Three Kingdoms: Let Yuan Shen be great again

More than 1,600 years later, Ma Zi once said: "The world is material, matter is in motion, and motion is governed by laws."

This means that when Yuan Yao was at a disadvantage, no matter how much he jumped around and even used the terrible idea of ​​taking a concubine on the spot, just to show his determination to the people of Wancheng, he still had very limited effect.

The main battlefield in Wancheng was ultimately a situation where the enemy was stronger and we were weaker. Yuan Yao was not a shaman priest who could cast bloodlust spells. His verbal attacks were purely verbal attacks, which could only delay the speed of his own defeat.

Similarly, when Guan Yu beheaded Ling Cao and killed Xu Kun, effectively killing the Jiangdong army, and with Cao Xing's ambush troops taking advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack, also killing Chen Wu, and ultimately capturing or killing more than 6,000 people, the balance of power in the entire battle was instantly reversed. It was now Sun Ce's turn to frantically try to salvage the situation.

Inside Wancheng, Yuan Yao leaned back in his Grand Commander's seat, his expression as relaxed as if he had just hummed a tune:

"Ah, that feels so good!"

Next to him lay the Hefei battle report, which he had read countless times but still couldn't help but savor repeatedly.

The main reason is that the results of this battle were too amazing.

Sun Ce paid a heavy price for his carelessness and underestimation of the enemy. He never expected that the Zhong clan would have Guan Yu, a warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men, who actually performed a feat of taking the head of a general from among ten thousand soldiers, completely wiping out his detachment.

Now things are really messed up. Not only has Sun Ce's plan to take Huainan by attacking from two directions completely failed, but more importantly, Zhong's northern army could cut off his rear at any time. If they attack from both sides, his main force in Jiangdong will also be in great danger.

Sun Ce now faces only two paths.

First, before Cao Xing and Guan Yu arrive, retreat in disgrace. The price is that Yuan Yao will definitely entangle them during the retreat, and it's hard to say how far they can escape.

Second, they should take a desperate gamble, pinning all their hopes on capturing Wancheng before Zhongshi's northern army returns, thus turning defeat into victory.

In my personal opinion, Yuan Yaoju wholeheartedly welcomes Sun Ce choosing the second path.

After all, he had tried everything to boost morale in order to win this battle to defend Wancheng. Now that the whole city of Wancheng was united and the atmosphere was so good, it would be a great pity not to fight.

Unfortunately, Yuan Yao knew that Sun Ce was not stupid. This little conqueror of Jiangdong was cunning and would definitely choose the wisest course of action.

In high spirits and with nothing else to do, Yuan Yao decided to put on two layers of armor and go to the city wall to take a look.

Upon reaching the city wall, they found Zhang Xun there as well, holding a long, cylindrical silver object and squinting as he looked ahead.

This thing was naturally Yuan Yao's masterpiece. He found a batch of crystals of excellent quality in Yuan Shu's estate, and after repeated experiments by craftsmen, he finally managed to make a crude monocular telescope.

Yuan Yao patted Zhang Xun on the shoulder: "Zhang Qing, how's the situation?"

"There's been no movement yet." Zhang Xun gritted his teeth and said, "Rest assured, Grand Commander, I will keep a close watch on them these next few days. If Sun Ce shows even the slightest sign of retreating, we will pursue them!"

In the past two weeks, Zhang Xun had suffered more than a dozen defeats at the hands of Sun Ce. Now that he finally had a chance to get revenge, he was determined to make his way back.

"No rush," Yuan Yao said with a smile. "Xu Kun's army has almost fallen apart, with only two thousand remnants remaining at most. Their defeat report may not have reached Sun Ce yet."

Yuan Yao was very patient because the current situation was very clear: the advantage was on his side, and the longer Sun Ce, who was deep in enemy territory, dragged things out, the more disadvantageous it would be.

It's a pity Yuan Yao couldn't see Sun Ce's reaction upon receiving the news of defeat up close; otherwise, he would have definitely given him a good dressing down.

Where is your enthusiasm?

"Where is your soul form?"

"So you're calling yourself Jiangdong Little Whiteboard?!"

But what happened next was somewhat beyond Yuan Yao's expectations.

