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

Chapter 194 The entire Ji Han army went mad, collectively losing their minds.

Guanzhong was Cao Wei territory, not Shu Han's backyard. It was risky enough to travel from Wuzhangyuan to Chencang through the narrow pass. Yet Liu Bei and his men were still not satisfied and instead set their sights on the even more distant Longshan Road.

What's the difference between this and just rushing over and slapping Cao Cao across the face?

Do you really think Cao Cao is too old to wield a sword?

Huang Quan pleaded, “Your Majesty, think about it. It’s more than 200 to 300 li from here to Qian County. If we go straight there, Guo Huai will definitely block us. At that time, Fei Yao will break out of Mei County and occupy Wuzhangyuan. Our retreat will be cut off.”

"In theory, we do not intend to return, just as General Wei Yan said. It doesn't matter whether our retreat is cut off or not. But the premise is that we must take Dazhen Pass. If the attack on Dazhen Pass is blocked and our retreat is cut off, our 20,000 men will be completely trapped in the pass."

"Even if we successfully capture Dazhen Pass, what about Jieting? Even Cao Zhen and Xiahou Ba know the importance of Jieting, let alone Zhang He and Sima Yi. Jieting will definitely be heavily guarded. If we fail to capture Jieting after a long siege, or if Zhang He receives the news and sends troops to support us, and Guo Huai comes from Dazhen Pass to block our retreat, we will be completely trapped in the Longshan Road, with no way out."

"In other words, if things go smoothly, we can join forces with the strategist to attack Zhang He, but if things don't go smoothly, Zhang He and Guo Huai will trap us in the Longshan Road."

"Doesn't Your Majesty think this tactic is remarkably similar to General Guan Xing's two captures of Zhang Cheng? Both involve you surrounding me while I surround you, and one wrong step could lead to utter ruin. Your Majesty, you should think this over carefully."

Liu Bei stroked his beard and said, "You know what, this tactic is indeed somewhat similar to An Guo's two captures of Zhang Cheng, even exactly the same. In that case, there's even less of a problem. If An Guo could succeed, there's no reason for me to fail, is there?"

"Damn it..." Huang Quan almost blurted out a curse, then helplessly retorted, "How can this be the same? Why are you trying to imitate Guan Xing? You might as well just imitate Han Xin's desperate battle with his back to the river."

Before Huang Quan could figure out how to persuade him, Wei Yan, with bloodshot eyes, tried his best to coax him: "Huang Zhizhong is right, but I think these are not worth worrying about. First of all, as I just said, there are not many Wei troops in Guanzhong, so they cannot surround us. If they pursue us, we have a good chance to defeat them and then threaten Chang'an."

"Secondly, although Dazhen Pass is the entrance to the Longshan Road, it is the heartland of Cao Wei, and there won't be many troops stationed there. Moreover, none of Zhang Ji, Guo Huai, Fei Yao, or anyone else would expect us to attack there. Give me two thousand soldiers, and I am confident that I can successfully launch a surprise attack. You can come over after I take Dazhen Pass."

"Finally, let's talk about Jieting. Jieting may indeed have a large force, but that's to defend against the strategist, not against us. We're attacking the rear of the Jieting defenders. As long as we're fast enough, it's entirely possible to take Jieting before the defenders can react. Once we take Jieting, our plan will be a success."

The more Wei Yan thought about it, the more feasible the plan seemed. He couldn't help but slap the table in amazement at his own flash of inspiration, thinking, "I'm a genius!"

Thinking this, Wei Yan's eyes turned red, like a gambler who had lost everything and wanted to bet all his money in one go.

If we win, we'll make a fortune.

I haven't thought about what would happen if I lost.

Zhang Fei also agreed with the plan, raising his hands to rub Wei Yan's cheeks and laughing, "Wen Chang, I only realized today that your wisdom is comparable to that of the strategist."

Wei Yan laughed and said, "General Zhang, you flatter me. You are the one who is wise in disguise."

Huang Quan helplessly rubbed his forehead, speechless at the mutual flattery between these two lunatics.

