The Jiangxi River and Anhui River are connected by the two heavens in the south and north of the Yangtze River.

It was another morning. For the people of Wancheng, November 18, the second year of Jian'an, there was no difference between it and any previous day. The flag on the top of the city was "high" and "Liu" and there was no time to pay attention to it.

Two months ago, the battle between Yuan Shu and Cao Cao in Shouchun caused the people on Huai to flee south to avoid the war. Some of them crossed the river eastward to the Wujun occupied by Sun Ce; the other most of them were attached to Liu Xun's place in the old history of Yuan Shu in Lujiang County. So in this short one or two months, Wancheng showed a deformed prosperity because it quickly absorbed a large number of refugees. The street market was crowded and bustling, and Liu Xun's strength also expanded rapidly with the arrival of a large number of young and strong people.

Behind this false prosperity is the price of 500,000 rice, 200,000 beans and wheat, and the poor people who are wearing grass marks on the streets who sell their children and women without any concealment.

It is obvious that Liu Xun did not fully estimate the consequences of Yuan Shu's miserable defeat in advance. Faced with the embarrassment of empty treasury and empty troops, all he could do was go south to Yuzhang and plunder food for military purposes.

Now, in addition to the howling of family members from Liu Xun's mansion from time to time, facing the changing king flag on the city wall overnight, the people of Wancheng calmly accepted it, and there were still people coming and going on the streets, and everyone was busy working their own livelihood.

Perhaps these refugees from the south have long been used to fighting and bleeding, or perhaps their hearts have long been numb.

Near noon, Gan Ning led his brocade-dressed man to Wancheng. It had been a few months since he saw each other. Gao Chong hurriedly led Xu Shu to the city gate to greet him. Compared with the 100 people at Yuzhang's separation, Gan Ning's subordinates seemed to have more than 1,000 people. The number of people in Jiangbei had increased by about ten times. Although the same river was drinking, the difference between the south and the north was still unexpected.

Ganning brought back the latest news about Sun Ce's army. After Sun Ce heard that Gao Chong had attacked Wancheng first, the army stayed in the Chaohu Shilin and Shucheng area, and there was no abnormal movement for the time being.

Along the way, Gan Ning briefly described the customs and customs of Lujiang. Gao Chong frowned after hearing this and asked, "Xingba, Yuanzhi, Ziyang, and what will Sun Ce take next when he sees you?"

Gan Ning said: "I have been fighting with Sun Ce's army several times, and I know that his military discipline is strict and his soldiers are brave. Since he has the will to win the city of Wan, how can he be willing to make wedding clothes for others for nothing?"

Xu Shu was still wearing a simple robe with long sleeves. After hearing Gao Chong's question, Shi Shi said: "General Gan is right. Since he passed by Jiangdong, Sun Ce has been invincible in all the enemies he is trying to fight against him. Now that Jiangdong is all flat, Yuan Shu is in decline, Sun Ce has long been determined to seek Lujiang, but now I have seen through and taken Wancheng first. Sun Ce will not stop."

Liu Ye stroked his beard and nodded and said, "In Ye's opinion, Sun Ce has three choices at present. One is to see that the time for Yin Aggression to attack Wancheng was missing, so he retreated back to Jiangdong; the other is to take advantage of our army's initial occupation of Wancheng and its foothold was still unstable, turn the aid attack into a strong attack, and concentrate his troops on bloody battle plans; the third is to continue to implement the plan of diversion of tigers and leaving the mountain, use strategies to lure our army out of Wancheng, and then take advantage of the instinct to attack it."

Although I only saw him in Shentingling, I was not unfamiliar with Sun Ce and Gao Chong. Whenever I mentioned this name before, Gao Chong was inevitably a little nervous. But now when I really need to face it, Gao Chong felt a sense of pleasure in cherishing each other.

In Jiangdong, there are no more people who can beat Sun Ce's Bingfeng except me, Gao Chong!

If I, Gao Chong, were in Sun Ce's position, how would I do it?

According to Sun Ce's nature, if the army is launched without success, he will not do anything. As for the main force to fight with our army fiercely, this is a plan to both lose and suffer. It is only a disadvantage for Liu Xun, the trapped beast, how could Sun Ce do it? Now that he is stationed in Shucheng, and Shilin will not retreat, he will definitely have plans.

