It was already winter in November, it was freezing cold in the north, the Zihe River was frozen, and people were passing by with their carriages and horses on the ice.
Xu Sheng couldn't put it down holding the ancient ingot sword, and invited Ding Feng to enter the government office to discuss: "The governor ordered me to guard Linzi, with the Zi River as the boundary, and build more warships to protect Cao's army. The water is now frozen, making it difficult for boats. Commander Cao's army marched straight in, I wonder what the commander-in-chief's countermeasures are?"
Ding Fengyan said: "Wen Xiang doesn't know something. General Taishi has also arrived in Qingzhou! As long as you and I stand firm and wait for reinforcements, when Xiahou Dun arrives, we will kill him by surprise."
"What did you say?" Xu Sheng said in shock: "General Taishi, hasn't he already..."
Ding Feng said with emotion: "Actually, General Taishi was not dead at that time. He was worried that if he stayed in Jingzhou for a long time, the Marquis of Wu would become suspicious, so he ordered Taishi Xiang to return to Jiangdong to report the news first. In order to appease the Marquis of Wu, he stayed in Xiangyang to recuperate. !”
Xu Sheng shook his head helplessly and said with a smile: "Wu Hou is the master of the Ming Dynasty, how can he be such a narrow-minded and suspicious person?"
Ding Fengyan said: "When General Taishi comes back to life, it must be the spirit of the late Lord in heaven who protects me and helps me with my great cause in Jiangdong. We will definitely accomplish something in the Central Plains this time."
Xu Sheng thought of Sun Ce's magnanimity and touched the ancient ingot sword with a flash of light in his eyes: "If Cao's army comes, Sheng will attack and defeat it."
Ding Fengyan said: "Cao's army knew that the water battle was unfavorable. Seeing the ice on the river, I expected that they would go straight across the river. Cheng Xi is eager to take revenge and avenge his humiliation. He can take precautions first and defend the city to avoid its sharp edges and wait for the weather. When it snows heavily and the weather is cold, Cao Cao's army retreats and can defeat the enemy in one go."
"This is a very good plan!" Although Xu Sheng was eager to start a fight while holding the ancient ingot knife, he still held back.
They are far away from Jiangdong and have no support. They rely on self-sufficiency for soldiers, horses, money and food. This is in the hinterland of Cao's army, and it is definitely not a good idea to confront them head-on.
Then he ordered each battalion to prepare carefully, and sent many scouts to inquire about the news. He had tried several times with Xiahou Dun before, but there was no real fight. This battle is related to Qingzhou's gain and loss, so don't be careless.
The next day, the vanguard of Cao's army arrived at Zihe. The former general was none other than Cheng Xi, the governor of Qingzhou. Cheng Xi was about to be charged with the fall of Beihai, but because of his close relationship with Cao Pi, he knew that Cao Pi liked the Pearl.
Cheng Xi presented a pair of luminous pearls secretly stored in the Qingzhou treasury. Cao Pi loved them so much that he ignored the Qingzhou officials' crimes and appointed Cheng Xi as Wei Jibei Prime Minister.
After this comeback, Cheng Xi vowed to avenge his previous humiliation. Cao Pi also sent Anyuan general Tang Zi as the captain to help Cheng Xi.
The men and horses were stationed on the bank. Cheng Xi saw the ice on the river and said with great joy: "The Wu soldiers relied on the advantage of the navy to set up defenses with the Zihe River as the border. Now the river is frozen and the navy has no place to use it. God help me!"
Tang Zi was also eager to perform meritorious service and said: "Ming Gong's words are reasonable. I will lead an army across the river to attack the city first. The Duke will camp here to support him. When Linzi City is conquered, it will be a great achievement."
Cheng Xi then ordered Tang Zi to lead 10,000 troops, cross the Zihe River on the ice, guard the east embankment, then join the army across the river, and lead the troops to attack Linzi.
Seeing that the Wu army had not set up defenses along the river, Tang Zi concluded that Wu was cowardly and ordered his troops to reorganize their weapons on the bank. He led 3,000 elite troops to the gates of Linzi City.
The Wu army on the city had already discovered the news. Xu Sheng and Ding Feng were guarding the city, allowing Tang Zi to clamor for a fight, but they just stayed behind closed doors.
The northwest wind was howling, and Tang Zi's mouth was so cold that he saw the Wu army hiding in a corner tower to avoid the wind. He became furious and urged his troops to attack the city.
