To the east there was a force claimed to be 50,000 but actually 30,000, and was pretending to attack Guangling's flank.
Lu Xun personally led the reinforcements on the west side and the rear, claiming to be 50,000, but actually 20,000.
After Sun Quan personally led an army of 100,000 people ashore, he became very anxious and headed towards Hefei impatiently.
To be honest, even when Shu conquered Liangzhou, Sun Quan was never so anxious.
Not only was he not in a hurry, but he also had the intention of watching a good show.
After all, those who conquered the world since ancient times first conquered Guanzhong and then conquered Liangzhou. Who conquered Liangzhou first and then entered Guanzhong?
Not to mention that a place like Liangzhou is not only vast and sparsely populated, but also has barbarians who have been causing trouble for more than a hundred years.
The only advantage is that it produces good horses.
But if you want a good horse, can you get around the barbarians?
When the time comes, the more good horses are demanded, the faster the barbarians will turn against them?
It is hard to say whether the benefits of Shu's covetousness of this kind of territory outweigh the disadvantages or the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
Not to mention Sun Quan and Lu Xun, even Cao Rui and Sima Yi never thought that the Shu Kingdom could win over all the barbarians in Liangzhou in just a few years.
Liangzhou was even transformed into a place producing woolen materials.
The so-called basic necessities of life are food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Food and clothing, in particular, are necessary for everyone.
Liangzhou has become a woolen production center. Let alone chaos, it would not be surprising if a few wealthy towns like Guzang become world-famous in the future.
(Note: Guzang during the turn of the Han Dynasty, also known as Wuwei in later generations, was the first city that never sleeps in China's historical records because it avoided war and was at the node of the Silk Road)
After the battle in Guanzhong, Sun Quan finally understood everything.
The Shu Kingdom really has a good way of governing the barbarians.
Sugar cane is grown in Nanzhong, and wool is produced in Liangzhou, although I don’t know what will happen to the state after it is merged.
But thinking that Feng Yong could quickly pass through Bingzhou and go south to Hedong, it is said that he even instigated a group of Bingzhou Hu people to rebel.
How could the Hu people, who have always had no faith, be so obedient if they didn't promise enough benefits?
However, remembering that Wu State had also pacified Shanyue in Danyang in the past few years, and that the Wuxi barbarians in Wuling were also weakening day by day, Sun Quan felt a little more balanced.
In Sun Quan's opinion, Feng Yong was indeed good, but Zhuge Ke defeated Danyang Mountain in three years and collected more than 100,000 soldiers, which was not too bad.
Especially after Zhuge Ke took over the post of General Weibei and formally stationed at Wankou in the north of the Yangtze River, he also attacked Shu County, a border county of Wei State, and plundered its people before returning.
At the same time, they continued to send scouts and agents to the north, with the furthest reaching Shouchun.
We checked all the road junctions in Jiangbei and Huainan.
Before Zhuge Ke led the army alone, most people in the court thought that his assertion that he could level Danyang Mountain in three years was too arrogant.
Therefore, his achievements over the years have truly amazed the whole country of Wu.
Sun Quan, who directly promoted Zhuge Ke despite Zhuge Jin's strong opposition, felt even more proud.
Not to mention that Zhuge Ke was personally recommended by Prince Sun Deng.
This shows what?
Regardless of the ruler or ministers of Wu State, they all have successors.
Sun Quan rode his horse and stopped on the shore of Chao Lake, watching the troops coming ashore one after another, feeling a sense of pride in his chest.
According to what Zhuge Ke learned in advance, the Wei army in Qingxu Prefecture had shown signs of mobilization some time ago, and was most likely heading west to reinforce Guanzhong.
Moreover, in the past few days since he made plans to move north, no new reinforcements have arrived from the Wei army in the Jianghuai area.
This shows that Wei State has indeed attracted most of the attention of Shu State.
150,000 vs. 60,000 to 70,000, twice as many as the enemy but still more than enough. The advantage lies with Da Wu!
