Overlord!

When Cao Cao and Liu Bei launched an offensive against Yuan Shu, the Jiangdong army finally moved to their respective directions and began the Northern Expedition!
The Jiangdong navy returned to the Yangtze River from along the Huaihe River in April, and the main force of Jiankang's army went directly to Chaohu Lake by boat!

This marching route is really convenient for Jiangnan!After hundreds of miles, the navy marched straight in. The Jiangdong army marched by boat. There was no trouble of arduous march and no heavy burden of food and grass. The army only took six days to reach Chaohu!
The lower part of Chaohu Lake is Ruxushui, and the upper part is Shishui.

Ruxiu is connected to the Yangtze River underwater, and fertilizer is applied on the water.

That's why there is a saying that Chaohu is a place where soldiers have been used in ancient and modern times.Here, the Yangtze River can be intercepted in the south, and Hefei, the "right throat of Huaihe River", can be controlled in the north.

Sun Ce stood on the deck of a building boat that cut through the wind and waves, blowing the oncoming spring breeze, with flags fluttering behind him and surrounded by iron armor, he felt full of vigor and ambition.

He smiled and said to Jia Xu beside him: "Chaohu is such a battleground for military strategists, Yuan Jun actually abandoned it. He didn't send troops to defend Ruxu, and he didn't set up embankments to block our navy, so our army drove straight into Chaohu. Completely worry-free. Yuan Shu can be said to be ignorant of soldiers, the general situation is gone!"

This is definitely the result of Yuan Shu's intervention, otherwise no qualified general would be able to abandon Ruxu and let the Jiangdong Navy go straight into Chao Lake. From then on, the sky is high and the sea is wide, and it can march in any direction at will.It was almost like a sharp knife was inserted directly into the chest.

Jia Xu had just arrived in Jiankang recently, only a few days earlier than the navy. He still has some difficulty understanding why Marquis Wu would ask the court for a Xiliang native from the court at all costs.

One of them was born in Wuwei, Xiliang, and the other was born in Wujun, Yangzhou. On one side, the sky tilts to the northwest, and on the other side, the earth sinks to the southeast. They are thousands of miles apart in mythology, so it is really difficult for them to have any intersection.

However, Jia Xu is a smart man, and he knows very well that the more unusual the situation is, the safer he will be. Marquis Wu cannot go to all the trouble to come to help him and harm him at the same time.

However, his nature is gloomy, unlike the bright and handsome talents in Jiangdong. After hearing Sun Ce's words, he only said briefly: "Yuan Shu was defeated by the general last year, and he was defeated by Cao Cao this year. Within one year, he lost all his troops." Fifty thousand, ten generals, it is common sense to be frightened. After repeated battles and repeated defeats, I dare not order generals to lead troops into battle again, I just want to defend to the death."

Sun Ce couldn't help smiling, and couldn't help expressing his emotion for Yuan Shu, how did Yuan Gonglu fall to such a state?
Then Sun Ce looked at the scenery of Chaohu Lake and said: "Four years ago, a lonely boy led thousands of soldiers to the shore of Chaohu Lake to create an army and build a business. , There is no captive in the war. Therefore, the rebels are subdued and Jiangwai is settled, and the royals are handsome, and those who are on the same side are attached to each other, and those who are equal to the contract are gathered together. Today, the Northern Expedition to Zhuhua, punishing and hoeing Qianji, with more than [-] boats and vehicles The crowd, the gangsters are staring sideways, rebellious and terrified. You know, what is the reason for being alone in today's situation?"

Life really flies by.

In the blink of an eye, Sun Ce has been in the army for nearly four years. In the winter of 194, Sun Ce was on the edge of Chaohu Lake, panicked like a bereaved dog.But now at the turn of spring and summer in 197, when I went to Chaohu again, I was already under my command thousands of times, with neat uniforms, banners and banners, and a mighty sailor.

