Chapter 371 Sophistication of the world and the recovery of Jingzhou
Chapter 371: Sophisticated human relations and the recovery of Jingzhou
Author: Playing with Basilisk
Chapter 371: Sophisticated human relations and the recovery of Jingzhou
When the news that Cao Cao fainted and ordered Zhong Yao to withdraw to Chang'an reached Hu County, Zhong Yao knew that he could not retreat immediately.
So they organized their troops and horses, surrounded Huxian and the surrounding Cao camps, and launched a desperate battle with Liu Bei.
Zhong Yao tried his best in this battle, but under Guan Yu's fierce attack, two forts were still breached. The morale of Cao's army dropped to the bottom, and they were no match for Liu Bei.
The two sides fought for a day, and Liu Bei did not withdraw his troops at night. Instead, he fought fiercely all night, apparently intending to kill Zhong Yao in one go.
Facing the menacing enemy, Zhong Yao held on for several days. After paying a heavy price, he finally pushed Liu Bei back to the Ganting camp, and then hurriedly arranged to withdraw his troops and prepare to return to Chang'an.
But he didn't know that this was Fa Zheng's strategy of retreating in order to advance. He probably could have guessed it, but he had no choice but to do it. Even though he knew it might be a strategy, he had to do it for various reasons.
At the end of October, Zhong Yao chose to withdraw his troops. As expected, he was ambushed by Liu Bei. On the way, the army was intercepted and killed by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao and other troops. The various troops lost contact. The entire Cao army was in chaos and almost collapsed.
Ho Kyung.
In this battle, if Zhang He, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Xia Houshang and others had not been able to cover the retreat, and used crossbows and terrain to repel the enemy several times, Cao's army in Huxian County would have been completely wiped out.
As for other generals, they were not so lucky. Many low-level generals were unable to control the collapse of the army. They were pursued by Zhang Fei and Ma Chao using the mobility of the cavalry. They were defeated and fled along the way. A large number of Cao's troops knelt down and surrendered. Even Zhong Yao's son Zhong
Yudu was almost captured alive, which shows how brutal this battle was.
After driving Cao Cao's army all the way to Haojing, Liu Bei won a great victory. He killed more than 10,000 Cao Cao's troops and captured more than 20,000 people. There were more than ten named Cao Cao's generals. He dispersed seven or eight of Cao's troops, leaving only more than 40,000.
Cao Jun fled in embarrassment and successfully retreated back to Chang'an.
In one battle, half of the enemy's troops were wiped out, and it was Cao Cao who Liu Bei had always wanted to defeat. This undoubtedly boosted the morale of the army and made the morale extremely high.
However, this was the limit. Liu Bei originally wanted to continue the pursuit and pursue him to the gates of Chang'an City, but Fazheng persuaded him very rationally, because pursuing him to the gates of Chang'an City was useless.
Chang'an is not five or six feet taller than Hu County. Although they built a lot of siege equipment for this battle, Chang'an cannot be broken by relying on siege equipment. As long as it is heavily guarded, this city is really impregnable.
What's more, the most important thing is that their logistical pressure is already extremely high. It is unrealistic to completely annex the entire Guanzhong area. The best way is to work step by step, first conquer Longyou Liangzhou, and then slowly annex Yongzhou Guanzhong.
Therefore, Liu Bei could only accept Fazheng's suggestion, retreated and returned to Ganting.
At this time, Xiahou Yuan had also withdrawn his troops from Wuguan. Shen Chen pursued him to Danshui, then fought outside Wuguan, forcing Xiahouyuan's general Liu Kai, who was responsible for breaking up the rear, to surrender, and pursued him all the way to Jingzhao Yinshang County in Guanzhong.
Shang County is actually quite far away from Guanzhong, but Shen Chen stopped chasing after him here. Instead, he stood on the hillside outside Shang County and watched Xia Houyuan's troops withdraw from the distance.
Seeing Shen Chen ordering the soldiers to stop the pursuit, General Lu Chang wondered: "General, why don't we continue the pursuit? Your Majesty is in Guanzhong now, and it is said that he is attacking Hu County fiercely. If you continue the pursuit, you will be able to attack from both sides. , kill Xia Houyuan."
