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

Chapter 54: Want to fight to the bitter end? Then defeat his -man army in one battle!
Xiao He.

A strange name appeared before the Cao family's ruler and his ministers for the first time.

There was another round of discussion in the tent.

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes were blank.

"Jingzhou is a land of outstanding people and wisdom, with many wise and strategic men. Among them, Kuai Yidu is the most famous, known as the best counselor in Jingxiang."

"As for Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and others, although they are not as famous as Kuai Yue, they are also well-known and well-known people."

"We have never heard of this Xiao He that the Prime Minister mentioned."

Liu Ye responded loudly.

This answer also represents the voice of everyone present.

"Another unknown person..."

Cao Cao threw the silk book on the table and asked again:

"Could it be that Xiao He, like Zhuge Liang, is just a country bumpkin?"

Cheng Yu shook his head and said:
"Although Zhuge Liang worked as a farmer in the countryside, he was a descendant of the Zhuge clan of Langya. His uncle, Zhuge Xuan, was also a renowned scholar. I heard he even took the hermit Sima Hui as his teacher."

"Although Zhuge Liang was not well-known before, he was not an unknown person."

"As for this Xiao He, Yu knew nothing about him. It was as if he suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

All the counselors nodded, expressing their deep agreement with what Cheng Yu said.

Cao Cao scoffed and asked disapprovingly:

"So, according to you, Zhongde, it was this unknown person named Xiao He who saw through your plan and caused Liu Bei to burn 400,000 hu of grain?"

There was obvious disdain in Cao Cao's tone.

Cheng Yu's expression was solemn, and he said seriously:
"Although Xiao He is not well-known and his background is unknown, Prime Minister, please don't forget that Liu Bei is very good at judging people."

"If Xiao He had no extraordinary abilities, why would Liu Bei, for no apparent reason, appoint such an unknown person as his assistant?"

Cao Cao's heart trembled slightly, and the light flakes on his face faded away.

The only heroes in the world are you and Cao Er.

He was the one who said this.

Naturally, he also recognized Liu Bei's ability to judge people.

Guan Yu was just a peddler, and Zhang Fei was a butcher. These two were powerful generals who could defeat ten thousand enemies, but Liu Bei recognized their talents.

Wasn't it Liu Bei who boldly recruited Zhuge Liang, a little-known figure who worked as a farmer in the countryside?

Holding an official position is not a small one. With Liu Bei's vision, it is naturally impossible to give such an important position to an ordinary person.

"Zhongde's words make sense. I am even three points behind the big-eared thief in his ability to judge people."

Cao Cao's eyes became alert again, and he said:
"Pass on my order. Have the spies from the South Bank investigate Xiao He thoroughly for me. They must get to the bottom of his background!"

Cheng Yu accepted the order.

The matter of Xiao He came to an end for the time being. Cao Cao had now completely calmed down and had to face the war at hand.

"My Lords, how should this war be fought? I want to hear your opinions."

Cao Cao picked up the tea bowl and glanced at his advisers.

The counselors looked at each other, and seemed to have reached a consensus in their hearts, but no one took the lead.

"Prime Minister, please forgive my frankness. I believe that returning north is the best strategy at this moment."

In the end, it was Man Chong, who was known for his uprightness, who was the first to stand up and speak out frankly.

Cao Cao frowned slightly and clenched the soup bowl in his hand slightly.

"Fancheng was a long siege, and our army's morale was broken. The battle of Han River was a annihilation of our navy, and our morale was further broken."

"Now that the grain and grass in Deng County have been burned, the morale of the soldiers of the three armies has been severely damaged."

"With morale so low, it's clearly not wise to continue to stagnate beneath a fortified city."

"Furthermore, the Deng County granary was burned, and our army lost nearly half of its stored food. The food stored in Chaoyang alone is not enough to sustain this endless stalemate with Liu Bei."

"Insufficient food and fodder, morale is crushed, and the siege is prolonged and unsuccessful. This is a major taboo in military strategy."

"So Chong thought it would be best to return to the north and wait until next year when we have more soldiers and more food before attacking Jingzhou again!"

Man Chong analyzed the pros and cons clearly for Cao Cao and urged him to withdraw his troops.

With him taking the lead, Liu Ye and other counselors had no scruples and all agreed.

Cao Cao's face became increasingly gloomy, and he gripped the tea bowl tighter and tighter in his hand.

"boom!"

The tea bowl was smashed onto the table.

"I will never return north!"

Cao Cao suddenly roared, his words were firm, domineering and fierce.

