Tiger Guards

Chapter 337: Using the False Passage to Attack Guo
The military settlements were about to be completed when Liu Biao stopped the transport of military supplies.

Now the only remaining channel is to purchase grain with gold, which has caused great unease among Lü Bu.

Wei Yue visited Zhao Ji and then went to supervise the repair of Lü Bu's ancestral tombs; he has not returned to this day.

Truly confidential matters cannot be written down, nor can they be sent by messengers.

For Lü Bu at this moment, Liu Biao's cessation of grain supplies was tantamount to gaining Zhao Ji's actual support.

In other words, Zhao Ji stood on the opposite side of him and the imperial court.

As before, Lü Bu held another military council, only this time on the banks of the Ying River.

Inside and outside the curtain, five-colored flags fluttered in the spring breeze.

A simple wooden platform was set up in the center, where Lü Bu held a banquet.

During the past six months of fattening up, Lü Bu not only grew a majestic beard, but also a long, finely trimmed mustache on his chin. At the same time, his face became fuller and he appeared more amiable.

Unlike before, with a little makeup, her facial muscles are taut and rather frightening.

Now, he is increasingly exuding the kind of noble air that he himself believes in.

Chen Gong, Xun Yu, Yang Jun, Han Ji, and Huan Jie sat on either side of Lü Bu, all with solemn expressions.

After drinking, Lü Bu said, "Liu Jingsheng has suspended grain transport because the army and civilians are busy with spring plowing. He doesn't care about the survival of the court and is truly selfish. I think we should send an imperial envoy to summon Liu Jingsheng to the court to reprimand him. What do you all think?"

During this period of political experience, Lü Bu has also made progress; he cannot start fighting and killing right from the beginning.

It was just a normal dispatch of envoys to summon Liu Biao to court, but would Liu Biao dare to come?
If they dare not come, then send someone with the emperor's edict to rebuke Liu Biao in person... There are three possible outcomes: either Liu Biao will be rebuked and realize his mistake, and immediately begin transporting grain, then the problem will be temporarily solved.

Alternatively, if Liu Biao is beyond help and insists on resisting the court, then we should send troops to conquer him.

The last possibility is that the emperor's envoy has disappeared or been killed. In that case, there's no need to hesitate; just send troops to punish him.

As soon as Lü Bu spoke, the five people present immediately thought of the next steps. This was the demeanor that a great general in charge of the imperial court should have.

However, there were subtle differences in the attitudes and reactions of the people. Xun Yu was listless, while Han Ji looked worried.

After Grand Marshal Zhao Ji withdrew his troops, Lü Bu reorganized his military affairs and selected the strongest men to form the Eight Schools of Eagle Flying Army; in addition to the Eagle Flying Army, Lü Bu's Five General Battalions were also established.

The Eagle Soaring New Army numbered 16,000 men; the Five Battalions numbered over 20,000 men.

Excluding the troops and garrison troops of Ruying County, there were also more than 13,000 men under General Dong Cheng.

Tian Yu, Liu Hui, Chen Yu, and others led troops to protect the emperor, but fearing that they would be annexed by Lü Bu, they joined forces with the weaker Dong Cheng to protect themselves.

This army of nearly 60,000 can be regarded as the imperial court's field force.

This is a force of able-bodied men, excluding the old and weak, who have been well-fed and properly trained... Objectively speaking, the imperial court already possesses the strength to annihilate Cao Cao or Yuan Shu in a single battle.

Similarly, Liu Biao's forces could also be defeated in one battle by the imperial army of 100,000.

However, during this winter, the graves of prominent families and powerful clans in Ruying were severely looted.

Cao Cao didn't even have a chance to do it, but Lü Bu did it.

Although the money obtained was used for the court's expenses, it also indirectly ended up in the hands of some officials in Ruying.

But the grudge of digging up graves is not easily resolved.

Now that Lü Bu has plans to take over Jingzhou, it is inevitable that Han Ji will feel worried.

