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Chapter 195 A Surprise Attack on Ye City, Liu Bei Terrifies Liu Yu (Please Subscribe and Vote)
The second year of the Chuping era.

February 3rd.

Dongjun, Puyang.

After carefully examining Ju Shou's edict, Qiao Mao's doubt turned into a smile.

"Haha! It is my honor that General Pingnan is willing to come to Puyang to help. I have long heard of General Pingnan's reputation in Hebei. Today, I see that he is indeed handsome and elegant, far surpassing ordinary people."

Qiao Mao showered Ju Shou with praise.

Ju Shou frowned upon hearing this.

Although Ju Shou was well-known in Hebei, he was far from being a renowned figure.

Ju Shou was recruited by Yuan Shao in just a few months, and the title of General Who Pacifies the South was only granted by Liu Yu before he left Ye City.

However, one shouldn't hit a smiling face. Although he disliked Qiao Mao's awkward flattery, Ju Shou still responded politely.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries...

Ju Shou then explained his purpose and asked, "The two prefectures of Chenliu and Jiyin have been attacked. Prefect Zhang and Prefect Yuan are having difficulty defending the cities and have sent people to Ye City to ask for help. Why is Prefect Heqiao unwilling to send troops to help them?"

Qiao Mao laughed heartily: "General Pingnan has misunderstood. It's not that I'm unwilling to send troops to help, but Prefect Zhang and Prefect Yuan didn't ask me for help. They asked the General directly for help. If I went to rescue them directly, it would cause a misunderstanding."

Ju Shou frowned even more: If you don't want to save them, then don't. Why make up excuses?
Although Ju Shou had known for some time that the people of Yanzhou were outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, he had not expected the discord to be this great.

Ju Shou could roughly guess Qiao Mao's plan: first, let Zhang Miao and Yuan Xu be worn down by Liu Chong and Xu Chu, and then appear like heavenly soldiers before their troops and morale are completely exhausted. If he could take the opportunity to annex their remaining forces, that would be even more perfect.

"His Majesty has appointed me as General Who Pacifies the South, overseeing the troops in Dongjun, Chenliu, and Jiyin. From now on, you shall be under my command." Ju Shou gave Qiao Mao no further chance to dodge the question and directly decided on the allocation of command, saying, "Speed ​​is of the essence in war. I will lead troops to relieve Chenliu; Prefect Qiao will lead troops to relieve Jiyin. Quickly defeat the enemy troops in both places, and then hold the strategic points. We must not allow Liu Bei to find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack."

Qiao Mao's face stiffened, and he said, "I will definitely follow General Pingnan's orders. However, I have a small suggestion. The Prefect of Chenliu has a Vanguard Camp under his command, and its commander, Gao Shun, is also a skilled defender. Although Prince Liu Chong of Chen is quite brave, I do not expect him to be able to break through Chenliu."

"Therefore, General Pingnan only needs to relieve Yin County. I will stay in Dong County to avoid Liu Bei dividing his forces for a surprise attack. Moreover, the army must move its supplies before it can move its troops. I was originally planning to defend the city to the death, and I did not think about going to rescue Chenliu. Therefore, it is difficult to send troops in the short term."

Although Ju Shou knew that Qiao Mao was shirking responsibility, he couldn't refute it.

At this time, Ju Shou was not yet the Ju Supervisor who would later command Yuan Shao and hold sway both inside and outside the capital.

To put it bluntly, in Qiao Mao's eyes, Ju Shou was just a scholar who had never led troops.

If Ju Shou hadn't brought the imperial edict, representing Liu Yu and Yuan Shao, Qiao Mao wouldn't have even bothered with a fake smile.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war?
Do you know more about military affairs than I do?

"Chenliu must be saved!" Ju Shouxian repeated the military order, then said, "If Prefect Qiao has not prepared provisions, he can prepare them now. I will lead troops to relieve Yin County first. I urge Prefect Qiao to prioritize the overall situation and not let personal matters interfere with public duty."

After seeing off Ju Shou, who had come and gone in a hurry, Qiao Mao's smiling face instantly turned cold. He even cleaved the table in front of him with his sword, cursing angrily: "I, Qiao Mao, come from an official family and am a descendant of the Grand Commandant. How dare a mere scholar from Ji Province order me around? Humph! You tell me to save Chenliu, so I have to save Chenliu? I refuse to save him. What can you do about it?"

