Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 215 Cao Cao: I have never seen a warlord as weak as Liu Jing.

"Liu Jingsheng!"

Cao Cao practically gritted his teeth when this name was mentioned!
"Such a prosperous land as Jingzhou is now in his possession; it is truly a waste of its resources!"

Cao Cao couldn't understand it. They were all powerful warlords of their time, so how could someone be as weak as Liu Jing?

A force of 20,000 men breached the walls of Changsha in a single night.

Lingling had a force of 70,000, and then what?

Xing Daorong went out of the city during the day to resist Yuan's vanguard, but Quanling, the capital of Lingling County, was lost that very night!

A full 70,000 troops!
Even if you had 70,000 pigs, it would still take Yuan's army half a day to kill them, right?
As a result, they couldn't even block one glance.

Not to mention, first Huang Zhong, then Xing Daorong, every general Liu Biao sent to resist Yuan Shu surrendered!
Although Cao Cao himself was ashamed to talk about this, in any case, the Xiahou Dun and Yue Jin he sent were able to hold their own against Yuan Shu for a period of time before being defeated and surrendering.

Unlike the people Liu Biao sent out, who were they? They couldn't hold them off for even a day; they surrendered almost as soon as they saw them!

They arrived faster than he could rush to the rescue, and as the battle raged, Yuan Shu's army actually grew larger and larger.

Cao Cao had fought battles his whole life, and he had never seen anyone so weak.

But there was nothing he could do, no matter how angry he was. He had no choice but to save Liu Biao; he couldn't just watch Yuan Shu take over all nine counties of Jingzhou, could he?
Fortunately, while the situation in Jingzhou was deteriorating, good news kept coming from Pei and Xuzhou.

"Both Liu Bei and Lü Bu have sent troops? Not only did Mi Heng not die, but he became Liu Bei's honored guest, wholeheartedly offering him advice and treating Liu Bei with utmost respect?"

Cao Cao frowned slightly. Was this Mi Heng mentioned in the intelligence report the same Mi Heng he had known before? Why did this one seem different from the one he had met at the Prime Minister's residence?

However, the life or death of Mi Heng was not important to Cao Cao at this time. On the contrary, he actually managed to get Liu Bei and Lü Bu to join forces, which greatly surprised Cao Cao.

"it is good!

Liu Bei led 30,000 troops to attack Chen County, while Lü Bu led 50,000 troops to attack Changping.

At present, Yuan Gonglu is far away in Jingnan. Even if Ji Ling is as powerful as the legends say, it is impossible for him to fight against Guan Yu while also being able to contend with Zhang Fei and Lü Bu.

At that time, Ji Ling will only have a mere 30,000 soldiers under his command, and he will surely have to seek help from Huainan. My great undertaking will then be accomplished!

After speaking, Cao Cao gave the order, "Where are Yu Jin and Li Dian?!"

"The general is here!"

"You two will each lead 10,000 troops, feigning an army of tens of thousands, and launch a feigned attack on Liang and Yingchuan to distract Xiahou Dun and Yue Jin, making it difficult for them to mobilize reinforcements."

"only!"

Where are Xiahou Yuan, Dian Wei, Xun You, Cao Hong, Cao Ang, and Cao Anmin?

"The general is here!"

"You will accompany me on this expedition. Immediately select 30,000 elite troops from among the three armies, pass through Nanyang, and march straight to Lujiang. We will not turn back until we have captured Shouchun!"

"only!"

Seeing that Cao Cao had made a decision, everyone immediately set off with their troops to Nanyang.

Because they were busy taking Lujiang and capturing Shouchun, they were afraid that Yuan Shu would find out and lead his troops back to reinforce them. In that case, the winner would be king and the loser would be villain.

Therefore, Cao Cao led his troops on a pretense of passage, passing through Wancheng without entering, and did not meet with Zhang Xiu and his men.

This move was both to reassure Zhang Xiu, who was using the route, that they had no intention of using the route to attack Guo, and also because time was of the essence.

