China's five thousand years of history have always been full of such historical retrospectives.
As the saying goes, it is better to come by chance than by good luck.
Yesterday, Guan Yu officially set off and headed straight for Jianye.
Liyang is very close to Jianye. They had already arrived at the center of the Yangtze River in the southwest of Jianye last night.
This Jiangxin Island was later known as Meizi Island in Nanjing City. Because there were many reefs and islands on all sides of Meizi Island, it was not conducive to sailing at night, so Guan Yu stopped his boat on the shore of the island and stayed overnight.
When it was still dark the next day, Guan Yu ordered his entire army to attack and surround the city of Jianye, making sure to completely surround Jianye.
As a result, his fleet had just set off and was about to arrive at the dock leading to Jianye when he suddenly saw a medium-sized ship drifting on the river not far away.
You must know that in order to transport the army, Guan Yu deployed thousands of ships. More than a thousand ships of various sizes were sailing on the river, and then they ran into the medium-sized ship that was crossing the Yangtze River.
In an instant, countless ships surrounded Sun Quan's ship, like an iron barrel, filled with water. It was like dozens of two-meter-tall giants surrounding a 1.5-meter-tall cute little girl, as if they were full of oppression.
Sun Quan's ship was heavily surrounded by densely packed tall ships. Every ship was bigger than his, especially the largest ship, which was several feet high and looked down at him from a high position.
At that moment, Sun Quan felt that his breathing was stagnant, and even his legs were so stiff that he could not move.
Guan Yu waved his hand, and the soldiers on the stick above raised flags.
Immediately afterwards, all the surrounding ships surrounded him, almost holding him hostage. They threw their claws from the ship one by one and hooked the left and right sides of the ship. Then the wooden ladders were lowered, and rows of Jingzhou navy soldiers rushed towards him.
Go down.
Sun Quan's remaining personal guards did not even dare to move, because countless bows and crossbows on the left and right ships were already aimed at them. They could only throw down their weapons under the scoldings of Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao.
Then Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao ordered everyone to be tied up. Less than five minutes later, Sun Quan was tied up and sent to Guan Yu.
Guan Yu's building ship was very large, with two floors of cabins below and two floors of cabins above. Including the deck, there were five floors in total.
On the highest floor is a ship building like a city tower. Inside is Guan Yu's lounge and main hall. It is used for general meetings and tactical tasks on weekdays. He also rests here when there is no war.
At this moment, Guan Yu was sitting on the main seat in the hall. Sun Quan was tied up and sent over. Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao were pressing him to the ground.
"Kneel down!"
Zhou Cang kicked Sun Quan in the calf. Now he was no longer the lofty prince of Wu, but just a defeated prince from Jiangdong who was humiliated. Even a mere general dared to treat him like this.
Sun Quan's face was filled with despair, and then under Zhou Cang's humiliation, he gradually developed a trace of anger. Even though he was forced to kneel down, he still raised his head high, even with the bun on his head.
He spread out and looked askance at Guan Yu.
"Push them out and kill them."
Guan Yu saw Sun Quan looking at him with undisguised contempt and indifference, which made him very unhappy.
As soon as these words came out, Sun Quan suddenly panicked, and the originally contemptuous and indifferent expression on his face suddenly became extremely frightened. He glanced at Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao who were about to drag him out, and said in a trembling voice.
: "How can the general kill me?"
"Why can't I kill him?"
Guan Yu shouted and asked: "You betrayed your trust and betrayed your alliance, attacked Jingzhou, and now you are defeated. Now that you are in front of me, you still dare to look at me. Do you really think that my sword dare not chop off your head?"
Sun Quan's face turned pale in an instant, and his expression was stiff for a while. He moved his lips but did not make a sound. When Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao were about to drag him out, his attitude finally became respectful, lowered his head, and clearly shouted:
: "General, please spare my life."
"bring it here."
Guan Yu said.
Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao pressed him over again.
Sun Quan was thrown to the ground like a dead dog.
Guan Yu stood up, walked over, and looked down at him: "Sun Quan, you have betrayed the covenant and your crime is unpardonable. I should have killed you alive. But since I have captured you alive, I should hand you over to the King of Han to deal with you."
Hand over the seal."
Sun Quan's seals were the Wu Hou Seal and the Yangzhou Mu Seal. Liu Bei always regarded the imperial court as the orthodox one and Liu Xie as the emperor. Although this seal was issued by Cao Cao, it was also given by Liu Xie, so Liu Bei naturally wanted to take it back.
"The seal is at the guard's office."
"Drag him down, imprison him, and send him to the King of Han."
Guan Yu waved his hand.
Sun Quan came to the door himself, so the credit was in vain, but he still had to enter Jianye City and then send a large army to capture the entire Yangzhou.
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In September of the 25th year of Jian'an, after three months of offensive, under the leadership of Guan Yu, Yangzhou was captured, and Liu Bei's group officially occupied Jiangdong.
