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

Chapter 155 What happens to Cao Cao? Xiao He: This is the last step to completely control the Yangtze River. We must not give up!
Lu Su was willing to accept defeat and finally chose to surrender.

Moreover, his state of mind at this moment was not the kind of forced and reluctant surrender after losing the bet, but a kind of surrender that felt relieved.

Looking at the rulers and ministers of Jiangdong, no one understood Liu Bei better than him.

He had been on several diplomatic missions, accompanying Liu Bei for months at a time, which gave him ample time to see Liu Bei's magnanimity, his great talent and ambition, his benevolence and generosity, and his ability to employ people...

Although he served Sun Quan, he had already determined in his heart that Liu Bei was the true leader who could rival Cao Cao.

In some aspects, Liu Bei is even better than Cao Cao.

As for Sun Quan, he naturally could not catch up with Liu Bei even if he tried his best.

Sun Quan and Zhou Yu broke their promises several times, and Liu Bei, who should have been angry with him, was instead generous to him and even sincerely wanted to recruit him under his command.

How could Lu Su not yearn for such a wise leader?
Now that he and Sun Quan and Zhou Yu have severed their ties, he naturally has no psychological burden anymore and it is natural for him to surrender to Liu Bei.

"Zi Jing, please stop being polite!"

Liu Bei was overjoyed and hurriedly helped Lu Su up, laughing and saying:
"With a man like Zijing as my assistant, I have no reason to worry about not being able to wipe out the Han thieves, pacify the world, and rebuild our great Han territory!"

When Lu Su heard Liu Bei call him "the king's assistant", he was flattered and felt completely relieved, so he laughed out loud.

"Congratulations, my lord, you have gained another talented assistant!"

Xiao He smiled and bowed to congratulate, then pointed to the east:
"We have captured Zheqi Pass. Our army can now march towards Moling without any hindrance."

"My lord, there's no need for us to stop. Let's continue down the river to Moling and see the uncle and nephew of the Sun family. Let's see who is the current ruler of Jiangdong!"

Liu Bei then ordered the 70,000-strong army by land and sea to continue advancing eastward along the river, heading straight for Moling.

Zheqi Pass was only a day's journey by water from Moling. Before dusk the next day, the vanguard navy had arrived at the Moling River area.

Guan Yu quickly reported back the news. According to reports from spies and scouts, Zhou Yu had indeed led his army back to Moling two days ago and launched a mutiny to force Sun Quan to abdicate.

Under Zhou Yu's meticulous planning, Moling City was captured without a fight due to the joint efforts of both inside and outside forces. Sun Quan was forced to abandon the city and fled to Wujun with a group of counselors and generals loyal to him.

After Zhou Yu captured Moling without bloodshed, he immediately supported Sun Shao as the new ruler of Jiangdong, and issued a proclamation to all counties and prefectures, announcing that Sun Quan had abdicated and ordering all counties to serve the new ruler Sun Shao.

At the same time, Zhou Yu set fire to the remaining hundred or so warships, as well as the water camp north of Moling City.

Nearly 10,000 Jiangdong soldiers retreated to Moling City, where they reinforced the city defenses day and night and gathered food and fodder inside the city.

At the same time, Zhou Yu also sent orders in the name of Sun Shao to the prefects and garrison commanders of Danyang, Wujun and Kuaiji counties, ordering them to send all the county and local soldiers to Moling for service.

Various intelligence reports indicated that Zhou Yu was determined to burn his boats and cross the river, and was planning to gather all the troops he could mobilize to defend Moling to the death, and to live and die with this heart of Jiangdong.

"Military Advisor Xiao, Su has known Zhou Yu for over ten years, but I don't know him nearly as well as you do. He indeed launched a mutiny and deposed Sun Quan."

After listening to Chen Dao read out the intelligence, Lu Su looked at Xiao He with a look of admiration and self-mockery.

"In my opinion, Zijing, you are only half right. Zhou Yu did launch a mutiny, but he may not have deposed Sun Quan."

Xiao He looked past Moling City and towards the heart of Jiangdong.

"Zhou Yu is extremely prestigious in the army, but Sun Quan has been the ruler of Jiangdong for nearly ten years, and many people are loyal to him. Not everyone may accept the fact that Zhou Yu deposed and enthroned him."

