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

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan was overjoyed, and all his worries vanished.

Preparations for today's war began three years ago?

Xiao He's brilliant strategies are comparable to foresight and prophecy!

The generals inside the tent also showed expressions of shock, their gazes towards Xiao He filled with admiration and awe.

With such a far-sighted and insightful Grand Marshal, how could we worry about unrest in the southern barbarians?

"General Wei, once our elephant cavalry arrives, we'll have a decisive battle with Meng Quan!"

Zhuge Dan clenched his fist and shouted excitedly.

Wei Yan pressed the sword at his waist and straightened his chest:
"With elephant troops at our disposal, we will ensure that Meng Quan never returns!"

At this moment, Xiao He remained calm and composed, and slowly said:
"My elephant corps is a makeshift unit. The soldiers and elephants are not well-integrated, and their combat strength is inferior to that of the elite elephant corps of the Southern Barbarians."

"If we engage in a direct confrontation, our elephant army will likely be at a disadvantage, and the enemy may take advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack."

Upon hearing this, the generals' excitement faded, and they calmed down.

"Then, in the Grand Marshal's opinion, how should we respond?"

Wei Yan inquired.

"Wen Chang, do not worry."

"With our elephant troops as bait, and a little trickery, we will surely be able to defeat Meng Quan's elephant army."

As he finished speaking, a subtle, eerie smile flickered across Xiao He's lips.

Seeing this, Wei Yan hurriedly asked:

"What brilliant plan does the Grand Marshal have?"

Xiao He leaned closer and whispered something in his ear.

A glint of light flashed in Wei Yan's eyes, all his previous doubts vanished, and he immediately clapped his hands and said:

"Brilliant! What a brilliant plan!"

Then he turned to face the generals and shouted:

"By my order, the entire army shall march north and retreat to Nanli City!"

what?
Should we retreat to Nanli City?

The generals were all stunned, their faces full of astonishment.

We just assembled our elephant cavalry and were about to unleash our full potential, weren't we?

Why the sudden decision to withdraw?

Questions swirled in the minds of the generals, but they dared not question Wei Yan out of respect for his authority and could only bow and accept the order.

Upon receiving the order, the Han army immediately broke camp and retreated north.

As the Han soldiers packed their belongings, their faces betrayed their disappointment, and whispers of discontent rose and fell among them.

There was no other way; Wei Yan had sworn an oath before the battle to capture Mingcheng in one fell swoop, wipe out the remaining southern barbarians, and restore the prestige of the Han army.

The Han generals' fighting spirit had already been ignited, and they were all eager to engage the enemy in a direct confrontation.

Who would have thought that the commander would suddenly order a retreat?

This bucket of cold water chilled everyone to the bone, severely damaging their morale.

Fortunately, these Han soldiers were all seasoned veterans. Although they had doubts, they dared not disobey orders and had to retreat north in an orderly manner.

On Xiao He's advice, Wei Yan ordered his army to set up numerous obstacles along the way as they retreated north.

The soldiers either dug trenches ten feet deep, cut down giant trees along the roadside to block the road, or buried spiked traps in the grass...

Use every means at his disposal to slow down the elephants' advance.

Xiao He's move precisely targeted the elephant's weakness. Its massive size and high center of gravity meant that a long trench, ten feet deep and ten feet wide, was enough to make it unable to move an inch.

Meng Quan, who was pursuing from behind, indeed found himself in trouble.

The Han army left behind numerous obstacles, forcing him to allocate most of his forces to fill trenches and pave roads while clearing obstacles to make way for the war elephants.

What should have been a journey of less than three days took Meng Quan's army a full eleven days.

During this period, the southern barbarian soldiers complained bitterly, and the army's morale had been greatly diminished.

Eleven days later, Meng Quan finally led his army to the south of Nanli City.

After the army had set up camp, Meng Quan, without even taking a break, immediately dispatched scouts to investigate the situation in Nanli City. In less than an hour, the scouts returned with a swift report:
"Your Majesty, the main force of the Han army has not abandoned the city, and the garrison inside is heavily guarded!"

