The sky was gray, the sun was obscured by thick lead-gray clouds, and the howling north wind made people feel a bone-chilling chill.
Xiling County Xiling County, after the original Jiangxia County was divided, most of the territory of Jiangxia County was moved to the south of the Yangtze River.
Its approximate location is in the later Wuhan, Xianning, Ezhou, and Huangshi areas, with a small part located in Xiaogan, Hanchuan and other places in the north of the Yangtze River. Most of the rest north of the Yangtze River was allocated to Xiling.
Therefore, Xiling County, the original seat of Jiangxia County, became the seat of Xiling County. The specific location was Xinzhou District in Wuhan, Hubei Province in later generations.
At this moment, in the Xiling County government residence, Liu Bei convened the civil and military ministers to discuss matters.
Shen Chen is not here.
He also guarded Nanyang in Wancheng.
Because although Cao Cao led an army of more than 100,000 to conquer Huainan, there were still a large number of troops in Yingchuan and other places in Runan.
Therefore, in order to prevent Cao Jun from taking action, Nanyang's main force cannot move for the time being.
The current defenders in Xiling, in addition to some of the troops Liu Bei brought from Bashu, are county soldiers from various places in Jingzhou and Jiangxia naval forces, totaling about 120,000.
Including the defenders of Nanyang, Liu Bei's defense troops and horses against Cao Cao in Xiling, Nanyang, Zhangling, etc. basically reached 200,000. It can be said that it was an overwhelming force. Cao Cao captured most of the troops in Jingzhou and part of Yizhou.
All soldiers and horses were mobilized to Xiling.
However, Cao Cao's side is similar. He has deployed heavy troops in Huainan, Henan and other places. Now he has personally led an army here. The total strength has exceeded 250,000. The two sides are in a fierce confrontation.
It was not until the beginning of November that news of Cao Cao's withdrawal reached Xiling.
At this time, Zhao Yun was still stationed in Songzi County, Taishi Ci was stationed in Xunyang County, Liu Bei led his personal guards and the Jingzhou army in Xiling, and the Jiangxia navy was stationed in Qichun.
Liu Bei's troops and horses were scattered all along the Yangtze River in Xiling and Jiangxia.
Generals at all levels were stationed in camps along the route. There were hundreds of camps, large and small, in the six counties from Songzi to Xiling, stretching for more than two to three hundred miles. Whenever there was a change in the battlefield, they would immediately rush to Ruxukou.
In the county government office, Liu Bei was discussing with his counselors.
He sat on the main seat and looked around, facing Fa Zheng, Jia Xu, Zhang Song, Sun Qian, Deng Zhi, Zheng Du and others.
Most of them were people from Bashu. Only Jia Xu, Sun Qian, and even Deng Zhi went to Bashu from Nanyang in their early years. Later, Liu Bei appreciated their talents in Yizhou and moved them to be the governor of Xiling.
The reason why this happens is because of the system of serving as an official in a different place.
Now all the descendants of the Jingzhou family in Bashu, such as Pang Tong, Xiang Lang, Xi Zhen, Ma Jun, Ma Liang, Pang Shanmin, Kuai Qi, etc., all serve as high-ranking officials in Yizhou counties and carry out political reforms.
However, the descendants of the Yizhou family and the original bureaucratic class all moved to Jingzhou to serve as officials. Therefore, after Liu Bei arrived in Jingzhou, the counselors who followed him were all from Xichuan.
Liu Bei looked at everyone and said: "Xiaoqing sent a letter, saying that Cao Cao may have planned Jingzhou together with Sun Quan and deliberately fought to get me into trouble. But now it seems, why do I think this possibility is extremely small?"
Zhang Song said: "Yes, even if he deliberately fought to deceive the lord, Cao's army's losses were real. The battle lasted for more than a month, and he lost 10,000 or 20,000 troops. How could his men lose their lives like this? In my opinion, Xiaoqing
You are overly worried. This is probably Cao Cao's plan to doubt his troops, or he is testing Jiangdong's strength."
"good."
