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

Chapter 78 New Movements of Liu Bei's Army

"Ziyang, for the sake of our years as colleagues, lend your brother a hand." Liu Xun had come to Liu Hua for help again. According to the scouts, Liu Bei's army had reached the foot of Dangtu City, but had only set up a camp about 20 miles outside the city and sent a small number of troops inside. After discovering that Dangtu had been controlled by Liu Xun, the main force immediately changed direction and headed south.

Although no direct military action was taken, this act of building a fortress right on Liu Xun's doorstep still provoked him, and he immediately felt it was blatant military oppression. However, in criticizing Liu Bei, he failed to remember that Liu Bei was actually the first to do so. It can only be said that following good is as easy as climbing a mountain, while following evil is as easy as an avalanche; everyone quickly learns such disgusting enemy tactics.

"If we stand idly by and watch Liu Bei's actions, we will appear both heartless and incompetent to the people of Huainan. As a court official, I cannot appear both heartless and incompetent at the same time." Liu Xun then turned to Chen Lan, seeking verbal support: "What do you say, Chen Lan?"

Liu Xun didn't really care about the lives of ordinary people. What he meant was that if he just watched Liu Bei launch attacks everywhere, the powerful families in Jiujiang and Lujiang counties would soon start investing in Liu Bei. What would he do then?

Faced with her boss's question, Chen Lan didn't know how to answer for a moment, and could only offer a suggestion: "Perhaps Mr. Ziyang could think of a way to make you, General, appear either ruthless or incompetent?"

Even a genius like Liu Hua couldn't help but chuckle, before returning to his serious expression.

"This matter is not easy to resolve. Liu Bei is now completely determined to take Jiujiang Commandery. If you try to do anything now, wouldn't all your previous efforts be in vain?"

"But it's really unpleasant to just watch Liu Bei conquer cities and territories like this." Liu Xun was also really upset. If it weren't for Liu Biao's interference, he would have already taken over these cities, and then he could have turned around and been sitting at the table eating.

Liu Hua smiled inwardly, sighing that it was indeed time to change the leader; this man was simply too stupid and short-sighted. If they really took Jiujiang Commandery, Liu Xun would definitely not live past the third year of Jian'an. Whether those in the north wanted to move south or those in the south wanted to launch a northern expedition, they would all have to pass through here. Liu Xun would become like a carpet, trampled on by everyone who came. Even the strongest old man couldn't withstand such a back-stepping.

Others may not understand, but Liu Hua sees it very clearly. The rise of these powerful warlords was concentrated in the period from the first year of Chuping to the first year of Jian'an. Any warlord who failed to break through the encirclement and seize a territory during this period would be eliminated in the subsequent chaos.

Those warlords who rose to power, such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Yuan Shao, and Liu Biao, no matter how they lost, as long as it wasn't a particularly devastating defeat that wiped out all their veterans, they could recuperate for a period of time and then make a comeback.

There's no other reason; it all boils down to one thing: they have deep pockets and can afford to lose.

In contrast, small forces like Liu Xun and Huang Zu, caught in the middle, would collapse immediately if they lost even a few thousand men, regardless of whether they were new or old recruits.

This creates a vicious cycle: because they dare not fight for fear of losses, they cannot expand their territory. Then, their strength cannot keep up with others, so they dare not fight even more, leading to a greater gap in strength.

Judging from the current situation, Yuan Shao is most likely to be the winner of the Great Han Chicken Dinner Tournament. If Cao Cao and Liu Bei work together to defeat Yuan Shao, they also have a chance to become emperor. As for the others, they are all somewhat lacking and will probably be wiped out by these three.

While Liu Ye was thinking about which place would be more suitable for Run, he kept talking: "What the general needs to do now is to improve the internal affairs, store up more grain and supplies, and wait for the world to change before sending troops to Jiujiang and Runan. In this way, the general can either advance to conquer the Central Plains or retreat to be granted a fiefdom."

This strategic direction is good, but it requires strong military support, because such a strategy will inevitably clash with Cao Cao and Liu Bei. Liu Xun's command ability and his army, which is exhausted and whose fighting force is mostly composed of surrendered Yuan Shu troops, are making it very difficult for Sun Ce. If Liu Xun can really defeat these two, Liu Ye will change his name.

