Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

He defeated Nanxiang and beheaded Xu Huang, and defeated Cao Ren in the battle at Tuoyang.

The 100,000 people in Nanyang Nanxiang are now less than 30,000!
The Han soldiers were as powerful as fire and as fast as the wind, making all the soldiers in Wancheng afraid.

South of Wancheng.

Scholars and people in various counties abandoned Wei and joined Han.

North of Wancheng.

There are also many scholars and people who intend to defect to the Han.

The Han soldiers were huge, even more powerful than Guan Yu's conquest of Xiangfan three years ago!
With the money and food support of the soldiers and people in each county, Zhuge Qiao and Guan Yu gathered Cao Ren's routed and surrendered troops, as well as the good family sons of each county, and obtained another 20,000 young and strong soldiers.

Forty thousand people came to Wancheng!
The morale of the Han soldiers was as high as a rainbow, while the Wei soldiers were frightened and frightened.

After Cao Ren was defeated and vomited blood, his health deteriorated.

Hearing that Han troops were approaching the city, Cao Ren forced his sick body to reach the city.

Seeing flags fluttering below the city, chariots gathering, and loud shouts of killing showed high morale.

Even if it's Cao Ren, he can't help but panic!

"Secure the city and defend, quickly ask for help from Luoyang!" Cao Ren gritted his teeth.

No matter how unwilling I was, I could only ask Luoyang for help at this moment.

Luyang.

Liu Ye was shocked to hear that Cao Ren was defeated, and he was so angry that he cursed: "Cao Ren is a common man, and he doesn't listen to good advice."

"Now that we have lost soldiers and generals, we have lost people and territory, I want to see how you explain it to His Majesty."

Cao Hong, who was on the side, looked a little unhappy: "Liu Shizhong, victory or defeat is a common matter for military officers. Although the general is defeated, Wancheng is still there."

"When the late emperor was still alive, he never won often, so why would he be so harsh on the general?"

"Does it mean that if you lead the army, you can guarantee your invincibility?"

Although Cao Hong and Cao Ren are not brothers from the same blood, they are both members of the Cao clan. How can Liu Ye, a man with a foreign surname, be allowed to curse here?

Cao Ren is a common man, so who am I, Cao Hong?
Liu Ye's tone paused and he secretly clenched his fists: I scolded Cao Ren but I didn't scold you. Why are you so angry here?

"General Hussar, Wancheng cannot be lost! You can quickly lead troops to Xi'e City, north of Wancheng."

"I predict that after Zhuge Qiao besieged Wancheng, he will divide his troops to capture Xi'e, Bowang and other cities."

Cao Hong frowned: "How can we easily take risks with troops? When His Majesty's reinforcements arrive, we can unite our troops together to ensure that everything is safe."

Liu Ye said anxiously: "This back and forth is delayed and wastes time. By the time reinforcements arrive, Xi'e, Bowang and other cities will have been occupied long ago."

"Once the news in Wancheng is blocked, people in Wancheng will definitely be terrified."

"How can we defend Wancheng if the people are not united?"

Cao Hong refused: "Liu Shizhong, you are just a scholar. You can make suggestions, but you can't lead troops to fight."

"What you said is just a theory in the book, and it is different from the reality."

"If I take a dangerous trip to Xi'e and am accidentally ambushed by a Han dog, the Han dog can go all the way north."

"By then, let alone Wancheng, we won't be able to save Xudu!"

"Guard Lu Yang well, and I won't make any mistakes!"

When Liu Ye saw that Cao Hong was neglecting military affairs, he immediately took out the festival order: "I have your majesty's festival order here!"

"Your Majesty has said that if the Hussars General neglects military affairs, I will act accordingly."

"General Hussar, do you really don't want to go to Xi'e?"

Cao Hong's face turned red instantly, and a wave of heat was radiating rapidly.

"How dare you use His Majesty's orders to pressure me?" Cao Hong suppressed his anger.

It’s true that people are always being bullied, and no one dares to jump on my head like a hussar general!
Cao Hong held down the hilt of his sword and stared at Liu Ye fiercely.

Seeing this, Liu Ye also held down the hilt of his sword: "General Hussar, you have to think clearly."

"You are arrogant in Xudu and have repeatedly violated the law. There are more than a hundred petitions to impeach you in the imperial court."