Shen Chen smiled and shook his head: "We can't catch up. You may not know how big our logistical pressure is. There has been a rebellion in the rear of Yizhou. Yong Kai, a wealthy family in the south of Yizhou, took advantage of the dissatisfaction in the south and started a rebellion. Kong Ming I have personally recruited some county soldiers who were left behind to suppress the rebellion. If we continue to fight, the enemy will not be exterminated, and there will be fire everywhere in our own backyard."
"I see."
Lu Chang sighed: "This is a good opportunity."
"Opportunities are created by people, but sometimes due to some reasons, we have to give up this opportunity, let alone."
"General, what's more?"
"nothing."
Shen Chen said softly: "Order the withdrawal of troops."
"only."
Lu Changwenpin and other generals received the order and set off to return to the army.
Looking at the figure of Cao Jun retreating like a tide in the distance, Shen Chen said silently in his heart, not to mention one has to understand the ways of the world.
In this battle, Lu Meng was killed, Sun Jiao was eliminated, and Sun Quan was frightened. He was captured in Jin, Xiahou was beheaded, and Cao Cao suffered a liver rupture.
The credit is too great. According to the Western Han Dynasty, he must be at least a king of the opposite sex.
If Xia Houyuan was killed again, even if Liu Bei was a benevolent man and Shen Chen was powerful and would not do anything to him, Liu Bei and Shen Chen would be put in a very embarrassing situation.
Therefore Xia Houyuan cannot be killed.
Not only could he not be killed, but he had to be driven to Guanzhong and Liu Bei would handle it himself.
Because Xia Houyuan has some connections with Liu Bei Group.
Zhang Fei's wife Xia Houjuan was Xia Houyuan's adopted daughter and niece. For Xia Houjuan, Xia Houyuan gave up his young son to support his deceased brother's orphaned daughter.
Even if the two sides are in hostile camps, it is understandable to die due to fighting in troubled times, but the emotions of Zhang Fei and his wife must also be taken into consideration.
What's more, Xia Houyuan's two daughters are both Liu Chan's queens, and his wife is Liu Chan's sister. Speaking of which, Xia Houyuan and himself have some indirect relatives.
You have to look at the Buddha rather than the monk. For the sake of Zhang Fei and his wife, Liu Chan and his wife, and his wife, Xia Houyuan had to be spared no matter what.
Therefore, Shen Chenyi's rear was unstable and lacked food and fodder, so he was unable to pursue.
The second is to leave the military exploits to Liu Bei, and not to kill them all so that Liu Bei can't be sealed.
The third is to consider Xia Houyuan’s special identity.
Marching and fighting is not about fighting and killing, it is about human nature.
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At the end of October, Shen Chen's army went north to regain the entire territory of Nanyang, threatening Henan and shaking the city of Ye, the capital of Chen.
In the same month, Xia Houyuan evacuated from Wuguan, just in time to catch up with Zhong Yao's defeat by Liu Bei. Fortunately, Wuguan belonged to the rear area of Chang'an, so he was not affected. He safely retreated to Jingzhaoyin and garrisoned Baling to the east of Chang'an.
Although Cao Cao was shocked to hear the bad news and vomited blood and fell into coma, he woke up a few days later and asked Zhong Yao and Xia Houyuan to stay in Chang'an while he returned to Guandong with difficulty to deal with the follow-up affairs.
After that, Cao Wei moved the capital again, moving the Chendu court north to Chaoge County, Hanoi County, and ordered Xu Huang, Zang Ba, and Zhang Liao to guard Henan to guard against Shen Chen. At the same time, they suppressed rebellions everywhere and stabilized the situation in the rear. These measures were taken later. talk.
After Shen Chen drove Cao's army out of Nanyang, he also ordered Lu Changwen to garrison Wancheng, and then appointed Zhou Buyi as the prefect of Nanyang and Cai Du as the county magistrate of Nanyang, letting them handle the internal affairs of Nanyang.
