In July, the rainy season has not yet come.
Fifty thousand soldiers and horses from Jiangdong, including 20,000 elites, and thousands of warships, entered the Lujiang River and the Yangtze River south of Guangling.
Within two days, they crossed the crossing of Cao's defense line, entered Jiangxia directly, and attacked Huang Zu's garrison. That night, tens of thousands of people landed and the army rushed to kill them.
Huang Zu's soldiers and horses had been guarding against Cao's army in the northeast, but they ignored the march to Jiangdong, and were caught off guard.
Overnight, Jiangdong soldiers and horses defeated Huang Zu, captured the ferry and the military camps along the coast, harvested thousands of warships, and surrendered more than 6,000 soldiers. Huang Zu was shocked and unable to resist, so he had to retreat.
At the same time, Cao Jun appeared again in the Lujiang area, forcing him to retreat dozens of miles, and even went to Xiangyang with his cronies to ask for help.
In the eyes of Huang Zu's officers and men, Cao Jun and the Jiangdong Sun family must have formed an alliance at this time, and they wanted to attack Jingzhou together and seize its city.
The situation of this battle must be informed to the Lord immediately, otherwise it will be impossible to deal with it.
On the second day, while Sun Ce was still cleaning the battlefield and consolidating the camp, Huang Zu's flying cavalry had already arrived in Xiangyang.
Liu Biao was immediately notified of the urgent report from Jiangxia. The officials were shocked and stunned for a moment because they had not expected it. No one could figure out why Sun Ce suddenly crossed two defense zones and landed directly to attack Jiangxia.
When did Cao Cao and Sun Ce form an alliance? ! You must know that a few months ago, the two sides just fought two battles, which ended with Sun Ce's defeat. Both battles resulted in more than 10,000 casualties.
Logically speaking, Sun Ce should have felt so ashamed and angry that he should have turned back the chaos in his country, or he should have focused on internal affairs and armament and not started a war.
Cao's army had won two battles and had the upper hand. It was time to consider going one step further and seizing the land east of the Yangtze River.
"Where did Jiangdong's troops and horses come from?" Liu Biao turned red with anger and was in a state of confusion. "Won't Cao Jun stop them?"
The attendant under Huang Zu shook his head repeatedly, clasped his fists and said: "General, I don't know what's ahead, but Sun's army is indeed coming from the river. The defenses of Guangling and Lujiang may be in vain, and there is no way to stop them at all!"
"This, doesn't this mean that Sun Ce has formed an alliance with Cao Jun, or that he wants to carve up our Jingzhou!" Some scribes shouted on the spot.
Everyone looked and saw that it was Deng Yi who worked in Jingzhou Zhizhong, whose courtesy name was Zixiao.
He had disliked Liu Biao for a long time. He had been dissatisfied as early as when Liu Biao paid tribute to the emperor and sent a letter to form an alliance with Yuan Shao.
At that time, Liu Biao rejected his idea by saying, "This way you will not lose your tribute internally and will not betray the leader externally. This is a universally recognized truth. There is no need to blame when governing."
So Deng Yi remained depressed during this period, until later Liu Biao decided to break his promise and get rich, swallowing the 500 war horses Zhang Han used for business dealings, which made Deng Yi strongly opposed.
Although Zhang Han was unjust and set up an ambush to rob his merchants and horses on the way, Zhang Han may not have done it spontaneously, maybe he just received an order, but he was still willing to use his own property to trade with Jingzhou, and the price was also Make a lot of concessions and intend to make good friends.
This shows that Zhang Han is at least a benevolent person on the surface. Such a person has a good reputation, and others will know his deeds and have a favorable impression of him.
But if one betrays his trust and serves a gentleman, he will be disliked by others. Deng Yi thought that Liu Biao's move was to offend the gentleman, and that he was narrow-minded and had a bad reputation.
Liu Biao scolded and punished him, and rejected his words again. He attacked Zhang Han's 500 horses and merchant goods, trying to retaliate with his own way, and retaliate against Xu Du's looting.
