Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 688 No one can handle it!
At dusk, the setting sun was blood-red, fireworks were everywhere, and flags were fluttering.

On the hill, Huo Jun leaned on his sword and looked out, taking in the entire battlefield situation.

After Sun Li was killed by Xu Sheng, his troops were routed, but Pang De led his cavalry to intercept them, and most of the defeated soldiers of the Wei army surrendered to the Han. Because Jiang Ji wanted to persuade Hu Zhi to surrender, the Han army surrounded the Wei army in a matrix.

At this time, the Wei army in the chariot formation witnessed the entire process of Sun Li's defeat. Because they were worried that the Han army would use fire attack on them, they all hoped that Hu Zhi would surrender to the Han Dynasty.

As time passed, there was finally news.

"Commander-in-chief, Hu Zhi has surrendered!"

Ding Feng quickly climbed the hill and said, "Chief Secretary Jiang is really good at speaking. He was able to persuade Hu Zhi to surrender!"

"Ha ha!"

Huo Jun smiled and pounded his hands, saying: "Zitong and Hu Zhi have always been friends. Sun Li was defeated and surrendered, so Hu Zhi has no intention of fighting. The army left by Sun Quan was annihilated, so don't even think about escaping unscathed now!"

"Commander-in-chief, Hu Zhi led 4,000 surrendered soldiers to us, and no less than a thousand of Sun Li's troops were captured. Now there are five or six thousand people, but I don't know what to do with them?" Xu Sheng said.

Looking at the Wei soldiers who were happy to have escaped, Huo Jun asked, "What do you think Wen Xiang has?"

Xu Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "Since our army entered Qi, we have been stationed in various places, so the number of soldiers has gradually decreased. Now most of the surrendered soldiers of the Wei army are from Qing and Xu. Why not take the surrendered soldiers and use them for our own use, and let them stay in their hometowns, first to appease the people, and second to gather troops from the south."

"If I remember correctly, I remember that Wen Xiang was from Ju County, Langya?" Huo Jun asked.

"The governor has a good memory. When I was young, my hometown was hit by war and I couldn't go south with my family. Now I am back home with honors. I am very happy!" Xu Sheng looked sad and said, "It's a pity that things have changed and people have dispersed. It's hard to see my old friends anymore."

Xu Sheng explained to Huo Jun, "I am not seeking an official position for my fellow villagers. It's just that Qingxu has suffered from many bandits and the people are in turmoil. Now I am taking the surrendered people as soldiers. Although they cannot fight to the death for the Han, they can pacify the area."

"good!"

Huo Jun smiled and said, "How could I not know what Wen Xianggong is thinking?"

Pointing to the surrendered soldiers at the foot of the hill, Huo Jun said, "I will appoint Wen Xiang as the governor of Qingzhou to gather the surrendered soldiers from Wei and pacify the counties of Qingzhou for the Han."

"promise!"

Xu Sheng showed a delighted look on his face, bowed deeply, and said with a smile: "Thank you for your recommendation, Governor. I will do my best for the Han Dynasty!"

As they were talking, an attendant came to report, saying, "Grand Marshal, Chief Secretary Jiang and the surrendered general Hu Zhi are here to see you!"

"please!"

After a while, Jiang Ji came with the Wei generals who looked like scholars and bowed to Huo Jun.

"The surrendered man Hu Zhi is here to see the Grand Marshal. In the past, I was ignorant of the destiny and joined the rebels in rebellion. I feel deeply guilty and hope that the Grand Marshal can forgive the past grudges!" said Hu Zhi.

"In the past, Cao Cao used the emperor's edict to deceive Han officials into following the enemy. Now Governor Hu has recognized the truth and led his army to surrender. He has abandoned darkness and joined the light."

Huo Jun helped Hu Zhi up and said with a smile, "When I was talking with Zi Tong about the outstanding people in Huai, Zi Tong mentioned Mr. Hu's talent and strategy, and he praised him highly, saying that he was good at everything and could be put to important positions."

Hu Zhi felt a little guilty and said, "I have no policy to govern the county, no way to manage the army, and few achievements. I am ashamed of the praise from the Grand Marshal."

"You have great talent. If you get the right position, your talent will be known to the world." Huo Jun said comfortingly.

