At the end of June in the summer, the Shidian was built in Luoyang.
Cao Rui, the emperor of Wei, who was sitting alone, finally approved the request of Grand Sima Cao Xiu.
After the Battle of Longyou, Cao Rui, who was personally in charge of Chang'an, returned to Luoyang after You Fufeng and other Li Shu people near the Qinling Mountains had completed their migration.
Originally, Yi Xin and many important ministers were working together on how to deal with the Shu Kingdom and break free from the shackles of Bashu.
At this time, Cao Xiu, the great commander guarding the eastern front of Wei State, sent eight hundred miles of secret report.
Ask for a fight!
In the above table, the combat plan is stated in detail.
He also claimed that in one battle, Sun Wu would be defeated and plunged into a place of eternal doom!
However, Cao Xiu spent several months and frequently sent spies to the areas east of the Yangtze River to find out the news, and finally believed Sun Wu Pan Yang's governor Zhou Li's request to surrender.
At the beginning of this year, Zhou Yi proposed his advice to Sun Quan. After receiving his approval, he wrote seven letters to Cao Xiu.
The content is very sincere.
For example, the details of the surrender were explained in detail.
For example, the previous time Peng Qi raised troops, Sun Wu took a long time to negotiate, but the Wei army did not respond in time and missed the opportunity.
For example, analyze the location, strength, and attitude towards Sun Wu of the various clan commanders in the Poyang area and surrounding counties. Even ask the Wei State to send how many seals to use to bribe officials and generals, and how many seals are required for each level. All listed clearly.
As explained in detail, Sun Wu's garrison points in the Poyang area and the strength of each department.
However, this letter of surrender was not the reason for Cao Xiu to believe him.
After all, in the Battle of Chibi in the past, Wei Wu and Cao Cao believed Sun Wu and Huang Gai's fake surrender, which resulted in a great defeat. The whole country of Cao Wei dared not forget it.
However, his meticulous work in going to Jiangdong and the news he returned from inquiring about the situation confirmed Zhou Li's sincerity in surrendering.
This was because Sun Quan cooperated with Zhou Li's plan and deliberately sent envoys to Poyang to hold Zhou Li accountable and to find out whether Zhou Li had made any mistakes. As a result, Zhou Li was forced to cut off his hair and apologize to Sun Quan on his behalf.
The hair and skin of the body are received from parents and must not be damaged!
The prefect who served two thousand shi dignifiedly was forced to cut off his hair and commit such an unfilial act!
Cao Xiu couldn't help but sigh a few times when he heard this.
I finally felt that Zhou Li was sincere in his commitment.
Naturally, the pride of making achievements and serving the country is burning in the chest.
In other words, no one in Cao Wei looked forward to drinking in Jiangdong more than Cao Xiu!
Cao Xiu's eldest father once served as the prefect of Wu County; he lost his father when he was young and took his mother to seek refuge in Jiangdong.
Wujun is equivalent to his second hometown.
If he could drink from Mawu County, he would have a vague feeling of returning home in rich clothes.
When he fled to Jiangdong, the portrait of his eldest father was still hanging in the official office of the prefect of Wu County.
This also means that his eldest father was quite loved by the people of Wu Commandery.
It just so happened that Zhou Li was a native of Yangxian, Wu County.
On the other hand, since he was stationed in Jianghuai, all his battles have gone smoothly.
For example, he killed tens of thousands of enemies on the front line in Guangling; he fought across the Yangtze River several times and defeated many armies of Sun Wu in Wuhu, Beijing and other places. Last year, he even killed Wu generals, captured Wancheng, and recaptured Lujiang County!
Such achievements were never achieved by Cao Cao, the former Wei Dynasty Emperor, or Cao Pi, the Emperor Wen Dynasty.
In particular, Han Zong, a meritorious veteran of Sun Wu, came to surrender with Han Dang's old troops, which made Cao Xiu feel that his reputation had already intimidated people in Jiangdong.
Due to various factors, Cao Xiufang dared to speak conclusively as stated in the table above, claiming that one battle would put Sun Wu beyond redemption.
Because if it accepts Zhou Li's surrender, the Wei State can connect the Lujiang River and Poyang in a line, interrupting Sun Wu's east and west borders, making Jingzhou and Yangzhou unable to communicate with each other.
Cao Rui was also very moved by the results of such a battle.
However, there were three reasons that made him hesitate for a long time before he dared to make a conclusion.
First, the loss of Longyou forced the Wei State to invest a large amount of troops, manpower and material resources into Guanzhong and Liangzhou.
Secondly, when Cao Pi was in power, Sun Zi had made some remonstrances, claiming that Sun Wu was too anxious to succeed.
Thirdly, Cao Xiu led the army deep into enemy territory, which posed strategic risks.
