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

Chapter 49: Was Liu Bei's house stolen? Did we drink the celebration wine too early?
Liu Bei suddenly realized why they were kneeling there.

In the states ruled by Cao Cao, labor service was extremely heavy, and it was common for people to flee.

Moreover, whenever Cao Cao gained a piece of land, he would forcibly relocate the people.

Earlier, after Cao Cao's army arrived at the Han River, he ordered the people of Deng County and other cities in the north of the Yangtze River close to the Han River to move north to Xinye and Rang County.

Therefore, of the nearly 10,000 people in Deng County, except for thousands of young and strong men who stayed behind to work as laborers to transport food and fodder, the rest were all forcibly relocated north and organized into settlements.

Cao Cao's exploitation of the farmers was extremely harsh, treating them only slightly better than slaves.

If these men were ignored, their fate would be either to be punished by Cao Cao or to be forcibly relocated north and recruited as farmers.

Therefore, out of fear, these people knelt here and asked Liu Bei to take them away.

"I understand. This is really difficult for you."

Liu Bei sighed softly, then said loudly:
"My fellow villagers, since I, Liu Bei, have caused you to vent your anger on Cao Cao due to my battle today, I, Liu Bei, will naturally not abandon you."

"Those of you who wish to follow me across the river should immediately follow the army south."

"If you are unwilling, I will not force you. I will give you some money so that you can find your own way out."

When these words were spoken, the people were overjoyed and kowtowed repeatedly to express their gratitude.

The ragged young man showed gratitude and bowed again:
"On behalf of the people of Deng...Deng County, I would like to thank Liu...Liu Yuzhou for saving my life."

Liu Bei looked at the young man in front of him again, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Despite being young and coming from a poor family, he dared to step forward and talk to him in a dignified manner.

This courage and calmness that does not match his age or status are truly impressive.

Liu Bei secretly praised it and asked:

"Little brother, what's your name?"

The young man was stunned.

Obviously, he had not expected that the world-famous Liu Yuzhou would actually ask for the name of a commoner like him. For a moment, he was a little flattered.

"Little brother, my master asked for your name."

Seeing that he was stunned, Zhao Yun reminded him.

The young man came back to his senses and hurriedly bowed and replied:
"My name is Deng Ai."

Deng Ai!

Liu Bei glanced at Deng County not far away.

The Deng family is also a big family in Jingzhou, and Deng County is the birthplace of the Deng family. This boy should be a descendant of the Deng family.

However, the Deng family is not like the Kuai family and the Cai family. These top-level wealthy families are mainly concentrated in the Xiangyang Yicheng area. They have many branches, and the status and circumstances of each branch vary greatly.

Deng Ai was dressed in rags and had fallen to the point of being drafted by Cao Cao at a young age. I guess he was one of the ones who fared worse.

"Deng Ai, are you willing to join the army and follow me, Liu Bei, to fight against Cao Cao and support the Han Dynasty?"

Liu Bei never cared about people's backgrounds. Since he admired Deng Ai's extraordinary courage, he wanted to recruit him into the army.

Deng Ai was overjoyed when he heard this and bowed without hesitation:
"I am willing to join the army, follow Liu Yuzhou, and drive that Cao... Cao thief out of Jingzhou!"

Liu Bei nodded in satisfaction and told Zhao Yun:

"Zilong, this child will be incorporated into your camp and you will be in charge."

Zhao Yun readily agreed.

Liu Bei jumped on his horse, looked back at the granary that had turned into a sea of ​​fire, and laughed heartily.

"Let's go, cross the river, and return to Xiangyang!"

Thirty thousand soldiers of Liu's army marched away with high morale, carrying the great victory of burning Cao's camp.

...

Outside Fancheng, Cao’s army’s main camp.

"Zhongde, come on, have a few drinks with me."

As soon as Cheng Yu stepped into the tent, Cao Ren pulled him to sit down and poured him a glass of wine with a smile.

