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

"Strategist, after much deliberation, although our army has already divided its forces to Hefei, the grand plan to attack Cao Cao cannot be neglected. Strategist, you believe that we are outnumbered and should not engage in battle, and Cao Cao himself feels the same way!"

Liu Bei pulled Xu Shu into an inner room and explained his decision to him.

"Even if Mr. Xiaoqi had not arrived today, I would soon raise the banner of attacking Cao Cao again. Moreover, the autumn harvest has been completed, our army has rested for three months, and General Zhang Xiu has been training the three armies. Now is the time to expand our gains, strategist—"

Looking into Xu Shu's eyes, Liu Bei solemnly said, "I know the strategist's plan for raising troops, and I also ask the strategist to know my determination."

Seeing that Xu Shu did not react, Liu Bei continued, "Ma Teng has already raised the troops of Xiliang, and although Yuan Shao suffered a great defeat, he has not betrayed the alliance. This is a great opportunity for us to win hearts and minds, strategist!"

Seeing that Xu Shu was still frowning and unresponsive, Liu Bei paced anxiously back and forth in front of him.

After a long silence, Xu Shu finally replied, "Since my lord has made this decision, I will certainly devise a plan for you."

Liu Bei was overjoyed and said, "Thank you for your understanding, strategist. I will leave the battle arrangements to you!"

Xu Shu calmly replied, "My lord, I still need three more days. Please wait patiently for good news."

Liu Bei nodded: "Three days it is, thank you, strategist!" He then bowed deeply to Xu Shu.

After declining the formalities, Xu Shu frowned and left the mansion early, pondering from noon until dusk.

Xu Shu wasn't unwilling to fight; he desperately wanted to fight, and now that Pang Tong had joined the team, his desire to prove himself was even stronger.

But the more he wanted to fight, the more he knew that the difficulty of this battle would be no less than when he first arrived in Runan to raise an army.

The fact that they were able to achieve such great results with only 10,000 soldiers was entirely due to the fact that Cao Cao was unable to escape from Guandu, and that they had exhausted all their resources and were almost completely worn out.

The strength of Cao Cao's army is unknown now compared to then, while our two fierce generals, Guan Yu and Zhou Cang, have gone to Jingzhou.

Bowang, Wancheng, and Yancheng are all strategically important locations that require a general to be stationed there. More importantly, all diplomatic cards have been played...

Although Zhang Xiu was new to the area and trained his soldiers with great dedication, he could not trust them to lead the army independently in the face of a potential rebellion by their former master.

With the generals currently available—Zhao Yun of Bowang, Zhang Fei of Wancheng, and Chen Dao of Yancheng—even with the addition of Zhang Xiu and the lord, how can we advance any further?

Are they really besieging Xuchang? Xuchang is where the emperor resides. If we besiege the city rashly without absolute certainty, the situation may develop in an unpredictable direction.

Even the righteous cause of the imperial edict, which they have been advocating since the uprising began, could be turned into a serious crime like besieging the emperor, which would greatly diminish the legitimacy of their military campaign...

Now Yuan Shao has said he has launched an attack, and Zhang He and Gao Lan have surrounded Baima with 30,000 men. However, at Guandu, Yuan Shao's Hebei army, which outnumbered Cao Cao's army several times over, could not win. What kind of achievements can be expected from these 30,000 men?

The invitation to Ma Teng to advance eastward was entirely intended to distract Cao Cao and prevent him from focusing his efforts on the south. However, if a formidable city like Chang'an were to hold its ground without engaging in battle, and with supplies continuously being supplied from the eastern front, the Xiliang army would likely find it difficult to advance an inch...

Thinking of this, Xu Shu suddenly recalled the past of Emperor Gaozu and hurriedly rushed to the map to study it.

Emperor Gaozu marched north from Wancheng, passed through Wuguan, attacked Xianyang, and forced Prince Ziying of Qin to surrender!

The Wuguan Pass leads northwest from Wancheng through the Qinling Mountains, making the march difficult, but if successful, Chang'an will become an isolated city...

However, if a surprise attack is launched on Chang'an, and Cao Cao, who is skilled in attacking fortified positions, takes the opportunity to personally lead a large army south, it will be difficult to stop either Yancheng or Bowang, and Wancheng will become the key to the entire battlefield.

