Han Xiang

Chapter 602 General Sun Quan makes money in Xiangyang

"General Guan has an eye on the overall situation. He really has the demeanor of a general. He is worthy of being the first general under the lord's command."

Xu Shu stroked his beard and nodded in affirmation, and then reminded: "This matter must be completed without delay, otherwise the news of Jiang Qin's surrender will spread, and he will not be able to earn a living in Xiangyang."

"Don't worry Yuanzhi, I will repair the book immediately and send people to Fancheng overnight." After Guan Yu answered, he added: "I have Yuanzhi to organize the people to evacuate, but now the waterway is blocked by Cai Mao. I don't know where to evacuate the people? If we directly When moving from Wuguan to Guanzhong, it is necessary to send troops to protect and support such a long distance, but the troops in Wancheng are not enough."

Xu Shu frowned and replied: "If Cao Cao goes south to Jingzhou, the entire Nanyang County will be unsafe. Tens of thousands of people will have three places to go, Guanzhong, Hanzhong or south of the Han River;
Hanzhong can be ruled out as being further away than Guanzhong. Whether Xiangyang can be captured at this time is not yet known. The safest option is to move directly to Guanzhong. Yun Chang only needs to send a battalion of troops to escort along the way to maintain order;
I suggest moving to Nanxiang first. Nanxiang is close to Wancheng and Wuguan, and is a good place to move in and out easily. "

"Okay, okay." Guan Yu clapped his hands and said, "Wancheng and Xi'e are mostly immigrants from Runan. I will ask Gong Du to escort them to Nanxiang first, and then we will decide whether to advance or retreat."

"General Gong is very suitable. Since Yun Chang has already thought about it, I will deploy it at night so that we can set off tomorrow morning."

After Xu Shu said this, he resigned and left. Guan Yu suddenly stopped behind him, took off his green brocade robe and handed it to him, saying with concern on his face:
"In the late autumn night, there is fog and frost. I think Yuan Zhi's clothes are thin today, and I am afraid that the wind and cold will invade and get sick. For the time being, I put on Guan's brocade robe to keep out the cold."

"I practice my sword in the morning and evening to strengthen my body. How can a mere mist and frost do anything about it? Besides, the mist in Wancheng is far different from that in Fancheng."

Xu Shu shook his head as he walked. At the end of his words, an idea flashed in his mind. Should he use the weather to fight?
Guan Yu didn't send the cloak out. He only saw Xu Shu stopping at the door for a moment and then disappeared into the cold twilight. However, Guan Yu did not have time to delve into Xu Shu's heart. He needed to seize the time to revise the book and make arrangements. Otherwise, Gan Ning might lead the troops if they did not arrive in Fancheng in time. If the navy attacks Cai Mao, the opportunity to seize Xiangyang will be lost.

The messengers set out overnight, holding torches and walking in the wilderness. Looking down from the sky, it seemed like the stars were moving.

The fire was flowing at night and was noticed by Cao Jun on the east bank of Feishui River. However, he did not respond to the discovery.

Cao Ren used a cannibalization strategy. He first cut off the wings and branches of Wancheng, and waited until the dry season before building a bridge to cross the river. He speculated that Guan Yu's warship would be stranded by then, or he would wait for the Wancheng defenders to collapse, and then cross the river in one go for a decisive battle.

Early the next morning, Cao Ren was awakened from his sleep.

Just as he was about to get angry at the servant, he saw Xu Huang standing in front of the door.

Cao Ren secretly thought that there must be something important, so he lifted the quilt, turned over on the bed, and asked questions while the servants were changing clothes.

"It's just dawn. Gongming got up really early. You're standing in front of the house right now. Could it be that Guan Yu is calling?"

"General Rongzhen, it was not General Guan who took the initiative to attack, but scouts from all over the country came to report after dawn. They said that the people in Xi'e and Wancheng were helping the elderly and children out of the west of the city, so they came to ask for instructions from General."

As soon as Xu Huang finished speaking, Cao Ren turned around to face him, waiting for the chamberlain to tie his belt.

Hearing this, Cao Ren grabbed the servant and said, "I'll do it myself." Then he stepped forward and asked Xu Huang: "Gongming, what did you say? Are the people in Xi'e and Wancheng fleeing? Is it possible that they are fleeing?" What scheme is Guan Yu playing?"

