Tiger Guards

Chapter 445 Tiger's Stride Across the Yangtze and Huai Rivers
Lü Bu sent an envoy to invite Liu Bei to meet at Xia Cai, and at the same time led 3,000 men to march on Xia Cai.

Xia Cai is located on the north bank of the Huai River, facing Shouchun on the south bank.

However, when Lü Bu's messenger passed through Xia Cai, he encountered Guan Yu, who was stationed there. After explaining his purpose, Lü Bu accepted Guan Yu's hospitality.

Just as they were waiting, Guan Yu immediately informed Liu Bei in the rear.

"The former Grand Marshal sent an envoy to urgently summon Cao Jiande, secretly ambushing righteous men to kill Cao Jiande at the banquet. Now the General has sent an envoy to summon our lord again, which shows the danger involved."

In Yicheng County, Jian Yong, who was by Liu Bei's side, was the first to express his opinion. He might not care about anything else, but when it came to Liu Bei's personal safety, Jian Yong would assume the worst about Lü Bu.

Mi Zhu stayed behind to guard Xuzhou, while Liu Yan of Lu and Sun Qian of Beihai were also by Liu Bei's side. Liu Bei got up, put his hands on Jian Yong's shoulders, and pressed Jian Yong back down onto the low stool, saying, "General, you are also a hero of our time, why are you like this, Xianhe?"

Liu Bei pointed north and said, "The claim that the Grand Marshal lured and killed Cao Jiande is just a rumor; how can we believe it?"

Sitting back in his seat, Liu Bei continued, “Everyone knows that the Grand Marshal is swift in his military campaigns. If he intended to lure and kill Cao Jiande, why would he have allowed Cao Jiande’s troops to scatter? And how could Zhang Yang have blocked them at the border? Admittedly, Cao Jiande was assassinated by Zang Ziyuan’s former subordinates when he visited the Grand Marshal, and the Grand Marshal is also suspected of failing in his duty to protect him. However, the Emperor has also commended righteous men like Chen Rong and appointed them as Commandant of Zhangyi. Therefore, Xianhe, there is no need to discuss this matter further.”

Jian Yong sat down, still holding his neck high: "Is there a precedent like Cao Jiande... No, what I mean is that the General was instigated by treacherous officials and almost went to war with the Grand Marshal. If the Grand Marshal had not repeatedly restrained himself and tried his best to avoid battle, how could things have turned out so peacefully? This shows that the General acted rashly, and my lord must be wary."

Liu Bei glared at Jian Yong. If this conversation reached Lü Bu's ears, even if Lü Bu didn't want to punish him, he would still teach him a lesson.

Jian Yong remained stubbornly defiant, as if he shouldn't take the risk. Liu Bei looked at Sun Qian and Liu Yan: "Gongyou and Weishuo, what do you think?"

Sun Qian cupped his hands in a relaxed manner and smiled: "My lord, I believe that Mr. Xianhe's concerns are reasonable. The General personally killed Dong Zhuo and is capable of doing things that ordinary people cannot. His actions are truly unpredictable. If we accept the appointment lightly, there may be treacherous people among the General's staff who may stir up trouble, which could damage the friendship between our two families and also incur the wrath of the court."

As Liu Bei listened, his expression darkened. The biggest disadvantage of being at odds with Lü Bu was that Lü Bu could use the court to forcibly strip you of your official position and attack you in terms of public opinion.

If Zhao Ji cooperates, Lü Bu can issue the edict through the three provinces; if Zhao Ji cooperates with Lü Bu in the three provinces, and then cooperates with Lü Bu from Xuzhou, then even if Liu Bei is lucky enough to return alive from Xia Cai, he will probably repeat the same mistakes as last year.

The local gentry resisted and drove you out, just like Cao Cao did in Yanzhou; last year, Sun Ce seized Xiapi, and after losing just the city of Xiapi, most of the counties and powerful families began to wait and see, refusing to provide Liu Bei with provisions.

If it weren't for Langya Chancellor Xiao Jian and Donghai Chancellor Xu Qiu, with Zhao Ji's support, transporting grain for him and sending troops to bolster his power, Liu Bei would have been reduced to cannibalism.

