Chapter 269: Lightning Attack on Yizhou
Jin Mao adopted Jia Xu's strategy and prepared to let Lu Bu go.

However, when he saw the Red Hare with its left eye blinded, he immediately became angry: "Is this the Red Hare?"

"Lu Bu!"

"I wanted to spare your life, but I didn't expect you to deceive me!"

As we all know, a war horse that is blind, even if only one eye is blind, cannot go to the battlefield.

When he heard the first half of the sentence, Lu Bu was very panicked. When he heard the second half, he immediately wanted to jump up and explain. However, his upper body was tied up tightly and he had the super bodyguard Dian Wei beside him.

"Listen to my explanation!"

Lu Bu talked about this and that and finally explained the whole thing clearly.

"Sun Jian is indeed worthy of being called the Tiger of Jiangdong!"

Jin Mao ordered his men to remove Lu Bu's armor, and after seeing the horrific wound on his chest with his own eyes, he chose to believe it.

The generals were also amazed at Sun Jian's bravery, especially Sun Jian's old subordinates Cheng Pu and Zhu Zhi, who shed tears.

Cheng Pu even lost control on the spot and wanted to avenge Sun Jian.

Unfortunately, what Jinmao has decided will not change.

"get out!"

Jin Mao said to Lu Bu: "Take your troops and get out!"

Those soldiers would naturally remain as prisoners, whether they wanted to or not.

As for the generals who are loyal to Lu Bu, there is no point in keeping them, and those who are disloyal cannot be kept!
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Lu Bu thanked him profusely and wanted to take the Fang Tian Hua Ji away.

"Leave the weapon, it's my trophy!"

Jin Mao looked at the Fang Tian Hua Ji in Dian Wei's hand with great satisfaction. This was the reward for capturing Lu Bu alive, how could he give it back?

"I will never forget your kindness!" Lu Bu gritted his teeth and said, "I will repay you in my next life with a piece of grass and a ring."

Jin Mao waved his hand casually and said, "Go away."

Lu Bu glared at Jin Mao hatefully, then fled in a panic with his seven generals.

then.

Jinmao held a grand celebration banquet.

Before the banquet began, he summoned all the generals and counselors to discuss rewards based on their merits and to investigate the matter of Huang Wan's escape.

Jin Mao always felt that there was an insider, and the identity of this insider was not low, Xun Yu and Xun You were the first to bear the brunt.

Even if Jin Mao didn't say it explicitly, the two knew they couldn't escape suspicion.

The most puzzling thing is that when Huang Wan escaped, the two of them happened to be gathered together to discuss matters.

In other words, there were no witnesses nearby who could help clear the two of them of suspicion.

There was no way to defend themselves at this point. Xun Yu and Xun You were both smart men. They knew that the more they explained, the more suspicion they would arouse, so they simply kept silent.

Soon, the investigation yielded results.

The riot was caused by a group of civilians recruited from Jingzhou, or to be more precise, a group of cooks.

The reason why Huang Wan was able to escape the supervision of the imperial guards was because he was drugged and passed out.

We have to mention a key person here: Deng Fang!

It was the one who was disgraced by Jinmao. He couldn't be recruited at first, but somehow he came later.

Deng Fang, a native of Xiangyang City in Nanjun, is a core figure of the Deng family. He is a man of courage and determination, and can get along well with the Baiyue people.

The personal guards guarding Huang Wan happened to be soldiers of the Baiyue Army, who were on good terms with Deng Fang, so they were drugged because they trusted him too much.

"Where did Deng Fang escape to?"

"south!"

At this moment, Jin Mao recalled the time when Deng Fang joined the army, which was just after Liu Biao came to Jingzhou.

"Liu Biao!"

There is no doubt that this matter is absolutely related to Liu Biao.

Now, Huang Wan is suspected to have an imperial edict that can promote Liu Biao.

As a result, Jin Mao had to be on guard against Liu Biao's backstabbing.

