Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 664 The advantage is mine!

(Previous chapter: Yuzhou was changed to Yanzhou, I made a mistake!)

Sun Quan's analysis of abandoning Kaiyang was refreshing to Cao Rui. In order to ease the atmosphere, Cao Rui postponed the meeting and attended the banquet to win over the generals of Yan, Xu and Qing states.

On that day, the banquet was noisy and the drinking was lively. It was not until late at night that the emperor and his ministers returned home.

The next day, after breakfast, Cao Rui summoned the generals from the three states to discuss military affairs.

Compared to the hastily held military meeting yesterday, today's meeting was well prepared. A Qingxu map was hung on the wall of the hall, with the distribution of enemy and friendly forces marked on it, making it clear at a glance.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

Cao Rui entered from the side of the hall, and all the civil and military officials present stood up and bowed to greet him.

Cao Rui walked half a circle, handed the cloak on his shoulders to the attendants, and then pressed down with both hands, motioning everyone to sit down, and said: "To be honest, the reason why I came here wearing armor is because there are many rumors in the capital that the general of Xuzhou will be with Huo Jun. I couldn't sleep at night, so I came to Yanzhou to supervise the military affairs."

"Yesterday, Sun Cheqi's words made me feel very relieved. It shows that rumors cannot be trusted. Today, I summoned you here to discuss matters, not for other matters, but because I want you to understand the importance of Xuzhou and discuss strategies to resist the enemy!"

Cao Rui sat upright on the couch and said, "Today we are discussing military affairs. You can express your thoughts freely without restraint!"

"Mr. Lu personally guarded Pengcheng and had frequent contact with pirates. Can you tell us what the current situation is like?" Cao Rui said.

"promise!"

Lü Qian stood up and said, "A few years ago, Huo Jun was lucky enough to capture Xiapi, but the situation in Xuzhou has not changed much. If we fight Huo Jun, we can still implement the old strategy and use the troops of Yanzhou and Qingzhou to attack from the east and west to contain the pirates."

"The key point now is, if we abandon Langya and defend Muling Pass, how can we repel Huo Jun, or how can we take advantage of the combined attack from the east and west to find an opportunity to defeat the pirates. However, no matter what, everything should be centered on defending Pengcheng and competing with the enemy for the Central Plains."

Sun Li slightly objected and said, "Sir, although our army has the strength of three states, it is difficult for us to unite our forces because Xia Pi is occupied. If the pirates do not take Langya and instead take Pengcheng, our troops in Qingzhou will also have to march towards Xia Pi to relieve the siege of Pengcheng."

"Huo Jun can then besiege Pengcheng and attack the reinforcements from Qingzhou. If the troops from Qingzhou are defeated, the troops from Yuzhou may also be defeated by Huo Jun. At that time, the troops from Qi and Lu were both defeated, and Li was afraid that Pengcheng would be like Xiang Yu being trapped at Gaixia. Now that Qingzhou can be abandoned, can Xuzhou also abandon Pengcheng?"

Langya Prefect Sun Li was particularly dissatisfied with Sun Quan's remarks about abandoning Langya.

In his eyes, if Huo Jun did not take Kaiyang, but took Pengcheng instead, the terrain of Pengcheng would still allow him to besiege the city and attack its reinforcements. Yesterday, Sun Li had no way to refute, but now that Lu Qian was talking about the situation, Sun Li had to raise his doubts.

Sun Quan glanced at Sun Li and took the initiative to speak: "Pengcheng is the gateway to the Central Plains. Although the city is surrounded by water on three sides, it is similar to Kaiyang and can be flooded and breached. However, Pengcheng is high and solid. In order to prevent the Si River from flooding the city, a golden city was built in the south of the city. Even if the outer city is submerged by the Si River, the defenders are able to defend it with the golden city."

Pengcheng was built on a peninsula formed by the confluence of two rivers, with water on three sides and a plain on the south. Because the city was adjacent to the Si River in the north, a Jincheng was built on a high ground in the south to prevent flooding. Jincheng stored a large amount of food and supplies, and could station five to six thousand soldiers.

Therefore, once Pengcheng was flooded, the Wei army could retreat to Jincheng and hold it. Their generals could be like Huo Youzhi defending Xia Pi. Even if the outer city was flooded, they could still rely on the inner city to hold it.

