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

Chapter 147 A Great Victory, Liu Bei Pursues Yuan Shao for Three Hundred Li (Please Subscribe and Vote)
No matter the reason, weakness is the original sin.

Just like when Guan Yu flooded the seven armies and was then ambushed by Lü Meng in disguise at Jiangling, the reasons for the victory and defeat could be analyzed in hundreds or even thousands of ways, from the strategic heights of both sides to the tactical details, and the two sides could argue about it for three days and three nights.

Ultimately, the reason boils down to one thing: weakness.

If Zhuge Liang were in Jiangling, not only would Lü Meng be able to cross the river in disguise, but even if the area from Jiangling to Lukou were completely undefended, Lü Meng would only be able to look at the city from outside Jiangling with a headache and sigh in despair.

Just as Liu Bei was eating on the city wall of Lantian while watching Yuan Shu's acrobatics, Yuan Shu could only retreat in disgrace after breaching the city's defenses and cursing outside.

Only the weak fear betrayal; the strong crush the betrayers.

This is also why Liu Bei raised armored cavalry; if production capacity is insufficient, time can make up for it.

Although he currently only has 800 cavalry armor and 300 horse armor, given time he can gather 2,000 cavalry armor and 2,000 horse armor, and then Liu Bei won't need to resort to tricks and schemes with his opponents.

North of the Yangtze River, we are invincible.

Guan Yu pondered Liu Bei's teachings carefully and seemed to understand something.

Although Guan Yu has studied, he hasn't studied enough and still needs to work harder.

As the ancient saying goes: "The road ahead is long and arduous, but I will persevere in my pursuit."

Upon returning to his camp, Sun Jian summoned his generals and announced in public, "I was deceived by Yuan Shao's proclamation and mistakenly believed that Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo had forged an imperial edict to depose and install emperors. Now I have realized the truth and deeply regret my actions. I have decided to no longer serve the Yuan family and only wish to fight against Yuan Shu for the court."

Ordinary officers and clerks had little concept of opposing or supporting Yuan Shikai.

Is the Yuan family an unshakeable giant? Only powerful figures at the top can get close to them.

For ordinary officers, the main concern was whether they could win battles and survive, and whether their commanders would be fair in rewarding and punishing those who won. It was not something that ordinary officers should be concerned with, such as trying to shake a big tree with a small force.

Therefore, when Sun Jian decided to rebel against Yuan Shikai, apart from a small group of officers who had some knowledge of Yuan Shikai and hesitated, the rest of the officers were all shouting that they would serve Sun Jian.

Although Yuan's protégés and former officials were spread throughout the country, ordinary officers and soldiers did not have a clear understanding of them.

Although Sun Jian's power was not as strong as that of the Yuan family, ordinary officers knew that Sun Jian was brave and good at fighting.

Fighting Yuan Shu might not necessarily lead to death, but opposing Sun Jian would certainly result in death. Everyone knew whose orders to follow.

"it is good!"

"Since you are all willing to serve me, I will not let you down."

"Once we reach Yangzhou, the governor of Yangzhou will appoint me as General Who Destroys the Enemy. From now on, you will all follow me in battle and achieve great things!"

Sun Jian's words, brimming with heroic spirit, stirred the passion of the crowd.

Although Chief Secretary Gong Chou was very afraid of Yuan's counterattack after the anti-Yuan movement, he also raised his arms and shouted under the influence of the high morale of the crowd.

Since entering the pass, Sun Jian's army has never fought a proper battle.

Wuguan was undefended, so they directly seized the pass; Yaoguan was in a stalemate, with both sides locked in a standoff.

That's how the battlefield is; it's not that the attacking side can always fight just because it wants to.

Either the attacking side crushes the opponent with overwhelming force, or they have to wait for the opponent to decide whether to fight.

More often than not, they were fighting a protracted war, building strongholds, and consolidating their defenses while waiting for an opportunity. What's more, their opponents were Liu Bei and his ministers, who were holding strategic passes.

The situation is slightly different now.

Yuan Shu ordered a withdrawal of his troops towards Wuguan yesterday, but his soldiers were exhausted and he had no strategic advantage.

Although Sun Jian decided to ally with Liu Bei, Yuan Shu was unaware of this. He was caught off guard and had a tired army. All the advantages of timing, location, and popular support were on Sun Jian's side.