You must know that Liu Biao had already left Xiangyang and was stationed in Xinye County, Nanyang County.

Since Wancheng, the former center of Nanyang County, became a wasteland, Xinye County became the new center.

The powerful people of various ethnic groups in Nanyang County have not been seriously injured. If they unite, Jin Mao will really have to take them seriously.

Apart from anything else, if Jinmao wants to have complete control over Luyang County, it will have to exercise certain control over Nanyang County.

Otherwise, no matter how rich the products of Luyang County are, they have nothing to do with Jinmao, but will instead benefit Liu Biao or Yuan Shu.

Because Luyang County is located in the north of Nanyang County and borders Runan County, it has no connection with Jinmao's territory. In addition, the water systems in all directions do not connect with Luyang County.

Therefore, Nanyang County becomes the key.

The original alliance with Liu Biao was naturally invalidated.

Fortunately, Xiangyang City is not far from Luyang County and can be reached in three days of rapid march.

Next, Jin Mao only needs to leave a capable general to garrison Luyang County and leave heavy troops to guard Xiangyang City, and it will be difficult for Liu Biao to cause any more trouble.

However, if Yuan Shu is really in Yuzhou and gets involved in this matter, that would be a different matter.

"Time is running out!"

No one expected that Huang Wan could make Jin Mao feel so overwhelmed.

Even Dong Zhuo wouldn't be so troublesome!
At this moment, Jin Mao realized for the first time what being an emperor meant.

"Let's stop here with the matter of Huang Wan's escape. There's no need to investigate further."

Jin Mao made the final decision and said, "The most important thing right now is to withdraw our troops!"

"I intend to lead my troops south and west to capture Yizhou!"

"What do you think?"

The generals naturally had nothing to say. As long as they could fight, they would have military achievements.

As for the counselors, Jia Xu certainly would not object, as this was the strategy he proposed.

Xun You has learned his lesson now and will not actively interfere with Jinmao's decision-making.

Only Xun Yu had a different opinion. He stepped out of the line and bowed, saying, "My lord, there is something I don't understand."

Jin Mao thought Xun Yu was here to object, so he frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"

"My Lord, why did you withdraw your troops?" Xun Yu pretended to be ignorant and asked, "Did something happen in the rear?"

Jin Mao's brows relaxed, and he repeated Jia Xu's analysis in a slightly relaxed tone.

Even he himself did not notice how happy he was when Xun Yu played dumb.

"I see."

Xun Yu suddenly realized something and said, "We should indeed withdraw our troops."

Jin Mao smiled and nodded, with an expression that said "That's what I said."

"But not now!" After giving Jin Mao enough face, Xun Yu began to show himself.

"My lord, you should give Dong Zhuo the illusion of withdrawing his troops, and then set up an ambush in a favorable terrain."

"If Dong Zhuo pursues us, we will strike him head-on and annihilate his pursuers. If Dong Zhuo does not pursue us, our army can retreat safely."

Jin Mao nodded in agreement and said, "That's right. This is what an old man says."

"That's the first." Xun Yu continued, "Second, whether Dong Zhuo pursues or not, you should leave enough troops to garrison the four passes of Yique, Dagu, Guangcheng, and Xuanyuan." "If Dong Zhuo goes west, send troops to harass him and don't let him retreat safely."

"If Dong Zhuo does not retreat and counterattacks, we will hold the four passes and not come out."

Jin Mao looked at Xun Yu in surprise. He didn't expect that the gentle and refined Xun Yu was also an old silver coin. Such a vicious plan actually came from him, not Jia Xu.

wrong!

There is still a difference.

If it was Jia Xu who came up with the plan, he would most likely trick Dong Zhuo into falling for it and then annihilate him.

Casualties among soldiers are inevitable, but as long as Dong Zhuo is dead, everything will be worth it.

