When Cao's army besieged Tan County, Zhu Ran of Houqiu sent people to inquire about the news. However, the city was so sieged that it was impossible to enter the city to communicate, so the scouts had to report the military information.
Zhu Ran was on pins and needles in Houqiu, and Sun Quan was defeated again in Shouchun. Without the support of a large army, they went deep alone, and the situation was very dangerous.
Knowing that Lü Meng was trapped again, Zhu Ran suddenly remembered his arrangements before leaving. Lü Meng ordered him to fight out from behind when Cao's army besieged the city, and cooperate with the inside to defeat the enemy.
Immediately all three thousand men and horses were mobilized to rush to Tan County. At this time, Houqiu was no longer relevant. Only a last-ditch battle could reverse the situation and defeat Cao's army. Xuzhou would have no soldiers and horses to compete with them.
Wu Jun marched on both sides and arrived at Yishui at midnight. It was close to the Mid-Autumn Festival. A bright moon hung in the blue sky and the surrounding fields were silent. In the distance, they could see a tidal flat surrounded by reeds.
Zhu Ran wanted to reach Tan County before dawn. The defenders were at their most lax at dawn. He could take the opportunity to attack the camp and set fire outside the city. When Lu Meng heard the noise, he could take advantage of the situation and rush out.
After calculating the distance, he ordered his troops to take a short rest. Around the fourth watch, the Wu army crossed the shoal, crossed the river, and headed for the Tan County City.
The Battle of the East China Sea shocked the Central Plains, and Lü Meng became famous. Later, Ling Tong killed several generals of Cao's army and was said to be a hero of Jiangdong. Only Zhu Ran failed to achieve anything in Houqiu.
Among the three, Lü Meng was the most valued by Sun Quan, and Ling Tong was the most loved by Sun Quan, but in terms of closeness, Zhu Ran was undoubtedly the first.
When Sun Ce was in charge of Jiangdong, Zhu Ran studied with Sun Quan in Wu County and had a close friendship. This time he was ordered to lead the army to attack Xuzhou, which also meant he would be promoted for his meritorious service.
Although Sun Quan is defeated now, as long as Lu Meng gains a foothold in Xuzhou, he can still contain Cao Ren. He only needs to send another army north to support, and he can capture Xuzhou.
Although the credit for the surprise attack belonged to Lü Meng, he was trapped in a tight siege. He went to the rescue with all his might and was able to reverse the situation.
Thoughts were flowing all the way. The more Zhu Ran thought about it, the more excited he became. If a man can't make achievements, how is he different from the bright moon and the clear breeze?
Just as he was thinking about how to fight later, a scream suddenly came from the left, and then several soldiers fell to the ground wailing.
Zhu Ran was shocked and turned his head to look, only to see the light of fire looming in the reeds, fire arrows mixed with arrow rain, and the sound of drums suddenly sounded from behind the low hill on the right.
"There's an ambush, form a formation!" Zhu Ran brandished his spear and roared.
The Wu army on the flanks had been disrupted by random arrows. At this time, fire arrows were fired head-on. There was chaos. Before they could react, random arrows fell from the sky.
Whoosh whoosh——
The sharp sound of breaking through the air was heart-stopping, and the fire arrows fell with long tails of flames. Not only did the soldiers' armor catch fire, but the reeds under their feet and beside them also burned.
The Wu army ran around randomly, dodging arrows, extinguishing flames, huddled together in front and back, screams kept coming and going, and some people panicked and fell into the quagmire.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the sky is dry and most of the reed leaves are dry and will burn when exposed to fire. In an instant, thick smoke fills the sky, completely covering up the hazy moonlight.
"Come forward, follow me!" Seeing the fire starting in the back, Zhu Ran yelled at his subordinates and rushed forward to kill them.
An ambush appeared on the low hills, and torches were lit all over the mountains and plains. Cao Jun waved flags and shouted to kill, blocking Wu Jun's path, and random arrows were shot down from the slopes.
The Wu army was trembling with fear. They crowded around Zhu Ran and formed defenses on all sides. In just a short time, they had already lost more than a centaur, and many people were involved in the reeds and burned to death in the fire.
Zhu Ran held the spear tightly, with thick smoke billowing behind him. He didn't know the direction. He gritted his teeth and stared at the people on the slope. He said in a deep voice: "Whoever blocks the road dares to fight with a certain person!"
