Chapter 52: The Strategist is Truly Crafty... Truly Resourceful!

When Chang Xi posed that soul-searching question, the gathered generals, led by Yin Li and Wu Dun, were all left speechless.

Sun Guan shook his head with a sigh:
"According to our scouts, Liu Bei has brought an army of twenty thousand this time. He has likely deployed every single soldier he had left at the bottom of his chest."
"With his resolve so firm, it will be difficult to settle this amicably. We must deliberate and make our decision with utmost caution."

Yin Li fell silent, offering no response.
Wu Dun stayed quiet, not uttering a single word.

Everyone turned their gazes toward Zang Ba. Zang Ba rubbed his temples, pondered for a long while, and finally said dejectedly:
"Do you all know why we have been able to hold our ground in Langya for all these years?"

This...
The crowd looked at one another, unable to come up with an answer for a moment.

"It is solely because Tao Gongzu was weak and incompetent, forcing him to rely on our strength to guard his northern flank and withstand the pressure from Yanzhou and Qingzhou."
"Now, Xuzhou has a new master. This Liu Bei is not Tao Qian. What he needs is to hold Langya firmly in his own hands, rather than delegating it to others."

Everyone lowered their heads and fell into silence.

Zang Ba continued:
"When Tao Gongzu was in office, he held merely the two commanderies of Pengcheng and Xiapi."
"Yet look at him, Liu Bei! Less than a year after taking office in Xuzhou, he has brought Pengcheng, Xiapi, Guangling, and Donghai entirely under his control."
"To say nothing of Liu Bei, even if Tao Qian had acquired these four commanderies, we would still have no grounds to carve out an independent domain in Langya."

Zang Ba laid bare the truth—the real reason they were able to carve out their own territory in Langya.
It was simply because Tao Qian had been too weak, lacking sufficient control over Xuzhou. Guangling had tilted toward Yuan Shu, Pengcheng had been ruthlessly bloodbathed by Cao Cao, and Donghai had failed to gain the support of the locals.
Naturally, Tao Qian had no time to spare a thought for Zang Ba.

Now, Liu Bei had integrated his military might, united the four commanderies in his grip, and pressed down upon Langya all at once.
Before the battle had even begun, Zang Ba was already finding it difficult to hold his ground.

"Brother, do you mean...?" Sun Guan asked.

Zang Ba put one hand behind his back while extending the other, clenching it into a tight fist.
"The five commanderies of Xuzhou are just like these five fingers."
"Liu Bei has already secured four of them. Once he reclaims Langya, he can close his five fingers into a fist and march against any warlord under heaven."
"...This Liu Xuande harbors no small ambition."

When he uttered those final words, a trace of genuine admiration even crept into Zang Ba's tone.
He and his Taishan sworn brothers merely desired to carve out a separatist domain, but Liu Bei clearly had his eyes set on the entire empire.

"So what is my brother's ultimate intention...?"
Everyone grew anxious, eager to hear Zang Ba's verdict.

Zang Ba said slowly:
"For now, we shall simply agree to his terms and inform him that we will arrive shortly."

The generals frowned, though everyone understood the implication.

This was Zang Ba's delaying tactic, clearly intended to test Liu Bei's next move.
Should Liu Bei choose to launch a direct and forceful assault, Zang Ba would likely opt for surrender.

"...Sigh!"
Zang Ba slammed his fist against the desk and chair. Liu Bei had borrowed the road to conquer Guo, marching all the way north to Juxian and directly bypassing his base in Kaiyang.
Throughout the journey, Zang Ba had remained hesitant and indecisive about whether to send troops to block him.
In the end, just as he had let Cao Cao in previously, he had chosen to let Liu Bei in as well.

He had never expected Liu Bei to actually halt at Juxian and refuse to budge. Now, Zang Ba found himself riding a tiger, unable to dismount.
The moment Liu Bei launched an offensive, it would be a lightning-fast sweep straight from north to south.
Because Zang Ba had already lost the opportunity to block him using the mountain passes along the way.

...

"... Oh? Zang Ba says he will arrive shortly?"
Gazing at the endless flowing waters of the River Shu, Liu Bei stroked his beard with a calm expression, making it impossible to fathom what was on his mind.

