Dong Zhuo sent troops.
Four months after the war between Wei and Xu Han, Qin's general Lu Bu led an army of 100,000 to raid Hangu Pass.
At this time, there were only 30,000 Wei troops stationed at Hangu Pass. However, General Zhang He was calm and calm in the face of danger, and often led his soldiers to fight at the forefront. The soldiers were greatly inspired and finally temporarily withstood the Qin army's crazy offensive. .
After receiving Zhang He's urgent report, Cao Cao did not dare to easily mobilize Xuchang's 80,000 troops due to the threat from Wancheng, so he mobilized 30,000 troops from the rear to rush to Hangu Pass.
Zhang He, who received reinforcements, finally stabilized the situation, but the matter was far from over.
On the tenth day after Dong Zhuo sent troops, Sun Ce officially announced the alliance between Chu and Xu Han and declared war on Wei. The cry against thieves spread throughout the world, and a hundred thousand Chu troops marched toward Shouchun in a mighty manner.
There was a rumbling wind, and for a time the Wei State, the most powerful among the princes, seemed to be the target of public criticism. This four-nation war attracted the attention of the world.
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On the Chu State side.
Taishi Ci commanded 80,000 soldiers and horses and stationed himself in Jingzhou to guard against Shu and Qin. Jiangdong's troops marched towards Shouchun in two directions.
The first route was led by Sun Ce himself, and Zhou Yu, Pang Tong, Gan Ning, Cheng Pu, and Huang Zhong accompanied the army. An army of 50,000 people set out from Jianye, crossed the river from Wuhu Port, attacked Wujiang Port, and attacked the south of Shouchun.
In the second route, Ji Shu served as the coach, and Zhao Yun, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, and Xu Sheng accompanied the army. An army of 50,000 people set out from Lujiang, passed by Shiting via land, and attacked the west of Shouchun.
"Here comes Shouchun City again."
As the troops approached the city, the Chu and Wei armies looked at each other from a distance. Ji Shu couldn't help but sigh when he looked at the city wall of Shouchun.
A few months ago, he had chased Pang Tong and ventured to Shouchun. At that time, he never expected that he would come back with tens of thousands of troops to capture the city so soon.
Last time I came in a hurry and was in danger, so I didn't have time to observe carefully. Now, if you look closely, you will see that Shouchun City is tall, deep, and majestic. It is no wonder that Yuan Shu designated it as his capital.
Ji Shu tilted his head and touched his chin.
No, it should be said that Yuan Shu has always regarded this place as a capital and worked hard to build it so majestic.
After watching for a while, Xu Sheng volunteered and said.
"Military advisor, I'm going to persuade you to surrender."
Although everyone felt that the gap between the two sides at this time was not enough for the other side to surrender in Kaicheng, this could be regarded as a kind of courtesy first and then attack. Ji Shu nodded in agreement.
Xu Sheng received permission, rode his horse to the city gate and shouted loudly.
"People on the city, listen, Cao Cao has gone against the grain and made people angry, and he is not far from defeat. If you open the city and surrender now, I, Xu Sheng, will guarantee with my head that the Chu State will never harm you; if you wait for the army to break the city, I can’t tell whether you are alive or dead!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a head popped out of the city and asked.
"Are you Xu Sheng, the 'general who specializes in stealing cities'?"
Xu Sheng's next words were immediately choked in his throat and unable to speak.
What is a general who specializes in stealing cities? I came from the battlefield with real swords and guns! Besides, did I steal a lot of cities? Just Jianye, Jiangxia... and Guiyang...
Zhao Yun couldn't help but smile, Jiang Qin still looked serious, but Zhou Tai and Ji Shu were already laughing.
"Oh, Wen Xiang still has this title! How majestic! I have been leading the Tiger Roar Camp for so long and I haven't heard the enemy give me a name."
"Haha, it's true to say that the three counties and cities of our Chu Kingdom were indeed stolen by Wen Xiang."
Xu Sheng couldn't hear the thin voice behind him very clearly, but he could imagine everyone's expressions. His entire face turned the color of pig liver with anger, and Xu Sheng's hand holding the knife couldn't help but tremble.
Such a "stigma" can only be washed away with blood and iron on the battlefield.
