Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 210: Send troops and bring the people (4k)

At the time of great changes in Xiangyang, Huo Jun and his family took a boat trip to the lake during the holiday.

At dusk, the waves sparkle under the sun, the green mountains in the distance seem to be covered with clouds, and the small boat floats leisurely on the upper lake.

The sound of silk and bamboo could be heard in the cabin, and the maids from three Koreas danced in the middle.Huo Jun lay on the couch, holding Er Qiao in his arms, feeling very happy and at ease.

Although Huo Jun didn't know the specific situation at hand, he could vaguely sense that something big was coming.Perhaps knowing that he was about to face a storm, Huo Jun deliberately indulged himself for a few days to get rid of his recently suppressed emotions.

Eating the orange meat presented by Xiao Qiao in his mouth, Huo Jun enjoyed the graceful dance. He tapped his fingers on Da Qiao's smooth and tender thighs according to the rhythm of the music.

"Master, Jiang Shenjun has sent an urgent military message to Xiakou!" the maid stepped in and reported.

The music suddenly stopped and the dancing stopped.

Huo Jun patted the round buttocks of the two girls in his arms and said, "Military affairs are the most important thing. Please step back first."

"promise!"

Following Huo Jun's instructions, the two women led the singers and musicians in the hall into a side room.

Huo Jun arranged his clothes, saw Jiang Ji entering the hall, and asked, "Zitong, but something has changed in Xiangyang!"

"Exactly, the dramatic changes in Xiangyang!"

Jiang Ji nodded and said hurriedly: "The Chariot and Cavalry General announced in front of everyone that he would appoint the eldest son as his heir, but Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and other people dissuaded him from making Liu Cong his heir. Yuzhou respects the Chariot and Cavalry General's order and has led eight thousand troops to the north to conquer. The two thieves Cai and Kuai. He also ordered General Guan to lead [-] soldiers and horses into the town of Jiangling. He also ordered Ma Liang to patrol the four counties in Jingnan and asked the county guards to adopt the eldest son as their heir."

The two states of Jing and Yang are so big that from Xiangyang to Xiakou it is more than a thousand miles by water; from Xiakou to Wancheng it is another thousand miles by water.Even if you are traveling downstream with a fast horse, it still takes time to travel.

The situation in Xiangyang City has changed too quickly, and the news sent to Jiangdong is still the same as before.Liu Cong succeeded to the throne of Jingzhou Mu, and the news that Cao Cao led his army to the south is estimated to take several days to arrive.

Huo Jun looked through the contents of the letter with a slightly solemn expression.If it goes as he expected, perhaps this is the prelude to Cao Cao's army going south.

After thinking about it for a while, Huo Jun said: "Yuzhou asked Jun to lead the navy northward, thinking that he would be the rear guard. I wonder what Zitong thought?"

Jiang Ji pondered for a while and said: "Yuzhou has a very comprehensive plan, entering Xiangyang, leveling Jiangling, and Fu Jingnan. However, Ji also knew a little about Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, and they learned that the chariot general wanted to belong to the eldest son, and Yuzhou also Leading the army to the north. Therefore, under the crisis of Ji's fear, Cai and Kuai led Cao Cao's troops into Chu in order to protect themselves."

"There is only a few hundred miles of road from Xuchang to Xiangyang, and it can be easily reached by a cavalry attack. Yuzhou led the navy to the north, advancing and retreating in a controlled manner, and not afraid of Cao's army. However, Jiangxia's troops were exhausted, and Xiakou's troops were empty. If Cao Cao sent a If the army follows the county, enters Jiangxia, and diverts to Xiakou, it will cut off the retreat of Yuzhou and General Guan!"

The judgments of wise men are always similar. The judgments of Jiang Ji, Jia Xu, Lu Su and others are slightly different due to their personal strengths.But everyone saw the possibility of Cai and Kuai colluding with Cao Cao, and Cao Cao ordered his troops to march in the direction of Xiakou.

"Yes!"

Huo Jun paced in the hall and said: "Xiakou is the tail of Chu and the leader of Wu. Controlling the river is the heart and lungs of our army. If Cao Jun captures Xiakou, he will look to the left of the river and the situation will suddenly be critical. Now heading north from Yuzhou, Xiakou Therefore, we must be prepared for emptiness.”

