Cao Ren opened the letter and read its contents carefully. He was shocked and said, "Thanks to Brother Wei for intercepting this letter, otherwise our army would be in danger."
Just when Wei Tong and Niu Jin were about to ask what was going on, two more people walked in outside. One of them is eight feet tall, with a strong build, a slightly yellow complexion, bright eyes, a straight nose, and a slightly small mouth. He wears a military commander's crown on his head, a black robe with a purple ribbon, and soft armor lining. He has a mighty demeanor with a touch of elegance. The other man was dressed as a civil servant. He was not tall and did not wear a crown. It is also a black robe with a purple ribbon.
"General Gongming, Mr. Ji Bi, Wei Tong is polite." Wei Tong stood up, cupped his hands, and bowed respectfully to the visitor.
The visitors were the famous general Xu Huang and Chen Jiao, the chief historian of the Southern Campaign.
"Knowing that Wei Ziming is here, how could we not come?"
Song Xin saw so many famous generals from Cao Ying in one night, and his heart couldn't help but surge.
"These are not actors from a TV series, these are real people. This time it's really worth it!" he repeated excitedly in his heart, wanting to take out his phone and take a photo with them. It's a pity, where did you get your mobile phone at this time...
Song Xin even had a picture in his mind. He was teaching Cao Ren, Xu Huang, Niu Jin, and Chen Jiao how to pose for photos... However, he shook his head and abandoned this absurd idea.
Xu Huang and Chen Jiao saluted everyone and sat down. Xu Huang saw that Song Xin was the youngest and asked his age.
"Come back, General. He's about to turn sixteen."
"Not sixteen yet?! It's true that a hero comes from a young age. I'd like to propose a toast to you, Xu." Xu Huang raised his glass and said.
Song Xin didn't expect that Xu Huang would propose a toast to him. He was flattered and stood up, bowed his head, raised his glass and said, "Thank you, General, for the wine." He drank it all in one gulp.
This wine was not as strong as Wei Tong's wine back then. It was just an ordinary rice wine, and even the alcohol content of beer in later generations could not keep up. It's also slightly sweet and a bit delicious.
Niu Jin heard that Song Xin's age "You dare to break into Zhang Yide's camp at the age of fifteen. I'm afraid that Old Niu is not as courageous as you. Come on, come on, I'll toast you too."
Song Xin also hurriedly returned the gift and drank another drink. The restraint I felt when I first came in has also improved a lot.
Wei Tong was afraid that Song Xin was too young to drink too much, so he changed the subject and said, "General, what did Zhou Yu's letter say?"
"Ziming, see for yourself." After that, he handed it to Wei Tong.
"This is actually a letter from Zhou Yu in reply to Liu Bei, saying thank you for Liu Bei sending Guan Yunchang to attack our northern route. However, he did not clearly state how many soldiers and horses Guan Yunchang brought and where he would attack from."
When everyone heard Guan Yu's name, their hearts beat a little. In Cao Ying back then, these people all knew Guan Yu. His martial arts and military tactics were better than those of the others sitting here. There is also the record of killing the famous general Yan Liang in the midst of thousands of troops in Hebei.
If it were other generals, they might not be too worried, just Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Before the expedition, Military Advisor Xun You made it clear that these two generals were "enemies of ten thousand people" and must be dealt with carefully.
Cao Ren looked at everyone's shocked expressions, paused and said, "Also, the letter also said that I would like to thank you for sending Zhang Fei to lead the army to sneak attack on Ming'e Sansai!"
As soon as these words came out, the hall fell silent instantly. Song Xin looked at several generals with frightened expressions.
In Jingzhou, there are two ways for the southern army to go north from Jingzhou. One is to attack north along the Han River. At this time, Cao Cao has set up several lines of defense from Jiangling to Dangyang. Once Xiangyang and Fancheng are broken through, it means that Jingxiang is in the hands, and it will be easy to conquer the Central Plains to the north.
The other road is Ming'e Sansai, located in the north of Jiangxia County. Its name comes from "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals". In ancient times, it was called Datun, Zhiyuan, Ming'e. "Huainanzi" calls it one of the nine fortresses in the world. It is the choke point from Jingzhou over the Dabie Mountains into the hinterland of the Central Plains. It is very important. Once the southern army occupied this fortress and stationed troops here, they could invade the Yingchuan area, the core area of Yuzhou, directly threatening the security of Xudu.
Cao Cao and Zhou Yu naturally saw the impact of the two on the battle situation, so one tried their best to strengthen the defense of Xiangyang, Xiakou, and Jiangling to control the Nanyang Basin. The other did not hesitate to mobilize all his troops, hoping to capture Jiangling and Jiangxia.
When Song Ya saw that several people were about to discuss the military plane, he pulled Song Xin, stood up and said, "Generals, we are just pawns in front of General Wei. We are not allowed to observe the military plane without authorization. Please leave."
Cao Ren waved his hand, "Hey, it doesn't matter. You follow Ziming into the camp, which shows your loyalty, and you two are also involved in this matter. Just stay and drink and eat meat. I may have any questions and ask them in detail."
The two had no choice but to sit down and listen quietly. In this kind of military discussion, the two of them did not dare to interrupt randomly, they just waited for Cao Ren to ask questions.
However, Song Xin was very curious. He wanted to know how people fought at this time.
"General Cao, can you explain to Wei in detail what the situation in Jiangling is now, so that I can go back and report to the Prime Minister."
"Because Jiangling is besieged and the situation inside and outside the city is complicated, it is inevitable that the enemy will sneak in carefully, and the situation cannot be explained in a letter. General Wei, please follow me to the side hall."
