Three Kingdoms

When the urgent military information came in, Zhou Yu and Huang Gai were in the hall, looking at the huge map, discussing the deployment and arrangement of the troops, and dealing with various military logistics chores.

"Cao's army went south?" ! 』

Zhou Yu frowned.

Huang Gai was also on the side and said happily, "This is really coming!" 』

Ordinary generals may not understand what the problem is with Cao Jun going south, but Zhou Yu understands it perfectly.

Cao Jun joined the chaos in Jingzhou. Although this was originally expected, but when we actually saw this day, we couldn't help but have a headache. After all, the addition of Cao Jun meant that the situation in Jingzhou would become more complicated, and Countless variables have arisen. If Cao's army goes south in a large scale and sweeps across Jingzhou, then even if Jiangling is captured now, whether it can hold on will still be a severe test.

In everything, do not worry about victory, but worry about defeat first.

Can Sun Quan withstand the early profit retracement? According to Zhou Yu's judgment, Sun Quan is obviously unwilling, but Zhou Yu cannot guarantee that he will be able to capture Jingzhou or save Jiangling.

This is determined by Jiangdong's inherent disadvantage.

Jiangdong has the natural danger of the Yangtze River, but it is also because of the Yangtze River that the overall front is very long. If it was easier to say before, now that Cao Cao is building a new city, it is like a nail buried in the waist of the Yangtze River. Who can ensure that Sun Quan and Zhou Yu will all pay attention to it? When he was placed in Jingzhou, would Cao Cao use this nail to hit Jiangdong's waist?

Sometimes, there are not many soldiers, and a single blow at a critical moment can often determine the direction of the entire war...

The more critical issue is that the relationship between Sun Quan and the Jiangdong nobles is not very harmonious.

Zhou Yu previously advised Sun Quan, meaning that Sun Quan should refrain from haste and be patient, and have the ambition to endure hardships. Even three thousand Yue Jia can swallow Wu. However, unfortunately, Sun Quan did not understand Zhou Yu's meaning. Instead, he became suspicious of Zhou Yu. I wonder if Zhou Yu deliberately suppressed him so that he could not raise his head so that he could control the government...

Well, the word "government" in Jiangdong may be a bit exaggerated. After all, those bad things in Jiangdong are not government affairs. But if we consider Sun Quan as the lord of Jiangdong and Zhou Yu as Sun Ce's good friend, equivalent to a relative, then the basic pattern will come out.

Sun Quan prided himself on his outstanding talents, but in fact he still did not get rid of the constraints of the original Han model. Sun Quan could not believe Zhou Yu, and Zhou Yu could not believe Sun Quan, but they had to join hands with each other at certain times.

Zhou Yu pondered for a moment and said, "General Huang..."

"Captain, please give me your instructions!" ” Huang Gai answered with cupped hands.

"Someone who is worried about Cao Jun's new city may have arrangements. If he sends troops to cut off the river waterway..." Zhou Yu said slowly, "I'd rather trouble General Huang to work hard and lead a thousand naval troops to guard against Cao Jun's new city!" 』

Huang Gai suddenly accepted the order, "If Cao Jun's son dares to come, I will let him know that Jiangdong's son is powerful!" 』

Zhou Yu looked at Huang Gai's back and sighed slightly. If everyone was like Huang Gai, things would be easier to handle.

Sun family...

Zhou Yu shook his head slightly.

The Sun family is really carved from the same mold. Sun Jian has a strong character, Sun Ce is even more powerful, and Sun Quan looks soft on the surface, but in fact he is full of edges and corners underneath his skin.

The people of Jiangdong looked down upon the Sun family and believed that the Sun family's position was unfair. This was the root cause of the problem that was planted by Yuan Shu at that time. It was a fait accompli and could not be changed. After all, this matter about the Sun family is contrary to the original moral concepts of the Han Dynasty. Once you deal with it like a hussar general, it will become much more natural, and it will not arouse the disgust of others...

Although Sun Ce rejected Yuan Shu's request for help at that time, in some respects, Yuan Shu brought the blame on himself. There were reasons for everything. Even if there were problems of this or that, in the traditional concept of the Han Dynasty, this was the following overcoming the superior!

It's not a big problem to overcome the following. The problem is that it's only "overcoming" half!

This may sound a bit convoluted, but it’s actually not difficult to understand.

Just like Gou Jian.

