The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 259 Pre-battle Meeting Targeting Lu Xun

Wu Jun had also experienced the baptism of war, and Sun Quan was capable enough to hold onto Jiangdong.

Although Wu Jun is often criticized as a coward from Jiangdong, it depends on who he is referring to.

In front of Cao Cao and Liu Bei, the Wu army was indeed a bunch of cowards from Jiangdong, but in front of others, the Wu army could beat you to a pulp, believe it or not. If you don't believe it, go ask the Yue people in the mountains; they are the most qualified to speak on this matter.

Guan Xing frowned and said, "It seems that Sun Quan is really planning to gamble everything and achieve his goal in one battle. Tell me about the other situations. How's it going with the contacts I asked you to make with the various mountain bandits?"

The surrounding area is full of mountains, and heroes from all walks of life gather in the mountains to occupy the mountains and become kings. Their numbers range from hundreds to thousands, but they all have a unified name: Shanyue.

Ning Huan replied, "This humble general has already contacted more than a dozen families. The mountain tribes in various places greatly respect General Guan's character and have agreed to provide us with some assistance within their capabilities. At the very least, they will not attack us when we are fighting against the Wu army. The mountain tribes are all hoping that Sun Quan will suffer misfortune."

Wu Jun treated the Shanyue tribes as a source of experience, asking them for help whenever he needed manpower or money. He even sought out the Shanyue to practice with any young man who lacked military experience. Over time, which Shanyue tribe wouldn't feel resentful?

Although the Yue people could not defeat the Wu army, it did not mean they did not harbor hatred. At the critical moment, they would be lucky if they stayed at home and did not kick Sun Quan when he was down, let alone help him.

Guan Xing spread his hands and laughed, "See? We still have an advantage. At least the Shanyue people and the merchants are on our side."

"Let's talk about the battle plan now. What are your thoughts on the upcoming battle? Shen Yi, you go first."

He already had a plan in mind, but he didn't rush to tell it. Instead, he wanted to hear his subordinates' opinions first, so that he could identify and supplement his plan while also giving his subordinates a chance to speak. This would be beneficial for their growth.

Shen Yi said, "General, my method is very simple: just one word: delay. We will use the advantageous terrain of Da Mo to stall for time. The longer we delay, the more advantageous it will be for us."

“Now that Sun Quan has lost Jiangdong, the morale of the gentry under his command is wavering. The reason why the gentry of Jiangdong are so active in this battle is because they still harbor the delusion of taking back Jiangdong. As long as we drag this out long enough to extinguish their delusion, they will inevitably have other ideas.”

"There are also the gentry of Jingzhou. Sun Quan has only occupied Jingzhou for a few days, and his foundation there is very shallow. The gentry of Jingzhou have no loyalty to him whatsoever. The reason they haven't rebelled yet is not because of loyalty, but because Lu Xun hasn't produced any results yet."

"In other words, the gentry of Jingzhou and Jiangdong are all watching Lu Xun. If Lu Xun can defeat us and take back Kuaiji County, Sun Quan's crisis will naturally be resolved. But if Lu Xun is bogged down in the Great Mo and unable to achieve anything, Sun Quan will definitely be betrayed by the gentry, and everyone will push him when he falls."

"On the other hand, the production of new agricultural tools is increasing day by day, and the land reform in Kuaiji has been basically completed. The people are actively working with the new tools, and even the Yue tribes are coming down the mountain to start reclaiming wasteland. Under these circumstances, the longer we delay, the more stable our rear will be, and the stronger we will become. So my solution is to delay, to use the weapon of land reform to wear Lu Xun down to death."

Guan Xing nodded in agreement and looked at Wu Yue, asking, "General Wu, you have fought against the Wei army before. Among us, you have the strongest leadership ability and the most combat experience. Tell me your thoughts."

These words sounded like heavenly music to Wu Yue's ears. He felt very comfortable, but humbly replied, "General, you flatter me. How could my humble skills compare to yours?"

"This humble general believes that General Shen is right. The longer this battle drags on, the more advantageous it will be for us. The problem is that Lu Xun must also know this. Moreover, Lu Xun carries the hopes of Sun Quan and the Jiangdong gentry, and he has just taken office as acting Grand Commander and is eager to prove himself. He certainly cannot afford to drag it out, but hopes for a quick victory."

"Furthermore, Lu Xun wouldn't be foolish enough to only attack Damo. If he can't break through Damo, he will inevitably try other methods, such as sending a detachment to cross the mountains and enter the Jinqu Basin to disrupt our production, attack our supply lines, or strike our rear. General, please consider..."