"Liu Bei hasn't even mobilized his troops in Luoyang. How could Liu Chong possibly conquer Chenliu? A scholar is just a scholar. He's ignorant of military affairs. If Liu Bei were to march straight to Dongjun from Hulao Pass, I would end up like Tao Qian."

Last year, Liu Bei launched a surprise attack on Pengcheng, which directly turned the tide of the entire battle. Qiao Mao still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it.

Therefore, upon learning that Liu Bei had sent Liu Chong to attack Chenliu, Xu Chu to attack Jiyin, and Zhang Liao to attack Shanyang, while Liu Bei in Luoyang remained inactive, Qiao Mao's first thought was that Liu Bei was about to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun.

Qiao Mao's concerns were not unfounded.

According to Liu Bei's original plan, he would first launch a feigned attack on Hanoi, and then launch a surprise attack on Dongjun when the time was right.

According to Liu Bei's new plan, the same strategy was to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun.

If Qiao Mao were to actually go to rescue Chenliu or Jiyin, he would inevitably be caught off guard by Liu Bei's surprise attack from the rear.

To say that Ju Shou was using military tactics like a scholar would be unfair. Liu Chong and Xu Chu did not have many troops to begin with. If the principle of speed and concentrating superior forces to break through one point first was emphasized, it would indeed disrupt Liu Bei's plans.

However, Qiao Mao did not believe that Ju Shou could break through quickly, nor did he believe that Zhang Miao and Yuan Xu would dare to leave the city after reinforcements arrived.

Last year, Liu Bei's 20,000 troops defeated hundreds of thousands of his own troops. Both the Chenliu and Jiyin troops were filled with fear of Liu Bei's army.

If Ju Shou hadn't shouted to concentrate superior forces to fight against a smaller force, the troops from the two prefectures wouldn't have dared to leave the city and fight against a smaller force.

They might even criticize Ju Shou for being ignorant, saying that he lost last year even when outnumbered, so why do you think you won't lose?

Qiao Mao has only one thought right now: to defend Puyang City!
As long as a large force is deployed in Puyang, Qiao Mao will not be afraid of Liu Bei's surprise attack.

"Issue my military order: from this day forward, the city gates will only be open for two hours each day." To prevent Liu Bei from launching a surprise attack and taking control of the city gates, Qiao Mao changed the opening time of the city gates for the third time.

As soon as the military order was issued, Prefect Chen Gong found Qiao Mao and advised him, "My lord, opening the gates for only two hours a day will greatly affect the daily lives of the people in the city. If you are worried about Liu Bei's surprise attack, you can send troops to Baima City."

"Gongtai, I know you've been well-versed in military strategy since childhood, and you've also helped me govern Dongjun for the past six months, which has been quite meritorious." Qiao Mao was quite polite to Chen Gong, a member of the powerful Dongjun family, and said, "But you don't understand Liu Bei. Let alone me, even the Great General has never won against Liu Bei. The reason I've survived until now is because of one word: stability!"

“I have fought in Luoyang and Xiaopei, but Ding Yuan, who fought with me in Luoyang, died, and Wang Kuang also died. Kong Zhou, who fought with me in Xiaopei, died, and Yuan Yi also died. Ju Shou asked me to go and help Yin, but I didn’t go. The reason is simple: I’m afraid Liu Bei will launch a surprise attack on Dongjun.”

"Splitting our forces at Baima City is useless! It might even allow Liu Bei to impersonate our soldiers and launch a surprise attack on Puyang. The only way to avoid being ambushed by Liu Bei is to reduce the number of gates that are open and increase the number of troops defending the city."

"This matter is not up for discussion. We will confront Liu Bei, seeking neither merit nor demerit!"

Looking at the extremely cautious Qiao Mao, Chen Gong hesitated to speak, and could only sigh and leave.

Both Ju Shou and Chen Gong were arrogant about their talents and had never fought against Liu Bei, so they could not understand Qiao Mao's caution.

In their view, Qiao Mao was less cautious and more cowardly.

They want to defend Dongjun, but they are unwilling to divide their troops and only dare to concentrate their troops in Puyang. Is this to abandon the other cities, passes and ferries of Dongjun?
Regardless of what others think, Qiao Mao continues to do things his own way.

