Late Han Zhao Tang

Cao Cao set out from Chaisang, leading 60,000 elite troops westward. Zhang Liao's troops were stationed at Xiakou, while Cao Cao's troops were stationed along the Snake Mountain line on the south bank.

The boats were encamped along the riverbank for more than ten miles, facing the Tang army diagonally. Their main camp was set up on Snake Hill, a high point, to overlook the Tang army's naval camp at Xiakou on the north bank.

On Snake Mountain, Cao Cao stood against the wind, wearing a cloak, quietly watching the movements of the Tang army on the opposite bank.

"Prime Minister, scouts have crossed the river to investigate and found that the Tang rebels have as many as 80,000 troops and more than 5,000 ships." Lu Su reported: "Many of the rebel generals are former subordinates of Yuan Shu, such as Han Hao, Wang Wei, and Han Xi, who are familiar with naval warfare. The general in charge is Zhang Liao, and Jia Xu is his assistant as the commander-in-chief."

"Zhang Liao, Jia Xu!"

Cao Cao read it aloud and commented: "Zhang Liao is a famous general of China, a man of both wisdom and courage, and is highly regarded by Zhang Yu. Jia Xu is known as a man of national talent, with unparalleled wisdom and strategy. The two of them leading a large army to conquer the south are truly a great enemy of our army."

Then Cao Cao asked, "We just sent our navy to challenge you to battle. Have any Tang soldiers come out of their camp to fight?"

"The enemy has closed their camp and is not coming out!" Lu Su said.

The naive Cao Pi mocked, "Although Zhang Liao and Jia Xu are outstanding talents of China, they are probably cowardly and afraid of war when they go to war on the river. They dare not act rashly."

Lu Su frowned slightly and said, "The enemy is advancing from all directions, intending to annihilate the southeast. Hence, there were the incidents of Guo Huai and Gao Shun attacking Yidao, and Wen Ping and Huang Zhong blocking Jiangling. Now Zhang Liao has suspended his troops on the north bank, closing the gates and refusing to fight. I fear his intentions are far-reaching. If he waits for the troops upstream to sweep through southern Chu and the main army to arrive at Xiakou, then he may engage in a decisive battle with our army."

Unlike Cao Pi, who was unaware of the situation, Lu Su understood the deeper meaning behind the Tang army's decision to remain inactive.

After all, given Cao Cao's smaller forces, the Tang army wasn't in a hurry to attack, so it was Cao Cao who was anxious. If he waited until the remaining troops broke through the defenses and the city was gradually eroded, even if Cao Cao had the abilities of Han Xin, he wouldn't be able to reverse the tide.

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What strategies do you have, Zijing?"

"Liu Ziyang's plan to feign surrender is excellent. If we can get one of his generals to surrender with his troops, we might be able to lure Zhang Liao into leading his army into battle," Lu Su said.

Cao Cao shook his head slightly and said, "The key is how to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop after the feigned surrender is used."

"During the westward journey, Su spoke with Gongjin and was deeply impressed by his profound knowledge of naval tactics and his extraordinary talent and insights. Prime Minister, why don't you invite him to consult with us and see if he has any strategies to defeat the enemy?" Lu Su suggested.

Where is Gongjin now?

"The navy is being trained in the village!" Lu Su said.

"Summon Gongjin and Ziyang to the main tent to discuss military strategy!"

"promise!"

Shortly after, summoned by Cao Cao, Zhou Yu and Liu Ye arrived at the Snake Mountain camp.

"Greetings, Prime Minister!"

"No gift!"

Cao Cao gestured for the two men to sit down and said, "The Tang bandits are keeping their gates closed and refusing to fight, while our army is eager to defeat them. Last time, we discussed a plan to feign surrender. I wonder if you have any detailed strategies to teach me how to defeat them?"

Liu Ye hesitated for a moment, then said, "I have a risky plan. If the Prime Minister sends a general to feign surrender, it can be said that the Tang army is facing off across the river, and the outcome is uncertain. Therefore, we ask him to withdraw his troops slightly, and then the two armies can decide the victor. At that time, the Tang army will surely be thinking of attacking them while they are crossing the river. So we can wait for them to withdraw their troops, and then have the surrendered soldiers take the opportunity to cause chaos, while our elite troops launch a fierce attack on the battle formation. We will surely be able to defeat the enemy!"

"Jia Xu is cunning and treacherous; how could he fall for such a scheme?" Cao Cao wondered.

Liu Ye didn't know how to answer, so he could only frown and ponder.