In mid-September, Liu Bei saw Sun Quan in Zheqi City with disheveled hair and already a prisoner.
There was actually nothing much to say when the two sides met. Sun Quan broke the covenant first, and Liu Bei followed later.
After that, Liu Bei and Shen Chen went to Jianye. Looking at the city scenery, he couldn't help but praise: "Zhongshan is a dragon plate with stone tigers perched on it. This is the residence of the emperor."
Some of his entourage advised Liu Bei to move his seat of government from Jiangzhou to Jianye.
The reason is that there is no war in Xichuan.
After years of wars, famines, natural disasters, and plagues, Guanzhong has a population of less than one hundred, and the fertile wilderness is thousands of miles away. The ground is either full of bones or a vast plain covered with weeds and basil. There are no people, no villages, and no cultivated land.
Under this situation, Cao Wei adopted the strategy of tightening defense, strengthening the walls and clearing the country, and defended Chang'an. As a result, Bashu attacked Guanzhong, which consumed a lot of food and grass, and it was difficult to recapture Chang'an.
Therefore, Liu Bei's staff group proposed very early on that Bashu and Jingzhou should be used as rear granary bases, and Nanyang should adopt a defensive policy. The main offensive point should be in Yangzhou, going straight to Xuzhou and Henan, and attacking the hinterland of Cao Wei.
Moreover, the Jiangdong nobles were more stubborn and had a strong resistance to Liu Bei. If the government could be moved to Jianye, it would firstly appease the surrendered local nobles, and secondly, it would be easier to attack those uncooperative Jiangdong nobles.
Liu Bei was quite excited after hearing this suggestion, but he did not express his position immediately. Instead, surrounded by everyone, he entered Jianye City first and inspected the situation of the entire city.
The collapse of the Sun family's regime caused panic among the people of Jianye. Many people fled, so that the city was almost empty. Except for the Jingzhou soldiers standing guard and patrolling, there was not even a mouse in the streets.
Mainly, most of the powerful people from aristocratic families fled.
In the Han Dynasty, it was almost impossible for the lower class people to live in the city. According to the prices at that time, to be able to own a house in the county town, at least you had to be a rich peasant family and have hundreds of acres of farmland in the countryside to dare to live in the city.
Therefore, those who could live in Jianye City were often either rich or noble. There were more than 100 gentry families in Jiangdong, most of whom were serving as officials in the Sun family, and they had mansions in the city to make it easier for the clan members to serve as officials.
As a target of Liu Bei's regime, when he learned that the Jingzhou Army was coming, he naturally panicked and fled Jianye, dragging his family with them.
Liu Bei inspected the whole city and found that there was really no one there, so he ordered the notices to be posted in every township pavilion outside the city, and sent troops to maintain public security and order. Then he held a temporary meeting at the Wuhou Mansion in Jianye to discuss moving the capital to Jianye.
program proposal.
In the hall of Wuhou's residence, Liu Bei was sitting high on the throne. It was obvious that he was in a very good mood. Although his face was old, he was energetic. Even though his temples were gray, he could not hide the smile on his face.
Under his left hand, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Gan Ning, Huang She and others were seated, and under his right hand were Shen Chen, Ma Liang, Yang Yi and others.
Now Wei Yan and Pang De are still on their way, while Dong He is arranging provisions in the rear.
As for the counselors who surrendered in Jiangdong, Liu Bei had already seen them one by one, led by Zhuge Jin and Lu Xun. Due to Zhuge Liang's relationship, Liu Bei still gave Zhuge Jin face and did not embarrass them. He asked them to wait in the mansion first and then summoned them.
At this moment, Liu Bei looked around at everyone and said with a smile: "Jiangdong is peaceful, thanks to you all. After returning to Jingzhou this time, I will reward the meritorious officials and I will not treat the meritorious ministers badly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Everyone stood up and held their hands.
This is all about setting a tone first.
Who doesn’t love getting promoted and getting rich?
Nowadays, when a war is won, it is normal to reward one based on merit.
After setting the tone, Liu Bei continued: "Master Wei said that the administrative office can be moved to Jianye. What do you think?"
Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao did not speak.
Gan Ning was picking his nose.
Huang Shexian said: "Your Majesty, I don't think it's possible."
"oh?"
Liu Bei asked: "Why?"
Huang She said: "Although Jiangdong is good, people's hearts have not yet returned. It will take at least several years of governance before they can move."
Yang Yi was the one who suggested relocation and said: "This is a good idea. All the people in Jiangdong are willing to join. Only the gentry have not yet decided. If the king moves the seat of government to Jianye, it will quickly calm people's hearts."
"Well."
Liu Bei nodded.
He actually likes Jianye very much.
The tiger sits on the dragon's plate, the appearance of an emperor.
But as the political center of the South, there must be other considerations.
