Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 746 Confused
Finally, on the third day after Jia Changsheng entered the city, the opportunity came. In order to celebrate the victory and to further stabilize the people's hearts, Jia Changsheng ordered a banquet to be held in the city to reward the soldiers and the people. During the banquet, the patrol force in the city was relatively reduced, and many soldiers relaxed their vigilance because of the celebration.

Chen Wu saw the opportunity, disguised himself as an ordinary citizen, mixed in the crowd, and walked towards the city gate. When he approached the city gate, a patrolling soldier stopped him and asked, "Why are you leaving the city?"

Chen Wu's heart tightened, but he remained calm on the surface and replied, "General, my mother is seriously ill. I heard that there is a doctor outside the city with superb medical skills. I want to ask him to treat my mother. I beg General to help me."

The patrol soldier looked Chen Wu up and down, a little hesitant. At this moment, another soldier came over and said, "Forget it, the lord is happy today, everyone is celebrating, don't embarrass him."

The soldier who stopped Chen Wu heard this and waved his hand and said, "Okay, go quickly and come back quickly, don't delay too long."

Chen Wu was overjoyed and thanked him immediately before leaving the city. Once outside the city, Chen Wu galloped towards Sun Quan's camp. Along the way, he did not dare to stop for even a second, as he had only one thought in mind: to tell Sun Quan about the fall of Guangling City as soon as possible.

After two days and two nights of traveling, Chen Wu finally arrived at Sun Quan's camp. He rushed into the tent and fell to his knees after seeing Sun Quan. He gasped and said, "My lord, something bad has happened! Guangling City... Guangling City has been captured by Jia Changsheng!"

Sun Quan was discussing war with his advisers in the camp. When he heard the news, he was shocked. He widened his eyes and asked in disbelief: "What did you say? How could Guangling City be captured? What happened?"

Chen Wu recounted the details of the attack on Guangling City. After hearing this, Sun Quan was furious. He punched the table and shouted, "Jia Changsheng, I will never let you go!"

At this time, there was silence in the camp. Everyone knew that the fall of Guangling City made Sun Quan's situation even more serious, and a more intense battle was about to begin.

Sun Quan was furious when he heard Chen Wu's report about the fall of Guangling City, but he knew that he had to calm down and understand the details before he could plan a response. He suppressed his anger and said to Chen Wu: "Tell me in detail how Jia Changsheng captured Guangling City? How did the defenders in the city respond?"

Chen Wu hurriedly told him everything he knew: "My lord, Jia Changsheng first sent two thousand elite soldiers to quietly climb up the city wall from the northwest corner of Guangling City under the cover of night. At that time, the garrison was changing shifts and there was some confusion. They took the opportunity to eliminate the guards on the city wall, and then quickly moved to the city gate and took control of it in one fell swoop. As soon as the city gate opened, Jia Changsheng's army poured in like a tide. Although General Wang Wei quickly organized a resistance, Jia Changsheng's army was too fierce. The two sides fought fiercely for about an hour, and our army suffered heavy casualties. In the end, General Wang Wei had no choice but to surrender."

Sun Quan gnashed his teeth and said, "Wang Wei, Wang Wei, how could you surrender so easily! Guangling City is strategically located and could have been defended, but it is so vulnerable!"

At this time, Zhou Yu stood up and said, "My lord, it is useless to blame Wang Wei now. The most urgent task is to discuss how to deal with Jia Changsheng's next move. After Jia Changsheng took over Guangling City, his power increased greatly, and I am afraid he will continue to march towards our other cities."

Lu Su also nodded and said, "Gongjin is right. My lord, we need to re-examine the current situation and adjust our defense deployment. Jia Changsheng was able to successfully raid Guangling City this time, so he must have known the situation in the city very well. We must be careful to prevent similar omissions in other cities."

Sun Quan frowned, paced back and forth, and said, "You are all right. But Jia Changsheng's move was really insidious and caught us off guard. What should we do now?"

Lu Meng stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "My lord, I am willing to lead the army to recapture Guangling City. Jia Changsheng has just taken over Guangling City and he must not have gained a firm foothold yet. If we send troops now and give him a surprise attack, we may be able to recapture the lost territory in one fell swoop."

Lu Xun said, "General Lu, this matter is probably not that simple. Since Jia Changsheng dared to attack Guangling City so boldly, he must have made some preparations. He will definitely strengthen the defense of Guangling City and wait for us to attack. If we rush out rashly, it will play into his hands and we may fall into his ambush."

