Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 458 Not to mention Xu Gongming?

The Han River overflowed and flooded Fancheng. After the mountains and rivers receded, Guan Yu led his army to besiege Fancheng. He surrounded the city with water and built multiple long sieges.

In Fancheng, after the initial panic, Cao Ren, encouraged by Zhu Zhi, ate and slept with the sergeants in order to motivate the city's sergeants, making him appear particularly affectionate. Even in the face of the Han army's harassment, Cao Ren personally drew his long bow on the city tower and shot Han soldiers to increase the power of the army.

Under such operations, the morale of the Wei soldiers in Fancheng gradually increased and was no longer the previous low.

Because Guan Yu surrendered to Jin, he took advantage of the lack of reinforcements from the Northern Wei Dynasty and moved his camp to the outside of Fan City. He built the long fortress himself and further impressed the defenders in the city. He tried to use the tactic of siege and reinforcements and use time to force Fan. Xiang surrendered.

That day, Fan Beihan military camp.

In the big tent, Guan Yu was sitting on the couch, chatting happily with the young generals in the tent.

Guan Yu looked at Tai Shiheng, whom he had not seen for many years, and saw that he was brave and handsome, with a sharp look in his eyes. He couldn't help but nodded slightly and said, "Yuanfu's heroic spirit is very much like your father's legacy."

"The Lord praises you greatly!"

Taishi Heng looked respectful and bowed and said: "Heng is young and shallow. I hope you will give me your guidance."

"Ok!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said with satisfaction: "Now when I join the army, I should encourage him more. Military law is supreme. If you are not an uncle or nephew, you should not violate military law lightly."

With that said, Guan Yu pointed at Guan Ping and said, "Ping'er, Yuan Fu has just arrived at the military camp with his troops, and you are responsible for arranging their troops and horses."

"promise!"

Guan Ping led Tai Shiheng back. The two talked and laughed a lot on the way, and it was obvious that they had a close relationship.

Taishi Heng, the son of Taishi Ci. Taishi Ci was defeated and died, and handed over his son and his subordinates to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei treated Taishi Heng as if he were his own son, and asked him to serve as an attendant early and follow him around, thinking that he would increase his military and political knowledge.

Taishi Heng had the style of his father, Taishi Ci, and was skilled in bow and horse. He had a deep relationship with Guan Ping, the son of Guan Yu, and Huang Xu, the son of Huang Zhongyi.

When Taishi Heng came of age, Liu Bei returned Taishi Ci's old ministry to Taishi Heng, and appointed Taishi Heng as a general. He followed the Chinese army on expeditions all year round and achieved considerable military exploits.

Now Liu Bei was worried about the lack of troops and horses in Guan Yu's tent, so he followed Huo Jun's suggestion and ordered Tiger Step General Tai Shiheng to lead 5,000 elite troops to reinforce Xiangfan and transfer them to Guan Yu's tent to obey his orders. Excluding the troops and horses lost due to the war, Guan Yu now had more than 40,000 troops at his disposal, ten times the number of Fancheng defenders.

"Your Majesty!"

After a while, Liao Huaqi walked into the tent, handed over the letter, and said: "Hou Yin sent people south to ask for help and asked the king to send troops for rescue. In one day, our army has received two letters from Hou Yin asking for help. I don't know whether the king Do you want to send military reinforcements?"

Guan Yu opened the letter and looked thoughtful when he saw the contents.

In the letter, Hou Yin said that Xu Huang sent more than 10,000 troops south, and the siege was urgent, and the morale of his troops was in turmoil. Now, relying on Guan Yu's reputation and inspiring the soldiers on the left and right, we can barely hold on. He hoped that Guan Yu could send troops to rescue Wancheng and not sit back and watch them be destroyed.

Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled, with a thoughtful look on his face.

After handing the letter to Lu Meng, Guan Yu said: "Hou Yin revolted in Wancheng, and now he is defending Wancheng to defend against Xu Huang. The war is urgent, and I want to lead my troops up the river, defeat Xu Huang, and break the siege of Wancheng. At that time, we occupied Wancheng. With Wancheng, the troops from the Central Plains will not be able to assist Xiangfan, but Xiangfan can be captured by our army."

Guan Yu stood up from the couch, stroking his beard and asked, "Ziming, what do you think?"

