"Retreat twenty miles to the stronghold, and let the whole army rest for a night before attacking." If we try to attack the mountain in our current state, even if we can win, it will be a miserable defeat, so Lü Meng made a decisive decision.
"General Lu, why don't we go north and directly bypass this hill to attack Bushan?" Pan Zhang couldn't help but ask.
There is no head-to-head confrontation yet, and generals like Pan Zhang are still frightened. Lai Gong really likes to play tricks, and he feels that ordinary generals can't do it.
Lu Meng shook his head quickly and said, "Wen Gui is responsible for ending the war, I have my own plans."
"Wei." Pan Zhang accepted the order and left.
To make Lai Gong completely surrender, it is necessary to annihilate his effective strength. If we bypass the mountain camp in front, judging from the encounters in the past two days, Lai Gong may send troops to intercept.
Even if they successfully passed the stronghold in front, they would not be able to cross Yushui and Tanshui without the assistance of warships, let alone capture Bushan County in the rear.
Lu Meng could still find ways to overcome the above two reasons. The most important thing was that the food routes at both ends of the water and land were cut off. There was a huge risk of annihilation of the 20,000 men, so he would rather retreat and organize an attack than take the risk.
Detour to the north.
Like Pan Zhang's last retreat, Lü Meng's retreat this time was not pursued.
Lan Tian, ​​Lai Gong and others stood in front of the stronghold and looked out. Gao Shun sighed and said: "If we attack him while he is tired at this time, we will definitely gain something."
"I believe General Ziyu will have a clever plan." Lai Gong said with a smile.
Lai Gong's planning in the past few days made Lai Gong's scalp numb. He guessed that if he had faced Jiangdong's army alone, he would have probably lost several battles, and he might already be defending the city in Bushan.
Lan Tian shook his head, "After all, Lu Meng's troops are twice as strong as ours. If they fight hard, we will be passive. It is better to rely on the geographical advantage to defend."
"If the trapped troops are here, let alone Lu Meng, he will be twice as long as us, or even three times." Gao Shun's face was serious.
"General Ziyu was afraid of telling the truth, otherwise how could he have left Boping's trapped troops in Lingling. However, the victory of the barbarian soldiers led by Sha Sha leader further highlights General Ziyu's ability to use troops." Lai Gong complimented.
Lan Tian nodded: "Conspiracy is never as good as conspiracy. It plays little role in the war. As long as the troops are used carefully, it will be extremely difficult to achieve success. Lu Meng will definitely bring troops back after he has rested. When the time comes, it all depends on the efforts of the generals."
"Sir, just leave it to me." Gao Shun said confidently.
Lan Tian affirmed at first, and then asked: "Where did Chief Sha go?"
Lai Gong said with a smile: "Last night, General Gan led his troops to raid the enemy camp, and Chief Sha insisted on following him to learn tactics, so he is still awake in the camp..."
Gao Shun couldn't help but nodded and said: "Chief Sha is humble and willing to learn. Mr. Sha can be entrusted with important responsibilities in the future."
Lan Tian nodded and said: "Whether there are barbarians in Lingnan or Jingzhou, there are many foreign ethnic groups such as Yue people. It is necessary to cultivate a group of enlightened foreign officials. This is very helpful for stabilizing and governing the place."
"The general knows people well and makes good use of them. He knows everything from running the country to running the army and using troops. It's no wonder that the Lord has entrusted you with important tasks." Lai Gong was not very capable but was very good at talking, so the position of governor of Jiaozhou was not given to others by Liu Biao, but fell to him instead.
on him.
As the saying goes, don't hit someone with a smiling face. Lan Tian knew this kind of flattery and only responded with a slight smile.
At night, Lu Meng made careful arrangements. Horses, antlers, traps, and sentry towers were arranged very neatly, making it look like a defensive camp.
Lu Meng arranged for several groups of soldiers to patrol the camp. The 20,000 Jiangdong soldiers finally had a safe meal and a peaceful sleep.