Lying across the Lujiang River and between the two counties of Yuzhang is not only the Yangtze River, but also Penglize in the north and Poyang Lake in the south.
If Cao Xiu followed Cao Xiu's battle plan and went deep into Poyang to receive Zhou Li's surrender, his retreat would definitely be cut off by the Soochow navy coming from upstream and downstream.
A lesson can be learned from the past when the world was in turmoil, Liu Xun, the prefect of Lujiang.
He also once led an army across the river to occupy Yuzhang County, but his retreat was cut off by Sun Ce, and even his base, Lujiang County, was taken away.
Furthermore, Cao Xiu's capture of Lujiang County did not last long.
The best choice at the moment is to appease the common people in Lujiang County. After people's hearts are stabilized and the fortifications are repaired, we can then think about how to use Lujiang River as a bridgehead to march to Jiangdong.
However, like Cao Xiu, he could not resist the temptation that Sun Wu, Jingzhou and Yangzhou could not deal with.
In other words, he, who is only in his twenties, is more willing to take a gamble.
He accomplished feats that neither Cao Cao, the former Wei emperor, nor Cao Pi, the Wen emperor, could achieve.
Therefore, in order to cooperate with Cao Xiu's battle plan, he sent three armies to respond.
They were Sima Yi who was stationed in Wancheng and marched to Jiangling City where Wu Zhuran was stationed; former general Man Chong and his commander Wenpin attacked Xiakou; Jia Kui, the governor of Yuzhou, attacked Wu's Ruxuwu.
Only ten days after the edict was sent out, Cao Rui received Man Chong's letter.
Although Man Chong was from Yanzhou, he had been stationed on the Jianghuai battlefield for a long time.
Not only is he familiar with the terrain and environment of the Jianghuai River, but he also has a keen military sense.
After receiving the order asking him to lead the army on an expedition, he felt that he should not send troops to Jiangdong at this time.
One of the reasons is that at the beginning of this year, Wu generals Zhang Ying and Wang Chong led their troops to surrender to Wei. It was also mentioned that Wu was preparing for war urgently, and there was a fear that there would be military operations in Jiangbei.
On the other hand, he also asserted that Cao Xiu "though he knew the result, he still wanted to use troops."
This means that although Cao Xiu is smart and courageous, he has little experience in commanding large armies and easily underestimates the enemy and rushes forward.
Frankly speaking, if Cao Xiu were to advance, he would easily be cut off by the Wu army's "no strong mouth" in Shu County.
Because from the Jianghuai area where Hefei is located, to the valley where Wancheng is located, you must pass through Shu County, the old administrative center of Lujiang.
The Wu army coming from the direction of Ruxukou can go up the water from Shukou, break into Shuxian from Wuqiangkou, and then cut off Cao Xiu's retreat along the Dabie Mountains and Shuxian.
It has to be said that Man Chong's military strategy is among the best in the world.
After Cao Rui got on the table, he quickly summoned Jiang Ji, who was also familiar with the Jianghuai battlefield, to discuss.
Well, Cao Rui did not tell others about the real purpose of Cao Xiu's march, which was to prepare for Zhou Li's surrender.
Even the commanders Sima Yi, Man Chong and Jia Kui who cooperated in the battle have not been informed yet.
To act confidentially.
Just like when Lü Meng crossed the river in white clothes, only Lü Meng and Sun Quan knew the battle plan beforehand. Later, because Lu Xun's idea was consistent with the plan, and Lu Xun could be used to paralyze Guan Yu, Sun Quan allowed more people to know the plan. One person.
For this reason, Cao Xiu fell into the trap and there was no room for recovery.
As soon as Jiang Jifu heard about the battle plan, he declared that Cao Xiu would definitely suffer in this battle!
Because regardless of whether Zhou Fang's surrender was true or not, as long as Cao Xiu dared to cross the river and enter Poyang, Soochow's elite naval forces would definitely come from Jingzhou and Yangzhou to attack him and completely block his return.
Moreover, Jiang Ji also received intelligence from the front line that vetoed Zhou Fang's sincerity in surrender: Zhu Ran, who was guarding Jiangling City in the state of Wu, was sending troops to Anlu in Jiangxia County.
Cao Xiu commanded an army of hundreds of thousands and was about to send troops to Soochow. It was impossible to hide the news from Soochow.
Zhu Ran, who was the commander-in-chief of Wu State's front line, took the posture of attacking Jiangxia County at this time, which was obviously suspected of attacking from the east to the west.
Man Chong and Jiang Ji, who knew the Jianghuai battlefield well, actually disagreed!
After Cao Rui heard this, he was immediately shocked.
Not only did he completely extinguish his previous ambition to destroy Jiangdong, he also immediately sent someone to order Cao Xiu to stop his troops and return.
