Chapter 125: A double insurance, let's deal with it together! Even the little tyrant couldn't do anything, so Liu Bei was defeated?

Liu Bei was slightly stunned, savoring the mystery in Xiao Fang's words.

"Could it be that the military advisor has a backup plan and has already found a way to break this iron lock formation?"

Liu Bei suddenly understood and a look of joy flashed across his eyes.

"Of course we have the means..."

When Xiao Fang was about to speak, his eyes turned to Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu:
"Aliang, Yuanzhi, do you two know how to break this iron chain across the river?"

Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu frowned, their thoughts racing. Countless methods flashed through their minds in an instant, but there was no sure-fire way to win.

Xiao Fang didn't think it was strange.

With their intelligence and growth, if they had lived ten years later, they would have mastered strategies by then and would have easily figured out a way to break the iron lock formation.

As they are in this fledgling stage, we cannot be too harsh on them.

Thinking of this, Xiao Fang then stretched out his hand: "Zhongkang, bring me the pen and ink."

Xu Chu then brought the pen and paper.

Old Liu knew that Xiao Fang wanted to test the two of them, so he didn't urge them and just looked down with curiosity.

Xiao Fang picked up the pen and slowly wrote a word on the paper:
fire!
Seeing this one-word hint, Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu looked at each other with their eyes darting around.

Suddenly, a gleam of light flashed in Zhuge Liang's eyes.

"Brother-in-law, I understand. To break this iron lock formation, we can only use fire attack!"

Zhuge Liang leaned back in front of the map, gestured and said:

"Our army can prepare more than a hundred bamboo rafts in advance, which can be filled with straw men and kerosene, paraffin and other flammable materials."

"When the bamboo rafts get close to the iron locks, they will all be set on fire, allowing them to use the power of the downstream to crash into the iron locks."

"The raging fire of these hundreds of fire rafts will surely melt the iron chain. Then, with the momentum of the downstream collision, it will be enough to break the iron chain!"

"In this way, this iron chain formation can be easily broken!"

With excitement in his eyes, Zhuge Liang explained his plan of fire attack.

Xiao Fang nodded slightly, quite satisfied with his brother-in-law's performance.

He was able to come up with a comprehensive plan of fire attack just by thinking of the word "fire". He is indeed worthy of the potential of Wulong.

"My lord, what Aliang said is exactly what Fang meant. What do you think?"

Xiao Fang smiled and looked at Liu Bei.

After Liu Bei chewed it for a while, he suddenly realized it and praised loudly:
"What a great idea to use the fire raft to go down the river and melt the iron locks!"

"If this plan succeeds, wouldn't it be easy to break this Iron Lock Across the River Formation without spending a single soldier?"

"It turns out that when the military advisor came up with this plan, he had already thought of a way to crack it!"

The generals on both sides also understood what was happening and were immediately in an uproar.

"The solution provided by the military advisor is indeed the right remedy for the problem."

Huang Zhong nodded in praise, but was puzzled:

"But why didn't Sun Ce use this method to break Huang Zu's lock formation?"

"I heard that Sun Ce has a wise general named Zhou Yu, who is extremely intelligent. How could this man not come up with such a plan?"

When Xiao Fang was about to speak.

Xu Shu's eyes moved, and he took the lead and said:
"If this plan of attacking the iron locks with fire is to succeed, we must also rely on the force of the current. The fire raft can then float downstream and attach itself to the iron locks to melt them."

"Our army is at the upper reaches of the iron chain, while Sun Ce and his Jiangdong army are at the lower reaches of the iron chain. We can use the same tactics, but Sun Ce cannot."

Huang Zhong's doubts were all cleared up, and his eyes showed admiration for Xiao Fang, and he also looked at Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu with admiration.

"Military Advisor Xiao is so smart and resourceful that even these two insignificant youngsters have such wisdom and insight!"

"My lord, there are so many extraordinary people under your command..."

Huang Zhong sighed in his heart and marveled at it.

At this moment, Lao Liu suddenly understood and said happily:
"Okay, let's follow the military advisor's advice and immediately order Xu Wenxiang to prepare fire attack equipment and break Huang She's iron chain formation within three days!"

