Farmer of Shu Han

The reason why Xiangyang and Fancheng are collectively called Xiangfan is because they are one.

Xiangyang is in the south of the Han River, and Fancheng is in the north of the Han River. The two cities face each other across the river.

For the State of Wei in the Cao Cao era, the importance of Fancheng was even higher than that of Xiangyang.

Because without Fancheng, facing the Southern Army, Nanyang has only the last strategic town, Wancheng.

And it's an isolated city with no danger to defend.

At that time, the southern army can directly bypass Xiangyang through the Han River and go north to the Central Plains.

So in the early stage of Cao Pi's administration, there were even a small number of troops left in Xiangyang as an outpost.

It is planned to use Wancheng as the core and Fancheng as the front line to build the Hanshui defense line.

It is a pity that at that time, Sun Quan also did not notice the importance of Xiangyang to Jingzhou.

After sending light soldiers to take Xiangyang, they did not deploy heavy troops to guard in time.

Of course, it is also possible that King Wu has the commonality of human beings:

Things that are too easy to get are often unwilling to cherish.

So soon, Xiangyang was easily recaptured by Wei Jun.

Then in the following days, as the Wei army went south from Xiangyang, they attacked Nanjun.

King Wu finally felt the paternal love from the northern suzerain after the absence of Xiangyang.

But at this time, even if Sun Quan reacted, it was impossible for Cao Wei to give him another chance:

The south of Jingzhou without Xiangyang is like Wancheng without Fancheng. There is no danger to defend—at least it is a smooth journey from Xiangyang all the way south to the edge of the river.

In the era of Cao Rui, Xiangyang's strategic position was further improved.

Wei Pingdi Cao Rui clearly stated more than once that Xiangyang and Hefei are the two most important strategic support points for suppressing Wu.

And Emperor Sun, who was promoted from King Wu to Emperor Wu, dreamed of going back to Xiangyang many times.

Every time I think of Xiangyang's gain and loss, I regret it.

Lu Xun, who led the army to the city of Xiangyang, stood on the top of the building and looked at the city wall of Xiangyang not far away. At this time, he had almost the same mood as Emperor Sun.

Since Liu Biao moved the prefecture of Jingzhou to Xiangyang, the city walls of Xiangyang have been continuously strengthened and raised.

Seen from the surface of the Han River, coupled with the visual difference caused by the embankment, Xiangyang City looks extremely tall.

Looking at the seemingly indestructible city with extremely complicated emotions, Lu Xun couldn't help but let out a long sigh:

"From this point of view, as long as there are boat masters, how difficult is it for the northern army to cross the Han River and go south to attack Xiangyang?"

"If Xiangyang was not allowed to leave in the past, why worry about Nanjun now?"

Over the years, Da Wu has been in short supply of food.

And between Xiangyang and Nanjun is the most fertile land in Jingzhou.

But because Xiangyang is not in the hands of Dawu, it has been abandoned for so many years.

How not to be deplorable?

It's just that no one dared to answer Lu Xun's words.

Seeing that everyone seemed to have never heard the words of the great general, Zhu Ran, who was below the great general, coughed and asked:

"General, now that we have cut off the connection between Xiangyang and the north, what should we do next?"

An army of 50,000, with warships covering the sky and the sun, is enough to cut off the flow of the Han River.

Now this huge boat division is straddling the Han River between Xiangyang and Fancheng.

There was originally a water village connecting Fancheng and Xiangyang.

However, after the Battle of Chibi and the Battle of Xiangfan, the Wei State Navy lost all its elite.

It can't pose too much threat to Wu's navy at all.

If not, Cao Pi attacked Wu several times, and it would not be impossible to gather a decent navy.

In the era of Wei Pingdi Cao Rui, he suffered repeated defeats in the west and financial constraints, so he couldn't spare manpower and material resources to train the navy.

In addition, Lu Xun came too suddenly this time, so that the poor Wei Guojun in the Xiangfan area did not have time to respond effectively.

The Wu army, which had an absolute advantage, broke down the water village and pontoon bridge between Fancheng and Xiangyang in one day, cutting off the connection between the two cities.

