256. Lie Fan's Movement

If you want to read 15 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my Patreon!!!

Go to https://www.patreon.com/Tang12

_________________________

On the other side, Zhang Miao who had reached Beihai's Governor Castle found that the gate was closed, he shouted for the gate to be opened and said that he was sent by Chen Gong to reinforce them, but Lu Lingqi who came out and stood on top of the wall denied his entry, causing Zhang Miao having to attack since he can't enter without a fight.

Lu Lingqi and her unit, caught off guard by the sudden assault, quickly rallied to defend the gate. The closed entrance proved to be a strategic advantage, and although surprised, they managed to hold their ground against Zhang Miao's forces.

Despite the surprise attack, Lu Lingqi's formidable presence loomed over the battleground. Zhang Miao's men, well aware of her reputation and martial prowess, hesitated as they faced Lu Lingqi and her unit.

Caught in the grip of uncertainty and intimidation, Zhang Miao could only sigh in frustration as he realized that his men were intimidated. The closed gate, coupled with Lu Lingqi's stalwart defense and her prowess, thwarted his attempts to breach Beihai's Governor Castle defenses.

Realizing the difficulty of the situation, Zhang Miao reluctantly issued a command to withdraw, acknowledging that a direct confrontation with Lu Lingqi's forces would be an uphill battle they were not prepared to wage to regroup and prepare themselves.

Seeing that Zhang Miao and his men held off their attack, Lu Lingqi heaved a sigh of relief as this was her first battle without the presence of her father and his generals, so she was nervous about this battle.

She was afraid that she would lose the battle, and she knew that the consequence of her failure would be the families of all Lu Bu's retainer would fall into the enemy's hands, it would mean the fall of Beihai and Lu Bu as a Warlord or even his life.

Zhang Miao's retreat buys her some time to regroup with her unit, and also for reinforcement to come help her in repelling Zhang Miao and his men.

On the other side of Beihai, Song Xian and Wei Xu are slowly but surely pushing back Xu Si and his men so they can head toward Beihai's Governor Castle to reinforce Lu Lingqi as Chen Gong has told them that she may be in jeopardy.

Outside of Beihai Cao Cao and Liu Bei's army continued to attack Lu Bu and his army with great onslaught, Cao Cao and his advisors were waiting for Zhang Miao and Xu Si's signal but until now it hadn't come.

Guo Jia: "My Lord I think Zhang Miao and Xu Si are facing some challenges in their execution, I suggest that we push harder even more My Lord."

Xi Zhicai: "My Lord I think we shouldn't do so as it would only increase our casualties, I think we should hold off our attack and let Zhang Miao and Xu Si fend for themselves, at least we have to weaken their defenses, and let the cloud of treachery haunt them."

Guo Jia: "No if we do that we will lose our momentum, and momentary casualties are nothing to sacrifice My Lord if we can capture Lu Bu and end him today."

Cao Cao: "Hmm I think what the two of you said has its own merits, but I lean more toward what Fengxiao said as if we can end Lu Bu right now at Beihai, we could swallow Qing Province easily without any strong resistance and more manpower to spend."

Xi Zhicai: "But My Lord what if Lie Fan suddenly attacked us, we would not have enough Manpower to both face him and subjugate the entirety of Qing Province."

Guo Jia: "Hmm I think Lie Fan would not do so because he is facing Liu Yao in the south right now, and only one of his army battalion is stationed at Xu Province as a defense."

Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai continue debating each other, it's not that they dislike each other on the contrary they treat each other as their own brother, and this is just a normal different thinking clash between two advisors.

Guo Jia is more of a risk taker, while Xi Zhicai is more of a slow and steady type of person, so their thinking will definitely clash especially in moments like this, each has their own set of beliefs and thinking.

Guo Jia believes that Lie Fan will not take the move as he is focused on Yang Province, not knowing that Lie Fan has returned with his own army battalion to Xiapi and has created an alliance between him and Lu Bu.

This proves that Xi Zhicai's thinking is more correct than Guo Jia's at this time, but of course, not all people have the Oriole like Lie Fan so they don't have an almost real-time accurate information about their neighbors like Lie Fan.

While this debate was ongoing in Cao Cao's camp without Liu Bei and his retainer noticing, Beihai was still standing tall under Lu Bu and Chen Gong's teamwork defending it, and Song Xian alongside Wei Xu trying to reinforce Lu Lingqi, a move is about to happen at Xiapi.

Several weeks before Cao Cao and Liu Bei's full scale attack that worked as a distraction for Cao Cao then signal Zhang Miao and Xu Si, Lie Fan received a letter full of information from the Oriole stationed there describing what happened.

Lie Fan after reading the letter, called for an emergency meeting with all of his advisors who were present in Xiapi, including Man Chong and Mao Jie who were new advisors.

