Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 145 Yuan Shu's defenses are breached, Liu Bei turns Sun Jian against him (Seeking subscriptions and monthly votes)
After ordering Guan Yu to guard Yaoguan, Liu Bei personally led Zhao Yun and Dian Wei to guard Lantian.

Although Sun Jian was brave, he could not break through Yaoguan, which was guarded by Guan Yu. In addition, after Zhang Wen sent Huang Guang to secretly infiltrate Sun Jian's camp, Sun Jian became suspicious of Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo's forged imperial edict, so he did not put much effort into attacking Yaoguan.

Seeing that Yaoguan Pass was difficult to breach, Yuan Shu ordered Sun Jian to confront Guan Yu at Yaoguan Pass, and then personally led the main force to bypass Yaoguan Pass and attack Lantian.

With Liu Bang's victory over Qin as a precedent, Yuan Shu was confident that he could replicate Liu Bang's success.

However, when Yuan Shu tried to detour, he discovered that although there were mountain paths around Yaoguan that could pass through the core defense area of ​​the pass and enter the southern region of Lantian, these routes were not suitable for large-scale military or merchant transport and could only be used for surprise attacks.

Initially, Yuan Shu sent a small elite force to bypass the front of Yaoguan Pass in an attempt to outflank Guan Yu from the rear. Guan Yu saw through their plan, and Zhang Xun, who was eager to launch a surprise attack, fell into Guan Yu's ambush and was nearly killed by a hail of arrows. He fled in panic.

Seeing that Guan Yu was not someone to be trifled with, Yuan Shu hardened his heart and abandoned the grain carts, ordering his soldiers to carry the grain on a detour.

By exploiting his soldiers in this way, Yuan Shu actually managed to reach the walls of Lantian.

Yuan Shu then tried to falsely claim that Yaoguan had been breached, hoping to frighten Lantian into surrendering the city by using the tactic of "sudden arrival of a surprise force."

In this way, Guan Yu could be blocked at Yaoguan Pass, Lantian could be used as a supply point, and the soldiers carrying grain in the rear could be sent back to the battlefield.

Just as Lantian Ling She Yuan was about to open the city gate in fear, Liu Bei suddenly appeared on the city wall and told She Yuan to stop pretending, shouting, "If you keep pretending to be cowardly, Yuan Shu will get angry."

Enraged, Yuan Shu drew his sword and slashed wildly, which led to the scene of him shouting and cursing below the city walls.

Yuan Shu is in a dilemma.

Let's retreat. We've already fought all the way to Lantian; we're not willing to give up.

If we don't retreat, Lantian City, which Liu Bei is defending, will be extremely difficult to breach.

Bypassing Lantian to attack Chang'an in the rear is too risky.

That means Yuan Shu would have to deploy these 50,000 troops who entered the pass in different locations: in front of Yaoguan Pass, behind Yaoguan Pass, outside Lantian City, outside Chang'an City, and along the paths around Yaoguan Pass.

If Yuan Shu were to divide his troops like this, he might as well just commit suicide.

Liu Bei, however, was in a good mood.

Lantian City had sufficient food and troops, and Zhao Yun's separate camps outside Lantian City formed a pincer movement, also to guard against Yuan Shu bypassing Lantian and harassing the rear.

Liu Bei was indeed very surprised that Yuan Shu was able to bypass Yaoguan and reach Lantian.

After all, Liu Bei couldn't really use a tactic like having his soldiers carry provisions around Yaoguan Pass to reach Lantian City.

Being tired is secondary; one wrong move and you could fall and die.

Liu Bei cherished his soldiers, especially the veterans of the Western Garden, who had spent over a year studying.

They are all key figures for Liu Bei in his future conquest of the world, so how could he not cherish them like Yuan Shu did?

If it weren't for the severe shortage of production capacity, Liu Bei would have liked to equip every soldier with armor.

Even a surprise attack like Deng Ai's sneak crossing of Yinping requires favorable timing, location, and popular support.

If Ma Miao, the garrison commander of Jiangyou, had not surrendered, Deng Ai would have starved to death in Jiangyou.

For example, there is only one possibility for Yuan Shu to succeed now: Liu Bei is not in Lantian, and the magistrate of Lantian will surrender to Yuan Shu upon seeing him.

After the fire is lit.

Chen then served up another steaming hot meal.

