Chapter 346

Chapter 346

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 10: The World in Chaos, the Time for Hunting Chapter 346: No Way Out

The nearest reinforcements are Guan Yu, who is currently confronting Ma Chao and Yan Yan at Lianshui. Although it may not be effective in this joint force, at least they will have more manpower support after retreating to the north.

Liu Bei’s years of management in the northern part of Xuzhou are not in vain. Chen Gui also believes that, although there are exceptions like Lu Su and Zang Ba, their manpower in the north cannot have all betrayed them.

Moreover, with such a strange change happening in Xuzhou, if Yuan Shao hadn’t reacted at first and thus failed to provide timely support, by now he should have responded.

They have a chance!

The only thing to do now is to escape from this heavy encirclement.

But Liu Bei interrupted Chen Gui at this moment: “No! I can’t just leave like this. Yide and Tanzhi are still in danger, and I don’t know if they are alive or dead. Maybe they can still be saved. The final order to besiege Zhou Gongjin was given by me, and these soldiers who are trapped in battle are in this situation because of me. If I escape now, how can I face my identity as the prefect?”

He couldn’t stop Zhang Fei from falling off his horse, and it’s a completely different matter from not being able to provide side support to the other side.

Moreover, if he retreats immediately, he may not be able to escape the attacks from Jiang Qin and Wen Pin.

It’s better to try and make a desperate counterattack, risking death for survival!

He resolutely and quickly replied: “I, Liu Bei, am not a weakling who can’t even tie a chicken, nor am I someone who can only sit high in the Hall of Enlightenment. In the past, I could kill Yellow Turban Bandits, and now I can also fight on the battlefield. At this moment, Zhou Gongjin is meeting with reinforcements from both front and rear directions. Everyone thinks Liu Bei is going to escape. If I charge into the enemy’s flank from the central army, looking for a chance to break the situation, perhaps I can find a way for them to escape.”

Having said this, he immediately jumped off the chariot and mounted a horse, taking the long sword handed to him by his subordinate. “Please go ahead, Mr. Hanyu. The war is critical, and it’s not suitable to stay for long. Since Tanzhi and Lu Zijing are going to cross the river, there must be a ferry at the Huaiyin crossing. Please go quickly.”

The next moment, Chen Gui saw Liu Bei whip his horse and lead his elite soldiers who had not participated in the previous battle. In what seemed like a move to escape north, they suddenly turned and charged into the slightly relaxed central part of Zhou Yu’s army, which had just met with reinforcements.

Liu Bei, who had gathered a group of wandering knights in the past and made a name for himself in the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the campaign against Dong Zhuo, is indeed not an ordinary scholar-official. His decisiveness at this moment gives him an astonishing charisma in his actions.

If his words never shifted the blame for this defeat to his subordinates, making people feel that following this prefect is not a mistake, then his leading the charge at this moment makes these subordinates who are unwilling to betray him boil with enthusiasm.

Zhang Fei had already fallen off his horse and landed among these soldiers. Relying on his brute strength, he seized two swords and, despite being wounded several times, managed to fight his way out.

At this moment, he keenly heard the commotion coming from the north, mixed with the soldiers’ shouts of “General Zhang.” He immediately perked up and, together with the soldiers who were also trapped in the formation, headed towards the direction of the sound.

Because his injuries made it unsuitable for him to mount a horse, he simply abandoned one of his swords, picked up a discarded shield from the side, and charged forward, breaking through the long weapons in front of him.

Liu Bei did not abandon him but instead risked his life to save him. This choice made Zhang Fei, who was already exhausted, regain the motivation to fight desperately, and he actually managed to fight his way out.

Even Han Dang, who had just arrived, couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for him.

Among these soldiers who sought promotion and an end to the war, there were also those who cherished their lives. Seeing Zhang Fei blocking left and right without regard for his own injuries, his furious gaze and fierce fighting spirit made them shrink back in fear.

And the lord he served also resolutely came to his aid. Who could say that this scene is not moving?

