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

Chapter 331 Guan Xing infiltrates Lu Xun's rear

Speed ​​is of the essence in warfare. On the battlefield, every second counts. Arriving half an hour earlier than the enemy can give you the upper hand and lead to victory.

Therefore, after shooting Xu Sheng at Baopingyu, Guan Xing did not dare to delay. He only rested for one night before ordering Wang Tao to organize the retreat, while he himself crossed mountains and ridges to rush to Linru, Lu Xun's rear.

Even before the war began, Guan Xing ordered Deng Hong to lead the Xuanjia Army to bypass the enemy's rear and leave many strongholds along the way to keep the communication channels open, so that they could find Deng Hong in time after arriving in Linru.

These outposts were under the command of Ning Huan's scout battalion. Under Ning Huan's leadership, Guan Xing arrived in Linru territory in just three days, and after another half-day detour, successfully reached Deng Hong's hiding place, Xuemu Ridge.

Deng Hong had already built a large camp in Xuemu Ridge. Upon learning of Guan Xing's arrival, he immediately went out of the camp to greet him, and ran up to Guan Xing to bow and say, "Young General, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting so anxiously."

He was Guan Yu's personal guard, so Guan Xing was commonly referred to as the Young General.

Guan Xing patted Deng Hong on the shoulder and laughed, "I was anxious too, afraid that you would be attacked by Wu's army since you are unfamiliar with the area. Now that we have met up, it's Wu's army's turn to suffer. Tell me about the situation here."

Deng Hong said, "These days we have strictly followed your orders and stayed in Bloodwood Ridge without going out. The scout camp has been active outside. As for food and supplies, in addition to hunting in the mountains, You Chong, the leader of the Yue tribe in the nearby mountains, also provided some."

“You Chong’s father was You Tu, a general who had been rewarded by Cao Cao, rebelled against Sun Wu, and was defeated by Lu Xun and He Qi. Therefore, You Chong harbored deep resentment towards the Wu army and was willing to support us.”

Guan Xing quickly recalled You Tu's information. At his peak, You Tu commanded tens of thousands of troops and controlled three counties. He was a leader among the various tribes of the Yue people and his prestige was even higher than that of Wang Tao's father, Pan Lin.

However, in the face of Eastern Wu, the stronger the Yue people were, the faster they died. In the 21st year of Jian'an, Lu Xun and He Qi joined forces to attack You Tu and defeated him, capturing more than 8,000 people. You Tu died of depression. Although You Tu's son You Chong did not have the same power as his father, he was also a powerful local strongman who occupied the mountains. If he sincerely surrendered, it would make their operations behind the Wu army much easier.

Guan Xing frowned and said, "It's good that You Chong is helping, but You Chong has limited supplies. Can he feed so many of us?"

Deng Hong laughed and said, "We really can't afford to supply them, but we still have our merchant brothers."

After speaking, he stepped aside and pushed the middle-aged man in plain clothes behind him in front of him, and said with a smile: "I forgot to introduce you. This is Mr. Geng, a merchant from Dongye. He often travels along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor to Nanjun, Yuzhang, Kuaiji and Wujun. He has a very high reputation among merchants. He has provided us with a batch of grain, enough for four or five thousand people to eat for more than a month."

In the area of ​​Fuzhou, Fujian Province in later generations, the middle-aged man in front of me turned out to be a Fujianese merchant.

Guan Xing grasped Geng Shang's hand excitedly and said, "Sir, you are truly righteous. This is a timely help in need. Rest assured, after the war, I will definitely report your merits to the King of Hanzhong truthfully and ensure that no meritorious official is disheartened."

This was the first time Geng Shang had encountered such a way of greeting. His hand was gripped painfully, but he dared not pull away, so he could only smile and say, "General, you're too kind. This isn't my achievement, but a decision made collectively by the merchants of Jiangdong. It's mainly because the Wu army's white-clad crossing of the river is so damn hateful, we..."

Guan Xing smiled and said, "I understand. I understand everything you're saying. I get you."

These merchants were direct victims of the "Crossing the River in White Robes" incident, so it's impossible for them not to hate Sun Quan.

Geng Shang continued with a forced smile, "This is what we should do. If the general needs more, we can gather another batch of grain, but..."

Guan Xing continued with a smile, "I understand. If you defeat Lu Xun, I will definitely report your merits to the King of Hanzhong truthfully. If you are defeated by Lu Xun, I will absolutely not admit to knowing you."

Although the merchants hated the Wu army, they still had to make a living under Wu's rule, so their support for the Han army could only be carried out secretly and must not be known to the Wu army.

