Chương 375: Meeting in Progress

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and spoke calmly:

"Brother, what Yide and Yaojin said is urgent, but it makes sense. The world is in chaos and the people are suffering terribly. The sooner we pacify the world, the sooner the people will have peace and stability."

He paused, then changed the subject:

"However... we have just incorporated hundreds of thousands of surrendered soldiers, and we need to consolidate our foundation before we can act rashly. Speed is indeed important in war, but we must also proceed steadily. The best strategy is to first digest the newly acquired territory and then proceed slowly."

Zhao Yun nodded in agreement:

"Second Brother is absolutely right. We now control four provinces: You, Ji, Bing, and Sili. We have ample supplies and our troops are well-equipped. However, the battle lines are too long. We need to stabilize our existing territory first before dividing our forces to advance. This will ensure that we do not fail."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei became anxious and said:

"Zilong, why are you copying your second brother, always thinking about playing it safe? We have plenty of troops and generals now, what are we afraid of?"

Zhao Yun laughed:

"Third Brother, it's true that we have a large army and many generals, but we haven't fully assimilated the surrendered soldiers yet. If things change in the rear and the situation at the front becomes critical, then we'll be in trouble."

Dian Wei and Xu Chu, those two simpletons, stood there scratching their heads.

Dian Wei whispered to Xu Chu, "I don't quite understand, but I'll just hit whoever my brother tells me to hit."

Xu Chu nodded vigorously and said, "Yes! Me too!"

Lü Bu crossed his arms and said arrogantly, "My halberd has been itching for battle for a long time. I can fight anywhere!"

At this moment, Guo Jia, waving his feather fan, stood up with a smile.

He walked to the wall, pointed to the map, and explained it clearly to everyone:

"Generals, please be patient. Let me explain."

The feather fan drew a circle on the map:

"Our biggest advantage right now is that all the territory we control is contiguous. Youzhou, Jizhou, Bingzhou, and Sili—from north to west, the entire area is ours. We have no worries about our rear, and our supplies and manpower can keep up. We can attack wherever we want."

The feather fan pointed eastward:

"The remaining territory will be divided into two parts: the tough nuts to crack and the easy targets."

Everyone pricked up their ears.

"Let's start with the easy targets: Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou in Guandong!"

Guo Jia's feather fan points to the locations of these four states:

"The prefects and governors of these four states are basically former members of the allied forces. Now that their lords have surrendered, these people are like headless flies. Once our army arrives, they will either open the gates and surrender, or collapse at the first contact. Taking them back will be effortless!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, and he said:

"Then what are we waiting for? I, Old Zhang, will go first!"

Guo Jia waved his hand, pointed his feather fan westward, and continued:

"And then there are the tough nuts to crack: Liangzhou to the west, and Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Jiaozhou to the south."

"Liangzhou is controlled by Ma Teng and Han Sui, who hold the Xiliang cavalry. They are a tough nut to crack. But we have to crack them no matter how tough they are. If the western front is unstable, Guanzhong will be in turmoil. Those men have been on the frontier for a long time and are familiar with the terrain. Their cavalry are fierce and brave, so we cannot underestimate them. However, they have a grudge against Dong Zhuo. Now that Dong Zhuo is dead, they may not fight to the death.

But we cannot be careless either. We must send a general who is good at fighting tough battles."

"Liu Yu of Jingzhou and Liu Yan of Yizhou in the south, although they are not very capable, have large territories and dangerous terrain. Jingzhou has the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, and Yizhou has towering mountains. Moreover, Liu Yu is a member of the Han imperial family, and Liu Yan is also a member of the imperial family. We need to be strategic and not rush to make a move."

"As for the Jiaozhou Zhu Fu..."

"Once we've completely stabilized the north, it will be much easier to go south and deal with them."

Guo Jia closed his feather fan and concluded:

"In my opinion, we should proceed in two steps: First, we should take down the weakest link by capturing the four prefectures of Guandong and gaining complete control of the north; second, we should tackle the tougher challenges by taking Liangzhou first, stabilizing the western front, and eliminating any worries about our rear. As for Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Jiaozhou, we can deal with them later when the eastern and western fronts are secured."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the hall nodded in agreement.

