Chapter 0933 The Nightmare That Can't Be Eliminated
Compared to Sun Quan who was lingering around Xiaoyaojin, Quan Cong, who was sent to attack Lujiang, moved much faster.
Lujiang didn't react at all, and Quan Cong had already led his army towards Lu'an City.
Fortunately, Lu Xun had made a sneak attack on Lu'an City last year, so the defenders had already been prepared. When they received the news of the presence of Wu troops in the territory, they immediately closed the city gates and refused to allow entry or exit.
The officials and people who were swarming towards Lu'an City finally managed to escape but were unable to enter the city.
Everyone could not help but cry for help outside the city, but the defenders inside the city not only did not open the door, they even shot arrows to force everyone back.
At this moment, someone shouted loudly:
“The people of Wu are here!”
Sure enough, I saw smoke and dust rising in the distance, and the Wu people were almost reaching the city.
The people outside the city had no choice but to flee in panic and look for ways to escape.
Wu Jun’s scouts had already reported this situation.
When the generals in the army learned about it, they were immediately overjoyed and suggested to Quan Cong one after another:
“General Wei, there are so many men and women outside the city, why don’t you divide your troops and capture them, firstly, you can strengthen your troops, and secondly, you can ask for merit and reward.”
The military system of the State of Wu is a hereditary system of tribes. Except for the Imperial Guards led by the emperor, all sergeants of other tribes can be hereditary.
Therefore, most of the leading generals in Wu State were very keen to quell the rebellions of the Shanyue barbarians, because the captives could be taken as servants of the tribe and used by themselves.
As for the use of troops abroad, there is less enthusiasm and more caution.
After all, fighting for the country, a considerable part of the soldiers killed or injured can be regarded as their own private troops.
I just didn’t expect that this time I would have such a good opportunity to make money during this battle.
In their eyes, those men and women who are fleeing are all property!
With the city of Liu'an in sight, the generals in the army did not think about how to attack the city, but only thought about how to divide their troops and capture the people to increase their numbers.
Quan Cong looked at the excited and greedy faces. Although he knew that this was a tradition in the military, he was angry and also had some sadness in his heart:
"Since your Majesty paid half of my troops to capture the Lujiang River, you should give top priority to state affairs. How can you neglect your duties for a small gain? This is not what a human minister would do!"
"Now if we divide our troops to capture the people, the attack on the city will inevitably be delayed. No matter how many people we capture, how can it be compared with the capture of Lujiang River?"
“And when our army first arrives, the situation is unclear. Who knows if the enemy is ambushing us? If we disperse our troops easily, how can the people in the area make up for the casualties of the soldiers if they are attacked by the enemy?”
“I’m not the only one who introduced the situation, I’m afraid everyone here will not be able to escape the blame. Rather than arresting the people for merit and being punished, it is better to attack the city with all our strength.”
Although Quan Cong was from Wu County, he was actually from a wealthy family in Jiangdong.
However, he married Sun Luban, Sun Quan's daughter, and was Sun Quan's son-in-law, and she was highly valued by Sun Quan.
At any rate, the Sun family has been in control of Jiangdong for decades. Over the years, it is not surprising that they have cultivated several wealthy families who are willing to give their full allegiance.
After all, if Sun Wu really becomes the common master of the world, then they, who have the merit of following the dragon, will naturally gain much greater benefits than those in Jiangnan.
Quan Cong is deeply bound to the Wu royal family, so he is different from some Jiangdong aristocratic families.
Compared to maintaining peace in Jiangnan, he hoped that the state of Wu could be proactive and unify the world.
Jiangdong people who had this idea also included Lu Xun, Zhu Ran and others.
Hence why I cannot stand those behaviors that put personal interests first and do not take national affairs as priority.
Quan Cong is both a general of the guard and the commander-in-chief of the army. In his capacity, when he said these words, the generals had no choice but to stand down in dismay no matter how unwilling they were.
Soon, the Wu army arrived at the gate of Lu'an City, dispersed the surrounding people, and then began to prepare for the attack.
Unexpectedly, this preparation took more than twenty days.
the reason is simple.
Because there has been no news from the east that His Majesty has arrived in Hefei City.
Sun Quan did not hold back the Wei army in Hefei, so Quancong must not only be on guard against the Wei army in Shouchun coming for reinforcements, but also on guard against the Wei army in the direction of Hefei.
Last year, when Lu Xun encountered this situation, he could only withdraw his troops overnight. How could Quan Cong dare to rely on him?
Sun Quan spent too long looking at the scenery by Chao Lake. Quan Cong could no longer hold himself back and began to feel anxious.
The so-called military strength is rapid.
Quan Cong's initial advance was to prevent the cities in Lujiang from taking precautions. Unexpectedly, he had wasted more than 20 days under Lu'an City.
Let alone how prepared Wei is now, even the walls of Liu'an City have probably been raised by ten feet.
