"Is Xiakou so important? Why don't we go south and go around?" Sun Quan couldn't help but said. The Yangtze River is so long, so there’s no need to stick to one place, right?
Dong Xi smiled bitterly,
"My lord, the Penglize area is already the best area to cross the river. Going up from Xiakou, the mountains on both sides are high and the gorges are narrow and the water is fast. The risk of crossing the river is probably no lower than breaking through Xiakou. If you really don't want to cross the river, you might consider crossing the river from Xiakou. Traveling through the mountains to the north, but in that case, we will face some other problems."
"So, it's not enough if we don't attack Xiakou?" Sun Quan frowned. Looking at Sun Quan's style all the time, he often finds ways to defeat others without fighting. This time he was actually asked to confront the enemy head-on, or to attack the enemy's toughest place. Sun Quan was really not used to it. When Sun Quan wanted to come, he could bypass Xiakou, surround it without attacking, and leave it isolated and helpless. In the end, it would naturally defeat itself without attacking.
"Lord, of course we don't have to attack Xiakou. But if we don't capture Xiakou, we will never be able to talk about dominating the Yangtze River. The Jingzhou Army has water conservancy and is located upstream. Their fleet may flow down the river at any time, even to the east of the Yangtze River. , this is always a threat to us." Dong Xi reminded Sun Quan.
This is the biggest reason why the Sun family has been at odds with Jingzhou for so many years. Regardless of whether Liu Biao wants to expand or not, your geographical location in Jingzhou determines that you will always be a threat to me in Jiangdong. Even if the Sun family wants to attack other places, they must always be wary of being suddenly attacked by Liu Biao. In this case, why not do it once and for all?
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao wanted to unify the north first and then move south. In the same way, the Sun family also wants to control the Yangtze River first, and then move north.
"Okay." Sun Quan was persuaded by Dong Xi. Although Sun Quan doesn't like the strategy of injuring the enemy by 1,000 and damaging himself by 800, a strong attack also has the advantage of being fast enough!
In today's world, it's not just your Sun family and Liu Biao. Once Sun Quan's intention to attack Jingzhou is discovered, someone will definitely try their best to sabotage Sun Quan and hold him back. If Sun Quan really goes to cross the mountains and adopts the strategy of siege but not attack, then let’s not say how much time he will be delayed. Will Cao Cao and Yuan Shao’s side have already decided the winner? In the end, if a third party really intervenes, first of all Will it be Huang Zu who can't hold on? Or is it Sun Quan?
The longer the delay is, the greater the variables will be, and opportunities may be lost. The combination of various reasons finally led Sun Quan to choose to attack Xiakou this time.
"First of all, give me a detailed description of your recent attacks on Xiakou." Sun Quan said to Dong Xi.
Then, Sun Quan truly understood the enemy's configuration and the huge difficulty of this battle.
The Mengchong ship is a relatively long and slender ship. The ship has a strong hull and is usually used for charging. With the help of wind and current, it can hit the opposite fleet directly like a spear with extremely fast speed and impact. Below the deck of the ship, there are oar holes on both sides so that the oars can be extended to control the direction and speed and increase the maneuverability of the ship. On the deck, several levels of cabins are usually built depending on the size of the ship. Each cabin has crossbow windows and spear holes on all sides for attacking enemies in all directions. In short, this is a mobile fortress on the water without any soldiers showing their heads. The most powerful battleship of the modern era that integrates offense and defense!
Now, Huang Zu sailed two Mengchong ships at Xiakou. All passing ships that wanted to pass must obtain Huang Zu's permission. As for trying to break in? There are two rows of "machine guns" on the front, and there are high-altitude bombings on the cliffs on both sides. Who can stand it!
According to Dong Xi, Zhou Yu tried several times at that time, the purpose was not to pass the pass, but to consume Huang Zu's "ammunition". The arrows stored on the Mengchong ship, the arrows and boulders on the cliffs on both sides cannot be endless, right? You always have to transport it, right? Once the arrows on the opposite side are not enough, Jiangdong's army can kill them in one go and win the difficult situation of Xiakou.
Unfortunately, after several attempts, Zhou Yu failed to test the bottom line of Huang Zu's side. He knew that Huang Zu's bows and arrows could not be used up, but because the damage to his side's ships and personnel was too great, Zhou Yu also suffered A lot of pressure. Zhou Yu couldn't be so cruel and keep taking lives. If he did, it would be a small loss of morale, and there would be a high probability that the soldiers would mutiny, lead a rebellion, and defect to the enemy. In short, the situation finally reached a stalemate.
"We also have Meng Chong, right?" Sun Quan suddenly asked. The Sun family has bullied Jiangdong for so many years. There is no reason why the water equipment is not as good as Jingzhou, right? Is it possible that this Mengchong ship still has high-tech content and patents?
"Although we have Meng Chong, it is true that when we go upstream, even with the wind, the impact is not enough to break through the barrier. Moreover, the construction of Meng Chong ship is difficult and expensive. It was directly destroyed when it was hit by a huge boulder on the mountain. It is really We can't afford the loss." Dong Xi replied.
"What about attacking with fire? How about getting close and shooting rockets? Or just ramming the ship with fire?" Sun Quan asked again.
Dong Xi still shook his head,
"Huang Zu, like us, has experienced water battles for a long time. All the Meng Chong on our two sides are wrapped in cowhide. There is no way to ignite Meng Chong by ordinary methods. As for what the Lord said, ramming the ship directly with the fire, it sounds like It should be feasible, but two prerequisites must be met: First, our boat cannot be hit by huge rocks on the mountain. Second, all the rowers on the boat must be dead soldiers. After all, we are going upstream, and the rowers cannot advance in advance. Disembarking. Moreover, using this method, in my estimation, I am afraid it will take more than ten ships to be successful." Dong Xi said in a deep voice, the price is really too high.
In Sun Quan's eyes, it was a small matter to sacrifice ten Mengchong ships, but it was difficult if all ten Mengchong ships were dead soldiers. Moreover, the significance of these ten Mengchong ships is only to break through the blockade of the two Mengchong ships on the opposite side. After breaking through the blockade, Jiangdong Army and Huang Zujun will have a real decisive battle in hand-to-hand combat. Judging from the effect, it is indeed very cost-effective, and some of the gains outweigh the losses.
Sun Quan thought for a while and suddenly said,
"Two Mengchong ships must be connected by iron cables if they are to lie across the mouth of a river with fast currents. If the iron cables are connected, no ship in between will be able to pass. It is impossible for Huang Zu to deny passage to all merchant ships for a long time, right?"
In this era, businessmen may not be on the stage, but behind them there is always a wealthy family. Huang Zu could ignore the Jiangdong family, but could he still ignore the big families in Jingzhou?
It was okay for a short time, but over time, Huang Zu would definitely not be able to bear the pressure and would let merchant ships pass. as expected,
"Huang Zu would untie the iron rope twice a day, but only let two merchant ships pass at a time. If there were too many merchant ships coming, Huang Zu would never open the iron rope. If he dared not to leave, he would directly regard it as an enemy and launch an attack. . Many caravans have stopped coming here after hearing the news about the blockade of Jiang Road." Dong Xi replied.
