When Zhou Ping went out of the mansion, Zhang Wu stood at the foot of the steps with a long bow in his hand, as if he would rush in if there was any movement inside.
Seeing Zhou Ping, Zhang Wu relaxed his nervous expression and hurriedly greeted him.
Zhou Ping smiled at him and said, "I told you everything would be fine. Let's go back to the Prefectural Mufu."
When Liu Bei saw Zhou Ping coming back, he immediately stood up and went to the door, asking urgently: "What did Cao Bao say?"
"Don't worry, my lord. Cao Bao expressed his willingness to obey my lord's order. However, my lord is in Xiapi now and he dare not move. If my lord leaves and there are foreign enemies coming to capture Pi, I'm afraid this person will rebel."
Judging from Cao Bao's sudden change in attitude, Zhou Ping concluded that this was an expedient measure. With Cao Bao's personality, he might be intimidated by Liu Bei's power, but he would not be willing to surrender to Liu Bei.
If you show strength, you are weak, and if you show weakness, you must have a plan.
The same goes for Zhou Ping's show of strength towards Cao Bao. He said he was not afraid of Cao Bao's rebellion, but in fact, he was worried that he would rebel.
However, considering Cao Bao's character, he was in Xiapi, and he had not colluded with foreign enemies. If he turned against him, he would not be sure of victory, let alone guarantee his own safety.
Zhou Ping told Liu Bei in detail what he had discussed with Cao Bao.
Liu Bei was both happy and worried: "Foreign enemies are easy to resist, but internal troubles are hard to guard against! As long as Danyang's soldiers and horses leave Xiapi, this person has nothing to fear. Yuan Jiujiu should send troops now."
…………
Jiujiang Shouchun.
Yuan Shu heard the news that Guan Yu led 10,000 soldiers and horses to camp in Xuyi, built city defenses, and sent many groups of scouts to explore the Shouchun area of Jiujiang.
Moreover, Yuan Shu also learned that Liu Bei was continuously transporting grain and grass to Xuyi and recruiting soldiers in Xuzhou.
Obviously, Liu Bei was clearly preparing to attack Jiujiang.
Yuan Shu summoned his civil and military subordinates, became furious, and cursed angrily: "The year of Shu's birth has come, and I don't know that there is Liu Bei in the world. A man who weaves mats and sells shoes dares to rob Xuzhou. I don't want to ask for him, but he wants to attack me."
, is tolerable, but what is unbearable!”
"Liu Bei must not be prepared to attack. We must strike first and not be controlled by others."
"Send the order, gather troops immediately, and send out troops in seven days. I will conquer Xuzhou and swear to destroy Liu Bei!"
General Zhang Xun hurriedly advised: "General, I'm afraid it's inappropriate to send troops hastily before food and grass are gathered!"
"Yes, general, Guan Yu only has 10,000 troops in Xuyi, how dare he come to attack Shouchun. Even if we want to conquer Xuzhou, we must first raise food and grass before sending out troops!"
General Qiao Rui also advised.
Yuan Shu had a look of disdain on his face: "Humph, it's just Liu Bei. I can destroy him in less than a month with 50,000 soldiers and horses, so why prepare more food and grass? The soldiers and horses go first, and the food and grass come later. I will not give up until Liu Bei is destroyed!"
"
"General, if the transportation of grain and grass cannot be continued, I'm afraid..." Zhang Xun wanted to persuade him again.
Yuan Shu interrupted him: "Don't say anything else. Just follow your orders. I will make my own decision."
Zhang Xun, Qiao Rui and others knew Yuan Shu's temper and did not dare to persuade him.
None of the other civil servants dared to dissuade him. Only Lord Bo Yanxiang spoke out: "General, the art of war has it that if the troops and horses have not moved, the food and grass must be collected first. How can the soldiers and horses move before the food and grass are gathered? If the enemy cannot be defeated in a moment,
, and the food and grass cannot be transported in time, and the soldiers are short of food, it will definitely mess up the morale of the army and be detrimental to the battle!"
Yuan Shu looked displeased: "Master of Hell, as a general, I naturally know how to use troops. How could I not be aware of the problem of lack of food? Guan Yu only has 10,000 troops in Xuyi, and I lead 50,000 troops to the city.
It will take a few days to break the city. Liu Bei has brought a lot of grain and grass to Xuyi. I can get enough grain and grass from there. Moreover, after my troops and horses are dispatched, grain and grass will also be transported one after another. Don't worry, sir!"
