On the sixth day of the lunar month, the second day after Zhou Tai was captured, Zhou Yu received news that Wuxian County had been lost.
Shocked, he could only quickly shrink his troops and evacuate to the rear.
There was heavy rain in the Huainan area during this time, which prevented Sun Ce from keeping up with most of his supplies and preventing him from quickly gathering for the decisive battle.
Weather problems were also a common problem that plagued ancient wars, especially in the Yellow River, Huaihe, and Yangtze River basins.
Due to flood season, rainy season, geographical location and other reasons, the weather conditions are also different.
For example, the flood season in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River is usually from March to June, because the snow mountains in the upper reaches of the Yellow River melt during the spring and summer, causing the river water in the lower reaches to surge.
The flood season of the Huaihe Yangtze River is from May to October. Because the temperature on the southeastern coast is high in summer and autumn, the water vapor evaporates and is blown to the southeastern coast by the monsoon, forming heavy rains and causing flood tides.
From this point of view, Chen Mu drove Cao Cao to the Huaibei area in June and July, probably taking advantage of this to delay Liu Biao and Sun Ce's assistance.
Affected by weather factors, Sun Ce's main force failed to keep up. Even if Zhou Yu wanted to compete with Chen Mu, he did not have the strength.
By mid-September, Sun Ce finally made his way north to Fuli County, Pei State, which was seven or eight days later than originally planned.
You must know that the two sides are actually not far apart. Chen Mu's Wu County is located northeast of Huaibei City in later generations, and Sun Ce's main force is in the area of Bengbu City in later generations. The two sides are only separated by more than 100 kilometers.
As the vast Huaibei Plain, these places are not as mountainous as Guangxi and Sichuan. The roads are very early and the journey of two or three days actually takes seven or eight days.
This shows how much influence the weather has on the war.
Fortunately, despite the unstable weather, Sun Ce arrived at the scheduled battlefield after Cao Cao was eliminated, with the Sui River as the boundary between the two sides.
The imperial army, with Liu Bei as the main force, was located in Xiangxian County, north of the Sui River, with Chen Mu as the partial force, located in Shiqiu, about 40 kilometers southeast of Xiangxian County.
The main force of Cao Cao was hoarded in the northwest of Zhuyi, south of the Sui River, which was later known as Suixi County in Huaibei City.
Sun Ce's main force was at Fuli, east of Zhuyi.
These places are actually Xuzhou and Huaibei. In addition to being one of the main battlefields of the conflict between Chu and Han, they are also classic areas where "the advantage is mine".
At the same time, during the Anti-Japanese War in later generations, the main battlefield of the large-scale Xuzhou Battle also took place in this place.
Not only due to the terrain, but more importantly, Huaibei is the gateway to Yangzhou. If it was occupied by the imperial court, Sun Ce was worried that the imperial court would march straight in and attack Jiangdong.
Therefore, he did not dare to take risks and had to go north to fight the imperial court in the Xuzhou area.
The autumn wind is bleak.
The waves of the Sui River are rolling and surging.
In Sun Ce's general's tent, there were all generals, big and small.
In addition to the forces recruited by Jiang Qindong who attacked Xu Sheng, Lu Fan Lingcao and other places such as Yuzhou, Huaibei, Yangzhou and other places.
Huang Gai, Han Dang, Cheng Pu, Zu Mao, Zhu Zhi and others left to him by his father Sun Jian were also among them.
There are more than 20 generals, big and small, plus Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lu Yi, etc., and there is a wealth of talents.
Although he lost Zhou Tai, Sun Ce was still high-spirited, holding a letter in his hand and saying: "Everyone, Liu Biao's army has also moved north, and now the imperial court has no military advantage."
Zhou Yu pondered: "Although our number of soldiers and horses is already equal to that of the imperial court, the imperial court's strength cannot be underestimated. We must defeat the enemy as soon as possible in this battle."
