Chapter 75: Attacking the Heart is Paramount

  "It's great that you have confidence." Liu Bian waved his hand, and Yang Xiu presented a sword. Liu Bian took the sword in his hand, examined it for a moment, and handed it to Liu Bei. "Do you recognize this sword?"

  Liu Biao grasped the sword in his hand and first glanced at the scabbard. The scabbard was ancient and simple, with a silver mouth and an inlaid silver pattern of a coiled dragon. He drew out a length of the long sword, its body shining like spring water, as if radiating a flowing light. In the patterns on the sword's body, there were tiny points of bright light, twinkling like stars. Liu Biao pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up in surprise: "The writing is like the movement of the stars, the light is like the first burst of spring water... this is... Chun Jun?"

  Liu Bian smiled, and Yang Xiu also smiled. "Indeed, you are one of the Eight Talents, Liu Jing Sheng, with your extensive knowledge, you recognized the Pure Harmony Sword at a glance. So, do you know why I want to bestow this sword upon you?"

  Liu Biao's mouth was bitter, but his face remained expressionless. He said with a sigh: "Your Majesty wants me to be a pure minister."

  "Not bad." Liu Bei slowly walked to the back of Liu Biao, his hand placed on Liu Biao's shoulder. "I have sent you to Jingzhou, if you can be a loyal minister, I will grant you a king's position. If you have any treacherous intentions, not only will I take back this sword, but also your head. Do you understand?"

  Liu Biao was tall and big, over eight feet, Liu Bei was slightly shorter than him, patting his back, couldn't help but feel a bit comical. However, Liu Biao didn't have any comical feeling at all. This scene made him think of an anecdote: when Emperor Wu of Han appointed Liu Pi as the King of Wu, it was exactly like this.

  Thinking of Liu Bei's fate, a cold sweat broke out on the back of Liu Biao. He didn't even dare to raise his head, and bowed down saying: "I... how dare I."

  ……

  Liu Biao left. Without even bringing a single follower, he went alone on horseback, drifting away. Along the way, he had to cross two passes in Liang County and Luyang, where he might encounter Yuan's army at any time, but he was fearless, carrying the emperor's edict and wearing a pure sword at his waist, and stepped onto the boundless journey with an uncertain future.

  Liu Biao was somewhat skeptical of Liu Bian's threat, he didn't believe that Liu Bian still had the ability to take his life, but he still felt a wave of fear. He had a feeling that Liu Bian might not be joking, he really had confidence in quelling Yuan Shao's rebellion and reviving the great Han dynasty once again.

  Although Liu Biao did not know where Liu Bei's confidence came from, he dared not to be careless. At the moment he left the main camp, he had made up his mind: before the situation was clear, he would never take the initiative.

  ……

  Behind Liu Biao's back, an emergency military meeting was being held in the big camp.

  The imperial court's expeditionary force took the initiative to attack, striking first and defeating Sun Jian, who was preparing to attack Guangcheng Pass, seizing the initiative. However, a problem has now arisen: Sun Jian retreated back to Liang County and defended the city. Whether to continue attacking the city or return to Xiangyang to lift the siege became a contentious issue among everyone.

  Huang Fu and the others below him each expressed their opinions, arguing endlessly. Liu Bian ate his dinner while quietly listening to them. He was the Son of Heaven, the commander-in-chief of the army, and the one who made the final decisions. Before this, he didn't need to say much, just listen.

  There are many problems with the siege, and the two biggest troubles are: one is that time is not enough, and the other is that there is insufficient military strength. Before the siege, preparations for siege equipment must be made, and without three to five days of time, it cannot be done. And in three to five days, Yuan Shu can rush from Luyang to Liang County. At that time, the court's military strength will be at a serious disadvantage, and even if relying on the speed of cavalry to win, the loss will not be small, and there may no longer be the strength to fight against Yuan Shao again.

  Not attacking the city, they hurried to Xiangyang, which was a good choice, but once Yuan Shu arrived, Sun Jian's losses were supplemented, and Guangcheng Pass would still be threatened. Liu Bian could not concentrate on fighting against Yuan Shao either.

