jdhmnovel Chapter 251 Lu Xun Leads the Army to Attack Guan Xing
Chapter 251 Lu Xun Leads the Army to Attack Guan Xing
Today's topics are just two: whether to fight, and how to fight.
The second issue will only be addressed after the first one passes; if it fails, there's no point in discussing the second one, so just go home and get some sleep.
Now that the issue of whether or not to fight has been resolved, it's time to discuss how to fight.
Zhang Zhao continued, "Right now, Guan Yu is confronting Cao Ren at the Shicheng-Danyang line, blocking our way to Jianye. So we don't have many options left, maybe only one: to set off from Jiangling to Nanchang, and then from Nanchang to Damu to reclaim the Jinqu Basin."
"After recovering the Jinqu Basin, we will attack Shanyin from Zhuji, thereby taking over the entire territory of Kuaiji. Then we will take the sea route from Kuaiji Bay northward to Wu County, land on the coast to recover the entire territory of Wu County, and then use Wu County as a base to attack Jianye."
"Wu County has not been occupied for long, and the gentry and common people within its borders are still loyal to our lord. As soon as our lord's army lands in Wu County, the people of the county will surely welcome the king's army with food and drink."
"The royal army?" Sun Quan was momentarily confused by these two words. When did he become the royal army?
On second thought, Guan Yu had already been labeled a traitor by the emperor, and he himself was acting on the emperor's orders to punish Guan Yu, so it seemed reasonable to call him the royal army.
Yes, I am the royal army, the rightful royal army.
Zhang Zhao continued, "By the time we recover Wu Commandery, the battle between Guan Yu and Cao Ren will have been decided. If Guan Yu wins, we will launch a three-pronged attack from Jiangling, Kuaiji, and Wu Commandery to force Guan Yu back to Jianye City before launching our own attack."
"You must know that Guan Yu's battle with Cao Ren will consume a lot of food. Cao Ren will definitely use up a lot of the food in Jianye. If we really force Guan Yu into Jianye and he shares food with the people in the city, the little food left will probably not last long. At that time, as long as we block the city gates and cut off Guan Yu's food supply, the recapture of Jianye will be just around the corner."
"If Cao Ren wins, we will lead our navy into the Yangtze River, defeat the Wei navy, cut off the Wei army's supply lines north of the river, and then negotiate with Cao Ren to let him go back. If the negotiations fail, Cao Ren will not be able to hold out for more than a few days without supplies from north of the river."
Sun Quan fell silent upon hearing this. This plan was too risky, and it was based on the premise that Guan Yu and Cao Ren would both be severely injured. If the two of them suddenly shook hands and made peace when they saw the Wu army coming, the plan would be ruined.
What if Guan Yu and Cao Ren were even more shameless, forming an alliance after a fierce battle, deciding to deal with Sun Quan first before fighting to the death?
To give a simple example, as soon as Wu's army entered the Jinqu Basin, Guan Yu and Cao Ren shook hands and made peace, agreeing that Cao Ren would attack Jiangling from the west, while Guan Yu would go south to recover Jinqu. After that, Cao Ren would take Jingzhou, Guan Yu would get Jiangdong, and Sun Quan would become the unlucky one to be divided up.
At that time, Wu's main force will be in Jinzhou and Quzhou. How will we withstand Cao Ren's military might?
This possibility is small, but not impossible, right?
Sun Quan frowned and asked, "Will this work?"
Zhang Zhao smiled bitterly and said, "There is only this one way. My lord is currently in a weak position and does not have many other options. This is the only way to take back Jiangdong. Moreover, this is my lord's last chance. If we fail, my lord will have no hope of taking back Jiangdong."
Sun Quan is now the poorest of the three families of Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei. The most tragic flaw of the poor is not their ability, but their choices and their tolerance for mistakes.
Because you are poor, you have very few choices, and none of them are very good.
Because you are poor, your margin for error is too low. Any choice you make can only succeed and cannot fail. If you fail once, you will never be able to turn things around.
Because you are poor, many times you may know that there is a good opportunity for you to turn your life around, but you do not have enough funds to invest and are forced to give it up, watching helplessly as the opportunity slips away.
Look at Cao Cao. He was burned at the Battle of Red Cliffs by the allied forces of Sun Quan and Liu Bei, forced to cut off his beard and abandon his robe at Tong Pass by Ma Chao, lost the city and territory of Hanzhong to Liu Bei, and had his seven armies flooded by Guan Yu at Xiangfan. Yet, he was still the world's number one, still able to fight on two or even three fronts, and as long as he won once, he could recover all the losses he had made up for.
In contrast, Sun Quan was driven to desperation by Guan Yu after only one defeat at Jianye, leaving him with no way to turn for help. This illustrates the difference in the foundation of their respective sects.
Sun Quan frowned, caught in a dilemma. Before he could make a decision, Mi Fang said weakly, "My lord, Liu Bei is now leading his army on a northern expedition, and his elite troops are all in Guanzhong or Longxi. Why don't you lead your army west to conquer Ba and Shu?"
