The next day, there were rumors in the city that Zhang Fei had killed Sun Ce and Liu Bei had dug down a wall of the city.
Zhang Xun was sure that the rumor of digging down the city wall was a rumor, but he was not sure if the rumor of Zhang Fei killing Sun Ce was true or false.
With Zhang Fei's courage, it is not impossible to kill Sun Ce.
All the generals in the army were frightened when they heard the rumor, and many generals came to persuade him to return to Wan County.
Zhang Xun was also afraid that he would end up like Qiao Rui. If he didn't leave, these generals might have to imitate Liang Gang and Qin Yi.
At night, Zhang Xun took his troops and horses and quietly left the city. He basically didn't need any food. He only took some gold and wealth with him. If he took too much, he would go slowly.
Liu Bei received the report that night, but he did not dare to send troops to pursue him for fear of being ambushed by enemy soldiers.
After daybreak, Liu Bei led his troops to the city gates. The city gates were already wide open, and some county officials and people in the city came out to greet them.
These people preferred to be ruled by Liu Bei rather than the extravagant and lustful Yuan Shu.
Liu Bei did not live up to the expectations of the people living in Chao, so he marched his troops into the city and strictly ordered the troops not to harm the people.
Liu Bei was even more delighted when he discovered the large amount of food left in the city. Now he was more confident in capturing Lujiang River.
In Wancheng, Sun Ce sent people to ask Yuan Shu for reinforcements, hoping that Yuan Shu could send troops to attack Zhou Ping from behind, so that he could form a pincer attack from both front and rear.
Yuan Shu was hesitant, worried that if he sent out troops and horses, the number of guards in Wancheng would be reduced. If Liu Bei arrived with his troops, Wancheng would not be able to defend it.
"General, don't worry. General Zhang Xun is guarding the nest. It is difficult for Liu Bei to defeat him and he will never lead his troops here. Zhou Ping stationed 10,000 troops at the pass to block General Bo Fu's path. Moreover, his soldiers are braver and will take advantage of this.
General Zhu Bofu's troops were tired from marching, and they won a small victory for a while. If there were no reinforcements, it would be difficult for General Sun's troops to pass through, and there would be no reinforcements in Juchao and Wancheng. The general can send Prefect Liu to lead 10,000 troops to help.
I expected that as soon as Prefect Liu's troops came out, Zhou Ping would retreat."
Lord Bo Yanxiang advised.
Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang, felt that what Yan Xiang said was reasonable: "General, Xun thinks that Lord Yan's words are reasonable. If Sun Bofu's troops cannot pass, Liu Bei will be unable to retreat!"
Yuan Shu paced back and forth and thought for a long time. He thought that Juchao was still in his hands and Liu Bei could not cross Juchao to attack Wancheng. He immediately agreed to Sun Ce's request and sent Liu Xun to command 10,000 troops to attack from behind.
Zhou Ping.
Liu Xun led his troops to leave Wancheng on the same day as Zhang Xun led his troops to leave Juchao.
Zhou Ping first received the news from Juchao and learned that Zhang Xun had abandoned the city and retreated. Liu Bei had led his troops into the city and had obtained a lot of food and grass.
"Hahaha... Yide, Shuzhi, and Ziwei, all three of you have contributed a lot to being able to live in the nest this time!"
Zhou Ping laughed and said to the three of them.
"Sir, we are here to fight Sun Ce. Although we have merit, it is only for killing the enemy. How can we have merit for staying in the nest?"
Zhang Fei couldn't figure out why he was fighting Sun Ce thirty miles away from Juchao. What does it have to do with his elder brother getting Juchao?
"Haha, General Yide, if we hadn't stopped Sun Ce here, would it have been so easy to get the nest?" Zhou Ping asked with a smile.
Chen Dao thought of more than Zhang Fei, and said: "Sir, what you mean is that we blocked Sun Ce. Zhang Xun couldn't wait for Sun Ce's reinforcements, so he would be afraid and abandon the city and retreat. Although we only blocked Sun Ce, this is a must."
The first achievement of living in a nest."
"Hahaha... Uncle Zhi is right, but we can't stop Sun Ce just by camping here. Only the three of you work together to defeat Sun Ce can we truly stop him."
"I can defeat Sun Ce alone, no need to join forces."
Zhang Fei felt that Zhou Ping had indirectly belittled his ability by saying that the three of them worked together to defeat Sun Ce, so he looked a little unhappy and frowned slightly.
