When Sun Quan heard that Lu Su had a plan, he clasped his fists and said, "I would like to hear the details."
Lu Su said: "Although Liu Qi has withdrawn his troops to pacify the people, Guan Yu's army is in Xuchang. Cao's army in the Central Plains will not dare to act rashly. He can send out the fourth army to capture Xuzhou. The Lord will lead his army out of Hefei to besiege Shouchun, and Guangling will divide another army to move north along the coast. , the naval forces came to meet from the east and west of the Huai River, but Cao's army was exhausted from running around to deal with it. At this time, another Lujiang army was sent from Shiting to attack Shouchun. We only need to defeat the enemy along the way, and we can enter the Central Plains!"
"This is a great plan!" Sun Quan was overjoyed when he heard this and said with a smile: "Xiahou Dun is going north, and Cao Ren is the only one in Cao's army. It is enough to fight alone! Huang Gongfu and Ziming led an army to Guangling, and my brothers Sun Yu and Sun Jiao led the army together. What if the army goes to Shiting and plans to attack Xuzhou?"
Lu Xun frowned and said: "Since the governor crossed the sea and marched north, Cao's army has strengthened coastal defenses. It is difficult for Guangling's soldiers and horses to go north. Even if Cao Ren does not know this plan, he is only afraid that Sima Yi will see through it. The Shiting area is dangerous. Once the soldiers and horses encounter Ambush, dilemma, more gain than loss.”
Sun Quan said displeasedly: "Sima Yi is no better than a child in Huangkou, how can he see through my plan?"
Lu Meng pondered for a moment, clasped his fists and said: "Although Governor Lu's plan is clever, it is not enough to win by surprise. The general can add another plan, which will definitely make Sima Yi unable to guard against it."
After Sun Quan persuaded Lu Meng to learn from him, he found that he had grown rapidly and was recognized by Lu Su. He immediately looked forward to it and said, "Zi Ming can just talk about it!"
Lu Meng said: "Now that we are at a stalemate with Cao's army, my lord can pretend to be angry and force the people to join the army to make a decisive battle. This will not only win the trust of Cao's army, but also arouse the resentment of the people. Secretly select a thousand sailors to pretend to be merchants. The common people all wore white clothes and crossed the Huaihe River to cross the sea and head north to avoid the chaos, but they hid their elite soldiers in the boats and attacked Donghai County. To the north, they could join the governor, and to the west they could coordinate the lord's army to attack Shouchun. If the Lujiang soldiers and horses marched smoothly, they could take Xuzhou is as easy as flipping a finger."
Lu Su nodded and praised: "This is a plan to cross Chencang secretly! The four armies are weak and real. I understand that Sima Yi has the power to reach the sky, so it is difficult to predict this plan."
Lu Xun frowned at the side and said nothing. This plan seemed indeed ingenious. Even if Cao Jun saw through the Lujiang troops, he did not expect that there would be a surprise army. However, he always felt that something was wrong. For a moment, he did not know where to start. When he saw Sun Quan Already dissatisfied with himself, he had no choice but to bow his head and remain silent.
Sun Quan was so excited that he stood up, clasped his hands and laughed loudly: "My people are really my sons and daughters!"
Lu Meng said: "Guangling's soldiers and horses are a rare force. If he uses someone he respects, Cao Ren will be wary. The last general is willing to choose young generals and go to Guangling on the pretext of organizing the army to appease the people. This will ensure that there is no danger."
Sun Quan was extremely satisfied with Lu Meng, nodded and said: "Gong Jin has crossed the sea and headed north. Cao's army will definitely not expect that I will repeat my old tricks. I now worship you as the general who conquers the north and make great achievements again."
Lu Meng thanked him, and Sun Quan ordered Lu Su to pass on the order. Three days later, the army was dispatched to attack Shouchun by land and water. Lu Xun collected the people's money and food from all over Huainan, and prepared for a decisive battle.
The Wu army was dispatched from Hefei, and Tan Ma had already informed Shouchun. Cao Ren hurriedly gathered the generals to discuss countermeasures: "Sun Quan has been fearful for several months since he arrived in Hefei. Now that he has gathered a large army, he must have a plan. What do you guys have in mind?"
Jiang Ji said: "This must be because Sun Quan heard about Zhou Yu's attack on Qingzhou and was eager to go north to join him. The morale of the traitor army is high. There is no need to attack, but only to set up defenses."
