Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 589 Joint Impeachment
Since Cao Pi gave Cao Xiu half a month's time limit, Cao Xiu took the time to besiege Zhongli City in order to avenge his shame, regardless of the resentment of his sergeants.

In Zhongli City, with Xu Sheng's false surrender and everyone learning about the deadline given by Huo Jun, the soldiers fought to the death.

In the most tragic day, the Han and Wei armies fought more than ten times, and Zhongli City consumed 50,000 arrows every day. The Wei army suffered two to three thousand casualties and finally retreated as night fell.

After half a month, the nearly two million arrows stationed in Zhongli City were exhausted, and there were still just over 2,000 surviving soldiers.

During this period, Xu Sheng saw that there were no arrows available in the city. In addition to sending people to collect the arrows shot into the city by the Wei army, Xu Sheng also made simple arrows. Occasionally, Xu Sheng bluffed and pretended to leave the city to attack the Wei camp at night, but actually let the dummy Wei arrow.

After several operations, although Xu Sheng withstood Cao Xiu's fierce attack, Zhongli City was approaching its limit.

Fortunately, the half-month period came and it rained continuously, so Cao Xiu had no choice but to slow down his troops. Wei Zhen was ordered by Cao Pi to cross the Huaihe River and inspect the military situation in Huainan.

Wei Zhen first went to the military camp and found that the generals were mentally exhausted and morale was low due to the long-term attack on Zhongli. In addition, they were tired because they were old teachers. When the rearguard looked at Zhongli, they saw that although many of the Zhongli walls were in ruins, the Han army braved the rain to repair the city defenses, and the defense was very tight.

After having an in-depth understanding of the war in Huainan, Wei Zhen returned to Huaibei to clarify the situation to Cao Pi.

Wei Zhen believes that today is the first month of the year, at the end of winter and the beginning of spring, there will be rain gradually, and spring water will emerge soon. The army was exhausted after a long offensive, and the veterans of the division were exhausted. It was not suitable to fight again, so Cao Pi was advised to withdraw his troops.

Cao Xiu was unwilling to withdraw his troops. He was thinking about Zhongli City. In order to avenge his defeat, he asked Cao Pi Shangshu to continue fighting.

In the memorial, Cao Xiu apologized to Cao Pi, saying that he had failed Cao Pi's expectations and violated his previous promises. Cao Xiu analyzed the current situation and said that Zhongli City's arrows were gradually running out, more than half of the soldiers were killed or injured, and the city would be broken in a few days. The reason why it is impossible to conquer today is mostly due to the delay in the use of troops due to rain problems.

Then Cao Xiu stated the pros and cons, saying that not only the Wei army would be exhausted, but Xu Sheng who was defending the city would be even more unable to hold on. If we evacuate Zhongli now due to some difficulties, all our previous efforts will be wasted, our generals will be wasted, and tens of thousands of soldiers will be killed or injured in vain.

Finally, Cao Xiu assured Cao Pi that he hoped to postpone it until February. If Zhongli cannot be defeated in February, he is willing to accept military law.

After receiving the memorial, Cao Pi hesitated a lot and asked everyone for military advice.

Liu Yeshang commented that the key point of Shaoyangzhou was that if the pontoon bridge on Shaoyangzhou was destroyed, resulting in the isolation of the north and the south, the Huainan army might be in danger.

Many people had the same opinions as Liu Ye, either suggesting withdrawing the troops or besieging Xiapi.

Cao Pi had the idea of ​​continuing to fight, but in the face of everyone's advice, Cao Pi fell into hesitation. He didn't know whether to continue fighting.

The hesitation of the top brass of the Wei army indirectly affected the army, and the siege of Zhongli slowed down.

Such a short and unusual change made the Han army stationed downstream keenly aware of it. Yu Shao quickly sent the information to Jiang Ji, and Jiang Ji informed Lu Xun of the news.

Xutai, the stronghold of the Han army.

In the large tent of the Chinese army, Lu Xun was holding a scroll and reading a letter, his expression was at ease.

As it rained for many days, Cao Wei slowed down Zhongli's offensive, which made Lu Xun less tense and more relaxed.

Seeing Zhuge Liang's speed in conquering the Southern Barbarians, Lu Xun couldn't help but sigh: "Ge Xiang went to Nanzhong, defeated Gaoding and then killed it. Now he has entered Yizhou County and will conquer Nanzhong in a few days. How fast is this!"

