Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 537 Surrounding but not attacking

After listening to Lu Xun's words, Yuan Xi did not express his position, but said: "If we don't attack Hefei, how can we attack Shouchun?"

Lu Xun asked, "Why did you attack Shouchun?"

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "That's a good question, Boyan."

"The whole city of Shouchun is starving now. Although there are many soldiers, most of them are already weak. Even if they are given to me now, they are still a burden."

"The only thing that attracts me may be the various officials under Yuan Shu."

"But these people are mixed, with their own agendas. If we take them all in, these surrenderers will definitely unite, which will have a bad impact on my current officials."

"So I have to find a way to eliminate a considerable number of people so as not to create an imbalance among the subordinates."

After hearing this, Lu Xun let out a sigh of relief, "Zhang Jun understands it very well. Xun is relieved by this sentence."

"With all due respect, there are still nearly [-] troops around Shouchun. Whoever goes to attack first will be like a hornet's nest and bear the brunt of Yuan Shu's army."

"Since you don't have much interest in Shouchun, why rush to touch this bad guy?"

"Since Shouchun is not going to be attacked, why bother to attack Hefei in a hurry? Now we can just besiege the city and drag it out. Wouldn't it be better to wait for Cao Mengde and Yuan Xiansi to attack first from the north?"

Yuan Xi thought for a while and said with a wry smile: "Having said that, does Boyan know why I always come to the battlefield in person?"

"Now that Boyan can understand, he will naturally understand that I want to capture Shouchun first and win the title of defeating Yuan Shu."

"Although this is a false name, this false name is very important to me."

Lu Xun was silent for a while, and then said softly: "Of course Xun knows."

"When Emperor Gaozu fought in the north and south, all the ministers he relied on were with him through life and death."

"In the process of leading troops to fight, the Lord can gain the loyalty of his subordinates and gradually build up his prestige. He can declare to the world that he is destined to defeat the enemy with his own hands."

"It was in these battles that Gaozu gradually made the world surrender and the people's hearts aspire."

"Of course there are exceptions. King Xin of Han, who has always been on his own, is invincible and invincible. In fact, it has a bad impact on Gaozu's prestige. He is not completely convinced by Gaozu, so there is a hidden danger of trouble in the future. "

"After all, in troubled times, whoever can win the battle will be qualified to dominate the world."

Yuan Xi heard something in Lu Xun's words and immediately said: "Don't trust people when you employ them, and don't use people when you are suspicious. If you don't have this bit of courage, you won't get to the end."

"As for killing the donkey and killing the donkey, although the bird can be used to hide its bow, although it can gain temporary benefits, it will suffer backlash sooner or later. The Seven Kings Rebellion is a lesson."

"I can swear on this, Boyan can rest assured."

After hearing this, Lu Xun bowed and said, "Xun understands, and should serve the young master with all his heart."

Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Bo Yan, why are you so nervous? Who among us brothers is following the other?"

"In your opinion, what should we do next?"

Lu Xun spread out the linen map and said: "There is no need to worry about the south of the Yangtze River for the time being, but how much of the north of the Yangtze River can be occupied depends on our future plans."

"Xiapi in Xuzhou borders Jiujiang in Yangzhou and Runan in Yuzhou. If we want to advance westward, we must consider how to defend the territory we have acquired."

"If you fight too much, you won't be able to defend. If you fight too little, it will be difficult to fight again in the future."

He pointed to a point on the map, "I think this city is much more important than Hefei now."

Yuan Xi was a little surprised when he saw it, "How could Boyan think of attacking this city?"

"If we occupy this place, our military line will definitely be stretched. If we attack Shouchun in the future,"

Lu Xun spoke out: "A centipede is dead but not stiff. 10 people is by no means a small number, and Shouchun will never be captured so easily."

"Now several parties have their own agendas. If you don't capture Hefei, those parties will wait and see."

"After all, no one wants to confront Yuan Shujun head-on."

"But it's different here."

"Only by capturing this place can we completely occupy Jiujiang County and prepare for future plots in Jingzhou!"

What Lu Xun was referring to now was clearly Wancheng.

Yuan Xi looked at the map and shook his head, "I really want to eat it, but with our ten thousand soldiers, it seems a bit difficult to capture Wancheng."

"Besides, Sun Boxu's move to seduce Liu Xun is obviously a conspiracy. Let's go grab the fat from his mouth. Aren't we afraid that he will break up with us?"

Lu Xun said in a deep voice: "Young Master needs to have a good talk with him."

"In Xun's opinion, Sun Bofu's attack on Wancheng was to some extent because he was afraid that Liu Xun would oppose him and cut off the waterway when he attacked Jingzhou, resulting in the failure to capture Jingzhou."

"Of course, if the young master takes Wancheng, Sun Bofu may not be at ease, but it is still much better than Liu Xun."

"For Sun Bofu, Wancheng is just the icing on the cake. What he wants to attack most now is Jiangxia."

"If the young master proposes Wancheng, if he doesn't want to create complications, the possibility of agreeing is very high."

Yuan Xi spoke up: "Why is Wancheng so important in Boyan's heart?"

Lu Xun pointed his hand and said, "Sir, please look at it. To the northwest of Wancheng is the [-]-mile mountain, which blocks the Lujiang River and Jingzhou. It is an excellent natural moat."

Yuan Xi took a closer look and couldn't help but admit that Lu Xun was right, because the five hundred miles deep mountain was the Dabie Mountains of later generations.

In this era, deep mountains and dense forests meant a place where snakes, insects and fierce beasts could crawl to death. In addition, the climate in this place was humid and plagued with miasma, and the people were unwilling to live there, let alone march and fight.Entering a place like this, whether you can escape unscathed all depends on luck, so Lu Xun called it a natural chasm, which was indeed worthy of its name. Compared with the Yangtze River, this deep mountain with countless dangers hidden is much more terrifying.

