Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 738 Two Cities
Therefore, under Sun Quan's arrangement, Zhou Yu began to select 50,000 elite troops, prepare food and weapons, and formulate a detailed siege plan. A fierce battle around Linjiang City is about to break out, and the contest between Sun Quan and Jia Changsheng has entered a more intense stage. Who will win in this duel? The whole of Dongwu is waiting to see.

After successfully taking Linjiang City, Jia Changsheng knew that Sun Quan would not give up and would definitely mobilize troops to retake it. He sat firmly in the temporary headquarters of Linjiang City, just like sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, and had a plan in mind to deal with it.

Jia Changsheng summoned the messenger and said calmly, "Quickly contact Generals Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, and Wei Yan and inform them that Sun Quan has sent 50,000 troops to attack Linjiang City. I order them to immediately launch a fierce attack on their respective targets according to the original plan and disrupt Sun Quan's deployment so that he cannot take care of both ends."

The messenger received the order and galloped towards the northern army camp where Huang Zhong was. At this time, Huang Zhong was leading his army to camp near Jingkou, closely following the enemy's movements. After the messenger arrived, he conveyed Jia Changsheng's order to Huang Zhong. After Huang Zhong heard it, a glimmer of excitement flashed in his eyes, and he said loudly: "Finally, I have waited for the order from the lord! Pass on my order, all the soldiers will immediately prepare for battle and prepare to launch an attack on Jingkou!"

Huang Zhong's generals took action quickly, and the soldiers picked up their weapons and checked their equipment. Huang Zhong rode on his horse, looking at the high-spirited soldiers, and encouraged them loudly: "Brothers, the lord has attracted Sun Quan's main force in Linjiang City. Our northern army has a chance! Jingkou is an important stronghold of Sun Quan. If we can take it, it will be a great achievement. Everyone, follow me and fight bravely. Charge!"

The northern army rushed towards Jingkou City like a tiger descending from the mountain. Seeing this, Sun Quan's defenders on the tower hurriedly sounded the alarm and prepared to fight. Huang Zhong took the lead and led the soldiers to set up ladders and began to attack the city. Shouts and screams intertwined, and the battle instantly became fierce.

At the same time, the messenger rushed to Zhao Yun's western army camp. Zhao Yun was studying the map in the tent, thinking about how to break through the western defense line of Jianye. The messenger presented Jia Changsheng's order. After reading it, Zhao Yun immediately summoned the generals and said, "The lord has fought with Sun Quan's army in Linjiang City and ordered us to attack the western defense line of Jianye at this time. Everyone listen to my order. According to the previous deployment, the troops will be divided into three groups. One group will make a feint attack to attract the enemy's attention; the other group will secretly bypass the enemy's defense line and attack its rear; I will personally lead the main force to attack head-on and make sure to tear open the enemy's defense line."

Zhao Yun's army moved quickly, approaching the western defense line of Jianye like a ghost. The feint attack troops took the lead in launching the attack. For a while, the drums were beating and shouts of killing were heard everywhere. Sun Quan's defenders thought that Zhao Yun's main force was here, and they concentrated their forces to defend. At this time, Zhao Yun led the main force and launched a fierce attack from the front. The soldiers were extremely brave and fought a desperate battle with the enemy. The soldiers who bypassed the defense line also successfully attacked the rear of the enemy, and the enemy was immediately in chaos.

After the messenger left Zhao Yun's camp, he rushed to Wei Yan's southern army camp. Wei Yan could not hold back his fighting spirit and paced back and forth in the camp. Seeing the messenger coming, Wei Yan asked anxiously, "Is it the lord's order?" After the messenger conveyed Jia Changsheng's instructions, Wei Yan laughed and said, "Haha, we can finally do something big! Pass on my order, the entire army will launch a general attack on Sun Quan's stronghold in the south, and not a single one will be spared!"

Wei Yan's southern army was in high spirits and rushed towards the target stronghold. After arriving at the stronghold, Wei Yan commanded the soldiers to quickly build siege equipment and launch a fierce attack on the stronghold. Wei Yan held a long sword and personally led a team of elite soldiers to charge forward. Under his leadership, the soldiers fought bravely and soon broke through the defense line of the stronghold and engaged in street fighting with the enemy.

Jia Changsheng was in Linjiang City, and he was closely following the battle situation of the other three armies through the news from all sides. He knew very well that this joint operation was crucial, and as long as the four armies worked closely together, they would be able to deal a fatal blow to Sun Quan.

At this time, Zhou Yu led an army of 50,000 soldiers to the city of Linjiang. Zhou Yu looked at Jia Changsheng's troops standing in battle formation on the tower, and secretly admired Jia Changsheng's arrangement. He said to the generals around him: "Jia Changsheng is indeed quite capable, but I, Zhou Yu, will not give up easily. Pass my order, the whole army is ready to attack the city, and we must take Linjiang in the shortest possible time."

