Chapter 479 – Oh? Master Plan? *Nom-Nom*
Two kilometers west of Hongnong City, Liu Bei's forces of 150,000 were hoping to enter their border city and recuperated from the long march.
It also had been a week since Guan Yu's departure. Liu Bei, Ma Chao, Pang Tong, and Xu Shu were eager to hear about Guan Yu's news and his progress in this assassination mission.
Unfortunately, they did not have a clan chat system like Tong or Sun Fang. They could only wait until the general came back and reported the tasks himself.
They could also use the spies or local merchants to gather news about the recent events within Tong's forces, but it would also take months until the intel could be passed down to them.
The communication system in this ancient world was like that, inefficient and time-consuming.
With such an outdated method, Liu Bei patiently waited for his brother's return.
"Xuande," Ma Chao galloped his horse and stopped before Liu Bei.
Many of Liu Bei's followers cringed when they heard that Ma Chao addressed Liu Bei by his given name instead of addressing his title.
Calling someone by a given name was a rude action in this period. In ancient Chinese culture, only the seniors or superiors could call the younger juniors by their given name.
For example, Tong, as an emperor, could call anyone by their given name, including elders, such as Wang Yun, Sima Fang, or Jia Xu. Yet, Tong had to demonstrate respect toward these seniors by calling them by their official names to uphold the tradition. In order to avoid the complication, Tong chose not to use their given name unless they were younger than himself. Noticeably, Tong never called his mentor, Lu Zhi, by his given name because of the seniority and respect.
Close relatives, such as Xiahou Dun and Cao Cao, could call each other by given names. However, they could not call senior strangers, such as Sima Fang, by his given name. Unless they had a superior rank, none of them should call Sima Fang by his other name, or they would be branded as disrespectful nobles.
Ma Chao broke this tradition and called Liu Bei, who was older than him and held the higher official post, as Xuande. This action alone could lead to Ma Chao's arrest and public execution.
In the other world, Ma Chao and both Liu Bei's sworn brothers were not in good terms. As Ma Chao was an arrogant youth with no respect, he always treated Liu Bei as his peers by calling the latter Xuande.
Guan Yu wanted to kill Ma Chao many times, but Liu Bei stopped his brother. As Liu Bei lacked good generals at that time, he needed Ma Clan's help to fight against Cao Cao.
Now, it happened again. It displeased all Liu Bei's followers to the point that many of them drew their weapons, expecting Liu Bei's wrath and execution order.
Fortunately, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, or Zhao Yun were not here. Or else, Ma Chao would have been dead.
"What's the matter?" Liu Bei raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Our scout has detected the anomaly inside Hongnong City! We've also found several migrating Hongnong civilians. They said that the city has been taken by Zhang Tong's army."
"…"
Had it been the past, Liu Bei might have been fumed with rage. But now, he got used to expecting the unexpected. Such a shocking development could not fluster Liu Bei anymore.
"Which legion took the city?" Sighed Liu Bei.
"The Monster Legion, my lord."
"Zhang Liao and Li Feihong?"
"Yes. These guys are their generals."
"…"
Liu Bei's Shu Han Empire rarely fought against Zhang Liao, who had served the Wei Empire. He did not have much information regarding this general other than him being a nightmarish bogeyman for Sun Quan and his men.
He knew that Zhang Liao was once a friend of Guan Yu, and Li Feihong was one of the otherworlders. However, Liu Bei was not smart enough to use this information to his advantage.
No matter which world, Liu Bei was never good at war strategies.
"Where are Yuanzhi and Shiyuan?"
Hearing the call, Pang Tong and Xu Shu immediately rode their horses forward and stopped beside Liu Bei.
"My lord?"
"I need your advice. What should we do to defeat Zhang Liao and Li Feihong? They have captured Hongnong!"
Xu Shu nodded, "We should gather the intel about our enemies first. For now, let's retreat back to Tong Gate and organize our men."
Pang Tong shook his head, "No! We don't need to waste our time gathering information! We already knew that the Monster Legion only has 50,000 elites, and Zhang Liao is an immortal with 4 wings! We should destroy this legion when we have a chance!"
"Wrong! The last intel said that Zhang Liao may have 4 wings, but they can't be applied to the present. Who knows if that information is outdated or not! Remember that Lord Guan Yu has gotten his sixth wing recently, so Zhang Liao could also grow stronger during the time we confirmed the previous intel."
Xu Shu protested this time.
Information war was an element that these ancient people were not familiar with. Coincidentally, the cautious Xu Shu did not want to take chances, so he wanted to update their intelligence report first before they could make an important decision.
On the other hand, Pang Tong valued swiftness and initiative over the intelligence as the process took too long. By the time that they obtained the right info, Zhang Liao could have reinforced the city with more militias or constructed weaponry. Then, Liu Bei would have to invest more resources in taking down these soldiers and Tong's generals.
Xu Shu's envision long term strategies while Pang Tong's one was situational. No one was wrong, but their turning point was completely opposite.
