Chapter 334

Chapter 334

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 10: The World in Chaos, the Time of the Deer Hunt Chapter 334: The Prelude to Xuzhou

The battle in Xuzhou erupted suddenly.

It was not yet the time for spring plowing, and the lingering cold had not yet receded. It should not have been the time for large-scale military mobilization.

But on the sixth day of the first month, a force from Yandu marched north to Haixi, where they fought fiercely for several days, cutting off the communication channels of the Haixi defenders to the north, thus initiating the first clash of this conflict.

In the last message delivered to the northern prefecture of Xuzhou, the situation in Haixi was extremely dire. Despite being on the border between the two sides and maintaining a strong defense, it was clear that without timely reinforcements, Haixi would fall.

Yandu had been handed over to Mi Zhu when Zhang Yi, with Zhou Yu’s support, became the governor of southern Xuzhou, as part of an effort to win allies.

Over the years, the Donghai Mi Clan had relocated almost all of their family’s influence to this area, except for a few northern mines.

In other words, this place had almost become the Mi Clan’s stronghold.

It’s unclear what agreement Zhang Yi and Mi Zhu had reached at the time, but for over two years, the southern Xuzhou garrison had overlooked Yandu, choosing instead to set up their defenses at Sheyang, near the Huai River boundary.

According to Chen Deng and Liu Bei’s analysis, this might have been a move to turn official salt into the Mi Clan’s private salt, thereby gaining the support of this local Xuzhou power.

For Zhang Yi, who was originally an outsider in Xuzhou, this deal wasn’t as bad as it might seem, but it wasn’t particularly profitable either.

However, since this was Zhang Yi’s compromise to the current situation, there wasn’t much to say.

From the perspective of the northern Xuzhou observers, Yandu wasn’t a place that needed much attention. After all, it was mostly frequented by the Donghai Mi Clan’s merchant caravans, and due to the presence of mines like white crystal in northern Xuzhou, there were often transport vehicles passing through.

The border guards turned a blind eye to this.

Regardless of whether Xuzhou ultimately fell under Zhang Yi or Liu Bei’s control, someone like Mi Zhu, who had armed support and immense wealth, wouldn’t end up in a bad position. It was always good to maintain friendly relations.

After all… Mi Zhu hadn’t caused any trouble in these transactions.

Moreover, since Yandu was the location of the Han Dynasty’s salt fields, it was normal for a large number of salt workers to come and go. Hiring from the north and sending back to the south was a common practice.

After more than two years of uneventful activity, the defenders in Haixi had almost come to believe that Yandu, while nominally under the southern governor’s jurisdiction, was actually an independent neutral zone.

This was precisely why, when the salt workers in Yandu were replaced by soldiers, and the Mi Clan’s merchant caravans were replaced by grain carts, no one noticed.

This border, neglected by the locals of Xuzhou, was caught off guard by this habitual thinking and suffered a sudden blow!

Guan Yu’s garrison in Huaipu immediately marched northeast, intending to rescue Haixi, but was held back by the combined forces of Ma Chao and Yan Yan at Lianshui.

“It’s your first move now,” Jia Xu said, placing a piece on the chessboard in front of Pang Tong.

“Naturally, or else my teacher will gain the upper hand,” Pang Tong replied.

On the eleventh day of the first month of Jian’an 4, Zhang Ren and Zhang Yang crossed Hongze Lake from Xuyi County and headed straight for Xu County.

Xu County was in crisis, and the defenders retreated to Xiaqiu, sending a plea for help to the prefecture.

This battle shouldn’t have ended so quickly, but it happened in the territory of Xiapi.

Originally, with Pei State in western Xiapi under Liu Bei’s control, Xu County could have received support from nearby Pei State in case of trouble. But now, with the recent change of allegiance in Pei State, the local officials ignored the call for help, citing the need for higher-level orders for cross-region support.

This caused Liu Bei to miss the best opportunity for reinforcement.

Zhang Fei, stationed in Huaiyin, then received Liu Bei’s order to strictly defend his original position and not to make any moves.

Subsequently, Chen Deng, a native of Xiapi, along with Liu Bei’s White Feather Army commander Chen Dao, rushed to Xiaqiu to support and block this line of attack.

The first line of attack was not as difficult to defend against as the first, but it completed the landing much faster, showing an unprecedented determination to reclaim northern Xuzhou.

Not only did Liu Bei not dare to be lax in the face of this attack in Jian’an 4, but even Yuan Shao, upon receiving the news, dared not take it lightly.

He had thought that Ji Province would be attacked due to the change of ownership in Youzhou, but he didn’t expect that Xuzhou, which had been in a stalemate for so long, would be the first to see a sudden change.