Xu Shu shook his head to himself; the risk was too great.

The army is small and the generals are few! The army is small and the generals are few!

Thinking of this, Xu Shu went to the courtyard alone, took off his robe, drew his sword, and began to practice swordsmanship.

Under the moonlight, the sword shadows danced, and after practicing for a while, Xu Shu was already drenched in sweat.

If Shi Yuan were here, how would he arrange things?

Xu Shu's eyes lit up, he sheathed his sword and hurriedly returned to the house.

By candlelight, Xu Shu's gaze swept back and forth between Runan and Nanyang...

The next afternoon, a servant rushed into the courtyard, interrupting Xu Shu, who was still thinking about battle plans.

"Strategist, this is a letter from Mr. Pang Tong. Please take a look, my lord!" A servant handed over the silk scroll.

Xu Shu quickly took the letter and read it. In the letter, Pang Tong roughly described the results of the two battles with Jiangdong. Jiangdong and Jiangxia were both severely weakened after the two major battles. He and Guan Yu's troops had returned to Wancheng to begin preparations for relocating the city. He also told Liu Bei that Gan Ning, who had recently surrendered, was now assisting in the construction of Hefei, and asked Liu Bei to rest assured.

Xu Shu inwardly praised Pang Tong, whose emergence from seclusion was indeed extraordinary. He had established a firm foothold in just two battles, and the grand plan for Huainan had taken another step forward.

After putting down Pang Tong's letter, Xu Shu looked around Hefei.

In Guangling to the east, Chen Deng will not help Pang Tong, but he probably won't send troops out of respect for Liu Bei.

Sun Quan in the southeast, with the Yue tribes still unconquered, found it difficult to directly advance westward and threaten Hefei;

Although Zhou Yu had a large army at Chaisang, it was weakened and unable to immediately attack Xiakou;

The southwestern Jingzhou region has already formed an alliance, and the north is full of petty villains who should be unable to shake Hefei, which houses three former "bandit leaders"—Gan Ning, Chen Lan, and Lei Xu…

Given this situation, with such a large number of personnel on the eastern front, why not bring one or two back to support the western front?

Shi Yuan... It's not that I, Xu Shu, am being unreasonable, but my lord has entrusted me with such a great responsibility, and I have no choice but to accept it!

Thinking of this, Xu Shu immediately got up to see Liu Bei—to ask his lord to ask Pang Tong for the man!

Three days later, when Liu Bei's urgent message reached Pang Tong, who had just returned to Wancheng, Pang Tong was furious.

"Strategist, why are you so unhappy?" Guan Yu asked curiously when he saw Pang Tong's lips trembling slightly with anger.

"General Guan, we have only just fought our first battle and are not yet firmly established, yet our lord wants to recall Generals Zhou Cang and Mi Fang to Runan."

Pang Tong had no choice but to hand the urgent message to Guan Yu for review.

"Uh... Brother, you're in such a hurry, I'm afraid we're going to have another big battle with Cao Cao's army." Guan Yu frowned as he finished reading the imperial edict.

"It must be that Yuanzhi is jealous of our victory and eager to make a name for himself..." Pang Tong muttered to himself.

"Since my elder brother has given the order... where are Zhou Cang and Mi Fang?" Guan Yu naturally complied with his elder brother's request without hesitation, as for the strategist's thoughts...

"Your subordinate is here!"

"You two must quickly prepare, each leading five hundred light cavalry, and return to Runan immediately to assist in the battle!"

"Your humble servant obeys!"

Seeing that Guan Yu had followed his lord's orders without any hesitation, Pang Tong had nothing to say. He cursed Xu Shu as he left.

Zhou Cang received the military order and quickly packed his things.

They just stopped fighting Jiangdong, and now they have to go and fight Cao Cao's army. They're really busy!

Wasn't this the case with small startup teams in our past lives?

As a cog in the machine, I'll go wherever I'm needed!

It's just that we finally had the chance to try out the idea of ​​the Mo Dao team, and now we have to start all over again. Sigh... The big picture is more important!

Six days later, when Zhou Cang and Mi Fang arrived in Runan with a thousand light cavalry, the entire army was ready to set off.

Xu Shu still wanted to exploit this time difference. Although he didn't know how long Yuan Shao's forces could besiege Baima, he had to seize every second as long as Cao Cao's army couldn't concentrate its full strength.

