novelAbuy Chapter 72 Guan Yu Requests Command
Chapter 72 Guan Yu Requests Command
Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is there any news from Liu Yao's side?"
Guo Jia shook his head and said, "Moling has fallen, Liu Yao is suffering defeat after defeat, and I'm afraid Qu'a won't be able to hold out for long either."
Lu Yong interjected, "We need to speed things up. Before Sun Ce takes Qu'a, we must first take Liyang to block his southward advance and threaten his rear, preventing him from launching a full-scale attack on Liu Yao."
"How long until Yunchang returns?" Liu Bei turned to Lu Su and asked.
Lu Su cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to my lord, the last group of people have successfully crossed the Yangtze River, and General Guan should return within three days."
The voice has not fallen,
Guan Yu's voice suddenly came from outside.
"Brother! I, Guan, am returning!"
Immediately afterwards, Guan Yu strode into the hall.
His armor was still covered in the dust of his journey, but his phoenix eyes shone brightly.
Liu Bei rose to greet Guan Yu, grasped his arms, and asked with a smile, "Second Brother, didn't you say you wouldn't be back for another three days?"
Guan Yu clasped his hands in a salute, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Fei before settling on Lu Yong.
"Having heard that the strategist and my third brother have pacified the four southern counties, I, Guan, can no longer stay in Jiangbei."
Zhang Fei grinned and said, "Second Brother is afraid I'll steal all the credit! Hahaha!"
Guan Yu did not deny it, but simply stroked his long beard slightly.
Liu Bei patted his arm, gesturing for him to sit down.
After everyone was seated again, Liu Bei looked at Lu Yong and said:
"It's just in time that Yun Chang is back. Huai'an, tell me your plans."
Lu Yong got up and walked to the map hanging in the hall.
He traced the names of Liyang, Moling, and Qu'a with his finger and said:
"Sun Ce's forces number no more than five thousand, and he is currently focusing all his efforts on attacking Moling, so Niuzhuji must be undefended."
General Zhao is currently stationed in Dangtu. He can be ordered to lead his troops directly to Niuzhuji, cutting off Sun Ce's route back north!
Then, Lu Yong pointed to Liyang and said:
"General Guan can lead his 8,000 infantry and cavalry to capture Liyang."
Then, it headed north from Liyang and stopped in Jurong.
"If Sun Ce attacks Qu'a, his retreat route will be the passage from Jurong to Moling."
After we take Liyang, we can send a separate force to take a side road and advance west of Jurong to threaten his rear.
Sun Ce has Liu Yao in front and us behind, so he will inevitably have to divide his forces to guard against us.
"Dividing the troops weakens our strength," Lu Yong continued. "Sun Ce only has five thousand men in total. Even if a small portion of them were to be sent back to reinforce the rear, Liu Yao would be able to breathe a great sigh of relief."
Guan Yu, somewhat puzzled, asked, "Then why not directly attack Moling and besiege Sun Ce?"
"Sun Ce is still under Yuan Shu's command, so if we directly eliminate him, it will be difficult to explain to Yuan Shu," Lu Yong explained. "Therefore, we need to force him to divide his forces and let Liu Yao defeat Sun Ce. Then, as Yuan Shu's ally, we can deal with Liu Yao."
Liu Bei still had some doubts: "But Liu Zhengli and I are both members of the Han imperial family. It wouldn't sound good if word got out that we were killing each other."
Lu Yong pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "My lord, if Liu Yao truly had the knowledge of the imperial clan, he would not have refused our army and civilians permission to cross the river at Hengjiang Ferry."
Liu Bei looked up at Lu Yong.
Lu Yong continued, "If we hadn't reminded you earlier, Niuzhuji would have fallen long ago. Yet, has Liu Yao ever shown you even the slightest gratitude?"
Here, Lu Yong actually subtly changed the concept.
Because he did not reveal his identity in the secret letter he sent to Liu Yao, Liu Yao had no idea who sent the letter.
