Overlord!

Chapter 157 Sun Ce and Lu Bu Confront!

Both sent troops to decisive battles. The biggest difference between Sun Ce and Lu Bu was that he had Liu Bei as a fence on his west side, stationed in Dongyang to prevent Yuan Shu from advancing eastward.

On the Huaihe River, the Jiangdong navy has also arrived. Although the Jiangdong navy is small in scale, compared with Lu Bu who has almost no navy at all, the Jiangdong navy is absolutely invincible.

Even if Sun Ce loses in the Jiangbei war, the navy can block the Huaihe River, leaving Lu Bu with no chance!
Fighting for the top in troubled times, the lords vying for the throne, fighting for all aspects of the entire power.Sun Ce can be said to attack the Central Plains from the east of the Yangtze River. Compared with Lu Bu, a prince with only bravery, he has too many advantages.Now it is entirely Sun Ce who is using Jiangdong's comprehensive strength to compete with Lu Bu's pure military strength.

After Sun Ce finished talking about Liu Bei's great success, Lu Su also said: "If Lu Bu does not restrain him, he may also become a serious disaster. Especially Lu Bu has just seized the money and food in Haixi, and with this as his luggage, his momentum will become more and more stable."

In fact, the method of restricting Lu Bu is very simple.Just send troops to Haixi, attack them on their way home, defeat Lu Bu's troops, and plunder their luggage.

Lu Bu's return was not fast. He traveled by land and water, passed by captives, and brought a large number of captured men, women, money and food.

After all, Guan Yu alone had nearly [-] people in his army, and there were definitely thousands of wives of Liu Bei's military officials in Lu Bu in Haixi.

But this method is like saying that it is actually very simple to defeat Lu Bu in a one-on-one match, all you need to do is stab the tip of the knife into Lu Bu's chest!
Obviously, Lu Bu's combat power is the most difficult issue.Is Jiangdong ready to face Lu Bu and his extremely powerful Bingzhou Army?
Is it possible to defeat the thousands of elites under Lu Bu's command on the frontal battlefield with thousands of people?

Lu Su said very seriously: "Lü Bu's army is fierce and fierce. An ordinary prince with tens of thousands of people may not be able to block the violent attack of his army. And if we in Jiangdong want to compete with him on the battlefield with thousands of people, we need to be fully prepared .”

All the generals in the camp looked dignified, this is about to confront Lu Bu!

Lu Bu's illustrious reputation is definitely second to none in this world.It is brave and good at fighting, and it is unstoppable.Few generals can compete with him in a battle of comparable scale.

Including Cao Cao who defeated Lv Bu in Yanzhou, it was also relying on logistical advantages to defeat Lv Bu when food and grass were insufficient!
Because of this, even at any cost, Jiangdong wanted to destroy the supplies and food that Lv Bu obtained in Haixi to limit its expansion.

After Lu Su solemnly mentioned the key to the battle, Sun Ce said calmly: "The key to the art of war is to win first and then fight. As for the decisive victory over Lv Bu, I already have a victorious strategy. The rest is for the soldiers to use their lives. Defeat Lu Bu!"

Hearing this, all the generals and schools were all in high spirits.

My lord, that is one of the most capable princes in the world.Even if he defeated Lu Bu's Cao Cao, he might not be able to compete with his lord!
Now that the lord already has a plan for the temple, the other generals are naturally motivated, and they just need to fight bravely and compete with Lu Bu on the battlefield!
Zhang Fei was the first to get up and said, "General Sun, I invite you to be the vanguard and help Marquis Wu defeat Lu Bu's arrogance."

Chen Wu also got up immediately, and hurriedly said: "This decisive battle cannot be missed. How can the vanguard be entrusted to someone who has repeatedly fought and defeated? I invite you to be the vanguard, and I will be indomitable and invincible!"

Sun Ce glanced at the two of them and said with a smile, "Yide was the vanguard last time, so Zilie will be the vanguard this time."

Chen Wu glanced arrogantly at Zhang Fei immediately, and said with a sneer, "Xuzhou soldiers are learning from the side, and see how I can defeat the enemy with Jiang Dongxiao's sharp soldiers!"

Zhang Fei was so angry that he clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could fight in battle immediately, beheading hundreds of people, one rider as a thousand, defeating Lu Bu's Bingzhou army, and making the arrogant Jiangdong soldiers completely admire him!

Seeing the dispute between the two, Sun Ce just smiled lightly and didn't ask any questions.

How did these two people know that they didn't arrange this on purpose?

In this battle, Sun Ce wanted to give Zhang Fei a strong general.At least [-]% of the outcome of the war depends on him!Whether or not Lu Bu's army can be defeated depends on how Zhang Fei displays his bravery as a bear and tiger general.

Sun Ce has always believed that Zhang Fei actually has military talents, and what he lacks is an opportunity to show himself dignifiedly!It is a battle that is evenly matched with the opponent!
As long as there is such an opportunity, Zhang Fei will definitely become a powerful general who shocked the world and is known all over the world!

And Sun Ce intends to fulfill his reputation and give him this opportunity.

