Late Han Zhao Tang

Although the 50-day drought in Hebei reduced the yield of millet and wheat, the price of grain, which had been soaring, quickly fell back under the management of Zhong Yao and the equalization of transportation by Zhuge Liang, and prices remained within a relatively stable range.

In Yangzhou and Jingzhou, under Cao Cao's rule, grain prices have remained high due to years of warfare. Recently, in particular, prices have soared, with a single grain costing over a hundred coins in the market due to preparations for war. Fortunately, the warmer climate in the Jiangnan region has led to earlier rice harvests in paddy fields. A bountiful harvest from these fields might help stabilize prices.

However, news of the grain price fluctuations quickly reached Zhang Liao in Jiangbei through spies.

Inside the main tent, General Zhang Liao handed the news to Jia Xu and asked, "Mr. Wenhe, Cao Cao should have already noticed our army's movements. He is collecting grain extensively in the southeast, and the price of grain has now risen to one or two hundred coins. In areas with poor soil, the price of grain has even soared to three or four hundred coins."

Jia Xu perused the letter and pondered, saying, "Cao Cao has been waging war year after year, forcibly conscripting soldiers, which has caused widespread resentment among the people. Although the troops have not yet arrived in full force, I believe that the commander-in-chief may be able to launch the attack first."

"What do you mean, sir?" Zhang Liao asked, puzzled.

Jia Xu did not rush to answer, but looked at Wen Ping and asked, "What is the farming season like in Jiangbei and Jiangnan?"

Wen Ping cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to the military advisor, the climate north of the Yangtze River is cold, while the soil south of the Yangtze River is hot. Therefore, the farming season in the north of the Yangtze River is later than that in the south."

"good!"

Jia Xu smiled and said, "Our army's southern expedition is scheduled for October. At that time, the soil and water in Jiangnan will be hot, and the rice will surely have been harvested by then. In order to weaken the power of the southeastern states, our army may be able to take advantage of their harvest time to slightly recruit soldiers and horses, and make it known that we will cross the river to launch a surprise attack. The enemy will definitely station troops to defend themselves, thus disrupting their farming season. Once they have gathered their troops, we will disarm them and repeat this process three times. The enemy will then take it for granted and focus on harvesting grain."

"When the commander-in-chief gathered his troops to cross the river, taking advantage of the enemy's hesitation and unpreparedness, our army landed and attacked, burning their houses and burning their grain. Moreover, the Jiangnan region is humid and hot, and the granaries are not cellars, but are made of bamboo and thatch, with everything piled up inside. We secretly sent strong men to set fire to the granaries while the wind was blowing. After they repaired the granaries, we burned them again, cutting off the rice supply in Jiangnan."

"In September, our Jiangbei region had a bountiful harvest, with plenty of grain. We launched an attack in October and confronted them. Within a few months, the people were exhausted, and the enemy lost their will to fight. The people of the south were poor, and their hearts were turned away. They surrendered as soon as we lured them in." Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled, very satisfied with his plan to cut off their food supply.

Zhang Liao and Hao Zhao exchanged a glance, their expressions showing surprise.

Hao Zhao said admiringly, "The strategist is full of wisdom and ideas. I have been stationed in Jingzhou for many years. If I had come up with the plan to burn grain earlier, the people of the south would have been suffering from military exhaustion and poverty long ago."

Jia Xu laughed and said, "If we burn our grain this year, they will surely be on guard next year, so we cannot do it again. We will launch a southern expedition in October, and it is currently July, just in time for a bumper harvest in Jiangnan. If we repeat this for two months, we will have a bumper harvest in Jiangbei in September, and then lead our troops out in October. The enemy will have no way to retaliate."

The reason Jia Xu's strategies were effective was that he often grasped the enemy's weakness. Currently, the southeast is suffering terribly under Cao Cao's heavy conscription. Especially with years of warfare, the people are plagued by hunger and poverty.

