My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 98 Northern Expedition against Zang Ba
Meanwhile, in Tancheng County, Liu Bei finally made his decision regarding Cao Hong—to execute him by cutting him in half at the waist.

The idea that Cao Hong was in league with Cao Cao was initially just Liu Bei's conjecture, but as more and more evidence emerged, they even uncovered a group of Cao Cao's spies, directly confirming that Cao Hong was indeed backed by Cao Cao.

Now Cao Hong had no hope left, and with his execution, the Danyang Sect was completely split.

The once powerful and domineering Danyang Sect is no more. Not only did Cao Bao switch sides, but even Xu Dan, who remained, avoided the title and had no intention of inheriting the position of sect leader.

After Cao Hong's death, the civil officials of Cao Hong's faction in Danyang were purged, freeing up many positions. Liu Bei then distributed these positions to various factions, and even Liu Feng was given several positions, which were filled by older men from Liu'er Camp.

For this reason, Liu Feng specially returned to Tancheng County to perform the coming-of-age ceremony for them and give them courtesy names, thus marking them as adults.

Seeing that everything was going according to plan, Liu Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If we just wait another month, send troops to Langya, and successfully deal with Zang Ba, then the situation in Xuzhou will truly have gotten off to a good start.

Time flies, and with the smooth progress of projects such as land reclamation, military training, sugar production, salt production, and grain collection, Xuzhou began to come alive.

The three cities of Xiangben, Lanling, and Chengxian, which had been destroyed, have all been restored to human habitation.

Although this population is negligible compared to pre-war levels, it is far better than the desolate landscape a month ago, where wild animals roamed freely and there was no one for miles around.

By early March, Zang Ba's grain reserves had gradually dwindled.

Meanwhile, the latest news also came from Yanzhou: Cao Cao's army had finally set out and was heading straight for Dingtao.

Lü Bu's army also began to mobilize, with Lü Fengxian personally leading the troops to reinforce Dingtao County, the seat of Jiyin Commandery.

Cao Cao and Lü Bu are about to engage in a new great battle at the gates of Dingtao.

Meanwhile, in the south, Liu Biao, in coordination with Liu Yao, launched an attack on Yuan Shu's flank from the west. Guo Gong also took the opportunity to attack Yuan Shu's territory in Yu Province. The coordination between the two sides caused Yuan Shu a great deal of trouble, leaving him with no choice but to turn around and fight back.

Sun Ce and Liu Yao remained separated by the river, unable to find a way to break through the river defenses and helpless against the enemy.

As a result, the warlords around Xuzhou were all busy fighting, creating a window of opportunity where no one could threaten Xuzhou.

Especially Cao Cao. Liu Feng knew that Cao Cao, the widow, had always coveted Xuzhou. She was so obsessed with it that she had even considered abandoning Lü Bu, who controlled Yanzhou, and launching three campaigns against Xuzhou.

Although historically Xun Yu, Xi Zhicai, and Cheng Yu managed to persuade him to stay.

But if Liu Bei gets caught up in the war with Zang Ba too early, who knows if Cao Cao will think it's a golden opportunity and ignore Xun Yu and the others' advice?
This is not just wild speculation. Despite Cao Cao's high praise for Xun Yu, he did not blindly follow Xun Yu's advice.

Putting aside other matters, Cao Cao did not listen to Xun Yu and others' advice to dissuade him from attacking Xu Province.

They advised Cao Cao not to carry out a massacre in Xuzhou, but Cao Cao did not listen.

They advised Cao Cao to attack Juye in Yanzhou first, and then Dingtao, but Cao Cao still wouldn't listen.

They advised Cao Cao to stop his philandering with widows in Wancheng, but Cao Cao still wouldn't listen.

Therefore, instead of pinning our hopes on the possibility that Xun Yu and the others could persuade Cao Cao, it would be safer and more reliable to wait patiently until Cao Cao went to Dingtao and started causing trouble.

Upon learning that Cao Cao, Lü Bu, Yuan Shu, Guo Gong, and others were all fighting each other, Liu Feng, Chen Deng, and Lu Su unanimously agreed that this was the best time for Liu Bei's army to march north.