While eating, Liu Bei shouted to Yuan Shu below the city: "Prefect Yuan, it's time to eat. You can continue cursing after you finish eating, and I'll continue listening."

Seeing Liu Bei shouting loudly while eating, Yuan Shu was furious.

A barrage of vile and abusive words poured forth:

"You usurper, how dare you flaunt your power before the noble Yuan family! You are but a blade of grass in Zhuojun, how dare you defend this city?"

"A hypocrite! He forged an imperial edict and conspired with Dong Zhuo to wreak havoc on the court. Now he falsely claims to be loyal and righteous. He is truly the greatest hypocrite in the world!"

"You cowardly rat, hiding in your tortoise shell, relying solely on the strength of the city walls! If you have any guts, come out of the city and fight me to the death. Let's see if you can withstand three blows from me!"

"You foolish villager, you think you're invincible just because you managed to see through my scheme? You're only fit to lick my leftovers!"

"Lantian is a tiny place, I can conquer it in a day or two! When the city falls, I will surely behead you and hang your head in Chang'an!"

"You scoundrel Liu Bei! Your arrogance surpasses even that of Dong Zhuo! I swear to grind you to dust and avenge this humiliation!"

After hurling so much abuse in one breath, Yuan Shu felt his blood surging and almost fell off his horse, but fortunately his personal guards quickly supported him.

Yuan Shu broke free from the support and slammed his sword sheath against the saddle to vent his anger.

But Liu Bei on the city wall laughed loudly, pointing with the tip of his chopsticks: "Prefect Yuan, are you hungry? I already said to eat first. Shall I send you some food?"

Yuan Shu felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and roared in fury, "Big-eared scoundrel! Big-eared scoundrel! Big-eared scoundrel! I'm so angry!"

On the city wall.

Dian Wei was furious: "My lord, I can't bear to hear Yuan Shu's insults anymore. Please allow me to leave the city and cut off Yuan Shu's head."

“Wenwei, you’re doing something wrong,” Liu Bei corrected earnestly. “Yuan Shu was furious and broke down in his defenses, cursing loudly. Why are you angry?”

Dian Wei was stunned: "But Yuan Shu is cursing our lord! Aren't you angry, lord?"

Liu Bei didn't take it to heart and asked in return, "Yuan Shu's anger and outburst are his problem, why should I be angry?"

Dian Wei was even more astonished: "But, but, I, I..."

For a moment, Dian Wei didn't know how to refute.

Liu Bei solemnly corrected him, "Wenwei, you need to understand the situation. The one who is now furious and shouting insults is Yuan Shu, not me. Why should I grant Yuan Shu's request for a decisive battle just because of a few harsh words he uttered?"

"When to fight and how to fight should be decided by me, not by Yuan Shu. It is rare to see a man who prides himself on being from the Yuan family, a noble clan that has held high office for four generations, now angrily breaking through the defenses and cursing under the walls of Lantian.

"Cherish it, you only have this one chance today to see such a wonderful juggling performance."

Liu Bei's approach was clear: he focused on external conflicts, not internal ones.

Moreover, Yuan Shu's army was isolated deep in Lantian, unable to advance or retreat. It was Yuan Shu, not Liu Bei, who should be the one suffering internal strife.

Liu Bei had no time to pay attention to Yuan Shu's few malicious words.

When Yuan Shu can no longer hold out and retreats, we can then launch a full-scale attack.

outside the city.

Yuan Shu became increasingly frustrated as he could not provoke Liu Bei no matter how much he cursed him.

In fact, Yuan Shu was well aware that the more joyfully he cursed, the happier Liu Bei on the city wall would be, and he would just wait for the show to begin.

"Gentlemen, we are now unable to advance and break through Lantian, nor can we retreat and break through Yaoguan. What should we do?" Yuan Shu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his inner turmoil.

However, at this point, no one had any complaints.

The arrogance and conceit they displayed upon arrival had long been worn down by the rugged mountain roads and a series of setbacks.

Liu Bang did indeed seize Wuguan first, then bypassed Yaoguan and broke through Yaoguan and Lantian. However, tactics are one thing, and different people at different times will have different results.

Most importantly, when Liu Bang attacked Guanzhong, the people there were already in a state of panic and had no will to defend it. It would have been easy to persuade the Guanzhong generals to defect by sending someone with promises of benefits. But now, Liu Bei's Guanzhong is like an impregnable fortress.