However, Liu Bei was unaware of this, and Lu Yong naturally wouldn't point it out.
He paused, then continued, "Now that Moling has fallen and Qu'a is about to fall, Liu Yao has generals he doesn't use and soldiers he can't command; his defeat is already inevitable."
Guan Yu, who was sitting to the side, couldn't help but chime in at this moment.
"What Huai'an said is correct."
When I escorted the people south, Liu Yao offered them the slightest assistance; on the contrary, he tightly closed the ferries and treated my soldiers and civilians as enemies.
Zhang Fei suddenly slammed his hand on the table and shouted:
"That's right! If Liu Yao had recognized our lord as a relative, he should have opened the ferry crossing back then so that the people could cross the river!"
At the very least, they should send some food over.
But he didn't make a move at all, completely disregarding his elder brother!
Liu Bei raised his hand to stop Zhang Fei, his gaze still fixed on Lu Yong's face:
"Even so, Liu Zhengli is the governor of Yangzhou appointed by the imperial court. Won't our actions give others grounds for criticism?"
Lu Yong shook his head and said, "The court is now controlled by Li Jue and Guo Si. Personnel appointments are all decided by them, and have nothing to do with His Majesty's will."
Guo Jia straightened up from beside the pillar and advised:
"My lord, Liu Yao is about to be defeated and killed, and Qu'a will surely fall into Sun Ce's hands."
After Sun Ce acquired Qu'a, his next step was Wu Commandery.
Once he eliminates Liu Yao, he will gain the approval of the powerful families of Wu Commandery.
In addition, Wu Commandery was the ancestral home of the Sun family, and they had many supporters.
Once he gains a foothold in Wu Commandery, it will be ten or even dozens of times more costly for us to eliminate him and take over Jiangdong.
If my lord does not take it today, we will have to fight a bloody battle with Sun Ce tomorrow.
"In that case, it will still be the Han people who die."
Lu Su stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your lord's benevolence is known throughout the land, but benevolence and righteousness need to be supported by strength."
Liu Yao was powerless to protect the people, and your lord's replacement of him was precisely to save the people from dire straits.
Liu Bei closed his eyes and fell into deep thought, and the hall immediately fell silent.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Liu Bei finally opened his eyes, looked up, and said, "Huai'an, who do you plan to send to Jurong?"
Before Lu Yong could speak, Guan Yu stood up immediately: "Brother, I am willing to go!"
"But Yun Chang, you still have to guard Liyang..."
"But what about the strategist and the third brother?"
"..." Liu Bei's lips twitched, and he could only turn to Lu Yong and ask, "Strategist, how many men do you have now?"
Before Lu Yong could speak, Zhang Fei preemptively replied:
"Brother, we only had about four thousand new soldiers left."
After subduing Zulang and Leizhen,
They gave us a total of eight thousand Yue soldiers!
With the addition of the surrendered troops, the total number is now 15,000!
Now, Lu Yong and Zhang Fei had more men than Guan Yu.
"So many?"
Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Lu Su, Guo Jia, and the others were all stunned.
"The Yue people are inherently fierce and brave; with a little training, they can go into battle," Lu Yong added.
Liu Bei took a deep breath and silently considered his options.
Guan Yu had over ten thousand men under his command.
Zhao Yun, Xu Sheng, and Jiang Qin together had another 10,000 troops.
Lu Yong and Zhang Fei now command 15,000 men.
Adding them all up, there were a whopping 35,000 troops!
This is the first time in all these years that Liu Bei has been so generous!
However, with more soldiers, food supplies became a problem.
Fortunately, Danyang has many mountains and rivers. When food is scarce, wild game can be used to make up for it...
After much deliberation, Liu Bei finally made up his mind.
"Do everything as the strategist says!"
"Strategist, you and Yide should act according to the circumstances."
Guan Yu clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Brother, I will set off immediately to capture Liyang!"
After saying that, Guan Yu strode out again.
Looking at him like this,
He was truly spurred on by Zhang Fei's achievements.