Chapter 37: A Fierce Warrior Who Tormented Boss Cao to the Brink of Death—Old Liu, He Is Worth Having!

The gazes of everyone present converged once more upon Xiao Fang.

"Strategist," Zhang Fei said, his ears perking up as he praised him, "you just broke Zhang Xiu’s formation with a clever scheme, and now you claim you can break Wancheng as well. The brilliant plans in your mind are so numerous they make my head spin. Tell us quickly, what ingenious plan can capture Wancheng in short order?"

Xiao Fang shifted the focus, however, replying, "There is no rush to break Wancheng. Before that, my lord, you must attend to two matters."

"Two matters? Which two?" Liu Bei looked expectant, gesturing for Xiao Fang to continue.

Xiao Fang raised his hand, pointing toward the south, and spoke slowly: "My lord has dealt a crushing blow to Zhang Xiu and laid siege to Wancheng, shattering Liu Biao’s hope of reaping the rewards of our conflict. I suspect that for fear of you taking Wancheng, Liu Biao will likely lose his composure and move his troops north to interfere."

"You must immediately divide your forces and head south to seize the cities of Yuyang and Nieyang, currently occupied by the Xiliang forces, to block the path of the Jingzhou army. At the same time, send an envoy south to see Liu Biao and tell him that you are fully capable of taking Wancheng yourself, so there is no need for him to trouble himself by mobilizing troops to assist."

"Liu Biao has never been a decisive man. Seeing his path north blocked and hearing your message, he will likely be too concerned with his reputation to tear off the mask and face you in open battle. Without Liu Biao’s interference, we can focus all our efforts on taking Wancheng without any worries behind us."

Having heard this analysis, Liu Bei was deeply convinced. He immediately ordered Xu Sheng and Liu Pi to lead two thousand men south to seize Yuyang and the other counties. Simultaneously, he dispatched Sun Qian south to Xinye to meet with Liu Biao.

"Strategist," Liu Bei asked impatiently once the arrangements were made, "what is this second matter?"

"The second matter is that before we break Wancheng, we must do everything in our power to persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender and serve you!"

A stir ran through the tent. Even in Liu Bei’s eyes, a look of surprise flickered; he had not expected the second task to be the surrender of Zhang Xiu.

"If you only wish to carve out a territory in the south, infantry and a naval force are sufficient," Xiao Fang explained, pointing toward Wancheng. "But if you intend to march north, contend with the likes of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao for the Central Plains, and restore the Han, you must possess a formidable cavalry. As the saying goes, a thousand soldiers are easy to find, but a single general is hard to come by. To build a cavalry corps, one must first have an excellent cavalry commander! Zhang Xiu is a heaven-sent gift of a猛 (fierce) cavalry general."

As someone with the benefit of hindsight, Xiao Fang knew well the importance of cavalry. Why was Cao Cao able to catch up to Liu Bei at Changban? It was simply because the speed of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry bullied Liu Bei’s infantry, who were burdened by one hundred thousand civilians; two legs could not outrun four. Why was Zhang Liao able to farm experience off Sun Quan at Hefei, breaking ten thousand men with only eight hundred and earning Sun Quan the nickname "Sun the Hundred Thousand"? It was simply because he had cavalry. If Zhang Liao had been leading eight hundred infantry, he would never have dared to assault ten thousand Wu troops—that would have been pure suicide, and Zhang Liao was no fool.

Why did Zhuge Liang’s first Northern Expedition, which had such a promising start, end in failure? The surface reason was Ma Su losing Jieting, but the deep reason was that Zhang He moved too quickly, his fifty thousand iron cavalry sweeping across the land like the wind, disrupting Zhuge Liang’s rhythm. Cavalry was the mechanized force of this era. Especially in the south, a region lacking horses like Jingzhou, they acted as a dimension-breaking strike against Liu Biao’s forces.

With such advantages, Xiao Fang naturally wanted to push Liu Bei to establish a cavalry unit. The recent battle at Chengfu and the victory over the Xiliang army at Biyang had yielded a stockpile of warhorses—enough to organize six or seven hundred cavalrymen. What was missing was a commander skilled in mounted warfare. Zhang Xiu, a veteran of Xiliang, was a master of the craft. More importantly, he was fiercer than the average cavalry general. He had fought Cao Cao to a standstill, even pushing him to the brink of death and claiming the lives of Cao Cao’s eldest son, Cao Ang, and his beloved general Dian Wei.

"The strategist is indeed far-sighted," Liu Bei remarked. "If I could possess a cavalry corps, it would be of great benefit to our combat effectiveness. This Zhang Wenjin is a veteran of Xiliang; if he could be made to serve me, it would be like adding wings to a tiger!"

"Ahem, let me say a word," Zhang Fei interjected, grinning at Xiao Fang. "I am from Youzhou, so I know the power of cavalry. I support the strategist’s plan with both hands and feet. But..." Zhang Fei’s tone shifted. "I have a small question. Zhang Xiu is Zhang Ji’s nephew; when Zhang Ji dies, he will likely inherit the Zhang family army. He will be a warlord in his own right. Will he be willing to bow his head and serve my brother?"

Liu Bei’s expression tightened at this reminder. "Jinglue, Yide is right. Although Zhang Xiu is a fine general, he may not be willing to live under another."

Xiao Fang smiled inwardly. No one understood Zhang Xiu better than he did. Among the warlords of the late Han, Zhang Xiu was the epitome of a man without grand ambitions. When Zhang Ji died and the grain ran out, he surrendered to Liu Biao without hesitation. When Cao Cao’s army arrived, a bit of brainwashing from Jia Xu led him to surrender to Cao Cao just as readily. He was a man who only sought to keep his followers together and secure a "steady rice bowl" in turbulent times.

"Zhang Ji might have had ambition, but Zhang Xiu is entirely without it," Xiao Fang said with calm confidence. "My lord, trust me: with the right methods, Zhang Xiu can be brought to heel."

Liu Bei felt a sense of relief. "In that case, how does the strategist propose we secure his surrender?"

Xiao Fang tapped his chin, his mind racing. Just then, Zhuge Liang, who had been listening from the side, spoke up with a bright look in his eyes. "My lord, Brother-in-law, when I entered the camp, I happened to see General Yide escorting prisoners. Among them was a man on a stretcher, dressed in officer’s attire and severely wounded. The other prisoners were very attentive to him, and I seemed to hear them say that he is Zhang Xiu’s son, Zhang Quan. If we wish to win over Zhang Xiu, could we start with this Zhang Quan?"