Late Han Zhao Tang

Summer, April.

Cao Cao killed the Tang envoy, refused to surrender, gathered grain and troops, and marched to Jinling. He also ordered Cao Zhen to abandon Hefei and flee. At this point, Cao Cao abandoned all the defenses around Huaibei, intending to rely on the natural defenses of Jinling to withstand the Tang army's siege.

Li Song captured Hefei, Shucheng, Linhu and other cities, while Xu Huang captured Liyang, Fuling and other counties. Because Cao Cao abandoned these cities, all the counties in Huainan fell to the Tang army. Xu Chu then took command of Xu Huang's army, crossed the Dantu River, and joined forces with Jia Qu. He then sent Meng Ning to capture Kuaiji Commandery, thus eliminating Cao Cao's support in Jiangdong.

Zhang Liao then surrendered the three commanderies of Yuzhang, Poyang, and Luling, and sent generals Pang De and Huang Zhong to take Danyang Commandery, with the same aim of eliminating Cao Cao's support.

On April 28th, after Zhang Liao, Li Song, and Xu Huang exchanged messengers, they agreed to meet at Ruxukou on the north bank of the Yangtze River. At that time, Zhang Liao arrived with a naval force of 30,000 and joined forces with Li Song and Xu Huang. The three generals then discussed how to attack and destroy Cao Cao.

Ruxukou, the Tang army camp.

Because Zhang Liao was personally appointed by Zhang Yu to eliminate Cao Cao's main general, Li Song and Xu Huang led their officers to the camp entrance to personally welcome Zhang Liao.

"Your humble servants Li Song and Xu Huang pay their respects to the General Who Conquers the South!"

"No gift!"

Zhang Liao helped everyone up one by one, and said with a smile, "I have heard a lot about your impressive performance in Huainan!"

Li Song welcomed Zhang Liao into the main tent and said humbly, "I am ashamed. I besieged Shouchun for half a year and failed to break through it. If I had not led the troops to Chaisang and defeated Cao Cao's army, I do not know when I would have been able to cross Chaohu Lake."

Zhang Liao took Li Song's arm and laughed loudly, "I have been stationed in Huainan for many years and know the dangers of Shouchun well. Since Xiahou Dun defended the city, the city walls have been reinforced every year, and two inner and middle cities have been built. There are three cities of different sizes, and the grain and fodder stored up are countless."

"If we had launched a direct assault, even with 100,000 casualties, it would have been difficult to capture the city. Bosong did not order his troops to attack directly, and the fact that he managed to break through the city with a heavy siege is already quite remarkable!"

It's common knowledge that Shouchun City is difficult to conquer. Zhang Yu's decision to send Zhang Liao to attack Jingzhou and order Li Song to attack Shouchun City was nothing more than playing the "Tian Ji's horse racing" strategy. After all, Zhang Liao was the sharpest blade in the Tang army; sending him to attack Shouchun City would be a waste of his talents.

Shouchun was renowned for its formidable defenses among the Tang army. Having undergone renovations by Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun, Shouchun not only possessed an inner city, but also a middle city built between the inner and outer cities. Furthermore, the outer city was fortified with a barbican, further increasing the city's height. These three interconnected cities formed the basis for Shouchun's strategic importance, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Therefore, in addition to the initial probing attack on Shouchun, Li Song adopted a siege strategy due to concerns about excessive casualties during the initial assault, attempting to corner Xiahou Dun.

After a siege of more than half a year, the city still had enough grain for several months. If it weren't for the unexpected turn of events in Jiangdong and the successful lure of Xiahou Dun, Li Song would likely still be trapped in Shouchun. However, given the difficulty of capturing Shouchun, Li Song's ability to take it earned Zhang Liao's admiration.

As he spoke, Zhang Liao did not forget Xu Huang. He grabbed Xu Huang's arm with his other hand and laughed, "I admire Gongming's brilliant plan to seize Jiangdong. If it weren't for your excellent strategy, how could we have forced Cao Cao to look east to Jiangdong, allowing me to easily defeat Zhou Yu and Cao Hong?"