  In short, it is a sentence: insufficient troops, left and right are at a loss. Except for the necessary troops stationed in various places, Liu Bian could mobilize less than 30,000 troops, and was at a disadvantage whether facing Yuan Shu or Yuan Shao. His advantage lay in the number of cavalry, which was around 5,000, and neither Yuan Shao nor Yuan Shu could match it.

  After Liu Bei finished his dinner, the discussion had basically come to an end. It roughly divided into two camps: the military generals advocated for war, while the civil officials advocated for retreat. The military generals were eager to fight, especially Lü Bu, who loudly shouted that he wanted to break through Liang County and strip off Sun Jian's tiger skin. Yang Xiu and other civil officials, on the other hand, advocated for retreat, seeing the good in it, and suggested defending Guangcheng Gate and lifting the siege of Yingyang first.

  Liu Bian noticed that Jia Xu had been silent all along and nodded in agreement.

  "Tell me, Wenhe, what's your opinion?"

  Jia Xu stood up and coughed lightly: "Your Majesty, I think we should go to war, but not attack Liang County, but rather attack Luyang."

  As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked. The big account was silent for a moment, and then everyone burst into laughter, thinking that Jia Xu had gone mad. The one who laughed the most was Lü Bu: "Jia Wenhe, did you think Yuan Shu and his great army were three-year-old children, defeated with one blow?"

  Liu Bian didn't smile. He swept his gaze around the room, and everyone shut their mouths in embarrassment. Liu Bian used his eyes to signal Jia Xiang to continue.

  Jia Xu spoke calmly, "Your Majesty has a discerning eye, and once said that Yuan Shu letting Sun Jian enter Liang County had the suspicion of sending him to his death. If so, why not let Sun Jian see this point clearly as well? Abandon Liang County and press straight on to Luoyang. If Yuan Shu dares to fight, then concentrate our forces and defeat him in one battle. If he does not dare to fight, then Sun Jian will have no reinforcements to wait for, his isolated army unable to defend itself, with only the path of abandoning the city."

  Liu Bian suddenly realized. Jia Xu's move was indeed vicious, he attacked not the city, but the hearts of men. The 30,000 infantry and cavalry were pressing towards Luyang, Yuan Shu did not have the confidence to win, he definitely would not dare to go all out, deciding on a fight to the death. Otherwise, the loss would be too great, it would only benefit Yuan Shao for nothing. Yuan Shu dared not fight, so he could only watch as Sun Jian sent himself to his death. Would Sun Jian be willing to send himself to his death? He definitely would abandon the city and flee, preserving his own strength.

  Without Sun Jian, this fierce tiger, Yuan Shu lost his sharpest claws and teeth. Not only could he no longer attack Guangcheng Pass, but he also had to guard against Sun Jian's revenge. Once Liu Biao stabilized his foothold in Jingzhou, Yuan Shu would be unable to lead his army north again, having the heart but not the strength.

  In this way, the threat of the southern line can be alleviated, and the imperial court's main force to suppress the rebellion can focus on dealing with Yuan Shao.

  Liu Bian smiled and looked at the crowd in the tent: "What do you all think?"

  Lü Bu shrugged indifferently: "I don't care, I just hope Your Majesty will let me be the vanguard."

  "Are you still going to be the vanguard?" Zhang Heng sneered, "In the Battle of Liang County, if it weren't for Your Majesty's personal rescue, you would have been trapped by Sun Jian long ago. I'm afraid you won't even be able to defeat the tiger, and instead will get hurt by it. This heavy responsibility as vanguard should be left to someone else."

  "Zhang Hua, do you want to fight?" Lü Bu was furious, his eyes widened, and he habitually spat out a mouthful of saliva. Just as the saliva was about to land, he suddenly remembered something, hastily stretched out his hand to catch it, rubbed his hands together, and made a gesture of rubbing his fists and palms. With a serious expression, he said: "Fighting? I'm not afraid of you."

  Everyone saw it and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Liu Bian was speechless, his hand gently tapping on the desk: "After Lu Qiong, supervise Liang County. Lü Bu will be the vanguard, Zhang Xiu will follow, I and the Grand Tutor will lead the main army together, and rush to Luoyang."

  "Agreed." The crowd responded in unison.

  First update, seeking triple Jiang, seeking recommendations, seeking collections!

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