"As for Liu Bei—just write a letter first, indicating that our army has no intention of fighting them, and show our goodwill."

Liu Hua only intended to offer his suggestions through diplomatic means as usual. If Liu Bei accepted them, he could use it as a diplomatic victory to publicize to the powerful families in his territory, demonstrating that he still had some influence and ability. Anything else would be superfluous.

Liu Xun listened to the advice. Although Liu Xun might not be the smartest, he was definitely a man of exceptional action. After receiving Liu Ye's instructions, he immediately sent an envoy to Liu Bei to discuss with him that the two armies should stop at their current positions and neither should advance any further.

On March 21, Liu Bei's Northern Army Group finally took over the unclaimed city of Longkang. For them, the advance was over, and the focus of their work would now shift to construction.

This is the southernmost city of Pei State, closest to Runan Commandery, and also the last line Cao Cao could tolerate. Runan Commandery had long been fragmented by small warlords because no one could be found to unify the entire commandery. It was a melting pot of all sorts of people: remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, outlaws, and powerful private armies all mingled here. These warlords had considerable resources but lacked real strength, making them ideal blood donors.

Moreover, Cao Cao had long regarded Yuzhou as his own territory, especially Runan Commandery, which was still in a state of chaos. Once order was restored and production was restarted there, Cao Cao's strength would immediately emerge from the shadow of the disastrous defeat in Nanyang and reach a new level. In contrast, Pei State, which served as a buffer zone and had suffered greatly from war, only had strategic value.

Tian Yu and Chen Qun had a very clear idea: the nine southern counties of Pei State would definitely become an important stronghold against Cao Cao in the future. The better they built the fortifications there, the lower the chance that Cao Cao's army would be to penetrate into the heart of Xuzhou.

Tian Yu's biggest weakness was his small fighting force, a mere six thousand men. Divided among the nine counties, each county had only a little over six hundred men, clearly insufficient for fortification. Furthermore, the surrounding areas were sparsely populated due to the constant movement of troops from the north and south, making manpower a critical factor to consider.

Tian Yu first concentrated his forces, mainly stationing them in a few important cities such as Longkang and Qixian, leaving only about a hundred men in the other cities. He also instructed the garrison troops in these smaller towns that if the enemy came, they should find a way to send out news of the attack, and they would not be blamed whether they fled or surrendered.

Next, he gathered intelligence and began to deal with the bandit problem in southern Pei State. The existing order of production and daily life had been disrupted, inevitably leading some to take risks and become bandits. Tian Yu's move was to use this opportunity to restore order to the area, and also to plan for the future. Banditry would be a good training ground for the newly recruited soldiers.

As Tian Yu's assistant, Chen Qun was also trying to stabilize the situation from his professional perspective. Since a large number of people had fled and abandoned fields were everywhere, he immediately led his team to conduct a land survey to facilitate future management and tax collection.

In addition, he mobilized the soldiers stationed in the city to cultivate the land near the city. It was the spring planting season, and if Pei Nan could become self-sufficient in some of its military rations, it would greatly alleviate the pressure on the rear supply transport.

On the other side, Guangling also began large-scale construction. Unlike the Northern Army Group, Guangling's construction focus was on military buildings.

Guangling Commandery, bordering the Yangtze River to the south and the Huai and Si Rivers to the north, served as a bridgehead for Liu Bei's army to conquer Jiangdong and was also the front line against Sun Ce's northward advance. This place would serve as Liu Bei's naval base for a long time to come, so it naturally needed to be well-developed.

Zhao Yun also demonstrated his military talent in a very short time. Not only did he begin rebuilding the water fortress upon arriving in Jiangdu, but he also designed a defense system for the river. Along the north bank of the Yangtze River, he selected various strategic locations to construct beacon towers and began establishing a rapid early warning system.

After appeasing the many wealthy families in Guangling, Chen Deng also came to Jiangdu to meet with Zhao Yun and discuss the next steps.

"General Zhao, has anything unusual happened these past few days? Also, what are your thoughts on the Yangtze River defense?"

Zhao Yun shook his head. Although he had met Chen Deng before when they served under Liu Bei, this was the first time the two of them had worked together like this, so Zhao Yun was a little uncomfortable.

The main reason for this discomfort was Chen Deng's attitude towards him.