"General Yide, are you still worried about this matter? I promise you that when you fight Sun Ce next time, I will never let Ziwei help you again and let you defeat Sun Ce by yourself."
"Hey, sir, you should have been like this a long time ago." A smile appeared on Zhang Fei's dark face again.
However, Zhou Ping soon received news from Wancheng's scouts and horses, saying that Yuan Shu had sent Liu Xun to lead 10,000 troops and horses towards them, seeming to form a pincer attack with Sun Ce.
This news made Zhou Ping a little worried.
Liu Xun's 10,000 soldiers and horses are not afraid, but Sun Ce's 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and horses are still there. If he leads his troops to attack Liu Xun, Sun Ce will definitely lead his troops to attack from behind.
In terms of military strength alone, he currently has less than 10,000 men, and he relies on dangerous passes to block Sun Ce. If it were a plain, I'm afraid he wouldn't be blocking Sun Ce's way, but Sun Ce would be blocking his retreat.
"Sir, now that the lord has settled in the nest, it is better for the lord to send more troops to pursue Liu Xun from behind." Chen Dao offered advice.
Zhou Ping looked at Chen Dao with relief. The fact that he could say this meant that he had thoughts in his heart and was not just a simple general.
Zhang Fei said something different: "Sir, we can kill Liu Xun first, and then come back and kill Sun Ce."
Zhou Ping shook his head slightly, turned to look at Zhang Wu and asked, "Ziwei, what about you, what do you think?"
Zhang Wu was stunned, he didn't expect Zhou Ping to ask him such a thing.
"Wu Qiuzhi obeys the young master's orders."
"What if you are the commander-in-chief now and need to make a decision?"
Zhou Ping asked again, wanting to know Zhang Wu's ability to command troops.
Zhang Wu looked at Zhou Ping and couldn't answer for a long time. He glanced at Zhang Fei again and replied: "My thoughts are the same as General Yide's."
Zhang Fei was overjoyed when he heard this: "Hahaha... Ziwei, you are my good brother. When Liu Xun and Sun Ce are killed, you come and drink with me."
"I don't drink." Zhang Wu said hurriedly.
"Sir, Ziwei has the same idea as me. It's time for us to send troops to fight Liu Xun, right?"
"No." Zhou Ping said firmly.
"Are we going to follow what Uncle Zhi said and let my eldest brother send troops to chase Liu Xun from behind?"
Seeing that his and Zhang Wu's opinions were rejected, Zhang Fei asked urgently.
"No." Zhou Ping said no again firmly.
"What should we do?" This time it was Chen Dao who asked urgently.
Zhou Ping unhurriedly pulled out the stopper of the gourd, took a sip of water, and then said slowly: "Zhang Xun led his troops to leave Juchao first, and then Liu Xun sent troops from Wancheng. At this time, the soldiers and horses leaving Juchao had not yet
Go far away. If the lord sends troops to pursue Liu Xun, and Zhang Xun leads the troops to pursue him, and Liu Xun leads the troops to fight back, then the troops and horses sent by the lord will become Zhang Xun and Liu Xun's pincer attack.
.”
"Although Yuan Shu may not have such a profound plan, we must take precautions. Moreover, Sun Ce's bravery cannot be underestimated. Since Liu Xun has led the army and the lord has settled in the nest, we can retreat to the nest at this time. Sun Ce
We are leading troops to come to Lujiang for reinforcements. I'm afraid it won't be possible in a short time. I send an order to the whole camp to withdraw tomorrow."
"Sir, is it possible that you are afraid of Liu Xun and Sun Ce?" Zhang Fei suddenly asked.
Zhou Ping was stunned at first, and then smiled: "Yide, you can actually use the provoking method, but your provoking method is useless to me. You want to fight with Liu Xun and Sun Ce, don't worry, when we return to Juchao, they will know how to do it."
Come along, I'll fight you when the time comes."
Zhang Fei couldn't help but giggle: "Hey, hey, sir, you are so knowledgeable about things, you actually know what I am thinking."
What Zhou Ping didn't expect was that when Yuan Shu heard that Zhang Xun had abandoned the city and retreated, and Liu Bei had occupied his nest, he immediately sent people to recover Liu Xun's troops and asked them to quickly return to defend Wancheng.
Yuan Shu was really afraid that Liu Bei would take advantage of the situation to invade, and that Wancheng would not be able to defend it.
When Zhou Ping learned that Liu Xun had returned to Wancheng, the entire battalion was ready to retreat, and he was not sure whether Liu Xun was really retreating to Wancheng or pretending to retreat.
