Cao Xiu's archery skills were also among the best among the generals in Cao's army, and he had Xia Houyuan's guidance, so he had great experience. This arrow was superior to Huang Gai's and was more powerful than Huang Gai's.
Amidst the whistling sound, an arrow flew in front of him. Huang Gai raised his iron whip to block it, but unexpectedly the arrow split into two, and one of them shot toward his chest.
There was a soft ding sound, and the arrow hit the breastplate and fell to the ground. Although there was no danger, all Jiangdong generals exclaimed.
Cao Xiu held his bow and laughed loudly: "Haha, you old thief is destined to be lucky. If you dare to approach the city again, be careful of your dog head!"
Huang Gai said angrily: "Young man, do you dare to go down to the city and try a certain five-shot whip?"
Cao Xiu snorted coldly and took out the arrows again to draw his bow. Huang Gai did not dare to hold it up, so he hurriedly moved his horse back to the formation. Seeing that Cao Xiu's army could not get out, he ordered each battalion to prepare sandbags, wood and rocks to fill in the moat first.
In the evening, Sun Quan led the army and arrived, once again surrounded Shouchun on three sides, built ladders, rushed chariots, etc. to attack the city.
The next day, the Wu army surrounded Shouchun and attacked. Sun Quan personally supervised the formation. From dawn to dusk, ten teams of soldiers and horses took turns to go into battle, leaving no chance for the defenders to breathe.
Wu Jun had already experienced the solidity of Shouchun before. This time after Cao Ren rebuilt and reinforced it, it was even more impregnable. The result was little in one day. Only the bloody corpses and billowing black smoke under the city wall witnessed the cruelty of this war.
Half a month later, Wu's army suffered heavy losses, but Shouchun remained unmoved. Sun Quan was furious and sent troops to conquer the people nearby. He ordered Huang Gai, Han Dang, and Zhu Huan to personally supervise the army in front of the battle. As expected, it aroused the resentment of the people in Huainan, and many of them People fled to the seaside.
Seeing that Sun Quan's fake act was real, Lu Su advised: "My lord, if you want to make a big plan for the Central Plains, you must use Huainan as a base. You must win over people's hearts and use them for my use. Only the civilians can be recruited to stay in the army, and after the war, they can be subsidized and released, so that they can last for a long time." As a plan, we are sending troops to plunder now, for fear that the falsehood will become true."
Sun Quan disagreed: "Cao Ren is a famous general in the world. If he is not so, how can we trust him? Most of the people in Huainan are Cao's thieves who migrated to the Central Plains, and they may not sincerely return to me."
Lu Su said: "Since the floods in Shouchun, the people have had little harvest and have suffered terribly. The lord has treated them with lenient treatment, and they will naturally return to their hearts."
Sun Quan smiled and said: "They were flooded by Cao's army before, so they hated it. This time I give them a chance to take revenge. If they are not willing to try their best, it shows that they are unwilling to return to their hearts. Death is not a pity."
Lu Su was still waiting to persuade Sun Quan to wave his sleeves and said: "Although Zijing has a strategy, he doesn't know how to be a general! A general should be decisive in killing. A man who pursues a great cause does not stick to trivial matters. How can he not be kind and not command troops? Ziming Taking Xuzhou with a strange plan is related to the lives of Jiangdong soldiers, and my father and brother’s great cause cannot allow any mistakes."
Lu Su sighed in his heart, but he also knew that Sun Quan's words were reasonable, so he had to retreat silently and discuss with Lu Fan and others how to remedy the situation afterwards.
After attacking for several more days, Cao Ren's defenses were still tight. Seeing that Shouchun City had plenty of equipment and inexhaustible supplies, Sun Quan gradually became impatient. After sending Lu Meng to Guangling to recruit troops to appease the people, he urged Huang Gai and other generals to attack the city urgently.
On this day, Zhang Cheng transported grain to the army and brought a letter from Zhang Zhao, advising Sun Quan not to resort to force. Once the people and money are wasted and the foundation is shaken, Xuzhou will be difficult to hold. It is better to retreat to Huainan and wait until Cao and Liu are both injured before sending out troops.
Sun Quan looked at it and said with a smile: "How can Mr. Zhang, who is guarding Jianye, know my clever plan? This time I have decided to take Xuzhou alone, so that your father and son can return home in fine clothes."
Zhang Cheng cupped his fists and said: "There have been many rumors in Jianye recently, which are quite unfavorable to the Marquis of Wu. They all say that if my late brother were here, he would have entered Xuchang long ago..."
"You bastard!" Sun Quan was furious and said in a deep voice: "Go back and tell the civil and military officials that I will take Xuzhou and conquer the Central Plains within half a year."