Lu Xun added: "If you give it up, the enemy will be able to attack Jiujiang from Lujiang at any time in the future. Even if you capture Shouchun, Hefei, you will still be surrounded by enemies."

"On the contrary, if you push the front to the west and hand over the Yuzhou part to the north to Liu Yuzhou to resist Cao Mengde, you can run the two counties of Jiujiang and Lujiang with peace of mind."

After hearing this, Yuan Xi laughed and said, "Liu Yuzhou is your wife, how about you cheat him like this?"

Lu Xun showed a hint of embarrassment, "Xun's lord is the envoy."

"What's more, there are only a few people in the world who can resist Cao Mengde, and Liu Yuzhou is the most suitable candidate among them. Both sides get what they need. If we join forces, we will both benefit, and if we divide them, we will suffer two harms."

Yuan Xi smiled and said: "A good alliance will benefit both sides. If I attack Lujiang now, I have to trust Liu Yuzhou and Sun Boxu at the same time that they will not change their minds. It is a big gamble."

Lu Xun said: "But it is also one of the few good opportunities to capture Lujiang."

"When Sun Bofu takes possession of it in the future, it will be even more difficult for us to get it."

"Otherwise, we can only watch the battle in Jingzhou in the future."

Yuan Xi nodded and said: "Bo Yan is right, but Sun Boxu has many capable people. He may not be able to see through our intentions."

Lu Xun was silent, and he also admitted that his idea was indeed a bit wishful thinking.

Yuan Xi thought for a while and said, "Even if we don't attack Wancheng, we can still capture several cities from Jiujiang to Lujiang."

"Let's go find Mr. Gong and discuss it together."

The next day in Liu Bei's camp, Lu Xun came with a message from Yuan Xi.

Lu Xun respectfully bowed to Liu Bei and said, "I have met the envoy."

Then he bowed again and said, "I have seen the old lady."

Liu Bei got down from his seat and helped Lu Xun up, smiling and saying, "Wonderful son-in-law, please get up."

He looked at Lu Xun in front of him and felt strange in his heart.

My daughter got married and she didn’t even tell me!
But he had been injured before, and it was no wonder that his wife had passed away. However, thinking that the other party had been so stubborn all his life and had posed a problem for him before he died, Liu Bei had a headache.

Yuan Xi's adopted brother has become his son-in-law. What does this mean?
He had already inquired that Lu Xun was highly regarded by Yuan Xi and was offered to join the army. This was the position of a core counselor!

Liu Bei understood Yuan Xi's style to some extent. He was definitely not a nepotistic person. His subordinates had become famous all over the world in recent years, which showed that Yuan Xi did have extraordinary ability in understanding people.

Let's just say that Chen Deng was only in charge of agricultural affairs under Liu Bei before. Liu Bei never saw that Chen Deng was also good at military affairs. As a result, after Chen Deng became the prefect of Guangling, he did extremely well in both domestic and foreign affairs, and even Defeat Sun Ce and Yuan Shu!

Liu Bei felt regretful every time he thought about it. He was even slightly jealous. If he had Yuan Xi's vision, he wouldn't have missed so many people!

The fact that Lu Xun in front of him was so appreciated by Yuan Xi showed that he must be something special. His wife who passed away could see more clearly than he did. He thought that his daughter's future destination would not be bad, right?
Thinking of this, Liu Bei looked at Lu Xun with much softer eyes and said, "How about the dog girl?"

Lu Xun quickly replied: "Everything is fine."

Liu Bei asked again, "Where is my wife buried?"

Lu Xun replied: "It is buried in Haixi, do you want to move it?"

Liu Bei hesitated for a moment and sighed: "Forget it, I don't know where to die yet."

"Let's wait until the world is peaceful."

Lu Xun agreed, and the two of them sat blankly opposite each other, and the atmosphere became a bit depressed and dull.

Lu Xun composed himself and said, "Xun Xun came this time to bring a message from the young master to the envoy."

Liu Bei heard this and said, "Xian Yi thinks it's time to launch a general attack on Hefei?"

Lu Xun whispered: "On the contrary, the young master thinks that it is not the best time to still be there. If Hefei is attacked, it may lead to a massive counterattack by Yuan Shujun."

"So the young master wants to take advantage of this time to attack Lujiang River."

Liu Bei was a little stunned, this idea was too far-fetched!

But he knew that Yuan Xi sent Lu Xun to inform him instead of discussing with him, so he immediately said: "Yuan Xijun wants me to besiege Hefei independently?"

Lu Xun nodded and said: "Now the young master said that we will ensure the envoy's food supply. The rest is up to the envoy to decide whether to siege or attack."

"As for the future after Shouchun is conquered, Young Master will definitely make compensation."

After hearing this, Liu Bei said: "Young Master has said so, so Bei will act in accordance with your wishes."

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Lu Xun stood up and left. Liu Bei sent him out and said, "During the war, the military order prohibits drinking. After the war, let's have a good drink."

After hearing this, Lu Xun bowed deeply and mounted his horse.

Liu Bei stood there for a while, and then turned back after learning that Lu Xun had left the village.

He suddenly stopped, looked in the direction of Haixi, sighed, and remained silent for a long time.

Although he often said to his brothers that women are like clothes, he could only keep other words in his heart.

A few days later, all Yuan Xi's troops withdrew and went to attack Linhu to the west of Ruxukou. The Linhu defenders were caught off guard and were captured that day. The only person standing in front of Wancheng was Congyang.

The news of the loss of Linhu soon spread to Wan County, causing many people who wanted to flee to be in chaos. This meant that almost all their escape routes were blocked!

(End of this chapter)