"Sishui River is high in summer and low in autumn. Therefore, the Sishui River floods the city. The river water rises and falls in a short time. The shortest time is one or two months, and the longest time is two or three months. The pirates will see that the city cannot be taken, so they will retreat due to lack of food."

Sun Quan was full of confidence and said, "When Huo Jun leads a large army to besiege Pengcheng, the troops of Qingzhou can go out of Muling Pass and not fight Huo Jun in the field. Instead, they can use light cavalry to harass the food supply route. When Huo Jun runs out of food and retreats, the troops of Yanzhou can kill him. Then the troops of Qingzhou can recover Langya and Donghai counties."

"But I don't know where Sun Langya got the news that Xiang Yu was trapped at Gaixia?"

In order to make things difficult for Sun Quan, Wu Zhi said, "If we follow Sun Jun's advice and abandon Kaiyang in Langya and concentrate on defending Muling Pass, we will not be afraid that once Huo Jun's troops break through Daxian, the five counties of Qingzhou will have no obstacles and we can march straight in, just like Han Xin conquering Qi."

"After that, Qi recovered and turned westward, and once again attacked from all sides. Even though our army does not want to be like Xiang Yu, under the current situation, the story of Gaixia may repeat itself!"

Listening to Wu Zhi and Sun Li talking about being trapped at Gaixia, Cao Rui became increasingly unhappy. In order to maintain his demeanor, Cao Rui drank a sip of water.

Wang Ling saw that Sun Quan was under siege and offered help, saying, "The pirates are light-hearted and brave, so the advantage is to fight them quickly. They are brave and sharp at the beginning, so we should rely on the three dangerous passes of Muling to prevent Huo Jun from entering, delay the battle for a long time, and weaken their fighting spirit."

"Huo Jun is blocked at Daxian. We can select 2,000 elite cavalrymen, march out of Langya and Xihai, and follow the sea route to the south to cut off their food supply. I will lead the army of Yanzhou, go down along the mountain eastward, and attack them from the front and back. Huo Jun will see that there is a dangerous pass in front, heavy troops on the side, and light cavalry in the rear, so his troops will have no choice but to withdraw."

"Of course!"

Sun Quan nodded slightly and said excitedly: "The reason why I gave up the two counties of Donghai and Langya was that I wanted to let Huo Jun lure the enemy deep into our territory. From Xiapi to Muling, there is a road of seven or eight hundred miles. We will build strong walls and clear the fields, burn the chestnut seedlings, seize the people's food and supplies, and leave the enemy with nothing to eat."

"Huo Jun led his troops from a long distance to Muling. The troops of Yanzhou came out of Taishan County. If there were fewer troops in Kaiyang, we could intercept them halfway and cut off their food supplies. At that time, Huo Jun had a dangerous pass in front of him and his food supplies were cut off in the back. His troops would surely be defeated!"

When Sun Quan took out his best strategy, everyone present looked at him with awe, except Liu Ye, who stroked his beard and smiled. Most of the military strategies discussed by Sun Quan and Wang Ling were conceived by Liu Ye.

Sun Quan once said that he could always achieve outstanding results in his military operations because he could identify talented people. Now Sun Quan was suddenly in charge of the military affairs of three states. He knew that he had no great talent, so he thought deeply and decided to ask Liu Ye for advice, and also listened to Wang Ling's suggestions.

Liu Ye is worthy of being on par with Xun Yu, Xun You, Jia Xu and others. After studying for many days, he developed a practical plan.

That is, give up Donghai and Langya counties, and give a large number of people and a narrow territory to Huo Jun, so as to lure Huo Jun to lead his troops to directly capture Donghai and Langya counties, and then stop Huo Jun at Muling Pass.

While Huo Jun was blocked at Muling Pass, Sun Quan sent elite cavalry south along the coast to raid the Yishui River and attack the Han army's grain supply teams.

When Huo Jun set out to deal with the cavalry in the southeast, Wang Ling led the Yanzhou troops to Taishan County, went east along the Shunzhi River Valley, cut off Huo Jun's retreat, and formed a pincer attack with Sun Quan.

"color!"

Cao Rui could not help but comment, saying: "To lure the enemy deep into our territory, cut off their route and attack them, or surround them, this strategy cannot be devised by anyone who is not good at using troops!"

