Three Kingdoms: Daily settlement helps Liu Bei revive the Shu Han dynasty.

Now,

Jian Yong, acting on Liu Bei's orders, escaped from Tian Kai's army.

He originally intended to head south to Xuzhou to join Liu Bei.

But halfway there, they unexpectedly received a secret letter from Liu Bei.

Jian Yong opened it and took a look.

He was stunned for a moment.

He then shook his head with a wry smile and muttered to himself, "Xuande, Xuande, you really treat me like a beast of burden..."

But complaints aside

Without hesitation, he ordered the coachman, "Change course, go to Yanzhou!"

Jian Yong went to Taishan County.

When Jian Yong first entered Taishan County, he did not feel anything unusual.

But once they entered the territory of Jiyin County, they sensed that something was amiss.

"These gentry families in Yanzhou seem to be living a life of peace and prosperity, with constant gatherings, but there's always a sense of mystery about them..." Jian Yong thought to himself.

This feeling became clearer the closer we got to Dongjun.

Jian Yong couldn't help but recall what Liu Bei had said in his letter, instructing him to investigate whether the gentry of Yanzhou intended to support Lü Bu.

Jian Yong didn't have many other skills, but he was adept at reading people and engaging in conversation.

He prepared generous gifts.

He carefully selected a minor local clan in Dongjun and quickly became acquainted with the clan leader.

At a family dinner, Jian Yong got the other party completely drunk and finally extracted crucial information from him.

The clan chief, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, put his arm around Jian Yong's shoulder and mumbled:

"My dear brother... do you know that Chen Gongtai is secretly contacting Zhang Miao, the Prefect of Chenliu, and Xu Si, the Attendant Gentleman, to welcome Lü Bu into Yanzhou!"

"At this moment, Lü Bu is hiding outside Puyang City in Dongjun, waiting only for Chen Gong's order, at which point all the counties and prefectures of Yanzhou will simultaneously raise their flags in rebellion against Cao Cao!"

Jian Yong was terrified, but he remained calm and made the other man drink several more bowls of wine.

Once back at his lodgings, he finally dropped all pretense, revealing an expression of excitement and surprise.

"How did Xuande, who was far away in Xuzhou, come to know about the upheaval in Yanzhou?"

"He certainly doesn't possess such profound foresight on his own; he must have received guidance from some master!"

but no matter,

The current situation is extremely favorable to Liu Bei!

Jian Yong dared not delay and immediately dispatched someone with urgent speed to send the intelligence to Xuzhou.

Just as Jian Yong's messenger was traveling day and night,

Chen Gong and Zhang Miao finally made their move!

Chen Gong raised his arm and called out, and the gentry and powerful families from all over Yanzhou responded one after another.

To know,

Most of the officials, both high and low, in Yanzhou came from the gentry class.

They were the opposite,

This basically means the entire bureaucratic system in Yanzhou has rebelled!

Xun Yu and Cheng Yu, whom Cao Cao left behind in the rear, are probably in for a lot of trouble.

.........

That morning,

Liu Bei, accompanied by Lu Yong, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Zhao Yun, arrived at the city wall to observe the situation.

Because the scouts came to report...

It is said that Cao Cao's army has come out in full force, carrying all kinds of siege equipment, which seems to indicate that they are preparing for a full-scale attack on the city.

But they had only been on the city wall for a short time.

Xu Sheng approached Liu Bei with a letter in his hand and said, "My lord, there's a secret letter from Yanzhou!"

Liu Bei immediately recognized the message as coming from Jian Yong and quickly reached out to take it.

He unwrapped the sealing wax, quickly glanced through it, and was immediately stunned.

A moment later,

He suddenly looked up at Lu Yong, his face showing an expression of as if he had seen a god.

"Brother, what's going on?" Zhang Fei asked anxiously, scratching his head.

Liu Bei was brought back to his senses by Zhang Fei's shout, and then handed over the letter.

Zhang Fei took the letter, and Guan Yu and Zhao Yun both joined in.

The three of them read it quickly, skimming through it.

They exclaimed in unison, "Lu Bu actually launched a surprise attack on Yan Province?!"

