When the main force of Guan Yu and Liu Feng's infantry, led by Zhao Lei, the commander of Guan Yu's tent, arrived, the battle was already over.
Zhao Lei, who quickly and slowly marched over, intending to make the final decision, found that the main force he led had become the main force cleaning the battlefield...
After planning for a long time, he finally achieved the first stage victory. He fought almost continuously and was highly nervous. At this time, Liu Chan had a short rest time.
However, this time will not be too long.
Lu Xun left about ten days' worth of food and fodder for the besieging troops, and Sun Quan's main follow-up force is expected to arrive as soon as five or six days.
At this time, Liu Feng rode his horse and came to Liu Chan, and the two were speechless for a while.
Liu Feng was the first to turn over and dismount. He actually knelt down on one knee and gave a big salute: "Your Majesty Liu Feng... I have met the Crown Prince. I am late in rescuing you. Please forgive me, Crown Prince!"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Liu Feng seemed to have been relieved of a huge burden, his future was determined, and he was no longer confused.
Guan Yu looked at Liu Feng in surprise, who had always been unruly and strong in the past. His eyes gradually became gentle, losing the sharpness and contempt in the past.
Liu Chan listened and naturally understood Liu Feng's thoughts. He hurriedly dismounted, grabbed Liu Feng's arms and pulled him up. He smiled and said: "Brother! From now on, you and I will work together to defeat the rebels and help the Han Dynasty." , share weal and woe!"
Liu Feng looked at Liu Chan in surprise. He was mentally prepared to hear ridicule and sarcasm, but he didn't expect to hear such words.
"My lord, my lord, you are always able to exceed my expectations."
Liu Feng's lips trembled, and he finally smiled with relief: "Okay!"
[Liu Feng’s favorability +10, +10, +10, +10]
[Liu Feng's favorability is 40, his constitution is +5, his military talent is +5×2, and his swordsmanship talent is +8×2]
【……】
[Current favorability level 50]
…
When Liu Chan returned to Jiangling with Guan Yu and Liu Feng, the defenders were in a state of excitement. Many crises had been resolved, giving them great confidence.
But Guan Yu still felt complicated when he looked at the new city he had built, which was now devastated and littered with corpses.
Moreover, the public security has now fallen into the hands of Soochow.
Seeing Guan Yu's lonely expression, Liu Chan naturally knew what he was thinking, but he had to stabilize the morale of the army first.
After the Jingzhou army entered Jiangling, they found that the new city had been burned down and their family members were missing. At this time, everyone was panicked.
Now Guan Ershu still has more than 10,000 elite soldiers at his disposal. He was short of food and grass and suffered a defeat. Those who can still survive today are all capable soldiers.
In addition to the 3,000 fresh troops brought by Liu Feng, nearly 1,000 of his own troops, and the more than 1,000 defenders of Jingzhou, even if not counting the more than 3,000 surrendered soldiers who had just surrendered, they could still form an army of nearly 20,000.
As long as military morale remains intact, there is still much to be done!
Liu Chan immediately arranged for someone to explain the situation to the Jingzhou Army. After learning that his family members had been evacuated in advance, the Jingzhou Army soldiers temporarily felt at ease.
Then he ordered people to cook a meal, and ordered the whole army to have a good rest after a full meal and recharge their batteries.
The Jingzhou soldiers who had not had a full meal for a long time were overjoyed. At this point, the soldiers who had been running around for a long time and felt uneasy finally stabilized their morale and emotions.
Only dozens of the Prince's troops who went out to fight like Li Er were slightly injured, most of them were hit by stray arrows.
Thanks to their 100% armor coverage, they only suffered superficial injuries.
Wearing armor cannot make you invulnerable, but it can turn fatal injuries into serious injuries, and serious injuries into minor injuries.
But although they were fine, Shen Zhong and others who stayed behind in Jiangling...
"The people who didn't come to gather...were all killed?" Liu Chan looked at the 167 people in front of him, his voice low.
Shen Zhong said: "Except for Wang Meng who is missing, the others... are all dead."
"..."
Liu Chan was speechless for a moment.
There are no immortals in war, and he has long been aware of this.
But when those figures who were laughing and playing in front of you not long ago disappear, it still feels uncomfortable.
"How did you die?"
Shen Zhong replied: "My lord, do you still remember Fan Hu?"
Liu Chan nodded. He remembered these people. Fan Hu had been with him for more than two years. The last time he came to Jiangling and asked him to tell him what he wanted, he was still a little hesitant.
