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

Xiao Hejian frowned slightly.

When Liu Bang first ascended the throne, he did not make A Dou his heir because A Dou was still young.

Many years have passed, and A Dou has grown from a child into a teenager. In order to consolidate the foundation of the country, Liu Bei and his ministers discussed and decided to establish A Dou as the heir after pacifying Hebei.

To be honest, Liu Shan was not particularly intelligent; in fact, his talent was rather mediocre.

However, while he was mediocre, he was by no means incompetent; as a ruler who maintained the status quo, Liu Shan was still competent.

For the ministers, assisting such a ruler who maintains the status quo is naturally the best option.

As everyone knows, as a second-generation monarch, I'm not afraid of you giving up and lying low, I'm afraid of you making a fuss over nothing.

Your father, as the founding monarch, has fought all the necessary battles. All you need to do is allow the people to rest, make good use of the wise ministers left by your father, and have some knowledge of imperial power to ensure the stability of the imperial authority. Then you can simply wait for the golden age to arrive.

I'm afraid you're ambitious and determined to surpass your father, so you keep trying to mess things up and end up squandering all the wealth your father has accumulated. In the end, your family will die after only two generations, and all your efforts will benefit others.

Based on this historical lesson, the vast majority of ministers supported Liu Bei in making A Dou his heir.

Moreover, A Dou also had the significant status of being the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

To Xiao He's surprise, A Dou met with such an unexpected turn of events.

He fell into the water and was so frightened that he developed dementia!
If this condition cannot be cured, then no matter what, Liu will never be able to make him his heir.

Even if Lao Liu wanted to take the risk, Xiao He would never agree.

Since they all had the precedent of Emperor Hui of Jin, Sima Zhong, Xiao He did not want them to assist Liu Bei and repeat the mistakes of the Jin Dynasty in rebuilding the Han Dynasty.

If Liu Shan is not chosen as heir, Liu Shan will have to choose from his remaining sons.

The remaining sons were not the eldest sons of the legitimate wife, but theoretically they were all qualified to be the heir apparent.

The second son, Liu Yong, and the third son, Liu Li, are both of decent quality, and their ages are similar to Liu Shan's. So far, they seem to be of good character as well.

If we're talking about the most gifted, it has to be the fourth son, Liu Yu. He has a photographic memory when it comes to learning poetry and prose, and he could recite a hundred poems before he was even five years old.

His talent in martial arts was also extraordinary. It is said that Old Liu gave him a small bow, and after practicing for less than three days, he was able to hit the target every time within ten steps.

In Lao Liu's own words, this child is both literate and martial, exceptionally talented, and truly one of the few prodigies in his family.

It's a pity that they are too young and their shoulders are too immature to shoulder the weight of the world.

As for Liu Yuan, the youngest son born last year, he just turned one year old not long ago, and it's too early to tell what kind of talent he will have...

Judging from the current situation, if Liu Bei really can't cure Liu Shan, he will have no choice but to choose one of Liu Yong and Liu Li as his heir.

To ensure the stability of the country, it is necessary to have a long-lasting and reliable ruler.

"Grand Commandant, what has happened in Xuchang?"

Seeing Xiao He lost in thought, Ma Su, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

Xiao He returned to reality, but did not hide anything, and handed the urgent report to Ma Su.

Ma Su's expression changed upon reading this, and he quickly looked ahead:

“The eldest son of the king is no small matter if such an accident happens to him.”

"Grand Commandant, should we report this to the King immediately?"

Xiao He shook his head, his expression calm:
“The eldest son is of noble status, so such an incident is naturally no small matter.”

"However, for Your Majesty, nothing at the moment can compare to destroying the false Wei and unifying the world."

"Let's wait until Your Majesty has finished this battle before we report to you, so as not to disturb Your Majesty's peace of mind."

Ma Su wholeheartedly agreed, and said no more. He looked down at the intelligence report in his hand again and sighed:
"The eldest son was the perfect candidate for heir, but such an accident happened unexpectedly, it's really a pity."

"In that case, the position of heir apparent is now in doubt; who will it ultimately belong to?"

Xiao He coughed lightly, reminding him:
"Who becomes the crown prince is naturally a matter for His Majesty to decide. As his subjects, we should not presume to comment; we should simply do our duty..."

Ma Su suddenly understood, quickly shut his mouth, and returned the urgent report to Xiao He.

Xiao He put away the urgent report, his thoughts returning to the present, and his gaze turned forward.

In the distance, mounds of earth have risen abruptly from the ground…

The earthen mound was completed before noon.

Liu Bei climbed onto one of the hills, raised his binoculars, and looked down into the city of Ye.

The location of the granaries came into clear view.

The location of the granary basically matches the layout map provided by the surrendered officials in the city.

If the Divine Thunder Cannon were fired from here, the granary would be within its range.

The locations of the remaining earthen mounds were all selected as the optimal projection points based on the layout map of the granary.

"By order of the Emperor, drag our Divine Thunder Cannon up the earthen hill."

Liu Bei gave the order without hesitation.

Once the order was given, the Shenlei Cannon, which was already in position, was slowly dragged up the earthen hill.

Not only the South Gate, but also the earthen mounds outside the other three gates were completed at the same time, and the Divine Thunder Cannons were successfully installed.

In this battle, Liu Bei must ensure that the fire attack is launched simultaneously, burning down all the granaries in Ye City, so that Cao Chong has no chance to react and rescue them in time.

The first beacon fire rose from the three gates in the north, west, and east, signifying that the divine thunder cannons were all ready.

