Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

Chapter 101 Sun Quan's Military Command Abilities - Those Who Know, Know

As Liu Feng rode his horse into the south gate of Linxiang City, the Jade Lion Horse was covered in sweat, and its hooves made a rapid and crisp sound as they trod across the bluestone street.

He dismounted, tossed the reins to his guards, and strode into the main hall of the prefectural temple.

Ma Liang was already waiting in the hall, with Kou Wei, Liu Pan, Sha Moke, and other major generals in Linxiang City standing beside him.

Liu Feng noticed that the expressions on the faces of the men were not relaxed.

Sha Moke leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed, his thick eyebrows furrowed. Liu Pan sat by the table, his fingers rhythmically tapping the hilt of his sword. Kou Wei stood straight, his heroic face revealing no emotion, but his grip on the sword was tighter than usual.

Guan Yinping followed Liu Feng into the hall, silently standing in a corner, her hand on the hilt of her knife, her gaze always following Liu Feng's back.

"Mr. Ji Chang, what is the matter that is so urgent?"

Liu Feng stopped in front of the map and looked at Ma Liang in a calm tone.

Ma Liang immediately took out a silk scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Liu Feng with both hands. The sealing wax on the silk scroll had been removed, and the seal of the Mi Family Trading Company was pressed on the clay seal.

"My lord, this is a secret report sent back from Jiangling by the traitorous general Mi Fang. Mi's merchant ships delivered it to his trading post in Linxiang City overnight, and it was delivered to the prefectural government at noon today."

Liu remained calm on the cover, but after taking the silk book, his gaze lingered on the seal for a moment.

He was secretly pleased with himself.

Mi Zhu's trade routes and intelligence network are indeed two sides of the same coin. With proper nurturing, they will surely be a great asset in the future!

Liu Feng reached out and took the silk scroll, unfolded it, and quickly scanned the contents of the letter, his brows gradually furrowing.

The handwriting on the silk scroll is hasty and messy, but the content is quite shocking: Sun Quan has assembled an army of 100,000 and will soon march south along the Xiang River to personally lead an expedition to Linxiang. We should urgently request reinforcements.

After reading it, Liu Feng handed the silk scroll to Liu Pan beside him, signaling the generals to pass it around.

Liu Pan's sharp gaze swept over the silk scroll with a single glance, his expression darkening instantly. Sha Moke, not being very literate in Chinese characters, simply ignored the scroll, tugged at Liu Pan's sleeve, and asked in a low voice, "What does it say? Is Eastern Wu launching an attack? How many troops?"

Liu Pan nodded gravely and said in a cold voice, "Sun Quan has personally arrived, leading an army of 100,000 to attack!"

Upon hearing this, Shamoke's eyes widened, and he shouted sharply, "One hundred thousand troops? Where did he get one hundred thousand soldiers?"

Kou Wei took the silk scroll and read it carefully. He frowned and said, "That's right! Is the 100,000-strong army just a bluff? Sun Quan certainly controls Jiangdong, but he has to guard against Cao Wei to the north, confront Guan Yu and the Shu forces to the west, and suppress the Yue tribes internally. Can he really spare 100,000 mobile troops to launch a southern expedition all at once?"

Ma Liang placed the feather fan on the table, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable certainty.

"General Kou's concerns are not without merit, but I'm afraid that this number of 100,000 is not just empty boasting. Let me do the math with you generals: when Lü Meng broke the alliance and betrayed his promise, crossing the river in disguise and capturing Jiangling, Yu Jin and his surrendered soldiers were all captured and imprisoned in Jiangling by Lord Guan!"

Ma Liang was a military advisor in Guan Yu's army. He personally witnessed Guan Yu's awe-inspiring feats and the flooding of the seven armies, so he knew a great deal about the event and sighed inwardly.

If Lord Guan had known when to stop and led his troops back to defend Jiangling, thus absorbing all 30,000 elite Cao Cao field troops, it would have been a great help to the King of Hanzhong!

Ma Liang collected his thoughts and continued, "In addition to the rebel armies of Gong'an and Jiangling led by Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, Sun Quan has probably gained no less than 40,000 troops in this battle alone! Zhu Ran's naval force of 20,000 in Jiangxia County, plus the troops transferred from Jiangdong, brings the total to at least 100,000, which is probably not an exaggeration."

The hall fell silent immediately.

After a moment, Liu Pan spoke first. Having been through many battles, his mental fortitude was much stronger. He traced a few lines on the table with his fingers and muttered, "The barbarian soldiers under the command of Chief Shamoke number over ten thousand, along with the soldiers of Wancheng, the Fengzi Battalion, and the veterans of Shangyong numbering five thousand. My brothers and the able-bodied men from the aristocratic families recruited by the Liu clan number over three thousand. Add to that the surrendered soldiers from the four prefectures and the newly recruited soldiers, and all in all, it's just over twenty thousand."

Shamoke slammed his large horn bow on the ground and said gruffly, "What are you afraid of! Even if we can't win, we have to fight! When mountain people hunt, ten people can surround a bear, and the bear doesn't run away!"

Kou Wei didn't speak, but his brows furrowed even more.

