webnovelfull Chapter 481 The Wei army ran too fast
Chapter 481 The Wei army ran too fast
Dong Hui was so thoroughly berated by Liu Bei that he wilted like a frostbitten eggplant. He realized that Liu Bei only had eyes for Guan Xing now, and everyone else was dispensable. It was better to stay away from Liu Bei and avoid getting in his way, lest he bring bad luck upon himself.
After Liu Bei finished scolding, he asked, "And then what happened?"
Having lost his enthusiasm for boasting, Dong Hui said with a droopy face, "Later, when General Xiao Guan fell to the ground, I shot and killed Yu Jin. The entire Wei army surrendered. General Xiao Guan dispatched elite troops and generals straight to Fangling and ordered me to report the situation to Your Majesty and join forces with Your Majesty to attack Xu Huang. That's when we met."
Mentioning Xu Huang made Liu Bei's liver ache again. He waved his hand helplessly and said, "Then you'll have to make another trip. Go back and tell Anguo he doesn't need to come. He can just wait for me in Fangling."
Dong Hui: "..."
Why can't you find someone else? Why do you have to stick to one person and use them to death?
Not daring to offend Liu Bei, he could only clasp his hands in greeting, turn around and take his leave, then sadly dragged his weary body toward Fangling.
Liu Bei looked up towards Shangyong and said with a murderous look on his face, "According to the news from the front, the Shen brothers are currently guarding Shangyong. Everyone, speed up and rush to Shangyong to kill these two traitors."
Even in the richest places there are poor people, and even in the poorest places there are rich people.
Although the three eastern prefectures were barren, there were still local bullies, and the Shen family was one of them.
The Shen family is said to be descendants of the royal family of the State of Shen during the Spring and Autumn Period. They have been based in the three eastern counties for over a thousand years. The current head of the family, Shen Dan, and his brother Shen Yi surrendered to Cao Cao with Zhang Lu several years ago and were appointed generals by Cao Cao to guard Shangyong.
After the Battle of Hanzhong ended, Liu Bei ordered Meng Da and Liu Feng to attack the three eastern commanderies. Shen Dan surrendered and moved his wife, children, and clan members to Chengdu. As a result, Liu Bei appointed Shen Dan as General Who Conquers the North and Prefect of Shangyong, and also appointed his brother as General Who Establishes Trust and Prefect of Xicheng. It can be said that Liu Bei did not attach great importance to the Shen brothers.
But the damned Shen brothers not only showed no gratitude, but after Guan Yu's defeat at Maicheng, they turned around and surrendered to Cao Wei, and even led their troops to attack Liu Feng. If Liu Feng hadn't desperately defended Xicheng, Xu Huang could have crossed Xicheng and directly invaded the heart of Hanzhong. Just thinking about the consequences would have been a headache.
Having experienced Mi Fang's betrayal, Liu Bei now harbors extreme hatred for traitors and vows to reclaim Shangyong, kill the Shen brothers to vent his anger, and at the same time uproot the Shen family, a local tyrant that has dominated the three eastern counties for thousands of years.
Under Liu Bei's orders, the army sped up and headed straight for Shangyong. However, before they even reached Shangyong, the scouts they had sent out hurriedly returned to report to Liu Bei: "Your Majesty, the Shen brothers have already evacuated Shangyong. From the prisoners we captured, we learned that Shen Dan evacuated on Xu Huang's orders."
This is easy to understand. Xu Huang would naturally have to notify his allies when he retreated. How could it be reasonable for him to run away and ignore the fate of his allies?
The Shen brothers had betrayed Liu Bei before, and they knew the consequences of falling into Liu Bei's hands. How could they dare to stay in Shangyong when Xu Huang had already fled?
Let alone the Shen brothers, would you run away if you were in their shoes?
Liu Bei was somewhat on the defensive. In the past, he would turn and run as soon as he saw the Wei army from afar, but now he didn't want to run anymore, but the Wei army ran away. What kind of situation is this?
Damn Shen Dan and Shen Yi, why don't you dare roll up your sleeves and fight me?
Frustrated, Liu Bei continued his journey towards Shangyong.
At the same time, Guan Xing also crossed the mountains and was about to arrive in Fangling.
The route from Linju to Fangling is entirely mountainous, and Guan Xing's army was exhausted from a bloody battle with Yu Jin. They also had to wait for supplies from the rear, so their speed was extremely slow.
Before they could even reach the city of Fangling after crossing the mountains, the scouts they had sent out in advance hurriedly returned to report: "General, the Wei army in Fangling has abandoned the city and fled. The city gates are now wide open, and our army can enter the city without any hindrance."
Guan Xing asked in astonishment, "Are the Wei soldiers like rabbits? How can they run so fast?"
