Chapter 12 Sun Liu Huimeng, Going North to Seize the Huaihe River
At the end of October of the 19th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao withdrew his troops.
Sun Quan did not dare to believe it, and still stationed troops at Ruxukou, waiting for the scouts to confirm that Cao Cao had withdrawn his troops.
In early November, Liu Bei, who was stationed in Xiling, also sent envoy Sun Qian to inform Sun Quan that he was about to go to Wancheng in Huainan to discuss with Sun Quan the plan to deal with Cao Cao.
This Wancheng County became Qianshan City in Anhui Province in later generations. This place, together with Juchao County, Shu County and other places to the north, have all been emptied of people and become a wilderness.
Because this is the confrontation area between Lujiang occupied by Liu Bei and Lujiang occupied by Cao Cao, Cao Cao moved all the people from Wancheng, Juchao, and Shu County to Huaibei, and created an isolation zone at the front line in the Huainan area, allowing Sun Quan and Liu Bei to go north to attack Huainan. Difficult to replenish.
Therefore, this place became a three-nothing area. Liu Bei's group did not occupy it, nor did Cao Cao. Sun Quan's forces retreated to Jiangdong, and no troops were stationed here for defense. Tens of thousands of square kilometers became a deserted land.
During this period, Sun Quan and Liu Bei communicated constantly every day. Due to Cao Cao's arrival, the two sides seemed to have become close overnight and were on the same camp. They often sent each other's envoys to discuss dealing with Cao's army together.
Now that Cao Cao is gone, Sun Quan becomes suspicious and considers whether Liu Bei also wants to take the opportunity to annex him.
Don't blame him for being suspicious.
Nowadays, the world is divided into four parts. Cao Cao and Liu Bei are powerful. He and Han Sui and Ma Chao are far less powerful than the two. Therefore, facing the possible offensive launched by the two, they are both under great pressure.
In particular, Cao Cao is far less of a threat than Liu Bei. After all, Cao Cao's navy is not strong enough, while Liu Bei has a powerful navy.
Fortunately, Lu Su believed that Cao Cao had just left, and Liu Bei could not fight with Jiangdong at this time, otherwise Cao Cao would immediately come back to reap the benefits. Therefore, when he came to meet with the alliance this time, he would probably discuss the alliance with Sun Quan in person to fight against Cao.
He suggested that Sun Quan should feel free to go.
Sun Quan then agreed to the matter, and the two parties agreed to meet at Shiting in the trailer township on November 8.
Shiting is located in the northeast of Wancheng. Historically, Sun Quan fought the Battle of Shiting here to establish the Eastern Wu Kingdom. After this battle, Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor and would no longer be the king of Wei and Wu.
Liu Bei led an army of 100,000 people and arrived in Songzi County on November 3. After that, he organized his troops carefully, displayed his banners, strengthened his military power, and marched to Shiting.
Huainan was still prosperous in Yuan Shu's early period, but in Yuan Shu's late period, it suffered from frequent droughts and even the people in Huainan were cannibals.
Later, Cao Cao attacked here, Sun Ce attacked here, and even Sun Quan also defeated Li Shu, the prefect of Lujiang who occupied this place. Because Li Shu held on and resisted, Sun Quan was furious and raised his troops to attack Wancheng... He then massacred the city, and Xiao The first technique.
Nowadays, Cao Cao has moved all the people to Huainan and other places, and Wancheng has been deserted for many years. Weeds are overgrown, trees are growing, fertile fields are deserted for thousands of miles, and there is a deserted scene everywhere.
After passing Songzi, it was like leaving the human world and entering the primitive jungle. It turned out that the official road connecting Songzi to Wancheng had long been covered by wildly increasing vegetation.
When Liu Bei was riding on his horse, he looked into the distance and saw that the once pastoral countryside had become a thing of the past. All he could see was dilapidation and decay.
There are only ruins left in the villages along the way. The mountains on the left and right are as dense as the wild forests in Xichuan that never see the sun. The dead branches of the forest are covered with dead branches, and the fallen leaves are piled up in mountains. The air is mixed with the freshness of the north wind, and a kind of An indescribable rotten smell.
