Chapter 457 He crossed the river, and I crossed the river too!
Chapter 457 If he crosses the river, I will cross the river too!
Author: Playing with Basilisk
Chapter 457 If he crosses the river, I will cross the river too!
Sun Quan's head flew high, with a smile still on his face.
Everyone around was shocked.
Gu Li opened his mouth and said in disbelief: "Ding Feng, you!"
He never dreamed that the mole would be Ding Feng!
This time Sun Quan started an uprising and contacted the major families in Jiangdong. He knew that there must be an insider among them.
And there may be more than one.
The Sun family in Jiangdong can't be said to be a prosperous and prosperous people, it would also have made countless enemies.
In the early days of Sun Jian's era, it was okay, but in Sun Ce's era, they were killing so many people that countless aristocratic families hated them.
Later, during the Sun Quan era, he chose to unite with the aristocratic family, and the situation became slightly better.
So even if Liu Bei didn't like the Jiangdong family very much, Sun Quan himself knew that someone would use him as a surrender certificate in exchange for fame and fortune.
It's just that he couldn't figure out who the mole was for a while, so he couldn't screen it out and could only choose people he trusted by his side.
Among them, Ding Feng is one of the young players that Sun Quan can trust.
Because he is Ding Feng's younger brother.
After Ding Feng was captured, he always preferred death to surrender, and the Ding family was also in an embarrassing situation.
This time, Sun Quan's uprising was to contact those who were unsuccessful in Jiangdong and launch a rebellion together.
Ding Feng was quite brave and good at fighting, and had the talents of his elder brother, so he was entrusted with important tasks by Sun Quan and selected to be a pioneer young general by his side.
Unexpectedly, he turned out to be the mole!
Ding Feng chopped off Sun Quan's head with a sword, and blood spattered all over his body. He looked at Gu Li with a ferocious look and shouted: "Jiangdong has been at peace for several years, how can there be another war?"
"Kill him!"
Gu Li reined up his horse, raised his sword and shouted, angrily slashing at Ding Feng with his sword.
As soon as he finished speaking, another young general Zhong Limu came over and stabbed Gu Li under the horse.
Ding Feng glanced at Zhong Limu in surprise. Sun Quan's position just now was in the middle, he was on Sun Quan's left side, and Gu Li was on Sun Quan's right side.
Zhongli Mu is on the right rear of Gu Li.
Obviously Zhong Limu was also one of the undercover agents of the imperial court, but he was far away from Sun Quan and did not have a good chance to make a move, so he was the one who got the first blow.
Zhong Limu also glanced at Ding Feng. The situation on the field shocked all the noble families and soldiers who followed Sun Quan.
Someone in the crowd shouted: "Your Majesty has an order to kill only the chief culprit. If you lay down your weapons and surrender on the spot, you will avoid death and punishment. Let bygones be bygones. If you stubbornly resist, the entire clan will be killed!"
"Really? If you surrender, can you avoid death?"
"Sun Quan is dead and Gu Li is also dead. If there is anything left to continue causing chaos, we might as well vote."
"I am willing to surrender."
"Don't kill me, I'm being coerced."
"Vote, vote!"
Thousands of soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered.
The soldiers who were still crossing the river in the distance didn't know what was going on. They saw the chaos outside Qiantang City from a distance. As soon as they came ashore, they were ordered to put down their weapons and surrender to avoid death.
Liu Shen accepted all the prisoners with a smile, registered the major rebellious families, and arranged the families who acted as internal collaborators on the merit book.
This credit was almost in vain. Sun Quan thought he could start a rebellion when Cao Wei attacked and Jiangdong was empty, but he didn't know that not everyone was willing to accompany him to gamble.
If Sun Quan had the personal prestige and military force of his father and brother, it might be a different matter, but if he is not strong enough, why should he be killed?
What's more important.
Compared to following Sun Quan and starting from scratch to conquer Jiangdong again.
It is better to pick something ready-made and use Sun Quan as a certificate of surrender, so that the court can not only reward him but also recruit him into an official position.
