Chapter 123: Surrender to Sun Ce? You will be slaughtered! Copycat strategy, turn the tide in one fell swoop!
Jiangxia County.

The entire city of Xiakou was covered with white flags.

Inside the county government office, everyone was in mourning, with cries of grief rising and falling one after another.

In the main hall, Liu Cong was kneeling in front of Liu Biao's spirit tablet, burning paper and crying.

"My lord, my lord——"

Huang Zu rushed into the mourning hall, fell down before Liu Biao's spirit tablet, and burst into tears.

After the Jiangdong army retreated, the Lord of Jiangxia led his troops back to Xiakou City.

After learning that Liu Biao had died and that Kuai Yue had brought Liu Cong to surrender and set up an altar in the city to pay tribute to Liu Biao from afar, he dressed in mourning and rushed over.

"Chengzong, Mr. Jingsheng has passed away. You must mourn for him."

"You will have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of assisting the lord in recovering the lost territory and avenging the death of the deceased. You must not cry and hurt yourself."

Kuai Yue hurried forward to support and comfort him, and also gave a wink to Liu Cong.

Liu Cong understood what he meant, and hurried forward to support Huang Zu, saying with tears in his eyes:

"General Chengzong, if my father is still alive in heaven, he would be relieved to see how sad you are."

"You have a heavy responsibility, so you must be patient and don't hurt yourself by crying."

The master and his minister had a tacit understanding. They only cared about praising Huang Zu and did not mention the fact that Huang Zu had disobeyed orders and refused to rescue Xiangfan and Jiangling.

Huang Zu cried so hard that he almost fainted.

"Father!"

Huang She was shocked and rushed forward.

Liu Cong and Kuai Yue looked at each other and knew that Huang Zu was acting, but they still had to pretend to be frightened and hurriedly carried Huang Zu over with everyone else.

After struggling for a long time, until dark, Huang Zu finally woke up.

"Liu Bei, you bastard, killed my master. This hatred is irreconcilable!"

"She'er, quickly pass on my order and gather the troops. I will mobilize all the soldiers in Jiangxia and go to Jiangling to fight the big-eared thief to the death to avenge my former master!"

Huang Zu struggled to sit up, and in anger and grief, he clamored to send troops.

Huang She was also filled with indignation and was about to pass on the message.

"Zi Rui, wait!"

Kuai Yue jumped up and hurriedly stopped Huang She.

"Chengzong, you want to avenge the late Lord Jingsheng. This loyalty is naturally admirable."

"But now Liu Bei has conquered Jiangling and Nanjun is his. I think the four counties in southern Jing can also be conquered by issuing an edict."

"Liu Bei has already occupied six of the seven counties in Jingzhou. With only the 30,000 troops in Jiangxia, it is unlikely that we can recapture Jiangling."

"Chengzong, we still need to act calmly and take a long-term view."

Kuai Yue analyzed the situation and gave earnest advice.

Huang Zu had no intention of leading his army to recapture Jiangling, and his enthusiasm just now was just an act.

After Kuai Yue's persuasion, he naturally wanted to take advantage of the situation to back down.

"Ah, what Yidu said makes sense."

"If I had not been held back by that little tyrant and unable to rescue Jiangling, how could Liu Bei have conquered Jiangling, and Lord Jingsheng would not have been harmed by him."

"Now most of Jingzhou has fallen into the hands of the big-eared thieves. With the strength of Jiangxia County, it is really not easy to recover the lost territory."

Huang Zu calmed down, shook his head and sighed, his anger gradually turning into anxiety.

Huang She's expression became serious again, and he said in a deep voice:
"Just now, a spy sent back a secret report that Liu Bei has already transferred half of his navy from Xiakou to the Yangtze River and headed for Jiangling to join him."

"I think that big-eared thief will come by land and sea in a few days, and go down the river to attack Xiakou."

"Father, we have to be prepared to deal with it."

Huang Zu frowned and remained silent.

The momentum of shouting and killing just now has now mostly dissipated.

