jdhmnovel Chapter 467 Sun Quan's Decision
Chapter 467 Sun Quan's Decision
Seeing the people under the Guan Yu banners pouring into the city, Sun Quan finally realized where he had gone wrong. Liu Bei and Guan Yu's appeal to the people was too strong, so strong that it was despair-inducing.
Nevertheless, Sun Quan remained skeptical about Guan Xing's ability to defeat Yu Jin, because the greatest strength of the common people lies in their endurance rather than their sudden burst of power. Only when society is stable and the people live and work in peace can the ruler wage war without any worries. But it is somewhat absurd to expect the common people to fight against professional soldiers with hoes and bamboo poles.
Therefore, Sun Quan was somewhat worried about the outcome of this war and dared not rashly join in. Instead, he asked Hu Zong, "Wei Ze, what do you think Guan Xing's chances of winning are?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Zong knew that Sun Quan had fallen back into his old habit of preserving his strength, and quickly advised, "My lord, you can't say that. When it comes to a real fight, the odds of victory on paper are meaningless. The key is morale and the determination to fight to the death. When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will win."
"To give a simple example, if both sides have the same troop strength, equipment, and morale, the apparent win rate is fifty percent. However, once the battle begins, this win rate will change depending on the morale and fighting will of both sides."
"Take Guan Xing and Yu Jin for example. Before the battle, the two sides each had a 50% chance of winning. But Guan Xing had a strong fighting spirit and gradually increased his chance of winning to 51%, then 52%, 53%, and finally 100%. Yu Jin, on the other hand, made mistakes or became fearful at crucial moments, which reduced his chance of winning from 50% to 49%, then 48%, 47%, and finally to zero."
"In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second place. Once the scales of war tip, they will continue to tip until one side is completely defeated."
"Guan Xing's forces number around 13,000, and Pan Zhu and Huang Zhe's private army of Jingzhou gentry can also muster around 10,000. Their forces are almost equal to those of the Wei army. With the help of the people in the city, the gap in strength between Guan Xing and Yu Jin will be infinitely narrowed or even slightly surpassed. If we join at this time, Guan Xing's chances of winning will be close to or even exceed 60%."
"My lord, a decisive battle is always a gamble. If pushed to the limit, even a 20% chance of winning is enough, let alone a 60% chance. Without Guan Xing, we might not necessarily lose, but with Guan Xing, we have an 80% chance of winning. We can't just stand by and watch at this time."
"Moreover, at this time, attitude is more important than victory or defeat. If our lord does not want to arouse the suspicion and vigilance of the King of Hanzhong, he must stand firmly with Guan Xing at this time. If Guan Xing wins, we will follow him; if Guan Xing loses, we will follow him even more."
"So please give the order, my lord. As long as you give the order, I am willing to lead the troops to charge and fight the Wei army to the death."
Sun Quan was caught in a dilemma as he watched the battlefield in the city. He was a politician, not a general. Politicians value compromise and moderation over fighting to the death. They never uttered grand pronouncements like "the brave will win when paths cross" because the reason was simple: what if they lost the gamble?
But Hu Zong is right about one thing: since he chose Liu Bei, he must stand firmly with Guan Xing at this time. He must follow Guan Xing whether he wins or loses, otherwise he will be seen as a traitor.
Moreover, he can't surrender to Cao Cao now. He has already surrendered to Liu Bei. If he were to surrender to Cao Cao again, what would Cao Cao think of him? What would the world think of him? Opportunists never have a good ending.
As for sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight, waiting for Guan Xing and Yu Jin to fight to the death before suddenly striking out to reclaim Jingzhou, come on, he couldn't even defend Jingzhou in his prime, how could he possibly defend it now that he's in such a sorry state?
Look at the people around Jingzhou, who cares about him now?
Thinking of this, Sun Quan clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall, gritting his teeth as he said, "Pass on my order to launch a full-scale attack. Only recognize clothing, not people. Beat anyone wearing Wei army uniforms to death. I'm going all out."
