Late Han Zhao Tang

In April, the Tang army of 90,000 arrived in Hanzhong. Xu Huang led 60,000 out of Jinniu Road, and Man Chong led 30,000 out of Micang Road. In addition, there were more than 100,000 laborers responsible for transporting supplies. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty falsely claimed that it had an army of 500,000 to march south, which terrified the soldiers and civilians in Sichuan.

Sun Quan led 60,000 troops to the northern route, Xu Kun led 40,000 troops to garrison the two passes of Jiange and Jiameng, and Sun He and Wu Jing led 20,000 troops to garrison the Jialing River between Langzhong and Chongguo.

Just as the two armies were about to clash, Fei Guan, an envoy from Shu, and Cheng Bing, an envoy from Liu Bei, arrived in Jinling to present a document to the court and request reinforcements from Cao Cao.

Jinling, the Prime Minister's Residence.

Cao Cao frowned, his tone filled with a hint of admiration, and said, "In the past, Sun Quan sent envoys to establish friendly relations and offered his own sister as a marriage alliance. Therefore, I thought Zhang Yu would attack me first, but I did not expect Zhang Yu to be so cunning, ordering the army that came to welcome the bride to seize Baishui Pass, and the main army to strike directly at Bashu!"

Zhang Yu's surprise attack on Baishui Pass, a tactic that was announced without prior notice, greatly impressed Cao Cao.

Of course, what Cao Cao admired most about Zhang Yu was that he targeted Ba and Shu first, rather than attacking Wu and Chu. Under Sun Quan's deception, Zhang Yu was able to do the opposite, using tactics to fool Sun Quan, claiming to be attacking Wu and Chu, while in reality keeping a close eye on Ba and Shu, and launching a surprise attack on the strategic pass of Baishui.

If Zhang Yu had been misled by Sun Quan and had instead attacked Wu and Chu instead of first conquering Ba and Shu, the outcome for the Tang dynasty would have been uncertain. However, Zhang Yu's decision to attack Ba and Shu first, playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses, has ironically altered the balance of power. After all, if Zhang Yu had taken Ba and Shu, Sun Quan and Cao Cao would have shared the Yangtze River with him, putting them in a passive position at every turn.

"Ming Gong!"

Liu Ye said, "The Tang army's surprise attack on Bashu will likely be difficult for Bashu to sustain for long. Envoy Fei Guan's words are not without merit. The three countries share the Yangtze River, and their relationship is one of interdependence. If Wu loses the lower reaches, Southern Chu will be in danger; if Southern Chu loses the middle reaches, Wu and Shu will be fearful; if Shu loses the upper reaches, Wu and Chu will be in grave danger. Therefore, we must not allow the Tang to seize Shu, otherwise Wu and Chu will be in peril!"

"Sun Quan is defending Jiange, and Liu Bei is sending troops to Jiangling. How can I sit idly by and do nothing!"

After a pause, Cao Cao asked, "Regarding the direction of our troop deployment, do any of you have any suggestions?"

"A northern expedition to conquer the Central Plains!"

Without hesitation, Lu Su said, "Prime Minister, you are from Pei County. Now the Tang army is on a long expedition to Bashu, and the Central Plains have few troops. Only the army under Zhang Liao's command in the three prefectures numbers only tens of thousands. If you, Prime Minister, lead an army of 100,000 to the north and take the prefectures north of the Huai River, the Tang army will return to reinforce them. Then you will be able to fight Zhang Yu to the death. If you win, you can sweep through the Central Plains and the coast; if you lose, you can retreat to Huainan and the Yangtze River."

"Prime Minister, the words of the Chief Minister of Lu should not be heeded!"

Liu Ye said in a deep voice, "Although the waters rose this summer, allowing boats to reach the Central Plains, the waters will recede in autumn and winter, making it difficult for Wu boats to stay in China. At that time, supplies will be insufficient, and they will inevitably be defeated by the Tang people. Therefore, in my opinion, we should first seize Jingzhou and implement a strategy of controlling the entire Yangtze River, rather than forcibly competing with China for the Central Plains."

"Jingzhou, the land Liu Bei desires to take!"

Lu Su said, "If our army advances westward, we may turn against Liu Bei!"

Why should we fear Liu Bei?

Liu Ye spoke aggressively, saying, "Liu Bei only has 20,000 to 30,000 troops in the whole province. How can he hold the Tang people north of the Yangtze River? Therefore, in my opinion, it would be better to take the opportunity to annex Liu Bei, then seize Jing and Han, and then swallow Ba and Shu."

