Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

Xu Shu smiled and said, "Zhong Gong is right. However, the battlefield of Xiangfan is actually Xiangyang and Fancheng, but the two cities are located on both sides of the Han River. The entire battlefield also includes the counties upstream and downstream of the Han River. The battlefield is long and narrow, so the map is also a bit long and narrow."

"Zhong Gong, please come over here."

Xu Shu made an inviting gesture and then strode towards the map. Guanqiu Jian followed closely, and the remaining generals Shen Dan, Wen Dai, and Lu Shi also gathered around.

Xu Shu pointed to the three red circles on the map and said, "Let Zhonggong know that Sun Quan's troops are all gathered at Yukouwu, Yuliangzhou, and Xiangyang."

"Since the siege of Fancheng was lifted at the end of last month, I have led troops to the direction of Yukouwu three times in the past ten days, but Sun Quan just held his ground and did not fight."

Guanqiu Jian thought for a moment, "So Sun Quan is waiting for us to attack?"

Xu Shu said: "As long as Yukouwu is completed, there is nothing we can do about it. Sun Quan will not retreat on his own."

"Judging from the time, Sun Quan should have received the news that Chen Situ of Yangzhou was approaching Ruxu. He should have withdrawn some troops, but not too many."

"In short, in my opinion, Sun Quan's troops here are still more than those of Wei."

Perhaps because he was used to being a commander in the central army, Guanqiu Jian intentionally changed his appearance this year, growing a long beard instead of a short one.

Guanqiu Jian stroked his beard unconsciously and asked, "Isn't Xiahou Junlin in Jiangxia? I remember Liu Shumi said that there were 15,000 soldiers in Jiangxia who had not yet moved. Xiangyang was besieged, and it should have been General Xu's turn to dispatch them. Why didn't they come here to help?"

"General Wen." Xu Shu raised his chin slightly towards Wen Dai.

Wen Dai understood and immediately explained: "General Guanqiu, Jiangxia is surrounded by enemies on three sides, and we have previously transferred 10,000 of our most elite foreign troops to Fancheng for rescue. The remaining 15,000 troops are already a little insufficient, and we must not move lightly."

"That's why Lord Xu didn't ask General Xiahou to come to his aid."

Wendai bowed slightly and explained things, hoping to leave a good impression on Guanqiu Jian, or to exchange a few pleasantries when Guanqiu Jian asked about his father.

Unexpectedly, Guanqiu Jian just nodded slightly, still focusing on asking about military information, and Wendai's careful response seemed to have no effect. Indeed, with Guanqiu Jian's position and favor, he did not need to make friends with such an ordinary general.

Since the emperor sent him here, he only had to fight and didn't need to think or worry about anything else.

Wendai could only smile silently a few times on the side.

Guanqiu Jian asked again: "What about Xiangyang? Is the situation there still urgent?"

Xu Shu smiled and said, "Xiangyang has enough people to defend it. In my opinion, the Wu army cannot capture Xiangyang for the time being, but it should be fine to defend it for another two months."

"Oh?" Guanqiu Jian raised his eyebrows and asked, "Did he send a messenger?"

Xu Shu explained: "That's not the case, but Xiangyang on the south bank and Fancheng on the north bank have sent out smoke signals every day to indicate that there is no danger."

Guanqiu Jian asked, "Is it really true that we are not allowed to communicate?"

Xu Shu nodded, "That's true. Zhong Gong, you don't know that Sun Quan has also stationed thousands of troops west of Duck Lake to the west of Xiangyang. It's not easy for the messenger to sneak across the upper reaches and then reach Xiangyang."

"In addition, as October approaches, the water volume of the Han River decreases, and the Wu army's warships can anchor in the middle of the Han River. Dozens of ships are blocking the waterway between Xiang and Fan, making it impossible to pass."

Upon hearing this, Guanqiu Jian sighed and said, "How powerful is the Wu army's navy? Could it be that the Han River will never be crossed?"

Xu Shu didn't keep the secret, he laughed a few times and pointed to a place upstream of the Han River in the map:
"Zhonggong, look here." Xu Shu pointed his finger from Xiangyang along the Han River all the way up the Han River. "From Xiangyang to Shandu, there are many ships of the Wu army coming and going. From Shandu to Zhuyang, the number of Wu ships gradually decreases. If we want to lead the army to cross the Han River safely, we must cross the river upstream to the areas of Ying County and Yin County."

"Sun Quan seemed to have transferred some soldiers and ships from here to the south a few days ago, but the navy cannot reach the vicinity of Ling County."

Guanqiu Jian squinted his eyes and looked at these places carefully, then asked in a deep voice: "If we go from Fancheng to Ling County, how far do we have to march one way?"

Xu Shu answered without hesitation: "Two hundred and forty miles. Can Zhong Gong do this?"

After hearing what Xu Shu asked, Guanqiu Jian straightened his collar, raised his head slightly, and looked at him with a hint of contempt. He answered decisively, "Your Majesty sent me here from afar for this matter. How can I not do it?"

Xu Shu was overjoyed: "I was just trying to borrow Zhong Gong's heroic spirit!"

"If that's the case, when will Zhong Gong be able to leave?"

