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

Chapter 36: I can’t compare to this person who can make Cao Cao suffer a great defeat!

Is Xu Shu the same as Xu You?

Cao Cao was confused.

"Xu Shu must be harboring resentment towards the Prime Minister. After returning to Liu Bei, he will certainly devote all his efforts to offering advice and suggestions to Liu Bei to fight against the Prime Minister."

"Then why don't you take advantage of this, Prime Minister? Pretend to allow Xu Shu to go to Chaoyang to meet his mother, and then quietly let him see the strengths and weaknesses of our Chaoyang granary. Then..."

Cheng Yu narrowed his eyes, put on a sly smile, and told the plan in detail.

The confusion on Cao Cao's face gradually disappeared, and turned into surprise. When he heard the last sentence, he clapped his hands and laughed.

"What a brilliant plan! Zhongde's plan is truly ingenious and beyond comprehension!"

Cao Cao praised it highly and said with a smile:
"Let's use Zhongde's plan and borrow Xu Shu's hand to lure the big-eared thief to come and die!"

Cheng Yu smiled but said nothing.

Liu Ye and other counselors also understood Cheng Yu's plan at this moment. They all nodded and looked at Cheng Yu with admiration.

Cao Cao stood up and walked outside the tent, standing with his hands behind his back, looking towards Xiangyang from afar, with a sarcastic sneer on his lips.

"Liu Bei, do you think you can be so arrogant towards me just because you won a small victory?"

"If you want Xu Shu, I will give you Xu You."

"What a pity, I am not Yuan Shao!"

...

Seven days later, we arrived at the ferry on the south bank of the Han River.

Liu Bei stood on the pier, looking into the distance.

Behind him, counselors and generals such as Xiao He, Guan Yu, and Sun Qian were all present, waiting for Xu Shu to return.

Not long after, a boat came from the north and slowly sailed into the ferry.

"Yuan Zhi!"

Before the boat docked, Liu Bei recognized Xu Shu and waved to him happily.

Xu Shu, who was on the bow of the boat, suddenly had tears in his eyes and was shaking with excitement.

Before the ship reached the shore, Xu Shu jumped off the warship.

"Comrade, I pay my respects to the Lord!"

He took a step forward and bowed down before Liu Bei.

"Yuanzhi, please get up quickly!"

Liu Bei hurriedly helped Xu Shu up. The master and the minister looked at each other, both with tears in their eyes. Although they had thousands of emotions, they could not express them in words.

After a long time.

Liu Bei finally calmed down his excitement, patted Xu Shu on the shoulder and said with emotion:
"Yuanzhi, ah Yuanzhi, after we parted at Xinye, I thought we would never see each other again in this life."

"I never thought that you, Yuanzhi, would be standing in front of Bei again today!"

"God has truly been kind to me, Liu Bei!"

Xu Shu also suppressed his surging emotions and said with emotion:
"That day, when I entered Cao's camp, I swore never to offer a single strategy to Cao Cao, but I also knew that I would never have the chance to serve him again."

"I never thought that General Guan would capture Yu Jin alive at the Battle of Han River, and my lord would even think of using Yu Jin to exchange for his concubine and mother."

"My lord, your kindness to me is such that I cannot repay you even if I die!"

"Now that I have no more worries, I will go through fire and water for my lord without hesitation!"

Xu Shu expressed his heartfelt wishes and bowed again.

Without waiting for him to bow, Liu Bei helped him up, patted his shoulder and smiled:
"You and I are king and subject, and we know each other well. There is no need to say anything. From now on, we will work together to accomplish the great cause of supporting the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Bei and Xu Shu both came from heroic families, and had the heroic and unrestrained spirit of a knight in their bones. The two of them disdained to say those touching words and just looked at each other and laughed.

"However, Yuanzhi, your return is thanks to Bowen."

Liu Bei turned around and pointed at Xiao He with a smile:

"It was Bowen who reminded Yunchang before the battle to capture Yu Jin alive. It was also he who suggested exchanging Yu Jin for Yuan Zhi, so that we could meet again."

Xu Shu was startled and looked at the unfamiliar face in the crowd.

"My name is Xiao He. I have long heard of Brother Yuanzhi's great name. Seeing him today, I can see that he is indeed very impressive."

Xiao He smiled and walked forward to greet him.

Xu Shu looked Xiao He up and down, his eyes filled with curiosity. Xiao He, Xiao Bowen...

Jingzhou has never heard of such a person.

Judging from Liu Bei's attitude, he seems to have considerable trust and reliance on this new strategist.

