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

Let's go back to the day of the handover.

As soon as he saw Zhang Cheng out of the city, Guan Xing couldn't wait to close the city gates and rush back to the county office to check on the spoils.

The small county town didn't have a large granary, so the grain could only be temporarily stored in the empty rooms of the county government office. But it still couldn't fit all the grain, so in the end, it even occupied the main hall used for court hearings.

Guan Xing walked into the lobby, looked at the grain sacks piled up as high as the ceiling, rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "Kidnapping is still the fastest way to make money. Why do I feel a little addicted to doing this risk-free business for so long?"

This grain was enough to feed their tens of thousands of Han soldiers for several months, and with their existing reserves, they could last until the autumn harvest.

There's a saying that goes something like this: "If we don't have guns or cannons, the enemy will make them for us."

While counting the grain, County Magistrate Cheng Li said with concern, "I'm afraid it'll be hard to digest. If you release Zhang Cheng, he won't be grateful. He might already be thinking about how to lead his troops to attack us."

Guan Xing laughed and said, "If we remove the possibility, Zhang Cheng must be very upset about losing so badly. He's probably already setting off overnight to rush back to Jianye to mobilize troops."

"But it doesn't matter. If he dares to come, I'll capture him again. I'll capture him every time he comes. I don't believe he won't submit if I beat him."

Whether it's a battle between two armies or a fight between two people, the loser won't think it's because they're less skilled; they'll only think they were careless or that the other person cheated, and that they would definitely win if they had another chance.

It's all about blaming everything and everyone except itself, so it's definitely not happy about it.

The only way to deal with this situation is to defeat him a few more times, so that he realizes that he is not unlucky, but truly incompetent. Only then will he be truly convinced.

Historically, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times before finally subduing this Nanman king, while he himself had only captured Zhang Cheng once, so there was still a long way to go.

Cheng Li said speechlessly, "General, you're too confident. Aren't you afraid of being caught off guard and losing your boat?"

Guan Xing tilted his head and pondered, "Old Cheng is right. We need to plan ahead and make preparations in advance. We can't wait until the shit is in our ass before we know we're in a hurry. Everyone, gather around and let's discuss our countermeasures."

Cheng Li, Gan Xun, Ning Huan, Guan Yan, and other high-ranking Han soldiers all gathered around. Gan Xun muttered, "General, you're being too early. Zhang Cheng just left."

Guan Xing laughed and said, "Old Gan, if you put it that way, then I have to ask you a question. People say that a good warrior doesn't achieve great feats. Have you ever thought about why?"

"Why do those skilled in battle receive no credit, while those unskilled in battle achieve great military exploits?"

“This…” Gan Xun was speechless.

Guan Xing didn't expect him to answer, and directly revealed the answer: "Because war is the final outbreak after contradictions become so sharp that they cannot be reconciled, and those who are good at fighting have sharp eyes and can discover and resolve contradictions in advance, so that the final battle will never happen."

"In other words, a skilled strategist can always identify and resolve problems in advance, nipping them in the bud. Before you even realize it, they've already finished."

"What we need to do now is to figure out Zhang Cheng's thinking in advance and suppress him before he makes a move, instead of waiting for him to reach the city gates before we fight back desperately."

"Now, imagine yourself as Zhang Cheng. Think about it in your minds: if you were Zhang Cheng, how would you arrange your troops?"

"Gan Xun, you go first."

A great undertaking cannot be accomplished by one person alone. Even if Guan Xing is as strong as Han Xin, he cannot accomplish anything without reliable teammates to assist him. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate several generals who can stand alone as soon as possible.

The first thing to learn to be able to stand on your own is to think independently, analyze the problem first, and then try to solve it.

Gan Xun leaned against the grain bag and pondered for a long time before putting himself in Zhang Cheng's shoes. He said slowly, "If I were Zhang Cheng, I would definitely first summarize the lessons learned from this failure."

