I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 410 Defense and Counterattack (10k)

Qutang Gorge.

The mountains on both sides of the river are continuous, with hardly any gaps. Layer upon layer of cliffs and peaks obscure the sky and block out the sun; unless it is midday or midnight, the sun and moon are not visible.

A vast fleet of ships, its head and tail nowhere in sight, like a dragon patrolling the river, slowly made its way towards Jingzhou and Jiangling, causing birds and beasts to stop in their tracks and fish and insects to take flight in fright.

A few rays of midday sunlight pierced through the largest single-story ship, illuminating the small boat at the highest point, which faintly glowed as if it contained some rare treasure.

Once the sunlight in Qutang fades slightly, you can see a small section of snow-white, lotus-root-like leg lazily draped over the window frame, its five petal-like toes twitching slightly, as if attracting bees and butterflies to linger there.

After pausing for a moment, the lower leg finally realized that the action was indecent and slowly withdrew it.

Only then could one see clearly that the owner of that lower leg was none other than Liu Miao's newlywed wife, Lady Wu, in Shu.

Wu's skin appeared pink.

Despite the cool weather, fine beads of sweat covered Wu's temples, nose, neck, and armpits. Her body, pressed against the corner of the blankets, both longed to break free of the restraints and yet felt a mixture of resistance and shyness. Only her chest was exposed above, while her long, beautiful legs were slightly curled to counteract the involuntary tremors in her waist and abdomen.

"What's wrong? We've been married for so long! You can't even bear to show this to me?"

Liu Miao, standing to the side, had no shame whatsoever, and brazenly teased Wu's fragile heart with his words.

Wu gave Liu Miao a charming glare.

"Having been in Shu for months, seeing each other honestly every night, why would I need to hide anything from you?"

"only……"

When Ms. Wu said "but", someone next to her gave a friendly reminder.

There was another person lying face down next to Wu.

His Taoist robe was disheveled, and a fleeting glimpse from the side often revealed a mountain range that appeared as a mountain from any angle, taking in its entirety.

Like Wu, she could only grab a corner of the bedding to cover her firm, upturned buttocks, while her two round, long legs occupied almost half of the bed.

Yulan, the younger sister of Zhang Lu.

Her dark hair was half-loose, floating like gossamer threads on her translucent cheeks, making her skin look like fresh snow and moonlight, and her lips like unripe peach petals.

Perhaps it was due to its spiritual practice, but even when it murmured in its sleep, it still seemed sacred, like a lotus flower that rises from the mud unsullied, making people want to desecrate and ravage it even more.

Thinking she had woken Yulan, Wu quickly pursed her lips and remained silent. Only after realizing that Yulan had only been talking in her sleep did she carefully pull the corner of the quilt over Yulan's body, covering half of her body, while also gently tidying up Yulan's clothes, which were now in pieces, with a touch of heartache.

“Your Majesty, Yulan is a nun; she should not be treated like a concubine.”

When Wu saw the tear stains in Yulan's eyes, she felt even more heartbroken.

"Yo~~~"

Liu Miao, however, did not hesitate to expose Wu's true colors.

"These past few nights, you've been the one pushing me the hardest from behind! What are you glaring at me for? Did I say something wrong?"

Wu was both ashamed and angry. After arguing with Liu Miao for a few moments, Liu Miao simply picked her up from the couch and carried her upside down on his shoulder: "Was I wrong?"

Without saying a word...

"Snapped!"

"Was it wrong?"

"wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"..."

"Slap! Tell me now!"

"..."

Perhaps the noise of Liu Miao adding numbers was too loud, because Yulan finally woke up and opened her eyes to see the nonchalant Liu Miao and Wu Shi covered in handprints. She exclaimed in surprise, "Again?"

"Snapped!"

"not coming!"

Liu Miao put down Wu.

"From now on, I will focus my energy on military affairs!"

"Ok?"

Yulan asked Liu Miao, "Is Your Majesty's spiritual essence insufficient?"

"Nonsense! Don't you know whether it's enough or not?"

Yulan, having cultivated her Taoist practice to the point of being as pure as a piece of white jade, truly had no idea what Liu Miao was talking about. Instead, she rummaged through her belongings and soon found a medicine box made of sandalwood.

"Your Majesty, if your Dao essence is insufficient, you can try this."

"Why would I need these?"

Liu Miao verbally refused, but his hand had already grabbed the box and flipped it open.

What came into view were two brownish-brown pills.

"Elixir?"

"I practiced it myself!"

