The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Despite having just suffered a defeat, Guan Yu still possessed an almost mystical confidence in himself.

He believed that without Wei's interference, even though they were currently at a disadvantage, they could still calmly deal with Wu's counterattack. He didn't take the mere Jiangdong Blue-Eyed Bandits seriously.

The problem is that Cao Cao dreamed of crossing the Yangtze River and unifying the country, so how could he possibly let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Under such circumstances, isn't it a bit too arrogant for this rebellious son to say that he wants to put an end to the Wei army's idea of ​​marching south?

Although Guan Yu felt that these words were too arrogant, he could not resist the temptation to stop the Wei army from advancing south, so he did not refute them. Instead, he stared intently into Guan Xing's eyes, ready to hear what brilliant ideas he had.

Guan Xing didn't mince words. He cleared his throat and said, "The solution is simple: petition the king not to come to our rescue and instead lead the main force of the Han army on a northern expedition."

“Uh…” Wang Fu said in astonishment, “Second Young Master, are you joking? The war with Eastern Wu is not over yet, and you are leading the army to the north to provoke Cao Wei. That’s equivalent to fighting on two fronts. How can Your Majesty have the strength to do that?”

Fighting on two fronts is a major taboo in military strategy. Even the powerful Cao Cao might not have dared to do so, let alone Liu Bei, who was exhausted and depleted after a major battle.

Asking Liu Bei to abandon Jingzhou and turn north for an expedition? Are you out of your mind?

Guan Xing spread his hands and said, "Aren't we already fighting on two fronts? In the Battle of Xiangfan, the Wei army launched a fierce attack, while the Wu army stabbed them in the back. Doesn't that count as fighting on two fronts?"

“This…” Wang Fu was speechless.

Guan Xing continued, "Since we're already fighting on two fronts, what's there to be afraid of? Let's keep fighting."

"The benefits of Your Majesty's Northern Expedition are obvious. Cao Cao has just suffered setbacks in the two major battles of Hanzhong and Xiangfan. His troops are exhausted, the people are weary, and morale is low. The possibility of fighting on two fronts is very low. Therefore, once Your Majesty launches the Northern Expedition, Cao Cao will have to choose between Guanzhong and Jiangdong."

"Father, Commander Wang, in that situation, do you think Cao Cao would send troops to rescue Guanzhong, or would he continue south to Jiangdong?"

Without a second thought, Wang Fu blurted out, "Of course, it's to rescue Guanzhong. First of all, Guanzhong is Cao Wei's territory, while Jiangdong is not. Cao Cao would not give up the territory he has already acquired for the sake of territory he has not yet acquired."

"Secondly, Guanzhong poses a much greater threat to Cao Cao than Jiangdong. You must know that Guanzhong is the birthplace of the Qin and Han dynasties, and Chang'an is the former capital of the Han dynasty. Its military and political influence is too great. Even if Cao Cao dies, he would never give Guanzhong to Your Majesty."

"So..." Guan Xing spread his hands and said, "When Your Majesty launches a northern expedition, Cao Cao will transfer all his troops to Guanzhong to deal with Your Majesty's attack. How will he have the energy to intervene in the war in Jiangdong, right?"

Wang Fu pondered, "It is indeed a solution, but then we would have to face Sun Quan's full-scale counterattack alone. Can we withstand it?"

With a crazed glint in his eyes, Guan Xing said in a frenzied manner, "We have to hold on even if we can't. We've already lost Jingzhou, what else do we have to lose? At worst, we'll just die."

"To be precise, we were already dead when we fled from Maicheng to Linju. Every day we live now is a bonus, so what are we afraid of? We've got nothing to lose."

At this point, Guan Xing suddenly realized something and roared even more wildly, "That's right, we're barefoot, what are we afraid of? Let's go even crazier and let the Wei army cross the river!"

"What...what the heck..." Wang Fu's head was buzzing, and he couldn't quite process it.

Is this kid crazy?

Guan Yu was equally shocked, but forced himself to remain calm, and asked while thinking, "Why? Explain in detail."

Guan Yu was a man of extraordinary audacity, and having fallen to this point, he truly had nothing to fear. As long as he could atone for the loss of Jingzhou and regain his standing before Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, he was willing to do anything.

