I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 86 The visitor is evil

After escaping Ji Ling's pursuit, Liu Miao traveled south from Chaohu Lake, followed the Ruxu River, and entered the Yangtze River at Ruxukou.

Although Liu Miao had previously gazed at the Yangtze River from Ruxukou, it was only now, as he was sailing on the Yangtze River, that he truly understood its vastness!
"It's truly an insurmountable barrier!"

"But it is also a trap."

Lu Su appeared beside Liu Miao at some point and offered a reminder.

"Born in sorrow, died in happiness."

"The Yangtze River is indeed a great asset, but it gives people the illusion of invincibility. If we enjoy the comforts south of the Yangtze and fail to strive for progress, then this Yangtze, which is used for defense, may one day become a hindrance that traps us!"

Lu Su's insight was exceptionally profound.

If we become complacent after seeing the Yangtze River, then this seemingly protective river will one day become a prison that traps us.

Liu Miao nodded in agreement with this warning.

The sense of security that the Yangtze River gives people is just an illusion. If you really think that the Yangtze River can protect you for a lifetime, you will most likely die a terrible death!

The small boat drifted on the Yangtze River. Fortunately, the wind and waves were not too strong today. Liu Miao finally arrived at Niuzhu and set foot on the land of Jiangdong.

After Liu Miao disembarked, he extended an invitation to the boatman: "Huainan is no longer a place for people to live. Why don't you stay in Jiangdong?"

The boatman hesitated for a moment, then bowed somewhat embarrassedly: "Thank you, Magistrate Liu, but I still have my parents at home. They are used to living in their hometown and are probably unwilling to leave their home in their old age. As their son, I should also take care of them at their bedside!"

Liu Miao wouldn't force him; he simply gave him some grain and instructed him, "It's not that I'm stingy and won't give you gold, silver, or silk, but if you take these things back, Yuan's army might discover them, which would be detrimental to you. Take this grain home and hide it well, and go and support your parents in peace!"

The boatman hadn't expected Liu Miao to be so considerate of him, and quickly refused, "No need, no need..."

"What nonsense!"

Zhou Tai was more decisive, directly ordering his soldiers to throw all the stones onto the enemy ship.

The other boatmen who came to help Liu Miao were also given food, and they were not allowed to refuse.

"If you can't stay in Huainan in the future, you can come to Jiangdong at any time!"

Liu Miao knew that Yuan Shu's actions in Huainan would only become more and more brutal, so he left these boatmen a way out.

"Although I have withdrawn my troops from Jiangdong, Ruxukou is a crucial point on the north bank, and you can go there in the future!"

The boatmen were once again deeply grateful. After bidding a reluctant farewell to Liu Miao, they returned to Huainan.

Upon hearing that Liu Miao had arrived in Jiangdong, Zhou Yu returned from the front lines to welcome him.

When Zhou Yu saw Chen Yu next to Liu Miao, he immediately smiled knowingly.

"I was quite startled when I heard that our lord had gone to Shouchun. But now that we see that both our lord and the governor are safe and sound, that's all the better!"

Chen Yu bowed to Zhou Yu, about to exchange a few pleasantries, when Liu Miao interrupted him—

What is the situation in Jiangdong?

Zhou Yu replied, "Lord Cheng has stationed his troops at Yuqi, Lord Gongfu has garrisoned his troops at Chungu, and Lord Yi has defended Wuhu. These three counties have all been captured!"

During the time Liu Miao was transporting the people, Zhou Yu steadily expanded his gains and took control of the three northern counties of Yuqi, Chungu, and Wuhu.

Liu Miao then asked, "So, what are your plans, Gongjin?"

Clearly, the area of ​​just three counties was not enough to accommodate Liu Miao, nor could it accommodate the people he brought with him.

Zhou Yu had naturally planned for this long ago.

"South of Wuhu, there is a river called Qingshui that flows directly to Wanling, the capital of Danyang County! And Zhou Xin, the governor of Danyang, is currently here. I request that you, my lord, order me to send troops to conquer it!"

Capture the king in one battle and strike his vitals!

Zhou Yu naturally had his own reasons for attacking Wanling: "Although Wanling is the seat of a prefecture, it has no city walls. Our soldiers are skilled in naval warfare, and by attacking from the Qing River, we can completely intimidate them with our military might! As long as we can take Wanling, the other counties will surely surrender without resistance, and we can easily capture Danyang!"

Apart from the plains of the Three Wu regions, the rest of Jiangdong was a remote and impoverished area.

Wanling, as the seat of Danyang Commandery, doesn't even have city walls! I wonder what the successive governors of Danyang were doing!
However, this also made things easier for Liu Miao, the newcomer! It can be said that as long as the boat can be sailed over there, Wanling is as thin as a piece of paper that can be easily pierced, and there is absolutely no need to worry about it!

Liu Miao had already agreed with Zhou Yu's battle plan, since attacking the heartland first was almost the optimal military solution, and Liu Miao had no reason to disagree.

