Chapter 113 Liu, Guan and Zhang welcome the royal army!
Qu County, Donghai County, Xuzhou.

This is the area around the future Lianyungang City, adjacent to the coast.

Liu Bei led his infantry and cavalry south from Qingzhou Qi State, passed through Xuzhou Langya County, and originally planned to take up his post in Tan County, the capital of Donghai County.

However, on the way, he heard the news that his naval forces were ambushed by Yuan Shu's Huainan navy in the Yuzhou Mountain area, so he immediately changed route and headed for Qu County to provide assistance.

Liu Bei, together with Guan Yu and other generals, led the infantry and cavalry southward. The navy was commanded by Taishi Ci, Zhang Fei and other generals. This made him anxious and he rushed to Qu County!

Liu Bei invested all his efforts in the Qingzhou navy!

The Qingzhou navy successively conquered and took over Yuan Shao's Bohai navy, which is why it has its current size!
Nearly a hundred warships may not be worth mentioning at all for the Huainan Navy and the Jingzhou Navy!
But for Liu Bei, and even for the imperial court, it is already a very powerful force and will become the main attacker of the imperial court's strategy of marching troops south!

If the Qingzhou navy fleet were to encounter an ambush and suffer heavy losses, it would deal a major blow to the imperial court's strategy of sending troops south!
Liu Bei was naturally worried and anxious!
After Liu Bei and his entourage rushed to the vicinity of Qu County, the remnants of his Qingzhou navy fleet were washed ashore by the sea one after another.

On the sea surface, the wreckage of ships was floating, and even most of the sea water was dyed red, which showed how fierce the naval battle was!
Liu Bei immediately ordered the rescue of the surviving soldiers and also obtained an important piece of information:
"Liu Shijun, General Zhang and General Taishi are leading the navy fleet to fight the enemy. They are going downstream, fighting and retreating, and may land at the mouth of the Huai River."

Liu Bei was worried about Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci and other generals, so he left his troops behind to rescue them, and marched quickly south along the coastline with Guan Yu, Guo Jia and other generals.

Along the way, there were wreckages of ships, some of which were from our navy and some from Huainan navy. However, the losses of our Qingzhou navy were obviously greater than those of the Huainan navy.

It can be seen that our Qingzhou navy is clearly at a disadvantage!

This result is not surprising. The total size of the Qingzhou Navy is only nearly a hundred warships, while the Huainan Navy has nearly a thousand warships!

In this ambush, the Huainan Navy may not have deployed its entire force. Only half of the navy fleet was needed to create a crushing momentum!
Although the commander of the Qingzhou navy has the brave general Taishi Ci, and Zhang Fei, a powerful general who can defeat thousands of enemies!

But the problem is!

Zhang Fei is a match for thousands of enemies in land warfare, but when it comes to naval warfare, he is just a fledgling young tiger!
This made Liu Bei even more anxious and worried!

As they moved south along the coastline and gradually approached the mouth of the Huai River, they encountered enemy scouts more often.

He even encountered an ambush by Yuan Shu's generals!

But under the powerful Guan Yu's overwhelming force, he could hardly match his opponent!
In terms of infantry and cavalry land warfare, Liu Bei was confident that he would dare to fight even if the enemy had tens of thousands of soldiers and horses coming!
The former Liu Paopao has gradually grown into Liu Bubai!

But when it comes to naval battles, this is the weakness of Liu Bei's army!
Amidst this thrilling and dangerous situation, they were approaching the mouth of the Huai River, and the battle between the two armies was nearing its end!
Liu Bei glanced around and could not see any ships of his own "Qingzhou Navy" on the sea - there were nearly a hundred ships, and Liu Bei remembered each one clearly, with their flags hanging on them!
But now, it is gone!
There were only a few hundred Huainan Navy ships patrolling at the mouth of the Huai River in a show of force, and they were taking advantage of the situation and pursuing the Qingzhou Navy ships that had fallen into the water and whose ships had sunk!

Liu Bei's heart was bleeding, the Qingzhou Navy was his hard work!
But at this time, Liu Bei had no time to feel sad, and immediately ordered his soldiers to look for Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci and other generals!
As long as Zhang Fei and Taishi Ci are still there, Liu Bei is confident that he can make a comeback even if the Qingzhou navy is completely wiped out!
Liu Bei, possesses the invincible cockroach spirit!
"Report——"

At this time, a messenger came to report: "Your Excellency, General Zhang and his soldiers were spotted in the southeast direction of the beach!"