Lü Meng said unconvincedly, "Then according to Boyan's opinion, should we just sit back and watch Guangling City fall into Jia Changsheng's hands?"

Lu Xun said hurriedly, "General Lu has misunderstood. That is not what I meant. We can keep our troops in place and send people to closely monitor the movements of Guangling City. At the same time, we can strengthen the defense of other cities to prevent Jia Changsheng from attacking again. In addition, we can spread false information to confuse Jia Changsheng and make him unable to figure out our next move, and then wait for an opportunity to act."

Sun Quan thought for a moment and said, "What Lu Xun said makes sense. We can't act impulsively, lest we fall into Jia Changsheng's trap again. However, we must also take action, so as not to let Jia Changsheng think that we are weak and can be bullied."

At this time, Zhuge Jin stepped forward and said, "My Lord, we can write to other forces and inform them of Jia Changsheng's ambitions. If Jia Changsheng becomes more powerful in Yangzhou, it will inevitably threaten the interests of all parties. Maybe we can unite with other forces to fight against Jia Changsheng together."

Sun Quan's eyes lit up and he said, "This plan is feasible. Mr. Zhuge, I'll leave this matter to you. Be sure to speak sincerely and explain the pros and cons to other forces so that they understand the principle of the lips and teeth being cold."

Zhuge Jin accepted the order and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I will do my best."

Zhang Zhao said worriedly: "My Lord, it is good to unite with other forces, but these forces have their own thoughts and may not be willing to cooperate with us sincerely. Moreover, there are many conflicts between us and other forces, and I am afraid it will be difficult to reach a consensus."

Sun Quan said: "What Mr. Zhang said makes sense. But now the situation is critical, we can only give it a try. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we must fight for it." Everyone started a heated discussion on how to deal with Jia Changsheng, and put forward various strategies and suggestions. Sun Quan listened carefully to everyone's speeches, and kept weighing the pros and cons in his mind. He knew that the next decision was related to the survival of Soochow, and he had to be very careful. This discussion caused by the fall of Guangling City continued in the camp. Everyone was making plans for the future of Soochow, trying to find a way out to deal with the huge threat posed by Jia Changsheng.

After Jia Changsheng successfully captured Guangling City, he quickly stabilized the situation in the city. He knew that the war could not stop and he had to pursue the victory and expand the results. So, after arranging various affairs in Guangling City, he decided to lead the army personally and march towards the next target city - Linjiang City.

Before leaving Guangling City, Jia Changsheng entrusted all the affairs of the city to his most trusted general Wei Yan. He called Wei Yan to his side and said seriously and earnestly: "Wen Chang, Guangling City is now in our hands, but this is only one step in our great cause. I hand this city over to you with a heavy responsibility. You need to strengthen the city defense, train the soldiers, appease the people, and ensure that Guangling City becomes our stable rear."

Wei Yan knelt on one knee and said with a firm face: "My lord, rest assured that I will not fail in my mission. I will do my best to protect Guangling City and provide solid support for the army's expedition."

Jia Changsheng nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay! I trust you. You must properly manage all the food, supplies, and other matters in the city. If there is an emergency, send someone to report to me in time."

After arranging Wei Yan's tasks, Jia Changsheng gathered the people in the city and said to them from the high platform: "Fellow villagers, I will lead the army to the battle soon, but please rest assured that General Wei Yan will stay here to protect you. Our army has always been concerned about the welfare of the people, and will make Guangling City more prosperous in the future. I hope everyone can live in peace and support our army's actions."

The people shouted: "General Jia is kind and righteous! We support General Jia!"

Afterwards, Jia Changsheng selected 20,000 elite soldiers, all of whom were experienced in battle and had high morale. The army was assembled and neatly arranged on the parade ground outside Guangling City. Jia Changsheng, wearing armor and holding a long sword, stood on the stage and said loudly: "Brothers! We have won a great victory in Guangling City, but our goal is far more than that. Linjiang City ahead is another important stronghold of Sun Quan. We must continue to move forward, take it down, and completely break Sun Quan's defense line! Do you have confidence?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The soldiers' shouts resounded through the sky, and their morale was high.

Jia Changsheng waved his hand and ordered, "Let's go!" The army left Guangling City in a mighty manner and headed towards Linjiang City. Along the way, military flags fluttered and horses' hooves clattered. Jia Changsheng rode his warhorse at the front of the team, looking forward with a firm look in his eyes.

