Three Kingdoms

The sudden rain slowed down the movements on both sides of the Western Region.

In the future, being caught in the rain will not cause you to catch a cold. If you take two pills and sleep, you will be fully recovered. But in the Han Dynasty, typhoid fever was a big problem, and it would spread into a plague if you were not careful, so normally no general would deliberately challenge wind, rain, or disease.

When the wind and rain in the Western Regions come, the weather in Jiangdong in the south has entered a hot season.

At this point when Lu Bu and Zhang Liao retreated to Xihai City, after intense preparations, Jiangdong sent troops.

Huang Gai left Dongting Lake with 18,000 elite troops, sailed upstream, and camped not far downstream from Jiangling.

Cao Jun discovered the movement in Jiangdong almost as soon as Huang Gai led his troops, and immediately flew on horseback to report to Cao Ren. Cao Ren also reported it to Cao Cao immediately.

"Huang Gong was replaced as the governor..." Cao Cao stroked his beard and squinted his eyes, "Eighteen thousand soldiers...what do you want?" 』

Eighteen thousand is neither too much nor too little.

After all, Jiang Dong was always worth one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, but now he suddenly only said that he only had eighteen thousand, which was a bit uncomfortable.

And what exactly do these Wanba want to do?

Judging from the marching route, it was indeed pointing to Yidao or Jiangling, but what could 18,000 soldiers do? It's not that Cao Cao underestimated Jiang Dongbing... Well, well, at this point in time, Cao Cao had not been burned once. His impression of Jiang Dongbing was that the navy was good, but he was a scumbag when he came ashore, so maybe he To some extent, he looked down upon Jiang Dongbing's combat effectiveness.

In Cao Cao's mind, if these 18,000 soldiers go ashore, they must be at least 20% off, and then they cannot all go ashore. Some of them must be left in the water stronghold to watch the ships, baggage, etc., so those who go ashore must Even if the fighting strength is only ten thousand, what can these ten thousand soldiers do?

Fighting the Yi Road?

If the hussars and horses are not dispatched, it may not be a big problem to attack Yi Dao. After all, the defensive fortifications of Yi Dao are not very strong, and there are not many people and horses stationed there. It is relatively easy to be conquered, but even if it is conquered Liao Yi said that with such a small number of soldiers, it would be somewhat insufficient to attack further.

If we take a step back and think about it, 18,000 soldiers would be too many just to establish a forward position. Even though Jiangdong uses ships to transport grain and grass, after all, the waterway from Dongting Lake Water Village in Jiangdong to Yidao is somewhat far, and it is not like a grain road on land. The route can be adjusted at any time. This waterway is just like this... …

"This is why Jiang Dong is worried..." Cao Cao smiled, with a hint of sarcasm in his smile, "It is difficult to achieve great results by looking forward and backward..."

Guo Jia nodded and agreed with Lao Cao, "Jiangdong is in a precarious situation now, so it is common sense to be cautious." 』

In fact, speaking of it, Jiangdong is generally worried about Lao Cao. Although they have formed an alliance on the surface, in fact Jiangdong is still afraid that if Lao Cao turns his back and suddenly stabs Jiangdong in the back, this time's march has a strong sense of testing, as if he is cautiously sticking out a foot and may withdraw at any time. go.

"Someone is coming!" ” Cao Cao ordered, “Let Sun Shubi come and tell me that I have something to discuss!” 』

Sometimes the thoughts of the ancients were so straightforward that they were written directly on the names of their descendants. For example, Liu Bei named his son Liu Feng and Liu Chan, and his thoughts were clear.

Sun Jian is relatively better and more hidden, but only a little bit hidden. He did not write it directly on the name, but hid it in the words. Sun Bofu, Sun Zhongmou, Sun Shubi, and Sun Jizuo can be regarded as clear at a glance. The eldest brother leads the army, the second eldest brother plans, the third and fourth eldest assistants assist, the division of labor is clear, and the expectations are high.

But is it a pity...

Wishes are often beautiful, but reality is often cold.

Sun Yi failed to provide any assistance to Sun Quan. As a hostage in exchange, he was named the prefect of Qinghe, but he did not take office immediately. Instead, he used this name as a guest in Xu County, and the actual affairs of Qinghe were He became the agent of the Qinghe County Prime Minister. This has a resounding name in later generations, called "presiding over work".