Deng Zhi also echoed: "If Sun Quan can withstand his attack, Cao Cao will naturally have no choice but to withdraw his troops and go back to the north to attack Xiliang in the pass. If Sun Quan is not strong enough, he can attack Ruxukou in one fell swoop and march to Jianye.
If we seize the opportunity to seize Jiangdong and confront us along the river, it will be an unexpected surprise for Cao Cao."
Liu Bei thought for a while, turned his head and looked at Fa Zhengdao: "Does Xiaozhi think so too?"
Fazheng pondered for a moment and shook his head: "If it were in the past, I would probably think so. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"It's just that Xiaoqing is right."
He said seriously: "At first, I thought that Han Sui and Ma Chao's family papers were all sent to Yecheng, and they would eventually submit to Cao Cao. Unexpectedly, several years later, they still dominate Xiliang in Guanzhong, and they seem to have no intention of submitting to Cao Cao. It seems that
Xiaoqing's vision is far-reaching, and I can't match it."
Zhang Song also admired: "Xiaoqing is indeed right about this matter. We didn't believe Xiaoqing's words at the beginning, but now it seems that Xiaoqing is worthy of being the wisest man in the world. No wonder the lord trusts her so much."
Liu Bei smiled and thought of the young man who was already able to talk freely when he was only eight years old in Xuzhou, and now he has become his son-in-law.
"Report!"
At this moment, the guard outside the door quickly came in, knelt down on one knee in the hall, and held an official document in his hand: "My lord, urgent report from Hanzhong."
"Send it up."
Liu Bei waved to the soldiers to deliver the official documents.
The soldier placed the official document in his hand on the table and walked away backwards.
Liu Bei opened the official document and browsed it casually. His expression suddenly changed and he said: "Xiaoqing is really a national scholar."
Fazheng said hurriedly: "My lord, could it be that Cao's army attacked Guanzhong?"
"Yes."
Liu Bei put down the document in his hand and said: "Last month, Cao Cao sent General Xiahou Dun to lead General Xiahou Dun in Jin, General Xian Yufu of Zuo Du Liao, and Shan Yu Huchuquan of the Southern Xiongnu, with an army of more than 100,000, to attack Hanzhong.
In the name of Han Sui, Ma Chao marched from Hedong to Guanzhong. Han Sui and Ma Chao suspected that it was a false plan to attack Guo, so he united with the generals in Guanzhong, drove out Zhong Yao, and confronted Xiahou Dun and others in Hedong."
"Xiaoqing said one thing right again."
Fazheng lowered his head and thought: "Four years ago, Xiaoqing said that Han Sui and Ma Chao would not surrender to Cao Cao. Cao Cao might attack them in the future. He asked us to wait and see what happens. We must not attack Xiliang in Guanzhong first. Compared with Xiaoqing,
I am really a man of shallow wisdom."
Although the Dharma says that righteousness must be repaid, he also must repay kindness.
In the past few years, Shen Chen was very friendly with him in Jingzhou. They were each other's friends and helped each other a lot when governing Jingzhou and implementing administrative decrees.
Moreover, Shen Chen's teachings were as inspiring as the words of a saint. Under the influence of them, Fa Zheng gradually became much calmer.
"This is a preemptive strike."
Zheng Du said in a deep voice: "My lord should lead the army back to Hanzhong immediately, and then order the generals of the Zhenjun army to attack Wuguan. Otherwise, Cao Cao only needs to lead Qingqi and tens of thousands of troops from Luoyang to Guanzhong, and he will have enough time to defeat Han Sui
Ma Chao, captured Xiliang in Guanzhong."
Deng Zhi also nodded and said: "Cao Cao's plan of attacking from the east to the west is really powerful. It bought him at least a month. Presumably, the troops he brought south this time were just to guard Huainan, Chendu and other places.
Soldiers. The main force of our headquarters has entered Hedong County from Bingzhou. If we try to catch up again, we are afraid it will be too late, and we may not be able to rush to Guanzhong until next year."
Now Cao Cao's military strength is also unprecedentedly strong. After all, his current territory is almost the same as at this time in history. In addition, he has a strong foundation in the north and has been recovering for several years.
