readytorunbook Chapter 415 Guan Yu Looks Eastward to Jingzhou
Chapter 415 Guan Yu Looks Eastward to Jingzhou
In an era when the recommendation system for filial piety and integrity was highly valued, the criteria for evaluating a person included not only their official rank but also their reputation among the common people and their influence among the gentry.
To give a simple example, before the Battle of Xiangfan, Sun Quan's official position recognized by the court was only General Who Subdues Barbarians and Governor of Kuaiji, without even a noble title. Guan Yu, on the other hand, was personally appointed by Cao Cao as the Marquis of Hanshou in the name of the emperor. His official position and title were much higher than Sun Quan's. But can you say that Guan Yu's influence was greater than Sun Quan's at that time?
Even if Sun Quan held a minor official position, he was still the ruler of Jiangdong, a regional warlord with tens of thousands of troops who could directly influence the situation of the world.
The same is true now. Although Lu Xun has been promoted to acting Grand Commander of Eastern Wu and has become the number one in the Wu army, he has not yet achieved any outstanding results since he just took office, so he is not taken seriously by Guan Yu.
But Lü Dai is different. Lü Dai is the same age as Guan Yu, and his resume is so rich that it could fill a book. He is now the governor of Jiaozhou, a powerful figure in the region. More importantly, Lü Dai's capture would directly affect the situation in Jiaozhou. If Shi Xie knew that Lü Dai would not be able to return, he might rebel on the spot.
If Shi Xie, as the ruler of Jiaozhou, were to betray Sun Quan and declare independence at this time, or directly lead his army north to join the war, it would be a fatal variable for the already chaotic situation in Jingzhou.
Upon learning of Lü Dai's capture, Guan Yu could no longer maintain his composure and completely broke down, staring at Deng Hong with a shocked expression as he asked again, "Are you sure?"
Deng Hong trembled under Guan Yu's gaze and said nervously, "My lord, please don't be agitated. Lü Dai hasn't been captured yet, but he has indeed arrived at Wushang. The young general ordered General Shen Yi to support Wushang while also ordering the navy to sail south to Yongning and Wang Tao to infiltrate Hanxing. It's clear that they are aiming to capture Lü Dai alive. If the navy and Wang Tao can arrive at the designated location in time, Lü Dai will have no chance of escape."
Then there's no way out. Guan Xing has fought several battles and has accumulated rich experience in encirclement and annihilation warfare. In addition, the terrain in Fujian is complex and easy to block. As long as Zhou Xun's navy and Wang Tao's Yue tribes reach the designated location, Lü Dai will not be able to escape.
That's Lu Dai, the governor of Jiaozhou! Capturing a governor of a prefecture is much more difficult than capturing a general of a region. The influence of capturing such a powerful regional official is also much greater than that of capturing the enemy's general.
Even the governor in charge of the rear has been captured. What hope does your regime have?
Thinking of the impact of capturing Lü Dai alive, Guan Yu's beautiful beard trembled with excitement, and Wang Fu was equally excited, his whole body shaking. He wanted to say something to express his excitement, but he accidentally bit his tongue, and bit it so hard that he almost cried.
Wang Fu, enduring the pain, said, "My lord, Lü Dai's status is special; you must personally come to greet him."
"And then there's Shi Xin. Shi Xin was a hostage that Shi Xie sent to Sun Quan. Now that he's in our hands, we must appease him properly and have him write a letter to Shi Xie, promising on behalf of the king that Shi Xie will not pursue the matter of Yong Kai, thereby persuading him to surrender."
Shi Xie also had a grudge against Liu Bei. Not only did Shi Xie side with Sun Quan in the struggle between Liu Bei and Sun Quan, but he also contacted Yong Kai, a powerful clan in southern China, to betray Liu Bei and join Wu when he sent his son Shi Xin to Sun Quan as a hostage.
Yong Kai was the patriarch of the Yong clan, the most powerful clan in southern China, and also Meng Huo's elder brother. Historically, Meng Huo responded to his call to rebel, which led to Zhuge Liang capturing and releasing him seven times.
Liu Bei is still alive, and Yong Kai has not yet raised the banner of rebellion, but he is actively preparing in private and is becoming increasingly arrogant and unruly. The reason why Yong Kai dares to do this is because he has Shi Xie backing him up.
So although Yong Kai hasn't rebelled yet, Liu Bei and Shi Xie have already formed a grudge. Shi Xie won't dare to surrender to Liu Bei until this matter is resolved.
Upon hearing Wang Fu's suggestion, Guan Yu quickly calmed down and paced back and forth in thought. After a long while, he said, "What you say makes a lot of sense, but I don't intend to make any promises to Shi Xie. Peace achieved through compromise and negotiation is useless; we still have to fight."
"Moreover, the most important thing right now is that Sun Quan is not Shi Xie. As long as we defeat Sun Quan and take back Jingzhou, Shi Xie will naturally submit a letter of surrender. So there is no need to be subservient to him."