Of course, the turbulence of the situation in the late Han Dynasty during the four years was also dizzying.Cao Cao was still attacking Xuzhou four years ago, but in the past four years, he has experienced the rebellion of Yanzhou, expelled Lu Bu, used people as his own, robbed tombs with gold, recaptured Yanzhou, defeated Jing and Henan, and even took time to fight the two emperors.

In the north four years ago, Gongsun Zan had the three states of You, Ji, and Qing. He had strong soldiers and horses, and was the lord of the world. He said that the world could be determined by his command. But now he is just hanging on, struggling to fight against the trapped beasts.On the contrary, his opponent Yuan Shao started to push back from the time when only half of Jizhou was left, and now he is almost sweeping Hebei. He was appointed by the emperor to unite the four states of Ji, Qing, You, and the military.The army is so powerful that it is likely to sweep the world.

Jia Xu cupped his hands and said: "Now the country is in turmoil, the prefectures and counties are late, Jian'an is at the age of Jian'an, Yuan Shu is in Shouchun, and Yuan Shao is in Yetu; Liu Biao occupies Jingzhou, Lu Bu devours Xu County, thieves are swarming, treacherous eagles are prowling, The general can sweep away Liuhe, unify Yangzhou, all surnames fall in love with each other, and the four sides look up to virtue: it is not taken by power, it is the destiny of heaven."

It is an exaggeration to say that Yangzhou is unified.

Among the six counties of Yangzhou in the Han Dynasty, Sun Ce only won four counties of Yuzhang, Danyang, Wujun, and Kuaiji.Although he newly established four counties of Wuxing, Linhuai, Poyang, and Luling, plus half of Guangling, in the eyes of outsiders, Sun Ce, the Yangzhou shepherd, is obviously not worthy of his name. There are only less than five counties, even Yangzhou is the richest. The two counties of Jiujiang and Lujiang were not taken down, and they are still in Yuan Shu's hands.

But the last sentence Jia Xu said was completely true.Sun Ce was able to sail the Northern Expedition with a fleet of [-] men and a mighty army. The most important thing is that the people of all surnames fall in love with each other, and the four sides look up to virtue, which is the destiny of heaven!
The so-called those who win the hearts of the people win the world. Under Sun Ce's governance, Jiangdong County is peaceful, the people live in peace, the warehouses are abundant, and the waste is prosperous.

Whether it is agricultural output, abundant grain harvests, prosperous industry and commerce, and rich silver and silk, they all provided Sun Ce with a large amount of capital for the Northern Expedition.

Nowadays, the world is full of wars and smoldering wars. The princes expropriate violently and do not practice moral government. Only Jiangdong is governed.It's like a situation where the world is undecided and Wu first decided.

This caused not only the heroes from the north to go south one after another, but also the heroes from the east of the Yangtze River to work hard to clear up the troubled times.

This is why Jiangdong is so full of talents. Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Gan Ning, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Huang Zhong, etc. all saw Jiangdong's atmosphere different from the troubled times, so they came back with admiration.

Now Liu Ye, Xu Yi, He Kui, Chen Jiao, Jia Xu and even Zhuge Liang were added.

With this force in the Northern Expedition, why should Sun Ce worry about not being able to break through the dead bones in Yuan Shu's grave?
Sun Ce raised his chest and looked all around, and said: "Now in Huainan, Yuan Shu is going against the law, causing the common people to be poisoned, the world scorched, thieves are rampant, and you are fighting against the sky. You are a soldier of the country. What can you suggest to help the lonely to wipe out the rebels and relieve the crisis? "

The common people are poisoned, and the world is scorched.This is really not Sun Ce's nonsense.

Since the army entered Huainan from Ruxushui, the scorching sun has been everywhere along the way. The fields are dry and cracked, the seedlings are withered, and the land on both sides of the bank is barren and wild, and there is drought everywhere.

Sun Ce has indeed changed a lot since he traveled, but the only thing that cannot be changed is the climate in the past few years.