As he spoke, Huo Jun looked at Xu Sheng and said with a smile, "Xu Qingzhou has just taken office and is unfamiliar with the culture of Qingqi. I wonder if Mr. Hu is willing to serve as the deputy governor of Qingzhou and assist Xu Qingzhou in governing the state?"

Xu Sheng understood Huo Jun's intention, and said with a cupped hand: "I have lived in Jianghuai for a long time, and I have just come to Qingzhou. I hope to ask Mr. Hu for assistance!"

Hearing this, Hu Zhi bowed excitedly and said, "I am a surrendered person. How dare I refuse the appreciation of the Grand Marshal and the Lord of the Prefecture!"

"color!"

Jiang Ji laughed and said, "Wende has always been good at civil affairs. In the past, the people of Wei did not recognize his talent and used him to lead the army in battle. Now the governor recognizes his talent and appoints him as the deputy governor of Qingzhou. Wende should be able to show his talents."

"Zi Tong has made great contribution in persuading Lord Hu to surrender. I wonder what reward he would like to receive?" Huo Jun asked.

Jiang Ji glanced at Xu Sheng and said jokingly, "I wanted to be the governor of Qingzhou, but unexpectedly the governor gave Qingzhou to Wen Xiang. What a pity!"

Xu Sheng didn't know what Jiang Ji meant, so he cupped his hands and said, "General, I am not as talented as Jiang Changshi, so I am willing to resign as the governor of Qingzhou."

"Laughter!"

Jiang Ji quickly pulled Xu Sheng back and said, "Ji was just joking, you shouldn't take it seriously. Besides, I have been busy with the governor in battles, how can I be like you, the governor, and I can lead a region."

Huo Jun patted Xu Sheng on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Wen Xiangan, please take care of it. Jiang Changshi has other tasks for you."

After thinking for a moment, Huo Jun said, "Zi Tong has made great contributions in my battles. Now you can be appointed as the governor of Youzhou."

As the Northern Expedition progressed smoothly, in order to demonstrate the Han Dynasty's ambitions, the appointment of remote governors could be put on the agenda.

"Thank you, Governor, for your recommendation!" Jiang Ji thanked.

Ding Feng pretended to shake his head in regret and sighed, "Wen Xiang was promoted by killing Sun Li, and Jiang Changshi said that Hu Jun was appointed as a governor. Feng led the troops to fight, but was not given an official position. What a pity!"

Seeing Ding Feng's antics, Huo Jun laughed and scolded: "If you want, I can recommend you as the governor of Pingzhou, and lead the troops across the sea to take office immediately!"

"hey-hey!"

Ding Feng laughed awkwardly and said, "Pingzhou is too remote. I don't want to go there. It would be best if I follow the governor!"

After some fun, Jiang Ji stroked his beard and thought, saying, "Now that Sun Li has been beheaded, Wen De has surrendered to me, and all the troops left by Sun Quan have been annihilated, I wonder what the governor is planning?"

Huo Jun looked at the blood-red sunset and said, "Our army has destroyed the enemy at lightning speed, and I don't think Sun Quan will react. I want to lead the elite infantry and cavalry to attack at full speed and defeat Sun Quan in one battle. Then I will join forces with the Qidong army in Chang'an and march towards Linzi, Qi County."

Xu Sheng looked at the sky gradually getting dark, and said hesitantly: "Commander-in-chief, our army has been running all day, and the soldiers are tired. Moreover, it is dark today, which is not the time to use troops. It is better to rest here for a night, recuperate, and then set out to pursue Sun Quan."

"If we can break it today, why wait until tomorrow?"

Huo Jun waved his hand to reject Xu Sheng's proposal and said, "The reason why Sun Quan dared to withdraw his troops is because he relied on the chariot formation to guard the rear. Our army broke the chariot formation one day, which was enough to scare his troops. Now we are chasing them at full speed, which is enough to make them lose their courage. If Sun Quan is frightened, it will be an opportunity for our army to defeat the enemy."

Jiang Ji thought and said, "Sun Quan was afraid of the commander-in-chief's power, so he used the chariots to guard the rear to welcome the commander-in-chief. If the commander-in-chief can arrive outside his camp at night and attack with infantry and cavalry, Sun Quan will be frightened and will flee, and the rest of the bandits will surrender!"

"Chengyuan, Lingming, are the infantry and cavalry under our command available now?" Huo Jun asked.

"Available!"

