Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

"Opportunity knocks but once."

Liu Feng didn't offer any further explanation, simply replying with four words.

Since ancient times.

In large-scale warfare, the general principle is to engage with the enemy through conventional means and to win through unconventional tactics.

When two armies clash, they follow the rules, attacking and defending in turn.

Without new tricks up their sleeves, they can only engage in a stalemate and wear each other down until one side runs out of steam and begins to falter.

To win, you have to use unconventional methods.

Using unconventional methods inevitably involves taking risks.

Just as Cao Cao personally led his cavalry to raid Yuan Shao's grain depot at Wuchao during the Battle of Guandu.

If Xu You was feigning surrender, Cao Cao would be walking right into a trap.

After capturing Cao Cao, Yuan Shao didn't even need to march into Xuchang; the whole country would surrender at the mere sight of him.

however.

Cao Cao still went.

Because Cao Cao knew very well that he couldn't win without taking risks.

The same reason.

Liu Feng was well aware that without taking risks, he could not seize Shouchun.

Given the Jiangdong generals' habit of fighting independently, even capturing Hefei required Liu Feng to personally lead 300,000 bolts of Shu brocade.

Po Shouchun?
That's giving too much credit to everyone.

The battlefield is a place where you gamble with your life.

If you win the bet, you become a war god.

If you lose the bet, you'll die.

People who have too many concerns will find it difficult to seize fleeting opportunities on the battlefield.

Lu Xun hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

The words churning inside him reached his lips but he swallowed them back.

advise?
If Liu Feng loses, he can still offer advice.

Liu Feng has won, so how can we persuade him now?
How do you teach someone who has won a battle how to avoid losing one?
It's absurd to even think about.

As time passed, the battle at the palace tower came to an end.

The small palace was no match for the ferocious Han army.

Especially Liu Feng's direct subordinates, who were exceptionally brave and fierce.

Not only were the Wei soldiers on the palace tower filled with fear, but the generals and soldiers of Jiangdong were also intimidated.

"General, run!"

Man Chong's personal guards, anxious, offered their advice.

Man Chong shoved aside his personal guards and shouted, "Escape? I am the General Who Conquers the East, appointed by His Majesty. I have followed the late Emperor since Yanzhou. I eat the Emperor's food and serve the Emperor. If the army is defeated and the city is lost, I will die. How can you talk about escaping?"

Man Chong is a very stubborn person.

Back in Fancheng, he sank a white horse, vowing to live and die with his soldiers, causing Guan Yu to return empty-handed.

When Liu Bei attacked Fancheng, he held out until the very end before being captured along with Cao Ren.

That capture became a stain on Man Chong's life.

now.

If Shouchun falls and Man Chong abandons the city and flees, he will despise himself.

The guards had no choice but to do their best to protect Man Chong.

Man Chong wanted to repay the kindness of Cao Cao and Cao Pi, and his personal guards also wanted to repay Man Chong's kindness.

In this life, one should have things to do and things not to do. Acting like an ant trying to survive is not what Man Chong desires.

Even if you have to die, you should die with dignity.

Once you enter the battlefield, you must be prepared to die on the battlefield.

As his personal guards fell one after another, Man Chong was surrounded, his spear stained with blood and sweat.

Looking at the fierce-looking Han soldiers around him, Man Chong knew he was doomed and couldn't help but laugh loudly: "Man Chong, the General Who Conquers the East of Wei, is here. Who dares to step forward and fight me to the death!"

Though old, his bravery remains.

Just as Yue Ju was about to step forward and finish off Man Chong, Fang Yue stopped him and then sent someone to inform Liu Feng outside the palace.

If Man Chong were engaged in the chaotic battle, Fang Yue would naturally not be foolish enough to stop Yue Ju.

A single act of obstruction could result in the death of one of our own elite soldiers.

But at this moment, Man Chong was already surrounded and had no personal guards around him, so he was destined to have no way to escape. Fang Yue's thoughts were naturally different.

Fang Yue needs to clearly understand whether the living Man Chong is more valuable than the dead Man Chong.

