After leaving Pengcheng and marching eastward for one day, they arrived at Qiao County. Liu Beijun had already had people here to support him.
A man with two small beards and an unattractive appearance led the two of them forward and said.
"Lord Ji Shu, the last general is Mi Fang, the commander-in-chief of the King of Han. He was ordered by the king to lead 1,000 soldiers to garrison Qiao County. This time when friendly troops are crossing the border, Fang specially prepared some drinks to welcome them."
Ji Shu knew this man, he was Mi Zhu's younger brother. The two brothers were very different in talent and learning. Mi Zhu was regarded as an important minister by Liu Bei, but Mi Fang never made any outstanding achievements.
The younger sister of the Mi family married Liu Bei, who is now the Princess of Han. Ordinarily, with the status of the Mi family, it is okay for Mi Fang to hide in Xiapi and enjoy the blessings. Unexpectedly, he would come here. Ji Shu clasped his fists and bowed in return.
"General Mi is very courageous. Aren't you afraid that the Wei army will come to Qiao County?"
Mi Fang chuckled twice and said frankly.
"Qiao County is a small place and the people are poor. The Wei army in Shouchun has too much time to guard against the Chu army. Why does it need this burden? On the other hand, Xiahou Dun has already captured Dongping and Rencheng. He fought a decisive battle with the general at Xiaopei and wanted to come before the city was broken. We won’t divide our forces to attack here.”
"Fang knows that he has no talent, and if he wants to achieve extraordinary feats, he has to take some risks. This time, I took the initiative to ask General Guan to come to Qiao County to act as eyes and ears. If I can find the flaws in the Wei army, I can help the military adviser to defeat the Wei army. When the victory comes, the King of Han will Rewarding based on merit will not disgrace the name of the Mi family."
"Besides, I only have 1,000 soldiers under my command. If Cao Wei's army comes, I can just abandon the city and flee into the mountains, and no one will blame me. The Mi family has been doing business in Xuzhou for generations, and I am as familiar with this mountain forest as my own yard. , nothing can go wrong.”
Ji Shu laughed, Mi Fang didn't look so useless. As brothers from the same aristocratic family assisting the same king, Ji Shu thought of Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhao, but it was a pity that they were different.
"Then Ji Shu is here to wish the general that he can make extraordinary achievements and be promoted to a general as soon as possible!"
"Thank you Lord Ji for your kind words."
Mi Fang looked a little panicked, paused and then turned to invite.
"Please, Mr. Ji, I don't have big fish or meat to entertain you here, but at least I have prepared some drinks so that the brothers can have a good rest."
Where can Ji Shu rest now?
It has only been more than ten days since the Chu State launched its troops, and they have successively conquered Wujiang Port, Shouchun, and Pengcheng. It can be said that it has been smooth sailing. But since leaving Pengcheng Fortress, Ji Shu's uneasiness has become stronger throughout the day. He can't wait to rush to the front line immediately to check the enemy's situation and discuss with Zhou Yu and Pang Tong.
"I appreciate General Mi's kindness, but I still have to lead the remaining troops and horses to join my king. There is no time to delay. When we defeat the Wei army one day, we can have a good drink at the celebration banquet."
Mi Fang was stunned for a moment, seeming a little embarrassed.
"Master Ji, why should you be anxious? By the time you catch up with the King of Chu, you will almost reach Xiaopei City. Why not let the soldiers rest for a while now? It will not be so comfortable when you reach the front line."
Although Ji Shu felt a little apologetic for rejecting the host's hospitality, Ji Shu didn't like Mi Fang's words very much.
"The soldiers are here to fight, not for comfort and enjoyment."
"General Mi, I was just going to ask you. You are here to investigate the enemy's situation for General Guan. Are there any changes in the Wei army?"
Mi Fang couldn't help but smile awkwardly when Ji Shu retorted. He lowered his head slightly and thought for a moment before answering.
"Now that Mr. Ji has asked, there is nothing to hide. Originally, the Wei army was stationed thirty miles away from Xiaopei. After receiving the news that King Chu led the army past Pengcheng, they withdrew twenty miles. Nothing else changed. said."
"If my lord is in a hurry, would you like me to arrange a guide?"
Ji Shu nodded and thanked him repeatedly.
The two of them were polite for a while, and then Mi Fang took the people away, saying that they would arrange for a guide who was familiar with the terrain to come over later.
Ji Shu stared at Mi Fang's back, squinting his eyes and thinking deeply for a long time.
The army marched slowly. Looking at the absent-minded Ji Shu, Jiang Qin walked to the side and asked.
"Military advisor, is there anything wrong with Mi Fang?"
Ji Shu came back to his senses and said hesitantly.
"I suspect that the Han army concealed the Wei army's movements from us."
Zhao Yun and Jiang Qin were both shocked and quickly gathered around.
"How to say?"
Ji Shu continued to speak.
"I think after eldest brother's troops pass Pengcheng, Wei may adopt two strategies."