Moreover, Qiao Mao patrolled the city gates every day to see if the closing time of the city gates needed to be reduced further.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Liu Bei, who had left Hulao Pass and passed through Suanzao, and was traveling secretly along the river, was puzzled by the deployment in Dongjun.

"I heard that Qiao Mao has appointed Chen Gong as the prefectural governor. How come the defenses of Dongjun are so weak? Could it be a trap?" Liu Bei was surprised that Qiao Mao was so cautious as to only defend Puyang and found it strange that he had so easily broken through the passes and fortifications along the way.

"Zilong, go and scout out White Horse City!"

Liu Bei dared not be careless.

After all, the key to a surprise attack is the surprise itself; if the enemy is prepared, the effectiveness of the surprise attack will be greatly reduced.

Zhao Yun received the military order and personally led scout cavalry to Baima City to investigate.

However, upon returning, Zhao Yun looked strange and cautiously said, "Not only is Baima City undefended, but the Baima Ferry crossing is also undefended. Why don't we just cross the river at Yanjin?"

Liu Bei shook his head: "Yanjin is a frequently crossed ferry, and there are many cities along the way, making it difficult to conceal our whereabouts. Let's investigate further near Puyang."

This time, Zhao Yun took even longer, and by the time he returned it was almost dark.

Zhao Yun's tone became even stranger: "I met some commoners outside Puyang who said that for some reason, Puyang City is only open for two hours a day, so if they go back late, they have to spend the night outside the city. I went to see the deployment of Puyang City, and there are a lot of soldiers on the city walls. Could it be that Qiao Mao knew in advance that the Imperial Uncle was going to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun, and that's why he did this?"

Liu Bei's face immediately darkened: "A miscalculation! I've wasted most of my day! Quickly seize Baima City and Baima Ferry, and urge the rear guard to move on!"

Zhao Yun also realized what was happening, and his expression changed drastically.

He had been extremely careful along the way, trying to avoid encountering Qiao Mao's scouts, but it turned out that Qiao Mao not only knew that Liu Bei was going to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun, but also had no intention of defending the cities, passes, and ferries outside of Puyang.

Before nightfall, Liu Bei ordered Zhao Yun to launch a surprise attack on Baima City and Guan Yu to seize Baima Ferry.

Early the next morning, he ordered Guan Yu to cross the river first and seize the ferry crossing on the other side.

Even after Liu Bei had completed crossing the river and assigned Xu Huang, Dian Wei, and Ma Chao to guard Baima City and the north and south ferry crossings respectively, Qiao Mao did not discover any changes.

In the end, it was Chen Gong who noticed something was wrong and sent people to investigate, only to find out that Baima City and Baima Ferry had changed hands.

However, Qiao Mao was smug about Chen Gong's report: "I told you so, didn't I? Liu Bei really is going to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun! If you have divided your troops to Baima City, and I haven't shortened the time it takes to open the city gates, I'm afraid Liu Bei will have taken Puyang."

“My lord,” Chen Gong said, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall, “Liu Bei launched a surprise attack on Baima City, so logically he should have launched a surprise attack on Puyang City. But Liu Bei only stationed his troops at Baima City and Baima Ferry. I suspect that Liu Bei most likely crossed the river at Baima Ferry.”

"Crossing the river?" Qiao Mao laughed loudly. "If Liu Bei wants to cross the river, why doesn't he go directly to Hanoi via Mengjin? Why does he have to take such a long detour via Baimajin? Does Liu Bei intend to launch a surprise attack on Yecheng via Baimajin?"

"What if such a possibility really exists?" Chen Gong said seriously, "There are no cities along the way from Baima Ferry to Ye City. Liu Bei could simply travel over two hundred li and appear directly outside Ye City. The General is away fighting the Yellow Turbans of Black Mountain, and Ye City is currently undefended. If Liu Bei were to directly attack Ye City, wouldn't we become a laughingstock to the world?"

Qiao Mao scoffed, "Gongtai, can you stop worrying unnecessarily? The General is going to suppress the Black Mountain Yellow Turbans, surely Ye City is on guard? I think Liu Bei is just trying to lure me out of the city because he sees that Puyang is heavily fortified. How could I possibly fall for that?"

