Chapter 364 I, Shen Chen, Are Local, There Are One Hundred Ways
Chapter 364 I, Shen Chen, am a local, and there are a hundred ways to do it
Author: Playing with Basilisk
Chapter 364 I, Shen Chen, am a local, and there are a hundred ways to do it
"My head hurts so much."
In the back hall of Weiyang Palace in Chang'an, Guanzhong, Cao Cao was lying on a wooden collapse, holding his head and rolling back and forth, with a splitting headache.
Cao Cao was sixty-five years old this year, with an old face and gray hair. He had suffered from a bad headache in the past few days and had to return to Chang'an to recuperate. He ordered the king of Wei, Xiangguo Zhong Yao, to be the commander-in-chief and commanded Ganting's 80,000 troops to confront Liu Bei.
This battle was about the national strength of Cao Wei and Liu Han. Both sides were already very tense. Cao Cao was so worried every day that he suffered severe heart failure.
The most painful thing was that more than ten days ago, the news came that Fan City was broken, 30,000 Cao Cao troops surrendered, and Yu Jin was captured alive, which made him so sad and angry that he had a headache on the spot and almost died from the pain.
If it weren't for the fact that he still had some obsessions in his heart that kept him struggling to restore the decadent situation, I'm afraid Cao Cao would have died half a year early.
"King Wei."
The imperial doctor came over with medicine in his hand and said, "Drink this bowl of medicine."
"I don't want to drink!"
Cao Cao waved his right hand, overturned the medicine, and then shouted: "Get out, let me get out."
"well."
The imperial doctor and the surrounding attendants did not dare to disobey, so they had to retreat and go out.
Outside the door, Sima Yi, Jiang Ji, Dong Zhao and others were waiting.
Seeing the imperial doctor come out, Dong Zhao asked: "How is the king of Wei?"
The imperial doctor sighed: "The king of Wei has a headache that makes him irritable and unable to calm down. The more irritable and irritable he is at this time, the harder it will be to recover from his illness. But we dare not persuade him."
"If King Wei can't think calmly, what should we do?"
Everyone frowned.
At present, Guo Jia has formulated two plans.
One is a retreat plan, and the other is an offensive plan, both of which require Cao Cao's approval.
As a result, Cao Cao was now ill and had no way to deal with it. Time was being delayed, and Xiahou Dun could not survive for long.
Only Sima Yi pondered for a moment and said: "Either this matter can only be decided by the Prime Minister, or"
"Either what?"
Dong Zhao asked.
"Or take a strong dose."
Sima Yi said: "The former general and the King of Wei have always been brothers. The King of Wei is not aware of the general's predicament. If the situation is informed to the King of Wei, the King of Wei may be able to calm down and think about countermeasures."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
Seeing that they were silent, Sima Yi added: "After all, we have not yet reached the critical point of life and death, and there is still a glimmer of hope. If we make up our minds without permission, or let the Prime Minister make the decision, and the former general makes a mistake, then who will be blamed? We can't even afford it. And compared to the blow that the former general's failure brought to the King of Wei, there is still room for recovery now."
"Well" Dong Zhao clicked his chin. As a veteran of three dynasties, he had very high qualifications and was currently the head of many counselors around Cao Cao. Sima Yi's words made sense, so he straightened his clothes and said to the other counselors on the left and right: "What about you and the other counselors on the left and right?" Let me go in with you."
"Um."
Everyone nodded.
Dong Zhao opened the door and stepped into the palace.
At this time, Cao Cao was still covering his forehead and moaning softly. He had once advised others not to hide their illness and avoid medical treatment, but he ended up in pain and even took the medicine when he was angry.
"King Wei."
Dong Zhao entered the palace, raised his hands to him and said: "There are still some official documents from Nanyang that need to be decided by the King of Wei."
Cao Cao was panting heavily and sweating on his forehead. He waved his hands and said, "I'm not feeling well today. I don't have to decide on some trivial matters."
Dong Zhao said: "There is not enough food and grass in the former general city."
"What?"
"There is not enough food and grass in the former General City."
"How much storage is left?"
Cao Cao quickly asked, this is a big event.
He had only heard about Yu Jin's capture before, but Xiahou Dun's side was impregnable.
In the blink of an eye, an official document from Nanyang came, telling him that Xiahou Dun was out of food and grass. This really shocked him into a cold sweat, and his head suddenly stopped hurting.