Lobbying?

Gold and silver can be kept, but people must be stripped naked and thrown back.

"My lord, it's freezing cold right now. Why don't we return to Nanyang to rest for the time being? As long as Liu Bei still wants the people of Nanyang to enter Guanzhong, we can come back anytime. Liu Bei can't be in Lantian every day, and Yaoguan Pass won't be heavily guarded every day."

"This time I was careless and unfamiliar with the situation in Guanzhong, so I underestimated the impact of geography and climate on our lord's army. However, victory and defeat are common in war. Although we failed to capture Guanzhong this time, Liu Bei did not gain any advantage either. Instead, it made the people of Nanyang feel fear."

"Next time, we'll disguise ourselves as the people of Nanyang and launch a surprise attack on Yaoguan. We'll definitely be able to take it."

Yang Hong cautiously offered his advice, taking the blame for the mistake of attacking Guanzhong this time, while proposing a plan for attacking Guanzhong again.

In this way, Yuan Shu's dignity could be maintained, and he could avoid being punished.

Sure enough, Yuan Shu's anger subsided considerably upon hearing Yang Hong's words.

Given the current situation, taking Chang'an is almost impossible. Yuan Shu wants to withdraw his troops but is afraid of losing face. Yang Hong takes the initiative to take the blame, and Yuan Shu can also put on a show of being a great general.

Yuan Shu nodded in agreement, saying, "Chief Clerk Yang is right. Why should I argue with Liu Bei here over a moment's pride? If one plan fails, we'll devise another. That brat Liu Bei will be defeated by me sooner or later."

"Pass on my military order to retreat to the outside of Yaoguan Pass."

Upon learning that Yuan Shu had retreated back to outside Yaoguan Pass, Liu Bei couldn't help but sneer: "You think you can just come and leave? It's not that easy. Although Yuan Shu retreated decisively and didn't wait until his supplies ran out, I prefer Yuan Shu when he had supplies."

What is the most lacking thing in Guanzhong?
food!

What did Yuan Shu have?
food!

Regardless of how Yuan Shu obtained the grain, now that it has come to Guanzhong, it belongs to Liu Bei.

"Issue my order: the entire army shall march toward Yaoguan Pass."

Liu Bei acted decisively.

After determining that Yuan Shu was about to withdraw his troops, Zhao Yun's camp and Dian Wei's camp were both advanced towards Yaoguan.

Although there was a camp of Sun Jian outside Yaoguan, Sun Jian had been neglecting his duties ever since Huang Guang persuaded him to surrender.

“Lord Sun, Yuan Shao has retreated to outside Yao Pass, it seems he is preparing to withdraw his troops. But if he withdraws at this time, Liu Bei will surely take the opportunity to launch a counterattack. Should we stop him or not?” Chief Clerk Gong Chou said with a worried expression.

As Sun Jian's trusted chief secretary, Gong Chou also knew about Huang Guang's visit to persuade him.

Although Sun Jian did not express his opinion explicitly, his reluctance to fight was enough to show his inner wavering.

Otherwise, given Sun Jian's character, it would have been Sun Jian, not Zhang Xun, who would have bypassed Yaoguan and launched a surprise attack on Guan Yu's rear.

Yuan Shu could not replicate Liu Bang's victory at Yaoguan Pass, and the fact that his generals were not as fierce as Liu Bang's was also a key reason.

If it had been Sun Jian, instead of Zhang Xun, who launched a surprise attack on Guan Yu's rear, Guan Yu would not have suffered a major defeat, even if he hadn't won. And Liu Bei, seeing the perilous situation at Yaoguan, would not have held out in Lantian to the death.

The outcome of the rematch is still uncertain.

Conversely.

Liu Bei's decision to defend Lantian without engaging in battle also stemmed from his knowledge that Sun Jian was deliberately delaying the fight.

If Sun Jian dared to recklessly bypass and attack the rear of Yaoguan, Liu Bei would also concentrate his superior forces to eliminate Sun Jian first.

The battlefield is flexible; you need to use different tactics depending on the opponent.

Sun Jian lowered his head and remained silent.

Besides Sun Jian's lack of fighting spirit, Yuan Shu's desire to leave Sun Jian at Yaoguan as a rearguard was also a key reason.

