It is said that the Prince Consort of Eastern Wu, General Wei, and Qiantang Marquis Quan Cong and Quan Zihuang led an army of 50,000 to confront Yangzhou Governor Wang Ling, Wang Yanyun, and Yangzhou Governor Sun Li and Sun Deda at Shaipi. In the blink of an eye, the two armies had been at a stalemate for more than a month.
Zhuge Dan, on the other hand, led the 10,000 elite infantry and cavalry mobilized by Wang Ling and stationed himself on the plain fifty miles away from Shaopi, waiting for Wang Ling's general order.
In the Wu army's tent, a general wearing fish-scale sleeve armor and a blue Luanfeng battle robe was sitting in front of the commander's desk. At this moment, he was playing with a brass tiger talisman in his left hand and holding a bottle full of fine wine in his right hand. Tong Jue looked at the Yangzhou military map in front of the case.
This person is none other than General Wei of Soochow, General Qian Tanghou Quancong.
After looking at it for a long time, Quan Cong's brows widened a lot, and he seemed to have made a decision. At this time, he raised the copper jue in his hand and took a big sip. After all, only on the battlefield would he not be so strictly controlled by his fierce wife at home, the eldest princess Sun Luban.
After Quan Cong enjoyed the pleasure brought by the wine for a while, he summoned all the generals in the camp to gather in front of the camp gate and formally issued an order for a decisive battle with the Wei army.
At the same time, inside the Wei army's tent, the commander-in-chief Wang Ling and the governor Sun Li were also discussing strategies to resist the Wu army.
Governor Wang Ling was attached to General Cao Shuang, and Sun Li showed signs of joining Sima Yi after being ostracized by Cao Shuang. There was a rift between the two after they arrived in Yangzhou.
But Wang Ling and Sun Li are both people who know how to take the overall situation into consideration, so at this moment, they temporarily put aside their personal grudges and chose to fight the enemy side by side.
At this moment, General Wang Ling, the commander-in-chief of Zhengdong, who was wearing gray beard and hair but was still wearing dozens of kilograms of heavy iron armor, was discussing military aircraft with Sun Li, who was wearing light two-weight iron armor.
"Deda, I heard that Quan Cong, Quan Zihuang, has been practicing continuously in recent years and has made great progress. The government and the public have called him 'the best of the moment' and a 'talent of the world'. Quan Cong is even more famous for his 'brave determination'." Soochow Wu even threatened that even if Cao Wenlie, the former great Sima of the Wei Dynasty, is resurrected, he may not be his opponent Quan Zihuang."
[Note 1: "The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms·Wu Shu": A general is very brave and will fight bravely when the enemy is in danger, regardless of his own safety. As a commander-in-chief, he maintains his authority and is prudent. Every time he controls the army, he always makes plans and does not seek small profits. Sun Deng: Zhuge Jin, Bu Zhi, Zhu Ran, Quan Cong, Zhu Ju, Lu Dai, Wu Can, Kan Ze, Yan Zhen, Zhang Cheng, and Sun Yi were loyal to the country and proficient in governing the body. Pang Tong: You are fond of giving and admire your reputation, just like Fan Zizhao of Runan. Although his intelligence is not much, he is still good for a while. Chen Shou: Quan Cong was a man of great talent and was valued at the time, but he neglected to detect traitors and was ridiculed and his reputation was ruined. 】
Wang Ling looked at the map and said. Sun Li could see that although Wang Ling attached great importance to Quan Cong in his words, his demeanor was still relaxed and composed. This showed that Wang Ling, who had spent his life in the military and had read countless people, did not really take Quan Cong seriously.
Although Sun Li was still relatively junior, he was extremely ambitious and looked down upon Quan Cong and Quan Zihuang.
"Grand Governor, given his humble position, although Quan Cong should not be underestimated, he is not worthy of the Grand Governor's concern."
Wang Ling saw that Sun Li seemed to have a problem in his chest, and he became curious. He couldn't help but ask:
"Oh? Listening to what Deda said, could it be that you already have a plan to defeat the enemy?"