"In my opinion, Sun Shao's orders may not even be fully obeyed by Danyang County, where Moling is located. It's even possible that his orders may not even leave Moling City."

"The only forces Zhou Yu could truly mobilize were Xu Sheng and other Huaisi generals, as well as the 10,000 Jiangdong troops."

Liu Bei agreed with this and nodded:

"Bo Wen is absolutely right. It seems that Zhou Yu's mutiny has actually divided Jiangdong. Sun Quan and Sun Shao, uncle and nephew, are each acting independently, unable to concentrate Jiangdong's full strength against our army."

"Calculating it this way, it's still a good thing for our army."

Generals Fa Zheng, Huang Zhong and others all nodded in agreement with what Liu Bei said.

After Lu Su pondered for a moment, he said:

"That being said, Moling City is the seat of Jiangdong Prefecture. It was built and maintained by two generations of the Sun family. The city is built against the backdrop of Zhongshan and Qingliangshan Mountains, and its walls are constructed entirely of mountain rocks. It is truly one of the strongest cities in the world."

"And the Three Wus are rich. Before Su left, the surplus grain in the city's treasury was enough to feed the entire city's military and civilians for six months."

"Given Zhou Yu's wisdom and talent, and the bravery of Xu Sheng and the others, if they are determined to hold out, it will be very difficult for you to break them."

"If we continue to attack without success, Cao Cao will surely lead his army south to intervene. We will then face being attacked from both the north and the south. This is something my lord does not want to see."

Lu Su was indeed one of the few heroes in Jiangdong who had a broad perspective. His analysis was no longer limited to Moling City, but also took Cao Cao into consideration.

"Zijing is reminding me that Cao Cao will not sit idly by and watch me take over Jiangdong. He will meet his end sooner or later."

"If Cao Cao gets involved, the situation will become complicated."

Liu Bei nodded in agreement, glanced towards the north, and a hint of fear flashed across his brow.

Xiao He, however, looked calm as he raised his hand and pointed towards Moling City:

"The battle has come to this point. We are only one step away from taking Jiangdong. We will never give up."

"No matter how tough Moling is, we have to chew it!"

"Even if Cao Cao is defeated, even if we are attacked from both sides and have to fight on two fronts, we must grit our teeth and hold on."

"Whether my lord can conquer Jiangdong and achieve his strategic goal of controlling the entire Yangtze River depends on whether he can survive this hurdle!"

Xiao He's words were full of a spirit of hunting that would not give up until the goal was achieved, and Liu Bei couldn't help but be infected by it.

The fear in his eyes disappeared, and Liu Bei said proudly:
"Bowen is right. We can't give up halfway after fighting this hard!"

"No matter how strong Moling is, no matter if Cao Cao himself comes to the fortress, I will fight!"

"Pass the order down, 70,000 troops, immediately surround the city!"

Liu Bei was full of ambition, so naturally the other generals followed suit and became more motivated.

So the navy and army, totaling 70,000 soldiers and horses, gathered in Moling in a mighty force and began to besiege the city.

...

On the top of Moling City.

Upon hearing the news, Sun Shao and Zhou Yu hurried to the top of the city wall.

Looking at Liu Jun's fleet approaching across the river and Liu Jun's infantry approaching on land, Sun Shao couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Uncle Gongjin, didn't you say you had a plan that could at least keep Liu Bei in Nanling for ten days, buying us enough time to mobilize our troops and supplies to Moling?"

"How is it that in less than three days, Liu Bei's 70,000-man army has already reached the gates of Moling?"

There was a clear hint of panic in Sun Shao's tone and expression, which was a far cry from the domineering demeanor he displayed when he scolded Sun Quan during the mutiny to seize the throne.

Zhou Yu looked at Liu Jun who had arrived earlier, and his eyes were filled with deep confusion.

After pondering for a long time, Zhou Yu suddenly understood and sighed:

"If my guess is correct, it must be that Xiao He, that country bumpkin, saw through my feigned surrender, which is why the big-eared thief marched his army straight from Nanling to Moling without stopping."

Sun Shao took another breath and said anxiously:

"So what should we do now? Liu Bei's 70,000-strong army is bound to surround our Moling City!"