"You ignored His Majesty's order and delayed military matters. Are you serious that His Majesty didn't dare to punish you in the past?"

Cao Hong held down the hilt of his sword tightly.

a long time.

Cao Hong released the hilt of his sword and let out a long breath: "Liu Ye, the humiliation suffered today will be repaid in the future. If I am ambushed, I will kill you!"

Liu Ye ignored Cao Hong's threat and snorted coldly: "As long as you don't deliberately neglect the military plane, you can't be ambushed!"

Cao Hong snorted coldly and went to prepare for war.

Seeing Cao Hong leaving, Liu Ye quickly compiled the battle report and sent his cronies to rush to Luoyang.

During this time.

Zhuge Qiao's battle reports and secret messages were also sent to Chang'an.

Liu Bei, who learned the details of Nanyang, quickly found a fighter plane: "Pass my decree to quickly recall the hussar general Ma Chao and the chariot general Zhang Fei."

Fa Zheng was slightly surprised when he saw Liu Bei's happy face and hurriedly summoned Ma Chao and Zhang Fei: "Your Majesty, could it be that there is good news in Nanyang?"

Liu Bei laughed and handed the battle report and secret message to Fa Zheng: "Xiao Zhi guessed it right, Cao Ren was defeated!"

Fa Zheng's spirit was shaken.

After reading the battle report and secret message, Fa Zheng's face became more joyful: "Your Majesty has no worries in the land of Jingzhou!"

"When this battle is over, Your Majesty can summon the general to return to the court."

Liu Bei also laughed: "Chang Yun has worked too hard to guard Jingzhou for me these years."

"In the past battle of Xiangfan, Yunchang was the leader and Bosong was the auxiliary; today in the battle of Nanyang, Bosong is the lord and Yunchang is the auxiliary."

"It's not that Yun Chang refuses to take the lead, but that Yun Chang wants to take this opportunity to let Bo Song truly command a battle."

"Bosong lived up to his expectations. Not only did he conquer Nanxiang and kill Xu Huang, but he also defeated Cao Ren in Nanyang with clever tricks!"

"After this battle, I can bring Yunchang back to the court and share the wealth."

Fazheng was also filled with emotion when he saw that even though Liu Bei became emperor, he would not forget to share his wealth with his brothers.

In the past, King Chen was ruthless. When he was working as a servant in the fields, he told people, "As long as you are rich and noble, don't forget each other." However, after becoming the queen, he beheaded his old friend who came to seek wealth.

Today, Liu Bei is nostalgic for the old days and never forgets to share the wealth with his old brothers who have been with him for a long time.

For example, Mi Zhu was inferior to Zhuge Liang in ability but superior to Zhuge Liang in status.

Situ Xu Jing is old and wants to resign.

Liu Bei originally intended to appoint Mi Zhu as his Situ, but he gave up because of Mi Zhu's polite refusal. After being recommended by the ministers, Liu Bei appointed Chen Zhen, a native of Nanyang, as his Situ.

Those with insufficient ability will be given high positions with false power, while those with strong ability will be given positions of real power.

In this way: we will not treat our old brothers badly, but we can also allow talented people to take real power.

Fazheng said again: "Bosong has made great achievements, and your Majesty must not fail to reward him."

Liu Bei nodded: "I was thinking about it just now, and I don't know how to reward him."

"Every general has to be filled by someone. When Bosong is promoted, a general has to give up his position."

"The generals have meritorious deeds and no faults, so they cannot be good at regulating them."

Fa Zheng suggested: "According to the Han system, senior officers in the Piao, Che, Wei and various expedition and town generals can be promoted to the rank of general."

"Although the generals to assist the Han are not included in the generals of Piao, Chao, Wei, and other expedition and town generals, your Majesty also gave them special meaning when they established the generals to assist the Han in the past."

"It would be better to make Bosong the General of the Assistant Han Dynasty and then the Marquis of Yangdu to show his glory."

"In this way, the generals' positions will not be disturbed, and rewards and punishments can be determined."

Yangdu, that is, Yangdu County, Langya County, is the birthplace of Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Qiao and his son.

Liu Bei paced and thought carefully.

The Han system is not irreversible.