Although Jiangbei and Jiangnan are separated only by the Yangtze River, the soil and water conditions in the two regions are quite different. Jiangnan is hotter than Jiangbei, so the harvest comes earlier. If the Tang army can burn grain during the harvest season, causing a reduction in yield in Jiangnan, it will exacerbate the conflict and inevitably affect Cao Cao's rule and the development of subsequent battles.

"color!"

Zhang Liao nodded in satisfaction and said, "Sir, you are indeed highly regarded by His Majesty. You have only been in Jiangbei for a short time and have already offered a brilliant plan. If the plan to burn the grain can be successful, I will definitely report to His Majesty and request credit for you."

"Thank you, Commander!"

Hao Zhao said, "To attack Jiangnan and burn the granaries, only those who are well-versed in the geography of the South can accomplish this task. Therefore, the commander-in-chief should make good use of the people from Chu so that he can adapt to changing circumstances!"

Zhang Liao pondered for a moment and said, "I have heard that Huang Zhong is from Nanyang and has lived in the Jianghan region for a long time. He is brave and fierce in battle. Liu Feng is Liu Bei's adopted son and is well-versed in the old layout of Jiangnan. I will appoint Liu Feng as our guide and lieutenant general, and appoint Huang Zhong as general to cross the river and fight with him."

"promise!"

Jia Xu said, "I have heard that Gong'an was a city built by Liu Bei in the past, and taxes from the south were collected in Gong'an. Since Cao Cao seized Jingzhou, he has transferred money and grain from Jingzhou to aid Jiangdong. Gong'an has gradually lost its former glory and is now just a garrison town."

"Cao Cao, whose western border borders Yizhou and is connected to Jiangling, stationed troops in Lexiang to support Yidao in the east and hold Jiangling in the north. Now, there is a commander named Ling Cao in Lexiang. He is chivalrous and courageous and is highly valued by Cao Cao. Therefore, most of the military provisions of Wuling are stored in Lexiang and Gong'an."

"If the commander-in-chief intends to burn the grain, he might openly march from Gong'an, but secretly from Lexiang. First, burn the grain in Lexiang to lure Cao Ren's troops westward, then send troops to plunder and burn the grain in Changsha." "I will follow your plan, sir!"

Soon, in order to carry out Jia Xu's plan to burn grain, Zhang Liao ordered Yu Wenping to feign an attack on Gong'an while actually attacking Lexiang to see if they could gain any advantage. Meanwhile, generals Huang Zhong and Liu Feng led 5,000 elite troops south, entering the Yangtze River from Xiakou, pretending to plunder Shaxian.
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The Tang army's overwhelming force was already a cause for concern for Cao Ren. Now, upon learning that Wen Ping and Huang Zhong intended to cross the river, he recalled the Jingnan troops who had been resting and preparing for a sudden attack by the Tang army.

The cities on the south bank were on high alert, but after Cao Cao's troops were recalled, the Tang army ceased its operations. Wen Ping returned to Jiangling from the north bank of the river, and Huang Zhong stopped at Xiakou.

With no further movement from the Tang army, General Cao Ren dared not relax his vigilance and hoped that all tribes would remain armed and ready to await the Tang army. However, many of Cao's troops along the river objected, hoping to harvest the crops during the farming season to avoid missing the harvest.

Cao Ren was reluctant, but he knew the importance of a good rice harvest to the army, so he had no choice but to agree to let the soldiers and generals in the cities along the river farm.

After a few days' respite, the Tang army released news that they were preparing to cross the river and attack the city. Upon receiving this news, Cao Cao's troops dared not slacken their efforts and regrouped to prepare for battle. However, after regrouping, the Tang army made no further move.

At this crucial time for the rice harvest, seeing nothing amiss, Cao Cao's army, following Cao Ren's orders, began harvesting the rice in batches. Seeing Cao Cao's army still busy with farming, the Tang army released another message. Cao Cao's army was forced to abandon their farming and return to the city to prepare for battle.

