It seems this is a protracted war.
It's the end of winter in the blink of an eye. For Wancheng, which is located at the junction of the Central Plains and Jingzhou, this is the time when the weather is freezing.
Gusts of cold wind passed over the top of Wancheng City, causing the high-hanging flag of the King of Wei with gold characters on a black background to flutter and sway, like a yellow-striped raptor with fangs and claws.
In the city, near the emperor's camp, there were bursts of laughter and the sound of feasting and drinking silk and bamboo. That was Emperor Cao Pi holding a small celebration banquet in the palace.
Just a few days before the first month of the first month, good news came from the Jiangling battlefield in Jingzhou on the western front. Deputy Commander Cao Zhen ordered General Zhang He of the left to lead his troops to attack Wu General Sun Sheng's camp in Zhongzhou, Jiangling Baili. Jiangling Baili has now been captured. In Central Continent, under this Central Continent, the armies on the Western Front can not only form a mutual support force, but can also garrison in Central Continent to wait for the enemy. Therefore, it seems that Xiahou Shang's capture of Jiangling City is just around the corner.
And Emperor Cao Pi, who was eagerly awaiting his arrival in Wancheng, was naturally overjoyed.
North of Jingzhou, Jiangling battlefield.
At the foot of Jiangling City was the Wei army, led by General and Deputy Commander Cao Zhen, who had been besieging the city for several months and was in a tight formation.
On Jiangling City, the Wu army was led by Zhu Ran, General of Eastern Wu Zhengbei and Marquis of Yong'an. The Wu army had been resisting the Wei army for several months, but was still tenacious and powerful.
In the past few months, Cao Zhen ordered his sergeants to build mountains of earth, dig tunnels, and build elevated structures. He also ordered archers and crossbowmen to shoot from the elevated structures into Jiangling City, killing and wounding the enemy many times. .
But Zhu Ran was not simple. Under such a situation, he stabilized the morale of the army many times, sent people to quickly demolish the Wei army's elevated tower, and even organized crossbowmen to counterattack. But even so, the Wu army was still at an absolute disadvantage. Due to illness in the army, There are less than 5,000 city defenders under Zhu Ran's command who can continue fighting, and the foreign reinforcements he has been waiting for are blocked outside the city by Xia Houshang, Wenpin and others. Therefore, Jiangling City is currently isolated. Without help, we are in danger.
Under the city, in a murderous military formation with black clothes and black armor, the general of the upper army, Cao Zhen, holding an iron halberd, wearing black armor, and "Jingfan Cong" under his seat, wearing a yellow cloak, was galloping back and forth majestically among the Wei army. In the array, he inspired his soldiers to prepare for the next round of siege.
At this moment, Cao Zhen looked at the blue flags fluttering in the wind at the top of the city. He sneered and said to himself: I want to see how long you Zhu Ran can hold on!
"Soldiers, attack the city and kill!" Cao Zhen waved the halberd in his hand, and the Wei army's drums sounded like thunder, rushing towards the Jiangling city wall like a black tide.
At the top of the city, a green-robed general held a long sword in his hand. He was calmly looking at the black tide below the city, ready to order the bow and crossbow to roll against the enemy at any time.
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A few miles north of Baili Jiangzhou is the temporary headquarters of Xia Houshang, the commander-in-chief of the Wei army and the general who conquered the south.
A few miles to the south, in the camp in Bailizhou, were the few members of Zhang He's tribe who had just occupied this place.
The two camps are facing each other across the water, and they are like horns to each other, so they can support each other at any time.
In the military tent in the northern camp of Zhouzhou, the commander Xia Houshang was looking at the map of the army in a trance:
A few miles south from where his camp was, there was the Baili River Island on the shallow bank of the Yangtze River where General Zhang He of the Left was stationed. Looking further south, across the river, is the station of the Soochow Navy led by Zhuge Jin.
If you want to defeat the Wu army, you must first defeat its navy! Xia Houshang realized this clearly. If he, who was not familiar with water warfare, was allowed to lead the Wei Dynasty's naval fleet to cross the river south to attack the enemy's elite troops, it would undoubtedly be an egg hitting a stone. Therefore, crossing south to attack the enemy was absolutely impossible, and he already had a new one. The plan is to have Zhuge Jin deliver it himself!
He looked at the sparse and loosely defended Zhang He's tribe in the hundreds of miles of river island on the shallow bank in the north of the river, and smiled lightly.
Isn't it just to attract enemy troops here because I have such weak defenses in Central Continent?