Sun Yi came and paid homage to Cao Cao in a polite manner.

"Shu Bi is here. Please sit down. You're welcome." Is it good to eat and live in Xu County? Is there anything wrong? ” Cao Cao smiled, like a friendly neighbor tempting the little Lolita with a lollipop.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, everything is fine with Yi. Thank you, Prime Minister, for your concern." ” Sun Yi answered seriously.

Cao Cao nodded, exchanged greetings for a while, and then stroked his beard and said slowly: "There was an interesting thing recently. A man was hunting in the mountains and forests outside the city. He accidentally lost his blade. He couldn't find it. Suddenly he heard outside the forest. When there was a sound, he rushed out and saw a woodcutter hurried away. He suspected that he had obtained the blade. He first called him, but when the woodcutter didn't respond, he became more suspicious and started to fight and beat him..."

Cao Cao glanced at Sun Yi and said, "Then when I met the official, I found out that the woodcutter was deaf and had not been harmed." The hunter first paid the fine and then returned to the forest to search for it. He had lost his position and could not use his sword. 』

Sun Yi blinked, "The Prime Minister means..."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "I just found out about it by chance and thought it was interesting. I chatted for a while. Uncle Bi was overly worried." 』

After that, they chatted for a while, then rewarded Sun Yi with some clothes, food utensils and other items, and sent Sun Yi away.

Seeing Sun Yi leaving, Guo Jia walked out of the wing and smiled: "The Prime Minister said this too straightforwardly..."

Cao Cao laughed and said, "If you don't speak more frankly, I'm afraid I won't understand!" 』

The two of them laughed again. After a while, Cao Cao slowly stopped smiling and raised his eyes, "The Yang family in Heluo sent someone to send a secret report, saying that the Qiaoqi were hunting down spies in Guanzhong... causing harm." A lot of manpower..."

Guo Jia sighed, "This hussar really doesn't understand courtesy at all." 』

Cao Cao had previously released some of the spies he had captured in Shandong and released them back to Chang'an. Of course, the Hussars are not completely silent. They still send some war horses and armors, which is equivalent to giving these people a ransom, but this kind of thing has not been vigorously publicized throughout the ages.

Cao Cao actually wanted to reach a tacit understanding through this method, that is, if the two sides caught each other's spies, they would exchange them instead of killing them...

Cao Cao did this not because Cao Cao was benevolent, or maybe he just wanted to show mercy. In fact, he still hoped that those spies could bring more things back. After all, if they were killed, they would be of no value at all. And once you know you won't die, why would you hide something, even if it's just in your mind? Anyway, whatever new technology can be brought over from Guanzhong, Cao Cao feels that it is a profit.

But this time, Youwen Si under the Qiushui took action directly.

This made Cao Cao angry, but more suspicious.

"What on earth is Hussar trying to cover up?" ” Cao Cao asked, looking at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia was silent for a while, "Maybe it has something to do with the Western Regions." 』

The reason why Guo Jia was silent was because he felt that there might be some ambiguities about this matter, but he didn't know what was wrong with it, so he wasn't sure, he could only say maybe.

Cao Cao sighed with emotion, "The most important thing in military affairs is to know yourself and your enemy." It can be said that the six hussars are very proficient. 』

Guo Jia cupped his hands and said, "Prime Minister, Rong Chen will send more people to investigate." 』

Cao Cao nodded and said, "You need to be careful." 』

Guo Jia took the order and retreated. Cao Cao sat in the hall with his eyes narrowed.

After a while, Cao Cao summoned his subordinates and asked them to go to Hanoi to find Le Jin. He gave these instructions for a while...

Let's talk about Huang Gai again. After he was stationed in the lower reaches of Jiangling for a period of time, he received a letter forwarded by Sun Yi through Xiangyang. After reading the letter, he shook his head and sighed, and then ordered his soldiers to collect the ships. , march forward.

Sun Yi's letter stated that Cao Cao was mocking Jiangdong, but Huang Gai knew that the reason why he stayed was not because of timidity or doubts, but because of some other reasons...

Of course, Jiangdong has always been wary of Cao Jun.

However, since Sun Yi has written the letter, it cannot be said that he is completely unmoved. After all, Sun Yi is too disrespectful to give face to Sun Yi, and Sun Yi's life in Xu County will probably not be very good.

