My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 166 Are we as lowly as ants? Cao Cao: Liu Bei can’t be stopped, let Sun Quan, the pig, roll over!
When the sky brightened, the sounds of killing in the provincial government finally died down, and the government hall was burned to ruins.

Liu Bei, along with a group of counselors and generals, has stood on this piece of ruins.

Liu Bei learned from several captives that Zhou Yu and Sun Shao had set themselves on fire here.

"I never thought Zhou Yu would have such a strong character. He is truly a rare hero in Jiangdong."

"It's a pity that such a person died for the Sun family."

At this moment, Liu Bei couldn't help but feel a bit of respect for Zhou Yu, his former mortal enemy.

Lu Su, standing aside, stepped forward and bowed silently:

"My lord, although Zhou Yu and Jing have severed their friendship, they were once friends after all."

"Su would like to ask the Lord for permission to collect and bury Zhou Yu's body."

Naturally, Lu Su had to give this face. Moreover, Liu Bei also had some respect for Zhou Yu. With his broad mind and tolerance, there was no reason for him to refuse.

So Liu Bei agreed without hesitation. He not only ordered Lu Su to bury Zhou Yu with honor, but also issued an order that his family should not be made difficult.

Lu Su breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly thanked Liu Bei.

"Speaking of family members, I remember that many members of the four Jiangdong clans, including Lu and Zhu, were detained in this prefecture."

"My lord, you might as well treat these people well and appease them."

"After all, the Jiangdong nobles and the lord have no deep hatred. This time, Lu Xun, Zhu Huan, and others sent troops to launch a surprise attack, but they were coerced by Zhou Yu and had no choice but to obey his orders."

"Among these people, there are quite a few talented and capable people. For example, the captured Zhu Huan is a brave general. Your Majesty has also witnessed Lu Xun's wisdom and courage. People like Gu Yong and Yu Fan are also capable officials."

"My lord, you can neither blindly slaughter the Jiangdong nobles like Sun Ce nor flatter them without restraint like Liu Biao. You must use both carrot and stick, kindness and force."

"Be it Zhu Huan or Lu Xun, whoever is capable of being used should be used."

Xiao He had no time to lament Zhou Yu's self-immolation, as he had already begun to look to the future for Liu Bei.

"Military Advisor Bo Wen's words are truly far-sighted and thoughtful."

Lu Su looked at Xiao He with admiration and agreed:

"The Lu family and the Sun family have a blood feud. His original intention in serving Sun Quan was simply to protect the future of the Lu family."

"Now, under duress from Sun Shao and Zhou Yu, the Lu family has been forced to lead the army to lift the siege of Moling in order to protect the lives of their clansmen. This is bound to go against Sun Quan's wishes, and a rift is bound to arise between the two men."

"This is the case with the Lu family, and I'm sure it's also the case with the Zhu family, the Gu family, and so on."

"Since Sun Quan has fallen out with the Jiangdong nobles, if you can pacify them, then we can march south to Wu Commandery and completely annihilate Sun Quan. Taking over the Three Wus will be a piece of cake."

Liu Bei agreed with this and adopted the strategy proposed by Xiao and Lu Su. He ordered the release of the detained members of the four surnames and treated them well.

As for Zhu Huan, Liu Bei treated him with courtesy and personally persuaded him to surrender.

The soldiers of Liu's army who entered the city strictly followed Liu Bei's military orders and did not harm any of the people in the city.

This city, the heart of Jiangdong, emerged from the shadow of war in just a few days.

Shops began to open for business one after another, and people dared to step out of their homes. The streets soon returned to their former bustling state with heavy traffic.

Liu Bei calmed the people's hearts and ordered his soldiers to take time to rest. Soon he continued to lead his troops south and attacked Wu County directly, completely wiping out Sun Quan and the remnants of the Sun family.

...

Ruxukou.

As the sun set in the west, the sounds of killing and drums gradually died down.

The Cao army that attacked Ruxuwu retreated in disgrace again after leaving behind hundreds of corpses.

"Why can't I, with an army of 200,000, take down a small fortress?"

