When Cao Rui was thinking about how to mobilize troops to reinforce and defend Sima Yi, the main force of the Northern Expeditionary Army, led by Xu Shu, also encountered some troubles.
This trouble can be big or small.
In fact, Xu Shu had already led troops into Chenliu County, but he only occupied the southern part of Chenliu County, and did not even go too deep into Chenliu County, let alone attack Yongqiu County where Sima Yi's main force was located.
Sima Yi had already given up on the other prefectures and counties in the southern part of Yanzhou, but Xu Shu did not send people to occupy them immediately.
Xu Shu also had other concerns.
On the one hand, Xu Shu did not dare to divide his troops easily, lest he would not have enough troops to put enough pressure on Sima Yi in Yongqiu County.
On the other hand, according to reports from scouts, the Soochow Army in the Huainan area is ready to move and is restless.
Zhu Ju gathered nearly 30,000 troops in Shangcai, Runan County. To the north of Shangcai is Yingchuan County. Once the Soochow Army marches into Yingchuan, it will be like inserting a knife into the Northern Expedition Army led by Xu Shu. On the waist of the main force.
Xu Shu had to guard against this.
On the Shouchun side, Lu Xun, based on detailed intelligence and the news sent back by Pang De, had also sent troops north from Shouchun, and seemed to have the intention of entering Pei State and other places.
That place is in the direction of Xu Shu's flank. If Soochow Wu and Cao Wei unite, Sima Yi and Lu Xun attack Xu Shu in Chenliu County together, and Zhu Ju stabs Xu Shu in the back, the trouble will be big.
Although Xu Shu also believed that Soochow and Cao Wei could not be so united, Soochow's actions were more like taking advantage of the situation rather than relieving Cao Wei's siege of Yanzhou. But Xu Shu had to take precautions.
Therefore, Xu Shu slowed down his advance and gathered in the southwest of Chenliu County. He never dared to easily go north to attack Yongqiu County where Sima Yi was located.
Xu Shu did not dare to go north quickly, so Sima Yi naturally wanted to do it. Now he finally had time to readjust his direction and wait for the emperor's reinforcements to arrive.
Of course, this does not mean that Sima Yi is not threatening Wei Yan now, at least Wei Yan is wreaking havoc in Dongjun. Sima Yi has no choice but to send an order to Jia Kui and ask him to do his best to hold on.
As for the Soochow Army, Lu Xun has now led 50,000 Huainan County troops into Dangshan County of Pei State, and is hesitating whether to lead troops into Liang State.
To be honest, Lu Xun did not ask for permission in advance when he sent troops this time. He sent troops without permission.
Of course, as the newly appointed general of Wu and the governor of Huainan, Lu Xun had the right to send troops independently and seek fighter opportunities.
But, Lu Xun is not Zhou Yu after all.
With Zhou Yu's reputation and status, Zhou Yu took the initiative to attack. Even if Sun Shiwan, the supreme leader of Wu, knew about it after the fact, he would not only not blame him, but would also mobilize the entire country's troops to cooperate with Zhou Yu's actions.
On the one hand, it is Sun Quan's trust in Zhou Yu, who believes that Zhou Yu will not fight an uncertain battle. On the other hand, Zhou Yu's prestige is too high. Even if Sun Quan sends troops without permission, Sun Quan can't do anything to Zhou Yu. If he cooperates fully, he can gain something. If you don't cooperate, all the elites of Wu will be lost.
Of course, Zhou Yu has never done this, and he must be the first to ask Sun Quan for instructions on any actions. Therefore, Sun Quan is more assured of Zhou Yu.
However, Lu Xun did not have the same prestige and status as Zhou Yu. The opportunity for him to take charge of his own affairs, and even become a general, was the result of Sun Quan's promotion.
Of course, Lu Xun also had his own rights to fight independently, but these rights were limited to the Huainan area. If decisions related to the national war were to be made, Lu Xun naturally could not make the decision without authorization.
Therefore, when sending troops this time, Lu Xun on the one hand attacked decisively and did not want to waste such a good opportunity. On the other hand, he also hurriedly reported to the Soochow Emperor in Jianye, explaining the reasons for doing so and seeking the Soochow Emperor's opinion. .
Should we take advantage of the situation and cooperate with Cao Wei to repel the Shu Han's Northern Expedition and weaken the power of the Shu Han, or should we mainly take advantage of the situation and occupy the Three Kingdoms and one county in the south of Yanzhou to expand our own strength? !
Both of these choices actually make sense.
Over the years, Shuhan's strength has grown astonishingly.
When the Three Kingdoms were first established, Shu Han only had two states, while Soochow had three states. Although the two families were not as good as Cao Wei, the gap between them was not big.
But now, the Shu thieves have made several Northern Expeditions and have taken over the entire four prefectures of Yi, Jing, Yong, and Liang and half of Sili. Now they have even reached Yanzhou. As for Soochow, they still have Jiaozhou, Yangzhou, and Xuzhou plus the three prefectures. Half of Qingzhou.
