Three Kingdoms: Prosper Han from the beginning of brushing favorability

Chapter 326 The anxious battle against Wu

Cao Pi's campaign against Wu started earlier than Liu Han's Northern Expedition, and he mobilized most of the country's troops. It is said that a lot of progress should have been made...

At least that's what Cao Pi thought before this battle.

Even if Guan Yu couldn't take advantage of the west route, wouldn't Cao Ren be able to hold him back with Xiangfan and the reinforcements behind him?Impossible.

As long as the west road can hold off, as long as either east road or the middle road can achieve results, it will be a decisive victory.

Once the Jiang defense is broken through, it will be possible to support attacks from other routes from the enemy's rear and flanks.

Or directly attack the enemy's hinterland, use the mobility and combat power of the cavalry to mobilize the enemy's troops, and turn Jiangdong's interior upside down. How should Sun Quan respond?
In particular, Cao Pi placed high hopes on the Central Army led by Cao Pi, who personally oversaw the army, as well as the Central Army led by Cao Zhen, the general who oversaw the military affairs at home and abroad.

This "General of the Upper Army" is the same as the "Deputy General of the Army" that Liu Bei once gave Liu Feng. They are both products of his own innovation.

Although he is not the "general" with the highest position in the traditional world, he is still one of the highest military commanders in Cao Wei today.

Cao Zhen, who once led the tiger and leopard cavalry to fight with Cao Cao, was quite capable both in personal bravery and in commanding troops.

But to achieve such a high position under Cao Pi, ability alone is naturally not enough. What is even more rare is Cao Zhen's loyalty.

After Cao Cao adopted Cao Zhen, he let him live with Cao Pi. Cao Pi, who loved hunting but was a bit addicted to food, often took Cao Zhen with him.

After all, having Cao Zhen, who is very skilled, can make his record look much better.

Once while hunting, Cao Pi was chased by a tiger. It was Cao Zhen who dragged him to his horse, and then shot the tiger to death with a "turning back" shot.

Regardless of ability or loyalty, Cao Pi trusted Cao Zhen much more than he did his brothers.

He and Cao Zhen fought side by side again just like they went hunting in the mountains. Together they led the army southward, crossed Chao Lake and headed for Ruxu.

In his mind, Ruxu's defenders must now divide their forces to defend. Seeing that the Wei army is so strong, even if they don't surrender immediately, their morale will be dampened.

Moreover, even if it took a lot of effort to attack Ruxuwu, even if the Wu army saw that the situation was not good and boarded ships and retreated to the south of the Yangtze River, he could still occupy Ruxuwu and slowly figure it out.

He didn't think he would be hindered here in Ruxuwu.

However, the reality was quite different from his expectations.

Under Sun Quan's long-term management, today's Ruxu is no longer as simple as just a defense fortification.

The former Ruxuwu was also very suitable for defense. It was built in a crescent shape on the north bank of the Yangtze River, half on land and half on water.

The land fortifications were defended by elite soldiers and strong crossbows, and the waters were surrounded by tree fences, where warships docked.

Soochow soldiers used this to "advance, go ashore to attack thieves, and retreat, they can clear their feet and enter the ship." If the war is unfavorable and they are pursued by the enemy's elite, they can retreat safely to the river.

Do you have the ability to fight in the water?The one being bullied is that Cao Wei is not used to water fighting, so he can’t beat you to death in the water!
However, although the design is ingenious, it also has its drawbacks. The environment near the water but not the mountains makes it impossible to build the walls of Ruxuwu too high.

At the same time, there is a relatively open plain in front of them, which is suitable for the deployment of the army. This is undoubtedly good news for the siege party.

Therefore, Cao Pi expected to spend more time on the confrontation across the river.

But now, at the foot of Ruxu Mountain, about a hundred miles north of Ruxuwu, a Ruxu City stands impressively.

Cao Pi's move to attack Wu was quite sudden for everyone in Cao Wei.

It is not that the preliminary intelligence work was not done, but it was certainly impossible to be meticulous in every detail. This small Ruxu City was one of the omissions.

This omission made Cao Pi and Cao Zhen extremely uncomfortable.

Ruxu City is located at the foothills of Ruxu Mountain to the east, and Ruxu Water is not far to the west. It is like a thorn stuck in the north-south passage.

