Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 531: Plot in Lujiang
Sun Ce looked at Wancheng, the seat of Lujiang County in the north of the Yangtze River, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said to Zhou Yu beside him: "Gong Jin, what do you think we should attack Wancheng now?"

Zhou Yu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said: "Wancheng is the administrative center of Lujiang. We mainly rely on the navy. I'm afraid it will be difficult to defeat it."

Sun Ce patted the side of the ship, "But I find Liu Xun very distasteful, especially because Yuan Shu originally promised me that the governor of Lujiang was taken away from him. Every time I think about it now, it makes me feel like I have a knot in my throat!"

Zhou Yu comforted: "Bo Fu, everything is over. Besides, Yuan Gongli made it clear at that time that he did not want to give Bo Fu his territory. Even if there is no Liu Xun, there is still Zhang Xun and Wang Xun."

"A blessing in disguise is a blessing in disguise. If Bo Fu were in Lujiang, he wouldn't be able to occupy the east of Jiangdong today."

"For the current plan, we must first conquer Jiangxia and occupy this important land in Jingzhou."

Sun Ce nodded slightly, "What Gong Jin said is true, but Wancheng is here. If troops are sent to cut off our retreat, we will be unable to advance or retreat. This makes me unable to sleep or eat well."

"What's more, in the original letter from the fierce tiger, it was agreed that he would take Ruxukou and I would take Wancheng, so that we could control the outlet of Chaohu Lake to the Yangtze River from the east to the west and contain Yuan Shu."

Wancheng is located on the bank of Wan River, which flows eastward into the Yangtze River. Its estuary is called Wankou, which later became the famous Jinling Barrier in Anqing.

After Sun Ce and Yuan Shu broke up, Liu Xun moved the Lujiang administrative office from Shu County to Wancheng in order to block Sun Ce. In this way, he could send troops from Wancheng to blockade Wankou and cut off the Yangtze River.

Even if Sun Ce reluctantly rushes over, the supply line behind him will still face serious threats.Therefore, if the problem of Lujiang River is not solved, it will be difficult to realize the westward expedition to Jiangxia.

Sun Ce sighed: "Now that the fierce tiger has captured Ruxukou and is heading north to Hefei, if I don't attack Wancheng, won't I be accused of treachery?"

After hearing this, Zhou Yu said with a smile: "Of course we have to take Wancheng, but we can't defeat it with strength, we can only win with outsmarts. After all, it is the Lujiang government office, and it cannot be compared with other cities."

"And we can't be in a hurry, we have to take things slowly, otherwise we will suffer heavy casualties and what if the tiger turns to suppress us?"

"So I think Fierce Tiger may not have good intentions when he gave Wancheng to us to fight."

"Fighting is necessary, but when to fight, when to attack, and when to give up, it is very important."

Sun Ce's eyes flashed, "Then Gong Jin said, how should we do it?"

After hearing this, Zhou Yu said: "Let's go over here in a dignified manner, and then send a letter to Liu Xun, saying that we are going to conquer Huang Zu and have no intention of going to Lujiang County."

"We left the ship completely undefended and sent heavy gifts to Liu Xun, so he will definitely believe us."

"At the same time, the letter said that Jiangbei is now suffering from a locust plague, and Shang Liao of Haihun County, Yuzhang County is very wealthy, and it is recommended that he go attack."

After hearing this, Sun Ce wondered: "Gong Jin, Liu Xun was already wary of me. How could he believe me when I asked him to take the Yu Zhang?"

Zhou Yu smiled and said: "There are two reasons."

"First, there was a big locust in Jiangbei, and there was no food. Liu Xun got Liu Ye to take refuge. When Liu Ye came, he also brought Zheng Bao's nearly [-] horses. How did Liu Xun manage to raise so many mouths?"

"So he urgently needs a rich place to grab food."

There was a powerful man named Zheng Bao in Lujiang who had more than [-] troops, and his subordinate Liu Ye was the mastermind.

Liu Ye was praised by Xu Shao for his talent in governing the world. He had wholeheartedly assisted Zheng Bao and invited Lu Su to work with him. However, since Lu Su accepted Zhou Yu's appointment and joined Sun Ce, the two parted ways.