"Yes..." Hu Zong was overjoyed and quickly bowed.
Sun Quan continued to gaze at the battlefield and mutter to himself, "Regardless of victory or defeat in today's battle, I, Sun Zhongmou, can now stand tall before Liu Bei and Guan Yu."
He had a well-known feud with Liu Bei and Guan Yu. Being brought before Liu, Guan, and Zhang as a loser was somewhat humiliating. However, if he helped Guan Xing reclaim Jiangling and avert the city's massacre by Yu Jin, wouldn't Liu Bei and Guan Yu be more polite to him, no matter how much they hated him?
With this in mind, Sun Quan issued the order for a general offensive.
As the order was given and the drums sounded, the Wu army surged towards the east city, sliding down the siege ladders into the city to attack the Wei army.
Among them, the Zhou brothers, Shao and Cheng, who had a blood feud with the Wei army for killing their fathers, charged the fastest. Xu Xiang led his troops to follow closely behind, while Hu Zong stayed behind to command.
Led by Zhou Shao, Zhou Cheng, and Xu Xiang, Wu Jun quickly reached the flank of the Wei army, plunging into their ranks like a javelin.
Guan Xing, who was fighting fiercely with the Wei army, was greatly encouraged when he saw the Wu army charging in. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, Lord Wu has come to our aid! Kill!"
Hearing the shouts, Zhu Yi's blood boiled, and he led hundreds of his powerful private troops into the Wei army's ranks, instantly splattering countless bloodstains. The Huang family's private soldiers following behind him also saw their morale soar, unleashing a fighting force far exceeding their usual strength.
While the Han and Wu armies were launching a full-scale attack, the private soldiers of the Jingzhou gentry, led by Pan Zhu and Huang Zhe, were being soundly beaten. The private soldiers' fighting strength and morale were simply no match for the Wei army; after only a few engagements, they were reduced to merely parrying attacks with no chance of retaliation. However…
Hearing shouts of battle coming from the east, and turning around to see Wu troops joining the fray, Pan Zhu excitedly roared, "Brothers, Lord Wu has come to our aid! For Jiangling, for our homeland, kill!"
Upon hearing this, the generals of the four great families of Kuai, Cai, Pang, and Huang were greatly encouraged and tacitly gathered under Pan Zhu's banner to charge towards the Wei army. They also wanted to make merit and advance their careers.
Guan Xing has pardoned them for their crimes of surrendering to Wu and Wei, relieved them of their worries, and completely wiped away their past sins. Naturally, they will make new contributions, grow stronger, and create new glories.
The Han army, Wu army, and private soldiers of the gentry launched an attack on the Wei army from three directions, drawing away the Wei army's firepower, thus freeing Fei Yi.
Unable to catch Fei Yi, the Wei army, seeing the urgency of their own battle, decisively turned back to the battlefield. Fei Yi, seeing this, waved his Guan-character battle flag and continued his march through the streets, leading the crowd in a unified shout: "Fellow villagers of Jiangling, General Guan is back! Those who do not wish to be slaughtered by the Wei army, take up your weapons and drive them out of Jiangling..."
Fei Yi was constantly on the move, using his constant movement to convey the people's desire to join the war, and the people were moved by his words.
In a thatched hut by the street, a man in his late twenties heard the shouts, picked up a carrying pole, and was about to go out. His wife was so frightened that she grabbed his arm and stopped him, saying, "Husband, don't be impulsive. What will happen to me and our son if something happens to you? You should think about our son, even if you don't think about me."
The young man said firmly, "I have to go for my son's sake. I can't let my son think his father is a coward."
After saying that, he pushed his wife's hand away, squatted down and hugged his six-year-old son, then ruthlessly ruffled his son's hair into a bird's nest, picked up the carrying pole, opened the door, and rushed out without hesitation.
Such scenes were playing out simultaneously in every corner of the city. Countless civilians, armed with simple weapons such as carrying poles and machetes, converged on the banner of Guan under Fei Yi's command and charged madly at the Wei army.