Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 214 Lu Su: General Ji, the great achievement has been accomplished. Go and capture and kill Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei!
However, he was shocked to hear the devastating news that Liu Bei and Lü Bu had joined forces with an army of 80,000 to launch an attack.

Apart from Ji Ling feigning composure while inwardly panicking, the others in Chen Kingdom only said:

"With General Ji Ling here, there should be no problem."

"My General Ji is invincible, wielding his sword with unparalleled skill. Even if the three heroes Lü Bu, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei came to fight him, what would he have to fear?"

"General Ji Ling regarded the 100,000-strong army as nothing more than weeds."

The enemy only has 80,000 troops attacking now. We only need to send General Ji Ling, and even someone like Liu Bei or Lü Bu would still owe us 20,000!

Ji Ling: "."

Hearing these rumors, Ji Lingzhen was speechless with bitterness. She never imagined that one day she would have the opportunity to receive the same treatment as Lü Bu back then.

Gang fights are the best in the world, but they don't count as gang fights.

My lord, when you taught me how to become an unparalleled general, you didn't tell me about this!

What should we do now?
As Liu Bei and Lü Bu divided their forces and approached the State of Chen, Ji Ling suddenly thought of someone!
Lu Su, also known as Lu Zijing, was the top scholar in the imperial examination in Shouchun this year and is now the governor of the State of Chen.

Since Lu Su came to Chen, he has achieved considerable success in governing the region. Ji Ling's cooperation with him has been quite effective.

Given the current critical situation, when else should we seek advice from a talent like Lu Zijing?
However, when Ji Ling found Lu Su, unlike Ji Ling, Lu Su had a look of great joy on his face.

Before Ji Ling could speak, Lu Su put down the official business he was dealing with, dressed in a dark-colored casual home outfit, and excitedly stepped forward, saying:

"General Ji, you've come at the right time. I was just about to go find you. Have you heard? Lü Bu and Liu Bei have joined forces with 80,000 troops and are attacking."

Ji Ling's expression was solemn, and he nodded slightly. "I have come here for this very reason. This is a very important matter, and it is appropriate to discuss it with Zijing."

Lu Su held Ji Ling's hand tightly, pulled him into the room, and nodded heavily in deep agreement.

“That’s right! Such a great achievement has come to us. We really need to discuss this carefully. Only by annihilating Liu and Lü in one fell swoop and taking all six counties of Xuzhou for our lord can we demonstrate our abilities.”

Ji Ling: "???"

Huh? Something seems off here?

"Well, Zijing, you may not know this, but Lu Bu's martial arts are unparalleled in the world, Liu Bei's benevolence is renowned far and wide, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are no ordinary men either."

This time they have come with a combined force of 80,000; Zijing, you must not underestimate them.”

Lu Su looked at Ji Ling and smiled slightly as he spoke.

"What are Lu Bu and Guan Yu compared to us? With General Ji Ling here, they're no threat!"

Ji Ling: "."

It's alright!

Who understands? I'm terrified, but you all think I can beat you?

Taking a deep breath and barely managing to maintain his composure, Ji Ling tried his best to adopt the demeanor of a general and said in a deep voice:
"That being said, even though I am strong, I am still no match for a pack of wolves. A tiger is afraid of a pack of wolves."

If they were to disregard their reputation and attack me encircled, even I, Ji, would likely find it difficult to prevail, and I would deeply regret failing my lord's trust.

"General Ji is right. They are numerous and powerful. When the time comes, their 80,000 troops will swarm in, while we only have 30,000 defenders, yet we have to guard the land of an entire country."

Even with General Ji here, who is capable of turning the tide and holding Chen, there is no problem, but I fear there will still be losses of soldiers and generals.

If our troops suffer too many losses, it will be detrimental to our ability to seize the six counties of Xuzhou in the future.

Lu Su took Ji Ling's words quite seriously, and actually began to analyze the situation of the three heroes fighting Ji Ling, which Ji Ling had talked about in a nonsensical way.

Upon hearing this, Ji Ling immediately worried for himself: how could I possibly defend the State of Chen?
Is it still just a matter of losing soldiers and generals? If losing soldiers and generals is enough to defend the State of Chen, then I, Ji Ling, should be thanking my God. How could I possibly launch a counterattack on the six counties of Xuzhou?
We only have 30,000 men, while they have 80,000? You want me to launch a counterattack and take all of Xuzhou for our lord?
Do you really think I, Ji Ling, am worth 100,000? The other side owes me 20,000?
But Ji Ling could only keep these words to himself, even when everyone believed in him so deeply.

If he were to jump out and say that I am weak and that I am actually no match for Lü Bu and Guan Yu, then the morale of the generals of Chen would truly be completely lost.

Now that things had come to this, he could only continue to pretend that he regarded Lü Bu, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei as nothing more than targets to be sold, and asked:

"That's exactly right!"
The enemy is coming on strong, and in my opinion, we should proceed with caution.

Even if we don't achieve any great feats, it would be good if we could minimize the losses for our lord while protecting the state of Chen.

"If I don't know Zijing, how can I be taught?"

"really.

While a monumental achievement is commendable, it must be approached with caution and prudence.