The Han clan of Nanyang and the Han clan of Yingchuan share the same ancestry. If this campaign against Liu Biao goes smoothly, then naturally everyone—you, me, and the court—will benefit.

If the offensive goes poorly, the imperial army will be stationed in Nanyang, unable to receive supplies of money and food, yet still needing to maintain the army.

so what should I do now?
Han Ji didn't even dare to show too much worry, blending into the crowd and looking thoughtful.

After careful consideration, Chen Gong stated: "If Liu Jing Sheng is rebellious and reckless, who will remain to guard Xuchang when the General raises troops to punish him?"

Lü Bu turned to Chen Gong: "Gongtai, do you think General Wei would be willing to leave Xuchang to guard the capital?"

Dong Cheng would certainly be unhappy. If Lü Bu led the main force, the emperor, and the ministers to attack Liu Biao, the grain transported from Jingzhou would be cut off, and the military pay would be suspended.

It might work if it's delayed for a month, but within two months, Dong Cheng's regime will collapse.

Although there were garrison outposts in each county of Ruying, it was not yet the grain production season; these garrison soldiers had to rely on digging wild vegetables and catching sparrows and rats to fill their stomachs.

Incorporating these garrison troops would only become a burden in the short term.

The resources available for survival in a region are limited, so these garrison troops need to be dispersed to allow more people to survive.

Therefore, if Dong Cheng stayed behind, the army would only disintegrate; it would be impossible to gather garrison troops, expand the army's size, and then go to attack Cao Cao or Yuan Shu, which would only lead to being devoured by the enemy.

The emperor and his ministers would not allow such a thing to happen. If the southern expedition were to take place, Dong Cheng's guards would certainly have to follow.

Seeing that Lü Bu had no intention of forcing Dong Cheng to defend Xuchang, Chen Gong's expression turned serious: "What if Cao Cao takes the opportunity to attack Chenliu and Ruying?" "If I were to attack Liu Biao, and the traitor Cao Cao were to launch an attack on me, it would show that Liu Biao and Cao Cao were deeply in cahoots, and Liu Biao should be eliminated. After obtaining the money, provisions, officials, and soldiers of Jingzhou, we can turn around and fight again. How could Cao Cao possibly defeat us?"

Lü Bu knew what Chen Gong was worried about: he feared that the imperial army would be bogged down on the Jingzhou battlefield, while Cao Cao, with the support of Yuan Shao, would sweep across the Central Plains.

The excavation of graves during this period yielded a large amount of military funds, but it also eroded the little remaining loyalty among the scholars of Ruying.

Whether it's Cao Cao or Yuan Shu, as long as they send troops to Ruying, these people will definitely welcome them.

Looking at it from another angle, Yuan Shu's way of governing the people was very friendly to the powerful clans, so there was nothing wrong with supporting Yuan Shu.

However, Lü Bu had no intention of fighting Liu Biao. He only wanted to lead his troops to Nanyang to extort money from Liu Biao and then take the opportunity to clean up Nanyang.

As for digging up graves... all over the world, Lü Bu once dug up graves in Luoyang on Dong Zhuo's orders, and he had a great time doing so.

The tombs and mausoleums in the Ruying area, however, are somewhat lacking and clearly lack cultural significance.

But in Nanyang, the capital of the emperor, you can find a truly satisfying meal.

No matter how much was dug in Luoyang, it was all under Dong Zhuo's control; but when it came to digging in Nanyang, it was under Lü Bu's control.

The sensations before and after are on completely different levels.

In terms of resource recycling and reuse, Lü Bu believed he was no less capable than Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, or Cao Cao.

However, the real strategic plan could not be discussed with Chen Gong, for fear that Chen Gong might do something rash.

If we reveal it, the plan will be leaked, and the losses will be even greater.

Lü Bu would rather lose Chen Gong than lose Nanyang.