The whistling wind blew the weeds on the top of the city, and the only thing that was still motionless was the small tree embedded in the gaps on the side. Gan Ning and the others were right. Sun Ce would not give up. Facing Sun Ce, a powerful enemy with an army of 20,000, should he be used as a grass that bent down or a tree standing proudly? Should he be forced to avoid Yuzhang, or to defend Wancheng to resist?

Stepping on the city wall of Anhui City, the cold north wind blows from the Huai River and brushes across his face. Gao Chong suddenly feels close to the Central Plains, and the excitement of truly throwing himself into the torrent of troubled times, which is what he has longed for.

If Yuzhang is the outer ring of an arrow target, then Lujiang County, located in Jianghuai, is at least close to the eighth ring. Gao Chong knew that the closer he was to the center of the competition, the more difficulties and obstacles he faced.

In times of trouble, only heroes compete for it.

If you retreat, everything you did before will be meaningless. Since you have chosen to do it, don’t look back. Gao Chong’s face felt relieved after making a decision.

Sun Ce is brave and Zhou Yu is wise. Therefore, if there is another way, it is unlikely that they will make the choice of "returning without success" and "winning the city with bloody battles, so the biggest possibility is to rescue the enemy. However, Gao Chong's military force is impossible to achieve comprehensive defense at this point. The only thing he can do is to guess the enemy's intentions first.

From Yuzhang to Wancheng, cities and passes flashed through Gao Chong's eyes. Where is Sun Ce's goal?

Is it the post road in Shiyin Mountain or the path in Hulin?

Or it was the defeat of Zhou Yu and Sun Ben two years ago.

Although these places are good points for local competition, they are not enough to achieve the effect of attacking the enemy and saving them. Because, whether it is to go out of the stone seal mountain or going to the Hulin Forest, for Gao Chong, there is still Taishici, a support army that can be called.

Except one place.

"Pengze, that's it!" Gao Chong murmured.

Xu Shu's face changed when he heard this and said, "Pengze hangs alone in the river, and is always the gateway to Yuzhang. The key to the exchanges. Once it is lost, our army will be passive. Now, if Sun Ce divides his troops to attack Pengzekou, there will be Liu Xun's army in the south of Poyang and Hunan. Taishi Ci and Gu Yong are unable to save it, so they can only rescue the north-west.

Peng Ze is the weakest link in this strategic chain.

For Gao Chong, if Peng Ze lost, the encirclement he had worked hard to build would be broken, and Liu Xun, who had already entered the cage, would flee north from here. More importantly, the passage connecting the north and south was cut off, and the three thousand soldiers located in Jiangbei would be in a dilemma of isolation and no help. For Sun Ce, occupying Peng Ze would not only cut off the north and south connections of Gao Chong's army, but would also become the fulcrum for entering Jiangxia westward.

Gan Ning advised: "I prefer the commander and I would rather have a plan to retreat to Sun Ce. When I was in Jiangxia, I had an old relationship with Su Fei, the commander of the navy, and now I can write a letter, saying that Sun Ce had all launched a large army to fight against Huang Zu in the west to avenge his father. If he could persuade the Jiangxia army to send troops to aid our Pengze, Pengze would be worry-free!"

At this time, Liu Ye said: "Huang Zu's eyes are short-sighted and his temperament is repeated, and he is not a trustworthy person. If he puts his important tasks on Jiangxia now, he will be like driving a tiger in the front door and wolves in the back door. Once something goes wrong, it will be too late to regret it."

Xu Shu, Gan Ning and Liu Ye's analysis of the battle situation was reasonable. Gao Chong thought about it over and over again and guessed it for a long time, and it was difficult to decide on himself.

Gan Ning's suggestion is indeed the best choice in the short term. If Huang Zu of Jiangxia can send troops to Pengze, Gao Chong only needs to station troops to defend Wancheng to force Sun Ce to retreat. However, from a long-term strategy, there are indeed great concerns.

First, how likely is Huang Zu to send troops? If Huang Zu ignores the overall situation and still cares about the old revenge of the previous defeat and refuses to send troops... Second, even if Huang Zu sent troops, if he sits in the mountains and watches the tiger fight, when our army and Sun Ce are both injured, wouldn’t it be a big deal to reap the benefits of the fisherman? Third, after passing this pass, if Huang Zu’s army stays in Peng Ze and does not retreat, wouldn’t it be a bad dog at the door of his house? It is said that it is easy to invite gods and it is difficult to send gods, and now it is not the time to turn against Liu Biao.