"The guy thought that the plan to use rockets to set the buildings on fire in the south city was not very safe. The range of arrows fired at the north city gate was limited, and the Wu army would definitely evacuate as soon as they saw it. So he suggested leaving a group of people to hide in the houses near the third gate of the south city. Set fire directly.
"The cart filled with hay will be hidden in the house in advance. When the fire breaks out, they will be pushed to each city gate in three directions, completely suffocating Wu Jun to death in Nancheng!" Shen Zhong took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, " I thought this was a good idea, so I agreed.”
Liu Chan said nothing.
Of course it’s a good idea, isn’t it? The people left behind are dying, and they all paid for it with their lives!
"Although we and the prince's troops who stayed behind in Jiangling did not go into battle with the father-in-law to kill the enemy, we were not cowards. At that time, everyone volunteered to stay in Nancheng, and they were so embarrassed that Fan Hu almost fought with that kid Qi Jian. We had a fight..." Shen Zhong smiled remembering the situation that day, but his eye circles were red.
Qi Jian, who just joined last year, should be only 15 years old now.
"After deliberation, I finally selected a group of people who already have children to set fire to Nancheng... Fortunately, we lived up to our fate!"
Liu Chan was silent for a long time and exhaled a breath: "Can their bodies be found?"
Shen Zhong shook his head and finally couldn't help wiping his eyes: "They were all burned beyond recognition by the fire. They were mixed with the corpses of Wu Jun and it was impossible to tell them apart."
"Write down their names one by one and hand them back to me. Be sure not to miss anyone."
"yes."
After saying that, Liu Chan turned around and left, but the hands behind his back had secretly clenched veins...
…
After appeasing the morale of the army and counting the spoils and battle losses, Liu Chan immediately held the first high-level military meeting of the Jingzhou campaign.
Senior officers such as Guan Yu, Liu Feng, Guan Ping, and Zhao Lei, as well as Jingzhou garrison commander Wang Zuo, were all present.
Guan Yu looked ashamed and spoke first.
"Alas! I regret that I didn't listen to what Adou said that day, so that what happened today could have happened." Guan Yu's words were full of pain, "Now that the public security has been lost, Yu is ashamed of the trust he placed in my brother! He also put you all in crisis..."
Liu Chan interrupted: "Second uncle, the army is still there, and its morale is available. Mi Shijun died heroically, and Lu Meng's army was wiped out in ashes. We have a lot to do now, why did the second uncle say such depressing words?"
Guan Yu was shocked, yes, he didn't expect Mi Fang to do many inappropriate things in daily life, but at the critical moment, he would sacrifice his life for righteousness.
I had misjudged him before.
Zhao Lei also said: "Yes, General, my army is still here, what do the rats from Jiangdong have to fear? Sun Quan will attack with all his troops from Soochow. We can also block it by relying on Jiangling!"
Guan Yu sighed, nodded and said: "For now, this is the only way we can do it. Our army will defend Jiangling and we will make sure that the blue-eyed thief comes back in defeat!"
"right!"
"Defend Gangneung!"
Liu Chan said at this time: "No."
Um?
Everyone looked at Liu Chan in confusion, not knowing what the prince meant by this.
Guan Yu said: "Adou, why not?"
Liu Chan didn't show off, and went straight to the point: "Jianling must be defended, but the entire army cannot be defended. First, there is insufficient food and grass in Jiangling City. Counting the newly captured Wu army's food and grass, how many days will it be enough to feed my army?"
"For an army of 20,000, the daily food consumption is at least three to four hundred dan. How long can we wait? One month? Two months? What should we do when the food is exhausted? Do we have to share the food with the flesh and blood of our comrades first?" ?”
Everyone was silent. Liu Chan's words brought back the most painful memories in their hearts.
Zhao Lei hesitated for a moment and said: "But... our army is waiting for reinforcements. It will be difficult for Sun Quan to capture it for a while, just like Hefei and Fancheng..."
Liu Chan shook his head: "Fancheng and Hefei can stand firm and wait for reinforcements. Firstly, there is sufficient food and grass, and the food road behind them is clear. Secondly, Fancheng is behind them, and Hefei has Yanzhou Army and Yuzhou Army behind it, which can send troops to support at any time.
"Now Lu Xun has given up on Jiangling and instead led his army to advance along Jiangxi. He wants to capture Yi, Zigui and other places along the river. On the one hand, he will cut off our army's return path, and on the other hand, it will block the way for reinforcements from my father. In this way, Jiangling is like water without a source or a tree without roots. May I ask the general, where will our reinforcements come from?"