Yulan looked like she wanted to praise me. Liu Miao then reached out and scratched her chin, making her raise her head even more proudly.

"You can also make elixirs?"

"A little bit."

Liu Miao looked at the pill with suspicion, then leaned closer to smell it. Only after confirming that there was no strange metallic smell did he dare to hold it in his hand and examine it closely.

"However, I often couldn't control the fire in the furnace, and it would frequently explode. Over time, my elder brother stopped letting me refine pills."

"..."

As Yulan recounted her mistakes, Liu Miao raised an eyebrow: "You said you often explode in the oven?"

Yulan nodded shyly.

Liu Miao became cautious.

Is it possible that Yulan isn't stupid, but a genius?
"Do you still want to refine pills?"

"Of course I do!"

Magnolia's eyes widened!

Like Zhang Lu, Yulan also inherited her mother's "youthful beauty". Although she was the same age as Wu, she still looked like a young girl in her prime. Her lively and spirited eyes even made Liu Miao a little overwhelmed.

"In that case, when you get back, you should focus on alchemy. But when you're preparing the prescriptions, pay attention to the proportions of the various ingredients. You might be able to come up with something different."

With a talent for exploding furnaces, why bother practicing alchemy? What a waste!

"it is good!"

Yulan nodded excitedly, but she didn't notice that the Taoist robe she was wearing, which had been torn to shreds the night before, was completely unable to stop anything and could only tremble helplessly along with it.

"Go change your clothes first."

Having already dressed, Wu took Yulan's arm and said, "I still have a few casual clothes..."

"no!"

Liu Miao interrupted Wu Shi with utmost seriousness.

"Wear Taoist robes! That's exactly what I want—a Taoist priest!"

"..."

The smell inside was quite strong, so Liu Miao casually threw on a coat and went outside, standing on the railing to look at the scenery on both sides of the river.

unfortunately.

At this moment, the fleet had just arrived at the foot of Baidi City.

Looking at the city surrounded by water on three sides and embraced by mountains on the other, Liu Miao couldn't help but sigh, "If it weren't for Xiaozhi, I might still be trapped here."

"How can it be!"

Upon hearing this sudden voice, Liu Miao turned around speechlessly.

Sure enough, Zhou Tai was already standing there.

"Even without Xiaozhi, we will certainly take this city for Your Majesty!"

Liu Miao leaned on the railing and said lazily, "You've become quite arrogant after your trip to Shu!"

Zhou Tai chuckled: "Of course! After eating hotpot for so many days in a row, how could my temper not be big!"

For a moment, Zhou Tai felt a sense of loss.

"Goodbye Sichuan, goodbye hotpot..."

Seeing that Zhou Tai had also become sentimental, Liu Miao was about to comfort him when he heard Zhou Tai say something else—

Goodbye, girls from Sichuan with perky butts!

All the comforting words turned into a burst of strength from his waist and abdomen. Liu Miao kicked Zhou Tai hard in the buttocks: "Can't you be a little more dignified? All you can do is think about that young girl?"

Zhou Tai, feeling wronged after being kicked, said, "Your Majesty! Just tell me, aren't the women of Shu perky butts?"

Liu Miao thought of Wu Shi and Yulan, and laughed heartily: "Qiao!"

"Then it's over!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The sunlight slowly shifted, shining directly on Baidi City.

At this moment, the Han soldiers on the ship suddenly cried out, which also caught Liu Miao's attention.

Looking towards Baidi City, one discovers a white mist rising straight into the sky above the city, its shape resembling a god and its form like a dragon!
Legend has it that when Gongsun Shu occupied Shu, he built a city here. Because a well in the city always emitted white steam, resembling a white dragon, he called himself the White Emperor.

"Clouds emerge from Baidi City, rain pours down upon Baidi City."

"The high river and the rapid gorges are like thunder, and the ancient trees and vines are shrouded in darkness."

"A warhorse is not as free as a horse that returns home; of the thousands of families, only a hundred remain."

"Alas, the widow's demands are exhausted; where in the autumn plains does she weep in anguish?"

As Liu Miao sighed, Zhou Tai, sensing the commotion, approached and asked, "Your Majesty? What about widows?"

Bang!
Liu Miao kicked Zhou Tai hard again.

"Go! Issue the order! From now on, Baidi City will be renamed Yong'an! I don't like the name!"

"Oh~~~"

Zhou Tai clutched his backside and immediately ran off the boat, afraid that if he was too slow, Liu Miao would kick him again.

