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

Chapter 80 Stepping on the Brake

The most important Central Army Group, after leaving a portion of its troops to hold the rear, hurriedly rushed towards Yinling City, the capital of Jiujiang Prefecture, located approximately 40 kilometers south of the Huai River. This was not the most important point, however. Since Jiujiang had developed, Shouchun had replaced it as the political and economic center, and it had now degenerated into an ordinary city.

The situation in Jiujiang suddenly became complicated again. According to reports from scouts and vanguard troops, Sun Ce did not withdraw all his troops. He left a portion of his forces stationed in several county towns in the southeast of Jiujiang Commandery, and they were clearly determined to hold their ground. This was not surprising, because if even these cities were lost, Sun Ce would have to resort to amphibious assaults if he wanted to launch another northern expedition. Based on Lu Wan's extensive experience in amphibious assaults, which she had learned from fighting in the fields and on Iwo Jima, Lu Wan would admit defeat if Sun Ce's ships could even get close to the shore.

However, Lu Wan was now facing a headache as Sun Ce's men were playing like tortoises in the city. This meant that the strategic objectives of this operation had only been half achieved; they had only thwarted Liu Biao's plan to occupy all of Huainan, but had not been able to control the waterway flowing through Jiujiang. This meant that Liu Bei's army had to be prepared at all times for Sun Ce's land forces to land from there.

If possible, Lu Wan really didn't want to fight Sun Ce on land. Warfare is all about using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, and using numbers to overwhelm the few and the strong to bully the weak. Compared to a direct confrontation, Lu Wan was more optimistic about the previous economic offensive, directly draining Jiangdong's resources and seeing what Sun Ce could do then.

At this moment, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhang Liao, and Lu Wan were discussing their next plan in the camp. Guan Yu and the two Zhang generals still wanted to fight a real battle and drive Sun Ce back to Jiangdong once and for all.

"Our army will ignore the enemies in Quanjiao and Fuling. We will only send a portion of our troops to keep them from leaving the city, while the main force will attack this place directly," Zhang Liao said, pointing to a spot on the map.

"Liyang? Not a bad idea. Quanjiao and Fuling are too close, it's like two fortresses built together. No matter which one we attack first, the other will come to our aid, which is really difficult. If we attack Liyang first and cut off the retreat of Sun Ce's army, even if the enemies in these two cities have the ability to turn the tide, they won't be able to escape."

Guan Yu is currently the second most important military general in Liu Bei's army (Liu Bei is, of course, the most important), and he has a great deal of autonomy. However, he still doesn't have the power to directly attack an enemy that hasn't declared war. Therefore, Guan Yu's current goal is to first gain the support of the frontline generals, and then use that support to ask his elder brother for permission to attack.

He was very interested in Zhang Liao's plan and kept communicating with him to fill in any gaps. After a series of conversations, Guan Yu was quite satisfied with the plan, but before making a decision, he wanted to hear Lu Wan's opinion.

"Wen Yuan, what do you think?"

Lu Wan took a breath and said, "Yun Chang, don't you think we've made quite a stir these past few months?"

"The scale of this operation has indeed been quite large lately, but it's much better to attract attention than to sit idly by and watch these Han traitors grow stronger. Wen Yuan, don't you agree to attack Liyang?"

"Well, actually, I not only disagree with attacking Liyang, but I also don't plan to attack the other two cities. To be honest, I feel that at least half of the Han people are now focused on us, and the surrounding lords are all wary of us. If we provoke them too much and make them unite, it will not do us any good."

"Therefore, I propose that this advance should end here."

The three men exchanged glances after hearing this, but Guan Yu, as the commander of the Central Army Group, spoke first: "Wen Yuan, now is the best time. Sun Ce has just suffered a defeat and is recuperating, Liu Xun is filled with doubt and uncertainty, and Liu Biao is in internal strife. If we seize this opportunity to expand our advantage, our army will be unmatched. Once we miss this opportunity, and Sun Ce has stabilized his internal affairs and fortified the cities north of the Yangtze River, it will take many more lives to take those cities."

Guan Yu believed this was the best window of opportunity. If they could seize this chance to push Sun Ce to Jiangdong, they could save countless soldiers in the future.

In response to Guan Yu's viewpoint, Lu Wan also had his reasons: "I understand this principle as well. Who would want their soldiers to suffer as many casualties as possible? It's just that our army never planned to fight Sun Ce from the very beginning. There's no reason for us to start a war with other warlords just because the time is right now."

"War serves the purpose of governance. Our next strategic move is to launch an economic offensive against Jiangdong, taking into account the formidable strength of Sun Ce's army. If the plan goes smoothly, our army can throw Jiangdong into chaos without losing a single soldier, thus eliminating the issue of soldier casualties."

Such words had some effect on Guan Yu, but they were far from enough to persuade him.

"Wen Yuan, this is just a hypothetical scenario. What if Sun Ce doesn't take the bait and refuses to trade with us?"

"He certainly wouldn't be happy to trade with us, but the situation in Jiangdong is no longer up to him. After learning of Sun Ce's failed northern expedition, many powerful families began to move around, conspiring and plotting. The people of Jiangdong are also very dissatisfied with Sun Ce. First, he conscripted laborers in the dead of winter, and then the large-scale mobilization of manpower led to a labor shortage, delaying spring planting. At this time, Jiangdong is like a melting pot, and Sun Ce's primary task must be to find a way to cool down the situation."

"At the same time, after such a long stalemate, Jiangdong's strength has been further weakened. Without external intervention, it would be difficult for Sun Ce to recover on his own for two or three years. Given this situation, would he dare not to trade with us?"

Guan Yu nodded after listening, indicating that he agreed with this statement.

Next to speak was Zhang Fei, the second debater in this discussion. He chose to argue the importance of the offensive from another angle: "Although we sent the most troops this time, we have gained the least. We have only captured a mere four cities. If we give up now, and the soldiers feel confused and disappointed, and their morale is dampened, wouldn't that be too great a price to pay?"

Once again, I'm amazed at how Zhang Fei, who seems like a rough man, is actually incredibly shrewd. He immediately escalated the issue to the point that it might lead to a decline in the soldiers' morale.

This is indeed a tricky problem. Once a person's enthusiasm declines, it's very difficult to raise it again. For example, if a recent college graduate starts looking for a job or preparing for an exam right away, there's not much of a problem. But if they lie around for two years after graduation, it becomes very difficult to get them to work or take a certification exam.

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