The Jagged Cavalry of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 88 088
Yuan Shu's strategy of advancing both land and water, and attacking Zhuyi City at the same time all ended in failure. Yuan Jun lost troops and generals, which far exceeded Yuan Shu's expectations.

Yuan Jun's soldiers retreated five miles and set up camp in a relatively open area. However, the morale of the entire barracks was low, and there were screams from wounded soldiers from time to time.

As night fell, the defeated soldiers continued to return sporadically. It was not until Xu time that all the remnants and defeated generals returned.

In Yuan Jun's camp, word of Zhang Xun's and Sun Ce's failures also reached Yuan Shu's ears. He never imagined that Xuzhou soldiers would be so strong.

Yuan Shu was drinking alone in the big tent, when Yan Xiang, the master bookkeeper, walked into the big tent, cupped his fists and said, "My lord, I have already had someone count them, and there are still more than 5000 people in the camp. Or killed, captured, or whereabouts unknown..."

"I personally led an army of [-] people and came all the way from Huainan. I thought it would be enough to conquer the entire Xuzhou. How could I know that I have not even set foot on the border of Xuzhou, so I have suffered such a heavy loss?" Yuan Shu sneered and said to himself Soliloquy.

Yan Xiang said: "My lord, through today's battle, it can be seen that Xuzhou today is not the Xuzhou of yesterday. The newly appointed Xuzhou shepherd Zhang Yan led the army to resist here. It seems that he is not as weak as he wrote in his letter. From this point of view , Zhang Yan’s various actions before should be to slow down our army’s marching speed, so that we can make full preparations for war in Zhuyi City. Although Zhuyi City is small, under the leadership of Zhang Yan, the Xuzhou soldiers are united. Our first attack If you fail, I'm afraid that if you want to attack again, it will be even more difficult..."

"I don't care! No matter how much it costs, I will break through this city and kill Zhang Yan, so that he can see how powerful our army is!" Yuan Shu said angrily.

Yan Xiangdao: "Soldiers are like water, and the shape of water is to avoid heights and go down; the shape of soldiers is to avoid the solid and attack the weak. Water controls the flow because of the ground, and soldiers win because of the enemy. Therefore, soldiers have no constant momentum, and water has no permanent shape; Those who can win due to changes in the enemy are called gods. This is what Sun Tzu said in the Art of War, which means that the strategy of using troops is not static, but should be like water, which has no fixed shape and changes in many ways. The lord wants to attack Xuzhou , since Zhuyi City can’t pass through, it’s better to change the strategy and pass through elsewhere. The Sui River is so long, I don’t believe that Zhang Yan can block the entire Sui River!”

After hearing this, Yuan Shu immediately became interested, and hurriedly asked, "Master Yan, what do you mean..."

Yan Xiang said: "My lord can bypass Zhuyi City, enter Xuzhou by waterway at the downstream of Zhuyi City, and go down the river to reach Xiapi in Xuzhou. My lord can completely avoid Zhang Yan's main force and take Xiapi first. Xiapi It is a place where money and food are gathered, and the army is relatively weak. After taking Xiapi, my lord will divide the troops to attack Guangling. As long as these two places are occupied first, Xuzhou can gradually attack."

Yuan Shu immediately beamed with joy, and said to Yan Xiang: "You're right, I shouldn't be so persistent, since I can't take Zhuyi City, I'll go to another place. Xuzhou will soon become my territory, hahaha..."

Afterwards, Yuan Shu ordered civil and military officials to be summoned to discuss matters in the tent. Ji Ling, Zhang Xun, Sun Ce, Liang Gang, Yuan Huan, Yuan Yin, Yang Hong and others all came together, and they paid homage to Yuan Shu together with Yan Xiang.

