"General, Liu Bei's army has crossed the river, and there are only three thousand people stationed in Xiang'an. We can take this opportunity to send troops to capture Xiang'an, cut off Liu Bei's retreat, and confuse his mood. In this way, Sun Bofu may be able to win more easily."
The chief secretary Yan Xiang said first.
"I don't think so." Liu Xun, the governor of Lujiang, said, "Why did Liu Bei leave only three thousand men to guard Xiang'an? He led a large army across the river. Aren't he afraid that we would attack Xiang'an?"
"What does Zitai mean?" Yuan Shu asked hurriedly.
"General, Zhou Wen'an always likes to set up ambushes and is good at devising tricks. This time, he may have used Xiang'an as bait to lure us forward and set up an ambush halfway, just like General Xuyi's battle. Besides, why did Liu Bei win Shucheng?
But he gave up. Isn't the general more important than Sun Ce? Would Liu Bei really sacrifice one for the other? In my opinion, his intention seemed to be aimed at Sun Ce, but in fact he wanted to secretly lure the general to lead his troops to attack.
Xiang'an. It's still possible. This is a plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain. The general must not fall into his trap!"
Liu Xun made a lot of talk, which shocked Yuan Shu.
As Liu Xun said, Liu Bei had already captured Shucheng, so why would he give up attacking himself and instead attack Sun Ce? This doesn't seem to make sense.
Moreover, Xiang'an was an important place for Liu Bei to cross the river and retreat, so why did he only leave 3,000 troops to garrison? Liu Bei's troops were not that few, so why didn't he leave 2,000 more troops?
There might actually be a problem with this.
There are also Huang She's naval forces stationed on the river, ready to assist Xiang'an at any time. Even if Liu Bei has no tricks and sends troops to attack Xiang'an himself, he may not get much benefit, let alone let Liu Bei divide his troops to rescue him. If he
If we divide our troops, we won't be left with only 3,000 men.
Yan Xiang advised again: "General, no matter what Liu Bei's tricks are, we can send 10,000 people to attack and leave 10,000 people to defend Wancheng, and there will be no danger. Let General Zhang Xun lead 5,000 people to attack together, and there will be no danger."
If Sun Youtai's 5,000 men and 20,000 men attack Xiang'an together, Liu Bei will definitely divide his troops to rescue him. If he divides his troops, Sun Bofu will easily win!"
Yuan Shu hesitated for a moment: "If you just want Liu Bei to divide his troops, there is no need to use so many troops. If General Zhang Xun sends 3,000 men to go with Sun Youtai, Liu Bei can also divide his troops."
"General, if there are fewer troops besieging the city, Liu Bei will divide his troops with fewer troops..."
"Master Yan, I have made up my mind, don't say anything more."
Yuan Shu sent people to Juchao and asked Zhang Xun to send 3,000 people to attack Xiang'an together with Sun Jing.
The news soon spread to Wuhu. Liu Bei looked a little worried, but Zhou Ping looked calm and said with a smile: "My lord, although Sun Jing is wise, Zijing is not mediocre. Although there are eight thousand people coming to attack, Zijing will definitely attack."
But if we hold on, Xiang'an will be safe. Sun Jing leads the troops to attack Xiang'an, but there are no defenders in Shu City. We can also let people spread rumors in Shu City that Guan Yu will lead 10,000 troops to capture Shu City, so Sun Jing will retreat.
.If he does not retreat, Zhang Xun’s troops will inevitably retreat to their nest.”
Liu Bei agreed to Zhou Ping's proposal and sent people to Shucheng to spread rumors that Guan Yu would lead an attack with 10,000 troops.
Before the rumor reached Xiang'an, it first reached the ears of Zhang Xun in Juchao.
There are no defenders in Shucheng now. If Guan Yu brings troops, he can easily capture Shucheng. After capturing Shucheng, he will immediately attack Juchao.
Although Zhang Xun still had 7,000 men guarding the city, he was also afraid of Guan Yu, so he quickly sent people outside Xiang'an City to recall the 3,000 men he had sent.
