Set out again, on the way from Huaiyin to Xiapi.
Although Sun Quan kept saying that he was in a hurry and wanted to capture Xiapi before Cao Cao, at least he had not completely lost his mind. Knowing that they had penetrated deep into the abdomen of Xuzhou and were getting closer and closer to Lu Bu's base camp, they might be ambushed by Lu Bu at any time during the next journey or attacked by Lu Bu's reinforcements coming from other directions. Therefore, Sun Quan and his party moved forward. The speed was relatively slow, and we were very cautious along the way, adhering to the principle of scouts first. Play steadily and move forward step by step.
Of course, although the progress is slow, because the distance is not far away, on the whole, it will not delay Sun Quan too much time. Of course, the premise of everything is that we don’t encounter any accidents along the way.
"Our trip from Huaiyin to Xiapi will pass through the Huaihe River, Muhe River and Yihe River respectively. The Huaihe River is too close to Huaiyin, so it is impossible for Lu Bu's side to be prepared. The Yihe River is already very close to Xiapi, so it is better to defend the city directly. , Therefore, the place where we are most likely to encounter obstacles on the next journey is Muhe!" Wu Jing took out a simple map and said to Sun Quan.
"Is Surabaya right next to this?" Sun Quan asked, pointing to a vertical river on the simple map that connected the three rivers mentioned by Wu Jing.
"Yes, it's Surabaya." Wu Jing nodded. "According to the information we know so far, the main force of Lu Bu's army is fighting Cao Cao to the west of Surabaya. The battle lines between the two sides are very long, and there have been battles from Xiaopei to Pengcheng. , it can be seen that Cao Cao is also very anxious." Wu Jing said.
"The more anxious Cao Cao is, the greater the pressure on Lu Bu's side, and the less they can allocate their troops from the west of Surabaya to the east of Surabaya." Sun Quan said with a smile.
"Having said that, when we captured Huaiyin, a lot of people ran away from here. I'm afraid Lu Bu already knew our movements and guessed that we might continue to advance to Tiapi. To say that Lu Bu didn't do anything for this I'm afraid it's not realistic to prepare, right?" Wu Jing couldn't help but say.
Sun Quan shook his head,
"It's different. First of all, Cao Cao has really fought. It is a powerful enemy in front of Lu Bu. Lu Bu must deal with it with all his strength, otherwise he will be in disaster. He cannot underestimate Cao Cao, and there is nothing he can do about it. Underestimating Cao Cao. On the other hand, for us, capturing Huaiyin is already a surprise in the minds of many people. It is only a possibility for us to continue to attack and capture Pi, and it is still a very small possibility, not to mention others. Even uncle, weren't you surprised at first? In this emergency situation where there is a shortage of major generals, Lu Bu will not divide his troops for a very small possibility, which will bring greater risks." Sun Quan analyzed in detail Said, "Secondly, the strength of our troops is completely incomparable to Cao Cao's, and even compared to Lu Bu's men and horses left behind in Xiapi. It can be said that Lu Bu will not be afraid of us at all, even if we really open the door, If we really reach Xiapi, then Lu Bu will only have to defend Xiapi, and we will not be able to do anything against him. Therefore, in my opinion, there is no defense line in Huai River, there is no defense line in Mu River, and there will be no defense line in Yishui River. Lu Bu's side will only concentrate their troops in the most important place, where we must go, which is the last line of defense - Xiapi! In this way, they will not only guard against us, but also guard against Cao Cao. After all, Surabaya is too long , Cao Cao could have crossed the river from anywhere."
"No matter what, it's better to be cautious." Wu Jing reminded Sun Quan.
Sun Quan smiled and said,
"We are traveling so slowly, aren't we being cautious enough?"
Hearing Sun Quan's answer, Wu Jing couldn't help laughing and scolding,
"You kid, don't I know about you? I think you have been eager to rush to Xiapi! The reason why you are moving slowly is that you are waiting for news!"
What news are you waiting for? Both of them knew it. Sun Quan was waiting for the response from Xia Pi Buddhist Sect, waiting for the Buddhist representatives to come to him to negotiate with him. As for the hub of contact with Buddhism, Sun Quan naturally left it to the most suitable Diao Chan.
"But Zhongmou, do you really have the confidence to fight completely relying on others like this?" Wu Jing said with some worry, "Don't say that Buddhist people are not reliable, will they go back on their word, or even kill us. Even so. They are really willing to help us. We rely so much on Buddhism this time, so the next negotiations may not be easy, right?"
Sun Quan himself said it before, not to mention compared with Cao Cao, the troops they led this time were not even comparable to those left by Lu Bu to guard Xiapi. As the attacking side, the number of people was actually smaller than that of the defending side. How could they win?
In other words, without the help of Buddhism, the possibility of Sun Quan successfully capturing Xiapi is almost zero. Under this premise, Buddhism helped Sun Quan steal Xiapi from the inside, which played more than a decisive role. In this way, when the two parties are negotiating, doesn't Buddhism want the lion to open its mouth?
"I'm not afraid of the Buddhist lion's mouth. What Buddhism wants is not inconsistent with our goals. In many places, when we help Buddhism, Buddhism is actually helping us. It can be said that this is a real win-win. And I believe , Real eminent monks will never go back on their word or break their word, and I am afraid they will not make any excessive demands. Therefore, what we should really worry about is whether Buddhism is willing to cooperate with us." Sun Quan He said, frowning slightly, and continued, "In addition, although I also know that Buddhism has a great influence in the Xuzhou area, especially Xiapi, but how big is it specifically and what role can it play? To be honest, I don’t have any confidence in my heart. I’m afraid that even though I’ve tried my best in Buddhism, I won’t be able to bring us any substantial help.”
"Lu Bu newly arrived in Xuzhou not long ago, and most of the people he used are the original members of Xuzhou. These nobles are deeply influenced by Buddhism. If nothing else, it shouldn't be too difficult to secretly help us capture a city gate, right?" Wu Jing couldn't help but say.
However, Sun Quan shook his head and replied,
"So what if we win a city gate? If we attack the city and fight Lu Bu in a street fight, will we be able to defeat him? What I want is not just a city gate!"
Wu Jing's eyes widened and he said in surprise,
"Is it possible, Zhongmou, that you still hope to persuade Lu Bu's troops to surrender? Lu Bu's troops are all in his direct hands. These people were all brought to Xuzhou by Lu Bu from outside. I'm afraid it's not realistic for Buddhism to control them. !”
"Of course this is unrealistic." Sun Quan nodded in agreement, then smiled and said to Wu Jing, "So what I want is for those people to tie Lu Bu directly in front of me."
"What?!" Wu Jing was stunned for a moment.
"Haha!" Sun Quan laughed, "Uncle, Lu Bu is still injured, so this kind of thing is not impossible. Of course, it would be better if a few of Lu Bu's cronies turn against him."
As for why Sun Quan thought that Lu Bu's cronies would defect, he naturally used history as a reference. Hou Cheng, Song Xian, and Wei Xu, the three cronies who betrayed Lu Bu in history, will soon become Sun Quan's key contacts.
During the conversation, Sun Quan's eyes suddenly lit up. He saw that Diao Chan was back!
