Liu Xin smiled and said: "Yun Chang, Liu has an important task for you. As long as you complete it successfully, you will be credited with your first contribution."
Guan Yu was overjoyed and said, "Are you serious? What about the promise you made to Guan?"
Liu Xin asked in surprise: "You don't want to ask what the mission is?"
Guan Yu said proudly: "No matter what the task is, Guan will complete it."
Liu Xin nodded and said: "As long as you complete this task, Liu's promise to you will be fulfilled immediately. Yunchang, you have been in Xuzhou for several years, and you should be familiar with the surrounding terrain. To the west of Xuzhou City
There is a valley ten miles away. You must also know that that is the only way to Runan. I will give you three thousand cavalry now to set up an ambush in that valley. Liu Bei will pass through here within a few days. The remaining
There is no need for Liu to tell me what to do next.”
Before Guan Yu could agree, Ju Shou had already said, "My lord, you must not do this!"
Liu Xin waved her hand and said: "Liu always behaves with trust in those he employs and without trust in those he doubts. I believe Yun Chang will make the right choice. There is no need to say anything more."
Jushou's words deeply stimulated Guan Yu, and he said loudly: "Guan is not talented, but he is willing to take on this responsibility! If Mr. Liu cannot trust Guan, Guan can issue a military order!"
Liu Xin shook her head and said: "When Liu uses troops, he never needs his subordinates to issue any military orders. You should be careful when you go home. Liu is waiting for news of your triumphant return."
Outside Guangling City, groups of soldiers were ready to go. The chill of early spring could not hide the excitement on the faces of the young soldiers. They were practicing day and night just to have the opportunity to make meritorious deeds like today. Guan Yu also packed up and stood in the line with the Qinglong Sword.
forefront.
Jushou whispered into Liu Xin's ear and said, "Look, my lord, Guan Yu has not put on the battle robe that my lord just gave him."
In fact, there was no need for Jushou to remind Liu Xin that Guan Yu was still wearing the old robe. Liu Xin vaguely remembered that Cao Cao also gave Guan Yu a robe in history, but Guan Yu wore the new robe inside.
Wearing the robe outside told Cao Cao that he did this so that he could always remember his eldest brother Liu Bei.
Thinking of this, Liu Xin laughed and asked: "Yun Chang, why don't you wear that brand-new Hundred Flowers jersey this time for the expedition?"
Guan Yu cupped his hands and said: "This old robe was given by Guan's eldest brother. Guan wears it for its own use. In short, Guan will never miss your business."
This answer was both reasonable and surprising to Liu Xin. Anyway, it was different from what he had imagined. Before Liu Xin could figure out whether Guan Yu wore this old robe to think of Liu Bei all the time, Guan Yu had already jumped on his horse.
, heading towards Xuzhou.
Looking at Guan Yu's back, Jushu sighed: "My lord, Guan Yu will definitely not succeed if he goes here. I'm afraid that Liu Bei, whom my lord often talks about, will escape this time. My lord should have agreed to let Guan Yuli issue a military order just now."
That’s it.”
Liu Xin patted Ju Shou on the shoulder and said, "Heroes think alike. Liu also expected that Guan Yu would let Liu Bei go."
Jushou was shocked and said: "If that's the case, why would my lord let Guan Yu go?"
"Guan Yu is a talent, and Liu naturally hopes that he can be used by me. In addition to testing him, Liu also wants to give him a chance to return Liu Bei's favor." At this point, Liu Xin suddenly changed the subject.
, sneered, "If Guan Yu takes this opportunity to escape with Liu Bei, then Liu won't mind taking his life!"
When news of the fall of Guangling reached Xuzhou, Liu Bei also wanted to send troops for rescue, but was dissuaded by Chen Deng. Zhang Liao had been stationed in Xuzhou for more than two years, and he was very aware of the strength of the Jingzhou army. Moreover, Chen Deng was in contact with Zhang Liao.
in, also
Deliberately inquired about Liu Xin's civil service and knew that Liu Xin had many capable men. Since Liu Xin sent troops to attack Guangling, it was impossible not to send troops to guard against reinforcements from Xuzhou. If he sent troops hastily at this time, he might have caught Liu Xin's ambush.
