I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

Ten days ago, after receiving Pang Tong's letter, Xu Shu began to think of countermeasures overnight.

Pang Tong proposed an extremely bold idea: not only to defeat the Jiangdong army besieging the city, but also to annihilate them completely in order to ensure the absolute safety of Hefei in the short term.

The known besieging force numbered 20,000, while the unknown garrison at Jiashi Pass and the naval forces blocking the Yangtze River were also present.

Pang Tong confidently stated that defeating the Jiangdong army besieging the city was only a matter of time, but the second phase of annihilating the enemy army would require Xu Shu to find a way to cooperate.

In addition, Pang Tong also told Xu Shu about the plan to destroy the Jiangdong army's ships.

Xu Shu had two big cards in his hand: Guan Yu and Zhang Liao. Guan Yu had 10,000 cavalry, infantry, and naval troops in Wancheng, while Zhang Liao had 5,000 naval troops in Jingzhou.

At any time, the complete annihilation of the enemy army cannot be separated from the factor of geography.

Ultimately, Xu Shu set his sights on Chaohu.

Chaohu Lake is connected to three important waterways. One of them, to the east, is the Ruxu River. By going east along the Ruxu River to the Ruxu Estuary, one can directly access the Yangtze River. This was also the route taken by the Jiangdong navy when they advanced.

One road leads west to the Shu River, which flows east through Shu County and directly into Chaohu Lake. There is a main road from Wancheng directly to Shucheng, which means that Xu Shu could quickly travel between Shucheng and Chaohu Lake for battle via the Shu River.

One route to the north is the Shishui River. The Shishui River flows west through Xiaoyaojin to the South Water Gate of Hefei City. Further west, it passes through the "West Section of the Hangou Canal," which was dug by the State of Chu during the Warring States period, and can directly connect to the Feishui River to go north to Shouchun.

Looking at the extensive waterways of the Jianghuai region, Xu Shu came up with a general plan.

The next day, Xu Shu began military deployments in Wancheng.

"General Zhang Liao!"

"Your subordinate is here."

"I trouble General Zhang Liao to bring all the warships of Jingzhou to shore and watch for the beacon fires. Once the Jiangdong Fengjiang navy is on its way to Chaohu to rescue the defeated troops, General Zhang, you should sail into Ruxukou at night and reach Juchao to block the mouth of Ruxu River and Chaohu River," Xu Shu instructed Zhang Liao.

"Huh? How can Yuanzhi be so sure that the Jiangdong army at Hefei will be defeated? If we don't come to the rescue, will the siege of Hefei be lifted on its own?" Zhang Liao asked, puzzled.

"Shi Yuan's letter says that we don't need to worry about relieving the siege; we need to consider how to completely annihilate the Jiangdong navy," Xu Shu explained to everyone.

"This..." Guan Yu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Pang Tong's words were far too boastful...

The others exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding why Pang Tong didn't leave himself any room for maneuver.

"I have known Shi Yuan for a long time. Since Shi Yuan is so confident, I have no doubt about him," Xu Shu said, seeing that the crowd was not convinced.

"Since the two strategists have reached an agreement, we should naturally follow their orders." Liu Bei gave Xu Shu a boost of confidence.

"Thank you, my lord! General Zhang Liao, regarding what I just said..." With the strong support of his lord Liu Bei, Xu Shu continued to make arrangements.

"Since Your Excellency has spoken, I will obey." Zhang Liao agreed.

"Mr. Zizhong."

"Mi Zhu is here," Mi Zhu replied, stepping forward.

"I trouble you, Mr. Zizhong, to go to Shucheng immediately and purchase as many boats as possible from the Shushui ferry crossing for my army to use," Xu Shu decisively instructed.

"Alright, but I wonder when the strategist will need to use it?" Mi Zhu asked in return.

"It will take at least three days, or at most ten days, but you must not hinder the people from crossing the river."

"I will take care of it immediately," Mi Zhu said, then turned and left.

"Yun Chang, obey my command."

"Guan is here," Guan Yu stepped forward and said.

