In Youzhou, Yuyang Commandery, the Quanzhou port was packed with neatly berthed ships. More than a thousand workers sweated as they hauled cargo along the docks, while over a dozen gantry cranes continuously loaded supplies onto the ships.
Once all the military's requisitioned supplies had been loaded in succession, one empty ship after another berthed beside the port's piers.
The workers on the docks withdrew completely. About half an hour later, the sound of orderly footsteps rang out across the port. Groups of soldiers marched into the harbor in formation and boarded the ships one after another.
The original plan for dealing with the Wuhuan people had been a direct steamroll. There was no need for schemes against such weak enemies; an upright, open assault was best. The simpler the plan, the lower the chance of error. However, with the Langya Wang Family interfering, Wang Xuan could only make some changes to the original plan.
On top of the forces originally responsible for steamrolling the Wuhuan people, Wang Xuan decided to lead a separate force by sea into Liaodong Bay, then head north along the Yu River—known as the Daling River in later generations—and launch a surprise attack directly on the Wuhuan people's stronghold, Liucheng.
It could hardly be called some brilliant strategy. It was nothing more than an attempt to capture the enemy's leader first. Of course, all of this relied on Liu Bei possessing a navy far beyond what this era had. With warships, they could advance to attack and retreat to defend, so there was no need to worry about being stranded behind enemy lines.
Destroying the Wuhuan people's stronghold had many benefits. It would leave them leaderless and speed up their annihilation. They could also set out from Liucheng, pass through the Liaoxi Corridor, and charge