After a moment of silence, Huang Zuqiang held up his pride and snorted coldly:
"That big-eared thief may be very powerful, but my navy is invincible!"

"If he dares to lead his army to attack, I will personally lead the navy upstream to block it. He cannot defeat my navy, so how can he threaten Xiakou?"

Huang Zu slammed the table and uttered arrogant words with unparalleled arrogance.

The main thing is self-confidence.

Even though he is currently trapped in a corner of Jiangxia, he is absolutely confident that his navy is invincible on the Yangtze River.

Not to mention Liu Bei, even that little tyrant might not be his opponent.

"The Jiangxia navy is naturally the strongest on the Yangtze River. If Chengzong leads his army westward, it shouldn't be a problem to stop Liu Bei's invasion from the east."

Kuai Yue started by flattering him, then changed the subject and asked:
"But Chengzong, have you ever thought that if you lead the main force of the navy to the west to stop Liu Bei, then Xiakou and the eastern front will definitely be left empty."

"What if Sun Ce takes advantage of the situation and attacks, breaks through your iron chain and captures Xiakou in one fell swoop?"

Huang Zu's figure stiffened.

"Sun Ce's temporary withdrawal does not mean he has given up on seizing Xiakou. He simply wants us to free up our hands to confront Liu Bei upstream."

"We are in a stalemate with Liu Bei, so the little tyrant can take advantage of the situation and swoop in to reap the benefits."

Huang Zu shuddered, and his expression changed from fear to terror.

After being defeated by Liu Bei, he was left with no other options, but at least he still had the option of surrendering.

Sun Ce has a grudge against you for killing your father!
If you lose to Sun Ce, you will die.

Not only will you, Huang Zu, die, but the entire Huang family will be slaughtered by Sun Ce, leaving no old or weak behind.

"Yi Du's words make sense. We must not let Sun Ce take advantage of the opportunity and attack Xiakou!"

"But now Liu Bei's army is about to attack, and Sun Ce is lurking behind us. How should we respond when we have so many soldiers?"

Huang Zu's tone was already somewhat guilty, and he also adopted an attitude of humbly seeking advice.

Kuai Yue felt the feeling of being regarded as a strategist again, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

Then he stroked his thin beard and smiled faintly:
"Don't worry, Chengzong. Yue has a plan that will surely make Liu Bei retreat without a fight!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the room became excited.

"Yi...Yi Du, what a brilliant plan you have, how could it be so amazing?"

Huang Zu's voice sounded a little excited, his eyes were filled with surprise, yet deep suspicion.

Kuai Yue was not in a hurry. He asked someone to bring a map and spread it out in front of everyone.

"The navy is Liu Bei's weak point. Even if he recruits part of the Jiangling navy, its naval strength will be weaker than your Jiangxia navy."

"Besides, he also transferred part of the navy from Xiashui to the Yangtze River, so the strength of his Xiangfan navy must have been weakened."

"Why don't you lead a small number of troops to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River to hold back Liu Bei's main force, while you lead the main force of the Jiangxia navy to the north along the Han River and attack Fancheng directly."

"With your naval warfare ability, it will be no problem for you to defeat the Fancheng navy that remains behind. After that, you can cut off the Han River, capture Fancheng in one fell swoop, and cut off Liu Bei's connection between the north and the south!"

"At that time, Liu Bei's army will be in great chaos, and he will quickly withdraw his troops to the north to reinforce Xiangyang and recapture Fancheng!"

"In this way, the threat from Liu Bei upstream of Xiakou will be eliminated, and Chengzong can quickly return to Xiakou and not give that little tyrant any chance to take advantage of it!"

Kuai Yue pointed at the map and eloquently outlined a strategy for Huang Zu.

Huang Zu stared at the map, his eyes gradually filled with joy, and praised:

"Yidu, your strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking the west is indeed a brilliant plan to quickly drive Liu Bei away!"

"If this plan succeeds, maybe we can also recapture Xiangyang in one fell swoop!"