"Walk!!!"

Liu Bei and Guan Yu looked at each other and led their troops to provide support.

Sure enough, on the beach, they found Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci and other defeated generals in a miserable state, looking like drowned rats, being chased by the Huainan Navy Land Combat Force!

However, in the naval battle, Zhang Fei was defeated miserably.

But after he managed to escape danger and swam to the beach, this powerful general who could defeat thousands of enemies burst out with the momentum of a tiger, killing so many that the Huainan Navy’s land combat troops dared not approach.

"Third brother!!!"

Liu Bei yelled at Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei suddenly turned his head and looked at the nervous and worried expressions of the two brothers Liu Bei and Guan Yu. He was suddenly a little surprised.

But soon he seemed to recall what happened to the Qingzhou navy, and he felt remorseful and guilty, and he was too ashamed to face his two brothers!

"Da da da--"

Liu Bei and Guan Yu rode at full speed and drove back the pursuers who were chasing Zhang Fei and other generals. The three brothers embraced each other in tears!
At this moment, Liu Bei suddenly felt that nothing mattered anymore!

Even if I lose the whole world, what does it matter? ! As long as Zhang Fei is still alive, then nothing is a problem!!!

"Big brother!!! Second brother!!!"

After they separated, Zhang Fei looked at his two brothers with guilt, "I, I'm so sorry!!!"

"Ugh--"

Guan Yu was very disappointed with Zhang Fei, but he did not blame him in the end.

"It's okay, Third Brother, there's no need to blame yourself!"

Liu Bei patted Zhang Fei on the shoulder to comfort him, "We still have a chance to make a comeback!"

Zhang Fei was moved but also felt guilty.

"Lord!"

At this time, Taishi Ci returned covered in blood, and Liu Bei hugged him affectionately: "Ziyi, as long as you are okay!!!"

"My subordinates are incompetent!"

Taishi Ci, a seven-foot tall man, actually burst into tears.

After suffering such a serious setback, any lord would blame his subordinates for their incompetence.

But Liu Bei didn't, and even comforted him!
Is there anything more sincere and heartfelt than this kind of concern? !

A scholar dies for a confidant!

At this moment, Taishi Ci was determined to die for Liu Bei!
"My lord, let's gather the defeated soldiers first and retreat to discuss the matter later." At this time, Guo Jia came with a serious expression.

The three brothers Liu, Guan and Zhang hugged each other in tears on the beach, but the Huainan navy fleet was ready for battle at sea!
And on the sea surface, there were floating corpses, ship wreckage, and blood-stained sea water.

This picture is a bit weird, but it just appeared!

Liu Bei was helpless against the Huainan Navy because the Qingzhou Navy was completely wiped out and he had lost the means to counterattack against the Huainan Navy!
Although the Huainan Navy also had land combat units, they did not dare to land on the beach because they were guarded by the powerful generals Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and they did not dare to challenge their edge!
But it would be useless to remain in this stalemate!
After hearing this, Liu Bei followed Guo Jia's advice and gathered the defeated soldiers. The Huainan Navy and Land Combat Force did not dare to attack!

Liu Bei's army withdrew and stationed troops thirty miles away from the mouth of the Huainan River.

They counted the battle damage, and even though they had been mentally prepared, the result still made them feel sad and angry!

In this land battle, the losses of infantry and cavalry were minimal, but the naval fleet was almost wiped out, with only Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci and hundreds of other defeated soldiers returning!
The Qingzhou Navy Fleet is completely wiped out!

This made Liu Bei feel ashamed of the court and His Majesty!
"Your Majesty has shown me great kindness and promoted me to the position of governor of a state against all odds. After the strategy of marching troops south was issued, you placed even greater hopes on me and ordered me to stay in Xuzhou and command the battle!"

Liu Bei burst into tears and looked towards Luoyang, tears streaming down his face:

"But Bei was defeated before the battle even began! He suffered such a disastrous defeat before he even reached the capital of Xuzhou to take up his post. Even the Qingzhou navy fleet was wiped out!"

"Brother, the fault is ours, not yours!" Zhang Fei advised.

Taishi Ci also felt guilty and blamed himself.

Liu Bei said, "We are a collective. Your defeat also means my defeat. I am to blame for this and will apologize in the court!"

