Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1143 Using a Counter-Strategy to Formulate a Plan

Just as Zhou Yu was about to speak, wanting to say that in order to find out the cause of Bo Fu's death and to quell the chaos in Jiangdong, he would not hesitate for a moment even if it involved personal feelings about his homeland, Ma Chao had already raised his hand to stop him, his deep eyes showing a knowing look.

“Gongjin,” Ma Chao’s voice slowed down, becoming more cautious, “I have an idea, you can listen to it and see if it’s appropriate.”

Zhou Yu nodded: "Brother, please speak freely."

Ma Chao walked to the map of Jiangdong hanging in the tent and drew an arc between Shuxian and Moling with his finger: "They want to keep us in Shuxian, and it's definitely not just for the sake of defending the city. The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for them, especially in terms of having a 'just cause'."

He turned around and glanced at everyone in the tent: "We came here to find out the cause of Bo Fu's death. It has been several years since Bo Fu passed away, which makes us vulnerable to accusations of 'making trouble on a pretext.' Now, the nominal lord of Jiangdong is Sun Quan, which is their strongest pretext. But don't forget the news that General Cheng brought back a few days ago—Sun Quan has gone to Yizhou and has no intention of returning."

Lu Su slapped his thigh: "So, that old man Zhang Zhao was urging the old lady to make the Third Young Master the new ruler just to solidify his 'status' as soon as possible! Then they'll use the 'new ruler's decree' to command Jiangdong, and we'll become the traitors who disobey the emperor's orders!"

“That’s exactly right.” Ma Chao nodded, his voice carrying the composure of someone who had a firm grasp of the overall situation. “They’re holding out in Shuxian, because they’re waiting for things to happen in Moling—waiting for Zhang Zhao and the others to solidify their claim to the new ruler, and for the aristocratic families to finish transferring their assets. By then, we’ll have less confidence if we want to turn the tables.”

He changed the subject, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "What a coincidence! The other day, Gan Ning sent a secret letter from the river, saying that the defense of Moling City has been completely handed over to the two old generals, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai. It won't be so easy for Zhang Zhao and his men to start construction in Moling City."

Ma Chao walked to the map and pointed to the location of Moling Ferry: "What's even better is that General Han Dang has personally led the navy to guard the ferry, and the old lady has also said that she will stay at home and let us thoroughly investigate the old case—this is clearly tacit approval for us to clear the obstacles and gives us enough confidence."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He clapped his hands and said, "Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong may be good at managing internal affairs and playing power games, but when it comes to this life-or-death struggle, they show their petty-mindedness. While the soldiers at the front are still facing off in Shuxian, they are busy transferring their family property and clearing their escape routes. If this behavior gets out, the people of Jiangdong will see it and their hearts will be in turmoil. The already tense situation has been turned into a sieve by their actions, with flaws everywhere."

"Gongjin is absolutely right." Ma Chao nodded in agreement, his gaze sweeping over the generals in the tent, his tone becoming increasingly resolute. "Since they want to stall, we'll stall with them. The main force will continue to confront Lü Meng in Shuxian, without taking the initiative to attack the city or disturb the people. We'll just keep at it—those old subordinates who still think of Bofu will see that we are not harming them in the slightest. They will realize who is protecting the peace of Jiangdong and who is coercing them to serve the aristocratic families. They will not turn against us in a real battle."

He abruptly changed the subject, pointing to the waterways on the map: "But we can't just passively deal with them. Gongjin, the navy you've trained over the years is finally going to come in handy. Gan Ning is incredibly fast on the river. In my opinion, I should personally lead over ten thousand elite naval troops, pass through the ferry guarded by Han Dang, and head straight for Moling!"

"Zhang Zhao and his men are probably busy taking stock of their valuables and comforting their families right now, completely unprepared. Once we land, we'll storm their lair and catch them off guard. To catch the thieves, we must first catch the kingpin. As long as we capture Zhang Zhao and Zhang Hong, the other aristocratic families will scatter like monkeys falling from a tree."