Cao Cao, who was a hundred steps away, stared at the flag with the word "Guan" with gritted teeth, feeling so angry that his teeth were itching.

The crazy feeling he had when he failed to capture Fancheng and was dominated by Huo Jun came back to his mind quietly.

"Guan Yu is a renowned general, and now commands 20,000 soldiers. Although Ruxu Fort is small, it has a great geographical advantage and convenient water transportation."

"Although our army has 200,000 men, we have no navy to use and cannot deploy our forces. It is understandable that we have not been able to capture the city for a long time."

Liu Ye behind him saw Cao Cao's anxiety and had to comfort him with words.

Cao Cao sighed, looking at the "Guan" flag, and said with emotion:

"You are right. Huo Jun alone can defend Fancheng like an impregnable fortress, let alone Guan Yu."

"If he could be easily defeated by me, he wouldn't be the Guan Yu who killed Yan Liang and Wen Chou, and whom I hated so much that I couldn't get him."

Hearing Cao Cao's praise for Guan Yu, all the generals were convinced. Zhang Liao and Xu Huang even nodded secretly, agreeing with him deeply.

Cheng Yu on the side frowned and said:

"Our army is stuck in Ruxu Fort, unable to advance south. I've heard that Liu Bei has been using a psychological warfare strategy against Moling City, and people are fleeing the city constantly. I'm afraid Zhou Yu won't be able to hold out for much longer."

"If Liu Bei captures Moling first, Jiangdong will surely fall. Sun Quan will be unable to hold on alone and will surely perish at the hands of Liu Bei!"

Cao Cao was shocked and looked past Ruxuwu and towards Moling, with worry gradually appearing between his brows.

"Report—urgent news from Moling!"

A horseman came galloping and dismounted.

"Your Excellency, our spies on the south bank have sent back urgent news: Liu Bei captured Moling two days ago."

"Zhou Yu and Sun Shao set themselves on fire, and the Jiangdong defenders in the city were completely wiped out!"

A bolt from the blue suddenly struck!
The Cao family's chief and ministers were all shocked.

Cheng Yu was even more shocked and surprised. He never expected that he would become a jinx. The thing he was worried about just now had come true in the blink of an eye.

"brush!"

Cao Cao snatched the silk scroll, his eyes wide with eagerness. Sun Quan sent Shanyue troops north to relieve the siege, but they were ambushed by Liu's army at Qu'a, suffering heavy casualties...

Zhou Yu led his troops to attack Liu Bei's main camp at night, but Liu Bei defeated them and annihilated his entire army. Xu Sheng was beheaded...

Liu Bei led an army of 50,000 and seized the opportunity to attack the city. Moling fell, and Zhou Yu, holding Sun Shao hostage, set himself on fire in the state capital...

The process of Moling's change of hands was written in such clear detail that he could not help but believe it.

"Fools, all of Jiangdong are idiots!"

"This Zhou Yu, in this situation, still dares to overestimate his own capabilities and plot against Liu Bei. He is truly courting his own death!"

"These incompetent rats from Jiangdong have ruined my grand plan!"

Cao Cao was extremely shocked and angry. He cursed loudly and threw the silk book to the ground angrily.

Cheng Yu and others hurriedly picked it up and looked at it in surprise.

When the truth came to light, several people gasped and looked at each other in shock.

"This must be Liu Bei's strategy to capture Zhou Yu's mind, forcing him to resort to this desperate tactic."

"He threatened Lu Zhu and the others with the lives of his clansmen to send troops, attacking Liu Bei's main camp from both inside and outside. This was a brilliant strategy."

"This strategy may fool others, but it may not fool Xiao He."

Cheng Yu held the silk book in his hand, shook his head and sighed.

Hearing the word "Xiao He", Cao Cao clenched his fists and a look of madness flashed across his brows.

Liu Ye sighed, but bowed and said:

"Prime Minister, the fall of Moling is inevitable. Sun Quan's Shanyue troops have suffered heavy losses and are unlikely to resist Liu Bei."

