The Grandmaster Strategist

February 26, Youshi, Xiangyang.

Under the setting sun, Yong's army gradually retreated. Rong Yuan sighed softly, feeling extremely melancholy in his heart. Since the death of Prince De, he became the general of Xiangyang and guarded the important town because of the prince's recommendation. However, over the years, he has not There was never a hint of joy. To the monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu, Rong Yuan was just a poor scholar. Although he had some ability to defend the city, he was not a famous general, so he could only defend Xiangyang for more than ten years. He really wanted to win a few big victories, feel proud, and then enter the military center of Nanchu, but no matter how hard he tried, he was still just a guard general. What made him even more depressed was that Dayong had never put heavy troops on Xiangyang since King Qi's two failed attacks on Xiangyang. Every time there was a big battle, 100,000 to 80,000 soldiers and horses were sent to besiege Xiangyang. In this way, although Xiangyang was safe and sound, the credit could not be mentioned. Just like the war that just ended, Lu Can and Shi Guan received various awards, but he and Jiameng Guan Yumian didn't even get a piece of praise. Thinking that even though he did not have the military exploits to defeat the enemy, countless Yong troops died under Xiangyang City, and Xiangyang City alone was able to lead more than 100,000 Yong troops, which in itself was no small feat. But after the war, he didn't get the slightest recognition. With Rong Yuan's character, how could he bear such humiliation.

Looking at the retreating Yong army, Rong Yuan slapped his palm on the stone of the city wall angrily. Changsun Ji, a thief, simply regarded Xiangyang City as a place for military training. He sent out troops in turns to attack the city every day to hone their combat power. , didn't have the courage to make a desperate move. Didn't Yong's army know that if it couldn't win Xiangyang, it wouldn't be able to threaten Jiangling and Jiangxia, and even if it captured Huainan, its footing would be unstable?

February 26, Haishi, Suzhou.

The night was hazy and the cool breeze was blowing. In a simple and unpretentious bedroom, the candlelight was flickering and a person was sleeping on the couch. His face looked like a scar, and he was frowning even in his sleep. Outside the door, the eyes of the two guards were like hawks. Even under the protection of thousands of troops, they still did not relax for a moment. When it was almost time, the guards who were on duty came over in a hurry. They walked to the door. The two guards who were originally guarding the door looked at each other and smiled, then walked out quietly, preparing to change defenses. One of the guards accidentally glanced at the guard's face, but it was an unfamiliar face. He was startled. He stopped and was about to ask when he felt a cold light flash before his eyes. Then a hand covered his mouth and nose, and blood poured into his throat. He tried his best to shout, but couldn't make a sound. . The other guard was almost completely unprepared. His vision went dark and he lost consciousness. The two pretended guards quickly put the two of them at the door and let them stand leaning against the wall. Under the waning moon, if you looked at them from a distance, you would just think that the two of them were lazy and taking a nap. Then one of the two men pushed open the door and entered, while the other hid himself under the window, holding a dagger in his hand as cold as snow.

Cui Jue's eyes were about to burst. He watched his long-time friend die in a bloody battle and watched him die on the battlefield. He couldn't help but sweat and feel ashamed and angry. Then he woke up from his dream. He sat up and opened his eyes to look. But under the dim light, he saw a black shadow rushing toward him. He rolled over and rolled out of the bed almost without thinking. Blood appeared and one arm fell to the ground. Cui Jue screamed in pain and shouted loudly: "There are assassins." The voice tore through the silent night sky. The assassin originally wanted to assassinate Cui Jue secretly, but he didn't expect that the sleeping target would suddenly rise up. In the end, he just cut off Cui Jue's left arm. When Cui Jue shouted in surprise, there was an uproar outside, and lights and shouts rushed in this direction. The assassin hesitated for a moment, then broke out of the window, joined his companions outside, and rushed out. But as a general, Cui Jue has many personal guards around him. If Cui Jue had not always been proud of his martial arts and did not like too many personal guards, the two of them would have had no chance. Now that they have alarmed people, how could these two people After being able to escape and killing several people, one assassin died in the battle and the other assassin was captured alive by the guards. Push down the steps. At this time, Cui Jue was already sitting on a chair with a pale face.

