Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 194 Even in war, there are no fixed strategies; Liu Bei marches straight for Ye City (Seeking updates and monthly votes)
Instead of debating with Shen Pei, Tian Feng, and Ju Shou about whether to prioritize the campaign against the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, Feng Ji simply listed Liu Bei's past deeds.

Having followed Yuan Shao in Luoyang, Feng Ji witnessed Liu Bei's unconventional rise to power.

From initial disdain to current apprehension, even though Feng Ji had foreseen the deaths of Liu Bian, Han Fu, Qu Yi, and Gongsun Zan, he still dared not be arrogant or careless when facing Liu Bei.

Shen Pei frowned, wanting to say that Feng Ji was boosting Liu Bei's morale and diminishing their own, but seeing Yuan Shao's worried expression, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Tian Feng and Ju Shou exchanged a glance, their expressions also becoming solemn.

Both Yuan Shao and Feng Ji had met before; Feng Ji was arrogant and self-important.

This is the first time I've seen Feng Ji solemnly recount Liu Bei's past, just to remind the three of them not to be careless.

The fact that he could make an arrogant and self-important man wary, even without having any contact with Liu Bei, was enough to make Tian Feng and Ju Shou think carefully.

a long time.

Ju Shou volunteered, saying, "If Liu Bei wants to seize Yanzhou, he will surely attack Chenliu. I am willing to lead troops into Dongjun."

Shen Pei also volunteered: "I am willing to lead troops to Shequan. If Liu Bei wants to take Hanoi, I can definitely defend it."

Seeing that Shen Pei and Ju Shou had volunteered, Tian Feng was not to be outdone and volunteered, saying, "I am willing to lead troops into Jibei to help the General integrate the troops in Jibei, Dongping, and Rencheng. In this way, the General can focus all his efforts on dealing with the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans."

The three did not give up their idea of ​​prioritizing the campaign against the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain, but instead proposed to go to the front lines.

Whether it's Hanoi or Yanzhou, as long as Liu Bei is blocked in these two places, it will buy time for Yuan Shao to conquer the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans.

Once the threat of the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans is eliminated, Yuan Shao can directly march south to fight Liu Bei, instead of passively defending against Liu Bei's attacks.

Feng Ji sneered inwardly.

Feng Ji was pleased to see that these three men, who came from powerful families in Hebei and had great influence there, were willing to go against Liu Bei.

This is a perfect opportunity to expand Yuan Shao's influence in Hebei as much as possible while the three are away.

Feng Ji nodded slightly to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao then made up his mind and said, "In that case, I will petition Your Majesty to appoint Shen Pei as General Who Pacifies the West and to be in charge of Henan; to appoint Ju Shou as General Who Pacifies the South and to be in charge of Dongjun, Chenliu, and Jiyin; and to appoint Tian Feng as General Who Pacifies the East and to be in charge of Jibei, Dongping, Rencheng, and Shanyang."

"Please, the three of you, do your utmost to hold Liu Bei back. Once I have quelled the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Black Mountain, I can then lead my troops south!"

Having determined the strategy, Yuan Shao left Feng Ji behind alone, looking worried: "Shen Pei, Ju Shou, and Tian Feng are all self-reliant, and the governor and chancellor of Yanzhou are equally arrogant. If they are defeated one by one by Liu Bei because they are not under each other's command and are suspicious of each other, even if I quell the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, I will have difficulty crossing the river to attack the south without Yanzhou."

Feng Ji said solemnly, "That's true, but right now we can only guess at the direction of Liu Bei's attack. We don't know whether Liu Bei is targeting Hanoi or Yanzhou. We can only deal with it conservatively for the time being. Once our lord has quelled the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, the balance of power will be reversed."

Yuan Shao's eyes narrowed: "Last time when we attacked Yuyang, we were lucky that the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans rescued Liu Bei's mother and Gongsun Zan's wife and children. This time, we will make the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans understand that if they refuse to submit, they will be wiped out."

Feng Ji's eyes also sharpened: "When we were fighting against Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo, the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans responded to our lord's covenant, and there were also leaders of the Black Mountain who respected our lord."

"My lord, you may spread the word that this campaign against the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans is because a Black Mountain leader rescued Liu Bei's mother and Gongsun Zan's wife and children, hence the dispatch of troops to suppress them."