It would be bad if Liu Xun pretended to retreat to confuse Zhou Ping, and then his troops suddenly attacked and blocked the retreat.
Zhou Lai led his troops back to Juchao, and Sun Ce led his troops in hot pursuit until they reached the foot of Juchao City.
"Sir, you blocked Sun Ce and gained the nest. This is a plan to seize the city!"
When Liu Bei saw Zhou Ping, he was filled with admiration.
"This time I was able to live in the nest, and my husband should be the main contributor!" Liu Bei said again.
"My lord, we were able to stop Sun Ce only because of the strength of Yide, Shuzhi and other soldiers. The first credit should go to them." Zhou Ping did not want to take credit alone.
Liu Bei nodded and said: "Well, they all have merit, especially Ziwei. I heard that he shot the enemy general Ling Cao to death. It can be said that Ziwei is the master's arm, and the master is a versatile man in both civil and military affairs! For now, let's give them the credit.
Make a note of it and wait until Lujiang is pacified before giving the reward."
"By the way, lord, is there any news from Luoyang?"
It was already August of the first year of Jian'an, and Zhou Ping was more concerned about whether the Han Emperor had arrived in Luoyang and whether Cao Cao would lead troops to Luoyang and move the Han Emperor to Xu County.
Liu Bei had a sad look on his face and sighed: "The news has come back from Luoyang that the Emperor's chariot has entered Luoyang. However, the city of Luoyang is in ruins and there are almost no houses left. I heard that the Emperor is currently living in the residence of Zhao Zhong, a regular servant in his hometown.
.Many ministers of the imperial court, as well as many officials and minor officials, are suffering from hunger, and some even starve to death in the wall. I have ordered Yunchang to send people to transport three thousand stones of grain and cattle and wine from Hefei to Luoyang to relieve the urgent need.
The emperor is at peace, let's bring more grain, cattle and wine."
Zhou Ping looked at the sad-looking Liu Bei and felt that his concern and concern for the emperor were revealed naturally and could not be faked at all.
"Although three thousand stones of grain is not much, it can solve a temporary emergency. At the same time, it can let the emperor know the Lord's loyalty to the emperor."
"Sir, you said before that Cao Cao might welcome the emperor and move the capital to Xu County. Now it seems that it is indeed possible. I heard that Cao Cao has raised troops and left Xu County for Luoyang."
Liu Bei was deeply worried again.
Zhou Ping replied: "If Cao Cao has already sent troops to Luoyang, it seems to be the case. If the emperor is controlled by Cao Cao, I am afraid the world will be even more uneasy."
"What should I do?"
"We can make good friends with Cao Cao first, stabilize him, and seize Lujiang and Yangzhou as soon as possible. As long as we have Xu and Yangzhou, we will not be afraid of Cao Cao. If Cao Cao really threatens the emperor, then we can gather troops from all directions.
Let’s fight against Cao Cao together.”
"It's easy to make friends with Cao Cao, but it's very difficult to capture Lujiang and Yangzhou as soon as possible!" Liu Bei sighed slightly.
Now that Yuan Shu has Sun Ce's reinforcements, it will definitely be more difficult to capture Lujiang.
Zhou Ping carefully calculated that if everything still develops according to history, after Cao Cao moves the emperor to Xu County, he will first attack Yang Feng and then attack Zhang Xiu. Only then will he have time to attack Xuzhou.
Cao Cao sent troops to attack Zhang Xiu in the first month of the second year of Jian'an, but Zhang Xiu surrendered and rebelled again. Cao Cao was defeated and would not be able to send troops to attack Xuzhou again until at least March.
It is now August of the first year of Jian'an, which means that Liu Bei still has half a year at the earliest to attack Lujiang and Yangzhou.
Without Sun Ce's reinforcements, Lujiang should be taken over in half a year.
When Sun Ce arrived, things became difficult. It would be really difficult to capture Lujiang within half a year.
But half of Lujiang has been captured, and it is impossible to give up just like that. I can only think about whether there is any clever plan.
Sun Ce led his troops to camp outside the city. Now he has had enough rest and his soldiers are no longer tired.
Moreover, after Yuan Shu learned that Sun Ce had led troops to Juchao City, under Yan Xiang's persuasion, he sent Zhang Xun to lead 10,000 troops to help Sun Ce and camp together outside Juchao South City.