However, if Wu's army is defeated and the King of Hanzhong regains control of Jingzhou, this concern will naturally disappear.

Geng Shang smiled warmly and said, "General, you are wise. I believe you will definitely defeat Lu Xun and help the King of Hanzhong regain control of Jingzhou."

After saying that, seeing that Guan Xing still hadn't let go, he couldn't help but whisper a reminder: "General, it's windy outside, why don't we go inside and talk?"

Guan Xing then realized what was happening and quickly said, "Come on in, please come in."

After following Deng Hong into the camp and settling down, Guan Xing chatted with Geng Shang for a few more pointless minutes before turning to Deng Hong and asking, "Have you investigated the situation at Poyang Lake? What are the current movements of the Wu army?"

Deng Hong replied, "According to the reconnaissance by the scouts and the intelligence analysis sent by Mr. Geng, Lu Xun seems to have seen through our intention to cause trouble in his rear. He ordered Pan Zhang and Ma Zhong to lead 10,000 men to garrison in the Riyue Lake (Junshan Lake) area. Moreover, he has been sending scouts into the mountains to search for our traces. However, I dispatched a team to cooperate with You Chong to block all of Wu's scouts. As long as Wu's army does not launch a large-scale attack, they will not be able to find us."

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "I'm afraid they've already discovered it. How could Pan Zhang not know the fighting strength of the Shanyue? Is it normal that the elite scouts he sent out were blocked by a bunch of Shanyue bandits?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Pan Zhang has probably figured out our approximate location from these details, and he might be heading into the mountains to surround and annihilate us soon."

He was a criminal investigator by training and was best at piecing together the whole picture of an event from subtle clues. Pan Zhang, as a famous general of Eastern Wu, must also have the ability to see the whole picture from a part. Never think that the enemy is too stupid.

Deng Hong's expression changed slightly, and he quickly said, "It seems I've done something stupid. What do we do now?"

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "It's a good thing that he's not stupid. I'd rather he didn't come. Once he enters the mountains, it will be our battlefield. We can defend and counterattack, and devour Pan Zhang piece by piece. What's the situation with Yu Han?"

Yuhan is the later Yingtan, the entrance and exit of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor, and also Lu Xun's retreat route. If it falls, Lu Xun will be completely blocked in the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor. Therefore, Lu Xun will definitely send heavy troops to garrison Yuhan to ensure the safety of his rear.

Deng Hong replied, "Yu Han is currently being guarded by Zhuge Jin, and Wu's supplies are also there. In addition to the eight thousand garrison troops, there are tens of thousands of laborers transporting grain in the city. However, this has nothing to do with us. Our most important enemy right now is Pan Zhang."

Guan Xing laughed and said, "So, as long as we eliminate Pan Zhang, we can attack Yu Han and block Lu Xun's retreat, right?"

Deng Hong: "Uh..."

You're already thinking about eliminating Pan Zhang before you've even started a war with him?

Am I thinking a bit too far ahead?

Guan Xing, however, said to himself, "Pan Zhang's army is the only mobile force of the Wu army in Yuzhang territory. If we can destroy it, we can completely control the Poyang Lake Plain, and at the same time cut off the connection between Nanchang and Yu Han, leaving Yu Fan and Zhuge Jin helpless across the plain."

"Moreover, the rice should be ripe in another three or four months. The Poyang Lake Plain is the largest grain-producing area in Yuzhang. Lu Xun is still waiting for this batch of grain to save his life. If we can seize the grain from the Poyang Lake Plain before the Wu army does, hehehehe..."

Thinking of this, Guan Xing let out a hysterical laugh. Before he could finish laughing, the sentry outside the door came in and bowed, saying, "General Guan, General Deng, Chief You Chong requests an audience."

The mountain tribe leader You Chong did not stay with Deng Hong, but was stationed in another mountain ten miles away. After receiving news that Guan Xing had arrived, Deng Hong sent someone to inform him and invite him to come and meet Guan Xing.

Upon hearing this, Guan Xing immediately composed himself and went out with Deng Hong and Geng Shang to greet them. They would be relying on Chief You for their help, so they couldn't put on airs.

A moment later, Guan Xing met Zong Shuai You Chong, a handsome young man in his late twenties.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two entered the room and chatted for some time. You Chong stood up and bowed, saying, "General Guan, I have another message to inform you. I just received a letter from Peng Qi, the commander of the Poyang Lake region. He invites me to take advantage of the battle between the Han and Wu armies to raise an army to rebel against Wu, attack cities, and seize counties. This is the letter he gave me. Please take a look."