……

Departing from Baidi in the morning and arriving at Jiangling in the evening, the distance is 1,200 li. Even riding a galloping horse or riding the wind, it would not be faster.

The Yangtze River was extremely turbulent here, which also made the navigation very fast, and we soon arrived at Jingzhou.

Now that the Shu region has been pacified and trade has resumed, a large number of cargo ships are docked at Jiangling and Xiakou to load and unload goods, making the once deserted docks much busier now.

Many cargo ship owners waved excitedly towards Liu Miao when they saw the emperor's ships.

Some of those who brought musical instruments simply started playing them on the spot.

The musical instruments used by these common people were nothing more than gongs, xun (ocarina), ocarinas, and xiao (vertical bamboo flutes)—things that were not considered refined enough for formal occasions. They could not be compared with instruments such as the qin (a seven-stringed zither), zheng (a zither), se (a type of zither), and bianzhong (a set of chime bells), and were not part of court music.

But the sound that reached Liu Miao's ears at this moment was more pleasant than any kind of music.

Huang Quan and Fei Yi, who had come from Shu with Liu Miao, were also filled with mixed feelings when they saw this scene.

The benevolent are invincible.

Although Liu Miao's actions all suggested that he disliked Confucianism, it is truly unbelievable that this emperor, who never advocated Confucianism in governing the country, has achieved the highest level of Confucianism.

Upon seeing these people, Zhang Lu immediately and anxiously sought out Liu Miao.

In just one glance, Liu Miao understood Zhang Lu's intentions.

"Should we start in Jingzhou?"

"Ok!"

Compared to Shu, Jingzhou, with its already highly developed commerce and handicrafts, was undoubtedly more suitable for the growth of Taoism!
Zhang Lu had also heard that the slogan "revive the hundred schools of thought" originated from Xiangyang!
Although Jinling is now the capital of the Han Dynasty, it has only been a short time since then, and many things have not yet matured. At best, it is called the political and military center of the Han Dynasty.

The true cultural center is still Jingzhou, where Liu Biao cultivated the land for several years and received many famous scholars and literati during the chaotic times!

"You've made up your mind? Starting from Jingzhou is much more difficult than starting from Jiangdong."

Faced with Liu Miao's concern, Zhang Lu became even more resolute.

“If I were afraid of difficulties, I would not have followed Your Majesty out of Shu.”

"and……"

Zhang Lu thought about what he had compiled and was filled with confidence in the current path of Taoism!

"His Majesty said that the Dao is One."

"Your Majesty has faith in the Dao, and so do I!"

In today's world, there is no school of thought more correct than Taoism!
Zhang Lu firmly believed that he could break through the bloody battlefield of the philosophers with the iron fist of Taoism and suppress the world!
"Hmm~"

Liu Miao pondered for a while, then suddenly smiled with satisfaction.

"That's right. Some things, since they come from the people, must return to the people. If I keep protecting them, it will only cause problems."

However, Liu Miao was still biased.

To prevent the flame from being blown out by the strong wind, Liu Miao took off his sword.

"If you encounter difficulties, you can use this sword!"

But Zhang Lu only glanced at the sword before silently shaking his head.

"Confucius didn't rely on a sword, and neither did Dong Zhongshu!"

"And my grandfather, and Zhang Jiao, the wise teacher of yesteryear, I have never heard of them winning people's hearts with swords!"

Liu Miao clicked his tongue in disdain.

"Have you heard of Confucius executing Shao Zhengmao? You may not use this, but you can't be without it! Do you really think scholarship is just about academic matters?"

He forcefully shoved the sword into Zhang Lu's hand: "Go! Don't embarrass yourself!"

Zhang Lu, holding the sword, finally gave up his insistence and bowed to Liu Miao, saying, "Yes, sir!"

The boats docked, and Zhang Lu led his disciples and followers from Hanzhong onto the land of Jingzhou, while Liu Miao's boats continued upstream, turned at Xiakou, entered the Han River, and slowly approached Xiangyang.

Here, there was someone Liu Miao needed to see before returning to Jiangdong.

"Gongjin, how have you been? Oh, why are you growing a mustache?"

Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci, who had been stationed on the front lines and had not even returned home for the New Year, came to Xiangyang to meet Liu Miao. However, they were teased by Liu Miao as soon as they met.

"Come here! Let me touch you!"

Zhou Yu was always handsome and never grew a beard, but now that Liu Miao saw the stubble around Zhou Yu's mouth, he waved curiously.

