Chapter 112 Want to go down the mountain to pick peaches? There are no leftovers! Liu Bei conquered Xiangyang? This is unscientific!

Not only Liu Bei, but all the generals present were confused by Xiao Fang's words.

Old Liu is a man of his word, and everyone knows this.
Whether Huang Zu was afraid of hurting himself or was on guard against Sun Ce, he did not send the Jiangxia navy north to wade into the muddy waters of the Battle of Xiangfan within two months.

It was also expected that Old Liu kept his word and sent Huang She to Xiakou.

However, Xiao Fang's words, giving Huang Zu a strategy, left everyone confused.

"Military Advisor, I don't quite understand your meaning. Please explain it to me."

Liu Bei had no choice but to ask again.

"Sun Ce did not move his troops because he wanted to go down the mountain to pick peaches. He wanted to wait for Huang Zu to withdraw troops to reinforce Xiangfan. Then he could seize Xiakou and march into Jingzhou at the lowest cost."

"I guess this must be Zhou Yu's strategy, which is exactly the same as Cao Cao's strategy back then, both of them want to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight."

"It's a pity that Zhou Lang never dreamed that there are hidden talents in Jingzhou. The lord would appoint Xingba, the world's best naval commander, as the commander of the navy, and destroy the Jiangling navy in one fell swoop, cross the Han River, and then capture Xiangyang."

"Once Xiangyang is lost, Liu Biao's army will be defeated. It is clear that the lord will attack Jingzhou."

"At this time, the little bully must be anxious. Naturally, he can't wait to go down the mountain to pick peaches. He will definitely rush to capture Xiakou at all costs."

"If it drags on for a few more months, when the lord breaks through Jiangling and takes Jingnan, and Jingzhou is all in his pocket, he will only have leftovers if he wants to eat again."

After revealing Sun Ce's wishful thinking clearly, Xiao Fang continued:

"If Sun Ce is forced into a corner and attacks Xiakou at all costs, Huang Zu will be unable to stop him and will undoubtedly be defeated."

"Once Xiakou is captured by Sun Ce, his navy can either go north along the Han River to threaten Xiangfan, or go west along the river to capture Jiangling, or cut off the Yangtze River to seize the four counties in southern Jing."

"My lord, you led your soldiers to fight bloody battles and finally defeated Liu Biao, leaving him half-crippled. How can we let Sun Ce take advantage of you?"

"So, my lord, you have to give Huang Zu a plan to help him defend Xiakou and delay Sun Ce, so that you can seize Jiangling and take over the four counties in southern Jing to buy enough time."

Xiao Fang's words revealed the profound meaning of this.

Old Liu and the other generals suddenly realized.

Zhang Fei slammed the table and cursed:
"What the military advisor said makes sense. We have worked so hard, how can we let Sun Ce take advantage of us?"

"We have to help Huang Zu, that coward, and let him hold back Sun Ce for us."

Everyone said yes.

Liu Bei also nodded heavily, agreeing with it deeply.

"Sun Ce was a man of unrivalled bravery. He was unstoppable in both naval and land battles. When he conquered Jiangdong, he was almost invincible. His military prowess was even greater than that of his father, Sun Jian."

"Although Huang Zu is known as the best general in Jingzhou, he is actually just a name. If Sun Ce attacks with all his strength, I'm afraid he will be in great danger."

Wen Pin frowned and spoke with fear towards Sun Ce.

Liu Bei nodded in agreement, then looked at Xiao Fang:

"I wonder if you, military advisor, have any plan that can help Huang Zu hold back Sun Ce so that he won't be able to break through Xiakou so quickly?"

Xiao Fang put down his wine glass, asked Xu Chu to bring paper and pen, and slowly wrote down a plan.

"My lord, you can use this plan to have Huang She handed over to his father. Although this plan is not foolproof, it is expected to delay Sun Ce for a month or two."

Xiao Fang said this and presented the silk paper to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei took it and looked at it carefully with curiosity, and suddenly a gleam of light appeared in his eyes.

"This plan of the military advisor is truly outrageous!"

"Since ancient times, I have never heard of such means being used to repel the enemy on the Yangtze River!"

Liu Bei exclaimed in amazement, then raised his head and looked at Xiao Fang in surprise.

"My lord, if you think this plan is feasible, please send Huang She to Huang Zu immediately. I think Sun Ce will attack Xiakou soon, so we need to let Huang Zu act in advance."

Xiao Fang reminded with a faint smile.