Cao Pi and Cao Zhen immediately faced the same difficulties as Liu Han when facing Qishan Fort.

Fight, Ruxu City was built on the mountain, with strong and towering walls.

Without a fight, if Cao Jun entered the plain directly, it would be equivalent to exposing his butt to Ruxucheng.As long as the defender of Ruxu City is not an idiot, he will definitely give Cao Jun a thousand-year kill from behind at the most critical moment...

The taste is sour even thinking about it.

In this regard, under Sima Yi's suggestion, Cao Jun made the same choice as the Han army.

Cao Pi led some of his troops behind to face the siege of Ruxu City without attacking, protecting the grain road and blocking the defenders in the city.

Cao Zhen took the opportunity to lead his main force into the plain and stormed Ruxuwu.

Sima Yi's idea is very different from that of the Han army. As long as Ruxuwu is captured, once the Jiang defense is broken, how can Ruxu City be defended for a long time.

But when Cao Zhen led his army to launch the first round of tentative attack on Ruxuwu, he knew that things were not that simple.

Ruxuwu, Ruxucheng, Dongguan, and Xianxi all have Soochow troops stationed in these four places. They have gone from defending the isolated city to a relatively complete defense system, allowing the limited troops to play a greater role.

"The defender here is by no means an easy man to deal with. If we want to win this battle quickly, I'm afraid it will be difficult." This was Cao Zhen's emotion after his first attack on Ruxuwu.

Not only was the guard general not mediocre, Sun Quan also spent a lot of money on this battle.

The four cities of Ruxu were equipped with as many as ten thousand powerful crossbows, and countless bows and arrows.

One of the main means of attack in water warfare is the crossbow. If you don't mention the quality of other infantry and only hide in the city to attack from a distance, then the Wu soldiers are still capable.

What's more, the Ruxu garrison was also one of Jiangdong's elite.

There was a deadlock in the middle. Sima Yi was thinking hard about how to defeat the enemy every day, while Cao Zhen tried various tactics to try to break the situation.

But Zhu Huan, Xu Sheng, and Zhou Tai, who is not in good health recently but has rich experience, are not vegetarians.

Soldiers came to block me, water came to cover me, and no matter how the enemy's army changed their tactics, I remained unmoved and insisted on temporarily defending Ruxu in a weather-proof manner.

The Central Route Army has reached a stalemate, and the East Route Army, which Cao Pi has high hopes for, has not fared much better recently.

The lineup of Cao Xiu, Zhang Liao, and Zang Ba was quite luxurious. They commanded twenty armies with a total of more than [-] men. Their troops and horses were also powerful.

It's just... they all attacked in the form of a naval fleet.

Wu Jun is not the most terrifying enemy of these [-] Cao Wei soldiers, dizziness and vomiting are...

There is no other way. If the east road wants to obtain the victory from the cave entrance, it must go down the waterway directly to the cave entrance fortress.

How could Lu Fan allow them to land easily, so he naturally sent out naval forces to intercept them.

One side has a strong military but is not good at water warfare, while the other side has a relatively weak military force but is good at water warfare.

The two sides came and went, and the fight was very lively. However, even though the operation was as fierce as a tiger, it was difficult to achieve any substantial results.

Even Zhang Liao, who could stop the children crying at night in Jiangdong, could only stare blankly on the water, but he could not reproduce the glory outside Hefei.

However, in the face of the current anxious battle situation, Cao Xiu, the commander of the East Road, still seemed very calm, surprisingly calm.

Ordinarily, he should be the one who most hopes to achieve meritorious service at this time. If he can achieve the first meritorious service in defeating Wu at this time, coupled with his good relationship with Cao Pi, his ability will definitely surpass other powerful officials.

It's a pity that Cao Xiu's generals don't know that winning a battle is not the only way to achieve meritorious service...

Cao Xiu inadvertently glanced at the warship where Zang Ba was, squinting and revealing an intriguing smile.

Cao Pi's three-pronged army attacked Wu, but he failed to get a good start as quickly as Liu Han did. Instead, both the middle and east routes fell into a stalemate.

What about West Road?

As for Cao Ren on the West Road...he has a saying in his heart, but he doesn't know whether to take it seriously or not.

(End of this chapter)