Jingzhou has many talents with outstanding talents and abilities. Among these people, the most famous ones are Fancheng Hou and Zhangling Prefect Kuai Yue.

After sending Cai Mao as the chief general of Hanyang, Liu Biao transferred Kuai Yue back from Zhangling's term and took on the important task of transporting and supplying food, grass and supplies.

On this day, Kuai Yue was in his study and was worried about the winding black line of Mianshui on the map. The heavy snow the night before not only covered a section of the road from Xiangyang to Mianshui, but also the sudden drop in weather made Mianshui even more unfavorable for traffic.

"Kuang Kuai, there is a young man named Zhuge Liang outside the door asking for a visit." A personal soldier pushed open the door of the study and said to Kuai Yue, who was focused on looking at the map of Jingzhou, and handed over a letter as he spoke.

Kuai Yue was stunned. According to Kuai Yue, who used the surname Zhuge as a symbol of the family, Kuai Yue knew that there was only one family in Jingzhou, that is, the Zhuge clan of Langya. Last year, his clan brother Kuai Qi married the two daughters of the Zhuge family as his wife, and Zhuge Liang seemed to be Kuai Qi's wife and brother.

After Zhuge Xuan's death, the old and the young were like many northern gentry exiled to Jingzhou. After the elites were lost, they would inevitably embark on the road of decline. Zhuge Liang came to see him at this time probably because he hoped to use this in-law relationship with the Kuai family to find a position.

After the letter was opened, it was indeed the handwriting of the clan brother Kuai Qi. Kuai Yue read it and ordered lightly: "Go and call him in."

"Kong Ming has seen Mr. Kuai!" The footsteps outside the door came clearly, showing that the person's calm temperament was not panic.

When Kuai Yue heard the sound, he looked up and saw a young man standing calmly at the door, with a smile on his handsome face and his expression was neither humble nor arrogant.

"I heard that you are studying in Xiangyang Academy, why did you come to Mianyang today?" Kuai Yue asked.

Zhuge Liang said: "I was removed from the Xiangyang Academy. This time I came to Mianyang to find a position in Kuai Gong's army."

Kuai Yue was stunned. When he heard Zhuge Liang telling the "disgraceful" thing about being removed from Xiangyang Academy in a plain manner, he couldn't help but admire the cultivation of this young man. He was only seventeen years old and it was not easy to have such a rare calm at such an age.

"You offended Song Zhong?" Kuai Yue asked.

Kuai Yue, who is familiar with the situation in Xiangyang, has a good relationship with Sima Hui and Huang Chengyan. Although he has been in office for Zhang Ling for a long time and has not paid much attention to the affairs of the academy, Kuai Yue still knows a little about the opposition between the two factions in the academy.

Zhuge Liang did not go to defend himself, but only replied: "I hope Mr. Kuai will take him in."

Kuai Yue thought about it and said, "It just so happened that I stayed in Zhangling with the military staff. You can make up for this shortage for the time being."

"Yes!" Zhuge Liang responded.

The responsibility of the military staff is to analyze and judge the various information collected at the first time, and then report it to the main general in a timely manner. In this position, you must have keen reaction ability and certain writing skills. With Zhuge Liang's ability, you should be competent for this position.

Zhuge Liang was very calm about Kuai Yue’s arrangement, and he had expected this result in advance.

"Kuai Gong, Liang has a saying to him, I don't know whether he should be told or not!" Zhuge Liang bowed to Kuai Yue, pondered for a moment, and said.

"It's okay to say something bluntly!" Kuai Yue said.

Zhuge Liang paused, cleared his throat and said, "Liang made a plan for Kuai Gong. The journey from Hanyang to Xiangyang is about 700 miles long, with hills and mountains rising and falling. If the enemy attacks our food route, the disaster of Kuai Gong's dereliction of duty will come soon, and the 50,000 troops ahead will be in an unfavorable situation!"