This is a golden opportunity for Sun Jian.

After this battle, Sun Jian had to go to Yangzhou to formally oppose the Yuan family.

Sun Jian also had some connections in Yangzhou.

For example, when Lu Kang, the prefect of Lujiang, was serving as the magistrate of Yichun County, his nephew was besieged by rebel forces. He sent someone to ask Sun Jian for help, and Sun Jian insisted on sending troops to rescue him despite the fact that it was illegal to cross the border to launch a military campaign.

Furthermore, Liu Bei introduced Sun Jian to Liu Dai, the governor of Yangzhou, which gave Sun Jian an even greater chance of winning.

Liu Bei went to great lengths to establish an alliance with Yuan Shao to counter their alliance through blood oaths.

Liu Dai's power is too weak. Besides sending Liu Dai to find Lu Kang, they have now sent Liu Dai a fierce tiger from Jiangdong.

Although Liu Biao did not directly ask Liu Bei for people, this crushing defeat of Yuan Shu would relieve Liu Biao of any worries.

Gai Xun then recommended Chen Deng and Mi Zhu, especially Chen Deng, who was a rare talent that Liu Bei wanted to recruit into Guanzhong.

Although Cao Cao's position was somewhat lacking, he still recommended Chen Gong and Cheng Yu. Furthermore, because Huang Wan was in Yuzhou, Cao Cao indirectly gained a thousand Yuzhou soldiers to garrison Xiaopei.

To avoid accidental injury, Sun Jian ordered all soldiers in the camp to wrap their right arms with cloth. Once everything was ready, they abandoned the grain and supplies and pursued Yuan Shu with only light troops.

On the one hand, it was to prove to Liu Bei that the alliance was genuine and not a conspiracy; on the other hand, Yuan Shu's retreating troops already had provisions and supplies, so there was no need to worry about a lack of provisions.

Upon discovering the grain and supplies left behind by Sun Jian, Liu Bei did not stand on ceremony and ordered the soldiers at Yaoguan Pass to move all the grain and supplies into the pass.

Free money and supplies are free, so why not take them?

Yuan Shu, who was ahead, was unaware that Sun Jian had been turned against him by Liu Bei. At this moment, he was annoyed by the Yongzhou soldiers who kept appearing in the mountains and forests.

Although these Yongzhou soldiers did not inflict many casualties on Yuan Shu's troops, they kept Yuan Shu's troops on edge throughout the journey.

The morale was already low after the withdrawal, and now they had to endure harassment from Yongzhou troops in the mountains, which made the morale even lower.

"Big-eared thief!"

"I will repay this humiliation tenfold in the future!"

Yuan Shu's face was gloomy, his chest filled with hatred for Liu Bei.

If he weren't outmatched, Yuan Shu would have loved to go back and fight Liu Bei.

Seeing Yuan Shu's increasingly gloomy face, Yang Hong, Zhang Xun, Huang Yi, and the others dared not utter a sound, hoping only to return to Nanyang as soon as possible and no longer have to endure the cold winds and fear in Guanzhong.

During a rest stop, Yang Hong cautiously advised, "It's just a small force harassing us, my lord. There's no need to pay attention to it. With Sun Jian holding off Liu Bei at Yaoguan, we can safely retreat back to Nanyang."

"Nanyang has many beauties. I will select the best beauties for you, my lord, and guarantee that you will have a good time. Unlike Guanzhong, which is barren, even Liu Bei, the imperial uncle, cannot find beauties to enjoy."

Yang Hong is a flatterer.

Just as one might be unlucky in business but lucky in love, Yang Hong cleverly grasped Yuan Shu's thoughts, allowing Yuan Shu to relieve his mood by gaining an overwhelming advantage over Liu Bei on another battlefield.

Mentioning beauties, Yuan Shu's irritation indeed dissipated considerably: "Chief Secretary Yang is very thoughtful. The Yin family of Nanyang is a descendant of Empress Guanglie. When we return, have the Yin family present beauties, preferably from the wealthiest families of the Yin family."

Yuan Shu wanted both beautiful women and money.

Yang Hong, understanding the situation, smiled and said, "Rest assured, my lord, I will select carefully." The Guanzhong region was dry and cold, and Yuan Shu, having marched for half a day, felt parched and ordered his attendants to prepare honey water.

