Words drifted across the light screen like boats floating down a stream. There was a lot of information, yet strangely, most of it was already expected.
Liu Bei and Kongming exchanged a glance. It was exactly as they had expected.
On the map displayed by the light screen, it was clear that in this very year, both Cao Cao and Liu Bei had been concentrating their forces toward Hanzhong.
At this moment, Sun Quan commanded a force of one hundred thousand. With such strength, there was nowhere under Heaven he could not march. This should have been the perfect time to expand his territory.
Then a thought struck Liu Bei and he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha, damn, that is hilarious, isn't it? Jiangdong's grand legacy for ten thousand generations... and it gets absolutely wrecked by eight hundred men?"
The generals all leaned in, eyes fixed on the screen, talking among themselves in low voices. They had to take this seriously. This was Zhang Liao. The same Zhang Liao the Tang scholars later ranked as one of the Four Great Generals of the Han.
Eight hundred beating a hundred thousand sounded too crazy to be real. For generals, the most reliable form of warfare had always been superiority in numbers and the strong crushing the weak. That was exactly why victories where the weak overcame the strong shone so brilliantly.
Mi Zhu frowned, curious. "If I remember correctly, Sun Quan attacked Hefei more than once. Why was he so fixated on that place?"
Everyone understood the logic. Huang Zhong spoke up.
"He struck it last year already. Fresh off Red Cliffs, he marched right up and besieged the city for over three months. Then for some reason he pulled back, burned his camps, and left."
"As for Hefei itself, the reasoning was straightforward." He paused, then continued. "Jiangdong's strength lies in naval forces, not infantry or cavalry. Transporting supplies by water is far superior to land routes."
The message was simple. March over land and you get torn apart.
Huang Zhong continued, now clearly shifting his perspective toward grand strategy. "In order to advance from Jiangdong into the Central Plains, there are only a few viable routes." He pointed at the map. "One route is north along the Han River, passing Xiangyang-Fancheng, then advancing through Nan Commandery into the Central Plains. But this requires holding Xiangyang-Fancheng and fighting Cao forces at Wancheng. This is the worst option."
This was the route Huang Zhong knew best.
Zhang Fei pointed at another path. "There is another one. From Jiangdu, you follow the Zhongdu waterway straight north and you can reach Xuzhou. I think that direction could work too."
Guan Yu, who had long studied naval warfare, spoke last. "The final route is Hefei. From Ruxu, moving north to Chaohu, you have a base for naval deployment close to Hefei. Once Hefei is taken, you can follow the Fei River north and threaten Shouchun."
"And if Shouchun falls, you control the Huai River. From there, you can move freely across the Central Plains. From Shouchun, following the Ying River leads directly to Xuchang. Using the Huai River and turning into the Guo River, you can enter the Yellow River and threaten Yecheng."
He concluded calmly. "Of the three routes, Nan Commandery is only half a water route and heavily defended beyond Xiangyang-Fancheng. It is the worst option. The Zhongdu waterway is unstable and often silted. Even after reaching Xuzhou, you must still fight in open terrain. Only Hefei offers the best path, because taking Hefei allows you to threaten Shouchun. If you hold Shouchun and control the Huai River, you can contend for all under Heaven."
Kongming clapped his hands and laughed. "Excellent analysis!"
His admiration for Guan Yu deepened further. From this understanding of naval warfare alone, it was clear how much effort Guan Yu had invested into it.
"As expected of my second brother!" Zhang Fei grinned proudly.
"As expected of my second brother," Liu Bei echoed, equally pleased.
In his heart, Liu Bei could not help but think. 'If Sun Quan had the talent of my second brother, how could he possibly be defeated by eight hundred men and become a laughingstock for future generations?'
The mocking tone within the text on the light screen was unmistakable. Even Liu Bei could see it clearly.
For a brief moment, an absurd thought crossed his mind.
What if we dragged Zhou Yu and Sun Quan here to read this? Zhou Gongjin might cough up blood right there from pure shame. Sun Quan might just want to die and go beg his brother Sun Ce to come back instead.
The mention of high-speed rail once again made Liu Bei itch with curiosity. He really wanted it. But how could he get his hands on it?
As for the evaluation from Li Shimin, Liu Bei understood it well.
It came from the Zuo Zhuan, later cited by Sima Xiangru, criticizing both sides as being at fault.
Liu Bei scoffed inwardly. The fault lay in neither side considering the other's interests. But that is absurd. Me and Sun Quan are not brothers. Even their so-called marriage alliance has ulterior motives. Why should we consider each other?