Kuai Yue's face changed. Zhuge Liang's words were just talking about his concern. The Kuai Yue's troops had only 3,000 people, and were mostly scattered along the Mian River. If they were attacked by Gao Chong's army, they would be really unpredictable.

"You go down first, I have my own opinions on this matter." Kuai Yue said.

Although Kuai Yue knew that Zhuge Liang's words made sense, he also had his concerns.

Kuai Yue was the backbone of the Kuai family. He and his brother Kuai Liang helped Liu Biao sanction the turbulent Jingzhou at that time, and thus established his position as the number one strategist around Liu Biao. Over the years, Kuai Yue has actively offered suggestions for Liu Biao and actively implemented a series of measures that are conducive to resettlement and recruitment of talents. Jingzhou can make an indelible contribution to today's prosperity. Kuai Yue has made an indelible contribution to the prosperity of Liu Biao.

However, in the past two years, Kuai Yue's status has been challenged by Cai Mao. Cai Mao not only has the opposite view of Kuai Yue on the issue of Jingnan, but also has the same power in matters such as official arrangements involving the interests of the two families, tax collection, land reclamation and other matters.

The Kuai and Cai families, who are also a wealthy family in Xiangyang, also worked together, but that was seven or eight years ago, when the governor of Jingzhou Wang Rui was killed by Sun Jian, and the bandits such as Su Dai and Bei Yu were divided. Jingzhou was in a turbulent and chaotic situation. After Jingzhou was stable, the Kuai and Cai families inevitably embarked on the road of confrontation for the interests of their respective families.

This time, the army was added to Jiangxia. Liu Biao ordered Cai Mao to be the commander of the former army and supervised the two groups of 50,000 elite troops to take Hanyang. He ordered Kuai Yue to be the governor of the rear army to be responsible for the assistance of food, grass and supplies. Perhaps in Liu Biao's view, it should be foolproof that the two most trusted people around him would be sent to him all at once, but he did not know that conflicts sometimes offset people's abilities.

Although he was dissatisfied with Liu Biao's arrangement, Kuai Yue accepted the appointment and led his troops to Mianyang to take on the tedious tasks of transporting and supplying 50,000 troops. Winter is the dry season of Mianshui, and ships are intermittent when passing through. It is really difficult to completely ensure the consumption of the soldiers ahead.

That is, Kuai Yue has this ability. If it were someone else, I'm afraid that a small half of Cai Mao's soldiers would go hungry to fight.

Liu Biao was not an incompetent person, so he naturally saw this.

After hearing this, Zhuge Liang briefly bowed to Kuai Yue, and then followed his personal soldiers to change his clothes. This time he defected to Kuai Yue. He was ready to follow the army for a long time. Judging from Kuai Yue's attitude, although he appreciated him very much, his youth was destined that Kuai Yue would not pay attention to his opinions all at once.

On Jingling Road, the first snow in winter drew the hills in the Mianshui River Basin to be particularly charming. From time to time, the wind blows, shaking off the remaining snow on the branches, and suddenly turns into snow and rain falling. This beautiful scenery makes Gao Chongjun, who are walking in a hurry, feel very happy.

"I will accompany me on the road in snow, and my flags are pointed at the army's mighty power!" Zhou Yu gently pinched the war horse wrapped in thick dead grass on his hooves, his heart surging, and it was difficult to stop the ups and downs.

"Governor, Cai Mao was only concerned about fighting in Hanyang. He would never have thought that we would accidentally take his way out!" Xu Sheng rode his horse beside Zhou Yu. He was used to being traversing among the boats and was still a little unfamiliar with the war horses under his crane, and he was often unhappy when he drove.

While talking, a cavalry flew in front of him. Ding Feng tied his sword behind him, approached Zhou Yu, and Xu Sheng, and said, "Governor, Wen Xiang, the scout just reported that there were only Cai Mao's baggage troops in Jingling City, and now is a good time to attack."

