The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 342 Urgent or Slow

On the east bank of Dongting Lake, at the foot of Baqiu Mountain.

Looking at the vast and mighty fleet, Zhuge Ke felt as if he had been transported to another world.

once Upon a time.

With such a powerful navy, the Wu Kingdom was well-positioned to defeat the northern warlords and dominate the Jianghuai region.

Is the country on the verge of collapse?
If Jianye and the King of Wu are lost, what will become of us?
As he pondered, a general came ashore.

It was Lu Xun, the Wu general who was urgently returning north from Jiaozhou.

Zhuge Ke quickly composed himself and went forward to greet him.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhuge Ke couldn't wait to ask:
"What's the situation in Jiaozhou? Have they captured Shi Hui yet?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun's expression darkened, and he said:
"The barbarian Yue soldiers of the Shi clan were no match for me. However, I was eager to return north, while they fled to Jiuzhen, Rinan and other places, so I was unable to achieve complete success."

"Jiaozhou will inevitably experience ups and downs in the future."

"But we can't worry about that right now."

Zhuge Ke fell silent upon hearing this.

"Let's not talk about Jiaozhou anymore."

Lu Xun let out a soft breath:
"How is Yangzhou? Is Zhu Yifeng still in Wancheng?"

“Wancheng is still holding out,” Zhuge Ke replied calmly.

"The Han army suddenly marched east out of Yanzhou, forcing Cao Hong and Guanqiu Jian to return to relieve the pressure on Wancheng."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun gazed northward and murmured, "As expected of Mi Shishan."

He then turned around and said:

"So the key right now lies in Ruxu and Niuzhu."

Zhuge Ke paused slightly, then nodded and said:
"really."

"Although Zhu Ling has already crossed the river, he only has one army. Jianye and Shitou City have been developed by the late king for many years. They are not impregnable, but they are by no means easy to break overnight."

"The key now is to stop Zang Ba from crossing south through those two passes and joining forces with Zhu Ling at the gates of Jianye."

“If that happens, then the capital will truly be unable to be defended.”

Having said that, Zhuge Ke clasped his hands in a fist salute and said:
"I urge the general to quickly descend the river to the east and reinforce Niuzhu!"

"My father is currently dealing with Zang Ba's army in Ruxu and is too busy to help himself to also take care of Niuzhu and Jianye!"

Lu Xun was not surprised by this.

The Yangtze River defense line is winding and long, so it was originally necessary to divide the troops to guard it.

A more reasonable defensive strategy would be to occupy key strongholds in the north and then use the salient north of the river to hinder the northern army's southward advance.

For example, Wancheng today.

Another example is the Ruxu East and West Passes south of Chaohu Lake in earlier years.

After the latter was lost, the Wu people were forced to retreat to the south bank of the Yangtze River, which made defense troublesome and difficult.

This perfectly describes the current situation.

Lu Xun: "Who is currently in charge of the defense of Niuzhu?"

Zhuge Ke: "It is the two Grand Masters, Sun and Gu."

"Doctor?" Lu Xun was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized something.

His expression immediately brightened.

But in the end, he nodded and said:

“Sun and Gu are not good at fighting; if they hold out for too long, they will surely lose.”

"There's no time to lose. I'll lead the fast boat south first, and you can take over the rest of the troops."

Zhuge Ke bowed and accepted the order before departing.

But after taking only a few steps, Lu Xun called him back.

Lu Xun:
"Yuan Xun, there's something I shouldn't have said."

"But the situation is changing rapidly these days. If we don't plan ahead, it may be too late when things come to a head."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Ke's heart sank.

It seemed that Lu Xun had some sensational ideas.

My first instinct was to say goodbye.

However, Lu Xun had already grabbed his hand and said solemnly:

"It's difficult to defend both the east and west ends of the river, so you must understand the principle of preparing for the left and neglecting the right."

"If it comes to a point where there is no other choice, I will have to make sacrifices. At that time, I hope that you and your son will stand with me and not fight amongst yourselves."

Zhuge Ke thought to himself, "How dare my father and I fight against you, Lu Zhengbei?"

My father's name is Zhuge Ziyu, not Zhuge Kongming!

He sighed and said:

"I understand."

"If we cannot stop Zang Ba, my son and I will abandon Jiangxia and Wancheng and devote all our efforts to rescuing Jianye in the east!"

In Zhuge Ke's view, this seemed to be the only correct choice. Unexpectedly, Lu Xun's hand tightened, and he said with unusual seriousness:
What's the point of saving Jianye?

