I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 148 The Escape Route is Cut Off
Knowing yourself and the enemy is the only way to survive a hundred battles.

Before this battle, Liu Miao meticulously assessed the strength of both his own forces and Yuan Shu's.

Although Jiangdong was becoming increasingly wealthy and its army had expanded to 50,000, Yuan Shu's resources were simply too abundant. Even after suffering such a crushing defeat at the hands of Cao Cao, and even with generals like Chen Lan and Lei Bo leading their troops to defect, Yuan Shu still had at least 50,000 troops.

Furthermore, the Huai River provides a natural barrier to the north of Huainan, making defense easier and allowing Yuan Shu greater freedom to deploy his troops. Unlike Liu Miao, who had to send Taishi Ci with a large force to garrison Yuzhang to guard against Jingzhou, and also leave troops in Danyang and Wujun to defend against the Shanyue tribes, Yuan Shu, despite the seemingly similar total troop strength, actually had a considerable difference in the number of troops available for deployment.

Liu Miao had 10,000 troops to defend Jingzhou and 10,000 troops left to guard Jiangdong, so the total number of troops mobilized was 30,000.

However, Yuan Shu was able to mobilize 40,000 or even more troops to fight against Jiangdong, so Liu Miao was somewhat surprised when he saw that Yuan Shu had only brought 20,000 men to Wan County.

"My lord, could it be that Yuan Shu is hiding his forces?"

“Yuan Shu is not that kind of person.”

Liu Miao did not believe that Yuan Shu would leave his troops in Shouchun as mere decorations when he personally led the expedition.

Moreover, it's obvious that Yuan Shu would be eager to deal with him as soon as possible, and would be eager to bring all his resources to Wan County to fight him to the death. How could he possibly still be hiding his strength?
"Unless the main force of Yuan's army is not here?"

It was at this moment that news arrived that Yuan Shu had sent Zhang Kai to assassinate Liu Chong, the Prince of Chen, which shocked everyone around him.

"Yuan Shu is actually so audacious?"

"Heaven has forsaken Yuan Shu!!"

"..."

All the other generals were condemning Yuan Shu's evil deeds, but Lu Su remained silent with his head down.

"Zijing, just speak your mind."

Lu Su voiced his doubts: "Yuan Shu doesn't need Chen's grain supplies just to guard against Jiangdong. Yet he assassinated the King of Cheng Chen over this matter, which shows he has ulterior motives!"

Liu Miao agreed wholeheartedly and sent scouts eastward to gather information.

Only then did Liu Miao realize that Yuan Shu had actually chosen to take the initiative to attack Liu Bei and seize Xuzhou!
"hiss……"

Liu Miao was caught off guard by Yuan Shu's attack.

I thought Yuan Shu would definitely focus his attention on me this time and deploy his main force in Jiangbei, but I didn't expect him to go east to attack Liu Bei.
"Lord!"

Zhou Yu's expression was stern.

Liu Miao naturally knew why he did this.

Zhou Yu's original plan was to move back and forth between Wan County and Chao County, exhausting Yuan Shu.

But now that Yuan Shu has sent all his main forces to Xuzhou, the current commotion is completely unnecessary.

Waving a cat toy is only fun when there's a cat around; you can't just wave it around randomly and look around aimlessly.
"My lord! There is one more thing!"

Zhou Yu's face was grim: "Does my lord believe that Liu Bei can defeat Yuan Shu?"

Liu Miao immediately shook his head: "Definitely not!"

Even if Liu Bei had Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, two men capable of defeating ten thousand men, the disparity in troop strength meant that even the most skilled cook cannot cook without rice.

Yuan Shu's 30,000 troops could easily overwhelm Liu Bei, even if they were simply piled up. Furthermore, Xuzhou's flat terrain offered no natural defenses, which severely limited the military capabilities of Liu Bei's generals. Therefore, Liu Bei had absolutely no chance of resisting Yuan Shu in Xuzhou!
"My lord, if Yuan Shu were to seize Xu Province, he would be even more difficult to deal with!"

With Huainan and Xuzhou combined, the entire rich land in the east fell into Yuan Shu's hands, and he could also exert comprehensive suppression over Jiangdong throughout the north of the Yangtze River. This was clearly not a situation that Jiangdong wanted to see.

"We need to go and help Liu Bei."

In contrast, Xuzhou has now become the main battlefield, while the battles in Wanxian and Chaoxian have become insignificant.

Liu Miao made a quick decision: "Gongjin and Bofu, you two lead troops to Guangling to help Liu Bei resist Yuan Shu."

"How many troops does our lord require us to take?"

"All."

"all?"

"if not?"

Liu Miao looked towards Wan County, which was not far away.

"If Yuan Shu really attacks here in Wan County, I will immediately retreat to Jiangdong. On the contrary, the battlefield in Xuzhou is the most important place to resist Yuan Shu."

Moreover, Liu Miao then gave a sly smile.

"With Gongjin in Xuzhou, we will surely be able to defeat Yuan Shu."

"While Jiangdong is indeed wealthy, it cannot cross the Yangtze River to the north. After Gongjin goes to assist Liu Bei, he should directly lead his army to garrison in Guangling, which will make it convenient for the army to threaten Huainan at any time!"

Helping Liu Bei was certainly a decision made from a broader perspective.

But I can't just work for Liu Bei for nothing, can I?

Liu Miao has now surveyed the terrain of Wan County; it is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Although I've never been to Chaoxian, a pass like this, which guards a waterway, doesn't seem like it could be easily taken.

Since that's the case, let's just let Zhou Yu take this opportunity to establish a foothold in Guangling and make it a bridgehead for attacking Huainan!
Compared to the strategy in Xuzhou, all Liu Miao had to do in Wan County was chat with old friends.

