Chapter 1404

After careful consideration, Liu Bei decided to adopt Gu Yi's suggestion. He ordered generals like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun to act separately; on one hand, they strengthened city defense works, and on the other, they set up ambushes outside the city, preparing to give Cao Cao an unexpected blow.

A few days later, Cao Cao's army arrived as scheduled. However, they did not achieve their wish of breaking through Yecheng. Under the careful layout of Liu Bei and the others, the Cao army fell into heavy ambushes. The elite troops led by generals like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun charged at the enemy army like tigers descending from a mountain, launching a fierce attack.

The battle was extremely fierce; both sides went back and forth, fighting to a standstill. However, at this critical moment, Gu Yi proposed a bold strategy. He suggested using the Cao army's reliance on the new strategic weapon to set up a bait plan.

Liu Bei was greatly appreciative after hearing this and immediately ordered Zhao Yun to lead a small team of elite soldiers disguised as a special operations team carrying the new weapon to lure the Cao army deep into the ambush circle. Sure enough, as expected, in order to seize this new type of weapon, the Cao army followed Zhao Yun and the others deep into the ambush one after another.

Just at this moment, the main force led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei flanked from both sides, surrounding the Cao army completely. A thrilling annihilation battle unfolded immediately; the Cao army was routed under the heavy encirclement, suffering heavy casualties.

After the battle ended, Liu Bei and the others returned to the city to celebrate the victory. Although Gu Yi was inarticulate, his resourcefulness and courage once again made great contributions to Yecheng's victory. The generals' admiration for him was evident, and they toasted him one after another to express their gratitude.

However, Gu Yi did not become complacent because of this. He knew deeply that the war was far from over, and future challenges would be even more severe. Therefore, at the victory banquet, he proposed a long-term strategic plan to Liu Bei through gestures and writing: "We should take this opportunity to expand our sphere of influence and consolidate alliances with other friendly forces. At the same time, strengthen internal city construction and economic development to improve people's livelihood and win more hearts."

Liu Bei was greatly appreciative after hearing this and decided to implement this plan immediately. In the following days, Yecheng was united and worked hard, not only strengthening friendly relations with other forces but also vigorously developing the economy and people's livelihood, making Yecheng gradually become the political, economic, and cultural center of the north.

The distant Cao Cao was furious upon learning the news of the defeat, but he also deeply knew the strength and determination of Liu Bei and the others and began to re-evaluate his strategic plan; both sides fell into a tense stalemate again.

However, in this stalemate, Gu Yi's wisdom played a key role again. Through carefully planned espionage activities and intelligence gathering, he successfully obtained the secret of Cao Cao's new strategic weapon. It turned out that this weapon was not some mysterious object but an improved catapult capable of throwing greater distances and larger stones.

After learning this news, Liu Bei and the others immediately set about developing this new type of catapult and soon achieved results. In the subsequent battles, the Yecheng army used this new weapon to cause huge losses to the Cao army, forcing Cao Cao to re-consider his strategic plan.

As time passed, Yecheng's strength continued to increase, and Cao Cao's conspiracies were repeatedly thwarted. In this silent contest, Gu Yi's wisdom and talent made people admire him. Although he spoke unclearly, every one of his suggestions hit the nail on the head, making people convinced. He not only assisted Liu Bei in dealing with external threats but also actively handled various complex affairs in the city, making Yecheng united and working together to resist the invasion of foreign enemies.

Finally, one day, Cao Cao launched an attack on Yecheng again. However, this time he did not unite with other forces as in the past but chose the tactic of isolating his army and seeking a quick decision, attempting to take Yecheng in one fell swoop.

Instead, they followed Gu Yi's planning and responded calmly. They used the new catapults and carefully arranged defensive works to cause huge casualties to the Cao army. At the same time, elite troops led by generals like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun also frequently attacked, disrupting the Cao army's offensive rhythm.

The battle lasted for several days, and Cao Cao felt extremely anxious as he could not break through for a long time. He began to doubt whether his tactics were wrong and whether he should continue to persist. And at this time, the military and civilians of Yecheng, under the leadership of Liu Bei and Gu Yi, fought more bravely the more they fought, and their morale was high.

Just as both sides were fighting fiercely, a shocking piece of news suddenly arrived. It turned out that Gu Yi had long secretly dispatched envoys to the rear of the Cao army to contact those generals and soldiers who were dissatisfied with Cao Cao. Under their response, chaos suddenly occurred in the rear of the Cao army, and many soldiers turned against them one after another, defecting to Liu Bei.

