My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 127 Is this guy crazy? Xiao He: Are you trying to play the straw boat game with me?

One hundred thousand arrows, three days?
Are you sure you didn't say a million extra words?
Sun Yu was startled and lowered his head to cough, while winking at Lu Meng.

Sun Quan has been urging the rear to rush to produce arrows. Jiangdong can afford 100,000 arrows, but it will take at least half a month to deliver them.

And it has to be delivered in batches.

You are bragging too much, saying that you can make 100,000 arrows in three days. We in Jiangdong don’t have the ability to back you up.

However, Lu Meng remained calm and ignored Sun Yu's hint.

"General Lu, my ears aren't blocked by earwax, so I guess I heard correctly. You just said you wanted to supply 100,000 arrows within three days?"

Cao Hong came back to his senses and quickly confirmed with a questioning look on his face.

Lu Meng took a sip of tea and said calmly:
"General Cao heard correctly. I did say that we must replenish 100,000 arrows for our coalition forces within three days."

Cao Hong swallowed his saliva and turned to look at Generals Xu Huang and Li Dian in surprise.

The Jiangdong generals in the tent were immediately in an uproar, all of them whispering in shock.

"Hey, Lü Zi... Commander Lü, the big-eared bandits have just started setting up camp. Even if we want to attack the north bank, we won't rush it in a day or two."

"There's no need to rush to replenish these 100,000 arrows. We can still have enough time if we wait a few more days."

"Cough cough~~"

Han Dang, who had recovered from his shock, coughed dryly as he spoke.

This veteran of three generations naturally refused to accept that Lu Meng was riding on his head.

But he was also worried that Lu Meng was acting on impulse and making such big talk.

If this cannot be done, not only will Lu Meng, the commander-in-chief of the Jiangdong Army, be ridiculed, but the Jiangdong Army will also be ridiculed by Cao's army.

In desperation, Han Dang had to put aside his pride and give Lu Meng a way out for the sake of the reputation of the Jiangdong army.

"Liu Bei arrives with the momentum of his conquest of Jingzhou. His army is at its peak, so our army must avoid his attack. We cannot attack the north bank at this time."

"However, I must supply these 100,000 arrows within three days. Otherwise, won't General Cao and his men laugh at us, saying that Jiangdong is so poor that we can't even afford a few arrows?"

Lu Meng's words denied Han Dang's impulse to fight, ignored the excuse he had given him, and mocked Cao Hong at the same time.

Han Dang was speechless.

Cao Hong, who was under the influence of yin and yang, frowned and snorted coldly:

"General Lu, I know you in Jiangdong are wealthy and can produce a hundred thousand arrows, but are you sure you can produce a hundred thousand arrows within three days?"

Xu Huang, standing by, also reminded solemnly:
"General Lu, you are the commander-in-chief of our coalition forces. Your every word and action is an example to the three armies. You must know that there is no joking in the army. You must not take jokes."

Sun Yu beside him nodded repeatedly and hinted with his eyes again.

Lu Meng put down the tea bowl, but smiled confidently:
"As the commander-in-chief, how could I not know that there is no joking in the army? How could I joke about it?"

"I will issue a military order. If you don't supply 100,000 arrows within three days, I will resign from the Duke of Wu and ask him to choose another capable commander."

When these words were spoken, Han Dang's eyes lit up, but Sun Yu secretly said that something was wrong.

Only a wise man can be the leader of the three armies. Looking at all the generals in Jiangdong, apart from Zhou Yu, only Lu Meng has this ability.

However, Zhou Yu was recuperating from illness and was at odds with Sun Quan, the emperor and his ministers, so he was obviously unable to take on this important task.

If Lu Meng resigns from the position of commander-in-chief because of this incident, who can take over?
Although Han Dang is experienced, he is just an ordinary man and cannot bear this heavy responsibility.

We can't give the position of commander-in-chief of the three armies to Cao Hong, a guest general.

In a hurry, Sun Yu coughed repeatedly to remind him.

However, Lu Meng turned a blind eye.

