Chapter 23: Han Xing's Intelligence Retreats from Jingzhou! Li Yu Again Proposes Taking Hanzhong!

  But the news of Liu Bei's defeat in Hanzhong had just reached Li Yu, who was overjoyed because with this victory, according to Liu Biao's temperament, he would definitely withdraw his troops! At this time, Li Yu went to retreat Liu Biao's Jingzhou army, and it can be said that the situation is under control.

  Liu Bei's army, led by him, was now triumphantly returning to Chengdu Prefecture, singing and cheering. Liu Bei stroked his double-edged sword, feeling even more spirited and proud! Chen Gong saw this and advised Liu Bei, "My lord, you should not be so reckless in the future! You can't keep taking risks on the front lines!" Tian Feng also chimed in, "Your Majesty, throughout history, gentlemen do not stand under a precarious wall. Your Majesty must not continue to act so rashly!" Liu Bei listened to his two military advisors and reluctantly sheathed his sword, knowing they were looking out for his well-being.

  As it turned out, someone had already arrived to welcome Liu Bei's triumphant return. Lu Shu had received the news of Liu Bei's victory and immediately led a group of civil and military officials from Chengdu Prefecture to greet him seventy miles outside the city. Liu Bei ordered, "All of you, dispense with formalities and follow me into the city!" After entering the city, Liu Bei was overjoyed and commanded his army to slaughter cattle and sheep to celebrate their victory.

  The civil and military officials were both sad and happy when they met again. They were sad because the battle had resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of soldiers from Yi Province, but they were also joyful because they had won three battles in a row, and the great Yang army's prestige was now known throughout the land! However, these matters are not worth elaborating on.

  That night, Li Yu and Wang Xue discussed military affairs in the middle of the army. Wang Xue said to Li Yu: "Husband, our Yizhou army has won several victories in a row, things are going well, and we have the advantage of terrain, it's easy to defend and hard to attack. Moreover, the land of Yizhou is fertile and the people live in peace. Today, Liu Biao occupies Jingzhou, but historically, Jingzhou was given to our brother Liu Bei! Why don't we take this opportunity to capture Jingzhou, then let our soldiers disperse and farm during peacetime, gather and fight during wartime? We can attack when we have the upper hand, defend when we are weak, and slowly accumulate strength. Wouldn't it be better not to give Cao Cao a chance to take Jingzhou?" Li Yu smiled and said: "Although taking Jingzhou is a good opportunity now, Liu Biao has been in control of Jingzhou for many years, we can't underestimate him! Besides, this is not just a simple matter of taking Jingzhou." Wang Xue asked: "Why is that?" Li Yu continued: "Liu Biao is a famous person, and the clans in Jingzhou strongly support him. His military advisor, Kuai Yue, is good at using troops and strategy. Since Liu Biao took control of Jingzhou, he has been recruiting soldiers and gathering resources, repairing cities and building forts, and now has tens of thousands of soldiers. In the previous battle between Sun Ce and Liu Bei, Kuai Yue almost killed Sun Ce with his strategy, showing that he is a clever and resourceful person who should not be underestimated. If our army fights against Jingzhou's army, it will be difficult to defend ourselves if Jiangdong's Sun Ce takes advantage of the situation to attack Jingzhou, or if Dong Zhuo takes advantage of the situation to attack Yizhou. There are also many other lords waiting in secret. Observing the situation, if the war drags on and our soldiers suffer heavy casualties... Although our Yizhou army is getting stronger and more confident, apart from my brothers Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xu Huang, Zhang Ren, Yan Yan, and the newly surrendered Gao Shun and Ji Yi, there are only a few other capable generals under my command. As for civil officials, we have military advisors like Guo Jia, Chen Gong, Fa Zheng, Huang Quan, and Tian Feng! Lu Zhi is too old to lead an army in battle now, but he can still serve as a guardian. Zhang Song, Guo You, and others are also capable of defending." Wang Xue smiled and said: "Husband, let's just forget about Liu Biao's provocations for now!" Li Yu said: "Liu Biao is after all a member of the Han royal family and a brother of our brother Liu Bei. In this chaotic world, he is still more reliable than Sun Ce! If I were to say something boastful, with our army's continuous victories, Liu Biao would have to obey us completely. Now that he occupies Jingzhou, he is afraid that we will take it from him!" Wang Xue saw this and said: "Things in the world are always changing, husband, don't think too optimistically! Our arrival has disrupted the historical pattern!" Li Yu hugged Wang Xue tightly and said: "Wife, just be at ease, no matter what happens, as long as you are by my side, I am happy! When we arrive at Xiakou Pass, we will meet with Zhang Fei, and Liu Biao will definitely retreat." Wang Xue leaned into Li Yu's arms and said: "Husband, you're so great! Since you have a plan in mind, let's go to Xiakou Pass and meet with Zhang Fei. What do you think?" Li Yu also agreed with Wang Xue's suggestion. That night, he ordered the three armies to set out immediately, heading straight for Xiakou Pass!

