"Is what you're saying true?" Huang Zhong asked in a deep voice.
Huo Jun hurriedly nodded and replied, "General Huang, the 500,000 shi of grain that the prefect allocated to me is actually stockpiled at Chibi!"
Upon hearing this, Huang Zhong's eyes widened immediately. He never expected that Huo Jun would actually move the granary to Chibi.
As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place. The Yellow Turban Army could never have imagined that their supplies were hidden at Chibi!
Huang Zhong took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions and said, "Then, in your opinion, how should we proceed?"
"What exactly is the Yellow Turban Army trying to achieve with this bluff?" Huo Jun asked.
"this....."
Huang Zhong shook his head and said, "I don't know, but it's definitely not simple!"
Suddenly, Huo Jun thought of a possibility and stood up abruptly, saying, "What if they plan to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang?"
Huang Zhong was taken aback, then said, "General Huo, aren't you overthinking this?"
"If they want to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang, aren't they afraid of being attacked from both sides? Besides, they need warships to get to Xiangyang! And all these thousands of warships are here," Huang Zhong analyzed.
Upon hearing this, Huo Jun felt that Huang Zhong's words made sense, but still asked uncertainly, "Then why are they bluffing?"
Why did the Yellow Turban army spend so much money on this?
Huang Zhong thought for a while, then shook his head and said, "Perhaps they just want us to think they're bluffing? So they'll launch a surprise attack when we lower our guard?"
Huo Jun thought about it and realized that it made sense. But the most crucial question was: with thousands of warships already here, where would the Yellow Turban Army get new warships?
After all, these warships can't be built in a short time.
"Let's gather the troops first, we'll talk about it when we get back," Huo Jun said coldly.
"Yes!" Huang Zhong nodded in agreement, and then ordered all the generals to return to camp and gather the soldiers.
Soon after, all the generals returned to camp, and Huo Jun summoned them together to discuss the current situation.
Huo Jun looked around, sighed, and slowly said, "Gentlemen, we have all been deceived. The Yellow Turban rebels never intended to attack Jiangxia!"
"That's impossible! The scouts clearly reported accurate information that the Yellow Turban Army was going to cross the Yangtze River and attack Jiangxia!" someone said.
"Yes, General Huo, our men saw it with their own eyes!"
This was something Huo Jun didn't understand, but the only explanation he could come up with was that the Yellow Turban rebels were deliberately bluffing to mislead their own side.
"What is the point of the Yellow Turban rebels doing this? Is it just to scare us and make us lower our guard so they can launch a sneak attack?" someone else asked.
Huo Jun shook his head and said, "Nobody knows. Let's hold back for now. I want to see what tricks the Yellow Turban rebels are up to."
Huo Jun looked at the distant sky with a worried expression.
Meanwhile, Xu Huang's army had already left Changsha, embarking on a long journey, traversing mountains and valleys, in preparation for a surprise attack on Xiangyang!
This is the same road that Lu Li took when he attacked the State of Chu.
Although four hundred years have passed and the world has changed, Lu Li is still very familiar with this road.
Lu Li is also in the army!
"Master, how much longer do we have to walk?" Dian Wei complained impatiently.
Lu Li laughed and said, "We'll be there soon. In another three or four days, we'll be outside Xiangyang City!"
They went through all that trouble, wasting thousands of warships, just to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang.
"Fa Xiaozhi's plan was indeed brilliant. He used the attack on Jiangxia as bait, and then placed thousands of warships across the Yangtze River. By the time they discovered it, we had already succeeded."
During the Warring States period, the only person who could rival Lu Li in strategy was Yun Qingshu.
But now, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Fa Zheng actually possessed such strategic acumen, which truly astonished Lu Li.
The truth is hard to discern, and the reality is hard to tell. Huo Jun and the others must be completely bewildered at this moment.
"You flatter me, sir. Compared to you, I am ashamed."
Fa Zheng originally wanted to take a longer route, but he never expected that Lu Li would know a shortcut.
Although this route is still a bit roundabout, it significantly shortens the distance compared to the original plan.
"I've received word that Luoyang has sent troops to support Jingzhou," Lu Li suddenly said.
"What? Luoyang is sending troops? Why would Dong Zhuo help Liu Biao?" Fa Zheng asked in surprise.
In Fa Zheng's view, Dong Zhuo had been dictatorial since entering Luoyang, and had now risen to the position of the emperor's uncle.
Liu Biao was the governor of Jingzhou and also held considerable military power. Dong Zhuo was too busy fighting against Liu Biao to send troops to help him.
"Of course it's for us!"
"Once our army takes Jingzhou, we can advance north to conquer the Central Plains or retreat to defend Yizhou. This is the last thing Dong Zhuo wants to see."
"Therefore, he will stop at nothing to prevent us from taking Jingzhou!"
For Dong Zhuo, Liu Biao posed a far greater threat than the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
"Sir, then we must prepare in advance. Once Luoyang sends troops, we must act swiftly and decisively," Fa Zheng said.
Lu Li nodded: "Don't worry!"
Lu Li was well aware of the difference between Dong Zhuo's army and the Yellow Turban army.
Dong Zhuo had tens of thousands of Xiliang cavalrymen under his command. In this era, cavalrymen were a formidable weapon!
Consider that Ma Chao only had 20,000 Xiliang cavalry, yet he was able to chase Cao Cao so far that Cao Cao had to cut off his beard and abandon his robe, leaving him in a very sorry state.
Dong Zhuo now commands at least 50,000 Xiliang cavalry, not counting the remaining 200,000 Bingzhou troops. This force is terrifying.
Therefore, one must be cautious when dealing with a formidable enemy like Dong Zhuo.
Three days later, the Yellow Turban army arrived at the gates of Xiangyang. Liu Biao and others were still asleep when suddenly shouts of battle resounded through the sky.
"What's going on?" Liu Biao was startled awake.
Cai Mao rushed over to report: "My lord, it's an enemy attack! The enemy army is already at the city gates!"
Liu Biao was immediately terrified and exclaimed in panic, "How is this possible? Where did the enemy come from?"
Cai Mao said with a mournful face, "My lord, this is absolutely true. The Yellow Turban Army is about to break in. You should change your clothes and escape for your life."
Upon hearing this, Liu Biao's face changed drastically. He collapsed to the ground, trembling, and muttered, "It's over! It's over!"
Liu was so terrified that he no longer had the courage to resist.
Cai Mao hurriedly pulled Liu Biao up and ran wildly out of the mansion.
Liu Biao was so frightened that his legs went weak and he could not stand steadily. Cai Mao hurriedly supported him.
"Madam! Madam is still in the backyard..." Liu Biao shoved Cai Mao aside and ran frantically towards his home.
Liu Biao's wife, Lady Cai, was also filled with fear. As a woman, she was used to a life of luxury and had never seen anything like this before. Her legs went weak with fright, and she looked completely distraught.
"Madam, come with me!" Liu Biao rushed through the door, grabbed Cai Shi, and dragged her outside.
The maidservant followed, crying anxiously, "My lord, the mistress is pregnant! If you do this, the baby will be lost!"
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