I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 163 Don't you like it?

Shouchun.

The years since Yuan Shu declared himself emperor have not been as comfortable as he had imagined.

He wanted to subdue Liu Bei, Lü Bu, Liu Miao, and others, but instead they became his enemies.

They wanted to attack Xuzhou, but were blocked outside Guangling by Liu Bei, Zhou Yu, and Sun Ce.

He wanted to personally lead an expedition against Liu Miao, but for some reason Liu Miao turned and headed into the mountains.

Their attempts to contact Sun Ben, Sun Fu, Hao Meng, and others to rebel also failed.

Now, staying in the palace in Shouchun, listening to these musicians brought from Luoyang playing the pure "Wei Tai Yuan" and "Sunrise and Sunset"—isn't that delightful?
Yuan Shu leaned back on the couch, his right hand supporting his head, his left hand tapping along to the musicians' playing, and he began to sing to himself—

"I live in poverty and hardship, my times are different from others."

"Therefore, spring is not my spring, summer is not my summer, autumn is not my autumn, and winter is not my winter."

"..."

"Hey, why doesn't Huang Qi come down here?"

Chenghuang, Chenghuang, since you are a divine horse, why don't you come down and carry me to the heavens?

There is true freedom in music!
Listen to the melodious sounds of silk and bamboo instruments, and watch the graceful sleeves of immortals.

If there truly is a heavenly realm, it must be like this, free from all worries, right?
Yuan Shu loosened his belt, revealing his thin, bony chest. He looked just like a god, no longer bound by earthly constraints, and could float away as if in paradise.
"His Majesty."

But when a beautifully crafted eunuch came to Yuan Shu's side and called out softly, Yuan Shu suddenly fell from the heavenly palace and became an emperor on earth once again.

"I thought that after becoming the emperor, I would have no more worries, but why are my worries increasing now?"

Yuan Shu looked at the young eunuch beside him, pinched his chin and examined him: "The one who should be groveling and respectfully serving me right now is Liu Zhongshan! But why does your face look so unlike his?"

The young eunuch's breathing quickened, and he lowered his body in fear.

Yuan Shu then slapped the young eunuch hard across the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

"What's the matter? Tell me."

"Your Majesty, military intelligence has arrived from the east. General Zhang Xun's scouts spotted the banners of Liu Miao, the Governor of Yangzhou and General of the Cavalry, in the vicinity of Dongyang."

Swish!
Yuan Shu stood up, and his robes slipped down with his movement, completely revealing his skeletal shoulders.

"What did you say?"

The young eunuch quickly took out the military intelligence and presented it to Yuan Shu with both hands.

Yuan Shu's slightly swollen eyes widened in surprise: "Good! Good!"

"You got away in Wan County, but I'll see if you can escape this time!"

Yuan Shu, barefoot, rushed out of the palace and roared, "Prepare the ceremonial guard! I am going to personally lead the army!"

"This time, it's either kill Liu Miao or seize Xuzhou!"

------

Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui's army was originally stationed in the Zhongli area.

In recent days, however, it has been advancing steadily and is now approaching Huailing.

As Yuan Shu's army was about to approach the low-lying, watery areas such as Pofu Pond, Zhou Yu immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Yuan Shu's army is likely to launch a preemptive attack on Guangling!"

As the frequency of clashes and battles between the two sides' scouts increased, it further confirmed Zhou Yu's judgment.

"Now that Xuzhou is in turmoil, why does Yuan Shu choose to advance from Guangling instead of attacking Xuzhou from Xiaopei?"

From Huainan to Guangling, it seems that one can follow the Huai River downstream. However, because the terrain in the lower reaches of the Huai River is too flat, there are many small lakes and ponds that are not connected together, such as Fuling Lake, Pofujian, and Nidun.

The existence of these puddles and lowlands often meant logistical difficulties, damp camps, and muddy conditions for cavalry.

No matter how you look at it, attacking Xiaopei directly from the west of Xuzhou across the vast plains would have been more advantageous for Yuan Shu. So why did Yuan Shu choose to attack Guangling at this particular time?
Liu Miao had his own answer to this—

"It's probably because of me."

"..."

Zhou Yu sighed and asked, "Has our lord already persuaded General Gao Shun?"

"Of course!"

Lu Bu had just acquired Xuzhou, and even the most prosperous Xiapi County was enough for him to digest for a while, so Guangling County was naturally placed under Liu Miao's administration.

The equal distribution of land and the establishment of military garrisons have now been implemented in several counties south of Guangling, and Gao Shun has officially gone there to train troops.

They acted swiftly, but unexpectedly, Yuan Shu seized the opportunity and suddenly launched an attack.