"This is merely Zang Ba's delaying tactic. We must not allow this dragging on to continue," Li Yi advised from the side.
When the cannons roar, ten thousand taels of gold are spent.
Waging war was an extremely costly endeavor. Liu Bei had deployed a full twenty thousand troops; the daily consumption of grain and forage alone amounted to a staggering sum.
Not to mention the military equipment required, or the compensation for casualties that might follow.

Naturally, Li Yi hoped that Old Liu could secure a swift and decisive victory.

"Does the Military Advisor wish for me to deploy the troops?"
"Does my lord not wish to advance?"

With a counter-question, Liu Bei turned around and mused:
"Xuzhou has suffered far too much bloodshed over the past two years. You and I have witnessed countless bones and flesh scattered across the fields along our journey. The common folk of Langya are also the soldiers and citizens of our Xuzhou. How could I bear to engage in mutual slaughter?"
"Besides, we are about to implement the military agricultural colony policy. If war breaks out, a vast number of people will be displaced, and the fields will fall to ruin."
"That would only increase our workload."

Considering the greater picture, Liu Bei was reluctant to mobilize the army unless it was absolutely necessary.
Moreover, Zang Ba's Taishan troops were fierce and battle-hardened; if a real fight broke out, both sides would undoubtedly suffer terribly.
In the end, it would only benefit outsiders for nothing.

"...Haha, my lord need not worry."
Li Yi gently comforted Liu Bei, "To subdue Zang Ba, why would we need twenty thousand troops?"

"Oh? Does the Military Advisor have another brilliant strategy in mind?"
Liu Bei raised an eyebrow. If the issue with Zang Ba could be resolved without expending a single soldier, it would naturally be a cause for celebration.

"Our mobilization of twenty thousand men is merely to build momentum and apply pressure to Langya."

Applying pressure, you say...?
Liu Bei's eyes narrowed, and he instantly caught on:

Could the Military Advisor have a contingency plan?
"Precisely. My lord, please take a look."

Li Yi produced a map, spread it out flat on the ground, and explained to Liu Bei:
"The Taishan generals jointly govern Langya."
"Kaiyang is Zang Ba's territory, Licheng is Wu Dun's territory, while Dong'an and Dongwu in the north are ruled by Yin Li and Sun Guan respectively."
"And right now, we are right here."

Li Yi tapped his index finger on the location of Juxian.

Liu Bei had fought wars for so many years; at a single glance, he perceived the tactical brilliance of their position in Juxian.
This location was positioned just right, allowing them to exert influence in all four directions.
It made it possible to launch simultaneous attacks against all four factions and was exceptionally suited for the tactic of surrounding a point to annihilate incoming reinforcements.

"This Juxian is Xiao Jian's seat of administration."
Li Yi pointed out the crucial detail.

Xiao Jian was the Administrator of Langya Commandery, the nominal master of Langya.
However, his sphere of influence was limited strictly to Juxian, while the rest of the territory had already been carved up by the Taishan faction.

Liu Bei nodded, stroked his beard, and said:
"I have long heard that Xiao Jian and Zang Ba are at odds. Could the Military Advisor intend to use Xiao Jian's hands to deal with Zang Ba?"

A faint smile touched the corner of Li Yi's lips.
Xiao Jian came from an official lineage and looked down upon rough-hewn men like Zang Ba, yet he could do nothing against them.
In history, Zang Ba had directly breached Juxian, where Xiao Jian was stationed, and swept away all the grain and valuables within the city.
Xiao Jian harbored fear and unease toward Zang Ba, meaning he needed a protective umbrella—and Old Liu happened to have one.

"We can now dispatch a secret messenger to Xiao Jian, persuading him to surrender."
"Then, we shall inform Zang Ba that Xiao Jian has surrendered, but that we have not yet accepted it."

Liu Bei was suddenly enlightened. Li Yi wanted to use Xiao Jian to apply pressure on Zang Ba.
In other words, if you still refuse to surrender, we will turn our attention to Xiao Jian instead.

"I understand. Zang Ba fears Xiao Jian gaining power, so he will inevitably submit to us."
"Precisely so."

"Ah, the Military Advisor is truly... truly resourceful."
"With this strategy, we need not worry that Zang Ba will refuse to submit!"
"Hahaha!"

The two of them laughed aloud at the same time, looking precisely like a pair of cunning foxes.