After Chen Wu, Zhang Fei and others left, Lu Su walked up to Sun Ce, frowned and asked, "What strategy does the general have to defeat the enemy? I really don't have any plans for how to defeat Lu Bu. After all, Lu Bu's subordinates , a strong army, powerful for a while. The world's heroes rise together, but no one can say that they will definitely defeat Lu Bu."

Sun Ce said with a smile: "In fact, there is no one else, the only thing is to fight first."

This is still Yue Fei's military philosophy: to fight after the battle, the regularity of the art of war, the wonderful use of it, all in one mind.

It's just that Sun Ce taught Zhang Fei what it means to use it before, and he put it all together.This time he will teach his soldiers what it means to fight first!
Lu Su was astonished and asked, "The general has an army that is sure to defeat Lv Bu? I heard that Ban Gu said that a strategist defends the country with righteousness and employs troops with odds. He plans first and then fights. He takes advantage of the situation to cover yin and yang, and uses clever tactics. General Is there a conspiracy?"

Sun Ce smiled, it shouldn't be considered a conspiracy.This is known to almost everyone in the later generations, the classic army formation of the Southern and Northern Expeditions, against the northern cavalry, and using footsteps to control cavalry - but the moon formation!

Regarding Lu Bu's use of troops, Sun Ce can probably have a grasp of the defeats of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Guan Yu.

He is accustomed to leading the cavalry to attack the enemy's mass first, and then take advantage of the enemy's chaos to gallop through the enemy's formation.

This is a typical rider.

That's why he was able to say to Cao Cao at the top of the White Gate Tower: "If you make the Duke of Ming to walk and the general to ride, the world will not be stable!"

He defeated the Qingzhou soldiers under Cao Cao's command and the Xuzhou soldiers under Guan Yu's command, and the tactics he used were all the same.

And Sun Ce just knows how to set up the Queyue Formation and control cavalry with steps!
The so-called Queyue formation is a classic formation used by Emperor Wu of the Song Dynasty Liu Yu to fight against the cavalry of the Northern Wei Dynasty.Liu Yu once used only [-] infantry to defeat the [-] elite cavalry of the Northern Wei Dynasty with only [-] infantry. Moreover, during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the elite cavalry who had mastered the Gaoqiao saddle technology and stirrup technology!

The Lu Bu army that Sun Ce faced naturally did not have as much pressure as Liu Yu.Not to mention [-] elite cavalry in Lu Bu's army, he didn't even have [-]!And more importantly, the cavalry in Lu Bu's army did not have Takahashi saddles and double-ring stirrups!In theory, his assault power is far from being comparable to that of the elite cavalry of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

However, during the Southern and Northern Expeditions, Sun Ce had all the conditions necessary for the army to deploy the Moon Formation!
Whether it is warships, spears, bows and arrows, or elite infantry, cavalry, and chariots, Sun Ce can pile them directly along the Huaihe River.

So Sun Ce said to Lu Su with great ambition: "When the wind is blowing, it is daytime, and the time and place are at the best time and place! With the people from the east of the Yangtze River, I will win the battle between the two armies. I am not afraid of any hero in the world! Sweep Huainan and Heluo, and the world will not be settled." !"

Lu Su looked at Sun Ce who was laughing boldly, and couldn't help smiling, maybe this is the charm of the current military god?Swallow ten thousand miles like a tiger!
This kind of invincible arrogance, this kind of arrogance that looks down on the world, is indeed a charm that no man can resist!

With Sun Ce's military order, the Jiangdong army in Huaiyin also moved quickly, as fast as the wind.

On the second day after receiving the news of Guan Yu's defeat, he boarded the ship decisively and marched quickly to Haixi.

The most important reason why the army was so vigorous and resolute and still only set out the next day was that a large amount of supplies had to be transported to the naval ships.Especially with hundreds of chariots, it took a lot of time.

This kind of chariot was really not developed by Sun Ce alone for this battle.In this era, the baggage carts generally have the function of chariots, which is what military books say, when they move, they can carry soldiers and armour, and when they stop, they can be used as a camp, or they can stop and rush when they are in danger.

General Wei Qing used a large number of chariots in the Battle of Mobei to hinder the rush of the Huns cavalry.

For thousands of years, the Zhuxia army has basically been able to insert oar shields and spears on the carts used to carry soldiers, weapons, and grain and grass when needed, and use them as temporary field fortifications during combat.

Slightly more professional chariots have shooting holes on the baffle. Soldiers hold crossbows and hide behind the baffle, and shoot arrows from the shooting holes to kill the enemy.

In addition to carrying these chariots, the ships were loaded with a large number of strong bows and hard crossbows, which not only met the needs of the entire army, but also allowed the sailors to hold bows and crossbows as much as possible to cover the flanks of the army.

The Jiangdong army is even more focused, except for a thousand cavalry cruising on the south bank of the Huaihe River, waiting for an opportunity to trample on the enemy.

The disciples even dispatched more than [-] people, including the three Beifu Army Sima Divisions, the [-] Danyang elite soldiers trained by Xu Kun, and more than [-] people from Zhang Fei's Division.

