Tiger Owl

Chapter 96 Lu Su's Far-sightedness
At this time, Xu Shu was in Xunyang County. He soon received intelligence from Wan County and immediately copied a letter to send to Nanchang County.

But then Taishi Ci had a new idea. He said to Xu Shu, "If Sun Ben has the kerosene bottle, our defense of the city will be at a great disadvantage. Why don't we take the initiative and take advantage of the fact that Sun Ben's army has not yet established a firm foothold in Wan County to capture it in one fell swoop? What do you think, strategist?"

Xu Shu pondered for a moment and said, “I agree with the general’s strategy. Last time we temporarily installed wooden gates at the water gate, and they are still wooden gates now. I guess they haven’t realized it yet. Once they prepare for war, they will definitely discover this loophole. I agree to take the initiative and seize this opportunity before they discover the loophole in the water gate. Let’s write an application to the lord. If the lord approves, we will make a good plan.”

Taishi Ci was overjoyed and said, "I'll write the application!"

Xu Shu also laughed and said, "I also have a plan. Let's write it down for our lord!"

Taishi Ci and Xu Shu certainly had the autonomy to fight, but their autonomy had to be within the pre-planned strategy. This time, Gan Ning's strategy was to hide their strength, defend and counterattack, lure Sun Ben's army to attack the city, use the siege to wear down the enemy's forces, and then launch a strong counterattack, which would surely defeat Sun Ben's army.

Within this framework, how to defend the city and how to counterattack are all decisions they make independently.

But now Taishi Ci wants to change the strategic plan formulated by Gan Ning and break the operational framework, so he naturally needs Gan Ning's consent.

Taishi Ci immediately wrote an application, along with Xu Shu's plan and intelligence from Wan County, and sent it by fast ship to Nanchang County.

.........

At the Nanchang County government office, strategist Lu Su hurriedly arrived at Gan Ning's official residence. He saw Gan Ning standing by the window with his hands behind his back, deep in thought. Lu Su did not disturb Gan Ning's contemplation and quietly stood aside to wait.

Before long, Gan Ning seemed to sense something, turned around and saw Lu Su. Gan Ning smiled apologetically and said, "I was distracted and didn't notice the strategist's arrival."

"Does my lord have urgent business with me?"

Gan Ning nodded and handed a report on the table to Lu Su. "This is Taishi Ci's application. He hopes to take the initiative and defeat Sun Ben's army before they can establish a firm foothold, and seize Wan County in one fell swoop. Xu Shu also agrees with this idea and has proposed a good strategy. I would like to discuss it with the strategist."

Lu Su pondered for a moment and then asked, "General Taishi, why did you change your plans?"

"Because intelligence revealed that the enemy was also equipped with kerosene bottles, he was worried that the enemy's fire attack would be detrimental to the defense of the city and would also cause serious damage to Xunyang County. In addition, Military Advisor Xu discovered that the enemy's water gate was still using the temporary wooden gate that we had installed. He believed that we should seize this opportunity."

Lu Su nodded. Xunyang County was almost entirely made of bamboo and wood, with no firebreaks. If it were attacked by fire, the entire county might be burned down. Wan County, on the other hand, had firebreaks. There were no houses within fifty paces of the city wall, and only brick and stone buildings within a hundred paces. This was a good thing.

"General Taishi wants to take Wan County and replace Xunyang County with it. I think this idea is feasible."

Lu Su looked at Xu Shu's strategy again and laughed, "This plan to lure the snake out of its hole is not bad, and it's quite unexpected that they didn't change the water gate."

Previously, Gan Ning and Jiang Dong joined forces to attack Lujiang County. They used rammed ships to break open the enemy's water gate and temporarily installed a lifting wooden gate, which was like the thick wooden gate in a prison cell. It looked very sturdy, but it was still no match for the rammed ships and was far less solid than a wooden door. For some reason, the enemy did not replace the gate, which is why Taishi Ci and Xu Shu wanted to take the initiative to attack.

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and said, "I was just thinking about the advice Zhuge Jin gave me before, that we shouldn't take Lujiang County in one fell swoop, as it would provoke Jiangdong and lead to the Suns joining forces. What do you think, strategist?"

Lu Su nodded. "I have also considered Zhuge Jin's suggestion repeatedly. His suggestion is correct. The reason why we did not form an alliance with Jiangdong before was because of Lujiang County."