"Anyone who helps our lord capture Liu Bei's mother and Gongsun Zan's wife and children will be appointed a general! I'm sure there are many pragmatic people among the Black Mountain leaders."

Feng Ji's instigation skills became increasingly refined, causing Yuan Shao to clap his hands in delight: "Just as Yuan Tu wishes, this time we must cripple the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans so that they can no longer pose a threat to Ji Province!"

Luoyang.

Shi Tao truthfully recounted all the events that had transpired.

He added, “Originally, Yuanzhi and I intended to escort the old lady and Gongsun Zan’s wife and children back to Luoyang, but Zhang Yan said that the leaders of the Black Mountain tribe each have their own ambitions and cannot be trusted. If they are robbed by other leaders along the way, it is hard to guarantee the lives of the old lady and Gongsun Zan’s wife and children.”

"Yuanzhi also has this concern, so the old lady and Gongsun Zan's wife and children are temporarily staying at Zhang Yan's mountain stronghold. Yuanzhi also told me privately that Zhang Yan is probably afraid that the Imperial Uncle will not send troops, so he is keeping the old lady and Gongsun Zan's wife and children there."

After listening to Shi Tao's account, Liu Bei showed neither anger nor joy, and simply told Shi Tao to go home and rest while awaiting a summons.

Shen Pei's guess was correct; Liu Bei did indeed intend to use troops in Hanoi.

However, before Shi Tao reported back, Liu Bei's knowledge of the Battle of Yuyang was limited to "Liu Yu destroyed Gongsun Zan at Yuyang," and he knew nothing else about the details.

Now, having learned of the battle at Yuyang from Shi Tao, Liu Bei has begun to pay even more attention to Yuan Shao.

Liu Bei seized the initiative through extremely competitive tactics, overpowering the other warlords in the chaotic late Han Dynasty.

Although they seized the initiative, Yuan Shao also gained a significant advantage in terms of overall momentum.

If Liu Bei hadn't been so indecisive, Liu Yu, Han Fu, Yuan Shao, and Qiu Liju wouldn't have joined forces to fight Gongsun Zan, who had only been defeated at Guanzi City a year earlier.

Just as Liu Bei stifled Cao Cao's growth, Yuan Shao also stifled Gongsun Zan's growth.

This allowed Yuan Shao to obtain Youzhou with great ease and successfully install Liu Yu as the new emperor.

Liu Bei immediately summoned Xu You and Jia Xu, told them about the battle at Yuyang, and said, "My original plan was to send troops into Henan, join forces with the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans to contain Yuan Shao, and launch a surprise attack on Yanzhou while Yuan Shao was preoccupied with the south."

"But now my mother and Gongsun Zan's wife and children are all in Zhang Yan's hands. If Yuan Shao wants to attack the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, it will become extremely easy. He can have a legitimate reason to attack and sow discord among the Black Mountain leaders. The Black Mountain Yellow Turbans will not only be unable to help me restrain Yuan Shao, but they are also very likely to be wiped out by Yuan Shao in one fell swoop."

"If the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans are wiped out, Yuan Shao will send a large army south to Yanzhou to help, and I will have no choice but to fight Yuan Shao in Yanzhou; if Yuan Shu sees me fighting Yuan Shao, he will also raise an army and march north. At that time, the situation will be reversed, and I will be attacked from both sides."

"Therefore, I intend to change the plan and use the strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, first directly attacking Ye City, and then turning back to attack Yanzhou!"

Both Jia Xu and Xu You were skilled in strategy.

They also saw the drawbacks of leaving Liu Bei's mother and Gongsun Zan's wife and children with Zhang Yan.

Yuan Shao only needed to send a proclamation to Heishan: whoever shelters Liu Bei's mother and Gongsun Zan's wife and children is a thief; whoever captures Liu Bei's mother and Gongsun Zan's wife and children will be granted a title of nobility and a generalship.

If the benefits are sufficient, some of the leaders of the Black Mountain tribes will surely be willing to accept Yuan Shao's offer of amnesty.

When one is preoccupied with national affairs, it is difficult to attend to family matters. Therefore, in recent years, Liu Bei has been downplaying the presence of his widowed mother.

The purpose was to prevent people from associating it with the possibility of using Liu Bei's widowed mother to threaten him.