.
Although reinforcements were not sent, Liu Bei sent a large number of reconnaissance cavalry. Therefore, not long after Liu Xin's five-pronged army set off, news was reported to Xuzhou. Liu Bei looked at the frightened civil and military personnel in the hall and said in a deep voice: "Since ancient times,
The soldiers will come to block it, and the water will come to cover it up. After the fall of Guangling, we
The whereabouts of his second brother Guan Yu are still unknown, and his life and death are uncertain. Liu Xin actually raised an army to invade again. This revenge must be avenged! Although the city of Xuzhou is strong, it is short of food and grass, so it cannot be trapped. I want to personally lead an army out of the city to set up camp and become a leader with Xuzhou.
With the power of the horns, I wonder who is willing to go with me?"
Chen Deng cupped his hands and said: "My lord, Liu Xin is powerful and cannot resist him. He is about to shrink his army and horses and refuse to defend the city. How can he move lightly? I hope my lord will think twice."
Among the civil and military officials in Xuzhou, when it comes to strategy, Chen Gui and his son are the leaders. Now Chen Deng has publicly expressed his opposition to Liu Bei's plan to divide his troops and leave the city, and everyone else nodded. Besides, it is safer to defend the city than to go out to fight. Who would be willing to fight with Liu Bei?
We walked out together, and the entire hall suddenly fell silent.
Of course Liu Bei knew that leaving the city now would be akin to death, but he also knew that if he was trapped in the city, he would also be dead. He had already begun to think about leaving and was preparing to switch sides. Looking at the world, the three most powerful princes are Liu Xin, Cao Cao and
Yuan Shao, Liu Xin, and Cao Cao were clearly his enemies, and his best choice would be to defect to Yuan Shao. However,
Xuzhou and Yuan Shao are separated from Cao Cao's territory. He may still have a chance to reach Hebei alone. If he brings a team of troops, it is a no-brainer. However, in these troubled times, there is no army, so Liu Bei
Not even as good as a county magistrate, not to mention that he had gone through a lot of hard work to get this army, and he would never give up easily.
To the east is the vast sea, to the north is the enemy Cao Cao, and to the south Liu Xin's army is swarming in. The only way out for Liu Bei is to go west to Yuan Shu. In recent times, Yuan Shu has been recruiting troops and expanding his army to prepare for war. In order to
Beware of Yuan Shu, in the direction of the Xuzhou border,
Liu Bei has stationed 30,000 troops. If he takes another 20,000 elite troops from Xuzhou, he will have an army of 50,000. With such an armed force, I believe that Yuan Shu will welcome him. As long as he obtains
With Yuan Shu's trust, he can look for opportunities to make a comeback.
Seeing that no one in the hall responded to Liu Bei's proposal, Jian Yong stood up and said: "I am not talented, so I am willing to go with my lord!"
As Liu Bei's confidant, Jian Yong naturally knew very well that Liu Bei wanted to abandon Xuzhou and leave. His prosperity and future depended on Liu Bei. Even if Liu Bei did not make such a request, he would leave with Liu Bei.
What's more, this is what it is
It was an agreement between him and Liu Bei. After all, Liu Bei was relying on someone else to defect to Yuan Shu. It would be useless if he didn't have a few trustworthy talents around him. Therefore, Jian Yong came at the right time to offer advice and see if he could attract a few talents to go with him.
.
Chen Gui and his son both sneered secretly and didn't say anything. Cao Bao was seriously injured when he chased Mi Zhu last time, and his fear was still lingering, so he remained silent. Qin Yi wished that Liu Bei would go out for a few more days and stop pestering Du Xiuniang. He How could he be such a big deal if he didn't have much ability in the first place? In fact, even if he took the initiative to request, Liu Bei would not look down on him. The hall fell into silence again.