Zhou Yu said with a sigh, "Your Majesty is now the Son of Heaven, and should act like one."

"Don't be ridiculous! I've never seen what other emperors look like! Now that I am the emperor, that's naturally what an emperor looks like!"

Seeing that Zhou Yu refused to yield, Liu Miao simply called for reinforcements: "Ziming! Boyan! Go!"

Lu Meng and Lu Yi had both learned from Zhou Yu and had served under him for an unknown period of time, but when faced with Zhou Yu's warning gaze, they could only step forward and say, "Commander, please forgive us!"

"Neither loyalty nor filial piety can disobey orders!"

The two men held Zhou Yu down, ignoring his struggles, and Liu Miao finally got to touch Zhou Yu's short beard with satisfaction.

"Ha ha!"

After the deed was done, Zhou Yu's armor was disheveled, his eyes were empty, and he looked like a young wife who had been violated, his whole body filled with resentment.

Liu Miao grabbed Zhou Yu's beard and said, "Gongjin, why did you decide to grow a beard? Don't you think it looks bad?"

Zhou Yu was fair-skinned with strong features, and even without a beard, he still exuded masculinity! On the contrary, with a beard, he looked out of place, making Liu Miao feel as if Lin Daiyu was angrily uprooting a willow tree!
"His Majesty……"

Taishi Ci couldn't stand it anymore and explained on Zhou Yu's behalf.

"This is mainly Yuan Jun's fault on the other side!"

"Now the Han and Zhao are separated by only a river. When the governor inspects the border, Yuan's soldiers always insult him. That's why the governor decided to start growing a beard."

"Oh~~~"

Liu Miao always brings up topics that are best left unsaid.

"What did Yuan Jun say to Gongjin? Did he call you a woman?"

Zhou Yu answered Liu Miao with his eyes.

Asking questions knowingly!

"What's the big deal! If I were you, I'd dance in women's clothes on the riverbank, then turn my backside to the other side and let any guy on the other side with guts come across the river and fuck me! Hahahaha!"

"..."

Zhou Yu was exhausted.

"Not everyone is as unmoved as His Majesty... as unaffected by external things."

The word "shameless" was ultimately swallowed by Zhou Yu.

"Tsk tsk! That's why Gongjin needs to keep up with the times! If it were Zhongda, he would definitely be wearing this!"

Sima Yi, who was suddenly called out, quickly shook his head.

He would never wear women's clothes! Not even if it meant death! He swore an oath by the Luo River if he didn't believe him!
"what!"

As Liu Miao was letting go, he tugged at Zhou Yu's mustache, causing Zhou Yu to wince in pain.

"How long are you going to keep your beard? By the time the war is over, you probably won't even have one as long as Guan Yu's! This is utter nonsense!"

"I'll make you a mask with a blue face and fangs later! Then let's see who dares to call you a woman!"

mask?

Zhou Yu looked at Liu Miao with a frustrated expression: "Then all my beard growth was for nothing?"

"You've wasted your time! Besides, you don't even need to look good! Even Xuande doesn't need to, so what are you afraid of?"

Liu Miao ordered Zhou Yu to shave off his beard on the spot, but once he did, Liu Miao regretted it.

"Why did I make him look so handsome? It seems that it's better for ministers to be a little ugly, otherwise how can they highlight my handsomeness?"

With this thought in mind, Liu Miao turned and glanced at Pang Tong, nodding with great satisfaction...

"Alright! Let's get down to business!"

Liu Miao sat upright, while his attendant had already unfolded a map of the Central Plains. The Ji River (Pu River), which marked the boundary between the two countries, was like the Chu River and Han Border on a chessboard, clearly separating the cities and towns of the two sides.

West side of the Central Plains.

Xingyang, Guandu, and Chenliu are extremely close together, facing Suanzao and Fengqiu across the river. They are located on the eastern side of the Central Plains.

Dingtao stands alone in the north, while opposite it lies the heart of Yanzhou, and also Yuan Shao's stronghold in the Central Plains—Zhencheng.

Zhou Yu sat on the opposite bank from Liu Miao, holding an oil lamp to illuminate the map in front of him.

"Your Majesty, although our army has occupied Yuzhou and part of Yanzhou, and can even be said to have seized most of the Central Plains by taking advantage of the momentum of the Battle of Kunyang, Your Majesty should also be able to see that the entire Central Plains is basically indefensible!"

The military role of those large cities was far less than their economic role.

