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

Chapter 79: The sword has seen blood, military advisor, don’t hide! My lord, be on guard against fire, theft and Sun Quan!
Xiao He suddenly understood.

Liu Bei made such a grand ceremony, probably because he wanted to appoint me as his military advisor.

Recalling the time when they had just captured Xiangyang, Liu Bei did say that he wanted to appoint him as the right military advisor, but he declined on the spot.

To be honest, he really doesn't want to be a military advisor.

After all, the higher the official position, the greater the responsibility.

Now he is just an assistant, but after the Battle of Xiangfan, he gave Liu Bei so many suggestions, either forced or voluntarily, that he pulled out countless hairs.

If he were promoted to the Right Military Advisor, the burden on him would be as heavy as Zhuge Liang's, and he would be under tremendous pressure.

Maybe if Liu Bei really achieves empire in the future and promotes himself to the position of Right Prime Minister, wouldn't I have to devote myself to the country like Zhuge Liang?
How high is considered a high position for an official?

So for Xiao He, being a military advisor and prime minister, second only to the emperor and above everyone else, is not as comfortable as working from nine to five.

"My Lord, have we ever made such an agreement?"

Xiao He had no choice but to pretend to be confused to see if he could get away with it.

Liu Bei was stunned.

You won the Battle of Xiangfan, and Cao Cao's 150,000 troops were defeated by your clever strategy. After this battle, you became famous, and the whole world knows your name, Xiao Bowen.

Needless to say, Sun Quan and Cao Cao will definitely know about your reputation as a brilliant man, Xiao Bowen.

Your hidden sword has already been unsheathed and shed blood. Is there any need to keep a low profile? Are you afraid that Cao Cao will find out?

"Bo Wen, I understand that you previously refused to be the Right Military Advisor because you were afraid that Cao Cao would become aware of your existence and therefore were on guard against you."

"But now that the war is over, your name, Xiao Bowen, can no longer be hidden. At this point, Bowen, there's no need for you to worry about it anymore."

"It's time to let the world know that I, Liu Bei, have found a brilliant military advisor like you, giving hope to the righteous men loyal to the Han Dynasty!"

Liu Bei became more and more excited as he spoke, and offered the wine glass to Xiao He again.

Xiao He smiled bitterly and thought to himself, I'm not really trying to be low-key, I just want to get some benefits every now and then.

"Xiao Bowen!"

"You tacitly agreed at the beginning that if you defeated Cao Cao, you would become your uncle's right military advisor. We were all witnesses."

"A real man should keep his word, but you can't keep your word!"

Guan Yinping became anxious and glared at Xiao He with her almond-shaped eyes.

"Your talent is ten times greater than mine, and you are as famous as Crouching Dragon. If you are appointed as the Right Military Advisor, I will be convinced, and Kong Ming will not mind. Brother Bo Wen, please do not worry."

Xu Shu came out to comfort and persuade him.

Obviously Xu Shu thought that Xiao He kept refusing because he was afraid of his lack of experience. If he agreed to be the right military advisor, Zhuge Liang would have some ideas about him.

Guan Yu also stepped forward and bowed solemnly:

"Bo Wen, there are only a few people in the world who can convince Guan, and you are one of them."

"You are absolutely worthy of this position of Right Military Advisor. Please do not refuse it again."

Guan Yu also expressed his opinion.

Moreover, he personally admitted in front of everyone that Xiao He was someone who caught his eye.

The man with beautiful beard has such a broad vision that he is probably the only one in the world who can be regarded so highly by the emperor.

Seeing that the atmosphere had become so tense, Xiao Heqing knew that if he continued to refuse, he would be ignorant of the ways of the world.

So he took a deep breath and took the glass of wine from Liu Bei, his expression changing from embarrassment to gratitude and solemnity.

"Although I am not very good at strategy, I cannot refuse the trust placed in me by my lord."

"Thank you very much for your promotion, my lord. I will do my best to assist you in upholding the Han Dynasty!"

Having made up his mind, Xiao He stopped being shy and accepted the appointment as the right military advisor with grace.

He raised his head and drank the glass of wine in his hand.

Liu Bei felt relieved and laughed out loud.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and laughed at each other.

Guan Yinping also smiled happily and bowed:
"Then from today on, I can no longer call you Bowen. I must respectfully address you as Bowen Military Advisor~~"

Xiao He smiled and waved his hand:

"It's just a title. You can still call me by my given name."

Guan Yinping put away her smile and said seriously:

"That won't do. You're my uncle's right military advisor now. If I continue to address you by your courtesy name, wouldn't that seem disrespectful and make you lose your dignity?"

"Then...then you can add the word 'military advisor'."

"But adding the word 'military advisor' wouldn't it make it seem more unfamiliar?"

"what?"

Xiao He scratched his head...

Looking at the two young men like this, Liu Bei and Guan Yu looked at each other secretly and couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"Uncle, on such a great day, I will ask them to arrange a banquet so that you and Military Advisor Bowen can have a few drinks."

Guan Ping on the side asked with a smile.

Liu Bei was in a good mood and laughed loudly:

"Okay, okay, Tanzhi, quickly go and prepare the wine and good food."