Everyone was shocked, and the tent fell silent. Man Chong and other counselors, taking one look at Cao Cao's expression, immediately understood his thoughts.

Their Prime Minister Cao chose face over substance.

Cao Cao swore an oath at Xudu, and marched south with an army of 800,000 soldiers. He made a bold statement that within half a year, he would conquer Jingzhou, sweep Jiangdong, take over the south of the Yangtze River with great ease, and unify the world.

Not only was he blocked in Fancheng, but he was also defeated by Liu Bei and suffered heavy casualties. In the end, he returned in disgrace and without success.

Where is my reputation, Cao Cao?

Where to put my face?
"I have only one thing to say. Remember this: I will not withdraw my troops until I have conquered Jingzhou and wiped out Liu Bei!"

Cao Cao glanced at everyone with his eagle eyes, his words and expression were full of unquestionable determination.

All the counselors understood the situation and no one dared to raise any objection.

After scolding everyone, Cao Cao's expression eased slightly.

"The big-eared thief just burned 400,000 hu of my grain. I control the entire north, how could I be defeated by a mere 400,000 hu of grain?"

Cao Cao's face flashed with pride, and he waved his hand and shouted:
"Quickly send a message to Miaocai, instructing him to urge all states to increase their grain taxes and send them immediately to the front lines in Jingzhou to make up for the losses in the battle of Deng County!"

When the counselors heard this, their faces changed slightly. They all felt that Cao Cao's move was inappropriate, but they did not dare to say a word.

"Prime Minister, the imperial court has been engaged in wars for years, and the burden on the people is growing heavier. This time, in order to conquer Jingzhou in the south, the imperial court has already increased grain taxes."

"If we impose additional taxes now, I'm afraid the people will be overwhelmed and it will provoke a civil uprising!"

In the end, it was Man Chong who stood up and spoke frankly and impartially.

Cao Cao was slightly moved and fell silent.

Man Chong's reminder finally sounded a little alarm for him.

just.

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Cao Cao sighed:
"Destroying the two thieves Liu Bei and Sun Quan and reclaiming Jiangnan is the grand plan for unifying the country. All sacrifices are worth it."

"For the sake of this great cause of the country, let the people suffer a little longer."

In the end, Cao Cao rejected Man Chong's advice.

Man Chong remained silent.

Everyone was silent.

Cao Cao's face was filled with arrogance again, and he said proudly:

"I hold the entire north, and the Big Eared Bandits only hold a small corner of Xiangfan."

"If the big-eared thief wants to fight, I will fight him!"

"I want to see who will give up first and start a rebellion!"

...

Xiangyang Water Camp, the central military tent.

"Cao Cao, disregarding the heavy burdens borne by the people of the northern states, has once again forcibly levied grain taxes to supply his army."

"Right now, the grain and grass forcibly requisitioned from the states of Yu, Yan, Ji, and the other two rivers are being continuously transported to Cao's camp in Fancheng."

"According to current intelligence, Cao Cao was able to forcibly requisition at least 300,000 hu of grain and fodder this time."

Yi Ji frowned and reported the latest information in his hands one by one.

Inside the big tent, Liu Bei's face gradually became gloomy, Xu Shu's brows also gradually furrowed, and the atmosphere became increasingly solemn.

Xiao He also felt a little pain in his head.

The original thought was that after burning half of Cao's army's stored food, Cao Cao would be tactful and lead his troops to retreat north, thus averting the danger of Xiangfan.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao was so stubborn that he risked provoking a civil uprising and forcibly collected food and fodder from the people under his rule to make up for the losses in the battle of Deng County.

Cao Cao was determined to fight them to the death at all costs.

"The remaining food and fodder in Xiangyang is only enough to sustain us for another two months. If Cao Cao is determined to continue to hold out, I'm afraid that before Cao Cao's rear area stirs up a rebellion, chaos will break out here first."

"Bowen, Yuanzhi, we can't just sit there and wait for death."

Liu Bei explained the interests involved and looked to his two advisers for a solution.

Xu Shu frowned, his thoughts racing, but he couldn't think of a way to break the deadlock.

Xiao He played with the tea bowl and sighed casually:
"It seems we must win a great victory and completely defeat Cao Cao's 150,000-man army."

This casual sigh lifted the spirits of everyone in the tent.

Liu Bei, Xu Shu, Guan Yu...

Everyone's surprised eyes were instantly directed at Xiao He.

Liu Bei was even more ecstatic and asked excitedly:

"Bo Wen, do you have a brilliant plan that can defeat Cao's 150,000 troops in one fell swoop?"

(End of this chapter)