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

Chapter 217 Mao recommends one person who is enough to stop Yuan's 100,000-strong army!
Xiangyang, the main hall for deliberation.

"My lord! We have just received a battle report from Yu Province. Mi Heng has lived up to expectations. He has persuaded Liu Bei and Lü Bu to send troops, a total of 80,000 men, to attack Chen State!"

With 80,000 troops against 30,000, such a numerical advantage means that if they can break through Ji Ling's defenses and advance into Huainan, Yuan's main force will inevitably retreat to reinforce, and we can achieve our goal without a fight.

Kuai Liang, who had already returned to Xiangyang, stroked his long beard and reported the latest battle report to Liu Biao.

"Good! Good! Liu Bei is a kind and honest man, and Lü Bu is a model of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. There are still many good people in this world who are loyal to our Han Dynasty!"

Liu Biao almost exclaimed "good" three times in a row. Heaven knows that when Cai Mao returned from his escape, he told him that Xing Daorong, the general on whom he had placed high hopes, had defected to the enemy and become Yuan Shu's adopted son.

How desperate he must have felt when the 70,000-strong army he had painstakingly assembled was almost completely wiped out.

Isn't that the end of it?
Faced with Yuan Shu's unstoppable advance, his own demise seemed to be only a matter of time.

Fortunately, just when he was disheartened and felt utterly hopeless, Liu Bei and Lü Bu came to his aid!

Even if we don't defeat Yuan Shu, as long as he can hold out until Liu Bei and Lü Bu invade Huainan, Yuan Shu would never exchange Shouchun for his Xiangyang unless he's gone mad.

hope!

This hope that if I just persevered a little longer, I would still have a chance was extremely important to Liu Biao.

There was more good news than one, as Kuai Liang continued to tell him as he flipped through the military report in his hand.

"The imperial court has also dispatched troops."

Cao Cao, the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, acting on the Emperor's decree, urgently ordered Yu Jin and Li Dian to lead troops on a two-pronged expedition to attack Liang and Yingchuan.

Hearing these successive good news stories, even Kuai Liang felt quite excited.

"The imperial court's dispatch of troops was timely. With these two armies holding them back, Xiahou Dun and Yue Jin's troops could not move lightly, and Ji Ling had no further support."

"Once Liu Bei and Lü Bu advance together and defeat Ji Ling, Yuan Shu will retreat, and my lord, you will be able to regroup."

"Okay! Okay!"

Liu Biao was moved to tears. When he was in dire straits, seeing this scene of help coming from all directions when he was in trouble was truly touching.

"Your Majesty still remembers this old minister!"
Since the court appointed me to govern Jingzhou, I have been in local positions for a long time, but I have never seen His Majesty.

Your Majesty ascended the throne at a young age and faced many hardships. This old minister has limited abilities and is powerless to help.

In this perilous time, Your Majesty and the court must send troops to rescue this old minister!

Your Majesty!!!

Liu Biao wept uncontrollably, a sight so heartbreaking that it brought tears to the eyes of all who heard it, as if he were some loyal and virtuous Han emperor.

In reality, everyone present knew that the so-called imperial edict and the imperial army were entirely controlled by Cao Cao. It was more accurate to say that Cao Cao wanted to save Liu Biao than that the emperor wanted to save him.

But, it's politically correct.

As a member of the Han imperial family, Liu Biao would never be able to feel gratitude towards a traitor who had held the emperor hostage.

However, since the two sides are allies at present, and Jingzhou is counting on Cao Cao to send troops to rescue it, apart from Mi Heng who has already been sent away, probably no one will expose the truth at this time and point at Cao Cao to denounce him as a traitor.

On the contrary, Liu Biao's statement was tantamount to him, as a regional warlord, acknowledging the legitimacy of the Luoyang court controlled by Cao Cao.

The Emperor's edict naturally represents the Emperor's will, and the court remains the court of the Han Dynasty.

This can be seen as a return of favor, since Liu Biao was in dire need of Cao Cao's help at that time.

As for whether Cao Cao actually held the emperor hostage and controlled the government, what did that have to do with Liu Biao?

In any case, the emperor of the Han Dynasty was born to be held hostage and controlled; this has been their old tradition for two hundred years since the restoration of the Han Dynasty.

Either he's controlled by the maternal relatives or he's held hostage by eunuchs. What about Cao Mengde now? He's the descendant of a eunuch, so let's just consider him a eunuch. It's reasonable to let him control the government for a while.

In any case, once the emperor comes of age, either the emperor will kill Cao Cao, or Cao Cao will kill the emperor, and then a new emperor will be chosen, continuing the cycle that has been repeating for the past two hundred years since the restoration of the Han Dynasty.

What do these messy affairs of the central court have to do with a powerful regional official like him, a member of the Han imperial family? As long as the emperor's surname is still Liu, the Han dynasty will never collapse.

From despair to hope, Liu Biao, who had been listless and ashen-faced, seemed to be full of energy again.

Just then, Kuai Liang hadn't finished reading the messages in his hands.

