The next day Xu Sheng rushed to Beihai and reported that Cheng Xi refused to surrender and led the remaining soldiers to escape. Zhou Yu did not take it seriously and sent an order to reward the three armies.
The Wu army traveled thousands of miles and left their hometown. Although the soldiers went northward generously, they were somewhat worried. Now that they finally have a foothold, they have enough money and food, and they are all happy.
Seeing that Zhou Yu was unhappy at the table, Xu Sheng said with a smile: "Is it possible that the governor is worried about Cao Jun? If Xiahou Dun comes, he will be able to stop him."
"Xiahou Dun is a general who is often defeated, so why should we be afraid?" Zhou Yu sighed softly: "When I waited until Qingzhou, I was far away from the army by mountains and seas. I haven't seen any news from Huainan so far. I don't know how my lord and the others will attack."
Xu Sheng said: "My lord has 200,000 elite soldiers for this expedition. All the elite troops from Jiangdong are in Huainan. They will definitely win. The governor does not have to worry about this."
Zhou Yu said with a relieved smile: "Wen Xiang's words are reasonable. My lord is assisted by Lu Meng and Lu Xun, and he also has Huang Gai, Han Dang and other veteran generals leading the army. Even though Cao Ren has three heads and six arms, it is difficult to resist him. We only need to defend Qingzhou, and the lord's army will Will come to meet you."
"Not long ago, I will also return my clothes to my hometown!" Xu Sheng smiled and went to celebrate with the generals again.
Zhou Yu put down his wine glass and turned to go out. The weather has been hot recently, it was already midsummer, and the cicadas were chirping, just like his irritable mood at the moment.
Xu Sheng didn't know that Zhou Yu was not worried about the affairs in Huainan, but was waiting for news from Jiangdong. Now that Sun Quan was crossing the river and heading north, Taishi Ci had secretly arrived in Jianye, and he didn't know how the investigation was progressing.
Although his physical discomfort has been relieved a lot after taking medication recently, he found that the toxins in his blood have not been eliminated. Secondly, it is the mastermind behind this that makes him feel like he has a lump in his throat and is restless.
If this matter was really done by Sun Quan, he really didn't know how to face the current situation. He had lost half his life's hard work to a close friend. What's the use of this fame and territory?
Regardless of the danger, Zhou Yu actually wanted to escape from the land of right and wrong this time by crossing the sea and heading north. No matter what the conspiracy was, he would be in a dilemma and simply stay away from Jiangdong, waiting for the truth to be revealed.
…
At this time, Sun Quan was depressed in the Hefei camp. Since marching to the front army in March, the two armies had faced each other in Shouchun. Although there were victories and defeats for each other, Cao Ren's defense was watertight. No matter how he mobilized his troops, they all failed.
Lu Xun believed that Cao Ren was good at defending and had Sima Yi as his military advisor. He had seen through many of his schemes, so he should not rush into the army rashly. Fighting reluctantly would only weaken morale and deplete the troops.
When there are changes in the Central Plains, Zhou Yu makes some achievements in Qingzhou, and when Cao's army is torn apart, he can gather his strength and go northward, then he can break through Xuzhou and join forces with Zhou Yu's troops to plot to take over the Central Plains.
Lu Meng, Huang Gai and other generals were impatient. Liu Qi captured Guanzhong with overwhelming force, Guan Yu entered Yanzhou again, and Zhou Yu also entered Qingzhou. As the main force in Jiangdong, they failed to achieve anything in Huainan. Aren't they laughed at by the world?
The two sides have been arguing for half a month. Some people asked for orders to attack in order to show the majesty of Jiangdong's soldiers and horses. Some people suggested to sit back and wait for the fierce battle in the Central Plains to take advantage of the chaos to advance troops.
Zhang Zhao and others even jointly signed a letter, asking Sun Quan to return to Jianye to take charge of the rear and stabilize the foundation. Otherwise, Cao Cao would return from the northern expedition and hundreds of thousands of cavalry go south, which would probably outweigh the gains.
When he was unable to make a decision, he suddenly came to report that Liu Biao had passed away. Liu Qi returned to Xiangyang for the funeral. The Jingzhou soldiers suspended their offensive and stationed in various places to train, recuperate and appease people's hearts.
At the same time, the war in Qingzhou spread, Zhou Yu outsmarted Beihai, Liaodong's troops were severely defeated, Gongsun Yang fled from the sea back to Liaodong, and the eastern part of Qingzhou belonged to Soochow.
Sun Quan was overjoyed and hurriedly summoned the generals to discuss the matter. He said: "The Governor has established a foothold in the north and is eager to come to Gubei for support. The only way to conquer the Central Plains is to capture Xuzhou early and join the Governor. What do you think?"