Liu Bei is the emperor. As long as Liu Bei proposes and the ministers approve, the old system can be changed to the new system.

Liu Bei was just worried whether such a reward would be a slight to Zhuge Qiao's military exploits.

Considered for a long time.

Liu Bei made a decision: "In addition to conferring Bosong as the General of the Assistant Han and the Marquis of Yangdu, he can also be granted the power of holiday."

"The Prime Minister has always been thrifty. The Prime Minister's wife always wears linen clothes when traveling. People who don't know may mistakenly think that I am harsh on the Prime Minister."

"You can give Bosong a thousand bolts of silk cloth and ten thousand grains of dendrobium, build a house and palace for his mother Huang Yueying, and give her twenty of the palace uniforms."

The former "general who assisted the Han Dynasty, Marquis of Yangdu, and false festivals" are normal rewards; the latter "thousands of pieces of silk and cloth, tens of thousands of grains, building houses and palaces, and giving twenty fine clothes" are Liu Bei's rewards in the Ming Dynasty. Zhuge Qiao secretly gave it to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang can't refuse yet!

Even if Zhuge Liang is the prime minister, he cannot refuse the reward for Zhuge Qiao; even if he wants to refuse, Zhuge Qiao must return to Chang'an to refuse it in person.

Liu Bei smiled, obviously very satisfied with this.

Fazheng clapped his hands and praised: "Your Majesty is wise. The Prime Minister will never refuse again!"

Liu Bei laughed loudly: "Leave this matter to Xiaozhi. I don't trust others to handle it."

Talking and laughing.

Ma Chao and Zhang Fei came hand in hand.

"His Majesty!"

"Brother!"

After greetings, Zhang Fei couldn't wait to ask: "Brother summoned me and Meng Qi urgently. Do you want me to lead troops to Wuguan?"

"My talented subordinate has been recuperating for many days. He can go to Jingzhou to help his second brother."

Ma Chao was thoughtful.

If he had gone to Jingzhou to help Guan Yu, he should have gone long ago instead of waiting until now.

Go to Jingzhou now, unless Guan Yu's war in Jingzhou is tight.

But the smile on Liu Bei's face was not concealed, so it must be another happy event.

Liu Bei said bluntly: "We are not going to Wuguan, but to Tongguan! You two will immediately lead 10,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Tongguan!"

Ma Chao and Zhang Fei were surprised.

Zhang Fei said doubtfully: "Tongguan is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the defender Zhang He is not an ignorant person. It is almost impossible to lure him out of the pass."

"I don't think there is any difference between riding with 10,000 paces to Tongguan and riding with 3,000 paces to Tongguan!"

Liu Bei laughed: "Although Tongguan is dangerous, Tongguan does not produce grain. The soldiers in Tongguan need to transport grain to Luoyang."

"If there were no major events in Luoyang in the past, and Tongguan's food supply would continue, we would not be able to capture Tongguan in three years."

"But it's different now. Bosong defeated Cao Ren in Nanyang, and the people of Nanyang responded one after another."

"Cao Pi in Luoyang will definitely raise another army to rescue Wancheng after hearing the news; I will take this opportunity to attack Tongguan, and Cao Pi will face a two-front battle."

"With Cao Pi's food reserves in Luoyang, he cannot support a two-front battle!"

"In three months at most, Cao Pi will either give up Tongguan or Wancheng!"

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too!”

Zhang Fei was stunned.

Then the fighting spirit became more intense: "Bo Song defeated Cao Ren, I have to work hard. I will lead troops to Tongguan with Meng Qi."

After receiving the military order, Zhang Fei and Ma Chao went to the military camp to order troops. Ma Chao led his troops first, and Zhang Fei led his troops to escort the baggage behind.

Zhang He, who was shocked to hear that Chang'an was sending troops, hurriedly sent envoys to Luoyang.

And in Luoyang.

Cao Pi, who had just ordered Cao Zhen to send troops to rescue Wancheng, was shocked to hear that Liu Bei in Guanzhong sent Zhang Fei and Ma Chao to attack Tongguan. He was stunned.

"Liu Bei, how dare you do this!"

Panicked, Cao Pi quickly sent people to stop Cao Zhen and asked Cao Zhen to postpone the rescue of Wancheng.

