In 208 AD, after Liu Bei acquired the Crouching Dragon Zhuge Liang, the Phoenix Chick Pang Tong also joined Liu Xuande's ranks.
Because history had been altered by Lu Li, Zhang Ren had long since surrendered to the Yellow Turban Army and later joined Liu Bei's forces.
Therefore, Pang Tong did not die at Luofeng Slope this time.
Under the leadership of Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, Liu Bei's army grew stronger day by day.
One person was in charge of military affairs, and the other was in charge of domestic affairs; they complemented each other perfectly!
In the same year, they launched the Battle of Hanzhong against Cao Cao. The total number of participants on both sides exceeded one million, and the battle was incredibly fierce, with corpses strewn all over the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Jiangdong army, which had been observing from the sidelines, suddenly marched westward and stationed its troops in Jingzhou!
"Father! The Jiangdong army has amassed a large force in Jingzhou. Should we ask our lord for help?" the young Guan Ping asked worriedly.
Guan Yu sneered and said, "My Jingzhou army has been trained for a long time. With me stationed in Jingzhou, how dare those Jiangdong rats attempt to invade Jingzhou? It's nothing."
"Furthermore, our lord is currently engaged in a major battle with Cao Cao in Hanzhong, so we should not cause him any more trouble."
Guan Yu was stationed in Jingzhou for many years and had many clashes with Cao Cao's army and Jiangdong's army, but every time, Guan Yu won a great victory!
This made him look down on Cao Cao's army and the Jiangdong army even more. In Guan Yu's eyes, only Zhou Yu had any ability; the rest were all good-for-nothings and not worth worrying about.
Cao Ren, who was stationed in Wancheng, was a capable general. Guan Yu had tried to attack Wancheng for many years but had never succeeded.
"Bring me my Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and I'll go and have a go at that brat Zhou Yu!" Guan Yu roared, leaping onto his horse and galloping out of the camp.
On the other side, Zhou Yu also led 100,000 naval troops, and the two sides fought to the outskirts of Jiangxia County, where they faced each other in a standoff.
"Zhou Yu, you have invaded my Jingzhou without cause. Do you intend to break the alliance?" Guan Yu, mounted on his warhorse, stared intently at the Jiangdong army ahead and demanded.
Zhou Yu smiled slightly and said indifferently, "Yun Chang, you misunderstand. We only wish to pass through Jingzhou to march north and capture Wancheng!"
"Hmph, if you sincerely wanted to pass through, you should have notified me in advance! Now you suddenly bring your troops here, do you think my broadsword is not sharp enough?" Guan Yu rebuked coldly.
Zhou Yu remained unfazed and said calmly, "Yun Chang, have you forgotten the importance of speed and surprise in warfare?"
"If I had notified you in advance, there might have been spies from Cao Cao's army in your ranks. If they found out, something unexpected might have happened!"
Enraged, Guan Yu roared, "You little brat Zhou Yu, do you really think I'm so easy to fool?"
"Yun Chang, we are allies, and we have signed an alliance to jointly resist Cao Cao. How could I possibly attack Jingzhou?"
"They really intend to use Jingzhou as a route to launch a surprise attack on Wancheng!"
Zhou Yu spoke very sincerely, but the more sincere he was, the less Guan Yu trusted him. He gave a cold laugh and was about to say something when Fa Zheng stopped him.
"General, we can take this opportunity to test the Jiangdong army!" Fa Zheng suggested softly.
Guan Yu frowned slightly, puzzled, and asked, "Oh? Why do you say that, Xiaozhi?"
Fa Zheng explained, "Since Zhou Yu wants to pass through Jingzhou, we will let him pass!"
"However, we need to lay an ambush in the city. If he makes any unusual moves, we can take advantage of the situation and wipe them out!"
Upon hearing this, Guan Yu's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands in admiration, exclaiming, "Brilliant plan! Truly a brilliant plan!"
"But... what if he really attacks Wancheng?" Guan Yu asked worriedly.
Fa Zheng revealed a smug smile.
"Then let him fight! Even if he can't win and suffers losses, we'll be happy to see it happen."
"But if we capture it, Zhou Yu will be left isolated!"
"Having just experienced a major battle, and with our footing unstable, aren't we just fish on a chopping board, to be eaten however we want?"
"Hiss~" Guan Yu couldn't help but gasp upon hearing this, and then burst into laughter.
Guan Yu then realized that Fa Zheng truly lived up to his reputation as the second strategist of the Yellow Turban Army, possessing brilliant methods!
"Send word to the three armies! Grant permission for the Jiangdong army to pass through!" Guan Yu said excitedly.
Soon, the Jiangdong army successfully entered Jingzhou by passing through, and the journey was smooth and without any obstacles.
"Grand Commander, does Guan Yu really dare to let us into Jingzhou?" Lü Meng exclaimed in surprise.
Zhou Yu said in a deep voice, "Guan Yu's actions must be a trap. Order the entire army to be on high alert and to proceed with extreme caution!"
Zhou Yu hadn't expected that Guan Yu would actually dare to let him into Jingzhou, which really disrupted his plans.
I thought that, based on my understanding of Guan Yu, this guy was very arrogant and would definitely not allow the Jiangdong army to enter Jingzhou.
In this way, he would have the upper hand and might be able to attack the three counties of Jingzhou.
But Guan Yu, contrary to his usual behavior, let himself in directly.
This put the Jiangdong army in a dangerous situation, since if Guan Yu were to suddenly make a move, their 100,000-strong Jiangdong army would be in grave danger.
But at this moment, the die was cast and Zhou Yu had no choice but to bite the bullet and go in.
"Grand Commander, the Jingzhou army won't set up an ambush and just wait for us to walk right in, will they?" Cheng Pu said hesitantly from the side.
Zhou Yu sneered and said, "Don't worry, as long as we don't make a move, he definitely won't dare to make the first move!"
"In Hanzhong, Cao Cao and Liu Bei are engaged in a fierce battle. If he dares to attack us now, he will surely suffer a full-scale attack from our Jiangdong army. I don't believe Guan Yu would dare to openly break the alliance at this time!"
As the saying goes, "Strike the snake at its seven-inch mark." Zhou Yu had a firm grasp on Guan Yu's intentions, and Guan Yu would never risk ambushing the Jiangdong army.
That's why he went to Jingzhou without any hesitation, but he didn't expect Guan Yu to agree so readily!
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