This is an opportunity for the Jiangdong family, so naturally they don't want to go all the way.
Therefore, it can be said that Sun Quan calculated everything, except that he was betrayed just because he was not as good at fighting as his father and brother.
The farce was quickly put down.
At this time in Huainan, after Guan Yu burned the city of Hefei, his fleet sailed south along Chaohu Lake, as if he was rushing to aid Jianye.
Cao Xiu immediately launched a pursuit, using both land and water, and hurriedly followed behind.
Soon the scouts came to report that the main force of Guan Yu's army retreated to Ruxukou, and the rest of the scattered defenders crossed the Yangtze River to put down the rebellion in the rear.
This means that there are only about 50,000 Guan Yu's troops in Ruxukou.
By the beginning of November, news came from the south again. Sun Quan had captured Qiantang, and tens of thousands of Han troops were gathering in Jianye, seemingly intending to go south to deal with Sun Quan.
Cao Xiu's main force entered Dongxingti. This was the place where Zhuge Ke defeated Sima Zhao in history, and it is also the place where Zhao Yun beheaded Cao Chun today.
After arriving in Dongxingti, Cao Xiu immediately set up camps. More than 100,000 troops marched along Ruxu River, and the fleet also blocked the river. The camps stretched for more than ten miles, and there were more than ten camps used to store supplies.
In the camp of General Cao's army located in the middle camp, Cao Xiu sat on the main seat and discussed with several staff officers.
Although it was daytime, it was relatively dark inside the tent, which was full of candles. The howling north wind outside was blowing the door curtain. Cao Xiu looked around at everyone and said: "The scouts came to report that Guan Yu has about 50,000 people intercepting us at Ruxukou. The rest
They all went to Jianye."
"Guan Yu has about 30,000 troops in various counties in Huainan. These people evacuated quickly after our arrival. Judging from their appearance, they should have gone to Jianye to gather, and then went south to fight Sun Quan."
Jiang Ji Fu Xu said: "It's a pity that we were a step too late. If we could have surrounded the entire Hefei and breached his dock on Shishui before Guan Yu burned Hefei and returned to Ruxukou by boat, then Guan Yu would be dead now."
No doubt."
"He can run fast."
Cao Xiu snorted coldly, and then added: "But Ruxukou is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is not easy for us to break through immediately."
Liu Ye smiled and said: "He should only have more than a month of food and grass left now. Who can be anxious?"
"I'm afraid that Sun Quan won't be able to survive for a month, not to mention that their navy has occupied the river mouth. If we immediately mobilize some old grain from Jianye, we may be able to delay it for a while."
Jiang Ji was a little worried.
The current situation is that they were a step too late and did not surround Guan Yu in Hefei, causing him to board the ship and run back to Ruxukou.
Ruxukou is the mouth of the Yangtze River. As long as it is defended, Guan Yu can calmly mobilize grain and grass from Jianye and divide his troops to quell the trouble in Jiangdong.
This situation was actually what Jiang Ji and Liu Ye could think of in the past few days. Unfortunately, when they surrounded Hefei, Cao Xiu still hesitated a little and did not act immediately, but was a day late.
That's how it is in war. The chance of fighting is fleeting. It's too late to regret now. All we can do is think of compensatory measures.
Liu Ye thought about it and said: "General, although the river is vast, there are actually many Jiangxin Islands in the center of the river. There is a huge island on the Liyang River across the middle. If we divide our troops to temporarily build ships in Liyang, tens of thousands of troops will be stationed on the island.
Go ahead and intercept their grain ship, then their grain will not be able to pass through."
"oh?"
Cao Xiu was surprised and said: "How big is Jiangxinzhou? Can it accommodate tens of thousands of troops?"
Liu Ye smiled and said: "I have been to this island before. Let alone tens of thousands of troops, even hundreds of thousands of troops can be accommodated."
Liu Ye was from Chengde in Huainan, not far from Liyang. He traveled across the Yangtze River and Huaihe River in his early years. He was a famous celebrity in Huainan, so he naturally knew the geographical environment here very well.