When the order was passed down, the generals were inspired.

At this time, Xiao Fang said:

"In addition to this fire attack, the lord also immediately sent people to Xiangfan to warn Gan Xingba and told him to prepare to fight against Huang Zu's massive attack."

Huang Zu launched a massive attack on Xiangfan?

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a burst of discussion in the tent.

"Jinglue, are you saying that Huang Zu will take this opportunity to go north and attack Xiangfan?"

Liu Bei's face immediately showed a hint of alertness.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Xiao Fang.

Xiao Fang took a sip of wine and said slowly:

"My lord, you have 40,000 troops marching eastward. Even if Huang Zu had the Iron Chain Across the River Formation to rely on, he should have led the main force to Chibi. Why did he only send his son with only 5,000 soldiers?"

"Why? He just wants to use a small number of troops to hold us back so that he can free up the main force to do other things."

"And Huang Zu is now very clear that if he fights to the death with our army, Sun Ce will definitely take advantage of the situation and reap the benefits."

"Then for Huang Zu, the only option is to quickly withdraw our troops and ensure that he will not be caught in the dilemma of being attacked from two sides!"

Xiao Fang pointed out Huang Zu's predicament, and then pointed in the direction of Xiangfan on the map:
"Kuai Yue is so smart that he will definitely offer advice to Huang Zu. After half of our Xiangfan navy is transferred south to the Yangtze River, we can quickly move the main force of Jiangxia navy northward to defeat our Xiangfan navy in one fell swoop and seize Fancheng!"

"Once Fancheng is lost, our north and south will be cut off, Xiangyang will also be in danger, and the rear will be in chaos."

"After hearing the news, the lord had no choice but to withdraw his troops and return north to recapture Fancheng and regain the water rights of the Han River!"

"In this way, Huang Zu's danger in Jiangxia will be resolved. We only need to withdraw the main force in time, and we can calmly deal with Sun Ce's invasion again!"

After listening to what Xiao Fang said, Liu Bei suddenly came to his senses and couldn't help but shudder.

Previously, he had a preconceived notion that he was currently in a strong position and that Huang Zu, according to common sense, would just retreat to Jiangxia and hold his ground without fighting.

After Xiao Fang reminded him, he realized that Huang Zu did have a clever move to turn the tide against the odds.

"Yes, Huang Zu showed various signs that he did intend to attack Xiangfan."

"Fortunately, the military advisor saw through it, otherwise if Fancheng was lost, the consequences would be disastrous!" Liu Bei was still frightened and immediately wanted to send a messenger north to warn Gan Ning in advance.

At this time.

Huang Zhong also came back to his senses and said:

"The military advisor is truly as good as a god. It seems that Huang Zu has the potential to capture Xiangfan."

"Zhong has heard of this before. Gan Xingba killed Cai Mao in the battle at Han River and annihilated the Jiangling navy. He must be a warrior who is proficient in naval warfare."

"only…"

Huang Zhong changed the subject, but said with concern:
"Huang Zu is different from Cai Mao after all. He is known as the best naval warrior in Jingzhou and even the best in the world."

"Moreover, the number and combat power of the Jiangxia navy under his command seem to be slightly superior to our Xiangfan navy."

"Zhong is worried. Can we stop Huang Zu and defend Fancheng just by warning Gan Xingba?"

Huang Zhong remains upright wherever he goes. He previously gave Liu Biao loyal advice, and now he directly doubts whether Gan Ning may be Huang Zu's opponent.

Liu Bei was not like Liu Biao. He did not mind Huang Zhong's reminder at all. Instead, he nodded heavily:
"General Han Sheng reminded me that Xingba's ability in naval warfare is indeed unparalleled in the world, but it is also true that Huang Zu's navy is far superior to Cai Mao's back then."

"Military Advisor, is it unsafe to rely solely on Xingba to stop Huang Zu?"

Liu Bei looked at Xiao Fang again with worried eyes.

Xiao Fang did not answer, but picked up the pen and wrote another book, asked for a brocade bag to put it in, and gave it to Lao Liu.