  At this time, the military advisor of Jingzhou, Jing Liang, said to Liu Biao: "This time we are stationed at Xiaomeng Pass, and there are two major things to do. First, if Dong Zhuo and Zhang Lu's allied forces win, you can take advantage of the situation and send troops to rescue Yizhou, but in fact, it is to take it for yourself. Liu Bei wants to block it, but he can't even if he wants to, so he can only dispatch Zhang Fei to guard Xiaomeng Pass. Although Zhang Fei is invincible in battle, he is still a brave but not cunning general. Second, we must have a countermeasure to avoid being caught off guard. Li Yu knows that you are colluding with Dong Zhuo and will come from Yizhou to Jingzhou through Xiaomeng Pass. This pass may not be big, but it is the throat of the land. The main general of Xiaomeng Pass, Zhang Fei, is a famous general of his time, but he is still a brave but not cunning general, so we don't have to worry too much about him." Liu Biao smiled and said: "Military advisor, you are indeed wise and knowledgeable, I will let you take charge of all military affairs from now on. You can dispatch troops as you see fit, and anyone who disobeys your orders will be punished according to military law!" The people of Jingzhou all agreed with this decision. Military advisor Jing Liang did not hesitate and ordered: "Pass the order to General Cai Mao to add 100,000 troops to Xiaomeng Pass and station them under General Wen Ping's command!" He quickly ran out of Liu Biao's mansion to pass on the order. When Cai Mao received the order, he was reluctant to obey, but when he saw that the messenger had added a sentence saying that this was an order from Liu Biao himself, and that anyone who disobeyed would be punished according to military law, he had no choice but to comply. He said: "Since it is the lord's command, I will obey." And then he passed on the order to his deputy general Zhang Yun. Zhang Yun replied with a "Yes sir!" and quickly set off to mobilize the troops. Cai Mao also went out of the camp and followed Jing Liang's orders to transport grain and fodder to Xiaomeng Pass and deliver it to Wen Ping. He prepared five large carts full of grain and fodder, and ordered the 100,000-strong army to transport them to Xiaomeng Pass. The troops gathered in less than three days, and then Cai Mao ordered them to hurry up and take the carts to Wen Ping's camp outside Xiaomeng Pass.

  One hundred thousand troops arrived at the foot of Xiamen Pass Castle on this day, and at that time, Xiamen Pass was still closed, with soldiers densely packed on the city wall. Since Zhang Fei received Li Yu's order not to fight against Liu Bei's Jingzhou army until the last moment, he sent someone to guard Yangping Pass in the afternoon of that day. On the other hand, Zhang Fei's military advisor, Huang Quan, was also supervising Zhang Fei to abstain from alcohol. This period was the most depressing for Zhang Fei, who felt so depressed that he wanted to scold his mother. Originally, his elder brothers and fourth brother all had battles to fight, but he didn't have any, and without a battle, there would be no reward. Moreover, Li Yu, his fourth brother, sent Huang Quan, the most unreasonable person, to assist him, and even asked Huang Quan to supervise him to abstain from alcohol! However, fortunately, Zhang Fei also knew that Li Yu was rushing to Xiamen Pass at this time! Zhang Fei waited for a day and night, but Li Yu still hadn't arrived, feeling regretful and secretly blaming himself for not sending troops to welcome Li Yu. After all, Li Yu only brought tens of thousands of troops, and if something went wrong, it would cut off his elder brother's left arm. However, Zhang Fei was also afraid that Liu Biao's general Wen Ping would take advantage of his absence to attack the pass, so he ordered the gate to be closed tightly, and no one was allowed to enter or leave without permission. Huang Quan even personally went to the city wall to supervise the soldiers guarding the pass and monitor Wen Ping's army. Just then, Li Yu and Wang Xue arrived with their troops, but the vigilance of the soldiers on the city wall was very high at this time. Because Li Yu was in a hurry to rush to the road, he left most of his troops behind, and the soldiers guarding the pass shouted: "Halt! What are you doing? If you come forward again, we will shoot arrows!" Li Yu's personal soldiers quickly cupped their fists and said: "You blind dogs! Our great general has come to assist the three generals in battle. Haven't you heard of it? Quickly go and report to the three generals!" The soldiers guarding the pass were very excited when they heard this, because Li Yu was now a war god in the eyes of the Yizhou army. They quickly said: "Please wait for a moment, General! I will go and report to the three generals." When the soldier reported to the camp officer, the camp officer reported to the gate officer, the gate officer reported to the presenting officer, and the presenting officer reported to the three generals Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei was delighted when he heard this. He thought: "I have been waiting for my good fourth brother to arrive, and now that he has arrived, he will surely take advantage of the situation to capture Jingzhou. My battle is finally here! I must have a good chat with Li Yu about this matter! What should I say? This time I will give myself a chance to be the vanguard!" Zhang Fei personally led his troops to the foot of the pass and ordered the gate to be opened wide, letting everyone welcome Li Yu into the pass. He also ordered his military advisor Huang Quan to prepare a wine feast for Li Yu to entertain him. The first thing Li Yu did after entering the pass was to reward the soldiers guarding the pass, treat the three armies, and then order Huang Qi to set out immediately as an envoy of the Yizhou Liu Bei army to deliver a personal letter from Li Yu to Liu Biao in Jingzhou. Li Yu was confident that he could use this letter to persuade Liu Biao to withdraw his troops.

