Overlord!

During the Northern Expedition in the seventh year of Jian'an, the first battle between the Song and Zhao armies, Lu Meng's victory attracted the attention of the world.

Yuan Shao was furious when he heard the news. He had just proclaimed himself emperor and suffered such a disastrous defeat. It was a trampling on his authority.

If there is no strong response to this, the watchers in the world must be ready to take action!

In the world today, the only powerful powers that can conquer Yuan Yu are the two families of Zhao and Song.

And even though Yuan Shao was arrogant and domineering, he had to admit that the two families were roughly equal in power.

Not only in terms of population and taxation, but also the military strength of both sides was similar, each with more than 100,000 troops.

Yuan Shao had Qingzhou, Jizhou, Youzhou, Bingzhou, Sili, Guanzhong, and Yanzhou, and Sun Ce also had states south of the Huaihe River, plus Yuzhou and Yanzhou.

Nowadays, the two powers are competing for balance, and many watchers cannot decide between the strong and the weak.

The heroes of the world are watching the performance of the two armies on the battlefield. If the Song army wins and the Zhao army loses, the heroes of the world will immediately vote with their feet.

But if the Zhao army also defeated the Song army, many princes would be more cautious.

Because Zhao Guo did not have no response to the heroes of the world who contacted the Han Dynasty.

Yuan Shao sent a large number of envoys with seals and ribbons to contact the heroes. Not only the Yuan family officials in Runan, he even sent people to contact the Hu Yue chieftain behind Sun Ce, Qiangzong Xiaoshuai, and hooked him up to launch a rebellion.

Yuan Shao did not hesitate to reward Xian Yufu, Wuhuan and other forces behind Zhao.

He sent envoys to entrust Xian Yufu with the title of Grand Sima and the Mu of Youzhou, granting 20,000 households in the city.

He also sent envoys to contact the generals in Guanzhong, and each of them was made a general, and he was given a large amount of gold and silver rewards.

Even Liu Zhang and Zhang Lu, who were stationed far away in Yizhou, were given generous rewards. Zhang Lu was directly granted the title of Marquis of Wanhu, and Liu Zhang was promoted to general and led the shepherd of Yizhou.

As long as Liu Zhang is willing to send troops to attack Jiangling of the Song Dynasty from Yi Dao, it is not a problem to make Liu Zhang the king of Shu.

Of course, Liu Zhang could only make polite remarks and keep the envoy in Yizhou, not daring to express his position at all.

His subordinates also frantically stopped him from arrogantly raising troops at this time.

If he sends troops indiscriminately, it's hard to say whether he can defeat Jingzhou, but he will definitely cause trouble.

This was tantamount to forcibly ending the confrontation between the Song and Zhao armies on the Yellow River and attracting the main force of the Song army from the Yellow River to Yizhou.

When the Song army entered Shu, Yuan Shao was thousands of miles away and could not catch up. I'm afraid something will happen to Shuzhong.

All the heroes in the world are waiting and watching. The decisive victory still depends on the Zhao and Song armies.

In this regard, the plans adopted by the Zhao and Song armies were completely different.

Under Yuan Shao's fury, the Zhao army gathered at the Jishui front line, preparing to launch a massive counterattack and defeat the Song army's siege head-on.

The main energy of the Song Army was concentrated on the Donglai front line.

During this Northern Expedition, Jiangdong's extraordinary troops gathered here.

As a southern power, it is normal to have a powerful navy.

And Sun Ce wanted to maximize the role of this navy.

In order to avoid Yuan Shao's eyes and ears, the army was not gathered in the west of the Jiaodong Peninsula, but in the east of the coastline, that is, in the Dongmu area, which was also an important station of the Beiyang Navy later.

In the early morning, the sky gradually turned white, and a red sun rose from the sea level, spreading golden light over the entire sea. The sea surface is sparkling, as if it has been coated with a layer of golden gauze by the sun. At this time, a huge naval fleet was parked quietly on the shore, like a Great Wall on the sea, waiting for the upcoming expedition.

This naval fleet is large in scale and has a large number of ships. At a glance, the densely packed hulls and huge masts look like a forest on the sea. The warship is tall and majestic, and its huge sails rustle in the sea breeze, like huge battle flags. The soldiers stood on the deck, lined up neatly. They were wearing red shirts, holding long guns and heavy halberds. They were well-equipped and well-equipped.

Zhou Yu, as the commander-in-chief, stood on the bow of the flagship. He was dressed in a red coat and fine black armor, and looked majestic. His gaze was like a torch, sweeping over the neatly arranged warships and standing soldiers. The red commander's flag whistled behind him, and the words "General Zhou" on it were like burning flames, giving people unlimited confidence.

Under the command of this flag, 30,000 naval officers will cut through the waves, sail along the coastline, cross Jiaozhou Bay and arrive at Bohai County in Jizhou!

That’s right, Bohai County!

Who said the battlefield must break out in Qingzhou?

Everyone in the Zhao army was too wedded to their experiences in troubled times.