He hurriedly entered the main hall and summoned the ministers to discuss countermeasures.

"The puppet emperor Liu Bei wants to seize Wanluo. Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?" Cao Pi asked after sharing the information with the ministers.

however.

All the ministers present were good at commenting on the classics and rectifying the administration of officials, but when it came to military warfare, not many were good at it.

Even Shang Shulang Chen Qun and Fujun Sima Yi remained silent.

Cao Ren was defeated. First, Guan Yu and Zhuge Qiao's troops surrounded Wancheng, and then Zhang Fei's Ma Chao troops came to Tongguan.

Starting from Xiahou Yuan, Cao Wei lost consecutive battles.

Cao Wei's veteran generals Xia Houyuan, Yu Jin, and Xu Huang died in battle, and the newly-rising Meng Da and Xia Houshang died in battle. Cao Zhang was defeated in Guanzhong, and Cao Ren was defeated in Nanyang.

Since Cao Cao fell ill, bad luck seemed to have enveloped the entire Cao Wei camp.

Either the general will die in battle or he will be defeated.

On the other hand, the Han Dynasty established by Liu Bei was full of victorious battles and strong momentum.

Seeing that all the ministers were silent, Cao Pi couldn't help but get angry: "You are all talented people in this world, but you don't have any strategy to teach me how to retreat from the enemy?"

Situ Huaxin came out and said: "Your Majesty! I think we can quickly send envoys to Jiangdong to persuade Sun Quan in Jiangdong to rebel against Liu Bei."

Cao Pi snorted coldly: "Sun Quan, my son, is capricious."

"I gave up Hefei and Shangchang City to Sun Quan's son, but Sun Quan was willing to cede Jiangxia County to Liu Bei."

"How can you believe such an unbelieving kid?"

Hua Xin admonished: "Your Majesty, this moment, that moment!"

"Your Majesty gave up Hefei and Shangchang City to Sun Quan, and spread rumors in Jiangdong. His original intention was to be arrogant and arrogant to Sun Quan, so that he could proclaim himself emperor and rebel against the Han Dynasty."

"As far as I know, Sun Quan did have this idea at first, but he was forced to give up Jiangxia County because of his wrong decision."

"Therefore, I believe that Sun Quan must have resentment in his heart."

"As long as you send clever people to Jiangdong to lobby Sun Quan about your interests, Sun Quan will definitely consider it."

"This strategy can be combined with other good strategies."

Hua Xin will set up camp.

I am not saying that this strategy will definitely work, only that it can be done in parallel.

If the strategy succeeds, Hua Xin will make great contributions; if the strategy fails, and other strategies will succeed, Hua Xin will still make great contributions; if the strategy fails, other strategies will also fail, and Hua Xin will have the protective aura of "the law does not blame everyone".

Cao Pi thought about it carefully, and it seemed that this was also the case, and then he looked at the other ministers: "Gentlemen, do you have any good ideas?"

Sikong Wanglang came out and said: "Your Majesty, I think we can abandon Wancheng and withdraw our troops to protect Yingchuan."

Cao Pi raised his tone: "You want me to retreat? If Wancheng is lost, can Yingchuan be saved?"

Wang Lang lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, not meeting Cao Pi's gaze: "If your Majesty sends troops to rescue Wancheng, Tongguan will be difficult to protect."

"If Wancheng is lost, Luoyang can still be saved; but if Tongguan is lost, Luoyang cannot be saved."

What Liu Bei could guess, Cao Pi naturally knew.

When this large army goes out for an expedition, it consumes a lot of food, and Zhang He of Tongguan will definitely be affected.

If Tongguan is lost, Liu Bei's army will be able to reach Hangu Pass.

By then, let alone protecting Wancheng, whether Luoyang can be saved will be a question.

Cao Pi was immediately discouraged and looked at the other officials, hoping that someone would come up with a good strategy to protect both Tongguan and Wancheng.

in the crowd.

Jia Xu closed his eyes to rest, as if he didn't want to participate in the court meeting.

Cao Pi looked at Jia Xu, endured it for a moment, stood up and bowed: "Captain, do you have any good advice for me?"

When Jia Xu heard Cao Pi's voice, he couldn't help but sigh to himself: What should come will always come.

There are so many people in the court, Your Majesty, why did you just catch me and ask?

a long time.