After reading the letter for a while, Lu Meng looked troubled and said: "Your Majesty, Wancheng is deep in the territory of thieves. Xiangfan has not yet been conquered, so it is not appropriate to send troops to attack Wancheng from far away. In Meng's opinion, it is better to break Fancheng first and surrender Xiangyang. Seek Wancheng again."

Guan Yu frowned slightly and said: "Fan City is trapped, Cao Ren is discouraged. Looking at the whole territory of Jingxiang, except for Xu Huang, there is no bandit army. If Xu Huang can be defeated now, then the cities south of Wancheng can be defeated, and Xiangfan will be defeated." It’s okay to go with the flow!”

Xia Xiangfan has different meanings from Xia Wancheng.

If you go to Xiangfan, you can get at most one Xiangyang County, and the population is not too large; if you can go to Wancheng, it means that after this battle, the four counties of Xiangyang, Nanxiang, Zhangling, and Nanyang will all be included in the rule of the Southern Han Dynasty . The Southern Han Dynasty could push the front to Xia Road in Fangcheng and threaten Xuchang at any time.

The significance of Xuchang is definitely not the old capital of Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, but Cao Cao's base camp in Henan. There are a large number of household registrations around Xuchang. Cao Wei can fight in Jingzhou and Jianghuai all year round, and all the food and grass his army needs comes from Xuchang.

Even with the rise of Yecheng and becoming the new headquarters of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Xuchang's role may have declined, but its military value has not diminished at all. Especially with the Southern Han Dynasty's Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, Xuchang's role in radiating Henan became increasingly prominent.

Therefore, Wancheng is really coveted. Now that Hou Yin has occupied Wancheng, Guan Yu sends troops to flood the river. Once he can respond to Hou Yin, he can defeat Xu Huang's troops. At that time, not only Xiangfan can be conquered, but Wancheng can also be captured, and the entire territory of Jingxiang will belong to the Southern Han Dynasty.

At that time, it was much easier for the Southern Han Dynasty to make the northern expedition to the Central Plains. Not only could they leave Xuchang from Wancheng, but they could also enter Guanzhong via Wuguan.

Facing the temptation of Wancheng, Guan Yu was very eager, and Xiangfan could no longer satisfy his ambition.

Lu Meng opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. In his plan, the best strategy was to lower Wancheng and restore Jingzhou; the middle strategy was to destroy Fancheng and slow down Nanyang; the worst strategy was to surrender to Xiangyang and encroach on Fancheng.

As the current situation develops, his goal for this campaign is only to go to Xiangyang. Wancheng is too far away and too difficult to achieve, so it is beyond the reach of the current army.

Although Hou Yin unexpectedly captured Wancheng, Lu Meng was still hesitant. Reason told him that Wancheng looked fat, but was eaten so easily. At present, Xiangfan has not yet been taken out, and it is too radical to go all the way to relieve the siege of Wancheng.

After a little hesitation, Lu Meng advised: "Your Majesty, although Xu Huang's tent only has more than 10,000 people, but as we approach Xu and Ying, if your Majesty rushes to advance troops, we may encounter a large enemy army, so we should think twice before proceeding."

"hehe!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard with his hand and said with a confident smile: "The seven armies of the Yu Jin generals came and turned them into fish and turtles into the net, and were captured by someone. Now I see the thieves' army, except Cao Cao, who can stop me?"

After saying that, Guan Yu commented on Xu Huang and said: "Xu Gongming is strict in nature and drives the soldiers to have no rest. He is good at running the army and is quite brave. When I was in Xuchang, I taught martial arts to Xu Gongming. Now I am not in Jin. His opponent, let alone Xu Gongming?"

"It is often said that if God does not take it, he will be blamed for it. Now that the Hou Yin is occupying Wancheng, it is like the Han River overflowing, which is a blessing from God to the Han Dynasty. If someone borrows the Han River to flood the ban, he will be able to rely on Wancheng to occupy it. enemy."

Lu Meng put down the letter and said: "Meng was not worried that the prince would not be defeated by Xu Huang, but was worried about the military affairs of Xiangfan. In the past, the reason why he built a long siege was to work hard for internal difficulties and to fend off reinforcements from outside. Why do the princes now change the strategy set in the past? ?”

Guan Yu's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled lightly and said: "This moment, that moment. Xu Huang can reach Xiangfan, why can't our army reach Wanchengxie?"

"Report, Your Majesty!"

Before he finished speaking, the attendants stepped inside, presented the letter, and said, "This is Hou Yin's letter, the third letter today."