Chen Deng was a very individualistic person in history. When he was serving as the governor of Guangling under Cao Cao, he helped Cao Cao recruit Chen Jiao and sent him to Xuchang. He said, "I often hear people in Xuchang gossiping and making fun of me, saying that Xuzhou is the gateway to the Central Plains and that a tiger general should be sent to guard it. If they can't send a tiger, they should send a dog. In the end, they sent a fox."

"That's too kind of you. The fox's tactics have been successfully used in warfare throughout history, but those without vision simply can't understand or learn them. Please ask Ji Bi to go to Xuchang to meet with Prime Minister Cao and hear if there are really so many people in Xuchang who are dissatisfied with me."

The people of Xudu were simply envious of Chen Deng's position, but they didn't dare to speak ill of him to Cao Cao directly. So they could only secretly curse Chen Deng as an opportunistic and arrogant man who looked down on others. Chen Jiao made a trip to Xudu and returned to report to Chen Deng: "It is indeed as you said. Many people in Xudu think you are quite arrogant and conceited."

After hearing this, Chen Deng said, "That's a completely heartless thing to say. Among people with strict family traditions and perfect virtues, I respect the brothers Chen Ji and Chen Chen (Chen Qun's father and uncle) the most; among people with high moral character, I respect Hua Xin the most; among people with integrity and righteousness, who hate evil as if it were their enemy, I respect Zhao Yu the most; and among people with outstanding heroes and the strategies of kings and hegemons, I respect Liu Bei the most."

"Ji Bi, look how good my judgment is. No matter what kind of person someone is, I can find their strengths and respect them. How could I be an arrogant person? It's just that everyone else is too useless, and I can't find their strengths even if I want to."

This shows that Chen Deng is truly arrogant; anyone who doesn't meet his standards is simply ignored.

Chen Deng now has some reservations about Zhao Yun. Although Zhao Yun has behaved properly and made no mistakes along the way, being proper and obedient is not enough to assist Liu Bei.

Chen Deng trusted Liu Bei's judgment. The fact that Liu Bei had chosen Chen Yuanlong from among so many people in Xuzhou to lead the campaigns showed just how good Liu Bei's eye was. At this moment, Chen Deng knew Zhao Yun was capable and believed in his abilities, but he didn't know the extent of those abilities. Therefore, his questioning of Zhao Yun carried a hint of testing.

Zhao Yun was a very perceptive person, and he immediately understood Chen Deng's meaning. After preparing his speech, he presented the intelligence he had received: "Prefect Chen, you see, the Jiangdu Water Fortress has been completely destroyed, and reconstruction work has been arranged. Next, I plan to expand it further on the existing foundation, striving to make the Jiangdu Water Fortress a forward base for future southward advances."

"In addition, I built beacon towers in various strategic locations to facilitate the observation of enemy positions. At the same time, I recruited ambitious young men who were familiar with swimming to join our army and build a real Yangtze River navy."

Zhao Yun held Chen Deng, a veteran figure in Liu Bei's army, in high esteem. After all, he had been away from the game for quite some time and only recently returned as a returning player. He had barely managed to become the Chancellor of Pengcheng based on his past experience. Furthermore, Zhao Yun's personality wasn't that of an assertive person, so it was absolutely impossible for him to show any displeasure towards Chen Deng.

Therefore, the military style of this army was quite different from the other two. It was different from the mutual respect between Tian Yu and Chen Qun, and also different from the clear division of labor between Guan Yu and Lu Bu. Zhao Yun, as the leader of this army, was actually suppressed by the second-in-command. Fortunately, both of them were staunch supporters of Liu Bei, otherwise, the internal strife alone would have made it impossible to carry out the construction of the defense of Guangling.

After listening to Zhao Yun's plan, Chen Deng didn't rush to a conclusion, but instead continued to ask about other aspects: "Anything else?"

"Hmm—the docks and shipyards need to be expanded further, especially for future southward advances. A large number of transport ships and heavy cargo ships need to be built to facilitate our army's rapid crossing of the river to transport troops. As for warships, our army should build more large warships and light boats. These ships are more maneuverable on the river and have a higher cost-performance ratio compared to large warships."

Chen Deng didn't know about other things, but he had tested the navy's skills, and Zhao Yun wasn't very good at naval warfare. But that wasn't surprising, since it's not easy to learn the intricacies of naval warfare without living near a major river or sea.