His eyes were fixed on the intelligence report in his hand, which was trembling almost with each grip. Seeing this, Liu Biao's heart sank.

"What's wrong, Yidu? Is there some bad news? Has Guiyang been lost too? It's alright, just tell me, I can hold on right now."

In Liu Biao's mind, how could things be one good news after another? The more things were like this, the more uneasy and apprehensive he felt.

But to his surprise, it turned out to be good news.

Kuai Liang, usually so composed, was overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward and personally handed the intelligence to Liu Biao.

"My lord, great news!!!"
Jingzhou is saved.

It means being saved, not that being saved.

The intelligence report stated that Cao Mengde had deceived everyone, personally led his main force, bypassed Nanyang, launched a surprise attack on Lujiang, and cooperated with Wen Ping to annihilate Zhang Xun's troops in Jiangxia.

Cao Mengde has now joined forces with Wen Ping, bringing the total to 50,000 troops. They intend to launch a strong attack on Lujiang, where the defending force numbers less than 5,000.

Once Lujiang, this last line of defense, is breached, the rest of the way down to Huainan and reaching Shouchun will be almost a flat plain!
Now we don't even need to wait for Liu Bei and Lü Bu to break through Ji Ling's defenses.

Because an unprecedented shortage of troops has appeared in Lujiang, which is near Huainan!
Under these circumstances, they probably don't even need to fight in Jingzhou anymore. As long as Yuan Shu hasn't gone mad, he will inevitably have to send his main force back to reinforce the city and fill the troop gap that is enough to reach Shouchun.

Even Cai Mao, who had been feeling lingering fear and in a daze since returning from Lingling, excitedly rushed forward upon hearing the news.

"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations, my lord! May Heaven bless Jingzhou!"
Once this news reaches Yuan Shu, he will surely withdraw his troops. Perhaps his intelligence will arrive even faster than ours, and he may have already withdrawn.

Jingzhou has been saved!

"Yes, Jingzhou has been saved."

Good! Good! "

These five short words fully express Liu Biao's bitter tears.

From the rise of Yuan Shu, a close neighbor, who constantly threatened Jingzhou and caused widespread panic, to the desperate gamble of raising troops to defend against Yuan Shu, Zhang Xian was forced to rebel, bringing a major war to the brink of war.

From Wen Ping and Huang Zhong to Xing Daorong, who was on whom high hopes were placed, they suffered defeat after defeat, losing troops and generals, and it seemed that there was no hope at all.

Finally, after all the hard work, the clouds parted and the moon shone through. Heaven rewards those who persevere, and Liu Jingsheng managed to save Jingzhou.

Although Changsha and Lingling were lost, the counties in Jingnan were not particularly compliant with orders, so losing them didn't bother them much.

With Xiangyang and other key areas still intact, there is still a chance for them to rise again in the future. Apart from Liu Biao, everyone in Jingzhou breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this news. Before today, they had all been preparing to persuade Liu Biao to surrender.

With the surrender of the top general Xing Daorong, only one-tenth of the 70,000-strong army remained, and the capital of Lingling County fell overnight. How could this battle continue?

Even if they could muster another 70,000 troops, the people lost confidence, because the situation was already very clear.

These people from Jingzhou, who haven't fought in a long time, are no match for Yuan Shu. Instead, they'll only make Yuan Shu's army grow stronger with each battle. What's the point of fighting then?

Fortunately, the allied forces were helpful. Times have changed, and if they could just delay Yuan Shu for a while and then achieve a "great victory," then the people of Jingzhou are quite good at it.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. A messenger on horseback, traveling 800 li in an urgent manner, entered the city at top speed, and the messenger rushed into the council hall.

In an instant, everyone fell silent, their smiles seemingly frozen on their faces.

It was only because the soldier shouted:
"Urgent dispatch from the front lines! Urgent military intelligence from Strategist Kuai!"
Yuan Shu's army has now abandoned Guiyang and is heading straight for Xiangyang with about 90,000 troops!

He and General Sun Quan had already executed the rebellious Prefect of Guiyang, and together with Generals Chen Ying and Bao Long, they had mustered 20,000 troops to rush to their aid. However, they feared that their forces were too small and outnumbered to withstand the onslaught of Yuan Shao's army.

"what!"

At this moment, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Only Liu Biao's mutterings resonated clearly in everyone's hearts.

"impossible!

why?
Yuan Gonglu, are you crazy? I didn't provoke you, I didn't do anything to you, you've been the one hitting me all along!
Now that we've acquired Lingling and Changsha prefectures, I don't care if you want them anymore; just go back.

Is it really necessary? Do you really have to risk your life against me?

Yes! It's risking your life!
Yuan Jun's strategic intentions are already very clear.

The 90,000-strong army moved into Xiangyang. Let's compare whether Xiangyang or Shouchun will fall first!

"Crazy? A madman!"

He, Yuan Gonglu, is a madman. We're all local warlords, ruling our own territories far from the emperor's reach. Why can't we just enjoy our retirement and live a peaceful life? Why does he have to risk his life like this?

However, no one could answer his question, and everyone felt as if a gloom had been cast over their hearts, a sense of oppression that was hard to express.