By then, the name of Jinmao will be known to the whole world, and countless people with lofty ideals will automatically come to us. From then on, no matter what we do, it will become simple.

Just like Yuan Shao.

There is still a big gap in reputation between Jin Mao and Yuan Shao now.

"Wen Ruo is thoughtful and thorough." Jin Mao praised him generously, "He is truly my Zi Fang!"

Xun Yu didn't feel anything about this. If Jin Mao had praised him in a different way, it would have been better.

"Third!"

Xun Yu's expression suddenly turned serious and he said, "My lord, you should move south and west as quickly as possible to take Yizhou!"

"Before anyone in the world can react, take it down in one fell swoop!"

"In this way, even if Liu Biao and Yuan Shu have ulterior motives, they will have to think twice."

Jin Mao sat up straight suddenly. Xun Yu's words touched his heart.

The haze of Huang Wan's escape was swept away.

As long as we are fast enough and launch a lightning strike on Yizhou, everything will be in time!

But what to do?

"Please explain in detail, Wen Ruo!"

Jin Mao stretched out his hand and made a gesture of invitation.

Xun Yu bowed again and said, "Please give me the geomancy map!"

A huge Dahan geomancy map was put on display, which recorded mountains, rivers and important cities. The details were very different from the state and county maps.

But it's enough.

Xun Yu took the wooden stick and drew a large circle on the feng shui map.

"Yizhou has dangerous mountains and rivers. If we take the land route, it will take a long time and we will be easily discovered."

"If you take the water route, you have to start at night, passing through the Luo River, the Yellow River, the Ying River, the Huai River, the Han Canal, and the Yangtze River, and then go upstream, which is also not advisable."

Jin Mao was confused: "What does Wen Ruo mean?"

Xun Yu pointed his stick at Hanzhong and then at Chengdu, the capital of Yizhou, and said, "Liu Yan has long intended to establish his own regime, so he sent Zhang Lu to occupy Hanzhong and cut off the communication of messengers from the court."

“As the saying goes, success is due to Xiao He, and failure is also due to Xiao He.”

"Liu Yan relied on the Yizhou nobles to rise to power, but he would still fail because of this!"

"I heard that Yizhou Captain Jia Long has long been dissatisfied with Liu Yan."

"My lord, you only need to lead a strong army to Yizhou as soon as possible, and then send people to instigate and help Jia Long rebel against Liu Yan, and then Yizhou can be obtained."

This is indeed possible.

The fastest way to march is definitely to have a small group of elite troops march quickly, rather than a large force marching.

Even if a large army connects the north and south by water, it may not be as fast as a small number of elite troops traveling by land, because a large army has a large amount of baggage and cannot move fast.

Moreover, Dong Zhuo has many soldiers and generals, and it will be ineffective if there are too few people left in Luoyang. The number of people must be sufficient.

Jin Mao thought about it carefully, and it seemed that as long as he did what Xun Yu said, all his current worries and troubles would be solved.

As long as we own Yangzhou, Jingzhou and Yizhou, who in the world would dare to challenge Jinmao?

In a few years, an army of two hundred thousand professional soldiers will be here. Who wouldn't be afraid?
Didn’t you see that Dong Zhuo’s army of 200,000 was defeated by Jin Mao’s army of 70,000 and was unable to fight back?
Including Sun Jian's 20,000 men, there are only 90,000 of them, a one to two ratio, so they can overwhelm us!
"So good!"

Jin Mao was overjoyed and said, "Then I will only need to bring 3,000 personal guards with me this time and rush to Zhi County in Ba County as quickly as possible, and then annex Yizhou in one fell swoop!"

However, Jin Mao was a cautious person. After sitting down and thinking carefully, he hesitated and said, "Wen Ruo hasn't said what to do with Liu Biao yet?"

"I will not be at peace until this person is removed."

This person has left a strong mark in history and is definitely not a simple person.

If Liu Biao interferes and joins forces with Dong Zhuo to defeat Jinmao, Jinmao will definitely suffer heavy losses.