It's just that the large territory means that there are many directions to defend. The first is the important towns of Yingchuan and Runan to guard against Nanyang's army.
Next is Huainan, which must be guarded against Sun Quan's army.
After that, there were political centers such as Chendu and Yecheng, and then Youzhou.
Although Cao Cao basically pacified Wu Wan in the First Battle of Western Liaoning, he only managed to pacify the largest force in Wu Wan. Wu Wan had a population of one to two million, and Hu and Han people lived together in Youzhou. Unrest may occur if you are not careful.
Coupled with the Xianbei people, Gongsun Kang of Liaodong, etc., Cao Cao also deployed troops and horses in Youzhou, commanded by Wuwan Colonel Yan Rou and Zuodu Liao General Xian Yufu.
So Cao Cao looked like he had a lot of troops, but in fact because there were so many places to defend, he only had a hundred thousand troops to move.
In the eyes of several not-so-top counselors under Liu Bei, Cao Cao's strategy of attacking from the east to the west was very powerful. He only used the 200,000 troops guarding the south to mobilize Liu Bei's main force to Jingzhou to confront him.
The main force quietly rushed to Guanzhong.
Large-scale battles take a long time. Although Cao Cao only bought himself a month, it would take at least two months for Liu Bei to react and mobilize his troops.
At the same time, Wuguan was not completely in the hands of Shen Chen. At that time, Danshui to the southeast of Wuguan was controlled by Shen Chen. Shangluo County, Shangxian and Wuguan Pass to the northwest of Wuguan were all guarded by Zhong Yao, making it difficult to defend.
Attack, not easy to break.
Otherwise, when Gao Gan fled from Wuguan Qingqi, if Wuguan was controlled by Shen Chen, he would not be hunted down by a mere captain of Shangluo County.
In this case, Cao Cao's false shot cost Liu Bei at least three months.
And that's under smooth conditions.
Liu Bei withdrew his troops from Jingzhou, and then marched from Jiangzhou to Hanzhong. Hanzhong rushed to Guanzhong. The journey was long and the transportation of grain, grass and baggage was slow.
If things don't go well, it's common for things like heavy rains and slippery roads to be blocked for a year and a half, just like how Li Yan's delivery of grain and grass to Zhuge Liang was delayed due to rain and muddy roads.
Therefore, although everyone has concluded that this is Cao Cao's plan to seize the opportunity to attack the east and attack the west, it is obvious that Liu Bei has fallen into the trap and Cao Cao has bought himself a long period of time to attack Han Sui and Ma Chao.
Once Han Sui and Ma Chao are defeated and Xiliang Pass is owned by Cao Cao, not only will it become more difficult for Liu Bei to regain Xiliang Pass, but the current source of horses will also be cut off.
Therefore, in everyone's opinion, they should immediately go to Guanzhong for support.
Fa Zheng did not have any suggestions, but asked: "My lord, since Xiaoqing has seen it before, what suggestions does he have?"
Liu Bei wondered: "What Xiaoqing means is that Han Sui and Ma Chao will not be defeated so quickly. We should immediately dispatch the main force of Jingzhou to Jiangzhou and pretend to support Guanzhong, creating the image of Jingzhou being empty. In fact, only a few troops are sent out of Chencang to support them.
, he will attack Wuguan, but will not immediately rush to the aid of Han Sui and Ma Chao."
Fa Zheng thought for a while and said: "This is because Xiaoqing has been looking for opportunities to annex Jiangdong. He feels that by creating the illusion that Jingzhou is empty, Sun Quan will take the opportunity to seize Jingzhou and lure him here."
"What about Han Sui and Ma Chao?"
Liu Bei asked.
Fa Zheng said: "Destroying Jiangdong will not be achieved overnight. Cao Cao sent more than 100,000 troops to attack Xiliang Guanzhong. The lord can send 20,000 people north to Hanzhong, and ordered General Guan and General Zhang to come out of Chencang Baoxie to join Han Sui and Ma Chao to attack together.
Cao Cao. In addition, the generals in Xiliang Pass have an army of 100,000, and Xiaoqing is attacking Wuguan. Cao Cao cannot defeat them immediately. When the time comes, my lord can calmly deal with Sun Quan."
