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

Chapter 85 Did Liu Bei's army grow wings and fly here? (Subscribe!)

“…Huh, we’re finally here.”

Xu Sheng let out a long sigh, feeling relieved.

Crossing the sea is not like crossing water, the sea is more bumpy.

A group of grown men were crowded into a boat and stayed there for more than ten days, and the environment was dirty and messy.

Xu Sheng would rather kill the enemy on horseback than go out to sea again.

However, when Taishi Ci was young, he served as a Cao Shi in the prefectures and counties, and going to sea by water was a common thing for him.

"Now Yuan Tan's main forces are stationed in the counties of Langya, facing the lord's army."

"Their military forces in Le'an were insufficient and they were not well prepared."

"We can land in Shouguang County first, attack southwards, capture Le'an, and cut off Yuan Tan's way back."

"Once their food supply is blocked by me, even if there are a million Yuan troops on the front line, they will collapse without a fight. There is no need to worry!"

Taishi Ci led the most elite Danyang troops in Xuzhou.

The meaning of Li Yi handing this unit over to him was very clear: this battle must succeed and not fail.

Taishi Ci was under tremendous pressure along the way and did not dare to relax or slack off at any moment.

All the troops disembarked and landed.

Xu Sheng took a deep breath on land and sighed:

"It's better to go by land. We usually go by water a lot. Today, we were attacked by the sea and realized how difficult it is to go out to sea."

Taishi Ci smiled and said:
"The military advisor is good at using ingenious strategies. Today's plan of attacking from the sea and concealing the truth from the world is truly a wild and imaginative plan."

"I'm afraid we will have to travel by sea in the future, so Wen Xiang better get used to it as soon as possible."

Xu Sheng laughed when he heard this:
"I was just joking."

"Xu has always been content with his life, so why should he fear the storms in the East China Sea?"

"It's the military advisor who really dares to use a plan. The risks at sea are very great."

"If we delay, I'm afraid it will delay the military plan and hinder the lord's important affairs."

When Taishi Ci mentioned Li Yi, his eyes were full of admiration.

"The military advisor's plans and strategies are beyond our expectations."

"My lord, you always say that the military advisor is good at strategy and has extraordinary talents and knowledge, which is rare in ancient and modern times."

"It is truly a blessing from heaven that we can work with such a remarkable person."

Taishi Ci sighed with emotion, immersed in it.

Xu Sheng laughed at himself and said:

"What Ziyi said is also what I think in my heart."

"In this case, we should focus on public affairs and not let down the military advisor's trust."

Taishi Ci nodded, and a heroic spirit suddenly rose in his heart. He raised his hand and pointed southward, saying:
"We can now quickly attack Le'an and cut off Yuan Tan's way back."

At the command, two thousand Danyang soldiers, full of fighting spirit, rushed straight to Le'an.

……

Langya, counties in the northern part.

Yuan Jun camp.

The big tent was filled with the aroma of wine.

"Father always said that Liu Xuande was a man of outstanding character and had the qualities to be a king."

"Now that we have lost Xu Bei, they have retreated like a turtle into the city and dare not engage in battle with our army."

"It seems that the rumor is wrong. Liu Bei is just a mediocre person."

Yuan Tan picked up a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp, his eyes full of contempt.

Before setting out for Xuzhou, he had some concerns in his heart.

But I didn't expect the war to go so smoothly and capture the county town north of Langya in one fell swoop.

After Liu Bei arrived, he did not rush to lead his troops to recapture the city, but instead defended the city himself.

What a rat!

If this continues for a long time, Liu Bei will lose the support of the people in Langya.

Yuan Tan's face was already slightly drunk, and he admitted that he had overestimated Liu Bei before.

Guo Tu filled Yuan Tan's cup with wine and said carefully:

"Liu Bei is a man of great generosity and tolerance, good at winning people's hearts and minds, and able to gain their loyalty."

"Our army has not yet engaged Liu Bei in direct combat, so it would be best for you to be cautious, Commander."

Not bad!