"Da da da……"
A burst of rapid horse hoofbeats interrupted Sun Quan's thoughts. He turned around and saw that Zhuge Ke, who had originally volunteered to lead the army, was leading several personal guards and running towards this side.
"Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"
After receiving permission, Zhuge Ke got off his horse and trotted over:
"Your Majesty, according to reports from spies, there seems to be a reinforcement army coming from Hefei. At the same time, there seems to be movement in the army of Wei thieves in Shouchun."
This is to be expected.
The leader of the Wei thieves was Man Chong, and Sun Quan had also fought against him before. I felt that this man was also a rare general.
Now, even if the force is smaller than your own, the other party can still maintain enough concentration. He will not follow suit until you actually land ashore.
"How many people are there in the front army of the Wei thieves supporting Hefei? Have you found out?"
"The rebel army is so powerful that the scouts can see the smoke and dust from a distance. It can be said that they number in the tens of thousands."
When the Wei army's scouts faced the Han army's scouts, they were at a disadvantage due to the difference in equipment.
But facing the Wu army scouts, they had a certain advantage.
After all, Wu did not produce good horses, and there were even fewer soldiers who were proficient in riding skills.
This is also one of the reasons why Wu Jun's repeated attacks on Hefei were unsuccessful.
The principle is the same as when the Wei army faced the Han army.
When two armies meet, the more the scouts are suppressed by their opponents, the less the commander can grasp the situation on the battlefield.
If you cannot grasp the mobilization of the opponent's various personnel in a timely manner, you can only respond passively in many cases.
"Well, it seems that Wei's reaction is quite quick."
Sun Quan pondered, with some hesitation on his face.
After leaving Chaohu, the Wu army no longer had any advantage when facing the Wei army.
In the Hefei area, although there are many small lakes, the terrain is flat and open.
The Wei thieves can fully utilize the huge advantages of fine cavalry and move around at will.
Although Sun Quan had as many as 100,000 men, half of them who could actually attack the city might not be able to do so.
Because the remaining people not only have to protect the rear food road, but also need to be on guard against the elite cavalry of Wei who appear from all directions at any time and come and go like the wind.
It has to be said that Man Chong built the new city of Hefei in a dangerous place far away from Chaohu Lake, which made it at least twice as difficult for Sun Quan to capture Hefei.
Now that he heard that Wei Jun had reacted, what Sun Quan immediately thought of was:
Temporarily slow down the marching speed, and while moving forward slowly, deploy troops along the way to guard against the fine cavalry of the Wei army.
Probably because everything had gone too smoothly over the past few years, including leveling mountains and conquering Shucheng, Zhuge Ke was far bolder than Sun Quan at this time.
He didn't notice Sun Quan's hesitation, but said excitedly:
"Your Majesty, according to my opinion, Shouchun learned that your Majesty personally led the army to Hefei, and the thieves must have come to rescue him in full force."
"I would like to personally lead an elite army and quietly head north. Shouchun's troops will be empty at that time, and they will surely be able to attack them with a single drum!"
"When the time comes, the thieves' escape route will be cut off, and there will be a huge army in front of them, like rats in a cage, so why worry about being destroyed?"
Zhuge Ke has sent many spies to explore the north in the past two years, not just for Hefei.
Otherwise, why would he need to come and report the military information mobilized by the Wei army?
Sun Quan was shocked by this bold proposal.
Hit Shouchun directly?
He led the army to the north with only one goal: Hefei.
Directly attacking Shouchun has never been in Sun Quan's consideration.
I saw him shaking his head subconsciously:
"No! This is too risky. The Wu people are good at sailing, while the Wei people are good at riding horses. Staying away from Chaohu Lake and heading north alone is the same as feeding into the tiger's mouth."
When Zhuge Ke saw Sun Quan's rejection, he couldn't help but become anxious and was about to state his reasons.