Yuan Shu's winning streak was too fast. Before he captured Shouchun, allies like Liu Biao, Liu Bei, and Lü Bu would have collapsed.

That wasn't a direct attack on Lujiang and capture of Shouchun, but rather a long march that was thwarted by Yuan Shu, who trapped him in Jiangxia.

Fortunately, he had Xiahou Yuan, a master of rapid marching and blitzkrieg tactics, at his disposal.

He followed Xiahou Yuan's method and traveled swiftly, covering 500 miles in three days and 1000 miles in six days, rushing to Jiangxia at breakneck speed.

At this very moment, outside Xiakou City, the seat of Jiangxia Prefecture, a man was directing his soldiers to dig trenches and build fortifications.

This man was Zhang Xun, who had been here for several days with 20,000 men on Yuan Shu's orders.

General Zhang Xun, adhering to his overly cautious approach to leading troops, believed that if the enemy did not move, he would not move either, and as long as he himself did not take action, no one could be his match.

The fortifications he built differed from those of Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu dug deep trenches and built high walls to encircle the enemy and overwhelm them with his strong and wealthy logistics.

Zhang Xun is completely different!
He built this thing to surround himself, prioritizing his own safety above all else, which is excessively cautious.

Along the way from Lujiang, he built a fortified position almost every five li and a camp every ten li, which can be described as a step-by-step approach.

For Zhang Xun, what constitutes a victory in battle?
It's not about how many enemy soldiers were killed, nor how much territory was captured, but whether the strategic objectives of this expedition were achieved.

Yuan Shu's only requirement for him on this expedition was to keep Wen Pin in check!
Regarding this strategic goal, Zhang Xun said it was too simple. Wen Ping, who had become the number one general in Jingzhou in the past, was just a defeated opponent of his.

Even Wen Ping's title as the number one general in Jingzhou was earned by Zhang Xun himself!
Zhang Xun gladly accepted the order and then slowly made his way to Jiangxia.

Along the way, they almost always built cities, advancing ten miles, then building another city. This kind of behavior had already been ridiculed by Wen Ping's Jingzhou soldiers as "the Turtle General."

That's absolutely right. The speed of movement is incredibly slow, but the advantage is that it's really reliable.

Anyway, the lord's strategic goal for him is simply for him to appear here safely and without any problems.

After all, with such a high-ranking general as the second-best under Yuan Gong standing there, how could Wen Ping possibly ignore him?
If Wen Ping dares to lead his troops away from Jiangxia to support Jingnan, then this turtle general might just make a move to seize Jiangxia and advance on Xiangyang!
But Wen Ping wouldn't leave, and Zhang Xun was so stubborn and inflexible that there wasn't much that could be done.

After all, Liu Biao's main force was in Jingnan resisting Yuan Shu, and he only had 20,000 troops. How could he possibly break through Zhang Xun's defenses?
He couldn't very well lead his men out to attack Zhang Xun's camps, could he?
The key point is that even if he did that, he had already experienced Zhang Xun's ability to defend the city before; even with 20,000 troops attacking 20,000, he would still find it difficult to conquer.

It can be said that Zhang Xun's strategy of never making a move, like a tortoise, actually managed to hold off Wen Ping, the true general of Jingzhou, leaving him in a dilemma: whether to leave, stay, or fight. As for defending...
Zhang Xun didn't attack him at all; instead, he built camps every day to strategically intimidate him, putting Wen Ping in a truly difficult position.

In the main hall of Xiakou City, there stood a man nine feet tall, with a face like a red date and eyes like bright stars, resembling Guan Yu.

He was indeed from Yiyang, surnamed Wei, named Yan, and styled Wenchang!

This man was the brave and valiant one recommended by everyone during the last meeting in Xiangyang.

After Liu Biao recruited him, he boasted that with General Xing Daorong of Lingling in Jingnan, there was no need to worry.