Next to him was a military doctor who was bandaging his wounds. His arm was suddenly broken. Cui Jue was seriously injured and was now forcibly supporting the assassin to interrogate him.

The assassin remained silent. Cui Jue asked several times and saw that he refused to speak. He also lost his patience. He was about to let someone imprison him when suddenly there were screams and shouts of death in the distance, and then came the north gate. A blazing fire lit up. Cui Jue was startled and stood up, but he staggered. At this time, a sergeant ran in and rushed to him and said: "General, it's not good. It's the Southern Chu army who came to attack the city. The north gate was opened by spies. Now The Chu army has entered the city.

Cui Jue said bitterly: "What a cruel method. The Chu army just occupied the north gate and sent my general to fight the enemy in the streets." After saying that, he reached out to pick up the weapon, but he felt dizzy and fell to the ground that was supporting him. Cui Fang, the clan nephew, was in his arms. At this time, most of the generals in the city had rushed to Cui Jue's residence, but they only saw Cui Fang holding Cui Jue and crying. Upon seeing this, Cui Jue's deputy general said loudly: "The general has been seriously injured, and our army is unprepared. If we fight with the enemy, tens of thousands of troops and horses will be lost in Suzhou. Why not abandon the city and retreat to Xiao County?" Defend, and then ask for help from Xuzhou." Cui Fang nodded repeatedly and said loudly: "Vice-general, please temporarily pass the order on behalf of the general. I will escort the general to take one step first." The general heard the words and said with emotion: "I will personally intervene, generals We quickly gathered our troops to retreat. The enemy came from the south but sealed the north gate. To be on the safe side, we retreated through the west gate."

When Cui Fang heard this, he didn't care about anything else. He held Cui Jue on his horse and rushed towards the west gate under the protection of the guard camp. Not far from the gate of the mansion, I saw a group of cavalry rushing towards us on the long street, led by two white-robed young generals. Two silver spears were flying like silver dragons, taking the lives of the Yong soldiers. In an instant, their figures were overwhelmed by the surging Yong army. Cui Fang rushed to the west gate desperately. When he was about to rush out of the city gate, he accidentally looked back and saw that there was already a sea of ​​​​fire behind him. Cui Fang wiped away the hot tears from his eyes and plunged into the vast night.

The battle did not end until dawn. Half of Suzhou's 30,000 troops and horses were killed in the flames. The deputy general died in the city. The Feiqi battalion, led by Lu Yun and Shi Yujin, chased for twenty miles and defeated Yong's army. Yong's army was defeated and retreated to Xiao County. Cui Jue was seriously injured and fell into a coma.

February 27th, at the end of Yinshi, Sizhou.

The sky is not yet dawn, the fog is cold and the water is cold. On the surging Huai River, there are many ferries, sailing towards the other side in the darkness, quietly heading towards Sizhou City. Sizhou City is only two miles away from the Huai River. On the boat The sergeants were all wearing gray clothes similar to the night. The sky was dim and the fog was locked in the Huai River. Until those gray figures arrived at the gate of Sizhou City, they were still not noticed by Yong's army.

When they arrived at the bottom of the city, more than a dozen black shadows hid themselves under the city and climbed up the city using their hands and feet. These people were agile and could climb up like apes just by relying on the slight unevenness of the city wall. Before they even approached the top of the city, someone on the city whispered: "You are here." After saying this, he put down the rope. Using the rope, these men in black had already climbed onto the city wall and disappeared into the darkness. Less than an hour later, fire suddenly broke out in Sizhou City, and then chaotic shouts of killing came from inside the city gate. After a while, the city gate opened.

The general of the Nanchu army who was hiding in the dark saw it and knew that the strategy of cooperating inside and outside to defeat Sizhou was half completed. He waved his flag and the sound of killing was loud. The Nanchu army officer rushed towards the city gate. The general took the lead and entered the city. Seeing the fireworks in front of him, the man who led the way quickly disappeared into the martial arts performance. The general frowned and shouted: "Don't go deep, control the city gate."