Even when they went to war, these pampered nobles, who had lived in luxury for four generations, were provided with special cooks and unique honey.

However, what annoyed Yuan Shu even more was that his attendants said they were out of honey and couldn't make honey water.

"You scoundrel, how dare you deceive me?" Yuan Shu lashed his personal attendant with a whip.

When Yuan Shu entered the pass this time, he had his entourage bring ten jars of special honey, enough to last him three months even if he drank honey water every day.

Now that he has been in the pass for less than a month, his personal attendants say that there is no honey water left. How could Yuan Shu not be furious?
The attendant hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy: "My lord, spare our lives! When we were circling Yaoguan Pass, the one carrying the honey pot fell down the mountain."

"Throw them out and chop them up!" Yuan Shu's tone was icy, showing no pity for the soldiers who had fallen down the mountain. He only regretted not throwing the honey pot to someone else before the soldiers fell.

Yuan Shu also didn't want to see his confidants making excuses anymore; he didn't care about the process, only the result.

Unable to get any honey water, Yuan Shu's mood, which had just started to improve, so he could only make do with some water.

Not long after the cooks started preparing the meal, another piece of bad news arrived: Liu Xun, who was escorting the grain supplies in the rear army, sent someone to request help, claiming that Sun Jian had rebelled.

Upon hearing this news, Yuan Shu was both surprised and suspicious: "Sun Jian has rebelled? Sun Jian dares to rebel?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xun immediately exploded: "Just as I suspected, Sun Jian is a cruel and ruthless man."

"He was ordered to rush to Chang'an, but he delayed at Wuguan; he was ordered to attack Yaoguan, but he neglected military operations at Yaoguan; he was ordered to cover the rear and block the enemy, but he directly betrayed and defected to Liu Bei."

"My lord, please allow me to gather troops. I will surely capture Sun Jian alive and present him to you!"

Zhang Xun harbored resentment towards Sun Jian ever since Huang Yi recommended him to launch a surprise attack on Wuguan. When Sun Jian seized the vanguard seal for attacking Yaoguan at Wuguan, Zhang Xun's hatred for Sun Jian deepened.

Having finally secured the mission to bypass Yaoguan and launch a surprise attack from behind, Zhang Xun fell into Guan Yu's ambush, further deepening his hatred for Sun Jian.

Although Sun Jian did not claim credit, Zhang Xun was certain that it was Sun Jian's laxity in fighting at Yaoguan that allowed Guan Yu to have the spare capacity to guard against a surprise attack from the rear.

Upon hearing the news of Sun Jian's rebellion, Zhang Xun was filled with even greater hatred and vowed to capture Sun Jian alive!

Yuan Shu's face darkened again. He ordered Zhang Xun to send troops to reinforce Liu Xun, and at the same time, he ordered his personal guards to prepare horses for their escape.

Despite his anger, Yuan Shu knew very well that Zhang Xun was no match for Sun Jian, so for the time being he could only let Zhang Xun and Liu Xun delay the inevitable.

Yang Hong, Huang Yi, and others hurriedly searched for warhorses.

Our lord Yuan Shu is about to flee. If we don't run now, when will we?
Yuan Shu's judgment was correct; Zhang Xun's troops were almost immediately routed when they clashed with Sun Jian.

Even Zhang Xun's weapon was nowhere to be found. Terrified, Zhang Xun only cared about riding away at full speed. As for what would happen to his men behind him, he didn't even consider it.

"What a mob!"

Having defeated Liu Xun and Zhang Xun in succession, Sun Jian's fear of the Yuan clan's power lessened somewhat.

If the followers and former officials of Yuan Shu were mostly such despicable people, then it was indeed as Liu Bei said: "All that is gold and jade on the outside is rotten cotton on the inside; they are nothing more than withered bones in a tomb."

rear.

As two hours passed, Liu Bei prepared to set off from Yaoguan.

"Brother, leave the pursuit of Yuan Shu to me and Fourth Brother. You and Dian Wei can stay at Yaoguan and wait for news." Seeing that Liu Bei also wanted to pursue Yuan Shu, Guan Yu hurriedly advised him.