He had experienced the siege of Rangcheng and the decisive battle on the plains, and knew all too well what a disparity in numbers meant. Currently, the ratio of troops between the two sides was approaching one to five, a gap that could not be bridged by brute force alone.

All eyes turned to Liu Feng.

Liu Feng had been silent since the beginning, his eyes fixed intently on the map, his fingers tapping lightly on the location of Linxiang City.

When he looked up, there was a slight smile on his lips.

"Two thousand to one hundred thousand. The advantage is in my hands!"

Liu Feng slammed the silk scroll onto the table, stood up, and walked to the map.

"Sun Quan's army of 100,000, advancing by land and water, attacking from both the north and south. It sounds terrifying, but in my eyes—"

Liu Feng turned around, his voice suddenly rising in pitch.

"Once this battle begins, our army will have five victories, while Sun Quan will suffer five defeats!"

Liu Feng spoke with a strong voice, a confident smile radiating from his resolute face. Upon hearing Liu Feng's words, everyone in the hall perked up and focused their attention on him.

Liu Feng raised his first finger and said, "Firstly, the Wu army has come from afar, and their supply lines stretch for hundreds of miles. From Jiangling to Changsha, the grain and fodder must be transported via the Xiang River waterway. It is already early spring, and the Xiang River is getting shallower every day. Large ships from Jiangdong are drafty and are very likely to run aground. Our army is well-rested and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out; their supply lines are their Achilles' heel."

Then, Liu Feng raised a second finger: "Secondly, although the Wu army is numerous, its troops are a mixed bag. Yu Jin's surrendered soldiers, Zhu Ran's navy, and other troops from various places are not under each other's command, making it difficult to unify orders. Even if Sun Quan personally oversees the situation, he can only barely keep the generals in check. The battle situation changes rapidly, and any hesitation or wrangling at any stage could become a weakness."

Liu Feng leisurely returned to his seat, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then held up his third finger, saying, "Thirdly, the Wu army has lost the hearts of the people in Jingnan. They impose exorbitant taxes, seize farmland, and forcibly conscript soldiers; the people hate them to the bone. Our army, on the other hand, does the opposite, and the people welcome our royal army with open arms. The people's hearts are with Han, not Wu!"

"Fourthly, Wu's strength lies in naval warfare. But this time, instead of taking the Yangtze River, he insists on advancing by both land and water, abandoning his strengths and using his weaknesses. By the time they reach the walls of Linxiang, the decisive factor will no longer be the warships, but the infantry's head-on confrontation. Wu's armored soldiers are not good at land warfare, let alone siege warfare!"

Finally, Liu Feng raised his fifth finger, paused for a moment, then suddenly lowered his voice, his eyes filled with a hint of mockery.

"Fifthly, Sun Quan might be competent at overseeing operations from the rear, but personally commanding troops? During the Battle of Hefei, his 100,000-strong army was routed by Zhang Liao's 800 men, and he nearly lost his life. If he were truly capable of commanding 100,000 troops, he wouldn't have made such a fool of himself at the gates of Hefei. Now, many years later, he lives a life of luxury in Jiangdong, his ability to deploy troops hasn't improved, but his ambition and love of grand achievements haven't changed at all."

In the end, Liu Feng retracted his five outstretched fingers, clenched his fist, and slammed it heavily onto the map at the location of Jiangxia County, sending wood, stone, and dust flying.

"Sun Quan has mobilized 100,000 troops to attack. Those who understand the implications know the significance of this!"

Another silence fell over the hall.

Shamoke was the first to react, and suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, hoisting the ox-horn bow onto his shoulder: "Your Excellency is right!"

Sun Quan, that scoundrel, was utterly routed by Zhang Liao at Hefei back then. Even though I live in the mountains, I've heard people talk about it!

Liu Pan chuckled, tapped the edge of the table with the hilt of his sword, and said, "Five losses against five wins, this battle isn't entirely unwinnable. My lord, tell me, how exactly should this battle be fought?"

Liu Feng turned to face the map and drew a circle between the Xiang River and Linxiang City with his finger.

"Naval forces! The advantage for Eastern Wu still lies in its navy. I predict that Sun Quan will definitely send Zhu Ran as the vanguard to advance south along the Xiang River and open up supply routes."

At this moment, Ma Liang, who had been silent for a long time, also spoke up.

"What you say, my lord, is very much in line with military strategy. If Sun Quan uses his navy as the vanguard to advance south along the Xiang River, then this city will be a vital strategic location!"

Everyone followed Ma Liang's finger and saw that he was pointing in the direction of Yiyang City.

Liu Feng chimed in, "Indeed! Yiyang City. I passed through Yiyang when I accompanied my brother Liu Pan on the raid on Changsha. This city is located on the west bank of the Xiang River, guarding Dongting Lake to the north and backed by the Wuling Mountains to the west. It is truly a vital strategic point in the northwest of Changsha Prefecture. If the Eastern Wu navy wants to fully control the Xiang River, they must first take Linxiang City!"

"What you say is true, my lord. We must send a capable general to guard Yiyang and block the advance of the Eastern Wu navy!" Ma Liang's gaze swept calmly across the faces of the generals in the hall.

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