At this moment, shouts of killing suddenly came from both sides. The general was stunned and saw Yong's army rushing up from both sides. The city gate behind him was slammed shut. The general knew something was wrong and shouted: "Zhong Come on, follow me and fight out." But before he could even take two steps, he was killed by a sharp arrow.

On the other side of the Huai River, Yang Xiu, who was looking at Sizhou from a distance, had an ominous premonition in his heart. It had been half an hour and he had not received any reward yet. Just when he was anxious, he saw the Sizhou city gate on the other side of the river suddenly opened, and a Yongjun general He rode his horse to the river and laughed loudly: "Thank you for your generous gift. I accepted it with a smile, General." After that, he waved his hand, and the sergeant beside him dropped dozens of heads. The general said loudly: "General Zhang It is my destiny that all those who have secretly collaborated with the Chu army and attempted to seize Sizhou will be punished, and the superior ordered me to give their heads to Mr. Yang." After that, the Yong army galloped back. At this moment, the smoke on the river had just dissipated, revealing the turbulent Huai River and the impregnable city on the other side.

Yang Xiu felt a sharp pain in her heart, knowing that the insiders who worked so hard to contact and the warriors sent to seize the city had all been martyred.

Zhang Wenxiu, who was standing at the top of Sizhou City at this moment, was also sweating coldly. If he had not received a secret report yesterday, the aristocratic families in the city would have shown signs of instability. At dusk, he received a secret order from Pei Yun, asking him to desperately take the wealthy families in the city into custody. Only then did he realize that the Nanchu army should cooperate with the outside world. If this is not the case, Sizhou City will soon be in danger. Now he has 50,000 troops guarding Sizhou and Xucheng respectively. The Southern Chu army has set up camp in Duliang on the other side. The Huaidong Chu army takes the initiative to move north. It goes without saying that this battle is difficult.

March 2, in Xiangyang City. Rong Yuan looked at the secret report in his hand and almost gritted his teeth. In the past two days, Yong's army suddenly slowed down their offensive. Rong Yuan felt uneasy and sent people out to investigate, only to find that most of Yong's army had gone outside the city, leaving only tens of thousands. People are pretending to attack there. Out of doubt, he captured some Yong Army sergeants and interrogated them, only to learn that the battle on the Jianghuai battlefield had begun. Pei Yun's letter asking for help had arrived in Xiangyang. Changsun Ji left 20,000 people here to bluff, and went to Huaibei with the main force. After Rong Yuan learned about it, he felt very angry. He didn't even know about such a big thing, and Lu Can was too deceived.

Mobilizing all the secret agents, Rong Yuan quickly learned about the situation in Jianghuai. This war affected both Huaihe and Huaihe, and the fighting was extremely fierce.

On February 26, Cui Jue was assassinated, Suzhou fell, and Cui Jue retreated to Xiao County.

On February 27, Yang Xiumou failed in Sizhou and crossed the Huaihe River to attack Xucheng. The two armies fought several battles between Sizhou and Xucheng, with each other winning or losing.

On February 28, Yang Xiuliu's troops attacked Sizhou and led his navy to attack Chuzhou from the Li Canal.

On February 29, the Chu army broke through Xucheng and flooded Sizhou with floodwaters. Zhang Wenxiu was forced to retreat to Chuzhou, blocking Yang Xiu's way.

On March 1, after Zhang Wenxiu fought hard for a day and night, Pei Yun left Chuzhou to meet the Sizhou army. The two armies retreated into Chuzhou, and Yang Xiu was trapped.

On March 2, after five days of fierce attacks, the Xiaoxian city was broken. The Huaixi Army and the Feiqi Battalion pursued the Yong Army and fell into ambush in Jiuli Mountain. Lu Yun and Shi Yujin led their troops to break through the encirclement and retreat to Xiaoxian.

