Liu Xuande would never be a succubus of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

"My Lord, please look at this."

Jia Xu pointed to Dai and Taiyuan counties on the map and said, "The Xianbei are heading south to plunder and seek revenge, so their first choice will be rich lands. Taiyuan County is rich in resources and relatively weak in defense."

"Their main force will surely depart from outside Dai County and attack Taiyuan under cover of darkness. Dingxiang County is merely sending a small force to contain them, to prevent us from raising an army and to cooperate with Taiyuan to encircle and intercept them."

After hearing this, Zhang Fei scratched his head and muttered, "These Xianbei dogs are quite cunning."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, and always felt that Jia Xu was playing a big chess game. It was very likely that he had come up with a bold plan when he saw the Xianbei on the mountain.

Sure enough, it is comfortable to have someone with a good brain around, and I don’t have to think too much.

Liu Bei slowly raised his head and looked at Jia Xu: "What countermeasures does Wenhe have?"

"Don't worry, my lord."

Jia Xu drew a circle in the air with his fan and said with a smile, "Your Excellency, please advise Governor Dong to leave you here to deploy the troops and hold your position. At the same time, you can ask Governor Dong to lead all the cavalry to Taiyuan, combine the forces and defenses of Taiyuan and Dai Commanderies, and wait for the Xianbei to attack."

"This is the way to deal with it. We just need to delay until our army arrives, and then we will be able to trap these Xianbei who have penetrated deep into the hinterland."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes flashed with approval. "This is a brilliant plan. If the Xianbei see us staying behind, they will surely think we've fallen into a trap. They will then launch an all-out attack on Dingxiang County, while Taiyuan can coordinate with Dai County and calmly deploy its defenses."

Jia Xu nodded: "The Xianbei have divided their forces into two groups, so we should use our remaining calm to control the enemy's movements and wait for them to tire themselves out."

Zhang Fei jumped up, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright! Let's do it! Brother, go ask Dong Zhuo for troops!"

Although Guan Yu didn't say anything, there was admiration in his eyes.

Liu Bei stood up, bowed, and said, "Wenhe's wisdom and strategy are extraordinary, and I admire him immensely. Let's follow this plan. Tomorrow morning, I will go to see General Dong Zhuo."

After saying that, he patted the bed beside him, and Jia Xu blinked and sat down obediently.

This night, some people were sleeping, while others were not.

-

at the same time.

In the Xianbei base camp, the night was dark and the fire was blazing.

Helai Tulele walked into the main tent in a disheveled manner, with a rough cloth wrapped around his face to cover the ear that was shot by Liu Bei. Blood was oozing out and his appearance was hideous.

He knelt on one knee and said in a hoarse voice, "Captain, Advisor, I am incompetent and failed to capture the Han camp."

The Xianbei leader was Lian Tiemu, who sat on a tiger-skin chair. He was tall and strong, with a rough face and a fierce look in his eyes.

Next to him stood the military advisor Urtu, a thin middle-aged man with a sinister look in his eyes, playing with a string of bone beads in his hands.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

It was Lian Tiemu who growled, his voice like muffled thunder.

Helai Tulele swallowed his saliva, not daring to lie, and said in a trembling voice:

"We surrounded several thousand Han troops and were about to annihilate them all when suddenly a blaze shot up from the mountain, drums roared, and shouts rang out. I mistakenly thought that Han reinforcements had arrived, so I didn't dare to fight any longer and... withdrew."

"You're a wimp!"

Wuertu narrowed his eyes, the bone bead twirling in his hand, making a clicking sound. "Firelight? Drum sounds? Haha, He Lai, based on these things, are you sure they're reinforcements from the Han army?"

Nonsense, if you have the guts, go ahead...

Helai Tulele suppressed his dissatisfaction and replied nervously: "It was too dark at that time, and I couldn't see the number of people clearly, but the momentum was so great that I'm afraid there were thousands of soldiers hiding."

Lian Tiemu slammed the table and stood up, shouting angrily, "Useless! The scouts have long known that the Han army has only a few thousand troops in Dingxiang County, and the main force is in Wuyuan and Yunzhong. Where will the reinforcements come from? This must be a Han tactic to confuse the enemy!"

Wuertu hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, calm down. Please don't forget our plan. Although we originally thought that Dong Zhuo would not react quickly and there would be a gap in her defense, it doesn't matter. She was simply too slow to react."

"At this moment, the Han army had not yet assembled and had limited manpower. They defeated the enemy with a small force and scared off the Lele. This shows that the generals of this Han army were quite resourceful."

Hearing this, Tiemu snorted coldly: "So what? The Han army has few soldiers, and we have tens of thousands of cavalry. Are we afraid of them?"