If Lü Bu and Zhao Ji join forces against me, and Cao Cao dies and Yuan Shu's situation declines, will I still be able to hold onto Xu Province?

Even if Lü Bu invited me to Xia Cai without any ill intentions, but simply wanted to summon me to the court, what should I do?
What is the essential difference between refusing and agreeing?
As Liu Bei pondered, Liu Yan also stood up and cupped his hands, saying, "My lord, I am only worried that the General will take advantage of the situation to invite you to court to assist in governing. Given the General's usual assertiveness, I imagine he will not allow you to refuse or be modest."

Jian Yong's eyes lit up, and he patted the back of his head, suddenly realizing, "Oh! That's right! My lord, the Grand General and the Grand Marshal are at odds. If we can summon you to court, the Grand General can also restore his prestige throughout the land."

Three eloquent strategists, together advising Liu Bei on the situation, actually saw through Lü Bu's intentions.

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei's expression turned angry: "Does the Grand Marshal think I can be manipulated by him?!"

Jian Yong and the other two bowed deeply together: "My lord, we should avoid the General's sharp edge."

"In that case, inform all troops that we will break camp tomorrow!"

Liu Bei decisively gave the order. Although he was not afraid of Lü Bu, he did not want to have a conflict with him.

If a conflict arises, an envoy should be sent to Zhao Ji to request mediation; otherwise, if Zhao Ji is malicious, Lü Bu could manipulate the government to attack him.

However, Zhao Ji was clearly in a difficult position. He had Liu Xun involved because he wanted to seize Shouchun for himself and annex Yuan Shu's territory.

Unexpectedly, the treacherous officials left behind by Yuan Shu were all in high spirits and put up a strong resistance, managing to buy time to build a complete defensive line, thus preventing Liu Bei from launching a surprise attack.

There was nothing that could be done. Sun Ben, on the southern front, defected halfway and returned to Sun Ce's command. Chen Deng's solo advance was also not going well due to the strong winds in the Jianghuai region. His ships were damaged by the strong winds, resulting in heavy losses.

Liu Xun's forces also suffered a mutiny, and taking advantage of the Huai River's flooding, he led his troops away from him to plunder territory on his own.

He couldn't do anything about Liu Xun. Since Liu Xun had no son to take hostage, he gave him his nephew Liu Wei as a hostage.

Whether or not Liu Wei is killed is meaningless, as Liu Bei is not the kind of person who would kill hostages at the drop of a hat.

Zhao Ji even sent Liu Xie, who was offered to him, back to Liu Xun. Liu Bei, who prided himself on his magnanimity, was no less than anyone else. How could he be inferior to Zhao Ji?
At this point, Liu Bei, including Guan Yu at the front, has only about 20,000 troops.

How did they have the confidence to confront Lü Bu head-on?
This isn't a question of whether or not to confront him head-on; rather, if he were to confront Lü Bu head-on, Lü Bu could easily label him as an accomplice of Yuan Shu and categorize him as a traitor.

Those who hold the emperor and the court in their hands are just that arrogant and domineering.

Unless you can kill them in one blow, the opponent has plenty of ways to annoy and weaken you.

Thus, in order to avoid unnecessary conflict, while Guan Yu was holding off Lü Bu's envoy, Liu Bei withdrew his troops in advance, and Lü Bu's envoy could only arrive late.

When Liu Bei returned to Shangcai by the same route, Guan Yu, who was stationed there, also began to burn down the water fortress and directed his officers and soldiers to move military supplies and equipment onto ships in preparation for the withdrawal. Yuan Shu immediately learned of Liu Bei's withdrawal, and Yuan Shu's morale soared once again.

As planned, Lü Bu marched to Shangcai, where his 3,000 men set up a simple camp on the shore, a far smaller scale than Guan Yu's previous 10,000-strong water fortress.

Yuan Shu also led more than 10,000 elite troops out of Shouchun and headed north, setting up his troops on the north mountain on the south bank.

The two men faced each other across the Huai River, and could vaguely see each other's camps and flags.