Liu Bei said happily: "Let's follow the military advisor's plan. Come on, tell Huang She to come here quickly."

The plan to use Huang Zu to delay Sun Ce was thus decided.

At this time, the personal guards came to report that Guan Yu and his entourage had arrived in Fancheng and Xiangyang, and were about to cross the river.

When Liu Bei heard that his brothers had arrived, he became more spirited.

This was also Xiao Fang's suggestion. As early as when the Jiangling navy was destroyed, Xiao Fang asked Liu Bei in advance to immediately summon Guan Yu to the south to join him.

After all, after capturing Xiangyang, Lao Liu moved his seat of government from Wancheng to Xiangyang.

Soon after, he would personally lead his troops south to capture Jiangling and then take over Jingzhou.

Then the heavy responsibility of sitting in Xiangyang and presiding over the overall situation could only be shouldered by Guan Yu.

Only Guan Yu has the ability and prestige to defend Liu Bei's nest.

"Military Advisor, I am relieved that Yunchang is in charge of Xiangyang."

"But in Nanyang, do we really not need to station heavy troops to guard against Cao Cao?"

While Liu Bei was happy about Guan Yu's coming, he was still somewhat wary of Cao Cao.

After all, Wancheng is too close to Xudu, and there is no guarantee that Cao Cao will not turn around and attack the south again after defeating Yuan Shu.

"After Cao Cao suffered a great loss last time, he will no longer dare to underestimate the lord, especially since the lord has now captured Xiangyang and is much stronger than before."

"Under this situation, I don't think Cao Cao would dare to start a war with you easily."

As he spoke, Xiao Fang raised his hand and pointed eastward, then continued:
"According to reports from Xuzhou and Huaizhou, Cao Cao has appointed Chen Deng as the governor of Guangling in the name of the imperial court. I believe that the Chen family has secretly surrendered to Cao Cao and served as his internal support in Xuzhou."

"In addition, Lu Bu rejected Yuan Shu's marriage proposal. Although he was rewarded by the imperial court in name, he actually lost Yuan Shu, his ally and support."

"This is undoubtedly a great opportunity for Cao Cao to destroy Lu Bu."

"I predict that in the future, Cao Cao will focus on taking Xuzhou and destroying Lu Bu, and will have no time to attack Nanyang again."

After hearing Xiao Fang's analysis, Liu Bei finally felt relieved.

"Besides, with Wei Wenchang's ability, he can take over General Yunchang's position to guard Wancheng, so you can rest assured, my lord."

"In short, there is no threat in the north for the time being. What my lord needs to do now is to race against time with Sun Ce and take Jiangling as soon as possible to occupy Jingzhou!"

Xiao Fang pointed the wine glass in his hand to the south of Xiangyang. Liu Bei no longer had any worries and said happily:

"Just follow what the military advisor said. Once Yunchang takes over the defense of Xiangyang, we will immediately march south and take Jiangling!"

...

Pei State, Fuli City.

Inside Cao's camp, the aroma of wine filled the air and laughter was heard everywhere.

The soldiers of Cao's army were singing and dancing, celebrating the great victory they had just experienced.

Inside the Chinese army's tent.

The smile on Cao Cao's face never stopped, and he drank glass after glass of wine.

Since the campaign against Yuan Shu, he had fought three battles in Runan, Chen State and other places, and defeated Yuan Shu three times.

In today's battle of Fuli, Yuan Shu was dealt a heavy blow and three thousand men were annihilated.

After several battles, Yuan Shu's territory was greatly reduced, and he lost more than ten cities in a row. His sphere of influence had to retreat back to the Huai River line.

The battle was fought beautifully, so Cao Cao was naturally very proud.

"Gongda, we won the battle of Fuli against Yuan Shu, all thanks to your skillful use of the military tactics."

"Here, I'll toast you with this glass of wine."

Cao Cao smiled and raised his glass to his adviser Xun You.

Xun You finished his drink and took the opportunity to speak:
"Yuan Shu has been defeated in successive battles and his vitality has been greatly damaged. If Sikong takes advantage of the situation and marches into Huainan, You is confident that he can defeat Yuan Shu again and help Sikong march to Shouchun."

Cao Cao smiled but said nothing, glancing at Guo Jia.

Unlike his uncle Xun Yu who was a strategist, Xun You was better at tactics. He was able to come up with numerous brilliant ideas in every battle and his wisdom was comparable to that of Guo Jia, but he lacked strategic vision.

