Liu Qing stayed in Shu County for one day, and the next day he set off with a large army and marched towards Danyang County.

At the same time, Zhou Tai's navy set out from Yuzhang and was waiting for Liu Qing's army at the ferry in Xiang'an County in advance.

Xiang'an County is the easternmost county in Lujiang County. After crossing the river in the southeast, there is Chungu County in Danyang County, and Chungu County is only one day away from Wanling in Danyang County.

On the other hand, Jushou led an army of 20,000 people, departed from Liyang, the seat of Yangzhou, crossed Niuzhu, and marched into Wanling. As for Chen Wenfang's few naval forces, they had been almost wiped out by Gan Ning. Now the navy led by Gan Ning

The army has expanded to 5,000 men, and no one can match it on the river in Yangzhou.

Liu Bei on the eastern front started from Yangxian and headed west along the Lishui River, directly reaching Wanling.

The three-pronged army, totaling 150,000 by land and water, does not include the personnel responsible for escorting grain and grass and providing assistance. If all are added, the total number will exceed 200,000.

Liu Qing said: I have never fought such a wealthy battle in my life.

Compared with Liu Qing's comfort, everyone in Yangdan County was like a hot pot of ants at this time. Chen Wen came in and lived in the state capital without even returning home.

The Zhou brothers came to the mansion early in the morning to discuss countermeasures together. However, when they learned about the disparity in power between the enemy and ourselves, they all felt that there was nothing they could do. The feeling of powerlessness lingered in everyone's hearts for a long time.

Several people sat in silence for a while, speechless. After a long time, Zhou Xin opened his mouth and said, "Brother Chen, I have something to say. I don't know whether I should say it or not?"

Chen Wen replied: "What Tai Ming wants to say, you might as well say it bluntly."

Zhou Xin said: "Now that things have happened, Mr. Yuan has gone, and we are deadlocked here. Who are we fighting for? Brother Chen? Or me, the Zhou family?"

Chen Wen remained silent, already guessing what Zhou Xin wanted to express.

If the question of who to fight for is not clear, there is no point in holding on. Chen Wen looked at Zhou Ang who had just escaped from the Jiujiang battlefield.

"Zhongming, what is the combat strength of Jushuo's army?"

Zhou Ang shook his head and replied: "The soldiers are not afraid of death and their morale is high. I cannot defeat you. I also agree with your brother. It is meaningless for us to hold on now. What's more, Jushu cannot win, and King Bohai's army is even more unstoppable."

, knowing that there is only one way to die, why do you have to take this road to death?"

Zhou Ang's words turned the already depressed atmosphere into despair.

They all looked at me, and I looked at you, and finally, they all looked at Zhou Xin, who was still in the dark. As the younger brother of Zhou Xin and Zhou Ang, both brothers thought that their younger brother had a better mind than them.

"Renming, please tell me." Zhou Xin urged.

Zhou Zhe closed his eyes and sighed, then immediately replied: "The King of Bohai has come with a large army, which is unprecedented. He is not here for us."

"Three armies are attacking together, why aren't you here for us?"

Zhou Zhe explained: "Of the six counties in Yangzhou, the King of Bohai has already controlled four of them. We only have two counties in Danyang and Kuaiji. Kuaiji is barbaric and has a sparse population, so the only ones we really have left are Danyang and Kuaiji."

Danyang County, although Danyang is famous for its brave soldiers, has been transporting soldiers to the Yuan family for several years. Now there are no more recruits in Danyang, how can we respond? How can the King of Bohai raise an army and mobilize a large number of people for us?"

"Benevolent intention, is King Bohai here for Sun Jian?" Chen Wen could only think of Sun Jian, and a fight had just broken out between the two sides in Yuzhang.

"I'm afraid it's not just Sun Jian!" Zhou Zao once again said shockingly, "Sun Jian, Liu Biao, Liu Yan."

Zhou Zhe counted them one by one, Chen Wen was speechless, and the Zhou brothers were speechless.

Zhou Zhe said again: "Since we know that we are defeated and Duke Yuan has gone, why don't we send off the soldiers, open all the city gates and passes, and a few of us will tie ourselves in front of King Bohai. With the magnanimity of King Bohai, we will definitely

He won’t take our lives, I haven’t heard of King Bohai planning to kill or surrender.”

Zhou Xin and Zhou Ang nodded matter-of-factly, gradually agreeing with their younger brother Zhou Zhe's opinion. When they looked at Chen Wen again, they saw that Chen Wen had a dark face, obviously not agreeing with Zhou Zhe's statement.

Zhou Zhe also silently glanced at Chen Wen. Although he was not above the officialdom of Yangzhou, he had heard about the incident in Yangzhou. The former governor of Yangzhou, Ba Zhi, was killed by Chen Wen.

Coincidentally, he also knew that Ba Zhi was not only a member of the Bohai Kingdom, but also an old minister of the former Bohai King. Based on this, I am afraid that it would be difficult for the Bohai King to tolerate Chen Wen.

Chen Wen's expression showed that he was self-aware and King Bohai would not let him go.

Zhou Zhe said inadvertently, "My two brothers, what I just said is what I, an outsider, think. As for how to deal with the enemy, we still need to discuss it with Chen Shijun."

Zhou Ang also immediately replied: "Brother Chen, I don't bring many troops and horses back this time, but I can leave them all to you to command together!"

Zhou Xin also said: "Now that Danyang County is weak, two thousand soldiers from the county can be organized under Brother Chen's command for easy command."

The three brothers expressed their attitude towards Chen Wen and their attitude of fighting side by side.

