Chapter 50: Who Exactly Is Advising Liu Bei Behind the Scenes?

“Wen Lie, what did you say? Say it again!” Cao Ren leapt to his feet, his face flushed with urgency as he shouted at Cao Xiu.

Cheng Yu, ignoring the wine stains on his clothes, set down his cup and hurriedly stood as well.

“Uncle Zixiao, General Yu Jin sent word for reinforcements. Liu Bei is leading thirty thousand troops in a fierce assault on our grain depot at Deng County. They’re on the verge of breaking through!” Cao Xiu repeated anxiously, his face etched with worry.

Cao Ren, convinced he was sober, sucked in a sharp breath and turned to Cheng Yu in shock.

“Shouldn’t Liu Bei be leading his forces toward Chaoyang, walking into our trap? Why would he suddenly strike at our grain depot in Deng County?”

“Zhongde, what’s going on here?” Cheng Yu wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes reflecting the same confusion and astonishment. For a moment, he was at a loss to provide a reasonable explanation.

But Cao Xiu’s anxiety was like a fire at his temples as he shouted, “Uncle Zixiao, now is not the time to ponder. We must rush to save Deng County!”

A chill ran through Cao Ren and Cheng Yu, and suddenly they were fully awake to the gravity of the situation.

Deng County stored over four hundred thousand hu of grain and forage. If Liu Bei captured and burned it, it would be a devastating blow to Cao’s forces.

“Order the troops to assemble immediately. I will personally lead the rescue of the grain depot at Deng County!” Cao Ren drew his sword and dashed out of the command tent in a flurry.

Given the seriousness of the matter, Cheng Yu dared not remain behind awaiting news and hurried after him.

The camp gates swung wide open as squads of Cao’s soldiers hurried out.

Cao Ren personally led over twenty thousand troops, racing toward Deng County, some ten-odd miles away.

“Xu Shu only knew the situation at Chaoyang. He should have urged Liu Bei to strike our Chaoyang grain depot. Why did Liu Bei instead attack our grain depot at Deng County?”

“Deng County lies just over ten miles from our main camp. How could Liu Bei dare such a bold risk without knowing the true strength of our forces?”

“Could it be…” Cheng Yu’s heart suddenly jolted, a chilling suspicion flashing through his mind as he urged his horse forward.

At that moment, the soldiers on either side suddenly cried out in alarm.

Cheng Yu’s thoughts were cut short. He instinctively looked up, his face draining of color.

In the direction of Deng County, countless towering flames rose, painting half the night sky in a fiery red.

The grain depot had fallen, and the supplies were burning!

Cheng Yu’s mind went blank with a deafening roar, and only these eight words remained in his thoughts:

Such a massive blaze could mean only one thing: the grain depot at Deng County had been lost, and over four hundred thousand hu of grain were reduced to ashes by Liu Bei.

They had arrived too late.

Cheng Yu reined in his horse, staring dumbfounded at the fire-illuminated sky.

Ahead, Cao Ren was burning with rage, grinding his teeth and cursing bitterly:

“Even if Liu Bei launched a surprise attack, Yu Jin should have had at least ten thousand troops. How could he be so utterly incompetent as to be overrun so quickly by that crafty bandit?”

Beside him, Cao Xiu advised, “Uncle Zixiao, I must ride straight to the grain depot. Perhaps we can still save some of the supplies!”

Reminded, Cao Ren lifted his whip and prepared to rush on without further thought.

At that moment, a few hundred fleeing soldiers appeared on the main road ahead, all coming from the direction of the Deng County grain depot.

Several of them supported Yu Jin, who had lost an arm, as he dismounted and collapsed before Cao Ren.

“Yu Wenze, you… you—” Cao Ren’s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of Yu Jin’s severed arm.

Yu Jin’s expression was one of pain and shame as he lamented, “General Zixiao, you’re too late. The grain depot has been breached by that crafty bandit!”

“The four hundred thousand hu of grain inside have all been… all been burned to ashes!”

Cao Ren’s heart sank.

He glanced up at the sky over Deng County again. With flames raging to that extent, the grain depot must indeed be a sea of fire, just as Yu Jin said.

No matter how fast they rode now, not a single grain could be saved.

