Cao Pi was much the same as Sima Zhao. He had long wanted to declare himself emperor, so Xuchang was already caught up in a storm of intrigue. A struggle had begun over Guan Yu's abdication.
Six months passed in the blink of an eye.
Summer was almost here again, and the rains had grown heavier. Sun Quan felt that Jiangdong could put its strength in naval warfare to use, so he wrote to Liu Bei, explaining that he planned to seize Hefei while the opportunity lasted and asking Liu Bei to order Guan Yu to assist from the flank.
Wang Yue had already brought in another harvest, and the second crop had just been planted. Their food and supplies were plentiful.
Guan Yinping's Bandit Eradication Captain's Department was still training at full tilt. In the past six months, it had expanded by another ten thousand troops. Although the department was essentially made up of farming soldiers, Wen Ping to the north had grown very wary of Jiangxia.
By rights, this was no time to launch an attack. But with Sun Quan setting out to seize Hefei, a slim opportunity had presented itself.
So, after learning of Liu Bei's orders from Guan Yu, Wang Yue immediately ordered Wei Chi to lead two thousand men to harass Suizhou, making it look as though a large force was preparing to attack Suixian.
Wen Ping, the Wei governor of Jiangxia, heard the news and immediately led three thousand men away from Shiyang (Anlu) to reinforce the area.
There was no other choice. Xiangfan had already fallen. If Suixian fell too, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar. Suixian simply could not be allowed to fall, no matter what.
As Wen Ping traveled toward Suixian, however, a cavalry force of more than