tens of thousands of civilians out of the city and let them go and harm that big-eared thief!"

The generals had no choice but to obey orders.

On that day, Shouchun City was filled with cries of grief.

The people in the city were forced out by Cao's army, who ransacked their houses and looted all their stored food and supplies.

But anyone who dared to resist would be ruthlessly cut down by Cao's army.

After looting all the food and supplies, Cao's army opened the city gates at night and drove out tens of thousands of men, women, young and old.

Outside the city, Liu Bei had already made preparations to take in the people.

Tens of thousands of people who left the city were quickly settled into refugee camps that had been built in advance. Liu Bei ordered the allocation of tens of thousands of bushels of grain and fodder, and cooked rice and porridge to provide relief to the people who had been driven away.

...

Seven days later.

Inside the Chinese army's tent.

"General, General Ding has sent someone to report that everything is ready. We only need to wait for the general's order. The Feishui dam can be dug within half a day!"

The personal guard hurried into the tent to report.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and looked at Zhang Fei again:
"Yide, how are the new camps I ordered you to build on the surrounding high ground progressing?"

Zhang Fei patted his chest and laughed:

"General, how can I neglect the things you have arranged? Don't worry, everything was completed yesterday. Our army can move to the high ground at any time."

Liu Bei cheered up and looked at Xiao He again.

Xiao He smiled and said:

"Everything is ready, there is no time to lose, General, let's get started!"

Liu Bei no longer hesitated, looked around at the generals, and shouted:

"Pass the order down. As soon as night falls tonight, all soldiers from each camp will move to the new camp on the high ground."

"Send a message to Liao Hua: As soon as you see my signal fire, dig the Fei River and flood Shouchun!"

(End of this chapter)