"hehe!"

Lu Su, who was usually good-tempered, sneered and said, "Foreign enemies are conquering Bashu in the south, and now instead of thinking about a strategy to conquer China in the north, they are secretly plotting to seize Jingzhou. Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed?"

“Petty thieves are imprisoned, but great thieves become princes. At the gates of princes, righteous men reside. In the past, Duke Huan of Han killed his brother and took his sister-in-law as his concubine, yet Guan Zhong became his minister. Tian Chengzi often killed his ruler and stole the state, yet Confucius accepted tribute. Therefore, the successful are the head, and the unsuccessful are the tail. Do you not understand this saying?” Liu Ye asked back without backing down.

“Your actions will not cause pain to your close friends, but will please your enemies.”

Lu Su said, “In the past, during the Battle of Changping, Zhao sought help from the other states, but they refused to come to its aid. When Zhao perished, all the states perished along with it. Now, if the enemy is conquering Ba and Shu and we cannot force them to withdraw their troops, but instead they annex each other, wouldn’t that be detrimental to the Tang people?”

"No!"

Liu Ye said, "Liu Bei has few soldiers and generals, making it difficult for him to succeed. Therefore, it would be better to lead the army westward and first seize Nan Commandery. Once Nan Commandery submits, with a major town to the north, the four commanderies of Jingnan can be taken over!"

"My lord, I believe that my family alone is insufficient to defend against the Tang Dynasty. We must retain Liu Bei as an ally!" Lu Su emphasized again, "Therefore, we should not attack Liu Bei for the time being, but wait until the world is more at peace."

"By annexing the four prefectures and seizing the southern prefecture, we can field tens of thousands of strong troops at the Prime Minister's command. Why can't we defend against the Tang army?" Liu Ye said.

"No~"

Cao Cao gestured for Lu Su and Liu Ye to stop arguing, and asked, "What insightful opinion does Wenruo have?"

Xun Yu stroked his beard and pondered, then said, “What you two gentlemen said makes sense, but they both have shortcomings. If we take the Duke of Lu’s suggestion to launch a northern expedition against Huaibei, Zhang Liao will be stationed with a large army in a key city. The army will suffer setbacks under the city walls for several months. When the floodwaters recede, the army will retreat and cannot remain stationed in the Central Plains for long. If we launch an expedition this time, I fear we may win but not gain any territory.”

"According to Liu Jun's words, if we launch a western expedition against Jingzhou and the Prime Minister's army marches on Jiangling, even if we win, Jiangling will be difficult to defend on its own. If we annex Liu Bei and strengthen ourselves, the Tang people will gain power. If Bashu is conquered by the Tang army, then our situation will be half lost! Therefore, if we launch a western expedition against Jingzhou, we may win the territory but not the power."

As a master strategist, Xun Yu had a long-term vision and could see the consequences of Cao Cao's different choices.

For example, if Cao Cao were to launch a northern expedition to the Central Plains, the water level of the Huai River system would be greatly affected by the seasons, so even if he won, he would likely find it difficult to hold onto his victory. If he were to take Jingzhou, due to Liu Bei's influence, if he did not annex Liu Bei, the fruits of his victory might be stolen by Liu Bei; if he did annex Liu Bei, it might allow the Tang people to benefit and annex Ba and Shu. "Is there no perfect plan?" Cao Cao asked.

Xun Yu said, "Zhou Yu is a hero of outstanding talent and great ambition. He once advised the Prime Minister to annex Liu Bei, so why not summon Zhou Yu for a talk and see what his decision is?"

"Where is Zhou Yu?" Cao Cao asked, squinting.

"The navy is currently conducting naval drills at Chaohu Lake!"

"Recruit Zhou Yu to the capital!"

"promise!"

After Zhou Yu joined Cao Cao's forces, he was repeatedly promoted and received numerous rewards for his achievements in conquering the Yue tribes. Now, Zhou Yu holds the rank of general, which shows that he is highly favored by Cao Cao.

Chaohu is not far from Jinling, only 400 li away by water, so it only took Zhou Yu about three days to get to Jinling.

"Yu pays his respects to the Prime Minister!"

"sit!"

Cao Cao warmly welcomed Zhou Yu and asked, "Gongjin, envoys from Sun Quan and Liu Bei have both arrived in Jinling, urging me to send troops to attack Tang, a thought I share. However, there are many discussions about where to send troops; some suggest conquering Jingzhou, others suggest attacking Yuzhou. But each has its advantages and disadvantages, making it very difficult to decide..."