After the meeting, the Zhou brothers gathered together in Zhou Xin's mansion. As soon as they returned to the mansion, the three of them went into the study.

"Brother, what should we do?" Zhou Zhe was the first to speak.

Zhou Xin said calmly: "At this point, the only way is to strike first."

Zhou Ang looked shocked and looked at Zhou Xin, "Brother, do you want to..."

"Alas, if our Zhou clan in Kuaiji had moved closer to the Lujiang branch and served the imperial court, we would not have reached such a situation. Now it seems that fortunately Renming was young and wanted to serve Yuan Shao with us. Now that Yuan Shao has been destroyed, we

I'm afraid the official career with Zhongming has come to an end, Renming, the Zhou family will rely on you!" Zhou Xin said.

"Brother, why do you say this?" Zhou Zhe said.

"Zhongming, tonight you and I will each lead our troops to attack the Chen Mansion at night, capture Chen Wen, and present him to the King of Bohai." Zhou Xin said.

"Brother, there is no turning back when we start work, have you thought about it?" Zhou Ang confirmed.

Zhou Xin said: "Think about it, there is no time. The King of Bohai's army is already crossing the river. After completing it, they will arrive at Wanling in one day. Now that things have happened, this is the only way. If we resist stubbornly, we will die and be in trouble."

The Zhou family's affairs are serious, and if the King of Bohai accuses him of treason, the whole family will be involved."

Zhou Ang reluctantly agreed.

Zhou Zhe reminded again, "The two brothers must bring enough people. Chen Wen is not a careless person. I can't rule out that he can guess it."

Zhou Xin nodded in praise.

------------------

On the bank of the river, Liu Qing landed on the shore. Looking at the majestic warships in front of him and behind him, he also felt a sense of emotion. Now the navy has taken shape.

After crossing the river for several days, we did not encounter any resistance. There were even people from the countryside moving around. This was unusual and puzzling.

"Let me tell you, why did Chen Wen not guard the natural danger?" Liu Qing asked.

"Of course he is self-aware. With the huge disparity in military strength between the two sides, Chen Wen has no chance of winning even if he defends the sky. A field battle outside the city is bound to fail, and defending the city is not a good idea. If I were Chen Wen, I would escape right now.

In the vast mountains of Kuaiji, let's live together with the Shanyue people." Guo Jia joked.

Xu Shu said: "As Feng Xiao said, there is no chance of winning in a field battle. Chen Wen must have decided to defend the city."

"No matter what his plan is, pass on the order, bypass Spring Valley, and attack Wanling with all your strength. Among the three armies, we are the closest. I, the king, will come out on top in this battle! Dian Wei, go!" Liu Qing ordered.

Dian Wei immediately gathered his men and horses, followed the road, formed a long team, and headed east.

Two hours later, they arrived at the so-called Spring Valley City. To Liu Qing's surprise, the city gate was wide open and there were bustling people coming in and out at the door.

Empty city plan?

Liu Qing couldn't help but wonder, what was Chen Wen doing?

"Dianwei, take a few people and go up and have a look." Liu Qing ordered.

Dian Wei was about to leave when he suddenly heard Ji Ling shouting, "Lord, just leave such trivial matters to the guilty general!"

As he spoke, he waved, and a dozen people followed him away. These were all Yuan Jun who surrendered with Ji Ling.

Liu Qing watched from a distance, while Dian Wei came to the side and said: "My lord, this Ji Ling is very good at grabbing credit!"

"Just let him go, he is still guilty."

Dian Wei curled his lips and replied, "Here!"

Not long after, Ji Lingxiang came back safely.

"My lord, the general has asked the people. They told the general that Chen Wen never issued an order to declare war, and there was no ambush in the city. Do you want to occupy it?"

Liu Qing shook his head and ordered: "Order Gao Lan to lead the troops and horses to be stationed outside the city to ensure that the food route is safe. Let's go straight to Wanling."

Having said that, the army set off again and fought towards Wanling in a mighty manner. The cavalry front line was very fast. Therefore, the official roads in the area were extremely open and flat, mainly in Danyang County. This road was the main cargo distribution channel, so we paid special attention to the construction of this channel.

.

Now, Liu Qing also enjoyed the benefits and quickly marched into the army.

The sun turned west, dusk was approaching, and finally, at the end of the official road, a city appeared again.

Wanling City has arrived.

However, when he got close enough and could probably see the people outside the city gate, Liu Qing said that he really couldn't understand.

Looking at the posture outside the city gate, it is obvious that the city does not intend to be defended anymore.

There is a prison car with a wooden fence outside the city, and a person is imprisoned inside. Although he is in prison, he is well-dressed and neat, and his identity is obvious at a glance.

Looking directly outside the city gate, there were more than ten people kneeling. The two leaders were tied tightly. Behind them, people of various identities were kneeling. Some were holding swords, and some were holding red and black seals and ribbons.

Lacquer boxes, and people holding various documents.

From this posture, one could tell at a glance that he was about to take over the city, and usually this kind of behavior could not be faked, because Liu Qing only needed to give an order, and the horses' hooves rolled over, and they did not even have time to close the city gate.

The two people kneeling were naturally Zhou Xin and Zhou Ang. They listened to their younger brother Zhou Zhe's words and captured Chen Wen overnight and held him in a prison car. They themselves were tied under the city.

Liu Qing rode forward and asked, "Who are you?"

Zhou Xin took the words and replied: "Back to your Majesty, the offender is Zhou Xin, the governor of Danyang County. I have tied myself up here to greet you and apologize to your Majesty!"

"Where's this one?" Liu Qing pointed at Zhou Ang next to Zhou Xin.
To be continued...