Chapter 641: Sword pointed at Xuzhou, unstoppable as bamboo

Yexian,

Zhuge Liang was moved to tears,

"For my lord to trust me so, this life is enough!"

Holding the letter Liu Bei had written to him, he felt Liu Bei's trust, and his heart was warm.

When Wang Ping, Guo Huai, and the others saw it,

"My lord is truly a divine strategist, actually predicting in advance that we would take Yexian!"

"The Inspector's move was the right one!"

The others also sighed; their lord truly employed people without suspicion and never suspected those he employed!

Hedong Commandery, Huai County,

Guan Yu was also moved to tears,

"Big Brother!"

Having been defeated this time and with Cao Cao having seized Ye City first, he felt ashamed in his heart.

He had not expected that his big brother would not only refrain from blaming him but instead write a letter to comfort him, urging him to regroup and even continuing to send him reinforcements.

Guan Yu looked toward Xu Shu,

"Yuanzhi, I regret not listening to your words. If you have any suggestions next time, I will certainly heed them!"

Xu Shu cupped his hands,

"Many thanks, General."

Zhao Yun in Yanmen Commandery also received Liu Bei's instructions to act as he saw fit.

He cupped his hands and said,

"Mr. Jia, what do you think we should do recently?"

Jia Xu bowed,

"General Zilong, my lord only sent me to assist you; you remain the commander-in-chief. I believe the center of the future war lies in the Central Plains. Our army's main task is to pin down the Cao Army's forces, not letting them head south in peace."

Zhao Yun nodded. He sought out Tian Yu, Yan Gang, and others to discuss how to pin down the Cao Army.

Jiangdong,

Wu Commandery, Wuxian,

Today,

Liu Bei raised an army of over one hundred thousand and held a pledge ceremony in Wuxian, his sword pointed at the Central Plains!

The people of Wuxian naturally went out early to watch; how could the gossiping masses miss such a major event!

Liu Bei stood on the high platform, impassioned,

"The Cao thief's heart to usurp the throne is clearly revealed; he actually dares to style himself Duke of Wei... All generals, follow me to march on the Central Plains and rescue the people of the Central Plains!"

Liu Bei then read out the military merit rewards: as long as one achieved merit, money, farmland, and women would all be arranged!

The soldiers roared in approval!

Liu Bei drew his sword and pointed it toward the north,

"Generals, hear my order: the entire army, set out!"

An army of over one hundred thousand marched toward the north in a mighty procession!

The people discussed it fervently,

"Lord Xuande is mighty; this time he will surely succeed at the first attempt!"

"I wanted to join too, but unfortunately my physical condition didn't make the cut."

"I heard that Lord Xuande is paying the sailors transporting grain this time very well."

"The big grain merchants of Jiangdong have made a fortune this time!"

The wealth Sun Ce had accumulated in Jiangdong over several years was all brought out by Liu Bei for this Northern Expedition; it could be considered making the best use of everything!

Not many days later,

By the Yangtze River,

Dantu gathered over a thousand warships and over a thousand merchant ships.

The naval forces of Jiangdong, Jingzhou, and Yizhou gathered together, mighty and vast, seemingly ready to occupy both banks of the Yangtze.

Liu Bei held a council in the main tent,

He looked around the circle,

Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Wei Yan, Wen Pin, Chen Wu, Sun Shao, Zhu Huan, Dong Xi, Ling Cao and Ling Tong (father and son), Sun Ben and Sun Fu (brothers), and so on.

There were also naval commanders: Lu Xun, Zhang Ren, Gan Ning, Xu Sheng, Cai Zhong, Cai He, and so on.

Civil officials and strategists: Guo Jia, Pang Tong, Lu Su, Liu Ye, Zhang Hong, as well as the newly defected Zhuge Jin and the just-arrived Xun You!

It could be called a force with strong soldiers and sturdy horses, with crowds of warriors and strategists!

He also urgently summoned his brother-in-law Mi Zhu, Tao Qian's son Tao Shang, and Kong Rong and others.

Liu Bei said in a deep voice, ===== CHAPTER 642 =====