Ma Chao tapped his finger heavily on the mark of Moling City: "As for Lu Meng's tens of thousands of loyal followers, they seem intimidating, but in reality, most of them are old subordinates who have been coerced. As long as we succeed in Moling, and the old lady comes forward to explain the reasons, and then presents the evidence of Zhang Zhao's crimes of transferring family property and neglecting the front line, those soldiers will see the truth and most of them will hold back, or even turn against us to help us—at that time, the stalemate in Shuxian will break on its own, and why should we worry about not succeeding?"

Zhou Yu was slightly taken aback, but then he understood Ma Chao's intention. He stroked his beard and smiled, "Brother, are you planning a 'surprise attack'? I was being too rigid."

He looked at Ma Chao with a hint of approval in his eyes: "Brother, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry you lead is renowned for its land warfare, a fact known throughout the land. If I were to lead the navy, Lü Meng would surely notice without me in the army. But if it were you, brother, they would never expect this: firstly, they would assume the Xiliang Iron Cavalry are not skilled in naval warfare and would never suspect that you would personally lead the navy; secondly, even if they noticed the unusual activity on the waterway, they would only assume it was a diversionary force, and would never suspect that it was you, the commander-in-chief, going there in person, let alone that you would abandon your horse, board a boat, and head straight for Moling."

Ma Chao nodded and said, "That makes sense. On the water, General Han Dang is guarding the ferry, and Gan Ning's fast ships are on the Qianqing Road. Our fleet can simply take advantage of the night to sail downstream and reach the shore quietly. As for the naval battle, Zhang Zhao and his gang are busy transferring their assets, and the main force of the navy has long been transferred to protect their private ships. The water defenses around Moling are already weak, so we only need to land safely."

He patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder: "Gongjin, you only need to keep Lü Meng in check here, making him think that we are still wasting our energy on the stalemate in Shuxian. Once I succeed in Moling and capture Zhang Zhao, you can then inform the garrison of Shuxian and expose the conspiracy of the aristocratic families. Their morale will surely be thrown into chaos. At that time, you only need to give an order, and Lü Meng's elite troops will either defect or collapse, and the siege of Shuxian will be lifted on its own."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu slammed his palm on the table, causing the map showing the Moling Ferry to tremble slightly. His eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Brother, this plan is brilliant! Zhang Zhao and his ilk are adept at playing power games from the rear. Relying on Lü Meng's presence at the front, they think they can transfer their assets and consolidate their power without worry. They calculated that we wouldn't dare to divide our forces, but they forgot that the lifeline of Jiangdong is tied to the water!"

He leaned down and pointed to the Yangtze River waterway on the map, his fingertip tracing the secret routes Gan Ning often took: "Gan Ning's navy, under my training these past few years, is no longer the scattered rabble it once was. They can navigate those tributaries riddled with reefs and reed-covered estuaries with ease, even with their eyes closed. Zhang Zhao only knows that Han Dang guards the main ferry crossing, but he doesn't know that Gan Ning has already figured out twelve shallow beaches around Moling where they can land—these places are all secret passages left behind by Bo Fu during his campaigns back then. How would the scions of noble families know about them?"

“Gongjin’s words hit the nail on the head.” Ma Chao continued, his fingertip tapping heavily on the words “Moling City.” “Zhang Zhao and his ilk rely most on their ‘legitimacy’—they believe that as long as they properly transfer their families and wealth and install a new ruler, they can disguise their selfish actions as righteous deeds of ‘stabilizing Jiangdong.’ But if our navy suddenly appears at the gates of Moling City and exposes their actions of transferring their assets and neglecting the soldiers on the front lines in front of the entire city, their mask of ‘loyalty to the emperor and patriotism’ will be torn off on the spot!”

"As for Lü Meng's thirty to forty thousand loyal followers..." Zhou Yu sneered, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers training outside the tent, "Most of them are from humble backgrounds in Jiangdong, following Lü Meng only to earn a living. If we capture Zhang Zhao in Moling, and then have the old lady step in to present the evidence of the aristocratic families transferring their assets and disregarding the lives of soldiers and civilians, would these soldiers still fight to protect a bunch of cowardly parasites? They might even defect on the spot."

He turned towards the outside of the tent and called out, "Gan Ning!"

The tent flap was lifted, and Gan Ning, covered in water vapor, strode in, a water ladle still tucked into his waistband, clearly having just returned from the ship: "Your subordinate is here!"