Early the next morning, Jiangdong's soldiers and horses advanced westward in order, and when they arrived at the foot of the hill, they saw that the enemy was already waiting on the hillside.
Lu Meng saw all the troops arrayed according to flags on the hillside, and from this he could see the high level of military management on the other side. This kind of military management ability was definitely not something that a foreign barbarian general could master. He guessed that Lai Gong had super powerful
military capabilities.
The beacon tower on the top of the mountain on the other side has been lit again, which is like shining under a high lamp, leaving the Jiangdong troops with nowhere to hide.
Lü Meng raised his whip and urged his horse to the front of the formation, shouting on the hillside: "Is General Lai here? Do you dare to go out to answer the question?"
The loud voice echoed between the two armies, and the two men walked out of the gap in the military formation.
Lai Gong rode on a white horse and smiled contemptuously at Lu Meng, who was riding down. He reined in the horse's reins and shouted coldly: "Who are you, a rat?"
Lu Meng saw that this man was elegant and well-mannered, so he raised his hands and clasped his fists in greeting: "I am Lu Meng, the general under the command of General Chariot and Cavalry. I have recently watched Lord Laifu use his troops. I have the demeanor of a famous general in ancient times. I sincerely admire him..."
"Since you know I can, why do you dare to raise troops to invade the country?" Lai Gong asked coldly.
Although Lu Meng was choked, he still had a lot of courage. He responded with a smile, "I heard that Cangwu Wu Ju had a rift with the prince, so my lord sent Bu Zishan to come to Jiaozhou to mediate. Unexpectedly, Brother Zishan was murdered by a traitor.
I was ordered to go south this time to find out the truth."
"It is rumored that Bu Zhao died of illness after taking Shi Xie's pills. Instead of going to Longbian to find out the truth, you first trapped and killed Wu Ju, and then sent troops to invade our territory. What's the point?" Lai Gong sneered.
"It is rumored that the pills came from Lingfang County, Yulin County. It doesn't make sense for Mr. Laifu to send troops to intercept my warship." Lu Meng argued with reason.
Lai Gong laughed: "General Lu thinks I am a three-year-old child? If I let the warships from Jiangdong go westward, I might end up with the same fate as Wu Ju, right? Sun Quan clearly wanted to seize Jiaozhou by force, but he had to find a reason for such childish play.
"
"Master Laifu is really worried. My Lord intervened in the dispute in Jiaozhou just to share the emperor's worries. Why should we make groundless speculations..." Lu Meng continued to quibble.
"Unfounded speculation? I heard that Sun Zhongmou was good at using poison, and that the governor Zhou Yu died in an unknown manner. Bu Zhi might have died from the same cause. Isn't General Lu afraid of becoming the next one?"
Lai Gong was quick with his words. Faced with Lu Meng's confusing words, he directly made more powerful guesses.
When Lu Meng heard this, he couldn't bear it anymore and bared his fangs: "The traitor Cao held the emperor hostage and refused to obey him. Now he has defeated Yuan Shao and unified the north. If we, the heroes from Jiangdong, had not defeated Cao's army in Wulin, the Han Dynasty would have been destroyed.
After destroying the Cao family, can Mr. Laifu still securely separate Jiaozhou?"
"It's a pity...Zhou Gongjin was poisoned..."
"Although the governor of Zhou is dead, Lu Zijing is still there. Who among the princes in the world can defeat the Cao thieves except me in Jiangdong? My lord has the ambition to restore the mountains and rivers and help the Han Dynasty. If Mr. Laifu understands the current affairs and points to the mountains and rivers, then
Still not losing the official status and honor of the state and county..."
Originally, this kind of treatment was only given to members of the scholar family, but facing a "strong man" like Lai Gong, Lu Meng had to increase his leverage in the face of teasing.
Lai Gong laughed wildly after hearing this: "Hahaha, Sun Zhongmou still has such ambitions?"
"I sincerely give you advice, but you have repeatedly despised me, Jiangdong Yingjie. Are you really not afraid of the tigers and wolves behind me?" Lu Meng's eyes widened angrily.
Chapter completed!