Not long after.

Liu Feng rode up on horseback.

Looking at the besieged Man Chong, Liu Feng spoke as if he were talking to an old friend: "Man Boning, you have no way out."

Man Chong's eyes were bloodshot, and he growled like a trapped beast: "Liu Feng, fight me!"

Liu Feng gently shook his head: "I am the Prince of Yan of the Han Dynasty and the Grand General of the court. Even if I were willing to fight you, my soldiers would not allow me to take the risk. Considering your loyalty and bravery to the Cao family, I will grant you a complete corpse."

Man Chong gave a miserable smile.

Then, he actually thrust his spear directly at Liu Feng, shouting and roaring:

"I am Man Chong, the General Who Conquers the East of the Great Wei. I can only die at the hands of the enemy, how can I destroy my own body and hair? Liu Feng, you dog, prepare to die!"

Seeing Man Chong charging towards them, Liu Feng's soldiers stepped forward, and several spears pierced Man Chong, while several arrows also pierced him.

"Though he is an enemy general, he is still worthy of respect. I hereby order that Man Chong be given a grand burial."

Since Liu Feng raised an army in Shangyong to rescue Jingzhou, this was the first time he had killed a Cao Wei general on the battlefield.

In the past, for various reasons, they would choose to capture Cao Pi alive and then exchange benefits with him.

And this time.

Liu Feng had no intention of capturing Man Chong alive to exchange benefits with Cao Pi.

A dead Man Chong is more beneficial to the Northern Expedition than a living Man Chong.

Given Liu Feng's current prestige and the strength of the Han Dynasty, there is no need to discuss interests with Cao Pi anymore.

Only by eliminating the veteran generals of Cao Wei and intimidating the younger ones can we gain a greater military advantage.

With the downfall of Man Chong.

The battle within Shouchun City was also nearing its end.

It was dusk.

The Wei soldiers who stubbornly resisted within the city were also completely wiped out.

Upon learning of Man Chong's execution, Wang Ling, Zou Qi, Jia Kui, Zang Ba, and others were so shocked that they fled in panic.

Zou Qi was unlucky and was captured alive.

Wang Ling, Jia Kui, and Zang Ba ran fast and couldn't catch up.

“Zou Qi, the governor of Xuzhou, is quite a fat fish. Boyan, I’m leaving him to be interrogated.”

Zou Qi did not seek death like Man Chong, and Liu Feng did not kill Zou Qi.

Firstly, Zou Qi could not be considered a general of Cao Wei; secondly, Zou Qi was the governor of Xuzhou.

Such a governor would surely appoint his protégés and former subordinates to important positions in various prefectures of Xuzhou during his term of office. Keeping Zou Qi alive was more valuable than killing him.

Liu Feng clearly distinguished who had to die and who could live.

That night.

Shouchun held a grand banquet to reward the soldiers of the three armies.

Early the next morning.

Liu Feng left Lu Xun to guard Shouchun, and selected two generals, Sun Huan and Zhu Huan, along with 10,000 soldiers and a few thousand of his own men, to return to Pingchun.

The reason for choosing the soldiers of these two generals was that their soldiers were considered among the most valiant among the generals and soldiers of Jiangdong.

Liu Feng wouldn't be the kind of person who would sacrifice a sesame seed for a watermelon; he wants both.

And on the other side.

Cao Rui, who was confronting Liu Shan in Luyang, also received military intelligence that "Pingchun City had fallen, Yu Jin fought to the death and was captured, and was beheaded by Liu Feng for refusing to surrender."

Everyone present was horrified.

Sima Yi's face turned deathly pale.

Because the messenger was Yu Jin's personal guard.

now.

Yu Jin's personal guards were glaring angrily at Sima Yi, reporting military intelligence to Cao Rui while accusing Sima Yi of greed for credit.

"Your Highness, the loss of the city and capture of the former general was all because Sima Yi, greedy for merit, took away the elite troops of Pingchun City! The former general defended Pingchun City for ten days with three thousand old and weak men, and finally fought to the death for his country. The former general died unjustly!"

