Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2598 Desperate Situation in Youzhou, Han Xin's Counterattack

Three days later, Xue Rengui gathered 100,000 troops and prepared to head north to the banks of the Yellow River.

Once they reach the ferry crossings along the Yellow River, the navy can then meet them and transport the 100,000 troops to Youzhou in batches, launching the final battle for Youzhou.

However, if all 100,000 troops were transported to Youzhou, the logistical pressure on this army would be even greater, and the burden on the navy would be even heavier.

For the Jin army, controlling the Bohai Sea is of paramount importance.

As for the remaining troops, they were handed over to Pei Xingjian, the General of the Yuzhou Guard, to guard Qingzhou strictly and not give Liu Rengui any opportunity to continue to replenish his forces from Qingzhou.

Once the enemy's supply lines are cut off, you can slowly wait for them to surrender without a fight.

In fact, even after Liu Bei's death, the Qing-Han Navy was not so stable internally.

Liu Rengui, the leader of the Qing-Han Navy, needs no introduction. He was originally a member of the Han imperial family and was gradually promoted to a high position by Liu Bei. Others could betray the Han Dynasty, but he alone could not.

Just as he knew they had no hope left, it still couldn't be a reason for him to abandon the Han Dynasty. Even if he fell into ruin with the Han Dynasty, it was his choice, and his only choice.

Some things cannot be given up on just because you know there is no hope.

Standing behind him were Liu Zheng, Deng Xia, Gan Ning, Zhang Shun, and Liao Li, who served as his strategist, among others.

Among these people, Liu Zheng, who was also a member of the Han imperial family, and Deng Xia, Gan Ning, and Liao Li were figures who had been fighting against the Jin Dynasty for decades. It seemed that being an enemy of the Jin Dynasty had become their only mission.

There were also figures like Liu Menglong, Zhu Guobao, and Li Ting who had already considered surrendering to the Jin dynasty. Yes, this included Liu Menglong, who was also a member of the Han imperial family.

There were indeed many resistance factions among the Han imperial family members, but it was also normal for one or two spineless individuals to emerge.

However, these people dared not reveal such thoughts for the time being, as Liu Rengui still had considerable control over the Qing-Han navy. If they dared to express such thoughts, Liu Zheng and Deng Xia would tear them apart alive in the next moment.

At the same time, there were also people like Zhang Hongfan who wanted to seek opportunities outside the Central Plains.

In fact, there are quite a few people like Li Jun who want to get out of this mess, and Zhang Hongfan is one of them.

From the very beginning of this great battle, they had no hope for Qinghan. Therefore, they had long ago considered withdrawing.

Unfortunately, Li Jun and his group were too shrewd; they didn't reveal any of their thoughts and quietly left.

After such an incident, it naturally becomes more difficult for others to follow suit.

Therefore, although some people are not afraid of the negative impact of desertion on their reputation, they have long wanted to leave quietly, but they just haven't found the opportunity.

Even if one wanted to desert, one had to be absolutely certain before taking action. After all, if one was caught deserting, there was no chance of making excuses; one would definitely be punished according to military law.

Desertion is an ironclad rule in the military.

Therefore, although the main force of the Qing-Han navy still exists on the surface, their morale has long since collapsed. It's just that Liu Rengui is forcibly suppressing them at this time. As for Youzhou, Youbeiping and Yuyang counties have obviously fallen into Qi Jiguang's control. Now, Qin Zheng only has the last four counties—Dai, Zhuo, Shanggu, and Guangyang—in his hands.

Currently, most of the troops in Youzhou are in Han Xin's hands, stationed in Zhuojun and confronting Li Mu.

However, after landing at Bohai and capturing the two commanderies of Youbeiping and Yuyang, Qi Jiguang began to advance towards Guangyang Commandery. Qin Zheng's stronghold, Ji County, was located within Guangyang Commandery.

Many people have even suggested that Qin Zheng move the capital.

However, the group of people in power in Youzhou disagreed with this opinion.

Currently, Youzhou's biggest problem is the same as that of Jizhou and Liu Bei before it: insufficient troops. The main force is in Han Xin's hands, and Qin Zheng and the others simply cannot muster any more troops to resist Qi Jiguang.

Under these circumstances, even retreating to Shanggu and Dai counties would not solve the fundamental problem of insufficient troops. Therefore, it would only be a delaying tactic.

Even if they moved the capital back due to insufficient troops, it would only be a low-level version of trading space for time, and it would not be able to hold off Qi Jiguang for long.

Moreover, if they were to cede Guangyang Commandery, they would expose the flank of Zhuo Commandery to Qi Jiguang's forces. In the end, this might even hasten their demise.

After the defeat of Qinghan, the entire Youzhou region was in a state of utter despair.

In fact, Qinghan had only managed to tie down most of the Northern Expeditionary Jin army. Li Mu and Qi Jiguang had only a small force, but they had already made Youzhou look like it was on the verge of destruction.

However, now that Qinghan has been destroyed, if Xue Rengui and Lian Po's troops all march north, what power will they have to resist?
Han Xin was indeed very successful during this period. Despite having a weaker force, he managed to turn the defensive situation into an offensive one, forcing Li Mu, who was originally on the offensive, into a defensive one.

However, if either Lian Po's or Xue Rengui's army had joined forces with Li Mu, would Han Xin's side still have been so powerful?

Now, they don't have much time left.

Xue Rengui's troops have begun to approach the Yellow River. Once they join forces with the navy, they will travel by sea after crossing the Yellow River and will arrive in Youzhou in no time.

Although there is still no news from Lian Po's side, it will probably be long before he also heads north.

Throughout Youzhou, people were already sighing and lamenting, but they were all at a loss and had no solutions.

Even the strategists and civil officials like Fan Ju, who once commanded the nation, were now crestfallen by the current situation.

Is such a gap in absolute hard power so easily bridged by a single scheme?

Whether it's strategy or other personal abilities, they can shorten the gap between the two sides to some extent, but they absolutely cannot ignore the gap itself. After all, in a sense, personal ability is also a part of strength.

However, when the gap in hard power reaches a certain level, how can the ability of one or two people make up for it?
If it could really be remedied, what would be the point of all the lords scheming to seize territory and develop their national strength?

However, just when everyone in Youzhou was dejected, Han Xin began to plan a counterattack.