At that time, King Gou Jian of Yue also knelt and licked him, and he knelt and licked him more thoroughly than Sun Ce. But why did everyone look down on Sun Ce's actions, but respected "Three Thousand Yue Jia" so much? It was because at that time when the Yue people defeated the superiors, the Wu people at least appeared to be very tyrannical on the surface. The Yue King Gou Jian, who successfully defeated the superiors and defeated the "complete" King of Wu, naturally received a lot of admiration and praise.

And what did Sun Ce do at that time?

When Yuan Shu was strong, he swallowed his anger and knelt down, but when Yuan Shu declined, he turned against him. If you really had the ability, then when Yuan Shu acted arrogantly, you wouldn't have written any letters of advice, and even sneaked past Yuan Shu to pay tribute to the court...

If Sun Ce could be like Cao Cao, and without saying a word, upon hearing Yuan Shu's trespass, he would hold a high flag and march forward with his army, annihilating Yuan Shu in one fell swoop, and everyone in the world would naturally admire him!

The Jiangdong gentry even felt that the Cao family had better roots than the Sun family. This was the reason. Compared with the heroic Cao Cao at that time, Sun Ce at that time was like a clown who was sneaking around and picking up cheap opportunities.

Zhou Yu smiled bitterly.

But who could have thought of it at the time? At the time when Yuan Shu was at the height of his arrogance, who could have thought that Yuan Shu was actually just a flash in the pan?

Sometimes Zhou Yu couldn't help but wonder, would it have been better if he had not relied on Yuan Shu and relied on Sun Ce to conquer Jiangdong?

Like Fei Qian.

The great Han hussar general...

For a branch of Heluo, now that it has such a prestigious reputation, isn't it a kind of inferiority overcoming superiority? But for this kind of subjugation, the Han people admired him very much. Even if he was in the position of the opponent of the hussar general Fei Qian, he had to admit that he was powerful and what he did was admirable.

The hussar general Fei Qian now dominates Guanzhong, connecting the north and the south, and controls half of the Han Dynasty. As a leader like this, the Guanzhong gentry will certainly not feel that it is a shame to be under his rule like the Jiangdong gentry. There will be glory.

It's just like facing a leader who conquered the country with one punch or one kick, and dealing with a leader who only crawled up to the top. Although the employees will call him so-and-so boss, their attitude behind the scenes is completely different.

Cao Cao, Fei Qian.

There are so many heroes in the world. Is it really a good time to fight for Jingzhou now?

After a long time, Zhou Yu took a breath, then calmed down and returned to military and government affairs, preparing for the upcoming fierce battle.

Some things are not yours to choose however you want, just like the water of the river rushing eastward, not giving up day and night, and will not stop for anyone.

……(╯-_-)╯~╩╩……

Wubao near Xiangyang in Jingzhou was faced with a disaster sweeping from the north in the blink of an eye.

Because manpower is needed to build camps and build equipment that may be needed, it is naturally impossible to use the strength of Cao Jun's soldiers. Therefore, these Wubao manors near Xiangyang received orders from Cao Jun.

Although Cai Mao acted as a mediator and buffer, it was still unavoidable to use force to force these forts to accept dispatched labor services, and to provide Cao's army with a certain amount of grain, grass, horse materials, cloth and baggage, etc.

Cai Mao didn't want to do it, but he had to do it.

Cao Hong has given Cai Mao the authority to act expediently, and even said that Cai Mao can use Cao Cao's name, promising that after the Cao family takes control of Jingzhou, those who have contributed to the Cao family's great cause can legitimately guard the country. Although Cai Mao has some doubts about whether Cao Cao can really achieve this, after all, there are only so many carrot pits, and there can be so many placed everywhere, but at least it is better than nothing.

Cao Jun, who was originally Liu Biao's ally, suddenly turned against Cao, revealing his sharp claws and claws. When the sharp cold light reached his own throat, these Jingzhou natives who originally thought they were in a paradise were dumbfounded.

In fact, most people knew that when the covenant was signed, it existed only for the purpose of breaking it one day. But when that day actually came, most people were still a little frightened. For the ordinary natives of Jingzhou countryside, it was difficult to grasp Naturally, there cannot be a lot of information. It is not clear for a while what direction the wind is blowing, so we can only stay patient and wait for the final outcome.

Under such circumstances, and with Cai Mao in the middle, there was naturally not much suspense about the reaction of these powerful locals. They basically accepted Cao Jun's request and provided everything Cao Jun and his men needed. Anyway, these materials, even if they are not given to Cao Jun, will be given to Liu Biao, but now they have a different recipient.