With the farming season nearing its end, and now they were back in battle, many of Cao Cao's soldiers harbored resentment. After waiting two days without seeing the Tang army attack, and fearing that rain would spoil the rice, the soldiers returned to the fields.

After three rounds of back and forth, Cao Ren roughly understood the Tang army's tactics and knew that the Tang army would definitely launch its attack after the autumn harvest in Jiangbei. Therefore, he ordered all units to seize the time to harvest and transport the grain to the vicinity of the cities along the river.

During the rice harvest season in Jiangnan, the Tang army was making serious moves. Huang Zhong and Liu Feng each led a thousand elite troops to secretly cross the river to the south bank and plunder the cities of Shaxian and Xiakou.

Wen Ping, with even greater momentum, led 10,000 troops across the Yangtze River to Lexiang, intending to attack the city. Ling Cao, fearing that Wen Ping would seize the city, closed the gates and fortified his position, while also requesting reinforcements from Cao Ren in Baqiu.

Wen Ping outwardly attacked Lexiang, but in reality ordered Huo Du and Gao Xiang to send troops thirty li deep to attack Jimitai Pavilion.

Jimitai Pavilion was a crucial grain storage location, supplying provisions for the troops stationed at Yidao, Xiaoting, Jingmen, and other western outposts. After the autumn harvest, due to delays in transportation, the grain had to be temporarily stored in the pavilion in preparation for subsequent heavy troop escort.

Huo Du and his brother were from Zhijiang. On their way south with Gao Xiang, they happened to encounter a troop of Cao Cao's army returning to Jimitai. The three generals and their men disguised themselves and mingled with the Cao Cao's army to sneak into the residence. They then defeated the Cao Cao's army at the residence and seized more than 100,000 bushels of rice.

Fearing Cao Ren's reinforcements, the three generals burned over 100,000 bushels of grain overnight and then hurriedly returned to their camp. Wen Ping was overjoyed to learn that the Jimi Terrace residence had been burned down and led his troops to lift the siege overnight. On the way, they encountered Cao's reinforcements, repelled them, and captured several ships.

When Ling Cao saw that Mi Ge had been burned, he feared Cao Ren's punishment and led his troops to pursue Wen Ping, but was driven back by the Huo brothers, Huo Du and Huo Jun. Ling Cao returned to the city in resentment and submitted a memorial to Cao Ren to apologize.

When Wen Ping plundered Lexiang, Huang Zhong and Liu Feng each burned tens of thousands of bushels of rice and grain in their residences. During their retreat, they encountered Cao Cao's naval forces, but fortunately Huang Zu had already led his navy to provide support, allowing the two generals to escape unscathed.

The three generals looted and burned three residences on the south bank, the larger ones yielding over 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), and the smaller ones yielding 20,000 to 30,000 shi, totaling 200,000 shi, leaving Cao Cao's army with half of its stored grain.

Not only that, Zhang Liao subsequently divided his troops into twelve divisions, each consisting of a colonel, totaling approximately ten thousand men, and launched a large-scale looting campaign. They not only burned down Cao Cao's residences and pavilions, but also burned down farmland, plunging the area along the river into flames of war.

Upon seeing this, Cao Ren was furious and sent troops to patrol the Yangtze River, killing the Tang army crossing the river in order to prevent the Tang people from burning the grain.

The Jingzhou navy launched a joint operation, engaging in over forty battles in the two weeks between August and September, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats. The looting and burning only ceased in mid-September when farmers were busy with agricultural work north of the river.

The Tang army lost two to three thousand elite soldiers, while the Cao army looted fields along the river for more than a thousand miles. In addition to the two hundred thousand shi of grain that had been burned earlier, the subsequent conflicts resulted in the loss of at least one hundred thousand shi of grain, severely damaging agriculture on the south bank. The price of rice in some cities along the river soared to over a thousand wen.

Cao Ren was furious. He reported the losses to Cao Cao and took stock of them. Encouraged by his officers, he resolved to gather troops to retaliate against the Tang army.

P.S.: There will be another chapter tonight. (End of this chapter)