The guards, with tears streaming down their faces, exaggerated their accusations against Sima Yi.

It makes some sense to say that Sima Yi took away the troops of Pingchun City out of greed for merit; but it seems unreasonable to say that Yu Jin only had three thousand old and weak people.

However, the guards only wanted to protect Yu Jin's life and the life of Yu Jin's son, and they didn't care at all what the consequences would be if they exaggerated the accusations against Sima Yi.

You can't just watch your general waste his life worrying about the safety of his family and then go and speak well of Sima Yi.
To Jin's personal guards: Who is Sima Yi? What kind of scoundrel is he!

Seeing his personal guards getting more and more worked up in their accusations, even the usually composed Sima Yi couldn't help but ask, "I came to Luyang with the troops of Guan Xing and Guan Ping. What makes you so greedy for merit?"

The former general has three thousand elite soldiers at Pingchun. Who has the ability to breach the city in ten days? Do you dare to report false military intelligence?

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin's personal guards retorted, "I did not give a false report! It was Liu Feng, it was Liu Feng who personally led the troops to attack the city!"

The words fell.

Everyone was even more horrified.

Jiang Ji couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you mention it just now?"

Yu Jin's personal guards, with their necks swaying, said righteously, "If I had brought that up earlier, how could I have accused Sima Yi of being greedy for merit and harming the former general? Would you have listened?"

Jiang Ji was speechless.

Yu Jin's personal guards were right. If they had said from the beginning that it was Liu Feng who was coming to attack the city, no one would have had the patience to listen to this.

Focusing on major issues while letting go of minor ones has always been a common approach in macroeconomic regulation.

Solve the primary contradiction first, and set aside the secondary contradictions.

The primary contradiction lies in Liu Feng's surprise attack on Pingchun, which resulted in Yu Jin's death, while Sima Yi's greed for merit led to Yu Jin's demise, which is a secondary contradiction. It is clear at a glance which is more important.

Sima Yi's face turned even paler.

Although the content is the same, the order in which they are presented will lead to different divisions of responsibility.

With Yu Jin's personal guards saying this, the responsibility fell entirely on Sima Yi.

even.

It will also affect the battle in Luyang.

When it came to assigning blame afterward, it was all Sima Yi's fault. If Sima Yi hadn't been so greedy for credit, Pingchun wouldn't have been lost, Yu Jin wouldn't have died, and Cao Rui wouldn't have found himself in a passive position in Luyang.

If Sima Yi knew that Liu Feng had taken advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack and capture Shouchun, he would probably faint on the spot.

Don’t be so deceiving!
Victory or defeat on the battlefield is inherently unpredictable.

According to the theory of contradiction: where there is victory, there must be defeat.

And now.

The focus of the conflict has been on Sima Yi!
If political enemies were to further fuel the flames, they could even escalate Sima Yi's mistake of seeking credit to the level of Ma Su losing Jieting.

In terms of losses alone, Cao Wei's losses this time were greater than those of Zhuge Liang's first failed Northern Expedition.

Cao Rui's gaze toward Sima Yi now held a hint of reproach.

For Cao Rui, whether Sima Yi was greedy for credit was not important; what was important was that he could not clean up Sima Yi's messes.

Cao Rui was already troubled by resisting Liu Shan in Luyang, and now Liu Feng had broken through Pingchun and beheaded Yu Jin, making things even more troublesome.

"The former general was loyal and brave. I will petition the Emperor to posthumously confer titles upon him. I will also treat his son well."

Cao Rui agreed and dismissed Yu Jin's personal guards.

Subsequently.

Cao Rui then looked at Liu Ye, Jiang Ji, Chen Tai, Cao Shuang, and others.

"Gentlemen, it seems we have been deceived by Liu Feng again."

Cao Rui spoke slowly, his tone both solemn and angry.

"It's just unclear whether Liu Feng is trying to steal credit from Liu Shan or is deliberately feigning discord with him."

Different answers will affect Cao Rui's subsequent response.