They are used to fighting with ordinary princes and have forgotten how powerful the country is!

In the Han Dynasty, it was possible to send troops from Yangzhou, cross the rough East China Sea, and attack Jiaozhou in the South China Sea.

Sun Ce now has a more powerful navy, how could he keep these 30,000 elite troops in Qingzhou!

Sun Ce wanted to march along the inner sea of ​​Bohai Sea and spread the war directly to Bohai County in Jizhou.

This naval trip spans hundreds of miles and will march for two days and two nights. It will land directly in Zhangwu County, Bohai County. The army will not only stop in the Bohai area, but if there is an opportunity, it will also go up the Zhang River and Yishui River. Attack the northern counties of Bohai County!

And the reason for this is not only a tactical surprise, but also a strategic alliance with the princes!

It gave the various princes in Youzhou the confidence to raise troops and go south.

It's not that Sun Ce looks down on the princes of Youzhou, it's that they don't have the guts to challenge Yuan Shao alone.

If there is no response and they wait for them to attack Yuan Shao south, then Sun Ce will probably not see Xianyu Fu swear troops until he dies, leading tens of thousands of Hu cavalry southward.

But when Sun Ce's Song army arrived at Bohai, it was different.

Bohai County is located to the south of Youzhou. When Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao fought for Jizhou, one of their top priorities was fighting for Bohai.

Youzhou cavalry marched south, but Yuan Shao did not dare to respond, so he handed the Bohai governor's seal to Gongsun Zan, asking for peace.

Yuan Shao probably would never have imagined that Sun Ce would dispatch 30,000 elite troops to the north to attack the place where Yuan Shao initially raised his troops in troubled times when the overall situation was uncertain!

This wave of house thefts will definitely shock the State of Zhao, and the heroes will take advantage of it.

For the heroes of Youzhou, it is difficult for them to see the world situation clearly. But when the Song army had already invaded the hinterland of Zhao, no matter how you looked at it, Song had a huge advantage.

At this time, Xian Yufu went south, which would directly change the situation of the war.

Moreover, Tian Yu, Xu Miao and others in Youzhou have always been running for Sun Ce, saying that the one who will ultimately determine the world must be the Sun family.

Even if Xian Yufu did not send troops, Tian Yu, Xu Miao and others would pull out a volunteer force of thousands or even tens of thousands of people and go south to defect to Zhou Yu.

And as long as there is this momentum and Zhou Yu plays a few hearty games, Zhao Guo's situation will inevitably decline. If they rush their elite troops from the Qing and Yan lines to the north, the front line of defense will be unstable and will collapse.

If we don’t draw out the elite, the hinterland will rot and people’s hearts will be in turmoil.

As the situation deteriorates, Yuan Shao's empire will quickly repeat Yuan Shu's mistakes, attracting an onslaught of heroes from all directions.

This plan for the army to go north was really amazing at the time, but in later generations, it was just a journey from the Yanwei area, along the coastline, to Tianjin and Cangzhou. If it’s faster, it takes about two hours by high-speed rail, or if it’s slower, it takes a cruise ship. Arrived in the middle of the night.

Therefore, although this plan was bold at the time, Sun Ce still insisted on its implementation.

Even if the current world is different from that of later generations, it is not that we cannot withstand such storms.

In this era of Rome, the navy had already spread across the entire Mediterranean.

The navy of the Han Dynasty will never be able to cross even a small Laizhou Bay. This is an inland sea! Or stick to land navigation. Previously, so many merchants traveled between Jizhou and Qingzhou. During the Qi Dynasty, there was maritime trade here.

Sun Ce firmly believed that this sea crossing operation would be a great success.

For this reason, he did not hesitate to send Zhou Yu, who was best at commanding the navy in the Song Dynasty, to carry out this important task.

Zhou Yu, who was on a mission, had eyes as deep as the sea, firm and resolute. He pulled out the long sword from his waist, the sword shone coldly in the sun, and pointed into the distance: "Let's go!"

Following Zhou Yu's order, the sound of war drums sounded loudly. The soldiers shouted in unison, and their voices seemed to overturn the entire sea. The warship started slowly, drawing beautiful arcs on the sea. The white sails gradually swelled, leading the fleet to sail into the distance.

The waves rolled on the sea and slapped against the hull of the ship, making a "bang bang" sound. The sea breeze whistled through everyone's cheeks and hair, bringing the salty and fresh smell of the sea. The distant seagulls soaring over the sea and making loud cries seemed to be sending off the navy that was about to go on an expedition.

The whole scene was magnificent, the sea and sky were the same color, the battle flags were flying, the warships were like warriors, and the soldiers' shouts were deafening. Everyone was shocked by this magnificent scene. Even the generals and military officers who saw him off believed that this naval force was so powerful that it would surely win.

Zhao Yun followed Zhou Yu and said to Zhou Yu: "General Lu won the first battle in Yuenju and captured tens of thousands, attracting the attention of the whole world. When we float to the north this time, we will definitely be able to surprise and hide the enemy's weakness."

