On January 2, the 14th year of Jian'an, the second day of the Lunar New Year, Cao Cao and Liu Bei had a decisive battle at Pingting, south of Wancheng.
The strength of both sides was about the same, so the war should have reached a stalemate.
However, the sudden attack of Jiangxia navy disrupted all Cao Cao's steps, so that Cao Cao's army was defeated and returned.
Of the more than 50,000 people, less than one-third fled back, and only more than 10,000 people managed to go back.
And at least half of them disappeared or ran away. Cao Cao had less than 5,000 people with him, and the rest, almost 30,000, died in battle or surrendered.
In addition, many generals died in the battle. In addition to general Li Tong, the cavalry general Wen Su and the guard Feng Kai were killed in the battle. There were countless other generals and middle and lower-level officers. Cao Cao suffered heavy losses in this battle.
It is worth mentioning that the cavalry general Wen Su who died in the battle had a son named Wen Qin, and Wen Qin had a son named Wenchu, also known as Wenyang.
certainly.
Now Wen Qin himself is just a child, and it will be thirty years before Wen Yang is born.
For Liu Bei, in the era of cold weapons, a battle that left Cao Cao with only 5,000 men fleeing in embarrassment was undoubtedly a great victory.
Liu Bei originally planned to ask Liu Qi to resign according to the original plan, hoping that Liu Qi could stabilize the interior of Jingzhou and provide him with food and grass supplies so that he could send troops to Bashu.
And Yecheng and Kunyang happened to be the places where Cao's army stored grain, ordnance, and materials. Arrows and food were extremely abundant. Without siege equipment, it would be difficult to attack by force.
Because of the need for hand-to-hand combat, very few people actually died in battlefield battles during the cold weapon era. The few wars involving total annihilation often resulted in large-scale surrenders.
Cao Cao then ordered Cao Hong to lead the assembled defeated soldiers to stay in Kunyang. At the same time, he urgently transferred Zang Ba's troops to Runan and sent people to Jizhou to transfer some troops south to prevent Liu Bei from taking the opportunity to go north. He was in a hurry to return to Chendu.
Therefore, Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen's suggestions are obviously correct, and many things should not be rushed.
The first one under his right hand is Liu Bei, followed by Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci and others.
A few days later, some of Cao Cao's defeated soldiers fled back to Runan Yingchuan from other places. Together with the defeated soldiers around Cao Cao, there were about 10,000 people gathered.
For example, in the Battle of Changping, Bai Qi killed all the 400,000 Zhao troops who surrendered. In the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao also killed all the 80,000 Yuan troops who surrendered.
Many state officials were also very surprised and did not understand what was going on with Liu Qi, so they spoke out one after another.
In this case, Liu Bei also captured more than 20,000 people and killed more than 10,000 people, including 5,000 Cao Jun cavalry. You can know that this battle was a battle without large-scale surrender.
What a hard-won victory.
Due to the obstruction of Mian River, the army is currently stationed in Fancheng. Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Shen Chen and others arrived in Xiangyang by boat.
So why not just strike first, predict in advance, and use moral kidnapping to force Liu Bei not to dare to take action?
This is also impossible.
Therefore, after assessing the situation, the two finally chose to surrender.
The four counties in Jingnan are currently guarded by Liu Pan. The four counties in Jingbei, Nanyang, Zhangling, Nan and Jiangxia are now recovered. The invading Jiangdong Army has also been repulsed, and the people are living and working in peace and contentment.
They were very happy to meet again at this moment, and Liu Qi was very enthusiastic. After all, he was able to recapture Jingzhou almost entirely with Liu Bei's help.
"Yes, the eldest son was supposed to inherit Jingzhou. Now that he has finally regained it, how can he give it up?"
When he came back this time, in order to prevent anyone from gossiping, Liu Bei's 20,000 troops were led by Zhang Fei to surround Cao Hong with Gan Ning in Kunyang to help the people return. Currently, there were only 30,000 Jiangxia naval troops and 10,000 Huang Zhong troops following him.
