The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 147 No matter what, the strength of the troops in this battle is 4 to 2, and the advantage i

Chapter 147 No matter what, the strength of the troops in this battle is 4 to 2, and the advantage is on my side!

However, Yuan Shu gathered 40,000 troops and marched straight towards the Xuzhou army.

With the assistance of Li Yi, Liu Bei broke through Longkang and swept across the surrounding counties.

Soon they joined forces with Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun.

The two armies joined forces and marched rapidly westward, successively capturing important towns such as Xiangcheng, Yicheng, and Machu along the way.

The army crossed the Woshui River and arrived at the Huaishui River, preparing to continue advancing westward.

However, a scout came to report that Yuan Shu had mobilized all of Huainan's troops, a total of 40,000 people, and was heading straight for the main camp to attack.

The first person to receive the military report was the military strategist Li Yi.

He was handling military affairs in the camp. When he heard that Yuan Shu had mobilized the entire country's troops to attack, he was so excited that he almost broke his desk leg.

He excitedly found Liu Bei and told him the military report.

After hearing this, Liu Bei was both surprised and happy.

You know, the difficulty of siege warfare is more than ten times that of field warfare.

In particular, Shouchun is the strongest city in Huainan, and there are many counties such as Hefei behind it to supply it with young blood.

Not to mention that there are more than 20,000 troops stationed in Shouchun, and the number of troops coming to support is as high as 20,000.

The food and fodder can last for a year.

As Liu Bei marched, the supply line became longer and longer.

A long and arduous expedition would be disadvantageous to the Xuzhou army.

Although Liu Bei was a veteran of the battlefield, even he conservatively estimated that it would be difficult to capture the fortified city of Shouchun.

It will take May at the earliest and August at the latest for it to arrive.

Even Li Yi felt that the Skeleton King had been dominating Huainan for so many years and was simply overfishing the pond.

With the wealth accumulated, it would take at least half a year to capture Shouchun.

But now, Yuan Shu destroyed his own Great Wall, voluntarily gave up the defensive advantage of Shouchun, and led his troops to fight.

This is exactly what Li Yi wants!

He wished that Yuan Shu would bring out all his main forces, so that he could annihilate his main force through field battle.

When we attack Shouchun next time, we will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"Military Advisor, it seems that Yuan Shu wants to fight us to decide the outcome."

Liu Bei held the military report in his hand and waved it in front of Li Yi.

Li Yi laughed coldly:

“Isn’t this a good thing?”

"Yuan Shu took the initiative to fight. This is a gift from heaven to our lord."

"He has transferred all the troops from Hefei and Xiacai here."

"So, Cao Cao will lead his troops along the Ru River, Guan Yu will lead his troops along the Ying River, and Chen Deng from Guangling will lead his troops along the Guangling River."

"These three armies will all have smooth sailing and move forward courageously."

"We will hold back Yuan Shu's main force on the front line, and the remaining three armies can attack the remaining counties of Yuan Shu."

"Yuan Shu is doomed. This is why Heaven is helping you with Huainan. Do you think you have any intention?"

Liu Bei put his hands behind his back, raised his eyebrows, and said in a deep voice:

"That being said, the military is a matter of great importance to a country."

"The place of life and death is called the way of survival and destruction, which must be carefully observed."

"Yuan Shu has sent out all his main forces, a total of 40,000 men."

"Although our army has joined forces with Yide's troops, there are only 20,000 of them."

Because many counties were conquered along the way, people had to be left to guard these places.

So as the Xuzhou army pushed forward, the number of troops gradually decreased.

Even after joining forces with Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun's troops, there were still only about 20,000 people.

"Yuan Shu has twice as many troops as me, so we must be careful."

Liu Bei stroked his beard, a flash of worry flashing across his eyes.

No matter how weak Yuan Shu is, he cannot but take living people seriously.

Even if there are ten Xiang Yus fighting against a thousand men, the swords will be cut into pieces, right?
Li Yi stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes becoming increasingly serious, and said calmly:
"It's not that Yi is frivolous and unprepared, it's just that Yuan Shu has always been arrogant and tyrannical when leading troops."

"In the past, it was used as a city garrison and still had the strength to fight."

"If you leave the city and fight for your life in the wilderness, how can you stop the attack from Xuzhou?"

"Besides, these 40,000 men are just a collection of ants and a mob. Even if there are a million of them, we are not to be feared."

Liu Bei nodded repeatedly. His habit in fighting was to never underestimate the enemy.

Even a lion fights a rabbit with all its might, let alone this being a battle of life and death?

Li Yi continued speaking.

"The Art of War says: Only when the strange and the normal are combined can you win the battle."

"Yilian, together with Ziyang, Gongda and others, can devise brilliant plans for the lord and help him achieve victory by surprise."