The next day, Sun Ce remained inactive.

On the third day, Sun Ce remained inactive.

On the fourth day, Cao Xing's vanguard had already reached the vicinity of Wan City, but Sun Ce still did not move his troops.

"Have they lost their minds after such a defeat?" Yuan Yao asked, puzzled. Sun Ce must know that Xu Kun had been defeated and killed, but his army neither left nor fought. They just stayed in place, staring at each other in Wancheng.

Could it be a bluff, with them actually having already secretly evacuated?

Try launching an attack.

Wait, that's not right!

The main players are all here; they haven't left!

After suffering a minor defeat, Yuan Yao was certain that Sun Ce was still outside the city, and he felt a mix of joy and worry.

On the bright side, Sun Ce's actions were clearly suicidal. Once Cao Xing, Guan Yu, and others arrived, they could directly cut off his retreat with elite troops. At that point, it would be good if he could at least escape with his life.

On the downside, with spring plowing about to begin in March, Sun Ce's army is still blocking the way, which will definitely have a significant impact on agricultural production in Lujiang. Every day of delay is a day of loss.

"Forget it," Yuan Yao shook his head. "It's already pretty good that we were able to beat Sun Ce this time. What more could we ask for?"

however--

Two days later, with the return of Cao Xing, Guan Yu, and others, Yuan Yao also received another piece of news that terrified him.

"What? Jiangdong is mobilizing urgently and redeploying troops? The first batch of reinforcements has already appeared on the Yangtze River?"

Yuan Yao was stunned.

It turns out that Sun Ce stayed here not because he was furious about the crushing defeat of his flanking force, but because he didn't follow the two paths Yuan Yao had suggested. Instead, he chose a third path: raise the stakes and go all in!

Although the Jiangdong army suffered heavy losses in the first battle, it still had the strength to continue fighting desperately.

Even this expedition was only launched to suppress opposition forces within Jiangdong, and only a portion of the troops were deployed.

Now Sun Ce is determined to fight Yuan Yao to the death, even if it means trouble in the rear. He will draw all available troops to fight Yuan Yao along the Wankou Pass that he has already broken through!

What should we do?

Upon returning to Wancheng, Liu Ye said without hesitation, "Sue for peace."

Everyone was astonished: "A sue for peace?"

Liu Ye's analysis was very rational: "In this battle, we have thwarted Sun Ce's attempt to annex Huainan. He suffered heavy losses and is unable to fight any longer. Why not seek peace? If we do not seek peace, what good will it do to continue to fight Sun Ce to the death? We do not have the strength to take over Jiangdong. Even if we win, it will be a waste of time. It is better to take the initiative to back down and let Sun Ce leave."

After thinking about it carefully, everyone realized that it made sense.

But then I thought, it would be too humiliating to have to bow down and beg for peace after winning such a great victory.

But Liu Ye's words do make sense. Sun Ce was not a pushover. The epic victory in the Battle of Hefei was a stroke of luck. Under normal circumstances, a deadly fight between the two sides would only result in mutual destruction, with neither side gaining anything.

Then... let's settle?

"Wait!" Yuan Yao, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly raised his hand, interrupting the discussion.

Yuan Yao admitted that Liu Ye was absolutely right. The best solution for Zhong's army at the moment was indeed to give way and let Sun Ce leave. After this crushing defeat, Sun Ce would definitely not want to retake Huainan in the short term.

But what about the reverse?

What is the optimal solution for Sun Ce?

The whole family, young and old, rushed in, selling everything they owned to fight Zhong's army.

No! Let alone whether he can win, even if he does win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. He will not be able to recover for several years and will have to withdraw from the competition for the world. And that is under the ideal scenario that there is no trouble in Jiangdong's rear.

Therefore, Sun Ce's optimal solution was also to honestly retreat, rescue the 20,000 main force trapped under Wan City, and return to Jiangdong to slowly lick his wounds.

The question is, since everyone's optimal solution is the same, why should Zhong's side have to back down first?

In matters of seeking peace, the party that takes the initiative will always suffer a loss; there is no doubt about that.

Liu Ye asked, "So, what does Young Master plan to do?"

"No rush," Yuan Yao shook his head and said, "Let me tell you a story called the Coward's Game."