jdhmnovel Chapter 131 Guan Yu: Why don't you dare to fight the Wei army head-on?
Chapter 131 Guan Yu: Why don't you dare to fight the Wei army head-on?
With Zhang Cheng's defeat once again, Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng no longer had any hope of capturing Jianye.
If they can't recapture Jianye, there's no need to defend Ruxukou. Who would they be defending it for? To guard the gate for Guan Yu?
So the most urgent task now is to preserve our strength and safely bring back our tens of thousands of troops and the 20,000 elite soldiers from Ruxukou.
Retreat is a skill; one wrong move and an orderly retreat can turn into a chaotic rout. They were facing Guan Yu, and their internal situation was extremely unstable. Guan Yu could wipe them out as soon as he left the city.
The best way to get Guan Yu to let them return safely was to pay for their journey, but Guan Yu's demands were too high and clearly beyond their means.
Fortunately, there was Zhang Zhi. Zhang Zhi's rebellion provided them with cover and gave them leverage to negotiate with Guan Yu.
To be honest, they really wanted to evacuate with the grain and people of Wu County, but they didn't have the time or the ability to do so, so they had to give up.
Since that's the case, instead of giving it to Cao Cao, it's better to give it to Guan Yu so that Guan Yu can use it to resist the Wei army. The longer Guan Yu resists, the more relaxed their defenses will be in Jingzhou.
In officialdom, there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. Where interests lie, friendship will follow.
Lü Meng understood this principle and immediately said, "I will write a letter to Guan Yu right away."
Zhang Zhao nodded slightly, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes as he looked at Lü Meng.
Guan Yu would certainly agree to exchange Wu Commandery for a way out, but this would be tantamount to betraying the entire Wu Commandery gentry. After the deed is done, the four major families and even the entire Wu Commandery gentry would definitely hate the person who betrayed their interests.
Zhang Zhao said he couldn't carry such a heavy burden, so he suggested that Lü Meng carry it instead, as the Grand Commander was young and his body was much stronger than his own.
Moreover, Lü Meng had already offended the gentry by placing them under house arrest. So what harm would it do to offend them again? It's like having too many lice.
Unable to know Zhang Zhao's thoughts, Lü Meng silently wrote a letter, and immediately ordered someone to shoot it into the city after he finished writing it.
On the walls of Jianye, the Han army, as always, maintained strict defenses. Upon receiving the letter, they immediately sent it to the headquarters and delivered it to Guan Yu.
Upon receiving the letter, Guan Yu dared not delay and immediately sent someone to invite Wang Fu and Deng Zhi to discuss the matter.
As the two entered the hall and were about to pay their respects, Guan Yu handed them a letter, saying, "Take a look at this. Lü Meng just sent it here."
Wang Fu took the document and examined it with Deng Zhi. Before they had finished reading, he exclaimed in surprise, "Zhang Zhi has rebelled and gone straight to Wu County. Is this news reliable?"
Only after speaking did he realize that he was an intelligence officer for the Han army, and that Guan Yu should be asking him this question. He touched his nose and smiled awkwardly, saying, "This humble official will go and investigate immediately."
Being inside the city, the transmission of information was certainly not as convenient as outside the city. In addition, there were many Wu troops outside the city, and the Han scouts could only operate at night, so the transmission speed of many messages was naturally not as fast as that of the Wu troops.
Wang Fu turned to leave, but Guan Yu stopped him and said, "I think it's probably true. First of all, Zhang Zhi was ordered by Zhang Cheng to gather up the remnants of Quan Cong's army, which means he has troops under his command."
"Secondly, with Zhang Cheng being captured again, Zhang Zhi completely lost faith in the Wu army. At this time, it was understandable for him to raise the banner of rebellion and use it to curry favor with Cao Cao."
Deng Zhi said urgently, "I agree with your opinion, my lord, but my lord, Wu County must not fall into Zhang Zhi's hands. We must send troops to stop it."
"You must know that Wu County was the capital of the State of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period. It has a very long history and is the seat of Wu County, the largest county in Jiangdong. It is also the stronghold of the four major families in Wu County. If Zhang Zhi takes it over, our plan to go to Wu County to collect resources to build warships will be ruined."
Guan Yu ignored his words and continued, "I've been thinking about this all night, and the more I think about it, the more I feel that our idea of abandoning Wu County and taking its resources to Zhang'an to build warships is a bit of an overreaction, boosting the morale of the Wei army and diminishing our own."