It's not that Liu Biao didn't think about the consequences, but if he endured this kind of thing, firstly, his prestige would be ruined and he would be ridiculed; secondly, he would suffer heavy losses that would be difficult to recover from.
Therefore, after hearing the news that Zhang Han was in decline and demoted, he immediately decided to take action to regain his face.
Unexpectedly, it caused more trouble.
"Deng Zixiao, what do you think? You can speak frankly and quickly, and there is no need to sneer and ridicule in the hall!"
"Hmph, Deng Zixiao, now is the time for you to show your strength. At that time, you did not give any advice, nor did you explain the reasons. It was just speculation. Even if the Lord is your own, you will not come out and bark at this moment!"
"Oh, I just happened to succeed, and I am so proud of myself." For a while, many people laughed, and their words gradually became more intense.
Deng Yi had hair on his temples and his eyes were steady. After hearing this, he just sneered a few times and never conflicted or scolded anyone, but in fact, he was even more irritable inside.
During this period of time, Liu Biao's attitude towards him was already chilling, and now it was even more so, being ridiculed by everyone at the same time, so naturally he was even more reluctant to stay.
Deng Yi finally rested his eyes on Liu Biao. Liu Biao was also quite sulky at the moment, staring at Deng Yi closely, but out of self-restraint, he did not say anything out loud.
Instead, he sighed and said, "What is Zixiao's opinion now? What do you think should be done?"
"Ming Gong's talents are far superior to mine. I dare not make any unreasonable comments. However, the war has suddenly broken out. There are strong enemies on all sides. A large number of troops and horses need to be stationed in all directions. If you want to ask for countermeasures, we must immediately send troops to meet the enemy." In all directions, we must not allow the chaos within our territory to become too extreme, otherwise if the people’s morale is in chaos, it will never be possible to return to the original peaceful and prosperous scene.”
"Well, that's true." Liu Biao opened his hands and signaled the people present to quiet down. After everyone looked over, he smiled and said, "Order, Liu Hu and Han Xi will lead their troops to reinforce Jiangxia." , ordered Lingling and Changsha to send troops to assist Nanyang and recapture Xinye."
"Cai Mao and Cai He can lead 30,000 troops and horses to the vicinity of Jiangxia and be on guard against Liu Xun's troops in Lujiang at any time."
The rest of the civil and military officials left after receiving the order, but Cai Mao twitched his beard, stepped forward and said, "My lord, although Liu Xun is the governor of Lujiang, he is actually taking orders from Cao Ang who is in Qiao County. Cao Ang is Cao Cao's eldest son."
"I know!" Liu Biao's beard trembled, his eyes widened, and he said angrily to Cai Mao: "Can't I offend Cao Cao's son?"
"Or do you, Cai Mao, actually love Cao in your heart?!"
Hearing this, Cai Mao hurriedly backed away, bowed down in panic, and said immediately: "That's not the case. My lord, please don't blame me. The general just thinks that I should remind my lord whether to go to war with the Cao family now. If you have already figured it out, then Naturally, we must fight with all our strength, and we must not lose our reputation in Jingzhou."
"In every battle, we must strive for victory. With an order from my lord, the three armies can be ordered to use their lives and unite as one!"
After hearing these words, Liu Biao's face became a little better, but he still frowned and felt complicated in his heart. Cai Hao's words just now were said from the bottom of his heart.
Now it is a small fight, and it is just a war with Zhang Han. Once the troops are used against Lujiang, it means that they will also have to face Cao Cao with a large army.
But it may not be a good time to act like this.
Liu Biao then calmed down, breathed a long sigh of relief, and said in a deep voice: "There is no need to worry about starting a war. Cao Cao also needs to beware of Yuan Shao's troops in the north. Can he still maintain a lasting confrontation with us?"
"My lord is right," Cai Hao nodded, his thoughts lessened.
…
On the way to Jiangxia.
