Three Kingdoms: Wolong's brother-in-law, tricking Liu Bei into seizing Jingzhou

"The big-eared thief is here so quickly?"

Cao Xiu exclaimed in surprise.

According to Cao Cao's military calculations that day, after Liu Bei captured Chang'an, he would have to spend at least three to four months to pacify the counties in Guanzhong to ensure stability in the rear area.

Only under this premise could Liu Bei lead his army to attack on a large scale.

That might be half a year later.

Half a year was enough time for him to build Jieting City into an iron wall.

But what shocked Cao Xiu was that Liu Bei did not play by the rules. He hastily sent troops to attack just a few days after he captured Chang'an and before all the counties in Guanzhong had received the order!
Nearly 30,000 heavy troops were also sent!

It is more than four times the number of troops under his command!
"General Wenlie, why did Liu Bei send troops to attack so quickly? What does he want to do?"

Wang Ping beside him was also surprised, his face full of confusion.

Cao Xiu took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and thought hard.

After a moment, Cao Xiu was suddenly shocked and guessed Liu Bei's intention.

"That big-eared thief knows the importance of Jieting and is afraid that we will build and fortify the city, thus blocking his way through Longshan in the future."

"That's why he sent a detachment of troops to pursue our army in advance without moving his main force, hoping to seize Jieting by surprise."

"If he takes Jieting, it will be like opening the gateway to Longxi, and our Longshan defense line will be useless!"

"His 30,000 troops came here specifically for Jieting!"

Cao Xiu hit the battlement with his fist and finally guessed the deep meaning of Liu Bei's deployment of troops.

Wang Ping suddenly realized and said anxiously:

"General Wenlie, we must quickly send a messenger to Jicheng to inform His Majesty and ask for help."

"Also, all the soldiers in the city must hurry up and go up to the city. We must be on high alert and be prepared to defend Jieting to the death."

Cao Xiu frowned and asked:
"The walls of Jieting are so low, and there are only 7,000 soldiers in our city. Do you think we can defend Jieting and withstand the siege of the Han army five times its size, and wait until the emperor sends reinforcements?"

Wang Ping was shocked, took a breath of cold air, and looked around anxiously.

The walls of Jieting were indeed old and low and had fallen into disrepair, otherwise Cao Cao would not have kept them here to reinforce and build a new city.

If Cao Cao led his main force here, he would naturally not be afraid of the Han army, but Cao Cao had already led his army to the secondary capital Jicheng, leaving them with only 7,000 soldiers and horses.

Seven thousand against thirty thousand, can they stop them with just a broken city wall?

"General Wenlie is right. The current state of the Jieting city wall alone is indeed difficult to resist the massive attack of the Han army."

"Then should we rush to build the city wall immediately?"

Wang Ping suggested again with a hopeful heart.

"Do you think you'll make it in time?"

Cao Xiu glared at him and said in a deep voice:
"The Han army is only thirty miles away, and they will arrive in half a day at most. In this half day, how thick do you think we can build the city wall?"

Wang Ping was speechless.

Looking at the low city wall below his feet and then at the direction of the Longshui River in the east, Wang Ping fell into anxiety and helplessness, with cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

Cao Xiu glanced towards the east and carefully examined the terrain of the Long Mountains in the Jieting area.

Suddenly, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"What's that mountain called?"

Cao Xiu pointed to a hill south of Jieting and asked.

Wang Ping glanced back and replied:
"Reporting to General Wenlie, the locals call that mountain Nanping Mountain."

"Nanping Mountain... the name is quite appropriate..."

Cao Xiu nodded slightly. The mountain is located in the south of Jieting City. The north side of the mountain is a slope, and the other three sides are cliffs. There is a lawn on the top, so it is named Nanping Mountain.

"Come with me!"

Cao Xiu did not explain and turned around and left the city.

Wang Ping and the other captains were all at a loss, so they had to follow Cao Xiu out of the city, and the group headed out of the city toward Nanping Mountain.

At dusk, Cao Xiu led a group of people to the top of Nanping Mountain.

As he expected, there was a large flat area on the top of the mountain, enough to accommodate tens of thousands of troops.

A slope on the north side leads directly to the bottom of the mountain. The Long River passes in front of the slope. The Jieting City is located on the northwest side of the slope, forming a horn.

Cao Xiu examined him for a long time, whipped his horse whip, and shouted:

"Pass the order down, the entire army abandons Jieting City and immediately moves to Nanping Mountain to set up camp and prepare to resist the Han army!"

This statement came out.

Wang Ping was shocked and said anxiously:

"General Wenlie, the emperor's decree for us is to defend Jieting City. How can we abandon the city and go up the mountain?"

Cao Xiu snorted coldly and said arrogantly:
"Have you not heard that when a general is away from home, the king may not give him orders?"

"The Han army is approaching Jieting now. We have no time to build and reinforce the city. If we continue to follow the king's orders and station troops at Jieting, not only will we not be able to defend the city, but my 7,000 troops will be wiped out."

"This Nanping Mountain guards the exit of the Longshui Channel. It is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, and only a slope on the north side leads to the bottom of the mountain. It is a natural fortress that is easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"I will move my troops to Nanping Mountain and defend it. Let alone the Han army of 30,000, even if they send a million troops, what do I have to fear?"

Cao Xiu pointed his whip at the surrounding mountains and sneered:

"As long as we hold on to Nanping Mountain for a few days, once your Majesty's reinforcements arrive, the Han army will have no choice but to return to Guanzhong without success."

"If they dare not retreat, we can cooperate with the reinforcements to attack the Han army. My seven thousand soldiers will swoop down from a high position. How can the Han army resist!"

Cao Xiu explained the reason why he moved his troops to Nanping Mountain.

Wang Ping suddenly realized something, his eyes lit up, and he nodded slightly:

"General Wenlie's words make sense. In terms of strategic location, the terrain of Nanping Mountain is indeed far superior to that of Jieting City, but..."

His heart trembled, and he pointed to the bottom of the hillside:

"If we station troops on the mountain, food and fodder are easy to come by, but getting water becomes the biggest challenge."

"Our only water source is the Long River, which is located below the northern slope. If the Han army surrounds us without attacking us and cuts off our access to water, won't our army be in chaos within three days without a fight?"

This reminded Cao Xiu, and his originally confident face suddenly changed.

"Your concerns are not without reason. Getting water is indeed a problem..."

After a moment of hesitation, Cao Xiu said:

"This Jieting is also known as Jieting Spring. There must be many springs here. Send troops to check around the mountain to see if there are any other water sources besides the Longshui River at the foot of the mountain!"

Wang Ping was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses and hurriedly sent out scouts to survey the terrain around the mountain.

Before sunset, the scouts finally brought back a piece of news that excited Cao Xiu:
There is indeed a spring in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain on the south side.

Because it is located on the back of the mountain and hidden in the dense forest, it is extremely difficult to be discovered.

"Just as I expected, there really is a hidden spring in Nanping Mountain!"

"This is truly God's blessing on our Great Qin, and God's help on Cao Xiu!"

Cao Xiu laughed wildly, whipped his whip and shouted:
"Pass the order down, the entire army will immediately move to Nanping Mountain, set up camp before tomorrow morning, and be ready to fight the Han army!" (End of this chapter)