"Gongjin?"

Zhou Yu pondered for a long time before saying, "Prime Minister, the strength of a naval force in battle lies in its large number of ships and the ferocity of its soldiers. However, judging from the Tang army, they have built many ships and their soldiers are from the water towns of Jingchu, familiar with river warfare. Therefore, it will be difficult to defeat them by relying on mere combat!"

"According to naval tactics, to defeat a large enemy with a small force, one must use fire ships to burn their own ships. To implement the fire ship strategy, small boats could be used to ambush and set ablaze during the battle. However, the river flows upstream, making it difficult for small boats to navigate, and the enemy has small boats for protection, so this is not feasible for the time being!"

Zhou Yu said, "If you want to use the fire ships strategy, I have a plan. We can set up a water camp like the Tang army and welcome the fire ships into the camp. At that time, the Tang army's ships will be stationary, making it easy to burn them!"

In naval warfare, the fire ship strategy is one of the few tactics that can achieve victory with fewer troops. For example, in the Battle of Red Cliffs, Huang Gai used fire ships to burn Cao Cao's navy; in the Battle of Poyang Lake, Zhu Yuanzhang used small boats to burn Chen Youliang's large ships.

Although the above battles were won by fire attack, it does not mean that the fire ship strategy can be used in ordinary battles.

Leaving aside the Battle of Red Cliffs, Huang Gai led fire ships into the main camp and burned the boats moored on the shore. Although the Battle of Poyang Lake involved small boats being set on fire during the fighting, the scene took place on Poyang Lake itself.

Lake warfare is completely different from river warfare. In river warfare, the navy relies on its troops and the larger and more numerous ships often win.

While lake warfare is relatively easy due to the calm surface of the lake, unlike the turbulent waters of rivers, it also presents challenges. Without the influence of currents, large ships and warships are less maneuverable and far less mobile than smaller vessels.

In the Battle of Poyang Lake, Zhu Yuanzhang exploited the difference in maneuverability between large and small ships, using smaller boats to carry incendiary materials to burn Chen Youliang's larger vessels. Therefore, strictly speaking, burning ships requires a difference in maneuverability between the two armies' ships to achieve the desired effect.

Seeing that Cao Cao's attention was focused on the fire attack, Zhou Yu changed the subject and said, "Now we will send someone to feign surrender, and take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to have them sail into the enemy's naval camp. Then we will set the enemy ships on fire. When the enemy ships are engulfed in flames, the fire will spread to the main camp on the riverbank. At that time, the Prime Minister will be able to take advantage of the situation to cross the river and launch a surprise attack, thus defeating the Tang invaders!"

"color!"

Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "With the enemy army pressing in, they must think there are many fears in the army. Now that a surrendered soldier has come to join us, how could Zhang Liao doubt him? If the fire ships can enter the water camp, the enemy ships will be reduced to ashes!" "Although Protector Zhou's plan to burn the enemy is ingenious, the prevailing wind is from the northwest. If we use fire to attack the Tang invaders, it may backfire and harm our army!" Liu Ye said worriedly.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao, whose face had just lit up with joy, instantly froze. Although fire attack could defeat a large enemy with a small force, as Liu Ye had said, the wind was currently blowing from the northwest.

Zhou Yu said calmly, "Prime Minister, you may not know this, but although northwest winds prevail in winter, there are occasional southeast winds in the Jiangxia area at night. The Tang army is unaware of the water conditions and wind direction, and their use of fire ships to defeat the enemy may confuse the Tang soldiers."

Cao Cao's expression improved slightly, and he asked, "Gongjin, how do you know about the southeast night wind?"

Zhou Yu smiled and said, "I have been serving in Jingzhou for a long time. When I was exploring the geography and water conditions, I happened to hear others talking about it. Now that we are setting up camp here, I will ask the local fishermen to verify the truth of the matter."

"According to your words, the key to victory or defeat lies in choosing a general to feign surrender?" Cao Cao asked, frowning.

"Hmm~"

While Cao Cao was troubled by Zhang Liao's defensive stance and refusal to engage in battle, many generals and officers of the Tang army sought to fight Zhang Liao.

Inside the main tent, Wang Wei was anxious and said, "Commander, the enemy's troops are fewer than ours. They have just arrived at the south bank and their position is unstable. If our army can defeat them, we will achieve great merit."

"Yes!"

Han Xi cupped his hands and said, "The Southerners have only 60,000 troops, while our army has a slight advantage. If we can defeat them in a naval battle, we can sail downstream, sweep through the southeastern prefectures, and achieve unparalleled feats!"

