Chapter 29: Pulling Chestnuts from the Fire! First Setting a Trap for Liu Biao, Then Striking Zhang Ji at His Vital Point!

Night fell over the government office in Biyang County.

A map of Jingzhou had been hung up in the hall. Liu Bei and his men were chatting over wine, celebrating their successful arrival in Nanyang while scrutinizing the map before them.

"Jingzhou governs seven commanderies in total, which can be divided into three parts from south to north."

"To the south of the Yangtze River lie the four commanderies of Wuling, Lingling, Changsha, and Guiyang. They are closely linked to one another and separated from the north by the Yangtze; they are known as the Four Commanderies of Southern Jing."

"In the center, Nanjun and Jiangxia Commandery sit on the east and west wings of the Han River, forming the heartland of Jingzhou."

"Among them, Nanjun, where the key strongholds of Xiangyang and Jiangling are located, is the heart of the heart—the very foundation of Jingzhou."

"Nanyang Commandery, north of the Han River, is somewhat unique."

"This commandery once boasted a population of one million. It is not only the largest commandery in Jingzhou but the largest in the entire empire."

"Even after being devastated by Yuan Shu, the remaining population of Nanyang is still quite significant, surpassing even that of Nanjun, where Xiangyang is located."

"However, because the provincial capital of Jingzhou is in Xiangyang, and Nanyang Commandery lies at the northernmost tip of the province, it has become the shield for Liu Biao to guard Xiangyang and the rest of Jingzhou."

Jian Yong pointed at the map, outlining the geography of Jingzhou for the group. Liu Bei nodded slightly, a rough mental picture of the province now forming in his mind.

"Zizhong, tell us about the current military situation in Nanyang."

Xiao Fang gestured slightly with his wine cup. All eyes turned toward the northernmost part of Jingzhou: Nanyang Commandery. This was the foothold that Liu Bei intended to seize first according to Xiao Fang's contingency plan.

Although the Mi family had left Xuzhou, their commercial network, which spanned the entire empire, remained intact. Thus, at Xiao Fang’s suggestion, the Mi family's commercial network had transformed into Liu Bei’s intelligence agency.

"The Xiliang army has always been brutal, and Zhang Ji is no exception."

"Several months ago, due to a lack of grain, he marched south from Hongnong into the Nanyang region. After occupying Wan City, he scattered his troops to loot and forage everywhere."

"The dozen or so cities in northern Nanyang have been scoured to the ground by them. There is no grain left to plunder there now."

"According to our spies, the grain plundered by the Xiliang troops is nearly exhausted. Zhang Ji is preparing to drive his forces south to plunder the counties in the southern part of Nanyang, such as Rang County, Zhaoyang, and Xinye, to secure provisions."

"Reports from Xiangyang also indicate that Liu Biao clearly does not intend to allow Zhang Ji to approach the Han River. He has already led troops across the river to Xinye, likely to reinforce Rang County and block Zhang Ji’s southward advance."

"The conflict between Zhang and Liu is now on the verge of breaking out."

Mi Zhu pointed to the map, detailing the military situation in Nanyang.

The group began to discuss the matter. Without waiting for Liu Bei to express his stance, Zhang Fei jumped up and shouted:

"Isn't that perfect? We should just let Zhang Ji and Liu Biao tear each other apart. Once they are both battered and exhausted, we can march in and easily finish them both off."

"Wouldn't Nanyang Commandery be ours for the taking then?"

The others nodded in agreement, many clearly favoring Zhang Fei's proposal. Liu Bei, however, frowned slightly and shook his head:

"Zhang Ji is a traitor to the Han and a scourge upon Nanyang; my campaign against him is righteous and justified by a clear cause."

"But Liu Jingsheng is of my own clan. How could I launch a military strike against him without cause?"

"Yide, this plan will not work!"

Zhang Fei’s face fell immediately, and he sat back down, grumbling to himself.

Xiao Fang was not surprised by Liu Bei's rejection. The issue of kinship was a hurdle Liu Bei could never overcome. If Liu Bei could have accepted Zhang Fei's proposal, he would not have rejected his original strategy for seizing Jingzhou, which had forced Xiao Fang to produce this contingency plan of taking Nanyang first as a secondary option.

Moreover, even if Liu Bei hadn't rejected it, Xiao Fang would have vetoed Zhang Fei's plan himself. According to the flow of history, Zhang Ji would die after being struck by a stray arrow while attacking Rang City. Afterward, Zhang Xiu would inherit his forces, and Liu Biao would take advantage of the situation, using grain as bait to induce Zhang Xiu to submit to him, thereby forming an alliance and turning Zhang Xiu into his guard dog.

The fantasy of the two sides battling to mutual destruction that Zhang Fei envisioned would never come to pass.

After much discussion, the group failed to come up with a foolproof plan.

