Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

In Ma Chao's general's mansion, the atmosphere was a little solemn. Ma Chao solemnly summoned all his generals to discuss matters.

Ma Chao, holding the Emperor's edict, declared in a clear voice, "The Emperor has commanded our Xiliang Legion to depart immediately for Huainan to quell the rebellion and resolve the crisis facing Liu Yao, a member of the imperial clan. Yuan Shu has become a reckless and self-reliant force in Huainan, posing a grave threat to the stability of the imperial court. We must defeat him and restore peace to Huainan."

Upon hearing this, the generals all looked thoughtful. At this moment, the resourceful Xu Shu stepped forward with a worried look on his face. He slowly said, "General, this matter requires further consideration. You see, our Xiliang Legion only has a little over 40,000 men here. If we go against Yuan Shu's army with just this small force, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win. You know, Yuan Shu is a formidable force, commanding two or three hundred thousand men. He has a deep foundation and is by no means a formidable opponent."

Xu Shu frowned slightly and continued, "Previously, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan engaged in a fierce battle in Youzhou. Both sides deployed their entire forces, and the fighting was extremely brutal. Later, Lü Bu led his Bingzhou army and joined forces with Liu Bei, and only with great difficulty did they repel Yuan Shao. This shows that facing such a powerful opponent without sufficient troops is absolutely impossible. And now, with only a little over 40,000 troops, we have to confront Yuan Shu's army of 200,000 or 300,000. You can only imagine how difficult it would be."

At this point, Xu Shu couldn't help but sigh softly, and continued, "What's more, the southern lands are full of rivers and lakes, and the terrain is very different from the Xiliang we are familiar with. Our Xiliang Legion has always been mainly cavalry, excelling at galloping and fighting on the vast plains. However, once we reach the densely watered areas of the south, the advantages of cavalry will be difficult to display. Marching and fighting require the right time, place, and people, but the weather is not favorable for us right now. It is winter now, and the weather is freezing. This march will be difficult and arduous, and the soldiers will probably suffer greatly from the wind and frost. Moreover, we are extremely unfamiliar with the terrain of the south. All these factors are major taboos in military operations. I hope that General will carefully consider this before making a decision."

Zhang Liao's face was solemn. After careful consideration, he slowly spoke, "General, I wonder if any troops from the imperial court will come to assist us in the battle? Yuan Shu is now a powerful force, dominating the Huainan region. He is eyeing Yangzhou with a fierce ambition, ready to swallow it up. With only our Xiliang forces, I'm afraid..."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao's face turned bitter. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Where are the other troops coming to help us? We only have the Xiliang troops, nothing else."

Zhang Liao was startled, his eyes widening as he asked, "General, what exactly is the emperor's intention behind this? Yuan Shu's power is so immense, wouldn't this arrangement be..."

Ma Chao continued to shake his head bitterly and said, "Wenyuan, you don't have to worry. Feel free to speak your mind. I know for a fact that the Emperor is blaming me for interfering with his decision to appoint a queen. But now, the Emperor has already appointed a queen according to my request. This puts me at a moral disadvantage in this matter. Furthermore, the Emperor has officially issued an edict in court. All other armies have made their own arrangements, leaving the difficult task of Yuan Shu to our Western Liang Army. Let us tackle this difficult problem."

Zhang Ren, standing by, pondered for a moment before speaking, "General, it seems to me that the Emperor is deliberately trying to embarrass us and use this as an excuse to test our troops. If we march forward with our 40,000 troops from Xiliang, I'm afraid they won't be of much use and won't help us. It seems he's trying to force us to mobilize our own resources and transfer a large force from Xiliang to join the battle."

Ma Chao frowned and paced back and forth in the tent, thinking over and over again. He knew in his heart that all these situations really needed to be carefully considered.

He paused, looked at Xu Shu, and said, "Mr. Yuanzhi, please consider the current situation. Although our soldiers are all brave and skilled warriors, with only 40,000 men, it is difficult for us to win against a force as powerful as Yuan Shu. In my opinion, the only way we can do now is to transfer another 50,000 or 60,000 troops from Xiliang, bringing our total to 100,000 cavalry. Only then will we have the confidence and strength to fight Yuan Shu."

Xu Shu frowned slightly and replied with a worried look on his face, "General, we have to mobilize troops here, but the supply of food and fodder is a real problem. Can Chang'an provide this food and fodder?"

Ma Chao smiled wryly and shook his head, saying, "Chang'an is struggling to protect itself right now. They're also running low on food and fodder, struggling to even supply their own troops. How could they possibly have the resources to support us?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu rubbed his forehead with a slight headache and said, "We are currently leading our troops away. The distance between Xiliang and the Central Plains is vast, and Chang'an lies in between. Even if Chang'an can send a large army to help, they would still have to shoulder the responsibility of transporting food and supplies. General, have you considered this? If anything were to happen in Chang'an right now, it would be like having our necks strangled. Our army would be like a rootless duckweed, caught in a dilemma. This situation is truly dangerous."

