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

Chapter 143 The Wei Army Also Hates Lü Meng

Intelligence needs to be carefully analyzed and cross-referenced. Once the Wei army's own intelligence was compared with Zhou Tai's letter, the situation in Jianye became basically clear.

Then Zhang Liao, Jia Kui and others became uneasy. They never dreamed that Guan Yu's mere few hundred men who raided Jianye would not only not be quickly wiped out, but would instead develop so rapidly, growing to 40,000 to 50,000 troops in just a few months.

Even more unexpected than Guan Yu was Guan Xing. This man led a motley crew of several thousand men south but repeatedly defeated the Wu army. The key was that he fought the most difficult annihilation battles. After the battle, all the enemy's troops and supplies were his. This was something that made people lose their nerve.

Damn Zhang Cheng, did you deliberately go to deliver someone's head to Guan Xing?

Currently, Guan Yu and his son command an army of 100,000, even more than Liu Bei. In terms of troop strength alone, the Wei army is not at an advantage. Moreover, Guan Yu is fighting on home ground, so Zhang Liao really has no confidence if they continue to attack, after all, it is Guan Yu!

Jia Kui pondered, "Guan Yu has established a foothold in Jianye after several months of operation, and has won consecutive battles to build his prestige. Jianye is also a fortified city with high walls and thick walls, making it impossible to break through in the short term. Facing Guan Yu like this, don't think about winning quickly. The only way is to proceed steadily and surely."

"We have captured the most important Ruxu Pass and have initially established a foothold on the south bank of the Yangtze River. The most important thing now is to consolidate our position on the south bank, rather than underestimating the enemy and recklessly attacking Guan Yu. If we are careless and Guan Yu drives us back to the north bank, our chance to take control of Jiangdong will be completely lost."

"Therefore, I suggest we launch a multi-pronged attack, quickly seize nearby counties such as Chungu, Wuhu, and Liyang, as well as the prefectural capital Wanling, and first establish a foothold in Jiangdong before making further plans."

Zhang Liao frowned and said, "Liang Dao is right, but time waits for no one. Lü Meng has already retreated, and Guan Yu can't stay in Jianye any longer. He will definitely come out of the city to attack and capture cities, and the most likely target is Wu County. If we act in sync with Guan Yu, we definitely can't compete with the father and son."

"More importantly, Danyang is mountainous, while Wu County is a plain. If Guan Yu takes Wu County, it will be like having a stable rear granary. It will be difficult to defeat him then."

Jia Kui said, "There's nothing we can do about it. That's just how things are right now. Besides, our most important task is to establish a foothold on the south bank. If we can achieve that, we'll have won half the battle."

"As for the problem of food supplies that the general is worried about, that is even less of a problem. Although Danyang's grain production is not as high as that of Wu County, don't forget that we still have Xuzhou and the Central Plains. With such a large area, are we afraid that we can't outlast Guan Yu?"

"Therefore, Jia believes that the most urgent task at present is not to attack but to defend. After taking Wanling, we should immediately strengthen the city's defenses and build Wanling, Liyang and Wuhu into an impregnable fortress as soon as possible. We should prepare to fight a war of attrition with Guan Yu and thus firmly control the Yangtze River supply line. The supply line is our lifeline."

The three cities of Wanling, Liyang, and Wuhu are arranged in a triangle. If any one city is attacked, the other two cities can come to its aid immediately, thus ensuring that the Wei army is not driven back to the north bank.

With the warships left behind by Wu Jun, the Wei army could control the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Zhang Liao pondered for a moment, then looked at Zang Ba and Cao Xiu and asked, "What do you two think?"

The two men exchanged a glance, and Zang Ba spoke up: "This humble general agrees with Doctor Jia's opinion. Our opponent is Guan Yu, so we cannot be careless, underestimate him, or act rashly."

A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Guan Yu's previous flood of the seven armies shook the land and terrified Cao Wei's generals. No one present wanted to become the second Yu Jin, so it was better to play it safe.

Zhang Liao said, "Then let's do as Doctor Jia says. Xuan Gao will attack Wanling, Wen Lie will attack Liyang, and Xiu Mu will attack Wuhu. Doctor Jia and I will stay at the main camp to continue to support the army crossing the river."

Zang Ba, Cao Xiu, and Zhu Huan bowed simultaneously and said, "Yes."

