Chapter 349: Promoting Rumors
August 7th, Xiangcheng.

Xiangcheng is located on the Jingyu Chidao Road, and to its east is Yingyin City, the current county seat of Yingchuan County.

To the northwest is Yangdi, which was massacred by Cao Ren, and to the west of Xiangcheng is the Yingshan area.

After Cao Ren defeated Yang Di, he retreated to Xiangcheng and built a small mountain stronghold on the mountain west of the city, forming a pincer attack with Xiangcheng.

On the seventh day, Liu Bei's assembled army finally arrived in Xiangcheng.

There was an abandoned small town called Fancheng (Fan) near the southern Chidao of Xiangcheng. Cao Ren only had time to burn down the houses in Fancheng and had no time to destroy the city walls.

So Fancheng became Liu Bei's garrison. Liu Bei did not station his troops in Fancheng, but on the highway between Fancheng and Xiangcheng to protect the grain stored in Fancheng.

Fancheng became Liu Bei's front-line military grain garrison base.

In order to resist interference from Cao's troops in Xudu and Yingyin in the east, Guan Yu led 5,000 troops to station twenty miles east of Liu Bei, also along the Chidao Road.

After Zhao Yun arrived at the battlefield, he led his troops to hide in the south of Yingshan Mountain to search for possible ambushes of Cao Cao inside and outside Yingshan Mountain.

On the seventh day, the grain that Zhang Fei was supervising transported arrived.

In addition to Zhang Fei's own troops of more than 3,000 people, there were also 5,000 Jingzhou soldiers led by Wen Pin who were responsible for transporting food.

The grain was loaded and unloaded in an orderly manner. Wen Pin led dozens of cavalrymen to Xiangcheng to wait and see. He felt that this battle would be difficult to fight.

After all, Liu Bei's military force was insufficient and he was barely able to encircle Cao Ren.

The prerequisite is that Cao’s army does not provide support and watches Cao Ren’s demise.

Not to mention the main force of Cao's army in the direction of Xu Du, Man Chong and Li Tong in Runan alone could attack and cut off Liu Bei's Wankou supply line.

This supply line relies on the Jingyu Chidao Road, which is unobstructed and easy to harass.

Wen Pin waited and watched for a long time, then said to Li Yan, the grain supervisor who was traveling with him, "The current situation is not favorable to General Zuo. General Zuo is alone in deep territory, surrounded on three sides. Now the enemy army allows our army to transport grain through, probably because they have concerns."

Just because Man Chong and Li Tong did not dare to act rashly does not mean they did not dare to act or were unable to act.

Now it depends on the extent of Guanzhong’s support for this war.

If Hei Xiong personally returned from Hexi and led elite cavalry to join the battlefield, I am afraid that Man Chong, Li Tong and his ilk would send envoys to surrender and request to change the flag and fight the enemy.

Li Yan held the reins with his left hand again and looked around: "General, are you saying that we will be attacked when we transport grain in half a month?"

Half a month is the limit for transporting food. If it exceeds this time, the front line will easily run out of food.

In order to ensure sufficient food supply at the front line, Liu Bei transported food to Wankou before the war.

Now the Jingzhou soldiers who were sent to assist in the war were responsible for transporting grain. A navy transported grain to Wancheng via the Yu River; then two groups of Jingzhou soldiers, each with a strength of 5,000 people, transported grain in sections, one from Wancheng to Duyang, and the other from Duyang to Wankou.

Wen Pin had experienced the great war in the north and was trusted by Liu Biao and his son. He was responsible for the 200-mile journey from Wankou to the front line.

Normally, Wen Pin transports food to the front line every ten days in a cycle.

Li Yan, the grain inspector, was responsible for the inspection and shipment of grain, and the specific time of transportation had to be discussed with Wen Pin.

This was also Li Yan's first time participating in such a large-scale war. He could not control Liu Bei and could only take care of food. Naturally, he did not want to put himself in risk.

The longer the next grain shipment is delayed, the higher the probability that news of Guanzhong's fate will come.

The longer we delay, the more likely it is that news of sending troops to Guanzhong will appear.

As long as the news of Guanzhong's assistance in the war came, the risk of transporting grain would be small.

As soon as Li Yan opened his mouth, he wanted to determine the time for the next grain shipment.

Wen Pin didn't find it strange. Li Yan didn't want to take the risk, and neither did he.

