The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 52: The military advisor is really treacherous... really resourceful! (Please read on!)
When Chang Xi asked this soul-searching question, all the generals, led by Yin Li and Wu Dun, were speechless.

Sun Guan shook his head and sighed:

"According to the spies' report, Liu Bei brought 20,000 troops this time. I guess he brought all his best soldiers."

"He is so determined that I'm afraid it will be difficult to resolve this issue peacefully. We must make a careful decision."

Yin Li was speechless and remained silent.

Wu Dun remained silent and said nothing.

Everyone looked at Zang Ba. Zang Ba rubbed his temples, pondered for a long time, and then said dejectedly:
"Do you know why we have been able to occupy Langya for so many years?"

This……

Everyone looked at each other, unable to say anything.

"It's because Tao Gongzu is weak and incompetent, so he needs our help to guard the north for him and resist the pressure from Yanzhou and Qingzhou."

"Now, Xuzhou has changed its owner. Liu Bei is not Tao Qian. What he needs is to control Langya in his own hands, rather than letting others do it."

Everyone lowered their heads and fell silent.

Zang Ba's words continued.

"When Tao Gongzu was in office, he only controlled the two counties of Pengcheng and Xiapi."

"But Liu Bei! He took over Pengcheng, Xiapi, Guangling, and Donghai within less than a year after taking office in Xuzhou."

"Let alone Liu Bei, if Tao Qian took these four counties, there would be no reason for us to secede from Langya."

Zang Ba revealed the truth, the real reason why they were able to establish their own rule over Langya.

Or maybe Tao Qian was too weak and lacked control over Xuzhou. Guangling sided with Yuan Shu, Pengcheng was massacred by Cao Cao, and Donghai did not get the support of the local people.

Of course, he had no time to care about Zang Ba.

Now Liu Bei integrated his military forces, united the four counties in his hands, and attacked Langya together.

Before the fight even started, Zang Ba was already unable to hold out.

"Brother, what do you mean...?" Sun Guan asked.

Zang Ba put one hand behind his back and stretched out the other hand, clenching it into a fist.

"The five counties of Xuzhou are like these five fingers."

"Liu Bei has mastered four fingers. As long as he recaptures Langya, he can make a fist with five fingers and attack any prince in the world."

"...This Liu Xuande has great ambitions."

When he said the last sentence, there was actually a hint of admiration in Zang Ba's tone.

The Taishan brothers just wanted to establish their own regime at most, but Liu Bei obviously wanted to rule the world.

"So what exactly does Brother mean...?"

Everyone was a little anxious and wanted to hear Zang Ba's opinion.

Zang Ba said slowly:

"Just agree to it first and say that we will be there soon."

Everyone frowned, and everyone knew what was going on.

This was Zang Ba's delaying tactic, and he obviously wanted to see what Liu Bei would do next.

If Liu Bei had launched a direct attack, Zang Ba might have chosen to surrender.

"……well!"

Zang Ba punched the chair. Liu Bei used the excuse of passing through Guo to destroy it and went all the way north to Ju County, directly bypassing his Kaiyang.

In the meantime, he was always hesitant as to whether or not to send troops to stop them.

In the end, just like he let Cao Cao in, he also chose to let Liu Bei in.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei really stopped in Ju County and refused to leave. Now Zang Ba was in a dilemma.

Once Liu Bei launched the attack, he would advance from north to south with unstoppable force.

Because Zang Ba had lost the opportunity to stop him at the passes along the way.

……

"...Oh? Zang Ba said he will be here soon."

Looking at the endless Shushui River, Liu Bei stroked his beard with a calm expression, making it difficult to guess what he was thinking.

"This is Zang Ba's delaying tactic. We must not delay any further."

Li Yi gave Liu Bei some advice.

When the cannon is fired, there is a thousand taels of gold.

War is very expensive. Now Liu Bei has dispatched an army of 20,000. The daily consumption of food and fodder alone is a huge amount.

