Shuhan

Hongnong County City.

Sima Yi looked at the military report in front of him and frowned slightly.

"The Han army actually stopped the offensive?"

On the side, Crown Prince Cao Rui stepped forward and said, "The Han army suffered heavy losses in the attack on Hu County. Now that the river is frozen, the Han army's logistics are probably unsustainable. It is reasonable to cease fire at this time."

During these days, Cao Rui did learn a lot from Sima Yi.

The relationship with the officers in the army gradually became harmonious and warm.

This may be the biggest gain of his trip.

He was indeed frightened when the Han army was so unstoppable before, but now the situation has stabilized, and it is difficult to march in the middle of winter, so Cao Rui has finally put his mind at ease.

"That's normal. I'm worried about the movement of the main force of the Han army in Xinfeng. Zhang Bao suddenly stopped the attack this time. Is it because Liu Gongsi wants to march to Hongnong? And Zhang Bao is accumulating strength and preparing to launch a surprise attack later?"

Sima Yi thinks more than others.

Others may only be able to think about the present, but Sima Yi can anticipate his opponent's future actions.

Take one step, look ten steps ahead!
"The main force of the Han army is coming to Hongnong?"

Cao Rui took a breath of cold air.

His heart, which had originally been at ease, was weighed down again.

Zhang Bao alone is so difficult to deal with. If there is also a Han emperor, can Hongnong be defended?

"Does the governor have any solution?"

Sima Yi chuckled and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. This is just my guess. Anyway, during this period of time, we can build a defense line in Hongnong County. Our Wei occupies the Central Plains, with abundant supplies and no shortage of food and grass. As long as we can hold on and confront them for a long time, the Han army will be unable to bear it. By then, we may be able to defeat them without fighting and make them retreat on their own!"

What's the trick?
What risky plan?
When Sima Yi deployed his troops, the key word was stability!
Don't take risks if you can avoid them.

Maximize our advantages and try to avoid clashes with the enemy when they have the advantage, this is Sima Yi's strategy of war!

"It's a pity that the weather is so cold that the speed of information transmission from the school office has slowed down. As long as we can find the whereabouts of the Emperor of Han, we will not lose this battle!"

It seems
It is not certain that Liu Gongsi would come to Hongnong.

After feeling a little relieved, Cao Rui's mouth hardened.

"In fact, I have long wanted to fight with Liu Gongsi. If Liu Gongsi dares to come to Hongnong, I will make sure he never returns. Anyone who offends the Wei Dynasty will be killed, no matter how strong he is!"

After hearing what Cao Rui said, Sima Yi shook his head.

Liu Gongsi is a fox-like person, very cunning and deceitful. It would be best if he didn't meet him. If he were to fall into his hands again, the reputation he had worked so hard to accumulate in the State of Wei would probably be gone in one battle.

Steady happiness.

What Sima Yi wants now is stability!

And on the other side.

In Xunyang City.

The city lord's mansion was temporarily requisitioned as the Wu state's front army command post.

King Sun Quan of Wu was wearing light red armor and had sharp eyes.

"Normally, how many troops are there in Xunyang City?"

This man was the leader of the local noble family in Xunyang, named Shen Bang.

There was a fort outside the city. After the Han army conquered Xunyang, he surrendered to the Han Kingdom. Now that Xunyang was conquered by the Wu Kingdom, it was natural for him to surrender to the Wu Kingdom again.

This is how the local small nobles survive.

Like a fence-sitter, he leans to both sides and tries to protect himself as a way of survival.

Sun Quan had long known the character of these nobles, so he was not too indignant towards Shen Bang and his ilk and their actions.

In troubled times, cats have their own way and dogs have their own way.

"Your Majesty, Xunyang City normally has 3,000 soldiers stationed there, but when Wen Pin attacked Wei last time, he took all 3,000 people away from the city. He only recruited 800 local warriors and put them under the command of Xunyang County Lieutenant, who are responsible for the security of Xunyang City."

It turns out that there wasn't a single Han soldier guarding Xunyang, only local militiamen?
Sun Quan frowned.

This Yu Jin, is he so careless?

"It seems that the king's strategy of confusing the enemy has worked. Yu Jin still thinks that our Great Wu dare not attack Jiangxia!" Zhang Zhao immediately clapped his hands and laughed.

Sun Huan immediately said, "Your Majesty, while the Han army is not well prepared, we should attack Qichun first, then Xiling, and capture Yu Jin and Ma Liang alive!"

Upon hearing that the Han army was ill-prepared, Xu Sheng immediately shouted, "That White-browed Ma Liang was so arrogant in the court of our Great Wu. If we conquer Xiling today, we must humiliate this villain and pay him back for the humiliation he inflicted on us that day!"

Xu Sheng still vividly remembered the scene when Ma Liang acted wildly in the court of Wu. At that time, Wu could only swallow his anger. Now that he had a chance to avenge his previous shame, how could he not cherish it?
If you miss this opportunity, you may never find this store again.

"Could this be Yu Jin's trick?"

