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

Chapter 105 Guan Ping and Deng Ai

Wuling Prefecture, Linyuan City.

Guan Yinping changed horses but not riders the whole way, and traveled more than 300 li from Linxiang to Linyuan City in less than two days.

When she dismounted outside the city gate, the chestnut horse was covered in sweat and its hooves were weak. Guan Yinping quickly ordered the guards to take it away to drink water and feed it.

Guan Yinping herself had no time to rest. After finding out where Guan Ping was, she quickly walked through the city gate passage and headed straight for the drill ground set up inside Linyuan City.

Guan Ping was currently training his soldiers on the drill ground.

Since taking over the defense, he has not slackened in the slightest. He first recruited more than a thousand young men from various counties in Wuling County, and thereafter, he trained them personally every day without removing his armor.

Today, the more than one thousand troops advance and retreat in an orderly manner, and their spear thrusts are also quite well-organized.

At this moment, Guan Ping was standing on the training platform waving a command flag, directing three rows of spearmen to thrust forward in turn. Suddenly, he saw a horse galloping towards the city gate. The figure on horseback was slender, and his face could be vaguely seen.

"Silver Screen!"

Guan Ping's heart skipped a beat. He shoved the command flag into the hands of his deputy and strode off the training platform.

Guan Yinping dismounted and ran to Guan Ping in a few steps. She handed him the silk scroll written by Liu Feng with both hands, speaking very quickly, her beautiful face showing anxiety.

"Brother, urgent military news! Jiangdong has amassed 100,000 troops, personally led by Sun Quan, and will soon march south to attack Linxiang. A great battle is imminent. Your brother, Lord Junhou, has ordered you to lead your troops to Yiyang to garrison after joining forces with the Po Shuo Flying Army."

Guan Yinping was clearly speaking too hastily, and for a moment she was out of breath. She stood in front of Guan Ping and paused slightly.

"My lord said that Yiyang is a vital strategic point. If you can hold Yiyang, you will have achieved the greatest merit in this battle. You can defend the city and act according to circumstances."

Upon hearing the news that Sun Quan had led an army of 100,000 south, Guan Ping frowned, took the silk scroll, unfolded it, scanned it quickly, and then put it back into his pocket.

Liu Feng had already made it clear in his letter that Sun Quan's 100,000-strong army was advancing by both land and water, and Yiyang was guarding the confluence of the Zi River and the Xiang River, thus serving as the vital northwest choke point for Linxiang City.

The Jiangdong navy is quite powerful. Zhu Ran's 20,000-strong navy will be the vanguard of the main force and will surely take the lead in clearing out the crossing points along the Xiang River, paving the way for the subsequent land forces.

Yiyang City is small and has few soldiers. If defenses are not deployed in advance, once the Eastern Wu navy seizes the ferry crossing, the entire defense line will be torn open from the left flank.

Guan Ping tucked the silk scroll into his robes, turned, and shouted to his deputy, "Beat the drums! Assemble the entire army!"

Guan Yinping was taken aback and quickly stopped Guan Ping, saying urgently, "Brother, the Marquis's order is for you to join forces with the Po Shuo Flying Army before going to Yiyang! Xi Zhen and Ding Feng's troops will take at least three days to reach Linyuan. What use is it for you to gather troops now?"

"Three days?"

Guan Ping shook his head solemnly, his voice low but unusually firm.

"Yinping, Your Excellency's prediction is certainly correct! But do you know who Zhu Ran is? When I was stationed in Jiangling with my father, I once fought against Zhu Ran on the Yangtze River. He is a veteran general of Jiangdong, known for his swift and decisive military tactics, and he is most adept at taking surprise attacks."

As Guan Ping finished speaking, he looked up at the northern horizon.

"Therefore, I dare to conclude that Zhu Ran's vanguard is already on the Xiang River. If Qi Mo's navy seizes the Yiyang ferry first, Yiyang will be an isolated city, and it will be extremely difficult to retake it. Our army needs to be stationed in Yiyang before Zhu Ran and take precautions. My troops have been resting in Linyuan for a long time and can set off immediately. Po Shuo's flying army is heading south from Yidu, and the road is mostly mountainous, so they are not as fast as us. I will go to Yiyang first to defend the city, and when Ding Feng arrives, we can then support each other from both inside and outside."

Guan Yinping bit her lower lip. She knew Guan Ping was right, but Yiyang City was about to face the onslaught of 20,000 Eastern Wu naval troops.

Guan Ping's army numbered only a little over a thousand men. How long could such a small force hold out against a city?

Suddenly, Guan Yinping raised her head and said in a deep voice, "Brother, then I will go to Yiyang with you. You know my swordsmanship; if necessary, I can also go up to the city walls—"

"no."

Before Guan Yinping could finish speaking, Guan Ping resolutely refused, his tone unusually stern.

"You stay in Linyuan City and wait for Xi Zhen and Ding Feng. When the Po Shuo Flying Army arrives, tell them that they do not need to enter the city to rest, but should immediately lead their troops to reinforce Yiyang. Yiyang is a small city, and every day of delay increases the danger. Make sure Ding Feng travels day and night to cross the Zi River directly into Yiyang."

Guan Ping's tone left no room for argument. He reached out and pressed down on Guan Yinping's shoulder, applying slight pressure.