However, these battles had nothing to do with the Xiangyang Army. Every time Rong Yuan thought about this, he felt like his heart was cut by a knife and he was filled with jealousy. He is a narrow-minded person, but the last time Lu Can won a big victory, he didn't even work hard. This incident has already become an ironclad proof of Lu Can's jealousy of talents among people with ulterior motives. Now Lu Can did not consider the Xiangyang army at all, and launched the Jianghuai War on his own. He was even busy with the naval battle in Wuyue, and only left the war to Yang Xiu, Shi Guan, and the young Lu Yun and Shi Yujin, without seeing Xiangyang. The combat power of the army. This kind of slight made Rong Yuan want to strive for merit.

On March 6th, at the top of Xian Mountain, I was admiring the earlier cliff carvings of the previous dynasty. My heart was as calm as water. While I was studying the vague words carefully, Hu Yanshou came over in a hurry and said: "Master Marquis, Rong As expected, Yuan has already gone to Nanyang."

I sighed softly after hearing this and said: "Rong Yuan is an old acquaintance of mine. He is a talented person, but he is too narrow-minded. Last time he did not get the Jianye Award, and he was already jealous. This time Lu Canxing Bing has nothing to do with him, so how can he not be annoyed? The so-called "powerful leader" is stupid. As long as he sets up a scheme to make him think that General Changsun is really going to rescue Huaidong, he will definitely look for opportunities to go to war and achieve great achievements, compared with the great achievements of regaining Huaibei. , if he can capture Nanyang, he will have the opportunity to attack Wuguan and approach Guanzhong. If he is not tempted by such a great achievement, he will not be Rongyuan."

Hu Yanshou smiled and said: "The great thing about Lord Marquis's plan is that all the news is true, but he managed to let Rong Yuan know more. General Changsun's strategy of reducing troops and increasing stoves allowed Rong Yuan to attack Nanyang The army has no doubts about advancing eastward, so it is greedy for success. Unfortunately, General Changsun has deployed heavy troops in Nanyang, and I am afraid that Rong Yuan will not be able to go."

I smiled lightly and said: "Rong Yuan went to attack Nanyang just because he wanted to gain some credit. He would be suspicious of his advance and retreat along the way. If there was a slight disturbance, he might run back to Xiangyang, so he had to be lured to Nanyang. Only when he is frustrated in Nanyang will he return to Xiangyang in a hurry. At that time, our army will set up an ambush on the way to block his return. When Rong Yuan attacks Nanyang, he will definitely go north with light cavalry, and there will still be a garrison force left in Xiangyang city. Therefore, our army needs to trap Xiangyang. If we destroy the main force brought by Rongyuan, Xiangyang will no longer have the power to attack. If we take advantage of the situation and capture Xiangyang, we will achieve a complete victory. As long as Xuzhou is still in the hands of our army, Even if we lose the whole of Huainan, it’s not a big deal.”

Hu Yanshou said with admiration: "The Hou Ye's plan to attack the heart is the most difficult to guard against. I never thought beforehand that Rong Yuan would leave Xiangyang and go north."

I heard this and said, "You didn't expect that according to my original plan, I just used rumors to motivate Rong Yuan to fight, let him win several games in a row, and then trap and kill the main force of the Xiangyang cavalry. But I didn't expect that the Jianghuai War would break out in advance. I Only then did I think that we could use this opportunity and Rong Yuan's narrow capabilities to trick him into using his troops to attack from a distance, and we would take the opportunity to seize Xiangyang. Regardless of whether this move succeeds or not, Xiangyang will no longer be the sharp thorn in Da Yong's throat."

After saying that, he ignored Hu Yanshou's deep thoughts. Standing on the top of Xian Mountain and looking into the distance, Xiangyang City, the Han River, Yuliangzhou, and Lumen Mountain on the other side of the Han River were all vivid in his mind. He thought that in half a day, this would be the place. The war breaks out again, and the city without its general is not sure whether it can still be impregnable.

The situation changed extremely rapidly in the next half month. I never thought that the second war between Yong and Chu would start so soon.

On March 7, Changsun Ji sent general Mo Ye to attack Xiangyang and cut off the passage between Xiangyang and Nanyang.

On March 8, Rong Yuan broke through the new field.

On March 9, Rong Yuan failed to attack Nanyang and learned that Changsun Ji had not rushed to Jianghuai to aid.

On March 11th, Rong Yuan fought against Changsun Ji in Xinye, and the situation was unfavorable.