Cao Cao presented all the insights of Lu Su and Liu Ye, along with Xun Yu's analysis, for Zhou Yu's reference.

"How is it?"

Zhou Yu pondered for a long time, then cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, I believe Liu Ziyang's plan is feasible!"

"how you said that?"

"In Lu Su's opinion, we should plan to take over the counties north of the Huai River. Even if we defeat the enemy, we can leave people to defend them. However, the terrain is open to land and our cavalry can roam freely. If we gain control now, the Tang people will definitely fight for it later. Even if we have 70,000 or 80,000 men, we cannot defend it."

Zhou Yu said, “Jingzhou is different. It has two important towns: Jiangling and Xiangyang. If we can take Jiangling, the Yangtze River will be safe and will be entirely under your control, Prime Minister. If we can take Xiangyang, we can use it as a base to launch a northern expedition against the Central Plains. Therefore, for you, Prime Minister, the priority now is to seize Jiangling and annex southern Jingzhou to strengthen yourselves.”

"As for the Tang army's conquest of Bashu, in my humble opinion, if it succeeds, the outcome will be clear within six months; if it fails, the army will have to withdraw within a year. Moreover, Jiangling is an important town in Jingzhou. If the Prime Minister raises troops to attack it, the Tang army will be shaken. How could Zhang Yu not send troops to its aid and contend with the Prime Minister?"

Cao Cao stroked his beard and pondered, then asked, "If Jiangling falls and Sun Quan dies, what should we do?"

"To annex Liu Bei, I will order a general to guard Nan Commandery, a fierce general to garrison Baidi, and even Jiangzhou. At that time, I will order Quan Rou and his son to lead 10,000 mobile troops to travel up and down the river to meet the enemy wherever they are, while I will lead the vanguard to attack Xiangyang. If this fails, we will retreat to Jiangling. Baidi and Jiangzhou will be used to block the enemy upstream, and Jiangling will be used to block the strong enemy in the middle reaches. The Prime Minister will be stationed in Huainan, and Shouchun will be used to defend against the Tang army."

Zhou Yu was full of confidence and said, "In that case, why worry about the Tang people invading? Why rely on Liu Bei to guard Jingzhou? Moreover, Liu Bei is a dragon, and if he gets wind and rain, he will become a great threat. If he surrenders to Tang, it will endanger the Prime Minister, so we cannot treat him as a trusted confidant."

"What if Sun Quan dies before Jiangling is captured?"

"The same image as Liu Bei!"

Zhou Yu gave the same reply, saying, "Yiling is located in the middle of the river, serving as the western gate of Wu and Chu, and is vulnerable to attacks from both sides. If Yiling falls, enemy ships will roam freely for miles, advancing like stars and lightning, and Jingnan will be difficult to survive. The enemy occupies Jiangling, but we have Yiling, so we have nothing to fear!"

"Therefore, if one possesses Jiangling, one must plan for Xiangyang; if one loses Jiangling and also loses Badong, one must defend Yiling. With Yiling as the gateway, one can resist the naval forces of Ba and Shu above and deter the ships of Jing and Han below. Thus, it is a place that the whole country must fight for."

Zhou Yu's tactical prowess was evident in his exchanges with Cao Cao. While plotting against Liu Bei was not the best strategy, for a regime based in Jiangdong, resisting conquest from China was impossible without seizing Jingzhou. As for plotting against Zhongyuan, as Zhou Yu himself stated, it would be impossible to defend the counties north of Huai without an army of 100,000.

Cao Cao showed interest and asked, "How do you plan to plot against Liu Bei?"

Zhou Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "The Prime Minister has a daughter who could be married to Liu Bei. Liu Bei could be summoned to the army camp for a banquet to welcome her, and the Prime Minister could then imprison her. With Liu Bei captured, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would be ordered to surrender the four southern commanderies of Jingzhou without a fight, allowing the Prime Minister to gain Jingzhou without bloodshed. If there are any setbacks in Bashu, the Prime Minister might even be able to scout out Yizhou!"

As he spoke, Zhou Yu asked, "I only wonder if the Prime Minister is willing to part with his beloved daughter?"

Cao Cao smiled and said, "Although Liu Bei is older, he is a hero. How could I be reluctant to part with him?"

"The strategy to exhaust all possibilities along the Yangtze River depends on Gongjin's planning!"

"I am willing to serve the Prime Minister!" (End of Chapter)