"There are nearly 50,000 troops in the city now, and Anguo has captured another 50,000 to 60,000. We have 100,000 elite soldiers at our disposal, so why don't we dare to fight the Wei army head-on?"
Deng Zhi's eyes lit up and he quickly asked, "What does Your Excellency mean...?"
He wasn't idle today; instead, he accompanied Wang Fu on a tour of all the city walls and the entire Han army camp, discovering that the Han army in the camp already possessed the appearance of an elite force.
Guan Yu's soldiers were truly exceptional; they seemed to possess an innate aura of confidence.
Back then, Guan Yu could defeat the Wei army with 30,000 to 50,000 troops and make them retreat, which shook the whole of China. Now, with a full army of 100,000, why should he be afraid of the Wei army?
Guan Yu continued, "As you just said, Wu Commandery is the largest commandery in Jiangdong, and its territory is mostly plains, making it the largest grain-producing area in Jiangdong. If we give it to the Wei army for nothing, even if the Wei army does nothing but farm and wear us down, they will wear us down until we have no chance."
"On the contrary, if we can capture Wu Commandery, we will have the resources to confront the Wei army for a long time. The Wei army will have to mobilize supplies from the north of the river, and they will definitely not be able to outlast us in the long run. After we force the Wei army to retreat, it is not impossible for us to go west, destroy Sun Quan, and take back Jingzhou."
After saying that, he walked to the map and continued, "Look, the Wei army can only cross the river via Ruxukou. After Ruxukou, it will be the Chungu-Chaohu line, which is still far from Jianye. The Wei army cannot go straight to Jianye. They will definitely stabilize the surrounding counties first and advance step by step. This gives us time to manage Wu County. There is no reason to waste such a good opportunity."
"So I think we should take a two-pronged approach. While Zhang'an is building warships, we should also call on Anguo to go north and join us. If Anguo can give me 30,000 troops, I am confident that I can defend the entire Wu Commandery. What do you think?"
Wang Fu and Deng Zhi both gathered around the map to examine it closely. Both of them were knowledgeable about military affairs and had a basic understanding of Cao Cao and the generals of the Wei army.
Moreover, knowing that the Wei generals had been psychologically traumatized by Guan Yu, the Wei army was somewhat afraid of him. This fear would prevent the Wei army from underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly, and they would most likely choose to advance steadily, thus giving Guan Yu ample time to develop his forces.
Wang Fu pondered and said, "I think it's feasible. At that time, I will guard Jianye, while you, my lord, will go out of the city to confront the Wei army. Bo Miao will be stationed in Wu County to provide provisions for the army, and Prince Anguo will lead his army north to provide support from the side. The great cause can be accomplished."
"Our only concern is that we have too few talented people at our disposal. The Jiangdong gentry are unlikely to pledge allegiance to us, and even if they did, we wouldn't trust them. What should we do?"
The Han army may seem to have a large force, but it has very few capable leaders who can stand alone, and it is impossible to transfer troops from Bashu. This is indeed quite embarrassing.
Deng Zhi shook his head and said, "This matter is simple. We can start from three aspects. First, we can recruit from the collateral branches of the aristocratic families. There are also conflicts within the aristocratic families. There are many talented people who are not given important positions because of their background. Such people have some resentment towards their clan. If you give them a chance, they will definitely cherish it."
"Secondly, recruit people from poor families, and finally promote county clerks. These clerks do all the work at the grassroots level and are the link between the people and the government. They are experienced and easy to get started with, and can easily handle grassroots tasks."
Officials have always been divided into two classes. Officials can be promoted or transferred, but clerks cannot. Many clerks work for a lifetime or even for several generations and are far more familiar with the local situation than officials.
Guan Yu recently promoted a large number of clerks and officials, putting them in charge of various tasks in Jianye. And they've proven to be quite effective.
However, although the aristocratic families, the poor, and the clerks in the government offices appear to be three different groups, they are actually one group, because the clerks at the grassroots level are basically all from the aristocratic families and the poor.
Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Alright, you are the governor of Wu Commandery, so you have the final say in the selection of officials in Wu Commandery. Just report back to me for my signature and seal."
Wang Fu nodded and said, "I also think it's worth a try. There's no reason to give such good land as Wu Commandery to Cao Cao for nothing. But, my lord, how should we reply to Lü Meng's letter?"