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

Sun Quan returned in full military attire from the Jiangdong Army camp in Shexian County, Danyang Commandery, followed closely by Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai.

Zhuge Jin had been waiting in the tent for a long time.

"My lord, how is the battle?"

Sun Quan walked straight into the tent, plopped down on a stool, shook his head and said, "The enemy army relies on the strategic location in the mountains. As soon as I go out to fight, they retreat, and then they launch a sneak attack when I retreat."

Zhuge Jin was somewhat helpless. Since the siege of Wan City was forced to retreat under pressure from Chen Deng, he had not seen Chen Deng raise an army. Instead, his lord Sun Quan was embroiled in an endless battle with the mountain tribe chieftain of Danyang.

This large group of bandits gathered when the opportunity was favorable and dispersed when it was unfavorable. Relying on their familiarity with the mountains, rivers and lakes, they waged guerrilla warfare and committed atrocities in the three prefectures of Danyang, Wu and Kuaiji. They were practically like the Xiongnu of Jiangdong.

Zhou Tai remained silent, while Pan Zhang looked furious.

"My lord, in that case, why not feign a retreat to lure them into pursuit, and then ambush them?" Zhuge Jin offered a plan.

Sun Quan pondered for a moment and said, "This plan is good, but I'm afraid it won't be able to annihilate their forces, and we'll have to mobilize a large army again next year..."

"Uh..." Zhuge Jin realized that Sun Quan's idea of ​​solving the problem once and for all was a bit unrealistic.

"My lord! I have a plan that can wipe out the entire enemy army!" Pan Zhang suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

Sun Quan's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at Pan Zhang: "What brilliant plan do you have? Tell me quickly!"

Pan Zhang said fiercely, "In my opinion, we should set the mountain on fire tonight, and I will lead an army to block the main road. Anyone who tries to escape down the mountain will be executed."

Zhuge Jin was alarmed and immediately stepped forward to advise, "My lord, this is absolutely unacceptable! There are still hundreds of people living in the mountains. If we set the mountain on fire, what have they done to deserve this?"

Pan Zhang immediately retorted, "Sir, you are mistaken. The people in the mountains all depend on the Yue tribes. What's wrong with killing them?"

Zhuge Jin said, "General, you are mistaken! The chaos among the Yue people has been going on for a long time. How can the surrounding people survive if they do not submit to the law?"

As the two were arguing, a soldier suddenly rushed into the tent.

"Report! My lord! General Zhou Yu from Chaisang has sent an urgent report!"

Sun Quan was in a state of distress when he heard that Zhou Yu had sent an urgent report. He immediately got up to retrieve the letter and check it.

Zhuge Jin and Pan Zhang stopped arguing and turned their attention to Sun Quan's reaction.

After reading the letter, Sun Quan remained silent, pacing back and forth in his tent before shoving it into Zhuge Jin's hand.

Zhuge Jin stared wide-eyed at the contents of the letter, and after a long while, he finally uttered, "This... such a thing is true?"

Sun Quan glanced at him, then sat back down on the stool, remaining silent.

Zhou Tai asked in a low voice, "Mr. Ziyu, what is Gongjin referring to?"

Zhuge Jin frowned and replied, "Liu Bei of Runan has recently made an alliance with Liu Biao of Jingzhou, intending to use Liu Biao's strength to rebuild Hefei. Gongjin advises our lord to send troops as soon as possible and not to sit idly by."

"Huh?" Zhou Tai and Pan Zhang both exclaimed in surprise.

Why did Liu Bei suddenly appear and want to rebuild Hefei?

Yuan Shu just left the Jianghuai region, and now Liu Bei has arrived?

"My lord, this matter is of utmost importance!" Zhuge Jin hurriedly walked to the map.

"If Hefei is built, I fear that Jiangdong will no longer have the convenience of advancing north into the Central Plains."

Upon hearing this, Sun Quan, Zhou Tai, and Pan Zhang all walked towards the map.

"My lord, please look. Hefei is located north of the Huai and Si Rivers and south of Chaohu Lake. From here, boats can travel north via the Fei River to reach the Central Plains, and from here, boats can travel south through Ruxu and flow directly into the Yangtze River."

"Furthermore, the land routes are flat and open, with wide fields on all sides, and a constant flow of carriages and horses. If you have access to it, the north and south are connected; if you lose it, the Yangtze and Huai Rivers will be cut off."

"In the strategically vital region of the southeast, none can rival him; this Liu Bei... his ambitions are truly grand!"

After listening to Zhuge Jin's analysis, Sun Quan became even more agitated.