It was rare for Zhang He to agree with Guo Tu.

"Liu Bei is just a warrior from the north, making a living by weaving mats and selling shoes. Now he has become the governor of Xuzhou. He must have some extraordinary qualities."

"Recently I heard that he has a new military advisor named Li Yi. He is resourceful and good at commanding troops."

"Our army marched south, and the horses were exhausted. The Xuzhou soldiers were well-rested and should not have been at a disadvantage against us."

"Now they have chosen to hold on, I'm afraid they have other plans."

"I think that Liu Bei and Li Yi, the ruler and his minister, should not be underestimated."

The corners of Yuan Tan's mouth curled up slightly, his eyes full of contempt.

"I have heard of Li Yi's name before."

"As far as I know, he is just a little boy. What is there to be afraid of?"

"You are a veteran general in our army, but you are so afraid of a young man before the battle. You are truly a laughing stock for the whole army!"

Yuan Tan was arrogant by nature and mocked Zhang He mercilessly.

In fact, Zhang He and Guo Tu were both advising Yuan Tan not to be careless.

But Yuan Tan just kept scolding Zhang He.

On the one hand, it was because Guo Tu was indeed good at flattery and spoke in a tactful way.

However, Zhang He's words were too straightforward, which Yuan Tan thought would boost the enemy's morale and destroy his own prestige.

On the other hand, it is a question of stance.

Zhang He was a former general of Han Fu. After he defected to Yuan Shao, he reported directly to Yuan Shao himself.

In the dispute over the succession to the Yuan family, he was not in a hurry to take sides.

Unlike Guo Tu, he worked for the Yuan family.

But he was actually a scholar from Yingchuan.

I went to Hebei purely for the purpose of seeking refuge.

Also going with him were Xun Yu and Guo Jia, but neither of them liked Yuan Shao.

Although Guo Turen stayed in Hebei, his life was quite unhappy.

The scholars in Hebei had already divided up the local interests.

The scholars from Henan and Hebei have always been at odds with each other, and each looks down on the other.

So when the Hebei scholars were struggling for succession, they all stood on Yuan Shang's side.

The Henan scholars, led by Guo Tu and Xin Ping, decisively chose Yuan Tan.

Guo Tu really assisted Yuan Tan with all his heart and for no other reason.

Once Yuan Tan inherits the Yuan family's foundation in the future, these Henan scholars will have the merit of following the dragon and will immediately become the masters.

Those good positions that had been divided up among the Hebei scholars would also be transferred to new hands.

Yuan Tan would naturally be friendlier to his own people like Guo Tu.

To him, Zhang He was at most an "outsider", so naturally he was not polite to him.

From this, we can also see that the struggle within the Yuan family has become quite fierce, to the point where they are irreconcilable.

"...That's all."

Yuan Tan put aside his pride.

"It is not a good idea for Liu Xuande to hold his ground and not fight. Maybe Li Yi is really up to some tricks."

"If the Russians continue to fight, our army will not be able to hold out for long."

"What good ideas do you have?"

While Yuan Tan was asking for advice, he felt secretly strange.

His scouts had clearly heard that Guo Gong and Yuan Shu had sent out troops at the same time.

Liu Bei was unable to cope with three armies at the same time.

Now that he has appeared in Langya, he is in a stalemate with Yuan’s army.

Logically speaking, he should be the one most eager to end the war first, so why would he choose to fight a protracted war with himself?

Zhang He suggested without hesitation:

"Qingzhou is not settled yet, Le'an is empty, what if Liu Bei sends people to attack from the outside?"

"Then our army has a way to come but no way to return."

"Now that the battle has been fruitless for a long time, it is better to retreat to Qingzhou and make peace with Liu Bei."

"Wait until there is a change in Xuzhou in the future, and then wait for an opportunity to act."

As a military general from Hebei who did not take sides, Zhang He's starting point was naturally to consider the overall situation.

His suggestion was entirely for the sake of the Yuan family.

This is also the strategic policy set by Yuan Shao.