Wuertu shrugged and continued, "Your Majesty, the Han army may be small, but if they hold the city, we will suffer heavy losses if we attack by force."

"It is better to continue with the original plan and divide the troops into two routes. One route will directly attack Taiyuan and plunder the property; the other route will contain Junxiang and prevent the Han army from reinforcing."

A trace of greed flashed in Tiemu's eyes. "Taiyuan? Are you sure what those people said is credible? Will they open the city gate for us?"

"It doesn't matter even if those idiots are deceiving us, because the fact is that Taiyuan's defenses are weak. This is a good opportunity for us to strike."

Hearing this, Tiemu laughed heartily: "Okay! Let's follow the military advisor's plan!"

"Wait a minute, Chief," Helai Tulele said hurriedly, "Please send me as the vanguard again. I will definitely capture that Han general alive, skin him alive and eat him, to avenge my ear!"

Tiemu subconsciously glanced at the military advisor, who nodded slightly, and he immediately ordered:

"Okay, He Lai, you will lead 5,000 cavalry to attack Dingxiang County. Make sure to hold back the Han army and any reinforcements they may receive. I will personally lead the main force from Dai County and head straight for Taiyuan!"

"As you command! I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

Wuertu showed no excitement. He simply glanced at him calmly and said, "He Lai, remember that the Han army loves ambushes. Don't fall into them."

Helai Tulele touched his injured ear, a trace of resentment flashing in his eyes: "Don't worry, military advisor, I know what to do."

Bingzhou: Chapter 4: Jia Xu's Plan

The night in early spring was as dark as ink. On the mountain roads around Dingxiang County, the Xianbei cavalry was winding forward like a long snake.

The dull sound of horse hooves hit the ground, stirring up dust and dead grass. The five thousand cavalrymen looked exhausted in the moonlight.

Helai Tulele was riding on a tall horse. The wound on his ear was aching slightly. The blood had already soaked the rough cloth, leaving a dark red color.

He kept scratching that half of his ear with his hand, his nails digging into the flesh. He didn't even notice the blood flowing down his cheek. He just kept scratching, with crazy anger burning in his eyes.

"Damn Han general, how dare you shoot my ear!"

He gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, his voice hoarse and distorted, as if full of resentment squeezed from the depths of his throat.

The wound on his ear not only hurt, but also gave him a strange burning sensation, which made him feel even more uneasy.

The deputy general rode closer and saw that he looked unwell. He asked with concern, "Captain, are you okay?"

"Bullshit, what can happen to me!"

Helai Tulele suddenly turned his head and roared, with a hint of violence in his eyes.

He raised his hand and scratched it a few more times. Blood dripped through his fingers, staining the saddle red.

The deputy frowned and was about to persuade him again, but was interrupted by a rude wave of his hand, "How long will it take us to get there?"

The deputy general swallowed his saliva and said cautiously: "It's almost there. As long as we cross this mountain, we will see the Han camp."

"Very good," Helai Tulele grinned, his eyes showing an even more insane look. "I'm going to tear that Han general's head off this time!"

But before he could finish his words, he suddenly froze, his body trembled violently, and something seemed to be wriggling in the wound beside his ear.

He looked down and saw a faint trace of black gas coming out of the edge of the wound, and the tiny granulations were twisting as if they were alive.

The next second, his eyes were instantly bloodshot, and a beast-like growl came from his throat: "Roar——"

The deputy general was startled, and the warhorse under him neighed uneasily and retreated.

His eyes widened, and before he could react, Helai Tulele pounced on him like a tiger and bit his neck.

Blood gushed out, splashing all over Helai Tulele's face. Scarlet blood flowed down the corners of his mouth, looking hideous and terrifying.

"what--!"

The deputy general screamed and pushed desperately with his hands, but he couldn't move Helai Tulele at all.

Finally, he fell off his horse, twitched a few times on the ground, and then died.

The guards around were terrified and rushed forward to try to separate the two men, but just as they took a few steps closer, He Lai Tulele suddenly looked up and stared at them with bloodshot eyes.

At the same time, the fallen deputy general also struggled to get up, his eyes also full of bloodshot, a low roar came from his throat, and he turned around and pounced on the nearest soldier.

"Crazy! They are all crazy, run!" A guard exclaimed in a trembling voice.

"Someone is practicing witchcraft!" another man screamed, dropped his weapon, and ran away.

"Go and ask the High Priest for help!"

Someone tried to remain calm, but was immediately retorted: "Bullshit, the priests are all on the leader's side!"

Chaos spread like a tide, and the 5,000-strong cavalry force collapsed in an instant.

Helai Tulele and the deputy general who was bitten by him pounced on the surrounding Xianbei soldiers like wild beasts out of control and bit them madly.

