Overlord!

Chapter 230 Zhou Yu’s country must prosper
Cao Cao sent troops from Taishan Road last winter and marched nearly a thousand miles to cover up Liu Bei's surprise. He defeated Liu Bei in one fell swoop and thus settled the situation in the Central Plains in one battle.

Although nearly [-] soldiers were frozen on the road, after nearly half a year of rest and recuperation, Cao Cao, who owned the entire Central Plains, quickly regained his military strength. After the autumn harvest, when his troops were strong and his horses strong, he suddenly attacked half of Nanyang owned by Liu Biao.

Liu Biao's command was not without good generals. Liu Biao's general Wenpin was ordered by Liu Biao to guard Hanchuan, and his nephew Liu Hu was ordered to guard Xinye. This was a very safe arrangement.

However, Liu Biao was a scholar who didn't know much about military affairs, and he placed great emphasis on Confucian scholars, so he used Jingzhou Biejiao Liu He to supervise Nanyang's military and political affairs.

Biejia also means Biejia engaged in work. Because of his higher status, he did not ride in the same car as the governor when going on patrol, so he got the name Biejia.With such a high status, Zhou Liuxuanhua spread over thousands of miles, and he was appointed as half of the governors.

Since Liu He was working in Nanyang, Liu Hu and Wenpin were naturally forced to be controlled by this scribe in every aspect.

It would be fine if this person was a capable minister like Yu Fan or Chen Qun. He could see clearly the overall situation of the war and was very loyal and strong, so he could be good at the military and political affairs of the state.

But Liu He was not a capable minister. His greatest achievement was that in the first year of Xingping (194), when Liu Yan was dying and Liu Zhang was in charge of Quanzhou, he instigated Gan Ning, Shen Mi, Lou Fa and others to rebel against Liu Zhang. .

As a result, Zhao Wei was defeated by Liu Zhang's Zhengdong Zhonglang general. Since then, Zhao Wei has been stationing troops in Qu County and fighting against Jingzhou.

It was not until the fifth year of Jian'an that Zhao Wei launched a rebellion against Liu Zhang, and then he bribed Jingzhou heavily and sued for peace with Jingzhou.

It can be said that in the third year of Jian'an, one year before the outbreak of the Battle of Guandu, Jingzhou is in a passive situation of internal and external troubles and being attacked on all sides.

Liu Biao's ability to secure Jingzhou in history was largely due to luck.It happened that things happened to Cao Cao in the north and the Sun family in the east. No one led troops into Jingzhou, so he was able to take the opportunity to slowly quell the difficulties in Jingzhou.

But now that Yuan Shu was destroyed ahead of schedule, Cao Cao and Sun Ce consolidated their power and moved westward to take Jingzhou.

Liu Biao's situation is extremely dangerous, and no one but a genius of the world can save the building from collapse.

But Liu He, who was given the important task by Liu Biao, had no obvious military ability. He could not defeat even Zhao Wei.

It was even more difficult to deal with Cao Cao, who was good at using troops and unpredictable.

Cao Cao used his victorious power to march out of Wancheng with [-] troops. The attack made Liu He dizzy. In the battle of Xinye, he lost more than [-] soldiers. In Zhuyang, he was banned from burning his warships. , the Jingzhou Navy was unable to come and go freely, and was even at risk of being blocked by Cao's army in the north and south of Hanchuan.

Liu He was horrified and hurriedly ordered the entire county to retreat to Fancheng, relying on the Xiangyang garrison to fight against Cao Cao.

Liu He was even more frightened and panicked. He commented: Cao Cao's wisdom and planning are unparalleled among others, and his military use is as if Sun and Wu were reincarnated. He is really difficult to defeat.

By the time Sun Ce convened the ministers for discussion today, Cao Jun had already surrounded Fancheng and launched a fierce attack on Xiangfan's defense line.

Hearing that Sun Ce wanted to launch an army to attack Jiangxia, Zhou Yu was the first to speak and said: "Liu Biao is in trouble both internally and externally. With Liu He and his men guarding Nanyang and commanding thousands of people, they will definitely not be able to stop Cao Cao from commanding tens of thousands of people to attack personally. Nanyang has been defeated." , the turmoil in Jingzhou is a good opportunity to capture Jiangxia. Yu thought that at this time, he could march with great fanfare, march in several directions, and march straight in. There is no need to mobilize troops to capture Jiangbiao."