However, Lu Su, who had been silent and attentively listening to Zhou Yu's battle plan, suddenly spoke up to stop him: "No!"

"This person is..."

"Oh, the newly appointed registrar, Lu Su, Lu Zijing."

Chief clerk?

Zhou Yu's gaze toward Lu Su instantly turned sharp. He naturally knew what a chief clerk meant to a power, so he scrutinized Lu Su to some extent, wondering if he was qualified.

After exchanging greetings with Zhou Yu, Lu Su said seriously, "Gongjin's words are not wrong. If we are only pursuing military victory, then attacking Wanling now is undoubtedly the right thing to do."

"But is what our lord is pursuing now to obtain Wanling as soon as possible? Shouldn't our lord's most pressing concern be the people transported from Jiangbei?"

Lu Su admitted that, from a military perspective, Zhou Yu's suggestion was not wrong.

However, considering the bigger picture, it is absolutely unacceptable to waste troops attacking Wanling now!
"Taking Wanling might indeed cause other counties to surrender at the mere mention of it, but we cannot rule out the possibility that some counties will put up a fierce resistance, forcing us to continue sending troops to besiege and suppress them."

"Moreover, even if we take Danyang County, we still need to sort out the household registration of all the counties, which is another time-consuming and labor-intensive task! There are less than two months left until spring, so how can we focus our energy on these things?"

Lu Su offered his advice—

"Instead of winning a single battle like Gongjin and taking the entire Danyang, it would be better to proceed slowly and attack Moling to the east!"

"After taking Moling, the counties of Hushu, Jurong, and Jiangcheng to the east will be left defenseless! And these places happen to be the areas with the most arable land and the flattest terrain in Danyang. If we can settle those people and help them cultivate the land as soon as possible so that they can catch up with the planting season and feed themselves, isn't that more important than taking the whole of Danyang?"

The overall terrain of Danyang County is high in the southwest and low in the northeast.

The capital of Danyang Commandery, Wanling, was located in the southwest, while Moling, which Lu Su mentioned, was located in the northeast.

Taking control of the northeast of Danyang County would provide access to countless flat lands, which could be used to settle the refugees who followed Liu Miao across the river.

Obviously.

Zhou Yu's decision to attack Wanling first was based on military considerations of achieving a quick victory; while Lu Su's decision to attack Moling first was based on economic considerations of resettling the people and not delaying spring planting. Both of them had their reasons!
When Zhou Yu heard Lu Su's words, he also frowned.

This wasn't out of resentment that Lu Su disagreed with him, but rather out of consideration for the feasibility of Lu Su's plan. Liu Miao also began to weigh the options.

Listen to Zhou Yu, and we can defeat Zhou Xin and occupy Danyang as quickly as possible.

However, the downside is that it will inevitably be delayed by other things, which may delay spring plowing and cause some subsequent problems.

If we listen to Lu Su and conquer the wealthy lands to the east, we can settle the people there. The downside is that we cannot drive Zhou Xin away quickly, and the war will be prolonged in both time and space.

However, after weighing the options, Liu Miao already had his answer.

To Liu Miao's surprise, before he could even say anything, the quick-thinking Zhou Yu was the first to weigh the pros and cons of the two approaches.

"Zijing is right!"

"To the east lies Moling, a land of fertile fields stretching for thousands of miles! It can serve as a base for our army!"

"Settling the people first will demonstrate our lord's benevolence and make it easier for the people of Jiangdong to accept us! Therefore, we should attack Moling to the east!"

Although Lu Su was pleased, he reminded Zhou Yu, "In that case, we cannot lead the army to launch a surprise attack on Zhou Xin. This will only give Zhou Xin more time to prepare, and then Gongjin will have a difficult time to win this battle!"

"What does it matter? Besides..."

Zhou Yu was extremely confident: "Even if Zhou Xin is given enough time, how can he possibly resist me?"

"Zijing's plan is a truly effective way to enrich the country. When the treasury is full and the army is well-equipped, wouldn't that be a great help to the military?"

Lu Su was surprised by Zhou Yu's magnanimity and immediately praised Zhou Yu to Liu Miao: "Gongjin's emotions are expressed from within, and his righteousness is evident on his face. His sincerity demonstrates his great righteousness. It is truly a blessing for my lord to appoint Gongjin as a general!"

Zhou Yu also praised Lu Su to Liu Miao: "Zijing has a broad vision and unparalleled wisdom. If you appoint Zijing as your chief clerk, you will surely achieve great things!"

"Alright, you two young masters have been flattering each other! How about I put a peach on your table and have you two become sworn brothers right here and now?"

Liu Miao had already decided: "Since that's the case, let's send troops to capture Moling and resettle the people first!"

"Here!"

Now that the battle plan has changed, Zhou Yu naturally needs to rethink his strategy.

All the original plans were scrapped. Zhou Yu then sent Cheng Pu with 1,000 soldiers to garrison Wuhu to guard against Zhou Xin suddenly heading north to cut off their retreat, while he himself led Huang Gai, Han Dang and others to attack eastward and capture Moling!
However, Zhou Yu remained worried throughout the deployment.