"But strategy is only auxiliary after all. If the lord really wants to pacify the world and destroy all the heroes."

"Strategy alone is not enough, we also need regular soldiers."

"It is an upright army that can confront the enemy head-on and be invincible."

"Ordinary troops are matched with extraordinary strategies, and only then can the extraordinary and the ordinary be combined."

"Since the military reform, Xuzhou has not experienced a war of this magnitude. Tomorrow is a good time to review it."

“Only by defeating the enemy head-on can we prove that the work we are doing is correct and the direction we are working towards is correct.”

"First, it can shock the three armies, and second, it can enhance the prestige of Xuzhou."

"In this battle, we can only win, not lose."

Li Yi's clear voice echoed in the big tent like thunder, making all the generals deafened.

The slightest hesitation in the hearts of all the generals, including Liu Bei, was instantly dispelled.

It turned into determination and fortitude.

Everyone was deeply inspired by Li Yi's passionate speech.

Zhang Fei was the most excited. He jumped up and said proudly:
"Military Advisor Zi Yu is absolutely right. We have fought all the way here for this very moment."

"As long as you give the order, we will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Liu Bei raised his eyebrows, his eyes became decisive, and waved his hand:
"Send the order down, tell the kitchen to cook sheep and cattle, and give generous rewards to the soldiers."

"After the three armies have had their fill, we will fight Yuan Shu to the death!"

Got the order!!
There were bursts of passionate shouts from the central military camp, and all the soldiers were eager to fight, extremely excited.

For them, today is the only time for a man to achieve fame and success.

For the lower-level soldiers, being able to have a hearty meal with good wine and meat is the most beautiful thing in life.

On the other hand, everyone understood that this battle with Yuan Shu would be a turning point in this southern expedition.

Once we win, it means that the war is about to end.

For these low-level soldiers, of course they hope the war will end quickly so they can go back to collect their rewards and reunite with their families.

These are the respective thoughts of the senior officers and the lower-level soldiers.

……

Just as Li Yi was giving an impassioned speech to boost morale.

Yuan Shu, who led the army, was also giving a speech in the tent to boost the morale of the three armies.

"Since I started my army in Nanyang, I have fought in dozens of large and small battles."

"It's hard to say what's right or wrong."

"But I have never failed to live up to my conscience."

"Back then, Dong Zhuo was extremely powerful and abused the people. Our Yuan clan responded to the world's urgent needs and sent troops north."

"Meet at Suanzao and Luyang to fight against the enemy for the country."

"When the thief Dong saw the might of our army and the burning of the palace, he fled in panic, cowering like a turtle."

“This is also my achievement.”

Yuan Shu stood with his hands behind his back. His face was extremely solemn as he was leading the expedition in person. He spoke very seriously.

"I don't understand why everyone is talking about how powerful Liu Bei's army is and how difficult it is for us to defeat him."

"It seems that the Huainan mainland is a dangerous place for our army."

“Six years ago, I set out from Nanyang and started my journey.”

"Although he suffered a minor defeat in the battle with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao."

"However, when I led my troops to Huainan, the people welcomed me wholeheartedly. It can be said that I had the best timing."

“That scene of vigorous vitality and flourishing things is still vivid before my eyes!”

"In just six years, will Huainan become the burial place of Yuan Gonglu?"

Yuan Shu looked around and scanned the crowd.

Seeing that all the generals were uninterested and lacked the will to fight, he said in a deep voice:

"Whatever."

"The force in this decisive battle is 40,000 versus 20,000."

"The advantage is mine!"

After a slight pause, he continued, "Send the order down to bring out wine and meat to reward the soldiers."

"Prepare for a decisive battle with Liu Bei!"

Yes sir!!
When they heard that they would be rewarded with wine and meat, the generals became excited.

Three days later, the two armies met in the Tushan area.

Seven miles apart, the two armies set up camp on the south bank of the Huai River, forming a standoff.

Lu Bu was also in Yuan Shu's army, and was about to engage in a major battle with Liu Bei.

He secretly thought that he had already defected to the imperial court, and when the two armies fought, swords had no mercy.

If he was accidentally injured by the imperial army, wouldn't that be unfair?
So he went to Chen Gong to discuss it, saying:
"Before this, sir, I was advised to surrender to Shouchun and remain in Yuan Shu's army."

"Today the two armies are fighting each other. If they fight tomorrow, how can we fight the enemy?"

Chen Gong said:

"Let's go see Yuan Shu first, I will explain it to you."

Lu Bu followed his advice and went with Chen Gong to meet Yuan Shu in the general's tent.

"My lord, Liu Bei is good at fighting and is accustomed to using troops. His generals Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Tian Yu, Chen Dao and others are all famous generals of the time."