Sun Quan was still worried.

"Send the local spies over to interrogate them."

The State of Wu had occupied Xunyang before, so it was a very easy matter for them to develop a few subordinates of the Cijiantun in Xunyang.

We cannot trust all of Shen Bang's words. We still need to let the people from Cijiantun come before we can believe his words.

Soon, the spies from Cijiantun were summoned.

This man was dressed in brocade clothes, and his shrewd eyes were like those of a mouse. One could tell at a glance that he was a dishonest businessman.

"The number of Cijiantun is 9527. I am meeting the king!"

Sun Quan nodded and said, "The defense of Xunyang is so lax, is it because the Han Kingdom is deliberately trying to lure me deeper into the territory?"

The spy from Cijiantun immediately shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, it shouldn't be. The defense line of Xunyang was originally built by our Great Wu. The Han Kingdom has basically dismantled it over the years instead of strengthening its city defense. Xunyang City is not a place for the Han army to defend for a long time. For the Han army, defending Xunyang is not as good as defending Qichun. The Han army has never attached importance to Xunyang."

Xunyang is close to the State of Wu, and the Han State of Chaisang south of the Yangtze River was not conquered.

For the Han State, Xunyang was a protruding point that could easily be surrounded on three sides by the Wu State. It was indeed not a place that could be defended for a long time.

Sun Quan found this answer much easier to accept.

"Whether it is the Han's strategy of luring the enemy deep into our territory or a tactic of making the enemy arrogant, we all need to be cautious and cautious. The Han is strong, and although it is now attacking Wei, Yu Jin is a great general who can defend one side, and Ma Liang is known for his wisdom and strategy, so he should not be underestimated."

Now that they have reached Xunyang, Sun Quan has no way to retreat.

Even if there was a trap set by the Han State ahead, he would step into it.

"The main route is by water, and we will capture the various river strongholds and ferry crossings along the river. The land route is supplementary for attacking the city."

Sun Quan himself knew the strength of the Eastern Wu infantry.

The advantage of the Wu infantry is that it has no advantages.

It might be useful for defending a city, but I'm afraid you can't rely on it in a field battle.

This time, Sun Quan wanted to make use of the Wu navy's advantage, quickly capture Qichun, break through Xiling, and go straight to Jiangling!

"General Pan Zhang, General Yang Can, General Zhu Huan, and General Zhu Ran, the four of you will lead different units and take over the ferry crossing from Xunyang to Xiling River. At the same time, build forts on both sides of the river to ensure smooth logistics for our army on the river!"

General Pan Zhang, General Yang Can, General Zhu Huan, and General Zhu Ran immediately stepped out, saluted to Sun Quan, and responded loudly.

"Commander-in-chief Zhuge Jin, General Jianwei Lü Fan, General Lu Xun, and General Sun Huan, the four of you will each lead your troops. You have ten days to capture Qichun, and after fifteen days, advance to Xiling!"

At the end of his speech, a cold light flashed in Sun Quan's eyes.

"at all costs!"

"promise!"

Zhuge Jin, Lu Fan, Lu Xun and Sun Huan immediately stepped forward and responded.

Sun Quan saluted to the eight people and said in an earnest tone: "This battle is related to the destiny of Wu. If we win, we still have a chance to survive. If we lose, we will be doomed. Your wealth and honor all depend on Wu, and your wives and daughters are all behind you. We can only win this battle, not lose. Do you understand?" As the worm in Sun Quan's stomach, Zhuge Jin naturally knew what he was going to do at this time.

"In this battle, God bless our Great Wu, and may we win!"

The other seven people immediately opened their throats and shouted: "Ten thousand wins, ten thousand wins!"

Watching these eight people leave, Sun Quan suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.

Now it is no longer a situation where the arrow is on the string and has to be shot. The arrow has already been shot.

But will it be fruitful?
Sun Quan was also unsure.

This time he is taking a big gamble.

Gamble with the destiny of Wu State!

The ambition to be trapped in a battle will lead to death but not life.

The same is true for Sun Quan.

And this moment.

In Xiling City.

Yu Jin and Ma Liang sat opposite each other.

"I never thought that Sun Quan would dare to raise an army to attack us!"

After receiving the military news from the front, Ma Liang's face was still full of shock.

Based on his understanding of Sun Quan, he thought that this common man from Jiangdong would be a coward as he had been in the past.

I didn't expect that at this moment I would gamble the fate of the country and act like a reckless man.

Raise an army of 100,000.

The foundation of the Wu State was originally unstable. If this war of aggression fails to achieve great results, then the Wu State will surely be finished.

Sun Quan, do you also want to follow the example of Overlord and burn your boats?
Xiang Yu built up the reputation of Jiangdong as a place where heroes emerged. Do you want to maintain this reputation this time?

Don't you want people all over the world to think that Jiangdong produces no heroes but only rats?
"Even a rabbit will bite when it is cornered, but Sun Quan's behavior has given us an excuse to attack Wu!"