Xi Zhicai coughed twice and slowly began to speak:

"Fengxiao is absolutely right. The best strategy is to start with the easy and then move on to the difficult, proceeding steadily and surely. The four provinces of Guandong are flat and have no natural defenses, making them perfect for our cavalry to roam freely. However, we must be careful. Although the four provinces of Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou are relatively weak, they are large in area and have many counties.

We need to send capable generals to divide our forces and advance in parallel to achieve a swift victory. We can pacify them within ten days and also open up a passage to the south, achieving two goals at once."

Xu Shu said calmly:

"In Liangzhou, although Ma Teng and Han Sui are fierce, they each have their own agendas and are not a united front. We can first send envoys to persuade them to surrender, thus dividing and weakening them. If they do not know how to appreciate our efforts, then we can strike them with overwhelming force. Although the Xiliang cavalry is brave, they have no rear base. If we defeat them in one battle, the rest will collapse on their own."

Chen Gong nodded and said, "That's right. The Xiliang army is brave and fierce, but they lack food and pay. Most of the soldiers follow Ma Teng and Han Sui just to survive. Once our army arrives, with ample food and generous treatment, some will naturally defect."

Jia Xu squinted and slowly began to speak:

"In Liangzhou, Ma Teng and Han Sui have long been stationed on the border and are familiar with the terrain. Their cavalry are fierce and brave. If they hold their ground and rely on the city to wear us down, we, who have come from afar with long supply lines, are likely to be put on the defensive. We need to send a calm, prudent general who is good at fighting tough battles to win this decisive battle and leave no future troubles."

Cheng Yu was more direct, his tone cold and hard:

"Those barbarians in the borderlands of Liangzhou have long resisted the king's rule. If they surrender, we will incorporate them into our ranks and make use of them; if they resist stubbornly, we will kill one to make an example of a hundred, to deter others. In chaotic times, severe punishments are necessary; a woman's benevolence will accomplish nothing."

Xu Da stood up and said calmly:

"What you all say is absolutely right. Starting with the east and then the west, starting with the easy and then the difficult, will ensure success. The four provinces in the east can be easily taken by sending a general with an elite force, and we can also open up a passage to the south in the process."

"Regarding Liangzhou, we need to fight on two fronts: one frontal attack, and the other cavalry flanking from the rear to cut off their retreat and force a decisive battle. If Ma Teng and Han Sui are sensible, they may be able to surrender; if not, we'll settle things on the spot. This humble general is willing to lead troops westward and take Liangzhou!"

Li Jing also stood up and added:

"Tian De is calm and steady, and is indeed the best choice to be the commander-in-chief of Liangzhou. As for the four prefectures in Guandong, Ren Gui and Ding Fang can be sent there. Ren Gui is the bravest in the army, and Ding Fang is a brilliant strategist. With the two of them working together, Guandong can be pacified. They can also take the opportunity to open up a passage to the south, and prepare for the future conquest of the south."

Li Ji nodded and said:

"That's absolutely right. The key to the battle of Liangzhou is a swift victory. The longer it drags on, the more variables there will be."

Everyone chimed in with their own thoughts, and the more they talked, the clearer things became.

In the end, everyone looked at Liu Ce in the main seat, waiting for him to make the final decision.

...

Liu Ce smiled and nodded.

He rose, walked to the map, pointed east, and announced loudly:

"Okay! It's settled then!"

"Xue Rengui, Su Lie, heed my command!"

Xue Rengui and Su Lie immediately rose, strode forward, knelt on one knee, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinates are here!"

Liu Ce drew a line on the map with his whip:

"I hereby order you two to lead the Third Army, along with the troops under Yuwen Chengdu, Cheng Yaojin, and Huang Zhong of the Second Army, totaling 80, 000 elite soldiers. After a few days of rest, proceed to Guandong to recapture the four provinces of Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou!"