Chapter 649

Guo Jia cupped his hands,

"My lord, Zhong Yao took the people away and used scorched earth tactics, which actually helped us a great deal."

He pointed at the map,

"Only the area near Xiapi City is low-lying. Even if Xiapi has no harvest this year, with your wealth, my lord, you can provide relief to the victims and rebuild their homes."

"The people inside the city are protected by the walls; at most their homes will be soaked, and casualties will be minimal."

Xun You cupped his hands,

"My lord, if the two armies continue to stalemate, our army may not gain any advantage, and there will only be more casualties."

Liu Bei stood up,

"Good. Order the soldiers to secretly loosen the river dikes. Tomorrow morning, dig through the dikes and let the floodwaters inundate Xiapi!"

"Understood!"

"Zhang Ren, lead the naval forces to be ready to strike at any time. Once Xiapi becomes a marshland, carry the soldiers to strike the city directly and pursue the Cao army in the water!"

"Understood!"

"Ma Chao, lead four thousand cavalry out of the camp in the dead of night and ambush the only road from Xiapi to Peng Cheng. Once the routed Cao army arrives, slaughter them!"

"Understood!"

"Zhang Fei, you also lead an army to ambush near Weishan Lake."

"Understood!"

Liu Bei also deployed ambushes in the north, and Wei Yan and others were also sent out.

"The rest of the generals follow me to secretly prepare rafts in the camp. Once the flood comes, we will pursue the Cao army on rafts!"

"Understood!"

The live broadcast room exploded,

"Damn, Brother Bei's move is ruthless."

"Once the flood hits, even if the Cao army isn't drowned, they will be in total chaos—generals won't know their troops, and troops won't know their generals. If he strikes then, it'll be hard not to win a great victory!"

"Liu Bei had this plan all along, just waiting for his advisors to propose it. Hypocrite!"

"You idiot upstairs, what is the most critical thing about being a lord? Knowing how to find someone to take the blame!"

"After all, it damages one's reputation. Liu Bei can do it, but he can't be the first to propose it."

"Routing Cao Cao's great army in one battle—I fear Liu Bei will once again shake the Central Plains!"

In the dead of night,

Liu Bei's army began preparations in full swing.

Cao Cao listened to the rain outside, feeling uneasy and unable to sleep at all.

0 ······Seeking flowers····· ·······

"What time is it?"

Xia Xia Houjie hurriedly said,

"My lord, it is the fourth watch."

Cao Cao put on his clothes and walked out, looking at the rainwater falling from the eaves,

"The rainy season in Xuzhou this time is truly heavy."

Xia Xia Houjie cupped his hands,

"Indeed. Many places in the city have gathered many puddles, and the people say that if it rains any more, the Si River might even backflow."

Cao Cao's spirit was startled, and he grabbed Xia Xia Houjie,

"What did you say!"

Xia Xia Houjie was frightened. His lord had a history of killing people in his dreams; was he still not awake?

"The subordinate said—no, the people said—if it rains any more, I fear the Si River will backflow."

Cao Cao roared,

"Quick, call everyone to discuss matters immediately."

"Let General Luo come to see me!"

Cheng Yu heard Cao Cao's thought and was also shocked,

"My lord, Xiapi is exactly in a low-lying area. If Liu Bei digs through the dikes of the two rivers, Xiapi will inevitably become a marshland. If our army is trapped in the water and Liu Bei takes the opportunity to attack, our army is in danger!"

Zang Ba also exclaimed,

"Liu Bei's warships can attack Xiapi City directly; breaking the city will be very easy."

Just then, Eagle Eye, soaked from head to toe, walked in,

"My lord, several scouts have died. Upon getting closer, I discovered Liu Bei's army is digging through the river dikes!"

Cao Cao was shocked,

"Bad! Liu Bei must be acting ahead of schedule. Quick, order the soldiers to find high ground to defend!"

Cheng Yu cupped his hands,

"My lord, when the flood comes, our army will inevitably be unable to resist. Please, my lord, leave first!"

Cao Cao had the same intention. If he stayed in Xiapi, he would inevitably be caught like a turtle in a jar by Liu Bei!

"Che Zhou, order the soldiers to defend the city walls and hold Xiapi to the death!"

"Understood!"

"Wen Chou, Cao Zhen, Xia Hou Shang, lead the elites and leave immediately!"

"Understood!"

"Cao Chun, Dian Wei, Xu Zhu, follow me and take the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and leave!"

"The other soldiers should defend on high ground. Even if they are captured by Liu Bei, he won't take their lives. We can't worry about so much anymore!"

The Cao army quickly began to retreat!

The Cao army camp was in total chaos, warhorses whinnying, soldiers roaring.

Cao Cao had already left with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry; the ordinary soldiers had not received any notice at all, only some shrewd individuals discovered the clues.

Liu Bei's side also knew that the Cao army had discovered the digging of the dikes, so they stopped hiding and ordered the soldiers to intensify the digging.

About half an hour later,

Suddenly, the world seemed to go quiet.

On both sides of Xiapi City, the roar of floodwaters suddenly erupted.

Che Zhou stood on the city wall, his whole body turning cold.

In the dark of night, two torrents surged from the Yi and Si rivers, roaring and raging, moving from far to near!

The torrents did not stop at all, directly washing away the Cao army's camp outside the city and surging toward Xiapi City!

The power of heaven and earth frightened the soldiers so much that they couldn't speak for a long time.

Screams and cries for help came from the camp outside the city!

The soldiers were suddenly shocked,

"General, boats are coming! It's Liu Bei's warships!"