Zhao Yun told him that in recent years, the spring and autumn rains in Huainan have continued, and the Huai River has surged. The Lujiang River seems to be submerged by water, and there are wild lakes and ponds everywhere. Occasionally, you can see bones in the ponds and fields, pavilions collapsed, and the water flooded the earth.
Therefore, although Songzi is only more than a hundred miles away from Wancheng, the road is extremely difficult to walk. Roads are cut off everywhere along the way, wild lakes submerge the official roads, and there are many swamps. If you are not careful, you will fall into them.
Liu Bei then ordered Zhao Yun to lead the front vanguard and open up a path among the thorns. He then led the main force of the central army and slowly advanced towards Shiting.
By November 7, Liu Bei's army finally reached Wancheng at a speed of thirty miles per day.
To the east of Wancheng is a large area of hills, but to the north is a small plain area between the southeastern hills and the northwest Dabie Mountains. Walking a few dozen miles to the north, you will reach the Shiting realm.
To the west and north of Shiting is the Dabie Mountains, and to the east is a hilly and high mountain range, sandwiched between the two mountains, covering a plain of about 100 square kilometers. Its later location was probably around Yuantan Town, Qianshan City, Anhui Province, and its geographical location belonged to the Lujiang River belonging to Cao
The only way to get to Liu Bei's Lujiang River.
When Liu Bei arrived at Shiting on November 8, Sun Quan was already waiting here.
In order to avoid falling behind in terms of momentum, he directly brought over 50,000 of the 70,000 troops stationed in Ruxukou. Once the number exceeded 10,000, the troops were boundless, the military flags covered the sky and the sun, and the momentum was overwhelming.
However, when he was sitting quietly in the pavilion of Shiting Village waiting for Liu Bei to come over, he saw a scene that he would never forget.
I saw on the vast horizon in the distance, first a row of black dots that seemed to have no borders appeared. Then the black dots continued to move. Standing on a slightly higher ground and looking down, you will find that behind the black dots, there are
Countless dense black spots came.
The sea of people composed of one hundred thousand troops was endless in sight, and the flags were as dense as countless towering trees in the mountains and forests, covering the entire army. As the troops marched forward, the ground seemed to be shaking.
.
On a hilly hillside northeast of Shiting, Sun Quan, who was watching this spectacular scene, was obviously shocked by the powerful Liu Bei army. Looking from a distance, he didn't make a sound for a long time.
It wasn't until Liu Bei's army arrived that Sun Quan was silent for a moment and said to his left and right, "My sister-in-law is here."
The meeting places of the two parties are across the pavilion from each other.
Sun Quan's army is to the east of Shiting, and Liu Bei's army is to the southwest of Shiting. There are pavilions in the middle, and there are dilapidated villages and desolate fields in the distance. The soldiers are standing densely in the fields, roads and dilapidated villages.
In the house.
】
Liu Bei rode over and approached the stone pavilion. He was only accompanied by Zhao Yunchen, while Sun Quan was already waiting here, accompanied by Ling Tong and Zhou Tai.
Seeing Liu Bei approaching, he got off his horse and walked over. Sun Quan smiled and greeted him: "Mr. Xuande."
"Zhongmou."
Liu Bei also smiled and went up to him and bowed his hands and said, "You're welcome."
The last time they met was when Liu Bei went to Chaisang to marry Sun Shangxiang. Several years had passed.
"Mr. Xuande, please."
Sun Quan called Liu Bei to sit in the pavilion.
The two of them walked into the pavilion. The pavilion was covered with mats and curtains were hung on all sides. The north wind blew the curtains rustling.
A maid was making tea on a small stove, making tea again, and finally serving the hot tea.
Tea art originated in the Bashu area during the Han Dynasty. During the Western Han Dynasty, there were records of the tea drinking custom of the Bashu people.