Lu Su thought for a moment before speaking.

"Now we should ask General Ji Ling to gather all our forces and launch a surprise attack on Liu Bei!"

Ji Ling: "???"

What about being safe? What happened to the safe approach we agreed on?
Seeing that Ji Ling was puzzled, Lu Su chuckled and explained it to him in detail.

"If Liu Bei and Lü Bu were to unite as one, they might still pose some threat."

But the general is unaware of this.

As Lu Su spoke, he handed the document on official business that he had been holding to Ji Ling. It turned out that it contained the information that Mi Heng had previously rebuked Lü Bu, and that Liu Bei and Lü Bu had parted on bad terms.

After Ji Ling finished reading, he continued.

"Liu Bei and Lü Bu had a grudge against each other because of the Xu Province incident, but they did not turn against each other because of Liu Xuande's forbearance."

Mi Heng's scathing rebuke has brought this rift to the forefront. Liu Bei says he doesn't hold a grudge about the loss of Xuzhou, but does Lü Bu believe that?

The reason why they have joined forces to attack me now is because our lord has been advancing triumphantly all the way in Jingzhou and Xiangyang. The other lords are afraid of his power and have no choice but to join forces to attack Chen in order to aid Jingzhou.

If we divide our forces to defend, we will be attacked by them. If we attack Lü Bu, Liu Bei, with his benevolence, will surely come to our aid.

However, if all efforts are devoted to attacking Liu Bei, given Lü Bu's fickle nature, he will certainly not come to Liu Bei's aid.

This is precisely our chance to win!

As Lu Su spoke, his eyes were full of expectation as he looked at Ji Ling.

"With your martial prowess, General, as long as you are willing to fight to the death, how can Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the like withstand you?"

A surprise attack on the enemy camp! Amidst ten thousand troops, we will take Liu Bei's head! The annihilation of Liu Bei's camp is imminent!

Ji Ling: "!!!"

He really wanted to say that Lu Zijing truly deserved to be the top scholar!
If we attack Lü Bu, Liu Bei will surely come to his aid; if we attack Liu Bei, Lü Bu will certainly not come to his aid.

The mastery of people's hearts and minds, the meticulous planning and scheming, and the great achievement of destroying Liu Bei seem to be right before our eyes.

However, there was one thing he overlooked, and that was Ji's strength.

He slashed through Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and captured and killed Liu Bei amidst a vast army.

Do you really think I can injure Lü Bu in one move and defeat Guan Yu in three rounds? Where would I get the strength to do that?

If we really follow this plan, am I going to launch a surprise attack on Liu Bei, or am I just going to throw my head away? Ji Ling could only smile bitterly to himself, but on the surface he just kept a straight face and pretended to be deep in thought. After a long while, he finally said.

"This plan is ingenious, but if I lead the entire army to attack, how will Lü Bu respond? I'm afraid it's not a very safe option."

Lu Su just laughed loudly, "How could I not know what the general is saying?"

However, the place Lü Bu attacked was Changping, where there are still countless fortifications and deep trenches left by our lord when he besieged Liu Bei.

At that time, I only ask the general to leave me five thousand elite troops who are willing to fight to the death. I will personally lead them to fight to the death in front of the first camp!

Behind them, they kept adding fires, raising flags, and deploying decoy troops.

Lu Bu's intention to fight against our army was not strong to begin with. He merely wanted to take advantage of the fact that the main force of our lord's army was tied up in Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and to capture a few cities and plunder some resources.

If the resistance is fierce and there are numerous fortified camps and armies behind it, and the enemy realizes that it is difficult to conquer, then they will not launch a full-scale attack.

"By simply delaying the battle a little longer, and once the general has achieved some success with Liu Bei, I have a brilliant plan to make him retreat without a fight."

"Retreat without a fight?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ling's eyes immediately lit up!
There's no escaping it, it's him! That's exactly what he wants – to retreat without a fight!
As long as Lü Bu can be forced to retreat without a fight, his unparalleled reputation can continue, or even surpass its former glory.

As for launching a surprise attack on Liu Bei, or risking their lives against Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, let whoever wants to go do it.

There's no other reason than that if Guan Yu went to Liu Bei's place and they encountered each other in the wild, regardless of whether Liu Bei wanted to fight or not, Guan Yu would definitely fight him to the death, and there would be no way to escape.

You can go to Changping to resist Lü Bu. Although the disparity in troop strength is huge and the situation seems critical, you just need to defend the city.

Even if Lü Bu was a hero of his time and incredibly powerful, could he really dismount and climb the ladder to fight me head-on?
As long as he doesn't engage in duels, Ji Ling will remain an unparalleled general!

Moreover, even if he were to be defeated and flee in Changping, with only 5,000 men against 50,000, the disparity in troop strength would be so great that if he were to lose, people would simply think it was normal and wouldn't assume that Ji Ling was incompetent.

On the other hand, if they failed to defeat Liu Bei in the surprise attack, then they were truly doomed!
Thinking of this, Ji Ling almost blurted out, "Zijing, let him launch a surprise attack on Liu Bei, and I'll hold off Lü Bu."