Zhou Yu looked motionless and asked, "What is the change in the direction of Mianyang?"

Ding Feng said: "I have ordered the scout to inspect the Mian River. At present, no unusual changes have been found in Liu Biaojun."

"Okay———Wen Xiang, Cheng Yuan, quickly take down Jingling, and then continue to go up the Mian River and head towards Xiangyang!" Zhou Yu smiled slightly, as if he was confident in everything.

"To advance towards Xiangyang, is the governor trying to plagiarize Liu Biao's retreat with surprise soldiers?" Xu Sheng said.

Zhou Yu nodded and said, "The abundant resources in Xiangyang are the foundation of Liu Biao. When we attack Xiangyang with surprise troops, Liu Biao will inevitably be shocked. Once he returns to the army in a hurry, he will reveal his flaws. In this way, we will attack the coach again, and then defeat Liu Biao's army in one fell swoop."

"The governor is good at making plans, and we should use the vanguard to defeat the enemy blocking the road!" Ding Feng said excitedly.

"The governor's plan is so bold, but in this way, my side troops enter the enemy too deeply. Once they are blocked, they will be weak in the future. If Liu Biao sees through..." A trace of worry flashed across Xu Sheng's face. After many battles, he saw the huge risks implicit in Zhou Yu's plan.

Zhou Yu held the reins and looked at the ups and downs and said, "When Yu was about to leave, the general told me that those who were generals should adapt to the situation and not respond to the enemy in a rigid manner. Now the entire battlefield is full of enemies and we are few. If we cannot be surprised, our army will inevitably fall into a fierce battle with Liu Biao. The heaven, place, and harmony of people in Jingzhou are all in the hands of the enemy. What our army can rely on is the morale of the army. Therefore, we should take advantage of this opportunity to break into Xiakou and wait for an opportunity to mobilize Liu Biao and deal a heavy blow."

"The governor is far-sighted and beyond Sheng's ability. Now that he is attacking Xiangyang, Liu Biao will catch up with him with heavy troops along the Mianshui. Sheng is willing to lead the headquarters as the back team and take on the important task of blocking the enemy." Xu Sheng said contemptuously.

"Okay, there are two generals who assist you, and Yu is determined. Now, the entire army is directed to Jingling!" Zhou Yu said loudly with confidence.

Changes on the battlefield will always be like an unsolvable mystery. As long as the war does not end for a day, unexpected results will occur at any time.

Just as Zhou Yu launched his offensive against Jingling step by step, Kuai Yue from Mianyang was also stepping up his preparations for all possible reasons.

Although Kuai Yue did not make any statement about Zhuge Liang's advice, he was still alert. Kuai Yue had experienced what kind of character Gao Chong was when he was in Changsha. This time, he would not make the mistake of underestimating the enemy again.

While sending multiple scouts to spy on Gao Chong's troops, Kuai Yue began to gradually shrink his troops and transferred his most capable general Wei Yan back from the Maicheng area.

"Kuang Kuai, the war in Hanyang is stalemate. If you continue to consume this, the supply may not be sustained." The person who spoke was a general with a golden face, seven feet long, and a strong body under the armor. It seemed that he was only twenty-five or six years old. This person was Wei Yan, who fought fiercely with Gao Chong in the mouth of Jizhou.

Wei Yan, who was severely hit by Gao Chong in the mouth of Jiaozhou, has not been able to live well over the years. Because he was suspected of killing his boss Han Xuan, he was excluded by Han Song, a priest in Jingzhou. He once lost his position as a deputy general. Fortunately, Kuai Yue took Wei Yan's talent and took him to Zhangling as the commander of Jiangling when he left Jiangling, so that Wei Yan could slightly get rid of the unfavorable dilemma.

However, compared with the glorious Wenpin, Wei Yan, who was not inferior in martial arts, could only continue to wait for the opportunity to come again in obscurity.

And such opportunities can only be revealed on the battlefield.

This is not easy for Jingzhou, which has always been in peace and tranquility.

