Chapter 73: Liu Bei dared to use a humble scholar, how could Liu Biao not be defeated! The situation of attack and defense is easy!
Above the camp, the Jingzhou army lowered their flags.

Flags symbolizing Liu Bei rose in the night sky, and under the illumination of fire, they inspired Liu's soldiers to fight bravely.

There were more than 10,000 Jingzhou troops, countless of whom were killed or wounded, and countless surrendered. Only two or three thousand people escaped from the camp.

The sky is getting brighter in the east and will soon dawn.

The road heading south was filled with soldiers from Jingzhou who had discarded their armor and weapons and were fleeing in panic.

Only a tribe of a thousand people was able to maintain its organization and did not collapse due to the defeat.

These one thousand soldiers were Wen Pin's former troops and also the most elite division of the Jingzhou Army.

Although Wen Pin was deprived of his military power by Liu Biao, in times of crisis, his old subordinates such as Deng Ji still chose to follow and obey Wen Pin's orders.

Seeing that the pursuers behind him had gone far away, Wen Pin ordered the soldiers to stop running and let them catch their breath.

So, the more than a thousand survivors sat on the ground, savoring the gratitude for having survived the disaster.

"I never thought that Xiao Fang, a humble scholar, could have such unpredictable wisdom and strategies, defeating our army several times."

"Liu Xuande actually dared to use such an unknown person as his military advisor. His magnanimity and courage in employing people are truly admirable."

"The lord is nepotism, and only values ​​the Cai and Kuai families. Compared with Liu Xuande, there is a huge difference in temperament!"

"My lord, my lord, how can you not be defeated..."

Wen Pin was filled with emotion and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Deng Ji came forward, handed the water bag to Wen Pin, and said in a low voice:
"General Zhongye, what are your plans next? Are you still going to take us south to meet up with our lord?"

Wen Pin remained silent and could not help but plan for his future.

Liu Biao's suspicion of him had chilled his heart, and he had no intention of working for him anymore.

What's more, after suffering such a disastrous defeat, there is no guarantee that people like Cai Zhong and Zhang Yun would not put the blame on him again and attribute the defeat to his secret connection with Liu Bei.

At that time, Liu Biao might be furious and might attack him.

"Why not just surrender to Liu Bei?"

This thought flashed through Wen Pin's mind in an instant.

"Liu Xuande is known for his benevolence and righteousness, and he is also a man of great talent and vision, with extraordinary magnanimity. With the assistance of a rare person like Xiao Fang, he is very likely to seize Jingzhou."

"Since Liu Biao is suspicious of me, I may choose another wise leader and turn to him. This may not mean I have no future."

Thinking of this, Wen Ping's gloomy eyes suddenly lit up.

But soon, his eyes dimmed again.

Although his Wen family and several children were in Rang County, his wife and two sons were still in Xiangyang.

If he defected to Liu Bei, how could Liu Biao let go of his wife and children in Xiangyang?
After hesitating for a long time, Wen Pin sighed helplessly:
"My lord has become suspicious of me. If I go to join him, I will only bring disgrace upon myself."

"I plan to take half of the brothers and head east to Bainiuyi, and then make plans."

Deng Ji understood.

His own general was disappointed by Liu Biao, but he was afraid for the lives of his wife and children and did not dare to betray Liu Biao.

So he had no choice but to lead his people to hide in Bainiu Town to find a foothold.

He neither obeyed Liu Biao's orders nor openly betrayed him. Instead, he chose to stay out of the matter and protect himself in the city.

Deng Ji then looked serious, cupped his hands and said: "General Zhongye, I will go with you!"

"Forget it, I appreciate your kindness."

Wen Pin was pleased and patted him on the shoulder:

"But most of your Deng family members are in Xinye. I heard that your sister-in-law just gave birth to a son for you. Your wife, children and family members all need your protection."

"The Lord will retreat to Xinye later. What if they find out that you went to Bainiuyi with me and did not join me in Xinye, and they get angry with you?"

"You should take the remaining brothers back to Xinye to reunite with the Lord."

Deng Ji was stunned for a moment, his face hesitant and embarrassed.

After a while, he shook his head and sighed helplessly.

The two of them then divided their forces.

Wen Pin led hundreds of troops eastward to Bainiu Town.

Deng Ji led the remaining thousand troops and continued to flee south, heading to Xiyangju to meet Liu Biao.

...

South of Yuyang City, inside the remnant camp of the Jingzhou army.

Cheers were heard one after another.

The soldiers of Liu's army who survived the bloody battle were waving their weapons and cheering wildly, celebrating this exhilarating victory.

"My lord, in this battle our army killed 2,000 enemies and captured nearly 4,000!"

"My lord, there were nearly 50,000 bushels of food and fodder in the enemy camp, all of which were captured by our army. The rest of the captured weapons and flags are too numerous to count."

"My lord, I have captured the enemy general Cai Zhong alive!"

"My Lord, we..."

All the generals came running, each of them excitedly asking Liu Bei for credit.

Liu Bei stroked his thin beard, always with a smile on his face, and kept nodding his head in approval.

"Congratulations, lord, on another great victory." "After this battle, the offensive and defensive situation has been reversed. Even if Liu Biao has a large family and a great business, he can't withstand this series of injuries."