Sun Li bowed and said:
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, although Li has no plan to retreat from the enemy, he has heard a piece of news: Yin Li, the prefect of Lingling of Eastern Wu, once submitted a memorial to Sun Quan. Sun Deng, the crown prince of Eastern Wu, strongly agreed with Yin Li's views, but Sun Quan But he did not adopt it. Now, Li has a copy of this memorial in his hands."
Sun Li didn't show off at all. As he spoke, he took out the memorial. Wang Ling was full of curiosity and immediately opened the scroll and started reading:
"Yin Li, the prefect of Lingling, bowed again and bowed his head: Today we have abandoned the Cao family, and we have seen many mourning and executions. At the time of the tiger's fight, a young boy came to do it. Your Majesty personally controls the army, and it is necessary to clear up the Jing and Yang lands. He gathered the numbers of the weak and strong, and ordered the strong to hold halberds, while the weak were transported. He ordered the Yizhou Army from the west to Longyou, and assigned Zhuge Jin and Zhu Ran to the public. They ordered Lu Xun and Zhu Huan to go to Xiangyang to conquer Shouchun, and marched into Huaiyang. Li Qing, Xu. Xiangyang and Shouchun were trapped by the enemy, and Chang'an moved westward to attack the Shu army. Xu and Luo's troops were bound to be separated. When the Jiaojiao collapsed, the people had to respond internally, and the generals faced each other, which might cause them to lose their advantage. If one army failed, the three armies would be separated. , It is convenient to use fodder and horse fat chariots to march through the cities and towns, taking advantage of the victory to drive north to determine the Central China. If you do not know how to mobilize the army and follow the lead and move lightly, it will not be of great use and it is easy to retreat repeatedly. The people are tired and their power is gone, and they will use their strength. Exhaustion is not a strategy for sending troops."
After Wang Ling read the letter, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. If this battle is really what Yin Li said, and Sun Quan devoted all his country's power to take advantage of the new Wei Dynasty's new king and the people's hearts are uncertain, he personally conquered it. I'm afraid it's really hard to predict who will win in Yangzhou. Fortunately, Sun Quan did not adopt Yin Li's suggestion and just sent generals such as Quan Cong to divide his troops to harass the border. Not only was it difficult to succeed, but it would also mobilize troops and waste people and money, which was not a wise move. Soochow Wu came from afar and crossed rivers and lakes, but it did not have the power of thunder, so it was naturally difficult to invade the land the size of the Wei Dynasty.
"I don't know who this Yin Li is, but he has such wisdom and insight."
Sun Li replied to Wang Ling and said:
"This man once served as an envoy to Western Shu, and Zhuge Liang once praised him as a 'wonderful scholar'. His teacher also said to Yin Li's father: This son can build a royal family. Presumably he is also a talent that cannot be underestimated. "
"So, this person is indeed a rare talent!"
Wang Ling put away the letter, feeling much more relaxed than before, and smiled knowingly with Sun Li. But at this moment, a trace of fear suddenly arose in his heart.
For example, memorials sent to the monarch by the governor of an enemy country are confidential documents that are difficult to intercept. Only the school officials of the school affairs office have always been able to obtain them. Nowadays, the school official of the Wei Dynasty is concurrently held by Shizhong He, the chief minister of Taige Shizhong Temple. As far as Wang Ling knew, He Zeng was the literary attendant of the Ming Emperor in the East Palace in his early years. He was closely related to General Cao Shuang, Central Guards Xia Houxuan, Shangshu Pushe Li Feng and others. He should have been killed by the General's party. Zhongcai is right, but why is it that such a confidential document is not known to the governor of Yangzhou who is close and trusted by the general, but Sun Li, who has taken refuge with Sima Yi, is aware of it?
Thinking of this, the fear in Wang Ling's heart became more and more obvious.
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Just as Wang Ling and Quan Congcheng were at war with each other in Yangzhou, Soochow's cavalry general Zhu Ran and his deputy Sun Lun launched a fierce attack on Fancheng. Faced with this situation, Xia Houru, who was stationed in Xiangyang, did not lose his position. On the one hand, he continued to adopt a defensive strategy and waited for Taifu Sima Yi's rescue army. On the other hand, he sent Jingzhou Governor Hu Zhi to lead five thousand elite light cavalry to take advantage of the situation. He quietly left the city at night and quickly rescued Fancheng.