Yuan Shu led more than a hundred cavalrymen down the northern mountain and observed the northern bank from the vicinity of the shore.

Lü Bu also lined up his troops on the riverbank, leaving enough space to cross the Huai River. He sent an envoy across the Huai River by boat, and when the envoy approached the south bank, he shot an arrow with a message to challenge him to battle.

Yuan Shu casually discarded Lü Bu's challenge letter and said to his men, "Lü Bu has already made enemies with Zhao Ji and Liu Bei, and his situation is dire. He can only resort to brute force and violence, which shows that he has exhausted his skills."

Generals Ji Ling and Sun Xiang exchanged speechless glances. Zhang Kai spurred his horse closer and volunteered for battle: "Your Majesty, Lü Bu is isolated and has no will to fight for long. This humble general requests permission to cross the Huai River upstream at night, cut off his supply lines, and demonstrate the might of our army!"

Liu Xun's rebellion, the scattered Chen army like bandits, and the defection of various counties in Jiangdong failed to effectively influence Yuan Shu's inner circle.

Yuan Shu had previously experienced even more dire circumstances, yet he was still able to rise again against the odds.

Now that Lü Bu has been defeated, the likes of Liu Xun can be easily dealt with. They even think that if they send a proclamation to Liu Xun and his ilk, they will shamelessly come to surrender.

Yuan Shu stared at Zhang Kai, who bowed again with his hands clasped: "If it fails, this humble general is willing to offer his head to you."

"I don't need you to bring your head to me. Just give it a try, and return immediately regardless of victory or defeat."

Yuan Shu spoke casually, not believing that Zhang Kai could cause Lü Bu much trouble.

But Zhang Kai was full of confidence. The more adverse the situation, the more likely someone of his humble origins was to rise to great heights!
Upon receiving Yuan Shu's order, Zhang Kai immediately returned to the Beishan camp and led his more than a thousand men eastward.

Seeing that Lü Bu's army remained well-organized on the north bank, Yuan Shu decided to hold a banquet on the south bank, where he and his officers and soldiers fished and played games to pass the time.

As noon approached, the pale autumn sunlight shone down, and the officers and soldiers of Lü Bu's main force, arrayed on the north bank, remained in their usual formation, demonstrating remarkable resilience and obedience.

Yuan Shu was secretly alarmed, wondering what Lü Bu was waiting for. He couldn't possibly think that he would easily cross the Huai River and allow Lü Bu to attack him halfway across.

So he pretended to be unconvinced.

While enjoying the game, Yuan Shu sipped some mead to regain his strength.

"Report~!"

A messenger rode swiftly from the west upstream, dismounted a dozen paces away from Yuan Shu, and shouted: "Your Majesty! Enemy general Gao Shun has laid an ambush on the north bank of the Lijiang River. General Zhang has just passed the annexed pavilion when he was ambushed by the enemy!"

"How's the battle going?"

Yuan Shu stood up and asked, "The pavilion is less than twenty li away from here, and the Lijiang River is a small canal that flows westward into Shaopi."

The scout hesitated slightly, noticing the crowd around him looking over, but gritted his teeth and answered, "General Zhang personally charged towards Gao Shun's battle flag and died in the chaos of battle!"

For a moment, the riverbank was quiet.

More scouts came galloping from the west. Yuan Shu waited patiently, then raised his hand to dismiss the scouts.

The newly arrived scout didn't dismount, but anxiously shouted, "Your Majesty, the enemy is coming this way, and their vanguard is the Trapped Camp!"

"not good!"

Ji Ling shouted, "Supreme, retreat quickly!"

Yuan Shu panicked. He turned to look at the camp on the north mountain, and was surrounded by people as he mounted his horse. More than a hundred riders followed Yuan Shu, going straight around the north mountain and heading towards Shouchun.

The more than 10,000 elite troops in the Beishan camp also scattered in all directions, abandoning their weapons and armor, and fled lightly towards Shouchun.

On the north bank, Lü Bu frowned deeply, clearly displeased.

Gao Shun acted too quickly; it would have been better to wait a little longer.

(End of this chapter)