When Zhou Zhang came with his troops, he had already heard of Chen Deng. He was a capable person in running the county and enjoyed a very high reputation throughout Xuzhou.
However, I have never heard of its military capabilities. At the same time, based on my previous understanding of Kuangqi City, I know that this place was specially built to resist longitudinal advances by waterways.
"We spent several days marching. If Chen Deng hadn't been careless and unprepared, he would have gotten the news from the scouts along the coast."
"Perhaps, he gave up the defense of the river crossing and instead gathered his troops in the city because he wanted to rely on the strong city and the accumulation of fortresses to consume the main force of our army. It is not appropriate to waste casualties at this moment..."
Zhou Zhang felt awe in his heart. He didn't know the situation in Kuangqi City and didn't dare to attack rashly, so he retreated several miles.
However, precisely because of the retreat, after a few days the soldiers gradually lost the excitement they had when they came, and their morale gradually cooled down.
This city is close to the river bank, with easy access to water and lush forests. Now that spring and summer are transitioning, there are mosquitoes, snakes and rats to worry about in the evening.
It's hot and humid, so it's not comfortable to stay there.
However, Zhou Zhang sent people to check many times, but it was still the same on the city. There were not many soldiers and they were patrolling in different shifts.
This made the military morale even more shaken.
"When will this happen?"
"The general is tied up. If the lord had come in person, he would have already captured Kuangqi and marched straight into Guangling."
"We came across the river with not much food and grass. In a few days, the army of more than 20,000 will run out of food and wait for backup..."
"Haha, in order to save food and grass, our camp has already fished fish and shrimps from the river for food."
"Just like this, I still refuse to attack. I don't know what General Zhou is waiting for. If he continues to wait like this, his morale will be worrying..."
Several generals came out of the main tent today. They all had their left hands on the hilts of their swords and looked dejected. They chatted one after another. They had just asked for a battle on their own initiative, but they were rejected.
Zhou Zhang himself also felt that if he didn’t attack when he came, he might be a bit weak now. Even if he wants to organize a large army to attack the city, it seems to be a bit of a disadvantage. The disadvantage is that it is better to attack as soon as we land. Now delaying it seems that I am very tired. stupid.
In the main tent, someone soon reported the remarks of Zhou Zhang and other soldiers. There was also resentment and dissatisfaction in the army, which made him sigh.
"well."
The majestic Zhou Zhang sat in the tent, waiting for news of another wave of scouts. If he could get a clearer picture of how many defenders were on top of the city gate, he would have some confidence in organizing an siege.
"If we don't attack the city, I'm afraid the morale of the army will be in chaos and they will have no intention of fighting anymore."
"One burst of strength will weaken again, and three times it will be exhausted... This should be the principle." Zhou Zhang is not a Confucian general who is good at learning. He has only heard this sentence, but he has never been able to use it in war as he wishes. This is a matter of the general's ability. .
Some generals can plan all major military events in front of the station, and even the morale of the sergeants, but some generals just can't and can only lament after many hidden dangers appear.
Zhou Zhang belongs to the latter.
Of course, most of the generals in the world only know how to charge when ordered, and they have no ability to lead troops in combat. Once they become a lone army, they can only rely on brute force to charge, without any tactics or strategies.
In this regard, Zhou Zhang may also have some talent.
He waited for half a day, but the news from the sentinel was still the same as the previous few days. There were no heavy guards on the tower, and there were only a few hundred sergeants on patrol.
After thinking about it, Zhou Zhang guessed that perhaps Chen Deng was playing tricks on him. In fact, no reinforcements had arrived, but he was simply showing weakness to the enemy, making himself suspicious and afraid to attack. Then he was just delaying time to ask for reinforcements from the rear of Xuzhou.
"But..." Zhou Zhang suddenly had an idea and began to plan the march, "Even if the Xuzhou reinforcements march from Pengcheng and Xiapi to Guangling, it will take at least ten days. If we include grain, grass and baggage, etc., it will take at least ten days. It will take longer.”
"Six days have just passed. Even if Chen Deng went to ask for reinforcements, it would be too late... He must be delaying, pretending to show weakness to the enemy, and disrupting the morale of our troops, so as to wait for reinforcements to arrive..."
The more Zhou Zhang thought about it, the more he felt it was a pity. It was a pity that he missed the opportunity to attack at first. Later, because of the weird things on Kuangqi City, he did not dare to attack the city immediately. The opportunity to attack the city disappeared in an instant.
However, it is never too late to remedy the situation.
"Siege the city!"
Zhou Zhang suddenly stood up, and his tough attitude made all the guards very excited. They looked quite surprised, but they were just lost for a moment, and immediately came forward to salute and bow.
"To attack the city, immediately ask each battalion to prepare. Tonight, provide food for the soldiers to have a full meal. Prepare equipment during the night. We must capture Kuangqi City and celebrate in the city for three days, waiting for the lord to lead the troops."
"well!!"
Several dormitory guards and marching scribes also immediately showed expressions of surprise, and immediately dispersed to give orders, and the entire military camp became excited.
