Chapter 74

Inside Liu Yao's main tent, everyone had gathered.

Liu Yao scanned the crowd below and asked, "Everyone, now that General Lu has been escorted back to the capital, I have taken over as the commander-in-chief. What are your thoughts on the matters concerning Guangzong City?"

However, after Liu Yao finished speaking, Guo Jia, Tian Feng, and the others all fell silent.

"Lord," Tian Feng was the first to stand up and say, "Military strategy states that one should besiege with ten times the force, attack with five times the force, and divide with double the force. We currently have only ten thousand elite soldiers brought by Lord and the five thousand imperial troops brought by Lord Lu. However, the combat strength of these imperial troops is extremely poor, even worse than our ordinary soldiers in Youzhou. Inside Guangzong City, there are over 160,000 Yellow Turban rebels, and the city is defended like an iron bucket by their leader, Zhang Jue. It would be extremely difficult to capture it by force."

Liu Yao frowned and asked, "Is there really no way to break through Guangzong City now?"

"Lord, capturing Guangzong City is not difficult, but it depends on whether you are willing to make the sacrifice," Guo Jia said.

"Oh, Fengxiao, what do I need to give up?" Liu Yao asked curiously.

Guo Jia then said somewhat self-deprecatingly, "If the Xianfeng Camp under Lord's command were to attack the city, the陌刀 (mòdāo) invented by Lord would be very effective. With this sharp blade, we could break through Guangzong's defenses. However, the result would be that the Xianfeng Camp soldiers would..." Guo Jia did not continue. He also knew that Liu Yao would not agree, and his self-deprecation was because he could only come up with this bad idea.

Sure enough, as soon as Guo Jia finished speaking, two urgent voices came out, "No, I disagree."

These two were undoubtedly Liu Yao and Gao Shun. For Gao Shun, these Xianfeng Camp brothers had followed him for many years. He could not bear to see them die before his eyes. For Liu Yao, the Xianfeng Camp and the Chongfeng Camp were both the result of his great efforts and financial investment. It would be almost impossible to recreate such elite troops in the future. With a total of only 20,000, losing 5,000 would be something Liu Yao could not accept, even if Zhang Jue was worth ten lottery draws.

" Gongxiao, rest assured, I will not agree to it," Liu Yao said firmly.

Gao Shun's heart was at ease, and he no longer spoke, sitting down silently.

"Fengxiao, apart from this method, is there no other way?" Liu Yao asked Guo Jia.

Guo Jia shook his head and sat down helplessly. Even with his great wisdom, he was at a loss for this kind of open strategy and this ironclad defense.

"Lord, for such an ironclad external defense, a direct attack from the outside is absolutely ineffective. What we can do is attack from the inside, gradually undermining the Yellow Turbans from within," Xi Zhicai suggested.

Liu Yao nodded, agreeing that this was the only way. As for Zhang Jue's lottery, Liu Yao could only reluctantly give it up.

Liu Yao then looked at everyone and said confidently, "Let me tell you, within a month, Zhang Jue will surely die of illness. If this happens, can you guarantee the capture of Guangzong City?"

Tian Feng was pleasantly surprised and exclaimed, "If that is true, Guangzong City will surely be in chaos. The Yellow Turbans regard Zhang Jue as a deity. If Zhang Jue dies, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang will not be able to control all the Yellow Turbans. The morale inside Guangzong City will plummet, and capturing the city will be a piece of cake."

The generals like Zhang Fei were also excited upon hearing Liu Yao's words. They had complete faith in Liu Yao, and they looked forward to earning great merit.

However, unlike Tian Feng and the others, Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia were puzzled. They did not understand why Liu Yao could be so certain that Zhang Jue would die, nor did they understand why Tian Feng and the others believed it so easily.

Liu Yao, seeing their expressions, suddenly realized that they had just joined his command and were not fully aware of certain matters. He then told Guo Jia and the others about the lies he and Gaozu had concocted.

The two were stunned upon hearing Liu Yao's words, their faces filled with disbelief. But then, thinking about the stirrups, repeating crossbows, and the strange but powerful cavalry lances and陌刀 (mòdāo) invented by Liu Yao, they had no choice but to believe him, despite some lingering doubts.