Sun Quan raised his whip to stop Zhuge Ke from talking:
"I know that you have always had a plan, but the time has not come for this matter, and we will discuss it later."
As long as Hefei is captured, there is no choice but to attack Lu'an to the west, Shouchun to the north, or Guangling to the east. Why take risks now?
Emperor Wu Guosun was still very dedicated to Hefei.
Of course, this veto did not affect Sun Quan's optimism for Zhuge Ke.
After all, as young people, there is nothing wrong with being more radical.
In the future, as long as you cultivate yourself well and experience more things, you will naturally become more stable.
I saw him slowing down his speaking speed again:
"Yuan Xun, I know you are eager to perform meritorious deeds, but defeating thieves does not happen overnight. As long as the opportunity comes, you will one day make meritorious deeds."
Seeing that His Majesty said this, Zhuge Ke had no choice but to leave in dismay no matter how unwilling he was.
Looking at Zhuge Ke's back, Sun Quan knew that he was still unwilling to give in, so he couldn't help but frown slightly:
Although Zhuge Yuanxun had great strategies, was his temperament a bit too strong-willed?
However, the current situation did not allow Sun Quan to think too much. Instead, Zhuge Ke's suggestion gave Sun Quan a hint:
"Right now, I am outnumbered. If the army rushes to attack Hefei, the thieves may not be able to come to my rescue in time. Why should I fear that they will attack and disturb my way back?"
Thinking of this, he immediately gave up the idea of taking precautions along the way and ordered the entire army to speed up.
Man Chong, who was also heading to Hefei, was extremely anxious after hearing the news, but he stopped and summoned the generals:
"Although there are hundreds of thousands of thieves, the new city of Hefei was built under my personal supervision and is located in a dangerous location. The city is well-defended and the soldiers are strong, so the thieves will not be able to attack overnight."
"Now the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. If we move our army forward and meet the enemy head-on, we will attack the enemy with a small number, and we may not have a chance of victory, so we have to find another plan."
Wang Ling had always been at odds with Man Chong, and there was a police presence in Guangling, so he had already separated from Man Chong and led his troops to support him.
Man Chong had 40,000 people in his hands. He first gave 3,000 to Tian Yu to go to Hefei in advance, and 5,000 to stay in Shouchun.
Therefore, starting from Shouchun, the maximum number of people could not exceed 32,000.
Over the years, the climate has been erratic, with droughts, floods, and locust plagues occurring alternately without interruption.
Even in winter, it is often warm for one or two years and freezing for three or four years.
Although we are just getting ready to enter winter this year, the chill is already a bit overwhelming, and it looks like it will be another cold winter.
During the march, no matter how careful you are, someone will catch wind and cold. If the wind and cold persist, it will easily lead to epidemic diseases.
Therefore, those with stroke and cold must be isolated. Even if there are auxiliary soldiers and civilians, some soldiers must be assigned to take care of them.
Be lenient if you expect the enemy, be lenient if you expect yourself to be lenient.
Man Chong can only calculate its troops based on 30,000 troops now, no more.
Not only Man Chong knew this, but the generals also knew how many troops they had. When the commander said this, they all nodded.
"Then I wonder if the general has a plan?"
"We cannot fight head-on, but I also believe that General Tian can hold Hefei. Therefore, we will no longer go to Hefei this time, but divide our troops into two groups."
"I will personally lead the elite cavalry all the way to Xiaoyaojin and harass the thieves' food routes."
Having said this, Man Chong glanced at everyone and said loudly:
"There is another route, which is hidden around Hefei. One is to respond to the city at any time, and the other is to look for fighter opportunities and wait for attacks."
"I believe that Sun's thieves stayed at Chaokou for more than two months. Now after landing, they suddenly rushed to Hefei. Therefore, this siege mold was either transported from Chaohu or made temporarily under the city."
"Let's not talk about the temporary siege equipment made by the city, but if he really transported it from Chaohu..."