At this time, Jinmao's party did not know that Zhu Jun had fled to Zhongmou County to gather troops.

Xun Yu bowed again and said, "If Dong Zhuo is not ambushed, our army will have a few days to mobilize troops."

"We only need to send a brave general to lead a group of elite soldiers to garrison Luyang County, which will be enough to deter Liu Biao and Yuan Shu from having any disloyalty."

After all, Yuan Shu had been defeated long ago, and Liu Biao had soldiers and generals but was unfamiliar with military affairs and could only defend the city. At present, the two of them could not cause any trouble.

The only worry is that things will change over time.

It is really a matter of time. Dong Zhuo wanted to end the war quickly but failed. Now it is Jin Mao's turn.

"Okay! Let's do as Wen Ruo said!"

Jin Mao stood up and paced back and forth before he said, "Governor Zhicai, the supply of grain and grass to the north will be temporarily suspended in the future. Therefore, I will order a large amount of grain and grass to be stored in Luyang County in the near future, making a gesture of preparing for a decisive battle with Dong Zhuo."

"During this period, I will secretly lead my personal guards to the south, and the overall situation here will be handed over to Xun Yu to control, and Huang Gai, Zhou Tai, Zhang Fei, Gong Lei, Dong Xi, Jiang Qin and others will assist him."

"During war, Xun Yu's will is my will. Anyone who disobeys my orders will be executed!"

All the generals responded.

"Jia Xu and Xun You will be the military advisors, Dian Wei, Huang Zhong, and Wen Pin will be the lieutenant generals, follow me south."

As soon as these words were spoken, Huang Gai stepped out and said, "My Lord, if you go south to attack Yizhou, you will need ships to support you. How can you do it without a navy?"

"I am willing to follow my lord south to conquer Liu Yan!"

Huang Gai was also helpless. He really had nothing to do. At least Zhou Tai could guard Mengjin Pass and occasionally show off his strength with Dong Zhuo's army.

Huang Gai's daily task was to patrol and transport food and supplies, and he was almost becoming the team leader of the transport team.

He is the admiral of the navy after all, but he only does trivial things. In this battle, he has the least contribution!
Jin Mao knew it well, and it was difficult to refuse, so he said: "You can come with me, but don't be too risky. Just get familiar with the dangers of the Yangtze River."

The dry season is almost over, and Jin Mao estimated that it would take Huang Gai a long time to make a big detour, and he might not be able to be promoted to Yizhou by then, so he made such an instruction.

But when Huang Gai heard these words, they had a different meaning: "My lord, do you look down on my people?"

He made up his mind to arrive in Jiangling County before his lord!
You have to know that going around the Yellow River is more than three times longer than going along the Yu River or the Han River!
Even though the straight-line distance from Luoyang to Zhi County is more than 200 miles by land, it would only take three or four days to march quickly.

Huang Gai is about to create a feat!
Jin Mao was unaware of this. He looked at Xun Yu and asked, "Is Wen Ruo in trouble?"

Xun Yu bowed and said, "I have limited energy and cannot take care of both the war and logistics. My lord, please leave Jia Xu to me to assist in military affairs."

Jin Mao thought it was correct. Jia Xu had served as a captain under Dong Zhuo, which meant he knew how to lead troops in battle.

In addition, this old silver coin knows Dong Zhuo's army very well. Whether it is defense or pursuit, he can definitely find the right time, just like hitting the snake in the weakest part and hitting it accurately.

The rest of the battle will be left to professionals. Jin Mao believes that with so many powerful generals, Dong Zhuo will definitely be in trouble.

"Wenhe."

However, Jinmao still wants to ask the parties concerned for their opinions: "What do you think?"

Jia Xu bowed very respectfully and said, "I have no objection."

When Jia Xu stood up and looked at Xun Yu inadvertently, sparks seemed to fly in their eyes.

(End of this chapter)