Jia Xu said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, I think we can abandon Wanluo and move the capital to Yecheng."

Abandon Luoyang and move the capital to Yecheng?
Cao Pi and other ministers were startled. Chen Qun and Sima Yi, who remained silent, also looked at Jia Xu in horror.

Du Ji, the lieutenant of Sili, came out to refute: "If you give up Wanluo, the reputation of the Wei Dynasty will definitely suffer a heavy blow."

"Lieutenant, how can you advise His Majesty to make such a reviled decision?"

Jia Xu glanced at Du Ji and said, "Commander Sili, do you have any good strategies for retreating from the enemy?"

Du Ji suddenly choked up.

If I had a good idea, why should I just pretend to be dumb?
Jia Xu's rhetorical question directly scared off all the ministers who wanted to question Jia Xu.

If you refute Jia Xu without a good plan to retreat the enemy, wouldn't that be self-defeating?

Disdain flashed in Jia Xu's eyes: You still want to question me, are you worthy?
Cao Pi was unwilling to give in: "Captain, I need your explanation."

Jia Xu spoke slowly, as if he would faint if he said more than two words: "Your Majesty, Liu Bei's momentum is too great. Your Majesty alone cannot defeat him."

"To get rid of Liu Bei, we must first break the alliance between Liu Bei and Sun Quan."

"Since Hefei and Shangchang cannot seduce Sun Quan, then we can create a situation to intimidate Sun Quan."

Cao Pi's eyes flashed: "How can Taiwei build momentum?"

Jia Xu raised his eyes and looked at Cao Pi: "Abandon Wanluo, move the capital to Yecheng, and create a situation where Liu Bei is invincible in the world!"

"Without the threat of His Majesty in Wanluo, Liu Bei will definitely not be able to tolerate Sun Quan; if Liu Bei wants to continue the Northern Expedition, he must first deal with Sun Quan!"

"Sun Quan wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight because he thought that His Majesty would throw all his troops into the Wanluo battlefield and fight Liu Bei to the death."

"As short as one year, as long as three to five years, Sun Quan will have enough time to recharge his batteries."

"But if Your Majesty loses this battle too quickly, Sun Quan will truly feel threatened by Liu Bei, and he can only beg to form an alliance with Your Majesty!"

"Although moving the capital is not a small matter, it will not be a major event that affects the fate of the Wei Dynasty; when the late emperor was still alive, he also considered moving the capital."

"How can a person who achieves great things be pedantic and ignorant of flexibility?"

"Whether it is losing Yongliang or Wanluo, it will only affect the reputation of the Wei Dynasty."

"The former emperor's defeat at Chibi did not affect the support of the people within the country for the Wei Dynasty."

"Your Majesty still has Qing Ji You and Yan Yu and Xu Qizhou. No matter in terms of manpower or material resources, Liu Bei and Sun Quan cannot compare."

"By forcefully protecting Wanluo, Your Majesty will not only fail to protect Wanluo, but will also lose military strength, manpower, and material resources."

"By giving up Wanluo, Your Majesty can retain military strength, manpower, and material resources, and can also get help from Sun Quan."

"The climate in Luoyang this year is different from previous years. I speculate that there will be heavy rains in Luoyang this year. If the heavy rains cause Yishui and Luoshui to flood, His Majesty will have no chance to move the capital!"

"It would be better to take advantage of this opportunity and let Liu Bei occupy Luoyang; then the Yishui and Luoshui rivers will overflow, which can all be attributed to Liu Bei's anger from heaven."

All the ministers took a deep breath.

The one in front of Jia Xu was quite normal, but the one in the back was cruel.

As soon as Liu Bei entered Luoyang, Yishui and Luoshui flooded. Doesn't it mean that God hates Liu Bei?
If Liu Bei deliberately promoted this, it would be very difficult for Liu Bei to appease people's hearts.

Cao Pi was silent.

Although what Jia Xu said made sense, it was still difficult for Cao Pi to accept giving up Wan Luo.

Cao Pi originally decided to move the capital to Luoyang because Luoyang was the old capital of the Han Dynasty, and it was orthodox that Wei inherited the destiny of the Han Dynasty.

Seeing that Cao Pi didn't answer, Jia Xu stopped talking.

