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

Xiangping City, as the capital of Liaodong State, was shrouded in tension and anxiety at this time.

The atmosphere in the palace hall was so oppressive that it made people feel breathless.

"As the first counselor of the King of Liaodong, why don't you persuade the King of Liaodong to stay?"

Cao Yu's face was gloomy, his eyes were wide open, and he shouted loudly.

Cao Lin also looked angry and said in a deep voice:

"That thief Xiao used a tricky strategy. The King of Liaodong sent out his troops so recklessly. Isn't he going to get himself killed?"

Prior to this, Cao Yu had offered a plan, suggesting joining forces with Goguryeo to fight against the Han Kingdom.

Gongsun Kang then sent him and Cao Lin to Goguryeo to form an alliance.

When Cao Yu was halfway through his journey, he heard the news that the Xianbei had been destroyed. He was shocked and hurried back.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived in Xiangping, he heard that Gongsun Kang had rashly sent troops to ambush Xiao Fang.

As the chief strategist, Liu Yi failed to persuade Gongsun Kang, so Cao Yu naturally felt resentful.

"I have tried to persuade him earnestly, but the King of Liaodong simply won't listen. What can I do?"

Liu Yi sighed bitterly, his eyes full of helplessness and self-blame.

"You are the chief counselor of the King of Liaodong. Why can't you persuade him at the critical moment?"

Cao Yu asked back, with a hint of questioning in his tone.

Liu Yi sighed and smiled bitterly:
"I am an outsider after all. In Liaodong, the King of Liaodong trusts the people of Liaodong the most. He won't believe everything I say, right?"

When Cao Yu heard this, his body shook violently.

He fell silent, and the resentment in his heart gradually dissipated, replaced by a trace of sympathy and understanding for Liu Yi.

Cao Lin sighed and said:

"The King of Liaodong has mobilized all his troops. If anything goes wrong, Liaodong will be finished!"

Before he finished speaking, a dissatisfied voice suddenly sounded:

"What are you discussing here? Are you afraid that my father can't handle Xiao Fang?"

Everyone was startled, their hearts suddenly tightened, and they subconsciously raised their heads.

Gongsun Yuan walked in with a proud posture and big strides.

There was an innate arrogance and confidence in his steps, as if nothing in this world could catch his eyes.

Upon seeing this, Cao Yu and the others looked at each other, a complex look flashed in their eyes, and then they stood up and greeted respectfully.

"Cao Lin, are you underestimating my father?"

Gongsun Yuan stared at Cao Lin, questioning him with a dissatisfied tone, his eyes seemed to see through Cao Lin.

"How dare I~~"

Cao Lin hurriedly explained, his face flustered and uneasy:
"The King of Liaodong is extraordinary, wise and powerful. Who among us dares to look down on him?"

Changing the subject, Cao Lin said:

"But Xiao Fang is full of tricks and is a cunning man. I think the best way to deal with him is to hold the camp firmly and take steady steps."

Cao Lin expressed his thoughts carefully, with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Gongsun Yuan heard this and snorted coldly, showing disdain and ridicule towards Cao Lin:

"Humph! That thief Xiao is so arrogant that he has come all the way to Liaodong. With my father's wisdom and courage, how can he not defeat him?"

His voice echoed in the temple, confident and arrogant.

Cao Lin was left speechless by Gongsun Yuan's words. He opened his mouth but dared not say another word. He could only lower his head silently.

Gongsun Yuan saw that Cao Lin was silent, so he waved his hand proudly:
"Get ready to welcome my father back in triumph. I want the world to know the might of the Liaodong Army!"

The tone was as if victory was already within reach.

Cao Yu and Liu Yi looked at each other secretly, their eyes showing uneasiness, but they didn't dare to say anything more at this time.

at this time.

A guard came running over in a hurry and shouted:
"Sir, the king is coming!"

Gongsun Yuan's eyes were filled with excitement, his face was full of anticipation, and he murmured:

"Could it be that my father has already won the victory and killed Xiao Fang?" Gongsun Yuan was the first to step out of the palace gate.

At that moment, Gongsun Yuan led everyone out of the hall to greet them.

As soon as everyone left the hall, they saw Gongsun Kang.

Gongsun Kang in front of him did not show any joy of returning victoriously. Instead, he looked lonely and depressed, as if he had just experienced a nightmare.

Cao Yu and Liu Yi both had an ominous premonition in their hearts and frowned.

"Father, can you kill Xiao Fang to avenge your brother?"

Gongsun Yuan, however, did not notice anything strange about Gongsun Kang and asked in an awkward manner.

Gongsun Kang did not answer, but walked into the hall silently and slowly sat on the throne.

"Could it be that the thief Xiao managed to escape, and father only inflicted heavy damage on the Han army?"

Gongsun Yuan still didn't see the clue and continued talking to himself.

"I'm defeated!"

Gongsun Kang uttered these words with difficulty, his voice bitter and helpless.

Gongsun Yuan's body shook violently, as if he was hit by a bolt from the blue. He was completely stunned and stood there in a daze.

At this moment, his eyes were empty, as if he had lost his soul.

"That thief Xiao actually anticipated that I would set an ambush and left troops behind..."

Gongsun Kang could no longer conceal the truth and could only tell it with a slight tremor in his voice.

Gongsun Yuan took half a step back, his legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground, standing there in a daze.

Liu Yi and Cao Yu stood aside, shook their heads helplessly and let out a long sigh.

"How is it possible that my father was defeated?"

Gongsun Yuan suddenly screamed like an enraged beast.

"shut up!"

Gongsun Kang slammed the table and said angrily:

"The defeat is a fact. What's the point of saying that?"

"Instead of complaining here, why don't you think about what to do next!"

Gongsun Yuan was choked by Gongsun Kang's roar and was speechless. He could only shut his mouth sullenly and lowered his head, not daring to look at Gongsun Kang again.

"Liu Yi, I regret not listening to you."

Gongsun Kang looked at Liu Yi, his eyes full of regret, and asked:
"Do you have any good ideas to help me defend Liaodong?"

Liu Yi pulled himself together, took a deep breath, and said comfortingly:

"Don't panic, my king. Although I lost this battle, my foundation is intact."

"We still have the Liao River, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. We are not at the end of our rope yet!"

Gongsun Kang felt a little relieved after hearing this, and hope rekindled in his eyes.

"Now, Your Majesty, you must hold the line of defense. All we need to do is wait for the Liao River to flood, and the Han army will retreat without a fight!"

Liu Yi said slowly, with a confident look in his eyes.

"Okay, okay, listen to you!"

Gongsun Kang nodded repeatedly, waved his hand and said:

"Pass the order down, withdraw all our soldiers to the east of Liaohe River, without any mistakes!"

On that day, the king issued an order that all cities west of the Liao River be abandoned.

All troops were quickly transferred to the east bank of the Liao River and began to strengthen the defense line in preparation for the attack of the Han army.

Gongsun Kang mobilized a large number of civilians to build fortifications day and night to block the attack of the Han army.

At the same time, he also ordered the confiscation of all ships along the coast, cutting off any possibility for the Han army to cross the river.

A few days later, Xiao Fang's army marched to the west bank of Liaodong. (End of this chapter)