The importance of Xiakou is undoubted. As the area connecting Wu and Chu, it is a battleground for military strategists.Liu Bei was thinking about Xiangyang and Jiangling, so he almost wiped out Xiakou's troops and fled. Huo Jun had to fill this hole for Liu Bei.If Xiakou is captured by Cao's army, Liu and Guan will be in a very dangerous situation.

Huo Jun ordered: "Come, Gao Xiang, Yu Shao, and Zhong Lifei will command the navy with 600 troops. Shiren and Gao Xin will command [-] cavalry. Ding Feng will command [-] guards under my tent, and [-] cavalry on foot." [-] people rushed to Xiakou and were put under the command of Yuzhou."

"promise!"

"General, do you want to order the generals to divide their troops and go north to support Yuzhou and fight against Xiangfan?" Jiang Ji asked.

"Does Zitong think this trip to Yuzhou can be accomplished?" Huo Jun asked.

Jiang Ji frowned slightly and said: "Whether the trip to Yuzhou can be successful depends on whether General Chariot and Cavalry dies of illness. If General Chariot and Cavalry dies of illness, the trip to Yuzhou may be difficult to complete; if General Chariot and Cavalry survives, the trip to Yuzhou will be successful. Cai and Kuai The two of them knew that Yuzhou was going north, and they were worried that the situation would change drastically, and they were afraid that they would attack the general of chariots and cavalry."

Huo Jun paced, trying to guess what might happen next.

According to the historical process, Liu Cong became the shepherd of Jingzhou, Liu Qi left Jiangxia, and Liu Bei stationed troops in Fancheng.Compared with Liu Bei learning about Cao Cao's move south, Liu Cong seemed to know about Cao Cao's move south earlier, and Cai and Kuai had already ignored Liu Cong and persuaded him to surrender to Cao Cao.

What's even more outrageous is that Liu Bei was stationed in Fancheng, which was only separated from Xiangyang by the Han River. He was kept in the dark and had no idea of ​​the plans of the people in Xiangyang City.It wasn't until Cao Cao's vanguard arrived at Wancheng, only two to three hundred miles away from Fancheng, that Liu Bei realized that he had been tricked by Liu Cong and Cai Mao.

Today there are similarities and differences. The same thing is that Cai Mao and Kuai Yue are loyal to Cao Cao. If Liu Cong comes to power, everyone will support him and surrender to Cao Cao.The difference is that I don't know whether Liu Biao is alive or dead. Liu Bei followed his troops northward and wanted to enter Xiangyang.

With the character of a person like Kuai Yue, he would definitely not be willing to have his achievements burned down, and he would definitely not let Liu Bei enter Xiangyang easily.Then with the arrival of Cao's army, if Liu Bei fails to capture Xiangyang, he will have to retreat to Jiangxia; if Liu Bei succeeds in breaking through, Cao's army will...

Stopping, Huo Jun ordered: "Zitong, you go out with the army and bring more boats and warships. After the troops arrive at Xiakou. You, Gao Xiang and Yu Shao lead all the warships into Xiangyang to observe the battlefield situation. If Duke Xuande If he successfully enters Xiangfan, he will lead his warships to bluff across the river; if Duke Xuande is unable to do so, he will lead his warships to respond."

"Won't the general go to Xiakou in person?" Jiang Ji asked.

Huo Jun shook his head and said: "I wrote to the eldest son and asked him to recruit troops and horses to prepare for battle. At the same time, I sat in the north of the Yangtze River and carefully observed the movements of Cao's army to prevent Cao's army from going south from Jianghuai to Jiangzuo."

With that said, Huo Jun sighed and said, "If most of Cao's army goes south, I may have to move the people from Jiangbei to Jiangnan."

Everything is based on speculation, not reality.As Jiangdong General, in charge of the Jiangbei defense line, he was not only obliged to ensure the safety of Liu Bei and Xiakou, but also to ensure the safety of the Yangtze River defense line.

Historically, Cao Cao sent troops south to Jingzhou but did not take any action in the Jianghuai area.At the moment, Huo Jun didn't know Cao Cao's march route, so how could he dare to leave Jiangzuo easily.If Cao Cao divides his troops into two groups, one going to Jingzhou and the other to taking Jiangzuo, then his pressure will explode.

In other words, Huo Jun must prepare for the worst case scenario, which is to move the people from Jiangbei south to Jiangzuo, so as to achieve the strategy of defending the river.