Signs of a severe drought in Huainan, which has turned the land thousands of miles apart, have begun to appear. By the time autumn comes, Huainan will inevitably lose its harvest due to the severe drought, and the people will be in chaos.

Jia Xu raised his head and looked forward at the figure who seemed to stand upright and look down on the world, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. Maybe by mistake, entering Jiangdong was also his best destination, at least he didn't have to worry about the bleak future.

The princes here have the idea of ​​calming the world and the ambition of helping the people. Maybe this time I can finally show my knowledge and ambition!

So Jia Xu took a deep breath and said solemnly: "The generals have tiger and wolf troops under their command, and they are famous generals. The three armies are well-trained and brave and good at fighting. I think that since Yuan Shu does not dare to guard Ruxu, he must not dare to compete with the generals." On the battlefield. At this time, it is advisable for the army to advance quickly, encircle Hefei, and capture the area around Chengde and Liu'an. In this way, although the enemy's army has taken hold of the important town of Hefei, all sides have surrendered, and their power has been defeated."

Bypass Hefei!

Jia Xu's suggestion is very bold, contrary to the normal state of the Jiangdong Expedition, and is different from what any Jiangdong advisers thought in the past.

This is a feat that Sun Quan never dared to perform in his life.

Of course, it's not that Sun Quan is timid, but that bypassing Hefei is inherently risky!It can even be said that if you are not careful, the army will be overturned.

If tens of thousands of elite soldiers are lost, Jiangdong's Northern Expedition is bound to end hastily.

And it directly shook the foundation of the entire Jiangdong!One-third of the army was lost on the battlefield, and Sun Ce would not think about the Northern Expedition in the short term.

Without three to five years of rest and recuperation, it would be impossible to recover from such tragic losses.Even the Battle of Guandu three years later may be missed because of this, and Jiangdong is unable to intervene.

If every important military town could be bypassed, there wouldn't be so many famous defensive battles since ancient times.There won't be so many generals who can influence the situation of the world just because of the gain or loss of one city!
But this does not mean that important military towns must not be bypassed. There are many examples of dangerous military movements and unexpected surprises. For example, Han Xin built a plank road openly and secretly crossed Chencang.

It is not impossible for the army to attack in a different direction, especially this is the suggestion given by Jia Xu, the top strategist in the late Han Dynasty. Sun Ce is willing to listen patiently to his reasons.

Jia Xu saw that Sun Ce raised his eyebrows, but he did not object directly. He was deeply encouraged and continued, "The general swept across the Jianghuai River and Huaihe River with his supernatural power, and shocked the enemy's country. At this time when the enemy's army is in turmoil, the general does not need to stick to the art of war at all, but can march decisively and use beacon fire everywhere to frighten the enemy army."

"If the enemy's morale is unstable and they surrender everywhere, the situation will be far greater than capturing an important military town in Hefei. And if the general can capture Lu'an and Chengde, he can advance and capture Shaopi, an important farmland, and retreat. By isolating the Lujiang River and the Jiujiang River, Yuan Shu's counties will become more and more isolated, as if they are at the end of the road, and there is no way to help them. Their resistance will disperse."

Sun Ce was thoughtful. Sun Ce was somewhat familiar with Jia Xu's strategic plan.

It is a typical deployment for the Battle of Hulao Pass.

Of course it's not the battle between Sanying and Diaochan in Romance, but the battle of Hulaoguan where Li Shimin, the general of Tang Tiance, captured the two kings.

At that time, Li Shimin personally supervised tens of thousands of Guanzhong's elite infantry and cavalry in the Eastern Expedition, besieging Luoyang, the most important town in the world.

But Li Shimin did not gather hundreds of thousands of people like Sun Quan before they gathered in Jiancheng.