"You shall lead two thousand cavalry and three thousand infantry, with enough provisions for half a month. Tomorrow, proceed to Jiashi Pass. Build a beacon tower every thirty li. Upon reaching the pass, simply garrison your troops and set up camp without engaging in battle. Once the Jiangdong garrison has withdrawn, immediately occupy the pass, light the beacon tower, leave one hundred men to guard the pass, and lead the rest of your troops to Hefei. After arriving in Hefei, hand over my letter to Shiyuan. Shiyuan will make his own arrangements."

"Strategist, are you joking? If we station our troops at the pass and do not engage in battle, how can the enemy retreat without a fight?" Guan Yu questioned in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu simply smiled and asked, "Yun Chang, don't concern yourself with such matters. Will you accept this order or not?"

After hearing Xu Shu's question, Guan Yu caught a glimpse of his elder brother glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Helpless, he stepped forward and took the command token and letter.

After Zhang Liao and Guan Yu had made their arrangements, Xu Shu looked at his lord Liu Bei and said, "My lord!"

"Liu Bei is here!" Liu Bei stepped down from the hall and bowed to receive the order.

"My lord and I will lead three thousand infantrymen and set off for Shucheng tomorrow. Upon seeing the beacon towers, we will take a boat eastward and head straight for Chaohu Lake."

"Liu Bei obeys!" Liu Bei stepped forward and received the order.

"General Lei Xu."

"Your subordinate is here!" Although Lei Xu's wounds had not yet fully healed, after a night's rest and the doctor's care, his complexion had improved significantly.

"General, you have already rendered a great service to our lord. We should not trouble you further, but we are in dire need of manpower at this time. Please forgive us!" After Lei Xu's subordinates learned about his desperate defense of the military intelligence, everyone in Wancheng treated Lei Xu, a man of loyalty and righteousness, with great courtesy. Xu Shu was no exception.

"Strategist, you flatter me. This is my duty. Please do not hesitate to give your orders." Lei Xu said, then clasped his hands in a salute.

"We have led the main army away from here, leaving only two thousand infantrymen in the city. The safety of this city is now in General Lei's hands." Xu Shu took out the last command arrow and handed it to Lei Xu.

"Please rest assured, strategist!" Lei Xu accepted the command token.

"After we leave, the city's defenses will be weak. If the Jiangdong Chaisang navy attacks, we must not engage in battle. We must hold our ground and wait for reinforcements."

"Yes, sir!"

The next day, all troops set off as planned. Everyone, including Xu Shu himself, was skeptical about the complete annihilation of the Jiangdong army.

If Pang Tong can truly repel the Jiangdong besieging forces and destroy their warships, then Xu Shu will leave the remnants of the Jiangdong army and the coming naval forces with an inescapable net.

At that time, Zhang Liao's navy would guard the Ruxu River, blocking the waterway eastward into the Yangtze River. Meanwhile, Pang Tong would send troops from Hefei to occupy the strategic location of Juchao, the entrance to the river. Guan Yu would patrol the south bank of Chaohu Lake, while he and his lord would hold the Shu River. In a critical moment, they could even sink the ships requisitioned from Shucheng to completely blockade the Shu River.

This would cut off all escape routes for this isolated army and the naval forces that came to their aid, annihilating them all in Chaohu Lake!

After Guan Yu set off with his 5,000 troops, he set up beacon towers along the way as Xu Shu had requested. After six days, he finally arrived at Jiashi Pass, where the entire pass and the mountains on both sides were covered with the flags of the Jiangdong army.

Pang Tong's description of two mountains flanking a river, with a road suspended in between, is not an exaggeration at all. Apart from a main road leading up to the pass, the entire Jiashi Pass is surrounded by cliffs on both sides, with no small paths available for passage.

On the contrary, as long as there are enemy troops below, there is no need to send troops. Just use rolling stones and logs on the pass and the mountains on both sides to annihilate the enemy.

"What a magnificent pass!" Guan Yu couldn't help but exclaim.

Out of caution, Guan Yu set up camp at the foot of the mountain and sent men to scout the pass three times a day, morning, noon and evening. For five consecutive days, the scouts were shot back by a hail of arrows every time they arrived at the pass.