But at that time, tea was made with various oils, salts, sauces, vinegars and spices added to it.
Although there is no technology, this ruthless activity really tests people's taste buds, so it is only popular in the Bashu area and has not spread to the Han Dynasty.
It was not until the early days of Jian'an that the craft of fried tea emerged in Nanyang and other places, and then Bashu merchants spread fried tea to Jiangdong. The trend of drinking fried tea among southerners began, and it has been more than ten years.
At this time, the powerful families in Jiangdong gradually began to popularize some new things, such as drinking fried tea, drinking spirits, playing chess, Go, practicing calligraphy, copying articles, and painting pictures of ladies.
They were all popular after the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and He Yan was the first to lead the trend of Wu Shi San. This shows how powerful the spread of culture has been in the past twenty years.
Sun Quan raised the tea cup in his hand and said to Liu Bei: "Mr. Xuande, this tea ceremony originated from Bashu. In Bazhou, I believe that Gong Bing often tasted tea. However, these teas are cultivated in Jiangdong and have a completely different taste from Bashu tea. Please."
"please."
Liu Bei also raised his tea cup, took a sip, and immediately said: "Good tea, this tea is quite sweet."
"It's just for quenching thirst."
Sun Quan also took a sip, and then said with a smile: "You have come a long way to meet me here. Just like this tea, it comes from Bashu. It must have its own purpose."
Liu Bei said with a smile: "Zhongmou and I are close relatives. The Liu and Sun families are one, and it's time to move around. Now Cao Cao is galloping south, attacking the east of the Yangtze River, and now he is heading north to invade Guanzhong and Xiliang. At this time, the north
"Empty, doesn't Zhongmou intend to take advantage of this opportunity to obtain the land of Xuzhou in Huainan?"
Sun Quan fell silent.
After a moment, he shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Don't bother me, sir. Cao Cao's troops are said to be millions. This time the army is pressing down on the border, and my defense is already struggling to hold on. How can I still have the strength to go north to attack the enemy? Even if he is
Going west, there are many troops and horses in Runan, Yingchuan, and Xuzhou, and reinforcements may be available in time."
Liu Bei immediately said: "Zhong Mou is generous and will report carefully. Cao Cao's troops in Huainan are extremely empty. There are only about 10,000 people guarding Hefei and Shouchun, and they are all transferred from Xuzhou. This time I want to go north.
Rushing to rescue Guanzhong, Cao Cao did not dare to move troops from Yingchuan and Runan. I had a large army guarding Nanyang. The only troops and horses that could be moved were the Chen Du garrison. However, Cao Cao was afraid that Chen Du would be lost and did not dare to mobilize troops. Therefore, Huainan was already
It is a deserted land. If Zhongmou takes control of Huainan and joins me in the Northern Expedition to revive the Han Dynasty, in the future the emperor will recognize Zhongmou's merits and become a minister of Zhongxing."
"this....."
Sun Quan hesitated for a moment.
Seeing his hesitation, Liu Bei changed his attitude, playing with the white porcelain tea cup in his hand, and said calmly: "Is it possible that Zhongmou is unwilling to send troops? Cao's thieves have already arrived at Zhongmou's door, but Zhongmou is hesitant, isn't it?
You will be laughed at by everyone in the world."
"Forehead......"
Sun Quan was provoked and squeezed by him, and he felt a little aggrieved, but he wanted to be patient and did not express his position in the end.
When Liu Bei saw him like that, he finally caught his eye and said with suspicion in his eyes: "Zhongmou's father and brother were favored by the emperor and became official officials in the court, and they had the foundation of Jiangdong today. First, he suffered a disaster before the emperor and was imprisoned in Chendu.
Zhong Mou is suspicious and refuses to advance. Could it be that he has some other agenda? He wants to take advantage of me to go to Guanzhong to plot Jingzhou?"
Sun Quan's face suddenly changed, and the tea cup in his hand almost fell to the ground. At this moment, a muffled thunder sounded in the sky, and he let go of the tea cup in his hand. With a "pop" sound, Zhao Yun, Chen Dao, Ling Tong, and Zhou Tai were outside the door.