Before you said there was no reason to attack Wu, but now that Wu attacks us first, don’t you have the reason?

"Military Advisor, what do you think we should do with the Wu army?"

What to do?
Ma Liang said with a serious expression, "The enemy is now aggressive and our army is outnumbered by the Wu army. We should avoid their attack first and wait for the reinforcements from Jiangling to arrive before we deal with Sun Quan."

This is indeed a foolproof plan.

just
"According to intelligence from the front army, the Wu army is coming aggressively and their movements can be described as swift and fierce. We are afraid that we want to delay, but Sun Quan is unwilling to do so. In addition, the Wei army may also come out. If he takes the mountain road to Jiangxia, we will be surrounded on both sides, and the situation will be very unfavorable for us."

Ma Liang nodded.

"General, what you said makes sense. So, what do you think we should do?"

What should be done?

Yu Jin said with a smile: "Sun Quan is just a rat from Jiangdong! If he dares to attack with a large army, I will leave his life in Jiangxia. We can resist Qichun for a while, and then let the garrison withdraw. Half of his army will escape into the mountains and forests, and the other half will retreat to Xiling. Lure Wujun into Jiangxia, and order Wuling Barbarian King Shamoke and General Wenpin to take Lu'an, Qianxian, and Longshu Mountain Road, suddenly shoot cold arrows, appear in Wanxian, and attack from behind the Wu army. Our army will send troops from Xiling. Under the two-sided attack, the Wu army will surely be defeated!"

Wen Pin and the Wuling Barbarian King are isolated on the border between Wei and Wu, and now is the time to mobilize them.

"Why not attack Wei to save Zhao? Let Wen Pin and Shamoke lead the troops to attack Jianye directly? Can Sun Quan just sit back and watch Jianye being destroyed and do nothing?"

Yu Jin shook his head and said, "Wen Pin's troops have no boats, and the Wu navy is elite. If Wen Pin and Shamoke cannot take the waterway, they will be caught by the Wu navy in an instant. By then, they will be in the heart of Wu, and there is only one way to go."

"Besides, if we want to attack Jianye, we must first take Liyang. According to the information from the spy army, there are still more than a thousand Wu soldiers in Liyang City. They are defending the city. As long as we delay time, this plan will not succeed."

The strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao is a good one, but it is not that easy to implement in reality.

"It seems that we have no choice but to use the general's strategy!"

In this way, the war raged in Jiangxia County for five consecutive days.

In the Wu army's camp, flags were flying and drums were beating.

The generals sat around the sand table. Zhuge Jin, the Grand Commander of Wu, had sharp eyes and ran his finger over Qichun City on the map. He looked around at the generals in the tent and said in a sonorous and powerful voice: "Today, we must defeat Qichun!"

Qichun was attacked for three consecutive days and achieved considerable results.

But there were only five days left before the deadline given by Sun Quan.

Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted.

This time we need to drum up support in one fell swoop!

"Grand Commander, tonight, I am willing to lead my troops to break into the city first!"

General Jianwei Lu Fan immediately stepped forward to ask for orders!

"it is good!"

Zhuge Jin slapped the documents in front of him and said loudly: "If Qichun is captured, the general will be the first to achieve the credit!"

The night was as dark as ink, and the Wu army's siege equipment looked particularly ferocious under the light of the fire.

"Come on~"

"Kill!"

Ladders were placed on the city walls, and the warriors, armed with swords, climbed up recklessly.

On the city wall, the Han army's arrows rained down, but the Wu army warriors did not retreat. Their shouts and shouts intertwined together, making the originally quiet night extremely noisy.

The siege vehicle slowly advanced, and the huge wooden hammer hit the city gate again and again, making a deafening sound.

Boom~
Boom~
Boom~
The city gate began to tremble and crumble under the huge impact.

The soldiers of Wu army waved their weapons and engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Han army on the city.

For a moment, swords flashed and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

In a street in the city, a fire was raging and the flames were devouring everything.

The panicked civilians and defenders fled in all directions, their faces filled with fear and despair.

However, in this chaos, some people chose to hold on. They held weapons and fought against the fire demon, trying to stop the fire from spreading.

Late at night on the third day, the city gate finally collapsed with a loud bang.

The soldiers of Wu army poured into the city like a tide, and they launched a final decisive battle with the defenders in the city.

In this fierce battle, many warriors fell in a pool of blood, but their sacrifice brought victory.

Qichun City trembled in the flames. The fire burned raging, turning the city into ruins.

of course
Where the Wu army could not see, the defenders of Qichun City had already slipped away through the north gate.

The next morning.

Hundreds of miles away outside Jiangling City.

A messenger with eight command flags on his back appeared outside the post station.

The warhorse under him was already rolling its eyes.

"Postmaster, quickly change the horses. We need to rush to Chang'an, which is eight hundred miles away. If we delay important matters, neither you nor I can afford it!"

The envoys who set out early from Hongmen Pavilion have already arrived in Jiangling along the post road.

And can the Han emperor's special forces be far behind? (End of this chapter)