Unfortunately, being moved is one thing, but stance is another.

If this battle cannot cause fundamental damage to Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, how can it be worthy of all their planning and efforts?

Zhou Yu and Han Dang have cooperated for years. Although they have never acted in a superior-subordinate relationship, in this moment of meeting, no one mentioned the situation in Yang Province, nor was there any post-disaster reunion joy or catching up. Only Han Dang quickly handed over the troops he commanded to Zhou Yu’s command.

“Let Liu Bei enter the formation, reinforce the periphery!” Zhou Yu immediately issued the order.

Since he wants to play the hero and be trapped in a heavy encirclement with his subordinates, then he might as well leave his life here!

The intensity of the internal pursuit seems unchanged, but the external encirclement is becoming more solid.

Under Zhou Yu’s command, a new batch of shield soldiers formed a barrier around the center.

So when Liu Bei and Zhang Fei finally met, they realized that joining forces did not mean they had achieved their goal. On the contrary, this was the beginning of their troubles.

These newly formed barriers were almost all soldiers who had just come from the south. Although they had undergone a rapid march, their physical consumption was far less than that of the soldiers who had experienced a fierce battle.

Zhang Fei looked around and made a decision in his heart.

“North! No matter what, we must fight our way out!”

The north is, after all, Zhou Yu’s rear army, which is much inferior in combat skills to the front and central armies. Even if we don’t know how Zang Ba’s troops are performing, they should be weaker than the obviously three generals leading the reinforcements.

Moreover, only by heading north can we cross the river, and only then can we have a last chance of survival!

Liu Bei thought the same.

The moment he joined forces with Zhang Fei, he had already conveyed the order to break out to the north.

But could the changes in Zhou Yu’s military formation really go unnoticed?

Qiao Ting, who followed Jia Xu and Li Ru, learned the skill of discovering information from the details. Although the range of the military formation was too large, and the dense armor blocked her view, making it difficult for her to see the specific situation there, she had already realized that this formation—

It seems to be trapping someone!

“Quick, inform Deputy General Chen, no need to fight with Guan Ping anymore, return to block, otherwise we might miss the big fish.”

Her previous suggestion to assist the rear army in intercepting Guan Ping had already been approved by Chen Wu. Now, when she ordered Chen Wu to return, although Chen Wu’s troops were puzzled, they still sent the message to Chen Wu first.

Chen Wu looked back and quickly ordered someone to board the nest cart, looking south, and indeed saw signs of the army’s encirclement.

If there is any direction the enemy might escape to, it’s only the rear army.

After such a fierce battle, even the arrows in their hands are almost gone!

He really coveted the achievement of defeating Guan Ping, but with Lu Su and Zang Ba here, Guan Ping probably won’t escape. He might as well tighten the net for catching the big fish.

He quickly dispatched the soldiers to return. Zang Ba, without suspicion, thought he was really a generous person who gave up his merits.

He slashed down the enemy in front of him and rode to Guan Ping.

With this fierce momentum, his next slash knocked Guan Ping’s long sword away and cleanly knocked him off his horse.

Guan Ping is no match for Zhang Fei, and those surrounding him are not Zhou Yu’s already exhausted soldiers. Before he could make any effective resistance, he was already tied up on the ground.

Zang Ba raised his chin and asked Lu Su, who was approaching from a distance, “Mr. Zijing, how much merit do you think this one can exchange for?”

Lu Su replied, “I don’t know how much merit it can exchange for, but capturing him alive is better than killing him.”

“That’s good,” Zang Ba laughed heartily, “Let’s see if we can earn a bit more merit.”

As soon as he said this, he suddenly realized that Chen Wu’s return might not be to give him the merit, but to seek a bigger one!

“Miscalculated, these cunning Yangzhou people really know how to do business!”

Zang Ba quickly handed Guan Ping over to Lu Su and chased after Chen Wu.

But at this moment, Chen Wu had already encountered Liu Bei and others who had just broken out of the heavy encirclement.

Zhou Yu’s formation blockade was no different from hitting an iron wall for Liu Bei and his men.