Since this battle was about attacking the land of Yan and Zhao, Zhao Yun, a northern hero, was finally released by Sun Ce, and was directly transferred from the commander of personal guards to the rebel general.

He was already a Zhonglang General before, but now he was promoted to a rebel general, and finally became a general commanding the army. During this Fuhai attack, all five thousand cavalry in the army were commanded by Zhao Yun.

Therefore, Zhao Yun was ambitious and wanted to lead a sudden cavalry and achieve extraordinary feats.

He knew very well that Zhao's elites were all south of the Yellow River. This time the Song army crossed the sea and crossed the sea, surprise in the early stage was crucial.

So he went on to say: "I would like to lead my cavalry to march westward first to attack Hejian Kingdom, while the governor will lead his army to attack Zhangwu and encircle Nanpi."

Nanpi is the county seat of Bohai County.

These three positions mentioned by Zhao Yun are related to the overall situation.

Needless to say, Zhang Wu said that this was the first city captured by the Navy after crossing the sea. It would store all the food, grass, ordnance, baggage, etc. of the 30,000-strong army.

After capturing this city, the civil and military officials in Qingzhou can continuously deliver logistical supplies to Hebei.

The status here is actually somewhat similar to the city that Gongsun Du occupied in Qingzhou. It is not only the so-called advance base of Yingzhou, but also their logistical support.

Zhang Wu was not the governor of the county, and he was in the rear. If the army attacked fiercely, he would definitely be able to defeat him in one blow.

With this place, the 30,000-strong army can feel at ease a little, at least it won't have a foothold.

Nanpi is the county seat of the Bohai Sea and the most important target of the Northern Expedition. Capturing it means the loss of the Bohai Sea and the collapse of Jizhou. This is a city that Zhou Yu must capture no matter what.

And the speed must be fast. If it takes two years to attack here, it means that this surprise attack on the floating sea has declared a failure.

Considering that the Bohai attack may not go smoothly, Zhao Yun's suggestion is that he lead his army westward and divide the counties. At least with the Hejian Kingdom in hand, he can also widen the front line and prevent the 30,000-strong army from going deep alone and gathering in Nanpi County. within the territory.

The most taboo thing in the military is for the three armies to gather in one place. Enemy troops coming from all directions will inevitably pose various threats to one's own side, and no one knows what changes will happen then.

Therefore, when this strange force attacks, it must also consider the righteousness of the situation. Zhao Yun's words are undoubtedly extremely thorough.

But Zhou Yu immediately waved his hand and said: "Zilong's words are a little unreasonable. There is a place between the rivers, a small country in the north, and we can defeat it in one battle by sending a single general. Even if we take this place, we will also But what’s the point of sticking to the territory of Jizhou?”

"Song Gong sent generals to Yan and Zhao in person, not for the gain or loss of one city or one pond."

Zhao Yun was slightly surprised. After taking over Hejian Kingdom, Governor Zhou was still not satisfied?

You must know that the Hejian Kingdom is one of the richest counties in the north. Its territory is vast, starting from Zhangshui in the south and ending at Yishui in the north. In the past, the Yan Kingdom had never been so wide.

In the Han Dynasty, its population was 630,000, almost second only to Bohai and Wei County.

The key is that this place is thousands of miles of fertile fields and has a dense water network. It is a rare fertile soil suitable for farming in the north. Hebei is rich, half of which is in the river.

The King of Hejian is often praised as one of the three luxury in the world.

If we can capture this place, even if the food and grass from the rear cannot be transported, the 30,000-strong army will not worry about insufficient food and grass.

Zhao Yun then asked: "Where is the governor's ambition?"

Zhou Yu waved his hand and said: "It's in the north of Yixian County!"

"Yixian!" Zhao Yun asked in surprise: "Isn't this the northernmost part of Hejian?"

Yixian was the place where Gongsun Zan was finally defeated. Gongsun Zan gathered tens of thousands of troops and garrisoned 3 million stones of grain to build Yijing in the northwest of Yixian. He garrisoned troops and defended himself in anticipation of changes in the world.

Further north from Yi County, you’ll reach Youzhou!

Zhou Yu nodded enthusiastically and said: "Now that I have arrived with my army, how can I stay in one place? We should spread our power thousands of miles away and sweep across Youyan!"

"In Hejian, there is a general with five thousand troops to go and get it. You should lead the iron cavalry to traverse these thousands of miles of mountains and rivers and capture Youzhou in one fell swoop. The land of Youzhou will no longer be owned by Yuan Shao."

"Then he led the remaining troops of General Gongsun and the remaining troops of Grand Sima Liu Yu, and combined their forces to the south, drinking horses and easy water."

"Such a large army can unite and mobilize hundreds of thousands of people, and they can run rampant across the world. The foundation of the Zhao Kingdom will be cut off as a result."

"In this battle, we will complete our success in one battle, quell the rebellion in one fell swoop, behead the rebellious ministers, and achieve an unparalleled feat!" (End of this chapter)