"Jinglue, how should we defeat Zhang Ji and take Wan City? Do you have a brilliant strategy?"

Liu Bei’s gaze finally fell upon Xiao Fang. The hall fell silent, and everyone’s attention shifted to him.

"The Xiliang men are skilled in field battles but poor at sieges. If they attack Rang City, they are doomed to fail."

"When their siege proves fruitless and their grain is depleted, they will have no choice but to bow their heads to Liu Biao."

"With Liu Biao’s methods, he will likely use grain as bait to offer a soft, conciliatory approach, enticing the Xiliang men to take shelter under his wings and guard Nanyang for him."

"Once that happens, the difficulty of taking Nanyang will be far greater than it is now."

"Therefore, I believe that the first thing you must do, my lord, is to prevent Liu Biao from interfering in the Nanyang conflict and stop Zhang and Liu from joining forces!"

Xiao Fang toyed with his wine cup, setting the tone for Liu Bei in an unhurried manner.

Liu Bei pondered for a long while before nodding:

"The strategist is absolutely right. Then, in your opinion, how should we prevent Liu Jingsheng from intervening in the Nanyang conflict?"

Xiao Fang took a sip of wine and smiled faintly:

"That is much simpler. You only need to send an envoy to see Liu Biao, clearly stating that you intend to lead an army to punish Zhang Ji and his nephew and capture Wan City, and ask Liu Biao, in the spirit of your shared kinship, to send troops from the south to pincer Zhang Ji."

"I expect the likes of Kuai Yue and Cai Mao will advise Liu Biao to feign agreement while actually holding his troops back, so that he may use your hand to exhaust Zhang Ji."

"In this way, we can pacify Liu Biao, and you, my lord, can take this opportunity to swiftly crush Zhang Ji."

"By the time Liu Biao realizes what has happened, you will have already captured Wan City, creating a *fait accompli* in the seizure of Nanyang."

Liu Bei suddenly realized, but then a look of doubt appeared on his face:

"Liu Jingsheng is of my own clan. Would he really promise to join me in a pincer attack against Zhang Ji, only to stand by and watch from the sidelines, reaping the benefits for himself?"

Xiao Fang sighed softly. Liu Bei was still too wishful, thinking that because he valued the ties of kinship, Liu Biao would do the same.

"I know that you, my lord, place righteousness above all else. But in these chaotic times, not everyone is as noble and righteous as you."

"People like Liu Biao naturally place profit above all else."

"Besides, the ones truly in charge in Jingzhou are Cai Mao and Kuai Yue; when Liu Biao makes decisions, he is sometimes not the master of his own actions."

Hearing this, Liu Bei fell silent. He understood the logic, but emotionally, he was reluctant to accept it.

After a long while, Liu Bei seemed to suddenly come to a realization. He gave a bitter laugh and sighed:

"I only seek to have a clear conscience; as for what others do, that is not something I can force."

After the sigh, Liu Bei gathered his spirits and said joyfully:

"In that case, we shall follow the strategist's plan. I will draft a letter immediately and send Gongyou south to meet with Liu Biao."

The strategy for dealing with Liu Biao was thus settled.

At this moment, Guan Yu, who had been silent, stroked his long, beautiful beard and said:

"Strategist Jinglue, our purpose in preventing Liu Biao from interfering in the Nanyang conflict is to defeat Zhang Ji."

"As far as I know, Zhang Ji has nearly ten thousand troops under his command, which is on par with our own."

"Furthermore, Zhang Ji’s men are all battle-hardened veterans, and he possesses the world-renowned Xiliang heavy cavalry."

"It is not that I fear this Zhang Ji, but I believe that it will not be an easy task to quickly crush such an elite force."

Guan Yu’s reminder sparked another round of discussion in the hall. Liu Bei’s brow, which had just relaxed, furrowed once more.

"Jinglue, Yunchang is right."

"Although our army was supplemented by the Yellow Turban rebels in Runan, the combat effectiveness of these soldiers is far inferior to the fierce and brave Xiliang troops."

"Even defeating Zhang Ji is no easy task, let alone crushing him quickly?"

"This was something I was already worried about while back in Xuzhou."

Liu Bei’s words clearly betrayed a great deal of apprehension. Xiao Fang, however, allowed a cunning glint to appear at the corner of his mouth and sneered:

"The majority of the soldiers in Zhang Ji's ranks were recruited locally in Nanyang; his elite Xiliang troops account for no more than half."

"The disparity in strength between the enemy and our forces has not yet reached an insurmountable level."

"We only need to seize the greatest weakness of the Xiliang men, lure them into attacking Biyang, and we will be able to crush them with ease!"

Xiao Fang’s confident words immediately lifted Liu Bei’s spirits.

"Then, in your opinion, what is the greatest weakness of the Xiliang army?"

Liu Bei asked impatiently.

"Two words..."

Xiao Fang slowly held up two fingers.