"I want to have a few drinks with you. Firstly, it's to celebrate the appointment of Bo Wen as military advisor, and secondly, it's to celebrate the great victory in Fancheng!"

Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere in the hall was lively and exciting.

"Ahem, my lord, let's drink this wine after we take Xinye."

A trace of vigilance flashed across Xiao He's brows, and he raised his hand and pointed south:
"If we drive Cao Cao back to the north, not only will the threat to Jingzhou be eliminated, but Cao Cao's threat to the entire south will also be temporarily eliminated."

"Without a common enemy, we will become Sun Quan's new enemy."

"I'm afraid that Blue Eyes will be jealous of our capture of Xiangfan and will turn his guns to attack Jingzhou at any time."

"So we must hurry and capture Xinye as quickly as possible so that we can turn around and deal with Sun Quan!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately quieted down.

"Bo Wen, are you saying that Sun Quan might betray us and send troops to attack?"

Liu Bei's smile also faded, and there was obvious doubt in his eyes and tone.

Xiao He sighed in his heart.

Liu Bei obviously did not understand Sun Quan thoroughly enough.

What do you mean by possible betrayal? It's definitely there, okay?

Didn't they suddenly break the alliance and stab you in the back when you captured Hanzhong, your brothers flooded seven armies, shocked China, and were about to take Xiangfan?

If I could stab you back then, why can’t I stab you now?
As enemies, Cao Cao was much more moral than Sun Quan in this respect.

Whenever Cao Cao wanted to attack someone, he would tell them clearly, "I'm here to deal with you. Clean your neck and prepare for the blow."

Even in the battle of massacring Xuzhou, although the means were brutal, the banner of revenge for his father was raised in advance.

Sun Quan was different.

This blue-eyed man rarely issues a manifesto in a dignified manner, telling his opponents clearly that he wants to fight him.

What he is best at is flirting with you on the surface, but when you are least prepared, he will suddenly draw his sword and stab you in the ribs.

After stabbing you twice, he got the benefit and immediately apologized to you pitifully. He was forced to do so and had no choice but to beg you not to take revenge.

Liu Bei firstly valued loyalty and trustworthiness, and secondly, he had never suffered a serious setback at the hands of Sun Quan, so naturally he did not dare to believe that the lord of Jiangdong would be a person who regarded loyalty and trustworthiness as dirt.

Since Xiao He had boarded Liu Bei's ship to support the Han Dynasty, it was naturally impossible for him to let Liu Bei fall into the hands of Sun Quan again.

Beware of fire, theft and Sun Quan. It’s always right to remember this.

"My lord, do you still remember what He said about Sun Quan? He is a man without any stance. He has no loyalty or trust in his eyes, only the word 'profit'."

"My lord, believe me. Sun Quan's betrayal and attack is not impossible, it's just a matter of time."

"All we can do is to capture Xinye as soon as possible so that we can move south!" Xiao He didn't know how to explain, so he could only make a direct conclusion.

Liu Bei felt a little nervous, and the suspicion in his eyes turned into vigilance.

"Brother, ever since Military Advisor Bo Wen came out of seclusion, his ability to judge people has been well known. He has never made a mistake."

"Since he has already calculated that Sun Quan will betray the alliance and attack, I think we should believe it without a doubt."

Guan Yu was the first to express his opinion and strongly agreed with Xiao He's prediction.

After hearing what Guan Yu said and recalling Xiao He's repeated "foresight", Liu Bei had already made a judgment in his mind.

No matter whether Xiao He is good at fortune-telling or has some other means, just believe it.

After taking a deep breath, Liu Bei stood up.

"In that case, let's postpone this celebratory drink for a few days!"

"Without further delay, we will set out immediately and head straight for Xinye!"

...

One day later.

More than 30,000 soldiers of Liu's army marched to the city of Xinye in a mighty force.

At this time, Cao Cao had led his main force to retreat north to Wancheng, leaving only Cao Ren and Man Chong to lead more than 12,000 Cao troops to guard Xinye.

The art of war says, if there are ten of them, surround them.

Although Liu's army was three times as strong as Cao's, its superiority was not enough to allow it to besiege the enemy on all sides.

Liu Bei then ordered the army to set up camp south of Xinye to create a threatening situation.

When the setting sun sets.

Cao Ren and Man Chong stood side by side on the south gate tower of Xinye, looking down at Liu Jun's camp from afar.

"General Zixiao, the big-eared bandits actually forced their way into the city and set up camp right under our noses. They are truly outrageous."

"Their army is no more than 30,000. I will lead an army to attack them while they are still trying to establish their base. We will catch them unawares and severely dampen their morale!"

Niu Jin, a general beside him, angrily challenged him to a fight.

Cao Ren slammed his fist against the battlement, the fighting spirit in his eyes ignited by Niu Jin.

In the Southern Expedition, Liu Bei abused them from beginning to end, and more than 100,000 people were defeated without winning a single battle.

Cao Ren had fought for half his life, but he had never fought such a cowardly battle. Naturally, he was holding a lot of resentment in his heart and was eager to find an opportunity to avenge the humiliation.