Everyone was silent, and everything was dim and gloomy!
The Qingzhou Navy represented the main force of the imperial court's march southward. But now the Qingzhou Navy was completely wiped out, which destroyed the imperial court's intention to march southward!
They are to blame and may even be interrogated by the court!
House seemingly endless rain!

At this time, news from Yangzhou also came.

The governor of Yangzhou Liu Yao, the prefect of Kuaiji Wang Lang, the prefect of Yuzhang Zhu Hao, and the former Jingzhou official Zhuge Xuan will join forces to fight against Sun Ce's rebels.

First, they lured the enemy deep into their territory and ambushed Sun Ce and other generals. When they were about to succeed, Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu and other generals sent out their entire armies to rescue them. In the end, the two armies fought a decisive battle in Poyang Lake.

Liu Yao and other imperial coalition forces were defeated and retreated to Nanchang!

Sun Ce's army pursued the victory and surrounded Nanchang! Liu Yao asked for help from Jingzhou, but at this time, Liu Biao of Jingzhou was seriously ill, and his wife's family, the Cai family, was in power, and they ignored Liu Yao's request for help.

This move aroused the hatred of the loyal officials of the Han Dynasty in Jingzhou, and the five counties in southern Jing took this opportunity to rebel and echo the court.

Cai Mao actually led the navy of Jingzhou to suppress the rebellion, making the loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty in Jingzhou breathless!

...

After reading these military intelligence reports, Liu Bei and others sighed in their hearts and were completely in despair!

The defeat of the Qingzhou navy will surely make Your Majesty furious!
Now that Liu Yao of Yangzhou has been defeated and the navy of Jingzhou has openly rebelled against the imperial court, I am afraid that these successive bad news will make Your Majesty's blood pressure explode!

If these military intelligence reports were submitted together, they would definitely be in great danger!

Thinking of this, everyone felt completely hopeless!

Zhang Fei seemed rough, but he was actually a man of great intelligence. At this moment, he came up with a bad idea:
"Brother, if you send us so much bad news at once, I'm afraid His Majesty will faint from the anger. Why don't we suppress this information for now, and once we have reversed the disadvantage and won the victory, then send us the bad news along with the good news, how about that?"

I have to say that Zhang Fei’s idea was quite good.

In ancient times, road transportation was inconvenient and information transmission was delayed, but as long as they could create a time difference, this would be possible!
But the problem is!

Your Majesty has Jinyiwei spies under his command, and the Jianghuai River is densely covered with water networks and well-developed land and water transportation. It can't be concealed for long!

Liu Bei shook his head and said:

"Third brother, don't talk nonsense. This is a crime of deceiving the emperor! Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and military information is urgent. Even if it is bad news, it must be reported to the capital as soon as possible."

"But big brother..."

"No buts!"

Liu Bei said firmly: "Immediately report to the capital and spread the news that the Qingzhou navy was defeated and the entire army was annihilated!"

"I obey my orders!"

This matter was naturally handled by civil officials such as Sun Qian and Jian Yong.

Of course, after suffering such a great defeat, Liu Bei also needed to submit a memorial to apologize.

But at this moment, a messenger suddenly came to report: "Report - General, the enemy is challenging us!"

"Naval battle or land battle?" Zhang Fei's eyes suddenly lit up.

"It's a naval battle!" replied the messenger.

"Get them out!" Zhang Fei was furious.

If it was a land battle, he could pat his chest and guarantee a victory, and then present it together with the bad news, and at least His Majesty would not be so angry!
The messenger retreats!
But not long after, the messenger arrived again, this time angrily saying, "General, the enemy is hanging the corpses of our soldiers to challenge us!"

"What?!!!"

Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were all furious!
This time, they finally couldn't bear it anymore and led their troops out directly!
As expected, the Huainan Navy was lurking on the Huai River, and the corpses of the Qingzhou Navy soldiers were hung on the enemy warships.

Even though the corpses were swollen by the sea water and could no longer be recognized.

But looking at the armor, weapons and clothing, Liu Bei could be absolutely sure that these were his soldiers!

"damn it!!!"

Liu Bei wanted to order the recovery of his brothers' bodies, but it was useless. They could only look at the river and sigh!

Faced with the natural barrier of the Huai River, the infantry and cavalry under Liu Bei's command were completely useless!

