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

Upon hearing this, everyone stopped and looked at Guan Yu.

Guan Yu said, "Although Your Majesty has decided to fight the Wei army in Xiangfan, the defense line in Jiangdong cannot be ignored. Currently, Xin Fei is the one guarding Jiangdong against the Wei army."

"Xin Fei is undoubtedly loyal, but his abilities are rather unsatisfactory. He has been guarding Jiangdong for many years, but Zang Ba and Zhu Huan have repeatedly invaded the border. If it weren't for Lu Xun's timely rescue, Zang Ba would probably have crossed the Yangtze River and threatened Jianye."

"With a major battle imminent, Cao Pi has appointed Sima Yi to oversee military affairs in Xuyang. It would be inappropriate to leave Xin Fei to guard Jiangdong. I suggest recalling Xin Fei and sending another reliable general to guard Jiangdong."

Xin Fei was the first bandit leader to surrender to Guan Yu after Guan Yu's defeat at Xiangfan and retreat to Dabie Mountain. Therefore, after Liu Bei ascended the throne, he received a rich reward. He was not only directly enfeoffed as a marquis, but was also entrusted with the important task of guarding Jiangdong and preventing the Wei army at Ruxukou.

This was definitely a golden opportunity to rise to the top. If he had seized it, it would have been difficult for him not to rise rapidly. However, Xin Fei's abilities were really worrying, which angered Wang Fu so much that he repeatedly petitioned the court to replace Xin Fei.

However, since Xin Fei and Wang Fu had been comrades-in-arms in Jiangdong, Wang Fu dared not speak too bluntly and always wrote his memorials in a very tactful manner.

In addition, since Xin Fei was Guan Yu's man, the bigwigs of the three provinces and six ministries were unwilling to offend Guan Yu, so they turned a blind eye until now.

With a major battle imminent, they could no longer afford to turn a blind eye, so Guan Yu took the initiative to propose it.

Liu Bei stroked his beard and asked, "Xin Fei is indeed not suitable to serve as a general at the moment. It is time to remove him. Which one do you think would be more suitable to replace him?"

The question was directed at everyone, but the person being looked at was Guan Xing.

Guan Xing bowed and said, "I believe that Lu Xun is the most suitable successor. Lu Xun is capable enough to stop Sima Yi without any problem."

Others dared not impeach Xin Fei out of consideration for Guan Yu, but Guan Xing had no such concerns and repeatedly suggested that Liu Bei replace Xin Fei.

It should be noted that when Xin Fei was stationed in Jiangdong, Guan Yu and Liu Bei had not yet joined forces. At that time, Guan Yu lacked talented people, and making good use of Xin Fei was a last resort.

However, once Liu Bei and Guan Yu joined forces, this concern was eliminated, and adjustments could be made promptly.

Guan Xing had proposed the position several times, but Liu Bei deliberately suppressed it because the position was reserved for Lu Xun. After all, Lu Xun was the Grand Commander of Eastern Wu, and it would be inappropriate to leave him aside. However, at that time, Jiangnan was not yet stable, Jiangdong had not yet submitted to Liu Bei, and Liu Bei still lacked trust in Lu Xun, so he kept putting it off until now.

But now things are much better. Jiangdong has been recovered and governed for over a year. The land reform has been completed and the people are won over. All government affairs are on track. Even if the former generals of Eastern Wu wanted to rebel, they no longer have the means. These capable ministers and famous generals of Jiangdong should be placed in suitable positions.

Moreover, with a major battle imminent, promoting former generals of Eastern Wu would not only strengthen his own power but also ensure stability in Jiangnan. Otherwise, it would discourage former generals of Eastern Wu, and some might defect to the Wei army at a critical moment. If that happened, Liu Bei would have nowhere to cry.

Everyone present understood that this was an opportunity to win over former generals of Eastern Wu, so no one objected.

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei immediately announced: "I hereby issue the decree to summon Xin Fei back to the capital to receive orders. I appoint Lu Xun as the commander of Ruxu, in command of all the troops in Jiangdong, including Zhou Xun's navy. I also appoint Xiang Chong and Liu Zan as deputy generals to assist Lu Xun in guarding Jiangdong. Tell Lu Xun to seize the opportunity to recapture Ruxu and then garrison the area. During the great battle, he must hold off the Wei army from Huainan for me."