Zhuge Liang set out from Chengdu in autumn and winter. He was almost invincible along the way and easily killed the rebellious Gaoding. Then he adopted Huo Jun's suggestion and led a large army into Yizhou County to join the other armies in Dianchi Lake. Wang Ping was left to go to Yuexi County to pacify the remaining barbarians.

Just when Lu Xun lamented Zhuge Liang's rapid advance, Jiang Ji rushed into the tent and said: "Lu Chaoqi, there is something strange in the Wei camp, our army should pay attention."

Lu Xun stood up to greet Jiang Ji and asked, "Is there anything strange?"

Jiang Ji sat on the opposite couch and said: "According to the scouts, envoys are constantly coming and going from north to south. The Wei army's offensive is gradually slowing down, and the soldiers in the camp are distracted. If you look at it from this point of view, Ji is afraid~"

Before Jiang Ji finished speaking, Lu Xun reacted and said, "Is Zitong afraid that Cao Pi wants to withdraw his troops?"

"Exactly!"

Jiang Ji nodded and said: "The Wei army's offensive has slowed down and people's hearts have become disorganized. There may be signs of withdrawal. Envoys traveling between the north and the south may be seeking opinions on withdrawal."

After saying that, Jiang Ji was a little worried and said: "The Grand Sima is still in Wuhan. If Cao Pi withdraws his troops at this time, our army's plan may be in vain."

Hearing this, Lu Xun became increasingly irritable, got up and paced back and forth in the tent.

We are now entering a critical moment. If Cao Pi orders the withdrawal of troops at this juncture, their plan to launch a war of annihilation will be completely in vain.

Looking at Lu Xun's pacing figure, Jiang Ji suggested: "If the Wei army withdraws and the Da Sima soldiers have not arrived, it is better for our army to lead the army to pursue them. Although we cannot make big gains, we can defeat the enemy."

Lu Xun suddenly thought of something, stopped and asked, "Zitong, how about sending troops to attack the Wei army now?"

"Ok?"

Jiang Ji was doubtful for a moment, then seemed to understand something, and lowered his voice and asked: "Could it be that the Chariot General wants to pretend to defeat the Wei army, boost the morale of the Wei army, and make him want to fight for a long time?"

"Of course!"

Lu Xun frowned slightly and said: "The reason why the Wei army wants to withdraw now is because they have been marching south for many days without any results, and the old soldiers are exhausted, so they want to withdraw. If our army is defeated by the Wei army, the thieves will The morale of the soldiers is greatly improved, which may allow them to stay for a long time to wait for the opportunity to defeat the enemy. "

"If the Wei army still wants to withdraw after its victory, what should we do?" Jiang Ji asked.

Lu Xun sighed and said, "If Cao Pi still wants to withdraw his troops, it must be God's will!"

Jiang Ji was silent for a while and said: "The Jianghuai soldiers are very few, so it is not appropriate to lose your life in vain!"

Jiang Ji supported Lu Xun's approach of using the lives of soldiers to retain the Wei army, but Jiang Ji's premise was that Jianghuai troops could not be killed.

"Ok!"

Lu Xun stroked his beard and thought, and said: "Now we should send out the old and weak, mixed with sharp men, to attack the pontoon bridge against the current to check the strength of the pontoon bridge. If the enemy meets it with a large army, our army can be defeated and flee."

Lu Xun was not crazy if he asked Jianghuai's elite to feign defeat and die. Not to mention that the Jianghuai elite were the main force in defeating the enemy. Even if they could feign defeat, after Jiang Ji found out about this, he was destined not to use Jianghuai troops.

"Which department can take on this important task?" Jiang Ji asked.

"Generals Deng Xian and Chen Shi have commanded the county troops, so they can counterattack the pontoon bridge." Lu Xun thought for a while and said, "I wonder if Zitong has any objections?"

"Can!"

Jiang Ji said: "The general's plan must not be known to outsiders. If ordinary generals hear about it, there will be chaos!"

"Except for Da Sima, you and I are the only ones who know about this." Lu Xun replied.

"good!"

After a while, Lu Xun summoned the generals to assemble, and then ordered Chen Shi and Deng Xian to lead ten thousand troops in boats and destroy the pontoon bridge.