Cao Rui then praised his officers and soldiers, saying, "Sun Cheqi boasts that he is not as good as a pig, but this is just a humble statement. In my opinion, Sun Cheqi is as good at using troops as the general of the cavalry!"

"Don't dare!"

Sun Quan bowed modestly and said, "This is not a plan that I came up with alone. Many of the details were corrected by Liu Shizhong, Wang Yanzhou, and Lu Xuzhou!"

"Zhongmou is too modest!" Cao Rui pondered for a moment and asked, "How many troops are there in the three states now?"

"Your Majesty, Qing and Yan each have 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers, Xuzhou has more than 10,000 soldiers, and the total number of soldiers in the three states is around 70,000. They can hardly be called elite soldiers," said Sun Quan.

After the defeat in Jianghuai, Cao Rui issued an edict allowing the states in Henan to recruit soldiers on their own and to conscript able-bodied men as soldiers. As a result, the number of soldiers was restored to a certain extent, but in terms of quality, they could not be said to be elite.

"The number of soldiers and horses is between 70,000!"

Cao Rui thought for a while and asked his attendants, "How many soldiers are there in Ji, You, and Bing now? How many soldiers are available now?"

Wei Zhen sorted out his thoughts and said, "Your Majesty, Hebei and Sili still have more than 100,000 troops available. Jingwan has few soldiers, so we need to draw troops from Yu and Si to defend the south. Because Hexi is cut off from Guanxi, we need soldiers from Bingzhou to enter Guanxi to help!"

"According to the previous deployment, there are 60,000 soldiers in Jingwan, nearly 20,000 soldiers in Runan, and no less than 50,000 soldiers in Guanzhong. In addition to the 30,000 soldiers under General Zhang He and the more than 10,000 soldiers in Luoyang, there are still 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers available in the country, but the border counties of You and Ji must be defended."

Cao Rui thought for a long time and said, "Move 40,000 troops from Hebei to the south, 25,000 to Qingzhou and 15,000 to Yanzhou. If there is unrest in Hebei, I will move the garrison to Yecheng, Hebei."

"promise!"

According to Cao Wei's current deployment, the three states of Qi and Lu have about 110,000 troops, the Runan area of ​​Yuzhou has 20,000 troops, Jingwan has 60,000 troops, and Guanzhong has 50,000 troops. Zhang He has 30,000 mobile troops, and Cao Rui + Hebei still has more than 20,000 people.

Corresponding to the military strength of Southern Han, Huo Jun had 150,000 troops, and he had to face Wang Ling + Sun Quan + Man Chong + Lu Qian, totaling 130,000 troops; Zhuge Liang had 70,000 troops, and he had to face Sima Yi + Zhang He with nearly 90,000 troops; Lu Xun had 70,000 troops, and he had to face Guo Huai + Cao Zhen with 60,000 troops.

In terms of eliteness, except for the Guanxi region, the Han soldiers in the Guandong region were more elite than the Wei army.

The Southern Dynasty led an unprecedented force to the north, sending out nearly 300,000 soldiers. The Northern Dynasty relied on its defensive advantage, recruited powerful people and large families as soldiers, and forced the able-bodied men of the people to serve as soldiers, thus forcing out an army that was no less than that of the Southern Dynasty.

Cao Rui looked at the civil and military officials in the hall, and his heroic spirit rose. In order to encourage the soldiers of the three states to fight, Cao Rui considered his words and decided to stand up and speak.

After taking a sip of water, Cao Rui stood up from the bed, wearing armor and holding his sword, walked to the map, and said in a deep voice.

"In the past, King Wu Ding of Shang conquered Dapeng, King Mu of Zhou conquered King Xu Yan, King Fuchai of Wu fought for supremacy in the Central Plains, and Chu and Qi fought for supremacy on the Huai River. But looking at the results, Shang was destroyed because of its conquest of the Dongyi, Wu was defeated because of its excessive use of the people's power, and Chu prospered because of its control of the Si River."

"There have been dozens of wars in the Xuzhou area throughout the ages. Military strategists have all noticed that it was in this area of ​​Xuzhou that the rise and fall of many powerful countries was determined. Therefore, there is a saying that one should compete for the throne of the Central Plains and the world."

