Koto.
The next day, Gu Zhou died of illness in the prison cell. The Gu family sent someone to collect the body. At the same time, Sun Jian, invited by the head of the Gu family, went to the appointment. Sun Jian went to the appointment calmly. At the banquet, Sun Jian and Gu Hong had a pleasant conversation. The Gu family publicly expressed their support for Sun Jian for the first time. Hosted by Koto.
This sudden change shocked many families in Wuxian County, making these local powerful people even more worried.
Then, it suddenly came out that Zhang Chu in the prison identified several powerful local families that had participated in the assassination of the Grand Duke Sun Ce. Sun Ce was furious and led troops into the city without the consent of his father Sun Jian to kill these powerful families. Confiscating the family and exterminating the clan.
At this time, some people in Wu County knew that the families killed by Sun Ce were not only the closest allies of the Zhang family, but also the masterminds behind Wu County's recent participation in the price market.
Sun Ce's violence made these families panic and wanted to unite to fight against the Sun family.
However, the Zhang family's changes caused this alliance to be burned down before it even started.
Many local gentry families in Wu County did not believe that Zhang Chu would rebel against them. However, after these big families were killed by Sun Ce, Zhang Chu was released without charge the next day.
These local gentry immediately believed it, became angry, and began to shift their targets away from the powerful Sun Jian, treating the Zhang family as their enemy.
The turmoil in Wu County caused by the assassination of the Sun brothers only lasted for more than a month. At the end of April, all parties began to bow their heads and calmed down because they were afraid of Sun Jian's power.
With the complete surrender of the Zhang family, the representative local Jin gentry, the tight group of local Jin gentry in Wu County split. The Zhang family's influence was not low, and they received the support of Sun Jian, wooed several families, and began to cooperate with the county governor. government policy.
For a time, the policies promulgated by Sun Jian received strong support. The Sun family's foundation in Wu County became more solid, and the entire Wu County also began to enter a stage of quiet and rapid development.
At the same time, Sun Jian and his generals also began to prepare for war against Kuaiji and Danyang. However, trouble later occurred in Xuzhou in the north, which delayed Sun Jian's strategy for some time.
With the advance funds from the Gu family, one of the four major families in Jiangdong, there is no need to wait for the spring harvest. Now Jiangdong Army has sufficient food and grass and can start a war at any time. The reason why Sun Jian still remains calm is that the recent turmoil in Wu County has brought hidden dangers. It made him feel that his rear was not stable and he had to suppress it for a while.
Another thing is that Jiangdong Army currently has insufficient troops.
After Sun Jian's crusade against Dong Zhuo, he brought back more than 28,000 elite soldiers and horses. After he settled in Wu County, he captured tens of thousands of soldiers from the county. When he campaigned against Xu Gong and Yan Baihu, he also accepted tens of thousands of prisoners. Now Sun Jian He has about 50,000 troops in his hands.
However, the combat effectiveness of these county soldiers and prisoners is not strong, and they are still undergoing intense training. As long as the training is completed, Sun Jian will have enough troops to fight, and the Jiangdong Campaign will inevitably start.
Sun Jian's reputation and strength were so great that both Zhou Xin of Danyang and Guo Yi and Wang Lang of Kuaiji regarded Sun Jian as their number one enemy.
No matter whether Sun Jian attacks Kuaiji or Danyang, the other side will take action. Therefore, if Sun Jian wants to attack one side, he must have enough troops to resist the other side.
Of course, there is another reason, that is, the navy in Sun Jian's hands cannot be used yet.
Among Sun Jian's 50,000 troops, 5,000 are naval troops, and they are still training in Taihu Lake.
The Jiangdong area has many lakes and rivers, and the navy has become an important branch of the army. The Jiangdong navy is mainly composed of those brought back by the brothers Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. They also captured more than a thousand navy troops from Wu County and wiped out Taihu Lake. Some water thieves in the surrounding area captured a lot of people, which was enough to collect 5,000 soldiers with good water skills.
The Jiangdong Navy is still in its infancy, and not many people know how to fight with the Navy. The leader of the Navy is still in doubt. After Sun Jian fought against Yan Xu and the two men, he transferred Huang Gai to the Navy to cooperate with Jiang Qin in training.