Liu Miao asked for a map of Yangzhou, looked at it for a while, and then handed the map to Zhou Yu, while he closed his eyes to rest.

Zhou Yu took the map, placed the fingers of his left and right hands on the two places in the upper right corner, and then looked at the middle area.

That expanse of water, varying in depth and size.

"Xuzhou has a flat terrain, unlike other places. The only advantage we can rely on in battle is the Huai River."

"However, these waterways block the way between Huainan and Lujiang, making it extremely difficult for troops to deploy in these areas."

Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu: "So, Gongjin means we should avoid these marshes as much as possible?"

"That's not the case."

Zhou Yu observed these waters—

“Now it is winter and the Huai River has dried up, so there are actually a lot of open spaces inside that can be used for camping.”

"If soldiers are sent to build camps in these open spaces, it will surely deter Yuan Shu's army from continuing eastward across the Huai River."

Upon hearing that Zhou Yu intended to station his army in this dangerous marshland, Sun Ce immediately frowned.

"Gongjin, if that's the case, Yuan Shu's army only needs to temporarily block the Huai River or other tributaries, such as the Sui River and An River, and then take the opportunity to breach the dams, and all these troops will be submerged in the water!"

The terrain in the lower reaches of the Huai River is far too flat! Sometimes a torrential rain can flood these areas completely. Zhou Yu wants to station his army in such a place. Isn't he just handing it over to Yuan Shu's army for nothing?

However, at this moment, Lü Meng and Lu Yi were also engrossed in looking at the map.

What are you two looking at?!

Perhaps because they shared similar circumstances, both inexplicably becoming Liu Miao's sons, Sun Ce was very tolerant of them, showing a kind of sympathy and mutual appreciation for their shared plight.

Following their gaze, Sun Ce realized that they were not looking at Guangling, which he and Zhou Yu were discussing, but at Lujiang County, which was located directly above Jiangdong!
"What are you two looking at Lujiang for? The battlefield isn't even in Lujiang... Hmm?"

Fortunately, Sun Ce was not stupid.

On the contrary, Sun Ce had an almost superhuman sense of smell when it came to warfare, and he instantly discovered where the opportunity for victory lay!
"It seems Bo Fu has also discovered it." Zhou Yu glanced at Liu Miao, who was still resting with his eyes closed. "This must be why our lord didn't want the map of Guangling, but chose the map of Yangzhou instead, right?"

Sun Ce's eyes immediately turned strange, and he asked Zhou Yu in a low voice, "Didn't our lord always say that he knew nothing about military affairs?"

However, there were only a few people in the tent, and they were discussing military matters, so it was even quieter. No matter how low Sun Ce's voice was, Liu Miao still heard it.

"I know nothing about soldiers."

Liu Miao finally opened his eyes and stretched comfortably.

"So you see, isn't this deliberately avoiding Yuan Shu and not fighting him?"

Sun Ce's expression became even stranger, but he didn't say anything more.

Liu Miao finally stood up: "According to Gongjin's plan, the soldiers should go to those low-lying areas to build camps and conceal their presence?"

"It's not really about building anything; it's just to keep Yuan Shu's army from making any rash moves, thus buying time."

Zhou Yu pointed to the Huai River and several other east-west flowing rivers that emptied into this puddle—

“Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui, who were under Yuan Shu’s command, were both good generals. Seeing our army stationed in these puddles, they could not possibly not have thought of using the water to defeat the enemy.”

"In winter, the river dries up, and even if Yuan's army builds dams, it would take at least a month to accumulate enough water to flood these depressions."

Immediately, Zhou Yu flicked his finger, turning the direction completely to another level.

"This month is enough time for our army to maneuver around to the south and launch an attack from Lujiang!"

"Wanxian County, Chaoxian County".

"Both of these places were key locations we wanted to feign an attack on. But now that Yuan Shu's army is determined to attack from the Guangling direction, our army can take advantage of the emptiness in Huainan and strike deep into the enemy's heartland!"

Previously, Liu Miao was unwilling to send troops to Xuzhou to support Liu Bei because he was afraid that if he sent a large army on a distant expedition, Jiangdong would be left vulnerable and Yuan Shu could take advantage of the situation.

The same is true!

If Yuan Shu were to launch an attack on Xuzhou, Huainan would inevitably be left vulnerable, thus giving Jiangdong the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Huainan!
In this situation, whoever moves first, whoever makes a rash move, will be the first to die.