The Jiangxinzhou he mentioned was later known as Jiangxin Township, Dangtu County, Ma'anshan City, Anhui Province. It was a large island in the center of the Yangtze River in Dangtu County, covering an area of more than 50 square kilometers. It was the second largest alluvial continent in the Yangtze River.
However, in the Han Dynasty, the area of Jiangxinzhou was not as large as that of later generations. After all, it had been alluvial for two thousand years, so the area must have been much larger in later generations.
But even so, with an area of 40 to 50 square kilometers, not to mention tens of thousands of people stationed there, hundreds of thousands of people are indeed more than enough.
After hearing Liu Ye's words, Cao Xiu pondered: "But in such an important place, wouldn't Guan Yu station troops and horses? Send scouts to investigate and understand the situation there."
"It will definitely be possible to station troops and horses, but Guan Yu probably doesn't have any other troops. Even if there are troops on the island, can they still stop our army from crossing the river?"
Liu Ye said.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Cao Xiu nodded: "But let's do some investigation first."
He immediately sent people to investigate.
Soon on the second day, the scout came back and informed him of the situation.
There were indeed Han troops stationed on the Jiangxin Island, but the number was not large. And the most important thing was that if they relied on the Jiangxin Island, crossing the Yangtze River would be much smoother.
Because Jiangxinzhou is only two to three hundred meters away from the narrowest point on the left bank of the Yangtze River, this distance can be crossed using a makeshift boat.
So after learning this information, Cao Xiu was overjoyed and immediately sent Lu Qian and Zang Ba to divide his troops into 40,000 men and start preparing to cross the river.
A few days later.
Lu Qianzang built hundreds of ships to transport soldiers across the river in batches.
Although the Han army resisted desperately, there were only more than a thousand Han troops on the island and they could not defend themselves at all, so they finally evacuated the island.
At this time, in Ruxukou, in Guan Yu's camp, Wubao was built on the bank of the Yangtze River. Guan Yu's old face in the camp building was condensed into a ball, making his face look very ugly.
Because just now Lu Xun told him that after burning the city of Hefei, it was time to burn Ruxukou.
"Junhou."
Lu Xun stepped forward with a smile and said: "This battle logically extinguishes Sun Quan's rebellion, and we can just hold Hefei. But I insist on luring the enemy deeper, because this battle can hurt Cao Wei, and prepare the ground for the Prime Minister's Northern Expedition next year."
Foreshadowing. If we just destroy Sun Quan and defend Hefei, Cao's army will retreat to Henan. When the time comes, it will be very difficult for the monarch to go north."
Guan Yu shook his head and said: "I have never been afraid of difficulties, but what you have to understand is that if we fail, Huainan, which I worked so hard to conquer, will just be surrendered to me."
Lu Xun said: "So the worst outcome of this battle is to surrender to Huainan. Huainan is uninhabited for thousands of miles, which will not shake the country. It's just that in the future, the prime minister's northern expedition will make it harder for the monarchs. The big Han in the south will still be a big Han, but if we win
If we do, we will gain too many benefits, and we may even destroy Wei in one battle."
"Oh."
Guan Yu glanced at him and chuckled: "You are very courageous."
"Being humble is also gambling with your own wealth and life."
Lu Xun lowered his head and said: "The situation of the Jiangdong nobles following Sun Quan is too bad. Even if they defect to the late emperor, they will not be reused. If this battle is successful, I will be able to gain a foothold in the court."
"very good."
Guan Yu appreciated his frankness, nodded and said: "If it succeeds, I will recommend you to be the deputy prime minister of the three provinces. If it fails, your head will not be saved."
"yes."
Lu Xun looked deeply at the river in the distance.
He was indeed betting on this battle.
Because if we only protect Huainan, the problem will not be big.
They had internal contacts on Sun Quan's side, and they probably guessed that Sun Quan might attack Taicang, so they only needed to keep Taicang and transport the grain to Hefei.