Ding Feng was the first to step out, and he said, "The morale of the Hun army is high, and they are not afraid of death. Now we can serve the governor with all our strength!"

Pang De said in a deep voice: "There is no major battle to be fought now, so the infantry and cavalry under my command are full of energy. I am willing to follow the Grand Marshal to the battle now!"

"good!"

Huo Jun ordered: "Rest for a while, then set off!"

"promise!"

Not to mention that Huo Jun wanted to take advantage of the victory and defeat Sun Quan in one fell swoop.

Sun Quan led his troops on a day's march, and because his soldiers were exhausted, they had no choice but to set up camp to rest and prepare to continue the march after dawn. The night was dark, insects chirped, and bonfires were lit in the Wei camp.

Due to exhaustion from running around day and night, the Wei soldiers had already fallen into a deep sleep, and their snoring sounds could be heard throughout the Wei camp.

Inside the big tent, Sun Quan was feeling uneasy and pulled the sleepy Liu Ye to drink.

Seeing Sun Quan's worried face, Liu Ye asked, "General, why are you so worried? Are you worried about Sun Li?"

Sun Quan drank the wine and sighed, "Although I am dissatisfied with Sun Li's repeated rebuttals, we still need to work together to fight the enemy. Huo Jun is an extraordinary general, with the ability of Han and Bai. Sun Li is the rear guard with chariots, I don't know how long he can hold out!"

Liu Ye took the wine pot away and said to him in comfort, "Sun Li is extremely courageous and has an open character. Now there are 8,000 soldiers under his command, and the chariot formation is a barrier. It may not be easy to repel Huo Jun's pursuit, but with the strength of the chariot formation, it is enough to fight the Han army for several days, and the general can lead the soldiers to Linzi."

Sun Quan put down the cup in his hand and said, "I hope that Sun Li can use the chariot array to fight the enemy as Zi Yang said. Otherwise, the enemy will chase us and our army will be defeated!"

Sun Quan seemed to care about Sun Li, but in fact, he hoped that Sun Li and his powerful enemy Huo Jun would both suffer losses. For example, he hoped that Sun Li would be defeated and captured like Li Ling, or that Huo Jun's troops would suffer heavy losses, so that he could reap the benefits.

"The general is concerned about military affairs, and Ye deeply admires him."

Liu Ye hesitated for a moment and said, "General, if you are worried about the rear army, why not send more scouts tomorrow to investigate, so as to prevent the rear army from being defeated suddenly and our army being caught off guard."

"Hmm~"

Sun Quan nodded slightly and said, "Send the scout Gui Duo to contact Sun Li tomorrow, and then order Rui Xuan to speed up the march to see if we can reach Qi County as soon as possible and occupy the surrounding strategic points."

"The general is wise!"

Liu Ye bowed and said, "Now Sun Li is leading his troops to guard the rear for the general to hold off Huo Jun's troops for a while. Once the general stabilizes the situation and firmly holds Linzi in Qi County, he will be able to force Huo Jun to retreat."

"hope so!"

Sun Quan poured a bottle of wine for Liu Ye and said, "We are retreating to Linzi in Qi County. I wonder if Ziyang has any strategy to help me repel the enemy?"

Liu Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Linzi is the old capital of Qi. The city is high and strong, and it has the Zi River as a barrier. General, you should fortify the city and clear the fields, collect the grain and bring it into the city, and let them occupy it for a long time. When the cities of Qingqi see that Linzi has not been conquered, and the Han army has been exhausted for a long time without success, the people's hearts will naturally be uneasy."

"At that time, the reinforcements are outside, and the general leads the army inside. When the enemy soldiers are tired and exhausted, the inside and outside will respond to each other, and then they will be able to defeat Huo Jun. Whenever Huo Jun leads his troops to retreat slightly, the general will send people to make contact with the old people, and the cities will move at the news and join the main army to attack the Han army. The general should be able to win."

Sun Quan was very pessimistic because of the long years of military defeat. He asked: "What should we do if Liu Jun's plan does not work?"

Liu Ye was stunned for a moment, then asked, "What do you think, Mr. Sun?"

Sun Quan sipped the wine from the jar and said pessimistically: "Han has wanted to destroy Wei for a long time. The armies of Jianghan were defeated by Zhuge Liang. The troops of Qing and Xu are no match for Huo Jun. Therefore, I will use your advice and ask Huo Jun to retreat. If we are lucky enough to win, Qi will be clear."