  At this time, Huang Quan did not dare to slack off and immediately prepared his horse to leave the pass. After traveling day and night for several days, he arrived at Xiangyang City in Jingzhou. Liu Biao also did not dare to slack off at this time, as Liu Bei's Yizhou could send an envoy, which was a big deal! Moreover, considering the current situation, Li Yu had defeated Dong Zhuo at Yangping Pass, and Liu Bei had defeated the Hanzhong army, so Liu Biao had to be cautious in dealing with the envoy from Yizhou. Liu Biao and Huang Quan exchanged a few simple pleasantries before Huang Quan took out a letter written by Li Yu himself and handed it over to Liu Biao. Liu Biao opened it and read: "Li Yu, the Grand Marshal of the Han Dynasty under the command of General Han Xing Wang, writes to Liu Biao, the Governor of Jingzhou: The treacherous Dong Zhuo has committed unforgivable crimes, and everyone is duty-bound to punish him. Now that the world is in chaos and the princes are rising up, the Han Dynasty's foundation is crumbling, and its fate is hanging by a thread. As Liu Bei and I are both members of the imperial family, we should work together to restore the dynasty. Recently, I defeated Dong Zhuo at Yangping Pass, and my brother General Han Xing Wang Liu Bei defeated the Hanzhong army. Now, I have sent an envoy, Huang Quan, with this letter to inform you: If your Jingzhou army does not withdraw from the area within ten days of receiving this letter, I, Li Yu, will lead a million-strong army to take over Jingzhou and capture Xiangyang within a month. I hope you will treat this matter seriously, and if you provoke me, you will be punished without mercy!"

  Here is the translation:

  When Liu Biao finished reading, he was truly shocked and amazed. Just a few days ago, he had received a secret report that Li Yu was in Xiacun City, sharpening his troops and preparing to attack Dong Zhuo and welcome the Emperor! But now, unexpectedly, he had arrived at Xiakou Pass! Liu Biao didn't dare to be slow and hastily ordered: "Cai Mao! Zhang Yun!" Then, following the momentum, he threw the letter to his military advisor, Jing Liang. "General, I'm here!" "Immediately mobilize the troops and order Wen Ping's army to withdraw back to Jingzhou. Also, prepare some gold, silver, and grain to send to Han Xing Hou!"

  Jing Liang saw this and didn't understand, so he asked Liu Biao: "My lord, why is this? Our military strength is not inferior to that of Yi Province. With a hundred thousand armored soldiers, it's no problem! We only need to deepen our trenches, build high walls, and wait for the enemy to attack. Li Yu will also be at a loss. Although he is cunning and full of tricks, if Dong Zhuo were to rise up in Xiacun City, Xiacun would be lost, and it would be dangerous for Yi Province. At that time, wouldn't Li Yu have no choice but to retreat? I hope my lord will think thrice!"

  Although Liu Biao listened to Jing Liang's words of reason, he didn't want to really become enemies with Liu Bei's army. He could only order Wen Ping to withdraw his troops, but on the other hand, Liu Biao actively prepared for battle, ordering the three armies to prepare more gray bottles, cannons, rolling logs, and stone catapults, as well as strong bows and crossbows, to defend all the cities along the border of Jingzhou, in case Li Yu's army attacked.

  And when Huang Quan returned to Xiameng Pass from Xiangyang City, Jingzhou, Li Yu heard that Liu Biao had ordered the withdrawal of troops and immediately passed on the order. He set up camp and started his journey, thanking Huang Quan with heavy gold and silver for this mission. At this time, Li Yu was anxious in his heart, thinking of one thing: to seize Hanzhong. Therefore, Li Yu did not take the main road, but took small roads, not taking flat land, but taking mountain ridges. Anyway, as long as he could return to Chengdu quickly, Li Yu would take that route, heading towards the Wangdu Hanxingwangfu.