Walked in all of a sudden.
At this time, the atmosphere in the field was somewhat frozen, and the four generals looked at each other with a sense of tension.
Sun Quan reacted quickly and winked at Lingtong Zhou Tai. Then he apologized to Liu Bei with a forced smile: "The thunder was loud, but it startled me. I accidentally knocked over the teacup. Please ask Xuan."
Forgive me, Mr. Virtue."
"Sage, thunder is bound to change when the wind blows. In my early years, I was also afraid of the sound of thunder, but I was overly concerned about my plans."
Liu Bei said with a smile: "It was just a joke. Shang Xiang and I are in love with each other. You and I are close relatives, so how can we suspect that Zhongmou has other intentions? It's just that the opportunity is rare now, and the land of Huainan is in Zhongmou's hands.
It's so easy to get it, so I just have some doubts about why Zhongmou didn't take it. Could it be that he has forgotten his father and brother's aspirations?"
"Of course not, of course not."
Sun Quan waved his hand, pondered for a moment, and responded: "It's just that this matter is of great importance. Although Cao Cao's army in Huainan is empty, even if he gets Huainan, he will have to face an attack by Cao Cao's millions of people in the future, so he is a little worried. I hope you will
Wait for two days and I will think about it carefully before I reply."
Liu Bei said calmly: "The enemy is strong and we are weak, and it is human nature to have some concerns. Then I will wait in Shiting for two days. I also ask Zhongmou to think carefully and not to make the wrong choice."
"It's natural."
Sun Quan stood up and cupped his hands and said, "In that case, I'll go back first."
"I'll send Zhong Mou off."
Liu Bei stepped forward with a smile, took Sun Quan's hand, and walked out of the pavilion talking and laughing.
In front of the two armies, both parties behaved extremely close, and those who didn't know thought they were father and son who had been separated for many years.
Until the final parting, everyone seemed quite reluctant to leave. Liu Bei rode on horseback and kept waving to see him off.
Sun Quan smiled on the outside, but in his heart he was in disbelief. He gave the order and the army returned.
On the second day, Sun Quan returned to Ruxukou and summoned Lu Su, Zhuge Jin, Gu Yong and others to discuss matters.
A city has been built at Ruxukou to control the Ruxukou River and the entrance to the Yangtze River. At this moment, everyone was sitting in rows in Sun Quan's mansion in the city.
Sun Quan recited the conversation between him and Liu Bei, and at the end he said viciously: "Liu Bei bullied others too much. He led an army of 100,000 people to the border of Gu, and then forced Gu to attack Cao Cao. It was really a shame and humiliation. If I don't avenge this, I will not be a human being."
"
Gu Yong quickly advised: "Don't be angry, Marquis Wu. We are afraid of Liu Bei, and Liu Bei is not afraid of us. I am afraid that he is bringing troops here to intimidate us so that we dare not act rashly."
"good."
Zhuge Jin also said: "Wu Hou also knew that Cao Cao set up a plan to attack the east and attack the west. The army invaded the east of the river. In fact, the main force quietly went to the east of the river to destroy Han Sui and Ma Chao. They were defeated, and Liu Bei lost the land where he raised horses, and it was difficult to leave again.
Guanzhong is at war with Cao Cao, so he must rush to the aid of Han Sui and Ma Chao. If his main force moves, Jingzhou will be empty, and it is natural for him to be prepared to guard against us."
After hearing the two people's advice, Sun Quan sat down angrily, looked around and said: "Liu Bei asked Gu to attack Cao Cao. It's really a joke. Cao Cao is empty in Huainan, but Gu has no intention of helping Liu Bei contain Cao Cao's troops in Henan. Gu Yu
What do you think of dealing with him perfunctorily?"
"No."
At this moment, Lu Su suddenly said: "The Marquis of Wu should agree to Liu Bei and send troops to attack Hefei."
"What?"