A fierce offensive and defensive battle unfolded in Linjiang City. At the same time, the three armies of Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, and Wei Yan also fought desperately with Sun Quan's army on their respective battlefields. Jia Changsheng sat firmly in the commander's office, making plans. He believed that with the joint efforts of the four armies, they would be able to break Sun Quan's encirclement and further expand the results of the battle, and stride forward towards the goal of defeating Sun Quan. The entire Yangzhou land was filled with smoke because of this fierce battle, and all forces were trying their best for their own hegemony.

After receiving Jia Changsheng's order, Huang Zhong was filled with pride. He looked at his high-spirited soldiers and shouted, "Brothers! The lord has pinned down Sun Quan's main force in Linjiang City. This is a great opportunity for us to make achievements. Jingkou is Sun Quan's most important stronghold. If we can take it, we will make an unprecedented contribution to the cause of defeating Wu. Today, we must march forward bravely and flatten Jingkou!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, the sound shook the whole area, the weapons in their hands were raised high, the cold light flashed, showing their fearless fighting spirit. Huang Zhong waved his hand, and the northern army rushed towards Jingkou like a torrent.

During the march, the vanguard reported that a small patrol of Sun Quan's army was found in the valley ahead. Huang Zhong sneered and said, "You are just in time. We can use you as a sacrifice to boost our morale." He immediately ordered the troops to quietly encircle them. Huang Zhong took the lead and rushed into the enemy formation, waving his long sword. In an instant, several enemy soldiers fell down. Under the leadership of Huang Zhong, the northern army quickly wiped out the patrol like a tiger pouncing on its prey.

Huang Zhong wiped the blood off his face and shouted to his soldiers, "This is what happens if you block our advance! Speed ​​up the march and head straight for Jingkou!"

After several days of rapid march, the northern army finally arrived at the city of Jingkou. They saw that the city walls of Jingkou were tall and thick, flags were flying on the towers, and Sun Quan's army was on high alert. Huang Zhong reined in his horse, carefully observed the city defenses, and thought about how to break the city.

He turned to his deputy general and said, "This city is easy to defend but difficult to attack. We must not rush into an assault. You should quickly take a team of men and check the surroundings to find any weak points in the enemy's defense." The deputy general took the order and left.

At the same time, Huang Zhong commanded the army to set up camp and build siege equipment. The soldiers had clear division of labor, some cut down trees to make ladders, and some collected stones for catapults. The camp was a busy scene.

Soon, the deputy general returned and reported: "General, I found that the wall at the west corner of the city is slightly lower, and the enemy patrol intervals are longer, maybe we can break through from here."

Huang Zhong nodded and said, "Okay, tonight, we will send an elite team to quietly approach the western corner of the city under cover of darkness to prepare for the siege tomorrow."

As night fell, the moonlight was like water. Huang Zhong selected 500 of the most elite soldiers and led them personally. Under the cover of darkness, they quietly moved towards the western corner of the city. They held their breath, walked lightly, and approached the city wall like ghosts.

When approaching the city wall, Huang Zhong waved his hand and the soldiers quickly set up the ladder. Huang Zhong was the first to climb up the ladder, and his movements were agile. The defenders on the tower did not notice the approaching danger at all. Just as Huang Zhong was about to climb up the city wall, a defender accidentally discovered something unusual and shouted loudly: "There are enemy troops!"

Huang Zhong's heart tightened, but he was not panicked. He shouted, "Kill!" and jumped onto the wall first. With a swing of his long sword, he cut down the defender. Then, five hundred elite soldiers descended from the sky, climbed onto the wall one after another, and fought fiercely with the defenders.

Huang Zhong was extremely brave, charging left and right in the enemy's formation, and wherever his long sword went, the enemy fell one after another. Under his leadership, the soldiers fought more and more bravely, and soon controlled the tower at the west corner of the city.

Huang Zhong stood on the tower and lit the beacon fire prepared in advance to send a signal to the army outside the city. When Huang Zhong's army outside the city saw the beacon fire, they immediately beat the war drums and set out to launch a general attack on Jingkou City. At this time, the sky gradually brightened. Sun Quan's army in Jingkou City learned that the west corner of the city had been lost, and hurriedly mobilized troops to reinforce. Huang Zhong knew that he had to open the city gates and welcome the army into the city before the enemy reinforcements arrived.

He led his soldiers to fight the enemy along the city wall, and at the same time sent people to look for the control mechanism of the city gate. After a long search, they finally found the mechanism. Huang Zhong personally led a team of soldiers, cut a bloody path, and rushed to the mechanism.

Just as they were approaching the mechanism, a group of elite soldiers from Sun Quan's army came to stop them. The leading general held a spear and shouted, "Huang Zhong, stop being so arrogant!" He thrust his spear at Huang Zhong. Huang Zhong dodged to the side, swung his sword, and fought with the enemy general.

