I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 293 Reimbursement
After eating and drinking their fill, a large number of beef bones were thrown all over the ground.

The soldiers, who had been listless, were now full of energy again, muttering repeatedly, "We're so full! We're so full!"

I can eat beef until my stomach is bursting!
This would have been unimaginable in the past!
Only the county magistrate looked melancholy.

The promised few dozen cows turned out to be nearly a hundred by Liu Miao and his men!
The thought of so many oxen ending up in Liu Miao's stomach made the other man tremble with fear.

However, as the saying goes: the oxen belong to the public, but your life is your own!
Therefore, after Liu Miao and his soldiers had eaten, the other side was not angry at all. Instead, they took some horses and weapons from the treasury and gave them to Liu Miao.

"Someone like you is too talented to be a county magistrate."

Liu Miao summoned the other party over specifically to inquire about his name.

Upon learning that this person was actually from the Yang family of Hongnong, Liu Miao suddenly realized the truth.

"No wonder..."

However, Liu Miao also wondered: "If that's the case, is it just you who surrendered to Yuan Shao, or is it the entire Yang clan of Hongnong who surrendered to Yuan Shao?"

The other person was startled, and even his tongue began to stammer: "Liu, what are you saying, General Liu? What nonsense! I told you, I am clearly loyal to the imperial court..."

Why are you so nervous?

Liu Miao didn't care about this matter.

Let alone the Yang family of Hongnong, nowadays, apart from the Yingchuan gentry like Xun Yu, who doesn't regard Yuan's army as the king's army?
If Liu Miao were the head of some powerful family in the Central Plains now, he would definitely flock to Yuan Shao and be his right-hand man. Who would care about Cao Cao?

"It seems that Mengde is facing even greater pressure than expected, tsk!"

He turned to look at the county magistrate.

I had originally thought of kidnapping him because he was clever.

But upon hearing that he was from the Yang clan of Hongnong, Liu Miao abandoned the idea.

"Don't worry, I won't tell Mengde about this. Besides, even if I did tell Mengde, I'd need evidence, wouldn't I?"

Liu Miao smiled with exceptional kindness.

"However, oxen are the foundation of people's livelihood. Even if they are accidentally drowned, they should be replaced as soon as possible."

"What do you think of entrusting this matter to the Yang family of Hongnong?"

Liu Miao, you're going to dine and dash!
Although the other person's lips twitched, they still agreed: "Yes, sir~"

"Hahaha!"

Not wanting to waste time, after replenishing his supplies, Liu Miao continued to lead his troops forward, suddenly heading west from Hongnong and plunging straight into the heart of Guanzhong!

Watching Liu Miao's departing figure, the county magistrate felt increasingly heartbroken: "What's the difference between this and bandits?"

"What if Liu Miao really manages to conquer the north in the future? That would be terrible!"

Just as the other side was having doubts, a rider suddenly ran back from the army that had already left.

The other party's heart skipped a beat: "May I ask, General, does General Liu have any further instructions?"

It was Zhou Tai who returned.

Zhou Tai let out a beef-flavored burp: "Just now, our lord sneezed and told us that it must have been you, you little brat, cursing him behind his back!"

The other party immediately broke out in a cold sweat and dared not look Zhou Tai in the eye.

"However, the lord also said that since you're at least somewhat human, and killing you would leave those oxen in a mess, he'll let it go this time! But remember to replace them with the hundred oxen in the county, so the people can't plow their fields, or don't think he can't deal with you!"

"Here! Here!"

The county magistrate, whose life had been saved, hurriedly nodded and bowed, "Of course! Of course!"

"Ah!"

After relaying Liu Miao's message, Zhou Tai looked him up and down before continuing to follow Liu Miao.

"Whoo~~~~"

The other party breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could even relax, he immediately shouted, "Someone! Send a message to the Grand Commandant! Tell him that General Liu and his men ate one hundred... no! Two hundred cattle! Tell the clan to replenish those cattle as soon as possible!" "Yes, sir!"

------

Guanzhong, Hancheng.

After learning that Yuan Tan had taken Hedong, Zhou Yu burned down all the ferry crossings in places like Puban, Fenglingdu, and Maojindu.

Military strategy states: Those who first occupy the battlefield and await the enemy are at ease, while those who arrive later and rush into battle are weary. Therefore, the skillful strategist brings the enemy to his own ends, rather than being brought to his own ends.

In battle, those who arrive at the battlefield first gain the initiative and can wait comfortably for the enemy, while those who arrive later are often tense and exhausted. Therefore, those skilled in command always try to maneuver the enemy rather than be maneuvered by them.

Now that Yuan Tan has taken the lead in occupying Hedong, Zhou Yu's side has been put on the defensive and has become the object of control.

However, Zhou Yu was clearly not the kind of person who would sit idly by and wait for his death.

If we don't have an advantage, then we'll create one!
Because the Yellow River flows into it at the junction of Guanzhong and Hedong, the Wei River, which runs through Guanzhong, makes the current rapid and there are not many places that can be used as ferry crossings.

Now that Zhou Yu has destroyed these ferry crossings, he has completely shifted the battlefield from Puban, which is closest to Guanzhong, to another location.

If Yuan Tan wants to attack Guanzhong again, he only has two places to go.

Alternatively, they could cross the Zhongtiao and Wangwu Mountains from Hedong, exit through Zhiguan, go to Mengjin, occupy Luoyang, and then take the Xiaohan Ancient Road to attack Guanzhong.

Alternatively, they could cross the river at Longmen in the north, break through Hancheng, attack Linjin, and then head straight for Chang'an!
Even a fool would know which of these two paths to choose!
No one would go through such a long detour to attack Guanzhong from Luoyang.

Therefore, from beginning to end, Zhou Yu only left Yuan Tan with one path: to cross the river at Longmen Ferry!
Zhou Yu was thus able to calmly set up defenses in Hancheng and wait for Yuan Tan.

Thus, the people of Guanzhong, who had been filled with fear due to the fall of Hedong, were calmed down again thanks to Zhou Yu's arrangements.

Upon seeing Zhou Yu's arrangement, Zhong Yao praised it, saying, "With this, we should be able to easily defeat Yuan Tan, right?"

"No!"

Beneath Zhou Yu's handsome face lay a cunning and treachery honed through countless battles.

“By burning the ferry crossing, I not only prevented Yuan Tan from attacking Guanzhong from Puban, but it also represented a show of weakness to Yuan Tan.”

“Yuan Tan must also understand this matter, so he will definitely launch a strong attack on Hancheng and defeat us.”

Zhong Yao immediately became anxious: "With the wisdom of the Commander-in-Chief and the bravery of Ziyi, can't we defend Hancheng?"

"..."

Zhou Yu sighed.

"There's definitely no problem holding Hancheng."

"But the problem is, who will guard Chang'an?"

Chang'an?

Zhong Yao didn't understand why Chang'an had suddenly been brought up!
Now that the east is safe, wouldn't it be enough to just hold Hancheng in the north?

However, Zhong Yao quickly thought of the force that had never appeared before—

"Does the Governor mean... Ma Teng and Han Sui?"

"good."

Zhong Yao immediately said, "We can try to win them over!"

“Ma Teng and Han Sui are both warlords in the border regions, skilled at self-preservation. They will not easily switch sides unless we can prove that we can defeat Yuan Tan.”

Zhong Yao was completely confused by this point.

How can we fight a battle that is both a loss and a victory?
Zhou Yu smiled without saying a word, and looked towards Hongnong in the east while holding his sword.

"Yuan Chang will naturally know when the time comes!"

(End of this chapter)