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

The most feared aspect of defending a city is not the strength of the enemy, but rather a rebellion within the city.

If the rebels inside the city collude with the enemy forces outside, even the strongest city defenses will collapse instantly.

Therefore, if we want to hold out for a long time, we must prioritize the safety of the city and quickly resolve the hidden danger that the important officials of Jiangdong are unwilling to surrender.

Without a second thought, Guan Xing blurted out, "The best way is naturally to kill them all to eliminate..."

"No, absolutely not!" Wang Fu trembled again in shock, interrupting Guan Xing before he could finish speaking, "Zhang Zhao and Sun Shao are both renowned scholars; how can we kill them so easily?"

"Let alone us, even Cao Cao wouldn't dare to kill someone like this so easily. Second Young Master, have you forgotten the consequences of Cao Cao killing Bian Rang?"

If Zhang Zhao and Sun Shao were truly killed, Cao Cao would probably be ecstatic, while Liu Bei would be so angry that he would fly directly from Chengdu to clean house.

You can't do this to your own people!

Guan Xing teased, "Wang Sima, let me finish speaking first, what's the rush?"

Wang Fu rolled his eyes on the spot. "You're making it sound so scary, who wouldn't be anxious?"

Guan Xing continued, "The best way is indeed to kill him, but we definitely can't do that. We can't afford to suffer from Cao Cao's disease if we don't have his life."

"Since we can't kill them, let's just drive them out of Jianye City. They shouldn't cause us any more trouble in the city, right?"

"As for whether they will gather troops to attack Jianye after leaving the city, or whether they will meet with Sun Quan and offer him advice, what difference does it make to us?"

"As long as they're not in the city, they can't stab us in the back. If they want to continue being our enemies, they'll have to fight us openly on the battlefield. Once we're on the battlefield, do you think we're afraid of them?"

Wang Fu stroked his beard and said, "That's an idea. I suggest we prepare some travel expenses for them and respectfully invite them out of the city. That way, they won't hold a grudge and might even be grateful to us. We might even gain a good reputation for treating famous scholars well."

The Jiangdong gentry were not very loyal to Sun Quan. Their reluctance to surrender was simply because they did not want to bear the infamy of betraying their lord, and they also felt that surrendering to Guan Yu would not lead to anything.

If these people are released out of the city, their desire to be enemies with Guan Yu will not be too strong, provided that Guan Yu does not implement land reform.

Guan Xing laughed and said, "That's exactly what we mean, but we can't drive them all out of the city. We should at least leave some hostages, such as their elderly parents and children under ten years old. As long as we have their families, they will have some reservations even if they oppose us."

Wang Fu frowned and asked, "Would they agree to leave their families in the city?"

"Definitely!" Guan Xing said confidently. "First of all, it's almost the New Year, and it's freezing cold. No one can bear to let their parents, wives, and children suffer in the cold. Secondly, the King and my father have impeccable character. They will feel at ease entrusting their families to my father. After all, my father is not Cao Cao and doesn't have the problem of being interested in other men's wives."

Guan Yu was so angry that he glared at Guan Xing and scolded him, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll beat you up."

Guan Xing shrank back and continued, "After driving these people out of the city, Father will stay in the city to act as a magnet, first attracting the Wei and Wu armies here, then becoming a nail to firmly pin them down in Jianye. As for your son..."

"Please give me some troops, Father. I will go out of the city to fight guerrilla warfare. Firstly, I will harass the enemy's supply lines and cause them trouble. Secondly, I will open up the passage to Jingnan and meet up with my elder brother to see if we can take advantage of Sun Quan's counterattack on Jianye to recapture Jiangling."

Guan Yu frowned and said, "This is too dangerous. There are no city walls protecting the area. If the Wu army launches a full-scale pursuit, how will you deal with it?"

Guan Xing laughed and said, "If we can't beat them, don't we know to run away? As long as I conduct guerrilla warfare outside the city, the enemy won't dare to launch a full-scale attack on the city. This will alleviate some of the pressure on the defenders!"

"As for danger, isn't our situation dangerous enough? The only way forward is to completely disregard life and death so that we can survive and fight for a chance of survival for ourselves and for the Han Dynasty."

"Father, rest assured, I am prepared to sacrifice myself for my country. I am ready to go all out."