"Moreover, even if Ye City is not prepared, it is the fault of Li Cheng, the Prefect of Wei Commandery, and I am not to be blamed. I still maintain that as long as I defend Puyang, I will be meritorious and innocent."

"If we really listen to you, we'll lose Puyang! Besides, Liu Bei is a plague god. It's better for him to attack others than us. Let's wait and see and not cause any trouble."

Qiao Mao didn't care what Liu Bei wanted to do at all. As long as Liu Bei didn't attack Puyang City, what did it matter to him, Qiao Mao, whether others lived or died?
Chen Gong frowned: "Should we send someone to inform General Pingnan? The Prefect refuses to leave the city; we can't let General Pingnan be completely unaware, can we?"

“That’s acceptable.” Qiao Mao didn’t object anymore and said, “Quickly send someone to inform General Pingnan, and make sure to emphasize that Liu Bei’s troops are extremely skilled in battle. Therefore, I have decided to defend Puyang to the death. I also ask General Pingnan not to underestimate the enemy!”

Chen Gong sighed and shook his head secretly, unable to understand Qiao Mao's caution even more.

Baima City and Baima Ferry have a maximum of four thousand men, Ju Shou has five thousand men, and Qiao Mao has ten thousand men, three times the number of the enemy. How can we not fight them?
However, Qiao Mao was unwilling, and Chen Gong could not force him.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After leaving Ma Chao to guard the ferry crossing on the north bank, Liu Bei abandoned his baggage and took only five days' worth of dry rations and water. Together with Guan Yu, Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong, he led five battalions of soldiers and Chen Dao's three hundred White Feather Soldiers straight to Ye City.

This surprise attack went more smoothly than Liu Bei had anticipated.

Originally, Liu Bei planned to fight Qiao Mao in Dongjun, fight until Qiao Mao dared not leave the city, and then cross the river to launch a surprise attack.

As a result, Qiao Mao simply stayed in Puyang and refused to come out of the city. This not only saved Liu Bei's soldiers' energy but also increased the secrecy of the surprise attack.

When Li Cheng, the governor of Wei Commandery, discovered Liu Bei, Liu Bei's troops were less than a hundred miles away from Ye City!
"This is impossible!"

Liu Yu was also quite shocked to learn of Liu Bei's surprise attack on Ye City.

Liu Yu asked himself, having read a great deal of history and military strategy, that he had never seen anyone use troops as arrogantly as Liu Bei!

"The Grand General is away and has not returned. The city is now empty and people are in a state of panic. Your Majesty, please leave Ye City for the time being and go to Handan for refuge." Li Cheng hurriedly advised Liu Yu.

Liu Yu rebuked, "I am the Son of Heaven! How can I lightly leave Ye City? There are still enough troops in the city to defend it, so why should we abandon the city and seek refuge temporarily? Liu Bei has no siege equipment, so how can he attack the city? All we need to do is for the General to return to his army, and Liu Bei will leave in a panic!"

Li Cheng looked ashamed and said, "That may be true, but the people in the city may not be united. If there is an inside agent of Liu Bei in the city, they could attack Ye City from the inside and outside, and Your Majesty would be in danger."

Li Cheng, believing he had guessed the reason, hurriedly said, "Liu Bei has never suffered a defeat in military campaigns. If there were no inside help in Ye City, how would he dare to risk attacking? Moreover, Liu Bei came via Baima Ferry. Qiao Mao is at Baima Ferry, and General Ju Shou, who is also at Baima Ferry, is also there. I am worried that the two of them might be in danger if they cross the river and launch a surprise attack in front of Qiao Mao and Ju Shou."

Liu Yu was startled.

Li Cheng's recent imaginings did indeed make the illogical claim of Liu Bei's surprise attack on Ye City seem plausible.

Without an inside accomplice, how could Liu Bei have dared to launch a surprise attack on Ye City?
If Qiao Mao and Ju Shou were still in Dongjun, how could Liu Bei have crossed the river at Baimajin?
The thought that Qiao Mao and Ju Shou might be defeated by Liu Bei made Liu Yu even more alarmed.

"Are you really going to Handan?"

"But I am the Son of Heaven!"

Liu Yu hesitated and could not make a decision.

(End of this chapter)