"Um."
Liu Bei nodded and said: "In this way, Cao Cao will not be able to attack Xiliang in Guanzhong in a short period of time. But I don't want to defeat Sun Quan and divide the north and the south into two parts. I am afraid that Sun Quan will not dare to come and waste time in vain, so that Han Sui and Ma Chao will be defeated.
Xiliang Pass completely fell into Cao Cao's hands."
This is his biggest concern right now.
Of course, there is no psychological burden in defeating Sun Quan and Liu Bei, because the division of north and south was a long-established national policy, but in the end it was unknown.
In the international community of later generations, even those who have great reputations will still suffer abuse from those who have double standards, let alone the ancient Han Dynasty that pays attention to etiquette, justice, benevolence, wisdom and trust.
Every time Cao Cao attacked other princes, he did so in the name of the Emperor.
Therefore, although Liu Bei wanted to capture Jiangdong and confront Cao Cao from north to south, he was in trouble because he did not have the name to attack Jiangdong for the time being.
If Sun Quan never fell out with him, it would be hard for him to become famous to Jiang Dong.
Therefore, Liu Bei was a little worried about whether Sun Quan would come.
Fa Zheng asked: "Didn't Xiaoqing specify how we can lure Sun Quan to attack Jingzhou?"
"No."
Liu Bei scratched his head: "He does this every time. He will only mention a general direction and say what the strategic direction is. But he rarely does the specific implementation of the plan."
Sun Qian thought for a while and said: "I think Xiaoqing likes to take it one step at a time. When he fought Xu Du, he only said that Yuan Shao should lose, but he couldn't let him lose too badly. But what on earth did he do at that time?
He had no idea. It was only after Cao Cao's frontline was tight that he succeeded in attacking repeatedly, forcing Cao Cao to return to Xudu's aid."
Fa Zheng said with a smile: "It seems that Xiaoqing's favorite thing is to strike later. First select a target, and then respond through the enemy's actions to complete this goal. In this regard, I am still very different from him."
This is Shen Chen's biggest shortcoming.
Because he knows the general direction of history, he is able to formulate strategic plans.
For example, in the Battle of Guandu, in order to buy time and prevent Yuan Shao from being too badly defeated, he had to constantly harass Cao Cao's rear to make him aware of the danger in the rear, so that he could not kill the 80,000 surrendered soldiers.
There is also the matter of future strategic direction. He only said that Liu Bei should occupy Jingyi, then seize Jiangdong, and confront Cao Cao from the north to the south, but did not say the specific method.
For example, Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu helped plan Jingzhou, and Fazheng and Zhang Song helped plan Yizhou. He rarely said how to do it, only what to do. That is to say, set a goal, like a boss who said he would earn 100 million this year, but what should he do?
How to earn and where to earn is up to your employees to do it.
So sometimes Liu Bei often feels that the strategies he proposes are a bit outrageous, just like a poor man who threatens to make hundreds of millions of dollars in a year but doesn't say how to achieve it.
If he hadn't been right every time and never made a mistake, Liu Bei would only think that he was a big talker.
Liu Bei looked at Fazheng diligently and said: "Xiaoqing said that strategy is the goal you want to achieve, and tactics are the plans to implement towards this goal. Xiaozhi has always been good at planning, but is there a way to make Sun Quan take the initiative to attack me?"
"this......"
Fazheng stroked the goat's beard under his chin and hesitated for a moment.
He really didn't immediately figure out how to lure Sun Quan out. After all, the initiative in this matter was not in their hands, but in Sun Quan's hands.
If Sun Quan was beaten to death and cowered in Jiangdong and refused to come out, then no one could do anything to him.
So Fazheng didn't think of any good solution.
While he was hesitating, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the old god Jia Xu beside him. He remained silent, rolled his eyes, and said to Jia Xu: "Jia Gong is the most intelligent in the world. I think he must have a good plan."
Jia Xu smiled and said: "The talent of being filial and upright is ten times better than that of me. I am far inferior. How can I compare to being filial and upright because of my crude and crude tricks?"