"The situation in Wancheng is urgent!"

Guan Yu sighed, picked up the letter and browsed its contents.

But Hou Yin's letter did not talk about the critical situation in Wancheng, nor did it talk about the gains and losses of Wancheng. Instead, he praised Guan Yu's character in the letter, saying that Guan Yu was righteous and capable of giving up the wealth and honor given by Cao Cao and followed Liu Bei because of his loyalty.

The reason why Hou Yin raised an army to rebel against Cao Wei and separatized Wancheng was because he envied Guan Yu as a man. Now he is very grateful to Guan Yu for going north to rescue the siege. If there is a chance, he is willing to lead Guan Yu's horse and ride on it.

After seeing the letter, Guan Yu was even more happy and said: "Ziming, Hou Yin rebelled because of me, and I call myself a righteous man. How can I ignore Hou Yin's request for help and let him be trapped and defeated in Wancheng?"

Lu Meng was slightly stunned. The reason why he was able to persuade Hou Yin was not only relying on Guan Yu's reputation, but also using his official position and money to clear the way?

It is really a big joke to expect Hou Yin to rebel because of his loyalty to the Han Dynasty!
Lü Meng collected his thoughts and said: "Your Majesty, Wancheng has suddenly changed, and I feel rushed. Now it is better to communicate with your Majesty first, get your Majesty's edict, and then send troops to Wancheng."

After saying that, Lu Meng's face was slightly straightened and he said: "Your Majesty, the reason why Meng is admonishing is because Meng does not want to enter Wancheng and wait and see the Central Plains. In fact, because of the importance of Xiangfan, Meng does not dare to act rashly. Now I only hope that your Majesty will Think twice before acting and do not rush to use troops."

"How could I not know what Zi Ming means?"

Guan Yu's expression did not change and he said: "Most of the sergeants under Hou Yin's tent are mountain people and cannot take on big responsibilities. Now Wancheng is in danger, how can we hesitate and be slow? There are only more than 10,000 new soldiers in Xu Huang's tent, and Wancheng has been captured by our army. If we go up the river and defeat Xu Huang, we can break the siege of Wancheng."

"And if the rebel army is strong, I can easily return to Xiangfan by boating down the Guishui River. How can Xu Huang besiege me in Wancheng?"

"This time is different from the time of Cao Ren. At that time, Mengda lured him to surrender, but now Hou Yinzhen surrenders. It is easy to advance and difficult to retreat when building a river, but it is easy to advance and retreat with the Qiu River. How can there be any danger?"

"I have often heard that the use of troops is to control people but not control them. Now that we have solved the siege of Wancheng, the enemy has been blocked in Wancheng. Xiangfan has not seen reinforcements for a long time. People in Xiangfan will be panicked and will surrender to our army."

Seeing that Guan Yu could not be persuaded, Lü Meng asked: "I wonder how many troops and horses you want to send north?"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and paced up and down, and said: "Now the troops are surrounding the two cities of Xiangfan. We must not withdraw the long siege lightly. I want to send eight thousand troops to the north, leaving more than 30,000 troops to surround the two cities."

"The prince will have eight thousand infantry and cavalry, but he may have few soldiers!" Lu Meng said.

Guan Yu pondered for a while and then said: "There are thousands of thieves in Fancheng and five thousand in Xiangyang. Twenty thousand soldiers are not enough to encircle the two cities; thirty thousand soldiers are enough to encircle Xiangfan."

"I will ride eight thousand steps north. The first strategy is to join Hou Yin to attack Xu Huang. The second strategy is to occupy Xu Huang in Wan, making it difficult for the rebel army to assist Xiangfan from the south. Let Meng Da and Fu Fang leave Nanxiang and attack west of Wancheng. The strategy echoes our army. Ziming leads a large army to surround Fancheng, and the soldiers are at your disposal at any time."

"With this arrangement, we can both capture Wancheng and surround Xiangfan. What do you think Ziming said?" Guan Yu said with a smile.

Seeing that Guan Yu had arranged well, Lü Meng held up his hands and said: "Your Majesty and his troops are heading north. If you are successful, advance cautiously. If you are defeated, leave quickly. Meng will keep the army outside Fan to wait for news from the general."

"good!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard, smiled, and said, "I haven't seen you for a long time. I wonder if Gong Ming can make any progress."

(End of this chapter)