Under their governance, the counties in Nanyang quickly restored stability, and the magistrates of each county took office again. The people of Nanyang were moved back to Xiangyang, Fancheng and Xinye, and began to organize production.
By the beginning of November, apart from Sun Quan's troops who were still besieged in Xiakou, only a few remaining troops from the east of the Yangtze River remained in Xiling in the entire Jingzhou.
Shen Chen placed tens of thousands of troops in Nanyang, and ordered Huang Zhong to lead 30,000 men to garrison Shang County in order to reinforce Guanzhong at any time. He also ordered Wen to hire Lu Changshamoko to defend Henan with 50,000 men, while he only took Zhao Yun with more than 10,000 men. The men and horses rushed south to attack Xiakou.
But while he was still on the road, he heard the news that Sun Quan had broken through.
Gan Ning and Huang She only had 50,000 men at that time, and Sun Quan also had 50,000. There was not much difference in the number of troops and horses on both sides, and they were still garrisoned in the city. It was actually relatively difficult for Gan Ning and Huang She to surround Sun Quan.
At the end of October, Cheng Pu took advantage of Huang She's relaxation of vigilance and successfully broke out of the siege at night, escaping by land from the north of the city.
Although Huang She rushed to Shaxian immediately and encircled Gan Ning to prevent Cheng Pu and Sun Quan from joining together, Sun Quan still fled north of Shaxian in embarrassment under Cheng Pu's cover.
Gan Ning killed Cheng Pu in the rebel army, and then followed with his fleet to pursue Sun Quan. However, when Sun Quan ran to the Jukou area north of Zhu County, Huang She and Gan Ning chased him. The two sides fought, and the Jiangdong Army Almost defeated.
In the midst of the chaos, Sun Quan's cousin and Sun Jiao's younger brother Sun Huan put on Sun Quan's clothes and shouted to Sun Quan: "Marquis Wu, please take this path, and I will take the main road to divert the pursuers."
So Sun Quan and dozens of his bodyguards fled from the alley, while Sun Huan and his thousands of remnant soldiers were pursued by Gan Ning and tens of thousands of people, and were eventually beheaded by Gan Ning.
By the time Shen Chen went down the Han River and arrived at Zhu County, Xiling County, the war was already over. Sun Quan fled back to Chaisang in a small boat, and then ran back to Jianye by boat from Chaisang without stopping.
Gan Ning and Huang She came to plead guilty.
At the wharf outside the south city of Zhu County, Shen Chen's fleet came from the Yangtze River and slowly docked.
The big ship at the front rode the wind and waves, and then began to slow down. The dock was covered with hay as a buffer, and a large number of strong men pulling the ship were already waiting seriously.
When the ship approached the shore, the warriors entered the water, caught the rope thrown from the ship, and dragged the huge ship into the shore.
Soon a wooden ladder stretched out from the deck of the ship, and Shen Chen stepped off the ship surrounded by soldiers.
Gan Ning and Huang She came forward and knelt down on one knee, saying: "General, I am incompetent and let Sun Quan go. Please punish the general."
Shen Chen smiled and went up to help the two men up and said: "Two generals, please get up quickly. You have made a lot of contributions in this battle. I am about to report to the King of Han and ask for credit for you two. What's wrong?"
Huang She was quite ashamed and said: "The general ordered us to besiege Sun Quan. After the general went north to repel Cao's army, he then went south to wipe out Sun Quan, but he escaped. How can we say that we have merit for such a serious crime?"
Shen Chen shook his head and said: "My main force for this battle has gone to the north to fight against Cao's army. You only have 50,000 people. Sun Quan also has that many people, even more than you. You defeated him and returned. I killed tens of thousands, captured more than 20,000, and ordered him to flee back to Jiangdong alone. How could it be in vain?"
Gan Ning said: "But wouldn't this delay the general's plan to destroy Wu? Sun Quan fled back to Jiangdong. If he reorganizes his troops, he may not be able to destroy Jiangdong."
"It doesn't matter."
