Late Han Zhao Tang

In Xiakou, the moon hangs high in the sky, and the night is dark with few stars.

"Is the Prime Minister asleep yet?"

Liu Ye looked flustered and hurried to the outside of the tent to ask.

Dian Wei said, "The Prime Minister has already gone to sleep. If it is not urgent, we can report it tomorrow!"

Liu Ye lowered his voice and said urgently, "The military report from Xun Lingjun of Jinling has arrived, saying that the Tang army has reached Jiangdong and is now heading straight for Jinling."

Dian Wei's expression suddenly changed, realizing the urgency of the matter, and he said, "Please wait a moment, Chief Minister Liu, while I report to the Prime Minister."

"Thank you for your trouble, General Dian!"

Dian Wei turned and entered the main tent, and soon after, Cao Cao's exclamation was heard.

"Where is Ziyang?" Cao Cao called out.

"I am here!"

Liu Ye lifted the curtain and strode in.

Inside the tent, a dim oil lamp was lit, and Cao Cao, wearing an outer robe, sat on the couch with a grim expression.

"Prime Minister!"

"What is the situation in Jiangdong?" Cao Cao asked.

Liu Ye handed over the military report and said, "The situation is probably not optimistic. Commander Xun sent two military reports in succession, only two days apart. Due to the heavy rain the day before yesterday and the rising river, it was difficult for boats to travel upstream, so the reports were sent by fast horse. This delayed the journey and they were only delivered tonight."

The distance between Xiakou and Jiangling is more than 2,000 li by land and water. When the river is high, it is very difficult to travel upstream by boat. Sometimes only 30 or 40 li can be traveled in a day. Therefore, in order to save time and deliver the letter, Xun Yu changed to using both land and water in his second letter.

"The first military report states that the Tang army sailed across the sea to Wu County, swept through Wu County, Piling, and Wujin, and its troops are heading straight for Dantu. Xun Yu suggested that Wen Ji be sent south first, with the young general leading 20,000 troops as reinforcements."

As he spoke, Liu Ye cautiously added, "The next military report stated that Xun Yu said Wen Ji's army was defeated and surrendered to the rebels. Fortunately, the young general's 20,000 troops have already been mobilized and will fight the Tang invaders for control of the river."

Compared to Cao Ren's anger over the defeat and loss of Yidao, Cao Cao's calmness at this moment is frightening.

"The Tang army's audacity in crossing the Yangtze River by sea is extraordinary; I could not have foreseen this!" Cao Cao sighed. "If I had known that the Tang army would dare to come by sea, I would have deployed my naval troops to ambush them at the river mouth."

The strategy of smuggling across the sea to Jiangdong was only used by the Mongol Yuan dynasty when it destroyed the Song dynasty. The Jin and Sui dynasties relied on the naval forces of Yizhou upstream to conquer the southeast.

Cao Cao's military strategy was extraordinary, and he never expected that Zhang Yu, whose naval strength was inferior to that of Jiangdong, would employ such tactics. Therefore, it can be seen that the boldness of Pang Tong's strategy was rare even in the history of warfare.

After a pause, Cao Cao said with concern, "Zhang Yu is determined to destroy our southeast, so the troops he sends across the sea must be elite. It is only under such elite troops and fierce generals that Wen Ji was defeated and surrendered. Zixiu is still young and does not know the dangers of war. I fear he is no match for the Tang people."

Cao Cao originally intended to place Cao Ang in charge of military affairs in Jinling to prevent any rebellions. However, as the war progressed, he unexpectedly had to send Cao Ang to lead the army into battle.

Liu Ye hesitated for a moment, then said, "The Tang army sailed across the sea to Jiangdong, less than a hundred li from Jinling. The situation is now critical. I wonder what the Prime Minister's plans are, whether to send troops back to reinforce them?"

Cao Cao placed the letter on the table and said, "If our army retreats far away, Jingzhou will surely be lost. If Jingzhou is lost, Jiangdong will be in imminent danger."

“But if we don’t send reinforcements now, the Tang army will be rampaging through Jiangdong, and the capital region will be in grave danger. What should we do then?” Liu Ye asked rhetorically.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao frowned, his expression filled with hesitation.

Based on his estimation that the Tang army could defeat Wen Ji, Cao Ang would likely find it difficult to turn the tide of the battle and defeat the Tang army crossing the sea. Therefore, if he did not return to Jiangdong, Jiangdong would very likely fall, so he had no choice but to return.

But if he returns to Jiangdong, there will be no troops left to defend Jingzhou, and he will be left to watch helplessly as the Tang army sweeps through Jingzhou. Once Jingzhou falls, the fall of Jiangdong will only be a matter of time.

Therefore, for Cao Cao, the current situation may simply be a matter of dying sooner or later. Returning to Jiangdong might delay his death, but not returning would mean he wouldn't last long.

"What are your thoughts, Ziyang?" Cao Cao asked hesitantly.

Liu Ye shook his head and said bitterly, "The current situation is too critical for me to handle. Why doesn't the Prime Minister summon General Zhou for advice?" "Summon Gongjin and Zijing here. Make sure to keep the news secret and don't let the soldiers in the camp know," Cao Cao said.

"promise!"

As it was getting late, Zhou Yu and Lu Su had already gone to sleep, but urged by Cao Cao's attendants, they quickly tidied up and hurried to the main tent while gathering information along the way.

"Greetings, Prime Minister!"

