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

Chapter 81 Let’s take a gamble on this seedling of the Temple of Martial Arts and burn Cao Ren to the ground without leaving a single piece of armor!

"I cannot take your name, but my name is Deng... Deng Ai."

The young soldier gave his name in a calm and collected manner.

Xiao He's mouth corners slightly raised.

A mere sergeant dared to challenge for a fight in front of all the bosses.

At such a young age, he dared to volunteer to be a death-defying warrior and sneak into Xinye City to set fire.

Just these two points alone show what courage and boldness it takes!

Listening to the reasons he gave, which were well-reasoned and well-founded, one could tell that he was a man of substance and not just an ordinary person.

Coupled with that signature stutter, Xiao He couldn't think of anyone else in Jingzhou at this age except Deng Ai.

Now it seems that he was right in his guess.

"Deng Ai, there are 10,000 Cao troops in Xinye City. We have no way of knowing what the situation is in the city."

"Your infiltration is quite risky. Think carefully. Do you really have the guts to do this?"

Xiao He's expression became serious and he asked in a stern tone.

Deng Ai was not afraid, and said:

“You can’t get a tiger without entering a den… a tiger cub. Even if it’s a den of dragons and tigers, Ai…Ai is not afraid!”

Xiao He smiled.

The young man in front of me is undoubtedly Deng Ai.

He is trying to gamble his life for his future.

If he wins the bet, he will be the chief meritorious official in capturing Xinye, and what awaits him is Liu Bei's exceptional promotion, which will allow him to rise to prominence and become a general.

If you lose the bet, the worst that can happen is that you die.

Anyone like Deng Ai, who comes from a humble background and has ambitions, has the potential to be a gambler.

Without family background or connections, how can you expect someone to help you rise to the top and stand out from the crowd?
Then you can only gamble with your life!

Among these gamblers, Deng Ai's gambling addiction is definitely one of the worst.

Who in their right mind would try a life-or-death tactic like sneaking across Yinping?

Leading thousands of people, crossing hundreds of miles of uninhabited areas, building roads through mountains and bridges across rivers, and finally rolling down the mountain wrapped in a blanket. Whether or not he died from the fall depended entirely on his luck.

After finally walking out of the mountains like a savage, you still have to pray that the opponent you meet will either be too cowardly to open the door and surrender, or be too stubborn to fight head-on and get killed. Otherwise, if you don't fortify the city and don't leave, you will starve him to death.

The key point is that this is a life-threatening plan, and he has to take his own son with him. If he dies, the whole family will die together.

Isn't this just a pure gambler?

Given Deng Ai's gambling nature, it seems nothing to be surprised about him asking for help today and risking his life to sneak into Xinye and set fire.

"My lord, in my opinion, since Deng Ai has such courage, let him take on this important task."

"He has a point. To use the underground tunnels, you need to be short. Let him select a team of short, death-defying warriors to sneak into Xinye and catch Cao Ren off guard!"

Xiao He bowed to Liu Bei and recommended Deng Ai.

This is a good seedling that can enter the Temple of Martial Arts. It would be fine if he hadn't run into him, but since he has run into him, Xiao He naturally has no reason not to help him.

On the one hand, he could take this opportunity to dig out another piece of unpolished jade for Liu Bei, and on the other hand, he could take the opportunity to train Deng Ai.

The key point is that Deng Ai, although young, has already shown his extraordinary qualities, and it is just right for him to carry out this task.

Liu Bei and everyone else were surprised.

No one expected that Xiao He would dare to recommend Deng Ai for this important task just by asking his name!
It seems a bit frivolous.

"Military Advisor Bo Wen, although this boy is quite courageous, I see he is only twelve or thirteen years old."

"Military Advisor, do you really think this boy is capable of shouldering this heavy responsibility?"

Guan Yu asked what everyone was thinking.

Xiao He's ability to judge people is naturally obvious to everyone.

Aren’t Huo Jun, Wei Yan and other potential generals all talented people that Xiao He recognized with his keen eyes?

Although these people are not well-known, they are mature enough in age and have strong shoulders.

To exaggerate a little, Deng Ai in front of us is still a young boy!
Military Advisor Bo Wen, where do you get the confidence to trust and value Deng Ai so much?
Even Deng Ai himself was filled with astonishment at this moment, looking at Xiao He in disbelief.

He really couldn't understand why Military Advisor Xiao dared to recommend him to his lord, as he had never met him before and this was just their first meeting today.

"Although this boy is young, he looks extremely mature. One can tell at a glance that he is a man of courage, strategy, wisdom and bravery. He will surely become a famous general in the future."

"My lord, General Yunchang, I think he can do it."

Xiao He could only mention it briefly and could not explain too much.

You can't tell Liu Bei that it was this guy in front of him who sneaked across Yinping and destroyed the Ji Han foundation that you founded after hundreds of battles.

Guan Yu could no longer question and could only look at Liu Bei.

After Liu Bei pondered for a moment, the doubt in his eyes disappeared.

"Military Advisor, you have the ability to be a mentor. The people you recommend are all outstanding talents. Since you think so highly of Deng Ai, I believe you, Bo Wen, will not make a mistake in choosing him."

Liu Bei's eyes were filled with determination, so he said happily:
"Deng Ai, since Military Advisor Bo Wen strongly recommended you, I will entrust this important task to you."

"I allow you to select a hundred elite soldiers at will, sneak into Xinye tonight, and set fire to the city!"

Deng Ai was stunned at first, but then he was overjoyed. He hurriedly bowed to Liu Bei and expressed his gratitude for Liu Bei's trust.