But for now, these matters are definitely not handled by Liu Bei, because he is not the lord of Jingzhou in name.
The main reason is that Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou are all in turmoil now. The princes in the south have few troops, and they are all at the stage of forty to fifty thousand soldiers. There are constant internal fighting and turmoil, so the Northern Expedition is not the right time.
Liu Bei's slogan in this battle was that Cai Mao and Kuai Yue were sycophants like Zhao Gao and Li Si. Liu Biao's Jingzhou should have been inherited by his eldest son Liu Qi. Liu Qi was to support Su, and Liu Bei should help him.
The rest of the former officials of Jingzhou Prefecture, including Liu He, Liu Xian, Deng Hong, Wen Ying, Huang She, Wang Wei, etc., sat behind Shen Chen, arranged in order.
Even the huge former Qin could not withstand a major defeat, not to mention that Liu Bei did not have a good family background like Fu Jian.
"Yes, this is really surprising."
Liu Qi looked a little pale and coughed slightly. But when he saw Liu Bei coming off the boat, he still showed joy, stepped forward to greet him, and said, "Brother Xuande."
However, there are still some problems that come with it, such as appeasing the people, redistributing interests, appointing officials in various places, and other internal affairs.
After all, they have lost everything. They don’t need baggage or weapons and equipment, and they are just trying to escape. You are wearing armor, holding weapons in your hands, and you have to cut off heads and ears to gain military exploits. Naturally, you can’t catch up with them.
Liu Bei was startled and said hurriedly: "Brother Xian, why is this happening? I recaptured Jingzhou for brother Xian to fulfill the friendship of the same clan. Although Gong Jing Sheng claimed to be emperor in vain, brother Burui is sensible and has a merciful heart."
, I should govern Jingzhou, join me in the Northern Expedition against Cao Cao, and help the Han Dynasty, how can I let the state be given to me?"
Because of this defeat, the capital of Chen will inevitably be in turmoil. Cao Cao is already in a state of disarray. Powerful people from various aristocratic families may take the opportunity to cause trouble, so he must go back to deal with internal issues.
Therefore, everyone did not understand what Liu Qi meant.
Liu Qi ranks first.
The remaining 50,000 troops in Xiangyang also surrendered.
Because too many people were missing or scattered, Cao Cao had very few people around Ye County, and these 5,000 people were almost exhausted and had no fighting power. It was obviously impossible to defend Ye County.
These 70,000 to 80,000 people include the Wenpin Army, the Ganning Army, the Shen Chen Army, and the Jiangxia Navy. They come from various sources and are not subordinate to each other internally. In addition, there are discord among the people, and there are also problems with the allocation of grain, grass, ordnance, supplies, etc. If the Northern Expedition is to be carried out immediately,
Acting hastily is tantamount to death.
It was just when the spring breeze was coming, the banks of the Mian River were green, and in the early morning mist, a large ship sailed slowly at Xiangyang Ferry Pier, breaking through the mist, riding the wind and waves, and approached the edge of the wharf.
He had to surrender.
After greetings, the group returned to Xiangyang City.
Liu Biao was born in 142 AD, and Liu Bei was born in 161 AD. There is a nearly twenty-year age difference between them. Therefore, as Liu Biao's eldest son, Liu Qi is actually two years younger than Liu Bei, and is now forty-five years old.
They surrendered to Liu Qi.
He also asked Wenpin to continue to besiege Ye County. Gan Ning and Zhang Fei cooperated to besiege Kunyang and take care of the people who had been moved away by Cao Cao, while he led the rest of the troops southward.
Zhao Yan learned of the situation and immediately covered Cao Cao's retreat. He stationed himself in Ye County. With these 5,000 soldiers and 20,000 auxiliary troops, he barely blocked Liu Bei's army from attacking Yecheng like a tide.
Liu Qi smiled, took Liu Bei's hand and said, "Come, brother, follow me into the city quickly."