Before Wei Guo broke through the blockade of Wu Guo's water army, Xiangyang lost the support from the north.

"According to the generals, how should we attack this city next step?"

Lu Xun didn't answer Zhu Ran's words, but turned around, looked at the crowd, and asked.

In fact, as soon as Lu Xun uttered the words of emotion just now, he himself realized that something seemed wrong.

So Zhu Ran's question was intended to save him from the siege, and Lu Xun naturally wanted to go downhill.

Zhu Huan, the former general of the state of Wu, died of illness three years ago. His son Zhu Yi attacked Jue and inherited his father's army, and this time he also joined the battle.

Zhu Yi was the first general at this time, young and energetic, seeing that the generals didn't speak for a while, he directly stepped forward:

"The top general, the last general thought that Fancheng and Xiangyang are one, and if you want to destroy Xiangyang, you must first destroy Fancheng."

"Otherwise, if the Wei thieves use Fancheng as an outpost and gather reinforcements, it may hinder us from attacking Xiangyang."

When Lu Xun heard this, he smiled lightly, nodded and said:

"This is what Guan Yu did when he captured Xiangfan in the past. Guan Yu can be regarded as one of the rare generals. His actions are justified."

"Young General Zhu can see this, he really has a unique vision."

With that said, Lu Xun looked around at the crowd again:

"Anyone else have suggestions?"

Someone said:

"General, Fancheng is not easy to attack!"

Lu Xun continued to nod:

"That's right. The traitor Wei values ​​Fancheng as much as Xiangyang, and even more so than Xiangyang."

He turned around again, pointed to Xiangyang, and said:

"Xiangyang is surrounded by water on three sides, and there are mountains on the south side, which is just right to give full play to the advantages of the great Wu boat master."

Then he turned around and pointed at Fancheng:

"But if we want to capture Fancheng, I'm afraid it will be difficult. After all, we don't have the good luck that Guan Yu had back then."

When Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan, the Han River was surging, and the water level was several feet high.

When the water level was at its highest, the walls of Fancheng had collapsed, and even if they hadn't collapsed, they were only a foot or two away from the water level.

Lu Xun believed that if he had been in charge back then, leading Wu's elite navy, he would have taken advantage of the situation to capture Fancheng.

But now, without the help of Shanhong, they can only rely on infantry to go ashore to attack Fancheng, which is difficult!

When Lu Xun said this, he said with confidence:

"Everyone in the world thinks that if you want to take Xiangyang, you must take Fancheng first. This is actually not wrong."

"But this is for the northern army attacking Jingzhou from north to south."

Lu Xun pointed in the direction of Fancheng again, "Of course, if you want to approach the Central Plains from Jingzhou from south to north like Guan Yu did, you can't avoid Fancheng either."

"But we are different." Lu Xun said, raising his voice, as if reminding the generals of the Wu army:

"When we came here this time, we only wanted Xiangyang, and didn't think about crossing the Han River to go north, take down Wancheng, and march into the Central Plains."

"So Fancheng doesn't have to be taken."

In Lu Xun's view, Guan Yu just had too much appetite and wanted to take down Fancheng, Xiangyang, and even Wancheng in one fell swoop with tens of thousands of troops, which led to insufficient troops.

If he hadn't insisted on taking down Fancheng, and even invested heavily in besieging Fancheng, he thought that Xiangyang in the rear was in his pocket, which delayed the best time to capture Xiangyang.

Maybe in the end the Han Kingdom can really stand against the Wei bandits across the Han River according to Xiangyang.

At this time, the world's mutual understanding of the interdependent relationship between Fancheng and Xiangyang is far from the kind of deep understanding that it experienced after the Song and Yuan Xiangyang battles.

After all, the Qin and Han Dynasties can be regarded as a great unification, and they have never experienced the confrontation between the North and the South, let alone the Battle of Xiangyang in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, so it is understandable that they have no experience.

Otherwise, Cao Pi would not have abandoned Xiangyang but wanted to protect Fancheng.