As a result, on the north bank of Xiangyang, a lot of chaotic laborers gathered, and they got busy making various equipment and taking care of the supplies and food. Soon, the powerful people in these places discovered that Cao's army, which was pressing on Xiangyang, was not Not many, just Cao Hong alone, plus some people from Cai Mao...

Night has fallen.

Beside the campfire, the soldiers of Cao's army took off their outer iron armor, but still wore the inner layer of leather armor, and kept their weapons within easy reach. The figure of the sentinel cruising around was looming in the darkness in the distance. The swaying light of the bonfire swayed the figures of Cao Jun's soldiers, as if they were wild beasts squatting beside the bonfire with their teeth and claws open.

Cao Hong's horse Jin Dao was sitting on the hillside, looking at the Xiangyang North Camp in the distance, and there seemed to be some flames dancing in his eyes...

Cai Mao sat next to Cao Hong, with a complicated expression on his face, as if he was hesitating to speak.

Cao Hong glanced at Cai Mao and said, "What does De Gui say?" Just say it! 』

Cai Mao cupped his hands and said: "General, this... recruiting civilians is easy, but... there are many people and they have mixed voices..."

Cao Hong laughed, nodded, and said, "I understand." 』

Cai Hao was stunned for a moment, then opened his eyes wide, "The general's intention..."

Cao Hong narrowed his eyes slightly.

…(=_+)…

Gan Ning stared at Cao Jun's campfire in the distance, with stars reflected in his eyes.

Cao's army didn't have many people.

There are always some unwilling Xiangyang natives who will secretly send a message to Xiangyang City.

Gan Ning thought this was an opportunity, but Wenpin thought it was a trap.

Liu Cong felt...well, he didn't feel anything. It was just that Liu Biao thought he could give it a try.

Gan Ning stood on the bow of the boat, straightening his body, looking at Cao Jun's campfire in the distance, and at the shallow, winding river in front of him. Behind him is Xiangyang North Camp and Xiangyang City.

Gan Ning knew that at this moment, in Xiangyang City, which seemed lifeless, there must be many people standing behind the crenellations, staring here and into the distance with their heads stretched out. These people are waiting, as if they are waiting for the battle that is about to break out, waiting for the final winner.

Gan Ning touched the sword in his hand and felt a little unhappy.

For the sake of secrecy, although Gan Ning was not required to hold the sword, the bells on the back of the sword were removed, and without these bells, Gan Xingba felt that he was not complete...

Gan Ning shook his head invisibly and raised his hand to signal. Suddenly the sound of water flow became louder, and all the Jingzhou soldiers rowed their boats in silence towards the north bank. Of course, there was a bridge above the Han River, but since it was a sneak attack, how could it be possible to walk on the other side of the bridge openly?

The shadow of fire swayed in the distance, and the water nearby rippled.

Crash, crash.

At the top of Xiangyang City, Liu Cong, Pang Ji, and Wenpin, all dressed in military uniforms, stood on the edge of the battlements, looking intently to the north.

Far away on the other side of the Hanshui River is the camp that Cao Jun has not yet completely built. Although it is barely formed, there are still many omissions. Even someone like Pang Ji who knows little about military affairs can I see some problems.

Logically speaking, when setting up a camp, one must first establish a defense, that is, use large wooden stakes with the front ends sharpened, which can be inserted into the ground as a temporary obstacle to resist enemy raids, and then trenches can be dug behind these fortifications. , set up camp, but now it seems that it is because there are not enough manpower, Cao Jun was careless, or it is a trap as Wenpin said. Anyway, some places are empty, just like the door is wide open.

Pang Ji frowned, "I heard that Cao Zilian is not ignorant of military affairs. Now there are many flaws in Cao Jun's camp. Could it be that he is confused?" 』

Wenpin on the side shook his head slightly. Of course, Wenpin couldn't provide any strong evidence to prove that this was not Cao Hong's head cramp, but a deliberate temptation, so naturally it was difficult to say anything.

Liu Cong, on the other hand, was filled with indescribable excitement and longing for the upcoming battle. He grabbed Pang Ji and asked, "Tell me, what do you think about this?" General Gan, how will General Gan fight? 』

Pang Ji glanced at Wenpin, but Wenpin was unmoved. In desperation, he could only smile and said, "Master, please see, although Cao Ying relied on the mountain to set up the camp, the mountain is too small..." ...cannot block the entire side rear, there is...a vacancy exposed...If we follow the rules, we should repair the horses and dig trenches there first...However, Cao Jun first dug some trenches on the opposite side of the bridge. , but not deep..."

