flstandardbreds Chapter 125 Liu Bei's messenger has finally arrived.
Chapter 125 Liu Bei's messenger has finally arrived.
The Jiangdong gentry did not have a good relationship with Sun Quan, nor were they very loyal to him. The reason they supported Zhang Zhao was that they disliked Guan Yu and Liu Bei even less than Sun Quan.
To be precise, Sun Quan granted too many privileges to the gentry. If Guan Yu were to be stationed in Jiangdong, these privileges would certainly be revoked.
That's why they were willing to send troops and supplies to fully support Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng, but the prerequisite for their support was that they had to win the battle and give the gentry hope of victory.
The result was that you suffered defeats every day, and they were all crushing defeats with your entire army wiped out. Who could stand that?
You, Lü Meng, don't care about squandering the wealth of the aristocratic families, but they do. If this kind of crushing defeat happens a few more times, the aristocratic families of Jiangdong will truly be driven back to the primitive era. In that case, they might as well just surrender.
Since you, Lü Meng, cannot give the gentry the hope they want, then the gentry can only fend for themselves. The gentry are not Lü Meng's father, so there is no need for them to die with Lü Meng, right?
Guan Yu pondered, "It's possible that the gentry would rebel, and the possibility is quite high, but a rebellion at Ruxu is unlikely. Zhou Tai, the governor of Ruxu, is a general from a humble background who was promoted by Sun Quan. It's impossible for him to betray us."
Wang Fu said, "Zhou Tai will certainly not betray Sun Quan, but don't forget that there are two deputy generals, Zhu Huan and Sun Shao, at Ruxukou. Sun Shao is a general from the Eastern Wu royal family, so the possibility of him betraying Sun Quan is unlikely, but Zhu Huan is the head of the Zhu clan."
"The Zhu family is the head of the four major families in Wu Commandery. Do you think Zhu Huan, as the clan leader, would just stand by and watch Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng destroy the Zhu family's foundation in Wu Commandery?"
"Therefore, I surmise that after the news reaches Ruxukou, Zhu Huan will definitely try to kill Zhou Tai and lure the Wei army south. It all depends on who acts faster, him or Zhou Tai."
"However, there is another possibility besides that."
Guan Yu frowned and asked, "You mean Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng's reactions?"
Wang Fu nodded and said, "That's right. We are aware of the situation you just mentioned, and Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng are certainly aware of it as well. How do you think they will deal with this chaotic situation, my lord?"
Guan Yu stroked his beard and pondered for a long time before saying, "If I were Zhang Zhao, I would definitely write to Sun Quan to take the initiative to withdraw the troops and take all the troops guarding Jianye and Ruxukou, as well as everything that can be taken, to Jingzhou. After all, they still have Jingzhou as a way out, and they haven't reached the end of their rope yet."
Wang Fu nodded and said, "That's right. Staying in Jiangdong will neither allow us to retake Jianye City nor deal with the Second Young Master. If we can't resolve these two issues, we can't quell the internal strife within the Wu army. So rather than being slowly eroded by these chaotic situations and waiting to die, it's better to withdraw in time to reduce losses."
"Wu Jun can still concentrate his efforts on stabilizing Jingzhou now, at least he can take care of one thing. If he waits any longer, he won't be able to take care of either Jingzhou or Jiangdong. As for the mess in Jiangdong, it will naturally be left for us to deal with."
Guan Yu frowned and said, "In that case, Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng are very likely to retreat to Jingzhou, but before they leave, they will definitely take all the troops, supplies, and other things they can with them?"
Wang Fu nodded and said, "That's right, so we should take action. Zhang Zhao and Lü Meng can leave, but the Wu army's food supplies must be left for us."
“These days, local gentry have been sending grain to the military camp. The Wu army’s main camp has at least a million shi of grain. If we can get our hands on this batch of grain, we will have a greater chance of containing the Wei army.”
Jianye City has high walls and thick defenses, and its troops are plentiful. How long it can hold out depends entirely on the amount of food it has. Since the Wu army camp has readily available food supplies, there is no reason for them not to use them.
Guan Yu slapped his thigh and said, "The Wu and Wei armies cannot have a normal handover. There will definitely be a gap between the Wu army's withdrawal from Jianye and the Wei army's arrival in Jianye. This gap is our opportunity."
"Guoshan, keep a close watch on Wu's movements. As soon as Wu shows any signs of retreating, we will immediately rush out of the city, turn their orderly retreat into a chaotic rout, and then take advantage of the chaos to seize all their provisions."