He also ordered Sima Yi to stop his advance and station a garrison on the spot to contain Zhu Ran's troops in the state of Wu. He ordered Man Chong not to rush to Xiakou, Jiangxia, but to lead the army together with Jia Kui to Ruxukou to receive Cao Xiu's return.
However, counting the time it took for the edicts to go back and forth, it was already too late.
Cao Xiu, as the Grand Sima and the supreme commander of Wei's military, had arbitrary power.
Moreover, he once commanded the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and his most commonly used tactic was to defeat the enemy with lightning speed.
For example, the Battle of Wudu in the past.
In order to wait for Sun Wu to react, as soon as he received Cao Rui's edict, he did not wait for Sima Yi, Man Chong and Jia Kui to coordinate their troops, and took the lead in leading the army across the Wuqiang Pass in Shu County.
In other words, Cao Xiu had already entered the ambush site carefully arranged by Sun Wu.
The only lucky one is Jia Kui, the commander-in-chief of the other side of the army, who has always been enterprising.
Jia Kui was from Bingzhou.
When Cao Cao collapsed in the Wei Dynasty, he successfully resolved the Qingzhou soldiers incident and helped Cao Pi successfully ascend to the throne, so he was reused.
During the period with Cao Pi, he successively served as the magistrate of Yecheng, the prefect of Wei County, and the governor of Yuzhou.
Yecheng in Wei County, Xuchang County and Qiao County in Yuzhou were all the accompanying capitals of Wei State after it established its capital at Luoyang. From where Jia Kui served, we can see that Cao Pi had an extraordinary level of trust in him.
After Cao Rui ascended the throne, Jia Kui wrote a letter, hoping to open a straight road along the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains, through Wei's Lujiang County, and connect the north of the Yangtze River. The reason was that once there was a war between Wei and Wu, Yuzhou's soldiers and horses could quickly enter the battlefield. reinforce.
Cao Rui greatly appreciated this.
This is also the reason why he asked Jia Kui to lead Yuzhou soldiers and horses to attack Ruxuwu.
Jia Kui marched along the straight road, and his march was also very fast.
Before receiving any changes to Cao Rui's edict, he had already vaguely understood that Sun Wu was plotting.
When he led his army to Ruxuwu, he found that the defending Wu army was very sparse.
Ruxuwu is the defensive fulcrum of Soochow on the Jianghuai battlefield. If it is occupied by the Wei State, Chaohu will be completely occupied by the Wei State. We can attack Ruxukou, the vital gate of Sunwu River in one go!
Due to emotions and reasons, it is impossible for Sun Wu to be lax in defense and empty of troops.
Such an unreasonable phenomenon can only be explained by one situation: Soochow must have gathered a large army to attack, and then the defenders of Ruxuwu could be transferred away.
Based on the route that Cao Xiu is currently marching on, it is not difficult to guess where Sun Wu has dispatched his troops.
Therefore, Jia Kui immediately gave up the attack on Ruxuwu and turned his army towards Wancheng to prepare to meet Cao Xiu.
But Cao Xiu, who had no strong mouth after crossing Shu County, had already marched to Wancheng!
Even Sun Li, the prefect of Langya who accompanied the army, warned him more than once not to go deep alone.
However, Cao Xiu, who was very proud of having captured Lujiang County last year, did not listen. He claimed that he was coming with a hundred thousand cavalry. Even if Soochow was really prepared, there was no need to be afraid!
At this time, it happens to be autumn and August.
This is also the time when the water levels of the river and its tributaries are at their highest.
The large ships of Soochow can reach Anhui City from Wankou unimpeded.
Moreover, just like Prime Minister Zhuge Liang used all the country's troops to march out of Longyou at the beginning of the year, Sun Quan also gambled on the fate of the country.
The troops mobilized this time were different from the previous "One Hundred Thousand Army" with only four or five soldiers. They actually reached one hundred thousand!
In addition to leaving more than 10,000 soldiers to guard the south bank of the river to prevent those with evil intentions from taking advantage of the opportunity, Sun Quan allocated all 90,000 troops to Lu Xun.
Of course.
Sun Quan worshiped Lu Xun as the Commander-in-Chief, and assumed the role of Huang Yue, with full authority to supervise and coordinate the battle.
Sitting at the rear, he even personally held the whip and led the horse for Lu Xun to show his strength.
Let Ruxu be the governor of Zhu Huan, and the prefect of Jiujiang Quan Cong be the governor of the left and right.
Lu Xun, Zhu Huan and Quan Cong all came from wealthy families in Jiangdong.
When the Wei State was implementing the Nine-Rank Zhongzheng system, if the army rebelled before the battle, or if they returned from defeating Cao Xiu, they would have other thoughts.
