Chapter 639: Zhu Yuanzhang VS Sun Wu (Part 1)
After arriving in Xuzhou, Sun Wu discovered that he was not the only one who came up with this plan, because he also met two other groups of people, and they were envoys from the Youqing Coalition Army and the Liang-Han Coalition Army.
Li Shimin and Liu Bei also thought of this plan and wanted Tao Qian to attack the rear of the Ming army in their direction, so the armies they represented also sent envoys to Tao Qian. For a while, Tao Qian became a favorite.
The envoy of the Qingyou coalition was Sun Qian under Liu Bei, while the envoy of the Liang-Han coalition was Yu Wenji under Yang Jian.
Both of them were eloquent people, but after listening to their 'performances', Sun Wu was extremely happy. Fortunately, it was him who came this time.
"Tao Shijun, no matter whether you go south or north, how can your achievements be compared to the Eastern Expedition?"
Seeing that Tao Qian was a little moved, Yu Wenhuaji hit the railway while it was hot: "Now the troops on the western front of Yanzhou are extremely empty. If you send troops, it will be as if you are deserted. Once you capture Chenliu, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, you will be the first to attack the Ming Dynasty." The credit must go to you, Shi Jun."
Tao Qian's eyes sparkled with light, and his old cheeks were slightly moved by it.
Nowadays, almost all the Ming army's troops are deployed on the five fronts. This also means that the total number of garrison troops in the cities from Xuzhou to Yanzhou will not exceed 5,000.
Tao Qian owns the two counties of Xiapi and Pengcheng. After fully mobilizing the power of the two counties, it is no problem to recruit an army of thirty to forty thousand troops.
There are no dangerous passes between Yanzhou and Xuzhou, so if Tao Qian really leads an army of 30,000 to 40,000 men on an eastern expedition, there is still a high chance of defeating Chen Liu.
Chenliu was the capital of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Ming Dynasty was said to be temporary, it was still the city that served as the capital of the country.
If Tao Qian could be the first to defeat Chen Liu, it would be a huge blow to all Ming armies, and the Han army could basically declare success in defeating the Ming Dynasty this time, so of course it was the greatest contribution of this battle.
At Tao Qian's age, he had long looked down on fame and wealth, but he was still excited when faced with the first prize of Fuling that came to his door.
Seeing this, Yu Wenhuaji said in his heart: Stable.
Seeing this, Sun Qian also knew in his heart that this mission would probably not be completed.
Even if he were Tao Qian, he would definitely choose the Eastern Expedition to compete for the first place in the Ming Dynasty instead of going north or south. After all, whether he goes north or south, the benefits brought to Tao Qian cannot be compared with those of the Eastern Expedition. compared to.
After pondering for a long time, Tao Qian finally made up his mind, and at this moment Sun Wu stood up and said with a smile: "Tao Shijun, defeating Chen Liu is indeed the greatest achievement of the Ming Dynasty, but it is also a dead end. Do you want to Think it through before making a decision."
Tao Qian was stunned when he heard this, and then said with some displeasure: "What do you mean by this?"
"If Sun remembers correctly, Tao Shijun has fought with him thirty-seven times since the Yellow Turban Uprising, but he has not been able to win any of them."
At this point, Sun Wu paused and looked at Tao Qian teasingly.
Tao Qian's old face turned red immediately. This was the biggest stain on his resume, but when Sun Wu said it directly, he was naturally extremely angry.
"Shut up, I, Tao Qian, am not allowed to talk nonsense like a junior like you."
Facing Tao Qian who was about to become furious, Sun Wu showed no fear and said with a smile: "Don't be upset, Sun is just stating the facts and has no other intentions.
It should be noted that Chenliu is the capital of the Ming Dynasty, and the soldiers and horses left behind must be elite. Even if your military strength is several times that of the Ming army, are you really sure that you can capture it? "
Tao Qian was stunned when he heard this, and the frightening memories of losing thirty-seven consecutive battles appeared in his mind again.
Seeing this, Sun Wu smiled confidently and continued: "The Ming Dynasty will never watch the envoy attack Chenliu. Now, although the main force of the Ming army is dragged on the eastern front, it can dispatch some elites to return to defend Chenliu, such as Overlord Rides.”
After hearing these three words, Tao Qian showed a horrified expression, because it was this army that chased Tao Qian like a dog, causing him to lose more than thirty battles in a row until he could no longer win. The courage to fight.
"Tao Shijun, although the first achievement of defeating the Ming Dynasty is good, it must be done with a life!"
Tao Qian was originally afraid of the Ming army's combat power, but Sun Wu once again aroused the fear in his heart. At this time, he still had the courage to march eastward. It would be good if he dared to insist on sending troops.
After pondering for a long time, Tao Qian sighed: "Mr. Sun is right, the Eastern Expedition is indeed inappropriate."
Yu Wenhuaji was stunned when he saw this. He never expected that Tao Qian would be so timid, so shaken by Sun Wu's few words, that he would give up the first skill of defeating the Ming Dynasty.
Sun Qian was overjoyed. Tao Qian gave up the eastern expedition, which naturally increased the possibility of going north.
Tao Qian glanced at the crowd, and then said solemnly: "I have decided to go south to help Brother Liu Yao."
Sun Qian's eyes widened and he was extremely confused, while Sun Wu had a calm look on his face, as if he wasn't surprised at all.
"There should be no difference to you, traveling north or south."
Sun Qian looked unwilling and continued to persuade: "Why don't you consider going north?"
After Tao Qian glanced at him, he did not explain, but said calmly: "No need to persuade me anymore, I have made up my mind."
After saying that, Tao Qian turned and left. Sun Qian opened his mouth, but in the end he said nothing.
Sun Wu walked to his side and said with a smile: "There are three ways to go south, north and up in the Eastern Expedition, but Tao Shijun will not choose to go north."
"Oh? Why?" Sun Qian asked doubtfully.
Sun Wu smiled calmly and then explained: "Although the achievements of going south are not as good as those of the Eastern Expedition, Tao Shijun can at least regain the fallen Xuzhou. And even if going north can help the Qingyou coalition defeat Huang Chao, Tao Shijun can What benefits are gained?”
Sun Qian suddenly realized that it was impossible to complete the mission of his trip.
——————
February of the fifth year of Zhongping (AD 188).
The temperature in the Central Plains has just risen, and Tao Qian, who has truly completed the integration, can't wait to send troops.
But what is surprising is that Tao Qian did not go eastward, but chose to go south.
The Ming army did not have many troops stationed in Xuzhou, but Tao Qian had 35,000 Xuzhou troops, and Sun Wu was also assisting.
With the help of Sun Wu, Tao Qian easily regained the three counties occupied by the Ming army in just two months.
After unifying Xuzhou, Tao Qian did not stop his conquest. Instead, he directed his troops towards Jianghuai, preparing to attack Zhu Yuanzhang with Liu Yao.
With Zhu Yuanzhang's military strength, holding Shouchun was the limit, and there was no extra force to fight against Tao Qian.
But once Tao Qian is allowed to capture all the cities in the Jianghuai River, Shouchun will become an isolated city, and it will only be a matter of time before it is captured.
The combination of Tao Qian and Liu Yao made the situation facing Zhu Yuanzhang extremely serious.