  Li Yu traveled day and night, finally taking three to five days to rush back from Xiaomen Pass to the Hanxing Wangfu in Chengdu. When Liu Bei learned of Li Yu's return, he immediately went out of the mansion to welcome him.

  The three armies learned that Li Yu was back, the whole army cheered. From now on, from Chengdu to Hanxing Wang's mansion, they heard the nearby villagers cheering and shouting: "Great General Wuwu! Great General Wuwu!" Li Yu himself felt a little fluttered when he heard it!

  Liu Bei personally welcomed Li Yu into the Hanxing Wangfu, ordering people to give Li Yu a seat. Why did he give Li Yu a seat? Because Li Yu had fought two battles too beautifully! First, he didn't shed blood, and his spear shot at the gate made Sun Jian and Liu Biao's families surrender and make peace. Later, he came to assist in the battle at Yangping Pass, and at that time, Yangping Pass was guarded by Guan Yu and Cao Cao's 160,000 troops, plus Yangping Pass's own 50,000 troops, totaling only 210,000, while Dong Zhuo had 400,000 troops. Li Yu miraculously defended Yangping Pass against all odds, facing Dong Zhuo head-on, defeating him once and driving him out of the borders of Yangping Pass, and again defeating him to capture the city of Xiapi. Although Li Yu's capture of Xiapi was largely due to Liu Bei's efforts, if Liu Bei hadn't ordered Zhao Yun to seize the opportunity to capture Xiapi and cut off Dong Zhuo's retreat route, the outcome of the battle might not have been so great! It can be said that capturing Xiapi opened up the passage for Liu Bei's army to advance westward to Xiliang and approach Chang'an, which was the greatest victory of this battle.

  Li Yu saw Liu Bei and made a courtesy call after, directly said: "Big brother doesn't know how to think at this time!"

  Liu Bei said: "Military advisor Chen Gong and military advisor Tian Feng, as well as benevolent teacher Lu Zhi, all advised me to let the king and the people rest for a while, and wait a few years before fighting against Han!"

  "Brother, after a three-month rest, our great army can march into Hanzhong and destroy Zhang Lu in one battle! To defend Yizhou, we must first defend Hanzhong! I request to lead the vanguard out of the pass, mobilize 200,000 troops, and settle Hanzhong in one battle! If we fail to settle Hanzhong in one battle, I am willing to set a military order to behead the person on my head!"

  Liu Bei furrowed his brow and said, "Fourth brother, it's not that I don't want to take Hanzhong or eliminate Zhang Lu. The truth is, in this war, our army has been fighting on two fronts, with countless deaths and injuries, and our military strength has been greatly reduced. In the battle at Yangping Pass, we lost 120,000 soldiers. When I fought against Han Zhong's general Zhang Wei, we lost more than 20,000 soldiers. And just now, when we took over Xuchang, we lost another 100,000 soldiers. Now, our army only has less than 150,000 soldiers who can be mobilized. The military expenses are enormous, and the grain supply is also somewhat strained! Moreover, although the morale of the army is high after this battle, there have been many deaths and injuries, so it's not suitable to recruit new soldiers!"

  Liu Bei finished speaking, and Chen Gong also stood up and said: "To be honest with the Grand Marshal, when we defeated Zhang Wei of Han Zhong, Your Majesty had already intended to go straight to Han Zhong. We advised you to return at that time, but now is not the best opportunity to seize Han Zhong!"

  Tian Feng also said: "The great general won this battle, but our army's vitality was also severely injured, and we need to recuperate for a year before taking Hanzhong, it's not late!"

  Lu Zhi rarely spoke, but this time he said: "Han Xing, if we don't take it by storm, now if we strongly attack Hanzhong, Hanzhong is easy to defend and hard to attack. If not, our army will inevitably be stuck with the Hanzhong army. At that time, Dong Zhuo will lead his troops to attack us, and Yi Province will be in danger! We can't afford to be too hasty!"

  Zi Rong also said: "Great General, you only know how to fight wars. Our army's food and salary are now only enough for two more years! The dead and wounded soldiers also need to be taken care of!"

  Jian Yong also said: "The country of Da Yuan Shuai is big but good at fighting will perish!"

  Anyway, it's you and me who didn't agree with Li Yu sending troops to Hanzhong!

  But at this time, Li Yu remained silent and listened to the words of these ministers. What should Li Yu do next?

  I'm still waiting! Come back!