"Great idea! This is truly a great idea!"

Huang Zu took a photo of the map and praised it.

Kuai Yue stroked his thin beard, with a slight smile on his lips.

"Father, I'm afraid there is another crucial problem with this plan of Kuai Biejia."

"Father led the main force to attack Fancheng. How could he, with a small group of troops, stop Liu Bei's 40,000-strong army from advancing eastward?"

Huang She poured a bucket of cold water on him.

Huang Zu's body shuddered, and the excitement on his face was instantly extinguished.

Before he could open his mouth to ask.

Kuai Yue seemed to be well prepared, and asked with a smile:

"Zi Rui, I heard that you were advising your father to block Sun Ce's Jiangdong navy with the strategy of blocking the river with iron chains."

"If that's the case, then why can't we copy and use the same strategy to deal with Liu Bei?"

Huang She was stunned.

After a moment, he suddenly realized what was happening and shouted in surprise:

"Yes, that's what Kuai Biejia reminded me of!"

"We can use the same method to set up three iron locks at the dangerous places upstream to block the river surface. Wouldn't that stop Liu Bei's navy from going east?"

"In this way, with only a few thousand elite soldiers guarding the dangerous passes on both sides of the river, wouldn't it be enough to stop Liu Bei's 40,000-strong army?"

The last flaw was thus filled.

Huang Zu's face was clear of all doubts, and he laughed loudly:

"Okay, okay, Yidu, ah Yidu, you really are worthy of being my Jingzhou's number one strategist!"

"I really can't understand why Lord Jingsheng, with your advice, was defeated by Liu Bei in every battle?"

"I really don't believe that Xiao Fang, that country bumpkin, can be a match for you, Kuai Yidu!"

Kuai Yue only smiled faintly and turned his admiring gaze towards Huang She:
"Chengzong, you are too kind. In fact, the reason I came up with this plan is thanks to Zirui's plan of locking the river in an iron chain."

"Zi Rui can come up with such a fantastic plan. It's true that a good father will have a good son."

Kuai Yue praised Huang's grandfather and son with a few subtle words.

Huang Zu looked pleased and said happily:

"Okay, She'er, you will lead 5,000 soldiers and block Liu Bei's eastward advance by blocking the river upstream."

"I led 20,000 naval forces north to the Han River to attack Fancheng for my father."

"Let's use the strategy of the other dimension and let that big-eared thief see the methods of my father and I!"

Huang She gladly accepted the order.

They chatted and laughed together, and never asked for Liu Cong's opinion from beginning to end, as if they regarded him, the new lord of Jingzhou, as transparent.

Liu Cong swallowed his saliva, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he dared not say anything and could only sigh inwardly.

...

South of Jiangling City, on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

Thousands of Liu's soldiers have begun to board the ship in an orderly manner.

Less than ten days after the capture of Jiangling, Liu Bei assembled a large army by land and sea, and was about to go down the river to Xiakou.

Half of the army had boarded the ship, but Liu Bei was standing on the shore and was still not getting on board, his eyes looking towards the south bank.

"The lord's ten thousand-enemy tiger is coming!"

Xiao Fang was sharp-eyed and pointed at the river and said with a smile.

Liu Bei looked south and saw dozens of large and small ships coming from the south bank.

On the battle flag, the word "yellow" is faintly visible.

Liu Bei's eyes lit up, he quickly dismounted from his horse, and walked a few steps to the pier.

Soon, the ships came to shore one after another.

Huang Chengyan and an old general with half-white hair and beard got off the warship together, and behind them his personal guards were supporting a sick young man.

"Han Sheng, that is Lord Xuande!"

Huang Chengyan saw Liu Bei and pointed at him and introduced him with a smile.

The old general's expression brightened up, and a look of flattery suddenly appeared on his face.

So he quickly straightened his clothes and armor, took a step forward, and bowed:
"I, Huang Zhong, am sorry for not being able to come and see you sooner, my lord. Please forgive me!"

(End of this chapter)