The driving force behind human progress is greed and fear. Mi Fang not only feared Guan Yu but also Liu Bei, and dreamed that Liu Bei and Guan Yu would die together.
Moreover, losses in the east can be compensated for in the west. If we can seize the opportunity to take over Bashu and cut off Liu Bei's retreat, we can lose not only Jiangdong, but also Jingzhou.
After all, the terrain of Sichuan and Chongqing is too treacherous. It is a natural treasure land for closing off the country. As long as Sichuan and Chongqing is taken over and all the entrances and exits are guarded, no one, including Liu Bei, Guan Yu, or even Cao Cao, can enter. In that case, Mi Fang can rest easy.
Mi Fang was very satisfied with his suggestion and secretly glanced at Sun Quan, waiting to be praised.
Sun Quan, Zhang Zhao, and even Pan Jun, the chief administrator under Liu Bei who was forced to surrender after the city fell, all looked at Mi Fang as if he were an idiot.
You, Mi Fang, may be mentally challenged, but you can't treat others like mentally challenged too.
You can dislike Liu Bei as a person, but at least respect his intelligence. How could Liu Bei not be wary of Wu's army?
Besides, you know the terrain of Sichuan and Chongqing better than we do. Do you think the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River are so easy to cross? Do you think Yong'an and Baidi City are so easy to conquer?
Even if you successfully capture Yong'an and enter Sichuan, do you think that's the end of it? Don't you know how far and difficult the journey is from Yong'an to Chengdu?
If that were to happen, Wu Jun would probably return to Chengdu before Liu Bei even arrived. At that time, Liu Bei would settle old scores with Sun Quan, and what would Sun Quan use to deal with Liu Bei's Five Tiger Generals on Liu Bei's territory?
Damn Mi Fang, are you helping me or screwing me over?
Ignoring Mi Fang's suggestion, Sun Quan turned to Lu Xun and asked, "Boyan, if you were to lead the expedition, could you fulfill the strategist's plan?"
Lu Xun did not answer directly but said slowly, "The strategist's plan is roughly divided into three steps. First, defeat Guan Xing and take back Kuaiji. Second, take a boat north to recover Wu County. Finally, fight a decisive battle with Guan Yu or Cao Ren to take back Jianye. I am confident about the first two steps, but the final decisive battle will depend on the situation."
He dared not speak too confidently, for fear of being embarrassed if he failed to win back Jianye.
Sun Quan, however, was delighted and said, "So you're confident you can defeat Guan Xing and reclaim Kuaiji?"
Wu Jun's morale is low and he desperately needs a victory, especially one against the Guan family father and son. Although both father and son are not easy to deal with, Guan Xing seems easier to bully than Guan Yu.
"This..." Lu Xun was speechless.
Who can say they have 100% certainty about things on the battlefield? Besides, you've all experienced Guan Xing's cunning firsthand, so how can I guarantee anything?
Lu Xun wanted to give a perfunctory answer, but seeing the eager looks on everyone's faces, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. So he had to bite the bullet and say, "Your subject is willing to sign a military pledge."
Sun Quan immediately made the decision: "Then it's settled. Lu Xun will temporarily serve as Grand Commander and lead the expedition. After defeating Guan Xing and recovering Kuaiji, he will immediately be promoted to Grand Commander."
He didn't expect Lu Xun to defeat Guan Yu; he just wanted to defeat Guan Xing first to boost the morale of the Wu army.
After the discussion was over, everyone bowed and took their leave. Sun Quan sat at his desk, watching the backs of Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, and narrowed his eyes, pondering whether he should give these two to Liu Bei in exchange for some benefits.
Traitors are disliked everywhere; they can betray others, and others can betray them in return.
Therefore, Sun Quan felt no psychological pressure in betraying these two traitors. The only thing he needed to consider was the timing of the betrayal and when to sell them off to maximize his own interests.
Sun Quan kept this in mind, got up and left to begin preparations for the eastern expedition.
With Liu Bei recalling Guan Ping and Zhao Lei to lead the Northern Expedition, things finally calmed down in Jingnan, and the troops that had previously attacked Guan Ping could be recalled.
Sun Quan decisively ordered the recall of troops from Jingnan, and the Wu army's war machine started running again. Under the command of Sun Quan and Zhang Zhao, troops from all directions rushed to Jiangling or Nanchang to assemble.
After half a month of preparation, the troops in Jiangling were finally assembled. Acting Grand Commander Lu Xun led the troops assembled in Jiangling, along with generals such as Han Dang, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, and Zhuge Jin, to Nanchang to meet with Yu Zhang Prefect Yu Fan.
After the two armies joined forces and were tallied, Wu's army numbered as many as 50,000. Lu Xun waved his hand and led a massive force of 200,000 men to march towards Guan Xing.