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

Chapter 110 Surrender and then Rebel

Sun Quan's central command tent was set up on a high ground south of Dongting Lake. The continuous camp stretched from the foot of the mountain all the way to the lake, with banners blocking out the sun and the sounds of men and horses filling the air.

Several days have passed since the main army marched south, but Zhu Ran's advance at the gates of Yiyang is far from what was expected.

Military reports were sent into the central command tent one after another. First, Li Yi's night attack on Yiyang was repelled by Guan Ping, resulting in the loss of seven warships. Then, Zhu Ran's main force arrived and launched a fierce attack for two days, but still failed to break through the city. Ding Feng then launched a surprise attack from behind, resulting in the loss of several hundred men.

Sun Quan slammed the latest military report on the table, his face grim.

"Twenty thousand naval troops couldn't conquer a small city with only a few thousand defenders?" His voice was low, but it made the guards standing in the tent all lower their heads.

None of the generals in the tent dared to speak.

Han Dang stroked his white beard in silence, while Zhou Tai stood to the side with his arms crossed, his expression unchanged, but his gaze remained fixed on the location of Yiyang City on the map.

Yu Jin stood at the very back, eyes downcast, not uttering a word.

Sun Quan stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the map. He stared at Yiyang City for a long time, then suddenly pointed to Linxiang downstream of the Xiang River: "Yiyang is just a small city. No matter how tenaciously Guan Ping defends it, he is only delaying the inevitable. My army cannot be slowed down by a small city like this."

He turned around and glanced at the generals in the tent.

"Issue the order: Zhu Ran shall continue the siege of Yiyang and take it at all costs. I will personally lead 80,000 infantry and cavalry southward along the west bank of the Xiang River and head straight for Linxiang. Since Liu Feng has planted a spies in Yiyang, I will bypass them and strike at his heart. If Linxiang falls, Yiyang will be an isolated city and will fall without a fight."

Han Dang clasped his hands and said, "My lord's plan is sound. Yiyang is a small city, and Guan Ping can hold it for a while, but not forever. Our main force will go straight for Linxiang, and Liu Feng will definitely send troops from Yiyang back to reinforce it. At that time, Zhu Ran can take advantage of the situation and enter."

Zhou Tai remained silent, only nodding emphatically.

Yu Jin raised his head from the back of the line and glanced at Sun Quan, hesitating to speak, but in the end he only tightened his fists in a fist salute.

Sun Quan saw this but did not ask him anything.

Just as the army was about to set off, a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the tent.

A guard lifted the curtain and entered, kneeling on one knee with his hands raised above his head: "Report! Prefect Hao Pu of Lingling has sent an envoy to request an audience!"

Sun Quan took the silk scroll, unfolded it, and a cold smile appeared on his lips as he glanced at it.

Hao Pu's letter was extremely flattering. He first talked about how he abandoned the darkness and joined the light when Lü Meng conquered Jingnan, and then said that he was forced to surrender again by Liu Feng. Now that he heard that Sun Quan was personally leading 100,000 troops south, he was willing to surrender the entire Lingling County.

Sun Quan threw the silk scroll onto the table and said coldly, "Hao Pu has surrendered three times and betrayed me twice. If I were to accept him, wouldn't I become a laughingstock to the world?"

Most of the generals in the tent looked disdainful.

Yu Jin's expression changed slightly. He himself was also a surrendered general. Although he surrendered after being captured, he was different from Hao Pu's fickle nature. However, when Sun Quan said in front of all the generals that "surrendered generals cannot be trusted," he felt a chill run down his spine as he stood in the corner and felt the generals' gazes sweeping over him intentionally or unintentionally.

"My lord."

Quan Cong suddenly stepped out from the class, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I believe that although Hao Pu is fickle, our lord should accept him rather than refuse him at this time."

"Oh?" Sun Quan turned to look at him.

Quan Cong calmly replied, "Hao Pu is nothing but a petty man. Why should our lord concern himself with his character? Now that the army is marching south, the four commanderies of Jingnan have just submitted, and the people's hearts are not yet settled. Although Lingling is located in the southern corner, Hao Pu has submitted in the name of the governor of Lingling. If we can openly welcome him and issue proclamations to the four commanderies, it will be telling all the governors and magistrates of Jingnan that as long as they submit to Eastern Wu, they will not lose their high positions and generous salaries. Liu Feng reduced taxes in Jingnan to win people's hearts. The reason why those local officials and noble families are willing to follow him is only because he has given them benefits."

"Now that our army of 100,000 is pressing on the border, they will naturally be thinking about the benefits they can gain by following Liu Feng. Why can't they gain the same benefits by following our lord? Hao Pu is the best piece in this game. Our lord has appointed him as a lieutenant general, which is just a piece of paper, but it can shake the hearts of officials in dozens of counties in the four prefectures of Jingnan."

"This deal is a good one."

Sun Quan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He reached out and patted Quan Cong on the shoulder: "What you said, Quan Qing, is exactly what I was thinking."

He turned to the attendant before him and said, "Draft a proclamation. Hao Pu is a man of great principle and a wise man who understands the times. I greatly admire him. He is hereby appointed Prefect of Lingling, given the title of Lieutenant General, and granted a gold seal and purple ribbon. This proclamation shall be circulated throughout the four commanderies of Jingnan, telling everyone that those who submit to me will prosper, and those who oppose me will perish."