Hearing this, Sun Ce smiled, wondering why thousands of armies have been easy to come by since ancient times, but one general is hard to find.

It is because these peerless generals can often achieve maximum results at the minimum cost.

Sun Ce asked: "How do you plan to deploy it?"

Zhou Yu looked majestic and said: "Huang Zu is now old and comatose. It is also the time of the previous defeat. Jingzhou is in chaos, wars are everywhere, and wealth is scarce."

"He has no intention of being on the side of heroes. Instead, he deceives left and right, works for profit, and invades the officials. As a result, the officials are resentful, their boats and war equipment are abandoned and not repaired, they are lazy in farming, and the army is helpless."

"They are separated from each other. At this time when Jingzhou is in chaos, as long as we make a big show, the officials in Jiangxia will definitely be frightened. And a certain person is willing to lead four thousand elite soldiers and drive straight into Anlu. Once Anlu is broken, the remaining counties in Jiangxia will be destroyed." , but they decided not to fight, and they all looked forward to surrender."

Anlu is where the famous Yunmeng City is located. It is located in the hinterland of Jiangxia and is the current seat of Jiangxia County.

After Sha Xian and other three counties in the south of the Yangtze River were captured by Taishi Ci and Zhao Yun, Huang Zu no longer dared to stay in Xiling, the previous place where Jiangxia was governed.

It is only separated from the Jiangnan land controlled by Jiangdong by a river.

If Sun Ce suddenly sent troops, Huang Zu would not even have time to react, and he would be besieged in Xiling City by the Jiangdong army crossing the Yangtze River.

Therefore, Huang Zu moved his government westward to Anlu, which is located near Santai Lake and is surrounded by swamps and silts. There is a large flat dry land plain to the north of Anlu.

The supporting troops from north to south can arrive quickly, but the attacking troops from south to north are restricted by swamps, grasslands and thorns and camphor trees, making it difficult to deploy a large-scale army.

Only one very important tributary of the Yangtze River, the Yunshui River, can connect Anlu.

The ministers in the Chui Gong Hall were all prodigies of the time. They read classics and history intensively. After hearing Zhou Yu's plan, Lu Meng immediately asked: "Does Zhou Zhonglang want to imitate the battle of the Wu army against Chu in the tenth year of King Zhao of Chu?"

In this area of ​​Wu County, there is the vast Taihu Plain, rich in copper and iron, and the ability to boil the sea into salt. It is indeed the most unique hegemonic foundation since ancient times.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the vassal states occupying this area have been one of the most powerful overlords.

The greatest advantage of the thousands of years of history in the Central Plains is that history can serve as a mirror for everything, and we can know its rise and fall.

Zhou Yu nodded immediately and said: "In the spring of the tenth year of King Zhao of Chu (506 BC), Jin, Qi, Lu, Song, Cai, Wei, Chen, Zheng, Xu, Cao, Tai, Zhu, Dun, Hu, Teng, Xue, A total of 18 countries from Qi and Xiaozhu met in Zhaoling to discuss the attack on Chu."

"The Wu army then took a boat and went up the river. When the Chu State heard that the Wu division was invading, they also sent troops to cross the Han River. At the pinch of the river, Chen fought three battles with Wu Zixu, Sun Wu and others, but the Chu division was all at a disadvantage."

"In the eleventh month, Chen Yubaiju from both sides. The younger brother of the King of Wu, said, 'The King of Chu is unkind, and his ministers must not have the will to die. Attack him first, and his soldiers will run away. Then the master will follow and conquer.' Please lead five thousand elite troops to attack first. The Chu army defeated the Chu army in one battle, and the Wu army went out to pursue them until they reached the Qingfa River, which is now Anlu."

"Later, the Wu army took advantage of the Chu division's half-crossing to attack it, and defeated the enemy."

"The Chu army was so hungry on the road that they prepared a meal and ate. The Wu army fought hard, but the Chu army abandoned the food and fled. The Wu army recovered and was defeated."