When they desperately pushed forward with survival as their motivation, the people around them fell one by one, and even Liu Bei himself was seriously injured.

When he saw Chen Wu leading the charge, even though Liu Bei considered himself calm, he felt a moment of darkness before his eyes.

Looking around and not seeing Guan Ping, he realized he couldn’t save a second person. The only thing he could do was lead the remaining remnants to fight their way out!

Fortunately, he could be sure that, with their diversion, the part of the army that had protected Chen Gui’s escape should have already left the battlefield.

But before Liu Bei could swing his sword forward again, he suddenly saw Zhang Fei leading a team charging towards Chen Wu.

Leaving only the words, “Big brother, go first!”

Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when Liu Bei received a clear official position, Zhang Fei rarely called him “big brother” in formal occasions, but addressed him by his official title or later as the prefect. Only at this moment did this address pop out of his mouth again, but it didn’t bring Liu Bei any joy from the intimacy shown in the address, only a deep sorrow.

When Zhang Fei charged towards Chen Wu, he clearly wasn’t planning to continue the joint breakout as before, but was determined to fight to the death to buy him a way out.

But Liu Bei no longer had the chance to hesitate!

The reaction of Zhou Yu’s troops and the speed of the rear army’s defensive reinforcements far exceeded his expectations, making the escape he might have achieved much more difficult.

If he hesitated here for even a moment, the pursuing troops behind would catch up, the hard-fought gap would be closed again, and Zhang Fei’s choice at this moment would lose its meaning.

He clenched his teeth and made a decision that filled his heart with grief and indignation, “Go!”

As Zhang Fei led the remaining rear guard to block the gap and confront Chen Wu’s returning troops, Liu Bei led the remaining dozens of cavalry to quickly break out of the encirclement.

The pursuing troops behind were either still blocked by their own people further back or dragged down by Zhang Fei and his men who were fighting to the death, allowing Liu Bei and his men to disappear from their sight.

But it was also at the moment Liu Bei disappeared that Zhang Fei no longer had the strength to fight and was cut down by the soldiers surrounding him, then…








Completely lost consciousness.

By the time Zhou Yu arrived, he saw Chen Wu isolating an area to protect Zhang Fei’s corpse.

“First, I’ll note your merit, now immediately pursue Liu Bei!”

Killing Zhang Fei was like cutting off one of Liu Bei’s arms; turning Lu Su and Zang Ba against him meant that a rift had invisibly formed in the north of Xuzhou.

Although Liu Bei and Chen Gui escaped the encirclement, even if most of their soldiers were swallowed up in this battle, they still had the capital to make a comeback once they returned to Donghai County.

After all, Liu Bei was welcomed into Xuzhou by Chen Deng, and the presence of Chen Gui and Chen Deng represented the scholar-official power of Xuzhou.

Without capturing or killing Liu Bei, this battle was far from its final conclusion!

But in reality, Liu Bei’s escape was not as simple as Zhou Yu imagined.

His decision to instruct Chen Gui to seek a boat at the Huaiyin crossing was not wrong, and he successfully sent the elder across the Huai River. However, when Liu Bei rushed to the riverside, he saw the remaining ferry boats engulfed in flames.

Liu Bei didn’t know that the fire was set by Qiao Lan in Huaiyin City. He thought it unlikely that Chen Gui had abandoned him for not choosing to retreat together, but the fact remained that the boats were gone, and he couldn’t cross the river to reunite with Guan Yu.

All he could do was choose another path to take!

With the central route facing such a crushing defeat in the three battles along the Huai River, he had to choose to join either the left or right flank. This general direction couldn’t change, so he should abandon crossing at Huaiyin and head east or west before crossing the river!

If he chose east, with the assistance of Chen Deng and the presence of General Chen Dao, safety could be ensured. He wouldn’t need to plan alone and might even have the chance to quickly send for reinforcements from Yuzhou and Yanzhou, gaining support from Cao Cao.