After Zhang Cheng left, Sun Quan personally supervised the attack on the city. In a day of fighting, the Wu army lost nearly ten thousand people. Zhu Huan finally couldn't hold on anymore. He lost more than half of his private army and came to dissuade Sun Quan.
Sun Quan said angrily, "In the past, Cao's thieves attacked Shouchun, went to the front line, and destroyed the city. We, the men from Jiangdong, are not as good as the rabble of Cao's army back then. You must not slack off. Tomorrow, I will lead the troops alone. With the life of the three armies, we will be able to break the city." city."
The next day, Sun Quan left Zhu Zhi to guard the central army and personally went to the front of the army to command. The generals were shocked and hurriedly dissuaded him.
Sun Quan was holding a breath in his heart at this time. Sun Jian and Sun Ce were both generals in charge of the army and had high prestige in the army. Couldn't he be on the front line in person?
He laughed and said: "Do you really think that I can't go to the front line in person? As a general, you have to take the lead in order to inspire the three armies. My father and brothers are all equipped with strong and sharp swords, and they are in the battle to defeat the enemy. I have inherited my career, and I should also inherit my ambition. Everyone Don’t worry!”
Lu Su pulled Sun Quan aside and whispered: "The purpose of attacking Shouchun is to contain Cao Ren and win by surprise. How can my lord attack fortresses and defeat the enemy and lose troops and generals?"
Sun Quan said: "Otherwise! All warriors rely on the right combination to win by surprise. If I really defeat the city, my surprise troops will get twice the result with half the effort!"
Lu Su was startled when he heard the words, and suddenly realized that the young man who used to give advice and humbly ask for advice on everything had grown up. It was as if the Sun family bloodline hidden deep in the depths was awakening. He didn't know whether he was happy or worried for a moment!
The morning wind was blowing and the drums were beating loudly. Sun Quan, wearing a red robe and a golden helmet, and holding an ancient ingot sword, came out on horseback. The Wu army was shocked when they saw it, and their shouts soared into the sky.
Sun Quan personally went to the city, took his bow and arrows and shot towards the city, shouting: "Attack!"
Huang Gai, Han Dang, and Zhu Huan took the lead and went to the front of the army to suppress them. The morale of the Wu army increased greatly, and the grievances of the past few days disappeared. They all rushed forward and rushed to the city first.
Cao Ren heard that there was a lot of killing in Nancheng and hurriedly came to supervise the battle. He saw Sun Quan at the end of the suspension bridge, carrying a sword, bow and arrow, very conspicuous.
At this time, Cao Xiu had gone out of the city to lead the navy to fight against the enemy. Sima Yi was mobilizing equipment in the city. Lieutenant General Niu Jin said anxiously: "Sun Quan personally came to the front line to encourage the three armies. Wu Gou seems to have gone crazy. What should we do?"
Cao Ren snorted: "Sun Zhongmou wants to imitate what the prime minister did to obtain longevity, but he is really overestimating his abilities! How can a blue-eyed child compare to the prime minister's majesty? We are not the withered bones in Yuan Shu's tomb!"
Niu Jin hurriedly asked: "What is the governor's countermeasure?"
When Cao Ren was observing, he saw Sun Quan shoot an arrow at his face and shouted: "Cao Ren is filial, because you are my brother-in-law's father-in-law, if Kaicheng surrenders early, I will save you from death and be killed by me." Fight into the city and leave no trace of armor behind."
Cao Ren easily deflected the arrow and cursed: "You rats are capricious. Some of you hate that you didn't recognize your brother as a wolf and caused my daughter to suffer. One day, when we step across Jiangdong, we will destroy the Sun family."
Sun Quan was furious and fired several arrows at the top of the city. Cao Ren only raised the scabbard of his sword and swung it left and right to deflect the arrows.
He turned to Niu Jin and said, "Both Sun and his son died because of their arrogance and arrogance, Sun Jian died because of his rash pursuit of the enemy, and Sun Ce died because he showed off his ability and went straight forward. Isn't it God's will that Sun Quan is alone in front of the army today?"
Then he ordered Niu Jin to quickly recruit five hundred archers, all of whom were extremely powerful and hid behind the walls. When Sun Quan fired an arrow again, Cao Ren drew his sword and shouted: "Fire the arrow!"
In an instant, five hundred heads emerged from the battlements, and they all aimed at Sun Quan and fired arrows together. The arrows were like a dense swarm, and they poured down from the top of the city with a whistling sound.
"Escort... Hurry and escort!" Sun Quan's face changed drastically. He threw away his bow and arrow in shock and hurriedly reined in his horse, but it was too late.
The rain of arrows is like a black cloud heading straight towards the top of your head, making your scalp numb!
