If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my Patreon!!!
Go to https://www.patreon.com/Tang12
___________________________
The naval engagement ended with a decisive victory for the Sun Clan. Cai Mao's fleet was forced to retreat, leaving the river under Sun Clan's control. The convergence of these military actions the siege of Changsha and Liu Bei's advance on Wuling set Jing Province enter another period of turmoil, as the outcome of these engagements would significantly influence the power dynamics in Jing Province.
Cai Mao, commanding the siege on Changsha with utmost focus, directed his men to take down the city and position the siege engines effectively. However, in the midst of these efforts, he received the devastating news that his navy had been defeated by the Sun Clan navy. The loss of control over the Yangtze River threw a critical part of his siege plan into disarray.
Cai Mao's face contorted with anger as he heard the news. "Incompetent fools!" he roared, slamming his fist onto the table. "Controlling the Yangtze was crucial to our success here. Without it under our control, Wuling supply lines will be stable, and our surge effort will be weakened!"
As Cai Mao fumed and tried to devise countermeasures, Han Xuan, Zhou Yu, and Zhou Tai in Changsha received the triumphant news of the Sun Clan navy's victory. The morale among the defenders soared as the message spread through the ranks.
"Excellent!" Zhou Yu exclaimed. "With the river secured in our hands, we have managed to secure our supply line and path for our reinforcements if needed, and this gives us a significant advantage."
Han Xuan nodded, a sense of relief washing over him. "We must capitalize on this victory, General Zhou Yu. We should strengthen our defenses and prepare for any desperate moves Cai Mao might make."
Zhou Tai on the other hand feels that there's more they could do in the river adding, "Let's also capitalize on this move, I suggest that our navy use this chance to cripple Cai Mao's navy once and for all leaving them no naval power under him anymore!"
Han Xuan felt that this was a reckless move and objected to Zhou Tai's suggestion, fearing that it would cause damage to the Sn Clan's navy. Zhou Yu feels the opposite of Han Xuan, and after careful consideration agrees with Zhou Tai's plan.
Zhou Yu sent orders to his navy stationed at the Yangtze River to pursue Cai Mao's navy, and if the opportunity presented itself annilahet them in a single blow and told them to remain cautious in the attack until the opportunity appeared.
As for Han Xuan and Zhou Tai, the two of them immediately ordered their men to fortify their defenses and keep pushing back Cai Mai's attack, Cheng Yin and Wei Yan now served a different lord and became even more competitive than before, which resulted in a good position.
As Wuling defenders fortified their positions, Cai Mao found himself in a precarious situation. His initial confidence wavered, knowing that his plans had been compromised. Desperation began to creep into his strategy as he considered his next move.
Meanwhile, Liu Bei's army, under Guan Yu's leadership, continued their steady march toward Wuling. As they began to cross the Yangtze River, the news of Cai Mao's many losses to the Sun Clan's naval, reached them.
"This is a good news for us! Cai Mao's navy suffered heavy losses and was being pursued by the Sun Clan's navy, this allowed us to cross undetected!" Ju Shou who heard the news said happily, as Liu Bei's men aren't that many and every single count so if they could cross safely it's good news.
Kuai Yue who stands beside Ju Shou nods in agreement, "That's right, but I implore that we remain cautious as we never know if Cai Mao sent his entire navy or not, as our navy is almost nonexistent compared to Cai Mao's navy."
Guan Yu, always decisive, spoke up. "We should speed up the crossing, then. The sooner we get everyone and our supplies across, the better."
Kuai Yue and Ju Shou agreed. The crossing was expedited, and after a couple of hours, the entire force had safely made it across the river. With Guan Yu leading from the front, they began their march toward Wuling with renewed urgency.
Several days passed, and Liu Bei's army finally arrived at Wuling. The city was on high alert, its defenders aware of the approaching force bearing Liu Bei's banner. The sight of the approaching army sent a ripple of tension through the ranks of Wuling's garrison.
Inside Wuling's walls, the defenders quickly prepared for the impending confrontation. Lady Cai who heard of the impending danger at their doorstep, ordered her commanders to defend Wuling while she sent a letter to inform Cai Mao of what happened.
As Guan Yu's forces neared the city, they set up camp just out of range of the city's defenses. Guan Yu, Kuai Yue, and Ju Shou gathered their commanders for a strategy meeting.
"We must assess their defenses carefully, Master Kuai Yue and Master Ju Shou." Guan Yu said. "We can't afford to rush in blindly."
Kuai Yue was overlooking the map that was spread across the table, before suggesting, "We should send scouts to gather detailed information on their fortifications and troop movements. Once we have a clearer picture, we can plan our attack accordingly."
Ju Shoud on the side added some words after hearing Kuai Yue's suggestion, "We should also consider spreading false information to confuse their commanders and Lady Cai to the extent to create an opening for us."
Guan Yu nodded. "Very well, Master Kuai Yue and Master Ju Shou. Everyone do as the two masters have suggested! We need to take Wuling to secure the position of our lord in Jing Province!"
As Kuai Yue and Ju Shou suggested, scouts were dispatched, and within hours, they returned with valuable intelligence on Wuling's defenses. The city's fortifications were formidable, but there were weak points that could be exploited.