……

Not to mention that Huo Jun dispatched troops and horses to support Liu Bei; he also wrote to Liu Qi, asking him to order the governors of various states to prepare for war.

In Xiangyang, Jingzhou, it has become the center of the struggle between the north and the south.Liu Bei set out by boat from Xiakou and traveled day and night, reaching Xiangyang faster than Zhang Liao, Xu Huang and other Cao army pioneers.

Along the way, Liu Bei used the slogan "obey Liu Biao" and added that there were not many soldiers and horses stationed in the non-military towns along the Han River. He drove straight in and landed at the gate of Xiangyang City.

It's July, it's rainy in summer, and the Han River is rising.More than two hundred warships floated on the Han River in the north of Xiangyang. The flags were written with the character "Liu", and there were long flags on the left and right with the characters "Yuzhou Mu" and "General Zuo" respectively, to represent the names of the generals.

Liu Bei wore a cloak on his shoulders and held a long sword in his hand. He stood on the bow of the ship, looking at Xiangyang City where the city owner had been changed, with an angry expression on his face. "Get closer to Xiangyang!" Liu Bei shouted.

Lu Su stretched out his hand to stop him and said, "My lord, be careful of arrows."

Liu Bei stared at Xiangyang City with murderous eyes and said: "Liu Cong doesn't dare to send troops to fight, even if he doesn't dare to hurt me!"

As the boat approached the north gate of Xiangyang, Liu Bei, under the cover of his shield hand, shouted loudly: "Where is Liu Cong?"

"Can you tell me why General Chariot and Cavalry suddenly died of illness?"

At the north gate, Liu Cong faced Liu Bei's questioning and hid behind the female wall and did not dare to answer.

Liu Bei asked three times in a row, but when Liu Cong didn't come out, he shouted angrily: "Where are Cai Mao and Kuai Yue? Liu Jingzhou treats you well and treats you with kindness. You two are not sons of man. How dare you hold Liu Cong hostage and usurp the writings?" I will kill Liu Jingzhou."

"Where is Zhang Yun? You are Liu Jingzhou's nephew and you are as close as your son. How dare you help Zhou to commit evil? Instead of remembering Liu Jingzhou's kindness, you collude with Cai and Kuai?"

As he spoke, Liu Bei slowed down and said, "Nephew Zhong Huang, you must not make the mistake of being deceived by the two thieves Cai and Kuai, which will cause the foundation of the late emperor to be damaged and fall into the hands of outsiders. Open the city wall quickly and let Bei enter the city." "

At the north gate, the sergeants guarding the city looked at Liu Cong and Cai Mao with strange eyes.

Facing Liu Bei's accusation, Cai Mao was furious and shouted: "Set an arrow and shoot Liu Bei to death."

Liu Cong opened his mouth and advised: "Liu Xuande didn't come here to fight against the thieves, so why should he hurt his life?"

Cai Mao glanced at Liu Cong, who looked like a porpoise, and almost fainted from anger.

Is Liu Cong really stupid or fake?Liu Bei shouted outside for so long, and his words were full of alienation.The meaning of his words was like that of Zhu Di, who was seeking peace from heaven. He kept saying that he would "clear the emperor's side" and "punish the traitorous ministers", but anyone with a little political sense would know that his target was Zhu Yunwen.

Even though Liu Bei was scolding Cai Hao, Kuai Yue, and Zhang Yun outside, anyone with a little bit of political savvy knew that Liu Bei was asking Liu Cong for his crimes.

Cai Mao explained with a cold face: "Cao Gong and Liu Bei are life-and-death enemies. If Liu Bei can be shot and killed now, the general will have great achievements."

After saying that, arrows flew down from the city tower, and Liu Bei seemed to have noticed something was wrong. He retreated into the cabin early and sailed away from Xiangyang Water Gate.

Then, the attendant rushed up to the north gate, raised his hands and said: "I would like to report to the state pastor and military advisor, Wang Kai, Zhang Cun, Xi Zhen, Han Ran and other more than [-] state officials, bringing their families and coercing the people to deceive the south. Let’s go out of the city and join Liu Bei.”

Cai Mao slapped the city wall again and said angrily: "Zhang Cun should have died a long time ago. I thought of his talent and spared his life, but now he is coercing the officials and people to join Liu Bei. Someone is here to strictly guard the city and no outsiders are allowed to enter or exit easily."