"General Zixiao, it's against the rules to drink in the army." Cheng Yu gently pushed the wine glass away and politely refused.

Cao Ren, however, forced the wine glass into his hand and said with a smile:
"I can't sleep, Zhongde, please make an exception and have a few drinks with me."

Having said that, Cheng Yu couldn't refuse any longer. He smiled and picked up the wine glass.

After taking a sip, Cheng Yu asked:

"General Zixiao said he couldn't sleep. Could he be worried about the war in Chaoyang?"

"The one who understands me is Zhongde."

Cao Ren smiled, put his wine glass on the table, and approached Cheng Yu and asked:

"The Prime Minister has been setting up an ambush in Chaoyang for nearly two days, but no news has been sent back yet."

"Zhongde, how long do you think Liu Bei will wait before he walks into the trap?"

Cheng Yu's mouth curled up slightly, obviously guessing that Cao Ren was worried about this.

After counting on his fingers, Cheng Yu said slowly:

"It's impossible for the Jiangxia soldiers to remain trapped in the cabin forever. Liu Bei won't delay for more than three days at most. According to my calculations, Liu Bei must be leading his troops on the way to a surprise attack."

"Liu Bei should arrive at our gates tomorrow morning, and we should receive the battle report by this time tomorrow evening at the latest."

Cao Ren breathed a sigh of relief, a sneer flashing across his face.

"The Prime Minister has set an ambush with 90,000 troops. This time, that big-eared thief will have no chance of escaping. By this time tomorrow, he'll most likely be beheaded!"

"This thief has been the Prime Minister's enemy for over ten years. He always comes back to life and cannot be killed no matter how hard we try. He is truly despicable."

"Zhongde, your plan has finally relieved the Prime Minister of a major worry. The credit for this southern expedition must go to you, Zhongde."

"Come, come, let me toast you, Zhongde!"

Cheng Yu raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and although he held up the wine glass, he smiled faintly and said:
"The battle report hasn't arrived yet, and the outcome is still undecided. I'm afraid General Zixiao drank this glass of wine too early."

"Not early, not early at all!"

Cao Ren waved his hand and said with a confident smile:

"Zhongde, you used Xu Shu to lure out that big-eared thief without making any noise. This plan is so cunning and ingenious that even if Guo Fengxiao were resurrected, he would be defeated."

"With such a brilliant plan, how could Liu Bei fail?"

"Come on, come on, drink this glass of wine!"

After saying this, Cao Ren raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

"Feng Xiao's ingenious strategies and his extraordinary military tactics are unmatched in the world. I am ashamed to accept General Zixiao's words."

Cheng Yu still had self-awareness and did not dare to compare himself with the late Guo Jia.

After being humble, Cheng Yu raised his lips with a bit of confidence and said:

"Although my plan cannot compare to Feng Xiao's brilliant plan, it was enough to deceive Xu Shu and lure Liu Bei to his death."

After saying that, Cheng Yu was no longer "cautious". With a confident smile on his face, he raised his glass and looked up to drink.

"Uncle Zixiao, something big has happened!"

Before Cheng Yu could drink the wine, Cao Xiu rushed into the tent in a hurry, shouting.

Cheng Yu held the wine at his lips and looked at Cao Xiu warily.

Cao Ren hadn't noticed anything unusual yet, and reprimanded him unhappily:

"Wen Lie, you barged into the central military camp without permission, and acted so flustered. How disgraceful!"

Cao Xiu didn't bother to apologize and said anxiously:

"Uncle Zixiao, Yu Jin has just sent a courier here on horseback, claiming that Liu Bei has led an army of 30,000 men to attack Deng County and is storming our granary."

"Yu Jin has few soldiers and is responding hastily. I'm afraid he won't be able to hold out. Uncle Zixiao, please send troops to rescue us immediately!"

Cao Ren's expression changed with horror.

Cheng Yu's hand shook violently, and all the wine in the glass spilled over his body.

　I beg for some monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and support from all the Yanzus.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)