During the march, Jia Changsheng did not relax his vigilance. He sent out several scout teams to conduct reconnaissance in front of and on both sides of the army to ensure the safety of the march and prevent ambushes by the enemy. At the same time, he also discussed the strategy of attacking Linjiang City with his advisers from time to time.

The counselor Xu Shu said: "My lord, according to the intelligence we have, the walls of Linjiang City are tall and strong, and Sun Quan has sent a large number of troops to guard it. We cannot attack rashly. We need to understand the detailed situation in the city first, and then formulate a corresponding battle plan."

Jia Changsheng nodded and said, "What Yuanzhi said is absolutely right. We can first set up camp near Linjiang City, and then send people to sneak into the city in disguise to find out information about the enemy's troop deployment, food reserves, and city defense weaknesses."

Another strategist, Pang Tong, also said, "My lord, the terrain around Linjiang City is complex. We still need to survey the terrain and find a favorable attack route. Perhaps we can use the surrounding mountains and rivers to develop unexpected tactics."

Jia Changsheng said: "Shiyuan, this is a very good plan. You and Xu Shu will be responsible for this matter together. You must find out the situation in Linjiang City as soon as possible."

Therefore, the army set up camp ten miles away from Linjiang City. Xu Shu and Pang Tong immediately organized people and started intensive intelligence collection and terrain survey. Jia Changsheng was in the tent, waiting for their news, while paying close attention to the affairs of the army and making final preparations for the upcoming battle. He knew that every battle was a test for himself and the army. Only by careful planning can he keep moving forward in this chaotic world and realize his hegemony. Linjiang City will be his next target to conquer, and a fierce battle is quietly brewing.

While Jia Changsheng personally led his troops to Linjiang City, several of his other capable subordinates also showed their skills on their respective battlefields. They successively captured four cities within two months and made great contributions to the expansion of Jia Changsheng's power.

Zhao Yun was ordered to attack Anxing City, located southwest of Guangling City. Although Anxing City was small in size, it was strategically located and was an important part of Sun Quan's defense system. Zhao Yun knew that this mission was difficult, so after arriving near Anxing City, he did not rush to attack. Instead, he sent out several scout teams to conduct a detailed investigation of the surrounding terrain of Anxing City, the enemy's troop deployment, and the daily patrol patterns.

After several days of investigation, Zhao Yun learned that Anxing City had about 3,000 defenders, strong defenses, heavy iron gates at the city gates, and a wide moat. But Zhao Yun also discovered that there was a hillside in the southwest of Anxing City with lush trees, and the enemy's patrols there were relatively lax. Zhao Yun immediately came up with a plan.

He selected a thousand elite infantrymen, and under cover of night, each of them carried a bundle of straw and climbing tools, and quietly moved to the southwest of Anxing City. When they approached the hillside, Zhao Yun gave an order, and the soldiers quickly climbed up the hillside, using the cover of trees to quietly approach the city wall. When they arrived at the foot of the city wall, the soldiers set the straw on fire and threw it at the enemy tower on the city wall. For a moment, flames shot up into the sky, and shouts of killing rose up.

The defenders on the tower were startled by the sudden attack and hurriedly organized a defense. Just when the enemy's attention was focused on the southwest, Zhao Yun personally led 5,000 cavalrymen and rushed to the main gate of Anxing City like thunder. The cavalrymen were armed with long swords and were unstoppable. The defenders at the gate were unable to resist the fierce attack of Zhao Yun's cavalry in panic, and soon the gate was breached. Zhao Yun led his troops into the city and engaged in street fighting with the enemy. After a fierce battle, the defenders of Anxing City were unable to resist and surrendered one after another. Zhao Yun successfully captured Anxing City.

At the same time, Huang Zhong received the task of attacking Mingshui City. Mingshui City was close to a large river and had sufficient food and grass in the city. Sun Quan attached great importance to it and sent a fierce general, Chen Wu, to guard it with a garrison of 5,000 people. After Huang Zhong arrived at Mingshui City, he observed that the enemy relied on the danger of the river to defend the waterway very strictly, but was relatively less vigilant on the land route.

Huang Zhong came up with a plan. He pretended to launch several small-scale attacks on land to attract the enemy's attention. Chen Wu saw that Huang Zhong was attacking by land, so he transferred most of his troops to defend the land. At this time, Huang Zhong secretly selected 2,000 soldiers who were good at swimming, took a small boat, took advantage of the night, went downstream, and quietly approached the water gate of Mingshui City.

(End of this chapter)