lcionline Chapter 247 Confused
Chapter 247 Confused
Sometimes, Liu Bei couldn't understand Zhang Lu either. If you want to use religion to rule the people, then use religion properly. I've seen regimes like this before. But you're using religion to bewitch people.
On the one hand, Zhang Lu claimed to be democratic, allowing his followers to govern themselves, which greatly troubled Liu Bei. But the frustrating part was that Zhang Lu's bizarre form of rule surprisingly garnered significant support in Hanzhong—truly, the world is full of wonders.
"I've heard that Yuan Shao has already occupied Chang'an. We need to speed things up, otherwise, if Yuan Shao gains the upper hand, even if our organization occupies Hanzhong, we'll only be trapped in Shu."
Outside Hanzhong City, Liu Bei organized his main camp. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Jian Yong, and others discussed the current situation of the organization in the tent. Liu Bei was somewhat jealous of Yuan Shao's rapid advance.
Why was Yuan Shao able to conquer Hanzhong so easily, while he struggled so much? Not only did no city surrender, but Zhang Lu's pro-religion organization also inflicted considerable casualties on his forces.
If Liu Bei hadn't possessed exceptional tactical command skills, his army would have suffered even greater casualties. Even if he had successfully captured Hanzhong, he would have lost the ability to continue expanding for a considerable period of time.
“My lord, the various counties and prefectures in Yongzhou are like a disorganized mess, so it’s not surprising that Yuan’s organization is making good progress. However, the Hanzhong garrison that my organization is facing is a well-trained elite force by Zhang Lu, plus the anti-religious organization that guy conspired to build, which is indeed a tough nut to crack,” Jian Yong said.
Liu Bei knew Jian Yong was telling the truth, so he asked Jian Yong, "How are the preparations for the new glider squadron going?" "The first squadron has completed its training, and the gliders I've organized have been improved. If the takeoff altitude is high enough, they can fly back after completing their mission, although there are still some risks," Jian Yong replied.
Liu Bei waved his hand and said, "War is inherently risky. If the glider squadron can play a role, some sacrifices are worthwhile."
Gliders are a cheap and effective means of attack, a fact Liu Bei had already discovered during his battle with Chen Er. Now that they could fly back, Liu Bei was even more pleased.
He had only mentioned it casually at the time, but he never expected it to have such a great effect now. Air superiority plays an even greater role in this era. In this attack on Hanzhong, Liu Bei will once again use this trump card to broaden the horizons of Zhang Lu, this country bumpkin.
As for casualties, Liu Bei, who had seen many so-called suicide squads in his previous life, was not moved by this kind of attack at all. On the contrary, he thought it was perfectly normal.
For those soldiers, fortune favors the bold; as long as they successfully complete their missions and return, they can receive rewards that other teams don't have. If they're unlucky, they might not make it back.
Their compensation is five times that of ordinary soldiers, a price that is enough to attract more soldiers to join the ranks of glider pilots.
Yuan Shao has already occupied Chang'an. Once he controls Xianyang and seizes passes such as Xiegu and Ziwugu, Liu Bei will truly be trapped in Yizhou, and all his expansion routes to the north will be blocked.
Having lived in this world for many years, Liu Bei has gained a sufficient understanding of it. Although the technology of this world is far more advanced than that of Earth in its history, the level of development in various places is not high.
In other words, many areas are still primitive and barren, making it difficult for large organizations to pass through. There are only a few exits in northern Yizhou. Once Yuan's organization controls a few important passes, it only needs to station one or two thousand soldiers with sufficient ammunition and a certain amount of artillery to defend the passes.
Even if Liu Bei had a large army, it would be difficult for him to launch an attack, not to mention that, at present, he might not be able to compete with Yuan Shao in terms of manpower.
He had heard that when Yuan Shao withdrew from Yanzhou, he took away a lot of young men and women, plus the population of Yongzhou, which was under his control. Liu Bei's human resources were definitely inferior to Yuan Shao's.
"After we occupy Hanzhong and control the northern exit, what we need to do is immediately head north and establish a foothold in Yongzhou. We cannot allow Yuan Shao to develop in peace," Liu Bei said to the two men.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said, "Brother, isn't it said that the Xiliang organization is also attacking Yongzhou? Shouldn't we let them fight Yuan Shao first?"
The Guan Yu of this world seems to be different; he is not someone who only knows how to use force. It seems that there may not be any so-called Martial Saint in this world in the future.
After all, this was an era that did not value individual martial prowess. Guan Yu, like other generals, gradually transformed from a challenger on the front lines into a commander behind the lines.
He gradually grew into a qualified frontline commander through struggle and also began to learn to think strategically. This was good news for Liu Bei. Knowing the future mode of warfare, Liu Bei was very clear that what was needed in the future was a general like him, not someone who only knew how to charge into battle. From this point of view, Zhang Fei was somewhat outdated.
"Yes, Second Brother, that's exactly what I wanted to mention. Our next plan is to sit back and watch the two sides fight it out after we've secured a stronghold. When both sides are exhausted, that's when we'll make our move," Liu Bei said.
Liu Bei was plotting against Yuan Shao, while Yuan Shao was also keeping an eye on the movements of Liu Bei's large organization. According to the latest intelligence, Liu Bei's large organization had already reached the city of Hanzhong.
Yuan Shao understood that now was the time to race against time. What he needed to do was to speed up the purge of Yongzhou. The Xiliang organization had already surpassed Sanguang. The Sanguang garrison surrendered without a fight, seemingly terrified of the Xiliang organization. This was nothing like the Yongzhou organization, which had fought the Xiliang organization for several years and often had the upper hand.
There must be something fishy about this, Yuan Shao thought as he looked at the intelligence report in his hand. Fortunately, the Prince of Xianyang, Lang, had already expressed his intention to surrender, which was excellent news for Yuan Shao. This meant that he would save a lot of time, which was exactly what he needed now.
At this moment, the three forces of Liu Bei, Yuan Shao, and Li Jue, all leading the Western Liang organization, are vying for time. The side that first seizes a favorable geographical advantage will gain an advantageous position in the ensuing struggle.
In comparison, Liu Bei was somewhat behind. However, later events proved that being temporarily behind was not necessarily a bad thing. While Liu Bei was still fighting to the death in Hanzhong, Yuan Shao's organization had already started fighting against the Xiliang organization.
When the Xiliang organization re-entered Yongzhou, Li Jue's first priority was to find a foothold. He chose a good place, Fufeng. Taking advantage of the handover between Wang Lang and Yuan Shao's main forces, Li Jue led his 50,000-strong organization to seize Fufeng with lightning speed.