On the contrary, Wen Ping, who had been defeated by Zhang Xun, was worried that he would not be able to withstand Zhang Xun, a famous general who was no less capable than Ji Ling.

Therefore, Wei Yan was ordered to serve under Wen Ping and assist him in guarding Jiangxia. Wen Ping saw that Wei Yan was exceptionally brave and kept him by his side, giving him considerable importance.

At that moment, in the main hall, seeing Wen Ping's grim expression, clearly indicating he had received bad news, Wei Yan hurriedly asked him the reason. Wen Ping sighed softly, handed him the intelligence report, his tone inevitably sorrowful.

"Defeat! Another defeat!"
Following Huang Zhong and Changsha, Xing Daorong has also lost, and now it seems that Lingling is about to be lost as well.

With Lingling lost, how can Guiyang be preserved? Jingzhou and Xiangyang are in grave danger.

After Wei Yan finished reading the military report, his face turned red with anger!

"Nonsense! Xing Daorong was defeated and surrendered to Yuan after his battle outside the city. Upon returning to the city, he pretended to surrender to deceive everyone. In the end, he opened the city gates at night and let Yuan's army into the city, causing the entire army of 70,000 to collapse."
This is utter nonsense!

Wei Yan couldn't understand. How could anyone fight like this? This guy, he can't even fight?
"That's an army of 70,000!"

Wei Yan sighed and looked at Wen Ping, "If Liu Jingzhou had not been misled by rumors and believed Xing Daorong, and had always appointed you as a general to command this army of 70,000, how could the situation have come to this?"

Faced with Wei Yan's sigh, Wen Ping shook his head, "Zhang Xun alone has already put me in a difficult position, unable to advance or retreat, let alone Yuan Shu?"
Even if I were to go to Jingnan, I wouldn't be able to stay there for more than a few days.

"Zhang Xun!"

It was Zhang Xun again. Just mentioning that name made Wei Yan grit his teeth in hatred.

He had been given a chance by Liu Biao to make his mark and establish a great career.

But who would have thought? The first opponent he encountered after leaving the mountain was Zhang Xun, who was single-mindedly focused on being a tortoise!
This rendered Wei Yan's extraordinary skills utterly useless, as if he had struck cotton.

Thinking of this, he suddenly bowed and offered his request to Wenpin:

"At present, Huang Zhong and Xing Daorong have successively surrendered to Yuan, and Changsha, Lingling and other counties have all fallen. The 70,000-strong army is almost destroyed in one day. This is a critical moment of life and death!"

Only if the general returns to take charge can he possibly turn the tide.

Wen Ping smiled bitterly upon hearing this, "How could I not know what Wen Chang is saying?"
However, it is true that Jingnan needs me to take charge of the overall situation, but how can Jiangxia do without me now? If I leave, and Zhang Xun attacks, who will be there to defend it?
If Jiangxia falls, Zhang Xun can advance on Xiangyang or retreat to aid Jingnan; he can move freely and no one can stop him.

As Wen Ping spoke, he seemed to think of something. He glanced at Wei Yan with a deep look in his eyes, then sighed softly and said:
“I know Wen Chang is capable, but you are new here. With me here, I can still keep the generals in check, so I entrust you with important responsibilities.”

If I were to leave, even if I agreed to entrust Jiangxia to you for defense, how could the generals in the army be convinced?
At that time, if the people are not of one mind and the army cannot obey orders, and if Zhang Xun attacks, even if you are a master of martial arts, how can one person turn the tide?

"General, you are mistaken! How could Yan be such a petty person who takes advantage of a weakness to demand military power?"

Wei Yan's expression changed drastically, and he explained the situation to Wen Ping.

"I have a plan that will surely defeat Zhang Xun!"

Now that things have come to this, Yuan Shu's forces are also stretched thin. If we can defeat Zhang Xun and wipe out his troops, then Jiangxia will be safe.

With Jiangxia at peace, the general can proceed to Jingnan to stabilize the situation.