As soon as he thought of this, Gao Chong turned to Gan Ning and said, "Xingba, you can quickly lead three thousand elite soldiers to Pengze to meet with Wen Xiang. If Liu Xun's army escapes from Pengze North, firmly block it. If Sun Ce's army goes up the river, you and the two of you can wait for an opportunity to defeat it."

Gan Ning said suspiciously: "But if I lead the army, will the emptiness of Wancheng be hit by Sun Ce's plan?"

Gao Chong laughed and said, "Xingba can go to Pengze, and I have my own strategy to retreat to the enemy in Wancheng."

The upper reaches of the Anhui River is a clear stream that flows out from the Tianzhu Mountain, which is towering into the clouds. After slowly passing through the low hills in northern Anhui, it gradually intersects with the diving out of Tongbai Mountain. When it arrives in the Anhui City area, there is a vague flowing river.

Ganning's fleet was docked by the Anhui River, and the embroidered sails moved towards the sunshine. Standing on the bow were three thousand elite soldiers with distinctive armor. They were about to leave here and go to another battlefield.

"People in charge, should I leave more troops here in Wancheng so that..." Liu Ye stopped talking.

"Zi Yang, are you placing the troops in Wancheng that are less than a thousand people cannot resist the attack of Sun Ce's army?" Gao Chong's voice was so calm that he could not hear any nervousness.

Liu Ye glanced at Gao Chong and saw Gao Chong standing against the sunshine, his figure falling on the water, long, fixed, and irresistible and arrogant. He knew the severe situation in Wancheng now, but Gao Chong still sent his elite troops to Pengze. Didn’t he know the danger of being in the Jedi? Did he really have a good plan to defeat the enemy?

Although he has been acquainted with Gao Chong for almost a year, Liu Ye feels that he is less and less aware of the person in front of him. On the one hand, he admires Gao Chong's courage and confidence in facing difficulties, but on the other hand, he is also worried that Gao Chong is now walking alone regardless of life and death.

Everything I saw in Yuzhang during this period made Liu Ye believe that his choice was not wrong. This young man named Gao Chong may not have the blood of the Han royal family, the impressing prestige, the life experience of the three princes of generations, and no... However, even if there are not many, Liu Ye has already determined that Gao Chong is the lord he deserves to follow for his whole life.

Those who can restore the strength of the Han Dynasty are not those who are in power, but the single and lonely young man in front of him.

Yes, his actions are so different from those princes who ruled the country. In Gao Chong's residence, you cannot find the gorgeous silk, the soldiers in charge of the imperial guards. Some are the smiles blowing on the spring breeze, and the passion of drinking and talking for three hundred cups.

The sky was getting darker, the sun had hid behind the mountains not far away, and dark clouds gradually overhead. Gan Ning's fleet finally started to anchor. In the chilly cold wind, although these soldiers were thin clothes, their chests were rushing with blood and could not calm down.

"People handsome, as long as I, Gan Ning, have a breath, Peng Ze will not lose it!" Gan Ning stood at the bow of the warship and shouted loudly to Gao Chong.

"People are here in Pengze!" In an instant, thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, and the sound was as loud as thunder.

The fire was beating in the dark, and one or two oil flowers were "exploding" from time to time, which made his eyes lit up. After sending Gan Ning away, Gao Chong didn't speak. He was not sure how to resist Sun Ce's attack. The previous confidence was pretended, because if he didn't do this, Gao Chong knew that Yi Gan Ning's temper would never leave.

Suddenly, Gao Chong's face turned cold, as if something had fallen on his cheek. He touched it with his hands, but he didn't catch anything. Sometimes, there was another coolness, exuding the unique cold air of winter.

"It's snowing!" the accompanying soldiers shouted.

Snow, Gao Chong raised his head and looked at the dark sky. He saw that the fire was shining, and heavy snow fell in the sky, like layers of thick cotton wool spreading towards the vast field. The falling ones first became soiled, and then the ones were repaired later, and gradually the ground was covered with a layer of white.

On December 7, the second year of Jian'an, Wancheng ushered in the first snow of the year.

Winter snow, in folk proverbs, is called "auspicious snow", which is a sign of auspiciousness and prosperity. If it is in a peaceful and prosperous era, how many old farmers who have worked hard for life will smile and relax their eyebrows on their foreheads for a long time. However, in a chaotic era where human lives are like grass and shepherds, the strong survive, this snow is a disaster, not a blessing.