After Liu Xun became the governor of Lujiang, Zheng Bao did not want to serve him. Instead, he chose to cross the river south and join Sun Ce. This was contrary to Liu Ye's ideas.

As for Liu Ye's true intention, outsiders have no idea, but the final result is that Liu Ye used a trick to kill Zheng Bao, and took Zheng Bao's soldiers to join Liu Xun.

When Sun Ce heard Zhou Yu mention Liu Ye's name, his face was gloomy and he slapped the side of the ship hard, "Liu Ye is hateful. He has ruined my life. If I catch him, I will cut him into pieces!"

He couldn't help but be angry. Sun Ce tried every means to persuade Zheng Bao. He originally went south to cross the river to help Sun Ce, but Liu Ye ruined it. He didn't even capture any of his troops!
With this coming and going, Sun Ce lost tens of thousands of horses. How could he not be angry?
Zhou Yu advised: "Bo Fu is in peace for a while. We will consider the long term at this time. Don't let one person ruin the overall plan."

"The second reason why Liu Xun sent troops was that Liu Xun asked his younger brother Liu Kai to go to Yuzhang to buy grain. Liu Kai found that the local powerful people could provide [-] hu of rice, but they were not very cooperative. It took Liu Kai several months to buy it. Go back and get a few thousand dendrobium.

"Liu Qie is not very popular. After he returns, he will definitely suggest Liu Xun to find an excuse for revenge!"

After hearing this, Sun Ce praised: "Gong Jin is right. Selling food can't come as fast as grabbing food, not to mention that Wancheng is still short of food!"

Zhou Yu said with a smile: "There are tens of thousands of troops in Wancheng. If we defend the city, it will be difficult to make any progress in three to five months. But it won't be possible if they come out."

"Wancheng goes directly south, passing through Xunyang, to Haihun."

"At that time, we will pretend to attack Jiangxia and ambush a group of troops near Xunyang."

"At the same time, let Sun Ben and Sun Fu of Yuzhang deploy troops to ambush Pengze. Its city is opposite Xunyang across the river. As long as Liu Xun passes by, he will definitely know his movements."

"When he passes by, we will immediately cross the river, capture Xunyang, and cut off Liu Xun's retreat!"

"After Liu Xun learned about it, he would definitely panic and return. In all likelihood, he would bypass Xunyang and return from Pengze or Xise."

"At that time, as long as we ambush our troops in Xisai and attack from both sides with Sun Ben and Sun Fu, we will definitely be able to defeat them!"

After hearing this, Sun Ce sighed: "Gong Jinduan's good plan!"

"The former army led by Lu Meng and Cheng Puhan..." Zhou Yu said: "Let them attack Jiangxia with all their strength, but the Chinese army will not be able to help."

"There's no need to inform them of the truth. Liu Xun won't fall into the trap if he doesn't act like it."

"Both generals Cheng Pu and Han are well-educated and should know how to advance and retreat."

After hearing this, Sun Ce pondered for a while and said decisively: "Just follow Gong Jin's words!"

Zhou Yu looked at the city in the distance and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Bo Fu, we will see a beautiful show soon!"

"Yu suddenly remembered that Mr. Qiao seemed to have left his family in Wancheng. It seems that he still trusts Liu Xun."

Sun Ce said disapprovingly: "Liu Xun is nothing!"

"When Wancheng is captured, we will take care of Mr. Qiao's family!"

At the turn of the state of Chen and Pei, Qiao Rui was riding on a horse and suddenly swung his sword. A soldier of Cao's army screamed and fell to the ground.

Qiao Rui felt that her arms were extremely sore and she could hardly hold the Huanshou sword in her hand. Cao's army was still coming like a tide. Knowing that nothing could be done, she immediately ordered the soldiers to retreat while fighting to join Zhang Xun.

Now the place where the two sides are fighting is no longer the original Chen State, but has moved to Qiyang in the Pei State.

The reason for this was that neither side could have predicted it before the war started, because the ambush of Cao's army in Qiyang dealt a big blow to Yuan Shu's army. Yang Fenghan's Siam army on the right was defeated by the sudden attack, and the entire army was wiped out, with only Xu Huang protecting him. With Yang Feng and Han Siam, he escaped.