"Immediately select 10,000 elite naval troops to protect my brother. Prepare sufficient dry rations and fresh water. Set off from the reed marshes at midnight tonight, and sneak along the 'Zishu Ditch' underground canal. We must reach 'Luoma Slope' south of Moling City by dawn tomorrow." Zhou Yu pointed to an inconspicuous mark on the map. "This is General Han Dang's defense zone. He will be there to help you land."

Gan Ning grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Don't worry, Grand Commander! I could walk through 'Zishu Gully' three times with my eyes closed. I guarantee that when Zhang Zhao and his gang of old foxes open their eyes at dawn, our knives will already be at their throats!"

The people in the tent exchanged smiles, the gloom from the previous stalemate in Shuxian dissipating completely. Ma Chao looked at Zhou Yu, his eyes filled with approval: "Gongjin's navy is indeed elite. In this way, with the front line restrained and the rear attacked, Zhang Zhao and the others cannot attend to both ends. We have survived this game."

Zhou Yu cupped his hands and said, "It's all thanks to your insight, brother. This is called 'fighting fire with fire' – if they want to stall, we'll stall with them, but while we're stalling, we should always leave them with a little 'surprise'."

The candlelight flickered gently inside the tent, casting the shadows of the two men on the tent wall, swaying slightly with the rise and fall of their conversation. Zhou Yu leaned forward, his gaze falling on Ma Chao: "Brother, how many troops will you take on this surprise attack? And which generals will you choose to accompany you? Do you have a plan in mind?"

Ma Chao tapped his fingertips lightly on the table and said in a deep voice, "Since it is a surprise attack, quality is more important than quantity. I will take four thousand Xiliang cavalry, which will be enough. Although they are not used to naval warfare, they will be an unstoppable force once they land. Gan Ning's ten thousand naval troops will lead the way, and General Han Dang will meet us at the ferry. This number of men is enough to accomplish our goal."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the generals in the tent before finally settling on Taishi Ci: "Ziyi, you must come with me. With your shoulder wound, it's already inconvenient for you to stay on the front lines in Shuxian. It's reasonable for you to come with me to Moling now, and it will also help you avoid Lü Meng's spies—he will definitely think you're recuperating in the tent and will never imagine that you'll be involved in the surprise attack."

Taishi Ci suddenly pressed his injured shoulder and stood up, his eyes burning with fighting spirit: "This humble general obeys! Even with injuries, I will definitely help Your Majesty take Moling!"

Inside the tent, Zhang Xiu, Pang De, and Xu Huang were already restless, their eyes fixed intently on Ma Chao, their muscles taut beneath their armor, clearly eager to join the army. Ma Chao noticed this and finally raised his hand, pointing to Pang De: "Lingming, you will come with me."

Pang De clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "This humble general would gladly die for his cause!"

Ma Chao patted his arm and explained, "Back then, during the Battle of Jiangdong, Lingming was stationed in Xiliang. Lü Meng and his group were complete strangers to you. If you come with me, they won't notice."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Yu, a sly glint in his eyes: "I have another matter to entrust to you. Please ask Gongjin to select one of your personal guards who is similar in build to me, and have him wear my silver armor. During the day, he can appear in front of the central command tent with you, and occasionally ride a horse to patrol the camp. When Lü Meng's scouts see him from afar, they will surely think that I am still in the camp, and will never imagine that I am already on my way to Moling."

Zhou Yu clapped his hands and laughed, "Brother, you've thought this through perfectly. This matter will be easy to handle."

The atmosphere inside the tent grew increasingly excited, and the candlelight seemed to brighten slightly. Taishi Ci pressed his injured shoulder, while Pang De gripped his sword hilt tightly; both men's eyes gleamed with anticipation for the surprise attack. Ma Chao gave a final look around and said in a deep voice, "Meet at the dock at midnight tonight. Gan Ning's fleet will have oilcloths prepared to shield their lights. We'll leave silently—by the time Zhang Zhao sees the Xiliang cavalry's battle flags in Moling and realizes what's happening, it will be too late."

Zhou Yu rose to see him off, saying, "Take care, brother. I will wait here for news of your victory."