As for the reinforcements that have not yet appeared, who knows where they are now?
Quan Cong was still anxious, and the generals in the army had begun to complain.
Your Majesty’s majesty is so impressive that your ministers certainly don’t dare to complain.
What they complained about was, of course, Quan Cong’s refusal to divide his troops and capture the people.
"Had I known this, it would have been better to divide the troops and capture the people from the beginning. Firstly, at least there would be some merit, and secondly, we could make a profit."
“Yes, yes, it’s not like now, and we don’t attack the city. Those people have already dispersed and disappeared, and they have gained nothing..."
…
Even if Quan Cong heard these complaints, he could only pretend that he didn't know about them.
When the news came that Sun Quan finally led his army ashore and set off for Hefei New City, Quan Cong looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh:
“The opportunity has been lost, let’s see what God’s will brings!”
Last year, General Shang made a surprise attack on Lu'an, but failed to succeed.
Now the Wei army has been preparing for a full month. If they want to break the city, regardless of God's will, do they want to see if the Wei army will take the initiative to open the city gate and surrender?
Not to mention Shouchun's reinforcements, no one knows whether they are in Hefei or Lujiang.
Therefore, Quan Cong, who had lost the opportunity, also fought timidly in the siege, because he had to pay attention to the news from the east and west directions at all times to avoid being cut off by others.
Compared to Quan Cong's timidity, Sun Quan, who was determined to face the nightmare in his heart, relaxed his hands and feet and moved towards Hefei New City at full speed.
To be honest, marching in winter is really painful.
Because the armor worn by military officers not only fails to keep warm, but also absorbs the heat from the body.
It is already cold enough in the cold weather. If you put on armor again, if you are not careful, you will contract diseases such as wind and cold.
This is also the reason why Sun Quan likes to go north in winter.
The Wei army defeated the Wu state in many land battles, which is recognized by the world.
Wu's army fought in winter, and its combat effectiveness would naturally decrease.
But the cold weather will only reduce the Wei army's combat effectiveness even more.
Even if he is still stronger than Wu Jun, at least the gap between the two will be smaller than usual.
After all, God is fair and will not take sides.
Wu people can catch wind and cold, and Wei people can also catch wind and cold.
Their commander-in-chief was not someone named Feng who was taken advantage of. In order to reduce the damage to the backbone of the army from arrows and crossbows, he was even willing to take out silk.
They don’t even have gloves, and if they wield weapons in the cold winter, their hands may be cracked or even frostbitten.
How can he be like a certain country turtle named Feng who has too much money and food and nowhere to spend it, so he actually plans some winter training plan?
Of course, as an emperor, Sun Quan naturally does not need to be cold.
It was difficult to ride a horse in winter, so he sat in a chariot with a heater.
“Report! Your Majesty, the city of Hefei is ahead!”
The journey of thirty miles was either close or far, but Sun Quan was still very careful and sent a large number of scouts along the way to prevent the Wei army from setting up an ambush.
But he found that he was worrying too much.
The old city of Hefei was completely demolished, and even the people were completely relocated.
Along the way here, apart from the Wei army’s scouts, not even a single commoner was seen, let alone an ambush.
At this time, when he heard that he was almost arriving at Hefei City, Sun Quan's initially worried heart finally dropped.
“Here come, prepare your horses!”
Sun Quan put on a long and thick down jacket, got out of the car, and got on his horse.
Looking up, I saw a city looming in front of me.
As we get closer, we can finally see the city clearly.
But there is a lake to the south of the city, and there are natural moats to the north and east, and it is surrounded by water on three sides.
There is only one way to pass, but it leads directly to the land of Wei in the rear.
If the Wu army wants to attack the city, they must first cross the wide river in front of them.
Fortunately it is winter and there is not much water.
Sun Quan then ordered to find a few places with shallow water and build bridges across the river.
After the Battle of Shiting, Wei suffered heavy losses.
So in the past few years, the Wu army has always taken the initiative to move north, while the Wei state has been on the defensive.
In addition, Sun Quan once again sent out all his troops this time, so he expected that the Wei army would just stay in the city and not dare to leave the city like it did several times before.
The reason is simple: insufficient troops.
Otherwise, how could the Wei State move the city of Hefei to the rear?
Without the interference of the Wei army, the bridge was quickly paved. Sun Quan gave the order and the Wu army began to cross the river.
Man Chong stood at the top of the city. When he saw the canopy under the city begin to move, he smiled coldly.
It is a fact that the troops on the Yangzhou front line are insufficient.
In addition to losing too many troops in the battle of Shiting, the Shu bandits in the west also put too much pressure on the Wei Dynasty.
After all, there are too many places to defend in Guanzhong.
Unlike Yangzhou, as long as Hefei is defended, the Wu people cannot advance even an inch.
So the troops deployed will naturally be smaller.