"Next, Liu Bei will undoubtedly march south, sweeping through Wu and Kuaiji commanderies, annihilating Sun Quan with overwhelming force and taking over Jiangdong."

"Ye believed that it would be pointless for Sun Quan to remain in Jiangdong and continue to resist, except to wait for death. It would be better to order him to abandon Jiangdong and travel north by sea to Guangling to seek refuge with the Prime Minister."

"A living Sun Quan is far more useful to the Prime Minister than a dead one."

The anger on Cao Cao's face gradually subsided and he remained silent.

Of course he understood what Liu Ye meant.

After all, Sun Quan was the lord of Jiangdong. He had dominated Jiangdong for nearly ten years and still had a certain appeal in Jiangdong.

By taking Sun Quan over the river and holding him as a mascot, he could use Sun Quan's appeal to win over the hearts of the people in Jiangdong and disgust Liu Bei, making it impossible for him to maintain his position even if he swallowed up Jiangdong.

In this way, Sun Quan still has some value.

If Sun Quan died at the hands of Liu Bei, the forces in Jiangdong loyal to the Sun family would have lost their object of loyalty and would have had to give up completely. Liu Bei would then have easily secured his control of Jiangdong.

"Sun Jian and Sun Ce were such heroes, but Sun Quan is nothing but a dog and a pig!"

Cao Cao cursed with disgust, then waved his hands helplessly:

"Zi Yang's words make sense. Even if Sun Quan is a mere pig, he can still be of some use to me."

"Hurry across the river to Wujun and secretly order Sun Quan to retreat north by sea to the north of the river!"

...

Wu County.

"I've told you long ago that Zhou Yu is no match for Liu Bei. His so-called clever plan will surely be seen through by Xiao He. But you refused to listen and insisted on leading your troops to Moling to die!"

"Now look what has happened! We worked so hard to build up our army, but you have completely destroyed it in this battle, and even lost a brave general like Zhu Huan."

"Lu Boyan, tell me, if the Big Ear Bandit leads his army south to attack Wujun, what will we do to resist him?"

In the palace hall, Sun Quan angrily questioned Lu Xun who had returned defeated.

Lu Xun lowered his head and sighed helplessly:
"I also know that Xiao He is a brilliant strategist. The success of Zhou Yu's plan is uncertain. It is extremely risky for me and my men to lead our army north this time."

"But Zhou Yu is ruthless, threatening the lives of over 200 of our clansmen. How could we sit idly by and watch our loved ones die?"

"Ah~~"

Sun Quan, however, did not understand Lu Xun's difficulties and said disapprovingly:
"Boyan, ah Boyan, why are you so short-sighted? Why can't you consider the overall situation?"

"Even if Zhou Yu killed your people in Moling, didn't you still have so many of your people retreat to Wujun?"

"If you don't go to rescue Moling, we have soldiers at our disposal, so we have hope of resisting the attack of the big-eared thieves. You, the tribesmen who have escaped, still have hope of survival."

"For the greater good, some sacrifices are worth it!"

Lu Xun was shocked and looked at Sun Quan in surprise.

In your words, Sun Quan, the lives of those dozens of Lu family members are like grass. You can sacrifice them just like that?

It's so easy for you to say that. It's not your Sun family who died, but my Lu family!
Gu Yong, Yu Fan and others looked at each other secretly, and their eyes clearly showed dissatisfaction with Sun Quan's attitude.

Sun Quan obviously didn't notice the change in everyone's mood, and he continued to complain and blame Lu Xun.

Lu Xun clenched his fists tighter and tighter, his face became more and more gloomy, and the anger in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

"enough!"

Unable to bear it any longer, he suddenly shouted, interrupting Sun Quan's muttering.

Lu Xun raised his head and looked directly at Sun Quan, saying sternly:

"Back in the battle of Lujiang, my Lu clan forced over a hundred people to death because of your brother, my lord. Now, my lord, you are making a fool of yourself and want me to sacrifice dozens more lives!"

"Are the lives of my Lu family members really as worthless as ants in the eyes of you, the Sun family?"

(End of this chapter)