While Huang Gai sent people back to report, he led his troops out of Jiangling and headed towards Yidao by land and water.

Cao Jun's navy was very restrained and almost did not even patrol. They just stood on the wall of Jiangling Water Village and watched the Jiangdong navy pass in front of them from a distance.

Huang Gai's march was not very fast. He could only walk thirty miles a day. This speed could even be described as a turtle crawling. Because most of the Jiangdong Army's baggage is loaded on ships, the marching speed on land is not limited to baggage vehicles, and the army can also move in a straight line, while the navy needs to walk along the waterway, which is relatively winding. It's a little more winding, but the waterway saves effort, so normally such a march would have to go up to fifty miles, but now Huang Gai forced his speed to stop at half the line.

Every day when the sun just turned west, Huang Gai would set up a simple water fort, and then coordinate defense with the army on the shore. Going to bed early and walking late every day is like going on an outing.

Huang Gai's attitude resulted in the Hussar's scouts being confused.

The march was not like an march, there was no sense of speed at all, and the baggage ships at the rear of the entire fleet were just there in plain sight, looking like bait no matter what. This bait was so obvious that the hussars who had been ambushing on the shore hesitated, thinking that they would be trapped if they attacked.

After all, Huang Gai is also a veteran who has fought for many years. How could he not even understand that baggage ships need protection?

However, seeing Huang Gai approaching Yi Dao day by day, the Hussars Sichuan-Shu Navy, who could not find a suitable opportunity, could not do nothing. Therefore, when Jiangdong Navy approached Yi Dao, they began to attack tentatively.

When Huang Gai saw the Hussars Sichuan and Sichuan naval forces appearing, he did not choose to fight them regardless of their number, but instead camped on the spot. The military stronghold on land and the water stronghold on the water were connected together. All the trees and shrubs near the stronghold wall were cut down, and a large number of defense fortifications were deployed, as if a new city was to be built on the spot, allowing the hussar navy to Team leader Wang Shuang was dumbfounded.

In the original plan, Wang Shuang came to lure the enemy...

As a result, Jiang Dongjun shrank into a turtle shell before being lured!

In desperation, Wang Shuang sent someone back to inform him of the latest changes, while he cautiously launched a tentative attack.

Huang Gai was also cautious. He ordered the stronghold to be defended, dragging all the baggage ships to the innermost part to guard against rocket fire, and blocking the warships on the outside to resist the attack of the Hussar navy. It felt like guarding against thousands of ships. Thousands of troops and thousands of warships attack in the same way...

At the same time, the Jiangdong soldiers on land also lined up and set up a crossbow array on the shore to assist the navy in counterattacking.

Faced with such a posture, Wang Shuang really felt "flattered" and shouted in his heart that I am just a small military academy, why should I have such a big posture? Even if the hussar came in person, it would be nothing more than that!

Huang Gai's behavior was very abnormal, which made Wang Shuang not dare to act righteously at all. He only tried to test step by step, and also arranged at least half of his strength on the periphery as a warning to prevent Jiangdong's warships from that corner. Rush out from inside and outflank them.

Huang Gai sat high on the navy ship, watching the Jiangdong Navy and Qiushui ships coming and going, arrows flying back and forth. It seemed like the fight was lively, but in fact both sides were very restrained, just like a live-fire military. It's the same drill, using real guys, but not for real people. Therefore, although Huang Gai's face was serious and serious, his mind was no longer on the battlefield.

Anyway, if Huang Gai still needs to personally direct a battle of this level, then the non-commissioned officers of the Jiangdong Military Academy can really commit suicide by throwing themselves into the river on the spot.

The real battle has not yet begun.

The two sides fought for two days, each suffering some damage.

Wang Shuang was a little helpless. He had tried his best, but Jiang Dongjun just huddled in the stronghold and refused to come out.

This made Wang Shuang almost crazy.

Continuous consumption was not Wang Shuang's purpose, so after the battle the next day, he retreated a certain distance, distanced himself from Jiangdong Army, and maintained surveillance of Jiangdong Army. Anyway, it is impossible for Wang Shuang to defeat Huang Gai with just a few soldiers.