He never believed that Zhuge Jin would remain unmoved in the face of such a huge temptation. Even if Zhuge Jin knew this was a trick, he would definitely not be able to restrain himself, because as long as Bailizhou is in the hands of the Wei army, Jiangling will always be in danger. In the middle of the country, and once the opponent relies on the strength of the navy and takes the initiative to send out the navy to rob Zhongzhou, he will have the opportunity to take advantage of it!
At this time, a messenger came to the camp and reported: "Commander, the secret sentry has been detected in front. In the past few days, several small groups of Wu troops have sneaked into Bailizhou to hide. In addition, most of the enemy navy has also been Action, currently stationed several miles south of Bailizhou."
"South of Bailizhou..." Xiahou Shang thought for a moment and already had a plan in his mind. He smiled slightly and said: "Okay! Pass the order, and all units of our fleet will act according to the original plan at Hai hour tonight. There must be no mistakes!”
"No!" The messenger took the order and left.
At night, Haishi is approaching, south of the shallow bank of Jiangzhou.
Xia Houshang looked up at the night sky. Winter in the Jianghan area is a time when the wind direction changes. If a north wind or an east or west wind can blow tonight, then he can launch a fire attack on the Soochow navy, and winning this battle will be much easier.
"General, Zhuge Jin's navy is approaching, and our fleet lurking in the south of the island has also prepared torch oil ships!"
Xia Houshang nodded, still watching the flags and predicting the direction of the wind. As long as the wind picked up, he could use the power of heaven to defeat Wu Jun's Danyang Shangjia!
After a long while, Xiahou Shang's handsome flag finally began to flutter toward the southeast, and the northwest wind started!
Xia Houshang's slightly frowned brows relaxed, and he smiled confidently: "Soldiers, the north wind has risen. God helps us. This battle will definitely defeat the Wu army. I order the soldiers west of Jiangzhou to act according to the order!"
"Hey!" More than ten thousand officers and soldiers of the Wei fleet lurking on the west side of the south bank of Bailizhou saw the commander's signal, and they all raised their white sails and shouted. The battle flag with yellow characters on a black background whistled in the wind, and the burning empty oil ships followed the wind and water, like raptors with fangs and claws, and pounced towards the Wu Army navy downstream. In an instant, Wind and lightning!
"Wei Jun, it's Wei Jun! Hurry, quickly form a formation to meet the enemy!" A Wu Jun deputy general saw something unusual in the distance, and he immediately began to shout a reminder at the top of his voice. Originally, his army came to attack Bailizhou at night, but unexpectedly, the Wei army attacked first. Zhuge Jin was also surprised, but he did not panic. He realized that he had fallen into Xia Houshang's plan, and hurriedly waved the flag to change the formation. Due to the headwind and current, the boat division was unable to move forward to attack the enemy and could only form a water formation to defend in place.
Wu Danyang Shangjia is the leader of the navy in the world. Zhuge Jin believes that even if he cannot capture Baili Zhongzhou tonight, he will not be defeated by Xiahou Shang.
Something seemed to be scattering light on the dark river. Zhuge Jin was puzzled and watched intently. Could it be...fire! Yes, it was fire, one point, two points... Almost in an instant, thousands of fire points flew towards us like a meteor shower!
"No!" Zhuge Jin hurriedly waved the command flag and shouted: "Quick, retreat south, the enemy is attacking..." Before he could finish his words, empty oil tankers had already penetrated the Wu army's forward. Array! Almost instantly, those sparks turned into a sea of fire, and the Dongwu Danyang Shangjia, which usually crossed the rivers, was also in chaos at this time.
The fire reflected half of the sky red, and the blood-red flame beast was now opening its bloody mouth, fiercely devouring the lives of Lujiang Shangjia and Danyang Qingjin.
Roars, screams, and the foul smell of burnt corpses filled the river and could not dissipate for a long time. The blood of the soldiers that continued to flow into the river could not be seen because it was covered by the night. [Note 1: "Three Kingdoms·Wei Shujiu·Xiahou Shangzhuan": "Shang Ye held many oil ships and more than 10,000 people on foot and cavalry, sneaked across the lower reaches, attacked the Jin army, burned their boats in the Jiajiang River, attacked both on land and water, and defeated Of."】
"Retreat... withdraw quickly..." Zhuge Jin's face was covered with blood, and he shouted helplessly while waving the blue flag that had been burned by the flames.
He understood that his Danyang Upper Armor was completely destroyed.
I don't know how long it took, but the shouts and howls in the blazing fire finally disappeared. Looking at Zhuge Jin and the seven or eight wrecked ships of the Wu army escaping far away, Xiahou Shang smiled, but inadvertently, tears slipped down his face. The heart-rending cry was still ringing in his ears, and the sound was like a needle piercing his heart...