Although the world at this time paid more attention to the connection between Fancheng and Xiangyang.

However, due to the limitations of the times, they are doomed not to regard Xiangfan as a complete unity—even Lu Xun cannot surpass the times.

In fact, Lu Xun is extremely keen to realize that relying on Xiangyang and Hanshui to build a defense line and better protect Jingzhou.

After hearing Lu Xun's words, the generals finally understood:

"General, are we not going to fight Fancheng?"

Lu Xun shook his head:

"No, I only want Xiangyang this time."

And can't beat it.

Even if he could win, he was afraid that he would end up in the same fate as Guan Yu.

The troops are divided but weak, and in the end they have to send Fancheng back.

Lu Xun looked at Sun Lun:

"General Sun, I will not attack Fancheng this time, but I also want to prevent Wei thieves from Fancheng and even the north of the Han River from connecting to Xiangyang."

"Can you patrol the north bank for me, and prevent the thieves from crossing the Han River alone in a boat?"

Lu Xun was the governor of Jingzhou first, and then guarded Wuchang, responsible for the affairs of the west.

Naturally, I know a lot about the strength of Wei thieves in northern Jingzhou.

When the army was the largest, from Xiangyang to Wancheng, there were basically 100,000 troops.

But in the past few years, some of Jingzhou's troops have been withdrawn, leaving only 70,000 to 80,000 people.

At this time, these 70,000 to 80,000 people were mobilized by their own schemes, and the troops were divided into divisions.

To the north of the Han River, Caoqiao Pass should be the most important place for the Wei thieves to deploy their troops. There should be 20,000 to 30,000 people—Feng Mingwen's name is worth 10,000.

And in the south of the Han River, the heavy soldiers of the Wei thieves are now guarding the center, more than 10,000 or even 20,000.

These two places accounted for more than half.

The rest of Xiangyang and Fancheng, even if they were divided equally, would only have more than 15,000 defenders.

If you add that Wancheng also needs a small amount of troops, there will be even fewer Xiangyang defenders.

The Wei army, which was already in decline, divided its troops again and again at this time, which is a taboo for military strategists.

Surrounding the isolated city of Xiangyang with more than three times the force, and having a boat division to occupy the geographical advantage, it can be said that I have the advantage.

Hearing Lu Xun's analysis, all the generals were stunned, with excitement on their faces.

Doesn't that mean that it is really possible to take Xiangyang by sending troops this time?

"High regards, General!"

At this time, the generals still don't understand that the top general has already made a decision.

But seeing Sun Lun cupping his fists and saluting, he responded loudly:

"The last general takes orders!"

Only Zhu Yi, seeing that his suggestion was rejected, felt unwilling, and said again:

"The top general, the Wei thief in Xiangfan, also has a navy army. Now he just sees that our army is strong, so he can't shrink back."

"But if we once besiege the city, the thieves and the navy will probably fight desperately."

"Well said." Lu Xun looked at Zhu Yi and praised, "What General Zhu said is true."

He pointed to the east of Xiangyang City, "Look, that is the water fortress of the Wei thieves. If we want to besiege Xiangyang to death, we must first destroy their water fortress."

Xiangyang stood facing the Han River in the north, and the city wall was less than a hundred steps away from the shore. As long as the warships approached a little, the defenders could rely on the advantage of the city walls to suppress the warships on the river.

To the south of Xiangyang are mountains, which can be used as barriers.

There are large tidal flats on the east and west sides, and the water flows vertically and horizontally, making it difficult for large ships to enter.

The navy of the Wei State took advantage of Xiangyang's 100-foot-wide moat, dug a large pool, and built a water village, leading directly to the Han River.

"These water villages are not only where the Wei thief's water army is located, but also the periphery of Xiangyang City."

"If you want to completely trap Xiangyang and cut off all contact with the outside world, you must first break through these water villages."

Lu Xun said, looking at the generals:

"But I don't know which general can break these water villages for me first?"

Zhu Yi wanted to stand up again, but Zhu Ran stood at the front, faster than him:

"The last general asks for his life!"