Wang Shuang thought about it and couldn't figure out what Huang Gai was doing, so he could only wait for the next order and complete his mission as much as possible. Anyway, if Huang Gai wanted to advance, he had to fight Wang Shuang first.

Wang Shuang's soldiers were not many in number, but they were like a stone or a barrage stuck in the river. Unless they were removed, it would be difficult for Huang Gai to advance smoothly.

Wang Shuang felt that he couldn't be lured out anyway, so he watched from the outside to see how Huang Gai acted before deciding his next move.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with doing this, but it is a pity that compared to Huang Gai, Wang Shuang is far behind in terms of experience and strategy. He did not realize that the danger had quietly arrived.

At night, Huang Gai and his clothes lie down.

There were footsteps outside the cabin. Huang Gai immediately opened his eyes and sat up, as if he hadn't slept at all and was awake all the time.

"Captain, there is news..." the guard outside said softly.

"Come in. Huang Gai ordered, and then looked at the guards who came in, "What's going on?" 』

"Reporting to the Governor, General Zhu has sent a signal and is ready to attack at any time. ’ replied the guard.

Huang Gai's gray eyebrows raised, "Good!" Did you find the Qiusi ambush? 』

The guard nodded, "It's in a river bend near Yidao." 』

Huang Gai laughed loudly, and then waved his hand vigorously, "Send my general order, water fortress warship, cook at the third watch, and attack at the fifth watch!" 』

The guard responded, then hesitated, "Captain, then Cao Jun's side..."

Huang Gai smiled and patted the guard on the shoulder, "Not bad. You know how to use your brain. Very good." But what do you think the soldiers in our Lu village are used for? 』

The guard suddenly understood, bowed immediately, turned around and went out to deliver the order.

After a while, the Jiangdong soldiers in the water village began to take action. All the ships were adjusting their positions, equipping ordnance, food, grass and other items. After eating the battle meal, at the fifth watch, the gate of the water village opened. , Jiangdong navy ships of all sizes came out one after another!

The Jiangdong navy was well-trained, and the ships that came forward were separated like minesweepers. They stretched out their probe rods and soon found out the iron chains and hidden stakes set up by the hussars underwater. They either cut them off or marked them, and then continued to explore forward. Only when the Jiangdong Navy had removed these underwater traps did the Sichuan-Sichuan Navy under Wang Shuang react.

Wang Shuang had indeed planned to use it as a bait, but he did not expect that he had lured Huang Gai for two days and Huang Gai remained motionless. And when Huang Gai actually moved out, the speed of the Jiangdong Navy was beyond Wang Shuang's imagination!

If they were on land, the Hussars' cavalry could move as fast as rabbits, then Jiangdong's navy showed the same speed on the water. Wang Shuang received the news and saw Jiangdong's navy rushing right in front of his eyes.

Wang Shuang was a little careless.

After all, Wang Shuang himself was not an excellent general. After seducing Huang Gai for two consecutive days, who would have thought that Huang Gai would directly launch an all-out attack in the early morning of the third day?

These Jiangdong naval forces followed Huang Gai to kill Wang Shuang and others. Under the light of the torch, each Jiangdong naval force looked menacing, like a crocodile jumping up from the water, biting its prey and about to roll to death.

When Wang Shuang and others went to fight, the space left for them was already very small, so Wang Shuang had no chance to linger for long, and immediately yelled to retreat. But even so, Jiangdong Army relied on its advantage on the water. It also continued to invade Wang Shuang and others. The small boat was like a swimming fish, following Wang Shuang and other warships quickly, constantly harassing and blocking them. As long as Wang Shuang's boat was delayed a little, Jiangdong's large ship would directly come up like a dark cloud. .

Arrows missed and crossbows flew past.

From time to time, Sichuan and Sichuan naval forces were shot and fell into the water.

At this moment, the sharpness of Jiangdong's navy was fully revealed, causing Wang Shuang and others to use almost all their strength. They managed to keep a certain distance and fled to Yidao...

The Sichuan-Sichuan naval force was immediately beaten badly. Even Wang Shuang was hit by a stray shot from nowhere. Fortunately, the armor and stomach were still strong enough, so the injury was not too serious. Wang Shuang gritted his teeth and looked back from time to time, "Follow me!" Chase it! When we get to Yidao, we will definitely make you bastards look good! 』