Looking at Zhou and Lu, Cao Cao hurriedly stepped forward and helped them up, saying, "I've been bothering you two late at night!"

"I dare not, it is all for the sake of the country!"

Zhou Yu asked, "I wonder what brings you two servants here, Prime Minister? What do you wish to ask?"

Cao Cao gestured for the two men to sit down and said, "Do you two know anything about the military situation in Jiangdong?"

"I heard about it on the way!" Lu Su said, "The Tang people sailed across the sea to Jiangdong and defeated Wen Ji at Dantu. They are now less than a hundred miles from Jiangling."

"Of course!"

Cao Cao spoke frankly, saying, "Zixiu has little experience in commanding troops. Now Zhang Yu is leading elite troops across the sea. I fear that Zixiu is no match for the Tang invaders. If Jinling is lost, the morale of the army will inevitably waver. At that time, our army will be like Yuan Shao's, collapsing without a fight!"

During the ancient war between Zhang Fei and Yuan Shao, Cao Cao learned that Zhang Yu had seized Xindu, causing Yuan Shao's army to collapse on its own. Cao Cao had mocked Yuan Shao to his subordinates for this. Now that it was his turn, Cao Cao finally understood what it meant to be caught in a dilemma.

Zhou Yu frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "In my opinion, the Prime Minister might be able to leave one general to guard Xiakou, while he himself leads a force back to reinforce Jiangdong. Once Jiangdong is stable, the Prime Minister can then return to reinforce Xiakou."

"Our army has only 60,000 troops. How should we divide our forces now?"

Lu Su said, "Leaving too few troops might lead to defeat by the Tang invaders, while leaving too many might be useless if we return to reinforce Jiangdong. Moreover, the Tang army knows that our troops have retreated, and they might blockade the troops left behind across the river. Furthermore, Cao Ren is besieged in Gong'an; if he returns to reinforce Jiangdong now, how can he possibly rescue Gong'an?"

Zhou Yu, full of fighting spirit, cupped his hands and said, "Although the enemy is numerous, their naval forces are few. Therefore, if the Prime Minister trusts me, I am willing to lead 30,000 elite troops to defend Xiakou for the Prime Minister. In return, the Prime Minister will lead 30,000 troops back to reinforce and sweep away the Tang invaders who are heading south."

Cao Cao stroked his beard in deep thought and asked, "Gongjin, how many days can you hold out?"

Zhou Yu remained silent for a moment before replying, "If Cao Ren can hold Gong'an for a few days, I can hold Xiakou for a few days. If Gong'an falls, the Tang army will sweep through the counties of Jingnan. It will be of no use for me to hold Xiakou. I would rather return to Chaisang and join the Prime Minister in resisting the Tang invaders."

The circumstances have changed drastically. Historically, Zhou Yu confidently boasted that he could defeat Cao Cao with 30,000 troops. However, the Tang army is now advancing steadily and cautiously, and its navy has been training for years. This makes Zhou Yu dare not make such a bold claim about defeating the Tang, and he cannot even guarantee how long he can hold out.

“In that case, why not let Zixiao break through the encirclement and retreat with Gongjin to Chaisang?” Cao Cao was reluctant to sacrifice Cao Ren and said, “The counties of Jingzhou are vast, and it is currently the rainy season. It will not be easy for the Tang army to subdue these counties. I can take this opportunity to return and defeat the Tang bandits in Jiangdong.”

Zhou Yu frowned but did not refute him. After all, Cao Ren was not only a general of the state but also a close friend of Cao Cao.

"If we follow the Prime Minister's plan, we should abandon Jingzhou to save Jiangdong, while I remain stationed in Chaisang to temporarily block the Tang army from advancing down the river," Zhou Yu countered.

"This is my opinion. I wonder what you gentlemen think?" Cao Cao looked at the three men and asked.

“Jiangdong is more important than Jingzhou, so we can proceed now!” Liu Ye said.

Lu Su hesitated for a long time before saying, "It's five or six hundred li from Xiakou to Chaisang, and it's inconvenient to set up camp along the way. If we lure the Tang bandits to Chaisang for a decisive battle, we might be able to seize the opportunity to win."

Zhou Yu bowed and said, “If Jingzhou is lost, Jiangdong cannot survive for long. And if the bandits in Jiangdong are not eliminated, our army will perish soon. Since the Prime Minister has made a decision, we may carry it out. However, the key to defending Chaisang lies in the Tang army being blocked on the north bank of the Yangtze River. If the Tang army in Huainan can drink from the river, then Chaisang will be difficult to defend!”

"Ok!"

Cao Cao nodded and said, "If we return to Jiangdong in this campaign, I will surely crush the Tang bandits in Jiangdong and secure the defenses of Huainan in the north. If I retreat to the southeast, I will ask Gongjin to garrison Xiakou and assist Cao Ren in the retreat. We will then garrison at Chaisang and jointly command the army with Cao Ren."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Zhou Yu replied in a deep voice.

Although Cao Cao was reluctant to hand over military power to Zhou Yu, he had no choice but to trust him in this critical situation. After all, Cao Ren was besieged at Gong'an, and he needed to return to Jiangdong to provide reinforcements; he couldn't very well let Cao Hong command the troops now.

Of course, Cao Cao entrusting 30,000 troops to Zhou Yu didn't mean he couldn't prevent Zhou Yu from leading a rebellion. Now, he planned to promote Cao Hong to assist Zhou Yu in commanding the troops. (End of Chapter)