"Huang Zu's so-called world's best naval warrior is just an empty title. My lord, you must trust Xingba."

"Here is another secret plan. My Lord, you can send it to Fancheng to give to Xingba as a double insurance."

Liu Bei looked at the brocade bag, and surprise suddenly appeared in his guessing eyes.

So far, Xiao Fang has used the secret sachet to impart secret strategies several times, and each time he succeeded by surprise, without exception.

This time, when the secret weapon was revealed, it must have been a well-planned one!

"Since the military advisor has a brilliant plan, what else should we worry about?"

"Everything will follow the military advisor's plan. We will use fire to break the Huangshe iron chain across the river. As for the Han River, let Xingba take care of Huang Zu!"

Liu Bei no longer had any worries and gladly adopted Xiao Fang's strategy.

So the messenger took Xiao Fang's secret plan and Liu Bei's reminder and headed north to Fancheng overnight.

Xu Sheng was ordered to go upstream and secretly prepare a fire attack.

...

Three days later, at dusk.

The west wind is blowing hard.

Huang She stood proudly by the river, holding his sword, admiring his masterpiece above the Yangtze River.

"Young General's plan of crossing the river first stopped Sun Ce downstream, and now it has stopped Liu Bei upstream. It is truly a divine plan that has never been seen before!"

"I have never heard of a plan to cut off the Yangtze River with iron chains in my life!"

"Young General, your wisdom is like the reincarnation of Han Xin."

The deputy general Zhang Shuo standing by was full of praise and put all kinds of compliments on Huang She's head.

What a wild imagination, unprecedented in history, Han Xin reborn...

Huang She felt happy when he heard these words, but he suppressed his pride and didn't show it.

"Liu Bei has been camping upstream for three days, but he has not made any moves."

"I think the young general's plan of blocking the river with iron chains has stumped Liu Bei."

"With such a brilliant plan, even a country bumpkin like Xiao Fang would be helpless."

"This lord and minister have been running rampant in Jingzhou, and now they have finally hit a wall!"

Zhang Shuo pointed upstream and made another sarcastic remark.

Huang She's gaze shot upstream, and the image of Xiao Fang's frantic expression as he was thinking hard but was helpless seemed to appear in his mind.

"Xiao Fang, you would never have expected that I would use your strategy to deal with Liu Bei, right?"

"It must be very uncomfortable to shoot yourself in the foot..."

Huang She's thoughts were racing, and the more he thought about it, the more proud he became. He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

There was an extreme amount of smug sarcasm in the laughter.

"Major General, there is a ship approaching upstream!"

"It's not a boat, it's a bamboo raft!"

The sentry's scream interrupted Huang She's laughter.

He stopped laughing and looked upstream. Sure enough, he saw hundreds of bamboo rafts floating downstream towards the iron lock formation.

"Liu Bei has finally lost his patience. Is he planning to use a few broken bamboo rafts to transport his troops to the iron chain and cut off our iron chain?"

"Major General, quickly dispatch the navy and shoot the enemy!"

Zhang Shuo, who was standing beside him, thought he had seen through Liu Bei's military intentions and immediately made some suggestions.

Huang She naturally had a plan in place. He immediately ordered Zhang Shuo to lead 4,000 soldiers to guard the dry camp, while he himself led 1,000 naval forces and more than ten ships into the Yangtze River.

The tower ship dropped anchor behind the iron chain formation. The archers bent their bows and drew their arrows, aiming at the bamboo rafts approaching from the front, ready to shoot down the Liu army's sailors who tried to cut the iron chain with a rain of arrows from a high position.

"Liu Bei, Sun Ce has tried this method before."

"He didn't succeed, do you think you can succeed?"

Huang She raised a sneer at the corner of his mouth, drew his sword, and prepared to order the arrows to be shot.

The bamboo raft gradually approached, and was less than a hundred steps away.

Suddenly, all the bamboo rafts caught fire and in the blink of an eye they became blazing fire rafts.

The fire raft roared and, taking advantage of the current, rushed towards the iron lock formation.

The sneer on Huang She's face froze, his mouth slowly opened, and his eyes gradually popped open.

(End of this chapter)