"What nonsense are you talking about, you bastard!"

Yuan Tan's face darkened, and he slammed the table and shouted angrily:
"Today, my army swept across Langya. The northern county fell overnight. Langya will be taken soon."

"Why are you advising me to withdraw my troops back to Qingzhou?"

To withdraw troops now would be tantamount to giving up all the previous gains.

Because Yuan Tan could not directly manage these captured counties. Once he led the army away, Liu Bei would not need to take any action, but only need to send a small force to easily recover the lost territory.

Then wouldn’t Yuan Tan’s trip be in vain?
Money and food were wasted, and people died.

The few counties we captured couldn't generate much profit.

It’s not even enough to cover the gas money for their army’s trip.

This is something Yuan Tan could never accept.

Yuan Tan was unhappy and ignored Zhang He.

Guo Tu was good at observing people's words and expressions and quickly figured out Yuan Tan's thoughts.

"...Since Liu Bei is holding his ground and refusing to fight, we can only mobilize more troops from Qingzhou."

"Use superior forces to attack Langya and force Liu Bei to shrink his defenses."

"With Guo Gong and Yuan Shu sharing the military strength of Xuzhou with us, I don't think Liu Bei will be able to mobilize more troops."

"By then, even if Li Yi has a masterful plan or a trick, it will be useless."

What Guo Tu said was very much to Yuan Tan's liking.

Yuan Tan's complexion also improved a lot, and he raised his wine glass slightly:
"Gong Ze's words are exactly what I want."

"Pass on this commander-in-chief's order to go to Qingzhou immediately and transfer—"

Before he could finish his words, a meteor rider suddenly came in and fell to the ground.

"Commander-in-chief, something bad has happened! Urgent report from the rear."

"Thousands of Xuzhou troops landed in Qingzhou from the sea, attacked Le'an successfully, and attacked all the way south, cutting off our army's route back!"

Bang!

Yuan Tan's wine glass slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground, and his eyes widened instantly.

"You...what did you just say?"

Yuan Tan flew into a rage and grabbed the rider by the collar.

"Report to the governor."

"The people of Xuzhou attacked Qingzhou from the sea route and captured Le'an in one fell swoop, cutting off our army's retreat."

Well……

Yuan Tan's eyes went dark, he felt dizzy and staggered to the ground.

"Captain!"

Guo Tu hurried forward to support him.

"This Liu Xuande is so brave that he dares to attack our army from the sea!"

Yuan Tan was so confused that his voice was almost trembling.

There are too many conditions required to launch a detour by sea.

First, you have to be proficient in sea routes, otherwise it is easy to get lost at sea.

Second, the soldiers you lead must be as strong as oxen, otherwise they will not be able to withstand the wind and waves and bumps on the sea for a long time and will easily get sick.

Third, after landing, you and your soldiers must adjust in time and ensure that you can capture the target county, because you have no supplies to support you.

Each of the above three conditions is very demanding.

It is even more difficult to have all three.

How many experts helped Liu Bei?

"Commander-in-chief! What should we do now?"

Many generals in the camp were panicked.

They are all veterans who have fought on the battlefield for many years and they know too well the seriousness of being outflanked by the enemy.

If they dare to turn back, Liu Bei will immediately seize the opportunity and take the initiative to attack.

No matter what, Yuan's army will not be able to take care of both ends and will undoubtedly be defeated.

In ancient armies, turning around was very troublesome, even for generals with excellent command abilities.

If we are not careful and the military orders are not transmitted correctly, the army will be in chaos.

What’s more important is that Taishi Ci’s roundabout attack cut off Yuan’s army’s supply line.

The army has not moved, but the food and grass go first.

It’s just like Cao Cao and Lu Bu who are fighting fiercely next door.

Historically, one of the important reasons why Lu Bu lost to Cao Cao was that he had no food.

As a result, the troops under Lu Bu, which were able to hold off Cao Cao in the early stages, were finally beaten badly by Li Dian's family.