On March 12, Rong Yuan suffered heavy losses and successfully broke through.

On March 13, Fancheng fell and Rong Yuan was blocked by the Han River.

On March 14, the Xiangyang garrison went out of the city to meet Rong Yuan, but to no avail.

On March 15, Rong Yuan and Changsun Ji fought against Tang Baihe again, and Changsun Ji suffered a small defeat.

On March 16, Rongyuan detoured to the west side of Fancheng and wanted to cross the Han River into Xiangyang, but was blocked by Moye.

On March 17, the city of Xiangyang was defeated. Seeing that the situation was beyond control, Rong Yuan and his remaining troops crossed the Han River and retreated to Yicheng. They were ambushed at Fenglin Pass and only 3,000 horsemen escaped.

During the fierce fighting in Xiangyang, the fighting in Jianghuai was also extremely fierce.

Because Cui Jue could not go into battle, Pei Yun sent Zhang Wenxiu to assist Cui Jue's troops on March 4. By March 19th, the Huaixi Army and Zhang Wenxiu fought a total of 17 battles between Xiao County and Jiuli Mountain. After many changes of hands, both sides suffered heavy losses. Zhang Wenxiu's troops were exhausted and he had no choice but to retreat to Xuzhou. The Huaixi army attacked fiercely for two days but failed.

On March 22, General Jing Chi, the vanguard of the southern route of the Yongjiang River, arrived in Xuzhou and defeated the Feiqi camp at the foot of Xuzhou City. The Southern Chu Huaixi Army retreated to Suzhou overnight.

On March 24, Jing Chi failed to attack Suzhou and diverted to Chuzhou. At that time, Pei Yun had been holding Chuzhou for nearly a month. Chuzhou was in danger, but Jingchi rescued him and his morale was greatly boosted.

On March 25, Yang Xiu learned that Xiangyang had been lost and reinforcements from Xuzhou had arrived, so he had no choice but to retreat to Huai River. However, Dayong only had one city in Chuzhou left in Huainan.

At this point, the month-long war between Yong and Chu finally ended, but Nan Chu's misfortune did not stop. It occupied Jianghuai and lost Xiangyang. Regardless of gains or losses, the great changes in Shu were more shocking.

As early as the beginning of the year, there were rumors that Yu Mian intentionally betrayed the army because he had not been rewarded. Although this rumor was refuted by Lu Can, Shang Weijun felt uneasy, so after the Yuan Dynasty, he sent an internal servant to supervise the army. Although Lu Can was dissatisfied with Chu's routine, he had nothing to do. Unexpectedly, the chamberlain's request for bribes failed, and he repeatedly made slanderous accusations against Yu Mian's ulterior motives. Although it had no effect because of Lu Can, Shang Weijun became more and more suspicious, and finally handed over the food and salary of the Jiamengguan garrison to the prisoner. The army was under control, and as a result, the servant embezzled most of the food and salary, leaving the Jiamengguan garrison without food and salary, and people's hearts were floating. After Lu Can learned about it, he wrote to Jianye and asked to recruit his chamberlain to question him. When the chamberlain learned that, he was afraid of being punished, so he secretly surrendered to Dayong, and cooperated with the outside. On March 29, Qin Yong attacked Jiameng Pass, and Yu Mian retreated to Jiange. .

Perhaps the only thing that can reassure the Nanchu court is that under the personal supervision of Lu Can, the Wuyue rebel army has stabilized the coastal defense, and the Yong army can no longer easily enter Hangzhou Bay. But Wu Yue's small victory was not worth the losses in Xiangyang and Shuzhong. In mid-April, Qi King Li Xian's army arrived in Xuzhou, and the establishment of the Jiangnan Pass made the Southern Chu court even more uneasy. Lu Can had received military reports at that time, and the Wu-Yue War was entrusted to his generals, and he rushed to Jiangxia to command the battle.