Cao Rui recalled the past glory of Cao Wei, saying: "Back then, Liu Bei killed Che Zhou and rebelled, Yuan Shao occupied Hebei, Emperor Wu fought hard to the east, and Liu Bei fled in embarrassment. In the second year after retaking Xuzhou, Emperor Wu defeated Yuan Shao at Guandu and swept across China."

"In the 22nd year of the Jian'an Period of the Ji Han Dynasty, it was in Xuzhou that I had the honor of seeing Emperor Wu encircle Huo Jun and force him to flee in panic, thus achieving a great victory!"

Cao Rui then emphasized his tone, looked around at everyone, and said, "I don't understand why you are talking about Xiang Yu being trapped at Gaixia, as if this place of Xuzhou is doomed to be bad for our Great Wei."

"More than twenty years ago, Emperor Wu defeated Liu Bei in Xuzhou, and the Wei Dynasty gained power and laid the foundation, unifying China. At that time, it can be said that we had the best time and place!"

"Ten years ago, Huo Jun was defeated miserably and dared not look north for several years. I don't believe that in just twenty years, ten years later, Xuzhou has become the place where the Wei Dynasty will decline and fall."

Then, Cao Rui pounded the map with his hand and said sternly: "No matter what, defend first and then fight, the advantage is on my side!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Sun Quan was the first to come forward to express his loyalty, and said, "I will definitely defend Muling Pass and make it difficult for Huo Jun to take a single step toward Daxian."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Ling will lead our troops to fight to the death for our Great Wei!" Wang Ling said in a deep voice.

"I have served three generations and have received great favor from Wei. Now I swear to defend Pengcheng. As long as the city is there, the people are there. If the city is lost, the people are lost. I will make Huo Jun understand the benefits of Pengcheng!" Lu Qian said excitedly.

"We, your Majesty, will do our utmost to be loyal to you!" Everyone stepped out and responded.

Cao Rui was very satisfied to see that everyone was excited and motivated!
"With all the nobles in the country, there is no need to worry about the prosperity of the Wei Dynasty and the unification of the world!"

Cao Rui nodded slightly, motioned for everyone to sit down, and said: "Qi and Lu are the arms of the Central Plains, and we must not lose them now. Although Sun Cheqi's military strategy is good, but without my military order, the troops of Yanzhou cannot move lightly."

After a pause, Cao Rui was worried that the generals would doubt his reluctance to give up power, so he explained: "Huo Jun is cunning by nature. If we use Yanzhou too early, it may expose our army's intentions."

"I have ordered Zhang He to attack Zhuge Liang first. When Zhuge Liang's troops retreat, he will lead his troops eastward and then join forces with the troops from Henan to intercept and kill Huo Jun halfway and encircle him."

Then, Cao Rui's face became solemn, and he said: "I want to make Langya the place where Huo Jun's army is defeated. Even if we cannot capture Huo Jun alive, we will make him return with his army defeated and his territory lost, so that the enemy will not dare to look north."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured!"

Sun Quan assured, "Muling Pass is a natural barrier to the south of Qi. I will defend it firmly. Even if I cannot inflict heavy damage on Huo Jun, I will at least make him afraid to look east to Pengcheng."

"Hmm~"

Cao Rui smiled and said, "Sun Cheqi's pig-like words yesterday gave me a new feeling. Now I should use the pig-like tactics to fight against the fierce tiger of Chu."

Considering Sun Quan's lack of experience in military operations, Cao Rui looked at Liu Ye and said, "Sun Quan's strategy is due to your advice. Now Sun Quan is guarding Qi and Lu, you can serve as his military advisor. Huo Jun is cunning and has great strategies, and only Liu Qing can defeat him!"

"promise!"

Sun Quan's plan gave Cao Rui hope of defeating Huo Jun, and he had a chance to do so. He ordered Zhang He and Sima Yi to defeat Zhuge Liang and recapture the cities in northern Han. Then, he led his troops eastward and, together with Wang Ling, killed Huo Jun.

When Huo Jun returns after his defeat, the Wei army will be able to take advantage of the victory. Even if they cannot recapture Shouchun, they will at least push the battle line to the Huai River to prevent Cao Wei from being so passive!
ps: Happy Dragon Boat Festival. Today I will update once with 4k, and will update three times tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)