Sun Ce had previously sent Xu Kun to lead 5,000 troops to attack Xiang'an. In order to defend Xiang'an, Li Jia did not dare to go to war rashly. He only held the city and held on, leaving Xu Kun with no choice but to lead his troops to retreat to Linhu, facing Xiang'an.
.
"Brother, that guy Sun Ce has come to call for a fight again, will you let me fight?"
Sun Ce had been calling for battle for several days. Liu Bei wanted to avoid Sun Ce's fierceness and refused to send troops to fight.
In fact, after Sun Ce was defeated by Zhou Ping once, his vigor had already weakened, but he was not afraid of Zhou Ping because of this. If he was, he would not be the little overlord of Jiangdong.
"Sir, what do you mean?" Liu Bei looked at Zhou Ping and asked.
Zhou Ping replied: "Sun Ce has been calling for war for days. If we always avoid fighting, we may lose our morale. Besides, if we want to conquer Lujiang quickly, we will have to fight him sooner or later. In this case, let's go to war."
When Zhang Fei heard this, he was overjoyed and laughed, because Zhou Ping agreed to fight, and his eldest brother would definitely agree to fight.
And if he goes to war, his eldest brother will definitely send him Zhang Fei to fight. This is another good opportunity for him to make contributions and show his prestige.
Liu Bei nodded slightly and inspected the generals. He was very satisfied when he saw that all the generals were waiting with their heads raised and they were full of fighting spirit.
"This time I personally lead the troops to fight..."
"Lord." Zhou Ping hurriedly called out after hearing Liu Bei say that he wanted to lead the troops into battle himself.
"Sir, you will lead five thousand soldiers to defend the city, and I will personally lead twenty-five thousand soldiers to fight. I hope that all the generals will work hard to win in one battle and capture Lujiang."
Liu Bei is preparing for a big battle with Sun Ce. As the coach, he will definitely take part in such a big battle in person.
"General, Zang Ba, please ascend first!"
Zang Ba suddenly came out of the queue, raised his hands and said.
Zhang Fei glared angrily: "Zang Xuangao, don't compete with me to be the first to climb."
"General, Zang Ba led his troops to go out with the general twice, but failed to make any achievements. All the brothers in Ba's army complained, and they all wanted to show off the courage and prestige of our Taishan people. Please allow General Zang Ba to lead his troops to ascend first.
, Zang Ba will live up to the general’s expectations and work hard to kill the enemy in order to achieve complete victory!”
When he was fighting against Yuan Shu in Xuyi, Zang Ba led his troops on an expedition.
At that time, Zang Ba Tun was guarding the Huaihe River and had no battle to fight. Only Sun Guan led 3,000 soldiers to Xiapi to ambush him, but he was killed by Zhang Liao. When he besieged Lucheng, Zhang Liao broke through and escaped, which was considered a humiliation.
Now they are following Liu Bei on the expedition, and they only contributed in the urgent attack on Shu City. But at that time, everyone contributed equally, and they couldn't get much credit, let alone save their face.
So this time, Zang Ba wanted to lead his Taishan soldiers to ascend first and kill the enemy first, so as to show the majesty of these Taishan soldiers, and also let them make more achievements and get more rewards.
Liu Bei was a little hesitant. He knew that Zang Ba was not weak, but in his heart he wanted Zhang Fei and Chen Lai to be the first to get there.
"My lord, since General Zang takes the initiative to be the first to climb, he must have the courage to climb first and the ambition to die, so why not let them be the first to climb, which can not only promote the bravery of the Taishan soldiers, but also the prestige of the lord.
"Zhou Ping said.
It is rare for a general to take the initiative to ascend first, and although Zang Ba's own military strength is average, his soldiers are all Taishan people. They are more convinced of him and will fight with all their strength. When they enter the battle formation, they will definitely kill the enemy with all their strength.
If they are the first to ascend, they will not be weak.
Liu Bei understood better than Zhou Ping at this time that Zang Ba was telling the truth. If he rejected them, he would probably break their hearts. The most important thing is that they are also qualified to be the first to ascend the formation.
Zhang Fei wanted to argue again, but Zhou Ping secretly shook his head at him, and then said nothing with a sullen face.
Liu Bei left Zhou Ping to command 5,000 troops to defend the city, and he led 25,000 troops out of the city. Zang Ba's 5,000 Taishan troops were the first to take the front line, Zhang Fei was on the right, Cao was on the left, and Lu Su was on the rear.
, Chen Dao, Xu Chu and other generals followed Liu Bei into the central formation.