But Xuzhou being the first target of Qiao Yan’s attack was not good news for Yuan Shao.

If Xuzhou fell, Qingzhou would be directly exposed to the threat of Qiao Yan’s forces, and Yu Province would be caught in a pincer attack. If these two provinces were lost, he would truly be left isolated!

If it came to that, even if he wanted to set up barriers on all sides and use all his resources to resist, it would be too late.

So, unusually efficient, Yuan Shao called a meeting with his subordinates as soon as he received the news of the Xuzhou conflict and made a series of personnel adjustments without hesitation.

One of these was regarding Cao Cao.

“Appointing Cao Cao as the General Who Conquers the East, ordering him to assist in quelling the rebellion in western Xuzhou… it seems Yuan Shao has been unusually generous this time,” Qiao Yan said with a subtle smile as she read the report.

She wasn’t afraid of Yuan Shao being stingy. In this chain reaction of events, unless someone from the enemy’s side was among her closest advisors, no one could know which move was her real strategy.

And why would these close advisors, in the face of the current situation, defect to Yuan Shao’s side?

“Now it’s time for our next move,” Guo Jia chimed in.

After attending Xun Shuang’s funeral in the first month, due to the changes in Pei State in Yu Province, Qiao Yan had moved from Bingzhou to Sili, staying in Luoyang.

On one hand, she had indeed stayed in Bingzhou for too long. With the official release of “Shan He Lu” in the first month, she no longer had a reason to stay there. On the other hand—

It was also for the series of deployment orders she issued at this time.

Ordering Zhao Yun to march from Huanyuan Pass into Yingchuan.

Ordering Xu Huang to hold Hulao Pass, ready to march into Yanzhou from Chenggao.

Ordering Yuan Yao, stationed in Nanyang, to move his troops to Yu Province.

If Cao Cao attempted to support Xuzhou from Pei State, immediately attack Runan and Dong Commandery, forcing him to return.

Ordering Gongsun Du to simulate a naval expedition from Liaodong to Donglai in Qingzhou, tying down the Qingzhou garrison and preventing them from supporting Xuzhou.

Four orders in total!

Others might think that launching an attack before spring is not the right time, but for Qiao Yan, it was just the opposite.

In her view, this was the most opportune moment.

Last year’s handling of the drought and the supply of winter clothing had already given the people under her control confidence.

The facts of various battles published in “Shan He Lu” in the first month were laid out for all to see, sending a clear signal: she and her subordinates knew the terrain of various regions well.

So when she resolutely launched her troops, who would think she was fighting an unprepared battle?

And with spring not yet arrived, whether the early spring rains would be as scarce as last year was still unknown.

Think about it, people always prefer to hold onto hope for the future, such as hoping that the drought was a one-time occurrence last year and wouldn’t continue this year.

Thus, at this time, from the soldiers participating in the war to the civilians assisting in the war effort, not yet worried about their crops, they could fully devote themselves to the war.

This was the most suitable state for Qiao Yan!

How would Cao Cao respond to these arrangements of hers?

The truce agreement in Runan and Yingchuan, due to both sides’ ulterior motives, didn’t specify how long the truce would last. The winter cotton trade also didn’t mean that Qiao Yan and Cao Cao were at peace. Her troop deployment orders didn’t sound like a joke at all.

“Fengxiao, you see, I always like to point east and strike west, making them doubt my true intentions,” Qiao Yan said. “Perhaps Yuan Shao will even wonder if I’m pretending to attack Liu Bei in Xuzhou while actually targeting Cao Cao in Yanzhou.”

This was not an impossible scenario.

Last year’s efforts to settle refugees in Luoyang and Hongnong, along with the drought resistance methods promoted in the Leping Monthly Report, had made people see her as a savior.

If she wanted to recruit and expand her army in eastern Sili, the difficulty was obvious to all.

This was the objective condition for Qiao Yan to have an opportunity to attack—she had troops.

Moreover, the books that came with the cotton trade, while bringing the benefits of cotton to the people of Yanzhou and Yu Province, also made them aware of the source of the cotton—Qiao Yan’s territory.

Thus, when she issued these orders, no one would think she was joking.

“Fengxiao, you see, I always like to point east and strike west, making them doubt my true intentions,” Qiao Yan said. “Perhaps Yuan Shao will even wonder if I’m pretending to attack Liu Bei in Xuzhou while actually targeting Cao Cao in Yanzhou.”

This was not an impossible scenario.

Last year’s efforts to settle refugees in Luoyang and Hongnong, along with the drought resistance methods promoted in the Leping Monthly Report, had made people see her as a savior.

If she wanted to recruit and expand her army in eastern Sili, the difficulty was obvious to all.

