Lü Meng successfully captured the East China Sea, went out to pacify the people, sent people to inquire about Shouchun news, personally trained his troops, and prepared to conquer Xuzhou in one go and take control of the Central Plains.
There was a map of Xuzhou on the table in the government office. Lu Meng was sketching out the route to capture Pi and Pengcheng and march into the Central Plains. He only waited to meet up with Sun Quan before offering ten strategies to conquer the Central Plains.
While planning, the soldiers rushed in and reported that Sun Quan was defeated in Shouchun and that Cao's army was heading towards the East China Sea.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Lu Meng stood up suddenly and asked anxiously: "My lord, a hundred thousand troops besieged Shouchun, how could he be defeated?"
The soldiers reported in detail the flooding of Shouchun by Cao's army. At this time, outsiders did not know that Sun Quan secretly sent people to dig canals, and they all thought that Cao Ren was repeating his old trick.
"Cao Ren, how dare you be so cruel?" Lu Meng was furious, broke the pen in his hand, and roared: "Cao Ren has ruined something important, and you and I are at odds with each other!"
The elite Wu army was lost, and Sun Quan had retreated to Hefei and was unable to go north to support him, which meant that the Central Plains plan was ruined and the chance to become famous in one battle disappeared.
After hearing the news, Ling Tong rushed over and advised: "My lord's army has been defeated. We will be trapped in a lonely place. We should retreat before Cao's army arrives."
"We have gone through life and death to achieve such great feats, how can we retreat without fighting?" Lu Meng's face was gloomy and he gritted his teeth and said: "Cao Ren is trapped in Shouchun, and the army cannot come out. The enemy must be garrison troops from all over. In fact, there is nothing to worry about. Could it be that merit is due to fear of the enemy?"
Ling Tong was young and energetic, his face suddenly turned red, and he clasped his fists and said: "Fighting to the death for a general, I should be proud to be wrapped in horse leather. I am a man from Jiangdong, and I will definitely sweep across the Central Plains."
"This is absolutely true!" Lu Meng nodded happily and said with a smile: "Today, Cao's army is facing battles from all sides. The elites are all in Guanzhong and the Central Plains, and most of Xuzhou is a mob. As long as we hold the East China Sea and wait for the opportunity to seize Langya, we can do it without the help of the lord. Join forces with the great governors to conquer the Central Plains, expand Jiangdong's foundation, and accomplish this extraordinary feat, which will make you famous!"
Ling Tong's eyes shone when he heard this, and he said loudly: "The governor and the general join forces, who among the Central Plains can match them?"
While they were discussing, Tan Ma came to report that 20,000 reinforcements from Xiapi had arrived in the territory.
Ling Tong asked for orders: "With only five hundred troops, the general will defeat the enemy."
Lu Meng sneered and said: "Cao's army has mobilized troops many times. They came all the way. They must be eager to seize the city, but they are afraid that Zhu Ran's army will attack behind them. They will go east to cut off my communication with Zhu Ran. We can defeat it with just a little trick." "
Then he ordered Ling Tong to go out of the city to ambush at Yishui River, divide his troops into three groups, and wait for Cao's army to attack when they were halfway across.
The Wu army waited all night, but did not see the arrival of Cao's army. Ling Tong sent people to inquire again, but reported that Cao's army had not crossed the river to the east. The army marched north along the river and went straight to Tan County. Ling Tong was shocked and hurriedly led his troops back.
Lu Meng had already heard the report, frowned and said: "I didn't expect it to be Sima Yi who was commanding the army. This man has a lot of plans. He came out of Shouchun first, and the flood plan must have come from this man. He is so ruthless at such a young age. If he hadn't done it earlier, If we get rid of it, we might be in serious danger of Jiangdong!"
Ling Tong said: "When Cao's army besieges Tan County, we can order General Zhu to attack behind it and defeat it in one fell swoop."
Lu Meng sneered and said, "This is my intention in ordering Zhu Ran to take Houqiu. Since Sima Yi ignores his back and despises us, he will regret it."
Ling Tong guarded the city and patrolled, while Lu Meng sent a message to Zhu Ran, ordering him to support Tan County and attack Cao's army.
After thinking about it, he was still unwilling to retreat, so he wrote to Sun Quan, urging him to move his troops north from Hangou and occupy the coastal areas of the East China Sea with the Huaiyin Navy. By advancing by land and water, he could join forces with Zhou Yu from the north and south to secure Xuzhou and capture the Central Plains.
Ling Tongzheng and Lu Meng's nephew Deng Guang were patrolling the city. They saw dust flying in the distance. The vanguard of Cao's army was approaching the city. They were all unruly and murderous.