Sun Quan said angrily: "Zijing, you should understand that Cao Cao's navy cannot destroy Jiangdong and cannot threaten Gu. Only Liu Bei has the Jiangxia navy to attack Wu. How can I go without guarding against Liu Bei?"
The reason for attacking Cao Cao?"
Lu Su pondered: "Only in this way will Liu Bei relax, mobilize troops and horses from Jingzhou, and rush to Xiliang Guanzhong with all his strength. Only in this way will we have the last chance to get Jingzhou."
"What's the explanation?"
Sun Quan didn't know what he meant.
Lu Su explained: "Think about it, Marquis Wu. Isn't it because Liu Bei came here this time because he was worried that Han Sui and Ma Chao would be defeated, so he came to show his strength in front of Marquis Wu? His main force was going to Guanzhong, and he was afraid that Marquis Wu would attack the rear.
, so we came to intimidate the Marquis of Wu."
"good."
Sun Quan nodded.
Lu Su continued: "This shows that Liu Bei is afraid of the Marquis of Wu. If the Marquis of Wu were Liu Bei, would the Marquis of Wu really transfer all the main forces to help Guanzhong?"
Sun Quan hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said: "Definitely not. At most tens of thousands of people will be mobilized. Jingzhou must have enough troops."
"That's it."
Lu Su said: "But Cao Cao was powerful, there were few people rushing to help, and he was afraid of not being able to win, so Liu Bei was worried and forced Wu Hou to attack Hefei. If Wu Hou went to attack Hefei, he would not have enough troops to attack Jingzhou.
, he will confidently and boldly draw away Jingzhou’s troops to compete with Cao Cao for Guanzhong.”
"this......"
Sun Quan hesitated and asked: "Does Gu Zhen want to fight to the death with Cao Cao?"
Lu Su advised: "Not only must we fight to the death, but it is best to capture Huainan. In this way, Liu Bei will feel more at ease. Secondly, if Wuhou can really capture Jingzhou one day, then the Jingzhou east of the Huainan River will be connected into one, and there will be more than ten million people under his rule.
We have strong troops and horses, and may have the potential to annex the north."
Annex the North?
Sun Quan's breathing became rapid.
Among the four, his power ranks third, and there is a huge gap between him and the top two.
But if he could take advantage of Cao Liu's fighting in Guanzhong and occupy the two important areas of Huainan and Jingzhou in one fell swoop, his power would be more than doubled in an instant?
It sounds beautiful, but the reality is also cruel.
Because once he really does this, even if Cao Liu fights you to death in Guanzhong, the next second he will probably shake hands and make peace, and then raise his troops to kill.
So after Sun Quan calmed down, he shook his head and said: "If Gu really did this, wouldn't Cao Cao and Liu Bei immediately send troops from Bashu and Henan to attack Gu from both sides? Bashu still has the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River to defend, but
Nanyang and Huainan are as far apart as the plains, how can I stop them?"
Lu Su said: "Therefore it cannot be done overnight. This time Wu Hou can deal with Liu Bei's matter, and then prepare patiently. When the time comes, he will send troops to Huainan to confront Cao's army. After delaying for some time, Hefei will be destroyed, and Shouchun will be invaded.
, Liu Bei would trust Wu Hou, wait for Jingzhou to be empty, and suddenly all the main forces retreat, and then send troops to Jingnan, first capture Nanzhou, and then capture Jingbei. When Liu Bei learns of this, he will definitely return to defense. Wu Hou can contact Cao Cao if he is willing
Form an alliance with Cao Cao to attack Liu Bei together, hoping that Cao Cao can hold off Liu Bei's army. After we pacify the entire Jingzhou, we can occupy Nanyang in the north and the Three Gorges in the west to block Liu Bei's army. At this time, Wu Hou will negotiate with Liu Bei and attack Cao Cao together. There are
After arriving in Jingzhou, we will rest and recuperate for another two years. Liu Bei will go out of Hanzhong to invade Guanzhong, and my lord will go out to Nanyang, Huainan, and Henan. At this point, the world will be divided into three parts, and my lord's foundation will be completed."