Xu Huang joked, "I heard that Cao Cao sent women's clothing to the commander-in-chief, and the commander-in-chief was able to endure this humiliation. I admire him greatly!"

Zhang Liao waved his hand dismissively and said, "Cao Cao had no other options, so he resorted to provocation. How could I fall for Cao Cao's treacherous scheme!"

"What magnanimity!" Li Song praised.

Upon hearing Zhang Liao's boastful words, Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled. If it hadn't been for his persuasion, Zhang Liao would probably have already launched an attack out of resentment.

Of course, this was a secret between the two of them, so Jia Xu had no intention of telling outsiders.

After exchanging compliments, the three generals entered the main tent and took their seats according to their rank. Zhang Liao sat in the main seat, while Li Song and Xu Huang sat in the secondary seats.

After sitting down on the couch for a while, Zhang Liao looked around at everyone and said, "His Majesty has entrusted us with the great task of destroying Cao Cao. Now Cao Cao has retreated to Jinling, gathering troops and grain with the intention of holding out for a long time. I wonder what your opinions are?"

Li Song pondered for a moment, then said, "His Majesty's envoy has only recently arrived. Perhaps we should first find the envoy and convey his message to His Majesty, to see what his thoughts are?"

"good!"

"Where is the envoy Your Majesty sent?" Zhang Liao asked.

"Your servant is here!" Sima Yi stepped out from the crowd and bowed to Zhang Liao in greeting.

"What decree does His Majesty have?"

Sima Yi respectfully said, "Your Majesty is greatly pleased with the achievements of the generals in defeating the enemy. However, Cao Cao is now stubbornly resisting. It is hoped that after you all gather together, you can work together to defeat the enemy. At that time, the Grand General will be the commander-in-chief, and General Xu will be the deputy commander. The two generals will lead the troops to besiege Jinling. General Li will be the governor of Yangzhou, and he will persuade the counties of Yangzhou to surrender and allocate military supplies to support the army."

After a pause, Sima Yi continued, "His Majesty said before his departure that Cao Cao is holding Jinling firmly. If our army were to besiege it with heavy troops, the loss of supplies would be enormous. Therefore, it is not advisable to be greedy for more troops. Instead, we should select 100,000 elite soldiers to surround it. Secondly, many of the soldiers in the southern expeditionary force are from China and are unfamiliar with the customs of the southeast. They are afraid of the damp heat, insects, snakes, and miasma. Therefore, we can order the northerners to be stationed in other prefectures, or order their troops to withdraw and return home."

Li Song nodded slightly and said, “My troops are mostly elite Chinese soldiers. This month, due to the rainy weather, more and more people are falling ill. If Your Majesty’s decree is followed, most of your troops should be sent back to the country, while I will govern in Jiangbei and supply the two generals with provisions and supplies.”

The vast majority of Li Song's troops were from Hebei and Guanzhong, so the edict issued by Zhang Yu was mainly aimed at Li Song. Although Li Song was unwilling to relinquish his command of the campaign so soon, he knew that rather than competing with Generals Zhang and Xu for the chance to capture Jinling, it would be better for him to serve as governor, make contributions, restore production as soon as possible, replace county officials, and recommend talented and capable people to Yangzhou.

"it is good!"

Seeing Li Song speak so readily, Zhang Liao said, "My troops include those from Jing, Yi, and Yu provinces. Among them, the Jingzhou troops are well-versed in the customs of the south, and we can lead the Jingzhou infantry and cavalry to advance and garrison under the walls of Jinling. The Yizhou troops are skilled in water management and can provide support for other units. The Yuzhou troops can be stationed in the city and eliminate the villains."

Xu Huang cupped his hands and said, "The soldiers under my command are from the coastal areas of Qing and Xu. Since the southern expedition, there has been no case of them suffering from acclimatization problems. My troops can select elite soldiers to garrison Jinling."

