Chapter 36: Old skills

To Lu Su's surprise, Zhou Yu was not excited when he learned that Sun Quan had suffered a crushing defeat at Xiling City. He held the silk book with two fingers and gently placed it on one side of the desk, as if he was picking up something disgusting.

"Gongjin, have you expected today long ago?" Lu Su was a little embarrassed and stopped narrating.

"Zi Jing, didn't you expect it?" Zhou Yu smiled a jokey smile on his lips. If he looked at Lu Su with a deep meaning, Lu Su was stunned for a moment and shook his head helplessly. He wanted to say something but stopped, not knowing what to say. Zhou Yu smiled and said, "If you don't want to say it, stop talking, just drink a bar."

Lu Su raised his wine glass and sucked it slowly, but felt that the wine in his mouth was so sour and astringent. "Gongjin, Governor Cheng died in one battle, which was a big blow to Jiangdong. In addition, Huang Gongfu, who died in Wulin, Dong Yuandai (Dong Xi) and others who died in Hefei, the veterans left by the general who fought against rebels in the past six months have lost a lot, which has greatly damaged their vitality. I am afraid that Jiangdong will not be able to relieve it for a while."

Zhou Yu waved his hand and said, "Zijing, I'm not at ease with Liu Xuande, but you also know that I have no personal grudge with him. In the Battle of Wulin, he brought nearly 20,000 troops to watch the fun in Xiakou. Guan Yu's 10,000 naval troops were guarding Wenpin's time but not as long as I had. He said that he was leading troops to cooperate with me to seize Jiangling together, but he kidnapped more than 2,000 people to run to Jiangnan. This time he encircled Xiling, he only brought 3,000 troops and transferred Guan Yu back to Changsha. Zhang Yide was stationed in Chanling, across the river with me, with strict garrison. What is Liu Bei doing, preventing me from taking Changsha? Can he stop me if I want to take Changsha?"

Zhou Yu became more and more angry as he spoke. He paused the wine glass in his hand on the table. The wine in the cup splashed everywhere, wetting the bamboo slips on the table. He stood up and strode to the map: "I advised my lord to keep Liu Bei at Jingkou. He sent troops to restrain Jiangxia, and I would hold Guan Zhang and others to fight, and join the army together. It would be easy to break Jiangling. But he was suspicious of my thoughts and wanted to fight for this credit, and led people to attack Jiangxia and force He Gongmiao to work hard. What a man, He Gongmiao, can he work hard in this situation? He not only wanted to work hard, but also sent people to his Fengyi. How could he fight with all his might?"

Seeing that Zhou Yu's voice became louder and louder. He was afraid that it would be unfavorable to him by someone's hearing, so he quickly stood up and strode to Zhou Yu: "Gongjin whispered in a low voice."

"What am I afraid of?" Zhou Yu shouted, but he also knew that Lu Su was kind, and his voice was lowered. He raised his head and sighed: "Cao Chong is good at raiding, and he has elite cavalry under his command. The northern mountain in Jiangxia is calm. It is the place where the cavalry show his power. The lord has suffered from him at the city of Hefei, but he is still unprepared in Jiangxia. He Qi was surrounded by troops. He should know that Cao Chong's next target must be Cheng Demou, and Xiling City has only 6,000 people. But the city is strong and the pool is deep, and even if he is more than 20,000 elites, how can he get out of the city? Since Cao Chong has left the city, he should fight with him outside the city and kill Man Chong first. Then trap Cao Chong and others outside the city. The troops can have a great advantage. How can he attack Xiling instead?"

When Lu Su heard this, he suddenly realized, yes, Cao Chong hid in the city and had no tricks to deal with him, but when he left the city, Sun Quan could send an army around Xiling City to fight with him. More than 30,000 people surrounded him and ten thousand people outside the city. Where could Cao Chong have a chance to win? Even if Wen Pin and Wei Yan in Xiling City were helpless if they were out of the city to rescue him, it would be useless.

"Boyan reminded the lord at that time, but the lord didn't listen." Lu Su thought of Lu Xun's words and quickly said it.

"Although Bo Yan's plan was a little late, he was waiting for it to work hard and there was no problem with Cheng De's plan to defeat Cao Chong's iron army." Zhou Yu became more and more puzzled: "Why don't the lord listen?"

Lu Su was speechless. After thinking about it, he defended Sun Quan and said, "The lord sent Liu Xuande to save him."

"Liu Xuande. It's Liu Xuande again." Zhou Yu was a little annoyed. He waved his hand and said, "What kind of person is Liu Xuande? If Cheng Demou has the upper hand, it is possible that he will rush to get some advantage. Cheng Demou's hands are down and the soldiers are mostly occupied. Since he heard such rumors, why do he still think that Cheng Demou's 10,000 people can be used as 10,000 people? Cheng Demou does not have the upper hand, how can Liu Xuande be willing to do his life?"

