NOVPUBAfter a considerable amount of silver had been spent, Yuan Shu’s army suddenly erupted with astonishing combat power. Balancing out the advantages of the military generals on both sides, and purely comparing strength, the money-fueled Yuan Shu’s army finally allowed Yuan Shu to see the possibility of breaching Jiangling City within ten days.
"Kill, kill, kill!" Ji Ling bellowed as he led his trusted aides with a three-point double-edged knife, fiercely fighting on the front lines of the battlefield. His loyalty to Yuan Shu meant he was always at the forefront of battle. Although he nearly fell to Huang Zhong previously, he still fearlessly charged toward the city walls after receiving Yuan Shu’s command, leading his trusted aides without positioning himself as the main commander.
As the chief commander of the army, Ji Ling led by example, inspiring all of Yuan Shu’s soldiers to rise up. Carrying cloud ladders, wave after wave, they rushed toward the walls of Jiangling City, their war cries, neighs, and screams intertwining along the banks of the Yangtze River.
After fighting relentlessly for nine days, the walls that were once deemed impregnable had been breached in many areas, and the entire city wall, made of blue stone, was smeared with bloodstains. The moat, nearly twenty meters wide, had been forcibly filled with corpses and debris.
Kuai Yue sat atop the city wall, his demeanor as a noted scholar now completely stained with the color of blood. The formerly arrogant Kuai Yidu had discarded all his pride and joined the soldiers in defending the city, because he knew that everyone else could surrender, but he and Liu Biao could not; they only had one path to death.
To lose was to die, so Kuai Yue did not mind the opinions of others, nor did he care to drag anyone down with him in the end. He was not the head of the family, and even if he went too far, Kuai Liang would only need to expel him from the Kuai Family. Thus, the current Kuai Yue had completely let go, his mind clear, no longer influenced by outside opinions.
Nine days of frenzied carnage, abandoning the manner of a scholar, stationed at the frontline of the city’s defense, Kuai Yue experienced an inexplicable feeling. He felt as if he was not controlling himself in battle, but rather standing behind and watching himself fight. In that moment, his thinking became exceptionally clear, all the details came together, allowing him to perceive the grand situation of the world. He understood Cao Cao’s situation, the current situation, and saw through Yuan Shu’s facade of strength hiding weakness.
"Is this how it is?" Kuai Yue’s spiritual power surged and purified within him, and areas that were previously overlooked gradually became clear. All the previous events surfaced in the depths of his heart, and with them, strategies emerged for response.
[Probably Yuan Shu won’t last more than a few days, I’m certain to win.] A smile appeared on Kuai Yue’s face, [Yuan Shu will likely retreat from here. There’s a thirty percent chance of an ambush occurring in this valley, with an upper limit of five to eight hundred men. The rearguard cannot be Ji Ling or Lyu Bu...]
[No, on the surface of the Yangtze River, Sun Ce will probably follow Zhou Yu’s advice to set up an ambush there. The Sunx Family and Yuan Family are not the same, and Zhou Yu is a sage. After leaving Yuan Shu, he joined Sun Ce, so this time, Zhou Yu will probably create a fait accompli for Sun Ce to have his own private troop.] Information flowed through Kuai Yue’s heart, and in that moment, he felt as if he was a chess player, observing the board from the outside.
[Since it is Sun Ce, then...] Kuai Yue coldly planned how to completely crush Yuan Shu’s army this time.
"Ah!" Suddenly, Kuai Yue felt a sharp pain in his head, and the tranquil state of mind that had been observing the world’s affairs from outside the chess game shattered instantly. He cried out in agony and fainted.
Kuai Yue did not know that at that moment, he had awakened his spiritual talent. Under the influence of this talent, he could turn the situation of the world into a chess game, thinking with a cold and ruthless perspective of everything that would benefit his side. As a chess player, he would never care about the feelings of the chess pieces.
Kuai Yue was carried down from the city wall, his mind groggy, but upon seeing Liu Biao, he still remembered the urgent matters.