Liu Bei's campaign to eliminate threats in Langya has begun in earnest.

On the first day of the third lunar month, everyone gathered in the state capital for a highly confidential operational meeting.

At the meeting, Liu Bei began assigning tasks.

First, two thousand five hundred soldiers were transferred from Donghai Commandery and Xiapi Commandery respectively. Four thousand of them went north with the main force to fight, while the remaining one thousand were divided into two groups and stationed in Lanling and Chengxian respectively to guard the cities and provide support to Chen Dao and Xu Sheng's troops at any time.

Second, Chen Deng was the commander-in-chief, and Cao Bao was the deputy commander-in-chief. They commanded Zhang Fei's 2,000 men, Zhao Yun's 1,500 men, Xu Dan's 3,500 men, Cao Bao's 8,000 men, and 2,000 soldiers from Xiapi County as the main force, totaling 17,000 men.

They will advance by both water and land, bypassing Jiqiu and heading straight for Kaiyang. By striking first, they must at least trap Zang Ba inside the city and prevent him from escaping.

In addition, it is also necessary to sever the connection between Kaiyang and Linyi and Yangdu, making it an isolated city.

Third, Guan Yu was appointed as the commander of a detachment, with Lu Su as his military advisor. He led his own force of 2,000 men, Zhang Kuang's force of 1,500 men, the troops of Donghai Commandery and Kingdom of 2,000 men, and Tian Yu's force of 1,500 men, for a total of more than 7,000 men, to besiege Jiqiu City.

Fourth, with Xiahou Bo as the main general, Chen Dao as the deputy general, and Liu Feng as the military advisor, the main force of five hundred men and Xu Sheng's force of one thousand men, totaling one thousand five hundred men, advanced to Zeng County and kept watch over Chang Xi.

At the same time, he ordered the Kingdom of Xiapi to increase its vigilance, send out more spies, and guard against any treacherous actions by Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and Guo Gong.

Liu Bei led his own force of 1,500 men, along with the remaining 2,000 soldiers from Donghai Commandery and 3,000 soldiers from Danyang, totaling 6,500 men, to Tancheng as the general reserve force, thus controlling the overall situation.

Over the past month, this plan has been discussed and revised multiple times by Liu Feng, Chen Deng, Lu Su, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Cao Bao, and others before it was finally finalized.

Although Xu Dan was still unaware of the situation, the relationship between the two sides had eased considerably, and with Cao Bao personally intervening, he would certainly not oppose Liu Bei's decision to send troops.

Besides, even if he wanted to resist at this moment, he didn't have the strength.

The current situation can be described as a united effort, with both civil and military officials eager to make a name for themselves and establish the prestige of Liu Bei's army in a single battle.

Even Liu Bei himself was full of vigor and high spirits when issuing orders.

When has Liu Bei ever been so extravagant?
He was able to command tens of thousands of troops, allocate and distribute them, and launch simultaneous attacks from multiple routes and by water.

Even Liu Bei, let alone before, never dared to imagine such a wonderful scene after he settled in Xuzhou.

Liu Bei couldn't help but glance at Liu Feng, who was sitting obediently to the side.

My son is a genius; he deserves half the credit.

Upon receiving the order, all units immediately mobilized and prepared for combat.

The tentative date is March 15th. Troops will be dispatched immediately. No unit may delay or postpone. Anyone who disobeys this order will be executed.

This plan is highly confidential; only the commanders and essential personnel of each department are informed, and anyone who leaks it will be executed.

March 15th arrived quickly, and all departments had completed their intensive mobilization efforts.

According to the strategic plan, Chen Deng led Zhang Fei's troops as the vanguard, Cao Bao as the follow-up, and Chen Deng himself led the troops of Xiapi County as the central army. Zhao Yun and Xu Dan took the land route, bypassed Jiqiu County, and headed straight for Kaiyang.

On the official road outside Jiqiu County, a large group of people raised dust, looking like a long snake from a distance.

Meanwhile, on the distant Yi River, sails lined the waterways, heading towards Kaiyang.