"The reason why Yuan Shao chose to fight Cao Cao to the death at Guandu was because Yuan Shao wanted to defeat Cao Cao quickly. He thought that after breaking through Guandu, he could directly reach the city of Xuchang. That's why he was deadlocked with Cao Cao at Guandu for so long."

"But this time, Yuan Shao will definitely not make that choice!"

The Han Dynasty of today not only occupies most of the Central Plains, but also controls the entire south, including Jing and Yang! Moreover, it has the support of Lü Bu, who commands Qing and Xu provinces, making it clearly not on the same level as Cao Cao back then!
In this battle, Yuan Shao could not possibly focus solely on breaking through Guandu. Instead, he would wage a full-scale war to advance rapidly and find an opportunity to completely annihilate the Han army's manpower on a certain battlefield in order to achieve victory.

And this also means...

"In the future, our army will not be able to defend only one place, or even only one front, like Cao Cao did back then!"

Total War!

It is called that because of its massive scale, large number of participants, and long operational lines!

The reason Zhou Yu emphasized this point first was to let Liu Miao know that once a war of this scale begins, it will be a chaotic mess! Sometimes, you might not even know if your own main force is still there, even if the enemy's main force is there!
Liu Miao nodded, signaling Zhou Yu to continue.

"Furthermore, I believe that the border near the Ji River should not be the main battlefield."

"Why?"

"climate!"

Zhou Yu spent an entire winter in the Central Plains and gained a clear understanding of the harsh cold of the Central Plains and the north.

"There are few trees in the Central Plains, making it difficult for the army to light fires for warmth at any time."

"Moreover, southerners are southerners after all. The renowned Danyang elite troops are unable to fight in winter and are no longer as brave as they are in the south!"

Sima Yi then interjected, "Didn't Kongming go to great lengths to prepare many winter clothes? And I heard that after he arrived in Liaodong, he also organized the local people to hunt wild animals and transport the hides to make winter clothes to keep warm..."

"not enough."

Zhou Yu felt that Sima Yi ultimately failed to grasp the brutality of this battle.

"If war breaks out in the future, there will be at least 200,000 soldiers on the front lines."

"And the number of civilian laborers responsible for logistics and other reserve troops combined would not be less than 500,000."

"The soldiers on the front lines certainly need to keep warm, but don't the civilian laborers responsible for logistics also need to keep warm?"

Zhou Yu said, "Therefore, winter clothing can only be prioritized for frontline soldiers, and the personnel in the rear cannot be taken into consideration."

"This is why I believe the battlefield should not be set up on the border between the two countries!"

Liu Miao looked at the map: "Gongjin, are you trying to trap us and beat us?"

"Of course!"

Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci, the two supreme commanders at the front, came to Xiangyang to discuss the final strategy for the war!
"Another point."

Zhou Yu pointed to the Ji River, then to the Huai River, and finally to the Yangtze River.

"If we are to fight a decisive battle near the Ji River, our army's logistical supplies will have to travel such a long distance!"

Then, Zhou Yu pointed to Ye City and the Ji River.

"But the enemy's supply lines are so short."

"Fighting at this distance is disadvantageous to me and advantageous to the enemy!"

"Moreover, the Hebei area is already densely populated. On the other hand, due to the previous war, most of the people in the Central Plains have fled to other places, which is even more detrimental to our army's transportation of food and supplies."

If the battle were to take place directly near the Ji River, Liu Miao would have already wasted a great deal of national resources on the long supply line before the battle even began, which would clearly be a losing proposition.

Liu Miao frowned deeply: "So, are we going to hand over the Central Plains without a second thought?"

"No."

Zhou Yu pointed to the map.

There are many tiny dots on it.

"These are all fortified villages in the Central Plains."

“Some of these fortified villages were built privately by aristocratic families in the Central Plains in the past, while others were built by me during my inspection tours in some important locations.”

"After the autumn harvest in the Central Plains this year, the grain and fodder will be replenished to these fortified villages."

“Send a few dozen to a few hundred soldiers to each fortified village. With this food, they will be able to survive the winter.”

"Yuan Shao fights in winter because southerners are afraid of the cold! Once spring arrives, our army will be able to break free from the constraints of the climate and fight him with full force!"

Zhou Yu pointed to these fortified villages.

"These fortified villages were used to disperse and delay Yuan's army's advance in the Central Plains."

"Fortified villages have always been sturdy, and as long as there are still provisions inside, they are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Now there are nearly a hundred fortified villages in the Central Plains. It is clear that Yuan Shao will not expend his forces to besiege these fortified villages, but will instead have his ordinary militia surround and attack them!"