Meng Quan was both surprised and delighted.

The good news is that Wei Yan did not abandon the city and flee, which means he has the opportunity to surround and annihilate the 100,000 Han troops.

At that time, the Han army's military strength in Yizhou will collapse, and he will not only be able to successfully recover lost territory, but also take over the entire Yizhou.

But he was also filled with surprise.

Since Wei Yan chose to retreat north earlier, he was obviously wary of my elephant troops. So why did he hold Nanli City instead of taking advantage of the situation to flee far away?
Did he think that a single city wall could withstand war elephants?
You should know that war elephants can even break through strong fortifications, let alone the earthen walls of Nanli City!
"Your Majesty, Wei Yan's decision to defend instead of retreating is suspicious and his intentions are dubious. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider and refrain from rashly advancing!"

Lu Kai reminded him.

Wei Yan's previous voluntary retreat was already illogical, and now his defense of the isolated city has given Wei Yan a strong sense of foreboding.

Meng Quan's initial excitement faltered, and he hesitated.

"Your Majesty is overthinking it!"

Gu Han, standing to the side, patted his chest and declared domineeringly:

"Any trickery is futile in the face of war elephants; Wei Yan is merely trying to buy time!"

"In my opinion, it would be better to send Wei Yan a challenge directly and ask him if he dares to come out of the city and fight me to the death!"

These words instantly ignited the fighting spirit within Meng Quan.

Then, with a sudden swing of his arm, he said in a deep voice:
"Very well, I'd like to see what tricks Wei Yan can pull in front of my war elephants!"

"Someone, draft a declaration of war and send it to Nanli City immediately, to be given to Wei Yan!"

Meng Quan, brimming with enthusiasm, gave the order.

Thus, a defiantly arrogant challenge was sent to Nanli City overnight…

On the city tower of Nanli City, the night wind whistled and the banners fluttered.

Wei Yan stood with his hand on his sword, while Xiao He stood to one side with his hands behind his back. The two of them gazed at the scattered lights of the Southern Barbarian elephant cavalry camp outside the city.

Ma Su held the letter of challenge and read it aloud.

All the generals on either side glared angrily, their fists clenched tightly.

Meng Quan's challenge was extremely arrogant, filled with contempt. He even boasted that he would crush Wei Yan on the battlefield and said that if Wei Yan wanted to live, he should quickly give up Nanli City and go back to his old home in Chengdu.

As soon as Ma Su finished reading the declaration of war, Zhuge Dan angrily said:

"General, that treacherous Meng Quan is truly outrageous! This humble general requests permission to fight and behead him to uphold the prestige of our Han Dynasty!"

"This humble general also requests to fight!"

"I am willing to lead my troops out of the city and blunt their morale!"

The generals were filled with fighting spirit and wished they could charge out of the city immediately.

"Meng Quan, Meng Quan, you are truly arrogant!"

Wei Yan gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, but he did not make a hasty decision. Instead, he turned his gaze to Xiao He.

The previous retreat strategy was all devised by Xiao He, so whether to fight or not now naturally depends on his opinion.

Xiao He frowned slightly, lost in thought and remained silent, seemingly pondering something, and did not express his opinion.

All eyes of the generals then focused on him.

The atmosphere on the city wall became somewhat heavy for a moment.

Just then, Zhang Bao went up to the city wall, walked to Xiao He's side, and whispered something to him.

Upon hearing this, Xiao He's brows relaxed, a smile appearing at the corners of his lips. He turned to Wei Yan and said:

"Wen Chang, everything is ready, you can proceed."

Wei Yan's eyes gleamed, and he instantly understood Xiao He's meaning.

This is a time when we can fight!

The anger that had been building up inside him surged up instantly.

What is there to hesitate about?
Wei Yan took a deep breath, drew his sword sharply from his waist, and shouted sternly:
"By my order, accept Meng Quan's challenge. If he wants to fight, then I will fight!"

Upon hearing this, the generals were immediately filled with fervor.

The order quickly spread throughout the city, and all the soldiers were greatly encouraged. (End of Chapter)