Wu Dun was having lunch in the county government office when he suddenly heard the report. He dropped his chopsticks and headed for the city wall.

Upon reaching the city wall and seeing the scene outside, Wu Dun's face turned deathly pale.

At this point, his troops had not yet been mobilized. It would take at least half an hour for them to be fully prepared and ready to go out of the city to meet the enemy.

The enemy troops marched confidently in front of him, seemingly without any fear of being attacked from the side.

When they reached the river fork, a force of 1,500 men was separated to form a battle line to prevent Wu Dun from attacking them while they were crossing the river. The rest of the main force, with the support of the fleet, began to cross the river.

The river that Zhao Yun and Xu Dan were to cross was not the Yi River, but a small river called the Ji River. This river bypassed Jiqiu and connected the Yi River and the Shu River. However, the water was very shallow, and only small boats could pass through it. Large boats could not cross.

At this moment, Zhao Yun formed a battle formation to prevent Wu Dun from launching an attack, while Xu Dan urged the troops to cross the river more quickly.

Xu Dan, who was in the group, was still a bit dazed. Some time ago, the state government ordered him to reorganize his troops and prepare to go south to Guangling.

But just before they set off, they realized that the troops were heading north to Langya.

Xu Dan felt some resentment, thinking that Liu Bei didn't trust him.

Fortunately, he received encouragement from Zhang Kuang, who believed that Liu Bei's secrecy made him think that Liu Bei was capable of great things.

If even fighting in Langya causes such a huge uproar, how can we possibly accomplish anything significant?
As for whether he could trust him, Zhang Kuang couldn't help but think to himself that Xu Dan was being pretentious.

When I told you to quickly seek refuge with them, you said you would think twice.

Now you're complaining that you don't trust Lord Liu.

Don't you even think about how you and Cao Bao treated Liu Bei when he came before? Did you think he would trust you?
Fortunately, Zhang Kuang's words of comfort made Xu Dan feel much better, and once she got busy, she stopped having wild thoughts.

Wu Dun's face turned pale; he truly hadn't expected Liu Bei to launch a large-scale northward expedition.

Zang Ba and others had discussed how to deal with Liu Bei.

The conclusion is that Liu Bei is not worth serving.

Zang Ba and others unanimously believed that Liu Bei's talent was mediocre, and he was not from a prestigious family. He had been repeatedly defeated by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. How could they be tempted to place a bet on someone who had no reputation, no achievements, and no background?
Moreover, Zang Ba and others felt that Liu Bei might not be able to gain a foothold in Xuzhou, and that he should be mired in a quagmire, suffering terribly at the hands of the Xuzhou scholars and the Danyang faction.

Not to mention Cao Cao's menacing presence in the west and Yuan Shu's wolfish and eagle-like gaze in the south.

These two men dream of conquering Xuzhou.

If you tell Zang Ba that Liu Bei will come to attack him, even if he is highly vigilant, he will not believe you.

Wu Dunshen agreed. Although he was still paying attention to the movements in the south, he was genuinely not mentally prepared for a fight.

Now, the enemy is right in front of him, preparing to cross the river to Kaiyang. "Captain, what do we do?"

Although Wu Dun only had a thousand men under his command, he was a proper captain, appointed by Tao Qian.

Wu Dun opened his mouth as if to say something, but looking at his men's pale faces and pleading eyes, he couldn't bring himself to utter the order to launch a flanking attack outside the city.

The opposing force numbered at least five or six thousand, while his own troops numbered only one thousand, and their weaponry was incomplete.

The other side isn't much better off, but they outnumber us by five or six times. How are we going to fight this battle?
"Defend the city!"

Finally, the phrase "leave the city" was changed to "defend the city," and his men breathed a sigh of relief and immediately agreed.

Wu Dun felt a struggle and a sense of shame, feeling that he had let down his elder brother Zang Ba.

Back then, when I followed my elder brother, we dared to charge into the Yellow Turban army of hundreds of thousands of men. Now, how long has it been? We don't even dare to leave the city to meet them with a mere few thousand men.