"Let him surround us, we have nothing to fear!"

Zhou Yu snorted coldly, his face lit up with pride again:

"Our Moling City is the strongest city in the world. We still have 10,000 elite soldiers and enough food and fodder to last for half a year!"

"Even if we don't have time to mobilize more troops and food into the city, with our current resources, I have enough confidence to defend Moling City for you, my lord!"

Seeing Zhou Yu so confident, Sun Shao breathed a sigh of relief and his panic subsided a little.

After a pause, Sun Shao asked again:
"Now that the big-eared thief has reached the gates of Moling City, I think he's determined to seize Jiangdong and will certainly besiege Moling City at all costs." "What if, after six months, our city's food and grass are gone, and the big-eared thief still refuses to withdraw?"

Zhou Yu raised a sneer at the corner of his mouth and looked towards Jiang Bei.

"My lord, don't forget that there are more than just Liu and Sun in the world. There is also Cao Cao, the most powerful overlord in the north."

"My lord, do you think that with Cao Cao's great talent and strategy, he would sit idly by and watch Moling be besieged and Liu Bei swallow up Jiangdong?"

Hearing Zhou Yu's question, Sun Shao was suddenly enlightened and seemed to understand something.

Zhou Yu raised his hand and pointed to the north bank, then said:

"The thief Cao Cao would never allow Liu Bei to swallow up Jiangdong. Sun Quan's surrender has given Cao Cao an opportunity to take Jiangdong. I predict that sooner or later he will lead all his troops south from Huainan."

"At that time, Cao Cao's army of hundreds of thousands was drinking from the Yangtze River. Even if he didn't have a strong navy, how could Liu Bei dare to turn a blind eye and expose his entire Yangtze River food supply route to Cao Cao's attack?"

"Since he doesn't dare, he must dispatch a large number of troops to guard against Cao Cao."

"Liu Bei only holds Jingzhou after all. With the troops and money of one province, he wants to besiege our Moling City and resist Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of troops. Does he have the strength and courage to do so?"

Sun Shao's eyes lit up and his confidence was instantly rekindled.

Zhou Yu pointed his cane at Liu Jun outside the city and sneered confidently:
"I estimate that the Big Eared Bandits will besiege the city for three months at most. They will definitely not be able to withstand the heavy pressure of Cao's army and will be forced to retreat because they cannot afford the consumption of money and food."

"My lord, you have achieved great success in defeating Liu Bei. Your influence and prestige have greatly increased. Who among the people of Jiangdong would dare not wholeheartedly support you?"

"Then there would be no need for you to send troops. Lu Xun, Zhu Huan, and the others would defect, tie up Sun Quan, and send him back to Moling for you to deal with."

"My lord, your position as the ruler of Jiangdong will never be shaken by anyone!"

Zhou Yu became more and more excited as he spoke, spitting saliva from his mouth, and painted a huge pie in the sky for Sun Shao, outlining a beautiful blueprint.

Sun Shao's blood boiled when he heard this, and his childish face was burning with excitement and surprise.

"With your words, Uncle Gongjin, I am completely relieved."

Sun Shao breathed a sigh of relief and immediately bowed to Zhou Yu:

"Uncle Gongjin, I entrust the heavy responsibility of defending Moling, the life and death of my Sun clan, and the survival of this legacy left by my father, to you."

"Uncle, please accept my greeting!"

Sun Shao's respectful and grateful attitude naturally moved Zhou Yu greatly. He hurriedly helped Sun Shao up and expressed his determination.

Sun Shaoan made up his mind and left the city to return home, handing over all military and political power to Zhou Yu.

After seeing Sun Shao off, Zhou Yu turned his gaze towards the outside of the city. A hint of melancholy flashed across his confident brows.

"Zijing, I'm afraid you've already surrendered to that big-eared thief and abandoned me forever."

"From today on, you and I will be enemies of life and death..."

...

Hedong County, Pubanjin.

Boats and rafts were carrying the remnants of Cao's defeated army, fleeing hastily from the other side.

Cao Cao stopped his horse on the shore, his brows furrowed, his face dark and gloomy as he stared at the other side of the Yellow River.

He could even vaguely hear Ma Chao's gang of Xiliang tigers and wolves showing off their power to him on the other side of the river.