"If Shi Xie takes the initiative to surrender after Jingzhou is taken back, Your Majesty will be magnanimous and let him go. If he still wants to hold onto his troops and dominate Jiaozhou, then let Anguo lead his troops there."
He could not possibly go on an expedition to Jiaozhou. The mountains there were high and the roads were long and the pits were deep. Just getting there would take half his life. He was also too old to run. Naturally, he could not do such a thankless task. But he had a great son. He could just send Guan Xing to Jiaozhou and see if Shi Xie was afraid.
Wang Fu: "..."
You really never let your son have a moment's peace.
However, to be fair, Guan Xing nowadays would be someone even Cao Cao would have to treat with caution, let alone Shi Xie.
With such an outstanding son comparable to Huo Qubing, Guan Yu naturally had the confidence to put Shi Xie in his place.
Wang Fu pondered, "Your Excellency is right. The most urgent matter right now is Sun Quan. Moreover, judging from the unusual mobilization of the Wei army, Cao Ren is very likely to have learned of Lu Xun's capture before us and turned east to fight for Jiangling."
Guan Yu's expression changed slightly, and he turned around abruptly. He stared at the map for a moment, then raised his finger and pointed to the location of Yi County in Lingyang, saying, "If what you said is true, and Cao Ren turns around to attack Sun Quan's Qiufeng, he is very likely to build a defensive line in these two places to block us, and may also send troops to attack Yu Han to prevent Anguo from entering Yuzhang."
"As for Zhou Tai's 20,000 Wu troops in Chaisang, Cao Ren could easily order Xu Huang and Xiahou Shang in Xiangyang to lead their troops eastward to join forces with him in a pincer attack. The Wu army suffered a crushing defeat and their morale was completely shattered. If Cao Ren really joined forces with Xu Huang and Xiahou Shang to attack from the east and west, Zhou Tai would definitely not be able to withstand it. As long as Zhou Tai is eliminated, Cao Ren can march his troops to Jiangling and seize the city before us."
In summary, Cao Ren would establish a defensive line in the Lingyang-Yixian area to block Guan Yu, then attack Yu Han to block Guan Xing. As long as he could hold Lingyang-Yixian and then take down Yu Han, he could completely block the Guan family father and son in Jiangdong, preventing them from interfering in Jingzhou. Then, together with Xu Huang and Xiahou Shang, he could eliminate Zhou Tai and take Jiangling directly.
Cao Ren was the highest-ranking and most powerful general in Cao Wei, and he was qualified to mobilize Xu Huang and Xiahou Shang to complete this strategic deployment.
Thinking of this, Guan Yu felt a little anxious. If Cao Ren really captured Jiangling, it would be a long time before he and Liu Bei could reunite.
There is only one way to take Jiangling back from Cao Ren: to break through Cao Ren's defenses head-on and completely defeat his army before Cao Ren captures Jiangling.
But Cao Ren's defensive capabilities...
Thinking back to the Battle of Xiangfan, when Cao Ren led his soldiers to eat grass roots and tree bark, and used door planks as boats to fight him to the death, Guan Yu felt a sense of helplessness.
Cao Ren's defensive abilities are truly amazing.
More importantly, Cao Ren's army also had nearly 10,000 cavalry, and the Poyang Lake Plain was flat and difficult to attack.
Wang Fu said, "Cao Ren might not need to attack Zhou Tai. He could just write a letter and Zhou Tai would probably collapse. Zhou Tai is a general from humble origins who was promoted by Sun Quan. He would most likely not surrender without Sun Quan's orders. But what about his generals, and what about Lü Fan who has been stationed in Chaisang?"
"Moreover, Sun Quan might surrender. After this battle, Sun Quan's elite troops have been wiped out, and he has lost the capital to contend for the world. Surrender is his only option. Do you think he will surrender to Liu Bei or Cao Cao?"
Guan Yu fell silent. If he were Sun Quan, he would definitely surrender to Cao Cao, because surrendering to Liu Bei would mean serving as a minister in the same court as Guan Yu, and Guan Yu was the last person Sun Quan wanted to see.
The feud between Guan Yu and Sun Quan ran deep. Back then, Sun Quan took the initiative to propose marriage to Guan Yu, but Guan Yu insulted him with the words, "How can a tiger's daughter marry a dog's son?" Subsequently, Sun Quan crossed the river in disguise to retaliate, and then Guan Yu seized Jianye, destroying the Sun family's three-generation foundation.
What would happen if the two met under these circumstances? Guan Yu would definitely say to Sun Quan, "You think you're so great? You crossed the river in white robes, why aren't you showing off now?"
Even if Guan Yu didn't say anything sarcastic, Sun Quan couldn't stand Guan Yu's arrogant expression and condescending gaze.
Guan Yu's act of retaking Jianye made Sun Quan a typical example of someone who tried to show off but ended up getting beaten instead. If you were Sun Quan, would you be willing to face Guan Yu?