After the ceremony, Yuan Shu said: "Our army suffered heavy losses in today's battle. No wonder, I underestimated the fighting power of Xuzhou soldiers too much. However, those soldiers who died in battle will not die in vain. I will let Xuzhou The soldiers doubled the repayment. Zhang Yan led the main force to guard Zhuyi City. Our army could not pass through. In order to reduce unnecessary casualties, I am going to give up attacking Zhuyi City and change the marching route. The army will secretly move to Fuli County late at night tomorrow. Take a raft from Li County, go down the Sui River, and take Xiapi. When we capture Xiapi, Zhang Yan will definitely send troops over. At that time, we can set up an ambush and ambushe him on the road he must pass. Completely wipe out Zhang Yan!"

Yuan Shu did not accept Yan Xiang's suggestion unchanged, but improved on the basis of Yan Xiang's suggestion, and then formulated the strategy of attacking Xiapi first and then ambushing Zhang Yan.Moreover, he himself is very satisfied with this plan and is full of confidence.

After hearing this, Sun Ce cupped his fists and said, "My lord, although our army suffered heavy losses today, I believe Xuzhou's soldiers did the same. If we launch another strong attack tomorrow, Zhuyi City may be breached. As long as Xuzhou is wiped out in Zhuyi City The main force of our army, if our army captures Xuzhou again, it will be unimpeded and there will be no more worries. The general thought that our army might as well attack again tomorrow, and the general will personally lead the team to attack the city!"

Yuan Shu said: "Bo Fu, I can understand your mentality, but our army has consumed too much troops in Zhuyi City. If we attack this city again, I'm afraid it will cost more troops. Could it be that we are just for a small city? Can you ignore the overall situation?"

"But my lord, if our army attacks the city with all its strength, Zhuyi City will definitely be breached. Once the city is broken, Zhang Yan and others will be beheaded by us. After killing Zhang Yan, the dragons in Xuzhou will have no leader, and they will inevitably fall into chaos and anxiety. , can also let Xuzhou know how powerful your lord is. And your lord only needs to send envoys to persuade anyone who dares not to obey, your lord can lead an army to attack anyone. In this way, I believe that Xuzhou will be completely occupied in a short time. Why waste time and effort to divert to another place?" Sun Ce said.

When Yuan Shu heard Sun Ce say that his strategy was time-consuming and labor-intensive, a trace of displeasure appeared on his face, and he said angrily, "I have made up my mind, and anyone who dares to speak too much will be punished immediately!"

Sun Ce frowned, but sighed in his heart. Seeing that Yuan Shu was self-willed and refused to listen to good words, he had already intended to leave, but he had no soldiers or power in his hands, and all the old troops were scattered around Huainan. Even if he wanted to restore his father The glory of the past is also powerless.He stopped talking, and had to take a step and watch.

"Ji Ling, Zhang Xun, Liang Gang!" Yuan Shu shouted suddenly.

"The last general is here! What are your orders, my lord?" Ji Ling, Zhang Xun, and Liang Gang stood up one after another, clasping their fists together.

"Strictly guard the camp tomorrow. No one is allowed to leave the camp without my order. Anyone who dares to disobey will be punished!"

"Here!" Ji Ling, Zhang Xun, and Liang Gang replied in unison.

"Sun Ce!" Yuan Shu shouted again.

Sun Ce cupped his fists and said, "The end is here!"

"I'll give you three thousand soldiers and horses. You stay here, bluffing. You must attract Xuzhou soldiers and let them know that our army is stationed here and has never moved a step! If you find that the Xuzhou soldiers in Zhuyi City have withdrawn, You move as a driver and attack Zhuyi City."

Sun Ce said: "The last general takes orders!"

"The others will follow me and leave here tomorrow night, so, during the daytime tomorrow, just take a good rest!"

"Here!"

"Now that we all know what to do, let's go away, rest early, recharge our batteries, Xuzhou is still waiting for us!"

After the meeting was over, Sun Ce returned to his military tent. He felt unhappy, so someone brought a jar of wine, and he drank heavily.