At night, after the smoke cleared, Zhou Zhang led his troops to issue an siege order. Thousands of torches were lit and they headed towards Kuangqi City.
As they approached the city, the sergeants hiding on the city wall immediately appeared. There were thousands of them in dense crowds. The military flags were erected, and the shouts of killing resounded to the sky.
Immediately afterwards, an overwhelming rain of arrows fell, shocking the soldiers and horses in the city.
Then the shouts in the city were like thunder, and it seemed like there was movement everywhere. After the people who were charging at the front died, the momentum of the charge that finally got up naturally stopped. The soldiers looked at each other in confusion, their expressions changed drastically, and they were no longer the same as before. of firmness.
But Zhou Zhang was still very determined. He knew that he had missed his best opportunity. If he just retreated in despair, it would not be as simple as in vain, but it might be a big mistake!
He could only bite the bullet and order to continue the siege.
That night, the fire illuminated half of the sky. The soldiers continued to charge and kill. Corpses piled up in mountains under the city, and blood filled the soil hooks like water. It was so tragic.
However, Kuangqi City did not waver in the slightest. When the battle was almost dawn, Chen Deng saw that the enemy troops were retreating and ordered the elite in the city to rush out to chase the enemy troops.
Chen Deng's soldiers and horses are all elite men, and most of them are descendants of his own family. They have been training very hard in Kuangqi City in the past few months, and there are also many Danyang disciples.
Chen Deng had been intensifying his military training long before this, putting all his hatred for Zhang Han and the depression of staying in Guangling on training his troops day and night.
As the morale of the army waxed and waned, the soldiers from Kuangqi City rushed out. Some soldiers from other military camps also raised flags, beat drums and gongs, shouted loudly, and rushed out on horseback.
Jiangdong soldiers thought that there was indeed an ambush in the city. In addition, after several hours of fighting and attacking without success, the damage was so heavy that they were already frightened. Moreover, they were not angry with Zhou Zhang's command.
In the chaos, it was difficult to stop the enemy's galloping cavalry, so they had to retreat temporarily.
Chen Deng personally led the army out, and the battle started at night. Now it was almost dawn. Jiangdong soldiers were too far away from the warship and could not immediately run to the warship.
Under the stampede and commotion, Jiangdong's soldiers and horses were defeated. Only a few people returned to the ship and shouted to retreat.
The scene at this time was also the same as Chen Deng had imagined. The warships were piled up on the river bank. For a while, it was impossible to turn around and disperse. They had to leave line by line.
Therefore, he blocked many soldiers behind him. This chaos gave Chen Deng an opportunity. All his cavalry horses came from the elite horses carefully selected by Sun Qian and Mi Zhu.
Extremely strong and powerful, he ran as fast as the wind. After catching up with the rebels, he continued to kill them. By the end of the war, he had killed tens of thousands of people. His performance was remarkable and could even be said to be a great achievement.
One battle can be famous in Jiangnan!
Watching the warship go away, Chen Deng Linjiang looked at it from a distance and was fascinated. Chen Jiao was also very moved.
"Prefect, we actually won..."
"Yeah," Chen Deng sighed, feeling a little relaxed and content, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that I could win..."
"Winning this battle will stabilize Kuangqi City for a long time. This achievement can be reported back to Xudu, so that Bochang, Zixiu, and Prime Minister Jang can feel a little more relieved."
"Not only don't worry," Chen Jiao stroked his beard with deep thoughts. Er Qing's expression changed and he immediately said: "Prefect, I think Jiangdong may not give up here."
"Why do you think they attacked Kuangqi City and entered Guangling? I heard that Sun Ce asked Emperor Xu Du to pay homage to the Grand Sima, but the court did not allow it."
"In the end, it was only given to a general, and he also inherited his father's title."
"Yes, Marquis Wucheng?"
"That's right," Chen Jiao nodded. Wucheng County was Sun's hometown, so it was normal for him to be given this title.
"However, it can't provide any substantial help. After thinking about it for the past few days, I roughly understand what Sun is thinking. Sun Ce wants Da Sima in order to use the name of the Han Dynasty to suppress the local gentry. But The Prime Minister understood, so he didn’t agree.”
"Because of this, Sun Ce is now so angry that he needs to march to Guangling immediately. Firstly, I'm afraid it's to vent his anger, but secondly... he wants to show the Prime Minister Sun Ce's ability and force him to take the official position of the Great Sima..."
"Well, not bad!" Chen Deng smiled and nodded, and all his ideas suddenly became clear. "In this way, it is actually a great achievement, and the Prime Minister and Bo Chang will also commend it."
"I would like to go to Xudu to ask for credit and help for the prefect. If we can get troops and horses to help, then we Kuangqi can defend it. I'm sure Sun Ce will make a comeback, and he will have more troops than this time. More."
"Okay, thank you sir."
…
Quyang.
After Sun Ce heard the news of the defeat from the battlefield to the west, he led the troops back in a hurry to greet Zhou Zhang's defeated army.