However, Wu Dun's guilt quickly vanished.

As a large amount of dust rose in the distance, Guan Yu's troops followed closely behind.

Wu Dun felt no shame or struggle anymore; he was just grateful for his composure, even though he was covered in cold sweat.

Otherwise, if they were attacked from both sides now, they would probably be completely wiped out.

After Guan Yu arrived, he quickly dispatched a contingent of troops to cover Zhao Yun's forces, while the latter began to withdraw his troops to take over from Zhang Kuang's forces, who had already crossed the river, and continue the crossing.

After Guan Yu's main force arrived, he did not completely surround Jiqiu City with all three gates. Instead, he chose to surround three gates but leave one open, blocking only two gates and leaving the last north-facing gate open in an attempt to demoralize the defenders.

Guan Yu's decision was effective; the people in the city were in a state of panic, and Wu Dun's army was also wavering.

They saw tens of thousands of people on land alone.

As the saying goes, "When there are ten thousand people, they will cover the mountains and fields."

Looking out from the city wall, it seemed as if Liu Bei's army was everywhere, a sea of ​​people, not to mention that the large fleet of ships must also be transporting Liu Bei's troops.

Wu Dun felt a chill run down his spine. Where did his elder brother get the information that Liu Bei couldn't hold his ground in Xuzhou?

Liu Bei has only been in Xuzhou for a few months, yet he can already easily mobilize 20,000 to 30,000 men for an expedition. Does this look like he's about to run away?
My brother has ruined me!
Fortunately, the main force and junior officers of Wu Dun's army were his personal guards and fellow villagers; otherwise, given the scene before him, the city's army might have turned against him, kidnapped him, and taken the bounty.

While Guan Yu's troops methodically surrounded Jiqiu, they also sent envoys into the city.

Wu Dun was reluctant to see the envoy, but fearing it would provoke his soldiers into rebellion, he ordered the city gates opened and let the envoy in.

Surrender is not an option. Wu Dun is a man of honor. He made a promise to his brother Xuan Gao to live and die together. A man cannot stand without integrity. How can he break his word?

Let's hear what this fellow has to say first before making a decision.

The envoy didn't waste any time after arriving; he went straight to the point.

Liu Bei's military expedition was for the greater good of Xuzhou. Cavalry Commandant Zang Ba disobeyed the local government and seized control of the region, which was tantamount to rebellion.

Liu Bei sent envoys to instruct Zang Ba several times, but Zang Ba ignored them and did as he pleased.

After Liu Bei took over as governor, he could not sit idly by and sent troops to attack.

The envoy also specifically stated that if Wu Dunru was unaware of the situation, he would be innocent and could surrender his weapons and return to his post.

He was awarded further honors after the war.

In reality, it was simply giving Wu Dun a way out by surrendering, and it could even be considered a meritorious act of turning against him, so the treatment was quite generous.

Wu Dun's face turned pale. Just as he had said, surrendering was definitely not an option; he couldn't abandon his principles.

If we wanted to defend the city, not to mention that the city walls of Jiqiu were low and had previously suffered from war, with several large gaps in the walls and the two city gates being temporary repairs, they simply could not withstand the impact of battering rams, making it impossible to defend.

If Wu Dunqiang had ordered the city to be defended, it would probably have fallen in less than half a day.

There's no other way, I guess I'll just have to run away.

Anyway, Zang Ba had told him before that if things didn't go well, he should just retreat and go back to Kaiyang to meet up with him.

Therefore, although Wu Dunming knew that the north gate might be a trap, he had no choice but to take the risk since he didn't want to wait to die.

However, he did not run away immediately. Instead, he first questioned the envoy to buy time, while his personal guards quietly gathered his trusted men and hid them at the north gate.

He then made an excuse to escape, and led more than three hundred trusted followers out of the north gate and sped away.

By the time the envoy realized what was happening, only he and the more than six hundred cannon fodder who had been abandoned remained in the city.

The envoy hurriedly comforted Wu Dun's defeated soldiers who had been abandoned, while also notifying Guan Yu outside the city to send troops into the city to maintain order.