"That horse actually saw through my diversionary tactics. How despicable~~"

Cao Cao couldn't help but mutter and curse.

According to his original plan, the 100,000 Xiliang troops were all attracted to the Tongguan line, and the Pubanjin line in the north would inevitably be poorly guarded and lack of troops.

So he ordered Xiahou Yuan to continue the feint attack on Tongguan under his banner, while he himself led his army to cross the Yellow River to the north at night and enter Hedong County, and then marched straight to Pubanjin at night to cross the river and enter Guanzhong.

Who could have expected that the people of Xiliang had been prepared in advance. Ma Chao had led tens of thousands of elite troops to ambush on the west bank two days in advance and attacked him when he was halfway across the river.

He failed to cross the river and lost thousands of soldiers in vain. His so-called ingenious plan was thus shattered.

"Most of the Xiliang generals are brave but foolish. Could it be that Xu Shu guessed the Prime Minister's intention and reminded Han Sui and Ma Chao to send more troops to Pubanjin?"

Cheng Yu beside him guessed so.

After thinking about it, Cao Cao felt that there seemed to be no other explanation except what Cheng Yu said.

"Big Ear Thief, it's you again~~"

Cao Cao gritted his teeth, hatred burning on his face.

You, Liu Bei, should just focus on fighting in Jiangdong, but you had to send Xu Shu all the way to Guanzhong to interfere, ruining my plan to pacify Guanlong!

The account of killing Cao Hong has not been settled yet, and now a new account has been added. How can Cao Cao not be angry?

"Prime Minister, Xu Gongming has urgent news from eight hundred miles away!"

The sound of horse hooves rang out, and Liu Ye hurried over.

An urgent report from Xu Huang? Could it be that the situation in Jiangdong has changed again?

Cao Cao's heart tightened, and he snatched the silk book away, unfolding it impatiently to read it.

After taking a few glances, the gloom on Cao Cao's face disappeared in an instant, and he suddenly burst into laughter.

"God helps me, God helps me."

"This is truly a blessing in disguise. God has finally opened his eyes and started to help me!"

"Hahaha--"

Everyone looked surprised. They didn't know what was written in the urgent report that made Cao Cao suddenly ecstatic.

Cao Cao then showed the silk letter to Cheng Yu and others.

After Cheng Yu and the others gathered around and watched, they suddenly understood and were surprised.

In an urgent report, Xu Huang stated that Sun Quan wanted to return all the Jiangdong counties and military and political power to the court, and that he was willing to lead the Sun family to Xudu to meet Cao Cao!

Lu Fan was already on the way with Sun Quan's surrender letter, but Xu Huang rode his horse at full speed to report the good news to Cao Cao first.

"Sun Quan was so defeated by Liu Bei that he lost all confidence and had no choice but to surrender to the Prime Minister to save his life!"

"In this way, the Prime Minister can take Jiangdong into his possession without sacrificing a single soldier!"

"Then we will be able to attack Jingzhou from both the north and the east. With our two armies joining forces, we will surely be able to defeat Liu Bei and recapture Jingzhou!"

"Prime Minister, this is truly a happy accident, a blessing in disguise!"

Cheng Yu immediately saw the importance of this urgent news and excitedly pointed out its benefits.

"We have lost the battle of Puban. It is extremely difficult for our army to enter Guanzhong. There is no point in continuing to confront the Xiliang generals."

"If Liu Bei were to swallow up Jiangdong and take control of the entire Yangtze River, he would pose a far greater threat to the Prime Minister than the scattered generals of Xiliang."

"Prime Minister, Ye believes that you should seize this golden opportunity and immediately return to Huainan, sending troops across the river to take over Jiangdong!"

Liu Ye also gladly offered his advice.

Cao Cao agreed with this and immediately stopped laughing. He waved his hand and shouted:

"Pass on my order, the army will immediately turn back south and head straight for Huainan!"

"Send a message to Cao Chun to lead 4,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to set out first. They will link up with Zhang Liao's army at Hefei and then march south as quickly as possible to join Xu Huang's troops."

"Three groups of troops will cross the river first to stop the big-eared thieves from advancing to Moling!"

(End of this chapter)