The weather suddenly became cold. On the uninhabited Shucheng Road, the desperate howls of wild wolves in the distance came from time to time. The sound was extremely shrill and echoed in the empty valley for a long time and refused to dissipate.

Thick clouds pressed the sky, and the ice and snow had not melted yet. On the hillside next to the road, a thin and ragged young beggar was rubbing his hands that were frozen red, then reached out to peel off the snow on the ground, picked up the wild vegetables that had not yet returned to yellow under the snow, and put them in a broken basket beside him.

"Swish--." A sharp icy piece of angular cleavage pierced a long hole in the boy's hand, and blood flowed down to dye the snow-white snow red, making it look extremely eye-catching.

But the boy seemed to turn a blind eye and continued to peel off the snow, looking for the green that sustains life. Compared to living, this little blood is nothing.

Suddenly, a uniform "rustling" sound came from a distance. The boy raised his head in shock, but saw an army coming in the direction of Shucheng. The number of people was estimated to be about 3,000. Against the backdrop of the snow around him, the bright red "Sun" character on the handsome flag seemed extremely eye-catching.

The team was getting closer and closer. When faced with him, you could see the tired look on the soldiers' faces. On the young man wearing a fluffy brocade marten robe, who rode a high-headed war horse, he looked very young, only about fifteen or sixteen years old. Looking at his face, his face was handsome, his eyes were green, and he showed full confidence. Sometimes, a blue color flashed, revealing a sharp murderous aura.

Behind him, there were two generals following him. One of the left heads is of medium size, about thirty years old, and the other one of the right heads is also a young general, wearing black armor and holding a long sword, which is extremely heroic.

"Major General, my brothers have been walking fast for the middle of the night, very tired. Should I take a moment of rest?" said the older side general.

The major general's sword eyes were raised, and the blue eyes were full of coldness, and he shouted: "No, the victory or defeat on the battlefield is only a breath. The general's ability cannot be in this situation. The general must not show his strength. Deng Junjun must not be compassionate, so Sun Tzu said: Speed ​​is more important than long-term. When we attack Wancheng this snowy night, we should be surprised and unprepared to attack him. If we delay the opportunity to annihilate the enemy due to our own personal gain, wouldn't it hurt!"

"However, the distance between us and the lord's army has been widened a hundred miles away. It is a taboo for military strategists to go deeper alone!" The side general named Deng stuttered in a low voice. Obviously, he was shocked by the fierce momentum of the lord, but because of the responsibility of the military supervisor, he was especially helpless and futile defense.

"Deng Dang, you were scared by Gao Chong's little thief in Fanyang. Thinking about the enemy soldiers in Wancheng, there are less than a thousand people. Now, with my three thousand iron armored elite soldiers, can you still be afraid of the little thief?" The major general was young and energetic and couldn't help but shout angrily.

"Don't be angry at Zhongmou, my brother-in-law actually didn't mean that--" the younger young general saw something wrong with the two of them talking, and hurriedly persuaded him.

"Zi Ming, go ahead and find out if there is any abnormal movement in the direction of Wancheng?" The major general probably noticed that he had gone too far at this time, and he took a breath and ordered.

"Follow the order."

After answering, the young general in the right was slapped his horse and flashed out of the formation, with his legs snatched the horse's belly and galloped forward.

This army was the vanguard of Sun Ce's attack on Wancheng, with Sun Quan as the chief general, Lu Meng as the deputy general and Deng Dang as the military supervisor. When he went to Wancheng, the position of this vanguard was extremely fierce, including not only Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Huang Gai, but also Zhou Tai, Dong Xi and Ling Cao, who had been in service for a short time.

The result of the competition is that no one of these people is on the wheel. The final winner is not someone else, but Sun Ce's younger brother Sun Quan.

In the process of Sun Ce's development of Jiangdong, although the ability and wisdom of the generals helped Sun Ce pacify Jiangzuo, under the influence of Sun Ce's personal charm, the status of the generals was undoubtedly higher than that of the civil officials. Therefore, in Jiangdong, if Sun Quan wanted to win respect, only Sun Ce's brother's status was not enough, and he had to make contributions on the battlefield.

This time, the expedition to Wancheng was the first time Sun Quan had independently led his troops to fight since his life. Sun Ce thought about his brothers, and the first battle was of course a decent victory.

However, since crossing the river, Sun Ce has been invincible in the hands of Jiangdong. Small battles like Xiangshangang rebelled can only be considered an itchy skin, so Sun Quan naturally disdained to go.
Chapter completed!