That night, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce led their army back to the Yangtze River, sailing downstream to Guangling to support Liu Bei. They left only three thousand soldiers with Liu Miao to guard against Yuan Shu!
Sure enough, at noon the next day, the city gates of Wan County were suddenly flung open, and Yuan Shu's imperial procession filed out and landed opposite Liu Miao's camp.

Yuan Shu rode in his golden chariot to the front of the two armies and shouted to Liu Miao: "Liu Miao! You treacherous villain! Now that you see me, you don't even dare to see me?"

Liu Miao, dressed in gold and silver armor with fish scales and a sword at his waist, and wearing a dark red cloud-patterned cloak, rode a swift horse and slowly emerged from the camp gate, guarded by Zhou Tai on his left and Chen Wu on his right.

Compared to Yuan Shu, although he arrived without a carriage or attendants, his composure was even more impressive, showing no signs of stage fright!

Liu Miao looked at Yuan Shu not far away and felt delighted!
"General Hou! I'm so glad to finally meet you! You know, my admiration for you is like the mighty Yangtze River, unstoppable! I thought I would never have the chance to behold your honor in my lifetime, but I never expected to have the opportunity to meet you now!"

"Liu Miao!"

At this moment, Yuan Shu disregarded the dignity of the emperor and stood on the carriage, shouting, "Are you going to say such disgusting things in front of me now?"

Liu Miao replied earnestly, "These are truly my heartfelt words!"

"General Hou, though you suffered humiliation at the hands of Mengde, you are still a great hero who fought against Dong Zhuo! You are a representative of all scholars in the world! My admiration for General Hou is evident to all!"

Yuan Shu stood there stunned: "Really?"

He believed it!
He actually believed it!
Liu Miao put his hand to his forehead, suddenly understanding why Yuan Shu, who once occupied Nanyang and commanded half the country, had fallen to this state.

It seems that Yuan Shu still hasn't grasped the brutal reality of the life-or-death struggle among the warlords.

Yuan Shu truly treated the battlefield like a political arena, believing that everything could be traded at any time, treating the struggle for supremacy as a child's game...

Liu Miao even wondered if Yuan Shu would immediately be overjoyed if he said he was willing to submit, and then forgive and forget, and bestow upon him a lot of wealth.

Just thinking about all that wealth and food made Liu Miao's mouth water.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shu has now declared himself emperor, and if I want to continue to move among the warlords in the future, I must never have any further dealings with Yuan Shu.

"Hey~~~"

Liu Miao sighed.

Look how good we used to be!

I can write two letters and send you some random things, and you'll get a lot of money and food... It's a pity you had to become emperor.

When Yuan Shu saw that Liu Miao remained silent for a long time, he realized that he had been tricked again, and immediately cursed: "Liu Miao! You were the one who said, 'The one who will replace the Han is Dangtu Gao!' You were the one who said, 'We have received the mandate of Heaven and our reign will be long and prosperous!' How can you be so faithless?"

"Ugh!"

Liu Miao raised his voice a few decibels.

"General Hou! You can talk nonsense about food, but you can't say whatever you want!"

"When did I, Liu Miao, ever say such a thing? Don't make baseless accusations!"

Yuan Shu was taken aback.

Yes.

These words were all relayed to him by Liu Miao under the pretense of Han Yin, and there was really no written evidence left behind!
Yuan Shu never expected Liu Miao to renege on his promise like this! He actually swallowed the words Liu Miao had uttered!
"Liu Miao! You really are a scoundrel!"

"Thank you for the compliment, General!"

Liu Miao thanked Yuan Shu, and at the same time advised Yuan Shu again: "General, why must you do such a treasonous thing? Why not turn back before it's too late and come with me to Xuchang to meet the Emperor!"

"I am, after all, the Emperor's uncle. If I plead with the Emperor, he might spare your life! That way, the reputation of the Yuan family of Runan can be preserved!"

"Pooh!"

It was only at this point that Yuan Shu finally saw the true nature of Liu Miao!

Scoundrel!

You scoundrel!

I will kill him!
Thinking of this, Yuan Shu immediately repeated Liu Miao's words: "Liu Miao! If you bind your hands now and surrender to me, I will spare your life!"

Liu Miao chuckled, thinking that Yuan Shu was probably still half asleep.

Now that he could leave at any time, Yuan Shu still wanted to persuade him to surrender, which really shows that he didn't understand the situation.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Shu's next words instantly reversed the situation—

"Liu Miao! By using the strength of Sun Jian's former subordinates to seize Jiangdong, you will inevitably suffer their backlash!"

"To tell you the truth! I have already sent people to contact Sun Ben and Sun Fu! The two of them have already raised an army in Jiangdong and cut off your retreat!"

"Now you've become a lonely ghost, wandering the north of the Yangtze River, yet you still spout nonsense here, utterly ignorant of your own limitations! I'm giving you one last chance! Surrender or not!"

Yuan Shu's words immediately caused a stir among Liu Miao's soldiers!
Even Zhou Tai, gripping his sword hilt nervously, whispered to Liu Miao, "My lord! Is what that traitor Yuan said true?"

"True? True my ass!"

Liu Miao laughed loudly, pointing at Yuan Shu opposite him: "Since that's the case, I'll tell you the truth! I've already contacted Yuan Shao and asked him to send troops to teach your good-for-nothing brother a lesson! If you don't believe me, just turn around and look! He's standing right behind you right now!"

Yuan Shu felt a chill run down his spine, but when he looked back, there was only Qingfeng Erliang, and no sign of Yuan Shao, the son of a maid.
"Liu Miao! How dare you humiliate me time and time again!"

(End of this chapter)