These 4000 people are the size of Lu Bu's army estimated by Sun Ce, and the largest Jiangdong army that can be mobilized.

Sun Ce and Lu Su calculated the number of Lu Bu's troops. With [-] Jiangdong troops, even if they were smaller in Haixi, the difference would not be too great.It is even possible that the scale is still higher than that of the enemy.

Even if the scale is lower than the enemy's, it's not a big problem, but the moon formation is very suitable for the weak to defeat the strong. When it comes to the most critical moment, the two thousand soldiers of the navy can pick up their weapons and enter the battlefield.As a decisive force, one strike will determine the universe.

With the advantages of the navy and control of the river, the Jiangdong army has the initiative on the battlefield. Not only can it decide where to fight, but it can also wait for work at leisure and attack the enemy when it is exhausted.

Of course, all of this is just on paper in planning.

A crucial factor for the effectiveness of the Moon Formation is that the cavalry is strong enough to attack the Moon Formation head-on, resulting in heavy losses.

Whether Lu Bu will directly attack Sun Ce's army is still unknown.

If Lu Bu refused to attack, Sun Ce would have to act accordingly and stay focused.

However, Sun Ce felt that the probability of the moon formation's success was still extremely high.Since ancient times, there have been many people who used cavalry to attack the majestic formation of infantry, and it is difficult to count.

Is it because these cavalry generals don't know that there is no invitation to upright banner, no attack on the majestic formation?
No!It's just that they are used to leading cavalry to charge.

And many generals, the biggest reliance on winning a battle, are the best at tactics. The key to decisive victory is to lead cavalry into the enemy's line, and then defeat the enemy with one blow.

Such a method of warfare is always beneficial.

If they are not allowed to lead the cavalry to charge, then they will not fight.

If a cavalry general gives up the advantage of cavalry and uses infantry to fight a bad battle with his opponent, he may be defeated instead.

Lu Bu, in particular, had already defeated the Black Mountain Army, Qingzhou Army, and Xuzhou Army with cavalry assault tactics, so he naturally had confidence in this victory, and wanted to rely on the power of iron cavalry to defeat the Jiangdong Army in one fell swoop.

Otherwise, the two armies would fall into a fierce fight. Once his subordinate Bingzhou army suffered heavy losses, the result would be even worse, and it would be even more difficult to compete against heroes such as Yuan Shu and Liu Bei.

From Huaiyin to Haixi, the two counties are Lin County to the south of the Huaihe River, and part of the territory to the north of the Huaihe River is within the territory of Huaipu County.

But even if it is three counties, the navy will arrive in Haixi County in two days if it goes eastward.

The scouts on both sides quickly discovered each other's whereabouts.

The main reason is that the whereabouts of the two sides can't be concealed. Sun Ce's main force is on the river, with nearly a hundred large ships marching mightily, thousands of sails racing, hundreds of boats competing for the flow, and they can be detected by scouts at a glance.

However, Lu Bu's army plundered a lot of wealth and led a large number of soldiers, officials, wives and daughters, numbering in the thousands.

When the two sides met, the navy trackers on the south bank of the Huaihe River immediately pulled the navy warship under the guidance of the military order, and fixed the warship on the south bank of the Huaihe River.

As long as there is no sudden southeast wind blowing Jiangdong ships to the north bank at this time, the Jiangdong army can be said to be foolproof!You can attack when you advance, and you can defend when you retreat!Lu Bu, without a navy, has nothing to do about it.

After the warship stopped, Lu Su, the governor in charge of the navy, immediately found Sun Ce and suggested to Sun Ce: "General, I think the key to this battle is to send the navy to fight and capture the ships on the Lubu River to anger him! "

Sun Ce looked at the messy Lü Bu army ships on the river and smiled.

Lu Bu's army does not have a regular navy, but he has tank boats!After all, when he attacked Xiapi, he marched by land and water, forty miles outside the city, and then contacted Cao Bao in Xiapi city.

He attacked Guan Yu, and the reason why he was able to march so fast was also because he walked from Ling County to Lingshui, and then quickly merged into the Huai River in Huaipu territory.Pu is the Xingyi character, that is, the place where the water flows.Huaipu is the confluence of the Huaihe River.

In Zhuxia, in any era, one of the important considerations to judge whether a general has general talent is whether he can plan grain roads and use waterways.

The reason why a good general is a good general is because he has sufficient experience and knows how to plan waterways to transport grain.

The soldiers and horses did not move, but the food and grass went first.If the food can be transported well, for the rest of the war, even if the general is just a mediocre talent, it is enough to command the army and crush the opponent with a majestic formation.

So don't look at Lu Bu as a border warrior, but he can compete with Cao Cao who attaches the most importance to water transportation and water ships in the Central Plains.

His army has always marched by land and water!

And now, the water transport he relied on the most was exposed to the Jiangdong Navy unpreparedly!
Sun Ce saw the other party's flustered and anxious appearance, and immediately concluded: "The other party is so flustered, there must be something important on the tank boat. Immediately send troops to march, and bring dozens of his tank boats back to the south bank of the Huaihe River!"

(End of this chapter)