Shen Chen waved his hand: "This battle in Jiangdong has exhausted the country's strength, a large number of young men have been captured, and Yangzhou's heritage has been wiped out. Now when Sun Quan goes back, he must first face the countless people in Jiangdong who have lost their sons and husbands, secondly, calm down the anger of the aristocratic families, and thirdly We also have to be careful of the Shanyue rebellion. If we are not careful, we will be destroyed by the rebellion, not to mention my army?"
"Forehead"
Gan Ning Huang She breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.
Because according to Shen Chen's original plan, after they eliminated Lu Meng and Sun Jiao, they no longer needed to take care of Sun Quan who was trapped in the city, but immediately went north to eliminate Cao's army.
Wait until Shen Chen has dealt with Cao Jun and then come back to deal with Sun Quan.
But he didn't expect that Sun Quan abandoned a large number of his subordinates and fled back to Jiangdong alone. Although Gan Ning and Huang She won a great victory, running away from Sun Quan undoubtedly ruined Shen Chen's plan, so they were embarrassed and embarrassed.
But Shen Chen had no intention of blaming them.
He mobilized a large number of the main forces to Nanyang. Jiangxia only had 50,000 people, and Sun Quan also had 50,000 people. Moreover, they were still attacking the city. Normally, a stalemate would last for a long time, or even a small defeat would be possible.
But Gan Ning and Huang She not only won a great victory, but also defeated Sun Quan so much that he abandoned his armor. Less than 10,000 people fled back to Jiangdong. Jiangdong was not only seriously injured, but also lost its national power.
After that, Sun Quan was still able to organize an army of more than 50,000 people, but Shen Chen was considered a loser.
Therefore, Gan Ning and Huang She not only had no faults, but also made meritorious deeds.
The current situation is very clear.
Sun Quan's group experienced several disastrous defeats in Yi County and Hongkou, and the national power has been weakened.
Later, in order to launch a surprise attack on Jingzhou, Sun Quan persuaded the major aristocratic families to mobilize their resources and soldiers, and at the same time recruited a large number of young men to form a new army.
In addition to the civilians serving as corvees in the rear, more than 90% of the people in Yangzhou were involved in this. They either had to pay exorbitant taxes or provide help, and every household had people who were recruited as soldiers.
As a result, in the current battle, Sun Quan has suffered all losses. The people in Jiangdong will probably eat his skin alive. Rebellions in various places are likely to follow. Yangzhou is full of smoke. Whether he can survive the internal rebellion depends on the fate of his father and brother Sun Ce. There is no protection, let alone defense against Jingzhou's attack.
On the other hand, Liu Bei's group won great victories in Nanyang and Guanzhong. Although they also consumed a lot of national power, the foundation and foundation are still there. After a short rest for three to five months, when next spring, they can attack Soochow and completely eliminate Sun Quan.
As for whether the Cao Wei Group will assist Sun Quan, if it is before the battle of Nanyang and Guanzhong, it will definitely be worrying.
But what now?
Except for Chang'an in Guanzhong, Cao Wei retreated back to Guandong. The Henan area was also heavily guarded. At the same time, there were internal rebellions and border wars.
After two major defeats, civil unrest gradually arose, the political situation was turbulent, and this year was getting colder. When the northern nomads saw the decline of the Cao Wei Group, they would not miss this opportunity and took advantage of the situation to sweep the border.
After this year, the Cao Wei Group itself will be like a mud Buddha crossing the river next year and will not be able to protect itself.
Moreover, Cao Cao historically died next year. This time he suffered a big defeat. It is hard to say whether he can survive this year. Once Cao Cao falls, his backbone is gone, and he encounters so many emergencies, it will be good if Cao Pi can stabilize the situation. Not to mention rushing to Yangzhou's aid.
So it doesn't matter that Sun Quan was not captured alive this time.
Because Shen Chen had already emptied Jiangdong's national power and overwhelmed Cao Wei, who was able to rush to Jiangdong's aid in the north, Liu Bei's group also needed to make timely adjustments. It would not be too late to reorganize its internal affairs before sending troops to attack Wu.
So when Shen Chen returned to Xiangyang, he immediately ordered the officials who had fled from various places to return to their posts, restore the governance of various places in Jingzhou, and cultivate the depleted national strength as soon as possible.