The two fought back and forth for dozens of rounds. Huang Zhong became more and more courageous, and when the time was right, he cut off the enemy's spear with one blow, and then with another blow, he killed the enemy general off his horse.

The enemy army was thrown into chaos when they saw their leader was killed. Huang Zhong took the opportunity to rush to the mechanism and successfully opened the city gate. The northern army outside the city poured into the city like a tide.

Although Sun Quan's army fought desperately, their morale was already in disarray and it was difficult for them to organize an effective defense. Huang Zhong led his army to engage in street fighting with the enemy in the city, and they were unstoppable all the way.

As the battle progressed, Sun Quan's army gradually lost its strength. Huang Zhong stood on a high point in the city and shouted, "Sun Quan's army, listen, you have no way to escape, and those who surrender will be spared!"

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, some of Sun Quan's soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered. After a fierce battle, Huang Zhong finally succeeded in taking Jingkou City.

Huang Zhong looked at his own army flag rising in the city, feeling deeply moved. He knew that the capture of this city would not only contribute to Jia Changsheng's great cause of defeating Wu, but also lay a solid foundation for subsequent battles. He immediately arranged for soldiers to clean up the battlefield, appease the people, and send someone to report the victory to Jia Changsheng.

When the news reached Jia Changsheng, he was overjoyed and said to the counselors around him: "Han Sheng is indeed brave. This time Jingkou was captured, and a big hole has been torn in Sun Quan's defense line. Issue an order to commend Huang Zhong and his soldiers, and let them renew their efforts and continue to work hard to completely defeat Sun Quan!" At this time, Sun Quan was in a heavy mood to learn that Jingkou had been lost. He understood that the situation in this war with Jia Changsheng had become increasingly unfavorable to him, and he must come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible to save the situation.

After Sun Quan received the news that the two important cities of Linjiang and Jingkou had been lost one after another, he stood there as if struck by thunder. He was speechless for a long time. After a while, his eyes were red and he roared in anger: "What on earth is going on? Two cities were lost so easily! Tell me, what should we do now?"

In the hall, all the ministers were silent, and no one dared to speak first. Sun Quan's eyes swept through the crowd like a sharp blade, and finally stopped at Zhou Yu, and asked angrily: "Mr. Zhou, aren't you responsible for coordinating the defense? Why did you let Jia Changsheng be so rampant and capture two of my cities?"

Zhou Yu hurried forward, knelt on one knee, and said with shame on his face: "My lord, I failed in my duty. Jia Changsheng used his troops cunningly this time, advancing from multiple directions, and using surprise attacks to capture two cities in a row. But although the situation is serious now, we still have a plan to deal with it."

Sun Quan snorted coldly and said, "Tell me! If there is no other feasible method, I will hold you accountable!"

Zhou Yu stood up and pointed at the map and said, "My lord, now Jia Changsheng's four armies are out to surround us. Linjiang and Jingkou have been lost. If we just defend, we may be defeated one by one. In my opinion, we can take the initiative to attack and divide our forces to deal with it."

Lu Su stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "My Lord, Gongjin is right. But our army is limited in strength now, so we need to be cautious when dividing our forces. We can first concentrate our forces to consolidate the defenses around Jianye and ensure that our foundation is not lost. At the same time, we can send troops to Jingkou to curb Huang Zhong's offensive."

Sun Quan frowned and said, "It's easy for you to say that. How should we deploy our troops now? Who should we send to fight Huang Zhong?"

Lu Meng clasped his fists and said, "My lord, I am willing to lead an army to Jingkou to fight Huang Zhong. Although Huang Zhong is brave, I am not afraid of him. As long as you give me 20,000 elite soldiers, I will be able to recapture Jingkou and repel Huang Zhong."

Sun Quan looked at Lu Meng, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and said: "Twenty thousand elite soldiers... Now the defense lines are tight, and withdrawing twenty thousand troops will inevitably weaken the defenses of other places. What if Jia Changsheng's other armies take the opportunity to attack?"

Lu Xun stepped forward and said, "My lord, while you are transferring troops to General Lu, you can also set up decoys on other lines of defense to bluff Jia Changsheng so that he can't figure out our strength and dare not attack easily. In this way, we can concentrate our forces to deal with Huang Zhong while taking care of other lines of defense."

Sun Quan pondered for a long time and felt that what Lu Xun said made sense. He slowly said, "Okay, let's follow your plan. Lu Meng, I will give you 20,000 elite soldiers. You will set out immediately and head for Jingkou. You must recapture Jingkou and repel Huang Zhong. If anything goes wrong, you will be beheaded!"

Lu Meng responded loudly: "Don't worry, my lord. I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

Sun Quan then said to Zhou Yu: "Gongjin, you continue to coordinate the overall situation and the defense of each line. Lu Xun, you assist Gongjin and use tricks to confuse Jia Changsheng so that he dare not act rashly."

(End of this chapter)