The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 409 Internal Disagreements within the Wei Army

No sooner had Jia Kui finished speaking than Zhang Liao immediately objected as if he had discovered a fatal danger, his voice cracking with urgency.

Cao Ren had worked with Zhang Liao for many years and knew that Zhang Liao was not one to speak without reason. Therefore, he swallowed the words that were about to come out and asked curiously, "Why is that?"

Jia Kui's face darkened instantly, but wisely he did not refute Zhang Liao and waited for him to speak, wanting to see what insightful opinions he had.

Zhang Liao carefully considered his words before speaking: "General Cao, Doctor Jia, you both heard what Xie Jing said just now. Since Lu Xun's eastern expedition, Guan Xing has never directly fought against Lu Xun. Instead, he has been constantly flanking and raiding to cut off Lu Xun's wings."

"Lu Xun was defeated so quickly because Xu Sheng was isolated and deep in enemy territory. Han Dang was surrounded while trying to rescue Xu Sheng, who was also isolated. Pan Zhang and Zhuge Jin were too far away from Lu Xun in the rear, and Lu Xun had no time to rescue them when they were attacked."

"Looking at the whole process of Lu Xun's defeat, we can see that although the Wu generals made all sorts of mistakes that allowed Guan Xing to seize the opportunity to defeat them one by one, the most fatal mistake was Lu Xun himself. Lu Xun stretched the battle lines too far, from Riyue Lake to Damo, a distance of six or seven hundred li. Lu Xun tried to defend every place but failed to do so, and in the end, he was surrounded by enemies on all sides."

"But this also reflects one thing from another perspective: Guan Xing is extremely good at maneuvering the enemy army. He can disperse the enemy army that should have been gathered together and formed a fist, and then use superior forces to defeat them one by one and gradually erode them. Therefore, we must not divide our forces and must always unite into one fist. Only in this way can we form the greatest deterrent against Guan Yu and his son."

"Doctor Jia, I don't mean to refute you, but think about it, Wanling is more than a thousand miles away from Yuhan. Sending a detachment to capture Yuhan is like sending an isolated army deep into enemy territory. Sending an isolated army deep into enemy territory is not impossible, but how many should we send? If we send too few, Guan Xing will easily outflank and wipe us out. If we send too many, our forces to deal with Guan Yu will be weakened. If Guan Yu then launches an attack, can we withstand it?"

"Furthermore, at least for now, the Poyang Lake Plain is still Sun Quan's territory. Although Sun Quan is dying, he is not dead yet. As long as Sun Quan is still breathing, we cannot ignore his attitude. Don't forget that Zhou Tai's 20,000 troops stationed at Ruxukou are still stationed in Chaisang. What if Zhou Tai gets carried away and attacks us when we enter the Poyang Lake Plain?"

Jia Kui's hand, which was stroking his beard, tightened, and his pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints. He frowned and pondered, "Wen Yuan is right. I was too inconsiderate. So, in your opinion, what should we do now?"

Cao Ren did not speak, but instead shifted his gaze from Jia Kui to Zhang Liao, wanting to hear what Zhang Liao had to say.

He was the commander-in-chief of the three armies. Commanders generally do not offer opinions but make decisions. After listening to their subordinates' analysis and combining it with their own opinions, they can directly issue orders.

Zhang Liao said, "I suggest we immediately launch a full-scale attack on Guan Yu, and at the cost of more than half of our troops being killed, we should eliminate Guan Yu before Guan Xing's reinforcements arrive."

Cao Ren and Jia Kui's expressions changed drastically at the same time. Jia Kui exclaimed in disbelief, "Are you kidding me? The price is too high!"

Zhang Liao replied, "It's normal to pay a high price. It's impossible to deal with such formidable enemies as the Guan family father and son without paying a price. Moreover, we can't delay any longer; the longer we delay, the greater the price we'll pay."

"General Cao, Doctor Jia, I believe you have also noticed a problem recently. Although Guan Yu's troops are all newly recruited soldiers and their combat strength is not strong, they are growing at an astonishing speed. To give a simple example, when we first marched south, one of our soldiers could take on five Han soldiers. Now, one soldier can barely take on three Han soldiers. In a while, they probably won't even be able to take on two. So I say the longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us."