Liu Bei didn't even tell Xu Shu and the other eight that there was a widowed mother in Youzhou.

Because Liu Bei believed that Liu Yu was a gentleman, even if the two sides fought over their political stances, Liu Yu would not arrest Liu Bei's widowed mother to threaten Liu Bei.

After all, Liu Yu also shares the surname Liu, so he still has to maintain some semblance of dignity.

But unexpectedly, the more you try to cover something up, the more likely it is to happen.

Liu Yu valued his reputation, but Yuan Shao disregarded it completely. After all, Yuan Ji and Yuan Kui's families were in Luoyang, so it was fair for Yuan Shao to arrest Liu Bei's widowed mother.

Yuan Shao's plan further angered Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan had a past friendship with Liu Bei and felt guilty for leaving under the pretext of studying years ago. In addition, he had the personality of an elder brother: "How can I not have face if you arrest my brother's widowed mother in front of me?"
It just so happened that Xu Shu and others, who had received favors from Liu Bei, happened to witness this, and naturally, they could not stand idly by.

Unfortunately, Xu Shu managed to borrow troops from Zhang Yan.

This series of unexpected events, ironically, led Yuan Shao to a brilliant strategy for quickly defeating the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans.

Although it disrupted Liu Bei's original plans, the world is unpredictable, just as Yuan Shao could not have predicted that Cao Cao would be turned against him by Liu Bei.

When an unexpected event occurs, a redeployment strategy must be implemented to address it.

A struggle for power is not a turn-based game.

It's not a matter of me making a move and you responding, then me making another move and you responding again.

Any unexpected event could lead to vulnerabilities in the deployments of both parties.

The most important priority is to find a way to change strategies in a timely manner and exploit the opponent's deployment vulnerabilities.

After a moment's thought, Xu You said, "Although it is risky to attack Ye City directly, it can prevent the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans from being wiped out by Yuan Shao, and it can also increase the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans' trust in the Imperial Uncle. As long as the Imperial Uncle's army is at the gates of Ye City, not only will it be able to undermine Liu Yu's prestige, but Yuan Shao will also have no choice but to return to Ye City. I think this strategy is feasible."

Jia Xu then said, "If we want to directly attack Ye City, we can either cross the river at Mengjin and first break through Henei, or we can first break through Dongjun and then cross the river at Baimajin. Crossing the river at Mengjin is safer, while crossing the river at Baimajin is too risky."

Liu Bei's tone hardened: "Although taking Mengjin is safe, Yuan Shao only needs to hold the strategic points in Hanoi to keep me tied down there; taking Baimajin is riskier, but it will increase the intimidation effect of the surprise attack, making Liu Yu in Ye City mistakenly believe that Yanzhou has been conquered by us!"

"Now that the battles have begun in Chenliu, Jiyin, and Shanyang, I can go through Hulao Pass and Suanzao to attack Dongjun directly. If Qiao Mao dares to leave the city, I will defeat him; if he doesn't dare to leave the city, I will cross the river and attack Yecheng."

After the strategy and tactics were determined.

Liu Bei then said to Jia Xu, "Prepare more boats at Mengjin to create the illusion that I am about to cross the river. I expect Yuan Shao will deploy heavy troops in Henei to guard against my surprise attack. We must not let the troops in Henei discover my intentions in advance."

"I will send a letter to Xun You, the governor of Hedong, to change the plan and no longer order Zhang Fei and Ma Teng to attack Shangdang, but instead attack Hanoi. If there is an opportunity, we will forcefully break through Hanoi."

Before planning to send troops, Liu Bei sent Zhang Fei of Hanyang Commandery and Ma Teng of Zuo Fengyi Commandery to Hedong to attack Shangdang, so that Liu Bei could use Shangdang to contain Yuan Shao when he launched a counterattack on Yanzhou.

Now that the plans have been changed, it's natural that Zhang Fei and Ma Teng's plans must also be changed.

After completing the deployment item by item.

Liu Bei then summoned seven generals: Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Xu Huang, Dian Wei, Ma Chao, Lü Bu, and Huang Zhong.

Because Zhang Liao and Xu Chu were in Yuzhou, Liu Bei's Lingyan Army in Luoyang now only had eight camps. Guan Yu and his seven generals each led one camp, Liu Bei led one camp himself, and Chen Dao led three hundred White Feather Soldiers.

