The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 384 Lu Xun's Doomsday (3)

Should we prepare several plans?

These words caused the general in the tent to fall silent again. Given the current situation of being surrounded on all sides, any plan would be like a dying struggle. What use would it be?

Besides, even if we successfully retreat from the Huangwu Mountains, what then?

Since the start of the war, Wu's army has suffered repeated defeats and lost more than half of its troops. Lu Xun now only has more than 20,000 men left. Even if these men manage to return safely, what role can they play? Can they stop Liu Bei and Guan Yu, or can they stop Cao Cao?

Sun Quan's defeat and demise were already a foregone conclusion. Was it still necessary for them to follow him down this path to the bitter end?

Furthermore, wouldn't retreating now be betraying Lü Dai? What will happen to Lü Dai if they retreat? If Lü Dai is also defeated and captured, wouldn't that be adding insult to injury for the already collapsing Eastern Wu?

In conclusion, following Sun Quan leads to certain death; perhaps we should surrender?

Shi Xin, Xie Jing, Liu A, and the others all had different thoughts in their minds. They secretly glanced at their superiors, Lu Xun, Ding Feng, Zhou Fang, and Lü Ju, and found that none of them intended to surrender. They had no choice but to suppress these thoughts to prevent Lu Xun from noticing and punishing them according to military law.

Zhou Fang continued, "We should prepare several more plans, and we can no longer dream of conquering Da Mo. We need to consider retreating."

"It is too difficult to break the current situation from within. We must seek external assistance to drag Cao Ren into the quagmire. Cao Ren does not need to send too many troops. As long as he sends seven or eight thousand elite troops to attack us from the north and south, we will definitely be able to defeat Wu and Yue and open up the Huangwu Mountain area. However, Cao Ren is not familiar with the terrain. We need to send someone who is familiar with the Huangwu Mountain area to be his temporary advisor."

Lu Xun pondered and said, "Okay, Xie Jing, you can make the trip. You'll have to stay with Cao Ren for now."

Xie Jing was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Yes..."

Eastern Wu is about to be finished, and there is really no future in staying here. It would be better to go and join Cao Ren, but not directly. We must first use the opportunity of going on official business to get acquainted with Cao Ren, and then make the best choice based on the situation after the war here is over. Perfect.

Thinking of this, Xie Jing tentatively asked, "Grand Commander, when shall I depart?"

Lu Xun pondered, "Time is of the essence. We'll pack up and leave as soon as possible. After crossing the Huangwu Mountains, remember to send a letter to General Zhou Tai, asking him to seize an opportunity to send troops and see if we can reclaim Yuhan City."

"Yes..." Xie Jing clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and quickly disappeared.

Lu Xun continued, "What's the situation in the Wuyi Mountains? Is it possible for us to cross the mountains into Fujian, then retreat into Jiaozhou and return?"

Zhou Fang shook his head and said, "Impossible. The Wuyi Mountains are much more dangerous than the Huangwu Mountains, and Han troops guard every intersection. It's impossible to get through. Even if we manage to break through the Han army's camp, it won't work. The mountain roads are narrow, and if the army wants to pass through, it can only take a long, winding route, which wastes time and could very likely be cut off by the Han army. Wang Tao's Yue tribesmen are more familiar with the terrain than we are. We can't outmaneuver them in a game of hide-and-seek."

Lu Xun pondered, "Then there is only one way. Turn around and attack Guan Xing, and see if we can use this to lure Shen Yi out of the city. If Shen Yi takes advantage of our attack on Guan Xing to come out of the city and attack our rear, we will ambush and annihilate him before attacking Damo City."

"If Shen Yi doesn't fall for it, then we'll focus all our efforts on attacking Guan Xing and try to defeat him so we can retreat from Yu Han. We'll keep Cao Ren as a backup plan."

Guan Xing hasn't arrived yet, so they still have room to maneuver. With proper planning, they might be able to fight their way out.

Zhou Fang chimed in, "This humble general agrees. In that case, perhaps we can think of another way. This humble general is willing to go to Da Mo to meet Shen Yi, feign surrender to him, and persuade him to leave the city to pursue them. Perhaps..."

Lu Xun instantly understood what he meant. Wasn't this just a repeat of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai back then?

Hearing this, she frowned and said, "It's possible, but Shen Yi might not believe you."

