flstandardbreds Chapter 128 Lu Meng vomited blood
Chapter 128 Lu Meng vomited blood
The Wu army camp outside the city.
As soon as dawn broke, Zhang Zhao rushed to the commander's tent to meet Lü Meng again. The two looked at each other and saw the heavy dark circles under their eyes.
There were only the two of them in the tent at the moment, so there was no need to pretend to be calm to boost morale. Zhang Zhao slumped on his heels and sighed, "Zhou Xun and Zhuge Ke have been captured again, and Quan Cong has also been captured. Two of the three armies have been lost, and Zhang Cheng's army is left alone. I'm afraid it will be difficult to hold on. I really didn't expect that this damned Guan Anguo would be even more difficult to deal with than his father."
When news of Quan Cong's capture reached the camp that day, the two felt as if the sky had fallen.
They never dreamed that Quan Cong's 20,000-strong army would be scattered by Guan Xing in a single encounter, and even Quan Cong himself was captured. This Guan Xing is too much of a beast.
More than Guan Xing's brilliant military strategy, they were shocked by the speed of his development.
When Guan Xing retreated to Wushang, he only had two or three thousand ragtag troops with him. In such a short time, he has grown to tens of thousands, and his fighting strength is so fierce. This is not the Marquis of Champion Huo Qubing, but clearly the God of War Han Xin.
It should be understood that Huo Qubing's prowess was built on the foundation of a strong imperial court. The court provided all the troops, provisions, supplies, and even the routes of attack. Huo Qubing only needed to charge forward.
The military genius Han Xin was different. He had nothing, and he had to raise his own troops, money, and provisions. Under such circumstances, it was truly amazing that he could still win one battle after another.
Guan Xing is like this now. He has never received any help from Liu Bei or Guan Yu, yet he is thriving in the Jinqu Basin and his strength is growing stronger every day. How can the Wu army possibly compete with him?
Lu Meng was also somewhat desperate, but he didn't want to think about the worst. He said with a glimmer of hope, "There's still General Zhang Cheng. Zhongsi has a full 30,000 troops. His strength is far superior to Guan Xing's. Even if he can't take down Guan Xing, he can still block him in the Jinqu Basin and prevent him from advancing an inch."
"Therefore, I plan to order Ding Feng to lead 10,000 troops to continue Quan Cong's unfinished mission and rush to Damo to attack Guan Xing's rear. As long as Zhong Si holds out until Ding Feng arrives, Guan Anguo will have nowhere to escape."
Before Zhang Zhao could even respond, a messenger rushed into the command tent and bowed, saying, "Strategist, Grand Commander, General Zhang Cheng's messenger has returned, saying he has important military intelligence to report to you and the Grand Commander."
Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng's hearts skipped a beat at the same time, and they said in unison, "Bring him in quickly."
Watching the messenger turn and leave, both men's hearts were in their throats. They no longer expected to receive news of the victory in annihilating Guan Xing; they just hoped it wouldn't be bad news.
Unfortunately, things in this world are full of troublemakers; the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen to you.
The messenger was quickly led into the commander's tent and knelt down, saying, "Chen Zan, a colonel under General Zhang Cheng, pays his respects to the military advisor and the Grand Commander."
Lu Meng asked urgently, "General Zhang Cheng, what urgent military situation do you need to report now? Have you already defeated Guan Xing?"
As he asked the question, he stared intently into Chen Zan's eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. He kept praying in his mind, "Please don't let it be bad news, please don't let it be bad news..."
Because of the prolonged stalemate, Wu Jun's morale is low and his troops are restless, like a volcano that could erupt at any moment. Any bad news could be the last straw that breaks the camel's back, completely detonating this volcano that has reached its tipping point.
Therefore, Lü Meng neither wants nor dares to hear any bad news.
Chen Zan broke out in a cold sweat under Lü Meng's murderous gaze, but dared not remain silent and had to bite the bullet and say, "The entire army of 30,000 was wiped out in Shan County, and General Zhang Cheng was captured."
After saying that, Chen Zan immediately closed his eyes and resigned himself to fate, thinking, "Whatever happens, happens. I'm giving up."