"It doesn't matter if that Zhang Liao has 4 wings or 8 wings! We'll hide our lord and other commanders among the troops. Then, Zhang Liao won't be able to locate our generals, and he won't be able to utilize his power properly against a massive army! What can he do with 50,000 men when he had to fight against our 150,000 soldiers?"
Pang Tong's logic was not wrong, only he did not know the most crucial fact about Zhang Liao's true potential and his achievements when he fought against Sun Quan Army in the other life.
At this point, Ma Chao inserted himself into the conversation, "This is where your recklessness becomes your weakness, Pang Tong! I'll tell you about Zhang Liao's deeds in the other world."
.
Ma Chao was one of the few generals who experienced the Three Kingdoms Period. He managed to live and hear the tales of Zhang Liao, who repelled Sun Quan's massive army of 100,000 men with only 800 soldiers.
And here, Zhang Liao had 50,000 strong men. With the help of Li Feihong, even the reckless Ma Chao could tell that this fight was unfavorable.
After telling the story of Zhang Liao's otherworld deeds, Pang Tong, Xu Shu, and Liu Bei were astonished.
"Why are my enemies always so strong!?" Lamented Liu Bei.
"It's not that they were strong, they just have more experience in warfare. Zhang Liao served Lu Bu and fought against the Xiongnu on many battlefields. After joining Cao Cao, he also inherited Lu Bu's leadership and prowess in battles. It's not strange that he is a monster of a general."
Obtaining the vital information from Ma Chao, Xu Shu was taken aback.
"Let's retreat back to Tong Gate. Let's draw them to our advantage ground."
On the contrary, Pang Tong confirmed his idea.
"Let's attack Zhang Liao and his men now!"
Everyone turned toward Pang Tong, "What!?"
Pang Tong sniggered, "It's because he's commanding large troops. We actually have a chance of victory if we fight Zhang Liao's forces inside the city."
"Are you insane!? Do the calculation! If Zhang Liao can beat Sun Quan's 100,000 soldiers with 800 men, how can we defeat those 50,000 elites!?" Even Liu Bei could do a bit of math. He did not believe that they had a chance against this legendary general, especially the best general of Wei.
"At first glance, it seems that Zhang Liao is invincible. But in reality, he is not! He actually has many weaknesses!"
"Huh?" Everyone was confused, "What weaknesses? What is your plan, then?"
"From the words of Sir Ma Chao, I believe that Zhang Liao is not good at defensive warfare."
Xu Shu's nose flared as he shouted in anger, "Are you nuts, Shiyuan!? If he's not good at defensive warfare, how did he repel Sun Quan's army with only 800 men!?"
Pang Tong was still laughing, "General Ma, tell me, has Zhang Liao ever won a siege battle in the other life?"
Ma Chao paused, trying to recall Zhang Liao's feats and achievements in the other world.
Surprisingly, he did not remember that Zhang Liao had ever won a siege battle. Instead, he always fought on the field with his men.
"No. I don't remember."
With that confirmation, Pang Tong's corner of the mouth arched up.
"If Zhang Liao was so invincible, Cao Cao would not have lost Jing Province in the Battle of Chibi. This general could have defended Xiangyang and other cities, no?"
Liu Bei tried to refute, "… Didn't Cao Cao lose that battle because of the plague?"
"Plague or not, from what I heard from Lord Guan, Cao Cao didn't lose many men from Zhou Yu's fire attack. He has more than enough soldiers to defend the Jing Province from the coalition forces, but he chose to abandon the entire province altogether."
"…"
"And Zhang Liao was there. He could not defend against Sun Quan's counterattack!"
"Wasn't that because of Cao Cao's order? Didn't he order everyone to retreat?"
"Cao Cao excels at reading people's talent. He never misjudges his officers! Had he believed in Zhang Liao's abilities, he would have ordered everyone to defend Xiangyang and maintain the Jing Province!"
"…"
Everyone glanced at each other, hesitating if they should believe in Pang Tong's theory.
This move was risky. If Zhang Liao were a six-wing angel and he were good at siege warfare, Liu Bei Army would face a disaster.
But if Pang Tong were right, this victory would prove that Tong's forces were not so invincible.
Liu Bei realized this and made the riskiest move he had done in this world, "Tell me what you've planned, Shiyuan."
"Hahaha! Of course!"
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Zhang Liao and Li Feihong were spying on Liu Bei and his men's conversation through their private dimension's monitors. Their voice was loud and clear.
Li Feihong raised a teacup to his mouth and sipped it. Then, he placed the cup back to the side table on his left side before he picked a cookie from a snack bowl nearby.
As for Zhang Liao, he was eating popcorn in the bowl on his lap. After he finished chewing the last batch of what in his mouth, he grabbed the glass of cold beer on the side table to drink its content.
"So, I'm bad at defensive warfare?"
"Are you?"
Both Li Feihong and Zhang Liao grinned.