Zhou Fang said, "Gaining Shen Yi's trust will naturally come at a price, but there's no other way but to take the risk now."

There was really no other way, so Lu Xun got up without much struggle and said, "Then let's do it this way. Ding Feng and Lü Ju, you two lead five thousand troops, take the tools, and return to Yushan immediately. Lay traps and roadblocks along the way to slow down Guan Xing's march."

"Liu A, you take two thousand men into the mountains to deal with Wu and Yue, confirm the location of the Han army's outposts and outposts, the strength of the troops in the outposts, and the pattern of Wu and Yue's troop movements, and cooperate with Cao Ren to launch a pincer attack."

"Shi Xin, order the army to retreat across the valley and return to the corridor, creating the illusion of attacking Guan Xing to coordinate with Zhou Fang's actions. Everyone, follow the plan. Disperse."

"Yes..." The generals bowed and took their leave to prepare.

Two hours later, the army began to cross the river. The Wu army camp was located on the east bank of the Gu River. Because it was necessary for passage and the transport of grain, the pontoon bridge over the river had not been dismantled, so they could leave whenever they wanted.

As Wu Jun crossed the river and retreated, Zhou Fang changed into the clothes of a common soldier and left the camp to head to Damo City, intending to feign surrender to lure out Shen Yi and create an opportunity for Lu Xun to encircle and annihilate him.

Da Mo City.

Shen Yi stood on the city wall, watching the commotion in Wu's camp, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.

The Wu army camp was less than five miles from Da Mo City. Standing on the city wall, one could vaguely see the scene inside the camp. Such a close distance made it very convenient for the Han army to launch a surprise attack. However, Lu Xun dreamed of Shen Yi going out of the city to attack the camp, so he was naturally not afraid.

Shen Yi, however, kept Guan Xing's teachings in mind. After returning to Damo, he acted just like Sima Yi in history when facing Zhuge Liang. No matter how the Wu army provoked and insulted him, he refused to leave the city. As a result, there has not been a single raid on the camp since the start of the war.

Watching Wu Jun cross the river and retreat, Shen Yi remained unmoved as if it were none of his business, his eyes revealing composure.

He could hold out, but others couldn't. Hao Yu pointed at the Wu army's banner and said, "General, look! The Wu army has retreated to the west bank of the river. Should we charge out of the city and attack them while they're crossing?"

Shen Yi shook his head and said, "No, General Wu Yue said that General Guan has successfully captured Yu Han and entered the corridor. That means Lu Xun is already surrounded by us. We don't need to do anything. We just need to wait patiently for Lu Xun to run out of supplies. So we won't consider attacking him while he's crossing the river."

"You have to understand, Lu Xun is surrounded on all sides. Even if he manages to break out of the city now and successfully attack, what's the point of killing more than half of the Wu army? If he wins, it won't affect the outcome, but if he loses, it might give Lu Xun an opportunity to counterattack. Why would you do something so disadvantageous?"

Hao Yu argued, "But Lu Xun's retreat was clearly aimed at General Guan. If a real battle breaks out and we don't provide support, can General Guan hold him off?"

Shen Yi rolled his eyes and said, "Worry about yourself. Since we left Jianye and headed south to Wushang, when has General Guan ever been defeated? When General Guan had few soldiers and generals, he was able to win against the Wu army with fewer troops. Now that his army is strong and well-equipped, how could he let the Wu army take advantage of him?"

"Therefore, we don't need to worry about General Guan's safety. We just need to stay put and not cause him any trouble. Pass down the order: no one is allowed to attack without my command. Anyone who violates this order will be punished according to military law."

Hao Yu was persuaded, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Yes..."

Just as he finished speaking and was about to leave, he turned around and saw Li Gousheng running up the steps.

Li Gousheng ran up to the two men, panting, and said, "General Shen, Captain Hao, General Guan sent orders saying that Lu Xun is to be dealt with by him, and we are ordered to stay in the city and hold our camp, and not to attack, in order to avoid falling into Lu Xun's trap."

"General Guan also told us to be careful and not to accept the surrender of any Wu generals before the end of the war, so as not to fall into the same trap as Cao Cao who accepted Huang Gai."

"Report..." Before the words were finished, a loud shout was heard. The group looked up at the same time and saw a soldier running up quickly and bowing, saying, "General, a Wu general named Zhou Fang has come down from the city and requests an audience with you, saying he has something to discuss."