The Three Kingdoms: Starting as a county magistrate in Pingyuan, he rose to power and conquered the

Chapter 44 Major Offensive

"I don't care!" Yuan Shao roared. "I never said I was going to launch a full-scale attack! Isn't there any other way to deal with him?"

The crowd looked at each other, not daring to utter a sound.

At this moment, Xu You stroked his beard, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

"My lord, I have a plan that can destroy Li Zhao's foundation."

"Speak quickly!" Yuan Shao cried out as if grasping at a straw.

"Li Zhao is so arrogant because he has grain in his hands."

Xu You sneered.

"His five million shi of grain couldn't have appeared out of thin air. It must have been stored in several large granaries."

"According to my subordinates' investigation, the largest central granary in Qingzhou is located at Woniugang, thirty li north of Linzi City."

"At least two million shi of grain are stockpiled there; it's Li Zhao's lifeline!"

Xu You lowered his voice.

"We only need to send an elite force of assassins to infiltrate Qingzhou, launch a surprise attack on Woniugang, and burn down his granary!"

"When Li Zhao runs out of food, his hundreds of thousands of troops and millions of civilians will immediately turn into cannibalistic wolves and devour him!"

"At that time, our lord will be able to take Qingzhou without losing a single soldier!"

Yuan Shao's eyes grew brighter and brighter after hearing this.

"Brilliant! Brilliant plan! This plan is extremely vicious, but also extremely ingenious!"

He made the decision immediately.

"Let's follow Ziyuan's plan!"

"Order Yan Liang and Wen Chou to select five hundred of the most elite warriors from the army, rewarding each with one hundred gold pieces, fine wine, and good meat!"

"They themselves led the way, disguised, and infiltrated Qingzhou!"

"Tell them, success is the only option, failure is not an option! Burn down Li Zhao's granary, and I'll guarantee them wealth and honor! If they fail..."

A ruthless glint flashed in Yuan Shao's eyes.

"Bring me your head!"

……

Qingzhou, Linzi, the Prime Minister's Residence.

Li Zhao was sitting in his study, leisurely sipping tea.

He had been in a good mood ever since the Qingzhou Straight Road was completed.

"My lord."

Xu Shu strode in, his expression somewhat solemn.

"I just received a secret report that Yuan Shao has dispatched two generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, with five hundred elite soldiers to infiltrate my Qingzhou territory in disguise."

"Their target is very likely..."

"The Woniugang granary," Li Zhao said for him.

Xu Shu was taken aback: "Our lord already knows?"

Li Zhao smiled but offered no explanation.

Of course he knew.

On his system map, the five hundred red dots representing enemies had been under his surveillance ever since he left Ye City.

He knew exactly what route they took, where they stopped to rest, and what they said.

"Yuan Benchu, Yuan Benchu, that's all you've got."

Li Zhao shook his head and put down his teacup.

"You want to burn down my granaries? Sever my foundation?"

"hehe."

"Yuanzhi, what do you think we should do?" Li Zhao asked.

Xu Shu pondered for a moment and said, "The Woniugang granary is of utmost importance and cannot be lost. I suggest that we immediately dispatch Generals Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci, leading the Shenji Battalion and cavalry, to Woniugang to set up defenses."

"We must annihilate these five hundred elite soldiers outside the granary!"

This is the safest approach.

But Li Zhao shook his head.

"No."

"I'm not going to play defense."

Xu Shu was shocked: "My lord, why is this? That's two million shi of grain!"

Li Zhao stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the bustling city of Linzi.

"Yuanzhi, do you know what the most despairing thing in this world is?"

Xu Shu was puzzled.

Li Zhao turned around, and said with a half-smile:

"It's when you think you've succeeded, only to find that it was all just a mirage."

"It's when you've given it your all, only to discover that your opponent is someone you can never defeat!"

Li Zhao continued, his eyes filled with amusement:

"Yuan Shao wants to play with fire, then I'll play along with him."

"Send orders to the garrison at Woniugang."

"Evacuate everyone tonight."

"Open the gates of the granary to me."

"I want to perform the 'Empty City Stratagem' for Yuan Shao's loyal followers."

Xu Shu, who was standing to the side, was dumbfounded.

Having followed Li Zhao for so long, this was the first time he felt that his lord's thoughts were unfathomable.

Looking at Li Zhao giving the order, Xu Shu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

……

Late at night, at Woniugang.

The night was dark and the wind was high.

Five hundred assassins, dressed in black and with their faces covered by black cloth, quietly crept to the outskirts of the granary, led by Yan Liang and Wen Chou.

They proceeded cautiously, avoiding all checkpoints and patrols.

I had assumed that a place as important as Woniugang would be heavily guarded.

However, as they approached, they found the place eerily quiet.

There were no patrolling soldiers, no sentries on the watchtowers, and not even the barking of the watchdogs.

The massive granary doors were... wide open!

"General, could this... be a trap?"

One of the assassins asked in a low voice, his tone unease.

Yan Liang also frowned.

This is going too smoothly, so smoothly it's unsettling.

Could it be a ruse involving an empty city?

But what kind of empty city stratagem would dare to gamble with two million bushels of grain?

"To hell with it!" Wen Chou, who had a fiery temper, cursed under his breath.

"That scoundrel Li Zhao must think we wouldn't dare come, that's why he's so arrogant!"

"Opportunity knocks but once! Who cares if it's a trap? Let's light the fire first!"

"Once the granary is ablaze, our mission will be accomplished!"

Yan Liang thought about it and felt that Wen Chou's words made sense.

They are suicide squad members; they came here to fight to the death.

"Alright! Let's get started!"

Yan Liang gave the order.

The five hundred elite soldiers immediately sprang into action.

They split into dozens of small teams and rushed into the huge circular silos.

Every barn was piled high with golden millet, all the way to the roof.

The unique aroma of that grain made even these assassins swallow hard.

They're fucking rich!

However, they did not forget their mission.

They took out flammable materials such as kerosene and sulfur that they carried with them and poured them onto the grain pile.

Then, they lit torches and threw them up.

"call--"

The fire broke out instantly.

The dry millet, aided by kerosene, caused the fire to spread extremely quickly.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of grain silos were engulfed in flames.

The firelight illuminated half the sky.

"Hahaha! It's on fire! It's on fire!"

Wen Chou looked at the raging fire before him and burst into wild laughter.

"Li Zhao! Your end has come!"

Yan Liang also breathed a sigh of relief.

The mission is complete.

Although the process was somewhat bizarre, the result was good.

Two million shi of grain were burned. Li Zhao was finished, and Qingzhou was finished.

Their return would be a great achievement.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Yan Liang gave the order to retreat.

However, just as they were about to turn and leave, a bizarre scene unfolded.

They discovered that the fire was very large and intense.

But the grain pile... why doesn't it look any smaller?

Not only has it not decreased, but it seems... it's actually increasing?

"This...how is this possible?"

Wen Chou rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

He stared intently at the nearest granary.

Beneath the raging flames, golden millet seemed to come alive, continuously surging up from below.

As soon as one layer is burned away, another layer is immediately added underneath.

"This is fucking weird! This is fucking weird!"

Wen Chou was so frightened that he took several steps back, his face pale as he watched this scene.