I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 305 Caught in a Dilemma (Fifth Update!!!)

Yuan Tan had already begun to take precautions when Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao attacked Puban.

"The enemy's offensive appears massive, but it is merely superficial; they are not truly willing to send soldiers to attack at all costs."

Since the attack on Puban was a feint, and Yuan Tan had fortified the riverbanks so thoroughly that Zhou Yu would not send his soldiers to their deaths.

Therefore, Yuan Tan concluded that the attack on Puban was merely superficial!
Upon hearing that Zhu Huan had landed at Maojin, Yuan Tan immediately slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Just as I thought!"

Yuan Tan immediately summoned Gao Gan: "You stay here, I will go to Maojin myself!"

The high-ranking official hesitated and said, "Young Master, but Liu Miao is on the other side of the river."

"He won't attack this place!"

Yuan Tan was absolutely certain.

"He could have been even more ruthless, risking the lives of his soldiers to attack the shore and tie up our forces at Puban."

"But Liu Miao was clearly unwilling to sacrifice the lives of his soldiers, and instead shifted all the pressure onto Maojin."

"As long as we can defeat Zhu Huan's forces at Maojin, Liu Miao will absolutely not have any intention of crossing the river again!"

Yuan Tan was certain that Liu Miao would not attack Puban, and indeed personally led troops to support Maojin.

When Liu Miao saw Yuan Tan's flag suddenly move, he guessed that Yuan Tan already knew about Zhu Huan's landing at Maojin.

"Yuan Tan actually led the troops there personally?"

Seeing this, Liu Miao simply stopped pretending!

"Tell Zhong Yao to collect all the ships in Guanzhong! Even civilian ships should be requisitioned now!"

"Provide Zhu Huan's troops with all our might, and make sure they can hold out until at least the third day!"

"Here!"

Three days!

In just three days, enough soldiers to break through Yuan's army could be sent to the other side of the river.

If the city falls during this period, all previous efforts will be in vain!
In addition, Liu Miao also went to see Zhou Yu.

"Gongjin, can we change our strategy?"

"What does my lord intend to do?"

"Attack Puban with all our might!"

Liu Miao's words startled Zhou Yu!
“Since Yuan Tan dared to personally lead troops to Maojin, he obviously saw that I did not want to waste the lives of my soldiers to attack Puban.”

"But times have changed."

"In the current situation, there is no time to be stingy with the lives of our soldiers!"

When it was time to protect the soldiers, Liu Miao would do everything in his power to do so.

But when it came to using soldiers, Liu Miao was equally ruthless.

If something really happens to Maojin, Puban might become another breakthrough point!

After all, the ownership of Hedong was of great significance to this all-out war, both spatially and temporally.

Spatially, with Yuan Tan occupying Hedong, Liu Miao was unable to harass Yuan Shao's heartland, such as Bingzhou and Jizhou, thus failing to achieve the strategy of forcing Yuan Shao to divide his forces.

In terms of timing, winter is just around the corner, and spring plowing will begin immediately afterward. Even with Yuan Shao's vast wealth and power, it's impossible for him to cause trouble during the spring plowing season.

In other words, this battle may determine whether Liu Miao will hold the initiative for the next six months or so, and it will also allow him to train the soldiers of Jingzhou to adapt to the northern climate in preparation for future battles.

Liu Miao is now clearly determined to obtain Puban!
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Yu nodded emphatically to Liu Miao.

"It's definitely not the time to worry about so many things."

"Moreover, since Yuan Tan dared to personally lead troops to Maojin, he is showing far too little respect for our lord and me!"

Zhou Yu personally went to the front lines and summoned Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao.

"Now that Yuan Tan has left, we must attack Puban at all costs!"

Although Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao did not know why Liu Miao and Zhou Yu decided to turn the feigned attack into a real battle, they still went to reorganize their troops.

In the afternoon, Liu Miao's army sent another batch of soldiers across the river by boat.