Guanqiu Jian pondered for a moment, roughly calculated the military strength and logistics in his mind, and then answered loudly:

"It takes me four days to lead my troops across the Han River from Fancheng to Lingxian, a distance of 240 miles. But after crossing the river, I only need three days to reach Xiangyang."

"General Xu, but our troops have traveled for six days to get here. In order to maintain our combat effectiveness, we need to rest for two more days before we can lead this battle." "No problem!" Xu Shu immediately responded, "Not to mention two days, three days or five days will do. If we send infantry to do this, regardless of whether they can do it or not, Fancheng will not have enough troops, so it cannot be done without cavalry."

"When Zhonggong arrives in Xiangyang, I will raise troops in Jiangbei to feint to attack Yukou, and try to attract the Wu army. Zhonggong can then join forces with the Xiangyang troops."

Guanqiu Jian asked, "How should we report the news?"

Xu Shu smiled and said, "This is easy. Just make a signal. Come, Zhong Gong, go to my place and rest for a while. There will be a banquet waiting for you in the evening. Once Zhong Gong comes here, my worries will be gone!"

Xu Shu looked sincere and Guanqiu Jian listened attentively.

Guanqiu Jian smiled and said, "It's okay. Since I'm here, please don't worry, General Xu."

Everyone in the hall laughed.

Guanqiu Jian himself came to Fancheng to offer assistance, and his mentality was somewhat complicated.

Over the years, thanks to his good personal relationship with the emperor, Guanqiu Jian never had to worry about his official position or the degree of his importance.

A thirty-year-old general is rare in the world, but it is understandable. After all, he is a follower of the Yuancong who has been with him since he was in the palace!
In the past, Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng, inherited the throne and first entered Chang'an to ascend the throne from the throne of King Dai. On the same day, he appointed his confidant Song Chang as the General of the Guard and Zhang Wu as the Minister of the Palace to guard the imperial palace and Chang'an.

It was easy to have an official career, and others could only envy and flatter him. However, in the Luoyang court, there were still people who would say strange things about Guanqiu Jian from time to time. When the person concerned heard this, he would often feel secretly resentful and hold back a desire to prove himself.

Now is the time to put our strength to use!

……

The river flows eastward into the sea, and the speed of going downstream is one of the fastest modes of transportation for the army in this era.

Someone in later generations mentioned in an article that one could set out from Baidi in the morning and arrive in Jiangling in the evening, a distance of 1,200 miles by water, and the journey could be completed in just one day.

Quan Cong's fleet traveled 600 miles in one day and one night. The 2,400-mile waterway from Xiangyang to Ruxu took four days for 8,000 soldiers, ten tower ships and ten warships to arrive.

When the Wu army near Ruxu heard the news, everyone from the generals to the soldiers were excited.

This is also inevitable.

In this era, the slow speed of communication led to time differences everywhere. It took Cao Rui two to three days to hear the battle report of Fancheng in Xuchang. It took Sun Quan nearly ten days to learn about the Ruxu incident.

If Cao Rui wanted to send an envoy to ask something to Liaodong Wang Chang in Xuchang, it would take nearly two months to go back and forth. Isn't this another kind of fog of war?

Quan Cong's arrival represented that an important general of Wu State was able to take charge of military affairs, represented that the King of Wu had made a judgment on the Battle of Ruxu, and represented the arrival of a new force of 8,000 people and 20 warships.

In Ruxu Zhongzhou, Quan Cong met Lu Dai, the governor of Yangzhou who came from Wuhu, as well as the three generals Zhang Cheng, Taishi Xiang and Zhu Cai, and the sick Ruxu governor Luo Tong himself.

A group of generals entered the military tent. The main seat was in the tent. Everyone pushed Lu Dai to sit at the top, but Lu Dai rejected the suggestion.

The seventy-year-old Lu Dai stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty has sent General Quan all the way here from Xiangyang, so it is General Quan who should take charge of the overall situation!"

After saying this, Lu Dai placed one hand on Quan Cong and pointed forward with the other hand: "General Quan, please take a seat!"

Quan Cong calmed himself down, but did not agree immediately.

Quan Cong had known Lü Dai for many years. When he met Lü Dai before, he always called him by his courtesy name, "Zi Huang". Today, he only called him General Quan, which must have been a painstaking effort.

Quan Cong tried to humbly decline, but unexpectedly, Lu Dai's attitude became even more resolute. After taking two steps back, he turned around and looked at the generals and said loudly:

"Everyone, the Supreme Lord appoints General Quan as the Left Grand Commander, commanding the Ruxu battle. Please join me in paying respect to General Quan to show respect to the Supreme Lord and the Great Wu!"

After saying this, Lu Dai immediately bowed to Quan Cong. Seeing Quan Cong act in this way, the generals behind him also bowed to greet him.

Quan Cong smiled bitterly. The current situation made it impossible for him to refuse. After supporting Lu Dai, Quan Cong straightened his back, turned around, and walked to the top like a dragon and a tiger, then sat down calmly.

"Everyone." Quan Cong looked around and said loudly, "The Supreme Lord sent me here from Xiangyang to defeat the enemy in Ruxu and protect the territory of our Great Wu."

"General Zhu has been in Ruxu for a long time. Please explain to me the ins and outs of the Wei army's current military campaign." (End of this chapter)