The next day, Chen and Zheng were ordered to go to war and take the Shaoyangzhou floating bridge directly. The navy of the Wei army immediately went out to fight. Unlike the last attack with fire, the Wei army's boats anchored near Shaoyangzhou, and then used bows and arrows to attack.

The two armies fought from morning to noon. Cao Xiu took the opportunity to lead the elite troops to attack by boat, mixed with fire boats.

Chen and Zheng were both weak and weak. Facing Cao Xiu's sudden attack and the fireship attack, they could not withstand Cao Xiu's sudden attack and fled in defeat.

Unfortunately, a strong wind arose during the withdrawal, and Deng Xian's boat was blown to the shore. Cao Hong took the opportunity to lead his troops to attack it. In addition to more than a thousand sergeants who escaped, Deng Xian and the other sergeants were killed because they had no time to escape. The Wei army captured and killed him.

In this battle, general Deng Xian was killed, and more than 4,000 Han soldiers were captured and killed by the Wei army. In addition to the last defeat at Shaoyangzhou, the number of Han soldiers killed, wounded and captured was no less than 8,000.

Cao Xiu was overjoyed to achieve such a result, and immediately sent Deng Xian's head and captured soldiers and horses to the Huaibei camp, along with a memorial to continue the war.

Huaibei, Yicheng.

In the big tent, Cao Pi listened to the results reported by the envoy, with a long-lost smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, the thief general Deng Xian is dead here!"

The attendant held the wooden box and said, "Do you want to open it now?"

Cao Pi glanced at the smelly wooden box, waved his hand, and said with a smile: "Preach it to all camps to promote the power of our army. Today's execution of prisoners must also be publicized to all camps."

Cao Pi originally wanted to withdraw his troops due to serious losses, but unexpectedly, a great victory came, which really made him happy.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Chen Qun and other civil servants stood up and congratulated Cao Pi.

"Ha ha!"

Cao Pi stood up from the couch and said with a modest smile: "Zhongli has not been defeated. What we have achieved today is just a small victory."

After saying that, Cao Pi held his belt and said with a smile: "I entrusted Cao Yangzhou with important matters, and now Cao Yangzhou has finally lived up to my expectations."

The attendant took the opportunity to present a memorandum and said: "Your Majesty, Cao Yangzhou is going to the throne to ask for an extension of time so that he can break the clock and leave the city to make full use of his achievements."

Cao Pi reached out to take the memorial and read its contents.

However, Cao Xiu saw in the memorial that in response to the problem of the Shaoyangzhou pontoon that Liu Ye questioned, Cao Xiu had a countermeasure, that is, to strengthen and heighten the Shaoyangzhou pontoon and repair the military camp on Zhouzhu to prevent the Han army from continuing to raid Shaoyangzhou.

Cao Xiu also formulated a new siege plan. He would build a mountain in the south and use the troops to leave the city. When the mountain is completed in February or March, he would attack Zhongli City from multiple sides and be able to defeat it.

During this period, if it rains, the troops will be surrounded and defended; if the weather is fine, the troops will be attacked. In the two maps of water and land, within the limit of February, he will definitely be able to break the city.

After raising his hand to report, Cao Pi called the civil and military officials on the left and right, and asked: "Cao Yangzhou wants to ask for an extension of time to allow him to destroy the city. I wonder what you think?"

As he spoke, Cao Pi looked at Liu Ye and said, "As for the pontoon bridge at Shaoyangzhou that you are worried about, Cao Yangzhou said that the pontoon bridge can be strengthened and raised, and then the Shaoyang camp will be prepared. Today's battle clearly shows that Shaoyangzhou is well-organized and the water thieves are good at it. There is no way to do it even with a boat."

Seeing that Cao Pi wanted to continue fighting, Liu Ye couldn't say anything more.

"Now Cao Yangzhou is willing to fight again, but he doesn't know what your majesty wants?" Wei Zhen asked.

Cao Pi walked around with the memorandum and said: "It's not that the thieves don't want to relieve the siege, but because our army is heavily fortified and it is difficult to have any plans. Zhongli City may be as Cao Yangzhou said, because the soldiers are small and weak, so it is difficult to defend it for a long time. There are stories of water thieves rescuing the siege. If we gather our troops and attack quickly, we will be able to defeat them."