Having recovered Jiangdong for so long, Liu Bei had completely won over the hearts of the former officials of Eastern Wu and believed that Lu Xun would not rebel. However, no matter how much he trusted him, he could not be completely unreserved. Therefore, he sent his trusted confidant Xiang Chong to help, both to assist and to supervise.

The group accepted their orders and took their leave to begin preparations for the great battle.

A decisive battle involving over a million people from both sides, which could determine the fate of the world, is not something that can be fought on a whim. It requires thorough preparation in various aspects, such as troop deployment, weapon distribution, and the collection of provisions.

These things all take time; normally, it would take at least two or three years to prepare. But now Cao Cao and Liu Bei are preparing to go to war at the end of the year, so having only six months to prepare is already considered rushed.

Fortunately, neither Liu Bei nor Cao Pi was prepared. Both sides were caught off guard and went to war hastily, so neither side could laugh at the other.

Once the great battle began, Guan Xing's leisure time came to an end. Liu Bei immediately sent him to the Prime Minister's residence to work with Liu Shan in receiving the army that was heading to the capital.

The so-called reception was to prepare campsites and provisions so that the army that came to the capital in haste would not have nowhere to stay.

Liu Shan and Guan Xing led their men to build camps outside the city at a frantic pace, and made a bet on who would be the first to receive them.

The first person to arrive in the capital to provide support turned out to be someone neither of them had expected: Youchi, the second leader of the Youxi barbarians, who was the same unlucky guy they had first wiped out when they led special forces into the Wuling Mountains to suppress bandits.

Upon receiving Liu Bei's summons, Youchi decisively extorted a thousand men from his elder brother, who was the leader, and together with his own, he made a total of three thousand men. He even ran off without bringing any provisions.

Seeing Youchi suddenly appear in front of the camp, Liu Shan and Guan Xing looked at each other in bewilderment. Wuling Mountain is not close to here, how come you came so quickly?

Feeling guilty under their gazes, Youchi cautiously asked, "Your Highness, Marquis Shence, don't you recognize me? I am Youchi, whom you two personally educated."

Liu Shan asked in surprise, "I know you, but how did you get here so quickly?"

Youchi said with a wronged expression, "My wretched older brother isn't giving me any food. If we don't run fast on the road, we'll go hungry. We haven't eaten all day."

As he spoke, his internal organs made a series of gurgling sounds, which made Youchi extremely embarrassed.

While feeling awkward, Liu Shan and Guan Xing also understood what was going on. His elder brother must have found this younger brother an eyesore, so he symbolically gave him a thousand soldiers to get out of there.

As for why only soldiers and not provisions were given, firstly, the Youxi barbarians were also poor, and his elder brother was reluctant to give them any. Secondly, he wanted Youchi to hurry up and report to Jiangling, so as not to retreat halfway and cause trouble for himself. Without food, wouldn't it be necessary to speed up the journey?

Having figured this out, Liu Shan decisively stepped forward, put his arm around the man's neck, and pulled him into the camp. As they walked, he said, "You are the first troops to arrive after the camp was built, so your food must be the best. I made braised pork and stewed ribs for you. There's plenty to go around."

Although Youchi arrived today, news of his arrival in the capital was sent yesterday. After all, he had to pass through government offices along the way. Once the government received the news, it would definitely send it to the capital by fast horse so that the capital could make arrangements in advance. It was impossible to wait until the army had arrived in the capital before starting preparations. Otherwise, who would know if he came to provide support or to attack the city?

Therefore, as soon as Youchi's three thousand barbarian soldiers entered the camp, they saw many long tables set up in the open space inside the camp, with brand-new bowls and chopsticks piled on the tables, and several large covered wooden barrels behind the tables.

Liu Shan pointed to the bowls, chopsticks, and wooden bucket and said, "Have your men line up, and each of them take two bowls to the wooden bucket to get their food."

The barbarian soldiers were very undisciplined, but they were still soldiers, and they at least knew how to line up. They followed Youchi, carrying bowls and chopsticks, to the wooden bucket.

The cooks in front of the wooden barrels saw that the line had been formed and decisively lifted the lids. As soon as the lids were lifted, a burst of hot air, accompanied by an enticing aroma, wafted out.

Through the steam, I discovered that the bucket contained meat I had never seen before, and its color, aroma, and taste were so appealing that they made my mouth water.

Youchi stared at the cooked meat, swallowing hard. Before he could ask anything, the soldier in front of the bucket scooped up two spoonfuls and called out, "Next..."