Lie Fan then informed them about what transpired at Beihai and felt that this was the perfect time for them to move, even if Cao Cao's plan failed in using Zhanh Miao and Xu Si to truly defeat Lu Bu, Lu still needed to retreat from Beihai since his position has become too bad in there.

Jia Xu, Xun You, Chen Qun, and Liu Ye feel that what Lie Fan said makes sense, of course, they will need time to analyze it deeper from military and political perspectives but they knew that either way Beihai will fall into Cao Cao's hands.

The moment that happens, Lu Bu lost Qing Province will progress rapidly as Beihai is the biggest Town in Qing Province and has the highest defensive advantage over any town in Qing Province due to it being Qung Province's capital and the main focus of Kong Rong development throughout his rule.

Seeing that 4 of Lie Fan's primary advisors have taken the lead in their support, many of his advisors agree with Lie Fan's point after thinking about the pros and cons of Lie Fan's move.

Only Zhuge Xuan and Lu Zhi who were still attached to the Han Dynasty objected to Lie Fan's support of Lu Bu because they saw Lu Bu as part of Dong Zhuo's regime that caused the chaos to happen in the first place.

Lie Fan knows what they think and doesn't scold them as he understands them, but that doesn't mean he will tolerate them for still having a sense of nostalgia for the Han Dynasty as it can become a dangerous thing for him.

What if they suddenly released a prisoner or let go of an enemy general that he captured just because they were a loyal official to the Han Dynasty, so Lie Fan subtly reminded them of this and that this plan was made not to support Lu Bu but to take advantage of the situation for a slice of Qing Province.

Zhuge Xuan and Lu Zhi who heard the subtle warning from Lie Fan realize that they have stepped out of line by showing their sense of nostalgia for the Han Dynasty, the two apologize to Lie Fan for doing so.

After that, they elaborate that while there was a sense of nostalgia, they injected it because they feared that Lie Fan's reputation would plummet if all people knew that Lie Fan allied himself with Lu Bu.

He reassured Zhuge Xuan and Lu Zhi, emphasizing the practicality of their alliance with Lu Bu. Lie Fan underlined that their collaboration aimed at exploiting the current situation for mutual benefit curtailing Cao Cao's power in the north and ensuring that he remained a buffer against Yuan Shao in the north.

The alliance between him and Lu Bu was rooted in strategic pragmatism and transcended personal sentiments, a calculated move to secure a foothold in Qing Province.

Of course, for Lie Fan, there is actually a personal reason which is the mission he received from the system, where none of his advisors and even family members will never know about this as he will keep it with him until his death.

Lie Fan's unwavering commitment to the strategic pragmatism underlying the alliance resonated with Zhuge Xuan and Lu Zhi. Persuaded by the calculated move to secure Qing Province, they set aside personal sentiments, aligning themselves with Lie Fan's vision for the future.

Witnessing the unity among his advisors, Lie Fan wasted no time. He swiftly issued orders for the army's preparations, ensuring that supplies were in abundance for the impending campaign.

A messenger was also dispatched to convey the urgency to Taishi Ci, instructing him to ready his forces to join Lie Fan's army to march toward Beihai where they will support Lu Bu.

Amidst the bustling preparations for the upcoming campaign, Lie Fan found a moment to bid farewell to his family members. With a heavy heart, he reassured them that this venture would be a brief one, promising to return as soon as possible.

Lie Fan's family, though understanding of the demands of his position, couldn't completely conceal the concern etched across their faces. In the courtyard, where goodbyes were exchanged, Lie Fan's words hung in the air, carrying a weight of both conviction and the uncertainty of the challenges that lay ahead.

As the army readied itself for the strategic move, Lie Fan didn't realize that his departure to Qing Province marked the beginning of a chapter filled with a big surprise that would turn his work upside down.

When his army was ready, he began to depart toward Beihaie alongside his army, and the advisors who followed him were Xun You, Zhuge Jin, Man Chong, and Lu Zhi.

Jia Xu wanted to stay at Xiapi to oversee Lie Fan's domain, especially the newly conquered ones in Yang Province, as Chen Qun and Liu Ye had their own assignment that they couldn't leave.

On the way to Beihai, passing by Guangling Lie Fan and his army met up with Taishi Ci and Bu Zhi who led the Zhuque Army they then marched together toward Beihai, after several days or around 2 weeks they arrived at the moment where Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai was debating each other not realizing that the man they are talking about is near their position.

____________________________

Name: Lie Fan

Title: Three Heroes Who Defeat Lu Bu

Age: 27 (194 AD)

Level: 15

Next Level: 938.000

Renown: 645

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 571.700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 906 (+20)

VIT: 598 (+20)

AGI: 583 (+10)

INT: 587

CHR: 93

WIS: 509

WILL: 397

ATR Points: 0