Liu Hu and Han Xi's six thousand soldiers and horses were ambushed as soon as they arrived at the Jiangxia border. Sun Ce personally led the army out, defeated the leading soldiers and horses, and quickly entered the central army.
After finding Han Xi's whereabouts, he came over on horseback. The ancient ingot sword suddenly swung, as powerful as thunder. With one blow, Han Xi was cut off from his horse and fell to the ground.
Then, there was another bloody battle, with blood flowing down the river.
Han Xi's and Liu Hu's armies were defeated. Han Xi died in the chaos, while Liu Hu was captured alive by Sun Ce. The rest of Jiangxia did not dare to resist and could only surrender to Sun Ce.
At this time, Sun Ce did something that stunned all the soldiers and horses.
He gave up the Shiyang defense line in the north of Jiangxia, evacuated many soldiers and horses, leaving only a few hundred men behind, and gathered the soldiers and horses to the south. Within a few days, many generals understood his intentions. This is to let Shi Yang prepare and let Cao Jun come and take it.
Once Cao Jun enters, this Jiangxia land can lead directly to Nanjun and enter Jiangling.
Then the battle situation will be simple. Cao Jun is holding Jingzhou soldiers in Jiangxia North County, and Sun Ce can concentrate his troops and go south to seize the Yuzhang he has always wanted!
Huang Zu's soldiers and horses in Sha Xian's land have been completely driven and killed, and there is no possibility of recapturing them.
When the two parties in Jingzhou and Lujiang discovered the news, their troops and horses also quickly mobilized to seize the opportunity. Cao Ang and Zhang Liao took the lead in entering the north of Jiangxia and garrisoning Shiyang.
Sure enough, as soon as their troops arrived, Sun Ce's army immediately retreated, leaving an empty pass for Cao Ang to directly garrison troops. So Cao's army built military camps one after another within three days, purging and occupying each pass. 's pass.
At this time, Jiangxia was divided between Cao Ang and Sun Ce, and both parties tacitly stepped into Jingzhou territory.
The war was raging throughout the eastern part of Jingzhou, but the threat of Zhang Han in the north still existed. He even began to aggressively capture Nanyang, take in the people who were homeless during the war, and collect them all as residents.
For a time, public resentment spread everywhere, and the people were terrified. They could not flee to Xiangyang, so they could only rely on the name of Zhang Hanren, whom they had vaguely heard of at the beginning, and surrender in fear.
The army from Changsha County was led by two people. The leader was Liu Pan, who was also Liu Biao's nephew. After Liu Biao broke into Jingzhou single-handedly and established his own power, he gradually let his own tribe lead the army. This expands the influence of power.
The other person was a fierce general who was assigned to his nephew Liu Pan. He was excellent in martial arts, but he was not good at making friends with others. He was also preoccupied with many things and did not care about his official career. In addition, he was not from a wealthy family, but he was one of the Huang family. One.
His name is Huang Zhong, whose courtesy name is Han Sheng. He is now nearly forty years old. He is good at bow and arrow, and can pierce poplar arrows at a hundred steps without missing a hit. He is also excellent in equestrian skills and is good at dancing with soldiers. His temperament is strong and heroic, and he is a loyal and upright person.
They listened to the order and led their troops to rush outside Xinye overnight. After checking the terrain, they saw that Zhang Han had set up his camp thirty miles south of Xinye, along the river and against the mountains. They could block the road if they entered, and ambush them in the mountains if they retreated. The terrain was difficult and it was difficult for the cavalry to make a surprise attack. For a while, they were helpless and could only retreat.
In the evening, Liu Pan ordered Huang Zhong to come to see him. Liu Pan was quite young, but he also had thick beard and hair. His strong face showed a sign of vicissitudes of life, and his eyes were quite bright. Huang Zhong came in armor and opened the tent curtain. Liu Pan saw He smiled and stood up to greet him.
Huang Zhong's armor is bright yellow, he wears a crown and hat, his beard and hair are slightly pale, his face is slightly wrinkled, but the corners of his eyes are slightly raised, his horse is majestic, his arms and legs are strong and strong, and his beard flutters with his movements, giving him the air of a general. .