If he messed up this matter, he would not be able to stay in Jingzhou, and he would not have the face to get along with Liu Bei and Guanzhong.

After a moment's thought, Wen Pin said with a smile, "You may not know this, but before the war, General Zuo had already sent his two daughters to Guanzhong." Li Yan's eyes lit up when he heard this, "Really?"

Where the truth is depends on the tacit understanding between the two people.

Wen Pin understood what he meant and said, "Zhao Zilong and Guan Yu both served under the Grand Marshal and were highly respected by him."

Li Yan was relieved and smiled immediately: "So, the enemy army can be destroyed in a snap!"

Even if the children sent over were two infant daughters, considering Da Sima's current age, it would not be too much to get married a dozen years later.

Not to mention Liu Bei, just the experienced generals and veterans under Liu Bei's command, with such a substantial dowry, what could not be accomplished?
As for intermarriage between clan members with the same surname, this kind of thing happened frequently among the pre-Qin states after so many years.

Not only was Li Yan encouraged, but the accompanying military officers and knights were also excited and their morale was high.

Wen Pin was also happy to see the changes happening before his eyes. He pushed for it personally, hoping that these people would spread the news.

When the news reached Man Chong and Li Tong's ears, even if these two dared to send troops to attack the grain route, it would depend on whether the people of Runan dared to take action.

If the people of Runan dare not carry out the order and refuse to help when it is enforced, then the rumor will be successful.

As for encouraging internal morale, it's nothing.

Anyway, it is impossible for his 5,000 men to participate in the war, and Liu Biao and his son will not agree to his participation in the war.

Therefore, it is necessary to consider the long-term retreat plan. Spreading this rumor can test the attitudes of Liu Bei and his followers.

If most people do not object and are happy to see this situation...then what reason does Da Sima have to stand idly by?

Once the Grand Marshal sends out his troops, the 5,000 newly assigned troops under his command, including Li Yan, will make a wise choice after seeing the heroic spirit of the Grand Marshal's headquarters on the battlefield.

The current Jingzhou has changed so much that Wen Pin feels unfamiliar.

Even Wen Pin felt a little uncomfortable with Liu Qi's changes.

The emperor was assassinated and Huainan proclaimed himself king, which brought a huge impact on Liu Qi's ideas.

Apart from anything else, Liu Bei's determination to attack the traitor Cao Cao was very much to Wen Pin's liking.

Now there are rumors everywhere that Huainan will soon be crowned, which makes Wen Pin's impression of Huainan King Liu Fu take a turn for the worse.

It’s fine to establish a title and proclaim yourself emperor, but why must you get involved with the traitor Cao Cao?
It is difficult for people to forgive Cao Cao's murder of the emperor.

The worse the temper, the more rigid, resolute and stubborn the person's character, the more impossible it is to tolerate him.

But Wen Pin had no choice but to spread the rumor.

He now has only about 200 soldiers following him and is barely capable of fighting; the 5,000 troops assigned to him are consistent with the usual weak image of the Jingzhou soldiers.

If Man Chong and Li Tong sent troops to attack the grain route, these 5,000 Jingzhou soldiers would be shattered at the slightest touch, and there would be no way to expect this army to perform a miracle.

Just as Wen Pin was spreading the rumor he had fabricated, Liu Bei's official document urging reinforcements once again came to Yi Ji, the governor of Nanxiang County.

Yi Ji treated Xu You and Lou Gui as guests of honor, and this official document was also placed in front of Xu You.

Xu You held the document in his hand, thinking about the changes, and said in a deep voice: "The Grand Marshal has not responded yet, but Lord Xuande is surrounded by enemies on three sides while besieging Cao Ren. If our army cannot take any action, Lord Xuande will be isolated and may not be able to last long."

Lou Gui was a little impatient: "So, it's my turn now?"

"Well, we have to make do with the emergency. There is no need to wait for Guanzhong's reply."

Xu You took out a wooden sign from his sleeve and handed it to Lou Gui: "Today we will open the armory, arm the servants, and pretend to be reinforcements."

Lou Gui took the wooden sign and looked at Yi Ji again. Yi Ji also took a deep breath and said, "Two thousand county soldiers are ready to fight at any time. There are also more than a thousand brave men from the Jing Man tribe."

Yi Ji looked at Xu You and explained, "The Cao thief murdered the emperor, and the Jing barbarians were also indignant. Many righteous men wrote to the emperor to request a war to defeat the thief."

(End of this chapter)