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

Chapter 61 If you can’t chew the hard bones, then find the soft persimmon to squeeze first!

"My lord, you command wisely, and your orders are well-organized and measured. You are a master of the art of war. Our army should not have been defeated in this battle."

Lu Meng flattered and comforted Sun Quan, then changed the subject:
"The key to our defeat in this battle was that our battalions reacted too slowly after receiving the Lord's orders. We failed to close in and form a proper battle formation in time."

"This will create gaps between our various units, giving Zhang Liao an opportunity to exploit."

After hearing Lu Meng's explanation, Sun Quan felt much more comfortable.

There is nothing wrong with my leadership; the problem lies with you, the people below you.

As Lu Meng said, if you had reacted faster and were able to move closer to my central army in time, why would I have been attacked by Zhang Liao's flanking attack on the left wing, causing my central army to collapse directly?
"Ziming, you can see at a glance the reasons for our army's defeat in this battle. This insight is truly valuable."

"During our previous retreat, you also performed meritorious service in protecting the emperor. I have always been clear about rewards and punishments, so how could I not reward you?"

Sun Quan praised Lu Meng highly, promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant General on the spot, assigned him an additional thousand troops, and gave him 10 million yuan.

Lu Meng was overjoyed and quickly bowed to express his gratitude and loyalty.

"Ziming, in your opinion, should I regroup and attack Hefei again?"

Sun Quan stroked his purple beard and asked for Lu Meng's opinion.

Lu Meng pretended to think, but secretly looked at Sun Quan's expression, secretly guessing what he was thinking.

He saw a hint of lingering fear in Sun Quan's eyes.

It is obvious that Sun Quan was scared by Zhang Liao.

After this battle, the casualties suffered by the Jiangdong army were not serious.

If we rest and recuperate, and once morale is boosted, it is not impossible to encircle Hefei again.

The key point is the scene where Zhang Liao's 800 cavalrymen charged into the battle formation. It was really scary.

Sun Quan watched helplessly as his army, which was ten times larger than his own, was easily defeated like paper.

If he had escaped a little slower, Zhang Liao's cavalry would have rushed directly into his face.

Sun Quan is not Sun Ce. He has never seen such a dangerous scene. It would be strange if he didn't have some trauma in his heart.

Lu Meng rolled his eyes a few times, then bowed and said:
"My lord, I believe our army has not suffered heavy losses. If we rest and recuperate, we should be able to encircle Hefei again without any problems."

"But Hefei is a fortified city. If Zhang Liao and Li Dian are determined to defend it, our army will be unable to capture it without a siege of three to five months."

Having said this, Lu Meng raised his hand and pointed westward:
"Cao Cao has lost 400,000 hu of grain and fodder, his army's morale has been severely damaged, and he has been unable to capture Fancheng for a long time. He is very likely to retreat north."

"When Cao Cao hears that Hefei is under siege, he will surely turn his army south to Huainan to rescue it."

"By then, it was the Lord who helped Liu Bei and tied down Cao Cao's main force."

"Once the threat to Liu Bei from the north is eliminated, he will surely turn south to capture Jiangling, wipe out Liu Cong, and seize Jingzhou for himself."

"So, my lord, wouldn't it be that you have wasted countless money and food, suffered many casualties, and gained no territory, while Liu Bei was able to take advantage of the situation and steal Jingzhou?"

These words hit the nail on the head for Sun Quan.

The more Sun Quan listened, the angrier he became, and the uglier his expression became. He felt like someone had taken advantage of him.

"Liu Bei is a powerful figure, far superior to Liu Cong. If he were to steal Jingzhou, it would be extremely difficult for you to take it back from him."

"If so, wouldn't your lord's strategy of conquering the Yangtze River and completely controlling Jiangnan fail?"

After analyzing the pros and cons, Lu Meng bowed and said seriously:

"So, I think that the Lord can continue to feint at Hefei openly, but secretly send more troops to Chaisang."

"Once the time is right, my lord, you can order Commander Zhou to immediately advance westward up the river, attack Xiakou with lightning speed, and capture Jiangxia County in one fell swoop."

"With Jiangxia Commandery in our hands, our army can advance north to block the Han River and west to block the Yangtze River. The vital points of Liu Bei and Liu Cong will then be in our lord's hands."

"By then, the initiative to conquer the entire Jingzhou will be entirely in the hands of my lord!"

Lu Meng presented Sun Quan with a blueprint for capturing Jingzhou.