If Liu Feng was merely vying for credit with Liu Shan, Cao Rui could have completely ignored Liu Feng's victory over Ping Chun and the killing of Yu Jin. In fact, Cao Rui would have gained even greater prestige by defeating Liu Shan.

The contrast with Yu Jin further highlights Cao Rui's wisdom.

But if Liu Feng and Liu Shan deliberately pretended to be at odds, that would be a different story.

This means that Liu Feng could march from Pingchun to Luyang at any time, or he could directly break through the three gates of Yiyang and take Runan to attack Yingchuan from both sides, giving Cao Rui a pincer attack.

Everyone lowered their heads and fell silent.

If this judgment is wrong, it will affect not only Cao Rui's future, but also the future of the person who made the suggestion.

See this.

Cao Rui's tone was also somewhat unfriendly: "You are all talents of the Great Wei, so why are you all silent when faced with difficulties today?"

Seeing that no one was willing to speak.

Cao Rui looked directly at Sima Yi: "General Sima, tell me, is Liu Feng trying to steal credit from Liu Shan, or is he deliberately feigning discord with Liu Shan?"

Cao Rui directly questioned him by name, and Sima Yi had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Your Highness, Liu Feng has always been cunning. It's possible that he's trying to steal credit or deliberately trying to cause discord."

This ambiguous answer greatly displeased Cao Rui: "General Sima, this is not the answer I want."

Sima Yi was also helpless.

He himself has not yet figured out why Liu Feng appeared in Pingchun and killed Yu Jin, so how could he possibly guess whether Liu Feng was trying to steal credit from Liu Shan or was deliberately pretending to be at odds with Liu Shan?
"Your Highness, please allow me to reconsider," Sima Yi said, forcing himself to speak.

Cao Rui slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Think it over? Yu Jin is dead! Pingchun is lost! You, who pride yourselves on your wisdom, can't even guess Liu Feng's intentions? Don't you know shame?"

After being berated by Cao Rui, Sima Yi lowered his head and dared not speak. Liu Ye and Jiang Ji also kept their eyes down, not wanting to get involved.

After all, this is not something that can be easily determined.

At this time.

Cao Shuang advised, "Your Highness, I believe the most urgent task is not to investigate Liu Feng's intentions, but to engage Liu Shan in a decisive battle as soon as possible."

Whether Liu Feng is vying for credit or feigning discord with Liu Shan, as long as His Highness defeats Liu Shan, Liu Feng will inevitably become a figure of great merit overshadowing his lord!
"If we defeat Liu Shan, Your Highness can become the Crown Prince. In comparison, losing Pingchun and the death of Yu Jin are minor matters and don't require Your Highness's attention."

If Yu Jin were here, he would surely be so angry that he would draw his sword and kill someone.

Check it out.

Is this human language?
My death is a trivial matter?
Jiang Ji also seized the opportunity to advise, "Your Highness, Military Advisor Cao's words make sense. The most urgent task is to defeat Liu Shan; all other matters can be put aside for the time being."

Liu Ye offered a direct suggestion: "We can deliberately send people to spread rumors in Liu Shan's army, claiming that Liu Feng has seized Pingchun for merit and now wants to launch a surprise attack on Yingchuan."

If Liu Shan and Liu Feng were truly at odds, he would surely be eager for war; if they were only feigning discord, he would surely be arrogant and neglect his precautions.

Your Highness can then concentrate your elite troops and fight Liu Shan to the death; you will surely defeat him!

Liu Ye is also a ruthless person.

I don't care what tricks Liu Feng uses, I'll just help Cao Rui defeat Liu Shan.

If Liu Shan is defeated, Cao Rui can become the crown prince. Once Cao Rui becomes the crown prince, all other strategies can be devised.

But since Cao Rui couldn't become the crown prince, losing Pingchun wouldn't really have any impact on him.

For example, Cao Zhi never cared how many cities Cao Pi lost, only whether he could leave his fiefdom and serve in office again; after Cao Zhang was reinstated, he didn't care whether he could defeat Liu Feng, only whether he could hold military power and not return to his fiefdom.