"Lord, hurry and announce that Yuan Shu must retreat within five days, and remember not to trust Cao Mengde. The current situation has a ninety percent chance of being Cao Mengde’s design; he is betting on the world’s situation!" Kuai Yue struggled to communicate his analysis to Liu Biao, but the piercing pain in his head twisted his expression in distress.
"What? Yuan Shu will retreat within five days!" Liu Biao was stunned, then joy flooded his cheeks, after all, over the past ten days, Yuan Shu’s frenzied attacks had left the defenses of Jiangling exhausted. In fact, the city had begun to totter in the past couple of days, and Yuan Shu had already declared that those who surrendered would not be killed. The entire Jiangling City was in chaos. If it weren’t for the city’s strong fortifications and his, Liu Biao’s, lingering influence in Jiangling, Yuan Shu might have already taken the city.
"He will retreat within five days!" Kuai Yue said with difficulty, "My Lord, please make more preparations. It might not be impossible to regain control of South Commandery and Jiangxia in one fell swoop."
"Yidu, report to me quickly." After enduring for so many days, Liu Biao had finally heard good news and naturally was overjoyed.
Kuai Yue was slightly startled, then the piercing pain in his mind prevented him from thinking further, but fortunately, he had already analyzed a large amount of intelligence beforehand.
"My Lord, remember this: as soon as Yuan Shu stops the siege, let General Huang descend from the city and challenge them. If no one responds, you must immediately order your troops to pursue and attack Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu might forget, but Zhou Yu will definitely not forget to set an ambush during the retreat, thus creating an opportunity for Sun Ce to gain enough merit to lead his troops!" Kuai Yue spoke with difficulty, "As for the excavation of the Yangtze River, please forgive Yue’s previous rashness; that is no longer possible."
"If there is an ambush, why should we pursue them? We should take advantage of Yuan Shu’s retreat to reclaim the lost land," Liu Biao asked, perplexed.
"Using another’s hand to kill! Schemes of power and division!" Kuai Yue said painfully while closing his eyes, sweat pouring from his forehead.
"An excellent plan!" Liu Biao was stunned but soon came to his senses. Was this not the best strategy? With Yuan Shu’s help, he could eliminate the traitors under his command and attribute the merit to Sun Ce, provoking Sun Ce’s aspirations for independence.
"The rest of our forces should fully commit to reclaiming the lost lands of Jingbei. As for Xiangyang, my Lord, please abandon it. Firstly, we don’t have enough strength; even if we take Xiangyang, it would result in great loss of troops, which would be more costly than beneficial. Secondly, if we conquered Xiangyang and opened the gateway to Nanyang, we would have to face Cao Mengde, the hungry wolf! Should Yuan Shu be defeated at Jiangling, Cao Mengde will certainly take Wancheng!" Kuai Yue’s eyes were bloodshot, showing how hard he was restraining himself.
"Yidu, you should rest more, leave the rest to me!" Liu Biao couldn’t bear to see Kuai Yue’s pain and therefore didn’t ask any further.
After taking Kuai Yue’s reassuring pill, Liu Biao was completely at ease and then informed all the civil officials and military generals to come.
Looking at the expressions of his civil and military subordinates—some scornful, some bewildered, some sneering, all sorts—Liu Biao laughed. Indeed, it was time for a reorganization, as Kuai Yue’s scheme to use one enemy to kill another was indeed appropriate!
"Gentlemen, please remain calm. I have an announcement to make," Liu Biao said with icy eyes, looking at the people before him—half of them deserved to die.
The murmuring below became a din. Under the current situation where Jiangling was on the brink of fall, Liu Biao’s authority had been greatly diminished. The members of the aristocratic clans were not worried about Yuan Shu causing them trouble after breaching the city. To them, it would simply mean trading one lord for another, and as long as they weren’t affected, they couldn’t care less.
"Bang!" Liu Biao slammed the table hard, finally silencing all the noise, and then laughed loudly, "Within five days, Yuan Shu will retreat!" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