Sun Ce glanced around and asked, "What do you think we should do to defeat the enemy?"
Zhou Yu said: "We must break all the way and then the whole army to break the surface."
"What does Gong Jin mean?"
Sun Ce looked over.
Zhou Yu pointed to the map of Huaibei in their hands and said: "Bo Fu, please see, our army is blocking the army led by Chen Mu in Fuli. His army has about 30,000 soldiers and horses, while our army has 40,000. In terms of strength,
We are at an advantage above, and if we can defeat it, we can quickly cross the river, attack Xiangxian County, cooperate with Cao Cao and Liu Biao, and then defeat Liu Bei."
Sun Ce thought: "You want Liu Biao and Cao Cao to confront Liu Bei's main army head-on, and then wait for us to defeat the imperial court's partial army, and then use ourselves as the partial army to join the main force and form a two-sided flank against the imperial court's main army."
Potential?"
"Exactly."
Zhou Yu nodded. This is the best tactic to win this war. I believe the imperial court thought so too.
Because the imperial court had a military advantage over Cao Cao at the beginning, it assembled the main force on one route to contain Cao Cao's main force, and then detoured on the other two routes to defeat Cao Cao.
Although it is said that if you are poor, you will have tactical interposition, and if you are good, you will be covered by artillery fire. However, tactical interposition and detours are originally a traditional skill of the ancestors. In ancient marches and battles, in addition to the main force, there were often partial divisions used for surprise attacks.
Now that the main forces of Sun Ce and Liu Biao have arrived in Huaibei, Liu Biao has 40,000 troops, Sun Ce has 40,000 troops, and Cao Cao has more than 30,000 troops. Their total combined force is close to 120,000 troops.
At the imperial court, Liu Bei was surrounded by 80,000 people, and Chen Mu was surrounded by more than 30,000 people. At least on the surface, the strength ratio between the two sides on the front battlefield was close to 1:1, almost equal.
However, this does not include the statistics of Xuzhou Zang Ba's troops and Cai Yang's troops. In addition, Chen Mu also transferred the naval forces of Huang Zhong and Tai Shici.
This resulted in an absolute strength advantage that was supposed to be 150,000 to 60,000 men. At this time, there was actually a deviation, with some men missing.
Lu Yi's eyes quickly scanned the map, and he thought thoughtfully: "This strategy is correct, but the governor made a mistake."
"You mean Xuzhou?"
Zhou Yu guessed what Lu Yi wanted to say, pointed to the map and said: "There are tens of thousands of imperial soldiers and horses in Xuzhou, but they can't come to support so quickly. They must take a detour to Xiapi and approach Fuli over caution. So I think
, we have to move quickly."
"no."
Lu Yi shook his head: "The soldiers and horses in Xuzhou are indeed a problem, but it is not the main problem."
"Bo Yan, tell me your opinion."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Sun Ce turned his attention to Lu Yi who was standing aside.
Since the last Lu meeting proposed the strategy of taking Jiangdong first and establishing a foothold, his status in Sun Ce's army has skyrocketed.
Although Zhou Yu and Lu Su are not fools, they have already guessed that the consequence of this strategy is to sell Cao Cao completely, making it easier for the court to deal with Cao Cao.
But everyone is self-interested. As the saying goes, a dead Taoist friend will not die a poor Taoist. I occupy the east of the Yangtze River and have the natural dangers of the Yangtze River. I am separatist. Why should I join you and Cao Cao in Henan to resist the pressure from the imperial court head-on?
So to a certain extent, Sun Ce's departure from Henan is bad news for Cao Cao. But for Sun Ce Group, it is a matter of greater benefit.
In this way, Sun Ce gained a stable territory in Jiangdong, and the imperial court saw the empty strength of Henan, and a world where only Cao Cao was injured was formed.