Liu Cong suddenly asked, "So, as long as General Gan breaks into the camp from that side, he can win a big victory?" 』

Pang Ji glanced at Wenpin again, then smiled slightly awkwardly, "I hope so." 』

Pang Ji could understand Wenpin's embarrassment, but Pang Ji was actually equally embarrassed at the moment.

If Liu Biao completely trusted Wenpin, then Liu Cong shouldn't be standing here now. What can Liu Cong do here? Going to the theater? Liu Biao trusted Gan Ning the most, so Gan Ning had to take the responsibility of testing the strength of Cao Jun, but Wenpin couldn't do it. If Wenpin proposed to attack Cao's camp, there is no way Liu Biao would doubt whether Wenpin was going to do something with Cao Jun. trade……

Pang Ji felt a little surprised that Liu Biao was in such a state of embarrassment and difficulty today, but there was another voice in his heart that seemed to tell him that this was inevitable. When Pang Ji watched Fei Qian rising step by step in the sky like a blazing sun, he seemed to have foreseen the current situation...

Who would have thought that the young man who was in the car back then has now become a hero? And the hero of the party at that time has now become a person who is in a dilemma?

After Pang Ji was silent for a moment, he still said: "Cao Jun may also be luring the enemy... to lure us across the river to attack, and then Cao Jun can use his most elite cavalry to counterattack... But he should not use these cavalry troops." If it was put in front of me so clearly, General Gan would naturally avoid it. Who would be fooled? Moreover, Cao Jun placed the cavalry close to the bridge. Even if he wanted to counterattack, he would have to go around it. The journey was quite long... Could it be that he wanted to use the infantry to entangle General Gan, and then use the cavalry to rush straight to Xiangyang? But the cavalry has no attacking equipment. If they want to conquer the camp and attack Xiangyang just by relying on the cavalry, isn't it just a dream? General Wen, what exactly does Cao Jun want to do? 』

Liu Cong couldn't help but turn his head and look at Wenpin.

Wen Ping looked steadily into the distance for a long time before replying in a low voice: "Cao's army has fought in the north and south, and we... Cao's army going south is not the most terrifying thing. What I am most worried about is that among Cao's army, there are A guide who knows everything about Jingzhou! 』

Pang Ji was shocked, stretched out his hand, and pointed to the north with a slight trembling, "So, General Gan is in danger..."

Wenpin shook his head slowly, "Xingba has a sense of proportion..."

Liu Congo_O? What does it mean?

After pausing for a moment, Wenpin turned to look at Liu Cong, "Master, there are some things that I shouldn't have said down here, but now the enemy is here... Don't look at the geographical advantage we have at the moment. If you think about it the other way around, wouldn't it be me?" Are you trapped here too? Besides, Cao’s army is just one in front of us, and we don’t know whether there will be reinforcements later... The city may not be safe now... I would also like to ask you to inform your envoy, so that you can make a decision as soon as possible..."

Morale, for battles in the cold weapon era, its importance is undoubtedly beyond doubt.

Liu Biao sent Liu Pan, claiming to kill Cai Hao, but in fact, according to Wenpin's judgment, if he really killed Cai Hao, Liu Biao would have hung Cai Hao's head on the city wall!

So if Cai Mao appeared before the city after announcing his death, wouldn't Liu Biao take into account the impact it would have on the morale of the army? On the other hand, Liu Pan has not appeared since Cai Mao's incident. Even now, he doesn't know where he went. I wonder if Liu Biao is arranging something...

Wenpin's meaning is very clear. Under such a situation, the generals naturally need to work together to resist foreign enemies. On the one hand, Liu Biao shows distrust of the people in Jingzhou, and on the other hand, he wants to defend Jingzhou. This is a huge problem in itself. paradox.

Liu Cong looked at Wenpin blankly, obviously not fully understanding the meaning contained in Wenpin's words.

"Please let me tell you this..." Wenpin said with his hands in hand.

"ah? Liu Cong nodded, "Okay..."

Wenpin turned his head and stopped talking. Pang Ji on the side glanced at Wenpin and sighed secretly.

In the distance, in the sparkling water, Gan Ning seemed to be approaching the north bank.

This outpost between Liu Biao and Cao Cao quietly unfolded on this night...