Just when Zhu Ran was about to break Fancheng, Hu Zhi sent by Xia Houru lived up to expectations and unexpectedly broke through the Wu army's rear. Zhu Ran and Sun Lun had no choice but to temporarily withdraw their troops. Fancheng was also able to take a temporary breather.
After the Soochow generals Zhuge Jin and General Bu Zhi captured Peizhong, they made no further moves. However, his fledgling son Zhuge Ke was eager to make meritorious deeds. He seemed a little impatient in the face of the fat man in Lu'an and attacked the city many times. After the failure, the morale of the Wu army under his command was also greatly affected. The Wei army officers and soldiers guarding Lu'an also gradually eliminated the fear caused by Zhuge Ke's fame, and became more and more confident.
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Luoyang, the capital of Wei.
Several new guests came to the Changlinghou Mansion today.
Ever since Xu Yun took up the post of Cao Lang, he was busy with Taige affairs every day and found it difficult to escape. On this day, Xu Yun had some free time, so he invited his old friend Li Feng and Li Anguo, the servants of the minister, to serve as ministers. Yuan Kan and Cui Zan, who were members of Huangmen's Xuanbu Lang, came to visit Xiahou Xuan's mansion together.
Originally, Xia Houxuan still had many matters to deal with, but his old friends Xu Yun and Li Feng had not reunited with him for half a year. It was rare for them to visit in person today, so Xia Houxuan was naturally not willing to neglect them. He entrusted his brother-in-law, the fifth school inspector, He Kui to take leave for him and met four old friends in the main hall.
Although Li Feng is already in his thirties, his style is still better than before. After Xu Yun, Yuan Kan, and Cui Zan met, they were still quarreling and laughing, just like they did when they were children, which made Xia Houxuan laugh. Xia Houxuan felt very relieved to have such close friends.
Li Feng also brought his five-year-old potential consort Li Tao. As soon as Li Tao saw Xia Houxuan's eldest son Mingyue and Xia Houxuan's two nephews He Qiao and He Yu, he rushed over with a cheer. The four children mingled together and had a great time, which made Xia Houxuan and Li Feng both happy. An old friend felt a sense of warmth in his heart.
Xia Houxuan vaguely remembered the scene where he, his cousin Cao Xi, and his sister Xia Houhui were playing on the Long Street of Luoyang thirty years ago, and he couldn't help but feel a slight soreness in his heart.
Xia Houxuan quickly came to his senses. He immediately asked Gu Ting to direct his subordinates to arrange the food and drinks, and said with a smile:
"Brother An Guo and Brother Cui Yuan, it's been more than half a year since we last parted ways. Shizong, on the other hand, often meets me due to official election matters. This case is really complicated and troublesome. Waste everything!"
Li Feng said:
"What Taichu said is true. Sometimes I think, it would be better to take off this imperial robe with the insignia and live freely!"
Xu Yun, Cui Zan, and Yuan Kan laughed and said:
"Brother An Guo, you are willing to part with this court uniform, but we are reluctant to part with it!"
While several friends were chatting and laughing, Gu Ting had already arranged the banquet, and Xia Houxuan asked Huigu to take the four children to play in the backyard.
"Taichu, in addition to wanting to spend some time with you, I am here to visit you. I am also concerned about the war in the southeast and want to hear Taichu's thoughts."
Xia Houxuan smiled knowingly and took out the map hanging behind the bamboo screen. Xia Houxuan has been serving in the Forbidden Army for more than a year, so he naturally has military maps at hand. He pointed to the Jingxiang and Yangzhou areas on the map and said:
"Although the Wu army seems to be huge this time, in fact, its strength is too scattered, and there is no truly wise and brave general to lead the army. Now it has been at a stalemate with me, the Wei Dynasty, for more than a month, and the Taifu's reinforcements are about to arrive. Therefore, in my opinion, the Wu army The four armies of Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Ke, Zhu Ran, and Quan Cong will be defeated sooner or later!"