"In You County in the south, there lived a powerful and valiant leader named Zu Lang."

“If we were only attacking Wanling, the army could advance and we would only need to send a small force to defend the flank. But now that we are attacking Moling from the east, if Zulang sends troops from Youxian, he will cut off our retreat. We must be prepared.”

Zhou Yu's earlier decision to directly attack Wanling was precisely to clench his fist and strike Danyang's weak point.

But now that we are attacking Moling, it's like stretching out our arms to fight, directly exposing our vulnerable underarms and creating openings.

Although it is unclear whether Zulang is now an enemy or a friend, for a qualified commander, if it is unclear whether someone is an enemy or a friend, then all of them should be treated as enemies to be guarded against!

However, this would further strain Liu Miao's already limited forces, making it unlikely that he could gain a sufficient advantage over Moling and capture it in one fell swoop!
Liu Miao looked at the map and indeed saw that You County was located exactly between Niuzhu and Moling. If Zu Lang sent troops, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Since that's the case, let's take a gamble!"

Liu Miao asked Zhou Yu, "Do you still have those Yuan army flags that I gave you before?"

Zhou Yu understood immediately, but still hesitated: "I'm still here, but isn't that too risky?"

"It's alright! As long as we can buy you some time! Even if Zu Lang finds out, what does it matter if we take Moling?"

Liu Miao immediately ordered Zhou Tai and Chen Wu to discard their own banners bearing the character "Liu" and replace them with the silk banners bearing the character "Yuan." He then led only three hundred soldiers south, encamping near the Yi River north of You County. He then ordered his soldiers to beat drums day and night, creating a grand spectacle!

Zhou Yu also took this opportunity to immediately mobilize his troops, joining forces with Jiang Qin, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Zhu Zhi, and others, and rushed towards Moling, hoping to catch Moling off guard!
Liu Miao clearly sensed that someone was spying on him in the mountains outside the camp, but since nothing happened, he ignored it.

On the fifth day, scouts from the surrounding area reported—

"Suddenly, ten thousand men surged out from You County in the south and are advancing towards our army camp!"

Liu Miao immediately climbed to a high place to investigate and indeed found a large number of dark figures surging towards him from the south.

Liu Miao immediately ordered the soldiers in the camp to start cooking fires.

With thick smoke billowing from the cooking fires, at first glance it looked like a massive camp of ten thousand people, which was quite a sight!

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Tai and Chen Wu, two tall and strong generals, stood in front of the gate, each raising a large yellow silk banner with the character "Yuan" on it, looking very imposing!
This impressive display indeed made the first group of people hesitate and wait obediently in place, creating a chaotic scene.

After another period of waiting, a man who appeared to be a leader finally stepped forward and shouted into the military camp: "I am Zu Lang. May I ask which general has led the army here?"

As Zulang shouted, more soldiers came up to him one after another.

Compared to others who only carried sticks and hoes, these people truly deserved to be called soldiers!
They were all wearing two layers of leather armor, and their hands were mostly filled with shields, sharp blades, and some even carried bows and arrows. Their demeanor was completely different from those around them!

Liu Miao had actually been hiding behind Zhou Tai, observing the situation outside.

Seeing that Zu Lang had come in person, accompanied by some soldiers who were clearly capable of fighting, he immediately curled his lip and said, "This guy doesn't have good intentions!"

Zhou Tai couldn't help but chuckle, but he didn't dare turn around.

"What are you laughing at?"

"My lord, have you forgotten that we are the ones who came here!"

"Yes!"

Liu Miao suddenly realized!

I am the one who came!

Why should I hide?
Liu Miao immediately emerged from behind Zhou Tai and loudly replied to Zu Lang: "I am Liu Miao, the General Who Conquers the East under the command of the General of the Rear! The General of the Rear specially ordered me to come here to pacify Jiangdong and wipe out the bandits! Do you have any objections?"

When Zu Lang heard Liu Miao say that he had come on the orders of the General of the Rear, and saw the military flag with the character "Yuan" hanging in Liu Miao's camp, he immediately panicked!
Everyone knows the name Yuan Shu! Everyone is familiar with him!

The title of "four generations of high-ranking officials" is enough to make one dizzy and tremble just by hearing it!
Now that Yuan Shu's army is right in front of him, Zu Lang is just a mere warlord, how could he dare to resist?
Zu Lang's eyes darted around, and he immediately shouted, "Since you, General, are here to sweep away the bandits on the orders of the Rear General, why have you come to You County?"

"Everyone in the entire Jiangdong region knows that You County has always been peaceful, and you can't even find a trace of a bandit!"

Liu Miao's eyes twitched as he looked at the dense black shadows below. He wanted to question Zu Lang, "Then tell me, who the hell are these people?"

Those menacing-looking people, if not bandits, could they be law-abiding citizens?
(End of this chapter)