Suddenly, Sun Qian raised his hands and said, "Since my lord is determined to divide his troops and camp outside the city, I would like to accompany my lord and his party."
Among the original civil and military officials in Xuzhou, the people who respected Liu Bei the most were Sun Qian and Mi Zhu. Now under the influence of Liu Xin, Mi Zhu's view of Liu Bei has quietly changed, but Sun Qian still regards Liu Bei as a benevolent gentleman. .
Liu Bei glanced at everyone, nodded and said: "Without further delay, at the fourth update tomorrow, Liu will order his troops to leave the city. You must guard the city carefully and make no mistakes."
Cao Bao and others all breathed a sigh of relief, and they all raised their hands and said: "I will obey the orders of the Lord!"
Early the next morning, watching Liu Bei's troops quietly leave Xuzhou City, Chen Deng glanced at Chen Gui and said worriedly: "Father, Liu Bei has transferred most of his troops outside the city this time. There are already less than ten thousand defenders in the city. Even if a large number of people are mobilized, it may be difficult to resist Liu Xin's attack. The boy thinks that Liu Bei's move is suspected of abandoning Xuzhou, so for the sake of the safety of the Chen family, he asked his father to make preparations in advance."
Chen Gui frowned and said thoughtfully: "My father has asked people to inquire just now. Liu Bei did not bring his children with him. I am afraid you are overly worried when he says that he wants to abandon Xuzhou City. You should think about how to defend the city."
But he didn't know Liu Bei's famous theory that for him, a young family was a bargaining chip that he could give up at any time. In fact, the only thing Liu Bei couldn't let go of was Qin Yi's wife Du Xiuniang. Such a peerless beauty could not be taken away. For Liu Bei, there is indeed some regret. However, it is just a regret. Liu Bei aspires to the world, so how can he be fettered by a woman?
Liu Bei led 20,000 cavalry out of the west gate of Xuzhou City. This time, Liu Bei not only took away most of the troops in Xuzhou City, but also took away all the remaining 8,000 cavalry in Xuzhou. More importantly, Liu Bei also brought a large number of Grain and grass accounted for almost 60% of Xuzhou's grain reserves. Sun Qian was quite puzzled by this. However, before the troops and horses were moved, grain and grass went first. The daily consumption of 20,000 horses was also very staggering, which makes sense.
What puzzled Sun Qian the most was that after Liu Bei led his army out of the city, they headed west and did not station themselves near Xuzhou City. Finally, he couldn't help but asked: "My lord, if we want to become an enemy with Xuzhou, how can we fight against each other?" Keep watch and camp near the city."
Liu Bei smiled and said: "Gongyou, you are also familiar with the art of war. You should know that Liu Xin is coming fiercely, and you need to temporarily avoid his edge. There is a valley ten miles west of the city, where you can hide your troops. We will go and station there until Liu Xin's attack on the city is frustrated. When the morale of the army is shaken, if we attack from behind again, the enemy will be defeated!"
This is half true and half false. For Liu Bei, Xuzhou is a piece of territory he finally got. Of course he hopes to keep this territory. If Liu Xin really gives him this opportunity, he will not mind stabbing Liu Xin in the back. . However, if Liu Xin was really unstoppable, he would have no choice but to take advantage of the opportunity and take a long shot at Yuan Shu.
Sun Qian believed Liu Bei's words and nodded repeatedly: "My lord, this plan is very clever!"
Ten miles is not a long journey, and even if he carries a lot of luggage, he will be there in a short time. Jian Yong raised his whip lightly, pointed to the front and said: "At this time, the sky has not yet brightened, and we are waiting to enter the valley to set up camp. I really don't know what the gods are, what the ghosts are.
Sleep……"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard the sound of a drum, and a group of troops came out from the valley. In the lead was a general with a red face and a long beard, carrying a broadsword, and shouted loudly: "Brother, please come and be safe. My little brother has been waiting here for a long time."