Blood stained their armor and faces red. In the moonlight, their figures looked like demons crawling out of hell.

Some soldiers tried to resist, but when the swords pierced Helai Tulele's body, he felt no pain and instead counterattacked even more violently.

More people were afraid of the possible punishment from the leader and did not dare to kill, so they could only flee in a hurry.

Tramplings continued to occur in the team, screams and horse neighs were mixed together, and the smell of blood filled the mountain road.

In the darkness of night, this Xianbei army completely collapsed, like a pile of loose sand.

High up in the mountain, a Han soldier in charge of reconnaissance witnessed the entire strange scene.

His eyes widened as he muttered, "What...what's going on? Could it be that the military advisor can really predict the future?"

Then, without hesitation, he lit the torch in his hand, and the flame flickered on the top of the mountain, as dazzling as stars.

In the distance, the lookout tower in the Han army camp responded quickly, and the soldiers lit the beacon tower. Thick gray-white smoke rose into the sky and was clearly visible in the night sky.

All these movements seemed to foreshadow the coming of a bigger storm.

-

Inside the military tent, the firelight was warm and the aroma of tea lingered.

Liu Bei sat upright in the main seat, his blue shirt moved slightly and his brows were slightly furrowed.

Jia Xu stood in front of the map, gently waving a feather fan, his purple skirt swaying in the wind, with a faint smile on his face.

Zhang Fei sat to the side, legs crossed, playing with his spear, muttering, "These Xianbei thieves are such a bunch of losers! They're so slow to even launch a night raid."

Guan Yu stood quietly to one side, his white clothes as white as snow, his cold eyes swept across the map, and he remained silent.

A messenger hurried into the tent and knelt on one knee. "Report! Scouts on the mountain have discovered internal strife among the Xianbei troops. The team has completely collapsed, and there seem to be signs of poisoning and biting!"

Liu Bei was stunned when he heard this, and turned to look at Jia Xu, with a complicated look in his eyes.

Jia Xu, however, was unhurried. He placed a black chess piece in his hand on the map where the Xianbei cavalry were located. Then he looked up at Liu Bei and smiled charmingly: "My lord, I have already started the game for you. Please join me."

"?"

Liu Bei had not yet fully digested the military intelligence, and turned to look at Jia Xu with a somewhat inquiring look.

It is obvious that this extraordinary woman has already had a clear plan for the current situation.

The unrest within the Xianbei was far from a simple "madness", but more likely caused by a secret poison made by the Mohists in Yangzhou.

...The arrow that hit Helai Tulele's ear must have been the source of the poison, and this arrow was handed to him by Jia Xu.

Judging from her arrangements, she had calculated at least three things correctly: the Xianbei would divide their forces, Dong Zhuo would go to Taiyuan, and Helai Tulele would lead a small force to attack Dingxiang County.

If we say that Jia Xu has lived here for many years and knows the character and habits of the Xianbei people very well, and can therefore make precise plans based on their weaknesses, it is still plausible.

But how long had she been in Bingzhou? Not even a night!

How on earth did she come up with such a meticulous plan in such a short time?

As if he could guess Liu Bei's thoughts, Jia Xu gently waved his feather fan and said softly, "It's not that I'm hiding this intentionally. I was born in Wuwei County and am quite familiar with the customs of the Hu people. The poison on the arrow was just a casual trick I placed, and I'm not sure if it will work. But no matter what, staying here will definitely be safe."

There was a hint of luck in her words, but if she hadn't been careful at every step, how could the current situation have come about?

Dong Zhuo faced the main force of the Xianbei in Taiyuan and fought hard; however, the newly arrived Liu Bei was able to easily defeat the Xianbei's small army, and even later sent troops to Taiyuan to join forces with Dong Zhuo to attack the main force of the Xianbei.

Before the battle even started, the military achievement was already decided.

"My Lord, please do not hesitate," Jia Xu added with a faint smile when he saw Liu Bei was silent. "As the saying goes, if you don't take what Heaven gives you, you will suffer for it."

These words were like a heavy hammer, awakening Liu Bei's concerns.

He stood up suddenly, his eyes determined, "Alright! Wenhe will lead the troops to stay where they are. Second sister, third sister, follow me and lead our troops to fight!"

Zhang Fei jumped up, waving his snake spear excitedly. "Haha, I've been waiting for this! Xianbei bastards, wait and see how I'll deal with you!"

Guan Yu snorted coldly, raised his sword and stood up: "Quick and decisive, don't drag it out."

Jia Xu watched the three people leave, covering the corners of his lips with a feather fan, and a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

She lowered her head to look at the map and murmured, "A few military achievements mean nothing. My people, I have come this time to let Xuande's name resound throughout your plains. Please serve as my stepping stones."