knife

Chapter 589 Turning Offense into Defense
While some are heartbroken, others are celebrating their success.

Human joys and sorrows are always very different.

He Zudao lost two great generals, Yang Lixin and Feng Kuan, and his 50,000 troops were either killed, wounded, captured, or scattered. He also lost the two strategic locations of Nanyang and Xiangfan. He was already struggling to survive in this game of vying for supremacy, and this situation became even worse.

It can be said that they have reached a critical moment of life and death.

Of course, all of this was his own fault.

If it weren't for his greed for Yong'an, Ruyin and other regions, if he didn't want to take these two places and then advance into the Jianghan Plain, thus laying the foundation for his conquest of the world, how could he have fallen into Li Dachui's scheme?

While you are scheming against others, others are scheming against you.

Calculate more for victory and less for defeat.

Since we've already made a mistake, there's no need to complain or blame others. What we need to do now is to turn the tide and survive before considering anything else.

He Zudao's biggest enemy now is no longer Li Guohua, the general under Linghu Ye who has been entrenched in Luoyang and has been eyeing the south.

Instead, it was Jiang Qian, who was right next to her.

Originally, He Zudao was stronger and Jiang Qian was weaker, but after these few battles, the balance of power suddenly reversed, and Jiang Qian became stronger and He Zudao weaker.

For Jiang Qian right now, seizing more territory and gaining more strategic space is inevitable.

How could Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi, these royalists of Chu, feel at ease if they didn't kill Jiang Qian?

Therefore, He Zudao had to head south immediately to contact Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi.

At this point, there's no need to discuss any conditions anymore. As long as Xiang Ying is willing to immediately send troops to attack Jiang Qian, He Zudao is not afraid to temporarily submit to Danyang.

Let's wait until we eliminate this major threat that's right before our eyes.

As soon as the two sides start fighting, the space for one's own operations will immediately increase significantly.

Thinking back to those harsh conditions in Hedong, I was able to make a comeback. Compared to then, the conditions now are much better.

On the bright side, He Zudao was a person who was indomitable and became stronger with each setback.

But on the other hand, this guy is also an extremely narcissistic and obsessive person.

He's the kind of person who, if he's going to die, will drag others down with him; if he's not having an easy time, he won't let others have one either. Just like his indiscriminate killing spree in Hedong, Hexi, Luoyang, and other places—good or bad, those who should be killed and those who shouldn't—anyone who ran into him was dealt with with a single blow.

In his words, "What does it matter to me if the world is in chaos? It's none of my business anyway."

While Huai'an was shrouded in gloom and despair, Yong'an City was filled with joy and celebration.

"We should press on with our remaining strength!" He Jiong looked excitedly at Li Dachui and Jiang Qian. "Empress Dowager, Protector Li, He Zudao has lost 50,000 troops and his morale is low. On the other hand, our army is in high spirits after our great victory. We should unite our forces and advance by land and water. Even if we don't wipe out He Zudao in one fell swoop, I think we still have a good chance of taking two or three more prefectures."

Li Dachui laughed heartily, turned to look at Jiang Qian, and said, "Jiang Jiang, what do you think?"

Jiang Qian shook her head: "Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. The current result is already very good. He Zudao is not an ordinary person. He has lost two generals and tens of thousands of troops. Next, he will definitely shrink his battle lines and focus on defense. It is no longer possible to win a great victory as easily as in the previous two battles!"

Li Dachui nodded: "That's right. In that case, we'd easily get caught in a tug-of-war that we couldn't stop, which would be detrimental to our next move. Jiang Jiang, guess what He Zudao will do at this time, besides focusing on defense?"

"If I were him, at this moment, besides arranging for my men to strengthen their defenses, the most important thing would be to contact Xiang Ying in Danyang!"

“Exactly!” Li Dachui said, “It has been almost two months since the Danyang City incident. Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi have basically stabilized the situation and completely controlled Danyang City. What they fear most is you. Now that they have the time, they will naturally come to attack us. So, Prefect He, the issue now is not for us to fight others, but to strengthen our defenses and prepare to meet the counterattack of the allied forces of Xiang Ying and He Zudao.”

He Jiong's expression changed slightly.

"But there's no need to worry too much!" Jiang Qian said calmly, "Even if the old thief comes to attack me, the only troops he would dare to use with confidence are Wei's Southwest Wolf Army and Chen Yan's navy. His own trusted troops will definitely be stationed in Danyang City and he won't dare to move them lightly. He might not dare to use troops in other places with confidence."

He Jiong nodded repeatedly: "If it's just that Wei's Southwest Wolf Soldiers, then there's nothing to fear!"

"It's best to be lenient with the enemy, so the most important thing for us to do next is to hone our skills and do our best." Li Dachui laughed, "A good start will prevent a hundred blows. And Prefect He, now that we have formed an alliance, our Beiting Protectorate will naturally not stand idly by. Our navy in Shu will come to our aid, and if necessary, our army in Shu can sail down the river in just a few days!"

He Jiong glanced at Jiang Qian and laughed, "Of course we need them. Whether it's General Wu De or General Fang, they are both renowned and fierce generals. With their help, how can we not defeat that old thief Xiang Ying?"

Li Dachui laughed loudly: "Preparations have already begun in Shu. These are all simple matters. What's more complicated for us here is to stabilize Xiangcheng and Fancheng, and then defend Nanyang as much as possible!"

"Li Xiu led 5,000 elite troops into Nanyang. Although he had the assistance of Xiao Zhongren and the thousand or so surrendered soldiers, the people in Nanyang have never had a good impression of Da Chu Keyi. It won't be easy to smooth things over. Moreover, Li Guohua certainly won't sit idly by and watch Nanyang fall completely into our hands. He will definitely send troops to seize it!" Jiang Qian said. "After all, after this battle, anyone with a modicum of sense knows that I, Jiang Qian, am now in league with you, Li Dachui. And Linghu Ye sees you as his number one enemy. He will definitely want to take Nanyang, such a strategic location!"

“I also think five thousand Tiger Warriors are too few!” He Jiong said. “Governor Li, I actually think He Yiming and the others could also come into Nanyang with us!”

Li Dachui shook his head: "Next, we will inevitably face enemies on multiple fronts, and we will definitely have to make some choices. Nanyang is not the focus now. We just need to maintain our presence in Nanyang and defend a few important nodes. Xiangyang is the key to our survival. If we can defend Xiangyang, then we can ensure the safety of Ruyin! After we defeat Xiang Ying and defend our stronghold, we can slowly take over Nanyang."

(End of this chapter)