Xu Huang frowned, unable to resist interjecting, "It seems to me that the Emperor has a deep-seated prejudice against our Xiliang army, and he's been incredibly harsh on you, General. I think we should just return to Xiliang and not endure his wrath here. The Emperor is so narrow-minded, I doubt he'll ever amount to anything. We don't need to go to all this trouble with him."

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao quickly said sternly, "Gongming, we can discuss this privately, but please don't bring it to light. If I were to just walk away like that, wouldn't I, Ma Chao, lose my credibility with the world? How would I even be able to hold my head up before them? Years ago, because of the fight between Master and Master Dong, I earned a reputation for disobeying Master's orders and being muddle-headed. Now, by forcing the Emperor to appoint me as Empress, I've already put myself on the moral defensive. If I were to go back on my word again, I, Ma Chao, would completely lose my credibility with the world."

Xu Huang muttered helplessly after hearing this, "It's impossible to advance, and it's impossible to retreat. This is really frustrating. Let's just fight. At worst, we can just go and fight Yuan Shu in Huainan. This way, we can avoid being bullied by the emperor in Chang'an."

Xu Shu's eyes suddenly lit up. He stepped forward and said, "Hey, General, listen to me. While we seem to be stuck right now, I think stalling out with Yuan Shu in Huainan is a pretty good strategy. While Yuan Shu is powerful, our Western Liang army isn't completely without a chance of victory. We can leverage our resilience to deal with him, and perhaps find a way out. This way, we can avoid openly disobeying the Emperor's decree and losing the trust of the world, while also finding a way out of this predicament. General, please consider this."

Lu Bu stroked his chin, pondering for a moment. "If we continue to tangle with Yuan Shu in Huainan like this, I'm afraid the cost of our food and fodder will be enormous. As you all just said, replenishing our supplies in the rear is already difficult. If we continue like this, the waste of food and fodder will only worsen. This is definitely not a viable long-term solution."

Upon hearing this, Xu Huang waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "Since transporting food and fodder to the rear is difficult, we can just forage nearby. Since the emperor doesn't care about our lives, how can he just sit back and watch us go to help Liu Yao of Yangzhou resist Yuan Shu? Besides, there are still many counties nearby. If we can capture one or two, there's no need to worry about food and fodder."

Ma Chao frowned and said seriously, "This idea is absolutely unacceptable. We are here to protect the people. How can we harass them? Liu Yao is already suffering from Yuan Shu's threats and is struggling to protect himself. Even if we go, I'm afraid he won't be able to provide us with any food and fodder. Therefore, this plan is probably not feasible."

Xu Shu lowered his head and pondered for a long while, his brows furrowed, and he looked at a loss. Just when everyone was stuck in a dilemma and thinking fruitlessly, Xu Shu's eyes suddenly lit up, as if an idea had struck him, and he quickly spoke:

"General, please listen to me. The Emperor simply asked us to relieve Liu Yao's predicament, not to attack Yuan Shu in Huainan or to defeat him. We can, as you suggested, first dispatch troops from Xiliang, amassing a force of 100,000 to bolster our forces. Then, we can contact your sworn brother, Sun Ce, who is prospering in Kuaiji County and commanding a powerful army. Then, Sun Ce and I can attack Yuan Shu from both sides. Combined with Liu Yao's existing influence there, we can form a three-pronged attack. This will surely intimidate Yuan Shu, making him afraid to act rashly. Perhaps he will even withdraw his forces, refusing to threaten Yangzhou. By doing so, we will fulfill His Majesty's decree and maintain our standing with the people of the world, ensuring we maintain our credibility."

Ma Chao, upon hearing what Xu Shu had said, could not help but ponder it carefully. He quickly went over the various aspects of this plan in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this plan made perfect sense and was indeed a good way to break the current impasse.

At that moment, the gloom on Ma Chao's face instantly dissipated, replaced by a look of excitement and determination. He slapped his thigh, stood up, and said in a loud voice, "Great! Mr. Yuanzhi's plan is exactly what I like. It's a brilliant plan! If we can implement it, it will not only save Liu Yao from danger, but also deter Yuan Shu from acting recklessly. It's truly a win-win situation. Let's make arrangements immediately, without any delay!"

After saying this, Ma Chao first glanced around at the assembled generals, his gaze radiating determination and trust. He declared, "Generals, this operation concerns the reputation of our Xiliang Army and the safety of Yangzhou. We must all work together and act according to our plan."