Four hundred thousand hu of grain were lost just like that!

Anger surged in Cao Ren’s chest. He leapt from his horse and roughly pulled Yu Jin to his feet.

“Why did Liu Bei strike our grain depot at Deng County? Tell me, why?” Cao Ren shouted, gripping Yu Jin’s shoulders.

Yu Jin’s face twisted with guilt and sorrow, and he sighed, “General Zixiao, Cheng Zhongde’s strategy was seen through by Liu Bei. We fell for his feint to the east!”

Cao Ren’s hands stiffened.

Behind him, Cheng Yu’s body trembled, his face suddenly pale.

“From the start, Liu Bei saw through your plan, Cheng Zhongde. He must have anticipated—”

Yu Jin, with a tone of helpless resignation, recounted the truth he had learned from Liu Bei’s own lips.

The fury on Cao Ren’s face slowly shifted to stunned disbelief as he turned to look at Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu’s face was not only shocked but deeply perplexed.

“He didn’t just see through my plan, but turned it against us, using Yu Jin to spread false intelligence. He made me wrongly believe Liu Bei was transferring troops from Jiangxia to mount a surprise attack on Chaoyang, prompting me to ask the chancellor to pull troops out to set an ambush there.”

“Then, he struck at our grain depot in Deng County while it was vulnerable, a classic feint to the east and strike to the west.”

“With Xu Shu’s intellect, he shouldn’t be capable of such devilish cunning.”

“And Zhuge Liang isn’t even in Xiangyang. So who could have uncovered my plan for Liu Bei and then turned it back on us?”

“Sun Qian, Jian Yong, Yi Ji—they don’t have that ability either…”

Cheng Yu muttered these words in disbelief, sweat pouring down his forehead, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

“Even if we fell for the crafty bandit’s trick, the grain depot still had ten thousand troops. With your talent, Yu Jin, why did it fall in less than two hours?”

Cao Ren snapped out of his disbelief and grabbed Yu Jin once more, demanding answers.

Yu Jin’s expression shifted nervously, unable to speak.

Could he admit that he had spent his days drinking and neglecting duty, half-drunk when Liu Bei’s forces arrived?

“What happened to your hand?”

“And where did you get the information you just told us?”

Cao Ren sensed something was amiss.

Yu Jin hung his head in shame, avoiding Cao Ren’s gaze.

Nearby, Cheng Yu had already perceived the truth and sighed.

“If I’m not mistaken, Yu Wenze, you must have been captured by Liu Bei again. He revealed the secret to you personally, then sent you back to humiliate the chancellor and flaunt his power before him.”

Yu Jin shuddered and lowered his head deeply, silently confirming Cheng Yu’s suspicion.

Silence spoke as assent.

Cao Ren was stunned. He seized Yu Jin and asked, “Yu Jin, have you truly been captured by Liu Bei again and offered to surrender to that crafty bandit?”

“General Zixiao, I, I…” Yu Jin blushed deeply, unable to speak the words.

Cao Ren’s expression shifted from furious to deeply disappointed.

“Yu Wenze, Yu Wenze, this time, no one can save you!”

He loosened his grip and gently pushed Yu Jin aside, shaking his head with a helpless sigh.

Yu Jin’s heart tightened, suddenly grasping the meaning behind Cao Ren’s words.

Captured twice by Guan Yu, twice surrendering to Liu Bei, and now bearing the blame for losing the grain depot…

Could Cao Cao be so enraged as to order his execution?

Yu Jin’s face turned deathly pale as he looked up at Cao Ren in alarm.

But Cao Ren no longer deigned to pay him any mind. He gazed at the roaring flames ahead and waved his hand wearily.

“Send messengers to Chaoyang immediately. Inform the chancellor that we have fallen for Liu Bei’s ruse, and that Yu Jin has lost the grain depot at Deng County.”

“Our four hundred thousand hu of grain have been burned to ashes by Liu Bei!”

The Cao army officers and soldiers around them buzzed with talk, the morale shaken.

Cheng Yu stared into the fire-lit night sky, his brow furrowed in deep confusion and suspicion.

“It wasn’t Xu Shu, nor Zhuge Liang. Then who was it that saw through my plan?”