He was so angry that his face turned red, and he shouted sternly: "Zijing, are you blinded by Liu Xuande's false kindness and righteousness? Even the four counties in Jiangnan have been heard of Liu Boyu (Liu Qi). Haven't you heard of it yet? You still believe him at this time? The alliance with him was forced by the times, but now this is the case. Why haven't you turned your mind yet?"

Lu Su was ashamed and bowed his head without saying a word. This time Liu Bei went to Jingkou, and Lu Fan and others suggested that Sun Quan keep Liu Bei and deal with it according to Zhou Yu's opinion. Lu Su felt that he was going to fight against Cao at this time and could not have another dispute. He urged Sun Quan to let Liu Bei go back. Sun Shangxiang disappeared within Guan Yu's control. Liu Bei was so angry that he shouted to take Sun Shangxiang back, but only brought 3,000 people and transferred the general Guan Yu back to Changsha. Lu Su advised Sun Quan, who was angry, to accept him. Unexpectedly, he was fooled by Liu Bei again. He went to rescue Cheng Pu, but shook his swaying in the road. In the end, he didn't even see Cheng Pu's face and went back to Jiangnan halfway. Fortunately, Cao Chong's troops marched for a few days, and after the war, they did not return to Xiling in time, otherwise Sun Quan would be in danger.

At this time, when Zhou Yu was blamed, Lu Su felt that he had read the wrong person. Liu Xuande, who was benevolent and righteous, was not a good person. It was useless to know. At present, half of Jiangxia was in the hands of Liu Bei, and the battle here could not be fought. Zhou Yu wanted to go back to Caisang, and Liu Bei had to help him defend the retreat. Now, looking at Zhou Yu's original plan, defending Jiangxia's retreat with heavy troops was the safest way. If he just put on a stance, He Qi would not be suspicious, and Cao Chong could not find the opportunity to defeat each one, and he did not dare to leave Jiangxia. Under the pressure of the army, Liu Bei had to bow down and obey the order. Jiangling City was surrounded by heavy troops, and everything was broken.

But the battle has been fought like this, and it will be useless to regret it any more.

"Gongjin, don't think about the past and now, and think about how to withdraw troops. While Liu Bei had not made any changes, he immediately withdrew more than 10,000 people from here to Chaisang. The losses have been too great recently, and these people cannot make any mistakes." Lu Su advised softly.

Zhou Yu nodded and stared at the map behind him for a long time. He could not understand that Wulin burned Cao Cao's army last year and had a great victory. Jiangdong had a great victory. Why did Jiangdong become like this in less than half a year? He suffered a crushing defeat in Hefei and Xiling. He pondered for a long time before he said slowly: "Zijing, have you ever thought that after Wulin, our army lost consecutive battles and lost its strength to march into the Central Plains. Fortunately, the Jiangling naval army was all damaged, and the Xiangyang naval army was weak, so they could not cross the Yangtze River. In the next few years, we cannot cause any trouble for us. From now on, our main enemy is not Cao Cao, but Liu Bei?"

Lu Su was stunned: "Liu Bei?"

Zhou Yu breathed a sigh of relief, slowly walked to Lu Su, sat down, and said, "Zijing, our army was defeated in a row, but Liu Bei took advantage of the scourge to seize the four counties in the south of the Yangtze River and gain a foothold. This man wandered for half his life and lived under someone else's roof. Now that he has four counties, how can he let go? He will firmly grasp the four counties in his hands and use all means to develop. Kong Ming is extremely smart and is an excellent talent for internal affairs. Don't look at him young, but he is smart and learns fast. These four counties are in his hands. I am afraid that it will change drastically in three or five years. At that time, we will seize it again, but I am afraid that it is difficult. As for the idea of ​​seizing Yizhou that you told your lord to take all the south of the Yangtze River to balance the Central Plains, it is even more out of reach."

When Lu Su thought about it, he couldn't help but be surprised. It was true. If the power of Jiangdong wants to expand to Jingzhou, there is no hope. For a long time, he can only hide in Yangzhou. At best, he can only move forward in Jiaozhou. With Liu Bei in Jingzhou and Yizhou, he is afraid that he will have no chance of Jiangdong. On the contrary, once Liu Bei has established a firm foothold in Jiangnan, the south can extend his power to Jiaozhou. The useless guy Liu Zhang can extend his power to Yizhou. Where is the opponent of this hypocritical Liu Bei? If Liu Bei really takes Yizhou by Liu Bei, and if he joins Ma Chao in the west, Jiangdong will become the weakest one, and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River are controlled in the hands of others, the situation in Jiangdong will be unimaginable. Cao Cao in Jiangbei is not scary, but the most terrifying thing is the Uncle Liu beside him.

"Which Gongjin means?"

