With the Jingzhou Army's northern expedition, Cao Pi moved his capital to Yecheng. The morale of Cao's army was extremely low, and people in the Central Plains were frightened, even affecting the Xuzhou and Qingzhou fronts on the east route.
Cao Ren confronted Sun Quan's army in Huainan, with Sima Yi as his military advisor. The two armies fought several times, with each winning or losing. However, unexpectedly, Zhou Yu made a surprise attack on Qingzhou from the waterway, and Xiahou Dun hurriedly led the army north to rescue.
Since Cao Cao pacified the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, although the territory was stable, more than 100,000 Qingzhou soldiers participated in the war. The territory was deserted, development was extremely slow, and the troops were empty. They were attacked by Liaodong and Soochow, and the entire Donglai County was lost in half a month.
Liu Yi, the general of Liaodong, had ruled Donglai for several years and served as the governor of Yingzhou. He was later expelled by Cao's army. This time he made a comeback and contacted his old troops, and he made great progress all the way.
Zhou Yu led his navy from the sea route to the north, and invaded Chengyang County in the south of Qingzhou from Laoshan. He garrisoned the army at a high density and coordinated with the Liaodong Army on the north route to attack Beihai.
Fortunately, Tian Yu, the governor of Beihai, used his military skills to withdraw the defenders from Jiaodong and other places, and deployed all his strength to defend Beihai. This stabilized the situation. The garrison calmed people and waited for the arrival of reinforcements.
It turned out that during Cao Cao's northern campaign against Wuhuan, Xu He and Sima Ju, the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, killed the King of Jinan Liu Yun and rebelled. Xia Houyuan led his troops to quell the rebellion. Cao Cao saw that Tianyu Town was well-prepared and worshiped him as the governor of Beihai. He led the Qingzhou soldiers to supervise the town of Qingzhou. .
Cheng Xi, the governor of Qingzhou, led his troops to Beihai. He discussed with Tian Yu and divided the troops into two groups, each leading an army to repel the enemy.
Tian Yuyan said: "Zhou Yu is a hero from the east of the Yangtze River. He is both civil and military. He knows the art of war well. He cannot rush to meet the enemy."
Cheng Xi sneered and said: "The army invaded the territory but did not meet the enemy. How about just sitting there and waiting to be killed? If Governor Tian does not dare to fight the Wu army, just hand it over to someone. How about you deal with Liu Yi?"
Tian Yu advised: "There is a letter from the court. The prince has sent a letter to Liaodong and granted Gongsun Kang an official title in order to alienate Soochow. You cannot send troops at this time, otherwise the two will unite."
Cheng Xi said angrily: "I am the governor of Qingzhou and my job is to protect the territory. The prime minister ordered your army to guard the territory, but you are so timid and timid. How can you share the worries of the court?"
It turned out that Cheng Xi had always been dissatisfied with Tian Yu's role in supervising Qingzhou's military as a prefect, and the two had been secretly at odds. The purpose of leading the troops this time was to break the enemy and establish his authority, so that Cao Pi could see his strength and gain full control of Qingzhou's troops.
At this time, Tian Yu was hesitant and did not dare to fight, which was exactly what he wanted. Although Tian Yu was highly regarded by Cao Cao, there was a rumor in the court that Cao Cao was seriously ill and might never return. Now that Cao Pi is in power, if he does not perform meritorious service, he will never be able to make a difference. .
Tian Yu was still trying to persuade him, but Cheng Xi didn't take it seriously. He divided his troops and went south to fight Zhou Yu, hoping to establish his authority in a battle and attract Cao Pi's attention.
Zhou Yu is famous throughout Jiangdong and is also a famous general today. He is half of the credit for Jiangdong's foundation. It is said that this man has great strategies in his mind. If he can be defeated, he will definitely become famous in one battle.
Cheng Xi led his troops southward and set up camp in Weishui, where he discussed with generals Cheng Xiong and Yang Yong how to defeat the enemy.
Cheng Xi said: "People say that Jiangdong Zhou Lang is both civil and military, he is well versed in the art of war, and he is a genius. We must be cautious when fighting against him. What good strategy do you two have?"
Cheng Xiong smiled and said: "Although Zhou Yu was good at using troops in Jiangdong, he only relied on Jiangdong's naval forces. He was only familiar with water warfare, but not land warfare. Now that he has come to the north, he will definitely not be accustomed to the acclimatization. What should he be afraid of?"
Yang Yong nodded and said: "What General Cheng said is absolutely true. Although Zhou Yu's sneak attack on the East China Sea is miraculous, it cannot be allowed to gain a foothold if he is alone outside. We have 10,000 elite cavalry, and we will definitely be able to deal with the Jiangdong navy with overwhelming force."
