Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 834 Don't be fooled by each other
Su Chen cleverly used the water of the Huai River and the branches of the Qinling Mountains to form a natural barrier, forcing the Song army's southward advance to stop on the north bank of the Huai River and station troops there.

The Song Dynasty's central army heading south was led by Cao Bin, who had 100,000 elite imperial guards under his command and had strong combat effectiveness. The two deputy generals Han Lingkun and Liu Shouzhong followed closely behind him, leading the left and right armies respectively, forming a powerful lineup.

After setting up camp, Cao Bin immediately summoned his generals to discuss major plans, as he already had the latest military intelligence from spies.

"According to the spy's pigeon letter, Xuyi City is hanging by a thread and is in danger. If our army can move as fast as lightning and cross the river to fight, we may be able to save Xuyi from danger at the last moment. However..."

Cao Bin frowned and said in a heavy tone: "This move may also fall into the Wu army's trick of 'siege the city and attack the reinforcements'. When our army is halfway across the river, they will attack us. At that time, our 100,000-man army may be doomed to rescue an isolated city."

His words revealed deep worries, because he was well versed in military books and the subtleties of military tactics. Cao Bin had already realized that the Wu army's siege but not attacking Xuyi was actually a clever chess game, intended to induce the Song army to be anxious and rashly cross the river. Once they acted rashly, they would be ambushed. At that time, the losses of the Song army would be incalculable, and it might even rewrite the situation of the war.

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the tent suddenly became solemn, and all the generals fell silent, knowing that this decision was of great importance and concerned the rise and fall of the country and the life and death of the soldiers.

"Marshal Cao's words are indeed powerful. The Wu army's plan is extremely cunning. We must nip it in the bud!" Han Lingkun nodded in agreement, his expression solemn.

However, a general in the tent still had a look of reluctance between his brows. He stepped forward and said earnestly: "Marshal, are we really going to stand by and watch, let Xuyi City turn into ashes, and hand over the fertile land of Huainan to the Wu army? This feeling is really hard to calm down!"

Cao Bin heard this, his eyes were deep, as if he could see through the situation on the battlefield: "Marching and deploying troops is no child's play. The gains and losses of a city or a pond are just insignificant on the chessboard. The real competition lies in the overall planning and the exquisite strategic layout. Sometimes, in order to achieve great things, you need to give up small gains, or exchange pieces for advantages, or cut off your own arms to survive. This is the true meaning of the art of war."

He paused and continued, "This is the current situation. Although Xuyi is important, if we rescue it blindly, we will fall into the trap of the Wu army. Not only will there be no hope of saving the city, but it may also affect the overall situation. The Wu army has been planning for a long time. The loss of Huainan was caused by their lightning speed. Our army has just arrived, so it is not appropriate to confront them head-on. We should judge the situation, find their flaws, and kill them with one blow."

These remarks, every word is a pearl, fully demonstrate Cao Bin's military talent and wisdom. The reason why he became a famous general in the Northern Song Dynasty was not luck, but because he had his own ideas and talents.

"Marshal Cao, what should we do next?" The generals were full of doubts. If they did not support Xuyi and take back Huainan, would they just sit and wait for the Wu army to cross the river and attack?
Cao Bin's eyes were like torches. He slowly scanned the crowd and said in a deep voice, "The Wu army is heading north this time with a large force. Their goal is not to occupy the corner of Huainan, but to occupy the heart of the Central Plains. Instead of risking crossing the river, we should lay a net in the north of the Huai River, lure the enemy deep into our territory, and wait for them to tire themselves out. This is the way to win. Although Su Chen led his troops north, his ambitions are too great to be satisfied by the seven states of Huainan. We should build a copper wall and iron fortress on the Huai River, and at the same time set up ambushes at the key points of Jiangbei. Once the Wu army crosses the Huai River, it will be their death."

After this statement was made, although some radical generals were dissatisfied and thought that this method was a bit conservative, Cao Bin's prestige in the army was at its peak. As the commander-in-chief, no one dared to question his decision easily. Although everyone had objections, they also knew that Cao Bin was a master in military tactics and had a brilliant record in the past. So they all accepted the order silently, dispersed, and began to prepare for the opportunity to fight.

.........

Pan Mei commanded the army to attack Xuyi City, but he did not use his full strength. In fact, his strategic goal was to give the northern Song army a chance to rush to the rescue, so that he could set up an ambush around Xuyi City, cut off the retreat, and catch all the Song army crossing the river.

However, Pan Mei's plan was discovered by Cao Bin, who chose to play it safe and wait for the Wu army to cross the river. Pan Mei reported through spies that the Song army on the other side of the Huai River did not organize warships to prepare for crossing the river, but dug trenches and set up defense lines to block the Wu army from going north. Pan Mei realized that his strategic intentions had been discovered by the other side.

"Cao Bin, I never thought that I could not hide my plan from you. You are indeed my colleague and close friend!"

Pan Mei and Cao Bin had a very good relationship and had worked together for many years. Each of them had outstanding military achievements and were equally matched. They were very familiar with each other's strategic means.

"In that case, I won't hide it anymore."

Pan Mei immediately gave the order and the army launched a fierce attack, using all kinds of crossbows and catapults. After three days of attack, the city of Xuyi was broken and the Wu army occupied the city. Together with Lin Renzhao's capture of Chuzhou, the Wu army completely controlled the seven states south of the Huai River.

The next problem they faced was how to cross the Huai River, because there were camps every ten miles on the other side.

Su Chen is promoting a new policy in the Huainan area, covering many cities and counties. He exempted Huainan from taxes for three years, which immediately brought the people of Huainan closer to him. A hundred thousand conscripted soldiers also gathered one after another, becoming a new force.

One day, Su Chen led his troops back to the camp outside Xuyi City. Pan Mei met Su Chen here and told him about the current battle situation.

"Cao Bin did not join the game. He was very clear-headed, so he dug trenches and set up defense lines in Jiangbei, and was still looking for places to ambush. He was a strong opponent!" Pan Mei explained.

Su Chen learned from historical books that Pan Mei and Cao Bin were famous generals during the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty. Now the two were at loggerheads and had become each other's most feared opponents.

"That's all right! General Pan, I'll leave you a hundred thousand troops to train here and prepare for the battle across the river. Then I'll dispatch some of our elite troops to attack from the east. We don't have to go here. Once we enter the Huaibei area, we'll join forces with General Lin Renzhao to first destroy the Song army sent to the east, and then attack from the side to deal with Cao Bin's troops. This way we can avoid the heavy and attack the light, and deal with it cleverly!"

Su Chen spoke very bluntly. He now realized that directly crossing the river to fight Cao Bin might not work and would not gain much advantage. Therefore, Su Chen planned to leave Pan Mei to fight against Cao Bin. The two of them confronted each other, and neither could defeat the other, but were both delayed.

In this way, if Su Chen takes a group of elite troops and suddenly joins the Eastern Army, he will catch the Song Army off guard, which can be regarded as a surprise victory.

After listening to this, Pan Mei nodded, thinking that this was a good offensive strategy!