Although Sun Jian was turned against Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu still had tens of thousands of troops. It is easy to dodge open spears, but difficult to guard against stray arrows.

Throughout history, many people have been hit by stray arrows due to bad luck, and Guan Yu was unwilling for Liu Bei to take that risk.

"As the Imperial Uncle, if I do not step forward, how can I command respect? There is no need for further words!" Liu Bei directly rejected Guan Yu's offer.

Although Guan Yu was worried about Liu Bei's safety, Liu Bei knew even better that in a chaotic world, only a "horseback emperor" could subdue all sides and awe both the civil and military officials if he wanted to rise from the ashes.

Why didn't Liu Xiu and Li Shimin kill their meritorious officials like Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang did? Weren't they afraid that their achievements would overshadow their rulers?

The reason is simple: whether it's the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai or the Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials of Lingyan Pavilion, no one is more capable in battle than Liu Xiu and Li Shimin.

In the Battle of Kunyang, Liu Xiu's 20,000 men utterly defeated Wang Mang's 420,000; in the Battle of Hulao Pass, Li Shimin's 3,500 cavalrymen utterly defeated Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande's 100,000.

In addition, Liu Xiu was only twenty-nine years old when he fought the Battle of Kunyang, and Li Shimin was only twenty-five years old when he fought the Battle of Hulao Pass.

They were all renowned throughout the land when they were young, and most of the meritorious officials rose to prominence by following Liu Xiu and Li Shimin.

When Liu Xiu and Li Shimin grew old, and the meritorious officials also grew old, who among the younger generation would dare to provoke Liu Xiu and Li Shimin?

now.

Although Liu Bei was famous throughout the world, many people believed that he became the imperial uncle through treacherous means such as forging imperial edicts.

Even Yuan Shu, after realizing he couldn't defeat Huang Wan or capture Luoyang, chose to launch a surprise attack on Chang'an in the dead of winter.

While Yuan Shu's poor strategic and tactical skills played a part, the bigger reason was that most people, from Yuan Shu down, believed that Liu Bei was easily defeated and could win even if he took risks.

The main reason why Liu Bei insisted on personally leading the troops was that Yuan Shu and his forces underestimated him.

Liu Bei was able to tolerate Yuan Shu's malicious words at the gates of Lantian because a few harsh words could not affect Liu Bei's prestige.

Liu Bei could not tolerate Yuan Shu's surprise attack on Chang'an in the dead of winter because Yuan Shu's actions seriously damaged Liu Bei's prestige.

This would not only make the people of Nanyang think that Liu Bei was incapable of stabilizing Guanzhong and thus unwilling to move there, but it would also make the Yuan clan think that Guanzhong was a place they could come and go as they pleased.

Even Liu Biao, Liu Dai, Cao Cao, and Gai Xun might have doubted whether Liu Bei was still worth cooperating with, thus rendering the anti-Yuan alliance ineffective.

Therefore, in this battle, Liu Bei not only had to personally lead the troops, but also had to make Yuan Shu tremble with fear at the mere mention of Liu Bei's name.

By using the prestigious Yuan family, whose members had held high office for four generations, as a stepping stone, Liu Bei was able to gain a new appreciation from the people of the world.

At Liu Bei's command, eight hundred cavalrymen followed him in front, while Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Dian Wei each led infantry and cavalry behind.

From Yaoguan to Wuguan, although the terrain is narrow and the roads are difficult to navigate, making it unsuitable for large-scale cavalry passage or charging, Liu Bei does not need to charge at this time. He only needs to seize Yuan Shu's grain and supplies and drive Yuan Shu out of Guanzhong step by step.

Once Yuan Shu was driven to Nanyang, into terrain where cavalry could easily maneuver, that would be the time for Liu Bei to hunt him down.

Liu Bei also wanted the people of Nanyang to see for themselves who was the one who could bring peace and stability to the people in this chaotic world.

As Sun Jian and Liu Bei joined the battle, Yuan Shu and his generals became increasingly panicked and could only retreat haltingly.

After fleeing in panic all the way to Wuguan, Yuan Shu was shocked to find that the remaining troops following him numbered less than a thousand!

Most of the remaining troops were trapped inside the pass!

Seeing the low morale of his men, Yuan Shu was even more enraged: "You big-eared scoundrel, I swear to kill you!"

(End of this chapter)