The winter of the 10th year of Jianxing was much warmer than the winter of the 9th year of Jianxing.
Not only did the winter snow in Liangzhou arrive later than in previous years, but there were also far fewer icy areas in the Jianghuai area than in previous years.
"General, spies have come to report that there seems to be a large army of Wu captives gathering at Ruxukou."
In the Governor's Mansion in Shouchun City, a civil servant hurriedly delivered the intelligence sent from the front to Man Chong.
Man Chong took it over calmly and asked:
"Do you know who is leading the army?"
"I heard that Sun Quan personally led the army."
When Man Chong heard this, he smiled strangely:
"Thief Sun has been trying to organize his army to invade the north for the past few years. I thought I would be able to settle down for a year this year, but I didn't expect that he only took action in the last month of the year."
In the spring of the third year of Taihe, they wanted to attack Xiyang.
In the winter of the fourth year of Taihe, they wanted to attack Hefei.
In the winter of the fifth year of Taihe, he pretended to surrender.
In the winter of the sixth year of Taihe, I originally thought I could settle down for a year, but I didn't expect that I would invade the north again in December.
Wu Lu mostly invaded the north in winter and early spring, because Wei had elite cavalry, and their combat effectiveness would be reduced when the weather was cold.
The Wu people were not good at land warfare, so they wanted to avoid Wei's superiority.
Man Chong has long been used to Wu Lu taking action in winter.
I saw him ordering:
"Send someone to send the intelligence to Governor Wang so that he can be prepared and respond at any time."
Although they were at odds with Wang Ling, they were both officials in the same court after all, and they were both guarding Huainan to guard against Wu captives.
Naturally, according to the rules, one should be notified of such important national events.
When Wang Ling learned that Sun Quan wanted to personally lead the army to invade the north, he immediately became furious and said:
"Last year, Thief Sun played a trick on me and made me lose face in front of all the old men. I was still thinking about how to take revenge, but I didn't expect that he would show up at my door!"
So he reorganized Yangzhou's troops and troops and stationed in Hefei.
Man Chong, on the other hand, continued to recruit soldiers and horses from Yu and Yang states in Shouchun, and at the same time summoned Yanzhou to be ready for support at any time.
Just when the Wei State was building up its troops and preparing to attack the Wu head-on at Chaohu and Hefei.
A group of troops from the Wu State quietly set out from Wancheng in Lujiang County, bypassed Chaohu Lake, and quickly rushed towards Lujiang County in the Wei State.
The commander of this army was none other than Lu Xun, the general of Wu who guarded Wuchang.
(Note: Lujiang is divided into two parts, one is Lujiang County of Wu State in the south, and Wei State has another Lujiang County in the north, located to the west of Hefei, opposite Lujiang County of Wu State.)
Lu Xun's plan to invade the east and attack the west was not only concealed from Wang Ling who was guarding Hefei, but also Man Chong who was recruiting soldiers and horses in Shouchun.
Just when Man Chong and Wang Ling both thought that Wu State was going to enter Chao Lake from Ruxukou and invade Hefei on the edge of Chao Lake, as in previous years. Lu Xun had already led his soldiers and horses to attack Lu'an City, Lujiang County, Wei State.
The defenders of Lu'an City were horrified when they saw the black Wu soldiers under the city. They quickly sent people to Hefei and Shouchun to report the news, and at the same time strengthened the defense at the top of the city.
Lu Xun, who was nearly fifty years old, had become a great general and had led the army for many years, but he still maintained the elegance of a scholar.
Lu Xun found Yihe Shanggao, looked at Lu'an City in front of him, and ordered:
"Send people to persuade them to surrender, and at the same time ask the army to immediately cut down the trees to use as siege equipment."
As he spoke, he tightened his thick and long down jacket.
Compared with the riverside, Lu'an City, which is far away from the shore, seems to be colder.
In fact, fur coats are more expensive than down jackets, and they are also warmer than ordinary down jackets.
But the down jacket Lu Xun wore was custom-made from Shu.
It's so thick and long that it can even be used as a quilt cover at night.
Compared with those fur coats that cannot be thickened, it is much warmer.
Nowadays, most of the wealthy and aristocratic families in the Wu Kingdom wear fur coats when walking around the house, but when going out, they always wear thicker and longer down jackets.
For those small families, they choose more ordinary down jackets.
After all, the lining and exterior of the down jacket are both made of silk, so it doesn't lose face compared to the fur coat.
Arrows were fired from the top of Lujiang City, obviously refusing to persuade them to surrender.
Lu Xun was not worried, because this was expected by him.
But he led his people to inspect the camp again and urged each battalion to prepare for the attack.
Although the camp was relatively orderly, it was a bit chaotic.
Lu Xun sighed, but did not make too many requests. He just asked the generals of each battalion to come over and ask them to restrain their soldiers.
Everyone says that the Wu people are good at sailing, but not good at land warfare. In addition to historical traditions and the lack of horses in the south, they are not good at land warfare.
There is also the military system currently implemented by Wu State, which is also part of the reason.
In addition to the Imperial Guards under His Majesty's personal control, the most elite battalions in other armies are those hereditary troops in the hands of generals.
Therefore, the greatest task of the commander-in-chief of the army is to coordinate the generals so that they can lead the battalions forward together and not fight independently.
However, Lu Xun had a distinguished status and had always been highly respected, so under his supervision, the Wu army's camp was quickly built.
On the second day, Wu Jun had already sent out his battalion to attack the city.
Although the siege equipment was not ready, this did not prevent Wu Jun from trying to fill in the moat of Lu'an City first.
Although Lu'an City is the county seat of Lujiang County, it is not actually a big city.