In short, they attacked Hefei openly and sneaked into Xiakou secretly, seizing opportunities as they came.

The clouds on Sun Quan's face gradually dissipated, veins on his forehead bulged, and excitement was faintly visible between his brows.

"Snapped!"

Sun Quan patted Lu Meng on the shoulder and praised him:

"Ziming, Ziming, I never expected you to have such wisdom and strategy. You really make me look at you with new eyes." Lü Meng did not dare to be complacent, and said humbly:

"My lord, you are too kind. You once taught me to read more books. I have taken your advice to heart and have read quite a bit in recent years, which is why I have made some progress."

Upon hearing that Lu Meng's progress was related to his teaching, Sun Quan was even more delighted.

"Well, well, well, Ziming, you are indeed a teachable child. In the future, the one who can shoulder the great responsibilities of Jiangdong will be none other than you!"

Sun Quan praised Lu Meng a lot, and then his eyes turned towards Jingzhou.

"Zijing's strategy of allying with Liu Bei to resist Cao Cao was a long-term plan, but it was too far-sighted. Now it seems a bit illusory."

"Gongjin and Ziming, your plan to seize Jingzhou is more practical. It can expand our territory and strengthen Jiangdong's strength in the shortest possible time."

After Sun Quan pondered and weighed the pros and cons for a long time, his eyes were filled with stern determination.

"boom!"

Sun Quan struck the ship's pier with his fist and shouted sternly:
"I've made up my mind. Since Zhang Liao is a tough nut to crack, I'll just go after Liu Bei, the soft one!"

"Ziming, you must immediately go to Chaisang and convey my order to Gongjin. Instruct him to be ready to advance westwards along the Yangtze River and launch a surprise attack on Xiakou!"

Lu Meng gladly accepted the order.

At that moment, Lu Meng took a boat and headed straight for Chaisang.

Sun Quan led his troops to retreat ten miles and set up camp, as if to regroup and attack Hefei again.

In secret, thousands of Jiangdong troops began to retreat back to the Yangtze River and secretly moved towards Chaisang.

...

A few days later, Chaisang City.

When Lu Meng arrived in Chaisang, he reported the events of the battle of Hefei to Zhou Yu.

"Eight hundred cavalrymen defeated my 40,000-man army? Is this Zhang Liao really that amazing?"

Zhou Yu's face changed and he was really surprised.

Before this, he was indeed worried about Sun Quan leading the troops to attack Hefei, and he was also wary of Zhang Liao.

But he really didn't expect that Sun Quan would be defeated so quickly and Zhang Liao would win so easily.

For a moment, Zhou Yu couldn't tell whether Sun Quan was too weak or Zhang Liao was too strong.

"However, after this battle, the lord has decided to change the direction of his advance. He will feint an attack on Hefei, but actually take Xiakou, and then seek to seize Jingzhou!"

As Lu Meng spoke, he took out Sun Quan's handwritten secret order.

Zhou Yu's eyes lit up and he quickly took it and took a closer look.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Well, well, my lord, it can be said that it was a blessing in disguise that you changed your strategy because of this defeat."

"My lord is truly a man of great talent and strategy. He has finally realized that taking Jingzhou is the best strategy!"

All the clouds in Zhou Yu's heart disappeared, he was in high spirits and praised Sun Quan highly.

Lü Meng took advantage of the situation and presented his surprise attack on Xiakou to Zhou Yu.

"Ziming, your plan of a surprise attack coincides with mine."

"Liu Bei won't allow our army to enter Jiangxia. If our army openly marches westward, it will surely alert Liu Bei and he will send reinforcements to Xiakou."

"Then if we want to take Xiakou, we must seize the opportunity when Cao Cao has just retreated north and Liu Bei has not yet turned south. We must launch a surprise attack on Xiakou and defeat him in one fell swoop!"

Zhou Yu revealed his plan, but suddenly changed the subject:
"However, Wei Yan, whom Liu Bei sent to Xiakou to assist Liu Qi, was quite a talented general."

"This man built dozens of beacon towers along both sides of the river downstream of Xiakou. This move is obviously to prevent surprise attacks by our army."

"If we want to successfully raid Xiakou, we'll have to figure out how to break through Wei Yan's beacon tower."

Zhou Yu frowned slightly, and from his words and expression, it was obvious that he had not yet thought of a solution to the problem.

"Beacon Tower..."

After Lu Meng pondered for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up:
"Commander-in-Chief, I have a plan that may be able to destroy Wei Yan's beacon tower!"

(End of this chapter)