On the morning of the sixth day, Guan Yu sent out three scouts to probe the pass as usual, but they did not return for a long time.

Just as they were about to send a few more men to scout, a rider came galloping down the mountain path, nearly crashing into the camp gate. The scout tumbled off his horse and scrambled to Guan Yu, shouting, "General Guan... retreat! Retreat!"

Guan Yu asked in surprise, "Has the Jiangdong army withdrawn?"

"Exactly! Today, none of the three of us shot arrows at the pass, so we shouted and cursed in front of the pass, but no one responded!" the scout said excitedly.

"Why did you return alone? Where are the other two?" Guan Yu was still somewhat suspicious.

"When the two men saw that there were no flags on the mountain ridge, they climbed rocks and trees to investigate. They found that there was no one there. I came to inform them first, and the two men will arrive shortly."

Just then, two more riders came galloping back, one after the other. Guan Yu was overjoyed: "Order the entire army to ascend the mountain and seize the pass!"

The army rushed to the pass, but as expected, the Jiangdong army had disappeared. Only the gate was tightly closed. It did not take long for the infantry to fell giant trees and break the gate open.

It seems that Pang Tong and Xu Shu are indeed quite capable, Guan Yu thought to himself in admiration.

"Light the beacon fires! March on Hefei!"

In less than an hour, Liu Bei's troops in Shucheng and Zhang Liao's troops in Wancheng had all received the information and began to move towards Chaohu.

On the other side, when news of Cheng Pu's defeat reached Jiangdong, Sun Quan was extremely shocked. Twenty thousand men had attacked an isolated city with no inhabitants and yet collapsed in one battle. More importantly, he had only inherited the family business for half a year. If all of this wealth was lost, his position in Jiangdong would be insecure.

"General Cheng is a pillar of Jiangdong, and he has seven thousand men. I should go and rescue him personally!" After much deliberation, Sun Quan decided to personally lead the battle to rescue the remaining soldiers.

"My lord, General Cheng has taken away all the elite troops of Wu Commandery. Lu Fan's forces only have two thousand naval soldiers left, and Wu Commandery also has very few troops remaining. My lord must reconsider," Han Dang advised, reminding Sun Quan that his rear was not secure.

Lu Su, Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong, Huang Gai, and others remained silent.

"General Huang!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Huang Gai stepped forward.

"I hereby order you to command three thousand naval troops to prepare to receive Cheng Pu's army of warships. Tomorrow, you will accompany me to Ruxukou."

"Yes, sir!"

"Zijing, how many troops does Gongjin of Chaisang still have?"

"My lord, we have less than ten thousand soldiers and no more than a hundred ships," Lu Su replied softly.

"After my departure, Wu County will be left undefended. I trouble Zijing to personally go to Chaisang, and have Gongjin send five thousand men to Danyang to guard against the mountain tribes causing trouble."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Furthermore, send word to Lü Fan, instructing him to wait for me at Ruxukou so that we can meet up and then head to Chaohu together."

"Yes, sir!"

After making the arrangements, Sun Quan's thoughts returned to the original purpose of this uprising.

Liu Bei, Liu Bei, I have no grudge against you, so why do you insist on making trouble for me in this desolate place of Hefei?

The next day, Sun Quan and Huang Gai led the last 3,000 naval troops of Wu Commandery to Ruxukou to join Lü Fan, and together they organized a 5,000-strong rescue force to set off for Chaohu.

At this point, Liu Bei had assembled Xu Shu, Pang Tong, Guan Yu, Zhang Liao, Zhou Cang, Gan Ning, Liao Hua, Chen Lan, and Yang Hong, leading a total of 20,000 cavalry, infantry, and naval troops.

Sun Quan also mobilized eight civil and military officers, including Lü Fan, Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Zhuge Jin, Chen Wu, Pan Zhang, Zhou Tai, and Xu Sheng, bringing the total number of troops to approximately 12,000.

The offensive and defensive strategies have shifted, and the battle for Hefei is about to begin!