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

The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere froze instantly.

Everyone was stunned, and blank expressions appeared on their faces.

"Dark Spring? Bowen, what exactly do you mean by that?"

Guan Yu frowned, looking puzzled, and couldn't help but ask a question.

In an instant, everyone's eyes were drawn to Xiao He.

Xiao He cleared her throat slightly and slowly began to speak:

“Wang Shuang is by no means someone who is ignorant of military strategy or acts rashly. He should understand the basic principle that if we set up camp on the mountain, our water supply can be easily cut off by our army.”

"Knowing this, he still resolutely chose to do it, which shows that he must have something to rely on and was not afraid of the fatal threat of the water source being cut off."

"Based on this, I boldly speculate that in addition to the water source on the surface of Jieting, Wang Shuang must have another hidden spring as a secret water source, which can draw water without anyone noticing in order to maintain the needs of the entire army."

"It was precisely because he had this confidence that he dared to so boldly abandon the strategic location of Jieting and instead move the entire army to Maijishan!"

Xiao He calmly and slowly explained the hidden secrets behind it.

At this moment, he finally realized why Ma Su had made such a seemingly low-level mistake: instead of defending Jieting City, he went to defend Maijishan.

Jieting City was dilapidated and small, with thin walls. How could it withstand the fierce attack of the Wei army with its overwhelming numerical superiority?

Therefore, given the situation at the time, Ma Su had no choice but to take a risky approach and move his army to Maijishan, relying on its strategic location to defend himself.

Maijishan has a very unique terrain, with only one north slope leading down the mountain, while the other three directions are all steep cliffs.

Choosing to set up camp on the mountain is tantamount to putting oneself in a desperate situation, where being cut off from water by the enemy is almost a certainty.

Even knowing this, Ma Su still made this choice.

The only plausible explanation for this unusual behavior is that, in addition to the known water sources, Maijishan also has underground springs.

Ma Su's later defeat was likely due to Zhang He discovering this secret. Zhang He decisively cut off the hidden spring, which caused chaos in Ma Su's army and ultimately led to its collapse.

In fact, Ma Su simply never expected Zhang He to be so capable; it wasn't that he was merely a theorist.

"The Grand Marshal is absolutely right. In my opinion, Wang Shuang shouldn't have made such a basic mistake."

Lu Xun nodded slightly, agreeing with Xiao He's point of view.

"Just as the Grand Marshal predicted, there must be a hidden spring on Maiji Mountain, which can explain Wang Shuang's various abnormal behaviors."

“I remember now, there are many springs in Longshan, so it’s not surprising that there is a hidden spring in Jieting.”

As a native of Xiliang, Ma Dai also spoke up at the opportune moment, providing strong evidence for Xiao He's speculation.

Immediately, a murmur of discussion arose in the hall.

"I see. I didn't realize there were so many intricacies involved."

"Bo Wen was far away in Chang'an, yet he was able to understand the secret of the hidden spring in Maijishan so thoroughly. He was truly remarkable!"

"His brilliant strategies are unparalleled in the world; perhaps no one can surpass Bowen in this regard."

Upon hearing the crowd's discussion, Guan Yu couldn't help but sigh.

Then, however, he frowned slightly:
"If Bowen's prediction is correct, are the tactics devised by Meng Qi and his group still effective?"

"Cao Pi must be leading a large army on his way to relieve Jieting. If they cannot quickly capture Jieting, won't they be caught in a pincer attack by the Wei army from the east and west?"

Everyone was startled and immediately tensed up.

Xiao He, however, appeared relaxed, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Father-in-law, do not worry. We must have faith in Mengqi and Shizai. I believe that the two of them will surely come up with a perfect solution to resolve the current crisis."

"We just need to stay here and wait for their good news!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu suddenly understood, and the worry in his eyes vanished instantly.

...Meanwhile, in the Wei camp at Maijishan.

Inside the large tent, the sound of flowing water could be heard.

Wang Shuang was humming a tune contentedly as she took a comfortable shower in the bathtub, feeling quite relaxed.

"Ma Chao, you bastard, do you think you can cut off my water supply?"

Wang Shuang hummed a tune while muttering to himself, his face full of mockery.

"You'd never dream that I've hidden a second underground water source behind the mountain, would you? With this underground water source, you can forget about cutting off my water supply!"

Wang Shuang became increasingly smug and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"General, something terrible has happened!"

Just then, a guard rushed into the tent in a panic.

"General Jiang's camp behind the mountain is on fire, and the Han army has cut off their underground water supply!"

The laughter stopped abruptly.

Wang Shuang was shocked and his face turned deathly pale. He jumped out of the bathtub with a "whoosh".

He didn't even bother to put on clothes and rushed outside naked.

Seeing this, the guards had no choice but to hurriedly grab their armor and follow him out.

Wang Shuang hurried along, rushing all the way to the edge of the cliff.

The soldiers on the cliff edge were all filled with fear, looking down at the cliff and whispering among themselves.

Wang Shuang pushed aside the soldiers blocking his way, rushed straight to the edge of the cliff, and stared wide-eyed down at the bottom.

really.

The flames shooting up from the cliff illuminated the surroundings as if it were daytime.

Judging from the current situation, it must be that the Han army has arrived and is burning the camp.

Wang Shuang's face instantly turned extremely pale, and his forehead was covered in a thick layer of cold sweat.

Without a doubt, the Han army must have discovered the hidden spring!

But the hidden spring was so well concealed that even he himself felt it was foolproof. How did Ma Chao discover it?

"This is impossible, this is impossible—"

Wang Shuang muttered to himself, shaking his head repeatedly.

He simply couldn't believe it was real.

If what he feared actually came true, it would mean that Jiang Wei's camp had been breached, the hidden spring had been discovered, and his last route to fetch water had been completely cut off.

In this way, within three days at most, his six thousand soldiers would be on the verge of collapse due to the lack of water!

Thinking of this, Wang Shuang couldn't help but shudder and dared not think any further.

The number of Wei soldiers gathered more and more, and the entire camp fell into chaos, with obvious signs of instability appearing in the morale of the army.

Wang Shuang took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and shouted loudly:
"It's just a fire, it will be put out soon. Don't make a fuss and disrupt the morale of the army!"

The soldiers, though uneasy upon hearing this, dared not continue their discussion.

They could only return to their respective tents with trepidation.

Unable to sleep, Wang Shuang could only stand alone at the edge of the cliff, clinging to a sliver of hope, gazing longingly down below, silently praying:

"I hope I'm overthinking it, I hope I'm overthinking it..." (End of Chapter)