"So it was Brother Bowen's plan that saved me from this predicament. I must thank Brother Bowen very much."

Xu Shu bowed immediately.

Xiao He hurriedly supported Xu Shu and smiled disapprovingly:
"Brother Yuanzhi, you are too polite. The battle was fought by General Yunchang, and Brother Yuanzhi was also exchanged for by the Lord. I just had a flash of inspiration and moved my lips."

Xiao He is used to being low-key, but others do not allow him to be low-key.

Liu Bei immediately put away his smile and said seriously:
"Yuanzhi, Bowen is just being modest. Don't take it seriously."

"To be honest, I originally wanted Yunchang to defend Fancheng. It was Bowen who recommended Huo Zhongmiao, a talented defender, that allowed us to hold off Cao Cao's army of over 100,000 with only 5,000 soldiers."

"The battle on the Han River was also predicted by Bowen. Yunchang has a talent for water battles and will definitely be able to defeat Yu Jin. That's why I have the confidence to let Yunchang fight with all his strength!"

Xu Shu's eyes widened, and the look he gave Xiao He changed from curiosity to surprise.

"There's one more thing, Yuanzhi, do you know how my brother decided to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang?"

As soon as Liu Bei finished speaking, Guan Yu took over the conversation.

Xu Shu hesitated for only a moment, then asked:

"Isn't this surprise attack on Xiangyang the work of Kong Ming?"

"The strategy of seizing the Fancheng water camp, crossing the Han River at night, and launching a surprise attack on Xiangyang with internal and external support was naturally planned by military advisor Kong Ming."

Guan Yu first pointed out Zhuge Liang's contribution, and then changed the subject:
"However, the proposal to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang came from Bo Wen."

Xu Shu's heart was shocked, and his eyes changed from surprise to astonishment.

"Actually, it was like this. Back then, Bo Wen had already calculated that Jing Sheng had passed away due to illness, and that Liu Cong was being held hostage by Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, and would definitely surrender Jingzhou to Cao Cao. Therefore, Bo Wen proposed to prepare..."

Xu Shu was a family member, so Liu Bei did not hold back and told him everything in detail.

Xu Shu suddenly realized, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Xiao He turned into shock.

"He was able to predict Liu Biao's death from fright, Liu Cong's surrender to Cao Cao, and persuade the lord to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang. He even recommended generals like Wei Yan and Huo Jun. He is truly a rare talent!"

"No wonder I felt that the Lord's actions were very different from the ordinary ones when we were in Cao's camp. It turns out that besides Kong Ming, there was actually such a remarkable person assisting him behind the scenes..."

Xu Shu was amazed in his heart and quickly bowed to Xiao He:

"I have lived in Jingzhou for many years, but I had no idea that Jingxiang even had such a remarkable person like Brother Bowen. Brother Bowen's strategies are astonishing, and I am truly far behind."

Xiao He was flattered by them so much that he felt a little embarrassed.

"Yuan Zhi, you're being too serious. To be honest, I'm really not good at strategy. In terms of intelligence and strategy, I'm far behind Military Advisor Kong Ming and Brother Yuan Zhi."

Faced with Xu Shu's praise, Xiao He could only cough dryly a few times and smiled a little embarrassedly.

Xu Shu turned and looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and smiled meaningfully.

Xu Shu immediately understood.

Liu Bei's smile was telling him that Xiao Bowen was very clever and unfathomable, and that he was being low-key and humble on purpose, so he should never believe it.

Xu Shu's eyes turned slightly, and he smiled knowingly:
"No one in Cao's camp knows that the lord has a rare talent like you to assist him. You are the hidden sword that helps the lord fight against Cao Cao."

"Since it's a hidden sword, it naturally can't be shown to others easily."

"Brother Bowen, I understand what you mean, I understand..."

Xiao He had no choice but to give up "struggling". Since Xu Shu insisted on thinking so, he could only let him do it.

"Yuanzhi, I have prepared a welcoming banquet for you. Let's talk about it when we return to the city."

Liu Bei invited Xu's mother to get off the boat, met her politely, and ordered her to be sent to Xiangyang City for resettlement by carriage and horse.

Liu Bei and his entourage entered the city chatting and laughing.

Half an hour later, the state capital was filled with the smell of alcohol and the sounds of talking and laughing.

After several rounds of drinking, Xu Shu put down his wine glass and his expression became serious.

"My lord, I have a plan that could repel Cao Cao's 150,000-man army and lift the siege of Fancheng in one fell swoop. Would you dare to use it?"

(End of this chapter)