Chapter 1599

Just as Cao Cao was deep in thought, an advisor hurried into the tent, holding an urgent letter in his hand. "My lord, this is an urgent report from Xu Chang, saying there is important intelligence."

Cao Cao opened the letter and browsed through it, his face changing slightly. The letter mentioned that there seemed to be an inside agent in Liu Bei's army who was willing to provide key intelligence but requested confidentiality and a direct meeting with Cao Cao.

"This matter must be handled with caution." Cao Cao thought to himself, then instructed the advisor: "Reply immediately, agreeing to the meeting, but the location and time must be decided by us, and we must ensure everything is foolproof."

The advisor withdrew, and Cao Cao continued to study the map, already having a new plan in mind. He decided to utilize this so-called "inside agent," perhaps taking the opportunity to deal Liu Bei a fatal blow.

A few days later, on a dark and windy night, Cao Cao secretly went to the location agreed upon with the "inside agent." It was a hidden valley, surrounded by dense forests, with only a narrow path for passage. Cao Cao took a few trusted followers and stepped into the valley cautiously.

The "inside agent" had been waiting for a long time. Seeing Cao Cao, he immediately stepped forward and saluted. "Greetings, Prime Minister Cao. I am a minor officer in Liu Bei's army. Because I am dissatisfied with his tyranny, I have come to defect."

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the person before him, his heart filled with vigilance. "What intelligence do you have? Speak quickly."

The "inside agent" said in a low voice: "Liu Bei's army is short of grain and supplies, and the soldiers are exhausted; this is the perfect time for our army to counterattack. Moreover, Zhuge Liang has been feeling unwell recently and cannot personally command the battle. Military affairs are mostly handled by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others, but they seem to have disagreements and find it difficult to form a unified force."

After hearing this, Cao Cao was secretly overjoyed, but remained calm on the surface. "Is what you say true? If there is even half a lie, I will execute you without mercy!"

"Every word is true; I am willing to stake my head on it." The inside agent answered decisively.

Cao Cao pondered for a moment and decided to trust this "inside agent," as the intelligence would be of great benefit to him if true. Thus, he immediately formulated a bold plan, deciding to utilize the weaknesses in Liu Bei's army to launch a surprise attack.

The next day, Cao Cao mobilized elite troops and, under the cover of night, quietly set off toward an important camp of Liu Bei's army. In Liu Bei's army, due to Zhuge Liang's absence and the discord among the generals, management chaos had indeed occurred, and they were completely unprepared for Cao Cao's surprise attack.

When Cao Cao's massive army surged forward like a tidal wave, Liu Bei's army instantly fell into chaos. Soldiers were panicked and fled in all directions, and many generals did not even have time to organize effective resistance before their formations were scattered by the Cao Army.

Upon learning the news, Liu Bei was consumed by rage. He realized he had fallen into Cao Cao's trick, but he had no time to investigate. He quickly summoned the remaining generals and ordered them to gather their forces and resist to the death.

However, facing Cao Cao's elite troops, though Liu Bei's army resisted bravely, they still found it difficult to turn the tide of the war. On the battlefield, blood stained the earth red, and the wailing was heard everywhere; it was a scene of desolation.

Just as Liu Bei's army was about to collapse, a surprise force suddenly struck from the flank, like a tiger descending from the mountain, striking directly at the Cao Army's heartland. This surprise force was led by Huang Zhong, who utilized the terrain advantage to launch a fierce surprise attack on the Cao Army.

Huang Zhong led the way, his great blade invincible, and no one could stop him. Under his leadership, the surprise troops fought bravely, hard-headedly tearing a gap in the Cao Army's encirclement.

Seeing this, Liu Bei was greatly encouraged. He immediately ordered the remaining generals to take the opportunity to counterattack, forming a pincer movement with Huang Zhong's surprise force. Under the fierce counterattack of Liu Bei's army, the Cao Army finally began to collapse and retreat.

Seeing this, Cao Cao was shocked. He did not expect Liu Bei to be able to explode with such powerful combat effectiveness in a desperate situation. He knew well that if he delayed any longer, he would likely fall into an unfavorable situation. Thus, he immediately ordered a retreat while commanding the rear-guard troops to hold the valley entrance firmly to prevent pursuit by Liu Bei's army.

Seeing the Cao Army retreat, Liu Bei did not immediately pursue. Instead, he ordered the troops to rest on the spot and replenish their strength. He knew that although this battle had temporarily repelled the Cao Army, the gap in strength between the two sides remained vast, and he had to act with caution.

At this time, Huang Zhong came before Liu Bei, covered in blood, and knelt on one knee. "My lord, this subordinate has not failed the mission and has repelled the Cao Army."

Liu Bei helped Huang Zhong up, his eyes full of appreciation. "Hansheng is valiant and peerless. If you hadn't arrived in time, our army would likely have been in danger."

Huang Zhong smiled modestly. "My lord praises me too much; this is what this subordinate should do. It is just that although our army has temporarily repelled the Cao Army, the crisis has not yet been resolved, and we still need to respond with caution."

Liu Bei nodded in agreement and immediately summoned the generals to discuss follow-up countermeasures. Although Zhuge Liang was not present, the brilliant plan he had left behind played a key role at this moment. Following the plan in the secret bag, Liu Bei decided to divide his forces into two routes: one led by Guan Yu to continue holding the camp to prevent another Cao Army raid; the other led by Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun to go to the surrounding commanderies and counties to recruit troops and enhance their strength.

With the plan decided, Liu Bei ordered the generals to lead their troops into action. Guan Yu stayed to guard the camp, standing in strict battle array; Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun took elite troops and capable generals, heading separately to various commanderies and counties.

A few days later, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun returned to the camp with newly recruited troops, and the strength of Liu Bei's army was greatly enhanced. As for Cao Cao's side, due to the defeat in this battle, morale was low, and they had lost quite a few troops, leaving them temporarily unable to launch a large-scale offensive. ===== CHAPTER 1600 =====