Seeing that the other side had signed a military order, Cao Hong could only say:
"In that case, let us wait and see how Commander Lu can produce 100,000 arrows for us within three days!"

After saying this, Cao Hong left with the generals of Cao's camp.

As soon as the outsider left, the tent was in chaos again.

Han Dang and other generals had various doubts, and although they did not express them explicitly, their implication was that they were blaming Lu Meng for making such an exaggerated statement.

"Well, since Ziming has issued the military order, we can only do our best to produce arrows."

"What I mean is that we should immediately mobilize all the craftsmen in Yuzhang County and have them work day and night. Perhaps we can produce 100,000 arrows within three days."

Sun Yu couldn't blame Lu Meng and could only hope to make up for his loss.

"General Zhong Yi, there's no need to start a war. The 100,000 arrows Meng mentioned don't require a single craftsman."

However, Lu Meng replied with disapproval.

Everyone was stunned again.

Sun Yu's eyes became more confused, and he asked anxiously:
"Ziming, how can you make arrows without craftsmen?"

Lu Meng raised the corner of his mouth and smiled mysteriously:
"I only ask General Zhong Yi to quickly prepare fifty grain ships for me, four hundred skilled sailors, and five hundred bundles of firewood."

Four hundred water soldiers?

Five hundred bundles of firewood?
Sun Yu was completely confused and couldn't understand how what Lu Meng wanted had anything to do with making arrows.

Not only was he confused, but Han Dang, Ling Tong and other generals also looked bewildered.

Sun Yu was about to ask again, but Lu Meng waved his hand:

"General Zhong Yi, there's no need to ask any more questions. Just prepare everything for me. I predict morning fog within three days. When the fog rises, just tell Cao Hong and the others to go to the river to collect the arrows."

Lu Meng spoke with great confidence, as if he had already made up his mind.

Sun Yu really couldn't guess what this young commander-in-chief, who his cousin Sun Quan said had the style of Han Xin, was up to.

In desperation, he had to suppress his suspicions and follow orders.

...

The Yangtze River is foggy.

Two days later, at the hour of Yin.

Before daybreak, thick fog had already risen on the river.

Lu Meng and his generals came to the river.

Sun Yu had already prepared to unload the grain ships and firewood according to his previous orders. Cao Hong and other generals in Cao's camp were also awakened from their sleep and came to the riverside to collect arrows.

Under the suspicious and confused gaze of the crowd, Lu Meng ordered his soldiers to tie dry firewood on both sides of the grain ship, put on the armor of the Jiangdong army, and disguise themselves as straw men and line the side of the ship.

Seeing that the fog was getting thick, Lu Meng ordered all 400 soldiers to board the boats. He also boarded one of the boats himself and asked his personal guards to warm up a pot of wine for him.

This series of strange actions left the generals of both armies confused.

"Ziming, where are you going?"

Sun Yu followed and asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Lu Meng smiled mysteriously and waved to him:

"General Zhong Yi, don't you want to know what I'm going to do with these things?"

"Then come aboard and follow me to bring back those 100,000 arrows."

Sun Yu was confused again.

Lu Meng's mysterious words and inexplicable actions left him completely confused.

After hesitating for a moment, Sun Yu couldn't suppress his curiosity and had to board the grain ship.

"General Cao, General Han, please wait here for a moment. When the fog clears and the sky brightens, I will return with 100,000 arrows."

Lu Meng bowed and said goodbye to the generals on the shore, then went into the cabin.

Fifty grain ships set sail, slowly leaving the water camp and heading towards Liu Jun's water camp on the north bank, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Han Dang, Ling Tong and other Jiangdong generals looked at their commander-in-chief who was going away, and looked at each other with confusion.

"Gongming, you are known for your scheming. What do you think of Lu Meng? What's he up to?"

"Is he crazy?"

Cao Hong lowered his voice and turned to look at Xu Huang.

Xu Huang frowned deeply, and after pondering for a moment, he said:
"Although Lü Ziming has very little experience in Jiangdong, from what I've seen, he possesses extraordinary talent, wisdom, and strategy. Otherwise, Sun Zhongmou wouldn't have made such an exceptional promotion and entrusted him with such an important task."