Fazheng immediately said to Liu Bei: "My lord, Duke Jia has a clever plan."
Jia Xu rolled his eyes, you little brat.
Liu Bei stretched out his hand and said hurriedly: "Sir, since you have a good idea, please come to me quickly."
Jia Xu hesitated for a moment, and then said: "This plan is to lure the enemy step by step. It cannot be done quickly. It should be planned slowly."
"Sir, please explain clearly."
Liu Bei said.
Jia Xu explained: "Xiaoqing wants to create the illusion that Jingzhou is empty, but if he immediately mobilizes all the troops to march into Xichuan, Sun Quan will be suspicious, so he should withdraw his troops step by step. He may even try to hide his presence and pretend to be
Jingzhou looks like it has a lot of troops."
Liu Bei wondered: "Wouldn't this scare Sun Quan even more away from coming?"
Jia Xu said with a smile: "No, that's why he came. This way he will believe that Jingzhou is really empty, and that the lord should not leave immediately with his troops, but instead take a hundred thousand soldiers to go to Huainan to meet Sun Quan
During the alliance, one person showed his strength in front of Sun Quan, and the other told him that the lord would send troops to Xichuan to rescue Han Sui and Ma Chao, and invited Sun Quan to attack Hefei together to occupy Huainan."
"What does this mean?"
Liu Bei was puzzled.
Fazheng was thoughtful and nodded slightly.
Jia Xu said: "My lord, please consider Sun Quan's side. If your lord unexpectedly leads the army and goes to Xichuan immediately, will Sun Quan act rashly?"
"Probably not."
Liu Bei thought for a while and said: "If it were me, I would have to clarify the truth and the truth."
"Exactly."
Jia Xu said: "Sun Quan is afraid of the lord, but he doesn't know that the lord is also afraid of him. Therefore, the sudden emptiness in Jingzhou will definitely make him suspicious, so he should create doubts, make false and true, and confuse him."
】
"I see."
Fazheng suddenly realized: "Sir, he is really a distinguished scholar. The lord's army is pressing down on the border and intimidating him. He will think that this is the lord's army threatening him, forcing him not to act rashly. Then the lord invites Sun Quan to attack Hefei together, and Sun Quan will
I think this is because my lord is forcing him to fight with Cao Cao so that he has no time to attack Jingzhou."
"good."
Jia Xu laughed and said: "At this time, my lord withdrew the soldiers and horses from Jingnan to Jiangling for defense, leaving only thousands to more than ten thousand county soldiers in Jingnan. After a while, he pretended that the war in Guanzhong was tense, and half of the soldiers in Jiangling were
The horses will all go to Jiangzhou, leaving only 10,000 or 20,000 people in Jiangling. Xiaoqing will attack Wuguan again, so that Jingzhou will be empty every step of the way, and Sun Quan will not be suspicious."
"At that time, Sun Quan will think that his only enemy is the Jiangxia navy? In addition, if I force him to fight with Cao Cao, he will feel that our side is really empty and just pretending to deceive him, so he starts to think about plotting to seize Jingzhou.
thing."
Liu Bei woke up.
"Yes."
Jia Xu and Fazheng looked at each other and laughed.
Previously, Jingzhou's army numbered 200,000, including 130,000 main troops and 70,000 county soldiers.
Among the 130,000, there were 50,000 Chen Chen's army, 50,000 Jiangxia navy, 20,000 Liu Pan's army and 10,000 Samoko's Wuxi barbarians.
There were 70,000 county soldiers scattered across the counties, of which Nanyang County, Zhangling County, Nan County, Jiangxia County and Xiling County in northern Jingzhou accounted for the majority, with about 40,000 to 50,000 people stationed there.
In Jingnan, only 20,000 Liu Pan's troops were stationed in Changsha County as the main force. Except for Guiyang County, which was lent to Sun Quan, the remaining four counties of Lingling, Wuling, Yuanling and Hengyang had thousands of soldiers respectively.
.
Jia Xu's meaning is very simple.