Lu Xun was overjoyed:

"General Zhu can take the initiative to ask for orders, why should I worry? But I don't know how many troops General Zhu needs?"

Zhu Ran replied:

"In addition to the troops in the last general's headquarters, please send another lieutenant general to help the last general break the bandits."

Lu Xun smiled: "Who does General Zhu want?"

"Ji Wen (that is, Zhu Yi) is an outstanding general, talented general, although young, but quite sharp, and has an army, which can help the last general.

Lu Xun understood what he meant and nodded in agreement.

Zhu Yi, who had always been depressed, was ecstatic at this moment:

"The final general will surely live up to the expectations of the great general and chariot general!"

After everyone dispersed, Zhu Yi found an opportunity to catch up with Zhu Ran, and thanked him:

"Thank you for your support, General Chariot and Cavalry."

Zhu Ran waved his hand and said with a smile:

"Privately, why does Ji Wen need to do this? Your father and I also fought against Wei bandits in the past. If you don't give up, you can call me uncle."

Zhu Yi was born in the Zhu family, one of the four surnames in Wu County.

And Zhu Ran, originally surnamed Shi, was adopted by Zhu Zhi when he was young.

The Zhu family, one of the four surnames in Wu County, is the first of the Zhu surnames in Jiangdong.

Although Zhu Zhi is from Danyang County, the Zhu Clan in Danyang can be regarded as a branch of the Zhu Clan in Wu County, and is inextricably related to this sect.

So to be honest, although Zhu Yi and Zhu Ran are from different counties, they are both members of the Zhu clan.

At this time, although Zhu Yi had the trilogy, they were all left by his father Zhu Huan.

He himself was a mere rookie in the army.

But Zhu Ran is already a general of chariots and cavalry.

With Zhu Ran's words, it is obvious that he wants to support Zhu Yi.

Is there any reason for Zhu Yi not to follow?

"Yes, uncle."

Hearing this, Zhu Ran nodded in relief.

The two walked on the boat for a while, came to the bow, stood side by side, looking towards the water village to the east of Xiangyang City.

Zhu Ran asked:

"Just now in front of the Great General, Ji Wen was very enthusiastic and had a lot of suggestions."

"I don't know now, but if you have a plan, tell me, so that I can get rid of the thief as soon as possible."

At this time, Zhu Yi was in high spirits and said:

"Uncle, didn't the great general say that the defenders of Xiangyang City are no more than 15,000 people at most."

As he said that, he pointed to Wei Jun's water village, "The 15,000 people naturally include these water troops."

"In my opinion, the number of sailors in this water village is five thousand at most, and two or three thousand at least. There can be no more."

"With our current military strength, are we still afraid of these thousands of people?"

Zhu Ran shook his head:

"It's not impossible to attack by force, but Xiangyang City is a strong city. We can reduce the casualties of the soldiers, so that we can attack the city with more strength later."

"So, it is the best to break it by calculation."

Zhu Yi said "oh", nodded and said:

"What uncle said is true, I didn't think carefully."

He stared at the water village for a while, and then said again:

"This bandit's Shuihan is leaning against Xiangyang City. If we attack by force, we have to guard against the bandit army on the Xiangyang city wall. It will indeed increase the casualties."

"If you want to make the defenders on the city unable to support, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless we raid the camp at night."

"Raid the camp at night?"

Zhu Yi nodded:

"That's right, pick out elite soldiers and attack the camp at night. The thieves see that our army is powerful, and they only think that we will raise our troops and attack them."

"They definitely didn't expect that we would sneak attack at night with such a great advantage."

Zhu Yi turned to look at Zhu Ran, "The sooner this matter happens, the better. The thieves were overwhelmed by our army and retreated into the camp. Now is the time to be frightened."

"If they wait for them to react and take precautions, it may not be so easy."

When Zhu Ran heard this, a light flashed in his eyes:

"What Ji Wen said is very reasonable. But for the attack on the camp, we need to find a brave general..."

"I wish to lead the army personally, and I hope my uncle will fulfill it!"