"Oh? You have a good plan to defeat Zhang Xun?"

Wen Ping's worried face brightened with joy, and he hurriedly urged, "Since you have such a good plan, Wen Chang, why don't you tell me quickly?"

Wei Yan didn't keep them in suspense, and nodded slightly, saying:
"The reason why Zhang Xun is difficult to defeat is that he stays in his camp and never makes a move."

They are easy to defend but difficult to attack. If you, General, were to go out of the city to attack, it would only play into Zhang Xun's hands.

As Wei Yan spoke, a smile appeared on his face.

"Zhang Xun's method seems unbreakable, but in fact it has a major drawback."

You can't take both the beginning and the end into account!

They built camps all the way from Lujiang. If I were to lead a surprise force, bypass their vanguard, and strike their rear directly.

Fearing their retreat would be cut off, Zhang Xun would surely turn back to defend the city. At that moment, the general could lead a large army to launch a surprise attack, defeating their forces and allowing the general to advance on Lujiang.

If we can capture Lujiang and advance on Huainan, Yuan Shu's army will surely return to reinforce it, and the perilous situation in Jingnan will collapse without a fight.

Wen Ping was also quite surprised by Wei Yan's plan. He pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head.

"This ingenious and risky plan may be exploited by Zhang Xun. Furthermore, with 20,000 soldiers currently in the city being watched and guarded by Zhang Xun's scouts, how can we send out a surprise force without being discovered by Yuan's army?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan sighed deeply. He had wanted to say that things had come to this point, and delaying would only lead to certain death; it was better to take a gamble now.

However, noticing Wen Ping's increasingly haggard appearance, it was clear that he was deeply worried about the affairs of Jingzhou.

There was no other way. All 20,000 Jingzhou soldiers were being watched by Yuan's army. If they wanted to mobilize troops for a surprise attack, they would definitely be discovered. So where could they get a surprise force?

Just then, a messenger reported:

"Prime Minister Cao personally led 30,000 imperial reinforcements from Nanyang and has arrived nearby. He has sent people to inquire about the situation in the city."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the two people in the hall lit up simultaneously, and they looked at each other and smiled.

The surprise attack has arrived!

Wen Ping immediately ordered someone to report the current situation in the city to Cao Cao and to inform him of Wei Yan's plan.

Cao Cao had come with the intention of taking Lujiang directly, and now that he had obtained such a brilliant plan from Wei Yan, how could he refuse?

At that time, he and Wen Ping hit it off immediately. Taking advantage of his new arrival and the fact that Yuan's army had not yet discovered him, they continued to hide during the day and move out at night, concealing their march.

When Cao Cao's troops reached the rear of Zhang Xun's camp, he immediately ordered a strong attack.

With Zhang Xun's main army at the front guarding against Wen Ping, how many generals could possibly defend this place? It was soon in grave danger.

On the other side, Zhang Xun was utterly astonished to hear that Cao Cao had led a large army to attack his rear.

He couldn't understand how such a massive imperial army, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, had managed to arrive.

However, he couldn't worry about that right now and hurriedly led his troops back to reinforce the city, determined to arrive before Cao Cao's army broke through Lujiang.

However, no sooner had he set out than Wen Ping, who had also been holed up in the city, led a large army to attack.

In the ensuing battle, Wen Ping did not fight Zhang Xun to the death, but maintained a rhythm of attack that allowed Zhang Xun to escape while he himself could continue to pursue.

Zhang Xun was anxious about Lujiang, but had no choice but to retreat. This feeling of being anxious but constantly being dragged along was similar to Wen Ping's experience of being disgusted by the tortoise tactic.

Finally, after rushing for a while, when he arrived at the few camps he had initially established outside Lujiang, they had indeed been occupied by Cao Cao's army, who were waiting for him in full battle.

Our escape route has been cut off!
Zhang Xun sighed deeply. He never imagined that the fortifications he had built with his own hands would become an insurmountable barrier cutting off his retreat.

(End of this chapter)