On the road, he saw the defeated army coming on horseback. After Zhou Zhang dismounted, he immediately knelt on the ground and shouted for forgiveness.
"My lord, Kuangqi City is high, and Chen Deng'er ordered the soldiers to lie behind the wall. The city looked like an empty city. I didn't dare to attack at first, and then slowly arranged troops and horses to patrol the city, and then used this to Come and tempt us to attack the city.”
"It's all my fault." Zhou Zhang gave himself a loud and clear slap, but Sun Ce didn't move. He only felt his heart tightening and his breathing uncomfortable.
To stop talking briefly, it would be best to attack Kuang Qi immediately by attacking immediately at the first opportunity.
The further back you go, the more passive you become.
"Zhou Zhang!!" Sun Ce shouted angrily, eyebrows raised, and he almost wanted to draw his sword and behead him, but he held back after roaring.
"You can't even see the enemy's tactics to lure them, how can you lead the troops?!"
"You can lead the military stick yourself, remove your military post, gather the people you brought back together, and immediately convene a civil and military discussion."
Sun Ce was so anxious that he couldn't sleep that night. He only felt burning pain on his face all night.
I originally planned to take Guangling to threaten Xuzhou and make Cao Cao pay for his arrogance, but he unexpectedly failed! And it was still such a complete failure!
Wouldn't this make Xu Du and the others laugh out loud!
Especially Cao Cao! !
Therefore, Sun Ce planned to give up the attack on Huang Zu overnight and march directly to Kuangqi City with a large army. He wanted to capture Guangling and enter Xuzhou, making Cao Cao worried about his rear.
At the same time, Chen Jiao also set off quickly and went straight to Xudu, riding alone to bring the news back to the court. The soldiers who actually reported the military information went to Pengcheng and Xiapi first to report to Xuzhou Mu Baoxin.
What Chen Jiao got was Chen Deng's letter. He went to see Zhang Han first and walked along the official road. There were people guarding him along the way. He said he was riding alone, but in fact there was a guard.
For three days and nights, Chen Jiao kept changing horses, galloping day and night, and hurried on the road. Finally he arrived... Chenliu County, and then spent another day going to Yingchuan. When he arrived in Xudu, he heard that Zhang Han was in Nanlin Mountain.
"The prefect ordered me to see Zhang Junhou first, so I should obey his instructions and go to Junhou first."
So after another half day wasted, we arrived at the military camp and explained our purpose, only to get the news that Zhang Han was hunting in the Nanlin Mountains.
It took a day to see Zhang Han, but Chen Jiao was very anxious. After all, the war was urgent now. If he could not see Zhang Han again, it would probably delay the Kuangqi war.
However, when he saw Zhang Han, Chen Jiao felt relieved.
Zhang Han seemed to be in a good mood.
"Come into the tent and talk," Zhang Han pulled him into the tent. At this time, Dian Wei and Jia Xu were there, as was Sun Qian.
Zhang Han smiled and said: "I have already known about the battle between Kuang Qi."
"So fast?" Chen Jiao was stunned, dumbfounded, and was so shocked that he couldn't speak.
"Junhou, how did Junhou find out?!" He asked after a long time in astonishment.
Zhang Han smiled and said nothing.
In fact, it was because a few days ago, his system father-in-law added a little more force, which inexplicably enhanced his physical strength and physique.
He is now stronger and stronger than before, and as agile as a leopard. Combining some information and thinking about it, Zhang Han can understand that it was Guangling where Chen Deng was stationed that achieved some results.
Because of his previous political achievements, what he received back to Zhang Han were bonuses such as "civilian governance". Only military exploits and the like were abilities or charms such as "force" and "command".
Looking at the many military deployment information sent, it is not difficult to guess that it was Kuangqi City that defeated Jiangdong's troops. After all, Sun Ce had just suffered a head-on attack during this period.
"Humph," Zhang Han chuckled and said, "Of course I have my own intelligence sentry. The sentries under my command can travel thousands of miles a day."
"Oh..." Chen Jiao didn't quite believe it, but he didn't have anything to say to refute it.
After all, it’s not easy to continue asking questions.
"Don't worry, during this time in Nanlin Mountain, you can take a leisurely rest for a while. The soldiers and horses to assist Kuangqi City are already on the way."
"On the way?" Chen Jiao's heart moved, his eyebrows were dancing, and he smiled excitedly, "Junhou, can you please make it clearer, who is leading the army, and why did you set off early?"
If so, we can reach Kuangqi City unexpectedly, and maybe we can catch Sun Ce's troops by surprise and give him another big defeat! !
Zhang Han chuckled confidently, walked a few steps with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile: "Zixiu sent troops to Kuangqi City three days ago, and Xuzhou has already sent a letter. General Yu Jin should be on the way now."
"If so, Sun Ce can't figure out the reality or reality, so he can be defeated again."
"Your Majesty, you are serious. You have great magical powers and can predict things like a god!" Chen Jiao's eyes lit up and he immediately bowed down and convinced Zhang Han.
(End of chapter)