Zhu Ran, Sun Quan, Hu Zong, Xu Xiang and others behind him rolled their eyes upon hearing this. "Are you Huo Qubing or Guan Anguo here in your prime? Who wouldn't run away when they see you?"
Let alone the Wei army in Fangling, we'd run away if we even saw you from afar.
Guan Xing said dejectedly, "But this is also a good thing for us. Sun Huan, you go and take over Fangling to prevent the Wei army from Xiangyang. The rest of you come with me to Shangyong to intercept Xu Huang."
Xiahou Shang is still in Xiangyang. If Xiahou Shang were to attack from behind while we are besieging Xu Huang, it would be a lot of trouble. Therefore, we must send someone to guard Fangling and keep Xiahou Shang out of Fangling.
When Guan Xing thought of someone to guard Fangling, his first choice was Sun Huan. Sun Huan was a famous general in defense. In the Battle of Yiling, he held Yidao City with only a few thousand remnants of his army, blocking Liu Bei from advancing any further and ultimately leading to Liu Bei's defeat.
Sun Huan could not only hold off Liu Bei, but he could also hold off Xiahou Shang. With him guarding Fangling Pass, Xing could rest assured.
The army thus split into two routes. Sun Huan went to Fangling, while Guan Xing led his troops straight to Shangyong. However, not long after they set off, Dong Hui returned. Upon hearing Dong Hui's report, Guan Xing immediately exploded, saying with a face full of resentment, "What? Xu Huang escaped through the Ziwu Road?"
Zhu Ran, Hu Zong, Xu Xiang, and the others also looked displeased. They stomped their feet and angrily cursed, "Why are the Wei troops in the three eastern counties so cowardly? And Xu Huang, as one of the Five Tiger Generals, why don't you dare to come out and fight us juniors?"
They were hoping to annihilate Xu Huang and make a name for themselves in one battle, but Xu Huang not only ran faster than them, but he also retreated directly to Guanzhong via the Ziwu Road.
Are you afraid Cao Cao will deal with you if you slink back like that?
Guan Xing frowned and pondered, "No, according to common sense, even if Xu Huang were to retreat, he would retreat to Xiangfan, not Guanzhong. If he retreats directly to Guanzhong, Cao Cao will deal with him, unless he receives an order from Cao Cao."
"If the retreat to Guanzhong was only carried out on Cao Cao's orders, then Cao Cao must have received news of Lu Xun's capture and Wu Hou's surrender. But Wu Hou's surrender was only a few days ago. How could Cao Cao's intelligence transmission be so fast?"
Once the idea was opened, everyone's minds became active. After thinking for a moment, Zhu Ran said, "Perhaps Cao Cao did not receive the news of our lord's surrender to Liu Bei, but only received the news sent back by Cao Ren that Commander Lu had been captured."
"Suppose that General Guan's messenger (Zhou Cang) and Cao Ren's messenger set off at the same time. Although the distance between them was short, the route for General Guan's messenger was all mountainous, and at that time, the lord had not yet surrendered, and Jingzhou was still in the lord's hands. The messenger had to avoid the checkpoints along the way, so his speed was naturally slow. Cao Ren's messenger was different. He passed through his own territory along the way, and he could ride a fast horse and gallop freely. He could even change horses at the post stations along the way. As a result, Cao Cao would definitely receive the news of Lu Da's defeat faster than the King of Hanzhong."
Guan Xing continued, "You mean that after receiving Cao Ren's message, Cao Cao did not intend to win over the Marquis of Wu, but instead directly abandoned Jingzhou?"
Zhu Ran nodded and said, "That's possible. Otherwise, why would Xu Huang have withdrawn to Guanzhong?"
Guan Xing slapped his thigh and cursed angrily, "Damn it, Cao Cao's reaction was too fast!"
Everyone fell silent. That was Cao Cao, the King of Wei. If he didn't have this ability, how could he have defeated Yuan Shao and unified the Central Plains? How could he have broken the White Horse Oath of Emperor Gaozu and openly declared himself king?
Guan Xing said worriedly, "Xu Huang has already fled, so Cao Ren will probably be here soon too. If we turn back now, can we still stop Cao Ren?"
Zhu Ran smiled wryly and said, "I'm afraid we won't have enough time. Besides, our army is exhausted from the long march. If we continue to rush, something bad will happen. In my humble opinion, we should meet up with the King of Hanzhong first and let him decide."
Guan Xing nodded and said, "Alright, the Wei army in Fangling has all fled, so the Wei army in Shangyong certainly won't just sit there and wait to die. Shangyong is probably an empty city now, so there's no need to make the soldiers take a detour."
"Zhu Ran, Hu Zong, and Pan Zhu will accompany me to Shangyong to pay homage to the King. The rest of you will retreat to Fangling to rest and recuperate."