Three Kingdoms: I choose Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao, why are you crying, Diao Chan?

Chapter 34: Wait a minute, Magistrate! There must be something fishy going on!
Hearing Liu Biao's sigh, the slightly older Kuai Liang immediately comforted him:
"My Lord, do not feel guilty. The world is in turmoil and the people are living in misery.

“Today’s act of collecting wealth is only to protect more people in the future.

“When I offer this money to the imperial court, I can obtain the post of governor of Jingzhou and protect Jingzhou.

"Then we will take in disaster victims from all over the country and treat them well. The world will praise our lord for his generosity and kindness!"

After hearing what Kuai Liang said, Liu Biao felt better.

Kuai Yue on the side suddenly poured cold water on him:

“Having said that, we must also be careful not to give anyone a handle.

"It is said that Lujiang Governor Lu Bu recently annihilated the fierce bandit Chen Ce and gained tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.

“This person is very ambitious and will not stay under someone else for long.

"If the enemy finds out that you have been amassing wealth, they may use this as an excuse to attack us!"

Hearing this, Liu Biao's face turned ugly again.

Kuai Liang glared at his cousin and continued to comfort Liu Biao:

"Don't worry, my lord. Lu Bu is just a brave man, and his subordinates are all good-for-nothings.

"If they dare to offend, they will never return!"

Kuai Yue sneered:
"A good-for-nothing? My brother is really good at boasting.

"The enemy's Bingzhou cavalry are unrivaled in charging the enemy's formation, and one of the eight hundred in the Xianzhen camp is fighting against a hundred.

"There is also Liu Ziyang as a military advisor, and Zhang Liao and Gao Shun as fierce generals.

"If we don't prepare now, it will be too late to regret when they attack us!"

This time, Kuai Liang did not refute.

After a brief pause, he nodded in agreement:

"Yidu's words make sense. My lord, you should indeed make plans early, strengthen the defense of E County, and send General Huang Zu to guard it together with Yidu."

When Kuai Liang called his name, Kuai Yue glared at him coldly.

Before he could refuse, Liu Biao said:
"Then we will follow Zirou's advice. Yidu and General Huang Zu will lead 5,000 soldiers to E County to guard it!"

Kuai Yue's eyes flashed with helplessness, but he could only respond with his hands folded:
"I obey my orders."

Kuai Yue came to the military camp to find Huang Zu, and he and the other party dispatched 5,000 troops to E County.

On the way, the two suddenly saw a group of defeated soldiers running towards them.

Huang Zu, wearing a square hat, took a closer look and found that the leader of the defeated army was actually the magistrate of E County - Li Yan!
This Li Yan was the important minister entrusted by Liu Bei before his death.

But at this point in time, he was still serving as a county magistrate under Liu Biao.

Seeing Li Yan in such a state of disgrace, Kuai Yue sighed:
"Alas, E County is lost! I knew that Lu Bu would make a move on Jiangxia sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon!"

Li Yan had already arrived in front of the two men, dismounted from his horse, and cried bitterly:

“I am incompetent! That slave of three surnames actually planted hundreds of soldiers in the Xianzhen Camp and disguised them as ordinary people to enter the county town.

"Then Lu Bu led his army to attack E County at night, using powerful catapults and cooperating with the soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp in the city to launch a sudden attack!
"Our army had almost no power to resist before the city gate was breached. I could only lead dozens of people to fight my way out of the encirclement at the risk of my life..."

"Catapult?" Huang Zu's face changed slightly.

The city wall of E County is indeed high and thick, but it is not a large city after all, it can only be considered a medium-sized city.

Using siege tools even with internal support clearly shows that they want to quickly occupy E County...

Huang Zu's face was gloomy, and he had no time to blame Li Yan. He immediately incorporated Li Yan into the team and led the army back to Xiling.

The news of the fall of E County must be brought back to Xiling as soon as possible, and at the same time, the surrounding counties must strengthen their precautions.