After Li Xian arrived in Xuzhou, he sent his eldest son, Sun Ji, down from Xiangyang to attack Jiangling along the Han River Valley. On April 21, Rong Yuan received Lu Can's military order to abandon Yicheng and defend Jingling, but eldest grandson Ji could not even attack. gram. Lu Can sent troops from Jiangxia to aid Jingling along the Han River, and defeated Changsun Ji at the foot of the city. Changsun Ji was defeated and retreated to Yicheng. Rong Yuan was impatient and did not follow the military orders to pursue. Changsun Ji abandoned Yicheng and returned north to Xiangyang. Rong Yuan pursued him to Fenglin Pass, but unexpectedly Yong's army repeated its old tricks and set up an ambush again. Rong Yuan retreated. Lu Can's reinforcements rushed to Fenglin Pass and made another surprise attack. The Yong army was caught off guard and Fenglin Pass was broken. The Yong army was severely damaged and retreated to Xiangyang. Lu Can knew that Xiangyang could not be attacked, so he stopped.

At that time, Qin Yong was unable to defeat Jiangge for a long time, so he took a detour to Yinping Road, hoping to pass through Long'an and Jiangyou to Mianyang. Yu Mian got Lu Can to send a message thousands of miles away, and divided his troops to guard Long'an. The Qin warriors could not attack for a long time, so they retreated to Jiameng Pass.

Pei Yun received reinforcements and stormed Huaidong. Yang Xiu relied on his navy to travel between the Huai River and the canal. Yong's army was struggling and could not cross the Huai River half a step, and Huai Dong fell into a stalemate. Shiguan personally defended Suzhou in Huaixi, and Yong general Jingchi attacked fiercely for more than a month. The city was destroyed, and Shiguan retreated to Zhongli. When he went to Suzhou, he burned Suzhou, leaving only a piece of scorched earth. Yong's army was exhausted after a long battle, Zhongli's defense line was stable, and there were flying cavalry battalions to assist in the battle, so Yong's army was not allowed to enter Huaixi.

Yong and Chu fought for half a year, and both were exhausted. The Donghai Navy repeatedly plundered Wu and Yue. Although the Yuhang water camp received help from the rebels and suffered no major losses, no civilians dared to live within thirty miles of the sea. Wu and Yue's business lost heavily. Although the Yong army had many victories, the Chu army also fought steadily and the battle lines were tight, but they were unable to achieve a decisive victory.

In the tenth month of the golden autumn, Shang Weijun sent an envoy to Xuzhou to discuss peace. The emperor and ministers of Dayong also suffered from the tenacity and difficulty of attacking Southern Chu, so they agreed to a truce and peace talks. The peace talks lasted for four months. Dayong asked Southern Chu to cede territory for peace. Shang Weijun was moved, and Lu Can refused and argued for several months, but the peace talks failed. The following year, war broke out again. Qin Yong entered Shu from Micang Road and passed through Bazhong to seize Bajun. Although Shuzhong has been run by the Lu family for many years, it is still the land of the old Shu. Xiahou Yuanfeng of Mingjian Division came to Bajun in person. Within a few months, Bajun was stabilized. During this period, the Kuizhou Army of Southern Chu and Jiange Yumian attacked from both sides, but Qin Yong retreated, and the road between Shuzhong and the southeast was cut off.

In August of the ninth year of Longsheng, Li Zhi accepted Jiang Zhe's suggestion and proposed a peace negotiation, exchanging Jiange and Chengdu for the Chu troops of Bajun and Yu Mian. In September, the peace negotiation was successful, and Southern Chu lost most of the territory in central Shu that it had occupied for many years. Lu Can defied all opinions and ordered Yu Mian to guard Bajun, and set up heavy troops in Kuizhou to provide backup for Bajun.

In the next year, Yong's army made no further progress. Yu Mian guarded Bajun without any omissions, and Yong's army did not get the chance to go down the river. Jiangling and Jiangxia were also as stable as Mount Tai. Yong's army attacked Jingling and Suizhou several times without success. Although the battle lines in Huaixi and Huaidong changed from time to time, Yong's army was never able to capture all the land in Jianghuai. After three consecutive years of war, the Southern Chu army became stronger and stronger as it fought under the command of Lu Can. With the danger of the Jianghuai River and the advantage of the navy, the war fell into a stalemate.