"Although Yuan Shu has suffered several setbacks, his strength is still there. If he relies on the Huai River defense line to resist, even if our army goes south with all its strength, it may not be able to destroy him. Instead, it may be trapped in the quagmire of Huainan and unable to extricate itself."

"Jia believes that the prime minister's original intention of attacking Yuan was to establish his authority and show that the lord's authority over the court cannot be offended."

"Now that the Minister of Works has severely damaged Yuan Shu and established his authority, there is really no need to continue to march south and fight Yuan Shu to the death."

"Yuan Shu had Lu Bu betraying his alliance, Sun Ce splitting and establishing himself, and was defeated several times by the Minister of Works. There was also resentment among the people, and the people were divided."

"Sir, why don't you wait until Yuan Shu is trapped in internal and external troubles, deserted by his friends and relatives, and at the end of his rope, and then march into Huainan. Wouldn't it be easy to destroy Yuan?"

Guo Jia's eloquent analysis also hit the mark of Cao Cao's heart.

Xun You was self-aware and knew that he was not good at strategic planning. Seeing that Cao Cao agreed with what Guo Jia said, he said no more.

"Feng Xiao's words make sense. Yuan Shu is no longer a concern. Just let him fend for himself."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, but turned his gaze to the southwest:

"But in recent months, Liu Bei has taken advantage of my attack on Yuan Shikai and has broken through Xinye and Fancheng. He is poised to cross the Han River and capture Xiangyang."

"Liu Bei's strength is growing so fast that I am really worried. I intend to move my army to Nanyang and attack Liu Bei again. What do you think, Fengxiao?"

When Liu Bei was mentioned, the relaxed look on Guo Jia's face turned into a serious look.

Just as he was about to speak, Cao Ren sneered disapprovingly.

"Liu Bei used Xiao Fang's strategy to capture cities and territories one after another, and has forced Liu Biao to retreat to the south of the Han River."

"But when it comes to the Han River, the key to victory or defeat has changed from a land battle to a naval battle."

"The greatest advantage of Liu Biao's Jingzhou army is precisely the navy."

"How can Liu Bei, with his northerners, defeat the navy of Jingzhou, let alone cross the Han River and capture Xiangyang?"

After Cao Ren made a confident judgment, he bowed and said:
"Ren thinks it would be better to let the two Lius confront each other across the Han River, and use Liu Biao to continue to consume Liu Bei."

"Sikong can take advantage of this opportunity to take advantage of the conflict between Lu Bu and Yuan Shu, first capture Xuzhou and destroy Lu Bu, thus solving the threat from the east in one fell swoop."

"Sikong will then have no more worries and will personally lead his troops to attack Nanyang again. How can Liu Bei resist?"

As the chief military general of the Cao family, Cao Ren, in addition to his ability to command troops, was also quite intelligent and knowledgeable, and he immediately offered a strategy.

"Navy, naval battle, naval commander..."

Cao Cao seemed to be thinking about something, stroked his beard and nodded slightly:
"Zixiao reminded me that the navy is indeed crucial in the battle between the Yangtze and Han rivers."

"Liu Bei has no naval forces or generals to use. It would be extremely difficult for him to cross the Han River."

"It would be a good idea for me to take advantage of the situation and attack Lu Bu first to eliminate the threat from the east."

Cao Cao was inclined towards Cao Ren's strategy and looked at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia was not as optimistic as Cao Ren. He frowned and said:

"General Zixiao's words are all reasonable, but Xiao Jinglue is a master of strategy and always comes up with fantastic plans to help Liu Bei win by surprise."

"Jia is worried. With this person assisting Liu Bei, we cannot judge him with common sense."

Cao Cao's heart trembled and he suddenly became alert.

At this time.

Cao Ren smiled and said disapprovingly:
"That Xiao Fang is indeed cunning and deceitful. I also experienced this deeply during the previous battle in Ye County."

"But in this naval battle, it all depends on who has the stronger navy. Even if he has brilliant plans and tactics, they will be useless!"

"Feng Xiao, I think I was worrying too much this time."

Cao Cao's tense nerves gradually relaxed because of Cao Ren's words.

Just then.

Dian Wei rushed in and delivered an urgent secret report with a distance of eight hundred miles.

Cao Cao took it slowly and opened it unhurriedly.

Just one look and his eyes suddenly widened.

"Liu Bei defeated the Jiangling navy, killed Cai Mao, and captured Xiangyang?"

(End of this chapter)