Liu Bei himself, Xu Shu, and Zhang Xiu led 5,000 men from Runan, plus 1,000 men from Zhou Cang and Mi Fang, and this time almost the entire army was mobilized for the attack.

Only Gong Du, Liu Pi, and some militiamen remained to guard the city.

"Strategist, how should we fight this battle?" On the way to Yancheng, a key strategic location, Zhou Cang asked Xu Shu curiously.

"Yuanfu, I'll be coming and going quite a bit this time," Xu Shu said to Zhou Cang with a smile, like a riddle teller.

"Uh... Strategist, I am a rough man, please don't beat around the bush." ​​Zhou Cang rolled his eyes at Xu Shu from his horse.

"Hahaha, Yuanfu, don't be in such a hurry..." Xu Shu wanted to keep everyone in suspense.

"This expedition is not for attacking cities, but for killing the enemy and annihilating Cao Cao's troops!" Liu Bei interrupted Xu Shu as he heard his beloved talking behind him.

"Killing the enemy is good, killing the enemy... why not attack the city?" Zhou Cang was stunned.

Xu Shu laughed and said, "That's right. In the last expedition, our army captured the three cities of Yancheng, Wancheng, and Bowang. I thought that was the limit. If Cao Cao were to lead a large army to defeat them one by one, we would be too busy to move quickly enough."

"Therefore, killing the enemy should be the priority, and capturing the city should be secondary."

Zhou Cang was still somewhat confused. Cao Cao was clearly holed up in Xuchang at this time. With 6,000 men in Runan, 3,000 men in Yancheng, and 4,000 men in Wancheng, where was he going to fight an encounter battle to annihilate the enemy?

What does it mean to come and go, to come and go?

Where do we come from and go, and where do we go in and out?

Seeing that Zhou Cang did not understand, Xu Shu did not explain further, but simply smiled.

After the army arrived at Yancheng, Liu Bei and Xu Shu led their generals to inspect the repairs of Yancheng city and the construction of the Ru River embankment.

After entering the city, Xu Shu began to select and deploy his troops.

"Mi Fang!"

"exist!"

"You are hereby given my military order: command Zhang Fei to lead one thousand Xiliang cavalry from Wancheng to Bowang immediately to join Zhao Yun's forces. Then deliver this letter to General Wen Ping. Do not fail to do so!"

"Yes, sir!" Mi Fang hurriedly stepped forward to take the order and letter.

"Sun Qian, Zhang Quan!"

"exist!"

"I would be grateful if you could take Zhang Quan and make another trip to Huaili immediately to deliver my letter to General Ma Teng. Upon receiving his reply, please return to Wancheng to see me as soon as possible!"

"Yes, sir!" Sun Qian quickly accepted the order.

"Zhang Xiu!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Zhang Xiu, who was on his first military expedition, quickly stepped forward to receive orders.

"You shall lead one thousand infantrymen and set up camp in the southwest of this city, to defend Yancheng together with Chen Dao. If Cao Cao's army arrives, quickly inform me in Wancheng."

"Your humble servant obeys!"

"Liu Yan!"

"exist!"

"Take this letter and immediately go to Zhao Yun in Bowang, ordering him to establish martial law and prepare for war, manufacture siege equipment, and also to escort all the grain stored in Bowang back to Wancheng without fail!"

"Huh?" Liu Yan thought he had misheard. If they were going to fight in Bowang, why would they send the stored grain back to Wancheng?

Zhou Cang looked puzzled upon hearing this. Didn't they say on the way that it wasn't for attacking the city? Why were they making siege weapons now...?

"I obey..." Seeing Xu Shu's unquestionable expression, Liu Yan quickly stepped forward to take the order and letter.

"Chen Dao!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Effective immediately, the entire city of Yancheng is under martial law to prevent Cao Cao's army from advancing south."

"Yes, sir!" Chen Dao accepted the order.

After making the arrangements, Xu Shu looked around the tent and saw that Zhou Cang was still standing there.

"Zhou Cang!"

"exist!"

"I have already selected a thousand strong and armored soldiers in Runan. You will lead this camp to protect our lord. You must not fail in your duty!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhou Cang was secretly delighted. That Xu Shu hadn't forgotten my previous advice...

It seems the Mo Dao Camp—

There is a play!