Yuan Shu was a man who was very afraid of death.

It's okay to lose, it's okay to lose, but it's absolutely not okay to die.

If Sun Jian is left outside Yaoguan Pass, Liu Bei will have to concentrate his forces to defeat Sun Jian first if he wants to leave the pass.

However, once Liu Bei leaves the pass, his geographical advantage will be gone, and Yuan Shu could even seize the opportunity to return and help Sun Jian.

This arrangement was the safest and most life-saving option for Yuan Shu.

Hesitate.

A messenger reported that an old friend of Sun Jian was requesting a visit.

"An old friend? Huang Guang has returned?"

Sun Jian was unsettled, so he had someone bring his old friend in.

However, it was not Huang Guang who entered, but a young boy.

The young man bowed and said, "I am Fazheng of Fufeng, a disciple of Liu Huangshu, the governor of Yongzhou, and I greet Prefect Sun."

Sun Jian was taken aback, both by Fa Zheng's youthful fearlessness in entering the enemy camp and by Liu Bei's decision to send a disciple to seek an audience.

Huang Guang was Zhang Wen's man, and they were talking about their past relationship.

Fa Zheng was one of Liu Bei's men, so it's hard to say what he was talking about.

"You are so young, aren't you afraid that I will kill you and display your body in my anger?" Sun Jian squinted, his tone cold.

Fa Zheng laughed and said, "I have heard that Prefect Sun has a son named Ce, who is a year older than me and is also a hero of Jiangdong, famous at a young age. If it were Sun Ce who entered Yaoguan to see Liu Bei today, Prefect Sun, do you think Liu Bei would be so angry that he would kill Sun Ce as a warning to others?"

Sun Jian looked approvingly at him: "You are quite eloquent. If I say I can kill, then I am less magnanimous than Liu Bei; if I say I cannot kill, then you can be fearless."

Fa Zheng bowed and thanked him, saying, "Prefect Sun, you flatter me. I am but a humble boy from Yongzhou. Although I know a few clever words, I have no great wisdom. Unlike Jia Xu, who presented Liu Bei with sixteen strategies for pacifying the Qiang, Liu Bei thought fifteen of them were too ruthless and only kept one relatively peaceful strategy, the 'psychological warfare'."

Sun Jian's eyelids twitched.

What does it mean that only one of the sixteen strategies for pacifying the Qiang is relatively peaceful?
Who was Jia Xu?
Is this a threat to me?

"So you've come here today also intending to use a psychological tactic?" Sun Jian silently memorized the unsettling name of Jia Xu.

Fa Zheng smiled and said, "Prefect Sun is both brave and resourceful, which Liu Huangshu has always admired. However, Liu Huangshu believes that Prefect Sun has always been loyal and brave, and should not oppose the court because of Yuan Shu's personal interests."

"The current emperor was established by Liu Huangshu in accordance with the secret edict of the late emperor, not by a forged edict. If Prefect Sun insists on resisting, he will not only lose his loyalty, but also his heroic spirit."

"Oh?" Sun Jian raised his voice, slightly surprised: "I have never met Liu Bei before, yet Liu Bei knows of the existence of Sun Jian?"

“Uncle Liu is good at recognizing people. If Uncle Liu had been in charge of the monthly evaluation in the past, then Brother Xu Shao would have had no chance.” Fa Zheng’s tone was full of admiration for Liu Bei. He added, “Before coming here, Uncle Liu once told me that there are three heroes in the world: Cao Cao of Qiao County, Sun Jian of Wu County, and Uncle Liu.”

"It's a pity that although there are heroes in the world, heroes often lose their true nature due to the torrent of worldly affairs. Liu Bei did not want Prefect Sun to lose his true nature, so he specially ordered me to come here to say a few words to Prefect Sun."

Subsequently.

Fa Zheng's tone turned serious: "Heroes of the world should plan for the foundation of future generations! The world is vast, and not all that can be seen is visible. If a hero cannot bring happiness to all people and their descendants, he is nothing more than a brave man."

"Now that the Yuan clan has rebelled, the whole country is in turmoil. The disaster is even worse than the Yellow Turban Rebellion of the past. Should we help the Yuan clan or join forces with Liu Bei to bring peace to the people? I urge Prefect Sun to think carefully!"

(End of this chapter)