"At that time, these militia scattered in various places will also consume Yuan's army's food supplies... With this balance of power, our army will be able to consume less than Yuan's army!"

Those densely packed fortified villages were like nails that Zhou Yu had planted across the Central Plains.

Not fatal, but annoying.

They were able to deplete Yuan's army's supplies to a great extent, and at the same time, they could also damage Yuan's army's morale. They truly applied the "delaying attack" tactic to perfection!

If Yuan Shao did not intervene, the soldiers of these fortified villages would be able to harass Yuan Shao's supply lines, forcing Yuan's army to increase its investment in transporting supplies, which would in fact increase the logistical burden on Yuan's army.

Liu Miao looked at the lonely fortified villages and nodded slightly, which was considered as his approval of Zhou Yu's arrangements for the Central Plains.

Zhou Yu then pointed westward into the Central Plains.

“Yuan Shao attacked the Central Plains via this route last time.”

"Yuan Shao still holds Guanzhong and Luoyang, which means he is on the western battlefield. Yuan's army can attack Xingyang and Guandu from the west, north and east, which means he has the advantage."

After a pause, Zhou Yu said, "But I believe that Yuan Shao will not attack from the west."

"Admittedly, it might be easier to attack from the west, but the narrow terrain there doesn't allow Yuan's army to maximize its advantages!"

Upon hearing this, everyone became serious.

Those fortified villages are just minor paths.

Even if these measures can delay Yuan's army's advance and deplete their supplies, the final key will ultimately lie in the decisive battle between the two sides.

If we win, everything will have meaning.

If we lose, then it's all meaningless.

And everyone clearly understood what Zhou Yu meant by Yuan's army's "advantage"—

"cavalry!"

Zhou Yu also became serious at this moment.

"Kongming sent a letter from Liaodong, saying that the Wuhuan who had been waiting for an opportunity to attack Liaodong had suddenly withdrawn their troops. He guessed that Yuan Shao might have moved the Wuhuan to the Central Plains for this battle."

Taishi Ci added, "The Wuhuan cavalry should number six or seven thousand."

"In addition, the Yuan family has always been on good terms with the Southern Xiongnu, so the Southern Xiongnu will probably send troops as well, which will allow us to gather 10,000 cavalry!"

With this additional boost, the already dominant cavalry in the north were clearly even more desperate.

Zhou Tai, who was standing next to him, suddenly thought of something.

"Your Majesty, didn't you marry the daughter of Huchuquan, the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu?"

"This... the Southern Xiongnu are practically His Majesty's maternal family! Why are they helping Yuan Shao now?"

Liu Miao smiled slightly as he thought of Luan Ti's wild face and strong waist.

"Speaking of marriage alliances, how many marriage alliances did Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong have with the Xiongnu? Did the Xiongnu stop raiding because of these relationships?"

"The Southern Xiongnu are so close to Hebei, and Yuan Shao is known for his love of winning over northern tribes, so it's understandable that they came out."

Liu Miao didn't take the Southern Xiongnu's offer to help Yuan Shao to heart, but instead continued to ask Zhou Yu, "Gongjin, how many cavalry do you think Yuan Shao will be able to send this time?"

Zhou Yu made a mental calculation.

"Although there is smuggling between Guanzhong and Hebei, there is no official interaction between the two regions, so we can only make a rough estimate—"

"In this battle, including the Wuhuan and Southern Xiongnu, Yuan Shao will probably be able to mobilize 50,000 cavalry!"

"hiss--"

Zhou Tai was the first to gasp in shock!
He asked Zhou Yu incredulously, "Fifty thousand?"

"It might be less, but it won't be less than 40,000."

Zhou Yu was quite confident in his estimated values.

"Moreover, through news from merchants, we also learned that Yuan Shao had set up many blast furnaces in the Handan and Zhongshan areas for iron smelting."

"It's obvious that Yuan Shao did this to forge armor and weapons, and most importantly—heavy cavalry!"

Zhou Yu guessed: "Yuan Shao currently has roughly three to five thousand heavy cavalry!"

This news dealt another heavy blow to those present!
no way……

Hebei is so rich!
Even though the Yellow Turban Rebellion almost destroyed everything, it was still the essence of the Later Han Dynasty's two hundred years of history. As long as we rested for a while and recovered, we were able to develop quite well!
In contrast, the Han army...

Since Liu Miao listened to Zhang Liao's reforms of cavalry tactics, the number of heavy cavalry in the Han army has actually grown very slowly, and is now only a little over two thousand.