"And then there's Guan Xing. According to the news sent back by Zhang Jing, the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Secretariat, most of Guan Xing's troops are elite Wu soldiers who were captured and reorganized during the second capture of Zhang Cheng. Now he has also incorporated tens of thousands of Lu Xun's elite troops. His strength is in no way weaker than Guan Yu's."

"Not only are they not weaker, they might even be much stronger. After all, Lu Xun is leading the elite Wu army that has fought against both us and Guan Yu. If Guan Xing marches north, he will instantly gain an overwhelming advantage in terms of troop strength. In addition, the surrounding mountains are connected, and the terrain is conducive to Guan Yu and his son's performance. If Guan Xing really pushes forward, we will have no choice but to pack our bags and run away."

"Therefore, I believe that we must not allow Guan Yu and his son to reunite. We must separate them. There is only one way to separate them and prevent them from forming a united force: to kill Guan Yu before Guan Xing arrives, even if it means suffering more than half of his casualties."

"General Cao, Doctor Jia, when two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail. It's time to fight to the death, or we'll lose even the chance to fight."

Cao Ren, stroking his beard, was caught in a moral dilemma. To be fair, Zhang Liao's words made perfect sense; as a soldier, one must be willing to fight in critical moments. But, but...

But he was facing Guan Yu now. If it were anyone else, even if it were Lü Bu, he would dare to charge at him, because Lü Bu was a brute who knew nothing but martial arts and his ability to command troops was really mediocre.

But Guan Yu was different. Guan Yu was proficient in cavalry, infantry, and naval warfare. Cao Ren really had little confidence in attacking the positions Guan Yu was defending.

So he looked at Jia Kui again.

Jia Kui squinted and began to think. He was a civil official and a politician, not a soldier like Zhang Liao who only knew how to fight desperately. He would never roll up his sleeves and risk his life unless he was in dire straits. Now that they were not in dire straits, he could still use underhanded tactics. There was no need for him to rush to fight Guan Yu and his son.

With a shrewd glint in his eyes, Jia Kui said slowly, “General Wen Yuan is right. We are indeed at a disadvantage because of Lu Xun’s defeat, but it’s not to the point where we have to fight Guan Yu and his son to the death. Don’t forget that we have the imperial court behind us.”

"As for Sun Quan, with Lu Xun's defeat, Sun Quan has been kicked out of the game and has completely lost the qualification to compete for the Central Plains and vie for the world. Surrender has become his only option, but whether to surrender to Cao Cao or Liu Bei is the question."

"Therefore, we can retreat to the entrance of the corridor where the Huangwu Mountains meet the Poyang Lake Plain, establish a position to defend against Guan Yu's attack, then attack Yu Han to seize the entire Yuzhang Commandery, and then try to persuade Sun Quan to surrender."

"The Guan family has completely secured Jiangdong, and the Three Wu regions are beyond our reach. Since that's the case, let's change our target and seize Yuzhang and Jingzhou. If we succeed, we can occupy the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and continue to separate Guan Yu and Liu Bei."

"And General, don't forget, Xiangyang is in our hands. If we really take Jingzhou and Yuzhang, the grain and supplies from the Central Plains can be transported to the front line through Xiangyang. We can then face off against the Guan family and Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang with peace of mind and see who can outlast whom."

Zhang Liao said worriedly, "But Jingzhou is Sun Quan's territory. Is it appropriate to provoke Sun Quan before we have even dealt with Guan Yu and his son? If we anger Sun Quan, we will be attacked from both sides."

"Although Sun Quan is about to be eliminated, he is not yet out of the game. As long as he has a breath left, we cannot ignore his attitude. Moreover, Sun Quan has suffered a series of fatal blows, and his mental state may have been damaged. Is it appropriate for us to provoke his sensitive nerves at this time? What if Sun Quan gives up and surrenders to Liu Bei in a fit of anger? Don't forget that Sun Quan is Liu Bei's brother-in-law, and the two are related by marriage."

Sun Quan was both Liu Bei's brother-in-law and Guan Xing's father-in-law. Sun and Liu were family, and they were the outsiders. Why should they surrender to Cao Cao instead of Liu?