The number of states occupied may not be much different, but the size of the territory occupied and the economic strength are increasingly different.
In addition, three years ago, Zhang Xi recaptured the four counties of Jingnan in a battle, further widening the gap. If Da Wu does not take any action to control and weaken the strength of Shu Han, I am afraid that even if he wants to fight a war in the future, the difficulty will become worse. Very big.
Therefore, taking advantage of the Shu Han's Northern Expedition to Yanzhou, Huainan County soldiers have the opportunity to poke the Shu thieves' retreat, so it is also a good choice to cooperate with Cao Wei to defeat the Shu Han's Northern Expedition, weaken the Shu Han's strength, and maintain the balance of power among the three countries.
Maybe, after the failure of the Northern Expedition of the Shu Han Dynasty, the vitality was damaged, which would give Da Wu another chance to return to Jingnan.
Moreover, according to Lu Xun's idea, Sima Yi and the Wei army had to handle the frontal pressure of the Shu Han army, and what they had to do in Soochow was just to sneak in from the rear and threaten the food routes of the Shu Han Northern Expedition. It was just a matter of cooperating with Sima Yi to attack the Shu army, and the price paid would not be too high. It was impossible for Xu Shu to leave Sima Yi alone and compete with Da Wu's Huainan Corps.
This is a good opportunity to use small things to make big things happen.
Of course, this was the plan Lu Xun favored.
The remaining plan was actually another plan given by Lu Xun based on his understanding of Sun Quan over the years.
Sitting back and watching Cao Wei and the Shu thieves attack each other, they secretly took advantage of the rear and occupied the Three Kingdoms and One County in the southeast of Yanzhou. When the winner was determined between the two sides, no matter who won the final victory, I am afraid that they would not be able to do anything to those who had already occupied the southern part of Yanzhou. The Soochow Army had the confidence to use force.
Even if the Shu Han could win, it would be impossible for them to just finish defeating Cao Wei and then immediately turn around and start a war with Soochow.
And if Cao Wei wins, Da Wu can also say that the eastern Three Kingdoms and one county were taken back from the hands of the Shu Han. It is not easy for Cao Wei to hold Yanzhou, and it is obvious that Cao Wei will not fall out with Soochow as an ally. They can only live with this dumb loss.
In this case, with the Three Kingdoms and One County in the south of Yanzhou as the connecting link, the connecting area of Soochow in Huaibei and Xuzhou has been further expanded, nearly as big as half of the Central Plains.
No matter which one you choose, you won’t suffer any loss.
But Lu Xun still hopes that Sun Quan can choose the first option.
Choosing the first option shows that the Great Wu Supreme has not given up the confidence and courage to dominate the world, and is still thinking of ways to continue the Great Wu legacy longer.
It is not impossible to choose the second option, but this is not the pattern that a king who aspires to unify the world should have.
But about a month after dispatching troops, Lu Xun received Sun Quan's edict.
Sun Quan finally chose the second option.
This made Lawrence Lu sigh, but he didn't think it was any surprise.
To be honest, from the perspective of the Lu family in Jiangdong, Lu Xun didn't want Sun Quan to run to Jiangbei for nothing. After all, the Lu family's foundation was only in Jiangnan. On the Jiangbei side, the Lu family's influence was at most in Huainan. Further north, there is no interest at all.
But as Sun Quan's close friend, Lu Xun really didn't want to see Sun Quan make such a decision.
It was obviously a good opportunity to go north and occupy Yanzhou, but using such a sneaky way to occupy Yanzhou always seemed a bit too petty and unconvincing.
So, Lu Xun was actually very conflicted.
In addition, the current Sun Quan is no longer the Sun Quan that Lu Xun was familiar with in his early years.
He is now the Great Wu Supreme.
In this case, Lu Xun sent an order to Zhu Ju, asking him to lead troops and garrison in Shangcai, and not to act without authorization.
As for himself, he continued to lead his troops westward, entered Liang State, and approached Chenliu County.
Taking advantage is taking advantage, but how to take advantage of it is also a science.
Furthermore, Lu Xun actually did not completely give up the first hope of fighting. He also wanted to help Sima Yi march into Liang State, threaten the flanks of the Shu army, and buy Sima Yi time to adjust his layout. Lu Xun was the biggest help to Sima Yi.
As for whether you, Sima Yi, can get out of the siege, in the final analysis, it still depends on you.
It's just that Lu Xun didn't take it into consideration.
Not long after Lu Xun led his troops into the Liang Kingdom, he received information from his scouts that a cavalry unit was heading south in the direction of Jiyin County, and the destination was the Liang Kingdom.
Lu Xun's expression changed slightly, and then he ordered the entire army to retreat to Pei State.
At the same time, Lu Xun sent people to deliver military orders to Zhuge Dan in Xiapi County, asking Zhuge Dan to organize his troops and assemble in the direction of Shanyang County.
After doing this, Lu Xun believed that with Xu Shu's eyes, he would not be unable to see his true purpose.
Anyway, I just came to watch the fun and take advantage. You two, keep fighting.
(End of chapter)