Liu Bei immediately ordered the smoke signals to be lit in response and commanded all the divine thunder cannons to conduct the first round of test firings.

"Woooooo~~"

One after another, stone projectiles soared into the air and hurtled towards Ye City.

The Wei soldiers on the four city walls had already taken cover at the base of the walls, ready to evade capture.

"Boom boom boom!"

Loud noises rose and fell, echoing throughout Ye City.

Cao Chong, huddled at the foot of the city wall, was on edge. He was sheltered under the shields of the Tiger Guards, bracing himself for the falling debris and dust. However, the imagined scene of the city walls collapsing and rocks raining down on him did not materialize.

The city wall behind them remained unscathed, not a single stone hit them!
On the contrary, almost all the stones flew over the city walls and into the city.

Cao Chong breathed a sigh of relief and looked up into the city, where he saw pillars of dust.

"Strange, the accuracy of the Chu army's Divine Thunder Cannons has always been extremely high, so why are they so wildly off-target now?"

Cao Chong muttered to himself, a hint of suspicion gradually creeping into his eyes.

The Wei soldiers on either side were secretly rejoicing.

Many of them, and some even began to mock the Chu army's artillerymen for being blind.

In the following rounds of volleys, the result remained the same: most of the stones thrown by the Chu army landed inside the city.

The Wei soldiers hiding at the foot of the city wall completely relaxed, and some even dared to sneak back onto the city wall to spy on the Chu army outside the city.

"Something's not right, something's not right..."

Only Cao Chong muttered to himself, his face growing increasingly suspicious.

The roar gradually subsided, and the Chu army's test firing came to an end.

The cannons on each hill have had their counterweights and firing angles adjusted based on the test firing results.

The third plume of smoke rose outside the four gates of Ye City.

Having confirmed that all units were ready, Liu Bei cracked his whip and shouted:
"Change the oil barrels and launch the fire attack!"

The order was given, and the fourth beacon fire was lit immediately.

The gunners immediately loaded the prepared oil barrels and ignited them with torches.

"Woo——"

With a roar of wind and fire, the blazing oil barrels soared into the air, flew over the city walls, and headed straight for the city's granary.

Almost simultaneously, dozens of oil barrels rose from the more than thirty earthen mounds at the four gates, heading towards the city.

"Boom boom boom!"

In an instant, the oil drum hit the ground and crashed precisely into the grain warehouse.

The oil drum shattered, splattering oil everywhere, and flames surged towards the granary from all directions.

More than ten granaries scattered throughout Ye City were instantly turned into a raging inferno.

The terrified granary guards frantically tried to extinguish the sudden fire.

Unfortunately, the fire attack came too quickly, and the fire spread too fast, quickly becoming uncontrollable.

"Quickly, report to Young Master Cang Shu that the granary is on fire!"

"Help! Help! Put out the fire!"

"The fire is spreading too fast, it can't be put out, let's evacuate quickly..."

Terrified screams echoed through the skies above Ye City in the blink of an eye.

At the foot of the city wall at the south gate.

Cao Chong looked up in astonishment at the fireballs hurtling overhead, watching them fall into the city.

Xinpi, who was standing to the side, suddenly realized what was happening and cursed:

"So the big-eared thief built the earthen mound in order to launch a fire attack on my Ye City!"

"If he fires indiscriminately like this, won't they all hit houses in the city, and countless people will be affected?"

"The big-eared thief boasts of benevolence and righteousness, yet he so disregards the lives of ordinary people. He is indeed a hypocrite."

Xin Pi was cursing and swearing, and the Wei soldiers around him all joined in with their curses.

As Cao Chong gazed at the flames rising from the city, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and a growing sense of foreboding in his heart intensified.

A rider galloped in, and he dismounted.

"Reporting to you, the three granaries, Jia, Yi, and Bing, east of the city, have all been set ablaze by the Chu army's fire attack and are beyond extinguishing!"

Cao Chong's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed drastically.

One rider after another came in quick succession.

"Reporting to the young master, a fire has broken out at the Dingwu Grain Depot in the west of the city. Please send men to put out the fire immediately!"

"Reporting to your Excellency, the Geng and Xin granaries have been set ablaze by Chu army's oil drums. Please, Your Excellency, act quickly..."

The bad news came like snowflakes, like bolts of lightning, mercilessly striking Cao Chong's head.

"How...how could so many grain depots suddenly catch fire? This...this is too much of a coincidence!"

Xinpi's voice trembled and became hoarse, his eyes wide open as if he had seen a ghost.

Chen Tai slapped his thigh, stamped his foot, and cried out:
"Young Master Cangshu, we misjudged the Big-Eared Thief's intentions."

"His construction of earthen mounds in the city was not aimed at our army or the people in the city. He planned to use fire to burn down our granaries."

"This must be Xiao He's treacherous scheme. He wants to burn all our supplies and cause us to be defeated without a fight!"

Cao Chong shivered, gasped, and froze in astonishment.

Suddenly realized!

Before this, I felt that something was off about Liu Bei's actions today, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

So that's where the problem lies!

"Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws; in the end, they still have flaws."

Cao Chong, filled with utter frustration, stomped his foot angrily, then screamed hysterically:
"Send orders to Xiahou Chong and Xu Yi, instructing them to immediately lead their troops to salvage the grain supplies. Do everything in your power to secure the remaining supplies!"

"If Liu Bei burns down our granaries, my 40,000 troops will be finished, and Ye City will be finished—" (End of Chapter)