After thinking for a while, Cao Pi said: "Zang Ba, who has been in charge of the Jin Dynasty, has lived in Huaisi for a long time. Now we can ask him to lead his troops across Huaihe and discuss with Cao Yangzhou about breaking the city."

After the defeat of Qushan, Zang Ba was dismissed from the post of governor of Xuzhou by Cao Pi and replaced by Zhi Jinwu. Now in order to defeat Zhongli, Cao Pi decided to revive Zang Ba and ask him to assist Cao Xiu in defeating the city.

After a pause, Cao Pi looked at Liu Fang and said, "Draw an imperial edict to Cao Yangzhou and tell him to make persistent efforts to defeat Zhongli City in February."

"promise!"

The defeat of Deng and Chen had both advantages and disadvantages. Although it was as Lu Xun intended, it successfully strengthened Cao Pi's belief in defeating Zhongli. However, due to the sudden strong wind, the losses exceeded Lu Xun's expectations. In addition, the two failures to capture the Shaoyangzhou pontoon caused the army generals to have serious doubts about Lu Xun's command.

In the big tent, Lu Xun was comforting Chen Shi, while the generals on the left and right in the tent showed disdain and dissatisfaction in their expressions.

When Chen Shi retreated, Huo Du glanced at Lu Xun and said calmly: "It's really interesting to use land chariots and cavalry troops. Since last year, we have captured the Shaoyangzhou floating bridge twice, but we have lost our troops and generals. If we don't break Zhongli's siege now, I'm afraid Zhongli will Will be destroyed by Cao Xiu."

Lu Xun smiled and said: "If Cao Xiu wants to re-conquer Zhongli, this should be as our army wishes. The spring water will come out this year, which will benefit our country greatly."

Ding Feng held the hilt of his sword, looked at Lu Xun coldly, and said, "Does the general want to wait for Da Sima to lead his troops here, and then Da Sima personally break the siege of Zhongli? However, Da Sima is thousands of miles away from Jianghuai, and now Xu Wen is facing After holding on to Zhongli for several months, I have exhausted all my arrows, but I don’t know what the general’s plan is.”

Regarding Ding Feng's doubts, Lu Xun was not angry and said: "Cao Pi led the people from the Central Plains to the south, and even the commander-in-chief did not dare to look down upon him. The kings and emperors have received many favors from the Han, so they should live in harmony, report to the country, and retreat from the enemy. Army. I have received your majesty's order and the military order of the Grand Sima, and I dare not slack off and underestimate the enemy."

"The time to defeat the enemy may be approaching soon. From now on, all generals will not leave the camp without my military order. I only hope that you will respect the military order."

"Humph!"

"promise!"

After hearing Lu Xun's blank words, Huo Du responded coldly and strode out of the tent. With Huo Du taking the lead, many generals bowed perfunctorily and then went out to pay their bills. Only a few generals bowed to Lu Xun and resigned.

Looking at the backs of everyone, Lu Xun glanced at the news that Cao Pi had sent troops to Huainan, and the corners of his mouth could not help but raise slightly.

Long after the generals left the camp, Jiang Ji quickly walked into the tent and told Lu Xun some bad news.

"Lu Cheqi and the lieutenant generals want to jointly impeach the general to the court!" Jiang Ji said with a wry smile.

"For whom?"

Lu Xun looked shocked, laughed angrily, and asked, "What do you want to be named after?"

Jiang Ji did not answer who was impeaching him, but said: "Everyone thinks that the general has made mistakes in his use of troops and is not capable of commanding the army. If the general is allowed to command the troops for a long time, the military may be destroyed, so they jointly petitioned for impeachment."

Lu Xun couldn't laugh or cry, he couldn't explain the whole story to everyone. It is a small matter to make a general resentful, but a big deal to reveal secrets.

Now that everyone is jointly impeaching me, it does not violate military discipline at all. If I punish them for this, it will ruin the matter.

Lu Xun held back his aggrieved words and said, "Thank you very much, Zitong, for informing me. I will tell you immediately to the commander-in-chief and let me know what happened. All generals will just abide by the military orders. The rest will be decided by everyone."

"Now I feel wronged by Lu Chaqi!" Jiang Ji said with his hands in hand.

“Everything is about national affairs!”

(End of this chapter)