Guan Yu was overjoyed upon receiving the report.

This was his first time leading troops independently, as a high-ranking official.

Although it was only a detachment, Guan Yu was still under tremendous pressure.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the battle began, Jiqiu City surrendered without a fight, and he had completed most of his mission, which made him very happy.

Lu Su was also very pleased, but he did not forget his duty and suggested, "General, you should quickly send one unit into the city to pacify the people, and send another unit to pursue Wu Dun. If we can capture him alive, it will be a great achievement."

"well!"

Guan Yu's face became even redder. He nodded to Lu Su and then ordered, "Guorang, you will personally lead the troops into the city to maintain order. Anyone who harasses the people or commits robbery will be executed without mercy!"

"Yes!"

Tian Yu rose to accept the order, turned and left, personally leading his troops into the city.

Then, Guan Yu said to Zhang Kuang, "Commander Zhang, you can lead your troops to pursue Wu Dun. Driving him away would be a great achievement, and capturing him alive would be an even greater one."

Zhang Kuang was overjoyed and quickly got up to receive the order.

"Sima remembers what Military Advisor Lu just said: 'Your Excellency must be alive. If you are captured, you should be treated with courtesy and sent to me immediately.'"

"Yes, General!"

He had thought Tian Yu had gotten the prize, but it turned out his own task was just as good. This General Guan was a kind man.

In fact, according to the Han Dynasty system, only those of the rank of Zhonglangjiang or above were qualified to be called generals.

However, since Dong Zhuo's chaos, as long as one is obsequious enough, even a colonel can be called a general, and a lieutenant general can be recommended by the state and county.

However, overall, the title of Colonel is still quite valuable now, unlike the common one during the Three Kingdoms period after the Jian'an era.

So Zhang Kuang mustered his 1,500 men and chased after Wu Dun.

Although the enemy left early, Xu Dan's main force had fifty cavalrymen, all of whom were left to Zhang Kuang because he took the land route. Now they came in handy, so there was still hope.

Not to mention that Tian Yu led his troops into the city, accepted the surrender of the more than 600 soldiers who had been abandoned by Wu Dun, and then maintained order within the city.

Wu Dun was a capable man. He took in refugees near Jiqiu, restored people's livelihoods, and encouraged farming, allowing this war-torn land to regain some vitality.

The city had a small population, but there were still several hundred people. They mainly served Wu Dun's troops and cultivated the land outside Jiqiu City.

After Tian Yu entered the city, he pacified the people, took in the surrendered soldiers, posted notices, and calmed the public's hearts. Soon the city was stabilized.

After receiving the report, Guan Yu ordered the main force to enter the city.

There are still many houses in Jiqiu City that can be used for the army to camp, which saves the army the hardship and inconvenience of camping in the field.

After entering the city, Guan Yu arranged for messengers to inform Commander Chen Deng and Liu Bei, the lord of Tancheng, of the battle situation. He then pointed out the troops from Donghai Commandery and his own troops, preparing to continue north after lunch to join Chen Deng in encircling Kaiyang.

Qiu City will be entrusted to Tian Yu for defense, and will serve as the forward base for the main army.

After Zhang Kuang returns, regardless of whether he captures Wu Dun or not, he will continue north to pursue Guan Yu.

These are all pre-determined plans; all you need to do is follow them, without having to worry about asking for help repeatedly.

On the other side, Commander Chen Deng's army continued northward, going against the current, but at a speed that was by no means slow.

That afternoon, Chen Deng's troops appeared on the river outside Kaiyang City.

As planned, Chen Deng's fleet was divided into two parts. The left flank, consisting of Zhang Fei's and Chen Deng's forces, landed on the right side of Kaiyang City. The right flank, consisting of Cao Bao's forces, landed on the left side of Kaiyang City.

Then, they set up camp according to the terrain they had already scouted, cutting off Kaiyang's external communication channels, and then waited for Xu Dan and Zhao Yun's troops to arrive and join them the next day.

When Chen Deng's fleet appeared, the same thing happened in Kaiyang.

(End of this chapter)