Dong Zhao said: "Originally, it was stored for half a year, but the Xiangfan Flood reached a height of five to six feet and submerged both cities. Even if the former general immediately transferred the food and grass, the heavy rain and floods still flooded most of the army's food. Now there is only less than one month left to support.”
"January. January."
As if a medical miracle, Cao Cao sat up from the wooden collapse, sweating like rain, looked around the crowd and said anxiously: "Do you have any countermeasures?"
Dong Zhao said: "Your Majesty, the best policy is to cover the former general's evacuation from Xiangyang. The worst policy is to continue to hold on and wait for reinforcements to arrive, hoping to defeat Shen Chen and then transport grain and grass to Xiangyang City."
"There is no middle strategy?"
"No."
"Tell me why holding on is a bad idea."
Cao Cao sat on the wooden platform, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Dong Zhaodao: "Shen Chen conquered Fancheng. His morale was high and he defended the city. The fleet also patrolled the Han River defenses and surrounded Xiangyang. I fear that they will not be able to defeat it for at least three months."
Within three months?
Cao Cao is not stupid, he knows that Guo Jia has saved face for him.
The actual situation is that in order to fight the war, the Wei State had to work for years, recruit young men and women into the army, impose excessive taxes and severe corvee, and their national power consumption was close to the limit.
Now, although Xiangfan is 110,000 against less than 100,000, Cao's army is divided into two parts, one is Xiahou Dun with more than 40,000 troops, and the other is Xiahou Yuan and Xu Huang's 40,000 troops plus the original 20,000 to 30,000 troops garrisoned in the Xinye Wancheng area.
Xiahou Dun and others were trapped in the city and could hardly get out. Shen Chen could mobilize troops and horses at any time and concentrate the main force to attack any side. Therefore, on the local battlefield, Shen Chen had the advantage.
If Xia Houyuan and Xu Huang take the initiative to attack, then less than 70,000 people will fight against 100,000 people on Shen Chen's side, and they are still enemy forces occupying Fancheng and the Han River.
Due to the problem of the Han River, Xiahou Dun was unable to give Xia Houyuan and the others any help. The final result would have been good if they could not lose, and even said they were defeated.
If you want to defeat Shen Chen in a short period of time, you will have to recruit new troops and train the navy. This is almost impossible. Zang Ba and Zhang Liao went over, but they couldn't solve the problem, because Xiahou Dun's food and grass could only support One month.
So it’s no wonder that sticking to it is the next best option. Unless God opens his eyes and a miracle occurs, otherwise, if you continue to stick to it, there is almost no possibility of winning.
Cao Cao then said: "What if we retreat?"
Dong Zhao replied: "Your Majesty believes that a forceful attack is not advisable. Retreating is not easy, but it is not impossible. Shen Chen's ships have blocked the Mian River. The former general cannot cross without a fleet, but he can go by land."
"Land route? Is there a land route to Mianshui?"
Cao Cao was surprised for a moment.
Dong Zhao smiled and said: "Yes, they are in Zhuyang and Yin counties."
"Elaborate."
"There is a huge Jiangxin Island in the north of Zhuyang, connected to the west bank. The island is only less than 30 feet wide from Yin County on the east coast. Because the river is narrow and the water flow is extremely fast, it is difficult for ships to pass through, so I thought you could go here. Build pontoon bridges, build high oar towers on both sides of the bank, and cast walls to cover the evacuation of the former general."
"Are we able to control Zhuyang and Yin counties?"
"Yes, Fu Fang has been ordered to lead troops to garrison here at this important strategic location."
"That's good."
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Just follow Feng Xiao's wishes and order Xia Houyuan and Xu Huang's troops to enter Yin County to cover Yuan Rang's evacuation."
"only."
Dong Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and left with everyone.
Cao Cao wiped the sweat from his forehead. Although evacuating Xiangyang would give up the Jingzhou seat he had just acquired, now that Nanyang is occupied by him, at worst he would confront Liu Bei in Nanyang, and then move the people of Nanyang to Henan. By enriching the population, he will not suffer any loss after all.
However, what Cao Cao didn't know was that at this moment, in the military camp outside Fancheng, Shen Chen was looking at the letter in his hand.
After the flood receded, Fancheng was turned into a beach, leaving a thick layer of silt and soil. It took the soldiers two full days to clean up this, and then they cleaned up the entire city and stationed themselves there.
Shen Chen arranged many military camps outside Fancheng, and ordered the Wenpin Department to be stationed in Fancheng, Huang Zhong's Department and Zhao Yun's Department to be stationed in Dengsai in the north, and Yaju south of Lingyang Slope.