Huang Quan said helplessly, "Even if everything goes according to General Wei's plan and we successfully enter Longshan Road and take Jieting, there is still a fatal factor to consider, which is the current location of Military Advisor Zhuge."

"According to the plan, the strategist should have already captured Ji County and seized Jieting by now, but what if? What if a sudden downpour hinders the army's march? What if the strategist's soldiers fall ill due to the change in environment? What if the Wei army seizes Lucheng before the strategist and blocks him on the Qishan Road..."

"For this plan to succeed, the strategist must at least capture Lucheng when we capture Jieting. Only then will the strategist have a springboard to advance north and join forces with us. If the strategist's campaign is unsuccessful and he is blocked in Qishan Road, even if we capture Jieting, we will be surrounded by Zhang He and Guo Huai from both sides, and then our entire army will be wiped out."

"The problem is that we are too far away from the strategist, making communication difficult. We don't know where the strategist is now, or where he will attack next. How can we coordinate?"

The biggest problem with this plan is that it requires perfect coordination with Zhuge Liang, but they have no idea about Zhuge Liang's situation. What if they take Jieting, but Zhuge Liang is driven back to Qishan? Wouldn't they all be wiped out by Zhang He?

Liu Bei frowned and pondered, caught in a internal struggle.

Huang Quan continued, "The reason why General Guan Yu rushed to Jianye that day was because he had no other choice but to rush to Jianye after his defeat at Maicheng. Only by rushing to Jianye could he fight for his life and seize a chance to survive."

“But Your Majesty is different. You still have the advantage in Longxi. If you retreat to Hanzhong and then turn north to join forces with the military advisor, you still have the possibility of defeating Zhang He and taking Longxi. There is no need to take such a risk as the General of Chariots and Cavalry did back then.”

Zhang Fei said, "Whether or not to take risks depends not on our own situation, but on the benefits that will come if we succeed. If this plan succeeds, we may be able to annihilate Zhang He's 50,000 Wei troops. Those are 50,000 elite Wei troops. We can never achieve such a great victory by fighting head-on and taking a steady approach."

"As we all know, defeating the enemy is easy, but annihilating them completely is extremely difficult. We are not Bai Qi after all, and we can't fight such a brilliant annihilation battle. Now that we have finally encountered an opportunity to completely annihilate Zhang He, there is no reason for us to give up, right?"

"On the contrary, if we fail, we will only lose our 20,000 troops at most. The strategist can still retreat to Qishan Road and rise again. The strategist leads the elite troops of the Han Dynasty that cannot be lost. Our 20,000 troops are dispensable. So I think it is worth the risk."

"Another undeniable point is that Cao Wei's national strength was ten times that of us. Competing in attrition and taking a steady, cautious approach would be tantamount to slow suicide. The only way to defeat an enemy several times stronger than ourselves is to take risks and fight desperately. To defeat a powerful enemy without taking risks is just a dream."

"Moreover, many times even if you want to take the risk, you won't have the chance. The opportunity to annihilate Zhang He is only once. If you miss it, you'll only have your head banging against the wall."

This is true. Cao Cao now dominates the Central Plains. His territory, population, and talent pool are far superior to those of the weak Shu Han. To defeat such an enemy, one must risk everything and fight desperately.

Moved by Zhang Fei's words, Liu Bei immediately made the decision: "Let them die then, let's do it this way."

Well, this is really addictive.

Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and Wei Yan, three troublemakers who always wanted to stir up trouble, bowed excitedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Seeing that Liu Bei had already made up his mind and knew that it was useless to advise him, Huang Quan had no choice but to bow and say, "Your Majesty, if this plan fails, the entire army will be wiped out. Therefore, everyone else can go, but you alone cannot go. I dare to ask Your Majesty to retreat to Hanzhong and then march out of Qishan."

"Uh..." Liu Bei asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

Huang Quan continued, "What I mean is that everyone here can die, but Your Majesty cannot die, much less be captured by Cao Wei. If you die in battle or are captured, the Han Dynasty will be finished. So you absolutely cannot go. This battle should be handed over to General Zhang Fei. You should return to Hanzhong."

"Generals, please persuade him! Do you really want the King to take such a risk with you?"