Zhang Liao continued, "Doctor Jia, send another messenger to report the situation here and our plan to the King. At the same time, order the secret agents of the Imperial Secretariat to do their best to find out the news of the Guan family father and son in Jianye, especially Guan Xing. I need to know Guan Xing's every move in Wushang, including all the details of his battle with Zhang Cheng."

"This young man's two defeats of Zhang Cheng were no flukes. He might very well become a famous general like Guan Yu. So we must not be careless. But we know too little about him and we must make up for it."

The secret agents of the Imperial Secretariat were spread throughout the country, especially in the area south of the Yangtze River. These agents had to not only gather information about Sun Quan and Liu Bei, but also to turn the officials and generals under Sun Quan and Liu Bei against their cause. Their mission was extremely important.

Currently, the list of Jiangdong's spies is entirely in Jia Kui's hands, and he can mobilize all of Jiangdong's spies.

Jia Kui nodded and said, "General, rest assured, I will definitely investigate Guan Xing's background thoroughly."

After the meeting, Zang Ba, Cao Xiu, and Zhu Huan led their troops to set off, while Zhang Liao continued to expand the camp based on the Wu army's main camp to receive the army on the north bank as they crossed the river.

With Lü Meng and Zhou Tai's withdrawal, Danyang had been abandoned by Sun Quan, and Guan Yu was unable to take it over in time. As a result, the surrounding counties all became unclaimed cities. When the officials in the cities learned that the Wei army was coming, they either packed their things and fled quickly or surrendered directly. Therefore, the Wei army took over the three counties with almost no effort. The army only needed to arrive at the city to finish the job.

Zhang Liao, who was stationed at the camp, kept receiving reports of victories and was overjoyed, but his smile soon faded.

That noon, Jia Kui suddenly visited. Zhang Liao got up to greet him, grabbed his arm and said excitedly, "Xuan Gao just sent back news that we have captured Wanling. Wanling is the seat of Danyang County. It has high walls, thick walls and a large population. Taking Wanling is equivalent to completely establishing a foothold on the south bank. This is great news. After so many years, we have finally set foot on the south bank."

After Cao Cao unified the Central Plains, he launched several campaigns against Wu. The most ruthless campaign involved mobilizing an army of 400,000, but he was blocked at Ruxukou and returned empty-handed.

For so many years, Ruxu Pass had become an obsession for the entire Cao Wei state. Now, finally, they had broken through the natural barrier of Ruxu and stood on the southern bank of the river.

Without the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, Cao Wei, with its powerful national strength, would eventually wear Guan Yu down.

Thinking of the grand occasion of unifying Jiangdong, Zhang Liao was so excited that he was spitting as he spoke, but Jia Kui, with a gloomy face, handed over a silk cloth and said, "Take a look at this. It was just sent from Jianye."

Zhang Liao took the photo and his eyes widened instantly. He exclaimed in astonishment, as if he had seen a mirage, "What the heck? Guan Yu and Xiao Qiao got married?"

Zhang Liao's head was buzzing and he was completely dumbfounded. Guan Yu and Xiao Qiao, these two are completely unrelated. Even the most imaginative person would not connect them. And now you're telling me they're family?

This world is crazy; a mouse is actually marrying a cat.

Seeing Jia Kui remain silent, Zhang Liao said speechlessly, "If I remember correctly, Xiao Qiao's family was driven out of the city by Guan Yu, right? Didn't Lü Meng take Xiao Qiao with him when he left?"

Mentioning this made Jia Kui instantly furious, and he angrily cursed, "Who says it isn't true? If Xiao Qiao had withdrawn from Jiangling, would this have happened? That damned Lü Meng, he did it on purpose, didn't he?"

"Now that Guan Yu has married into the Zhou family, he has become a son-in-law of Jiangdong. Our next battle will be even more difficult."

Guan Yu's marriage to Xiao Qiao signifies his integration into Jiangdong, gaining the recognition of the people of Jiangdong and becoming closely united with the local population. How could the Wei army possibly win against him?

Jia Kui cursed and said, "That Lü Meng deserves to be torn to pieces! What are we going to do now?"

Zhang Liao said with a wry smile, "What else can we do but stand by and watch? We should report this to the King as soon as possible. This matter will probably make the King very angry."