The defection of Pei State in Yuzhou merely indicated their desire to return to Yuzhou’s jurisdiction, not that they had broken with Cao Cao or taken a different stance.

But could such a reunion and call for reinforcements also be known to Qiao Yan?

Because this was the most advantageous path for Liu Bei!

At this thought, Liu Bei dared not gamble on this possibility.

He might as well continue according to the pre-set plan, heading to Haixi to reunite with Guan Yu, albeit needing to travel eastward before crossing the river.

After reuniting with Guan Yu, he could continue northward to seek support from Qingzhou.

His choice of direction wasn’t entirely wrong.

Among his captured subordinates, some might have defected after capture, revealing Chen Gui’s advice to Liu Bei. Even Zhou Yu thought Liu Bei would surely take another route to reunite with Guan Yu.

But who would have thought that after feinting westward, he would circle southward, avoiding Zhou Yu’s riverbank search parties, and then head east again.

Nightfall became his best cover.

From the perspective of the western battlefront, his decision was even more correct.

With only Zhang Ren and Zhang Yang’s capabilities, breaking through Chen Deng’s defense was impossible, especially with the local forces of Xia Pi and Chen Dao’s elite troops. However, Pang Tong and Sun Guan’s breakthrough turned Chen Deng’s potential victory into being trapped at the Lou Pavilion.

If Liu Bei had truly come here, he might have walked right into a trap.

Instead, his current decision truly found him a sliver of hope.

There were numerous crossings from Yandu to Haixi over the Huai River. After a brief rest, Liu Bei and his men seized one of the crossings and sailed north.

If Chen Gui and the earlier retreating troops could first reunite with Guan Yu, and he followed, it wouldn’t be a complete failure of the plan leading to total annihilation!

When Guan Yu’s military camp appeared before his eyes, Liu Bei’s stamina was truly at its limit.

It was already noon the next day.

Even the horses couldn’t take it anymore, let alone the men.

Guan Yu was still contemplating whether to attempt another attack on the opposite shore of Lianshui in Haixi, but he never expected to suddenly receive news of Liu Bei’s arrival, nor did he expect to see Liu Bei in such a disheveled state, sitting on the ground.

The food and water delivered were distributed among the remnants who had followed him in his escape. Then he took a portion himself, forcing himself to swallow it to drive away the fatigue.

When he removed his helmet, both Liu Bei and the hastily arrived Guan Yu clearly saw a deep dent on the helmet, seemingly caused by a close-range arrow shot.

If not for the helmet’s protection, Liu Bei’s head might have been pierced through.

The two exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of lingering fear in the other’s eyes.

Guan Yu quickly stepped forward to Liu Bei, “Brother, how did you come to this?”

Hearing this address, Liu Bei’s heart ached, “Yunchang, the plan to trap Zhou Yu at Huaiyin failed, caught between north and south, Yide sacrificed himself to help me break through, and his fate is unknown. I have failed them!”

Zhang Fei and Guan Ping’s fates were uncertain!

Guan Yu’s expression changed.

Either of these pieces of news was a massive blow to Guan Yu.

One was a brother of over a decade, the other his own son; neither’s death on the battlefield was something he wished to see.

But now was not the time to add to Liu Bei’s burdens or to waste time in mutual lamentation.

If the central Xuzhou had truly faced such a battle, and even Liu Bei was in such a state of desperate escape, they likely couldn’t stay near Haixi any longer!

He quickly comforted Liu Bei, “This is not the time to dwell on this. If they are fortunate, perhaps they are only captured, and we will have the chance to ransom them back. The urgent matter now is to quickly return north, not to linger here.”

“Fortunately, the two generals in Haixi did not mobilize troops to attack like the central route, giving you a chance to safely reach the camp.”

Liu Bei gripped Guan Yu’s hand, “Exactly, let’s return quickly.”

But before he could rise, he thought of something and asked, “Wait, has Han Yu not arrived here yet?”

It was unreasonable for Chen Gui not to have arrived!

Liu Bei’s detour westward, then south, and finally east, taking an unknown number of paths and departing later than Chen Gui, shouldn’t have arrived after him.