Yuan Shu's Huainan navy, however, was patrolling on the Huai River in an arrogant and vain manner.

They knew that Liu Bei would definitely not go to war because after losing the Qingzhou navy, Liu Bei no longer had the means to counterattack against the Huainan navy.

Therefore, the Huainan Navy came up with a solution -

They used the bodies of the Qingzhou navy soldiers that were salvaged from the battlefield to stimulate Liu Bei's entire army, and indeed they were motivated to go into battle!
This time, the Huainan Navy Marine Corps is dispatched!
Because of the news that Liu Yao of Yangzhou was defeated and Nanchang was surrounded by Sun Ce's troops, and the navy of Jingzhou openly rebelled against the court.

These two things will definitely deal a blow to Liu Bei's army and cause the morale of the troops to plummet.

Moreover, the Qingzhou navy under Liu Bei's army was completely wiped out and was on the verge of collapse.

Under the double blow, it might even collapse!
Take advantage of his illness to kill him!

The Huainan Navy wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to defeat Liu Bei's infantry and cavalry in one fell swoop. If they could defeat Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, it would be even better!

pity!

The Huainan Navy underestimated the psychological endurance of Liu Bei’s army, and even more underestimated Liu Bei’s cockroach spirit!

In the original history, Liu Bei was defeated in battle after battle, and was nicknamed "Liu Paopao". He lost his wife and children countless times in his rough life, and sighed with exhaustion when he was over 50 years old in Jingzhou.

But even so, Liu Bei did not give up, but was always looking for opportunities to make a comeback.

Finally, Shu Han was established!
In this life, Liu Bei has undergone great changes because of the sudden emergence of Han Emperor Liu Bian, and he is also assisted by top counselors such as Guo Jia.

Liu Bei had a smooth journey, but that doesn’t mean his mental quality would weaken!

At this time, facing the Huainan Navy, which was using the corpses of its own soldiers to provoke Liu Bei, Liu Bei was furious and launched a thunderous counterattack!
The Huainan Navy Marine Corps was defeated again!
Of course, Liu Bei’s army was unable to march towards the Huai River and launch a strong counterattack against the Huainan navy.

Because they lack ships!

but.

After defeating the Huainan Navy Marines, they used the corpses of these Marines to exchange for the corpses of the Qingzhou Navy soldiers.

This can be considered a blessing in disguise!
After this battle, the Huainan navy did not dare to challenge Liu Bei's army in a land battle, but only patrolled on the Huai River to provoke and stimulate Liu Bei's army!

At the same time, he secretly bribed the soldiers of Liu Bei's army, fanned the flames, and disrupted the morale of the army, but he did not dare to go any further and provoke a fight!

This battle can be considered a victory, but Liu Bei did not write it in the memorial!

Because I have no face!
After submitting memorials and military intelligence reports to the capital, Liu Bei's army was somewhat trembling with fear, fearing that they would be interrogated and punished by the court judge the next moment.

But they waited and waited, but instead of receiving any punishment from the capital, they received news that His Majesty would lead the army in person!
This made Liu Bei and other generals horrified and unbelievable? !

The Qingzhou navy was completely wiped out, and the imperial court is lacking a main attacker to lead troops southward. It makes no sense for Your Majesty to lead the army in person at this time!

If the emperor arrives at the Huai River, he can only sigh at the river!

Even facing the provocation of the Huainan Navy, he was so angry that he made a wasted trip and returned disappointed!
Your Majesty obviously knows the consequences, and all the officials in the court naturally know the consequences as well.

But knowing this would happen, they still let His Majesty lead the army in person?!

This……

Liu Bei was shocked and confused and couldn't figure it out!

However, Guo Jia and Xun Yu and others were close friends, and they learned some secrets through their correspondence!
An auspicious sign from heaven, nearly a thousand warships appeared at the capital's port!
This shocked Guo Jia!

After he told the news to Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and other generals, they were also shocked!

But after the shock and fear, they felt that... it was very likely!
Because, auspicious signs from heaven are no longer miracles. High-yield crops such as sweet potatoes, potatoes and corn are the best proof!
Nearly a thousand warships!!!
This made Liu, Guan and Zhang's breathing quicken. If the imperial court really had nearly a thousand warships, their chance to take revenge would soon come!

This made Liu, Guan and Zhang extremely excited!
With food and drink, we welcome the royal army!
(End of this chapter)