"In that case!"

Zhang Liao pondered for a moment and said, "Bo Song is the governor of Yangzhou, and he can decide the number of troops under his command himself. I will leave 70,000 elite troops, and Gongming can select 30,000 elite troops. Together we will have 100,000 troops. What do you think?"

"I am ready to obey your orders, Commander!"

Xu Huang said, “Jinling has the natural defenses of mountains and rivers. Cao Cao has tens of thousands of troops under his command, while our army of 100,000 can advance from both the east and west. I am willing to lead the troops to first capture Zhongshan Fortress, then command the commander to capture Caishiji in the west, and finally gather at the foot of Jinling City.”

Zhang Liao looked at Jia Xu and asked, "May I ask, Protector General, what are your thoughts?"

Jia Xu said, "In the past, when Wu Han attacked Cheng Shu, Gongsun Shu fought like a cornered beast, defending Chengdu and refusing to surrender. His actions were the same as Cao Cao's. Therefore, if the commander-in-chief wants to break through Jinling, in my humble opinion, it is better to first besiege it without fighting, recruit and accept the defectors, and lure the soldiers and officials in the city to surrender."

"If the stalemate continues, and the city's food supplies run out, and the soldiers and officers become exhausted and resentful, then Cao Cao will have no choice but to fight. That will be the time for the commander to break through the enemy's defenses and capture the city. Alternatively, the commander could lure the enemy out to fight and seize the opportunity to inflict a great defeat on their troops. With the people in the city filled with fear and anxiety, taking Jinling will be much easier!"

"Nanjing is nestled among mountains and rivers; to launch a hasty, swarming attack to defeat the enemy is unwise!"

Cao Cao withdrew his defensive lines to Jinling, clearly intending to wear down the Tang army. Therefore, if the Tang army rushed to breach the city, the casualties would be inevitable. Too many casualties could even lower morale, ultimately leading to their defeat by Cao Cao's forces within the city. Thus, Jia Xu maintained his previous cautious approach to warfare.

Zhang Liao pondered for a moment and said, "What you say makes sense. Jinling is Cao Cao's base of operations. It is situated by mountains and rivers, making it inconvenient for troops to encamp. If we were to launch a siege, it is uncertain whether we could quickly capture Jinling, but the casualties would be numerous. Therefore, if we move our troops to Jiangnan, we should adopt a strategy of encirclement without attack, building fortifications and stationing troops to confront the enemy."

Xu Huang agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "My troops attacked Huaiyin with weapons, and although we breached the city walls, we suffered nearly ten thousand casualties. If Huaiyin had been more fortified than Shouchun, with only a few thousand defenders, the number of casualties would have far exceeded tens of thousands. Therefore, I believe the strategy of besieging without attacking is feasible!"

"good!"

After holding a military conference at Ruxukou in Jiangbei, the three generals immediately followed the imperial edict issued by Zhang Yu.

Li Song temporarily established a prefectural governor's office in Hefei, restoring control over all counties except Jinling, and also taking on the responsibility of transporting supplies. Zhang Liao was the commander-in-chief, selecting 70,000 elite troops to march south, land at Caishiji, and launch a pincer attack on Jinling from the west; Xu Huang was the deputy commander, selecting 30,000 elite troops to advance west, first capturing Zhongshan Fortress, and then advancing eastward to garrison the city of Jinling.

Of the Chinese armies that marched south, those stationed at Xinxia City were gradually sent back to their homeland under the arrangement of their respective generals, while the rest were from the north. The Tang Dynasty reduced its forces in Jiangdong to 100,000 to better prepare for fighting Cao Cao.

Upon learning that the Tang army had reduced its troops, many of Cao Cao's civil and military officials were overjoyed, believing that fewer enemies meant a greater chance of victory. Only a few strategists, such as Cao Cao and Xun Yu, understood the Tang army's intentions and became even more pessimistic.

P.S.: Chapter 3 is late, there will be two more chapters tonight! (End of this chapter)