"Our army is newly defeated. If we want to take advantage of Jiangnan, we cannot fight each other and let Cao Chong take advantage." Zhou Yu said helplessly: "But Liu Bei is a man who bullies the weak and is afraid of the strong. If we want to maintain a certain advantage in the next few years, our army will have to win a battle and balance the momentum of both sides. It is best to have a foothold in Nanjun and maintain the momentum of Jiangnan." Zhou Yu said slowly, fingering on the table.

Lu Su frowned when he heard this: "Gongjin wants to seize Jiangling?"

Zhou Yu nodded and shook his head again. He looked at Lu Su who was confused and said, "Jiangling is the throat of the Yangtze River. If Jiangling can be captured, it is of course the best. Then we can control the Yangtze River. Even if Cao Cangshu rebuilt the navy, he must seize Jiangling first if he wants to go to Jiangdong. It is no easy task to seize Jiangling City, and I am not sure. But even if Jiangling is not taken, we must still take back Xingba from Yiling's army. If we want to get peace, it is best to beat Cao Zixiao again, so that he would be frightened when he saw me and dare not go out of the city to pursue him."

"You mean to ambush Cao Zixiao again?" Lu Su heard Zhou Yu's plan and felt that if Cao Ren could really lure him out of the city, he would still have a chance to win a battle and boost his morale. Of course, if he could kill Cao Ren or even seize Jiangling City, it would be even more perfect, but he also felt that this idea was a bit unrealistic. Cao Ren now only has more than 2,000 troops, and it is okay to defend Jiangling. If he leaves the city, will he leave the city?

"Yes!" Zhou Yu smiled and said, "Cao Zixiao is known as the most brave general under Cao Cao's tent. He is still braver than Zhang Wenyuan. He was pressed into the city for several months. Now I heard that I lack military strength, how can I not leave the city? Besides..." He smiled proudly: "I heard that in order to please Cao Cangshu, he put the seal of the prefect of the Nanjun in Cao Cangshu's hands, and then entrusted his son Cao Ziping to him, but Cao Cangshu put Cao Ziping in Xiangyang as a free job. He would rather take Le Wenqian's son and Wen Zhongye's nephew out to make military achievements than Cao Ziping. Will Cao Zixiao have no idea? Will he wait for Cao Cangshu to come to take Jiangling City with peace of mind, and then he will go back in shame?"

Zhou Yu stretched out one hand with confidence and pinched three fingers: "I am 70% sure that Cao Zixiao will go out of the city to fight."

Lu Su thought about it for a while and said, "Although this plan is feasible, the lord's army has withdrawn from Chaisang. You have stayed here for too long, I'm afraid it's inappropriate. What if Wen Zhongye takes advantage of our new defeat and forcing Jiangnan?"

"No." Zhou Yu shook his head with confidence: "Although our army was defeated, the navy still has certain strength. Besides, I can go down the river at any time. Wen Zhongye has only 4,000 people and wants to defend the city, so he can't draw enough troops. Instead, we can take this opportunity to ask Liu Bei for Ban County of Jiangxia from Liu Bei. You should immediately return to Chaisang and tell your lord what I mean, ask Liu Bei for Jiangxia. Our army was the main force in Wulin's battle. He has not yet made up his achievements, but now he has taken the four counties and has taken such a huge advantage. We can't let us go empty-handed."

Lu Su didn't agree with Zhou Yu's idea. Just as he was about to say something, Zhou Yu raised his hand and stopped him: "Zijing, don't say much, I'm in Jiangling. The lord is in Chaisang, and Liu Bei dared not say much. What's more, his troops are short and he may not be able to defend Jiangxia. He will definitely agree with our request. In this way, Jiangdong will gain a little. The lord's mind can be calmer."

After hearing this, Lu Su had to nod.

Cao Ren learned that Cheng Pu led 10,000 people to Hanyang to assist Sun Quan's place, and knew that Zhou Yu's camp outside Jiangling City looked no different, but in fact there were only 10,000 people left. But he still did not act rashly. He only had more than 2,500 people in his hands. It was too far from trying to defeat Zhou Yu's 10,000 people, so he still defended the city with all his strength. Even if Zhou Yu wanted to attack the city, his 2,500 people would be enough. Whether he could take revenge was far less important than defending Jiangling City. Cao Ren understood this very well without anyone saying that. He had also fought for decades.

When Man Chong sent someone to send news that they were rushing back to Dangyang and asked him to stay calm for a few more days. When Cao Chong and others arrived, the Jiangling siege could be lifted, Cao Ren was moved. Cao Chong used 20,000 troops to defeat Sun Quan's 40,000 troops in Xiling, and he added the return to the aid. Man Chong and others also had 10,000 troops, but Zhou Yu had only more than 10,000 troops, with a similar force. He also had the advantage of the city. Why can't he fight Zhou Yu? Could it be that he had fought for more than ten years and finally had Cao Chong, a child, to break his siege? In his opinion, Jiangling City was already solid and there was no danger to talk about. Cao Chong didn't need to run from Xiling to clear his siege from far away. Cao Chong did this just to compete for merit.