Guan Yu was thrilled and slammed his fist on the table, saying, "Good! You truly are my son, Guan Yunchang! Let's do as you say and have a wild time together!"

The meeting ended and everyone dispersed.

Guan Xing did not rest after returning to his room. Instead, he lit an oil lamp and wrote down land reform plans and suggestions for defending the city overnight.

Although he believed in Guan Yu's ability to defend the city, he was limited by the era and Guan Yu had not encountered many classic battles. If these battles were given to Guan Yu for reference, Guan Yu would definitely be able to perform even better.

Guan Xing was busy until dawn before he went to sleep; while he slept, everyone else continued their work.

The city gates opened, and Xin Feiluo returned to Dabie Mountain with several trusted men to gather troops. Zhou Cang returned to Chengdu with ten personal guards to report to Liu Bei. Wang Fu was busy working on Zhang Zhao, Sun Shao, and others, urging them to leave the city as soon as possible.

Just as busy as them were the secret agents of Cao Wei. Over the years, the Cao Wei Imperial Secretariat had planted many spies in Jianye. With such a big event happening in Jianye, the secret agents of the Imperial Secretariat naturally had to report the news as quickly as possible.

In short, everyone is very busy.

……

Jiangling.

Although Sun Quan successfully captured Jingzhou, which he had longed for, he was not happy at all. Instead, he was so anxious that he couldn't sleep at night.

The reason is simple: Guan Yu disappeared.

A few days ago, news came that Guan Yu had gone to Jingnan along Huarong Road. He immediately agreed to Lü Meng's request and ordered Pan Zhang to go to Jingnan to pursue and capture him. At the same time, he ordered Bu Zhi, the governor of Jiaozhou, to come to Changsha to guard Jingnan, preparing to completely trap Guan Yu in Jingzhou.

The investigation revealed that it was not Guan Yu who fled to Jingnan, but his eldest son, Guan Ping. Guan Yu seemed to have vanished into thin air, and could not be found no matter how hard they searched.

Not only could they not find Guan Yu, but Guan Ping, who had fled to Jingnan, was still causing trouble. He colluded with Sha Moke, the barbarian king of the Five Streams, and kept robbing and looting in Wuling County, causing the local officials a great deal of trouble.

The current situation is that Guan Ping is constantly harassing Jingnan, and Guan Yu is like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, requiring constant vigilance. He dares not relax his guard for even a moment.

That man was a legend in China; even if he only had one breath left, we cannot let our guard down.

Besides Guan Yu, we also need to be wary of Liu Bei and Cao Cao. Liu Bei, having suffered such a great loss, will certainly not let it go easily.

As for Cao Cao, although he accepted Cao Cao's investiture and expressed his submission, what kind of person is Cao Cao? Would he care about such a thing?

Once the opportunity is seized, Cao Cao will definitely lead his army south to attack Jiangling. He is now surrounded by enemies on all sides, and if he doesn't handle the situation well, he will really die without a burial place.

What's even more hateful are the gentry of Jingzhou. These bastards know that their power base in Jingzhou is unstable, so they keep making threats and trying to get benefits out of them. Their actions are even more hateful than Cao Cao's. The key is that they can't offend them, so they can only patiently coax them. Their lives are incredibly frustrating.

Sun Quan somewhat regretted his surprise attack on Jingzhou; now he was in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

Before he could figure out how to respond, Cavalry Commandant Yu Fan rushed in, bowed, and said, "My lord, the messenger who went to Luoyang has returned and said that Cao Cao has been ill recently and has not been seen."

Sun Quan sneered, "Is he sick? Is he really sick or faking it? What is that damned Cao traitor trying to do?"

Yu Fan replied, "He's probably really sick. After all, Guan Yu's awe-inspiring presence in China must have frightened him quite a bit. Plus, he's getting on in years and has a history of headaches. It's normal for him to fall ill after such a dramatic change in fortune."

After so many days, Sun Quan finally received some good news and couldn't help but laugh, "Get sick, it would be better if you died from it. By the way, is there any news about Guan Yu?"

Yu shook his head.

Sun Quan's good mood vanished instantly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Damn Guan Yu! He didn't return to Bashu, went to Jingnan, or surrender to Cao Wei. Where did he go? He can't possibly have gone to launch a surprise attack on Jianye, can he?"