"If this fails, Huo Jun will march into Qi, Hebei will be in turmoil, Henan will be gone, and the fate will be with Han. In order to find a way to survive, I want to leave the Central Plains with you, cross the sea to Liaodong, and flee to the wild land to seek temporary survival."

Hearing about Sun Quan's escape to Pingzhou, Liu Ye opened his mouth wide, somewhat unable to believe it.

Liu Ye was silent for a long time, and then said: "General, as a commander, you should not be afraid before the battle. Now the Qingqi army is still there, and it is best to hold Qi County. If the general can retreat from Huo, he will be a meritorious official of the country, but going as far as Pingzhou is not the best plan."

After a pause, Liu Ye said: "The drunken words of the general came out of your mouth and entered my ears. No one else can understand except heaven and earth."

Liu Ye had known Sun Quan for more than ten years, so it was impossible for him to betray Sun Quan just because of a few words. After all, Sun Quan's words were not only for his own consideration, but also for his consideration.

"good!"

When Sun and Liu were chatting late at night, the sound of enthusiastic military drums suddenly rang out in the silent night.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"what sound?"

Although Sun Quan was in the tent, he was sensitive to the sounds outside the tent.

"But Ying Xiao?" Liu Ye asked.

"It doesn't look like a camp roar!"

Sun Quan shook his head and strode out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the enthusiastic drumbeats became clearer and clearer, coming from all directions, accompanied by shouts of killing and the sound of horse hooves.

Sun Quan, who had just reacted, was horrified and said, "Could it be that the Han army has defeated Sun Li? Otherwise, how could it have come to this!"

Listening to the increasingly close shouts and cries of killing, Liu Ye's drunkenness subsided, and he said in panic: "It has not even been a day, and Sun Li and Hu Zhi are marching in a train formation, how could they be defeated?"

"General, something bad is going to happen!"

The guards came running over, panting, and said, "There are drums beating loudly on all sides, and people are gathering. The Han army is about to enter our camp. Please retreat from the front!"

Sun Quan grabbed the guard's collar and asked, "How did the Han army get to this point?"

The guard hurriedly shook his head and said, "Sun Li has not sent the military report here, I don't know!"

"Before dusk, Sun Li sent a rider to report that Huo Jun led his troops in pursuit. However, only four or five hours later, Huo Jun led his infantry and cavalry to the main camp."

Liu Ye looked disappointed, and murmured, "It seems that Sun Li and Hu Zhi have been defeated, and Huo Jun rushed here at night. This use of troops is like the art of ghosts and gods, and my plan has failed!"

Liu Ye really didn't expect Huo Jun to be so fierce. He defeated Generals Hu and Sun in less than half a day. He even led his infantry and cavalry to catch up with them and surrounded and attacked them at night.

"Huo Hu's attack is like that of a god or ghost, no one can stop him!"

Sun Quan looked around the camp that had been attacked and was in chaos, and sighed in fear: "We must leave quickly and not stay any longer!"

Fearing that he would be captured by the Han army, Sun Quan, upon seeing the Han army attacking his camp from all sides, was terrified and abandoned his army, fleeing with only a few hundred of his own cavalry.

Under the cover of night, the attacked Wei camp was in chaos. Sun Quan and more than 600 cavalry rushed out from the west and headed straight for Rui Xuan's troops in the north.

As they lost Sun Quan's command, the soldiers in the Wei camp were directly defeated by the sudden attack of the Han army's infantry and cavalry. The battle was too short and caught the Han army off guard!
Huo Jun stopped his horse and looked at the Wei camp, where more than a hundred cavalrymen with torches surrounded him.

Pang De rode up and reported, "General, Sun Quan has abandoned his camp and fled with his cavalry!"

As he spoke, Pang De spat and said, "Sun Quan is too good at running. He will run away at the slightest movement!"

Huo Jun held the reins and sneered, "Sun Quan was so frightened that he abandoned his army and fled."

"Where's Pound?"

"The general is here!"

Huo Jun pointed forward with his whip and said, "Sun Quan is heading north, he must be fleeing to Rui Xuan's army. Ling Ming will lead his cavalry to pursue him. Even if we cannot capture Sun Quan, we must disperse Rui Xuan's troops."

"Yes!" Pang De took the order and left.

ps: I have something to do today, so I won’t update again soon.

(End of this chapter)