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

Everyone's eyes were focused on Xiao Fang.

There was a hint of disapproval in everyone's eyes.

Who is Zhang Fei? He is the General of Cavalry of the Han Dynasty and the second most important general in the Han Dynasty.

Who is Cao Zhang? Although he has some martial arts skills, he is still just a remnant of the Cao family, a young boy with yellow hair.

What's more, Zhang Fei had nearly twice as many troops as Cao Zhang.

It would have been fine if Cao Zhang had just defended the city, and he could barely withstand Zhang Fei's attack.

But now Cao Zhang is on the run.

From what Xiao Fang said, it seems that there is a risk that Zhang Fei, the pursuer, may be defeated by Cao Zhang, the fugitive?

You're making a big deal out of nothing.

"Prime Minister, it should be easy for the General of the Cavalry to deal with Cao Zhang."

Zhang He at the side couldn't help but speak, his tone was relaxed.

The implication is that there is no need to send cavalry to provide assistance in a hurry.

"Although Cao Zhang is a reckless man, Your Majesty should not forget that he has under his command a man of extraordinary strategy like Guo Jia and the two heroes of Hebei like Wen Chou."

"In addition to these two, there are many talented people under his command, such as Yang Fu, the governor of Wuwei, whose wisdom and strategy are comparable to that of Cheng Gongying."

"If it's a normal fight, it's fine. With Xu Yuanzhi assisting him, I think Yide will be fine."

"The current situation is that Yide is eager to win merit and is eager to wipe out Cao Zhang."

"Your Majesty is familiar with the art of war. You should know that being eager to win merit is a taboo in the use of troops. Once you have this thought, it is easy to pursue rashly and neglect to guard against the enemy."

"I am worried that Cao Zhang will not be willing to be defeated on his way to the north, and he may resort to some tricks to come back and take a bite."

"Yide currently has only 35,000 troops, which is 10,000 more than Cao Zhang. It does not have an overwhelming advantage, which gives Cao Zhang a chance to win by surprise."

"That is why I ask Your Majesty to send more light cavalry to help Yide."

"On the one hand, we should send someone to remind Yide not to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly. On the other hand, with tens of thousands of cavalry, our army will have an overwhelming advantage. Even if Cao Zhang cheats, we can still defeat him!"

Xiao Fang gently waved his feather fan and explained his motives for persuading Liu Bei to send cavalry to rescue Zhang Fei.

Liu Bei suddenly realized what was going on and immediately became alert.

Needless to say, how smart Guo Jia is.

If Xiao Fang were here, I wouldn't be afraid.

After all, Guo Jia and Xiao Fang had been battling each other for so many years, but Guo Jia had never won once.

But Xu Shu's wisdom is still three points inferior to Guo Jia's.

What's more, the Yang Fu mentioned by Xiao Fang made him think of the previous example of Cheng Gongying.

In the battle of Longxi, Cheng Gongying walked on the ice to cross the Long Mountains and launched a surprise attack on Chencang, but he almost failed.

We must be careful to learn from past mistakes.

Think about this.

Liu Bei no longer had any worries and said happily:

"Okay, okay, the Prime Minister's words make sense. I'll do as the Prime Minister says."

"Mengqi, Zilong, Shizai, listen to my command. I order the three of you to lead 15,000 cavalrymen to the north immediately and rush to Yide's aid overnight!"

When the order was passed down, the three generals accepted it with great enthusiasm.

On that day, Ma Chao and his two generals led 15,000 Han cavalry, lightly equipped, and rushed north to catch up with the northern army.

After resting for a night in Jincheng, the main force led by Liu Bei quickly moved north and headed straight for Wuwei County.

...

Outside Cangsong City, night has fallen.

It was already night, but the lights were bright on the top of Cangsong City.

The Han army soldiers on night duty were standing solemnly on the city wall, staring intently at the night beyond.

Footsteps could be heard from time to time, as patrols passed by from time to time. Just this morning, the 35,000 troops led by Zhang Fei arrived at Cangsong City.

Just like the cities he had captured before, Cao Zhang led his troops in a panic the day before, abandoning the capital of Wuwei County.

Since the city was deserted, Zhang Fei didn't think much about it and led his troops in as usual.

After resting for a night, the army headed north to continue pursuing Cao Zhang and his 20,000 defeated troops.

Although the Han army was in high spirits and Zhang Fei was full of confidence, Xu Shu still remained calm.

He reminded Zhang Fei that there were wise men like Guo Jia in Cao Zhang's army, who should not be underestimated, as they might be able to launch a surprise attack.

Therefore, under Xu Shu's reminder, Zhang Fei also became extremely vigilant. At night, there was a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten steps at the four gates, and a total of 5,000 people were on duty.

At this moment, the 30,000 soldiers in the city had fallen asleep, but the 5,000 soldiers on duty on the top of the city were always on high alert.

The moon gradually sets in the west, and it is still quiet outside the city.

This night seemed to pass peacefully.

The soldiers who had been on duty all night finally began to relax and couldn't help yawning.

However, they were completely unaware that in the dense forest at the end of the night, countless pairs of cold and beast-like eyes were staring at them.

In the dense forest.

Cao Zhang immediately drew his sword and, with bloodshot eyes, shot his gaze fixedly at the top of the city wall.

The tens of thousands of Qin soldiers behind him were holding their swords and spears tightly, eager to fight, with a burning desire in their eyes.

"Lord Rencheng, it's almost time."

"This should be the time when the Han army is most tired and most relaxed. Let's act quickly."

Yang Fu's reminder sounded behind him.

Cao Zhang's thoughts returned to reality and he looked up at the Han army on the city wall again.

In the light of the fire, one could vaguely see the Han soldiers yawning.

Being well-versed in military tactics, he naturally knew that the period before dawn was the time when people were most sleepy.

This is the right time to launch a surprise attack.

After taking a deep breath, the last bit of hesitation on Cao Zhang's face disappeared and turned into a cold murderous intent.

"Follow my orders and act accordingly!"

...

Cangsong City, granary.

Xu Shu got up early in the morning and was counting the grain in the granary.

Looking at the mountains of grain bags in the granary, Xu Shu's eyes were filled with both secret joy and a bit of suspicion.

The good news is that when Cao Zhang fled, he left behind nearly 70,000 hu of grain and fodder.

With this batch of food and fodder, the difficulty of transporting food and fodder in the rear can be greatly reduced.

Not only their northern army is available, but the main force led by Liu Bei in the rear is also enough to last for a month.

What is suspicious is that when Cao Zhang escaped, he did not take the grass with him or burn it.

Cao Zhang didn’t know how important food and fodder were, but didn’t Guo Jia know either?

Even if they fled in a hurry, they shouldn't have no time to burn this batch of food and grass, right?

"Something is wrong..."

Xu Shu frowned deeply, with suspicion growing in his eyes.

Suddenly, his eyes moved and he discovered something unusual.

It was a broken grain bag, but no grain leaked out of it.

Xu Shu took a closer look and suddenly discovered that the bag contained not rice but dry grass! (End of this chapter)