"Furthermore, he used Li Yi as his strategist, and he made every possible plan."

"Now our army has more soldiers, while Xuzhou's soldiers are few, yet they still dare to engage in direct combat with our army."

"Liu Bei is so confident, who knows what treacherous schemes Li Yi might have."

Yuan Shu had just finished his speech, and was in high spirits.

However, Chen Gong poured a bucket of cold water on him. He frowned and asked coldly:
"In your opinion, sir, shouldn't I fight the big-eared thief head-on?"

"Our army is twice as large as Xuzhou's. If we don't fight now, we will be cowardly!"

Chen Gong's eyes rolled around and he said:
"I have a plan. You can lead the army to confront Liu Bei at Tushan first."

"Then appoint Lü Wenhou as the general and order him to lead a small army to sneak across the north bank and attack Liu Bei from behind."

"In this case, the Xuzhou army's route back will be cut off. You can lead your army to attack them." "Why worry that these 20,000 troops will not be defeated?"

After hearing Chen Gong's plan, Yuan Shu's eyes immediately shone with brilliance.

Chen Gong took advantage of the situation and secretly winked at Lu Bu.

Lu Bu immediately understood. Isn't this a good opportunity to break away from Yuan Shu?

He had stayed in Yuan's army camp for such a long time that he had already known Yuan's army's details clearly.

If I bring this information back to Liu Bei, how will Liu Bei reward me?

How should the court reward me for helping Liu Bei defeat Yuan Shu?

Just thinking about this makes me feel so beautiful.

Lu Bu immediately stepped forward and asked for a fight:
"Mr. Yuan, I have received great kindness from you. I am willing to lead a special force to block Liu Da'er's way back home!"

Since the defeat at Long Kang, he had less than 3,000 soldiers and horses.

It would be even more exciting if I could take away a group of Yuan Shu's troops for free.

Yuan Shu stroked his thin beard, his eyes narrowed into a line, and he was vaguely moved.

But he didn't really trust Lu Bu, so he was still hesitant.

"No!"

Chief Clerk Yan Xiang stepped forward to dissuade Yuan Shu and made an impassioned speech:

"Now that a war is imminent, dividing the troops is a taboo in military strategy."

"Mr. Gongtai also said just now that Li Yi is resourceful and has great strategic plans."

"How could he not have expected that our army would send troops to cut off his retreat and prevent our army from launching a surprise attack?"

"The Art of War says: He who has more plans will win, and he who has fewer plans will not win."

"Li Yi is a man of good strategy and decision-making. He must have anticipated my move."

"If we divide our forces hastily, not only will General Lu's troops suffer."

"It will also greatly damage the morale of our army and must not be used."

At the critical moment, Yan Xiang stood up and sang a different tune.

This made Chen Gong frown, and he couldn't refute it in a short time.

Lu Bu also clenched his fists and glanced at Yan Xiang secretly.

This guy disrupted their army's plans.

"It's a risky move, but it's worth a try."

"I treat Xuzhou's troops as worthless. Please, General Yuan, give me an army."

"Bu will definitely be able to cut off Liu Bei's retreat."

With no other options, Lu Bu could only rely on his own bravery and make assurance to Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu waved his hand and said, "I think what Yan Zhubu said just now makes sense. This plan is too risky."

"Our army is twice as large as Xuzhou's. We already have the advantage. It's not worth taking such a risky move."

"No matter how cunning Li Yi is, he can only win by surprise."

"Tomorrow the two armies will face off, and we will just have to coordinate and unify our command before the battle."

"Any conspiracy or trickery is futile in the face of overwhelming force."

"I have made up my mind. I will fight Liu Bei in an open and level-headed battle tomorrow. There is no need for you to discuss it further!"

After hearing this, Lu Bu had no choice but to give up and retreated in displeasure.

He came down to find Chen Gong and asked for advice:

"Yuan Shu won't let me go, what can I do?"

Chen Gong replied:

"As a matter of fact, we need to send the letter to Liu Bei as soon as possible."

"Don't let the two armies get into a fight tomorrow and accidentally hurt each other."

"Let's see what Li Yi has to say."

What this meant was to write a letter to Li Yi and ask him to make the arrangements.

After all, it was he who instigated Lu Bu to rebel. Now that Lu Bu stays with Yuan Shu, it is unclear how to use him.

You have to listen to Li Yi.

Lu Bu followed his advice and wrote a letter immediately.

He sent a trusted person to escort him to the Xuzhou camp overnight.

After receiving the letter, Li Yi handed it to Liu Bei, who then summoned everyone to discuss it.

"Before this, I was wondering where Lu Bu had gone since the Battle of Longkang. I didn't expect that he was still in Yuan Shu's army."