Those from prominent families generally share this idea.

The country itself is not important.

What matters is how I am.

And these people all have one thing in common: as long as I take the lead, I can succeed.

Even with the cautionary tales of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao's sons, it couldn't change the Cao brothers' inherent nature of prioritizing internal stability over external threats.

Liu Ye's suggestion received the support of the crowd.

If Yu Jin were here, he would surely feel disheartened.

Even though the guards rearranged the order of their speech, no one actually questioned Sima Yi, or even investigated whether Yu Jin was truly dead, as if Yu Jin's death was utterly meaningless.

Sima Yi, having narrowly escaped disaster, secretly wiped away his cold sweat and braced himself to ask for permission: "Your Highness, why don't I lead troops to Pingchun to contain Liu Feng and prevent him from reaping the benefits?"

Cao Rui snorted coldly: "What's the use of going to Pingchun now? As long as I can quickly defeat Liu Shan, what use is it if Liu Feng wants to be the fisherman?"

Now is the time to concentrate our forces for a decisive battle against Liu Shan. If you can redeem yourself through merit, I will cover for you. If you are unwilling to exert yourself, don't blame me for accusing you of being greedy for merit and reckless.

Sima Yi immediately swore that he would do his best to help Cao Rui defeat Liu Shan.

However, Sima Yi felt a surge of frustration and anger, but he couldn't vent it because Cao Rui was the heir apparent.

After returning to the tent.

Sima Shi was also astonished when he learned the details.

"How is this possible? How could Liu Feng be in Pingchun? Father was clearly being very cautious!"

Before going to Luyang, Sima Yi specifically urged his spies to report on Liu Feng's activities in Jiangling. Despite being so cautious, he still fell into Liu Feng's trap, which surprised Sima Shi and made him feel both apprehensive and suspicious.

“Father, I think Liu Feng’s intentions are definitely not in Pingchun. There is no need to go to such great lengths to attack Pingchun.”

On his way back, Sima Yi was also carefully considering Liu Feng's intentions. Hearing Sima Shi's judgment, he became even more certain of his guess.

"I share this concern."

Sima Yi's tone was heavy.

"Liu Feng has always been good at deception. Last time, he used Liu Bei and Liu Shan as a diversionary force while he launched a surprise attack on Chang'an."

This time, they used the same trick again to launch a surprise attack on Pingchun. It is estimated that the three passes of Yiyang behind Pingchun will also be lost. I guess that Liu Feng is very likely planning to take Runan to bypass the pass and attack Xuchang.

Only by capturing Xuchang can its strategic value be compared to that of Chang'an.

Sima Shi shook his head: "My guess differs from Father's. Although Xuchang's strategic value is comparable to Chang'an, if Liu Feng attacks Xuchang, he will be going deep into enemy territory alone. If Liu Shan is really at odds with Liu Feng, Liu Shan may not be willing to save Liu Feng."

After Sun Quan's complete surrender, Liu Feng's power base shifted to Jiangdong. Almost all of Sun Quan's former subordinates were employed by Liu Feng, and Liu Feng's son, Liu Lin, was also enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wu. In effect, Liu Feng replaced Sun Quan as the new King of Wu.

Sima Yi was alarmed: "Does Ziyuan mean that Liu Feng attacked Pingchun in order to take Shouchun?"

Sima Shi nodded: "Liu Feng started the war with the goal of capturing Hefei and Shouchun. Later, seeing that Shouchun was difficult to take, he first pacified the counties south of Shouchun, intending to turn Shouchun into an isolated city."

At this time, His Majesty happened to use a rumor-mongering tactic against Liu Feng, forcing Liu Feng to return to Jiangling City.

I suspect that after Liu Feng returned to Jiangling, he deliberately competed with Liu Shan, thus forcing Liu Shan to personally lead the expedition against Luyang. The rumors circulating in Jiangling may even have been fueled by Liu Feng.

Liu Feng is deceiving not only us, but also the officials and common people of Jiangling City. The Liu Feng discovered by our spies may just be a stand-in.