Although Nanyang is said to be the Nanyang of generations of powerful and influential families, once those people are removed, Nanyang becomes his own Nanyang.

Zhao Ji already had a successful precedent in Taiyuan, so learning from him wouldn't be too difficult.

Ru Yingren wanted to rebel, and Lü Bu was willing to give them a chance to prove themselves.

If I don't turn back, how can I possibly clean you up?

With 40,000 troops under his command... who is Lu Bu afraid of now?

They were afraid that Zhao Ji would cause trouble, and they were also afraid that Liu Biao would be so foolish as to try to destroy them together.

He was not afraid of anything else, and even if Chen Gong rebelled, he was confident that he could suppress him.

Seeing that Lü Bu was arrogant and disdainful of everyone, Chen Gong stopped talking and expressing anything.

Lu Bu looked around at everyone and, seeing that there were no other objections, turned to Han Ji and Huan Jie: "Send a message to Lou Zibo that something is about to happen in Jingzhou. Ask him not to linger and to return to Nanyang immediately."

"Here."

The two men readily agreed. They each had their own factions operating in the Xiangyang area. Not only Lou Gui was to be evacuated, but also their fellow villagers, relatives, and friends.

If enough people are evacuated, it will trigger panic among the scholars under Liu Biao's rule, laying the groundwork for the next step of military blackmail.

Then Lü Bu looked at Xun Yu and said, "Chief Clerk, stay in Xuchang and make sure to encourage farming. Whether the court can be restored depends on how well the spring planting goes this year."

"Yes, I understand."

Xun Yu accepted the offer with a bow, showing no further emotional reaction.

Lu Bu went to see Yang Jun one last time: "Ji Cai went to the State of Chen to ask the King of Chen to prepare for war after the spring plowing. I predict that the two villains Cao Cao and Yuan Shu will not sit idly by. Only the State of Chen in the Central Plains is rich. If we conquer the State of Chen, their military strength will greatly increase, and they will have sufficient food and fodder. Therefore, they call it war against me, but their real intention is to conquer the State of Chen."

After a pause, Lü Bu took a sip of warm wine to moisten his throat, squinting as he enjoyed the warm spring breeze blowing in his face: "This is nothing more than a pretext to attack Guo. I urge Prince Chen to be vigilant and not to listen to the misleading words of Cao Cao and Yuan Shu's envoys."

Yang Jun solemnly stood up, cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Lü Bu: "Yes, I understand, and I will certainly explain the advantages and disadvantages to King Chen."

Lu Bu waved for Yang Jun to sit down, then looked around at everyone with a serious expression: "This year, all sides are short of food, and during the lean season, starvation is rampant. By autumn, Cao Cao and Yuan Shu will surely be weak, and we will have a chance to capture them in one battle. I hope that you will not make a mistake and that by eliminating either of these two villains, the Han Dynasty will have a chance to be restored!"

Taking a deep breath, Lü Bu gritted his teeth and glared: "Anyone who ruins the affairs of the court, I will exterminate their entire family!"

Chen Gong rose, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply: "General, rest assured, we will all work together for the country, with the aim of punishing the villains and restoring the Han Dynasty. If we harbor any disloyalty, we shall die under a hail of arrows!"

Immediately afterwards, Xun Yu, Yang Jun, Han Ji, and Huan Jie all stood up and swore a solemn oath to Lü Bu.

This is probably the only way to put Lü Bu at ease for the time being.

Otherwise, Lü Bu, who currently commands 40,000 directly subordinate standing troops, could kill any one of them.

It wasn't just him who died; his relatives, friends, and cronies were all uprooted.

Zhao Ji had only been in Jinyang for two months of closed-camp training when he won a series of victories, fought his way through Shangdang, Changshan, and Chenliu, and traveled back and forth, relying on the enemy for food, covering a distance of 5,000 li.

Lu Bu has more military experience and twice the number of troops Zhao Ji had at the time. Now that he is ready to strike, who wouldn't be afraid?
(End of this chapter)