Now that there is an opportunity in front of him, Cao Ren is naturally eager to take action.

Even if we cannot defeat Liu Bei in one fell swoop, a small victory can at least help vent our anger and boost the morale of the army.

"General Zixiao, now is definitely not the time to avenge your humiliation. You must be patient."

Man Chong saw that Cao Ren was itching to do something, and immediately advised him:

"Liu Bei dared to force his camp under the city wall, he must be confident. What if he was deliberately revealing his weakness to lure us into an attack?"

"General Zixiao, you are well aware of Xu Shu's wisdom and strategy."

"As for Xiao He, we have now concluded that Liu Bei's various strategies during the Battle of Fancheng were most likely the work of this man."

"This Xiao He's wisdom and strategy are unfathomable. We must never underestimate him again."

Man Chong poured a bucket of cold water on Cao Ren, immediately extinguishing the impulsive flame in his heart.

"Liu Bei has guarded Xinye for many years, and the city defenses are extremely strong. Now I can use them."

"Chong believes that no matter how Liu Bei provokes us, we should remain unchanged and hold our ground."

"Although Liu Bei repelled us and secured Xiangfan, Liu Cong still holds most of Jingzhou to the south, and Sun Quan to the east is also eyeing Jingzhou with eagerness, intending to take control at any time."

"Liu Bei can't sustain a prolonged attack on Xinye. I estimate he'll attack for a month at most without success, and then he'll have to retreat."

Man Chong did not just pour cold water on the situation, he also confidently gave some defensive strategies.

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Cao Ren sighed deeply:
"Well, let's do as Berning said. We should remain unchanged in the face of all changes and hold on to Xinye!"

Man Chong breathed a sigh of relief.

Niu Jin was angry, but he could only suppress his desire to fight and obey the order silently.

"Liu Bei, if you have the guts, just charge ahead. I, Cao Ren, am waiting for you here."

"I want to see what those two thieves, Xu Shu and Xiao He, can do to allow you to break through the fortified city you built with your own hands!"

Cao Ren narrowed his eyes and looked down upon Liu Ying outside the city, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips.

Outside the camp.

Except for Zhao Yun who stayed behind, Liu Bei brought his advisers and generals to a high slope and looked at the Xinye city defense from afar.

"My lord, I see that the walls of Xinye are very high and thick, and are many times stronger than those of Fancheng."

"Such a fortified city, and Cao Ren is guarding it. With only our current forces, it would be difficult to storm it."

Xiao He pointed at Xinye City and sighed.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu looked at each other and a bitter smile flashed across their faces.

"Military Advisor Bo Wen, you may not know that my brother has been guarding Xinye for many years. In the past, in order to resist Cao Cao, he built and reinforced the city several times. The strength of Xinye City can be said to be no less than that of Xiangyang. It's a pity that now..."

Guan Yu didn't continue.

"It's a pity that last year, Jing Sheng transferred Bei to Fancheng, and Xinye City was easily captured by Cao Cao."

"Now, I have to personally attack the city I worked so hard to build. It's a bit like shooting myself in the foot..."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly and laughed at himself.

"Xinye is difficult to capture by force, so we can only use our wits to defeat it!"

Xu Shu changed the subject and sighed:

"We deliberately forced the city to camp, revealing our weaknesses to the enemy inside. Now it seems that Cao Ren has clearly not fallen for our trick."

"I'm afraid this plan of luring the snake out of its hole has failed."

Liu Bei looked towards the top of the city wall, stroked his beard and sighed:

"Cao Ren is the Cao family's most famous general. His military talent is also one of the best in the world. I heard that Man Boning is also a man of great resourcefulness."

"Cao Cao left these two to guard Xinye. I have to say he was a master of employing men."

Xiao He naturally agreed with Liu Bei's words.

The duo of Cao Ren and Man Chong defended Fancheng to the death, and even the Bearded Man could not defeat them. They survived until the day when Sun Quan stabbed them in the back.

It is naturally impossible to easily snatch Xinye from this pair of duo.

"Bo Wen, my wisdom is limited. I can't think of a plan to capture Xinye. You are so smart, do you have any brilliant ideas?"

Xu Shu successfully drew everyone's attention to Xiao He.

Liu Bei and his men's eyes lit up, and all pairs of expectant eyes turned to Xiao He.

Since our military advisor Bo Wen was able to come up with the amazing plan of flooding Fancheng, it should be no problem for him to come up with a clever plan to capture Fancheng, right?
The same thought flashed through everyone's mind at the same time.

Xiao He immediately felt the pressure coming like a mountain.

"Old Xu, you're so mean. You pushed me into the position of military advisor, and now you're taking advantage of me..."

Xiao He secretly groaned in his heart.

No matter how much he complained, since he had been given the title of military advisor, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear it all.

Xiao He narrowed his eyes, frowned, tapped his forehead with his fingertips, and stared at Xinye City in a daze.

Liu Bei and his men didn't dare to utter a word, and all looked at Xiao He silently with expectant eyes.

"Xinye, Xinye..."

After muttering to himself for a long time, Xiao He's eyes suddenly lit up.

(End of this chapter)