He immediately summoned the officials to discuss, but unexpectedly no one agreed with his idea. The chief secretary Chen Jiao was the first to stand up to object. Lejin's four thousand people were all new recruits. Man Chong's men rushed back and forth for nearly a month and had become a tired army. So Cao Chong asked Li Tong to follow him. Although Li Tong did not fight any bad battles, he had been marching for this period and his condition was not good. Not to mention the more than two thousand people in Jiangling City, he was worried every day and had long become a frightened bird.

.In contrast, Zhou Yu, a 10,000 army outside the city has not attacked the city these days. Most of them rest on the boat, sleep very peacefully, and have been raising their strength for a long time. I hope we can attack so that he can win the battle before leaving. Why should we send it to the door? Let them retreat peacefully and defend Jiangling City. Even if we have no credit, at least we will not be guilty. Once we leave the city and fight, even Jiangling City may be lost. Wouldn’t all the hard work of these months be wasted?

Cao Ren did not listen. Seeing that the officials disagreed, he simply made a decision and immediately sent someone to notify Man Chong and Li Tong not to go back to Dangyang and go straight to Yiling and Lejin to meet. They had nearly 8,000 people together, enough to capture Yiling, which was only more than 2,000 people. What's more, Cao Ren did not want them to take Yiling, but to create a situation where Gan Ning would be wiped out at all times and force Zhou Yu to rescue him. If Zhou Yu dared to divide his troops to support him, he would either ambush Zhou Yu or rob his camp directly. In any case, Zhou Yu could not let Zhou Yu leave smoothly.

Man Chong received Cao Ren's order and smiled bitterly. Before leaving, Cao Chong warned him that he would persuade Cao Ren to not leave the city and wait for him to help. But now seeing this order, Cao Ren obviously refused to wait. He wanted to give Zhou Yu a little color at the end. Man Chong did not dare to be negligent, so he wrote a letter to Cao Ren with a willingness to send him a letter, and advised him not to go out of the city. However, he knew that he might not be able to persuade him, so he immediately sent someone to send the news to Cao Chong and asked him to come quickly to help him, and then left Li Tong behind and took the people forward and rushed forward.

At the same time, Le Jin also received the order from Cao Ren. Like Man Chong, he had no choice but to send a letter to Cao Chong, and while driving forward, he forced to the Yiling City, he started attacking as soon as Man Chong arrived. Although Gan Ning had made some repairs after taking Yiling, he could only repair and repair it in a small way, and could not solve any fundamental problems. After receiving Zhou Yu's order, he even divided the people in the city into one thousand, leaving only one thousand people to defend the city outside the city. After Le Jin learned about the situation, he asked Man Chong, who came from afar, to take a thousand people to monitor the wandering army, and began to attack with him.

The war in Yiling, which had been quiet for more than half a month, broke out again.

Le Jin was short of troops and did not bring any large-scale siege equipment. At the same time, he did not want to send all his new recruits to death. Therefore, although he was fighting fiercely under Yiling City and arrows flew everywhere, Gan Ning in the city was in danger and was still able to eat and drink with Dong's food and drink. Even the scattered arrows flew into his yard, but he didn't even take a look.

Le Jin also had his own ideas. He felt that Cao Ren's idea was a bit whimsical. Even if he attracted Zhou Yu's main force, there were only more than 2,500 people in Jiangling City. How many soldiers could he distribute to ambush Zhou Yu? If he didn't do it, Zhou Yu would swallow it up. Le Jin felt that Cao Ren was a little angry, but he couldn't say it. First, he was Cao Ren's subordinate and was controlled by General Zhennan's Mansion. Second, his son was doing well under Cao Chong's men and won another victory recently in Xiling City, while Cao Ren's son was a civil servant in Xiangyang. As Cao Chong's elder and superior, it was normal for Cao Ren to have resentment.

He had to fight, but he could not fight with all his strength. Anyway, he only had so much strength, so it was a bit difficult to win Yiling City immediately. Besides, Cao Ren did not ask him to take Yiling, as long as the fight was lively, so Lejin did not send anyone to the city, but just set up arrows outside the city to shoot and attack, and made many simple thunderbolt cars and bombarded them, which was very exciting.

Cao Ren waited for a few days, but he didn't hear anything about Zhou Yu outside the city. He couldn't help but feel anxious. Cao Chong was almost at Jiangling. If he didn't attack, he wouldn't have many opportunities. He asked Le Jin to scold him and asked him not to work hard and attack the city with all his strength. He must surround Gan Ning and force Zhou Yu to rescue him.
Chapter completed!