Guan Xing's eyes darted around rapidly, and as his CPU worked overtime, he excitedly said, "Just now, Wang Sima said that Guanzhong is more important to both Your Majesty and Cao Wei than Jiangdong. If Your Majesty can successfully capture Guanzhong, even if you lose Jingzhou, you can make up for the loss, right?"

"So what I mean is, we should lure the Wei army into Jiangdong and pin them down on Jiangdong land, then let the King observe from the border, and when we are engaged in a fierce battle with the Wei and Wu armies, we can turn around and march north into Guanzhong..."

"Although the Shu Road is difficult to travel, it is close to Guanzhong. By the time Your Majesty enters Guanzhong, it will be too late for Cao Cao to call upon the Wei army in Jiangdong to come to your aid."

"You should know that it is more than 2,000 li from Jiangdong to Guanzhong. By the time the Wei army arrives, Your Majesty will probably have already taken Tongguan."

Wang Fu was completely dumbfounded. He looked at Guan Xing as if he were looking at a monster, his eyes filled with shock.

This is insane! That damned Guan Anguo, how can he be even more insane than Pang Tong and Fa Zheng combined?

Wang Fu said with a wry smile, "It's too risky. Even if Your Majesty manages to take Guanzhong, we're finished."

This is tantamount to using themselves to attract all the elite troops of Wei and Wu, thereby creating an opportunity for Liu Bei to launch a northern expedition.

To be fair, this plan is brilliant and has a very high chance of success, but what makes you think that our small force can withstand a full-scale attack from the Wei and Wu armies?

Are you really not afraid of dying?

Guan Xing said indifferently, "So what if it's over? Everyone has to die eventually. Whether it's sooner or later, no one can live forever."

"Anyway, I only have two options: either ask the King to launch a large-scale northern expedition to draw the Wei army to Guanzhong and relieve the pressure on our side."

"Either we feint to the east while attacking the west, and draw the attention of both Wei and Wu armies to Jiangdong, creating an opportunity for Your Majesty to seize Guanzhong. You decide."

"However, I personally prefer the second option. Although the second option is very risky, the rewards of capturing Guanzhong are also great. If we succeed, even if we all die in battle, we will still be rewarded with military merit and be ennobled, and our names will be recorded in history."

The phrase "to be remembered in history" made Wang Fu feel dazed. His son was still in Chengdu. If he could really help Liu Bei take Guanzhong, based on his merit of drawing fire in Jiangdong, he could at least get his son a marquis title, right?

Fortune favors the bold; I'm taking the plunge.

Thinking this, Wang Fu looked at Guan Yu and asked, "My lord, what do you think?"

Without a second thought, Guan Yu chose honor over life and death, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "Anguo is right. I, Guan Yu, was already dead when I was defeated at Maicheng. Every day I live now is a bonus. So what is there to be afraid of? I'll gamble on this life-or-death situation."

“Anguo, write down your ideas about redistributing land from landlords and merging the poll tax into the land tax in a memorial to the throne. After I have read it, we will implement it with all our might.”

"Zhou Cang, disguise yourself tomorrow morning and rush back to Chengdu to report to the King. Tell him to ignore us and start the Northern Expedition as soon as possible. Don't waste the opportunity we risked our lives to create for him."

"Wang Fu, you are in charge of recruiting soldiers and talents. Recruit 50,000 troops for me as soon as possible. With soldiers and food, even if I have to defend Jianye City to the death, I can hold it for a year or two."

Jianye was the capital of Jiangdong, and its defenses were no worse than those of Jiangling. With sufficient food and manpower, Guan Yu was confident that he could hold out for one or two years even if he defended the city to the death. This long period of time would be enough for Liu Bei to take over Guanzhong.

“Yes…” Wang Fu accepted the order and bowed, “My lord, with Jianye’s city defenses, it is indeed not a problem to hold out for a year or two, but there is a prerequisite: that no one in the city causes trouble.”

"If the gentry in the city cooperate with the Wu army from the inside, let alone a year or two, we may not be able to hold out for even a month."

Strong fortresses are often breached from within, and at present, the gentry within the city pose a far greater threat to them than the armies of Wei and Wu.

Guan Yu frowned and said, "This is indeed a problem, Anguo, do you have any good ideas about it?"