Man Chong's eyes flashed and he looked at everyone, "I need a brave general to lead the strong men in the army to rush into the enemy's formation and burn their siege equipment to delay the enemy's attack."
The generals looked at each other, and finally someone stood up and said loudly:
"The general has white hair and beard. He is over seventy years old and yet he personally leads the army into battle. How can we dare to retreat in front of the battle?"
Man Chong was overjoyed: "Good!"
Immediately, he separated from the generals and soldiers into two groups, Man Chong personally led ten thousand fine cavalry, and headed towards Xiaoyaojin with great fanfare.
The remaining 20,000 people quietly continued towards Hefei.
Sun Quan, who was not far from Hefei, was shocked when he learned that Man Chong was leading the army and did not come to Hefei but to Chaohu Lake:
"How dare Man Thief An be so bold? Does he really dare not to save Hefei?"
Sun Quan's eyes were filled with disbelief.
The thieves in Hefei have few soldiers. If Man Chong really can't come over, are they really not afraid of the city falling?
In his panic, he blurted out subconsciously:
"No! I must lead the army back, just in case."
Thinking of this hurried journey, Sun Quan couldn't help but regret. How much better would it have been if he had chosen to travel slowly and be prepared along the way?
"Your Majesty, the army has been marching in a hurry all the way, and now it suddenly turns back. The officers and soldiers in the army must have doubts. If the army's morale is shaken by then, the big thing will be over!"
Sun Tai, the son of Sun Quan's fourth brother Sun Kuang, followed him north this time and was responsible for escorting the siege equipment. At this time, he learned that Sun Quan wanted to turn back and quickly dissuaded him:
"If Your Majesty is worried about the safety of your retreat, you can just send more men back to defend. Why do you need to personally lead the army back?"
"The thieves have few soldiers. Now that Man Chong has not saved Hefei, we will take the opportunity to attack the city. Then we will see whether Man Chong will cut off our retreat first or we will capture Hefei first."
When Sun Quan heard this, he couldn't help but hesitate.
He thought for a while and then said:
"Having said that, the Wei thieves' elite cavalry are indeed our army's formidable enemy and must be guarded against. Why don't you escort the siege equipment and continue moving forward, join Zhuge Yuanxun, and attack the city together."
"I am stationed here. If there is trouble in the rear, I will turn back to rescue them. If there is no worries in the rear, I will go and join forces with you."
Between the two decisive battles, there is no room for hesitation, let alone delay.
Sun Quan was good at politics but not good at military strategy. At this time, he used political and muddy methods between the two formations. It seemed that he was taking care of both ends, but in fact it was difficult to take care of both ends.
Sun Tai originally wanted to persuade him again, but when he saw that Sun Quan had made up his mind and Hefei was in sight, he wanted to send the equipment to the city as soon as possible, so he gave up.
But it was this short journey that caused a disconnect between Sun Tai and Sun Quan who were escorting the siege equipment.
Hefei New Town is surrounded by mountains rising abruptly.
When Sun Tai led his army into the foothills, he looked at the mountains and couldn't help but sigh:
"The Wei thieves chose this place to build a new city. They really have a unique vision!"
At this time, the sudden rumbling of war drums was heard in the valley, flags were erected on the mountains, and at the same time, shouts of death were heard, and countless Wei troops rushed out of the mountains and forests.
Sun Tai was so frightened that he almost fell off his horse: "When did the thieves set up an ambush here?"
Didn't Zhuge Ke already arrive at Hefei City?
Where did this Wei bandit ambush come from?
Unless you are prepared in advance, or you are a rare elite soldier, you may not be able to quickly form a formation to stop the enemy when you encounter an attack while marching.
Not to mention that most of the troops Sun Tai led this time were auxiliary troops to transport attacking tools.
Now that they were attacked by the Wei army, chaos suddenly broke out.
"Don't panic! Come here, send the order, and all the ministries will come closer to me!"
As soon as Xu Yin landed, he saw countless arrows and crossbows flying over.