"Form an alliance with Cao Cao first, and then negotiate peace with Liu Bei?"
Sun Quan was stunned for a moment, then quickly lowered his head and began to think deeply.
He is considered a qualified politician and naturally knows that there are no eternal enemies and friends in the world of politicians, only eternal interests.
Lu Su's intention was to attack Huainan first to reassure Liu Bei. After Huainan was captured and Liu Bei transferred the main force to Guanzhong, he immediately turned around and formed an alliance with Cao Cao, withdrew his troops from Huainan, stabbed Liu Bei in the back, and launched a surprise attack on Jingzhou.
At this time, Cao Cao probably wouldn't have any objections.
Because Cao Cao was still entangled with Liu Bei in Guanzhong, Sun Quan was able to stab Liu Bei in the back and weaken Liu Bei. Cao Cao would probably agree ten thousand times, and even conclude the alliance with a smile.
Therefore, Cao Cao passed this pass easily, and he would not choose to withdraw his troops from the pass and come back to attack Sun Quan because of his attack on Huainan.
After forming an alliance with Cao Cao and Sun Quan's sneak attack on Jingzhou, Liu Bei must have been shocked and immediately withdrew his troops to protect Jingzhou.
But Cao Cao will hold him back, and Sun Quan can easily succeed.
If everything goes well, he will soon get the entire Jingzhou. If Liu Bei wants to withdraw to Bashu and attack him from the Three Gorges, he can use the Three Gorges to defend him. At the same time, he will send an envoy to Cao Cao, hoping that Cao Cao will attack Hanzhong to put pressure on Liu Bei.
Send envoys to discuss peace with Liu Bei.
Cao Cao was even more afraid of Liu Bei, and Liu Bei would be at his weakest at that time, and the main force was still confronting Sun Quan in the Three Gorges. He certainly wouldn't mind adding insult to injury and attacking Hanzhong with a large army.
By then, Liu Bei will be attacked from both sides. As long as he defends the Three Gorges for a period of time and Liu Bei is unable to defeat him, then facing the pressure from Cao Cao to attack Hanzhong, he will most likely have no choice but to negotiate a peace with Sun Quan and sadly accept the fact that Sun Quan gained Jingzhou.
Go north to fight Cao Cao.
Therefore, although he attacked Huainan first and then stabbed Jingzhou in the back, it seemed that he had offended both the Cao and Liu families at the same time.
But as long as he cleverly dealt with it, took advantage of the contradiction between Cao and Liu, and repeatedly jumped left and right, Liu Bei could only suffer the loss of being dumb and had to pinch his nose and re-alliance with Sun Quan when it was already an established fact.
In this way, Sun Quan can easily obtain Jingzhou and even the land of Huainan. At that time, he will not only threaten Cao Cao, but also have the opportunity to eliminate Liu Bei, dominate the south, and peek into the world.
certainly.
All this is based on ideal conditions.
In other words, Sun Quan had to convince Liu Bei that he had no intention of attacking Jingzhou before he could take the opportunity to stab Liu Bei in the back.
Then attacking Huainan is imperative.
After thinking about this, Sun Quan suddenly seemed to have opened up the two channels of Ren and Du, and said to Lu Su in surprise: "Zijing's words really made me see the sun."
Lu Su said in a deep voice: "This is the only way for Jiangdong to rise again at present, so I hope that Marquis Wu will not get angry and delay national affairs."
"good."
Sun Quan nodded repeatedly, looked around at everyone and said: "Zijing is right. If Gu wants to win Liu Bei's trust and make Liu Bei think that Gu is fighting Cao Cao, and there are no other troops to attack Jingzhou, he has to go north to capture Huaihe. Gu appointed Zijing as his commander.
The Governor of Jiangdong, prepare to capture Huaihe first this year, and then officially set off next year to attack Huainan and capture Hefei!"
"only!"
Everyone seemed to be smiling, Jiangdong was finally about to take a step forward!