The proclamation was sent out from the main camp that same day and delivered by fast horse to the county towns of Wuling, Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang.

Sun Quan's move was extremely ostentatious. He deliberately spread Hao Pu's letter of surrender and the proclamation of rewards together, and even embellished the proclamation with exaggerated descriptions of how Hao Pu was treated with courtesy, which seemed to be a way of setting an example and attracting others to follow suit.

This political offensive surged towards Linxiang City like an undercurrent.

Linxiang City. When Hao Pu's proclamation of defection arrived in the city, Liu Feng was about to lead his army on an expedition.

In the main hall of the prefectural temple, Liu Feng, already fully armored in black armor and a crimson robe, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, was making a final check with Ma Liang before his departure.

Outside the hall, on the drill ground, 15,000 troops had already lined up. Kou Wei led the Wancheng Camp and the Fengzi Camp as the central army, while Sha Moke led the barbarian soldiers as the vanguard. Banners fluttered and swords and spears were like a forest.

The Jade Lion Horse, saddled and led by guards outside the hall, pawed at its front hooves from time to time.

A messenger rode swiftly into the city from outside, presenting Hao Pu with a proclamation of surrender to Wu.

Liu Feng unfolded the silk scroll, his face suddenly darkening.

After reading it, he did not speak immediately, but handed the silk scroll to Ma Liang beside him.

"That scoundrel Hao Pu!" Shamoke was the first to explode, slamming his horn-bow to the ground. "The Lord spared his life last time, and he still dared to betray us! This time, if we catch him again, I'll personally twist his head off!"

Kou Wei frowned, remaining silent, but the knuckles of his sword gripped his hand were turning slightly white. He knew full well that Hao Pu's betrayal was not just about losing Lingling County; more importantly, Eastern Wu would use this incident to their advantage, undermining the morale of the four counties in Jingnan.

Ma Liang read the proclamation twice from beginning to end, placed the silk scroll on the table, and said in a calm but deep voice: "My lord, Sun Quan's move is not military, but psychological warfare. Hao Pu is fickle and unreliable; he is merely a pawn. Sun Quan deliberately bestowed upon him a grand reward to show the local officials and noble families of the four southern commanderies that surrendering to Eastern Wu means high-ranking positions and generous salaries are within easy reach. Although Lingling is located in the southern corner, Hao Pu has submitted under the title of Prefect of Lingling. If this trend continues, those in the four commanderies who are still observing will likely waver. The army's morale is not secure, and the people's hearts are not won over; this is a serious threat to our very core."

Liu Feng slammed his long sword onto the table, the scabbard striking the wooden table with a dull thud.

He surveyed the generals in the hall, his voice not loud, but each word like a blade scraping against a whetstone: "If Sun Quan attacks my mind, I will die."

Hao Pu wasn't the first to betray, but he had to be the last. Otherwise, every future prefect and magistrate would be tempted to surrender at the sight of a powerful enemy. Hao Pu surrendered three times and survived; what harm would it do me to surrender once? At that point, the four prefectures of Jingnan wouldn't be four prefectures anymore, but rather a sieve leaking from all sides.

He turned to Ma Liang and said, "Brother Ji Chang, I originally planned to lead my troops to Laodao River to meet the enemy today. But now that things have changed in Lingling, I must divide my forces."

Ma Liang nodded slightly, already guessing what Liu Feng was going to do.

Liu Feng walked to the map and drew a line between the Laodao River and Lingling: "Ziwu, Chief Shamoke! You two will lead the main force of 15,000 men to the north bank of the Laodao River as planned and set up camp. Deploy defenses along the river, with the Shamoke barbarian troops as the vanguard, and establish several lines of defense on the north bank of the Laodao River to wear down the morale of the Eastern Wu vanguard. Do not engage the enemy head-on; simply hold off Sun Quan's main force. Give me three days. I will return within three days."

He turned around and his gaze fell on Kou Wei: "Ziwu, you have fought alongside me for many years and are more than capable of commanding an army independently. This time, you will be jointly commanding the army with Sha Moke. Consult with the commander on all matters. Delay along the Laodao River as much as possible and do not engage in a decisive battle with the main force of Eastern Wu lightly."

Kou Wei clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Rest assured, my lord. I will certainly not fail in my duty."

Shamoke slung his large horn-bow over his shoulder and said gruffly, "My lord, just go! Leave the Laodao River to us. If that scoundrel Sun Quan wants to cross the river, he'll have to ask my troops' poisoned arrows first!"

Liu Feng nodded and strode out of the hall.

The Jade Lion Horse was already saddled, and he mounted it, his spear held horizontally in front of the saddle.

Outside the hall, on the drill ground, eight hundred cavalrymen of the Fengzi Battalion had already formed their own ranks. This heavy cavalry force had been conserving their strength since their battle with Pan Zhang, and both men and horses were clad in heavy armor.

Liu Feng rode his horse to the front of the column and said only one sentence: "Hao Pu has betrayed us. Come with me to Lingling, and bring back his head within two days."