These troops had just arrived outside Xiang'an City for a few days, but there was nothing they could do if the soldiers and horses in the city did not go out to fight and hold on to the city.
Now that Zhang Xun's troops have left, only Sun Jing's five thousand troops are left. Moreover, although he sent people to Liyang to investigate, Guan Yu's troops are still surrounding Liyang City and there is no sign of going south to capture Shu City. Knowing this
It's a rumor.
But he didn't have to believe it, but the soldiers in his army believed it, and they all talked about retreating to Shucheng.
He now only has 5,000 men, and the enemy is defending the city without going out to fight. It is impossible to capture Xiang'an in any case, and it is difficult for Liu Bei to divide his troops. As a last resort, he led his troops back to Shucheng.
"Liu Bei's troops have been approaching the city for many days. If we don't go out to fight, our morale will really be lost. Gong Jin, the plan to attack Xiang'an and force Liu Bei to divide his troops is no longer possible. The only plan now is to go out of the city and fight Liu Bei."
It was already June of the third year of Jian'an, and Liu Bei's troops had been stationed outside Wuhu City for many days. Sun Ce had not gone out to fight, and wanted Liu Bei to divide his troops.
But now that Sun Jing has withdrawn from Xiang'an, the strategy of dividing the troops is useless.
"Then let's ask Liu Bei to fight."
In Zhou Yu's heart, he felt that with Sun Ce's current strength, it would be difficult to defeat Liu Bei.
Sun Ce now has 19,000 soldiers and horses, and Liu Bei has 24,000 soldiers and horses. Although the difference in military strength is not big, the big difference is in the generals.
Although Sun Ce and Zhou Tai were brave, other than the two of them, the other generals were not very powerful.
In Liu Bei's army, according to Zhou Yu's knowledge, Zhang Fei and Tai Shi Ci are both very brave generals, and Gan Ning and Gao Shun are also not weak. Moreover, Liu Bei personally won Xiang'an and Chungu, and his morale is very high.
In a battle between the two armies, Liu Bei has a greater chance of winning.
Although Zhou Yu felt that it was difficult for Sun Ce to defeat him, the matter had come to this point and it was impossible not to fight.
And there are no absolutes. Maybe Sun Ce could use his bravery to kill the enemy generals Zhang Fei or Taishi Ci, and thus win a big victory.
"Gong Jin, do you think it's hard for me to win this battle?" Sun Ce asked Zhou Yu.
"Why does the general ask this?"
"We are like brothers, and I know your worries. Don't worry, this battle is very crucial. I know what to do, and I am confident that I will win. You just have to guard this city and wait for me to return victorious."
Zhou Yu nodded: "General, just go to war with peace of mind."
Sun Ce asked Liu Bei to fight in three days.
During these three days, he killed pigs and sheep every day. On the first two days, he allowed the soldiers to drink freely. Only on the third day did he prohibit drinking.
Even on the third day, he had a cow slaughtered and distributed the beef to the army officers.
Sun Ce knew that he was slightly weaker than Liu Bei in terms of momentum and military strength. Now only by stimulating the soldiers' willingness to sacrifice their lives to fight, could he be more likely to win.
Just as a scholar dies for his confidant, he can also die for his lover.
Sun Ce made the soldiers drink wine and eat meat, just to make them fight to the death for him.
Outside the city, Liu Bei is in camp.
A tense atmosphere is permeating the air. The upcoming battle with Sun Ce also makes Liu Bei both excited and nervous.
What he was looking forward to was that he might be about to defeat Sun Ce and seize Jiangdong. What was nervous was that this battle was crucial and he could only win but not lose. If he lost, the consequences would be disastrous.
Zhou Ping, on the other hand, always looked calm, with no trace of nervousness on his face, and he often took off the wine gourd hanging from his waist to take a sip.
In fact, Zhou Ping was also nervous, but he didn't want his nervousness to be exposed. Staying calm and calm could put Liu Bei and the generals at ease.
And Liu Bei and the generals can feel at ease, which can also make the soldiers feel at ease.
Finally, three days passed quickly, and they all waited for the day of the battle with Sun Ce.