A general on the slope laughed and said: "Jiangdong rats, you will be sneaking around all day long, today I will take your life to avenge my brother."
It turned out that it was Sun Kang who was ambushing here. Sima Yi wanted to arrange an ambush. Sun Kang was eager for revenge and took the initiative to lead his troops. He wanted to bury Sun Guan with Zhu Ran's head first.
Zhu Ran saw that the opponent did not go into battle, but instead ordered Cao's army to draw bows and arrows, raised his guns and shouted: "When we meet on a narrow road, only the brave will survive, follow me and kill!"
Hiding behind a big tree, I looked up and saw fire all around. I didn't know how many enemy troops there were, and I couldn't help but feel numb.
The Wu army beside Zhu Ran was also an elite force in Jiangdong. Two hundred of them were tiger soldiers under Sun Quan's escort car. At this time, they were trapped in a tight siege. They all fought to the death and moved forward bravely.
Zhu Ran was in the middle, urging his horse forward, waving his spear to deflect the arrows, and his horse galloped up, guarded by tiger soldiers on the left and right, spreading up the hillside like rolling waves.
Although Sun Kang was the younger brother of Sun Guan, he had no martial arts skills and was usually in charge of food and wages in the army. He thought that he was sure to ambush this time, but he didn't expect that the Wu army was so fierce and risked his life to kill him. He panicked first, turned his horse and went Retreat from the formation.
Cao's army was trying its best to form a formation to resist, but was disturbed by Sun Kang. More than a dozen of his soldiers fled back. The Chinese army was in chaos, and Wu's army rushed forward in a blink of an eye.
The soldiers on both wings were mostly archers. They only had time to release a round of arrows before they were charged by the cavalry. The central army was in chaos and many people screamed and fell to the ground.
"How dare a dog thief be so rampant?" Zhu Ran ran up to Sun Kang, roared, and stabbed him with his spear.
"Ah - you, don't come over!" Sun Kang was shocked and screamed desperately on his horse.
Zhu Ran urged his horse to catch up, and shot Sun Kang in the back of the heart. He heard a scream, and he was thrown off the horse and rolled into the reeds by the roadside.
"Kill!" Zhu Ran rushed straight to the top of the slope. Cao's troops on the mountain saw that the situation was not good and fled to both sides.
Zhu Ran led his troops to the top of the mountain in one breath. Cao's army had already dispersed. When he looked back, he saw fire all around the bottom of the mountain, thick smoke billowing into the air, and only a few people escaped in embarrassment.
"What a thief!" Zhu Ran looked up to the sky and roared.
Of these three thousand soldiers and horses, two thousand were Zhu Zhi's old troops who had followed from Jiangdong, and one thousand were new soldiers from Huainan. They were all regarded as private soldiers given to him by Sun Quan, but they were destroyed in such a muddle.
A general counted the number of people and came closer and advised: "Major General, there are only more than 300 people left. We are unable to rescue. I am afraid that Cao Jun will come to kill us. It is better to go back to Houqiu to protect ourselves."
His great hope failed, and Zhu Ran was a little disappointed. He led his troops across the river from the north and retreated to Houqiu.
At dawn, I came to the city and sent someone to call the door. I saw Cao Jun's flag was hoisted on the city, and a general shouted: "You are a lost dog. If you are willing to surrender, I will allow you to enter the city."
Zhu Ran was furious, rode his horse to the city and shouted: "Thief, you have the guts to come down to the city and fight me!"
The man held the city wall with his hands and laughed: "How can I, a high-ranking official of the imperial court, fight with rats?"
Zhu Ran pointed his gun at the city and shouted: "Who are you?"
"I am going to Pi, Chen Su!" The man said with a proud smile: "In the past, Sun Quan made a sneak attack on Guangling, but was frightened back by dozens of torches from my late father, and was defeated without a fight. Today you are using the same trick again, I am here. How can rats be allowed to run rampant in the land of Xuzhou during the Qing Dynasty?"
The Battle of Guangling was the first time that Sun Quan commanded an army. One hundred thousand soldiers and horses were frightened back by Chen Deng's bluff. Sun Cecai had to go to Dantu in person to organize the troops to avenge his humiliation, and was eventually killed. This was the war that Sun Quan least wanted to mention.
Zhu Ran was so angry that he rushed to the bridge on horseback and shot arrows from the city. He had no choice but to retreat to Yilu Mountain with his remaining soldiers to hide, and listen to the news about Tan County before making plans.