Jiangdong will no longer have the surname Sun!
It must be said that the great courage shown by Sun Quan's arrangement is worthy of Sun Ce's words before his death: "Gather the people from Jiangdong to decide the opportunity between the two Chens, compete with the world, you are not as good as me; appoint talents, everyone
Do your best to protect Jiangdong, I don’t know what you said.”
Cao Xiu, who marched to Wancheng, was vaguely alert to something fishy.
He came with 100,000 soldiers and horses. It was impossible for Sun Wu not to detect any clues, but there was no movement.
Therefore, he was going to march to Penglize, so he took advantage of the opportunity to rest and recuperate in Wancheng.
He dared to wait and rest because he was no stranger to this place.
The last time he captured the entire Lujiang County, he had already led his army to attack Xunyang County to the west of Pengli Ze.
However, once he stopped his advance, he ran into trouble.
The terrain from Shuxian to Wancheng was densely covered with hills and lakes, and the space for marching along the road was squeezed by the Dabie Mountains. One hundred thousand cavalry could not march in several routes as they could in the plains.
When the front army stopped, the rear army was blocked by heavy baggage, so that the head and tail could not see each other.
At this time, the army of the State of Wu, who was waiting for work, entered the mouth of Anhui along the river and came along the Wanshui River, a tributary of the swollen water.
Lu Xun was in the center, with Zhu Huan and Quan Zong as the left and right armies. Each led an army of 30,000, and launched a sudden attack on the Wei army.
Cao Xiu was caught off guard and was defeated as expected.
He then led his troops to retreat to Shiting in the northeast of Wancheng to camp, preparing to stabilize their position before retreating in an orderly manner.
However, Wu Jun took advantage of the situation and launched a night attack. The Wei army, which was already frightened, was completely routed by the Xiaoying camp.
Cao Xiu had no choice but to abandon his baggage, grain and grass, etc., and return all the way to Xiashi in the north of Wuqiangkou in Shu County.
Among them, before the war, Zhu Huan once suggested to Sun Quan that he should lead the army to cut off Cao Xiu's retreat.
In Zhu Huan's opinion, Cao Xiu only gained the throne because of his status as a member of the Cao Wei clan and not as a commander, so he was bound to lose the battle. He wanted to lead his 30,000 troops and cut off his retreat through Wuqiang in Shu County, so as to achieve full success.
.If 100,000 Wei troops are wiped out in this battle and all the land in Huainan is captured, we can take advantage of the victory over Xuchang and Luoyang in the north to secure the Central Plains!
However, it's a pity.
After discussing with Lu Xun, Sun Quan rejected this plan.
One of the reasons is that Zhu Huan's strategy was based on the premise that Cao Xiu must be defeated.
Cao Xiu came with 100,000 infantry and cavalry, and his force was even greater than that of Sun Wu. It was not easy to defeat him. Moreover, the battlefield was changing rapidly, so for the sake of caution, all troops should be gathered to attack.
The other is the elite navy of Wu Kingdom.
If they were defeated here, it would be too late to use boats to sail across the river to Shu County without a strong point and cut off their return route.
But Sun Quan and Lu Xun did not expect that Cao Xiu would be defeated so completely.
Unexpectedly, because the soldiers roared at the camp, all the food and supplies were abandoned.
In other words, if Zhu Huan followed Zhu Huan's strategy and used 30,000 troops to hold Shuxian without a stronghold and block Cao Xiu's road back to Hefei, the Wei army would only need two or three days to repeat the Battle of Guandu without food or fodder.
It was a grand occasion when Yuan Jun’s tens of thousands of soldiers surrendered because their grain and fodder were burned!
Therefore, after the great victory at Shiting, the State of Wu sent troops to Shu County without a strong mouth.
Just at this time, Jia Kui also led the army.
Although there were few troops, they also seized the Xiashi Road in the north of Wuqiangkou and confronted the Wu army from the south to the north.
They also put up multiple flags at the mountain pass, allowing the Wei navy ships living in the nest to move westward across Chao Lake, pretending that the Wei army was coming to help.
When Wu Guo saw this, he actually believed it.
After a great victory at Shiting and a large number of prisoners captured, they stopped their troops and left.
Therefore, Cao Xiu was able to escape.
However, after he returned from defeat, he wrote a letter to plead guilty, but he died of carbuncle not long after.
The Battle of Shiting not only killed more than half of the troops of Wei Guoqing, Xu and Yang, but also consumed all the food, fodder and baggage accumulated over the years.
For the Wei State, this defeat was no less than the Battle of Chibi.
Without ten or twenty years of self-cultivation and recuperation, one will never be able to regain his vitality.
It also caused the offensive and defensive reversal on the eastern front of Wei and Wu.