It's just that although the dead Taoist friend is not dead, Sun Ce doesn't dare to watch Cao Cao die, so he still has to come to help. After hearing Sun Ce's words, Lu Yi first slightly bowed his hand to Sun Ce, and then said: "General, Commander Luo
The calculated move is actually our allies Cao Cao and Liu Biao."
Being reminded by Lu Yiyi, Zhou Yu suddenly realized: "That's right, I only focus on the enemy, but forget what my allies think."
Sun Ce wondered: "What can they think?"
Lu Yi laughed and said: "Cao Cao's morale is low due to his new defeat. Although Liu Biao has many soldiers and horses, they are stronger than the navy but weaker than the army. Letting their soldiers and horses collide with the powerful imperial court is tantamount to seeking death.
"
"this......"
Sun Ce suddenly frowned. When Lu Yi said this, he suddenly felt that if he really followed Zhou Yu's strategy, the situation would definitely be very bad.
Generally speaking, the main force is against the main force, and the partial division is against the partial division. The battlefield situation is largely driven by the partial division.
Because the main forces of both sides are not much different in strength, it is difficult to determine the winner in a short period of time. Therefore, if another new force joins, the battlefield situation will be unbalanced.
It's like two people wrestling with each other, their strength is about the same, and it's hard to tell who is better. Suddenly, another hand adds strength to one of them, which will cause the balance to lose.
The most typical examples are the Battle of Guandu and the Battle of Waterloo. Cao Cao used a partial force to surprise Guandu, which depleted Yuan Shao's food and grass and thus lost his combat capability. Blücher arrived a few hours earlier than Grouchy, which ultimately led to Napoleon's defeat.
.
Therefore, in terms of the tactical layout of the two sides, Liu Bei and Cao Cao and Liu Biao were locked in a stalemate in the Zhuyi area of Xiang County. Under normal circumstances, they would definitely have to wait for Sun Ce and Chen Mu to decide the winner, and see who could support them faster to win.
But the problem is that it seems that the number of the main forces of Liu Bei and Cao Cao and Liu Biao is about the same, but the morale and combat effectiveness of the soldiers are completely unequal. In other words, the situation between the two sides is actually not balanced.
Then the idea of this war deviated from Zhou Yu's original plan, which was to defeat Chen Mu first, and then transfer to support Cao Cao and Liu Biao. The idea of outflanking Liu Bei on both sides would be ineffective.
Because the premise of the original plan was that Cao Cao and Liu Biao could withstand Liu Bei's attack. If he couldn't, then what the hell?
Even if you defeat Chen Mu here, and the Cao and Liu coalition forces are forced over there, Sun Ce will face the main force of the imperial court, and it is basically impossible to win.
After hearing what Lu Yi said, Zhou Yu said thoughtfully: "It's true that I didn't think carefully."
Sun Ce hurriedly asked: "What should we do?"
Lu Yi thought for a while and said: "We still need to discuss this matter with Cao Cao and Liu Biao to discuss in detail how to fight and determine an equation. Otherwise, we will think about how to fight here, and they will think about how to fight over there.
If there is no leadership, if the command is chaotic, you will definitely be defeated."
Lu Su on the side sighed: "This is the disadvantage of the alliance. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the six kingdoms attacked Qin, but the command was not unified and they were defeated by Qin. Today, the eighteen princes are attacking Dong, and the princes in Guandong have their own thoughts.
give up halfway."
"Just taking this opportunity, maybe we can coordinate the armies of Liu Biao and Cao Cao and command them to fight together. Bo Fu, I suggest that we invite them to join an alliance and determine the alliance leader relationship."
Zhou Yu's eyes flashed. If Sun Ce can be appointed as the leader of the alliance, unified dispatch will definitely not be a problem. Moreover, he can also take the opportunity to weaken the strength of Cao Cao and Liu Biao, killing two birds with one stone.
"This is a good idea."
"We are the strongest and should indeed be the alliance leader."
"Ming Gong, just follow Gong Jin's words."
When everyone heard Zhou Yu's proposal, many generals also agreed.