So Liu Bei still wasn't sure, so he turned to Shen Chen and asked, "Xiaoqing, what do you think?"
"I think it is indeed necessary to move the administrative office, but it will not be Jianye, but Xiangyang."
Shen Chen said.
"Tell me your reasons."
"The reason is very simple. If the king wants to travel north to the Central Plains, he must coordinate the east and west. The greatest convenience in Jingzhou is transportation!"
Shen Chen looked around at the crowd and said: "Xiangyang is connected to Bashu to the west, and Yangzhou to the east. To the north is the Central Plains, and to the south is Jiaoling. It is conducive to the central government's control of the place, and it can convey general orders at any time."
"Um."
Everyone thought it made sense and nodded slightly.
Shen Chen continued: "Everyone must understand that the wider the territory, the more important it is for the dissemination of news. Why was Luoyang able to become the capital of the Han Dynasty? It was not because of its dangerous terrain, but because it was located in the center of the world, which made it convenient for the Central Northern Army to move very quickly. Appear anywhere in a short period of time. The terrain in Yangzhou is indeed good, but it is too far away from Yizhou. How can we deal with an emergency if it occurs?"
Yang Yi couldn't help but argue: "But there is no war in Xichuan. Cao Pi will not be stupid enough to fight us in Guanzhong."
"There is no war in Xichuan."
Shen Chen looked at him and said: "But if he doesn't fight us, shouldn't we fight them? Reviving the Han Dynasty and returning the old capital is what the king should do. If Chang'an is to be recovered, Luoyang must also be recovered. If so, how can we leave Guanzhong alone?"
"But."
Yang Yi hesitated and said: "It's useless to take it from Guanzhong, why not put the main battlefield in Henan?"
"You have the right idea."
Shen Chen agreed with his suggestion, but at the same time he said: "If we want to take the north, we need cavalry. After we get the Xiliang cavalry, Guanzhong will be beneficial."
This is a typical thinking misunderstanding.
Yang Yi believed that the Guanzhong area now had a population of less than one hundred, and sending troops from Hanzhong to attack Chang'an over a long distance would seriously consume national power, so the center of the attack should be placed in Henan.
If you send troops from Jingzhou and Yangzhou, you can pose a threat to Yuzhou and Xuzhou, and then send troops north to compete with Cao Wei for places such as Xuzhou in Henan.
Since Cao Wei in Guanzhong defends Chang'an and occupies a dangerous position, while Nanyang, Huainan and other places have no danger for Cao Wei to defend, from the perspective of war benefits, according to Yang Yi's suggestion, it is a strategy with large benefits and small losses, and is easier to implement.
But he neglected one thing, and that was mobility.
The troops in the south were all infantry and lacked mobility, and Huainan and other places had suffered serious damage. Sending troops from Jiangdong also required a long journey, which was not conducive to the transportation of grain and grass.
On the other hand, Cao Wei could place grain and grass in the city and send a small number of troops to defend the cities in various places in Henan.
Once a war broke out, the cavalry was ordered to rush south to help.
In this way, not only did Cao Wei need a small number of troops to defend the border, but it was also able to use mobility to wear down its opponents.
What's more important is the food path.
When attacking Henan from Nanyang or Jiangdong, the food route will be very long. At first, Shen Chen only brought a few thousand men to attack Yingchuan each time, so he did not need to bring a large amount of food.
However, the supplies required for large-scale military operations are not just one or two points, but millions of stones.
Once the supply line is long, it is easy for the opponent to use cavalry to rob the supply.
On the other hand, it would not happen in Guanzhong.
Liu Bei had already formed a cavalry in Guanzhong, and during the Battle of Guanzhong, he relied on this cavalry to escort the grain road to ensure safety.
Therefore, if you want to compete for the north, mobility and efficient communication of information must be indispensable.
Shen Chen explained the truth one by one, which is to look at the problem from a higher perspective.
To put it simply, his pattern is bigger.
After hearing what he said, Liu Bei nodded thoughtfully and said, "Well, what Xiaoqing said makes sense, but this is a big deal. After I return to Jiangzhou, I will hold a meeting to discuss it."
"The king is wise."
Everyone stood up and said.
Immediately afterwards, Liu Bei appointed Guan Yu to supervise Yangzhou's military affairs. He first took charge of Jianye and took full control of Jiangdong.
Things will be simpler after that. The army will suppress the rebellions in various places, and then let the officials manage it, comprehensively revitalize the people's livelihood, public security and economy of Jiangdong to ensure that it can recover as soon as possible.
Liu Bei had already carried out this series of operations once in Yangzhou, so he was quite familiar with it. Basically, he would start the management work after returning to Jiangzhou.
And when Liu Bei Yu Jianye appointed the leading military force to control Jiangdong, he later sent civilian officials to govern.
A piece of news suddenly came to him, which surprised him.