There are 50,000 people in Hefei. If there is enough food, it should be more than enough to withstand Cao's army of more than 100,000, and the risk will not be too high.
When the time comes to get rid of Sun Quan internally, Cao Jun will probably have no choice but to return without success.
But in that case, the strength of Cao Wei's army is still there. If everything goes well, Zhuge Liang will plan the Northern Expedition next year. At worst, it will be the year after next. Cao Wei still has so many elite soldiers and horses. It will not be easy to overthrow him in one fell swoop.
Therefore, if we can make good use of Sun Quan's rebellion, lure the enemy deeper, lure Cao's army to attack and set up an ambush, and cripple Cao Wei's troops in Henan at once, then the Northern Expedition will be much smoother.
The key is whether Cao Jun will be fooled.
Lu Xun was also betting.
He bet that Cao Jun would not surrender so easily, and he would be satisfied with the burned Hefei city.
He will definitely continue to go south to pursue Guan Yu's army who is "eager" to rush to Jiangdong.
After all, Sun Quan's progress in the south was "smooth". Not only did he burn down Taicang, leaving Guan Yu's army temporarily without food, but he also defeated two counties and was attacking Qiantang.
If Cao Jun was more ambitious, he should take this opportunity to beat the lost dog, continue to pursue Guan Yu, and cooperate with Sun Quan to block Guan Yu in the Yangtze River and Jianye area, attack from both sides, and completely eliminate him.
And until then.
Lu Xun will let Cao Jun see the natural dangers of the Yangtze River and why it is a natural danger!
He looked at Dajiang, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes.
Soon after Guan Yu gave the order, countless soldiers began to board the boats and evacuate Ruxukou, and the huge fire in Ruxukou also burned.
More than an hour later.
Cao Jun's scouts told Cao Xiu the news almost as fast as a dead horse.
Cao Xiu was shocked and quickly called for advisors to discuss the matter.
Liu Ye exclaimed: "This Guan Yu is indeed a veteran general. This move of a strong man breaking his wrist is admirable."
Jiang Ji nodded: "We have just occupied Jiangxin Continent, and Guan Yu already knew that the food route to the rear was cut off. If his army went directly up the river at this time and retreated to Jingzhou, his strength would be preserved."
"Will he withdraw to Jingzhou? Don't want Yangzhou?"
Cao Xiu was surprised, and then asked the scout: "Where did their fleet go?"
"I don't know, but as soon as the flames started burning in Ruxukou, I came back to report it."
The scout replied.
"Explore again."
Cao Xiu just issued this order.
Suddenly there was a shout from outside: "Report!"
"What's the matter?"
"After the flames broke out at Ruxukou, we immediately rushed over and saw Guan Yu's fleet crossing the river from a distance."
Another scout rushed in to report the situation.
Liu Ye immediately said: "He must have wanted to cross the river and return to Jianye by land. He has already sent people to pacify the rear. Sun Quan can't afford any trouble. Guan Yu will probably abandon Huainan and rely on the Yangtze River to defend it."
"Hahahahahaha."
Cao Xiu laughed and said: "Then I definitely can't let him go. Sun Quan has also helped us a lot. How can we just ignore him? If he crosses the river, I will cross the river too! We have many soldiers and horses, and we have conquered the entire Huainan north of the Yangtze River.
Are you still afraid that you can't cross the river and go straight to their hometown in the east of the Yangtze River? Send my order to the general!"
"General!"
The soldiers came out to salute.
Cao Xiu said: "Send the order to the three armies to board the ship immediately to pursue him. Guan Yu must not escape!"
"only!"
The messenger immediately went out to convey the military order.
After the order was issued, Cao Xiu looked around and said: "It is said that Guan Yu is an enemy of ten thousand people. Back then, taking the head of a general out of ten thousand troops was like trying to retrieve something from a bag. Today, I will take his head!"
"The general is wise!"
Liu Ye, Jiang Ji and other staff officers on the left and right saluted one after another.
Now, at least from their perspective, Guan Yu had few troops, rebellion in the rear, and no food supply, so he was at the end of his rope!