"You are a coward and a thief. You only dare to bark in the city? If you have the guts, go out of the city and fight. I will give you a hand!"
When the man in the city heard this, he didn't know whether he was angry that Xu Sheng had underestimated him, or he felt that there was an opportunity to take advantage of him, so he opened his mouth and agreed.
The city gate opened slowly and then closed quickly. A middle-aged man with a small beard walked up to Xu Sheng on horseback with a spear in hand.
"Dongping Lu Xiang is here to meet you! Don't regret it when you are in front of the King of Hell."
"Noisy!"
The two of them didn't talk nonsense and soon started fighting together.
For horse fighting, the advantage of long weapons is undoubtedly greater, but for those with superb martial arts, this difference is not alarming. Xu Sheng fully demonstrated to everyone how to use the flexibility of a one-handed sword to fight with opponents.
Overall, this duel was not a brilliant one. Xu Sheng killed Lu Xiang in forty rounds.
The victory was announced, and the soldiers of the Chu army naturally cheered. The Wei army was already at a disadvantage and did not dare to leave the city to fight. After Lu Xiang's death, they could not leave the city, no matter how Xu Sheng yelled.
Seeing that the Wei army would not surrender without a fight, Ji Shu ordered him to rest for half a day and then start attacking the city.
Fortunately, this expedition is different from the past, and all kinds of siege equipment have been prepared. However, Ji Shu was not in a hurry to capture Shouchun, but first ordered his soldiers to use well lanterns to continuously fire arrows to consume the Wei army.
News came the next day that Sun Ce had captured Wujiang Port and was marching towards Shouchun.
Early on the third day, soldiers came to report to Ji Shu that the Wei army abandoned the city and fled.
In the big tent, Han Zong said with some anxiety.
"Teacher, Shouchun only has 20,000 defenders, and now he has abandoned the city and fled. Is there any fraud in this?"
"Won't."
Ji Shu understood his disciple's uneasiness very well.
Some soldiers may think that because the Wei army is nothing more than this, it is vulnerable. But if the Wei army was so easy to deal with, how could Cao Cao secure such a large territory in the most chaotic land in the Central Plains, and how could he defeat the powerful Yuan Shao in Hebei?
Ji Shu would never dare to look down upon the Wei State, and that was why he believed that the Wei army would abandon the city and flee sooner or later. He pointed at the map and said to everyone.
"Look, this is Shouchun, located in Yangzhou, with fertile land and abundant food. For Cao Cao, who has 300,000 troops, this is an irresistible temptation. However, it is sandwiched between Chu and Xu Han, surrounded on three sides The enemy is easy to attack but difficult to defend. Although Shouchun is good, it is like chicken ribs to the Wei State. It is tasteless to eat and it is a pity to abandon it."
"You know, the Qin State has held back 140,000 Wei troops, and there are still 100,000 Wei troops fighting the Han army in Xiaopei. Cao Cao's troops are already stretched thin. Wouldn't it be asking for it if he put his tight troops on an unfavorable battlefield? Hard food?"
Everyone nodded in approval, and Han Zong suddenly said.
"It turns out that the Wei State only deployed 20,000 troops in Shouchun. If Xu Han divided his troops to attack, he would take the opportunity to capture Xiaopei and open the gate to Xiapi; if our army came to attack, he would give up and retreat to Song County. "
"Song County has a dangerous terrain, separated by mountains and rivers, blocking the north and south. We can safely deploy troops and supply lines in the north to block our army from the south. As long as we hold on here, we can guard the gate of Yuzhou and ensure the safety of Runan and Xuchang."
As expected, Han Zong got it right. Ji Shu was overjoyed and continued to talk to everyone.
"Song County was originally a small county, and Cao Cao had this in mind when he built a fortress there over the years. I received news last night that Wei General Cao Ren has arrived in Song County with an army of 30,000 people to take charge."
If not, Ji Shu was worried about being ambushed by Cao Ren because of the unfamiliar terrain, and Ji Shu really wanted to send troops to pursue them for a while. It would also be good to weaken the Wei army more.
"This person is known for his good defense in the Wei State. This time Shouchun was easily captured, so the generals must not let up. Song County is the hard nut we want to gnaw from now on."
All the generals agreed.
The news spread, and in the eyes of uninformed people, Chu State captured Shouchun City in just 3 days.