At present, Jiangdong's navy can be regarded as a warship. There is only one battleship and sixteen sterns. The others are all small ships. In addition, the training time is insufficient, and they are not enough to form combat effectiveness.
Danyang's navy elites were basically captured by the Sun Ce brothers, so there is nothing to worry about. However, if they encounter the Kuaiji navy, the Jiangdong navy will definitely be defeated. After all, the Kuaiji navy is definitely the most powerful force in Jiangdong. Navy.
How the Jiangdong Navy could grow stronger in a short period of time has become Sun Jian's biggest worry recently.
North of Yecheng.
I saw Yan Liang stabbing Zhang Yan's chest with his long knife.
Zhang Yan was frightened, but with her strong and agile skills, she was able to avoid the blow, and then immediately rode back.
After Yan Liang led his troops to defeat, he protected Mrs. Liu, Yuan Tan and others out of Yecheng, and went to the northern suburbs of the city to plan his plans again.
Shen Pei asked urgently: "General Yan, where is the camp in the north of the city? Why are you here on the outskirts of the city!"
"Han Fu and Wei Xian, the remnants of Geng Wu, led more than 3,000 soldiers to cause chaos and sent countless troops into the Black Mountain Army. The Beiying camp under my direct control only had more than 5,000 people and could not stop them at all, so I had to send people to capture them. The families of all the adults came here to take shelter for a while." Yan Liang sighed.
The judge is angry, but there is nothing he can do. After a while, other soldiers escorted Xin Ping and other civil and military family members to the outskirts of the city.
Xin Ping brought out most of the family members of the senior officials, but he still looked frightened at this time.
Shen Pei couldn't help but stamp the ground with his feet and sighed, "We should have eliminated the remnants of Geng Wu and Guan Chun in the army a long time ago. Now that Ye City is lost, how can we have the face to see the lord?"
Xin Ping came to his senses and said, "What I want to do now is to take these children to a safe place, and then plan to take back Ye City."
Shen Pei knew that we needed to work together at this time, so he said, "Zhongzhi, would you like to send people to deliver letters to various places and send the children to Anping Country at the same time?"
Xin Ping was also weighing the pros and cons and said, "It is good to send the children to Anping Kingdom, but it is inappropriate to send people to deliver messages everywhere. People with ulterior motives will take the opportunity to cause trouble. Just report it to the lord, and then mobilize in Changshan to suppress Heishan." The thief is Wen Chou, let him come to Anping."
Yuan Tan quickly agreed and said, "Let's prevent the Black Mountain bandits from pursuing them first, and then we'll talk about it when we get to Anping."
Seeing that what Xin Ping said was reasonable, Shen Pei agreed. It was rare for Yuan Shao's advisers to unify their stance.
■■■
Wujun.
In the backyard of a house in the east of the city, Sun Jian, who has a handsome appearance and firm eyes, is drawing a strong bow with all his strength.
"Whoosh!" The arrows from a hundred steps away were filled with feathers.
In her thirties, the charming and charming Mrs. Wu came to Sun Jian with a baby girl in her arms and wiped his sweat with a brocade handkerchief. "Husband, it hasn't taken long for your serious injury to heal, so don't work too hard."
Sun Jian took the baby girl with a smile and said with a smile: "A small injury would not have killed me at that time. Now I feel that my hands and feet are more flexible than before."
"Haha! After hearing my lord's words, I knew that I would soon be able to fight with my lord on the battlefield again." Cheng Pu's heroic voice sounded.
Following Cheng Pu into the backyard were Sun Ce, Han Dang, Huang Gai, Zhu Zhi, several confidants, as well as Xuzhou celebrities newly recruited by Sun Jian, and Zhang Zhao, a celebrity who was seeking refuge in Yangzhou.
Sun Jian was extremely happy and greeted Zhang Zhao and others, "Please come to my house, everyone."
Zhang Zhao was forty years old and had a very scholarly character. He said, "It seems that my lord is fine. We are very relieved."
Sun Ce gave gifts to Sun Jian and his mother, Mrs. Wu. After Mrs. Wu left with the baby girl, Sun Ce said, "Father, we are here to consult him about Tao Xuzhou's request for help."
