"General, the scouts reported that Liu Bei's army has left the city.
Judging from the direction of the army's movement, the target should be directly towards Guangling."
Out of town? Finally out of town?
Taishi Ci, who had retreated to Xiangxiang, was immediately confused when he learned that Liu Bei was leaving the city.
Today, the Prime Minister's Chu army only has over 10,000 men left, and nearly half of them are wounded. There are probably less than 8,000 men who can actually fight.
What about Liu Bei? He has an army of 100,000 people.
Regardless of the quality of his soldiers, at the very least, Tai Shici was disappointed in terms of numbers.
During the days when Xiang Xiang was resting, Taishi Ci had not thought about recruiting soldiers nearby.
But when the recruitment came, looking at those farmers who could only resist the hoe and turned their backs to the sky, Taishi Ci gave up.
Letting them participate in the battle is a complete waste of human life.
Liu Bei could do it, but Taishi Ci couldn't.
These are all the people of Chu State.
They were willing to accept the summons because they had a patriotic heart. But as a general of the Chu State, how could Taishi Ci just push these peasants into a pit of fire?
Unable to replenish his troops, Taishi Ci was completely desperate.
Liu Bei obviously wanted to advance into Guangling and occupy the entire eastern part of Xuzhou.
But now, the situation on the battlefield in the west is still unknown. As far as the east is concerned, Taishi Ci has absolutely no confidence in fighting eight thousand against one hundred thousand.
Even if they retreat to Guangling, they will only be lingering.
Thirty thousand troops were unable to defend Xia Pi, so how could eight thousand men defend Guangling?
At this moment, an old Taoist with white hair and a childish face appeared in front of Tai Shici.
"General Taishi Ci, I'm sorry."
Looking at the old man dressed in Taoist robes in front of him, Taishi Ci's first impression was that he was a charlatan.
But what the ordering soldier told him was that the old Taoist priest said he had a way to help him, so Taishi Ci could only endure it.
At the very least, let's see what you're going to say. If it's unreliable, I'll kill you before it's too late.
"I know that the general has many doubts in his heart.
I hope the general can rest assured that Pindao is not a charlatan.
Pindao is here with a plan to help you, general, take back Xiapi to resist Liu Bei."
???
What did this old man say?
Is there any way I can get Xiapi back?
Are you kidding? Now our Chu army only has these few troops left, so what can we do to capture Pi?
Through the scouts' reports, Taishi Ci knew that there were still tens of thousands of defenders in Xiapi.
Therefore, Taishi Ci did not believe a word of what this old Taoist said.
Just when Tai Shici changed his face and was about to take down the liar, the old Taoist spoke again.
"General, do you know who the general Pi is?
It’s that reckless man Zhang Fei!”
Originally, he was going to lie about it, but the old Taoist who was good at observing words and emotions noticed that Tai Shici's expression had changed, so he quickly finished his words in one breath.
"You mean the defender of Xiapi is Zhang Fei? So what? With the current strength of our army, how can we possibly counterattack Xiapi?
Seeing as you are an old man, I won’t blame you, General, so you should leave as soon as possible.”
Is this Taoist priest going to be stupid because of chanting sutras?
Tai Shici had no feelings for what the old Taoist said.
What about the reckless man? Even if Liu Bei didn't leave any generals to garrison, I wouldn't be able to attack Xiapi, let alone a strong general like Zhang Fei.
"General! Please listen to what I have to say."
Being interrupted by Tai Shici and even trying to drive him away, the old Taoist became anxious.
How come these soldiers are all bear-like? So frizzy.
The same was true for Sun Ce before. If he hadn't been quick to see opportunities, he would have been killed by that tiger boy.
As a result, today's Tai Shi Ci is only slightly better than Sun Ce.
As a Taoist, I just want to build a Taoist temple of my own. Why is it so difficult?
It turned out that this old Taoist was Yu Ji who was killed by Sun Ce in history.
Because the appearance of Xiang Ji caused historical deviation, Yu Ji escaped with his life in the hands of Sun Ce at this time.
Then he wandered around and finally came to Xiapi Zuo near Xuzhou.
It happened that Taishi Ci Xiapi fell.
Yu Ji is not optimistic about Liu Bei.
That guy is nothing more than a strong-willed guy.
It was so difficult to fight against Chu State's side forces all the way. If they were to fight against the main force, they would probably be wiped out in minutes.
After careful consideration, Yu Ji finally chose to help Chu.
At the very least, this is the most convenient way to achieve what you want.
Of course, Yu Ji doesn't know any bullshit magic like spreading the beans into an army and becoming a strong man in golden armor.
But Yu Ji is wise.
You must know that Yu Ji in history may not have been able to become an outstanding military advisor if he had not believed in Taoism.
"General, that Zhang Fei can't fly more than a fool.
And it's best for him to drink too much. Previously, when Liu Bei was by his side, he could only restrain himself.
Now that Liu Bei has left, Zhang Fei will inevitably drink and have fun without anyone to control him.
As long as the general finds the right time, he can definitely attack Xiapi and win.
What's more, the general is not alone now.
There are still thousands of prisoners of the Chu army in Xiapi City."
After receiving Tai Shici's consent, Yu Ji quickly told everything he was thinking.
You know, as a Taoist priest, even in this time of war, it is much easier to enter and exit the city than ordinary people.
Yu Ji had already figured out the true and false situation in Xiapi City, which is why he had the confidence to come to Tai Shi Ci.
"Taoist Priest, everything you said is true!"
When Taishi Ci heard what Yu Ji said, he was immediately excited.
Unexpectedly, really unexpectedly, there are thousands of Chu troops in Xiapi City?
Hahaha, God is really helping me.
In this case, as long as Xiapi is recaptured, relying on more than 10,000 Chu troops, Liu Bei's counterattack may be able to be resisted.
Taishi Ci was truly unconvinced by the fall of Xiapi City.
If it weren't for those damn clans, and with the quality of Liu Bei's soldiers, how could he possibly have attacked the Xiapi guarded by a certain family?
"Of course it's true.
The old Taoist can even enter the city in advance to help the general contact the Chu army in the city, so that he can cooperate with the general to launch an uprising when the time comes.
only....."
Taishi Ci, who became more and more excited as he listened, almost choked to death at this sentence.
"Taoist Priest, just tell me if you have any questions. As long as it can help a certain family regain Xiapi, any request from that family will be fulfilled for you."
As one of the few figures at the top of the Chu pyramid, Taishi Ci still had this assurance of confidence.
"General, Lao Tao just hopes that when things are done, General can help Lao Tao build a Taoist temple."
After hearing Yu Ji's request, Taishi Ci took a deep breath.
You know, Taishi Ci even thought that this old man wanted to be a national teacher.
In order to regain Xiapi, Taishi Ci originally planned to bite the bullet and mention it to Xiang Ji after the matter was completed.
But I never thought that it would be such a simple request.
"No problem, Taoist priest, please rest assured.
If you can help our army retake Xiapi, the Taoist temple requested by the Taoist priest, Ci will bear it with all his strength."