But this does not mean that he can only defend the city.
“Drumming!”
“Dong dong dong…”
Sun Quan, who was crossing the river, suddenly heard the sound of drums in the city, and immediately raised his head in surprise.
However, on both sides of Hefei City, a team of elite cavalry emerged from each side, and they rushed directly towards the Wu army that had just crossed to the other side and had not yet formed a formation.
“Strikes halfway across?!”
Sun Quan looked at the clouds of dust and smoke rising in front of him, and then heard the pounding of horse hooves like a rain, and a chill subconsciously rose in his heart.
The nightmare in my heart came to mind again.
He was so panicked that he almost let his mount fall into the water.
The negative impact of the emperor's personal expedition became apparent at this time.
The canopy was too conspicuous, it only shook a few times, and the guards dutifully shouted:
“Protect Your Majesty!”
Even the generals who had experienced the Battle of Xiaoyaojin suddenly felt their hearts in their throats!
At that time, Zhang Liao was in the midst of a large army and fought straight to the commander's banner. He forced His Majesty to a mountain tomb and held a long halberd in self-defense.
Who is not afraid of this kind of thing?
At this moment, drumming noises also sounded from the north side, and smoke was also faintly rising.
“Withdraw, withdraw, withdraw! Pull back!”
Sun Quan was shocked and quickly ordered.
There are ambushes in front, and there are ambushes on this side of the moat, and on the flanks. The Wei thieves want to attack while they are crossing the river!
With this thought, he did not dare to hesitate anymore, turned his horse's head directly, and ran towards the east bank again.
“Quick, beware of the north!”
Back to the east bank, Sun Quan was in shock and quickly gave another order.
As for the Wu army on the west bank, he didn't bother to take charge of it for the moment.
Fortunately, it was impossible for Sun Quan to manage an army of tens of thousands. The generals were really in charge.
The emperor's canopy ran back to the east bank, but the general of the Wu army who had already crossed the river was not in a hurry.
Although it was not expected that the Wei thieves would dare to take the initiative to attack, they were caught off guard by the ambush. In addition, His Majesty ordered to retreat to the east bank, which made Wu's soldiers run back like a swarm.
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But again, the Wei army did not have enough troops, and the ambush was only a few thousand people.
After hundreds of Wu soldiers died, the Wu army had reluctantly organized a formation.
The Wei army retreated as soon as it was ready, and retreated like a gust of wind.
On the contrary, when the Wu army retreated, many soldiers fell into the river because they were too panicked.
The water in the river was cold, and in addition to the thick clothing in winter, some soldiers were wearing armor. They were not rescued in time, and more people died of freezing than drowning.
After the ambush on the other side of the moat retreated, the noise from the north also died down.
Although he knew that there were probably suspicious soldiers in the north, Emperor Sun was still in shock.
The nightmare that happened more than ten years ago could make him wander around Chaohu Lake for more than twenty days. This sudden attack by Man Chong naturally made Sun Dadi more cautious.
He first ordered a careful reconnaissance of the surrounding area until he was sure that there was no danger at all, and then he continued to build the bridge.
Moreover, the bridge must be erected so that it is not only smooth for horses and horses, but also drivable.
But before he could attack the city, news came again that Wei's reinforcements had arrived from Shouchun.
Sun Quan looked at the fortified city in front of him, and then at the thirty miles of land route behind him. There was no waterway directly to the river, which made him feel a little guilty.
"Your Majesty, the city of Hefei is imminent and the enemy's reinforcements are arriving again. It is very likely that they will cut off our army's retreat. For the sake of your Majesty's safety, I sincerely request your Majesty to retreat."
When Sun Quan heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief and sighed at the same time:
“Now I finally know why the Wei thieves moved to Hefei City!”
In the past, as long as you passed through Chao Lake by boat, you could advance and attack, and retreat and defend.
Now we want to attack Hefei, but we can't go ashore for dozens of miles. The Shouchun bandits can come from the north and threaten the flank and retreat.
“Wei thieves are really cunning!”
After scolding him bitterly in Hefei Xincheng, Emperor Sun led his army back to Chao Lake in a hurry.
However, he still took chances and sent people to Lujiang to inquire about the news and see if Quan Cong had captured Lu'an City.
When Quan Cong received the news from Sun Quan, everyone was confused.
Your Majesty, we have agreed that you will contain the Wei army in Hefei and Shouchun, and I will attack Liu'an City.
I have been waiting for nearly a month just for news from you.
We have only been fighting for a few days, and now you say that you have withdrawn your troops, and you come to ask me if I have conquered Liu'an...
I remembered that General Shang led the army to attack Lujiang last year, and he also made an appointment with Your Majesty to contain Hefei. As a result, Your Majesty didn't even go to Xiaoyaojin, and just wandered around Ruxukou.
Quan Cong felt very tired. He ordered with a tired face: