Liu Bei raised his head suddenly, his eyes wide open. "What did you say? Sun Ce pacified Liaodong?"

Liu Xiu nodded repeatedly, panting. He ran back from Guan Yu's camp and almost ran out of breath. He knew that Liu Bei might not believe it, and he was a little suspicious. Gongsun Du was not an idiot. He had been in Liaodong for five or six years and had no opponents. How could he be defeated in ten days and so completely?

Could this be Sun Ce’s bluff?

Liu Bei looked at Jian Yong, and Jian Yong also frowned, but was not as surprised as Liu Bei. He pondered for a moment, suddenly "Oh" and shook his head with a wry smile. Liu Bei waited for a while, but Jian Yong did not explain. Liu Bei became impatient and urged: "Xianhe, it's okay to just say something."

Jian Yong realized that Liu Bei had been waiting for his opinion, and hurriedly said, "Mr., this matter seems unreasonable, but it is normal to think about it carefully. Although Gongsun Du was the master, he was far away from Xiangping and rushed to the siege of Dashi, which was actually to give up the best and make the shortcoming. There were many mountains around Dashi, which was not conducive to cavalry raids, but was conducive to infantry fighting. Moreover, Dashi was five or six hundred miles away from Xiangping, and it was inconvenient to transport food and grass. He probably wanted to fight quickly with the advantage of military strength, but failed to do so, so he was defeated in the battle."

Liu Bei nodded. He felt that Jian Yong was right. Gongsun Du seemed to be able to attack Dashi, but it was actually very risky. He didn't know that Sun Ce's strength was to fight before the formation and fight head-on. He was definitely not Sun Ce's opponent. But he still felt a little incredible. Even if Gongsun Du was defeated, he had the advantage of cavalry. It was always okay to withdraw Xiangping and defeat him again. How could he just give up on his verdict and give up the entire Liaodong?

Liu Bei didn't know what happened. However, Sun Ce quickly took Liaodong and the pressure on him increased sharply. Taishi Ci was the governor of the eastern part of Youzhou, and to control the east of Youbeiping, and only half of Youzhou would be left. If Zhuo County could not be conquered, he would be suppressed between Yuyang and Guangyang, and would be attacked on both sides. Once the Youzhou family would interfere, his situation would be very difficult.

Liu Bei thought about it and still felt that he could not give up Zhuo County and had to take a try. He regretted that he should not have been greedy for Yi County at the beginning. It took so long to delay. If he focused on attacking Zhuo County, he might have succeeded now. Now he would go back, re-arrange his defense, and build siege equipment. He would definitely drag it until after it snows. Siege the city in the snow is a arduous test for the soldiers.

Liu Bei sent someone to invite Guan Yu, Tian Yu and others, and rushed to Guan Jing's tent next to him. Guan Jing was reading in the tent, twisting his beard while reading, and chanting softly. Seeing Liu Bei enter the tent, he quickly put down the book and stood up to greet him. Liu Bei smiled and said, "Yuan is so elegant, what book did you read?"

"Oh, the collection of poems I just received is a poem written by Wu Hou when he climbed Mount Yuzhou."

"Wu Hou can write poems and essays?"

"It's not just him, but also his followers' civil and military."

Guan Jing turned around and handed the book to Liu Bei. Liu Bei took it and saw that it was a new book. The ink was still fragrant, the paper was flat, and there were few wrinkles. The cover was titled "Yuzhoushan Poetry Collection", which was written by Sun Ce. Liu Bei flipped into the catalogue and saw that Sun Ce's poems were listed first, so he turned to the main text. The poem was very short, with just a few sentences. Liu Bei couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and laughed secretly. Sun Ce's martial arts was indeed good, and he could be the best in the world, but he did not read many books yet, so how could he write any poems? It was just a high position and powerful person, and his subordinates praised it. While complaining, he recited the poems.

"I don't see the ancients in front of me, and I don't see the coming from behind. I think of the vastness of the world, and I feel sad and cry."

Liu Bei tilted his mouth and returned the manuscript to Guan Jing. "Yuan, what's the good thing about this poem? Can you explain it to me?" Before Guan Jing could speak, he said again: "The first two sentences are quite heroic, which is indeed good, but the last two sentences turn sharply and make people puzzled. He was so excited that he should be excited, why did he cry in tears? Could it be that the autumn wind blows, which makes people sad?" Before he finished speaking, a teasing sound arose at the corner of his mouth.

Guan Jingxu clenched his fist, blocked his mouth, and coughed gently twice. "I don't know the meaning of the Lord Fu, I just don't understand it. I just think the rhythm is good and it has a desolate meaning. I heard the Lord Fu's question, and it seems that something is wrong, and the turning point is a bit stiff."

"That's it." Liu Bei laughed and returned the book to Guan Jing. "It's just a small Yuzhou Mountain, why is it? I think he probably was accustomed to the style of Qi and Lu, and wanted to follow the Master to climb Mount Tai. Unfortunately, his literary talent was slightly inferior, and he could not draw a tiger but become a dog."

Guan Jing laughed twice with him, not wanting to discuss this topic with Liu Bei anymore. "Why is the husband so leisurely today?"

Liu Bei then remembered, put away his smile, told the news he had just received, and asked Guan Jing for a plan. He heard that Sun Ce had pacified Liaodong, Guan Jing was surprised and didn't say anything for a long time. He pinched his finger and calculated again, but he still felt incredible. From the time when Sun Ce left the plain, the war may be less than ten days before and after. How is this possible to defeat Gongsun Du and pacify Liaodong in ten days?

