mtlumby2d Chapter 306 Guan Yu Receives Victory Report from Guan Xing
Chapter 306 Guan Yu Receives Victory Report from Guan Xing
Life is like a wildly padded TV series, and everyone is the protagonist of their own story, constantly enacting their own unique narrative.
While Guan Xing was engaged in a fierce battle with Lu Xun in the Zhejiang-Jiangxi corridor, Guan Yu was also busy fighting Cao Ren along the Shicheng-Danyang line.
After crossing the river, Cao Ren quickly occupied the three cities of Wuhu, Wanling, and Liyang, and then used these three cities as a base to advance towards Shicheng and Danyang.
Shicheng Danyang was the last barrier between Ruxukou and Jianye. If Cao Ren captured it, the Wei army could reach Jianye unimpeded and surround it.
Guan Yu was unwilling to let his own courtyard fall into the hands of the Wei army, so he decisively led his troops to attack. As a result, he was defeated in three battles and lost Shicheng Danyang in just half a month, retreating outside the city. In the last battle, he even sent out a heavy armor battalion to reverse the decline and successfully retreat.
The post-war analysis revealed a disheartening truth: it wasn't that his command abilities were lacking, but rather that the combat effectiveness of his soldiers was simply too poor.
Although Guan Yu currently commands 100,000 troops, they are all bandits and recruited civilians who were temporarily recruited. Many of them had never been on the battlefield before following Guan Yu. Now they are suddenly forced into this situation. They lack proper formation coordination, strong resilience, and the ruthless spirit to fight to the death. They panic at the slightest setback in the battle.
The Wei army consisted of veterans who had fought for many years and were rich in combat experience. When they encountered new recruits, wouldn't they bully them to death?
Although Guan Yu trained the new recruits in Jianye for several months, can those trained in the training ground be the same as those who fought on the battlefield?
If this were the elite troops that Guan Yu led when he launched the Battle of Xiangfan, they could have given Cao Ren a sound thrashing. The problem is that those elite troops are no longer here. If the current army wants to reach that level, it will probably have to go through a period of blood and fire tempering.
The question is, will Cao Ren give Guan Yu that time?
Thirty li east of Danyang City was the Han army camp.
Guan Yu, accompanied by Xin Fei, inspected the camp. Looking at the soldiers with low morale and fear on their faces, he sighed, "It seems that it is impossible to defeat the Wei army in the short term. I wonder how things are in Anguo. Anguo must hold on."
Although he suffered a defeat, he was not worried about the Wei army, because the new recruits had room for growth. Their poor combat strength was only temporary. As long as the new recruits' combat strength caught up, he could force the Wei army back to Jiangbei at any time. At worst, he could retreat to Jianye and hold out.
Therefore, his main concern was Guan Xing. If Guan Xing could not withstand Lu Xun's attack and was defeated, allowing the Wu army to advance north, he would be caught in a pincer movement between the Wei and Wu armies, facing attacks from both sides.
He had already experienced being attacked from both sides once in Xiangfan, and he really didn't want to go through it a second time. That's why he was eager to fight a decisive battle with the Wei army, trying to defeat them and send them south to support Guan Xing. As a result, he was defeated in all three battles.
After his defeat, Guan Yu once again faced reality and realized that it was no longer possible to quickly defeat the Wei army and send reinforcements to Guan Xing. Therefore, he could only pray to the gods and Buddhas, hoping that Guan Xing could hold out a little longer.
Xin Fei comforted him, "My lord, rest assured. The second young master is exceptionally capable, having defeated Zhang Cheng twice. He will surely be able to withstand Lu Xun this time and protect our rear."
Guan Yu knew that these words were mostly meant to comfort him, and sighed helplessly, "I hope so. The distance is too great and news doesn't travel well. I don't even know how the King's northern expedition is going. It's worrying."
After saying that, he turned to leave, but as soon as he turned around, he heard someone shout, "My lord, the second young master has sent an urgent report."
Guan Yu's heart skipped a beat. He instinctively thought this was a letter from Guan Xing requesting reinforcements after his defeat, and quickly shouted, "Let's go back to the tent and talk."
He dared not shout about it in the camp before confirming the contents of the letter, for it would be too demoralizing if it turned out to be bad news of defeat.
Guan Yu and Xin Fei rushed back to the command tent. Before they could even stand still, a soldier in a faded uniform was brought in. Led by a messenger, the soldier bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty. I have been ordered by General Shen Yi to deliver...a report of victory to Your Majesty."
The soldier was nervous when he first met Guan Yu; his teeth chattered and he could barely speak.
Guan Yu, however, quickly grasped the key point and asked, "Good news! Anguo has won another battle?"