Ninety thousand troops!

It was still Yuan Shu's core main force of 90,000 men, who were invincible in every attack and battle!

Even if Liu Bei and Lü Bu could defeat Ji Ling, even if Cao Cao could conquer Shouchun, so what?
Once Xiangyang falls and Jingzhou is lost, Yuan Gonglu will occupy Xiangyang and take over all nine counties of Jingxiang and the six counties of Jiangdong, forming a unified whole. He will surely rise again, and his power will be even stronger!
But what did Liu Biao have left? Nothing.

The assembled high-ranking officials of Jingzhou looked somber and depressed, thinking to themselves: Should we stick to the first option and persuade our lord to surrender?

In the end, Kuai Liang sighed and slowly stepped forward.

"My lord, do not panic. The most important thing right now is to hold off Yuan Shu!"

What follows will be Yuan Jun's most intense, but also his final, offensive.

The situation hasn't deteriorated that badly yet. Most of Yuan Shu's troops are from Huainan, which is his base of operations, and he absolutely cannot afford to lose Huainan.

As long as we can slow down their offensive and hold out until we receive news that Huainan and even Shouchun are in dire need of help.

Therefore, their main army would inevitably retreat; they would never exchange their own base for their lord's Xiangyang.

It seemed that under Kuai Liang's calm and strategic advice, Liu Biao calmed down and came to his senses.

"The most important thing right now is to stop Yuan Shu. Yes! You're right, Yidu!"
"Issue my military order: Wen Ping is to immediately return to reinforce Xiangyang."

"No!"

However, before Liu Biao could finish speaking, Kuai Liang interrupted him, "My lord, General Wenping is of utmost importance at this moment. He is the key to the success or failure of this battle. Under no circumstances should General Wenping be recalled!"

"No?"

Liu Biao's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Kuai Liang.

"Why not? Xiangyang is about to fall, why can't we let him go back to defend it?"

If Xiangyang is lost, what use is it even if he captures Shouchun? Cao Cao is there; how can Shouchun be mine?

Only Xiangyang is the foundation for a stable life!

However, Kuai Liang firmly shook his head at this.

"General Wenping can withdraw to provide assistance, but not now."

"My lord, may I ask you a question? If we recall General Wen Ping, will he be able to repel Yuan Shu and force him to withdraw his troops?"

Liu Biao remained silent. Looking at Yuan Shu's previous achievements, the answer was self-evident; no one had any hope that Wen Ping could defeat Yuan Shu.

Kuai Liang didn't seem to really want Liu Biao to reveal the answer; he simply continued to explain it to himself.

"But if we continue to let General Wenping attack Lujiang, advance on Huainan, and bring his troops to Shouchun, we can force Yuan Shu to retreat!"
Yuan Shu is making a desperate gamble right now, and we are all racing against time!
The pressure exerted on Huainan by 30,000 men is drastically different from that of 50,000 men!
If General Wenping is withdrawn, Cao Cao's 30,000 men, even if they can capture Lujiang, will take a long time.

Fifty thousand men is different. It may seem like only twenty thousand more, but that might be the final straw that breaks the camel's back for the five thousand defenders of Lujiang.

Upon hearing this, Liu Biao frowned, his tone less forceful than before, and said only with distress.

"Even so, we are currently short of soldiers and generals. Without Wen Ping, who can serve as a general and lead the troops to the front lines to keep Yuan Shu out of Xiangyang?"

"This"

This question stumped Kuai Yue. At present, the generals of Jingzhou were either dead or fighting, so where could there be a general who could lead a large army to fight against Yuan Shu?
His gaze swept across the people in the hall, and everyone present lowered their heads and avoided eye contact with him, fearing that they might be chosen.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on one person, and he chuckled softly, saying, "The situation is difficult. General Cai, would you be willing to share the burden for our lord?"

It was Cai Mao!

Liu Biao was a renowned scholar, and his friends were mostly eloquent and romantic figures. Therefore, it was difficult to find someone skilled in warfare in the council hall at present.

Among the group of people present, the naval commander Cai Mao stood out like a crane among chickens. If he didn't step up, who would?
Upon hearing this, Liu Biao also turned his gaze to Cai Mao, seemingly agreeing wholeheartedly.

Among those present, if one had to choose someone who could lead troops into battle and hold off Yuan Shu, it seems there was no one else besides Cai Mao.

Especially since Cai Mao was his brother-in-law, Liu Biao believed that no one was more trustworthy than him. He was willing to let Cai Mao lead troops, as he was unlikely to betray his country and defect to the enemy like Xing Daorong, who became Yuan Shu's adopted son.

However, at this moment, Cai Mao hated Kuai Yue to the core.

He had personally witnessed the fighting power of Yuan's army in the Battle of Quanling City. Sending him to block Yuan's army was no different from sending him to his death.
Cai Mao, with a righteous air, stepped forward and said, "It is my duty to share the burden for my lord."

"If Mao recommends one person, he could hold off Yuan Shao's 100,000-strong army!"

(End of this chapter)