[Lightscreen]
[In the eighth month, Sun Quan personally led his army north along the Ruxu waterway, claiming a force of one hundred thousand, passing Chaohu and arriving beneath the walls of Hefei.
Records from the Wu side are vague due to their defeat, but a rough reconstruction gives the following lineup:
Sun Quan in overall command. Under him were Lu Meng, Gan Ning, He Qi, Jiang Qin, Xu Sheng, Chen Wu, Ling Tong, Pan Zhang, Song Qian, and Ding Feng.
Defending Hefei were Commandant Xue Ti and generals Zhang Liao, Yue Jin, and Li Dian. Rank-wise no one stood above anyone else, but Zhang Liao made the calls.
The defenders numbered only seven thousand, all personally selected by Boss Cao as bold, first-to-charge warriors.
Strategically, Hefei was not the ultimate objective. Shouchun was the real key to controlling the Huai River.
Hefei served as a forward defense line, buying time and depth for Shouchun, allowing Boss Cao to avoid stationing heavy forces there and saving huge amounts of supplies and manpower.
Sun Quan, meanwhile, saw that Boss Cao's main army was tied up in Hanzhong dealing with Zhang Lu, leaving no time or capacity to reinforce Hefei or Shouchun.
Before departing, Boss Cao left Xue Ti a sealed order labeled: Open when the enemy arrives.
When Sun Quan's forces appeared, Xue Ti opened it.
Inside was written:
If Sun Quan comes, Generals Zhang Liao and Li Dian go out and fight. General Yue Jin stays and guards the city. The Commandant must never leave his post.]
Jiang Wan, who had been copying everything down, looked up in confusion. "Are they really going to fight? Facing one hundred thousand with only seven thousand, should they not hold the city and wait for reinforcements?"
Zhang Fei laughed. "Reinforcements? Did you not hear, Gongyan? Cao Cao is already in Hanzhong. Where would reinforcements come from? And Jiangdong's troops are led by aristocrats. Why would they not dare fight them?"
After everything the light screen had revealed, everyone had come to a clear understanding of Jiangdong's forces. On water, their navy was elite. But on land, in close combat, they were basically trash.
Guan Yu nodded. "A hundred thousand mixed troops with loose discipline. You hit them before they get set up. That is the key. It is like striking an army halfway across a river. Rush in while their formation is still messy. Break their morale, smash their ranks, crush their spirit. Only then can you hope to hold the city."
History would prove him exactly right.
[Lightscreen]
[Faced with Boss Cao's order to engage, Zhang Liao, Yue Jin, and Li Dian looked at one another.
Finally, Zhang Liao made the decision.
We strike before they are fully camped. We break their momentum and steady our own men. Victory or defeat turns on this one fight. What are we waiting for?
That very night he called for volunteers.
Eight hundred men stepped forward.
They slaughtered cattle and feasted together.
Zhang Liao gave the order.
"Eight hundred men, follow me! Today, we win glory!"]
[Server Chat Log]
[One_Blade_One_Jar: The hype train is leaving the station! Eight hundred vs 100k? This is literally movie-level stuff right here.
Drifting_Cloud_Swordsman: Imagine being one of those 800 guys. Boss Zhang kills a cow, hands you a steak, and says we are jumping the 100,000 guys next door. I would be shaking.
Old_Man_At_The_Tavern: Sun Quan really thought he was doing something. Bro, you have ten generals and 100k men, why not walk around the city? Why are you like this?
Hidden_Dragon_Scholar: Zhang Liao being listed first in the records is basically Boss Cao's way of saying that Zhang Liao is the carry and everyone else please support.
Third_Junior_Brother: POV: Imagine, you are Sun Quan and you see one guy and 800 of his friends charging at you while you are still trying to find your shoes. Emotional damage.
Ox_In_The_Underworld: The cow being slaughtered for the feast: Wait, why am I the only one that died here?
Gold_Coin_Gambler: Zhang Liao going all in on an 800-man stack. This is the ultimate high-risk, high-reward play. Diamond hands only.
Nameless_Sect_Leader: Sun Quan has ten generals but Zhang Liao has main character plot armor. It is over, bro.
The_Hermit_Beneath_The_Pine: Cao Cao's emergency order is literally the ultimate break-glass-in-case-of-crisis meme.
One_Slashsword: Zhang Liao: Hold my wine.
Drive_between_grass: Nanjing to Hefei now takes 60 minutes by high-speed rail. Sun Quan spent ten years trying to get there and walked away with lifelong PTSD instead.
The_Failed_Scholar: Imagine being King of Wu and your primary historical legacy is being the guy Zhang Liao bullied.]