"The news is true?"

Liu Bei shook his head with a wry smile. He understood Guan Jing's mood, but he was not sure whether the information was true. Now it was just a verbal relay by Taishi Ci, without any definite evidence. He also hoped that this was fake news, but he had to guard against it. What if it was real news?

Guan Jing quickly calmed down and pondered for a long time. "No matter whether the news is true or false, in the long run, Gongsun Du is not the opponent of Wu Hou, and it will be a matter of time before Liaodong changes hands. Once Wu Hou controls Liaodong and solves the shortcomings of insufficient war horses, neither Chang'an court nor Yuan Tan from Jizhou will be his opponent, unless everyone unites. However, such a united thing can only support for a while and it is difficult for a long time. Over time, it will inevitably be defeated by Wu Hou. Guanzhong has the solid mountains and Jizhou has the dangerous rivers, and Youzhou will be a little difficult. It is better for the Duke to make a decision early."

Liu Bei held his chest with one hand and stroked his beard with the other. "In Yuan'an's opinion, how should I deal with it?"

Guan Jing asked back: "The Lord of the Mansion thinks, how many heroes in the world can finally win the deer?"

Liu Bei did not answer immediately. After pondering for a moment, he sighed softly. "In my opinion, there are only two people in the world who can be called heroes. One is the emperor and the other is the marquis of Wu. The emperor will be successful and the revival will be expected. If the defeat is defeated, the people will be handed over."

Guan Jing nodded. "What the Lord of the House said is very good. Since that is the case, then you might as well wait. As the good news from the Lord of Wu arrived, the news from the Emperor should be soon."

"How about Zhuo County? Is it abandonment or war?"

"Yuyang, Guangyang's autumn harvest has ended and winter wheat has also been planted. It is better to besiege the city if you are idle for the rest of the past few months. It's just that the weather is cold and the land is frozen. The Duke must be prepared to prevent the cold. Another thing is that winter is coming, and the people of Wuhuan and Xianbei may knock on the block at any time. The cavalry should be on standby at any time and prepare to rush to help to avoid too much loss."

Liu Bei nodded, feeling the same. But there was nothing wrong with this. Just let Taishi Ci and Gongsun Xu go back, saving a considerable amount of money. This is a great reason, and even if Guan Yu had any opinions, he could not refuse. Thinking of his complacentness, Liu Bei couldn't help but chuckled.

Guan Jing saw it clearly, but pretended not to see him. He leaned over and picked up the collection of poems. "Mr., I'll clean up a little and go there immediately."

Liu Bei responded and turned around to leave the account. The moment Guan Jing sent him out, he shook his head and sighed. It would be fine if Liu Bei could not understand Sun Ce's poem, but he still couldn't understand the situation in front of him. How could the emperor win the Western Expedition? The court fought for nearly a hundred years but failed to quell the Qiang Rebellion. The emperor could pacify Liangzhou within a year and a half? Maybe he could win a temporary victory, but it would be a sure defeat. Liu Bei was obsessed with the fact that he still had the strength to surrender to Sun Ce, and insisted on losing without losing and accepting his fate. The future result may be worse than Gongsun Du, or even Gongsun Zan.

How could I choose him? Guan Jing regrets it very much.

When the generals gathered, Liu Bei announced his latest decision. He planned to retreat to Zhuo County, join forces with Zhang Fei, and continue to besiege Zhang He. If Yuan Tan pursued him, they would fight to the decisive battle under Zhuo County. If Yuan Tan did not pursue him, he would besiege the city until the food in the city was consumed. Zhang He could not harvest autumn grain. All he could rely on was the food stored in the city and could not hold on for too long.

Guan Yu was surprised, but he didn't say much. He was the one who benefited the most from taking Zhuo County. No one else said anything, and just decided. Tian Yu raised the same concern as Guan Jing. Liu Bei pushed forward, hoping that Taishi Ci and Gongsun Xu could rush back to Youbeiping and western Liaoning to defend against the attack of the Hu people.

Taishi Ci agreed with mercy.

Guan Yu was very unhappy, but he had no reason to leave Taishi Ci. After the autumn harvest, Jian Yong and Liu Xiu had already led Yuyang and Guangyang's cavalry to arrive. Liu Bei is not short of cavalry now, and Youbeiping and Liaoxi are indeed facing the attack of the Hu people, and Taishi Ci needs to rush back to set up defenses. However, in this way, he not only lacks a right-hand man, but also a soulmate who can be talked about.

When Taishi Ci left, not only Guan Yu was lost, but Yan Rou also felt bored and resigned. Liu Bei tried to keep him, but could not change Yan Rou's decision, so he had to agree. In order to express his gratitude, he held a banquet to see Taishi Ci and Yan Rou off, and also gave him a gift. The gifts were selected from the spoils and the quantity was limited. Liu Bei apologized to Taishi Ci. He had not taken Zhuo County yet and had not gained much. I hope Taishi Ci could understand.

Taishi Ci accepted it and gave it to Guan Yu. He said frankly that Wu Hou had prepared sufficient supplies and did not need these, so it would be better to leave them to those who needed him.

Seeing this, Yan Rou also transferred her income to Guan Yu.

Guan Yu was furious and slapped the table. "Xuande, although Zhuo County has not been sent, the surrounding counties have harvested a lot. Where have the property gone? Was it greedy or returned it? Why didn't I hear any news? If it weren't for Ziyi's help, how could we snatch the autumn grain of Zhuo County and trap Zhang He? He drove people away before the war was completed. Who had the idea of ​​treating friendly troops so little?"
Chapter completed!