Three Kingdoms, Myth

Cao Cao's face darkened as he read the report in his hands. Weren't they supposed to attack Lu and force Xu Province to give up some grain? How could they even consider attacking Lu with the current situation?

"Master, don't hesitate. Put everything into attacking Yingchuan. Yuan Gonglu is destined to fail this time! His momentary triumph has made him the enemy of all the warlords, and anyone with even a shred of sense will rise against him. Of course, this is also an opportunity for Yuan Gonglu—if he can withstand this assault, he will be just a step away from ruling the world," Xun Yu advised with a calm smile.

Xun Yu understood all too well that Cao Cao was currently too weak to provoke Yuan Shu excessively. But if Cao Cao wanted to conquer the land, especially with Yuan Shao preoccupied in the north, Liu Bei eyeing him from the east, Yuan Shu's formidable power to the south, and the western territories of Yong and Liang locked down, Cao Mengde had to break free from this cage.

Cao Cao was surrounded by stronger forces on all sides, and apart from Yuan Shao, everyone else could be considered an enemy. In such a situation, Xun Yu knew that relying solely on internal development was no longer viable. All of their rivals had deeper foundations and were developing rapidly. The only option left was to use one enemy to defeat another!

So, Xun Yu and the others devised a strategy to create a powerful enemy—one so strong that all those with ambitions for the throne would see the necessity of opposing him.

After careful consideration, they chose Yuan Shu, because only the Yuan family had the strength to suddenly rise and stand alone against the world. As for the other contenders, their foundations were too weak. And compared to other regions, the benefits of controlling Yuzhou were most suitable for Cao Cao.

Yuan Shu did not disappoint. He decisively struck Liu Biao down, seizing Xiangyang. Following that, during the naval battles in Jiangxia, Huang Zu was defeated by Zhou Yu and Sun Ce in seven consecutive battles, finally dying in the Yangtze River. His body was retrieved by Sun Ce and used to commemorate Sun Jian. Yuan Shu's forces pressed westward, advancing on Jiangling with the intent of swallowing up Jing and Xiang provinces.

In just fifteen days, the entire northern region of the Yangtze was abuzz with rumors of defection. Yuan Gonglu's momentum was unstoppable as he marched south and west. Within days, the cities of Yiling, Zigui, and other northern Yangtze towns fell into Yuan Gonglu's hands.

With the northern Yangtze secured, Yuan Shu's forces were sustained by the resources of the conquered lands. Seventy thousand infantry and cavalry advanced on Jiangling. Not long after, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, who had defeated Huang Zu, led their water forces upstream, recruiting river pirates and capturing Jingzhou's navy. By the time they reached Jiangling, they had over a hundred ships and more than twenty thousand sailors.

Meanwhile, voices of allegiance were rising across the southern regions of Jing. Yuan Shu's control over Yuzhou and his growing influence over Yangzhou seemed to be cemented. At this point, his dominance appeared inevitable.

"Wenhou, drink this cup of wine!" Yuan Shu called out heartily to Lü Bu.

"Alright!" Lü Bu grabbed the large cup and downed it in one gulp. "Just watch—tomorrow, I will breach the gates of Jiangling!"

"Good, good, good! With Fengxian on our side, Liu Jingxuan's days are numbered!" Yuan Shu laughed loudly, oblivious to the dark look in Lü Bu's eyes as he spoke.

While Yuan Shu was reveling in his success, the other warlords across the land were shaken to their core. Only five still stood firm.

General White Horse, Gongsun Zan, chuckled when he received the latest news, thinking to himself, "Tomorrow, after I defeat Yuan Shao, I'll teach you, Yuan Shu, a lesson about trying to take the top spot."

Yuan Shao, upon reading the latest report, clenched it tightly, his knuckles turning white. Slamming the report onto the table, he shouted, "Ju Yi, get in here!"

"At your service, my lord!" Ju Yi quickly entered and bowed.

"Can you defeat the White Horse Cavalry?" Yuan Shao asked solemnly.

"The White Horse Cavalry will be defeated!" Ju Yi declared confidently.

"Good. Then I will entrust all the soldiers, including myself, to your command! If you fail, I will kill you!" Yuan Shao handed his treasured sword to Ju Yi, his entire demeanor exuding a chilling aura.

"Understood. If I do not crush the White Horse Cavalry, I will accept my death!" Ju Yi responded boldly, taking the sword from Yuan Shao with both hands.

Cao Mengde and Liu Bei shared the same thought: "Let's weaken Yuan Shu." They began preparing their forces, ready to whittle down Yuan Shu's strength, hoping to leave him so weak that he would never recover.

Meanwhile, in Xiliang, Han Sui casually tossed aside the report. The situation was too far from his concerns. He would rather focus on how to take down Ma Teng; Yuan Shu was too distant a threat.

Elsewhere, warlords across the land trembled at the news. Even Liu Yan, hidden away in Yizhou, broke out in a cold sweat as he felt the palpable threat Yuan Shu posed.

As for the warlords near Yuan Shu, they were all terrified. Within fifteen days of Yuan Shu's capture of Xiangyang, the regions of Lujiang and Jiujiang in the Yangzhou and Jiangdong areas had already submitted to him under the persuasion of local gentry. Yan Baihu, Liu Yao, Wang Lang, and the others trembled in fear, none daring to resist Yuan Shu's advance. It seemed that once Jiangling fell, the entire southern Jing and Jiangdong regions would be ripe for defection.

"This is happening too fast," Chen Xi remarked as he watched the intelligence reports, which seemed to change three times a day. He had already deduced Yuan Shu's situation with Liu Biao—utterly beyond salvation. Jingzhou was engulfed in flames, and Liu Biao had lost control over most of the province. After all, it had only been a year since Liu Biao had subdued the gentry in Jingzhou after entering alone, and he had not yet fully consolidated his power.

"Master, we must divide our forces. This time, we have to pull Yuan Shu back. If Jiangling falls, there's a nine-in-ten chance that the Yangzhou gentry will collectively surrender. Now that Liu Jingxuan has completely lost control of southern Jing, if Yuan Gonglu manages to unify Jing and Chu, and dominate Yang and Yuzhou, his power will surpass that of the ancient state of Chu. We must ensure that Liu Biao does not fall!" Liu Ye advised, after quickly scanning the latest intelligence, a bitter smile on his face.

"Divide the forces, Lord Xuande. We need to put enough pressure on Yuan Shu this time. We must reach Ru'nan before Yuan Shu takes Jiangling!" Chen Xi stood up, stating firmly. This was now a race against time. If Yuan Shu captured Jiangling before Liu Bei could cut off his retreat at Ru'nan and Yangtu, then Yuan Shu, having nearly taken a third of the land, would simply overwhelm them with his momentum, crushing Liu Bei's cross-province campaign.

With the situation as dire as it was, Liu Bei could no longer afford to hesitate. He had to throw everything he had into capturing Yuzhou. Even though they might only end up with a relatively unimportant territory like Lu County, the alternative was much worse—allowing a massive threat to undermine all future strategies. Yuan Shu's power had become too significant to ignore.

And so, Liu Bei's army, having just captured Fan County and not yet fully rested, divided into three forces. The first, led by Guan Yu with Liu Ye as strategist, would attack Chen County. The second, under Liu Bei with Jia Xu as strategist, would target Qiao County. The final force, led by Chen Xi with Yu Jin and Hua Xiong as deputies, would head straight for Ru'nan to cut off Yuan Shu's retreat and force him to turn back.