Chapter 429: Sacrificing for the country is their honor! If you don't go west, go east. We just don't take the ordinary road!

A plan to turn the tide?

Yang Xiu's earth-shattering shout was like a shot of adrenaline to everyone present. Everyone's spirits were lifted and their eyes were all focused on Yang Xiu in shock.

"Yang Dezu, what ingenious plan do you have that can turn the tide?"

Cao Ren suddenly straightened up and shouted at Yang Xiu excitedly.

Yang Xiu did not say anything, but ordered his personal guards to bring a map and spread it out in the hall.

"If Liu Bei wants to take Jinyang, he must go north along the Fen River and capture Pingzhou, Zishi, and Pingtao along the way."

"General, please take a look. The terrain of this area of ​​Zishi County is low-lying and narrow, with the Fen River to the west and the Zhaoyu Lake to the east."

"Now that spring rains are falling, the water levels of the Fen River and the Zhaoyu Lake have risen. Why don't we wait until Liu Bei's army reaches the Zishi area and before they have time to explore the surrounding terrain, and then take them by surprise and dig up the Fen River and the Zhaoyu Lake?"

"Once the lake bursts open, the torrent will roll down and submerge the Zishi area in an instant."

"Let alone Liu Bei's army of 100,000, even if he had an army of 1 million, how could he escape?"

"In this way, the General of the Cavalry defeated Liu Bei's army of 100,000 without any effort. Wouldn't Bingzhou's crisis be reversed?"

Yang Xiu pointed at the map, looking confident, and talked incessantly about his so-called plan to turn the tide.

Cao Ren's eyes widened, he walked down a few steps and squatted in front of the map, his face looking up and down excitedly.

Everyone in the mansion hall was also delighted. They all gathered around and excitedly considered Yang Xiu's strategy.

"Great, Uncle Zixiao, this plan of Dezu is truly a stroke of genius!"

"Once the Fen River and Zhaotu Lake burst their banks, the flood would be like a million-strong army. How could Liu Bei's mere 100,000 men resist it?"

"This plan is truly a brilliant plan that can turn the tide!"

Cao Zhi shouted with excitement and surprise.

Cao Ren also rubbed his fists. The gloom and helplessness on his face had disappeared at this moment, replaced by the words "overjoyed".

"My Lord, I never thought you could be so smart and foresighted. You are truly a rare talent!"

"If the emperor had discovered earlier that there was a man of your genius in our Great Qin, how could we have been defeated again and again by that big-eared thief?"

"Great, great, great!"

"If you win this battle, you, Yang Dezu, will be the most meritorious official in defending Bingzhou for the Qin Dynasty. I will ask the emperor for your merit and ask him to employ you!"

Cao Ren was so excited that he patted Yang Xiu on the shoulder and praised him, then excitedly started drawing a big cake.

Yang Xiu's mouth corners slightly raised, but he bowed humbly:

"General Huoqi, you are too kind. Even though I have some talent, if the Prince of Chenliu did not appreciate me, I would not have the opportunity to serve you and be loyal to the Qin Dynasty."

What he meant was, of course, that Cao Zhi had the ability to judge people and had a keen eye.

"Zijian, your ability to judge people is really very similar to that of the emperor."

"You have discovered such a genius for our Great Qin, which is truly a great contribution to the country."

"I will report this to the emperor, and ask him to reward you generously."

As expected, Cao Ren followed Yang Xiu's guidance and praised and admired Cao Zhi.

Cao Zhi and Yang Xiu looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Next, Cao Zhi naturally had to be humble.

"Gongda, what do you think of Dezu's plan?"

While Cao Ren was excited, he did not forget to ask Xun You for his opinion.

Xun You stroked his thin beard and examined the map for a long time, then nodded slightly and praised:
"Yang Dezu is indeed a genius. He can come up with such a brilliant plan to turn the tide. I can only sigh that I am not as good as him."

"In my opinion, this plan is feasible."

Cao Ren laughed heartily, all the gloom on his face disappeared. He immediately issued an order and dispatched troops to dig the dike.

"General, I have something to report!"

Guo Huai, who had been frowning, couldn't help but suddenly speak.

Cao Ren didn't take it seriously. He just waved his hand to signal him to continue, but his eyes were still fixed on the map.

"There are 3,000 people in Zishi County, and there are 7,000 to 8,000 people in the nearby counties and towns. If the dam breaks, the flood will destroy their homes in an instant."

"I know that the General of the Cavalry has to do this for the sake of the country, but I am thinking about whether we can relocate the people of this county in advance, at least to save their lives."

Guo Huai requested earnestly.

After all, he was from Bingzhou and Taiyuan County, so he was from the same county and fellow villager as the people from Zi County.

In order to deal with Liu Bei, Cao Ren wanted to dig a dike to flood Zishi County. He had no way to stop him, and no reason to stop him.

But as a Bingzhou native, it would be unacceptable for me to sit idly by and watch my fellow villagers drown and lose their lives, so I had to speak up.

After a slight hesitation, Cao Ren decided to agree to Guo Huai's request.

"No!"

Before he could finish his words, Yang Xiu interrupted him.

"Liu Bei's scouts will definitely reach Zishi first to spy on our army. If they find that Zishi's house is deserted and all the villagers have been relocated, they will definitely become suspicious."

"With Xiao Fang's wisdom, he might have realized that we are preparing to break the dam and launch a water attack. Wouldn't our plan fail then?"

"Xiu believes that in order to avoid alerting the enemy, we must not relocate the people in advance."

Cao Ren shuddered and swallowed the consent that was about to come to his lips.