This was quite unexpected. He was worried that Guan Xing would bring him bad news, but instead he received a pleasant surprise. This kid is quite capable.
It should be noted that this time they are facing the elite troops of Eastern Wu led by Lu Xun and Han Dang, not the private soldiers of the gentry led by Zhang Cheng.
The messenger weakly replied, "Yes, General Shen Yi surrounded Han Dang's army of over ten thousand at Huaiyu Mountain. Han Dang had no hope of breaking out and was forced to commit suicide. The rest of his troops surrendered."
"General Guan Xing then arrived and surrounded the retreating Xu Sheng in Baopingyu, Wuyi Mountain. Xu Sheng was shot to death by General Guan Xing himself, and the rest of the troops surrendered."
Although the messenger had memorized his lines beforehand, he still stammered in front of Guan Yu, as nervous as an introverted employee during a job interview.
But his words struck Guan Yu and Xin Fei like a thunderbolt from the heavens, leaving them both stunned.
Guan Yu had traveled all over the country for decades and had seen all kinds of storms. He could remain calm even when Mount Tai collapsed in front of him during the Battle of Red Cliffs, let alone now.
Nevertheless, the information in the soldier's words exceeded Guan Yu's tolerance limit, causing his head to buzz and his ears to ring.
What did I hear?
Han Dang is dead?
Xu Sheng is dead too?
Are you trying to fool me?
It should be noted that Han Dang was a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside him against Dong Zhuo, and Xu Sheng was also a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside him at the Battle of Red Cliffs. Everyone knows that Guan Yu was arrogant, but no matter how arrogant he was, he never thought of killing the two of them in battle.
These two are Wu generals. Defeating an enemy general and killing an enemy general are two different things. Taking the head of a general from among ten thousand troops has always been a legend. Although he had the experience of beheading Yan Liang and killing Wen Chou, that was an accident that could not be replicated. As long as Yan Liang and Wen Chou stayed in the army and did not fight so hard, he would never be able to kill them successfully.
And now you're telling me that Guan Xing killed Han Dang and Xu Sheng?
This news was as unbelievable as Emperor Liu Xie of Han suddenly attacking and killing Cao Cao. How could he believe it?
Guan Yu was stunned for a full quarter of an hour before gradually coming to his senses. He stared at the messenger and asked, "Is this true?"
The messenger nodded hurriedly and took out a bamboo tube from his pocket, presenting it respectfully with both hands, saying, "This is a personal letter written to you by General Shen Yi on the orders of General Guan, containing detailed battle reports."
Xin Fei eagerly snatched the tube and presented it to Guan Yu. Guan Yu violently pulled open the lid and took out a stack of papers covered with small writing. He and Xin Fei read them word by word.
After reading it three times to make sure he hadn't made a mistake, Guan Yu grabbed the wound from the poisoned arrow and squeezed it hard. Only after feeling the piercing pain and confirming that he wasn't dreaming did he exclaim in shock, "An Guo actually killed Han Dang and Xu Sheng! Not only did he kill them, but he also captured nearly 20,000 Wu soldiers, instantly reducing the Wu army's strength by one-third. This is an unprecedented victory!"
It is no exaggeration to say that this victory was almost as great as his gains against the Wei army in the Battle of Xiangfan. When the news reached Jiangling, Sun Quan would definitely be furious.
Xin Fei exclaimed excitedly, his eyebrows dancing with joy, "That's wonderful! Second Young Master is amazing! Now we don't have to worry about the Wu army attacking anymore, and we can focus on dealing with the Wei army."
Guan Yu still felt like he was dreaming, and said with a mixture of shock and excitement, "Yes, after this battle, I believe Lu Xun will never dare to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly again. We no longer need to worry about the Wu army moving north, and we can calmly deal with the Wei army."
"And this Shen Yi, he is steady and calm in his work and has the talent of a great general. Pass on my order to confer the title of Marquis of Guannei on Shen Yi, and reward the others one by one. We cannot let the soldiers who risked their lives be disheartened."
He is now the General of Chariots and Cavalry, Governor of Yangzhou, and Commander-in-Chief of the military affairs of Jing, Yang and Xu provinces, personally appointed by Liu Bei. He has the authority to confer titles of nobility below the rank of Marquis.
Moreover, Shen Yi's achievement of forcing Han Dang to his death was dazzling enough, and his title of marquis was well-deserved.
After Guan Yu finished speaking, he looked at the messenger again and asked patiently, "Did the Second Young Master say anything else?"
The messenger said, "Second Young Master, please do not worry about the south. Do not rush into a decisive battle with the Wei army because of your concern. Let him hold off the Wei army for now, and wait for him to defeat Lu Xun before coming from the Poyang Lake Plain to join you in attacking Cao Ren."
Guan Yu: “…”