Let’s not even talk about the armaments that would be used, or the possible casualties and compensation that might follow.

Li Yi certainly hoped that Lao Liu could win the battle quickly. "Does the military advisor want me to send troops?"

"My lord, don't you want to advance?"

Liu Bei turned around and pondered as he asked a rhetorical question:

"Too much bloodshed has been committed in Xuzhou in the past two years. You and I have seen a lot of bones and flesh left on the grass along the way. The people of Langya are also soldiers and civilians of Xuzhou. How can we bear to kill each other?"

"What's more, we are just about to implement the policy of military farming. If a war breaks out, a large number of people will be displaced and the fields will become barren."

“This will also increase the workload for us.”

Considering the overall situation, Liu Bei did not want to mobilize troops unless it was absolutely necessary.

What's more, Zang Ba's Taishan soldiers are brave and good at fighting. If a fight really breaks out, both sides will definitely suffer.

In the end, it will only benefit outsiders for nothing.

"...Haha, don't worry, my lord."

Li Yi gently comforted Liu Bei, "If you want to defeat Zang Ba, why do you need 20,000 soldiers?"

"Oh? Could it be that the military advisor has another brilliant plan?"

Liu Bei raised his eyebrows. If the problem of Zang Ba could be solved without spending any soldiers, everyone would be happy.

"We have gathered 20,000 people just to show our strength and put pressure on Langya."

Apply pressure...?
Liu Bei's eyes narrowed and he immediately reacted:
"Could it be that the military advisor has another plan?"

"That's right, my lord, please take a look."

Li Yi took out the map, spread it out on the ground, and explained to Liu Bei:

"Taishan generals, govern Langya together."

"Kaiyang is the territory of Zang Ba, Licheng is the territory of Wu Dun, and Dong'an and Dongwu in the north are ruled by Yin Li and Sun Guan respectively."

“And here we are now.”

Li Yi tapped the location of Ju County with his index finger.

Liu Bei had fought for many years and he saw the beauty of Ju County at a glance.

This position is just right and can take into account all four directions.

It can launch attacks on four forces at the same time, and is extremely suitable for besieging a point and attacking reinforcements.

"This Ju County is the seat of Xiao Jian's administration."

Li Yi pointed out the key.

Xiao Jian was the prime minister of Langya State and the nominal lord of Langya.

But his sphere of influence was limited to Ju County, and the rest of the territory had been divided up by the Taishan Gang.

Liu Bei nodded, stroked his beard and said:

"I have heard for a long time that Xiao Jian and Zang Ba are not on good terms. Could it be that the military advisor wants to use Xiao Jian to deal with Zang Ba?"

Li Yi's lips curled up into a faint smile.

Xiao Jian came from a family of officials and looked down on people like Zang Ba who came from poor backgrounds, but he could do nothing about them.

In history, Zang Ba directly attacked Ju County where Xiao Jian was located and swept away all the food and property in the city.

Xiao Jian was afraid and uneasy about Zang Ba, so he needed a protective umbrella, and Lao Liu happened to have one.

"Now you can send a secret letter to Xiao Jian, urging him to surrender."

"Then send someone to tell Zang Ba that Xiao Jian has surrendered, but we have not accepted it."

Liu Bei suddenly realized that Li Yi wanted to use Xiao Jian to put pressure on Zang Ba.

In other words, if you don't surrender, we will have to go find Xiao Jian.

"I understand. Zang Ba is afraid of Xiao Jian's rise to power, so he will definitely surrender to us."

"exactly."

"... Well, the military advisor is really bad... He is really resourceful."

"With this plan, there's no need to worry that Zang Ba won't surrender!"

"Hahaha!"

They both laughed at the same time, like two foxes.

……

……

　Brothers, tomorrow is Tuesday and we have three rounds. This is the last chance. I beg you to spare some time to read this tomorrow. Thank you very much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)