After that, several people got up and entered a room next to the lobby. A full map of Jingzhou was hung on the wall. Inside the room was an exquisite sand table with flags of different colors and squares made of small bamboo slices with words written on it. , representing the commanders of the various armies and the location of their camps.
Song Xin saw Zhang Fei's camp that they had passed through just now, on an important road to the east.
"Now, Zhou Yu's army is divided into three camps to besiege the west, east and south of Jiangling City. Zhang Fei's camp that you passed through is in the east of the city. It must be to cut off the connection between Jiangling and Xiakou. Now, Yiling in the west has changed hands. The door to the west of our army is wide open and there is no danger to defend.
If the Wu Jun letter you intercepted is true, Yun Chang will definitely come from the direction of Yiling and return to our north in a roundabout way. If the grain route is really cut off, the situation in Jiangling will be even more dangerous. I just don't know how Guan Yunchang will be able to meet his food supplies if he dares to go deep alone. "Cao Ren explained, pointing to the small flags and squares on the sand table.
Wei Tong looked at the sand table and said: "Also, if Zhang Fei succeeds in his sneak attack on the three passes of Ming'e, the enemy can cross Baishan Mountain. After passing the mountain, there will be a flat river, and then Xuchang will be in danger!"
Cao Ren looked solemn and thought for a while, then said: "Well, this is also what I am worried about. Now that the enemy and our armies are at war, Zhou Yu wants to take advantage of the chaos and stab our army in the back! However, judging from Zhang Fei's current position , how can he cross Wenpin and sneak attack on Ming'e Sansai?"
But Xu Huang, who was deep in thought, spoke at this time: "General, it seems to Xu that Zhang Fei will not attack Ming'e Sansai."
Several people asked in unison: "Why?"
"Ziming, when you come, pass by Zhang Fei's camp and see how many men and horses he has? How many are there on foot and on horseback?"
Wei Tongtong: "More than two thousand. After a cursory look at the horses, there don't seem to be many, about eight hundred."
Xu Huang nodded, as if Wei Tong's statement confirmed his guess, "The Prime Minister knows the importance of the three fortresses of Ming'e, and has already arranged heavy defense. Moreover, the northern part of Jiangxia is still in the hands of our army, and Wenpin is also a good general. Zhang Fei has I’m afraid it’s not that easy to attack with two thousand people.”
Niu Jin asked: "Then why does Zhou Yu still say that in his letter?"
Xu Huang said: "I guess Zhou Yu has no good intentions. Judging from the current situation, Liu Bei only sent Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to follow Zhou Yu to attack Jiangling, while he led his headquarters and disappeared. He must have wanted to seize the Jingnan territory. What smart people he and Zhuge Liang are. , why would you take the risk and let Zhang Fei attack my heavily-garrisoned fortress?"
Song Xin looked at the map of Jingzhou and said, "What General Xu said makes sense. He is indeed a famous general." Wei Tong saw Song Xin looking at the map in a daze from the corner of his eye, and asked, "Brother, what are you looking at?"
"Oh, Brother Wei, generals, I also think what General Xu said makes sense."
When several generals heard this, they also began to think deeply. The dim lights danced and the sand table illuminated flickered. The enemy's camp on the sand table is even more mysterious and unpredictable in the interlacing of light and dark.
Cao Ren was the first to break the silence, "Well, Gong Ming is right. The whereabouts of Liu Bei's main force are unknown. If someone is him, he will take advantage of the time when the Soochow troops are in Jiangling and Hefei to capture the counties in Jingnan. Not only can By establishing a foothold in Jingzhou, we can also occupy the upper reaches of the river. I have long heard that when Zhuge came out of the mountain, he gave Liu Bei the Longzhong army to capture Jingzhou first, and then move to Western Shu. At present, he is waiting for the opportunity, and when our army is in a stalemate with the Wu army, he will definitely move south. And the news about Zhang Fei’s attack on Ming’e Sansai is just a cover to deceive Zhou Yu.”
At this time, Chen Jiao, who had been silent, finally spoke, "Gong Ming is right. Zhou Yu ordered Liu Bei to send troops to assist. He just wanted to delay Liu Bei's main force from going south, killing four birds with one stone."
Wei Tong asked: "Mr. Ji Bi, what is killing four birds with one stone? I would like to hear the details?"
"Zhou Yu's plan can, firstly, cut off our army's food route; secondly, it can protect Wu's army from being attacked from both sides, allowing it to concentrate on attacking Jiangling; thirdly, it can prevent Liu Bei from easily extending to Jingnan; fourthly, it can disperse and weaken Liu Bei's army, making it easier for him to control. However, , Zhuge Liang’s intelligence must have been evident, so Zhang Fei’s attack on the Three Fortresses of Ming’e was nothing more than an excuse for Zhou Yuxu and Wei Snake.”
Xu Huang agreed, "Yes, the most important thing now is Guan Yu. But we don't know his location yet." He stared at the sand table and thought for a long time before shaking his head.
When Song Xin heard this, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. What he learned this night was better than ten years of studying behind closed doors. These people are worthy of being remembered in history, and they are all excellent people. Chen Jiao's analysis of Zhou Yu and Liu Bei was as if he had listened to them talking from the sidelines.
Cao Ren said: "However, we cannot take it lightly. I will send people to investigate and the news will be confirmed before I can report it to the prime minister. If we can find the direction of Guan Yunchang's advance and the location of the supply route, we can encircle him!" "
At this time, Song Xin said: "If the general does not give up, Song Xin is willing to leave the city to explore Jingnan, but it only takes two days to prepare."
