He originally intended to surrender to Wei, so why did he end up restoring Han?

Chapter 73 Blitzkrieg in Huainan

In terms of logistics, Mi Zhu was responsible for staying behind at the central command, working with Chen Jiao and Guo Yuan to ensure the supply of food and materials to the front lines.

After inheriting Yuan Shu's legacy, Chen Deng vigorously developed the Xuzhou navy. However, everyone understood that the navy was a highly skilled military branch. With only a few months of training, Liu Bei's navy would be easily defeated by experienced naval warriors if deployed to the river for naval warfare. Nevertheless, it was more than sufficient for logistical support and troop transport.

The remaining generals who did not receive combat missions only needed to focus on regional defense. For example, Qian Zhao was not deployed this time; Liu Bei specifically ordered him to stay in Pengcheng to be on guard against Cao Cao's sneak attacks.

Liu Bei, on the other hand, stationed his general reserve force in Xiapi, ready to lead his cavalry to provide support should any problems arise anywhere.

This operation involved not only military maneuvers but also underground workers. A group of spies led by Chen Deng located Zheng Bao's remaining forces hiding in Chaohu Lake and made contact with them, agreeing that as long as they abandoned their evil ways and joined the cause, their past transgressions would be forgiven.

After arranging everything within his control, Liu Bei issued the order to send troops.

This major move was not only of military significance, but also sent a signal to all the warlords in the world that Liu Bei would no longer fight on the inside as before. He had had enough of defensive counterattacks and civil wars. Now, this member of the Han imperial family had officially taken the first step in his external expansion.

On the tenth day of the third month of the second year of Jian'an, Cao Cao drafted an edict, had it stamped by Emperor Liu Xie of Han, and then widely publicized its contents, intending to throw the entire south into chaos.

Yuan Shao has already surrounded the Baima Army and is preparing to attack Yijing through a long-term siege, so as to completely unify the north.

Gongsun Zan, on the other hand, spent his days drinking heavily, his spirit broken by Yuan Shao. Now he placed all his hopes on his eldest son, Gongsun Xu, hoping he could bring reinforcements from the Black Mountain bandit Zhang Yan as scheduled.

Ma Teng confronted and maneuvered with his good brother Han Sui in Liangzhou, and began to contact the court controlled by Cao Cao, intending to obtain the court's support.

Liu Zhang of Yizhou was listening to his ministers tearfully accusing the Dongzhou soldiers of atrocities against the people. However, Liu Zhang was weak-willed and dared not restrain the vicious Dongzhou soldiers, so he simply buried his head and pretended not to hear.

Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Sun Ce of Jiangdong were busy accumulating strength, while other minor warlords were either ambitious or trembling with fear.

The day seemed unremarkable; everyone was busy with their own affairs, and everything appeared to be progressing as planned. It was in this tranquil atmosphere that Liu Bei's blitzkrieg against Huainan began.

On March 12th, the Southern Army Group, led by Zhao Yun and Chen Deng, arrived at Gaoyou. The Northern Army Group, led by Tian Yu and Chen Qun, arrived at Zaiqiu. Meanwhile, the massive Central Army Group had just reached the border of Xuzhou.

On March 13th, the Central Army Group approached Zhongli City. The city's defenders numbered only a few hundred, all able-bodied men recruited by Yuan Shu. They had closed the city to protect themselves during the chaos in Huainan and, with no one having time to deal with him, had remained safely there until now. Seeing the overwhelming disparity in troop strength outside the city, these men readily surrendered.

The Northern Army Group faced a similar situation, directly taking over Zhuyi City. This small city, located on the north bank of the Sui River, was inherently weak and resource-scarce, and in theory, it should have been quickly looted by various factions. However, because it was too inconspicuous, it became a peaceful place free from the ravages of war.

The Southern Army Group only learned after entering Guangling that Sun Ce, that scoundrel, had indeed kept his promise and had not taken any people or food. He had taken everything else he could—wealth, cloth, iron ingots, tools—leaving the treasury empty. Only some of the people had hidden themselves well, and Sun Ce was in a hurry to leave, so he left some behind.

Chen Deng immediately sent a message to the rear, ordering them to send a batch of supplies. They then split into two groups: Chen Deng stopped in Guangling to post notices to reassure the people, while Zhao Yun led 5,000 men to take over Jiangdu.

On March 15th, Zhao Yun arrived in Jiangdu. Jiangdu, originally built by Yuan Shu, had a very complete water fortification defense system. However, the Jiangdu water fortifications were now reduced to ashes; Sun Ce had burned them completely during his retreat so that Liu Bei wouldn't be able to use them immediately.

Cross-river transport usually follows fixed routes. Goods must first be transported to the water village, loaded onto ships, and then transported to the east bank of the river.

Just as Zhao Yun burned the piers when he retreated after the failed Northern Expedition, forcing Cao Cao's army to abandon the pursuit, Liu Bei would have to spend time and effort rebuilding the piers before he could use the Jiangdu water fortress as a naval base to attack Jiangdong.

Zhao Yun was not discouraged when he saw that the Jiangdu water fortress was damaged in battle. He split his troops again, with one group heading west to take over the cities of Yu and Tangyi, and the other group returning to Guangling and then heading east to take over Hailing. He set up camp there and, together with his soldiers, rebuilt a simple water fortress on the site of the old one, which at least had some defensive capabilities.

On March 18th, the Northern Army Group had completed the occupation and pacification of counties such as Fuli and Qixian, and began its advance towards Longkang. Longkang is located on the east bank of the Wushui River. This city is of great strategic importance. It is not only the first line of defense against the enemy from Runan Commandery, but also, going upstream, only needs to pass through Chengfu City to reach Cao Cao's hometown of Qiao County.

The western Commandery of Runan is now very tempting to Liu Bei's army. Not only is there no unified government there, but it also has a large population, which is naturally better for Liu Bei. However, attacking Runan Commandery could easily infuriate both Liu Biao and Cao Cao, and at that point, these two would definitely be willing to risk Yuan Shao's southward advance to drive Liu Bei out.

Going south downstream could also cut off the Huai River, merge with the Central Army Group, and encircle Yicheng, but they no longer need to use this tactic.

The Central Army Group reached Yicheng County, and even though the city was located at the confluence of the Lao and Huai Rivers, they encountered no resistance. Guan Yu and Zhang Liao were both quite pleased with this outcome, but Zhang Fei, the war fanatic, was itching to get his hands dirty and couldn't wait to start beating people up.

Only Lu Wan knew that this period of rapid advancement wouldn't last long. He knew his tactic was actually quite rudimentary—it was simply exploiting an information gap. He knew that Liu Xun was unaware of the alliance between Liu Bei and Liu Biao, and that Liu Bei was trying to gain more benefits in Huainan so that he could maintain his own power and avoid being annexed by Liu Biao. That's why he allowed Liu Bei's army to advance rapidly through Jiujiang.

Once Liu Xun realizes he's been tricked, he'll definitely use every means to survive, and that will be the biggest test for them.

Therefore, the closer the Central Army Group got to Shouchun, the more vigilant Lu Wan became.