Chapter 648

Halfway through the battle between Liu Bei and Cao Cao, muffled thunder sounded in the sky, and dark clouds gathered.

Both men tacitly sounded the horn for retreat.

Cao Cao led his men back to Xiapi City to avoid the rain.

Cheng Yu said anxiously,

"My lord, the rain is too heavy. Much of the grain and fodder is wet, and more and more soldiers are catching colds."

Cao Cao frowned,

"When the rain stops, move the grain and fodder into Xiapi City, and call for famous physicians from Xuzhou and Yanzhou."

Cheng Yu then reported the intelligence from various places.

Cao Cao was somewhat surprised,

"I didn't expect this Sima Zhongda to have the ability to lead troops."

He did not want to promote Sima Yi, having long ago seen that Sima Yi had the look of a wolf looking back.

However, now that Liu Bei was striking everywhere, it was truly rare to have a general who could stand alone.

"Sima Yi wore women's clothes and paced on the city wall?"

A stinging scene appeared in Cao Cao's mind,

"This Sima Yi is definitely a talent."

"Man Chong is not bad either; he defends the city well. Cao Xiu, the thousand-mile colt of the Cao family, can also stand alone now."

Cao Cao was very gratified. In this great battle, quite a few talents had emerged on his side.

"Report—! My lord, urgent report from Huainan!"

Cao Cao's heart sank. Had something happened in Shouchun?

Soon, he read the bamboo slip, his face turning ugly, and his body swayed.

Cheng Yu hurriedly supported Cao Cao,

"My lord, are you alright?"

Cao Cao said miserably,

"Yue Jin has been killed, Hefei has fallen, and Han Fu has surrendered in Shouchun!"

Cheng Yu read the contents of the bamboo slip,

"Although this Lu Xun is young, he is outstanding in wisdom. After taking Shouchun, all of Huainan belongs to Liu Bei. I fear he is already heading along the Ying River to attack Xuxian!"

Cao Cao muttered,

"Xun Yu was right. Xuxian cannot be defended; it is being attacked from both sides, and Guan Yu is still in Dong Commandery to the north!"

Cheng Yu cupped his hands,

"My lord, Xuxian's city defenses are excellent; holding it for half a year is no problem. As long as Liu Bei makes no progress in Xuzhou, he will eventually have to retreat, which means pushing the front line to the Huai River."

Cao Cao nodded,

"This battle still hinges on the defense of Xiapi. All officers and soldiers must be careful and cautious!"

"Boom—"

Several claps of thunder in the sky seemed to indicate that this battle would not be easy to fight either.

In Liu Bei's camp, the situation was not very good either.

Pang Tong came to report that some of the previous grain had become damp and moldy, and the number of soldiers catching colds from being in the rain for a long time was increasing.

Even though Liu Bei had prepared medicine packets in advance, they couldn't stop this damn weather.

Xun You brought the good news that Lu Xun had occupied Hefei and Shouchun.

The officers were encouraged.

Zhang Fei laughed,

"Big brother, Cao Cao's Xuxian won't be able to hold out. He built it so well, and it's going to be ours again."

Liu Bei shook his head,

"Xuxian may not be that easy to take."

He looked at the map,

"Lu Xun's tens of thousands of troops might not be of much help in attacking Xuxian, but they can take Chen Liu, making Xuxian an isolated city!"

He looked around,

"Tell me, how should we break Xiapi City and defeat the Cao army?"

Liu Bei actually already had an idea in his heart, but he couldn't be the one to propose it.

Zhang Fei, Xing Daorong, and these people naturally had no good ideas.

Xun You and Guo Jia looked at each other,

"My lord, Military Advisor Guo and I have already devised a plan."

Xun You cupped his hands,

"We have a plan. Xiapi City can be taken immediately, a victory worth twenty thousand troops, and we can also rout Cao Cao's great army outside the city."

Zhang Fei was overjoyed,

"Since you have such a plan, why don't you hurry up and tell my big brother!"

Xun You looked at the rainstorm outside the tent,

"The days of heavy rain have caused the Yi and Si rivers to swell. Our army is camped on high ground and has boats on both rivers. As long as we dig through the dikes of the Yi and Si rivers, the floodwaters will inundate the lowlands of Xiapi, and our army can take boats directly to attack Xiapi City!"

Everyone was shocked.

Taishi Ci muttered,

"I fear Cao Cao's one hundred and fifty thousand troops will also be washed away."

Xun You continued,

"The floodwaters will inundate the area around Xiapi, turning it into a marshland. Within a day or two, it should be navigable by boat. With the Cao army trapped in the water, our army can strike by boat and will surely crush them."

Liu Bei frowned,

"Although this plan is excellent, it will cause great harm to the people."