"I hereby appoint you as the commander-in-chief, leading an army of 300,000 to attack Jingzhou!"
Xu Huang's expression brightened, and he immediately cupped his hands and said, "This subordinate obeys!"
Then Leif looked at Zhao Yun and Lü Bu. Both of them were highly skilled in martial arts and were the most suitable to be the vanguard. But who should be chosen?
At that moment, Lü Bu stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Celestial Master, I was originally intended to be the vanguard!"
Before Zhao Yun could react, Lü Bu beat him to it and blurted it out, leaving Zhao Yun with no choice but to retreat.
"In that case, let us appoint Fengxian as the vanguard and Gao Shun as the deputy vanguard, leading 20,000 troops to set off first!"
This battle was of paramount importance, so Leif directly incorporated Gao Shun and the Trapped Camp into the vanguard.
"promise!"
"promise!"
Gao Shun and Lü Bu clasped their hands in response and then withdrew.
Leif stared intently at the other generals. He had a wealth of talented generals under his command, but what he lacked was a strategist, and the only one he had was Xi Zhicai.
“Celestial Master, I am willing to serve as your military advisor!” Xi Zhicai stepped forward respectfully when he saw that Lai Fu’s gaze had shifted to him.
This time, Kelefu did not want Xi Zhicai to go with him.
"Zhicai, you don't need to go this time. Where is Fa Xiaozhi?"
At this moment, a man dressed in scholar's robes, with a refined and elegant appearance, stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your subordinate is here!"
"Any objections to my appointment as military advisor?" Leif asked sternly.
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Fa Zheng, courtesy name Xiaozhi, was someone Lu Li specifically instructed to treat well and recruit after the Yellow Turban Army conquered Yizhou.
At first, Leifu didn't quite understand, but after talking with Fazheng a few times, he was impressed by Fazheng's insight.
Fa Zheng's talent is in no way inferior to Xi Zhicai's.
Laifu believed that with Fazheng's assistance, he could completely control the entire Yizhou!
Fa Zheng and Xi Zhicai have completely opposite personalities. Xi Zhicai is gentle and refined, calm and unhurried. Fa Zheng, on the other hand, is radical, decisive, and adept at using tricks.
According to the original history, Fa Zheng was also Liu Bei's most relied-upon strategist after entering Yizhou.
People only know that Zhuge Liang was unparalleled in wisdom and strategy in the Shu Han camp, but in real history, after Pang Tong came along, Zhuge Liang was almost always in charge of logistics, just like Xun Yu.
After Pang Tong's death, Fa Zheng became Liu Bei's chief strategist.
It wasn't until after Fazheng and Liu Bei both died that Zhuge Liang had to take on the main responsibility. Lu Li's assessment of him was that he was destined to be a lifelong laborer.
If Shu Han hadn't suffered from a shortage of talent, Zhuge Liang wouldn't have had to do everything personally, and perhaps he wouldn't have died so young!
Laifu also highly valued Fazheng, knowing that he possessed extraordinary talent. This campaign against Jingzhou was intended to give Fazheng some experience.
But the bigger reason is that Lai Fu can't do without Xi Zhicai by his side.
With Lu Li absent, Xi Zhicai was by his side, offering advice and strategies, so he needed Xi Zhicai's assistance.
The two had studied together at Yingchuan Academy and were considered classmates, which is why Lai Fu trusted Xi Zhicai more.
...
Xu Huang, Gao Shun, and Lü Bu led their troops out, and the vast army marched towards Jingzhou.
Ten days later, the Yellow Turban army had already captured Wuling.
"Gongming, something feels off to me," Gao Shun asked Xu Huang in a low voice as he rode at the head of the group.
Upon hearing this, Xu Huang frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "I have the same feeling, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong!"
Their attack on Wuling went too smoothly; Jingzhou was completely unprepared, and Gao Shun and Lü Bu's vanguard forces captured it in just one day.
If Gao Shun hadn't sensed something was wrong and stopped Lü Bu, he would have gone straight to attack Changsha.
After Xu Huang's army arrived, Gao Shun finally told Xu Huang about his doubts.
Xu Huang was capable of leading troops, but when it came to thinking about these things, he couldn't come up with anything.
Fa Zheng, standing to the side, had a flicker in his eyes, as if he had guessed something.
At this moment, Xi Zhicai suddenly walked between the two of them and said with a smile, "You two stop thinking about it. Thinking too much won't help!"
"Oh? Xiaozhi, why do you say that? Do you know something fishy about it?" Gao Shun looked at Xi Zhicai in surprise.
Xu Huang also looked at Fa Zheng with great interest.
Fa Zheng chuckled and said, "Generals, Sun Jian has betrayed us!"
Upon hearing this, the two men's eyes widened instantly, and they looked at Fazheng with some shock.
"Xiaozhi... what do you mean by that?" Xu Huang asked hurriedly.
Fa Zheng sneered and continued, "Ten days have passed since you breached Wuling City. Have you seen any reinforcements from Jingzhou?"
After listening to Fa Zheng's words, Gao Shun suddenly realized where the problem lay.
They could lead an army of 300,000 to attack Jingzhou, so how could Liu Biao not send any reinforcements?
"Look!"
After saying this, Fa Zheng waved his hand, and his men took out the map.
He then pointed to the map and said, "We are currently in Wuling County. If we continue our attack on Changsha, what have you discovered?"
Xu Huang's eyes lit up first, and he said, "To the north are Yidu and Nanjun, and to the south is Lingling. If we attack Changsha, and these three prefectures send troops to Wuling, we will be surrounded!"
“That’s right, just like that,” Fa Zheng said with a smile.
"Damn it, that old scoundrel Liu Biao is so treacherous!"
Xu Huang couldn't help but curse loudly.
Fa Zheng smiled and said, "Gongming, Liu Biao is deliberately delaying us. Think about it, if Liu Biao sends reinforcements to stop our army when we lead our troops to attack, he will definitely be able to stop us."
"But Liu Biao has been delaying in sending troops. He's woven a big bag for us, luring us into it!"
"So what should we do now?" Gao Shun asked, frowning.
Fa Zheng shook his head, smiled calmly, and said, "Now that we know Liu Biao's intentions, why not turn the tables on him?"
“He wants to devour us, but it won’t be that easy!” Fa Zheng’s eyes sharpened.
Xu Huang and Gao Shun exchanged a glance, both seeing a strong fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
"Xiaozhi, tell us what to do, and we'll do as you say!" Xu Huang said.
Gao Shun agreed, saying, "Yes, Xiaozhi, what do you suggest? We'll definitely stick with you to the end!"
Fa Zheng smiled and pointed to the map, saying, "This is very simple. Have Lü Bu lead 10,000 troops to ambush the area south of Wuling Army!"
"Gao Shun will lead 30,000 troops to ambush north of Lingling, while Gongming will lead a large army to feign an attack on Changsha. Once Lingling, Yidu, and Nanjun send troops, let them enter Wuling County, and our three forces can then encircle them!"
"Brilliant plan, absolutely brilliant plan!"
Gao Shun laughed heartily, slapped his forehead, and said, "In this way, we can wipe out all three counties of Jingzhou in one fell swoop!"
"Hehe, that old scoundrel Liu Biao is going to have a headache!" Xu Huang sneered.
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