Sun Jian nodded to show that he knew. He was still very satisfied with his son's previous actions during his recovery period. Not to mention anything else, but recruiting Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin and other water thieves was very impressive, so he asked, "I don't know what you mean. ?”
"The last time the Major General went to Xuzhou, he secretly helped Mr. Zhang Zhao. Tao Qian was jealous. Regardless of his friendship with his lord, he sent troops to drive us out of Guangling. What can we do to save such a person?" Cheng Pu has always been upright and upright. There is something, what to say.
Han Dang also echoed: "My lord has recovered from his injuries. He will take us to pacify various places in Yangzhou and establish unparalleled achievements. I am not willing to go to Xuzhou to help Tao Qian fight."
Sun Jian was also in a dilemma. He, Tao Qian, and Gongsun Zan had served Zhang Wen in the military and were old acquaintances for many years. They felt sorry for not saving him. But what Tao Qian did last time also made him feel grudge, so he looked at Zhang Zhao and said, "Mr. Zibu, what do you think?"
Zhang Zhao immediately affirmed: "Of course we are going to help Xuzhou. I am an old acquaintance of my lord in Xuzhou. I can save the people of Xuzhou from the suffering of Cao Cao's soldiers. If I don't save him, it will damage the general's reputation."
Zhang Zhao further suggested: "Cao Mengde is an ambitious man. After taking Xuzhou, he will definitely plot Yuzhou. Then we will face the threat of his strong power. Rushing to the aid of Tao Xuzhou will not only balance the powerful forces in the Central Plains, but also increase the general's reputation. "
Of course, Sun Jian knew something about Cao Cao. If he was allowed to occupy Xu and Yu states, his strategy of plotting Yangzhou and watching the world change would be threatened by Cao Cao's army.
This is why Li Keyong continued to send troops to harass Zhu Wen during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, because once Zhu Wen integrated the Central Plains, Li Keyong would have to be strategically restrained.
The deeper reason is that the Jiangdong navy is still training, and it is not the time for the southern expedition, so it is not unreasonable to go north to meet the heroes for a while, not to mention that it can also reap some benefits.
Sun Jian smiled heartily and said, "Since Mr. Zibu doesn't resent the humiliation of Gongzu's imprisonment, how can I not save him? Send an order to gather 20,000 troops and march to Xuzhou today!"
However, Zhou Yu was left behind to train his navy with Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin and others in preparation for the southern expedition after returning from Xuzhou.
■■■
In the Mufu of Dongjun Prefecture.
Cao Cao is hosting a banquet to entertain a group of civil and military officials, as well as the newly surrendered Yuvluo.
That day, after Yu Fuluo returned and surrendered, Xun Yu in the city saw the signs and asked his soldiers to go out of the city to help attack Sui Gu. But Sui Gu realized that something was wrong, and fled hurriedly towards Hanoi with more than a thousand soldiers. At this point, Cao Cao's army achieved a complete victory and completely defeated Yuan Shu.
Xun Yu personally introduced Man Chong to Cao Cao and talked about his achievements.
Cao Cao brought a cup of wine to Man Chong and praised, "It is only with loyal and brave generals like Bonin that Yanzhou can be saved. Meng De has nothing to repay, only a glass of water and wine, as a tribute to Bonin, come here .”
Man Chong was grateful, took the wine tremblingly, and drank it all in one gulp.
Cao Cao clapped his hands and laughed, but then he thought of revenge, and his mood turned cold again, and asked, "Wen Ruo, have you found out the income from defeating Yuan Shu this time?"
Xun Yu nodded. He knew these data well, so he reported back, "My lord sent 60,000 troops to attack Xuzhou. When he returned to Chenliu, he defeated Yuan Shu and captured more than 30,000 soldiers. Master Yu Fulo led 4,000 cavalry to surrender. Our army suffered casualties. It only cost more than 5,000 yuan, but we also captured a large amount of Yuan Shu’s food and supplies, which can be said to be a great victory!”
Cao Cao then asked: "Those Yuan Shu's surrendered troops may be of great use?"