"promise!"

At this time, Song Zhong, who had surrendered on Liu Bei's ship, had been captured by Zhao Yun and brought to Liu Bei.

"Lord, Yun captured Song Zhong outside Fancheng, and he has sent surrender to Cao Cao on behalf of Liu Cong." Zhao Yun said with cupped hands.

Feeling Liu Bei's murderous intent, Song Zhong became timid and did not dare to look directly at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei grasped the hilt of his sword tightly and scolded him, asking: "Since you are a great scholar, well-read in scriptures, and understand the meaning of Confucius and Mencius, why did you collude with Cai and Kuai Yue to create chaos?"

Song Zhong lowered his head and said in shame: "I have to do it as a last resort after being coerced by others."

Liu Bei pulled out his long sword, pointed the cold edge at Song Zhong's neck, and said coldly: "Tampering with the will, plotting to kill the king, and surrendering for the envoy. What you have done is going too far."

Song Zhong felt the breath of death and begged: "Your Majesty, Zhong only followed orders and did not tamper with the orders with Cai and Kuai. As for murdering you, there is no way to talk about it. Your Majesty will establish an heir that day. After that, his health deteriorated and he died of illness in his sleep a few days later.”

Liu Bei stared at Song Zhong coldly and said angrily: "If you cut off your head now, I still don't understand my hatred. I am also ashamed of the man who killed you and other cowards when he was leaving!"

"Thank you, Ambassador!"

Song Zhong, who had saved his life, quickly thanked him and said, "I am grateful to you for your kindness and righteousness. Now Cao Jun has arrived in Wan, which is less than two or three hundred miles away from Xiangyang. Please leave as soon as possible to avoid encountering Cao Jun." .”

Liu Bei snorted and didn't ask. Lu Su took over and asked, "I wonder who is the vanguard of Cao's army? How many troops are there?"

Song Zhong answered truthfully: "The vanguard of Cao's army is Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Xia Houyuan and others, with ten thousand elite cavalry galloping southward. Cao Cao led an army to follow, with hundreds of thousands of infantry and cavalry. There is also a group of troops heading towards Xiakou. go."

"My lord?"

Lu Su's face changed slightly and he said: "The city of Xiangyang is strong, facing the river on three sides, and the river is more than a hundred paces wide. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Now Cai Mao has stationed ten thousand troops to defend the city. It is difficult for my current troops to break the city. And Cao Jun will When we get to Xiangfan, it is better to retreat to Xiakou as soon as possible and lead soldiers and horses from the left side of the Yangtze River to occupy it."

Liu Bei had something in mind, but he had to send a scout under his command, Fu Xu, to report: "I am reporting to my lord that nearly a thousand people have escaped from Xiangyang City, including state officials. I sincerely ask my lord to take him in."

Liu Bei changed his words and said: "The soldiers and the people have voted for me. How can I not accept it? Let me sacrifice you quickly and get the soldiers and the people on board the ship."

As soon as he finished speaking, another scout came by boat to report, saying: "There are thousands of people in Fancheng. They are terrified when they hear that Cao's army is marching south. I sincerely ask the lord to take him in."

Hearing this, Liu Bei, who had been angry before, showed pity and ordered: "The people are innocent, Cao's army is tyrannical. Don't fall into Cao Cao's cruel hands. Send people to take care of them quickly."

Lu Su hurriedly stopped Liu Bei and said anxiously: "Your Majesty, the people have accommodated too many people. How can our army carry them on the boat? It is enough to accommodate a little. Why accept them all? Otherwise, we may delay the march and be overtaken by Cao's army."

Liu Bei was a little dissatisfied and waved his hands repeatedly, saying: "Anyone who achieves great things must put the people first. The people are afraid of Cao Cao and have come to me. How can I abandon him now? If the people can't load it, I will lead the soldiers ashore and march. The boats will be sent first. Arrive at Xiakou, then go north to meet our sergeants, and we can do it this way."

Seeing that Liu Bei cared so much about the people, Lu Su was moved by his kindness.He pursed his lips, but did not refute. He cupped his hands and said, "Su will lead the army to appease the people and check the numbers so that they can march by boat."

"Sorry for bothering you!"

"Your Majesty is a benevolent king, how dare you not be willing to do so!"

(End of this chapter)