At that time, Liu Bei came to Nanyang and was protected by Liu Biao. Because they were about the same age and had similar personalities and interests, the two gradually became good friends and have always treated each other like brothers.
Could it be that Liu Qi was afraid that Liu Bei would seize Jingzhou by force?
So Liu Qi, accompanied by Guan Yu, Xu Shu and others, rode into Xiangyang alone just like his father had done many years ago.
At this moment Liu Qi is sitting at the top.
Although he had an army of 70,000 to 80,000 people, his attack was hasty and he did not prepare large siege equipment.
"Although General Zuo is famous all over the world and played a great role in the recovery of Jingzhou, if the law is to be justified, the eldest son should inherit it."
Liu Bei hurriedly walked to the steps and reached out to hold Liu Qi's hand. Seeing that his hand was a little cold, he felt distressed and said: "It's still cold now, why don't you wait in the mansion?"
Liu Cong was originally a puppet of Cai Mao and Kuai Yue. He had no independent opinions and was at their mercy.
Unexpectedly, after Liu Qi sat down, the first words he spoke were to say seriously to Liu Bei: "Today, the Han Dynasty has been buried late, and the sea has been overthrown. It is today that we have made great contributions. The other state is rich in Yin, with a household registration of one million. I want to surrender to my brother and support Linzhou."
thing."
For example, Fu Jian later almost unified the north, so he decided to go south to attack the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He prepared for more than a year. As a result, he returned with a huge defeat in the Battle of Feishui, and the former Qin Dynasty fell apart instantly.
Including Deng Hong, they all stayed at the mansion honestly every day.
Fortunately, Cao Cao arranged for Zhao Yan to transport food and grass to the rear. There were probably more than 5,000 soldiers in Ye County and more than 20,000 auxiliary soldiers transporting food and grass.
When Liu Cong occupied Xiangyang before, Xiangyang was heavily guarded and under control, which seriously hindered the normal life of the people.
Now that the whole of Jingzhou has returned to peace, there is a breath of life inside and outside the city. People are coming and going. It is the time of spring plowing. The wheat fields outside the city are lush and green, and countless people are shuttled through the fields.
The first one on the left hand side is Shen Chen.
In fact, Liu Qi's core confidants were Huang Zu, Huang She, Su Fei and other generals of the Jiangxia Navy. Liu He, Liu Xian, Deng Hong, Wen Ying, Wang Wei, etc. were all originally subordinate to Liu Cong.
But in early February, before Liu Bei's army could withdraw from Ye County to Wancheng, Liu Cong surrendered.
The ship slowly stopped, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Shen Chen, Su Fei, Huang Zhong and others disembarked one after another.
Moreover, a large-scale war like this requires advance preparation, and even if you are well prepared, you may not be able to win.
In this way, Liu Qi's power is on his left hand side, and Liu Bei's power is on his right hand side.
After Liu Biao's death, because of their strong strength, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue had the idea of becoming powerful ministers, so with the help of Mrs. Cai, they made Liu Cong emperor.
At that time, everyone was sitting in the mansion one by one.
"But I think my brother is a little anxious."
However, Cai Mao was defeated, and the foreign aid Cao Jun and Jiangdong Army were also defeated. Xiangyang was now isolated and helpless. If the battle continued, Liu Cong and Kuai Yue might die when the city was broken.
There are also many people waiting on the pier, including Liu Qi, Liu He, Liu Xian, Deng Hong, Wen Ying, Huang She, Wang Wei and more than ten people, as well as Guan Yu, Zhao Yuntai, Shi Ci, Xu Shu and others are also waiting here.
So Nanyang became Zhao Yan's 5,000 soldiers plus 20,000 auxiliary soldiers, and Cao Hong's about 10,000 remaining soldiers, each guarding Ye County and Kunyang.
Liu Qi currently has an army of 150,000 to 60,000 men, and the Jingzhou Army God Shen Chen is at his command. Does Liu Bei really have the strength to fight?