"Although I can't guess what his intention is, I suspect he's definitely not crazy. He might actually have some magical trick up his sleeve. We might as well wait and see."

Cao Hong had no choice but to suppress his speculation and looked towards the north bank.

In the night fog, fifty grain ships approached the north bank.

"Ziming, now that it's come to this, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me how to get 100,000 arrows."

Sun Yu finally couldn't stand it anymore and asked in a rather dissatisfied tone.

Lu Meng poured Sun Yu a cup of warm wine and said calmly:
"We naturally went to Liuying on the north bank and borrowed 100,000 arrows from that big-eared thief."

After hearing this, Sun Yu was confused again.

For a moment, he actually wondered if the person in front of him was really crazy.

Borrow 100,000 arrows from Liu Bei!
Listen, is this something a normal person would say?
Sun Yu's eyes widened, he gasped, and began to look at Lu Meng as if he were a madman.

"Don't panic, General Zhong Yi. I'm not crazy."

"Come, let's drink some wine first to warm ourselves up, and General Zhong Yi will understand later."

However, Lu Meng smiled calmly and confidently, raised his glass and sipped the warm wine.

Sun Yu had no choice but to swallow his saliva, pretend to be calm, and continue to let Lu Meng do whatever he wanted.

A quarter of an hour later, the fleet approached Liu Jun’s water camp.

Although there was fog on the river, the lights in Liuying were bright and some residual shadows could still be vaguely seen.

Lü Meng glanced outside and shouted:
"Order all ships to form a long snake formation, facing the enemy camp sideways, and beat drums and shout!"

Sun Yu was horrified and jumped up:
"Lv Ziming, you still say you're not crazy?"

"If you beat the drum like this, it will surely alert the enemy camp. If Liu Bei sends his navy to attack, how can we resist with only a few dozen grain ships?"

Lu Meng pulled Sun Yu and said with a smile:
"General Zhong Yi, don't panic. It's still dark and fog is obstructing our view. Liu Bei can't see our army's strength clearly, so he won't dare to rashly send his warships to attack."

"General Zhong Yi, just sit back and wait for the arrows to be collected."

Sun Yu vaguely understood something, but not completely, so he had to sit down again tremblingly.

Boom boom!
On each ship, the sound of war drums suddenly rang out, followed by shouts of killing.

The silence on the river was broken, as if countless warships from Jiangdong were roaring towards them, ready to attack the north bank.

Liu Jun Water Camp on the north bank.

Liu Bei was awakened from his dream, quickly put on his armor and rushed to the shore of the water camp.

At this time, nearly 10,000 naval soldiers had boarded the ships and prepared for battle under Guan Yu's command, and the infantry from the land camp were also arriving one after another.

There was heavy fog on the river, making it impossible to distinguish the enemy's strength. Guan Yu naturally did not dare to send warships to attack. He only ordered his troops to shoot with strong bows and crossbows to prevent a surprise attack from the Jiangdong navy.

"Bo Wen said that Lü Meng was very cunning. Perhaps this was a ploy to lure the enemy. Yun Chang responded very well."

Liu Bei agreed with Guan Yu's decision and immediately ordered another 5,000 archers from the dry camp to come and shoot arrows at the river.

Teams of archers arrived one after another and joined in the practice of shooting arrows.

Soon, Xu Shu, Fa Zheng and other counselors arrived one after another, and Xiao He was the last one to arrive, yawning.

Liu Bei briefly explained the situation to several people, and Fa Zheng and others had no objection to Liu Bei's decision.

Only Xiao He was left, looking at the dim river surface, listening to the rumbling drums and shouts of killing, the sleepiness in his eyes gradually gave way to suspicion.

"Why does it look familiar..."

Xiao He muttered to himself, his thoughts turning and his eyes darting.

Sudden.

His eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Isn't this Lu Meng trying to play the straw boat game with us?"

(End of this chapter)