Zhang Fei stared at Lu Yong, his face full of shock, and said, "Amazing! Huai'an, you've really got something!"

Zhao Yun, with a look of admiration, clasped his hands and said, "With Huai'an's assistance, Lord Xuande, what is there to worry about in achieving your great cause!"

Liu Bei smiled and exclaimed, "Huai'an's strategic thinking is truly admirable! I admire him!"

Lu Yong quickly returned the courtesy humbly, saying, "Your Highness is too kind. I was just lucky."

Xu Sheng was still a bit confused, not knowing what had happened.

Seeing this, Liu Bei patiently explained it to him.

Now it was Xu Sheng's turn to be dumbfounded.

After a brief commotion,

Lu Yong gestured for him to stop, then changed the subject, saying, "Right now, we should be thinking about how to leave Cao Cao with an 'unforgettable' memory."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately perked up.

Zhang Fei, quick to speak, was the first to ask, "If Cao Cao dares to retreat, we should just chase after him and beat him while he's down. We can at least skin him alive!"

Guan Yu shook his head and said, "Cao Cao is skilled in warfare; how could he not be wary of pursuers?"

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then turned to Lu Yong and asked, "Strategist, what is your opinion?"

Lu Yong was prepared and replied, "When Cao Cao's army withdraws from Xuzhou, they will be on guard, and it is even possible that Cao Cao will personally cover their retreat."

If we chase after them now, we'll likely be met with a crushing defeat.

However, once Cao Cao's army entered Yanzhou territory, they would consider themselves safe.

In their eagerness to return and provide assistance, they will certainly lower their guard.

If our army seizes this opportunity to launch a surprise attack, we will surely catch them completely off guard!

"That makes sense!!" Liu Bei wholeheartedly agreed.

However, Lu Yong suddenly changed the subject, saying, "But Cao Cao is cunning. To completely lower his guard, we need to actually chase after him first!"

"Does the strategist mean to feign a pursuit?" Zhao Yun asked.

"It's not a pretense, it's a real pursuit. But we can't be the ones to stick our necks out."

"Huh?" Liu Bei and the others were a little confused, not understanding what Lu Yong was plotting.

A sly glint flashed in Lu Yong's eyes as he asked, "What do you think will happen when the Xuzhou army learns that Cao Cao's rear has been attacked and that he is about to retreat?"

Zhang Fei was the first to react: "Cao Bao will definitely rush after him before we do!"

"Oh! You actually saw right through me, Third Master!" Lu Yong was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Zhang Fei would be the first to understand his intention.

"Hahaha!" Zhang Fei laughed loudly, patted Lu Yong on the shoulder, and said:

"You look like a handsome young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but you're actually quite cunning... but I like you!"

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhao Yun finally realized what was happening.

Their arrival seriously threatened Cao Bao's status, power, and interests.

Cao Bao had long disliked them.

Therefore, the open and covert struggles, scheming, and backstabbing never stopped.

Since that's the case, why not expose a weakness in him and let him steal the "first credit"?

Once Cao Bao has been killed, they can then clean up the mess. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?

"Excellent plan!" Liu Bei exclaimed, slapping the table in approval. He then asked, "Strategist, why don't you devise the plan?"

Lu Yong nodded and said to Guan Yu:

"General Guan, you will lead a thousand of your troops to ambush at Kangfu Pass in Taishan County."

"In the land of Kangfu, two mountains stand side by side, making it impossible for carriages to travel side by side or for riders to ride side by side."

The terrain there was treacherous, and it was the only way for Cao Cao's army to return north to Yanzhou, making it the perfect place for an ambush.

However, Cao Cao's vanguard and central armies were to let them pass, only intercepting their rear guard to avoid a counterattack.

Guan Yu stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "I've got it."

Lu Yong then looked at Zhao Yun: "General Zilong,

You will lead five hundred cavalrymen to Kangfu, but you need not join forces with General Guan.

You may choose your own hiding place.

When General Guan ambushed Cao Cao's rear guard...

You then attack from the flank.

Charged into Cao Cao's supply train.

Set fire to their food!

"We must ensure that they don't bring back a single grain of grain they plundered from Xuzhou to Yanzhou!"

Zhao Yun clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I understand!"