This was the objective condition for Qiao Yan to have an opportunity to attack—she had troops.

Moreover, the books that came with the cotton trade, while bringing the benefits of cotton to the people of Yanzhou and Yu Province, also made them aware of the source of the cotton—Qiao Yan’s territory.

Thus, when she issued these orders, no one would think she was joking.








And to hold such great achievements in hand, the Grand Marshal earned even more admiration.

If a large army were to come from Luoyang or Yingchuan, how would Yanzhou and Yuzhou react internally?

They would probably think, rather than letting Cao Cao drag them into trouble under such military pressure, it would be better to flee directly into the eight passes of Luoyang!

This issue, along with the series of troop movements, would definitely cause a reaction within Yanzhou.

Although Liu Bei is currently facing the biggest trouble with the ongoing battles, the pressure on Cao Cao is no less than his.

This makes the support that could have been launched from the direction of Pei State almost stillborn.

On the other hand, Gongsun Du’s troops from Liaodong have also forced Yuan Tan, who originally received Yuan Shao’s order to send reinforcements, to stay in Qingzhou to prevent threats from behind.

Thus, it seems that Xuzhou can only rely on itself for salvation.

Moreover, in this advantageous situation that has finally emerged in southern Xuzhou, it’s not just Qiao Yan who is assisting Zhang Yi by mobilizing troops externally, but also Yang Province.

Even though Qiao Yan did not issue any troop movement orders to Yang Province, Zhou Yu still chose to make the decision to head north at this time.

In his view, this is the best opportunity to recapture northern Xuzhou and make Yang Province, which has Xuzhou as its northern barrier, even safer.

It’s also the best chance for Yang Province’s power to make a mark in this dispute!

“Before I return, Bofu, do not launch a large-scale encirclement and suppression against the Shanyue, especially do not engage them directly in advantageous mountainous terrain, to avoid being tricked into a trap,” Zhou Yu repeatedly instructed Sun Ce before heading north with his troops.

But no matter how he looked at it, Sun Ce and Zhu Ran, who served as his attendant, did not seem like they could be restrained by hatred.

So he sought out Zhang Zhao and Huang Gai, asking them to pay extra attention to Sun Ce’s actions—if there were any improper moves, they should immediately come to Xuzhou to find him, and perhaps they could still persuade him.

In any case, the gains from the battles in Xuzhou could only be considered as the icing on the cake. If there were problems in Yang Province, even if the position of Xuzhou’s governor fell into their hands, it would not be enough to compensate.

Not to mention, this is something that is not likely to happen.

Thinking of the attitude of Yang Province’s noble families and the fact that the Shanyue, in alliance with Huang She, killed Zhu Zhi last year, Zhou Yu always felt a bit uneasy in his heart.

But then he thought, Sun Ce has been managing Yang Province for over a year, and the old troops who originally only belonged to his father have long regarded him as their true lord. Among the newly enlisted soldiers, there are also many willing to die for him. So, even without him watching over, nothing should go wrong.

And when he set foot on the land of Xuzhou, Zhou Yu first put away his worries and focused his mind on the battle situation in Xuzhou.

Qiao Yan and Zhang Yi’s forces have been dragging Guan Yu to the right and engaging with Chen Deng and Chen Dao to the left, so if he wants to break the deadlock, he must strike straight through the center.

Zhou Yu looked at the map of the Huai River’s defense and chose his target—Huaiyin.

Huaiyin, where Zhang Fei is stationed.

But before sending out the troops, he first went to Gaoyou County in Guangling, where he met Jia Xu, who is closely related to the death of Sun Jian.

The other party did not seem to have Tai Shici and others by his side as last year, but was just continuing to play chess with Pang Tong and the hostage Lu Su, making Zhou Yu can’t help but ask, “Wenhe, you don’t seem to worry about your safety at all?”

Jia Xu slowly placed a piece on the chessboard, and after a light tap, replied, “I thought you would say, why did Xuzhou suddenly mobilize troops without notifying you at all.”

Zhou Yu thought for a moment and replied, “Matters of one province are handled by that province. You think two forces can break Xuzhou, and with the Grand Marshal supporting the restraint of reinforcements behind, what do I have to ask?”

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Jia Xu continue, “But you still came with troops at this time, which shows that your eyes have never stayed within one province, and you deeply understand what it means to work together. Since that’s the case, you should also see the significance of my presence here, and won’t secretly take advantage of the lack of defense around me to kill me.”

Jia Xu meaningfully cast a glance at him, “Don’t you think so?”

Indeed, Zhou Yu could analyze the pros and cons of the current situation, knowing that even if Qiao Yan did not issue him any orders, assisting Xuzhou in ending the north-south confrontation in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he also chose to take the initiative to attack. How could he possibly take action against Jia Xu under such circumstances.