"There are three reasons for Wu's defeat in this battle. First, they divided their forces, sending Zhou Xun to guard Wushang, Zhuge Ke to transport supplies, and Zhang Cheng to lead troops in pursuit. This stretched the battle line and gave us the opportunity to defeat them one by one."

"Secondly, the fact that we only pursued without encircling us allowed us to escape all the way, forcing him to chase us the whole way."

"In the end, he failed to defend his rear and did not station troops in Zhuji and Shanxian, allowing us to easily capture two cities, cutting off his retreat and throwing him into disarray."

"So if I were Zhang Cheng, I would definitely learn from these lessons, ask Lü Meng for more troops, and then advance in two routes. One route would go south along the Zhe River to recapture Damo and cut off our escape route to the west, while the other route would head straight for Zhuji, recapture the two cities of Zhuji and Shan County, and force us back to Wushang."

Guan Xing clapped his hands and said, "Well said. Is there anything to add? Lao Cheng, you can say it."

Cheng Li was taken aback and said, "What does your talk have to do with me? I'm just a county magistrate, or rather, an acting county magistrate."

Guan Xing laughed and said, "We're still a makeshift team right now, so there aren't many divisions of labor or rules. We'll see who can do more and develop in all aspects."

"Besides, what's wrong with a county magistrate? Can't a county magistrate lead troops into battle? When did the Han Dynasty start making such a clear distinction between civil and military officials?"

Cheng Li was speechless. He was just a doctor, but now he had not only become a county magistrate, but had also entered the decision-making level of the Han army.

Why did you suddenly change careers? I'm already sixty.

After a moment's thought, Cheng Li said, "Now I am Zhang Cheng. The reason I lost so badly this time is not because I was incompetent, but because the Han army was too damn good at running away."

"If I were to lead the army again, I absolutely could not let the Han army continue to run wild like a runaway horse. I must confine them to the Jinqu Basin and then gradually erode their strength. In addition to the two armies that Gan Xun mentioned, I could also have the Prefect of Yuzhang send troops from Nanchang and the Prefect of Kuaiji send troops from Shanyin. Gradually, I would clench my fist and hold the Han army firmly in my grasp."

"Wait, what if the Han army retreats into the mountains and makes peace with the Shanyue? We must contact the Shanyue, offer them high-ranking positions and generous salaries, and let the tribal leaders lead their armies on a northern expedition. Together with the main armies of the various tribes, we can march on Wushang and surround the Han army in Wushang City."

"Wushang is not Jianye. It has neither tall city walls nor enough grain reserves. As long as we surround it, we will win."

Gan Xun, Ning Huan, and the others broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. This was too ruthless; they weren't leaving any way out.

Guan Xing clapped his hands with a relaxed expression, and after finishing clapping, he continued with a smile: "Ning Huan, what's your opinion?"

Ning Huan pondered, "I think besides the methods of Commandant Gan and Elder Cheng, we can also do something within the Han army."

"The Han army consists mostly of locals from Jiangdong, and most of them are private soldiers from aristocratic families and elites of the Wu army. Their families are in the hands of the Wu army. If we use high-ranking officials to lure them or threaten them with their families, we can definitely force them to turn against us and cause them to sabotage the Han army or provide intelligence to the Wu army."

"At that time, with the Wu army pressing in from the outside and the Han army rebelling from within, no matter how strong the Han army is, there is only one way out: death."

Gan Xun broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this and complained, "Stop talking, it's terrifying."

Guan Xing's smile faded, and he asked with a serious expression, "Is there anything else to add?"

Seeing that no one answered, Guan Xing continued, "I completely agree with what you just said. If Wu's army can't take Jianye City, they will definitely divert troops to deal with us first. So I guess Zhang Cheng's troops going south this time will be no less than 50,000."

"Moreover, having learned from the last lesson, he will definitely not underestimate the enemy and act rashly this time. He will definitely advance steadily and step by step."

"With the addition of the Mountain Flood as a variable, our most dangerous moment is about to arrive. Gentlemen, are you all ready?"