Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 724 - 688 Critical Point

Compared to Chen Xi’s side, which had long been prepared for defense and was ready to hold out for a prolonged battle before exploiting their advantage, Xuu You was pondering how to win this war.

The army led by Wen Chou, composed of seven thousand men, did not include a single infantryman, every one of them had two horses. Only Yuan Shao and Li Jue could afford so many horses in the world today.

Xuu You hurriedly made his way to Linyi without stopping. He and Tian Feng originally set out from Jizhou to Bingzhou to mobilize troops, and now were rushing their forces towards Linyi, near Jizhou. If it weren’t for the initial time crunch, Xuu You would have definitely desired a major battle beneath the walls of Linyi.

"Wen Chou, send your trusted aide Wenchang with your seal ribbon to Jizhou to call up more troops," Xuu You ordered, clad in a fresh long robe and only beginning to eat, commanding Wen Chou while having his meal.

"Ah, call up more troops?" Wen Chou was taken aback. Although straightforward and somewhat obtuse, he wasn’t a fool. This time, Yuan Shao had already deployed a hundred thousand troops, and even if many were merely county soldiers to fill ranks, they were still a solid hundred thousand infantry and cavalry. No monarch would normally dare to entrust their generals with such large forces, except in a personal command.

"If you want to win, follow my orders. Chen Zichuan is extremely good at pressing with momentum and can be described as opportunistic. If I can’t rout him in one go, and it drags to a stalemate, I won’t win," Xuu You said after biting into some jerky, chewing vigorously before swallowing it down fiercely.

"But..." Wen Chou started to speak but was hesitant.

"No buts!" Xuu You interrupted Wen Chou, "If you want to win, then call up the troops."

Wen Chou hesitated for a moment and finally gritted his teeth, "I’ll call up the troops, but can you win if I do! We really need a big victory now, especially one that boosts morale before we prepare for all-out war. As long as you can win, I’ll call up the troops."

"I know what you want to say, but all I can tell you is, I’m not certain I can beat Chen Zichuan. No one in the world dares to claim they can surely beat him, because he has never lost," Xuu You solemnly told Wen Chou while looking him in the eye.

"I’m only asking if you are willing to call the troops or not?" Xuu You said calmly, without showing any concern for Wen Chou’s shocked and angry expression, as if none of it weighed on his mind.

"Fine, I’ll call up the troops!" Wen Chou grumbled with a dark face, "I’ll take the blame for this. If we are defeated, it’s on me!"

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After speaking, Wen Chou immediately summoned his trusted aide Wenchang, then right in front of him, he said, "Military advisor, what do we do now? Infantry, cavalry, who else do you need?"

"I need three thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry; the rest are not important," Xuu You told Wen Chou, looking straight at him.

He then took out a map and, pointing at a spot, said to Wen Chou, "See here? In seven days, don’t worry about anything else. When reinforcements from Jizhou arrive, attack this place at night. Whether we succeed or not is not important, but afterward, station five thousand infantry to guard the Yellow River north of Linyi, as well as the Jig River south of Linyi."

"Uh, that’s a lot of troops, my own unit doesn’t even have that many," Wen Chou said, pulling a face.

"That’s your problem, but I believe you can do it. It’s essential for us to maintain an undefeated position," Xuu You said, patting Wen Chou on the shoulder.

Wen Chou felt a heaviness on his shoulders. Over ten thousand men—although Yuan Shao had indeed granted him the power for emergency mobilization, he wondered if using it here was a bit unwise.

Xu You remained composed; he didn’t trouble Wen Chou. This kind of large-scale troop movement was within the authority bestowed by Yuan Shao, but such power could only be held by military generals in whom Yuan Shao had absolute trust.

"Allocate a thousand men to me to take down this place!" Xu You pointed to Chiping on the map and said, "Chen Zichuan will have troops stationed there, but my forces are stronger, and afterwards, we will control the Yellow River. As long as Chen Zichuan is slow to react, victory is assured!"

"All right, I will instruct the reinforcements," Wen Chou nodded, saying helplessly, completely unable to understand Xu You’s strategy.

Watching Wen Chou leave, Xu You stood up and gazed at the full moon. Dressed in silk, with his handsome looks, he seemed for a moment like a celestial being descending to the mortal realm.

[Chen Zichuan, I wonder how you will respond this time. Yanzhou has always been newly acquired territory; no amount of advance preparation can achieve instant success.] Xu You silently mulled over his strategy, deciding not to bother patching up the flaws as long as it could be successfully implemented.

Sometimes, a strategy cannot aim for perfection; it only needs to be effective. Even if the plan is full of holes, it still counts as ingenious if you have no way to counter it.

After dispatching his trusted aides to Jizhou, Wen Chou headed south. Although he had inquired many times during the journey, he never received an answer from Xu You and had no choice but to follow Xu You’s lead.

Xu You, likewise, had no intention of explaining. He pressed on towards the south, piercing straight into the State of Dongping. After making the last adjustments at the Dongping frontline in Fucheng, he directly headed eastward to attack.

By now, even the foolish Wen Chou realized what Xu You intended to do. However, he had not expected Xu You to be so bold as to bypass Chen Xi and strike towards Feicheng. This place was a transit station for the grain and supply caravans of Chen Xi’s army, and it was located on the official supply route that extended directly to Fenggao of Mount Tai.

"Strategist, are you sure we’re going to cut off Feicheng’s grain route?" As they drew closer to Feicheng, soldiers who had never seen the map naturally didn’t know the actual target, but Wen Chou now fully understood.

"Exactly there. To strike the snake, hit its vital seven inches, only there is most suitable. By severing Feicheng’s grain route, Yanzhou, Jibei, and the Eastern Commandery will be completely cut off," Xu You said with a cold laugh.

"Strategist, attacking there is pointless, it’s the official road! If Chen Zichuan is besieged, Liu Bei can send troops and arrive in just three days! Under Sunx Gongyou’s administration, Liu Bei’s territory has roads extending in all directions. They deploy troops so swiftly that even in three days, their camp would not run out of surplus food," Wen Chou argued, not foolishly unaware of how quickly troops could move along official roads.

"Three days are enough. The troops you called up must be from the Lyu Brothers in southern Jizhou, right? Zang Xuangao is a man who advances cautiously, and Wei Wenchang specializes in taking risks. With their position in the northern part of Qingzhou, our military maneuvers couldn’t possibly escape their notice!" Without answering Wen Chou’s question, Xu You continued on his own.

"Ah, doesn’t that mean our forces in southern Jizhou are unstable?" Wen Chou was shocked. He had called up the deputy general under Gao Lan’s command, and only after Xu You’s explanation did he realize that removing the troops from southern Jizhou gave Liu Bei’s generals in Qingzhou an opportunity to take advantage.

"Don’t worry, Gao Yuanbo is strict in military administration and has a good grasp of military strategy. After you went to call up the troops, he would have surely made preparations. Nonetheless, a battle between Ji and Qing states is inevitable, and with this Liu Bei will no longer have troops to dispatch," Xu You said, shaking his head, unworried.

"How is that possible? It’s only a three-day march from Mount Fenggao to Feicheng!" Wen Chou said in disbelief.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)