"In this way, all five battles were successful, and the Wu army, under the command of Sun Wu, invaded Ying, the capital of Chu, in just more than ten days."

Needless to say, what happened next was that the famous Wu Zixu dug up the tomb of King Chu Ping, dug up the corpse, and whipped him three hundred times before giving up.

With the assistance of Wu Zixu and Sun Wu, Wu finally became the hegemony of Wu.

Zhou Yu said: "Sun Wu's ability to conquer Ying, the capital of Chu, in ten days is certainly related to his excellent military skills, but it is also inseparable from the general trend at that time. Chu was worried about foreign troubles at home, the king at home was unkind, the officials were resentful, and they were centrifugal. There were eighteen national congresses outside. Alliance, join forces to attack Chu."

"How similar is this situation to that of Jingzhou? Jingzhou also suffered from internal and external troubles, internal rebellions by the governors, and its strength was greatly reduced. Huang Zu could only use more than [-] people in Jiangxia, and because he was old and dim, he was eccentric, and he was unwilling to do so. He died in his service." "Cao Cao's army is pressing down on the territory outside, and Jingzhou is in a state of chaos, and people's hearts are in great fear."

"Suppose that at this time, with great fanfare, they marched in several directions, claiming to be a general personally supervising an army of one hundred thousand, to avenge their father and attack Jiangxia. Lu Zhonglang led a thousand troops to leave the Lujiang River, Taishi Zhonglang led a thousand naval troops to harass the Han River, and a certain governor The brave generals and their four thousand troops will march straight in and besiege Anlu. It will take more than ten days for the general to secure Jiangxia."

Sun Ce laughed heartily and said: "Good! Good! Good! Sure enough, if we use history as a mirror, we can know the rise and fall! Only with ministers and others to assist, the country must prosper!"

Jiangxia is considered a relatively small county in the world. When the Han Dynasty was in its heyday, its population was only 26.

After wars and annexations, the current registered population of Jiangxia is estimated to be only 10,000+.

Without the support of Liu Biao, Huang Zu relied on a mere [-] people, which was not as good as the princes in some counties in the northern Central Plains.For example, Li Tong, who was entrenched in Runan, a large county with a large population, had more than [-] followers.But his sphere of influence is only one or two counties.

Liu Biao was defeated twice, and Jingnan rebelled. He fought against Yizhou, Jingnan, Cao Cao and Sun Ce in almost one county.

This year, he was defeated again by Cao Cao. If he is not blind, how can he have the energy to manage Jiangxia?
However, Jiangxia is also an important place for military strategists. It is the Wuhan of later generations and the thoroughfare of nine provinces.

Nanyang and Runan in the north, and Lujiang in the east are all connected to Jiangxia on land. As long as these three counties make a big show of preparing to attack Jiangxia, it will be enough to scare Jiangxia and cause people to flee everywhere.

After all, the two sides attacking Jiangxia this time are all famous generals in the world. They are invincible and invincible.

Moreover, one side is murderous, and the other side has a feud with Huang Zu of Jiangxia.

No one is willing to fight to the death for Huang Zu.

That's why Zhou Yucai was so heroic that he dared to take Jiangxia for Sun Ce with only 6000 men.

There may be no need to wait until November for Zhou Yu to lead his army to attack Huang Zu.

A force of 6000 people marched along the Yangtze River, Han River, and Yun River. Maybe including sailors and civilians, the number of personnel would not exceed [-]. After fighting for more than ten days, the food consumed might be less than [-] shi.

Sun Ce naturally had no reason to refuse, and immediately said: "Yes, according to Gong Jin's instructions, four generals including Zhang Fei, Gan Ning, Huang Zhong, and Chen Wu will be sent to Gong Jin's headquarters to assist in the battle, with four thousand infantry and cavalry. Go straight to Anlu."

"Then Lü Meng led a thousand troops out of Anfeng to attack Xiling. Tai Shici led a thousand troops to attack Jingling and Zhangshan."

To the north of Jiangxia, Cao Cao's army left Runan to attack Xiyang, Pang and other counties.