"Hurry up and get up! You risked your life for me, Liu Bei. I should thank you."

Liu Bei hurriedly helped Deng Ai up, but pointed at Xiao He with a smile:
"If you really want to thank someone, go thank Military Advisor Bowen. If it weren't for his strong recommendation, I honestly wouldn't have dared to employ you."

Deng Ai heard this and bowed respectfully to Xiao He:
"Ai thanks you, Military Advisor. I swear on my life that I will not let you down in this battle... let you down!"

Xiao He helped Deng Ai up, patted his shoulder and said:
"Deng Ai, this battle depends on you. Show us your true abilities, my lord and everyone else!"

It was just a simple word of encouragement, but Deng Ai's blood boiled with excitement. He couldn't wait to prove himself.

The plan to burn Xinye was thus decided. After all the arrangements were made, the generals went to make their own preparations.

On the surface, the 30,000 Liu troops remained calm and set up camp south of Xinye City, showing an attitude of fighting a protracted war.

At nightfall, except for more than 4,000 people who stayed behind in the camp to continue to create the illusion that the entire army was there, the rest of the troops had entered their designated positions as planned.

...

The moon is nearing its zenith and the night is getting darker.

Behind a mound in the southeast of Xinye City, Deng Ai and a hundred death-defying warriors were standing with their shirts bare.

Every soldier was carefully selected by Deng Ai. Although they were short in stature, they were all strong and sturdy.

On top of the mound.

Liu Bei and Xu Shu stood side by side, looking into the distance towards Xinye.

Xinye City was silent under the night sky. Except for the Cao army guarding the city walls, most of Cao's troops had fallen asleep.

However, with the help of moonlight and lights, the figures of Cao's army on the city were still clearly visible.

There is a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten steps. From time to time, teams of patrolmen pass by. The defense is very tight.

"The Cao army is heavily guarded, and their deployment is extremely well-organized. Cao Ren is truly a renowned general of his time, and his ability to command troops is truly remarkable."

Liu Bei pointed his horsewhip at the top of Xinye City and sighed with emotion.

"Cao Ren is indeed a famous general of his time. He defended Xinye City so well that there's nothing wrong with it. What a pity..."

After Xu Shu praised him, he sneered:
"He never expected that Bowen would think of using fire to break through the city defenses he thought were impenetrable, nor did he expect that Kong Ming would reserve a tunnel to connect the inside and the outside."

"Cao Ren has deployed a large number of troops to guard the four gates, so the city guards must be unmanned. This gives us an opportunity to exploit."

Liu Bei stroked his beard, smiled, and nodded in agreement with what Xu Shu said.

At this time, Chen Dao beside him reminded:

"My Lord, the moon has passed its zenith, and the agreed time has arrived."

Liu Bei looked up and saw that the moon was already high in the sky.

So he turned around, got down the mound, and came to Deng Ai and the hundred death-defying warriors.

Chen Dao and other personal guards presented bowls of wine to Deng Ai and his men.

Liu Bei faced the crowd, holding his wine glass high:
"Everyone, whether we can take Xinye in this battle tonight depends entirely on you."

"This celebratory drink is for you all. I wish you success and a safe and secure escape!"

After saying that, Liu Bei raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.

Deng Ai then raised his head and drank it all, then smashed the bowl to the ground with a "clang".

"My lord, Ai is gone!"

Deng Ai wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, held the ring-handled sword in one hand and a torch in the other, and jumped into the tunnel first.

Under the flickering firelight, an endless tunnel stretched far into the distance. It was so dark and narrow that one felt suffocated at first glance.

"Mother, don't worry. I'm risking my life today, and I'm sure I'll have a bright future and let you live a good life!"

After secretly swearing an oath in his heart, Deng Ai took a deep breath, bent his body and crawled into the tunnel without hesitation.

"Bang bang bang!"

The one hundred brave warriors smashed their wine bowls on the ground, picked up their swords and followed Deng Ai into the tunnel.

Liu Bei stood solemnly behind, watching the hundred warriors disappear into the darkness.

"My lord, all the troops are in place. Let's return to camp."

Xu Shu's reminder sounded behind him.

Liu Bei then jumped on his horse, whipped his horse and rode away in a cloud of dust.

Half an hour later.

Liu Bei was already outside the north gate of Xinye.

In the darkness of the night behind him, nearly 15,000 soldiers of Liu's army were ready for battle.

At this moment, outside the three gates of southwest, east and west, there are 5,000 troops in position, waiting for the moment when the new wildfire starts.

Time passed minute by minute, and Xinye City remained silent, without a trace of fire.

The soldiers behind him had been standing there for a long time and were gradually becoming anxious.

Only Liu Bei had a calm expression, his eyes showing determination and never wavering.

"Since I met Bowen, he has always been very meticulous and has never misjudged anyone."

"This time, he will definitely not be wrong!"

Such a voice echoed in Liu Bei's mind.

Sudden.

Chen Dao's eyes narrowed, and he pointed at Xinye City and shouted excitedly:
"My lord, there's a fire! Xinye is on fire!"

Liu Bei was cheered up and looked up intently.

Sure enough, fires broke out almost simultaneously in the east, west, south and north directions of Xinye City.

The fire was extremely fierce, and in a blink of an eye it had exploded into a huge blaze, lighting up the sky above.

"I knew that the Deng Ai that Bowen valued would definitely not be wrong!"

Liu Bei laughed loudly, drew his sword, and pointed it fiercely at Xinye City.

"Pass on my order, all archers, immediately fire rockets at Xinye City!"

"I will burn Cao Ren to the ground without leaving a single piece of his armor!"

(End of this chapter)