He took several sips in a row before putting down the wine jar, and then took out a long knife from the bedside.

With a sound of "shua", Sun Ce pulled the long knife out of its sheath, and a cold light flashed quickly in front of his eyes, reflecting the faint fire light.

This knife is a personal item of Sun Ce's father, Sun Jian. It is called an ancient ingot knife. It cuts gold and jade, and cuts iron like mud. It is extremely sharp.

After Sun Jian's death, Sun Ce has been carrying this saber, but he is not good at sabers, he is used to using guns instead, and this saber means a lot to him, so he cherishes it even more, even though he takes it with him wherever he goes , but never carry it with you, for fear of breaking the knife.

Looking at the gleaming ancient ingot knife, he felt melancholy in his heart, and the more he looked at it, the more sad he felt, tears welled up in his eyes, and he said to himself: "My father is a hero, but I live under the fence of others, and I have fallen to this point. If you know, you will laugh at my incompetence, right?"

"You are a young hero with world-class martial arts. If you look at Jiang and Huaihe Rivers, how many can compare to you? It's not that you are incompetent, but that your luck is not good. When the time comes, you may be able to achieve great achievements..."

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the tent, and Sun Ce hurriedly put the ancient ingot knife on his chest, and asked sharply, "Who is outside? Come out and meet each other quickly, otherwise swords and guns have no eyes, and don't blame my ruthless men!"

As soon as the words were finished, a person lifted the curtain, walked straight into the big tent, and respectfully bowed to Sun Ce: "Your Majesty, please accept my respect from you!"

This man was nearly forty years old, with a Chinese character face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a burly figure, and a ruddy complexion. He was from Danyang, his surname was Zhu Mingzhi, and his courtesy name was Junli.

Zhu Zhi was Sun Jian's former subordinate, and he followed Sun Jian in the South and North Wars a long time ago. After Sun Jian died, he joined Yuan Shu with Sun Ce and others.However, in order to restrain Sun Ce, Yuan Shu deliberately disrupted Sun Jian's old departments, scattered these old departments in various places, and made it impossible for Sun Ce to meet with them.

Sun Ce was overjoyed when he saw Zhu Zhi, and hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "Shouldn't uncle be the county magistrate in Xiacai? How did you come here?"

Zhu Zhi said with a smile: "I came here on the ration of fate. I just arrived. I have been separated from the Major General for a long time. I miss him very much. I don't want to think that God has arranged for me to meet the Major General here."

Sun Ce and Zhu Zhi exchanged pleasantries and greetings. Sun Ce even asked about the recent situation of Sun Jian's other old ministries. When he learned that they were all well and cared about him, Sun Ce sighed helplessly.

Zhu Zhidao: "I just heard that the Major General is full of worries and helpless. Since the Major General wants to restore the former glory of the old master, he must find a way to leave Yuan Shu as soon as possible. Back then, the Major General and I thought Yuan Shu was a wise master. Moreover, the old lord has a deep friendship with Yuan Shu. He thought that he would show his talents under Yuan Shu, but Yuan Shu was so taboo against us and separated us all so that we could not communicate with each other... Sigh! If I had known this, I would When Ning Yuan died of starvation, he would not come to seek refuge with Yuan Shu, and the major general who killed him was so dependent..."

Sun Ce also sighed heavily, and said to Zhu Zhi: "Actually, I have long wanted to leave Yuan Shu, but I have never found a suitable opportunity, and I am worried about my uncles. If I can think of a perfect plan, I will leave Yuan Shu , can still meet with uncles, how wonderful it would be..."

"Don't worry, Major General. Since I'm here, I'm going to help the Major General. Yuan Shu has great ambitions. The most important reason why he doesn't trust the Major General and disperses us all over the place is because the Major General I have a treasure in my hand!"

Sun Ce suddenly realized, and hurriedly asked in a low voice, "You mean... Chuan Guo Yuxi?"

(End of this chapter)