"General Han Sheng, what do you think of going to visit the camp today?"
"Zhang Bochang's camp occupies an important road and is close to mountains and rivers. There are probably ten thousand troops stationed there. Among them, there are dozens of groups of his black-robed cavalry scattered everywhere, patrolling closely. It can be seen that he is very thoughtful and cannot make surprise attacks," Huang Zhong thought. Then, I spoke out all my thoughts.
They originally planned to arrive quickly and raid Zhang Han's new camp while he was gathering people from all over the place, but they didn't expect to arrive a step too late. This camp is already "impeccable". If one person recommends this camp, it shows that he has high vision. .
If Zhang Han's subordinates always use their troops in this way and can always find the most suitable geographical location, then it can be said to be the battle method of a famous general.
Marching, combat, terrain survey, etc. can all be done. How can such an opponent not be difficult to deal with?
"That's right," Liu Pan also nodded and sighed: "It's just that the order came urgently, and suddenly there was going to be a war with Cao Cao in the north. I heard that the cause was caused by Zhang Bochang. He was aggressive and wanted to invade my land of Nanyang."
"I heard that there is a blood feud between my uncle and Zhang Han."
Huang Zhong was stunned when he heard this, "Why is this so?"
Blood feud? I have never heard of it. If it is said that he has enmity with Sun Ce, then it is true that most civil and military officials in Jingzhou know about it, but Zhang Han, although this person is very famous, has made many achievements in the north, and his reputation has gradually spread to Jingzhou over the years. and Jiangdong, but he himself had never been to Jingzhou.
Moreover, it is said that he is from Jizhou? Some people also say that they are from Xiliang...
There is no news that he is from the South.
"How could the general have enmity with Zhang Han? Did the two of them meet in the early years? Or maybe there was something slanderous about Zhang Han in the memorial sent to Xudu? If not, then Zhang Bochang must have used it as a false excuse. , want to harm me, Jingzhou."
Although Huang Zhong is straightforward, he is also smart and insightful. He wants to know the whole story clearly. This battle cannot be fought in a daze. Otherwise, if there are too many defeats and messages spread, it will be difficult to suppress the morale of the army.
"I don't know either," Liu Pan smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Han Sheng doesn't need to ask. If I had known that I had told you earlier, and if you see his camp today, you should understand that capturing Xinye is a fierce battle."
"Lingling soldiers and horses are still on the road, we should make some achievements first." Liu Pan clenched his fists and said energetically: "In the past few years, Changsha County and Lingling County have had less chaos, and they have been recharging their energy for a long time. When these famous generals in Northern Xinjiang are fighting, can we test whether our swords are still sharp? Can the general be the vanguard tomorrow and lead the charge for me?"
Huang Zhong stood up straight, with a solemn expression on his face, and immediately clasped his fists and said, "Of course I dare! Don't worry, general, I will call the formation tomorrow and let me see what this Bo Chang is capable of."
At such a young age, he has already achieved such great achievements. He is said to be a versatile man in both civil and military affairs, with many talented people under his command. His reputation is astonishing, but I don't know whether it is true or not.
…
Early the next morning.
As expected, Huang Zhong brought people to call for formation and scolded Zhang Han for leaving the camp to fight.
"Zhang Han is a despicable villain, enriching himself! He is not upright! He has caused trouble in our land of Jingzhou, causing tens of thousands of people to become homeless. Come out and die as soon as possible!!"
"Zhang Han! Shameless villain, incompetent person! He only knows conspiracy and tricks, but you dare to come out and fight!!"
"Hahahaha!!" Seeing that there was no movement in the camp, Huang Zhong rode his horse forward for dozens of steps, tightened the reins and pulled up the front hooves of the war horse, and laughed loudly. At this time, a man emerged from the camp. The young general riding a white horse, dragging a spear behind him, slapped the horse and leaped forward, running wildly.
"Thieves will stop being so arrogant! I will fight you!"
(End of chapter)