Yang Xiu's concerns were correct. Relocating the people in advance would certainly alert Liu Bei and make him vigilant.

Once this happens, this final strategy of inflicting heavy damage on Liu Bei, defending Bingzhou, and turning the tide will come to nothing.

He couldn't bear this risk.

After weighing the pros and cons, Cao Ren nodded slightly:
"Dezu's words make sense. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, we must not relocate the people of this clan!"

Guo Huai's heart skipped a beat, and after gritted his teeth, he wanted to beg again. "You don't have to say anything more."

Cao Ren, however, waved his hand to interrupt Guo Huai, his face as determined as iron:

"I know you are from Bingzhou, and I can't bear to see your fellow countrymen suffer this disaster. How can I not feel the same way?"

"After all, the people of the Zi clan are all citizens of the Great Qin."

"But don't forget that you and I are first and foremost ministers of the Qin State. We should put the survival of the Qin State first in everything we do. Let alone our thousands of neighbors, even our children and relatives must be sacrificed when necessary."

"Those thousands of Zi clan people sacrificed their lives for their country. The emperor will not forget them, and the great Qin will not forget them."

"If they are unfortunate enough to die in the flood, it is a worthy death for them, and it is their glory!"

Guo Huai was speechless.

Cao Ren talked about national justice all the time, and every word he said was about sacrifice and glory. With so many mountains of pressure pressing down on him, he had no reason to refute.

Guo Huai could only sigh and shut his mouth silently.

No one dared to object anymore.

Cao Ren took a deep breath, his domineering confidence rekindled on his face, and he swept a stern gaze over the generals.

"Pass on my order. All troops, prepare yourselves. Soon we will dig the Fen River to reveal the remaining lake and flood the Han army!"

"In this battle, we must inflict heavy damage on the Han army and turn the tide in one fell swoop!"

The Qin generals accepted the order with great enthusiasm.

...

South of Zishi is Yong'an City.

One hundred thousand Han troops have captured this empty city. The army set up camp around the city and rested on the spot.

Inside the royal tent.

Liu Bei and his ministers gathered in front of the map, discussing the next strategy for the march.

"After passing Yong'an and looking north, you will enter the territory of Taiyuan County."

"The Fen River runs from north to south, running through the entire Taiyuan County. Since ancient times, the route to capture Jinyang has always been to go north along the Fen River, capture the cities of Zishi, Pingzhou, and Pingtao along the way, and then advance to the city of Jinyang."

"Currently, Cao Ren's troops have retreated to the Pingtao line. It seems that they will continue to retreat northward until they retreat back to Jinyang and defend it."

"Our army's route of advance will naturally be to continue northward along the Fen River, clear out the cities south of Jinyang, and finally surround Jinyang."

Fa Zheng pointed at the map and planned the next strategy.

Liu Bei nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the other counselors, seeking their opinions.

Most people agreed with Fa Zheng's strategy of advancing.

Xiao Fang did not express his opinion, but pointed to the east of the map:
"Xiaozhi, there is more than one route to capture Jinyang from the south to the north."

"Look, to the east of Zhaoyu Lake, there are Wuxian, Zhongdu, Jingling and several other counties, arranged from south to north, and they can also lead to Jinyang."

Everyone's eyes followed Xiao Fang's finger and fell to the east of Zhao Yuze.

"What the Prime Minister said is correct. In fact, there are two routes from south to north leading to Jinyang."

"One is located west of Zhaoyu Lake and goes north along the Fen River, and the other is located east of Zhaoyu Lake."

"The terrain to the west is flat, and the Fen River is accessible, so the route to Jinyang in the north is the first choice."

"The eastern route has no convenient water transportation and is sandwiched between Zhaoyu Lake and Taihang Mountain. The terrain is far less flat and easy to travel than the western route."

"That is why I would like to ask Your Majesty to take the western route along the Fenshui Avenue to the north."

Fa Zheng explained the reasons in detail.

His explanation is reasonable.

Since ancient times, the most important things in marching and fighting wars are the transportation of food and fodder and logistical supplies.

Therefore, the routes of advance have always been along water, in order to take advantage of the convenience of water transportation to transport both food and troops.

According to common sense, taking the western route along the Fen River north to Jinyang is indeed the most correct direction of advance.

Xiao Fang is a person who likes to take an unconventional path.

He continued to stare at the map, his eyes changing color, and he seemed to be forming a blueprint in his mind.

"Jinglue, do you have another clever plan?"

Liu Bei saw some clues from Xiao Fang's eyes, so he asked hurriedly.

Xiao Fang remained silent for a moment, and a gleam of light suddenly flashed in his eyes.

"We don't take the West Road, we take the East Road!"

Xiao Fang slapped the map and spoke in a firm tone.

Everyone was shocked, and looked at Xiao Fang in surprise and confusion.

"The western route has the convenience of the Fen River and is relatively flat. Why should our army choose the difficult route over the easy one?"

"Prime Minister, I don't understand."

Liu Bei turned to Xiao Fang with a blank look.

Xiao Fangze pointed with his feather fan and smiled faintly:

"Of course we have to take the western route. Your Majesty can order the cavalry to fly your majesty's banner, create the momentum of my 100,000-man army, and take the western route along the Fenshui Avenue."

"Your Majesty, you can lead the main force of our infantry, take the Zhao Yuze East Road, travel light all the way north, and directly attack Pingtao City!"

"Cao Ren thought we would come from the west, but we will go from the east and catch him off guard!"

"If we can intercept those 20,000 Qin troops, won't Jinyang City fall without a fight?"

(End of this chapter)