A general in the formation came out with his horse and shouted: "You guys from the east of the Yangtze River, how dare you attack our Xuzhou? Taishan General Sun Guan is here, come and die quickly."
Ling Tong frowned and said, "Who is Sun Guan?"
Deng Guang was responsible for the intelligence scouting in the army. Hearing this, he replied: "This man is the sworn brother of Zang Ba. Together with Wu Dun, Yin Li, and Chang Xi, they are known as the 'Five Heroes of Mount Tai'. They are all highly skilled in martial arts. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, So far, he has rampaged across Haidai, and even Cao Cao is afraid of him and orders him to guard Xuzhou."
"Hmph, it turns out he is a bandit!" Ling Tong smiled coldly, "Cao Jun deceived me that there is no one in the east of the Yangtze River, so I just killed this thief to establish his power."
Deng Guang advised: "The Taishan thieves are fierce by nature, and their achievements should not be underestimated."
Ling Tong laughed and said, "Why should we be afraid of these thieves? If the vanguard generals dare not go out to fight, how can we talk about defeating the enemy? We must first kill the enemy to boost morale, and then deal with Cao's army without delay."
Seeing that he could not dissuade him, Deng Guang had no choice but to send more troops to guard the city gate, and ordered people to beat drums to cheer him up. He also ordered people to report to Lu Meng and ask him to take charge of the overall situation, just in case.
Sun Guan saw that only 500 Wu troops came out of the city. A young general in front of the formation laughed and said: "Is there really no one in Jiangdong? I sent a young boy to make up the number."
Ling Tong raised his sword eyebrows slightly and said in a cold voice: "A certain thief Cao has a short stature and a wretched description. All his subordinates are rogue bandits. He is crooked and cracked. When I saw him today, it turned out to be so."
"You dare to be so arrogant?" Sun Guan and others had been officials for many years, and they were honored as marquises and generals. They were most afraid of others calling them "thieves". When they heard this, they were furious and went to seize Ling Tong.
Ling Tong parried with his sword, and the two horses crossed each other. He heard a loud noise, and Sun Guan's sword was repulsed. He couldn't help but be shocked in his heart. He thought he was a young man who didn't know how to advance or retreat, but he didn't expect to have such power. He turned his horse's head and focused on fighting.
Ling Tong had beheaded several Cao generals a few days ago, and he was already confident. Even though he was fighting against a veteran of the battlefield like Sun Guan, he was not afraid. A knife twisted like a strange python, and he killed the opponent in less than ten seconds.
Sun Guan was so frightened that he swung his sword and turned his horse away. After nearly twenty years of fighting, he was able to survive in every battle because of his sense of danger on the battlefield. If he didn't leave at this time, his life would be in danger.
"Where is the old thief going?" Ling Tong flicked his reins, his mount was like a shooting star chasing the moon, and he caught up with him in a few leaps.
Xiaoyaojin protected Sun Quan and performed meritorious service. After the war, Sun Quan gave his horse to Ling Tong. This horse was purchased with a lot of money from Liaodong. There were only three horses in Jiangdong. The other two were given to Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci.
Sun Guan heard the sound of horse hooves behind him. When he looked back, Ling Tong had already caught up with him. He was so frightened that he broke into a cold sweat and shouted: "Don't push yourself even further!"
Ling Tong didn't even answer. He chased after him on horseback and swung his sword across. Sun Guan was in a hurry and was chopped off by his horse.
Cao's army was in an uproar. Ling Tong was about to use his troops to cover up the attack, but when he heard the sound of gold ringing from the city, he had to turn his horse back and lead his troops back to the city.
Lu Meng praised: "I have killed another enemy general, which is as brave as my father!"
"Why do you care about such a young person?" Ling Tong's eyes gleamed slightly.
In addition to inheriting his father's ambition and establishing a career, he also has a secret hidden in his heart, which is to avenge his father, who was humiliated by Liu Qi in the camp.
In the past few years, Gan Ning became famous and powerful in the Central Plains. Ling Tong was well aware of this person's abilities. He visited famous teachers to practice martial arts and did not dare to slack off for a day. He was not satisfied with just killing Sun Guan and his like.
While he was talking, Cao Jun's army was approaching the city. They saw dust flying, people shouting and horses neighing, and Tan County was surrounded. An inexplicable murderous atmosphere enveloped the city, and the Wu army was ready to prepare.
A general with a golden helmet and black beard, like a mountain god from Mount Tai, rode to the city and shouted coldly: "Whoever killed my brother, come and pay with your life!"