"Once Zang Ba and Zhu Ling join forces in Jiangzuo, their momentum will be overwhelming and unmatched."

"Jianye is too far from Jingzhou, so even if the Han army wanted to rescue it, they probably wouldn't be able to reach it in time."

Zhuge Ke was greatly alarmed:
"General, are you abandoning the King of Wu and retreating to Jingzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun's expression instantly twisted, and he struggled.

But in the end, he still nodded emphatically:

"It is better to protect Jingzhou than Yangzhou."

"Protecting Jianye is not as important as protecting Jiangxia."

“The former is isolated and far away, making it difficult to receive reinforcements from the Han army. The Han army also has no need to travel a long distance to rescue it, as is the case now.”

Zhuge Ke was unable to refute this for the time being.

Lu Xun then said:
"And the three prefectures of Jingnan that we occupy—Changsha, Guiyang, and half of Jiangxia—are the gateway to Jingzhou, which belonged to the Han dynasty."

"By standing there, we are essentially guarding the gateway to Jingnan for Chang'an... This is the foundation for our future!"

"Even if the Wei people invade from the west of Yangzhou, it will be more convenient for the Han army to come to the rescue, and there is no reason not to!"

Now Zhuge Ke had no way to refute him.

And to be a little selfish...

His father was the governor of Jiangxia, and in recent years he had moved most of his family westward.

Holding onto Jiangxia would certainly be more advantageous for our own side.

Regardless of the circumstances, this was a betrayal of King Sun Deng of Wu.

Who dares to bear the infamy of betraying the Lord?
However, Lu Xun seemed to have other plans. He only mentioned it briefly before letting go and leaving.

Zhuge Ke glanced at his wrist, which was red from Lu Xun's grip, and ultimately said nothing more.

……

In June, the rains began to fall continuously.

The water levels in rivers and lakes rose rapidly.

Although Cao Hong had already ordered people to repair the broken lake dikes and dams in time.

However, this did not stop the road between Xiang County and Chen County from becoming increasingly muddy.

It wasn't until mid-July that the floodwaters on the roads were drained, allowing the army to pass safely.

During this period, there were small-scale skirmishes between the two sides.

Guan Ping and Xiang Chong's siege of Puyang and Xuchang never ceased.

However, the overall battlefront remained largely unchanged.

The only change.

It is likely that the Han army that entered Chenliu finally captured the capital city of Chenliu.

But it was only this one city, and it did not continue to expand outwards.

Overall, the battlefield in Yanzhou and Yuzhou has fallen into a strange standstill.

Both sides seem to have achieved certain strategic goals and are using the heavy rain and floods as an excuse to sit idly by.

This stands in stark contrast to the life-or-death battle taking place in the Yangzhou direction.

But Cao Hong certainly couldn't keep waiting like this indefinitely.

Since we've already come this far, wouldn't it be a disgrace to Ye City if we didn't completely drive the Han army out of Yanzhou?
Taking advantage of the fact that the southern grain route had been repaired and the northern roads were now open again, Cao Hong decisively bypassed Xiangcheng and once again marched north along the main Ying River.

Yes, Cao Hong still did not choose to go directly to rescue Yanzhou.

Instead, they went to relieve the siege of Xuchang first.

This is based on three considerations.

Firstly, Xuchang was one of the five capitals of the Great Wei Dynasty, and its importance was considerable.

As long as Xuchang is successfully defended, no one can criticize them after this battle.

Secondly, compared to Guanqiu Jian, the newly arrived confidant of the emperor, Cao Hong trusted the veteran general Wang Ling more and was more willing to save the latter.

Because Wang Ling would obey his orders, but Guanqiu Jian might not.

Thirdly, there were purely military and geographical considerations, which was also the point that Cao Hong cared about most.

The waterways between the two provinces of Yan and Yu, or more specifically, the rivers between the Yellow River and the Huai River, mostly flow in a northwest-southeast direction.

If Cao Hong's cavalry were to go directly from Xiang County to Dingtao to join Guanqiu Jian, they would inevitably have to cross many rivers and canals along the way.

It is time-consuming and laborious, and does not allow cavalry to take full advantage of their ability to quickly move around and raid.

However, there are far fewer water obstacles along the main channel of the Ying River heading northwest to Xuchang.

For Cao Hong, who was experienced in mounted combat.

Of course, one should seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

Try to avoid stepping into deadly terrain where there are rivers blocking the way.

(End of this chapter)