Lu Su frowned and said: "If there are no Jingzhou soldiers to contain Cao's army, our lone army marching north may not be able to achieve results. We can take this opportunity to recharge our batteries and wait until autumn before it is too late to advance."
Lu Meng said anxiously: "Liu Qi is standing still. How can he wait until the war starts in the Central Plains? How can the Marquis of Wu fight for the world with the help of others? Liu Biao's death is God's will for the lord to take the Central Plains. Liu Qi can take Guanzhong, but we can't Take Xuzhou?"
Sun Quan narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this, and Lu Mengzhi's words poked holes in his heart. After marrying Liu Qi, the two families withdrew their troops on the river. Liu Qi marched all the way, entering Xichuan, taking Guanzhong, and plotting against the Central Plains. The territory expanded by more than three or four times, and the east But Wu has been lingering in Huainan.
After careful calculation, he helped Liu Qi contain Cao's army. As a result, Soochow gained nothing and only Liu Qi benefited. He watched half of the country belong to the Liu family. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the angrier he became.
Thinking of this, he looked at Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin and said in a deep voice: "Xiahou Dun has retreated, and only Cao Ren is left to guard Shouchun. There are only a hundred thousand naval troops. If we don't take Huaibei, people will regard our Jiangdong naval army as nothing." ?”
Zhou Tai came out and held his fists and said: "What my lord said is absolutely true. The general is willing to lead the navy to the north, take the Huaihe River and enter the Surabaya River within one month, and approach Xiapi City. If you don't believe him, Cao Ren will not retreat."
Lu Xun hurriedly advised: "The morale of Cao Ren's army is now strong. There is no need to rush, my lord! I predict that Xiahou Dun is no match for the governor. Once the army is defeated, Cao Ren wants to defend but cannot, and wants to retreat but cannot, he will definitely be upset, and upset will be discouraged. If the Qi is vented, the three armies will move. When the troops are sent out, they will be invincible."
"What a true scholar sees!" Huang Gai and others had always been dissatisfied with the Jiangdong family. Seeing that Lu Xun had been seeking stability since he joined the army and did not dare to join the army, they were already dissatisfied and said coldly: "We are also depriving you of the emperor's salary, why not Share your worries?"
Han Dang clasped his fists and said: "Since General Sun pacified the south of the Yangtze River, we have all been equipped with strong and sharp skills, and have experienced life and death. Now the commander-in-chief is going deep into the enemy's territory alone. We should go to meet him early to meet him for a big event. I am willing to fight to the death."
"Is there more than one person in the east of the Yangtze who has the ears of Governor Zhou?" Lü Meng said loudly: "Two strong forces are fighting, and the one with the upper hand wins. Now the Marquis of Wu has personally come to the front line, and the three armies are united. Why should Cao Ren be afraid? The last general is willing to be the vanguard and swears to break Shouchun. .”
The generals also asked for orders one after another. Although everyone respected Zhou Yu very much, if everything relied on Zhou Yu alone, it would not be enough to achieve great things, and it would also appear that they were incompetent.
"I have made up my mind to march in three days!" Sun Quan stood up with his sword in hand and said solemnly: "If you don't enter Xuzhou, I swear you will never return to Jiangdong!"
Lu Xun was about to persuade him again, but Lu Su stepped forward to stop him, clasping his fists and saying, "Since my lord is determined to send troops, he must work together as one and brainstorm. He needs to think of a good plan and use the troops with clever strategies."
Sun Quan looked at Lu Su's expression and understood. He nodded and said, "Zijing, Ziming, and Boyan followed me to the back hall to discuss matters. The generals are arranging the troops and horses and are on standby at any time."
Huang Gai and other generals agreed with a loud voice and went to prepare. Sun Quan and the other three came to the study to discuss countermeasures.
Lu Su said bluntly: "Cao Ren is good at defending. If there is a head-on confrontation, both sides may lose. It is better to use a roundabout strategy, attack from the east and attack from the west, and attack him unprepared."
Sun Quan frowned and said: "That Sima Yi is quite strategic. He has seen through the schemes of the three of them several times. I'm afraid it will be self-defeating."
Lu Su stroked his beard and said: "Now that Gong Jin has established a foothold in Qingzhou, and the lord is determined to take Xuzhou, there is no need to hold back any more: we can use all the strength of Jiangdong to fight Cao Jun decisively. Several troops and horses are alternately fake and real. Although Sima Yi has a strategy , but Cao Ren has no skills at all, how can he be hostile?"
