Zhuge Liang also expected that no matter how much Jiangdong people retreated, it was unlikely that they would show any signs of neglect in Jianye, a city as important as a hub.
But he really didn't expect that the first test the army faced would be so fierce.
——
Outside Jianye City.
Liu Bei led his army to camp on the spot twenty miles outside the city.
For a moment, dust was flying in the army, and the soldiers quickly became busy... It's ridiculous to say that in the previous battles, the Jiangdong people's weak defenses could not even allow them to set up camp, and the longest city was defeated in only two hours.
Seeing the Jiangdong people abandoning the city and fleeing seems to have become a joke among them after dinner.
But after all, it is an army with Zhuge Liang, so there is absolutely no need to worry about military discipline.
Zhuge Liang gave the order, and the army immediately stopped. After setting up camp, the navy also anchored in the harbor——
It was still early in the day, so Zhuge Liang was not in a hurry to attack. He still needed to collect some information to ensure that the next battle was foolproof.
"Go to some scouts and talk about the reality in the city."
Zhuge Liang ordered this.
Inside the camp, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Liu Bei and others gathered together, looking thoughtfully at the map in front of them.
The map was naturally given by Pang Tong. Compared with the previous panoramic map of Jiangdong, the size of the one on the table now is smaller, but the details are very detailed.
Pang Tong had long expected that there might be attacks on certain cities in Jiangdong in the future, so he drew separate maps for big cities such as Jianye and Wuhui.
"Originally, Jianye City had nearly 30,000 permanent garrison troops, but now it seems that Lu Xun and others will not focus their defense entirely on Jianye City."
Zhuge Liang looked at the information given by Pang Tong and said thoughtfully.
"Along the way, we have conquered no less than ten large cities, and countless small cities. Judging from the statistical casualties, the opponent has basically mobilized the main force, and judging from various signs of the opponent's troop deployment, their only
The only destination I think is Wu County."
"So I speculate that the garrison in Jianye City will never be more than their usual number -"
Thirty thousand is a very subtle number.
There is a saying in the art of war: if the enemy is ten, it is to encircle it, if it is five, it is to attack it, if it is doubled, it is to fight, if the enemy is divided, it can be divided, if it is small, it can be defended, if it is weak, it can be avoided.
Judging from Zhuge Liang's current military strength, if there are more than 30,000 defenders in the opponent's city, then the danger of a forceful attack will be quite high.
Originally, Liu Bei's army only had about 50,000 troops, and Pang Tong was given 20,000 troops. It can be said that the strength on the road was no longer enough to support a complete siege.
The advantage of Zhuge Liang is that he can sum up the experience of failure, not even just the refined salt of his own failure.
In the Battle of Hefei, the precedent of Jiangdong's defeat is vividly visible.
Sun Quan organized a total of two attacks, each of which was ten times more numerous than the defenders of Hefei, but each time they were defeated by Zhang Liao and various helpers.
Let’s not talk about whether Zhou Yu has passed away. Even if he is really alive, if you ask him to lead troops to fight a siege that is ten times more than the opponent’s, he must not dare to fight for any guarantee.
Then let alone my own side.
Zhuge Liang was very cautious, so he wanted to defeat the opponent by relying on internal and external cooperation.
"Even so, Jianye City is still unbreakable, so when we were on the road before, I had already sent several Jiangdong soldiers who had surrendered to the city to inquire about the news."
"If possible, we need them to create chaos in the city. We should cooperate inside and outside to catch the Jiangdong people by surprise."
"Therefore, it is most appropriate to set the time at midnight."
Zhuge Liang revealed his preliminary plan.
Naturally, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei agreed.
However, Zhao Yun hesitated and said:
"Military advisor, are we going to give up our naval advantage and rely solely on land warfare to defeat Jianye?"
As Zhao Yun spoke, he looked at Wu Ban and Chen Shi next to him.
As expected, these two people seemed a little at a loss. They were thinking about relying on the navy to make meritorious service, but after hearing Zhuge Liang's plan, they found that they were not assigned the task at all. How could this make them happy?
"Military advisor... we have thirty thousand elite naval forces. If we are asked to give up our advantage on the water and rely solely on land warfare... is this..."
What Wu Ban said was very clear, but because he had not been in the army for a long time, he did not fully explain it.
But Zhuge Liang definitely understood what Wu Ban meant.
"General Wu, and General Chen, I understand your feelings, but it is not advisable to attack Jianye at the moment. Although we have a great water advantage, after all, attacking cities is not the navy's specialty. Once something unexpected happens, it will be difficult to
Make sure we can resolve it quickly."
"If a good opportunity is missed and the opponent's defenses become more rigorous, this siege battle is likely to develop into a tug-of-war, and then it will really be out of control..."
"But don't worry, you two. Naturally, it is impossible for Liang to let you two completely stay out of the war. The attack on land will naturally be led by General Zilong, and you need to sail the ships to the east of Jianye and capture the northern territory.
Jiangdu and Hailing Port——"
Zhuge Liang pointed to another area on the map with his fan and said:
"Here, Jurong, is the hinterland of Jianye, and it is also the pass connecting Jianye and Wu County. You are waiting at the northern port. As long as the city of Jianye is defeated, you can go to Jurong to cut off the retreat route of the Jianye defenders.
, if possible, we can even hijack their food, grass and baggage. If we cooperate on both sides, we will definitely win."
Wu Ban and Chen Shi looked at each other, seemingly confirming each other's thoughts.
Zhuge Liang's plan seems feasible, at least on the surface there aren't many flaws.
But Zhao Yun still felt a little uneasy:
"My lord, military advisor... I have a guess, but now I feel I have to tell it -"
Zhao Yun spoke like this, which attracted everyone's attention...Guess? What guess does Zhao Yun have? Could it be about siege?
However, the speculation revealed by Zhao Yun silenced Zhuge Liang, who was originally very calm.
"The reason why I feel that we must attack both land and water to securely capture Jianye is because I guess that Yi Xiaotian may have arrived in Jiangdong..."
“…”
"This matter... until there is no conclusion, Zilong, you can't talk nonsense..."
The person who broke the silence was Zhuge Liang. He smiled sarcastically, as if he wanted to lighten the atmosphere.
But in fact, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the most nervous person at the moment is clearly himself.
"Military advisor, although I have no evidence, I have fought against Yi Xiaotian at least..."
Zhao Yun was of course lying here. Not only did he fight against Yi Xiaotian, he even traveled with Yi Xiaotian for quite some time.
His implicit induction is basically unlikely to be wrong, but he certainly can't explain it clearly.
As the general beside Liu Bei, Zhao Yun's position remains unchanged.
"I have a hunch... The people from Jiangdong may have joined forces with Yi Xiaotian. I'm afraid that the Jianye in front of me is also a part of Yi Xiaotian's plan. If he can't act cautiously and is greedy for advantages at this time..."
"Zilong, stop talking. Such unfounded words will only shake the morale of the army... Generals Wu and Chen, do you have any objections to the plan?"
Wu Ban and Chen Shi felt Zhuge Liang's urgency, so naturally they did not dare to deny anything.
After getting the permission from Wu Ban and Chen Shi, Zhuge Liang slapped the table and shook his head at Zhao Yun:
"Zilong, the matter is settled as it is, don't say anything more."
Zhao Yun looked at Zhuge Liang with trembling eyes, frowned and said nothing.
