Lord in the Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 316: Confrontation

Yuzhou.

General Long Chen personally led an expedition to conquer Yuzhou, commanding 200,000 soldiers from Jiangdong, making a move that appeared to aim at swallowing the territories of Yuzhou. freēwebnovel.com

The Prefect of Nanyang Commandery, Yuan Shu, also harbored ambitions of annexing Yuzhou. He ordered his general, Ji Ling, to lead 100,000 Nanyang troops and several thousand foreign mercenaries who followed Yuan Shu to advance towards Yuzhou.

Long Chen’s army launched an attack from the western part of Yuzhou, and with the blood-soaked battles fought by the 200,000 soldiers from Jiangdong, they swept through, directly approaching the central town of Yuzhou.

The reason they could do this so easily and swiftly was twofold.

First, Long Chen symbolized the legitimate Han dynasty. The current emperor, Liu Bian, had already issued a decree to reclaim Yuzhou.

Therefore, when the loyal generals and defenders in Yuzhou saw Long Chen’s army sweeping in, they surrendered without a second thought.

This also accelerated Long Chen’s progress in conquering the cities of Yuzhou.

Secondly, it relied on the strength of Long Chen’s troops themselves, which comprised over 200,000 soldiers from Jiangdong, most of whom hailed from Danyang Commandery.

The Danyang elite troops were famous throughout the land.

The soldiers of Danyang were all agile, hardworking, and highly skilled in martial arts.

When they formed a legion, the terrifying power they unleashed made all the warlords tremble.

This was why, as they charged through, no defending troops in Yuzhou could stand against Long Chen’s Jiangdong army.

The third and final reason was that there was no leadership among the forces in Yuzhou.

The Inspector of Yuzhou had recently been killed by the Yellow Turban army, resulting in chaos within, with various factions eager to seize control of Yuzhou.

However, the outcome was naturally obvious. With such ambition but without the strength, how could anyone hope to monopolize Yuzhou?

Amidst the confusion, local warlords and officials in Yuzhou, who were once powerful in their own rights, found themselves at odds with each other. Some attempted to unite their forces, but conflicting interests and longstanding rivalries made collaboration nearly impossible. This infighting created a power vacuum, making it easier for Long Chen’s forces to advance unopposed.

Meanwhile, in the southern part of Yuzhou, Yuan Shu’s Ji Ling, relying on an army of 100,000, charged forward, capturing cities and territories, also nearing the center of Yuzhou.

Yuzhou was comparable to much of modern-day Henan, encompassing areas such as Yingchuan Commandery, Runan Commandery, Peiguo County, and Liang Kingdom.

The 100,000 troops led by Ji Ling launched their assault from Runan Commandery.

In contrast, Long Chen’s army attacked from the southwestern part of Yuzhou, specifically from Peiguo County. freёwebnovel.com

As the two armies advanced, rumors spread through the towns and villages about the impending battles. The common people, weary of the ongoing turmoil and the threat of conflict, began to seek refuge in the hills and forests, hoping to evade the clutches of war.

Ten days later, the two massive armies gradually closed in on each other.

Within the military camp of the Yangzhou army, Long Chen was leisurely seated inside his tent, sipping tea while observing a topographic map of Yuzhou.

In the center of this command tent was a simulated sand table.

This sand table effectively replicated the terrain of Yuzhou and marked all the important cities.

The simulated sand table was made upon Long Chen’s orders, crafted by his subordinates.

When the simulated sand table was completed, it amazed the generals under his command.

They all claimed that Long Chen was a god of war descending to earth.

It was incredible that he could create such a superb battlefield tool.

With the simulated sand table, the understanding of the cities to be captured was significantly enhanced for their army.

This was beneficial for making in-depth tactical and strategic plans.

“Report!”

Just as Long Chen was engaged in detailed discussions with his generals and strategists, a report sounded from outside the tent.

A cavalryman in white armor rushed into the tent, kneeling on one knee.

He clasped his fists and said, “General, our scouts discovered traces of an unidentified enemy army fifty miles away.”

“Oh!?”

“Did you find anything unusual?” Long Chen inquired.

“Reporting to the general, we discovered that the enemy’s battle flag bore the character ’Ji’.”

The cavalryman in white armor replied.

“Could it be the forces led by General Ji Ling under Yuan Shu?”

The strategist, Xi Zhicai, remarked, cupping his hands.

Due to Guo Jia suffering from a severe illness, he is currently receiving treatment from the divine physician Hua Tuo.

Thus, he did not personally accompany Long Chen’s army into battle.

Indeed, the five-star physician Hua Tuo was found by the Jinyiwei half a month ago and brought back to Yangzhou.

After Long Chen proposed the establishment of medical clinics in various counties within Yangzhou, with Hua Tuo serving as the head to promote traditional Chinese medicine, Hua Tuo happily decided to stay in Yangzhou, even considering residing there for life to fulfill this grand ambition.

As for treating Guo Jia, it was something he could easily handle.

This also relieved Long Chen’s worries.

With the divine physician Hua Tuo, Guo Jia’s serious illness would likely be gradually cured.

“Lord! This subordinate wishes to lead the elite cavalry as the vanguard to personally slay Ji Ling!”

Lü Bu, clad in a formidable beast-faced armor, stepped forward and cupped his fists to request a battle.

Long Chen glanced at the generals in the tent, waved his hand, and smiled, saying, “Fengxian, this is not the time for you to take action. You are a trump card in my hand!”

The reason for not letting Lü Bu take the lead was simple.

Due to Lü Bu’s personality, if he were to charge into battle first, it would likely alarm the enemy and disrupt the strategic layout.

After scanning the tent for a while, Long Chen’s gaze settled on a handsome young general in white dragon armor.

He then continued, “Zilong, you will lead 3,000 elite cavalry to the front line to scout the enemy situation. Report back to me once you have completed your reconnaissance.”

Entrusting this task to the careful and courageous Zilong was the best choice.

“This subordinate obeys!”

Zhao Yun responded, cupping his fists, and then strode confidently out of the tent.

Although Lü Bu felt a bit disappointed, hearing Long Chen refer to him as his trump card made him feel joyful again.

He couldn’t help but clench his fists, thinking that once he was on the battlefield, he would let the lord see his true capabilities.