Instead, he led the main force to besiege Luoyang. The army decisively divided the troops and marched left and right. Therefore, all the enemy generals in the east and south of Luoyang descended to Tang Dynasty one after another.Luoyang became an isolated city, and had to fight desperately, only then did the battle of Hulaoguan happen. Li Shimin won more with less, led three thousand black armored cavalry, and captured the feat of two kings in one battle.

Jiang Dong's biggest advantage over Yuan Shu is undoubtedly his soldiers' elite and fierce generals!
Sun Ce fully believed that his generals could lead his army to victory and establish counties.

Immediately, Sun Ce made up his mind and deployed according to what Jia Xu said.

So Sun Ce turned to look at Liu Ye, the commander of the army, and asked, "Where is Gan Ning now?"

Liu Ye immediately replied: "Lieutenant Gan has led [-] elite troops northward to attack Fuling, and is marching towards Quanjiao. After defeating Quanjiao, he will reach the right wing of our army and besiege Junqiu."

Sun Ce asked in surprise: "How could Gan Ning advance so quickly? He has already captured Fuling just a few days after setting out? Is there no defenders in the city?"

It shouldn't be.All Yuan Shu could think about now was defending the city, and he couldn't afford not to defend even a city like Fuling.This is one of the cities that connects the Jianghuai River and the Yangtze River. If Fuling is lost, the Jiangdong army and the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River are connected as one, and the red flags and red sky join forces to advance westward, it will become a sweeping force!

How can Yuan Shu resist?

Liu Ye replied: "There are more than [-] defenders in Fuling City, and General Yuan Jun forced thousands of young and strong men from the city to defend the city. However, Colonel Gan encouraged the whole army, saying that the city should be attacked while the front is sharp and in full swing. At the same time, if the city and the city are repaired, foreign rescue will come, and it is impossible. We should take advantage of the vigor of the three armies and attack from all sides to pull out the city."

"The army went to battle early in the morning, and Gan Ning personally supervised the attack. Then the elite army followed and attacked the enemy when they were caught off guard. During the fierce battle, Gan Ning personally held the iron chain, climbed up the city, and took the lead. He was unstoppable and broke the fortified city. , captured more than a thousand enemies, and shocked the enemy country."

It's astonishingly brave.

Each of these battles of defeating a heavily guarded city by the enemy in one go is a magnificent feat worthy of being recorded in the history.

You know, since ancient times, attacking the mind is the top priority, and attacking the city is the bottom.With the long spears and short blades in the hands of today's soldiers, it is too difficult to break through a heavily guarded city.

Therefore, the merits of first ascending are usually the best in the army.

But Gan Ning was so brave that he destroyed the enemy city in one battle.In the future, when he compiles the biographies of the princes, this battle is definitely worthy of being listed separately to show his bravery.

Sun Ce was also greatly encouraged. Before he started the battle, he had already expected that there would be a gathering of fierce generals under his command, and there must be someone who could make great achievements for him and strengthen his army.

Now that the battle has just started, Gan Ning first announced the victory and defeated the enemy.

Sun Ce was full of confidence immediately, and believed that other generals could also achieve victory and make great achievements.

As long as a few more divisions are sent out, it is not necessary for everyone to make achievements, but if one or two people make extraordinary achievements, it is enough to affect the direction of a battle.

Sun Ce thought for a moment and then told Liu Ye: "Summon Lu Meng, Zhao Yun, and Tai Shici to come see Gu."

Sun Ce did not believe that anyone in Yuan Shu's army could be compared with these three generals!
Unless Yuan Jun defends the city, once he leads his troops into battle, he will easily be ambushed by these three people or design, win more with less, and return in a big defeat.

Or these three people will directly lead the army to break up the formation, kill the generals and capture the flag!
You must know that these three people are not only outstanding in strategy, but also brave and good at fighting, and they are brave to win the three armies!

Needless to say, Zhao Yun and Tai Shici's bravery, Lu Mengna is also known for his valor and valor. Like Ling Tong, he is the top warrior of Soochow Wu who can be the first to enter the battle. (end of this chapter)