Guan Yu alongside Kuai Yue and Ju Shou, reviewed the information and together devised a plan to target these vulnerabilities. Under the cover of night, a contingent of troops was ordered to create the siege engines needed to exploit these weaknesses.
Meanwhile, inside Wuling, chaos reigns everywhere as Lady Cai doesn't know what to do in this situation. After sending a letter to inform Cai Mao, she convened a meeting with all of the officials in Wuling to discuss countermeasures.
Since this was an important meeting, Liu Cong as the 'ruler' also joined the meeting alongside Lady Cai. Now the Governor Castle of Wuling was a hot spot, filled with debate and arguments everywhere.
Liu Cong was hiding behind Lady Cai figuratively, as she tried to calm down the situation, "Everyone! Please stop arguing with each other! What I need is a plan of defense, not an argument filling across this hall line a bunch of lowlifes in the markets!"
While he was shaking, Liu Vong tried to help his mother even though he stammered as he was talking. "T-that's r-right! What m-my mother said i-is completely correct! St-stop arguing and gi-give us s-solutions!"
The hall calmed down after hearing Lady Cai's words and witnessing Liu Cong's embarrassing display of speech, and seeing that the hall had finally calmed down Lady Cai sighs relief.
At this time Zhang Yun, a staunch ally of the Cai Clan, stepped forward to propose a plan of defense. "We must fortify the inner walls and set up traps along the likely points of breach, as well creating choke points around the wall to reduce the amount of Liu Bei's men entering the wall. Our best chance is to delay the enemy until reinforcements arrive from Cai Mao."
His words immediately invited doubters, as Zhang Yun, despite being a general, was not considered particularly skilled. Many believed he retained his position due to his familial connection as Liu Biao's maternal nephew.
Ignoring the murmurs of dissent, Lady Cai quickly agreed to the plan. "Zhang Yun's plan is sound. We will follow it to the letter. Time is of the essence, and I don't want to hear any complaints with enemies at our doorstep! All commanders will be assigned under General Zhang Yun and follow the latter orders for this plan of defense!"
Reluctantly, the assembly agreed, the gravity of their situation outweighing their misgivings. Zhang Yun, while inwardly feeling happy began taking charge, and immediately began organizing the defenses.
All able bodied troops remaining in Wuling were dispatched to reinforce the inner walls, while others prepared traps and obstacles to hinder the approaching enemy.
Both sides begin their preparation under the cover of the night, not knowing what the opposing side's actions were until the next day when dawn broke out, Guan Yu sent his scouts to learn of the latest information on Wiling before beginning the attack.
As Guan Yu's men prepared for the assault, the scouts reported back on the latest development within the Wuling's wall, indicating that the defenders had fortified their position.
Guan Yu, with Kuai Yue and Ju Shou by his side, reviewed the latest intelligence. "They are bolstering their defenses last night," Guan Yu said as he observed the report. "We must be prepared for a hard fight then."
Kuai Yue nodded. "Indeed. But it could be seen that it was a hurried preparation, suggesting that they were trying to buy time. If we strike decisively, we can break their will before Cai Mao's reinforcements arrive."
Ju Shou added, "We should also employ our psychological tactics now as it's the best time. Spreading rumors of their defeat at Changsha, where Cai Mao was killed and their army was annihilated by the Sun Clan and Han Xuan's army."
Guan Yu agreed. "Very well. Master Kuai Yue, please help me in commanding our main force that will launch a frontal assault to draw, while Master Ju Shou will coordinate my scouts to spread the rumors, to create chaos inside of Wuling."
The plan was set in motion. The sound of war drums echoed across the battlefield signaling the start of the siege. Liu Bei's forces advanced on Wuling, banners flying high. The defenders, led by Zhang Yun, braced for the onslaught.
The initial clash was brutal. Guan Yu's main force engaged the defenders head-on as Guan Yu led from the front while Kuai Yue dictated the flow of the attack, where siege engines were deployed to take down Wuling gate and catapults firing at the walls.
The scouts under Ju Shou's coordination, moving unnoticed began to spread rumors, which infiltrated through the walls of Wuking and entered the ears of the defenders. Soon confusion and fear began to spread as the rumours began to sow chaos.
Zhang Yun, despite his doubts about the rumors, rallied his men to hold the inner defenses. "Hold the line! It was all just rumors that our enemies spread!" he shouted.
However, the relentless assault from Guan Yu's forces and the internal disruption caused by the false rumors took their toll. The defenders, initially brave began to waver, and were outmatched. Lady Cai, watching from the safety of the inner keep, could only hope that her brother would arrive in time. As with each passing moment, she could see that Wuling defenders were pushed back by the attackers.
____________________________
Name: Lie Fan
Title: Three Heroes Who Defeat Lu Bu
Age: 31 (198 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 825
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 936 (+20)
VIT: 598 (+20)
AGI: 583 (+10)
INT: 587
CHR: 96
WIS: 509
WILL: 397
ATR Points: 0
Creation is hard, cheer me up! VOTE for me!
I tagged this book, come and support me with a thumbs up!
Like it ? Add to library!
Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.