"Who would have thought that Lord could receive a dream from Gaozu. If what Lord says is true, the Yellow Turbans, having lost their spiritual leader, will be easily defeated. We just need to wait patiently," Guo Jia said with a smile.

"That's right. We just need to wait. Scouts have reported that the Yellow Turbans in the areas controlled by Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun have been pacified. It won't be long before they arrive at Guangzong. With their combined forces, the Yellow Turbans will be easily defeated," Tian Feng nodded.

"Ha ha, since that's the case, everyone can continue as before. As for you, Yuanhao, you must pay attention to the messages from the secret agents inside Guangzong City. Once there is news of Zhang Jue's death, inform me immediately," Liu Yao said with a smile.

"Understood," Tian Feng nodded in agreement.

"Han Sheng, Yide, you two go and take over the five thousand troops from Lu Zhi. When Huangfu Song and the others arrive, hand them over. These new recruits are just a burden to us," Liu Yao said disdainfully.

"Understood," Huang Zhong and Zhang Fei agreed.

"Since that's settled, everyone can disperse," Liu Yao waved his hand.

The group then left the tent, each going about their own business. Only Liu Yao, the lord, and Guo Jia, the carefree rogue, remained idle.

That night, Shi A entered Liu Yao's tent.

"Lord, the twenty secret agents we sent out have all been killed. However, one of them managed to return with his last breath. After reporting the situation, he has now passed away. Please punish me, Lord," Shi A said with a look of disappointment.

Liu Yao listened calmly, without any emotional波动. After all, this was within his expectations. "It's fine. Liu Bei and Guan Yu are not easy to kill. It's understandable that the secret agents failed." Liu Yao said casually. "Tell me the details."

"Understood. According to the secret agent, the twenty of them ambushed Liu Bei and Guan Yu on the road. However, Guan Yu is incredibly brave, wielding his large saber with great skill, making it difficult to approach him. He single-handedly blocked all their attacks. Liu Bei is also a formidable fighter, using two long swords with cunning and ferocity. Together, they were too much for the secret agents. The agent only managed to escape with the help of his comrades and bring back the news," Shi A reported.

"Is that so." Liu Yao said casually. "There's no need to worry about them anymore." Since the first attempt failed, he didn't think there would be another chance, and he didn't want to waste his efforts.

"Understood."

In a forest near Guangping City, two figures hid in the shadows.

"Second Brother, are you alright?" Liu Bei asked with concern, bandaging the sword wound on Guan Yu's left arm.

"It's fine, Elder Brother. It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about. But this ambush was likely orchestrated by Liu Yao," Guan Yu said without changing his expression.

"How despicable. I never thought that a prince of the Han dynasty would be such a treacherous person," Guan Yu cursed.

Liu Bei naturally knew that the assassins must have been sent by Liu Yao, but what could he do? As a small figure, how could he stand up to a high-ranking prince of the Han dynasty? No matter how unwilling he was, he could only hide his resentment in his heart.

"Forget it, Yun Chang. We can't match them," Liu Bei shook his head. "Let's rest for a few days and then look for opportunities in Qingzhou."

"Yes, Elder Brother," Guan Yu said through gritted teeth, but the sorrow and anger on his face could not be concealed.

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In a forest near Guangping City, two figures hid in the shadows.

"Second Brother, are you alright?" Liu Bei asked with concern, bandaging the sword wound on Guan Yu's left arm.

"It's fine, Elder Brother. It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about. But this ambush was likely orchestrated by Liu Yao," Guan Yu said without changing his expression.

"How despicable. I never thought that a prince of the Han dynasty would be such a treacherous person," Guan Yu cursed.

Liu Bei naturally knew that the assassins must have been sent by Liu Yao, but what could he do? As a small figure, how could he stand up to a high-ranking prince of the Han dynasty? No matter how unwilling he was, he could only hide his resentment in his heart.

"Forget it, Yun Chang. We can't match them," Liu Bei shook his head. "Let's rest for a few days and then look for opportunities in Qingzhou."

"Yes, Elder Brother," Guan Yu said through gritted teeth, but the sorrow and anger on his face could not be concealed.