After all, if Sun Ce can become the leader of the alliance, it will bring a lot of benefits to them.
Sun Ce said: "In that case, I will send a letter to Cao Cao and Liu Biao, inviting them to form an alliance to discuss strategies to retreat from the enemy. Where do you think it would be better to place the alliance?"
"Zi County."
Lu Su said: "It is located in the middle area between Zhuyi and Fuli, very close to each other."
"good!"
Sun Ce nodded and immediately sent a letter to deliver it.
In fact, Sun, Cao and Liu were not far away at this time. Cao Cao and Sun Ce were the closest. One was about ten kilometers northwest of Suzhou City in later generations, and the other was about twenty kilometers northeast of Suzhou City. The distance between them was only about thirty kilometers.
Many kilometers.
Qi County is located to the west of the urban area of Suzhou City in later generations. In the ancient Spring and Autumn Period, Su State existed here, so later generations called this place Su. It is surrounded by Zhuyi, Fuli, Qi County, and Qi County surrounding Suzhou City.
Liu Biao's army was located a little further away, in the Shansang County area of Runan, more than 100 kilometers away from them. The leading general was Liu Biao's nephew Zhang Yun.
After receiving Sun Ce's letter, Cao Cao summoned Guo Jiacheng, Cheng Yuxi Zhicai and others to discuss.
Inside the main tent of Cao Jun.
After reading the letter, Guo Jia said: "This must be Sun Ce's intention to be the leader of the alliance and command and dispatch our army's food and fodder."
Cao Cao frowned and said, "I think so too, Sun Ce really knows how to find opportunities."
Guo Jia shook his head and said: "This kid is very cunning. It seems that he left behind his huge Yuzhou foundation and ran to Jiangdong, but he avoided the biggest threat and made the court focus on us."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Is there a way to get rid of the shackles?"
Cao Cao asked.
Cheng Yu and Guo Jia, both dramatists, fell silent.
It's not that they are not smart enough, it's that this problem is a dead end.
If it were before, Sun Ce wanted to be the leader of the alliance?
dream.
Cao Cao and Sun Jian are of the same generation, and you, Sun Ce, are just a junior, but you also want to be the leader of the alliance?
But what now?
A phoenix in distress is worse than a chicken.
Cao Cao was severely defeated by the imperial court and lost many men. He needed Sun Ce's help to hope to regain Henan and regroup.
So now that Cao Cao wanted something from Sun Ce, he didn't dare to offend him. Sun Ce was taking advantage of others' danger.
So can Liu Biao's army be the leader of the alliance?
Even more impossible.
First, there is an unequal status, and second, Liu Biao is the weakest. Why should he be the leader of the alliance?
The person Liu Biao sent was Zhang Yun. Sun Cao was a prince and had the same status as Liu Biao. How could it be possible that Liu Biao's subordinates would become Sun Cao's allies in the future?
Therefore, only Sun Cao can shoulder this responsibility for the unified coordination of the alliance this time.
But it's a pity that Cao Cao has been controlled by Sun Ce at this time...
Seeing that none of the three counselors had any good ideas, Cao Cao could only sigh and said: "Oh, if we don't make an alliance and fight on our own, we will be defeated by the court one by one. If we make an alliance, we have to listen to Sun Ce's command."
, it’s so frustrating!”
Guo Jia advised: "Ming Gong, Xunzi said: "A gentleman's body can be big or small, and a husband's ambition can be bent or stretched." If you want to realize your lofty ambitions, you can't stick to the present. If Han Xin couldn't bear the humiliation of his crotch, how could he do it?
The Han Dynasty has thousands of miles of land? Ming Gong will be patient with this matter for the time being. When Henan is recaptured, the land of Yanzhou and Yuzhou may not be able to make a comeback!"
"Then so be it."
Cao Cao had no choice but to say: "Reply a letter to Sun Ce, and we will meet at Zhi County in three days!"