On second thought, this is a scam!
He's a weak scholar, good enough to defend a city, but sending him to launch a surprise attack on Liu Bei and fight Guan Yu and Zhang Fei on the battlefield is bound to result in defeat.

Who should be sent on such a crucial mission?

Suddenly, a certain person popped into Ji Ling's mind, and she almost slammed her hand on the table.

Huang Zhong!

Oh right, how could I have forgotten about him?
According to the military report from Jingnan, Huang Zhong fought against Sun Ce, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and Huang Gai alone, and remained undefeated for a long time. His martial arts skills were amazing!
Although the military reports from Yuan's camp have certain special traditions nowadays, they cannot be entirely trusted.

The problem is that Huang Zhong, mentioned in this military report, was then an enemy general from Jingzhou.

Even according to the tradition of Yuan's camp, if they were to boast about their achievements, it should be Sun Ce and his men who do it. Why would they boast to the enemy general and ruin their own prestige?

This shows that Huang Zhong was a truly capable person.

However, because he was a surrendered general, and he surrendered to the Han but not to Yuan, he was incompatible with the generals of the Chen state, and Ji Ling did not give him an important position.

But isn't now the perfect time?

Having figured these things out, Ji Ling felt as if his mind had been cleared, and he was almost overjoyed, so he took Lu Su's hand and said to him.

"Zijing possesses the talent of a king's advisor, and will be the lord's right-hand man in the future, protecting the country and governing the land. How can we do without you?"

How could Ji dare to let you personally put yourself in danger?

"Among men, Lü Bu; among horses, Red Hare." This man's reputation is well-deserved. Even I dare not claim victory lightly. Zijing only led five thousand men to fight against his fifty thousand men to the death. How can I, Ji, be at ease?

"Enough said. My mind is made up. I, Ji, will personally lead five thousand men with Zijing to Changping to block Lü Bu outside the borders of Chen."

"But."

Lu Su was about to speak when Ji Ling interrupted him, "There's no 'but,' Zijing. In the lord's heart, your safety is absolutely more important than the mere state of Chen."

Ji believed that even if the lord himself were here, he would make the same decision as Ji.

Of course they have to be the same!

Ji Ling thought to herself, "My lord knows my strength best. Unless he's stupid, he won't really send me to fight Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei to the death. That would just be sending me to my death."

But Lu Su knew nothing about these things!
He was touched by Ji Ling's tenderness in caring so much about his safety, but at the same time, he was worried and eager to speak again.

"But on Liu Bei's side, if no general goes in person, who among Guan Yu and Zhang Fei can defeat him?"

"Huang Zhong is good!"

Having already made up her mind and being well-prepared, Ji Ling immediately regained her usual confidence and began to speak eloquently.

"The lord once said that Huang Zhong of Changsha was the only person he feared in the nine counties of Jingzhou and Xiangyang."

His martial arts skills are astonishing, even comparable to mine.

Now that Ji is already a renowned figure, he no longer needs the empty fame of defeating the likes of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. It's time to give more opportunities to unknown 'youngsters' like Huang Zhong.

Lu Su: "."

But wasn't the claim that Huang Zhong was the only person the lord feared in Jingzhou just something the lord made up to fool the people of Jingzhou?
General Ji, what's going on? You're trying to fool your own people with these words?
Although he was quite unwilling, Ji Ling was the commander-in-chief of the army and held the reins of military power.

Once he made up his mind, Lu Su, who was in charge of internal affairs, couldn't argue with him and had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Therefore, Ji Ling and Lu Su led 5,000 elite troops and marched towards Changping, trying to create a diversion to scare Lü Bu.

On the other hand, Huang Zhong, who had been neglected since arriving in Chen because of his status as a surrendered general, never expected this.

General Ji Ling either doesn't use him or he doesn't use him, but once he does, he uses him so highly!
The Chen Kingdom had a total of only 30,000 garrison troops, but they directly allocated 25,000 to me and then ordered me to kill Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

Huang Zhong: "."

Ji Ling wasn't worried about what kind of trouble this surrendered general might cause with his army.

Because Huang Zhong was new and unpopular.

In the Chen army, besides Ji Ling and Huang Zhong, there were also many generals, lieutenants, and captains of various ranks.

These men were all seasoned veterans. If Huang Zhong had simply stayed put and fought against Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, all would have been fine. But if he dared to harbor any disloyalty, his Huainan army would have been the first to eliminate him.

After all, Huang Zhong, who had just surrendered, had no trusted confidants or foundations in Yuan Shu's army.

Therefore, although he did not understand why Ji Ling valued him so highly, Huang Zhong obeyed orders and led his men to attack Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

Meanwhile, news of Yuan Shu's great victory over 70,000 Jingzhou troops in Jingnan, with Changsha and Lingling vying to surrender, also reached Cao Cao's camp.

Along with this came news of Lü Bu and Liu Bei joining forces to attack Yuan Shao.

Cao Cao knew the time was right, so he immediately divided his forces into two groups to launch a feigned attack on Yingchuan and Liang, thus distracting Xiahou Dun and Yue Jin.

He himself led the main force, taking a detour through Nanyang!

(End of this chapter)