Everything that needs to be said has been said. Whether Cao Pi is willing to accept it or not is Cao Pi's business.

Almost all of Jia Xu's fields and houses in Luoyang were sold, and most of them were shipped to Yecheng to purchase fields and houses.

Regardless of whether Cao Pi adopts it or not, Jia Xu's loss is not big.

Cao Pi looked at Sima Yi: "Zhongda, do you have any good ideas?"

Sima Yi glanced at Jia Xu, who closed his eyes again to rest, and heard the deep meaning of Cao Pi's words.

Cao Pi did not ask "whether the Taiwei's strategy is feasible", but directly asked "what good strategy is there", which showed that Cao Pi did not want to move the capital!
After carefully considering Cao Pi's thoughts, Sima Yi offered advice: "Even if your Majesty sends troops to rescue Wancheng, Tongguan can hold on for three months."

"As long as Zhuge Qiao and Guan Yu are defeated outside Wancheng within three months, Your Majesty will not need to move the capital to avoid disaster."

Sima Yi was also very treacherous. He did not directly say how to defeat Zhuge Qiao and Guan Yu, but only mentioned that there was a three-month buffer period.

Zhuge Qiao and Guan Yu's offensive in Nanyang was too strong, and Sima Yi was not sure they could lead troops to repel them.

Since they can't be beaten back, they naturally have to protect themselves wisely.

Among the civil servants under Cao Pi, each one was more capable than the other.

Anyway, the Cao Wei family has a great cause, and a few cities will not hurt them.

In short: if you relax your mentality, Wei can afford to lose!
Cao Pi stood up and said, "In that case, the winner will be determined in three months! Pass my order to the general of the army, Cao Zhen, to immediately lead 50,000 troops to rescue Wancheng."

After receiving the military order, Cao Zhen no longer delayed on the way, led his troops out of Yique Pass and rushed towards Nanyang.

Outside Wancheng.

Guo Youzhi, the minister in charge, read out Liu Bei's edict in public and named Zhuge Qiao the General of the Assistant Han, Marquis of Yangdu, and Jiejie.

He was given thousands of bolts of silk and cloth and ten thousand grains of dendrobium, built a house and palace for his mother Huang Yueying, and gave her 20 pieces of royal clothing.

He also encouraged the generals and celebrated their success after winning Wanluo.

Liu Bei's reward to Zhuge Qiao made all the generals present very convinced.

Defeating Nanxiang and beheading Xu Huang, defeating Cao Ren and capturing four cities, plus the achievements of Longyou and Guanzhong, just a general who assisted the Han Dynasty was a bit aggrieved.

No matter what, he has to be granted the title of General Zhengbei or something like that.

Zhuge Qiao didn't feel aggrieved. Considering Zhuge Qiao's status, the reward was actually more of a formality.

Before the reward, Zhuge Qiao was still able to command tens of thousands of troops in Jingzhou as a general supporting the Han Dynasty.

"Does your Majesty have any other explanations?" Zhuge Qiao took Guo Youzhi into the tent and asked.

Guo Youzhi said: "Your Majesty has no other instructions. The Prime Minister asked me to bring a message."

"The Prime Minister said: Since ancient times, if you use regular soldiers, you have to rely on the weather, not the art of war; all rivers, lakes, mountains and vegetation can be used as soldiers."

Zhuge Qiao laughed and said, "Shizhong Guo can report back to the Prime Minister."

"The Wei River nourishes the land and can irrigate thousands of hectares of fertile farmland; Ma Jun is skillful and can build canals and weirs for thousands of generations."

"Even if someone is good at using soldiers like Han Xin, he still needs Xiao He to prepare enough money and food in the rear."

Guo Youzhi responded: "I will bring back the words of General Fu Han truthfully."

After Guo Youzhi left, Zhuge Qiao looked slightly solemn, his eyes blazing: "I judge the weather by relying on foresight, and my father judges the weather by his true ability."

"If we want to catch up with my father, we still have a long way to go!"

Historical records: On June 223, Xinsi, the fourth year of Huangchu ( years), it rained heavily in Luoyang. The Yishui and Luoshui flooded the capital of Cao Wei. The flood level was four to five feet high, washing away thousands of homes and killing countless people. (End of chapter)