After Xu Sheng's six months of management and repair, Linzi became tall and strong, and countless bows and arrows were prepared in the city. Cao's army attacked fiercely all afternoon, but found nothing.
Tang Zi had no choice but to retreat to the bank and stay in the camp. Cheng Xi sent someone to deliver a message, reminding Tang Zi to patrol the camp carefully to prevent the Wu army from attacking the camp.
Tang Zi made secret arrangements in the camp. He waited for the Wu army to arrive and ambushed them. Then he disguised himself as the Wu army and sneaked into Linzi, seizing the city in one go.
Unexpectedly, after waiting all night, Wu Jun made no move. It was already the middle of winter. Cao Jun waited in the cold wind all night. Many people suffered from frostbite, swollen hands and feet, and low morale.
Tang Zi was furious and urged the three armies to attack the city again the next day. For several days in a row, more than 3,000 men and horses were lost, but Linzi City not only stood firm.
It suddenly snowed heavily that night, and Cao's army was camped outside and was even more miserable. When they woke up early the next morning, many tents were crushed by the heavy snow, and several people froze to death.
Tang Zi held his breath and urged the troops to go to the city, but he was dumbfounded. He saw Wu Jun pouring well water on the city wall, and the city wall was raised several feet overnight. He jumped up and cursed in anger.
Seeing that the city could not be breached and the morale of the three armies was low, Tang Zi had no choice but to retreat to the west bank and discuss with Cheng Xi how to defeat the enemy.
Cheng Xi was also at a loss and sighed helplessly: "In the past when Xu Gongming attacked Wuguan, Zhang Fei used this method to build an ice wall. General Xu was helpless. Unfortunately, General Xiahou has also arrived here. How can you and I get ahead?"
Tang Zi was unwilling to give up. He looked around and said in a low voice: "There is a common saying in the army: Xiahou Yuanrang is a general who often loses. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you and me to make achievements under his command, so we should find other strategies."
Cheng Xi thought for a moment and said: "Linzi is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Now that the Wu army is defending the city, why not lure the snake out of its hole and break it outside the city?"
Tang Zi hurriedly asked: "What good plan does Ming Gong have?"
Cheng Xi said: "Xu Sheng and Ding Feng are young and vigorous, but they can't hold on. They must have been ordered by General Zhou Yu, and they can use the method of provoking the generals: they ordered the soldiers to go to the city to insult the rats from Jiangdong. They are afraid of us and dare not fight. But you and I are here." During the banquet to celebrate, the two of them will definitely come to fight.”
"This is a great plan!" Tang Zi was overjoyed and immediately ordered people to go to Linzi City to insult the Wu army. He, Cheng Xi and other generals held a banquet.
At noon, the soldiers who had been sent fled back in embarrassment and reported that Ding Feng had led his troops out of the city to pursue him.
"Ming Gong's clever plan, let me kill this thief first!" Tang Zi was about to get up and go to fight.
Cheng Xi said, "The defender of Linzi is Xu Sheng. The general should ignore it for the time being. He will attack Ding Feng when he is halfway across the river. The ice is slippery and difficult to stand on. We can win a complete victory. Xu Sheng will come to respond when he hears the news. This plan can be successful." That’s it!”
"My dearest friend!" Tang Zi thought deeply, so the two of them simply ordered a banquet to be held on the west bank to drink and have fun with the generals.
Not long after, Ding Feng arrived with his troops and saw Cao Jun drinking and playing on the other side. He hesitated on the shore.
"Sure enough, they are the rats from Jiangdong. They only hide in their lairs and dare not confront each other head-on." Tang Zi also ordered his soldiers to fight in front of the banquet to promote the wine.
Ding Feng observed the situation on the other side and sent orders to the rear. Soon he saw that the Wu army was carrying ships and lined up on the ice.
Tang Zi looked up to the sky and laughed and said, "I never thought that the people in Jiangdong are not only timid, but also extremely stupid. The river has already frozen. Do you think that pretending to be a navy will give you an advantage?"
Cheng Xi was also stunned when he saw it, shook his head and said with a smile: "Isn't this deceiving oneself and deceiving others? I think Ding Feng is worse than Zhao Kuo."
Ding Feng remained calm and ordered the soldiers to take off their armor and wear only a layer of soft fish skin armor. Each man got on the boat with a short sword, but placed the spear and halberd as an oar outside the boat.
Amidst the roar of laughter from Cao Jun, Ding Feng raised his sword and shouted: "A real man builds fame and wealth. Today, we are sailing -"