Jiangdong refuses to relinquish Lujiang Commandery. Once we completely seize Lujiang Commandery, we will pose a significant threat to both Sun Quan and Sun Ce. Faced with shared interests, they are highly likely to temporarily set aside their differences and join forces against us. Even Huang Zu and Liu Biao of Changsha Commandery may get involved, and we will face a predicament of being attacked from all sides.

"Therefore, the strategist agrees with Zhuge Jin's suggestion!"

Lu Su nodded and continued, "I think taking half of Lujiang County is quite reasonable. It essentially pushes the defense line eastward by a hundred li, without impacting Jiangdong's bottom line at all. It also leaves a buffer zone with Sun Ben. Then, we can use our tax advantage to attract the landless people east of Lujiang County." He paused, then added, "We still need our lord to send someone to explain the situation to Jiangdong!"

"Is it necessary?" Gan Ning frowned.

"necessary!"

Lu Su slowly said, "Does my lord still remember Zhu Zhi's reply at the end of last year? The reason why our alliance failed is because Lujiang County is of great interest to Jiangdong, and Jiangdong will not give Lujiang County to us."

If we seize Wan County, it will be equivalent to taking away half of Lujiang Prefecture. Jiangdong will definitely oppose it, but not so vehemently. We will be in a delicate situation where they will reluctantly accept it if we try to persuade them a little.

Therefore, we must strive for this delicate situation, make Jiangdong understand that Lujiang County is also of great interest to us. We have already occupied Wan County twice, and there is no third time. We cannot give Wan County to Jiangdong again after occupying it a third time.

The relationship between our two countries is the result of mutual compromise. It can't be just us accommodating Jiangdong; Jiangdong also needs to respect us. We must make Jiangdong understand this.

Gan Ning slowly said, "Actually, I'm more worried about Liu Biao than Sun Quan."

"Next, I would like to address this issue. While safeguarding our own interests, we must also prevent ourselves from being besieged by the four kingdoms. Once we take Changsha Commandery, Liu Biao will step in. He is not Huang Zu, and he will definitely join forces with the two Suns to deal with us."

Therefore, it is essential for us to form an alliance with Jiangdong beforehand. I suggest that my lord also work on individuals, such as the new Lady Wu; I believe this will have a remarkable effect!

Lu Su's words made Gan Ning realize how important it is to have a good strategist. He said that if one does not plan for the future, one will have trouble in the present. Gan Ning had to admit that Lu Su's advice was very timely and that he should form an alliance with Jiangdong before attacking Changsha County.

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and then asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Lu Su smiled slightly, “I heard that among the personal belongings that our lord seized from Zuo Rong was a rare white jade Buddha statue. Lady Wu is a Buddhist. If we can give this Buddha statue to her as a gift, I believe she will encourage us to form an alliance with Jiangdong.”

Gan Ning actually had two white jade Buddha statues. He gave the smaller one to Da Qiao's mother, and the larger one was still in his private treasury.

Gan Ning nodded. "Okay, I'll take out the white jade Buddha and give it to Old Madam Wu."

Gan Ning immediately approved Taishi Ci's request and asked Xu Sheng to also participate in the battle, with Xu Shu coordinating the arrangements. Gan Ning directly notified Xu Shu, Taishi Ci, and Xu Sheng of Pengze via pigeon message.

Gan Ning also sent Qiao An as a special envoy to Jiangdong on his behalf.

Lu Su specially saw Qiao An off, and repeatedly instructed Qiao An at the dock: "The best way to form an alliance is through marriage. If the other party asks about the possibility of marriage, you must answer very positively that our lord is looking forward to marriage with Jiangdong. First, grasp the general direction, and then both sides can sit down and talk about the details slowly. Do you understand?"

"I understand the humble position!"

Lu Su then instructed, "Last time, there was a young lady named Xu who stayed at the Lord's residence for more than a month. I know that the Lord likes her very much, but she is not suitable for a marriage alliance with Jiangdong. She must be the sister of the Marquis of Wu. If the Dowager Lady Wu mentions a marriage alliance, then it must be the sister of the Marquis of Wu."

Qiao An nodded solemnly, "Strategist, please rest assured, I have a plan and will handle it properly."

(End of this chapter)