Last time, when they besieged Wancheng, they were determined to win and were preparing to kill the generals, seize the city, and establish their authority. But then Mi Zhu suddenly appeared and came out to negotiate on behalf of Liu Bei.

Now Liu Bei has not only extended his reach to Lujiang, which is separated from Jiangdong by a river, but he is even planning to build Hefei right under his nose.

Knowing full well that Jingzhou was a sworn enemy of Jiangdong, Liu Bei still allied with Liu Biao...

The grand cause they were advocating was to attack Cao Cao, so why did they turn on me?

"My lord! My lord!" Zhuge Jin called out quickly when he saw that Sun Quan was lost in thought.

Sun Quan glanced at the map again seriously, then turned to Zhuge Jin and asked, "In your opinion, Ziyu, how should we respond?"

Zhuge Jin said, "In my humble opinion, our lord should reply to Gongjin and order him to intensify the training of the navy and send troops to Chaisang in the near future to strike Jiangxia and cut off Liu Bei and Liu Biao's supply lines. We must not sit idly by and watch Hefei be built."

"As for the matter of pacifying the mountain tribes, I believe this matter should be handled quickly. Our lord has just assumed the great cause, and sending troops to Jingzhou is a major undertaking. We should return to Wu County to discuss this with Zijing, Zibu, and others. It is not advisable to delay here for too long."

Sun Quan sighed. Although Zhuge Jin's explanation was brief, the route he provided was very clear.

"Why go through all this trouble? Why not lead the army straight to Hefei?" Zhou Tai suggested.

"No, if we want to take Hefei, not to mention the cost of mobilizing troops, there is Chen Deng to the north and the Shanyue to the east. We cannot move the troops of Wu Commandery," Zhuge Jin explained.

Zhuge Jin's words awakened Sun Quan, reminding him that his foundation was not yet secure. If he were to send troops from his main base to Hefei, it would be a great loss if his home were to be raided.

"Hmm... what you say makes sense, sir. We will follow your advice." Sun Quan no longer hesitated.

"My lord! What about setting fire to the mountain..." Pan Zhang remembered the topic of their recent argument.

Sun Quan said ruthlessly, "My father's great revenge is still unavenged, and now Liu Bei has caused trouble. How can a mere few hundred rebels ruin my important plans? I will follow your plan and set the mountain on fire tonight to eliminate any future troubles!"

"My lord! You mustn't! Please retract your order!" Zhuge Jin knelt down in a panic and pleaded.

Sun Quan closed his eyes, looked up, and sighed, "As you just said, we must pacify the mountain tribes as soon as possible. This is a last resort. I hope you will consider the overall situation."

After Sun Quan finished speaking, he led Zhou Tai and Pan Zhang out of the camp, leaving Zhuge Jin alone kneeling in the tent.

Zhuge Jin slowly stood up, walked out of the tent, bowed deeply in the direction of the mountains and fields, and then walked back to his own tent in a daze to write a letter to Zhou Yu.

At the city gate of Wancheng in Lujiang County, banners fluttered, and thousands of soldiers stood in three neat rows. Guan Yu, Mi Zhu, and Mi Fang stood at the front, while Chen Lan and Lei Xu stood behind them, quietly waiting for their lord Liu Bei and others to arrive.

As Liu Bei and his entourage came into view, horns sounded from below the city walls, and Guan Yu spurred his Red Hare to meet them.

"Big brother!"

"Second brother!"

Liu Bei and Guan Yu had not seen each other for a long time and missed each other very much. The two jumped off their horses from a distance and ran towards each other, holding hands and embracing.

"Zizhong, Zifang!" Liu Bei became even more excited when he saw Mi Zhu and Mi Fang.

Since the uprising in Runan, I haven't seen the two of them again. In the two or three months since, it felt like I had experienced the separation from Xuzhou all over again.

Chen Lan and Lei Xu quickly knelt before Liu Bei, saying, "My lord, please accept our bow!"

Liu Bei helped the two men up and said, "Generals, I am sorry for being late!"

Chen Lan and Lei Xu both said they dared not.

While Liu Bei was comforting the two surrendered generals, Guan Yu, Xu Shu, Zhou Cang, and Zhang Quan, after bowing to each other, noticed a strange-looking scholar in the group. The scholar, slightly displeased that Guan Yu didn't dismount, said, "Brother, who is this? How dare he be so rude!"

Liu Bei turned around, recalling how Pang Tong had made things difficult for him in Jingzhou, and quickly introduced, "Yun Chang, this is the esteemed scholar I invited from Jingzhou, Mr. Pang Shiyuan, also known as Mr. Phoenix Chick!"

Guan Yu squinted at Pang Tong, then snorted coldly, "Phoenix Chick? Hmph..."

"What arrogance!"