"If we have time, we can also storm into Wu County and loot all the grain stored by the four major families, thereby increasing the difficulty for the Wei army to procure grain in Jiangdong."
Nowadays, the private armies of the four major families are mostly in Jianye, leaving their old stronghold in Wu County quite vulnerable. There's no reason not to seize such a good opportunity, is there?
Wang Fu nodded and said, "I'll go prepare right away, but what about the Second Young Master?"
Guan Yu said, "An Guo's power is already established, so we don't need to worry about him too much. Deng Hong, you should rest for two days and then return to An Guo's side to help him resist the Wei army. If you can't hold them off, take him away and try to return to Bashu to see the King. If he doesn't leave, knock him out and drag him away."
He had decided to live and die with Jianye, but Guan Xing had no reason to die with him.
More importantly, Guan Xing's abilities have already been proven in the Jinqu Basin, which is exactly what Liu Bei needs right now. If he can return to Liu Bei's side, Guan Xing will be able to mobilize more resources and play a greater role.
Deng Hong bowed and accepted the order, and Wang Fu also got up to take his leave. However, before he could turn around, the voice of Han Lin, the garrison commander, reached his ears again.
"My lord, Wang Sima, and General Deng Zhi request an audience."
Who is Deng Zhi?
Guan Yu's heart trembled violently. He suddenly stood up and rushed towards the door, with Wang Fu and Deng Hong quickly following behind.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Deng Zhi and Zhou Cang being pulled from the water. Guan Yu quickly ran to Deng Zhi, grabbed his wrist, and said excitedly, "Bo Miao (Deng Zhi's courtesy name), you've finally arrived. Did you bring the King's orders?"
Wang Fu reminded him, "My lord, General Deng must have swum across the moat. Why don't we wait for him to change his clothes first so he doesn't catch a cold?"
Deng Zhi shook her head and said, "It's alright, we can change after we finish discussing business."
Wang Fu insisted, "No, this is a time when we need people, you can't get sick. After all, there are still many things waiting for you to do."
Deng Zhi: "..."
So you're not concerned about my health, but rather afraid that if I get sick, no one will be able to do the work?
Guan Yu added, "Guoshan is right. Han Lin, take Bo Miao and Zhou Cang to take a bath and change their clothes, and then have the kitchen prepare some food for them."
The two followed Han Lin away, while Guan Yu and Wang Fu waited anxiously.
We've captured Jianye for three or four months now, and finally we've received news from Liu Bei.
Half an hour later, Deng Zhi and Zhou Cang reappeared before Guan Yu. Wang Fu couldn't wait to ask, "General Deng, how did you get here? You must have suffered a lot on the way."
Deng Zhi smiled wryly and said, "That's right. After meeting General Zhou Cang and receiving news that Lord Jun was rushing to Jianye, the King ordered me to go to Jiangling under the guise of an envoy to inquire about Sun Quan's movements. I talked to Sun Quan for half a month but didn't get anything done. So the King ordered me to come to Jianye to deliver the message."
"The road to Jianye was full of Wu army outposts. We climbed over mountains and ridges for two whole months. When we arrived at Jianye, we had to avoid Wu army scouts. It took us seven or eight days to finally get a chance. It was tough."
The entire road was under the control of Eastern Wu, and it was truly difficult to traverse such a long stretch of enemy-occupied territory.
Wang Fu continued, "General Deng, you've worked hard. How is the situation on His Majesty's side? Has His Majesty agreed to our request to launch a northern expedition?"
Deng Zhi smiled wryly and said, "The preparations have already begun. The king actually wanted to launch an eastern expedition, but he understands the lord's temperament and knows that the lord had already started preparations when he sent the letter. If he insists on launching an eastern expedition, it will only disrupt the lord's plans."
Indeed, Guan Yu's suggestion to Liu Bei to launch a northern expedition was a notification, not a request for instructions. Given the inability to communicate in a timely manner, Liu Bei had no choice but to cooperate unconditionally.
To put it bluntly, it's acting first and informing later.
Deng Zhi continued, "The King asked me to tell you, my lord, that he agrees to turn back and launch a northern expedition, but he does not agree with your decision to defend Jianye to the death. He hopes that you will lead the Wei army to the city and then immediately break through and retreat to Jiaozhou."
"His Majesty has already sent an envoy to Jiaozhou to negotiate with Shi Xie. As long as you retreat to Jiaozhou, Shi Xie will not make things difficult for you."