Liu Bei besieged Ye County and Kunyang for half a month, but failed repeatedly.
Liu Bei's army won a great victory and pursued Cao Cao all the way to Ye County.
After all, Liu Cong and Kuai Yue didn't know whether Liu Bei would kill them, but Liu Qi had to consider family ties and was kind-hearted, so he probably wouldn't kill them.
So under normal circumstances, Liu Bei helped Liu Qi recapture Jingzhou, and after Liu Qi expressed his gratitude, Liu Bei should also send troops to Bashu to attack Zhang Lu in the name of supporting Liu Zhang.
Therefore, in late January, both Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen suggested that Liu Bei could just drive Cao Cao out of Nanyang. At present, he should deal with the south first, defeat Liu Cong, recover the entire Jingzhou, and then consider the Northern Expedition once he had his own foundation.
Only Shen Chen thought about it, seemed to have thought of something, and said in a deep voice: "Is there any reason why the eldest son behaves like this?"
Someone has already started thinking about it.
He doesn't even have a fixed territory so far. I'm afraid that he has just reached the Runan and Yingchuan areas, and the rear and the internal troops have already collapsed.
Liu Bei was still very rational even though he did not have to close the country to death. Seeing that Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen were like this, he followed their advice and planned to withdraw his troops back to Wancheng. At the same time, he actively prepared food and grass, strengthened his troops and horses, and prepared to go south to besiege Xiangyang.
So it’s a wise choice to make.
At that time, Liu Bei was still preparing to go south outside Ye County. After learning the news, he left Mi Zhu, Li Yan, Han Ran, Yin Ji and others to comfort the local people in Wancheng and surrounding counties.
On the sixth day of February, outside Xiangyang City.
Since Liu Biao died of illness at the beginning of last year, Jingzhou has experienced a year of war, and now it finally has a rare peace.
After all, his wife is Cai, so it is normal to verbally support Mrs. Cai and Liu Cong.
"Brother Berry."
Although Liu Bei may have been the largest prince in the south and seemed to have 70,000 to 80,000 people under his command, this was not actually the case.
Because Shen Chen was actually subordinate to Liu Qi, not Liu Bei, so if Huang Zu was not here, as the most important contributor to the pacification of Jingzhou, he would definitely sit in the first place.
However, the state capital needs someone to stabilize it. If everything is abandoned, how will the affairs of the state capital run and who will take care of it?
Therefore, after Liu Qi entered Xiangyang, he only imprisoned Liu Cong, Kuai Yue and Zhang Yun, and the others were not liquidated.
Therefore, if the enemy does not surrender, but chooses to abandon his armor and run away, it is basically impossible to fight a battle of annihilation.
Let’s not talk about whether Liu Bei wants his reputation as a kind person, but his strength doesn’t allow it.
However, when they arrived at Liu Biao's palace in Xiangyang, Liu Qi said something unexpected.
Almost all of Cai Mao, Zhang Yun and others' 100,000 troops surrendered, plus Wenpin, Liu Pan and Huang Zu's troops.
Liu Qi glanced at Shen Chen gratefully, nodded, looked around at the people below and said, "Yes, before you object, please listen to what I say from the bottom of my heart."
"Good brother."
Liu Bei looked puzzled.
Liu Qi waved his hand, looked around, looked at the people in the audience, and said slowly: "Since Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, the Han Dynasty has been weak and the country has fallen. Cao Cao has controlled power and used the emperor to command the princes. The Liu family is in danger. My father Although he had the intention to help the Han Dynasty, his wishes were not fulfilled, and he died in the middle due to age and moral failure. Therefore, if he wanted to revitalize the country and restore the Liu family's foundation, he must have a virtuous person to lead him. In a fertile land, we can win the hearts of the people from all over the world, lead thousands of troops and horses to defeat bandits from all directions, welcome the emperor, and serve as king's ministers."
After finishing speaking, he looked at Liu Bei and said, "And this virtuous man is my brother Liu Xuande!"