To Guan Xing’s left stood a screen, on which hung a topographical map of the junction of the three prefectures of Kuaiji, Yuzhang, and Danyang.

Wu Yue pointed to the map with his sword sheath and said, "General, please look. Yuzhang County is surrounded by mountains on all sides, except for a vast plain around Poyang Lake."

"Look at Damo, where we are now. To the north are mountains. From Damo northwards are Huaiyu Mountain, Baiji Mountain, Qianligang Mountain, Huangshan Mountain, Jiuhua Mountain, and beyond Jiuhua Mountain is the Yangtze River. This area from Damo to the Yangtze River is called the Huangwu Mountain by the locals. To the south of Damo is the Wuyi Mountain Range, which has a more complex terrain than the Huangwu Mountain Range."

"In other words, Lu Xun only has two routes to cross the Poyang Lake Plain and enter Kuaiji. The shortest one is the passage between the Huangwu Mountains and the Wuyi Mountains where Da Mo is located."

Guan Xing nodded in agreement. This passage was later called the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor. It went from Damu to Yushan County (Shangrao) and then to Yuhan County (Yingtan). After passing through Yuhan County, it entered the Poyang Lake Plain.

Wu Yue continued, "If this road is blocked, Lu Xun will have no choice but to head north to the Yangtze River, then along the Yangtze to Jianye, and then south to Kuaiji. Not only will this be a huge detour, but if he takes this route, he will run into Cao Ren first. Will Cao Ren let him pass?"

The two routes from the Poyang Lake Plain to Kuaiji are the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor mentioned earlier and the Anhui-Jiangxi Corridor from Jiujiang to Anqing in later generations.

If Lu Xun were to take the Anhui-Jiangxi corridor, he would not only take a detour, but he would also run into Cao Ren first.

Although Lu Xun and Cao Ren are now natural allies with the Guan family as their common enemy, theoretically Cao Ren should let Lu Xun pass, the problem is that the Wu army has just completed the feat of crossing the river in white. Can Cao Ren not worry that Lu Xun will also use the same trick to cross the river in white?

In other words, as long as Lu Xun dares to take this path, Cao Ren and Zhang Liao will immediately turn around and deal with him.

Lu Xun certainly didn't want to start a fight with Cao Ren before even meeting Guan Yu and his son, so he definitely wouldn't take the Anhui-Jiangxi corridor. This left Lu Xun with only the Zhejiang-Jiangxi corridor as an option.

Wu Yue continued, "Therefore, I believe that Lu Xun will definitely take the only route we are on. If this route is blocked, he will have no choice but to cross the Huangwu Mountains and enter the Jinqu Basin to attack our rear."

"General, you may not know this, but although the Huangwu Mountains are a series of mountains, the mountains in this area are generally low, and it is still possible to cross them if you want to. Therefore, in this battle, we must not only defend Damu, but also send troops into the Huangwu Mountains to guard all the crossroads. We must not give Lu Xun the opportunity to flank and launch a sneak attack."

"Therefore, I suggest we take the initiative and seize Yushan and Yuhan counties before Lu Xun, thus completely controlling this passage and extending our... our..."

Wu Yue was momentarily stumped, unable to think of a suitable adjective, when Guan Xing quickly reminded him, "Strategic depth, and let's call this passage the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor. Without a name, it's hard to explain."

Wu Yue exclaimed with delight, "That's right! Completely occupying the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Corridor will extend our strategic depth. Then, we can set up three lines of defense in Yuhan, Yushan, and even Damu. By utilizing the complex terrain of the two counties, we can block Lu Xun's advance step by step, thus delaying him while simultaneously depleting the morale of the Wu army. In this way, by the time Lu Xun breaks through Yuhan and Yushan and reaches Damu, his morale will likely be significantly depleted."

Guan Xing nodded in satisfaction and then looked at everyone, asking, "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

The group exchanged glances and shook their heads. Shen Yi and Wu Yue had said everything they wanted to say, and they had nothing more to add.

Guan Xing did not ask any further questions, but instead said, "Your suggestions are good, and many of them coincide with my own. However, my idea is to fight a quick battle like Lu Xun, rather than engaging in a war of attrition with Wu's army in the Zhejiang-Jiangxi corridor."

"The reason for a quick victory is simple: I'm afraid my father won't be able to hold out. If Cao Ren defeats my father and attacks from the north while we're locked in a stalemate with Lu Xun, that would be troublesome."