Xun You knew that Cao Cao was eager for revenge, so he advised: "These soldiers cannot be used without general training. It will take at least a month to be well organized. Please wait a little longer, my lord."
Cao Cao also knew that Xun You wanted him to postpone revenge, but he still ordered, "Send the order, Yuan Shu surrenders all the troops to Xun Yu and Man Chong. The original soldiers rest for three days and then send troops to Pengcheng, Xuzhou."
As he spoke, Cao Cao looked at Yufuluo and said, "Master Yufuluo, I will look for opportunities and ask your majesty to appoint you as a chanyu. But now is the time to employ people. Are you willing to work with me to put down the rebellions in various places?" ?”
Yuvluo had also cooperated with Yuan Shao before. He was a purely speculative person. He didn't care about anyone in order to achieve his goal. He said, "General Meng Cao will not give up. He is willing to lead our warriors to follow General Cao."
Cao Cao took Yu Fuluo's hand and laughed. But he knew in his heart that it would take time to completely train these Huns cavalry into his own elite cavalry, so for the time being, he could only make do with it.
In the banquet room, Cheng Yu, who was in charge of intelligence, hurriedly came to Cao Cao and handed him a document. Cao Cao couldn't help being surprised after reading it, and said, "Yuan Benchu's Yecheng is lost?"
■■■
At night, Yuan Xijun did not bother to set up camp and hurriedly slept on the roadside.
Finally, after discussion by Yuan Xi, Guo Jia, Zhang He and others, the troops were divided into three groups to outflank the East China Sea.
In addition to the casualties and escorts, there are more than 8,000 people in Xu Huang's army. They are now detouring through Taishan County and rushing to the East China Sea.
Zhang He and Guo Jia also led nearly 9,000 infantry troops near Langya, cutting off the information from Langya to the East China Sea and Pengcheng, making Tao Qian and others think that the main force of Yuan Xi's army was still in Langya.
Excluding casualties, Hao Zhao and Guo Huai escorted the people's soldiers, Yuan Xi's army also had nearly 20,000 Qingzhou soldiers, Zhang Liao's cavalry, 2,000, Zhao Yun's garrison, 2,000 cavalry, and Xu Chu's garrison, 2,000 infantry.
Yuan Xi's Chinese army will attack Qu County in the East China Sea as quickly as possible, and then attack Donghai City from Qu County. In order to maintain the marching speed, the Chinese army did not carry too much baggage, and it was common for them to sleep in the wind and in the open. When Emperor Taizong Li Shimin defeated Song Dynasty King Kong and Liu Wuzhou, he also slept in the open air. Yuan Xi was afraid that Guo Jia would be too weak, so he asked him to follow Zhang He.
Generals Zhao Yun, Tai Shici, Zhang Liao, Hao Zhao, and Guo Huai also came to Yuan Xi's place to discuss matters.
Yuan Xi spread out the marching map and said, "Everyone, Quxian is thirty miles ahead. Our army does not have much food and fodder. This place is not like the previous counties. Now we urgently need to capture Quxian to obtain supplies."
Gu Yong explained: "Qu County is quite prosperous. The famous Mi family in Xuzhou is here. The city defense here is not as good as that of big cities such as Langya and Donghai. It is still very possible for our army to capture it."
Yuan Xi stared at everyone and ordered, "If you wait one more day, you will be in danger of being alerted by them. I decided to march quickly after an hour's rest and capture Qu County before dawn."
Guo Huai shook his head and said, "Even if we rush to Qu County and our soldiers are exhausted, how can we attack the city?"
Zhang Liao understood and said, "The young general wants the cavalry to attack the city and the infantry to only hold back."
Yuan Xi thought to himself that Guo Huai had a lot of experience in leading troops, but when it came to cavalry fighting, he was not very good at it. He said, "Wenyuan and Zilong, it depends on you two whether you can capture Qu County."
"No!" Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao quickly accepted the order.
Taishi Ci was also eager to try: "Young General, let me go with the cavalry to attack the city."
Thinking of the importance of this battle, Yuan Xi decided to make the most of it and ordered, "Zhongkang, you and Ziyi will attack the city with the tiger guards."
"promise!"