The enemy is coming with such force that if we make any mistake, the entire Jiangxia County will be in danger!
……

The city wall of E County.

Lu Bu, wearing a battle robe with flowers, leaned against the city wall majestically and looked into the distance.

Behind him stood Gao Shun and Liu Ye.

Gao Shun clasped his fists towards the man's back and said:

“In this battle our army lost three hundred men, and captured fifteen hundred.

"Enemy General Li Yan led his troops to break out of the encirclement and may have spread the news."

Seeing Gao Shun's guilty look, Liu Ye smiled and comforted him, "General Gao, there is no need to blame yourself. This is also within my expectations.

“When Liu Biao learns the news, he will definitely concentrate his forces in Xiling County, where he governs.

"Then the defenses of other counties will be empty, making it easier for me to implement my next plan!"

Gao Shun clasped his fists towards Liu Ye in gratitude.

Lu Bu listened to the conversation between the two and slowly unfolded the imperial edict in his hand.

A month ago, he reported to the court the information Liu Ye had collected about Liu Biao's wealth.

He also falsely accused Liu Biao of planning to use the money to recruit soldiers and rebel against the court.

The court immediately appointed him as General Suppressing Rebellion and ordered him to lead the army to attack Liu Biao.

With this edict, he had a legitimate reason to go to war!
The soldiers under his command also believed that they were an army of justice and were all full of fighting spirit.

In addition, the Thunderbolt Chariot presented by Liu Ye played a huge role, so E County was quickly occupied.

"Now that E County has been captured, what should we do next?"

Although Lu Bu had his own ideas in mind, he was already accustomed to asking Liu Ye for his opinion.

Liu Ye had obviously already planned the next step, and said slowly:
“Now the 4,000 soldiers and horses in E County have been annexed by our army.

“Liu Biao still has about 19,000 troops left.

“After being distributed to the more than ten counties under its jurisdiction, the military strength of Xiling Main City should be less than 15,000.

"Our army will definitely win this battle. What we need to consider now is to cut off the enemy's retreat!"

As he spoke, Liu Ye suddenly showed a shrewd smile on his face, raised his hand and pointed to the north:

“Anlu County is bordered by Dahong Mountain in the north, which separates it from Runan.

"It borders Xiling County to the south and is closely connected with Liu Biao and others.

“If we can capture Anlu County, Xiling County will become an isolated city.

"By then, we can surround them but not attack them, and persuade them to surrender. Then our army can take Jiangxia at the lowest cost!"

After listening to Liu Ye's plan, Lu Bu nodded slightly:

"It's a good idea, but it's not easy to implement."

Liu Ye showed a meaningful smile:
"As early as when we captured E County, I had already sent a group of people. My lord, just wait for good news."

A hint of surprise appeared in Lu Bu's eyes.

I thought that with my modern knowledge and understanding of military history, I could be comparable to the top strategists of this era.

But now it seems that there is still a big gap between me and them in terms of layout and strategy.

However, Lu Bu did not underestimate himself.

People always grow.

Spend more time with these outstanding people, and you will naturally become more outstanding.

……

Meanwhile, Anlu County.

County Magistrate Han Song was playing chess with Deputy Governor Liu Xian.

At this moment, the subordinates came hurriedly to report:
"Sir, the garrison commander of E County, Zhang Yun, has led more than a thousand remnant soldiers to the city. Should we let them enter?"

"what?!"

Han Song's chess piece fell from his hand in shock, and he quickly stood up and asked:

"What's going on? Has E County been captured by anyone?"

"E County was captured by Lu Bu's army!"

Han Song's face changed and he couldn't help but sigh:
"Alas, the days of peace are over again... Quickly open the city gates and let General Zhang and his men enter the city to prepare!"

As soon as Han Song finished speaking, Liu Xian suddenly stopped him:

"Wait a minute, County Magistrate! E County is closer to Xiling County.

"They didn't go to Xiling, but came to Anlu instead... There must be something strange going on!"

(End of this chapter)