Cao Ren frowned and sighed softly: "The Central Plains is in chaos today, and we are fighting everywhere. If this continues, it will be like sitting back and waiting to be killed? Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"
Sima Yi's eyes were deep and he said slowly: "Sun Quan has not moved for several months and suddenly sent out troops. It may not be for the Qingzhou war. I guess there must be a trick."
In the past two months, Sima Yi saw through Wu Jun's plans several times, and gained Cao Ren's trust. He quickly asked, "Can Zhongda see anything weird?"
Sima Yi glanced at the map with sharp eyes and said: "The Wu army is advancing by land and water. It is intended to contain the governor's army. There must be extraordinary troops to respond. Looking at the situation in Jiangdong, only Lujiang troops and horses can be mobilized. I predict that they will attack Shouchun from Shiting." .”
"Oh?" Cao Ren's eyes were slightly gleaming, and he said in a deep voice: "Bi Yan, you want to break someone's way back?"
Jiang Ji was surprised and said: "Shou Chun's troops have no time to divide their troops. Isn't this dangerous?"
Sima Yi smiled and said: "The terrain in the Qianshan area is complicated, and the rocks and trailers are extremely dangerous. We only need to ambush a soldier and horse, and we will make sure that he never comes back."
Cao Ren said: "There is an ambush here. A general who has to adapt to the situation will not be able to do it. Sun Quan is coming to attack in a big way. All the generals need to work together to defend the city. Wen Lie has to command the navy to guard the Huaihe River. Who else can take on this important task?"
Sima Yi cupped his fists and said, "I recommend one person to ensure that Shiting is safe."
Cao Ren hurriedly asked: "Who is it?"
Sima Yi said: "This man's surname is Wang Mingji, and his courtesy name is Boyu. He is from Qucheng, Donglai. Although he is only in his early twenties, he is both civilized and military. He is talented and virtuous. He is highly regarded by Wang Ling, the governor of Yanzhou. The grain shipment arrived half a month ago. Shouchun, I see that his accounts are clear, his troops are well deployed, and he has the talents of a general, who can be put to great use."
Cao Ren immediately ordered someone to bring Wang Ji. He saw that the visitor had a childish face but a calm demeanor. He asked some questions about military affairs and military tactics, and all the answers were fluent. He couldn't help but be overjoyed. He immediately promoted him to General Anping and led 5,000 elite soldiers to defend Shiting.
Sima Yi and Wang Ji went to the camp to order troops and gave instructions on how to deploy troops. Although everything was arranged smoothly, they were still a little uneasy. They always felt that there were some oversights, so they went to the city alone to patrol the city to relax.
The generals went to prepare, and Cao Ren sat alone in the hall, lost in thought. The empty hall was just like his mood at the moment, desolate and deserted.
Looking at the gradually setting sun, he sighed loudly: "Liu Qi..."
I think back then when Yuan Shao was defeated and Hebei was conquered, with half of the country in hand, the Cao family was so glorious, with so many talented people under their command, and countless civil and military forces. However, when they were about to take Jingzhou, when they met Liu Qi, their situation took a turn for the worse, and they were like the nemesis of the Cao family.
In the battle of Nanyang, not only did Cao's army lose troops and generals, and their vitality was severely damaged, but he and Xiahou Dun suffered the humiliation of being captured. Now that Guanzhong was unprotected and Zhongyuan was in danger, Xiahou Yuan was imprisoned in Xiangyang again.
Cao Pi was young and was not strong enough to overwhelm the government and the opposition. Cao Cao left for Mobei and there has been no news so far. People in the government were in doubt and morale in the army was low. Who could turn the tide?
Liu Qi was unstoppable, and Sun Quan took advantage of the situation. Even Cao Ren felt powerless in the current situation, let alone Cao Pi, who was in charge of the government for the first time.
If Zhang Liao is replaced by Shouchun, it may have a miraculous effect!
Just as a thought flashed through my mind, the defenders suddenly came in to report that the Soochow vanguard troops had arrived at the city gates and were calling for formation.
Cao Ren was dressed neatly and went to the city to watch. When he saw the veteran general Huang Gai, he cursed: "The rats from the east of the Yangtze River are capricious. You have repeatedly rebelled against your fate. Why don't I feel ashamed?"
Huang Gai said angrily: "The Cao family has rebelled against thieves, and everyone in the world will kill them. I will take your life today!"
Before he finished speaking, he took the bow and arrow on his back and shot an arrow at the top of the city. Like a meteor chasing the moon, it almost hit Cao Ren's face, shocking the defenders and hurriedly raising their shields to protect him.
Cao Xiu was furious, he drew his bow and shot an arrow, and shouted: "Don't be so arrogant, I will shoot you."