Lu Meng was struck dumb, his mind went blank for a moment. His originally pale face quickly turned red with an abnormal flush. He wanted to say something but couldn't utter a word. He stared at Chen Zan for a long time, his lips moving, when suddenly he spat out a mouthful of blood half a meter away and collapsed weakly onto the table.
Seeing Lü Meng suddenly collapse, Zhang Zhao not only did not get up to help him, but instead looked blank and unfocused, as if he had lost his soul. He was clearly stunned by the bad news.
Then a miraculous scene unfolded in the magnificent command tent: Chen Zan knelt before Lü Meng with his eyes closed, like a condemned criminal awaiting trial.
Lu Meng lay on the table in a pool of blood, his fate unknown, like an unlucky man who had just been murdered.
Zhang Zhao sat to Chen Zan's right front, like a murderer who had impulsively committed a bad deed but was at a loss for what to do.
If an artist were to paint this scene on paper, it would undoubtedly become a timeless masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages.
This scene lasted for a long time until Han Dang entered. Han Dang rushed into the command tent, shouting as he lifted the tent flap, "Grand Commander, I heard..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw the bizarre scene inside the tent and froze on the spot.
Fortunately, Han Dang was a seasoned and experienced general. He only hesitated for a moment before regaining his senses, lowering the tent flap and rushing towards Lü Meng. As he passed Chen Zan, he didn't forget to kick him.
After kicking him, he immediately knelt down, slid to the table, grabbed Lü Meng's shoulder, and shouted, "Grand Commander, Grand Commander, are you alright?"
The shouts startled the bewildered Zhang Zhao, who quickly got up and rushed to Lü Meng, shouting alongside Han Dang, "Grand Commander, Grand Commander, please don't let anything happen to you at this time!"
Lu Meng was awakened by the noise. He struggled to lift his head and sighed helplessly, "Strategist, it seems there's no need for Ding Feng to go. We can't attack Jianye anymore. Let's find a way to protect ourselves as soon as possible."
His voice was hoarse and weak, as if some force had instantly drained all his energy and spirit.
The impact of this defeat is too severe, and they no longer have the strength to launch an attack. Now, let alone attacking Guan Yu and Guan Xing, they should be grateful if the father and son don't take the initiative to come out of the city to attack them.
Based on Lü Meng's understanding of Guan Yu, he knew that the red-faced bandit would definitely attack the city after receiving news of Zhang Cheng's capture. Given the current state of the Wu army, it would be difficult for them to withstand the attack, so they had to find a way to protect themselves.
Zhang Zhao bit his tongue hard to force himself to stay awake. He first briefly explained the situation to Han Dang, and then sighed, "We can't keep lingering under Jianye City. There's no hope of recapturing Jianye. If we keep dragging it out, we won't be able to defeat Guan Yu, and we'll only keep depleting our strength."
"More importantly, once the news spreads, the private armies of the gentry will definitely rise up in rebellion and head north to welcome the Wei army. At that time, let alone preserving our strength, the three of us may not even be able to save our lives."
Welcoming the Wei army also requires presenting a pledge of allegiance to express sincerity. Is there any pledge of allegiance more sincere than the heads of these three men?
Lu Meng grabbed Zhang Zhao's sleeve as if it were a lifeline and said, "Strategist, continue."
Zhang Zhao pondered, "Jiangdong is beyond our control, and there's no point in trying to protect it anymore. Fortunately, we still have Jingzhou. Our lord has written that he has defeated Guan Yu and pacified southern Jingzhou. So we might as well retreat to Jingzhou and leave Jiangdong to Guan Yu and Cao Cao to fight."
“Jiangdong cannot be saved, but the people must be saved. The tens of thousands of troops under my command must be taken to Jingzhou, as well as the garrison at Ruxukou, which are elite troops who dare to fight against the Wei army. They must also be taken back.”
"With this large army here, we can sit back and watch the tigers fight in Jingzhou, and then send troops to recover Jiangdong when Guan Yu and the Wei army are exhausted."
"On the contrary, if we lose this army, we will completely lose the qualification to fight against Cao Cao and Liu Bei. When the crane and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. If we want to be the fisherman, we must have the strength."
Lu Meng nodded and said, "This is the only way. But are those aristocratic generals willing to come with us? After all, they are all from Jiangdong."