Now, Gao Chong's attack finally made the silent Wei Yan see hope again. Of course, he could not give up on this opportunity that was four years.

Kuai Yue's face was solemn, and he sighed, and he stared at the Jingzhou map spread out on the table. He said without raising his head: "I am just worried. This time the troops were sent to Hanyang, and the front line was too long. He gathered in Hanyang with nearly 50,000 troops, which was facing water in three sides. He could not invest in one attack at a time, but could only add it one after another. It was obviously a disadvantage of excessive accumulation of troops. Wen Chang, based on your understanding of Gao Chong, would he choose to place heavy troops in Hanyang to fight Cai Mao?"

Wei Yan said proudly: "Kuang Kuai, what kind of person Gao Chong is, you and I have experienced it. In Yan's opinion, the enemy in Hanyang will not be his entire force, otherwise, Cai Mao would never have the upper hand."

Wei Yan was confident in his own judgment. The only one in the Jingzhou army who had a direct battle record with Gao Chong was Wei Yan. Although that battle caused Wei Yan to lose his official position, it was also the battle that Wei Yan felt most proud of.

"Wenchang means that - Gao Chong still has a backup plan?" Kuai Yue said.

Wei Yan nodded and said, "That's right! Kuai Gong said this, is it that someone else thinks so?"

Kuai Yue smiled and said, "Wen Chang guessed so well. Come on, I will introduce someone to you." After Kuai Yue said that, he called Zhuge Liang and met Wei Yan with his personal soldiers.

"Just him?" Wei Yan glanced at Zhuge Liang, and a look of disdain flashed through his eyes.

In his opinion, Zhuge Liang was not only too young, but also looked weak. How could a person with no power to tie a chicken to have as insightful insight as himself?

Zhuge Liang entered the door, bowed to Kuai Yue, and did not look at Wei Yan next to him, and said, "Kuai Kuai calls me, I wonder what's wrong?"

Kuai Yue said, "Kong Ming is here, I am discussing the war with Wen Chang. According to the news sent back by the scout, Gao Chong sent nearly 13,000 people to the two tribes of Lu Xun and Huang Zhong in Hanyang. At the same time, more than 10,000 naval troops in Ganning were stationed in Wulin area. In addition to the Taishi Ci family who were left in Xiakou, there were also about 5,000 people from the three tribes of Zhou Yu, Xu Sheng and Ding Feng who were missing."

Wei Yan said: "Do you Kuai still remember the cause of the Battle at the Jiaozhoukou? That time we led our troops to attack Changsha City, but Gao Chong led an army to detour Wuling and penetrated diagonally to the rear of our army. This time, I think with Gao Chong's usual tactics, it is very likely that he would send another side troops to attack my retreat. So where are Zhou Yu, Xu Sheng, and Ding Feng's current destination-."

This time when talking about the word Gao Chong, Wei Yan's eyes suddenly had a strange light, as if his life was closely connected to this name.

And his changes were seen by Zhuge Liang, who was standing behind Kuai Yue, one by one. At this moment, a smile that no one could guess appeared on the corner of Zhuge Liang's mouth.

Kuai Yue said: "Wen Chang thought that Gao Chong's backer was Zhou Yu and Xu Sheng's five thousand soldiers?"

Wei Yan said in a deep voice: "Yes. Yan asked to lead an army to maneuver along the Mian River to prevent Gao Chong's sneak attack."

"Kong Ming believed that the most urgent task should be to report the situation to Liu Jingzhou quickly and try to draw troops back to defense. At the same time, recruit strong people along the coast and recruit troops to focus on defense." Zhuge Liang said.

Kuai Yue's eyes lit up. Zhuge Liang's suggestion was more clever than Wei Yan said, especially the idea of ​​recruiting troops to defend, which can not only solve the problem of insufficient troops, but also prevent the possible surprise attacks of Gao Chong's army to the greatest extent.
Chapter completed!