I also heard that Liu Bei, considering that Liu Feng, the King of Yan, did not have an actual fiefdom, directly granted Xincheng Commandery to Liu Feng. Liu Shan's troops used in his personal campaigns would not involve Liu Feng's elite troops in Xincheng Commandery.

This gave Liu Feng all the favorable conditions to launch a surprise attack on Pingchun.

North of Pingchun, the Huai River flows directly to Shouchun. If Liu Feng were to emulate Lü Meng's feigned crossing of the river, launching a surprise attack on Pingchun and then disguising himself as a grain transport ship to enter Shouchun, Man Chong would be unable to stop him!

Sima Shi explained in detail his speculations about the war.

Even in hindsight, it was pretty much the truth.

Sima Yi was shocked and stood up: "If Liu Feng takes Shouchun, the area south of the Huai River will no longer belong to the country! I must go to Your Highness immediately to discuss this."

Sima Shi stopped Sima Yi: "Father, what's the use of going to find His Highness now? Does His Highness really intend to abandon Liu Shan and go to save Shouchun?"

Sima Yi frowned: "Even if we don't save Shouchun, we must take the opportunity to reclaim Pingchun. As long as Pingchun is there, even if Liu Feng obtains Shouchun, it will still pose a threat to him."

Sima Shi sighed: "Father, have you forgotten the purpose of coming to Luyang? His Highness becoming the Crown Prince is the most important thing right now."

Before arriving, Sima Yi rebuked Sima Shi; after arriving, however, Sima Shi persuaded him instead, leaving Sima Yi momentarily stunned.

Outside Luyang.

As Liu Ye's rumor scheme was implemented.

Zhang Fei also received news of Liu Feng's victory at Pingchun.

Contrary to Liu Ye's expectations, Zhang Fei's reaction was as if "it should have been like this all along."

Zhao Yun asked, puzzled, "Yide, is there something you're hiding from me?"

Zhang Fei rolled his big eyes and pretended to be stupid: "Zilong, what are you saying? I'm a little hard of hearing and didn't hear you clearly."

Zhao Yun's face instantly darkened.

We've known each other for decades, are you trying to fool me?

Zhang Fei laughed heartily: "Zilong, it's not that I'm hiding something from you, it's that the Crown Prince is hiding something from you. The Crown Prince told me to keep it a secret, so I can't just make things up."

"How about this, I'll go with you to see the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince says it's no longer necessary to hide it from you, then I won't hide it from you either."

Zhao Yun looked at Zhang Fei suspiciously: "Really?"

Zhang Fei put his arm around Zhao Yun's shoulder and said, "Zilong, do you think I, a rough and uncultured man, would lie to you? Come on, let's go see the Crown Prince together."

Originally, Liu Shan was supposed to stay in Wancheng, but he felt it was inconvenient to send messages back and forth, so he also came to the front-line tent. However, Zhang Fei was still in charge of the specific command.

Liu Shan was only responsible for issuing orders according to the suggestions of the crowd.

"Brother, you've broken Pingchun's seal? That's wonderful!"

Liu Shan clapped his hands and laughed, showing no sign of discord with Liu Feng whatsoever.

Seeing the suspicious looks from Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, Liu Shan kicked the table fiercely again: "The Prince of Yan is despicable, daring to steal credit!"

But how could such a clumsy reaction possibly fool Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun?

Zhao Yun sighed: "Your Highness, you only told Yide but not me. Are you afraid I'll leak the secret?"

Liu Shan was taken aback: "I didn't tell my third uncle."

Zhao Yun was also taken aback. He turned his head to look at Zhang Fei. If Liu Shan hadn't been there, Zhao Yun would have wanted to punch him.

You said you, a rough and unrefined man, wouldn't lie to me, but you lied to me again?
Zhang Fei chuckled: "Just as I expected."

Your Highness, now that the Prince of Yan has captured Pingchun, there's no need to hide anything anymore.

The rumors circulating in the army must have been spread by Cao Rui's men. Zilong and I need more specific details so we can respond promptly. (End of Chapter)