The high-ranking official tried to stop them as he had in the morning, but after only a moment, his expression turned serious! The enemy forces in the afternoon were completely different from those in the morning!

The soldiers who came in the morning were less of an attack and more of a reconnaissance mission to gather intelligence and, incidentally, deplete Yuan's army's arrows.

But this time, Liu Miao's soldiers charged towards the shore with all their might!

He held a wooden shield in one hand and a short sword in the other.

Even when some soldiers stepped into traps or were hit by arrows, it did not cause panic among the others; on the contrary, their momentum in the charge became even more fierce!

When Gao Gan saw that Liu Miao had actually dispatched fully armed, heavily armored infantry across the river to hold the line, he finally realized something—

"Liu Miao, this is for real!"

Previously, Yuan Tan personally supervised the battle, which boosted the morale of Yuan's soldiers to an unprecedented level.

But as the saying goes, the commander's flag should not be moved lightly.

The higher Yuan Tan had previously boosted morale here, the more his departure diminished it.

Gao Gan was soon horrified to discover that Liu Miao's soldiers had breached some parts of this seemingly impregnable defense!

Just as Gao Gan was about to follow Yuan Tan's example and personally go forward to supervise the battle, an arrow piercing the air dispelled his idea.

Taishi Ci!
As a sharpshooter who was in no way inferior to Huang Zhong, Taishi Ci was also most aware of his advantages on the battlefield!

Targeted kill!

All officers will be dismissed!
If we're lucky enough to kill a high-ranking general in Yuan's army, we can win this battle in the fastest time and at the lowest cost!
Gao Gan witnessed Taishi Ci shoot a captain in the head, but he didn't dare to personally go forward to supervise the battle. Instead, he organized his soldiers to retreat and rebuild the defensive line while ordering scouts to catch up with Yuan Tan and inform him of the situation in Puban.

Yuan Tan was riding his horse towards Maojin, not daring to stop for even a moment.

Just as he was about to arrive, a messenger from a high-ranking official behind him caught him off guard.

"Liu Miao, suddenly launching a full-scale attack on Puban?"

This made Yuan Tan's previous certainty that Liu Miao would not attack Puban a joke, and he was slapped hard in the face.

"I'm so stupid, so stupid..."

"I actually wanted to try to figure out Liu Miao's thoughts and predict his actions, ha..."

Yuan Tan first made a self-deprecating remark, but then quickly fell into a dilemma.

Yuan Shao was a man of many plans but indecisive.

As Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan inherited this characteristic of his father to some extent.

I always hesitate when faced with a choice.

At this time, Yuan Tan would sometimes head north and sometimes south.

If they send reinforcements north to Gao Gan and Puban, no one can guarantee that Zhu Huan will be able to seize the opportunity to establish a foothold and launch a general offensive against Hedong.

If we send troops south to support Guo Yuan and Mao Jin, who can guarantee that the large army with Liu Miao in command cannot defeat Gao Gan?

Caught between two difficult choices, Yuan Tan was in a very vivid position at this moment.

Just then, Guo Yuan's messenger arrived in haste, urging Yuan Tan to provide immediate support and not allow Zhu Huan to continue holding out on the shore.

Yuan Tan bit his lip hard, and blood began to seep from his fists.

"Young Master! Please provide assistance immediately!"

Unfortunately, Liu Miao did not give Yuan Tan time to seriously consider or even deliberate.

Yuan Tan must, right now, immediately, choose a direction to provide support!

"Huh, huh."

Yuan Tan, panting heavily, glanced at the sunlight in the sky and finally made his decision—

"go back!"

"I'm still worried about Liu Miao!"

"As for Mao Jin... tell Guo Yuan that even if all his soldiers die in battle, he must push Zhu Huan into the river for me!!"

　Eleven chapters in two days, totaling 3 words! Hehehehehe
　　
　
(End of this chapter)