Then Lu Chang's and Samoko's tribes were stationed in the northwest of Fancheng, outside the west city, and his headquarters was stationed at the east dock of Fancheng.
In this way, several armies were at odds with each other, surrounding Fancheng as the defense center, attacking Xiahou Yuan in the north and Xiahou Dun in the south. Cao's army was completely separated into two parts. Especially since Xiahou Dun's tribe had no ships, the situation was extremely embarrassing. It was already a piece of fat. .
However, Shen Chen had lived in Xiangyang for so many years and knew the surrounding environment of Xiangyang well. Naturally, he also knew that there was Jiangxinzhou in the upper reaches of the Han River connecting the two sides, so he wanted to send troops to occupy this place.
As a result, I didn’t expect that I would have a pillow when I felt sleepy.
Zhou Buji and Cai Du came over from the side. Seeing the letter in Shen Chen's hand, Zhou Buji smiled and said, "Brother, this Fu Fang is a smart man. He actually wants to defect to us."
"Um."
Shen Chen laughed and said: "If he doesn't defect, my tens of thousands of troops will besiege Yin County. How can he resist with only one or two thousand people? Fu Fang said in the letter that Xiahou Dun and Xia Houyuan sent people from him every night. The letter sent over there seems to be discussing something big."
Zhou Buji then said: "There has been little movement from Cao's army these days. As long as we occupy Zhuyang and Yin counties, we can completely cut off the connection between Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, and slowly besiege Xiahou Dun to death. I heard from Yu Jin that Xiangyang has With half a year of food and grass, we will surround Xiangyang for half a year. If we don't believe him, we won't surrender."
"Food and grass should be insufficient for half a year. I estimate it will be two or three months at most."
Shen Chen put down the letter in his hand and said: "They have been stationed in Xiangyang for more than a month. More than 40,000 people eat and drink every day, which is not a small amount. It rained heavily a few days ago. I don't believe that his ordnance was not damaged at all. .”
Of course, Shen Chen didn't know the specific situation on Xiahou Dun's side. Although Fu Fang expressed his willingness to surrender, he didn't know the details because Xiahou Dun's messengers passed by him and directly approached Xiahou Yuan for discussion.
However, Shen Chen thought that Xiahou Dun's situation might not be too good. After all, Xiangyang was also flooded, and there must still be some losses to the defense equipment and grain and grass supplies in the city.
That's why Xiahou Dun was eager to find a solution from Xiahou Yuan.
But now there is no solution to Xiangyang's problem.
Because Shen Chen's army spreads out, even if he comes with 200,000 troops, he may not be captured within two or three months, not to mention the Cao Wei Group's load is already extremely heavy.
Liu Bei's group is also under a heavy load, and both sides are struggling to support it, but it is extremely disadvantageous to Cao Wei in the war.
Therefore, it is almost impossible to rescue Xiahou Dun within two or three months.
The only way is to withdraw the troops.
The two sides were bounded by the Han River, with Cao Cao occupying Nanyang and Shen Chen occupying Jingzhou excluding Nanyang, separated by the river or Fancheng.
But Shen Chen would not let Cao Cao have his best interests at heart. Not only did he want to recapture Nanyang, but he also wanted Xiahou Dun and even Xiahou Yuan and Xu Huang to stay here forever and eat these two pieces of fat in one bite.
Therefore, he also targeted Zhuyang and Yin counties.
Zhuyang was Gucheng County in later Hubei Province, and Yin County was Laohekou City in later Hubei Province.
There is a huge Jiangxin Island between these two places, named Wangfuzhou.
Historically, after Cao Wei occupied Nanyang, the Danshui area from this area to Wuguan was unified into Nanxiang County.
At that time, Nanxiang County was located in Danjiangkou City, Hubei Province to the north. Later, Cao Wei once changed the original Nanxiang County to Shangmi County, and Yin County was changed to Nanxiang County, becoming the seat of Nanxiang County.
Fu Convenient, the governor of Nanxiang, was stationed here, guarding the only passable land island on both sides of the Han River. Then he surrendered to Guan Yu after Guan Yu's seven armies were flooded.
At this moment, Fu Fang is still stationed here. Shen Chen had sent him a letter before, ordering him to surrender. He also replied, expressing his willingness to submit. In this way, Shen Chen could station troops in Yin County.
Considering the current situation.
Shen Chen believed that the food and grass in Xiahoudun City should last about three months.