"The first is to turn the Xuzhou battlefield from offensive to defensive and retreat to Dongping and Rencheng. If necessary, we can abandon them and retreat to Chenliu and Dingtao. In this way, we can mobilize some of the army to Song County and cooperate with Cao Ren to defeat Xu Sheng in one fell swoop. The troops besieged Shouchun and cut off our food routes. In this way, our army will be in chaos without fighting, and we must quickly return for reinforcements. And the Wei army is waiting for work, and it will greatly increase its chances of winning against the hungry and exhausted Chu army."
"The second is to leave a small group of people to contain the Xiaopei Han army, and a large group of people rush to the junction of Qiao County and Xiaopei to ambush the eldest brother. If the eldest brother is not prepared, he may suffer a big loss."
For things like concealing military information, they could just say they didn't know. Putting aside the relationship, it would make the Chu army passive.
"Although Liu Bei's virtuous reputation is spread throughout the world, this is an important period for the princes to compete for the world. There is no guarantee that he will not use some underhanded tricks to make us and the Wei army lose both sides, while he reaps the benefits."
When they formed an alliance, they were worried that our army would use them to contain the Wei army, so they could attack the city and seize the territory themselves and take advantage.
Now, we keep our promise to help them defeat the main force of the Wei army first, but instead they use us to contain the Wei army and attack the city themselves?
Jiang Qin nodded and agreed with Ji Shu's point of view.
"If Song County increases its troops to 70,000 to 80,000, Xu Sheng will definitely be unable to resist and withdraw to Shouchun. With Zhou Tai's troops and Xu Sheng's remnant troops, they can last for ten days at most, and the main force of our army should be able to return reinforcements in time. However, Indeed, as the military advisor said, this battle will not be easy to fight at that time. Even if our army can push the Wei army back to Song County, the losses will probably be considerable."
"What's even more frightening is that if Song County increases its troops to 100,000, Xu Sheng's troops will definitely be defeated in one battle, and Zhou Tai's troops will definitely not be able to resist our return. In this case, this battle will be dangerous. .”
Zhao Yun frowned and shook his head.
"Probably not. If this happens, it's useless to argue. This is a complete breach of the covenant."
"Even if we and the Wei army are both defeated, Liu Bei will surely be despised by everyone in the world if he gets Yanzhou and Qingzhou as he wishes."
"Reputation is useless, but when it comes to use, it is more important than life. My lord did not choose to form an alliance with Dong Zhuo, but chose the King of Han because he valued his trustworthiness."
"In doing so, what's the difference between him and Dong Zhuo? When I was under Lord Gongsun, I spent some time with Lord Liu Bei. He is not such a person who values profit over fame."
"I prefer Generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to make the decision without authorization, and watch the main force of the Wei army ambush us while standing still and concealing the military situation."
Ji Shu pondered for a long time and felt that what Zhao Yun said made sense. If it is the first situation, the Han army will indeed be able to reap the benefits if it is good; but if the Chu army is completely defeated, the situation will be difficult to deal with. At that time, Liu Bei will not only lose his reputation, but he may not be able to seize Wei's land.
It is impossible for Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu not to know anything about it. Zhuge Liang is very knowledgeable and would not take such a risk. They probably wanted Xiahou Dun to gain some advantage and engage in a fierce fight with Sun Ce, while weakening both armies.
Ji Shu frowned, and even suspected that they directly instructed Guan Yu and Mi Fang to conceal the military situation, and even asked Mi Fang to hold him back.
"Immediately send an order, the whole army speeds up and pursues the lord."
"Take orders!"
······
After driving for another half day, Ji Shu ordered the army to stop and rest.
Just as Ji Shu and everyone gathered around to eat, an urgent report was delivered to Ji Shu.
"Did Zhou Tai send it?"
Judging by the time, his order for Zhou Tai and Xu Sheng to collect information and be on strict guard had not yet reached Shouchun. What news would Zhou Tai send him at this time?
Ji Shu put down the vegetable soup, stuffed the steamed bun into his mouth, took the letter with his free hand, and quickly read it.
[Comment to the military advisor, everything is peaceful in Shouchun, but a piece of information sent by Shi Ting makes me a little uneasy. Hunters near Shiting discovered that the prey in the mountains had decreased significantly recently, so they had no choice but to run into the mountains to hunt, but unexpectedly discovered an army. Orion suspected that he was a Wei spy, so he reported it to the Shiting garrison. The commander of the garrison thought that this was just a group of bandits, so he reported to Shouchun and asked for troops to eliminate them. I am also a hunter. I have often sold the skin and meat of game animals since I was a child. I have come into contact with many officers, soldiers and bandits. I believe they will not admit their mistakes. I have sent people to search Shiting Mountain Forest, and at the same time sent people to notify Xu Sheng to be on guard. Whether it is right or wrong is left to the military advisor to decide. ]
Shiting?
Why are you behind our army?
Ji Shu's whole body was cold and he didn't even notice the bun fell to the ground.