Boren, Boren, it seems that he is really kind.
It is said that Ci cannot control troops, but he is a general who conquers the south.
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Outside Jiangling City, Cao Zhen looked at the fire in the distance in the southwest, his eyes full of excitement. He understood that Bo Ren's fire attack had already begun, and Zhuge Jing's Soochow Navy and Danyang Shangjia would undoubtedly be defeated.
"Instruct all battalions to prepare to attack the city! Also, find a way to send this letter to Jiangling North City, in the hands of Wu Jun Jiangling Commander Yao Tai." Cao Zhen smiled proudly. Wu Jun Jiangling Commander Yao Tai saw Wu Jun There was insufficient military rations in the city and the garrison was dwindling day by day. They had surrendered secretly a month ago and had done their own internal response, which came in handy at this time.
Thinking about Zhu Ran, although he was brave and decisive, he still failed to win the hearts of the people.
"No!" The messenger walked away quickly.
The night in Jiangling City is not peaceful.
Outside the city, the Wei army was taking an oath before attacking.
"All officers and men of the army!" Cao Zhen, the general of the Chinese army, reined in his horse and shouted in a loud voice: "Remember, we are soldiers of the Wei Dynasty! When we live, we must fight bloody battles; when we die, we must fall with dignity! Behind us are our parents, wives and children, as well as the thousands of people of our great Wei Dynasty. They are all looking forward to our triumphant return. Today is a great opportunity for us to take Jiangling in one fell swoop. Now, hold on to your hands. Sword, kill for the great Wei Dynasty!" With a clang, Cao Zhen waved his iron halberd and rode forward.
"Kill!" Tens of thousands of soldiers on foot, cavalry and crossbows rushed towards Jiangling City, just like the black tide, overwhelming the city and trying to submerge it. The Wu army, which was under constant guard at the top of the city, also took up crossbows and launched an immediate counterattack. The shouts of killing resounded in all directions, and the lingering sounds echoed on the Jianghan Plain, mixed with the sobs of the winter wind, forming an impassioned tone. The ground shook and the mountains shook!
Cloud ladders were speeding up, rolling logs were flying across the sky; crowds were surging, arrows were raining all over the sky, and the shocking sound of killing resounded through the sky, and even the river seemed to tremble! The wind suddenly tightened and the battle continued.
"Soldiers! Hold on!" Zhu Ran, the commander-in-chief of the Wu army, stood majestically at the top of the city, like a tall green tree. He shouted loudly: "If we lose this battle, Jingzhou will not be protected, and Jiangdong will be in danger! Defend the enemy!"
"Nuo!" The blood-covered soldiers of the Wu army shouted. At this moment, the desperate situation seemed to stimulate their fighting spirit even more. Although the Wei army under the city was so powerful, it was still difficult to get to the top of the city for a while.
The two sides once again fell into a stalemate.
"General, Yao Tai, the commander of North Gate Jiangling, is trying to open the North Gate to welcome the enemy invaders into the city! The soldiers at the North Gate have lost their fighting spirit and have begun to disperse. Most of the Wei army has also begun to gather towards the North Gate!" A man from the north gate said. Wu Jun who came through the door rolled and crawled up to Zhu Ran and roared.
"What!" Zhu Ran pulled out the sword from his waist and walked quickly towards the north gate. After he killed several sergeants who escaped from the north gate, the situation at the north gate stabilized a little, but the situation seemed to be difficult to control. Yao Tai was loudly ordering his soldiers to open the city gate, but the soldiers were hesitant. The Wei army was still attacking crazily. Seeing that the north gate could no longer be defended, Zhu Ran was furious and threw his long sword towards Yao Tai.
"Kill the traitors!"
Zhu Ran shouted loudly, flew out with a sword, and nailed the Jiangling commander Yao Tai to the north gate city with one sword! When the soldiers of the North Gate saw this, they were frightened and frightened of their commander, and immediately stopped fleeing.
Under the city, Cao Zhen looked at the stubborn Wu army at the top of the city, and finally felt a little admiration for Zhu Ran. Such an opponent was really rare. It seemed that Soochow was really full of energy and talented people. After a few hours, the Wei army's offensive was no longer as fierce as before. It seemed impossible to capture Jiangling tonight.
"Ming Jin withdraws the troops!" Cao Zhen glanced angrily at the top of the city, turned the head of the "Jingfan Cong" horse, and turned back toward his camp.