Yan Xiang wanted to persuade him again, but when he saw the displeasure on Yuan Shu's face, he kept silent.
In addition to sending a few soldiers and horses to follow Wu Jing and Sun Ce to attack Liu Yao, Yuan Shu still had 60,000 soldiers and horses garrisoned in the Shouchun area.
He left 10,000 troops to guard Shouchun, and personally led an army of 50,000, with Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui as generals and Ji Ling as the vanguard, and marched toward Xuyi in a mighty manner.
Yuan Shu brought only enough food and grass with his army to last for a month. He ordered the generals who stayed behind to collect food and grass, and then transported it to Xuyi.
Although he said he was worry-free, Yuan Shu did not really stop transporting grain and grass. He just did not wait for the grain and grass to be fully prepared before sending out troops. Instead, he sent troops first and then continued to transport grain and grass.
In his opinion, Liu Bei is very weak now, and it is easy to capture Xuyi. It is impossible to consider that Liu Bei will set up an ambush in advance to cut off his food routes, because he has 50,000 troops and horses, so he is confident.
…………
Danyang, Niuzhu camp.
Sun Ce had already captured the Niuzhu camp, and then led his troops to Moling to attack Zairong. He was shot in the buttocks by a stray arrow. He couldn't even ride a horse, so he could only lie on the carriage when he came back.
Zhou Yu was beside him, and the two were talking about Guan Yu sending troops to aid Liu Yao.
"Liu Bei sent Guan Yu to lead troops to help Liu Yao. For some reason, Guan Yu actually stopped his troops in Xuyi. Gongjin, do you think Liu Bei has no real intention to assist Liu Yao?"
Sun Ce lay prone on the couch, and Zhou Yu stood beside the couch.
Zhou Yu smiled and replied: "Yes, if Liu Bei really wants to send troops to assist Liu Yao, he will not stop his troops at Xuyi. Even if it is to wait for the transportation of grain and grass, he will definitely send troops to Jiangdu or Guangling to cross the river at any time. Guan Yu is
Liu Bei's sworn brothers will never disobey orders and make decisions on their own, so we know that this is Liu Bei's intention."
"Haha, if Liu Bei had not come to aid Liu Yao, he would have stationed troops in Xuyi. It seems that it must have been for the Highway General in Jiujiang."
"Well, I think so too. Liu Bei's troops stationed at Xuyi seems to have the intention of luring General Yuan to attack. Liu Bei must have been prepared for this. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to defend the state, so why would he dare to lure General Yuan's troops?
Come to attack. However, I can't guess what Liu Bei's preparations are. Logically speaking, Liu Bei's new appointment as Xuzhou Mu should rectify the state's defenses and prevent the enemy from attacking. However, he is so eager to attract the enemy to attack, which is really unsightly.
through."
"Since Liu Bei is not here to aid Liu Yao, we have nothing to fear. General Highway has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. If he attacks Xuzhou, it will not be difficult. However, this Zuo Rong will be difficult to attack. My ass...
…”
Sun Ce moved his body, but felt a burst of pain.
"General, Zuo Rong is defending in a dangerous position and it will be difficult to break through, but we can, like Liu Bei, lure the enemy to attack."
Zhou Yu seemed to have thought of a plan.
"How to lure him to attack?" Sun Ce asked urgently.
"Now that you have been shot by a stray arrow, why not send your trusted soldiers to pretend to surrender to Zuo Rong, just saying that the general is dead, and Zuo Rong will be happy to attack, and the enemy will leave the dangerous wall, and we will win."
Sun Ce was overjoyed and said: "Haha, Gong Jin can do this, so I will fake my death for once."
So Sun Ce sent his trusted soldiers to pretend to surrender to Zuo Rong, saying that Sun Lang had been shot to death by an arrow and his troops were in chaos.
Zuo Rong believed it to be true, because they saw Sun Ce's arrow hit with their own eyes, and immediately sent Yu Zi to lead troops to attack the Niuzhu camp where Sun Ce was stationed.
Sun Ce sent hundreds of troops to challenge Yu Zi, set up an ambush, and attacked Yu Zi from both front and rear, and was severely defeated by Yu Zi.
He then led troops to Moling to attack Zuo Rong, but Zuo Rong knew that Sun Ce was still there and did not dare to fight. He dug deeper into the ditch and raised the fortress to defend according to the danger.
Seeing that it was difficult to capture, Sun Ce had no choice but to abandon Zuo Rong and attack elsewhere.