"Based on my humble opinion, General Guan relies on his talent and pride, and uses his troops with integrity rather than using surprise. If the people fleeing is a plan, it must also be Xu Shu's plan."

After Xu Huang finished expressing his opinion, he raised his head and secretly observed Cao Ren, only to see disdain on his face.

"Xu Shu? There are some tricks, but in the face of absolute strength, these tricks are useless. The several counties he took away through trickery eventually returned to our hands. In addition, he also took several more counties from Guan Yu. How can they Any rescue measures? I think he is at the end of his rope and those advisers are too high-minded to him."

"Uh"

Xu Huang was not in a position to refute, so he just reminded in a low voice: "We had a long confrontation on both sides of the Tuishui River. We have never seen General Guan mobilize like this, or Xu Shu acted like this. Are you planning to give up on Nanyang?" "Give up?"

Cao Ren pursed his lips and shook his head. Based on his understanding of Guan Yu's personality, he thought that this man was so proud, how could he give up so easily?

"The initiative is in our hands. The people in Xi'e and Wancheng fled. They may have wanted to save food and grass, but they left the people to serve as miscellaneous auxiliary soldiers. It is very difficult to defend with soldiers alone. I heard that Guan Yu worked hard to supervise the construction of those hundreds of warships in Fancheng. He may not be willing to abandon them, so he just needs to keep an eye on the warships in the river."

"Then if General Guan really returns to Guanzhong."

Xu Huang had already reached his point, so he didn't finish his words.

"Isn't that good? We captured Jingzhou for the Prime Minister, then marched west to Yizhou and east to Yangzhou. At that time, Liu Bei was curled up in the northwest as if in a cage. How could it last long?"

"This"

"Come on, follow me to Jieshui. Guan Yu abandoned the prime minister and returned to Liu Bei. I'm afraid he will regret it now."

"only."

Cao Ren and Xu Huang walked out of the main tent together, and saw Zhang Xiu hurriedly coming to report, so the three of them went to Feishui to investigate.

The people in Xi'e and Wancheng fled, but there was no abnormality in the warships in the water, and patrols continued without interruption. When Cao Ren and others were spotted walking along the river to inquire, the patrol warships shot crossbows toward the east bank to drive them away.

In line with the idea that if the enemy does not move, I will not move. In the remaining days, Cao Ren only strengthened surveillance on Guan Yu and was not eager to take any military action. However, he sent Ma Yan, Zhang Wei and other surrendered generals to the south to cross Bishui to occupy the area controlled by Liu Qi. Huyang and Pingshi counties opened the way for Li Tong to mobilize troops and grain from Runan.

Cao Ren felt that Liu Bei's men who stayed in Nanyang would most likely escape back to Guanzhong via Wuguan. As long as Guan Yu's naval forces were trapped in Feishui, the rest of the infantry would be a piece of cake.

On the other hand, before Cao Ren went on the expedition, Cao Cao had asked him to encircle the point for reinforcements.

Use Guan Yu as bait to draw out Liu Bei's reinforcements.

Compared with attacking dangerous passes such as Tongguan and Wuguan, it is more cost-effective for Cao Cao to regain the land in Guanzhong by completing the consumption of Liu Bei's army in the Nanyang Plain, so Cao Ren was not in a hurry after arriving in Nanyang.

Guan Yu transferred the main force to Wancheng. The previous siege of Xiangyang had been lifted. There was no need for Cao Ren to take a detour to capture Fancheng, which would not guarantee his food route.

Cao Cao secretly attacked Wuchao Granary and finally turned defeat into victory in Guandu, knowing the importance of protecting grain routes.

Unfortunately, it was Cao Ren's contempt for Fancheng that resulted in Xiangyang, the seat of Jingzhou's governance, being acquired by the enemy.

After Cai Mao heard the news, he went to Cao Ying to ask for help. Cao Ren saw Cao Ren's dejected appearance and quickly comforted him: "General De Gui, don't be anxious. Maybe it's the rumor that Xu Shu sent people to release? Xiangyang has a dangerous terrain and a strong city. With the troops and horses in Fan City, Can it happen? I don’t believe it.”

"I also hope it is false, but my brother came to report the news in person. How can this matter be false? It was Sun Quan who betrayed the prime minister. His general and Kuai Yidu met each other, and they accidentally opened the city gate. As a result, Guan Ping Taking advantage of the heavy fog, he led his troops across the river and captured Xiangyang in one go."

(End of this chapter)