Liu Miao never imagined he held such an important place in Yuan Shu's heart, enough to make Yuan Shu advance on Guangling regardless of the consequences… No wonder Liu Miao always said Yuan Shu was a good person. If it were Cao Cao, Cao Cao would probably never have given Liu Miao this opportunity!
"That would mean that my lord would need to stay and guard Guangling."

Zhou Yu looked at Liu Miao with concern.

Yuan Shu originally came for Liu Miao and Xuzhou. If Liu Miao had left, Yuan Shu might not have launched such a large-scale attack on Guangling.

Therefore, Liu Miao is currently a bait, a bait to lure Yuan Shu to keep moving closer while exposing his backside.

Although if Liu Miao had cooperated properly and withdrawn from Huainan in time, he should not have encountered any danger, and might not even have had the chance to meet Yuan Shu, Zhou Yu was still worried.

After all, for a general to throw his lord out as bait is far too contrary to the natural order.

It was only because Zhou Yu had enough trust in Liu Miao that he dared to suggest such a plan to anyone else, lest the ruler and his minister become completely estranged.

Even Liu Miao must have had some reservations about such a plan...

"no problem!"

Liu Miao agreed faster than anyone expected!

"My lord, won't you reconsider?"

"What's there to think about? If we can take Wan County and Chao County in this battle, we can constantly threaten Shouchun. With such a golden opportunity, is there any need to hesitate?"

Before he knew it, Liu Miao was starting to miss Yuan Shu...

"Bring me a pen! I want to write a letter to my most respected General Hou!"

……

How are you feeling? If anyone has upset you, please tell me immediately, and I will definitely teach them a lesson!

Although my visit to Wan County was brief, I was fortunate enough to witness your handsome appearance, General. You are indeed as beautiful as I had imagined. At that time, I considered abandoning everything to serve you, but the thought that you are now misled by wicked people and have unjustly proclaimed yourself worthy of the title truly saddens me.

【What you're doing now is certainly not what you, General Hou, truly desired. How about this: General Hou, if you simply kill the sycophants around you, I, Liu Miao, will serve you with the same respect as before, cherishing you like the sun in my heart, and our friendship will remain as close as ever.】

I humbly request that, General Hou, you consider our past relationship and grant my small request, so that we may join together in honoring the Emperor and restoring the Han Dynasty!

"Pooh!!!"

Upon seeing the silk scroll, Yuan Shu tore it to shreds!
Who could have angered him? Who else could it be but Liu Miao?

Who was fawning over him? Who else could it be but Liu Miao?
Who instigated Yuan Shu to declare himself emperor? Who else could it be but Liu Miao?
"Liu Miao! Liu Miao! How dare you write such a letter to anger me!!!"

Yuan Shu tore up the silk letter, and his whole body began to tremble.

Yuan Shu was already thin, and the heavy armor made him very uncomfortable.

Seeing Liu Miao's letter now makes me breathless, my hands and feet sweat, and I can barely stand!

"Tell Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui! Have them send troops immediately! Send troops!"

This letter was sent by Liu Miao from Guangling, so Yuan Shu was completely convinced that Liu Miao was in Guangling!

Charge in! Tear him apart!

At that point, Yuan Shu wanted to ask Liu Miao if he could still write such disgusting letters!

But just the next day, another letter from Liu Miao was delivered to Yuan Shu.

Unlike the previous one, this one is significantly shorter—

Why haven't you replied? Is it because you don't like it? But I heard you used to really like my letters, even keeping them in your bedroom for your servants to read to you. Isn't that true? Or do you want me to read them to you personally?

"Liu Miao!!!!!"

Yuan Shu let out a pig-like roar!
"What are Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui doing? Why can't they capture Guangling yet?"

Urged on by the front lines, Zhang Xun had no choice but to come in person to explain the reason to Yuan Shu.

"Your Majesty, Liu Miao has now dispatched many soldiers to build fortifications in the open space of the puddles. If we stand idly by, they will cut off our supply lines. If we attack them one by one, we will suffer heavy losses due to the terrain."

Yuan Shu flew into a rage: "Are you all just going to sit idly by and watch Liu Miao humiliate me in Guangling?"

"Your Majesty, calm down."

A glint flashed in Zhang Xun's eyes!
"Liu Miao was known for his ignorance of military affairs, and now it seems that this is indeed true!"

"Building fortifications in the open spaces between puddles may seem like a way to block our army, but in reality, it's digging their own grave!"

"As long as we build dams on the upper reaches of the Huai River to raise the water level, and then find the right opportunity to breach them, we will surely be able to use the force of the water to drown Liu Miao's entire army!"

Zhang Xun seized the opportunity to sign a military pledge to Yuan Shu.

"When that time comes, I will personally behead Liu Miao for Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)