"I think he won't dare to attack again. He will probably retreat south and stay in Xiangyang to lick his wounds."

"The situation has changed. My lord, we only need to take Xinye and then we can march to the Han River."

Xiao Fang smiled and raised his hand to point south, outlining the next blueprint for Lao Liu.

Today's victory, coupled with Xiao Fang's plan, rekindled Liu Bei's long-dormant ambition.

"If it weren't for the support of the military advisor, how could I have used half of the county's troops to defeat Liu Jingsheng's entire state's troops again and again and achieve such a good situation now."

"The military advisor is truly my Zhang Liang!"

Liu Bei was so excited that he praised Xiao Fang highly.

"My lord, you are too kind. I just spoke a few words. It is because of your great talent and the dedication of all the soldiers that we have the current situation."

Xiao Fang naturally understood human nature. Although he knew that Lao Liu spoke from the bottom of his heart, he did not dare to take credit for it. He took the opportunity to make fun of himself and attributed the credit to Lao Liu and the generals.

Zhang Fei waved his hand and shouted:

"I'm talking to you, military advisor. Don't be so modest."

"If it weren't for your clever brain, my brother and the rest of us would have been trapped to death in Xuzhou long ago."

"Just accept my brother's compliments on you. If anyone dares to disobey, I will be the first to disagree!"

Zhang Fei raised his fist and looked around, trying to see who was dissatisfied.

Everyone laughed, and naturally they were all convinced of Xiao Fang's wisdom and contribution.

Xiao Fang was slightly embarrassed by Zhang Fei's straightforwardness and could only smile bitterly.

The sound of horse hooves was heard, and Hu Che'er came running over carrying a bloody human head.

"My lord, I have killed that fellow Zhang Yun. Here is his head!"

Hu Che'er dismounted from his horse and proudly held up Zhang Yun's head.

Liu Bei was shocked, as if he had not expected that Hu Che'er would kill Zhang Yun directly.

"Liu Biao and my lord are at war to the death. If my lord's sons, nephews, and brothers fall into Liu Biao's hands, I think he will not show mercy."

"My lord, you have spared Zhang Yun's life. If this thief had not been so clever as to eavesdrop on false information and pass it on to Liu Biao, in an attempt to put my lord to death, how could he have ended up like this today?"

"This thief should be killed. We can use his head to intimidate Liu Biao's followers and let them know that besides the kingly way, the lord also has the tyrannical way!"

Xiao Fang spoke sternly and took the opportunity to give Lao Liu another lesson in imperial arts.

Liu Bei was shocked, as if he understood something.

"Jing Lue's words make sense. I've learned a lot."

Liu Bei then bowed slightly to Xiao Fang, and then said happily:
"In this battle, Wen Jin broke through the camp and captured Cai Zhong, which is the first merit, and Che Er killed Zhang Yun, which is the second merit. They should all be rewarded heavily!"

Liu Bei was not stingy and immediately rewarded Zhang Xiu and Hu Che'er with hundreds of gold and silver and thousands of pieces of cloth.

Zhang Xiu and Hu Che'er were touched by Liu Bei's clear rewards and punishments, and immediately thanked him.

At this time, the sky was already bright, and the morning glow rose in the east, illuminating the battlefield.

Liu Bei was full of vigor and he pointed his whip to the south:
"Pass the order down to reward the soldiers of the three armies. We will rest for three days and then head south to Xinye!"

In the morning light, cheers rang out again.

...

The setting sun gathers fifteen miles to the north.

More than 20,000 Jingzhou troops were rushing towards the granary at double the speed.

Liu Biao whipped his horse repeatedly, urging his mount to go faster, showing his inner urgency.

"The enemy has at least 30 miles ahead of us. We have enough time to rush to Xiyangju to set up an ambush. My lord, don't be too anxious."

Kuai Yue saw Liu Biao's mentality, so he caught up with him and comforted him.

Liu Biao's anxious mood finally eased.

After a brief calculation, Liu Biao nodded and said:
"Yi Du's words make sense. I really don't need to be impatient. I have plenty of time to go to Sunset Gathering and leisurely set up an ambush."

As he spoke, he slowed down his horse and looked at Kuai Yue with an appreciative smile:

"Xiao Fang would never have thought that his so-called brilliant plan would lead Liu Bei to his death."

"A country bumpkin is still a country bumpkin after all. How can he fight against a famous person like you from another dimension?"

Receiving Liu Biao's high praise, Kuai Yue's mouth corners slightly raised and he smiled without saying a word.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

Wang Wei from the rear army came shouting all the way and in a blink of an eye he stood in front of Liu Biao.

"My lord, urgent news from Yuyang!"

"Liu Bei launched a surprise attack last night. Our main camp was lost and the more than 10,000 defenders were almost wiped out."

"Zhang Yun was killed by the enemy, and Cai Zhong was captured by Liu Bei!"

Liu Biao and Kuai Yue's bodies froze instantly, and the smiles on their faces disappeared at the same time.

　Please vote for recommendation and read this. I will definitely share my support after it is on the shelves to thank you all for your support!

(End of this chapter)