Zhang Xunqiao saw that Cao's armies in the two places were at odds with each other. After discussion, he decided to attack Qiyang, which was more important. After paying a heavy price, Qiyang was finally captured.

But before the two had time to repair, a steady stream of Cao's troops kept coming. Only then did the two realize that Cao's troops had taken the initiative to withdraw, with the purpose of trapping Yuan Shu's troops here!
In addition to Zhang Xunqiaorui, Yuan Shu's army also had three generals: Li Feng, Liang Gang, and Lejiu. Together, they decided to attack Chen Guoku County in turn.

But they soon regretted their decision because the Cao army that attacked this time was led by two generals with foreign surnames.

Lejin, Yuban!
The two men commanded the infantry and were extremely experienced. After a few battles, Liang Gangle was killed, and Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui Li Feng were dispersed.

Qiao Rui looked at the field, ordered to retreat, and led the army to retreat. Suddenly, a shower of arrows shot out from the forest next to it, and Yuan Shu's army was immediately in chaos.

Qiao Rui suddenly felt a pain in his back and knew that he had been hit by an arrow. He turned around and ran away. He felt that hot liquid was flowing out from behind. His vision became more and more unclear, and his consciousness became more and more blurred. His body If it tilts, it will fall from the horse.

Da Qiao suddenly sat up from the bed, his forehead covered with cold sweat.

She clutched her chest and panted slightly. She just had a nightmare, dreaming that her father died in the battle and even his head was chopped off!

Da Qiao's face was extremely ugly, and she rarely dreamed. This omen gave her an ominous premonition.

She stared out the window blankly. She didn't know how long it had passed, but Xiao Qiao came jumping in. Seeing Da Qiao's appearance, she was surprised and said, "Sister, is she still sleeping?"

"This is not like my sister. Don't you get up very early on weekdays?"

Da Qiao was in a very bad mood and said casually: "Who knows, maybe she is pregnant with a child."

Xiao Qiao opened her eyes wide in surprise, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses, "Sister, I never joke. What's wrong today?"

Da Qiao didn't want to talk to Xiao Qiao about his dream, which would only make Xiao Qiao more worried, so he changed the subject and said, "Why did you come to me?"

Xiao Qiao slapped his forehead and said, "Look, I even forgot."

"Sister Liu sent a greeting card and said she wanted to visit us."

Da Qiao frowned slightly, "What is she doing here at this time?"

Xiao Qiao shook his head and said, "Who knows, maybe you are angry with her aunt again and come to vent to us?"

"Sister, hurry up and freshen up. Sister Liu will be here in half an hour."

Da Qiao sighed slightly. The sister Liu Xiao Qiao mentioned was Liu Xun's daughter Liu, who has been married for three years now.

Liu Xun and Qiao Rui were both concubines and had a very good personal relationship. Otherwise, Qiao Rui would not be able to let Xiao Qiao live in the mansion in Wancheng. She obviously had an explanation with Liu Xun.

After Mrs. Liu got married, her lord (the mother-in-law in the Han Dynasty also called her lord) was very harsh on her, which made Mrs. Liu depressed for a long time. Also, because her husband was an official in Lujiang Prefecture, he could only go home for a day's rest every five days. On weekdays, he couldn't do it at all. Meet.

Officials in the Han Dynasty followed the Han law and had a holiday of five days with one day off and one day off. However, during these five days of duty, they did not sleep at home, but stayed in the official residence for twelve hours.

This practice of working at [-] o'clock for five consecutive days prevented many young officials and their families from being reunited, which greatly affected the inheritance of the family line and caused a lot of troubles.

Mrs. Liu is still childless and has a bad relationship with adults, so she occasionally comes to Qiao Mansion to relieve her worries on the pretext of doing needlework with Xiao Qiao.

On normal days, Da Qiao, who also likes to do needlework, would welcome Mrs. Liu, but today for some reason, he was frightened after having a nightmare, and his body was so lazy that he didn't want to see anyone.

Xiao Qiao is more carefree than Da Qiao. After all, the two sisters do not leave Qiao Mansion, and most of the news outside is told to them by Mrs. Liu.

(End of this chapter)