Chapter 019: Just Twice the Enemy, Old Liu—Stay Calm, Let's Get It Done!
Page (1/3)
“Reporting to my lord, an urgent dispatch from the West Sea scouts!”
Another personal guard burst into the mansion, holding up a wax-sealed message and shouting.
Yuan Shu collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by intense grief and rage, momentarily unable to respond.
Yang Hong forcibly composed himself, snatched the message, and eagerly broke the seal to read it.
“A few days ago, Liu Bei led his troops by ship out to sea, sailing south from the West Sea. His whereabouts are now unknown!”
Yang Hong read aloud the contents of the secret message, his face registering renewed surprise.
Suddenly, Yuan Shu snapped back to reality, staggering to his feet and snatching the report from Yang Hong’s hand.
At last, he understood.
Liu Bei had not been trapped in the West Sea, waiting passively for death; instead, he had taken the sea route into the Huai River.
That explained the element of surprise—appearing unexpectedly in the Xutai waters and catching Chen Ju off guard.
His beloved son, Yuan Yao, had been unlucky as well, escorting grain to Xutai and running straight into Liu Bei’s spear.
“The big-eared thief has escaped the West Sea?”
Clenching the letter tightly, Yuan Shu’s grief twisted into a burning shame and fury.
He had thought his scheme perfect—offering fifty thousand hu of rations to lure Lü Bu into eliminating Liu Bei.
Yet Liu Bei seemed to have anticipated this ploy and had fled first, appearing like a divine force in Xutai, seizing his supplies and killing his son!
Humiliation!
Yuan Shu felt a shame unlike any before.
“Yang Hong, which of our forces is closest to Xutai now?”
Yuan Shu staggered to his feet, voice low and commanding.
Yang Hong’s eyes darted as he cupped his hands respectfully.
“My lord, although Ji Ling is near Xutai, he is currently engaged in repelling Chen’s forces at Huaiyin and cannot be spared.”
“After killing your eldest son, Liu Bei continued westward by boat. I suspect he intends to sail north along the Guo River toward Runan or Chen.”
“If that is so, Zhongli is closest to the Guo River’s mouth. The commander Li Feng there commands three thousand troops. My lord could order him to pursue Liu Bei at once.”
Yang Hong pointed at the map, gesturing.
“Send orders!”
Yuan Shu slammed the table, his voice sharp:
“Dispatch a rider with all haste over eight hundred li to Li Feng—command him to immediately pursue the big-eared thief!”
“If he fails to bring back Liu Bei’s head, let him bring his own instead!”
Yang Hong shivered, hastily bowing and taking his leave.
Yuan Shu seized the secret report again, smashing it to fragments and casting them into the air.
“A mere weaver and sandal seller dares to slay my beloved son and shame me so!”
Page (2/3)
“If I do not reduce you to dust, how will Yuan Shu avoid being mocked throughout the world for his incompetence!”
…
Runan Commandery, Chengfu City.
Small and large vessels slowly docked as orderly squads of Liu Bei’s soldiers disembarked to occupy this undefended town.
Beyond this city to the north lay Chen State, entering the sphere of Cao Cao’s influence.
Following Xiao Fang’s carefully planned route, Liu Bei would disembark here and proceed westward overland, entering western Runan and finally escaping the domains of Yuan Shu and Lü Bu.
“The strategist truly reads the future—our withdrawal from Xuzhou went smoothly, and we have escaped danger,” Liu Bei said with a relieved smile inside the county office, personally pouring tea for Xiao Fang.
Xiao Fang sipped the tea and shook his head slightly:
“My lord, to say we have escaped danger now may be premature.”
Liu Bei was taken aback.
Before he could ponder the deeper meaning of Xiao Fang’s words,
Sun Qian hurried in, an anxious seriousness etched on his brow.
“My lord, my scouts just sent urgent news: Lü Bu and Yuan Shu have each dispatched generals Cao Bao and Li Feng with troops in pursuit.”
“The two armies have now united and are pressing swiftly along the west bank of the Guo River, no more than half a day’s march from Chengfu!”
Sun Qian’s words caused everyone present to pale slightly.
Recalling Xiao Fang’s warning, Liu Bei asked pointedly:
“Jinglue, when you said we had not escaped danger, did you mean the forces of Lü Bu and Yuan Shu will relentlessly pursue us?”
All eyes turned to Xiao Fang.
He calmly sipped his tea and replied evenly:
“Lü Bu wishes to force your surrender by using you to guard Xiaopei, making you his loyal servant.”
“Yuan Shu regards you as worthless; even if you had not fought at Xutai or killed Yuan Yao, he would still seek your death.”
“Now that you have slipped away, these two villains’ plans have been foiled. In their shame and fury, they will naturally send troops in relentless pursuit.”
“There is no need for alarm, my lord; this is entirely expected.”
Liu Bei suddenly understood and nodded slightly, admiring Xiao Fang’s foresight.
After steadying himself, he asked Sun Qian the size of the pursuing forces.
Sun Qian gave the numbers:
“Cao Bao commands three thousand Danyang troops, Li Feng three thousand Huainan soldiers—six thousand in total.”
“Six thousand—double our number!”
Liu Bei furrowed his brow, his expression wary and solemn.
“Outnumbered and outmatched, we should avoid direct confrontation and pointless slaughter.”
“Order the entire army to cease rest immediately and leave Chengfu at once, marching swiftly west to shake off the pursuers.”
Page (3/3)
The goal was Runan, and Liu Bei saw no reason to confront the pursuers head-on.
“Brother, we have thousands of families with us and hundreds of carts laden with provisions and valuables. Overland travel will be slow.”
“The enemy pursuers are surely lightly equipped. I fear we will be caught within half a day.”
“When that happens, a battle seems unavoidable.”
Guan Yu, discerning the weakness, spoke up at once.
Liu Bei’s heart jolted, suddenly enlightened.
Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, and the other strategists grew tense.
As Guan Yu said, if caught by the pursuers, how could three thousand men resist six thousand forces of Yuan and Lü?
It would likely be a devastating defeat, losing all the supplies as well.
That was nearly eighty thousand hu of grain and vast sums of money!
To simply sacrifice that would be painful…
“Yunchang’s words are sound. Our supplies are too heavy; we cannot outrun the pursuers.”
“In that case, we must fight with all our might and repel them.”
“But the enemy outnumbers us two to one; this will not be an easy battle…”
Liu Bei’s brow knitted deeply, caught between advance and retreat. He turned to Xiao Fang:
“Jinglue, what is your counsel for this dilemma?”
The faces around reflected varying degrees of tension and worry.
Yet Xiao Fang remained calm, leisurely sipping his tea, letting the others debate.
When Liu Bei asked, Xiao Fang finally replied lightly:
“My lord, you survived far worse in Xuzhou. This current situation is many times better. There is no need for such anxiety.”
“These are merely pursuers twice our number. We will defeat them.”
At these words, all present inwardly gasped.
Six thousand elite enemies, yet to this strategist, they seemed like mere ants to be easily crushed.
Such confidence…
Surprised, Liu Bei’s eyes brightened with hope.
“I see the strategist is confident. Do you already have a plan to overcome the enemy despite being outnumbered?”
Xiao Fang drained his bowl of tea and waved his hand:
“A Liang, bring the map to my lord!”