Before Zhang Liao's battle tactics had truly demonstrated their effectiveness, such a numerical disparity was indeed worrying and even frightening.

Zhou Yu simply stated these figures as they were, and then continued to analyze the battle with everyone.

"Therefore, although the west side can be attacked from three sides, the numerous rivers that divide the plains make it unsuitable for large-scale attacks by Yuan's cavalry."

Zhou Yu redirected everyone's attention back to the eastern part of the Central Plains.

"On the other hand, once you cross the Ji River here, it's almost entirely flat land!"

"Moreover, the Ji River has a small flow downstream and sometimes freezes, making it ideal for cavalry advances!"

Zhou Yu speculated—

"In the future, the Dingtao-Xiaopei route should be the main direction of Yuan's army's attack!"

"Once Dingtao and Xiaopei fall, Yuan Jun can cut off the connection between Xuzhou and Jiangdong in the east, leaving Lü Bu isolated and helpless, and slowly nibble him away; in the west, he can disregard the rivers and fortified villages of the Central Plains and push all the way to the vicinity of Jingxiang; in the south, he can threaten Huainan and thus reach the Yangtze River!"

Liu Miao looked in that direction, and in that open space, a name stood out conspicuously—

Pengcheng.

"That's right! It's Pengcheng!"

This is the ideal location for the decisive battle in Zhou Yu's mind!
Further north, the advantage belonged to Yuan Shao.

Going further south would result in too great a loss for the Han Dynasty.

This is the only battlefield where the two sides are most likely to engage in a large-scale decisive battle!

"Whoo~~~"

After listening to so much, Liu Miao was also a little tired.

"Pengcheng..."

This is indeed the best location for both parties.

The large-scale water network to the south of Pengcheng can minimize the losses of the Han Dynasty and give full play to the advantages of the Han Dynasty's navy and transportation.

The large open area north of Pengcheng was where Yuan's cavalry could maximize their effectiveness.

In other words, this battle ultimately boils down to two questions:

Was Yuan Shao's logistics crippled first, or was Liu Miao's army defeated by cavalry first?

"interesting!"

Liu Miao's feelings about this temple plan were neither good nor bad.

However, Liu Miao still asked Zhou Yu, "What if Yuan Shao attacks from the west, just like last time, without sending Yuan Tan to support him from Guanzhong?"

"His Majesty also said it's the same as last time..."

Zhou Yu made no secret of his strategic contempt for Yuan Shao.

“Yuan Shao has already been defeated once at Kunyang, so he will absolutely not choose that place as the battlefield again.”

“Yuan Shao is not the kind of person who gets stuck on trivial matters! He has no reason to launch another offensive in the Nanyang area!”

In addition, Zhou Yu had another reason he didn't mention.

The last time Liu Miao had to fight in Nanyang was because he was already in Guanzhong.

But now, Liu Miao will definitely be stationed in Jiangdong.

If Yuan Shao really dared to launch a large-scale attack on Nanyang, then Liu Miao could simply break through Hebei from Qingzhou and Dongjun, without needing to think of any other superfluous tactics.
Therefore, Zhou Yu directly rejected the possibility of Yuan Shao attacking the western route! He would ultimately still take the Dingtao-Xiaopei route to reach Pengcheng!
"I love Gongjin's confident demeanor! Haha!"

Liu Miao waved to Fei Yi.

"Gongjin, let's hear what this child has to say?"

"Oh?"

Zhou Yu scrutinized Fei Yi from head to toe, while Fei Yi was also surprised that Liu Miao had so quickly included him in such an important decision-making process for the Han Dynasty, and couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

However, as Fei Yi gradually became more fluent and articulate, that nervousness slowly disappeared without a trace...

Is it possible that Yuan Tan will lead his troops to Hebei?

Zhou Yu was also quite interested in this speculation!

Seeing that Fei Yi was so young yet could speak so eloquently, Zhou Yu couldn't help but exclaim to Liu Miao, "Your Majesty has truly found a treasure in Shu."

"Ha! I've acquired many treasures this time!"

Fa Zheng, Zhang Ren, Huang Quan...

He also stuffed his own ideas into the shell of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, along with the experience gained from his first imperial examination, and two beautiful ladies from Sichuan, one of whom might even be able to research something extraordinary...

Compared to these, Fei Yi, though also extremely valuable, is really nothing special.