This deployment also meant that Jiangxia was facing enemies from all sides.

This military deployment is indeed not a big deal for Jiangdong.

Now Jiangdong has a strong military, with elite soldiers and powerful generals, famous commanders and powerful troops gathered together. With thousands of partial troops, it is possible to defeat powerful prisoners and conquer a whole county.

With the [-] men under Zhou Yu's command, it was easy to defeat Huang Zu.

After deciding to send troops, Zhang Hong solemnly said: "Huang Zu is not a Taoist. The general's real big problem is still Cao Cao. Now the situation in Hebei has almost come to an end. Gongsun Zan is defending Yixian and his defeat is certain. Maybe next year, the two heroes of Yuan and Cao will... Then we will fight decisively along the Yellow River."

"After the general conquers Jiangxia, he should quickly defeat Liu Biao and then watch the provocation in the Central Plains."

Hearing this, all the civil and military officials in the hall nodded.

Liu Biao, Huang Zu and others all suffered from ringworm and scabies, which could be cured suddenly.And Cao Cao is the thorn in his side of the world!Koto must go all out.

Before that, it is indeed necessary to clear the flanks.

Sun Ce frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "When Gongjin captures Jiangxia, I will personally lead the three armies after the spring plowing next year to capture Nanjun and unify Jingyang in one battle."

As long as Liu Biao is defeated, Sun Ce will not take care of the remaining land in Jingnan. He can casually send generals such as Zhao Yun, Lu Meng, Zhang Fei, etc., and he can sweep through Jingnan with thousands of troops.

If Zhang Xian knew current affairs, he should have decisively surrendered the county after Liu Biao was destroyed.

The unification of the south was a foregone conclusion. He named the county and surrendered, so that he could enjoy wealth and honor without losing his position as a high official and a marquis.

But what future can we seek if we resist clinging to death?
Sun Ce really couldn't think of a reason why Zhang Xian would refuse.

However, it is said that it will be after spring plowing next year, but it is actually not that far away from now, only two or three months.

It is already October. When Zhou Yu takes down Jiangxia and provides Jiangdong with troops and generals and food and grass, the most generous time is only more than a month.

The only advantage is that Jiangxia is relatively close to the production areas of Jiangdong, and is close to Anfeng in the north. This is the land that Zhao Yun took when he attacked Shaopei, and a large amount of grain and grass can be transported from Shaopei.In the south, there are the Yangtze River and Han River for shipping, which can transport large quantities of grain, grass and baggage from Jiankang.

After calculating the time, Sun Ce frowned and said, "The only thing I'm worried about is that the war is going slightly wrong, which will delay our intervention in Yuan and Cao's fight for supremacy next year."

It will be the fourth year of Jian'an in the new year.

This was the most famous year in the history of the Xia Dynasty. Yuan Shao gathered [-] cavalry and went south to attack Cao Cao. After a long battle, Cao Cao finally defeated Yuan Shao in Guandu.

But after calculating the time, if Sun Ce was held back by his army in Jingzhou, the outcome of the battle in the north would be decided.

At this time, Jia Xu spoke up and said: "The general is talented in martial arts and can punish the rebels and subjugate them. He will definitely be able to defeat Liu Biao in one battle and capture Nanjun."

"If the general did not attack Liu Biao, how could Cao Cao dare to raise his troops to fight Yuan Shao? How could he dare to defeat the people in the south and go north to fight for supremacy?"

The analysis is also reasonable. At this time, it is time to compete with the speed of both sides.

Cao Cao dared to fight Liu Bei before the Battle of Guandu, so why should Sun Ce be afraid of Liu Biao?
Just right to paralyze Cao Cao and empty his defense line.

Sun Ce said: "According to this plan, we will send out troops in three directions, claiming to be one hundred thousand, to capture Jingzhou."

This battle is divided into two stages. Six thousand troops were sent out in the battle of Jiangxia, but Nanjun was captured, and in the battle of Jingzhou, Jiangdong generals sent out all three armies. When the enemy thought that Jiangdong was still bluffing and careless, he attacked Nanjun in one fell swoop and pacified the battle. Liu Biao.

(End of this chapter)