Thinking this, Guan Yu’s earlier reaction indeed didn’t seem like someone who had already met Chen Gui.

Guan Yu was puzzled, “Shouldn’t Han Yu be with you, brother?”

Liu Bei replied, “He crossed the river before me, according to the plan he should have come to find you…”

Chen Gui should indeed have arrived before Liu Bei, and he hadn’t changed his plan after crossing the river.

Knowing Chen Deng’s capabilities, he didn’t plan to go to Xia Pi but decided to seek out Guan Yu.

But his stamina was far worse than Liu Bei’s. Upon reaching the foot of Huaipu City and seeing the “Guan” banner still flying atop the city walls, he called out to enter and rest, only to be captured by Zang Ba’s subordinates guarding the city.

This episode was unknown to Guan Yu, who only knew that at the moment of Liu Bei’s defeat, Chen Gui, the representative of Xuzhou’s scholar-officials, had mysteriously disappeared!

“I think you can’t just head north casually, brother. If Chen Hanyu has decided to lead northern Xuzhou to defect at this moment, returning to the Xuzhou capital would be like delivering ourselves to the enemy.”

Guan Yu stated firmly, “Brother, your life was barely saved by Yide and the others, you can’t take any more risks! Why don’t we head north to Qu County and from there find a ship to sail to the bay of Donglai County in Qingzhou, to seek the Yuan family’s young master stationed in Qingzhou, and borrow troops to return to Xuzhou!”

Liu Bei disliked thinking the worst of people, but Guan Yu felt that at this point, who would betray and who would remain loyal was hard to predict. Rather than testing this possibility, it was better to choose a safer method.

With borrowed troops from Qingzhou and Liu Bei’s popularity in Xuzhou, couldn’t they regain their footing?

After a struggle in his heart, Liu Bei replied, “Let’s do as Yunchang suggests.”

First to Qu County, then to Donglai!

However, as they broke camp to head north, they were immediately attacked fiercely by Ma Chao and Yan Yan. If Guan Yu hadn’t shot Ma Chao’s mount first, blocking Ma Chao’s Xiliang cavalry for a while, escaping easily wouldn’t have been easy.

Even so, by the time they reached Qu County, only a little over a thousand men remained behind them.

Liu Bei’s heart couldn’t be described as merely desolate.

In a single night, the blows of separation and death he suffered nearly destroyed most of his foundation in Xuzhou, and now he even needed to temporarily leave Xuzhou to plan for the future.

Yet he had no time for sorrow or lamentation, needing to quickly find a ship to cross.

Taking over a thousand men across the sea by ship was clearly impractical. Liu Bei left seven to eight hundred men in Qu County to defend the city and led the rest aboard ships departing from the local port.

Thinking that at sea they wouldn’t face the relentless pursuit as on land, even though the waves made the ship sway, Liu Bei finally felt a bit of relief.

But before the ship had sailed far, he suddenly noticed something amiss around them.

Ships from nowhere silently blocked the path north of the ship he was on. At a glance, they were all merchant ships of the Donghai Mi Clan.

He belatedly realized that the Yuzhou Island across a strait from Qu County was once a fishing port occupied by the Donghai Mi Clan.

After the Donghai Mi Clan moved south to Yandu, this group hadn’t relocated, becoming the obstacle blocking his path now.

Fishing boats and merchant ships might not be much individually, but appearing in such dense clusters now formed an insurmountable barrier on the sea.

Even more troublesome, before he could find a way to break through and leave or return to shore, ships were already approaching from the south.

And this time, they weren’t large fishing boats or merchant ships, but genuine warships!

Hearing his subordinates’ exclamations, Liu Bei quickly turned to look. Standing at the bow of the leading warship, a figure stood with hands behind his back, the golden seal and purple ribbon clearly illuminated by the sunlight beneath the wind-blown cloak.

Her face couldn’t be clearly seen from afar, but her voice had already reached them.

“Governor Liu, it’s been years, how have you been?”