"Yinping, the journey to Yiyang is extremely dangerous. You can't go on this risky trip with me."

Feeling the strength from her brother's arm, Guan Yinping opened her mouth, but ultimately did not refute. She was not an unreasonable person; during her time following Liu Feng in the army, she had become much more composed.

The assembly horn had already sounded on the drill ground, and soldiers ran from their barracks toward the drill ground, their footsteps clattering and the crisp sound of armor plates colliding.

Guan Yinping watched Guan Ping stride toward the army formation, her eyes slightly reddening, but she did not follow.

In less than half an hour, Guan Ping had assembled more than a thousand pieces of music.

This army was personally recruited by him from various counties in Wuling Prefecture. Most of them were local young men and were quite familiar with the water network terrain east of Wuling.

These soldiers may not be as battle-hardened as the Fengzi Battalion, but Guan Ping trained them rigorously using Guan Yu's family's methods of military administration. Their orders were clear, and they advanced and retreated with proper discipline, already showing signs of becoming an elite force.

Guan Ping mounted his warhorse, glanced back at Guan Yinping standing at the city gate, nodded slightly, then pointed his long sword forward and said in a deep voice, "Let's go!"

More than a thousand soldiers marched in neat formation onto the official road, their footsteps echoing through the city gate passageway.

Guan Yinping stood at the city gate, seeing her brother off into the distance, her knuckles turning slightly white as she gripped the knife.

After the banner bearing the character "Guan" disappeared into the twilight at the end of the official road, Guan Yinping turned around, took a deep breath, and shouted to the gatekeeper, "Prepare provisions and supplies for Xi Zhen and Ding Feng! Report to me immediately upon the arrival of the Po Shuo Flying Army!"

Nanxiang County, Danshui River Valley.

Springtime here is even more intense than in Jingnan, with the leaves in the valleys dripping with emerald green and some grasses growing in the river valleys.

As Kou Zun spurred his horse into the valley, he could hear the bugle call for training in the distance. He dismounted, handed the horse to his personal guard, and strode toward the camp gate.

The sentry outside the camp gate stood upright, holding his spear at an angle. When Kou Zun approached, the sentry pointed his spear at an angle and stood solemnly, completely unlike the cowardly refugee he had been two months ago.

"Who goes there? State your name!"

"I am Kou Zun, a general under General Liu Feng. I have come to see Colonels Deng Ai and Wei Zheng!"

"Military regulations are strict. Without orders from Generals Deng and Wei, I dare not allow General Kou to enter the city. Please grant me a moment's notice, General—"

Go and report this!

Kou Zun nodded in agreement, inwardly praising him.

As they rode into the valley, what Kou Zun saw along the way greatly surprised him. The scattered and chaotic camps of refugees that had once filled the valley were gone, replaced by rows of tents arranged neatly in groups of ten or five, with equal spacing between them. The camp roads were wide and straight, with shallow ditches dug on both sides for drainage.

In the distance, the barren riverbanks have been transformed into vast stretches of farmland, crisscrossed by irrigation ditches fed by the Dan River. Spring seedlings have already been planted, creating a thriving scene.

On the path between the fields, the militia soldiers, who had just finished their work, carried their hoes back to camp. The ranks were neat and orderly, with a squad leader shouting commands from the side, their steps synchronized.

At this moment, seeing the strict discipline of the gatekeepers, who required him to wait according to military law even if he himself arrived, Kou Zun couldn't help but nod slightly, secretly admiring Deng Ai's ability to manage his troops.

Before long, Vice General Wei Zheng arrived at the camp gate on horseback and led Kou Zun to the drill ground to see Deng Ai.

On the drill ground, Deng Ai was standing on the platform watching the drills.

He was not wearing armor today, only a worn-out black battle robe. His face was thin and his eyes were calm. He had been working hard in the fields and training for days, and the sun had tanned his skin dark.

Below the training platform, three thousand people were divided into three teams practicing formation changes. Shield soldiers crouched in front, followed by spearmen, and archers fired upwards from behind. The three ranks alternated and rotated, moving forward and backward as freely as shuttles on a loom.

Apart from the brief shouts of the squad leader and the sound of orderly footsteps, there was not a single other sound on the entire drill ground.

Seeing Kou Zun walk quickly onto the platform, Deng Ai nodded slightly, indicating that the drills should continue. Then he and Kou Zun walked to the side of the platform to shelter from the wind under the eaves.

Kou Zun took out a silk scroll from his bosom, handed it to Deng Ai, and said in a deep voice, "Shi Zai, the Lord has given an order."

Deng Ai took the silk scroll with both hands, unfolded it, and carefully read it from beginning to end. Then his gaze fell on the four characters "临机专断" (meaning "decisive action on the spot") at the end of the scroll, and he remained silent for a long time.

"A major battle is indeed brewing in Changsha!"

Deng Ai carefully put away the silk scroll, looked up at Kou Zun, and said, "Your Excellency's order is intended to have me lead troops south to assist in the battle."

"Exactly."

Kou Zun nodded, but a hint of worry lingered in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "However, the journey to Changsha is more than a thousand miles, with the Jing Mountains and Wuling Mountains blocking the way. Although your troops are already well-organized, they will have to travel a long distance, and supplies will be scarce along the way. The soldiers will be exhausted, and their morale will inevitably be low. How can you possibly reach the walls of Linxiang?"