If all these soldiers and horses were immediately transferred, saying that they were going north to aid Han Sui and Ma Chao, and then an empty shell of Jingzhou was placed in front of Sun Quan, what would Sun Quan think?
He would think, what does Liu Bei mean?
Suddenly exposed Jingzhou to me?
It must be a deliberate attempt to expose a flaw, as soldiers and horses were ambushed in Jiangzhou.
We will not be fooled and will not send troops.
This is a point that many wise people will doubt.
Historically, Zhao Yun set up an empty camp plan, and Cao Cao fell for it.
Guo Chong, a scholar of the Western Jin Dynasty, wrote "Five Things about Tiao Liang" and recorded Zhuge Liang's empty city plan, which Sima Yi also fell into.
Even they suspected that Sun Quan was not a fool, so how could they not suspect him?
Therefore, the empty city strategy definitely cannot be used.
Because what the Liu Bei Group needs is not that Sun Quan will fall into the trap, but that Sun Quan will not fall into the trap.
Only if Sun Quan doesn't fall into the trap and feels that Jingzhou is really empty, will he send troops to give Liu Bei an excuse to destroy Jiangdong.
So what should we do to prevent Sun Quan from falling into the trap?
Jia Xu’s strategy is to pretend to be a paper tiger!
First, Liu Bei led his army over and showed off his muscles in front of Sun Quan. This means that I, Liu Bei, have strong soldiers and strong horses. Little brother, please be more honest.
Then Liu Bei forced Sun Quan to attack Hefei City, just like forcing Sun Quan to surrender.
After showing off their force, they finally evacuated Jingzhou's troops to Yizhou step by step. At the same time, they also moved covertly, pretending that they did not mobilize troops and pretending that Jingzhou still had many troops.
So Sun Quan will think.
Liu Bei brought his army here to show off his power, but in fact it was because the main force was going to Xichuan for a decisive battle with Cao Cao, and Jingzhou was empty, so he came to force him, hoping to intimidate himself so that he would not dare to act rashly when Jingzhou was empty.
They brought a large army here and forced him to attack Hefei, so Liu Bei was actually a paper tiger, just pretending.
In this way, as long as Sun Quan knows that Liu Bei's troops have not moved on the surface, but in fact they have all gone to Xichuan, and there are very few troops left in Jingzhou, then Sun Quan will naturally start to have other ideas.
And Liu Bei's secretiveness will naturally become the reason for Liu Bei's bluff. If Sun Quan doesn't take the opportunity to attack Jingzhou at this time, then after Liu Bei finishes the Battle of Guanzhong, there will be no chance in the future. If he doesn't take action now,
, when to start?
Therefore, Jia Xu's strategy is to lure Sun Quan to fight step by step. It is a strategy to lure the snake out of its hole with one move.
"I just ask my lord to be mentally prepared."
Jia Xu finally said: "This battle is also a battle of life and death for Sun Quan. Although I think Sun Quan has the ambition to annex Jingzhou, it will not be so easy for him to make up his mind. In addition to Mrs. Sun, there will definitely be sent
A large number of scouts are sent to investigate the strength of Jingzhou's troops and horses, and they even send people to Guanzhong to understand the situation of the battle, so this battle may be protracted."
"Yes, and Xiaoqing said that this may be a killing move set by Cao Cao. Sun Quan may also make peace with Cao Cao and learn about our situation from Cao Cao."
Fazheng also said: "Therefore we cannot withdraw our troops and horses immediately. We can start with tens of thousands of troops and then decide to increase the number of troops based on the war in Xiliang, Guanzhong. Even if the war in Guanzhong improves, we can withdraw some more troops and horses." Jingzhou, only in this way can Sun Quan feel that the emptiness of Jingzhou has been confirmed."
"Well..."
Liu Bei pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "Shan, then you will act according to your words. My lord, you will immediately go to Jiangdong in person as an envoy to express my intention to form an alliance with Sun Quan."
"only."
Sun Qian agreed. The reason why he followed Liu Bei from Bashu was because he had been on many missions to Jiangdong and was already familiar with the route.
Liu Bei immediately planned to form an alliance with Sun Quan to discuss letting Sun Quan attack Hefei.