Although Cheng Xi spoke big words in front of Tian Yu, he was still a little wary of Zhou Yu. After listening to the words of the two generals, his confidence immediately increased, and he nodded and said: "The words of the two generals are reasonable. In the past, the prime minister went to the south and was defeated in Ruxu. Returning, precisely because of the incompatibility of the soil and water, Zhou Lang's son came across the sea today, and Qingzhou is the place where he was buried."
Cheng Xiong laughed and said: "Without Sun Ce's courage, how could Zhou Yu have achieved anything in the past? He lost to the Prime Minister in the battle of Huainan, so it was just a vain name. Now that the country is in crisis, we have made a contribution and defeated Zhou Yu, and we will definitely achieve success and fame." If my brother is reused, he will definitely be transferred to the Central Plains to fight against Guan Yu and other famous generals, so that I can show my brother's abilities."
Cheng Xi smiled brightly when he heard this and said loudly: "My brother has been in the army for nearly ten years. Fortunately, he was promoted by the prime minister and has a place to use. Now is the time to repay the favor and we need to use all our strength."
Cheng Xiong clasped his fists and said, "I heard that Zhou Yu is a proud man. He must be underestimating the enemy when he goes north. My younger brother is willing to lead five thousand elite soldiers to test the strength of the Wu army first and defeat its vanguard to boost morale."
"This is exactly what I wanted, so that Tian Yu can also know the bravery of our army." Cheng Xi was overjoyed and ordered Cheng Xiong and Yang Yong to lead five thousand troops to fight against the enemy.
At this time, Zhou Yuzheng sent Xu Sheng and Ding Feng as the vanguard to march towards Beihai. The men and horses had just arrived in Anqiu, and they scouted the horses to report that Cao's army was coming to fight.
Xu Sheng sneered and said: "I thought that Cao's army in Qingzhou was all cowardly and timid. Finally someone came to fight. I must let him know the courage of my Jiangdong men."
Ding Fengyan said: "Know yourself and the enemy and you will be victorious in a hundred battles. You don't know what the enemy's strength is. Don't be careless."
Xu Shengsheng smiled and said: "We are marching north to the Central Plains to open up territory and expand our territory. We should attack and defend. If someone is here, will it be difficult to defeat the enemy?"
When Ding Feng heard this, he was full of heroism and clasped his fists and said: "Kill the enemy and make meritorious service today. I am willing to be a pioneer."
Xu Sheng said: "In recent years, when I was in Chaisang, I was taught by the governor, and I also have a lot of experience in the art of war. Although we come from afar, we don't have to fight timidly, nor can we attack by force. We need to use wisdom to defeat the enemy later. Fighting with the enemy, Chengyuan led his troops to the rear of Cao's army, attacked from both front and rear, and took advantage of the situation to advance, and Cao's army was defeated!"
"Congratulations, General!" Ding Feng has always been brave in fighting. After hearing Xu Sheng's words, he suddenly realized something and said with his fists in his hands: "During the Battle of Ruxu, Liu Qi often said that he will lose his courage when he is planning, which has benefited me a lot."
Xu Sheng smiled proudly and said: "Liu Qi is invincible in Guanzhong. We, along with the governor, cross the sea and march north, and we cannot lag behind him. This land of Qingxu will definitely become our territory of Wu."
The two had discussed and decided that when Cao's army came to the city, Xu Sheng would lead his army out of the city to meet the enemy, while Ding Feng would raid the rear and act according to the opportunity.
The Wu army formed a formation. Xu Sheng rode out first and shouted: "Cao's thieves are far away in Mobei. The Cao family is at the end of its powerful crossbow. Why didn't you surrender earlier?"
Cheng Xiong observed the movements of the Wu army on horseback. Seeing Xu Sheng's arrogance, he couldn't help but became furious. He went out and shouted: "The rats from the east of the Yangtze River only live in the south of the Yangtze River. How can you covet this land in the Central Plains? You will not kill the unknown people with a certain sword." , state your name.”
Xu Sheng smiled coldly and said: "I am Xu Sheng from the East China Sea! The thief Cao usurped, everyone found it and killed him. I returned to my hometown in rich clothes. Today I will kill you to thank my ancestors."
"It turns out that he is a man who has left his hometown. Today I want you to know him as a hero of the Central Plains!" Cheng Xiong urgently wanted to kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds, so he urged his horse to fight Xu Sheng.
Xu Sheng didn't know what Cheng Xiong's strength was, so he winked at Ding Feng, telling him to be ready to attack at any time, and clapped his horses to fight. The two horses crossed each other, and he cut Cheng Xiong off the horse with just one sword. He raised his sword upside down and was stunned: "That's it." ?”