This news hit Cao Cao like a bolt from the blue; he could not believe that the army he had painstakingly managed would betray him at a critical moment. And at this time, Liu Bei seized this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity and personally led the army to launch the final decisive battle.

With the assistance of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, Liu Bei's army swept across the entire battlefield like a storm. The Cao soldiers were routed under the internal and external attacks, surrendering or fleeing one after another. Seeing that the situation was gone, Cao Cao had no choice but to lead his remnants to retreat in a panic.

After a thrilling battle, Yecheng finally achieved victory. This victory not only highlighted the heroism and wisdom of Liu Bei and the others but also proved Gu Yi's resourcefulness and courage again. Although he spoke unclearly, his contribution made great contributions to this victory.

After the battle ended, Liu Bei held a grand victory banquet in the city. He personally toasted Gu Yi, thanking him for his huge contribution to Yecheng. Generals like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun also expressed their respect to Gu Yi one after another, praising him as Yecheng's think tank and behind-the-scenes hero.

However, Gu Yi did not become complacent because of this. He knew deeply that the road ahead was still long, and challenges would be even more severe. Therefore, at the victory banquet, he proposed a long-term strategic plan to Liu Bei again. He suggested that Liu Bei take this opportunity to expand his sphere of influence, consolidate relations with other friendly forces, and strengthen internal city construction and improve people's livelihood to win more hearts.

Liu Bei was greatly appreciative after hearing this and decided to implement this plan immediately. He understood that only by constantly strengthening his own strength could he stand firm in this chaotic world, and Gu Yi's wisdom and talent were undoubtedly an important help for him to achieve this goal.

In the following days, Yecheng was united and worked hard. They strengthened friendly relations with other forces to jointly resist the invasion of foreign enemies; at the same time, they vigorously developed the economy and people's livelihood, improving the living standards of the commoners. Under the leadership of Liu Bei and Gu Yi, Yecheng gradually became the political, economic, and cultural center of the north, winning the heartfelt support of the commoners.

At the same time, the distant Cao Cao did not give up the struggle for the north after his defeat. He began to recruit troops and buy horses again, rectifying his military equipment, and preparing to launch an attack again. However, he also clearly knew the strength and determination of Liu Bei and Gu Yi, so he did not act rashly but chose to wait for a more suitable opportunity.

Both sides fell into a tense stalemate again, but both Liu Bei and Cao Cao clearly knew that the next war would be even more cruel and intense. Whoever could win this war would determine the future fate and the pattern of the world, and Gu Yi's wisdom and talent would also play a key role in this contest again.

During this period, Gu Yi did not stop thinking because of the previous victory. He knew deeply that if he wanted to stand firm in this chaotic world, he must maintain vigilance and preparation at all times. Thus, he began to study new tactics and strategies to be prepared for any contingency.

At the same time, he also closely watched Cao Cao's movements. Through intelligence from spies and scouts, he learned that Cao Cao was actively preparing for war and had united with more forces, preparing to launch an attack on Yecheng again. This made Gu Yi realize that the next war would be even more difficult.

To deal with the upcoming challenges, Gu Yi put forward a series of suggestions to Liu Bei, such as strengthening city defenses, improving the army's combat effectiveness, and improving people's livelihood. Liu Bei agreed with his suggestions and immediately set about implementing them. They strengthened the construction of city defensive works and improved the army's equipment level and training intensity. At the same time, they also actively improved people's livelihood, reduced the burden on the commoners, and improved the people's living standards.

These measures further improved Yecheng's strength and also won more hearts. The commoners expressed heartfelt support for the leadership of Liu Bei and Gu Yi and joined the preparations for war one after another.

Finally, one day, Cao Cao's army appeared outside Yecheng again. This time his army was even larger, and its combat effectiveness was stronger. However, facing the Cao army's attack, the military and civilians of Yecheng did not feel fear; under the leadership of Liu Bei and Gu Yi, they resisted bravely and fought tenaciously.

The battle was extremely fierce; both sides went back and forth, fighting to a standstill. However, at this critical moment, Gu Yi played his resourcefulness and courage again; through carefully planned tactics and strategic layout, he successfully repelled the Cao army's attack and captured a large number of enemy generals and soldiers. ===== CHAPTER 1405 =====