"This..." Zhao Lei hesitated.
"Eastern Wu is not weak in water warfare, and Lu Xun leads one of the elites. If my father's Yizhou army comes along the waterway, it will be blocked at the entrance of Jingzhou. By then Sun Quan will have taken advantage of it, and our army's attack will be protracted and suffer heavy losses.
"If we take Hanzhong, the road is far away, and it will be difficult to transport food. It will be impossible to save us. Not to mention that our army's food reserves have long been exhausted, and even the reinforcements will be in trouble! By then, the long-distance food transportation will make it difficult for Yizhou to recover people's livelihood. We are once again in trouble. This is a move that shakes the foundation and is definitely not feasible."
Everyone was silent after hearing this.
Guan Yu had just suffered a setback and couldn't think of any good ideas for a while, but if he was asked to give up Jingzhou, he would definitely refuse.
"Adou, my second uncle is deeply entrusted by my father. Jingzhou is also a top priority for us. If we want to give up, my second uncle is willing to fight to the death with Soochow..."
"Why did Zen ever say that he wanted to give up Jingzhou?"
Um?
Liu Chan's words made Guan Yu stunned again. Thinking about it carefully, Liu Chan had never said that he planned to give up Jingzhou.
"Then...what's Adou's plan?"
Everyone turned their expectant eyes to Liu Chan. The prince led hundreds of troops and dared to fight the Wu army twice in Jiangling. He won both battles and captured the enemy on his own. It can be said that he was both wise and brave. Is there a way to break the situation now?
"Those who are good at fighting control others but do not control them. If our army follows Lu Xun's wish and the entire army stands firm, then all movements will be predictable by the enemy. How can we win?"
This statement is the same in ancient times and today, and great men have also summarized the same eight-character mantra: "You hit yours, and I'll hit mine."
Liu Chan deeply believed that in the current situation, only by mobilizing the enemy's troops could we have a chance of victory. Being led by the enemy blindly would be useless in the name of heroism and would be useless in the battle.
He spread out the map of Jingzhou and traced it with his fingers.
"Our army should leave some soldiers who dare to die to guard Jiangling to block Sun Quan's rear army. The main force should send out troops as soon as possible. The top priority is to compete with Lu Xun for Yiling and other places to ensure that the waterways entering Jingzhou are smooth. Only then can we wait for reinforcements from Yizhou and Food support!
"If this place is lost, Wuling County and Lingling County will also be lost. Eventually, Jiangling will fall and Nan County will be lost. That will be the day when Jingzhou truly falls!"
[Maverick trigger]
The generals suddenly realized, and Guan Yu's eyes gradually lit up.
But when he said this, Liu Chan fell silent. He just used the term "people who dare to die" because those who stayed in Jiangling would have a narrow escape.
In order to ensure the fighting strength of the main force, Jiangling City left at most three thousand people to defend the city, and they would face Sun Quan's upcoming main force.
All the generals naturally thought of this.
Zhao Lei suddenly stood up and clasped his fists: "General Guan, I think what the prince said is true! General Guan is willing to defend Jiangling, and I also ask General Guan to send troops as soon as possible according to the prince's words!"
"General Zhao..." Guan Yu stood up and held Zhao Lei's hand, speechless for a moment.
Zhao Lei has been with Guan Yu for many years, and now he has said goodbye, but he doesn't know if there will be another day to see him again.
Wang Zuo stood up and said: "The last general is the Jiangling garrison. I am willing to lead thousands of people in my army to help General Zhao defend the city!"
"Father, I can also guard Jiangling!" Guan Ping stood up and said.
Zhao Lei calmly smiled and said: "Major General, I, Zhao Lei, am quite knowledgeable about how to defend the city. Please, Major General, please don't try to take credit from me."
Guan Yu has been in charge of the army for many years and is not an indecisive person. Now that the plan has been decided, he makes a decision immediately: "You don't want to fight anymore! Zhao Lei and Wang Zuo will guard the city. In addition to the thousands of defenders, I will give you two thousand more." Elite soldiers to guard Jiangling!"
"The last general takes orders! No matter how much he is hurting, he still has to protect Jiangling!" The two of them clasped their fists and accepted the orders.
Then Guan Yu looked at Liu Chan again, who surprised him several times.
"Adou, now that the plan has been decided, in your opinion, where should our army go first?"
Liu Chan smiled confidently, but said a direction that was confusing to the generals: "Mian Shui."
"……ah?"
…
(End of chapter)