The enemy is unlikely to give up Xiangyang now, and will definitely choose to attack Fancheng and break the siege of Xiangyang. Therefore, he plans to send a small force to garrison Zhuyang and Yin County first, and the main force will be concentrated in Fancheng to deal with the enemy.
But at the end of September, another piece of news came that shocked him, followed by unimaginable ecstasy.
"God help me, Xiahou Dun has no food."
In General Shen Chen's tent, he was so happy for the first time, more excited than being captured alive.
After Fu Fang surrendered, Shen Chen did not immediately ask him to bring troops over. Instead, he asked him to stay in Yin County for internal response. At the same time, he also planned to send Shen Tao's three thousand Huangmen soldiers to station in Zhuyang and Yin counties. The two cities are under control.
As a result, a few days after Fu Fang surrendered and Shen Tao hadn't arrived yet, Xiahou Dun sent someone to deliver a message at night, and then ordered Fu Fang to build a wall outside the city in preparation for his withdrawal.
After receiving this news, Fu Fang quickly reported it to Shen Chen. Shen Chen immediately understood that most of the food and grass in Xiangyang City had been flooded, and Xiahou Dun could no longer hold on, so he decided to withdraw his troops.
Xiahou Dun had no ships, so he had no choice but to go from Zhuyang to Wangfuzhou.
Obviously Xia Houyuan will definitely respond.
Cao Jun's plan was probably that the river in that area was narrow, and building walls and fortifications on both sides would be able to resist Shen Chen's navy and thus cover Xiahou Dun's retreat.
But now after Fu Fang surrendered, all their plans were known to Shen Chen, and it was time to take advantage of them.
Zhou Buyi also read the letter and raised a question: "Brother, I have always heard that Guo Jia is a very wise man. He may not be clear about Fu Fang's surrender. He is afraid that if he asks Fu Fang to surrender, he will deceive us." .”
"Um."
Shen Chen nodded and said: "I have also thought about this problem, so I am asking Shen Tao to go and replace Cao Jun in Zhuyang and Yin counties. Even if Guo Jia has a plan, there is nothing he can do."
Zhou Busuo asked: "Should we let the fleet protect them? What if there is an ambush in the city?"
"nature."
Shen Chen sneered and said: "Now that I control the Mian River, Cao Jun's scouts on both sides of the river can't get close to each other. This river is free for me to gallop, who can stop me?"
Xiahou Dun was besieged in the city. Even if he sent a messenger, he only dared to go out in the middle of the night. He had to sleep in the open air every day and walked a hundred miles to take a detour upstream of the Han River to cross the river secretly. Because there were all Shen Chen's horse scouts near Xiangyang, and two messengers had already been arrested.
If the two messengers hadn't been Xiahou Dun's dead bodyguards and the letters had not been torn up and eaten before they were caught, Shen Chen would have known the situation in the city very well.
Therefore, Cao's army is almost extinct on both sides of the Han River, and Shen Chen's fleet can go wherever it wants.
This is also the reason why Fu Fang surrendered.
In fact, his Zhuyang Yin County is in danger. If he holds on there, he will probably die. It is better to surrender and seek a way to survive.
Therefore, even if Guo Jia wanted to plot against him, he would not be able to do so in the face of absolute strength.
Unless Cao Jun has a navy that can rival him.
In the end, Shen Chen gave the order without hesitation: "Send the order for Shen Tao to take action tonight, and let Hanhu Zhao Jun lead a fleet of 5,000 people to inspect the defense of the Zhuyang River. We also sent the order to Huoyang, Wudang, and Wu Tao, asking them to step up." When inspecting Xiangyang West City, you must be more urgent."
"only."
Zhou Buyi went to write orders and convey military orders to various generals.
In the early years, Shen Chen's six major disciples, Xie Hui, Zhang Li, Hu Mian, Huo Yang, Wu Dang, and Wu Tao, were all Lishu and Guizhou chiefs in Longzhong Township.
Now Shen Chen is surrounding Xiangfan. In addition to Xie Hui, Zhang Li, and Hu Mian who are doing paperwork, Huo Yang, Wu Dang, and Wu Tao are already mid-level generals in the army and are currently stationed in Longzhong Township to the west of Xiangyang.
This time, he wanted to tighten the wind so that Cao Jun's scouts and detectives could not get the actual situation in Zhuyang and Yin counties, so that they did not know the news that Fu Fang had surrendered.
When Xiahou Dun couldn't hold on anymore and officially withdrew his troops, they would definitely be given a little shock from the locals in Longzhong.