Zhou Yu was always helpless in the face of Liu Miao, taking it as Liu Miao's modesty, so he stopped paying attention to Fei Yi and began to consider the possibility of Fei Yi's words.

"It might be possible! But it's hard to verify, and taking any rash action would be too risky."

Guanzhong is a place where you can travel from Wuguan to Nanyang!

As for how much wealth Guanzhong has accumulated in the past two years, even a guess would be pretty accurate.

With this money, Yuan Tan could very well build an elite force! If he were to defend Nanyang based solely on a guess, and use Nanyang to prevent the troop movement from Guanzhong to the Central Plains, it would be a losing proposition.

"I think so too."

Liu Miao's words surprised Zhou Yu.

Since Liu Miao had doubts, why did he still have Fei Yi tell him all this?
Liu Miao stood up and stretched his shoulders: "Gongjin, your temple planning is indeed excellent, but isn't something missing?"

Zhou Yu did not understand.

"Military tactics have always been about engaging with the orthodox and winning with the unorthodox."

"Although I know that in a total war like this, Qiji is basically useless, it is still a bit too safe and predictable."

Zhou Yu sensed something bad from Liu Miao's words.

"Your Majesty, could it be that you intend to..."

"Guessed it right!"

Looking into Zhou Yu's eyes, Liu Miao knew that Zhou Yu already knew what he wanted to do!
"Gongjin, this battle, in general, can be described as a defensive counterattack."

"But if we only defend and don't counterattack, wouldn't we just be cowards?"

"Furthermore, Gongjin should know that I, whether in war or anything else, do not like to be passive!"

Taishi Ci looked at the two men with a puzzled expression, clearly unaware of their veiled meaning.

However, another strategist, Fa Zheng, who had come from Shu, had already understood Liu Miao's implied meaning.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to attack Guanzhong first?"

"That's right!"

Liu Miao gave Fa Zheng an approving look!

Now, Liu Miao wanted to verify whether his brother-in-law, Yuan Tan, was still in Guanzhong.

And if you want to verify it, guessing won't work.

If that's the case, why not just try it and see?

"If Yuan Tan is in Guanzhong, it means that Yuan Shao should not have concentrated his troops in Hebei to prepare for the southward advance."

"If he's not in Guanzhong, then even if there are some forces left to defend Guanzhong, they certainly won't be the main force! He might even have another chance to take a stroll around Chang'an!"

Liu Miao is actually going to be the first to sound the horn in this battle!
Although everyone present knew that Liu Miao sometimes had wild ideas, they never imagined he could be so wild!

Moreover... judging from Liu Miao's words, it seems that Liu Miao intends to personally go to Guanzhong to test the waters?

Zhou Yu reacted instantly!

He looked at Liu Miao with a resentful gaze: "Your Majesty, did you come to Xiangyang to see me, or do you intend to personally lead troops to Guanzhong to test the waters?"

Zhou Yu had originally planned to discuss this matter with Liu Miao after Liu Miao returned to Jinling.

However, Liu Miao insisted on setting the location in Xiangyang.

Zhou Yu initially thought that Liu Miao was worried that it was too dangerous for him and Taishi Ci to suddenly leave the war zone, or that Liu Miao felt sorry for his two long journeys, which was why he chose to come to Xiangyang...

But after hearing Fei Yi's speculation, Zhou Yu was certain that Liu Miao's choice of Xiangyang was initially intended to test Guanzhong!

"Hehe! Gongjin, what's wrong with your eyes! I just wanted to give it a try!"

Liu Miao deliberately stroked his beard in front of Zhou Yu: "That old codger Yuan Shao will definitely choose to fight our army in winter, which means that he is not actually fully prepared at this time."

"If Yuan Tan really goes to Hebei, he can completely ruin that old codger Yuan Shao's plan to seize power and conquer the Central Plains in one fell swoop!"

"Yuan Shao is notoriously indecisive. If such a change really happens, who knows if Yuan Shao will get so frustrated that he won't even be able to fight! Hehe!"

Zhou Yu's tactics were aimed at Yuan Shao's army.

But Liu Miao's underhanded tricks were all aimed at Yuan Shao's personality!

As long as it can cause trouble for Yuan Shao, Liu Miao will do his best to do it, no matter how hard it is!

"We don't need many people. Just let Zhang Xiu lead his cavalry to follow me!"

Liu Miao had already made the decision on his own.

"There's no harm in me making this trip."

"Even if Yuan Tan is still in Guanzhong, does he dare to come out of the pass to chase after me at this time?"

(End of this chapter)