The generals had long yearned to achieve great deeds and were extremely eager to fight. They hoped that Zhang Liao would lead them to take the initiative in order to defeat Cao Cao's army and achieve the feat of destroying the country.

Zhang Liao was somewhat tempted, but due to Zhang Yu's repeated orders before the expedition, he could not express his opinion clearly.

"cough!"

Jia Xu coughed and said, "Holding the main camp is not the commander's intention, but His Majesty's grand strategy for the southern expedition. His Majesty said that Cao Cao has military strategy and wisdom far surpassing ordinary people. Now he is advancing on multiple routes, intending to destroy the south. Therefore, Cao Cao will be eager to use troops, first to defeat one route of troops, then to relieve the crisis in one province, and then to retreat the southern expeditionary forces."

As he spoke, Jia Xu looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Therefore, our army should be stationed at Xiakou to contain Cao Cao's army. Once Gao Shun breaks through Yidao and Wen Ping attacks Cao Ren again, we will be able to sweep across the southern Chu prefectures. At that time, everything west of Xiakou will belong to our country. When we gather our troops, Cao Cao's army will surely be defeated!"

Wang Wei hesitated for a moment, then said, "Our army has a slight advantage in numbers over Cao Cao's army, and our naval fleet is fully prepared. Why be so cautious?"

As for Zhang Yu, he hoped to eliminate Cao Cao in a safe and secure manner. However, the frontline generals did not want to join forces with others to defeat Cao Cao, lest the credit be divided.

Zhang Liao felt frustrated by the battle, but he couldn't vent his anger on Jia Xu, so he slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "His Majesty's decree must be obeyed! All generals are to remain in their camps and are not allowed to send troops out without authorization. Anyone who violates this order will be dealt with according to military law!"

"promise!"

The generals looked at each other, then bowed and accepted the order.

After the generals left the tent, Jia Xu noticed Zhang Liao's frustration and asked with a smile, "Commander, do you find this battle unsatisfying?"

Zhang Liao, without any reservations, bluntly stated: "His Majesty ordered me to lead a large army on a southern expedition, yet now he distrusts my military strategy and issues an edict to restrain me. Seeing Li Song and Xu Huang driving their troops straight in, how can I be happy?"

Jia Xu laughed and said, "Since Your Majesty has appointed a commander-in-chief to lead the troops, how could you not trust him? The commander-in-chief is in charge of the land and naval forces of Yi, Jing, and Yu provinces. Given the current situation, Gao Shun and Wen Ping are under the command of the commander-in-chief."

"As the commander-in-chief, he is ordered to pacify the southeast for His Majesty. How can he be concerned with a momentary impulse and disregard the lives of more than 100,000 soldiers and officers on the southern expedition, abandoning His Majesty's hope for unification?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao's expression shifted slightly. Feeling ashamed, he said, "My vision is shallow. Thank you, sir, for enlightening me!"

"Don't dare!"

Jia Xu chuckled and said, “In matters of battle, I am no match for the commander-in-chief. But in matters of military strategy, I have some insights. Your Majesty has ordered me to go south to assist the commander-in-chief in achieving merit and unifying the southeast for the country. However, given the current situation, the commander-in-chief commands a large army and it is not advisable to launch a hasty attack.”

"Therefore, we might as well take Yidao first, then defeat Cao Ren, and subdue the counties of Jingnan. As for the matter of defeating Cao Cao, we can discuss it after we have joined forces with the Yizhou navy," Jia Xu said with a smile.

"good!"

Zhang Liao nodded slightly and said, "Now we will follow your advice, sir. Our army will close its camp and not fight. We will order Gao Shun to capture Yidao as soon as possible."

"The commander-in-chief is wise!"

As soon as Jia Xu finished speaking, Hao Zhao rushed into the tent and said happily, "Commander, the patrolmen have captured a soldier disguised as Cao Cao. He said he came to surrender on the orders of his own general and hopes to see the commander."

"Who is coming to surrender?" Zhang Liao asked with delight.

"I don't know!"

Hao Zhao said, "Cao's soldiers are all talk and no action; they won't report to their families until they see their commander. Shall we take them in for questioning first, or bring them to the central tent?"

Zhang Liao glanced at Jia Xu, who seemed to be deep in thought, and said, "Bring him here first, and allow me and the Protector General to question him and see what his intentions are!"

"Yes, sir!" (End of Chapter)