It was not Li Dian himself who took action, but only Li Dian's clansmen who beat Lu Bu up.

It shows how terrible it is to not eat.

Lu Bu was too embarrassed to eat "dried meat" like Cao did, so he could only fight on an empty stomach.

How can we avoid losing like this?

Now that Yuan Tan's food supply route had been cut off and his way back was blocked, he was naturally in great confusion.

In ancient times, transporting grain was very difficult, and Yuan Tan’s main method of transportation was still land transportation.

This method of transporting food would consume half of the supplies even if the journey was only seven days.

After a brief moment of shock and panic, Yuan Tan turned to anger:
"How dare Liu Bei, a mere weaver and shoe seller, attack my Le'an!"

In a rage, he overturned the table.

Guo Tu hurriedly comforted him:

"Liu Bei definitely doesn't have such a plan. It must be Li Yi's plan."

It would have been fine if he hadn't spoken, but once he spoke, Yuan Tan instantly found an outlet to vent his anger.

He glared at Guo Tu and roared at him:

"You are my father's counselor, but today you can't see through the plan of a country boy!"

This……

Guo Tu was so ashamed of the questioning that his face was covered with cold sweat.

Although he certainly didn't expect Li Yi to have such a trick, he did remind you to be on guard, didn't he?

"…I am terrified."

Guo Tu had no choice but to admit his mistake and did not dare to talk back to Yuan Tan.

The atmosphere in the big tent suddenly dropped to zero.

Everyone, look at me, and I'll look at you.

They looked at each other in silence.

No one was at a loss.

When Yuan Tan insisted on attacking Xuzhou, most of the generals in the army opposed it.

Now that something has happened, who will take responsibility?

No one had the courage to let Yuan Tan take the responsibility.

If you fight back on your own, you'll still feel dissatisfied.

Then I can only use silent silence to express my inner indignation.

Zhang He was the first to calm down. He stepped forward to comfort Yuan Tan and said:
"...Now that things have come to this, there is no other way but to withdraw our troops."

This time, when Zhang He mentioned withdrawing troops again, Yuan Tan could not respond.

Guo Tu also chimed in:

"Le'an has been lost, and my army has no food supply."

"The army has less than ten days' worth of food. Once the soldiers hear this, they will surely be in great disarray."

"If we continue to advance, Liu Bei won't have to fight our army and would be able to win without a fight."

The more Guo Tu spoke, the more frightened he felt, and the more he regretted why he had not followed Zhang He in persuading Yuan Tan not to send troops.

He was too blinded by greed. When he saw the two armies attacking Xuzhou, he really mistakenly thought that he could get a share of the pie in Xuzhou.

Now it seems that I was totally wrong.

Both he and Yuan Tan underestimated the abilities of the ruler and minister Liu Bei and Li Yi.

"Captain, withdraw your troops before the food and fodder run out!"

"Yes, now we should turn around quickly with lightning speed and fight back to Le'an. Maybe there will be a chance of recovery!"

The generals in the camp advised Yuan Tan to make a quick decision.

Yuan Tan was hesitant. What he was really worried about was how he should explain to his father.
My father was ostensibly an ally of Liu Bei.

He dared to attack Xuzhou without his father's knowledge because he thought he could take it down.

This is the only way to shut up the people in Hebei.

Now that the army has been defeated, how will the Hebei scholars take this opportunity to severely report me to Yuan Shao?
They were already loyal to Yuan Shang, and the defeat due to his unauthorized actions gave them an excuse to accuse him of wrongdoing.

Once his father finds out, he might even disown him as his son.

Liu Bei, you made me fatherless...

Yuan Tan looked up to the sky and sighed, wanting to cry but having no tears.

"Captain! Do not hesitate any longer."

"If we continue to delay, the morale of the army will inevitably collapse."

"We should withdraw our camp slowly before Liu Bei finds out. We will definitely make it in time!"

Guo Tu was really panicked and tried to persuade him earnestly.

"Ugh."

"Pass the order, the entire army will retreat north immediately!"

……

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(End of this chapter)