He just vaguely realized that Jia Xu could not just be considered a teacher leading graduation exams at Leping Academy anymore, and Qiao Yan’s “avoidance” actions towards Jia Xu seemed somewhat untenable.

With internal disturbances still unresolved in Yang Province, Zhou Yu was troubled and eager to seek an answer on this matter.

Unfortunately, Jia Xu’s banter made him muddle through.

In the midst of his inexplicable emotions, he suddenly heard Jia Xu ask, “Are you going to make the fourth move or not?”

He was about to think this was Jia Xu’s question to him, but then he saw Lu Su, who had switched to the playing position, place a piece on the chessboard. Looking closely, it was indeed the fourth move of their new game.

Zhou Yu was silent for a while, then retreated from the room.

Rather than continuing to feel aggrieved in this unclear environment, it would be better to quickly end the battle in Xuzhou.

If Qiao Yan’s troop movements in Luoyang, Yingchuan, and Liaodong are considered as one move, then the move he made was indeed the fourth!

“This kid from Yang Province really came to take advantage,” Zhang Fei stood on the city wall of Huaiyin, looking at the shadowy figures of the Yang Province army pressing the border, and said to Chen Gui beside him.

“Don’t underestimate him, the current situation in Xuzhou is not unrelated to him.”

There was a change in Xia Pi, but Chen Gui did not return, instead staying in Huaiyin with Zhang Fei, also arranged by Liu Bei.

Zhang Fei’s temperament is somewhat straightforward, but he still respects learned elders.

Whether others can persuade him or not is hard to say, but Chen Gui can barely persuade him.

His thorough understanding of the situation in Xuzhou and his cunning temperament, in Liu Bei’s view, complement Zhang Fei and can serve as Zhang Fei’s military advisor.

After Lu Su was kidnapped last year, strategists like Chen Gui became even more important to Liu Bei.

Zhang Fei glanced at Chen Gui, deeply aware of Liu Bei’s reliance on him, and did not refute Chen Gui’s words, just muttered softly, “I said he came to take advantage, but that’s not the same as underestimating him. The internal strife just appeared in Pei State, and those guys from the south of Xuzhou came immediately, this must be related to them.”

“I don’t know what they were thinking, preferring to hand over Pei State to Cao Cao and make us suffer losses here.”

Chen Gui shook his head, “As long as the final result is that they can take Xuzhou, all the sacrifices are meaningful. This is the brilliance of the other party.”

Zhang Fei asked, “Then in Han Yu’s view, if we want to defeat that scoundrel Zhang Yi and drive that kid Zhou Yu out of the territory, what means should we use?”

“That depends on which side shows weakness first, allowing Xuande to come to support and break the deadlock,” Chen Gui looked at the distant sky, feeling somewhat uncertain.

Last year’s internal strife in Yizhou, no one expected Qiao Yan to suddenly turn from Luoyang to Yizhou and go straight to Chengdu.

In this year’s battle in Xuzhou, the coordination and deployment of various forces were almost all arranged by her. With her temperament, would she just stay in Luoyang to contain Cao Cao?

Probably not!

But if she really came to Xuzhou, it would not be good news for this place.

“Han Yu?”

Hearing Zhang Fei call him, Chen Gui quickly came back to his senses and replied, “It’s nothing, I was just thinking that Mi Zizhong’s preparations in Yandu for several years have led to today’s changes, and the change of hands in Pei State before the battle in Xu County should also be under Qiao Yan’s orders.”

“Both sides are well-prepared and steady, even the Liangzhou generals known for their recklessness and bravery did not take radical actions on the way to attack Haixi, perhaps—”

“The breakthrough we can find is still on Zhou Yu. If that’s the case, then it’s the general’s chance to make a mark.”

Hearing this, Zhang Fei laughed, “Thanks to Han Yu’s auspicious words.”

As a general, who doesn’t like to be the first to achieve merit.

Zhang Fei is no exception.

But what the defending troops of Liu Bei on this battlefield probably didn’t expect is that while it seems like a large army is pressing the border in southern Xuzhou, showing a must-take stance, Yang Province, which is currently outside the storm, is not peaceful at all.

Not long after Zhou Yu left, Sun Ce received a message—Huang She actually found a way out of the mountains in Jing County and left for a few days, went to Yuzhang County, and did something.

It was only when he returned that he accidentally exposed his tracks and was discovered by Sun Ce’s subordinates.

“He dares to show up at this time!”

This is not just arrogance, it’s a direct provocation towards Sun Ce.

Sun Ce slapped the table and stood up, “If I don’t take this kid’s head to offer to Junli, what qualifications do I have to be the governor of Yang Province!”