"Uncle, let me lead the vanguard this time!"

Lu Bu's tone was excited.

Since joining Liu Bei, Lü Bu has found great pleasure in everything, whether it's money, power, fame, or battlefield battles.

Last year's battle gave Lü Bu an even greater sense of exhilaration from his consecutive victories.

Unlike last year, this time Ma Chao is not the only one vying with Lü Bu for the vanguard position.

Huang Zhong immediately jumped out and said, "The vanguard takes turns, and today it's my turn. Imperial Uncle, since I led the Lingyan Army, I have not yet made any great contributions. Commandant Lü is now a marquis inside and outside the pass. I am not satisfied with making Commandant Lü the vanguard again."

Lu Bu grew anxious: "Colonel Huang, I am merely a minor Marquis within and outside the Pass. Why not give it to me this time? Once I become a Marquis within the Pass, I promise I will never again vie for the vanguard position!"

The title of Marquis of Guannei or Guannei was merely a steel seal with a ring, far less prestigious than the gold seal and purple ribbon of the Marquis of Guannei.

Lu Bu only wanted to be the vanguard, make more contributions, and be granted the title of Marquis within the Pass as soon as possible, and he was unwilling to yield.

“Captain Lü, I think you’re right. We take turns being the vanguard. You were in charge last time, now it’s my turn.” Dian Wei rubbed his hands together, eager to get started.

Although Dian Wei had made many contributions last year, he had not yet achieved the merit of becoming a marquis inside or outside the pass. Looking at Lü Bu's steel seal and black ribbon, Dian Wei was quite envious.

Seeing that Guan Yu and Zhao Yun were also eager to try, Lü Bu shouted and suggested, "Since you all want to be the vanguard, why don't we draw lots! Whoever draws the lot gets to be the vanguard; that would be fair!"

"That's not fair! You were the vanguard last time, so this time the rest of us should draw lots!" Ma Chao shouted.

Lu Bu's eyes darted around, and he suddenly leaned closer to Guan Yu: "Colonel Guan, your son and my daughter are a perfect match, you'll definitely support my decision to draw lots, right?"

Seeing that Lü Bu was starting to cheat, Ma Chao hurriedly moved closer to Zhao Yun: "Brother-in-law, you definitely support the idea that Commandant Lü shouldn't draw lots, right?"

Seeing Lu Bu, Guan Yu, Ma Chao, and Zhao Yun trying to establish a kinship alliance, Huang Zhong and Dian Wei exchanged glances and whispered amongst themselves, seemingly discussing something.

Wen has no first, Wu has no second.

Whether it's literary or martial arts, they will all compete.

Liu Bei stopped the arguing crowd and said, "There's no need to argue anymore. There will be no vanguard in this battle. Or rather, I am the vanguard."

Everyone was stunned.

Before he could even speak, Liu Bei began issuing orders:
"Guan Yu, Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, heed my command!"

"You four will lead our troops as the vanguard and follow me straight to Hulao Pass tomorrow morning, first entering Suanzao."

"Xu Huang, Dian Wei, and Ma Chao, listen to my command. You three will lead your troops, with Xu Huang at the head, to escort the grain supplies. Follow behind."

Although he didn't manage to become the vanguard, Lu Bu was still quite excited as the leader of the vanguard.

Xu Huang and Dian Wei sighed, but said nothing more.

The only one I'm not satisfied with is Ma Chao.

If you don't manage to be the vanguard, you can't even get into the front lines.

"Mengqi, I must personally lead the charge in this battle. Next time, I will let you be the vanguard again. Don't let things go wrong," Liu Bei added.

Ma Chao was young and unlike Xu Huang and Dian Wei, he was not composed. Moreover, as Liu Bei's disciple, Liu Bei was afraid that Ma Chao would make mistakes due to his emotions.

At that time, they must punish him severely, but Liu Bei would not be able to bear to do so.

Proactive reassurance can also prevent disaster.

Ma Chao was overjoyed: "Uncle, rest assured, I will ensure the supplies are transported safely and without fail!"

To avoid having spies discover military intelligence beforehand, Liu Bei did not request permission from Liu Xie before launching this campaign. Instead, he waited until after the campaign was launched before having Jia Xu submit a memorial.

(End of this chapter)