Liu Bei picked up the letter sent by Lu Bu and passed it to his subordinates one by one.

Xun You saw this and said happily:

"Military Advisor Li once said that the combination of the strange and the normal is the way to victory."

"Our army already has a regular division, but we are still lacking a special force."

"Lü Bu is brave and his followers are also strong men, who can be used as surprise troops in tomorrow's battle."

Liu Bei stroked his beard and said with his hands behind his back:

"If we can get Lu Bu to turn against us in battle and seize Yuan Shu's right path, then our army will surely win this battle."

"But they are not trustworthy people after all. I don't know if they should be entrusted with important tasks."

Liu Bei's concerns were based on Lu Bu's resume, so he turned to Li Yi and asked for his opinion.

Li Yi raised his eyebrows and analyzed seriously:

"Although Lü Bu has the courage of a tiger, he does not have the strategy of a hero."

"He is frivolous, cunning and fickle, and only cares about profit. This is exactly what I can use him for."

Liu Bei nodded and immediately handed over the matter of Lu Bu to Li Yi.

Li Yi personally wrote a reply, formulated a plan, and agreed on the content of the plan with Lu Bu.

When the opportunity comes tomorrow, we will assist the Xuzhou army in fighting.

If things go well, Li Yi will keep his promises again and again.

He advised Liu Bei to submit a memorial to the court, recommending Lü Bu as the Right General and granting him a gold seal and purple ribbon.

After receiving the reply, Lu Bu was overjoyed and immediately summoned Chen Gong, Cheng Lian and other generals to tell them about the matter.

Now or never.

All the generals were eager to fight, rubbing their hands in preparation for the battle tomorrow.

……

The next day, the east was already bright.

A ray of morning light shone on the Xuzhou military camp, and the camp gate was wide open.

Liu Bei and Li Yi rode side by side and walked out of the camp with their heads held high.

Afterwards, all the camp gates were opened.

Generals such as Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Tian Yu, Qian Zhao, Taishi Ci and others, each led their own troops and left the camp in a grand manner.

The 20,000-strong army gathered together and marched steadily towards the foot of Tushan along the southern bank of the Huai River.

At noon, the army arrived at the foot of Tushan Mountain and was about to meet Yuan Shu's army.

To the north of this place is the Huai River, and to the south are mountains.

In the middle is an endless open field, a battlefield created by nature.

The dust raised by horse hooves changes color in the wind, and the long spears whistle around.

Liu Bei stood on his horse, holding his sword and looking around.

The wilderness is endless, and black lines are rising from the horizon.

Getting thicker and closer.

Suddenly.

Countless battle flags, armor, swords and guns came into view.

Forty thousand Yuan army soldiers came rushing in with a force that shook the earth and mountains.

Flags fluttered and drums of war beat.

The wind came with a rustling sound, advancing straight in, carrying the crisp sound of weapons colliding and the exciting neighing of war horses.

Fly to the mountains, rivers and land, fly to the vast sky.

The two armies formed a standoff at the foot of Tushan.

"My lord, that is Yuan Shu's military tent!"

Li Yi took off the telescope, waved his hand and pointed forward.

Liu Bei stood there holding his sword, his face calm and composed as water.

Yuan Shu was the first to urge his horse out into the battle, put his hand between his eyebrows, and looked up.

Liu Bei's general flag was vaguely seen, and he sent someone to the battle array to deliver a message.

"Big-eared thief, I swear to kill you!"

"Surrender your weapons as soon as possible, and I will leave you an intact body!"

Liu Bei showed no mercy and immediately sent someone to pass on the message.

"How dare you, you traitorous thief, you broken-backed dog, bark here!"

Huh?!
Yuan Shu was furious when he heard this, and immediately turned around and shouted to the generals:
"Who dares to be the vanguard and kill this big-eared thief for me?"

"I'm going to cut off his ears and use them as a snack for my wine."

The generals looked at each other, but no one responded.

Lu Bu took the initiative to step forward and volunteered:

"Mr. Yuan, Bu is willing to be the vanguard and kill Liu Da'er."

you?
Yuan Shu looked at him from head to toe. He never expected that none of his generals dared to lead the charge.

Instead, Lu Bu, a foreign general, was put in the lead.

Chief Clerk Yang Hong stepped forward and said:

"General Lu has the courage of ten thousand men. If he goes into battle, he will surely inflict heavy damage on the Xuzhou army."

Even if Yang Hong didn't say it, Yuan Shu would have sent Lu Bu to fight.

Yuan Shu still found the mystery of the conspiracy between the traitors in Longkang strange after thinking about it carefully.

Since Lu Bu volunteered, it's a good opportunity to test his loyalty.

If he really defeated the Xuzhou army, it would be great.