But because it was built near the Xian River, the moat is not only deep, but also very wide.
The soldiers carrying earth and rocks began to rush forward. They didn't even have leather armor on them, and some even had ragged clothes.
These are the soldiers at the lowest level, and there are also some dead soldiers.
The Wei army still had deer antlers on the other side of the moat. The Wei army crossbowmen behind the antlers began to draw their bows and crossbows after the Wu army entered the shooting range, and arrows flew like rain.
Sergeant Wu breathed in the cold winter breath, then sprayed white mist from his mouth and nose, and just rushed forward with his head sullen.
Arrow feathers fell from the air, some stuck into the ground, and some stuck into the rocks and soil on their backs, allowing Sergeant Wu to escape luckily.
But there were arrow feathers that penetrated the soldier's body, causing the soldier to fall to the ground. The hot blood flowing out of his body quickly turned cold in this weather.
The blood that didn't have time to seep into the ground quickly solidified, becoming as cold as the body.
What's more, the vital part was not shot, and fell to the ground wailing. He tried to struggle to get up, but was kicked to the ground by his comrades, and then trampled by his feet.
Then someone kicked the wounded soldier who was groaning, and he also fell down, pressing on the wounded soldier. The rocks and soil on his back scattered down, burying the wounded soldier's face...
Lu Xun stood not far behind, looking at the dense arrows fired by the Wei army in the air in front of him, his face was calm, but there was a trace of gloom in his eyes.
Over the years, the Wu and Wei armies have been fighting in Hefei City.
The Wei thieves continued to reinforce Hefei, and at the same time deployed heavy troops in Hefei. According to Lu Xun's idea, he raided Lu'an City himself, and the Wei thieves thought they were unprepared.
Judging from the fact that he arrived at Lu'an City very smoothly, Wei Thief really didn't expect this.
But I also didn't expect that Lu'an City seemed small, but judging from the reaction of the Wei thieves, the city was probably filled with elite soldiers and strong generals!
Thinking like this, and then seeing the auxiliary soldiers who rushed to fill the moat disintegrating back at an extremely fast speed, the gloom in his eyes became even stronger.
"Come here, pass the order and tell the army to speed up. Don't pity the soldiers. The moat must be filled in tomorrow!"
"Also, by the day after tomorrow at the latest, we must build all the ladders and start the official siege."
"promise!"
The shouts of death and screams from ahead still vaguely reached Lu Xun's ears, but he was no longer in the mood to listen.
His eyes looked east.
That's the direction of Hefei.
As long as Lu'an City can be captured, Dawu will have a foothold in Jianghuai and can also threaten Hefei's flanks and rear.
By then, no matter how strong the city and walls of Hefei are, the Wei thieves will have no choice but to give up.
Thinking of this, Lu Xun specially sent out elite soldiers to be on guard against Wei thieves coming from the direction of Hefei.
As for the rear of Lu'an City, there is Shaopo Lake. It was a water conservancy project built by Sun Shuao, Prime Minister of Chu in the Spring and Autumn Period, to irrigate the surrounding fields.
Shouchun and Lu'an City face each other across the lake.
Wei Guo never thought that Wu Guo would bypass Chaohu and attack Lu'an City.
Therefore, there is no navy deployed in Shaopo Lake.
If the Wei army wants to reinforce Lu'an City, it must either send troops directly from Hefei or send troops from Shouchun in a large circle around Shapo Lake.
"Lu Xun is indeed a man who is good at using soldiers. He caught us by surprise."
Man Chong received the news of the critical situation in Lu'an City and quickly summoned the generals for a meeting.
Looking at the map in front of them, all the generals were extremely anxious:
"Former general, Lu'an is a small city and I'm afraid it will be difficult to hold on to it. I will send reinforcements as soon as possible!"
Man Chong's eyes flickered, staring at the map, but he didn't speak immediately.
If Lu'an City falls into Lu Xun's hands, then Wu Lu can enter Shaopo Lake from Lu'an City and invade Shouchun.
This is a complete replica of entering Chaohu from Ruxukou to attack Hefei.
The only difference is that the Yangzhou defense line that the Wei Dynasty had worked so hard for so many years has completely fallen.
At that time, most of Yangzhou will fall into the hands of Wu Lu.
The door to the Central Plains is now wide open!
"We must rescue, but we cannot send reinforcements directly from Hefei. After all, who knows whether Sun Quan will really lead the army over from Ruxukou?"
After thinking for a long time, Man Chong said slowly:
"Prince Wang is a brave general. Let him guard Hefei to block Sun Quan. There is nothing to worry about. Shouchun City has gathered a lot of troops, and now it is time to send reinforcements."
Having said this, Man Chong paused for a long time before continuing:
"It's just that the reinforcements cannot go to Hefei. Since Lu Xun dares to attack Lu'an City, there is no way he would not be prepared for Hefei to send reinforcements."
When the generals below heard this, they were even more anxious and puzzled:
"General, if you want to reinforce Lu'an City, the fastest way is to Hefei. If you don't go there and delay for too long, I'm afraid Lu'an City will be in danger!"
Man Chong was unmoved:
"Although Liu'an is small, the city walls are strong and the soldiers in the city are well-trained. As long as the soldiers are united and wait for reinforcements, they can defend it for a long time."
"Although Lu Xun is good at using troops, Wu soldiers are not good at land warfare, let alone attacking cities, so there is no need to worry about Lujiang for the time being!"
As he spoke, his eyes flashed with cold light, "Wu Lu is good at boat battles. Before, he didn't come but wanted to lure him. He abandoned his boat and came two hundred miles away. It's time to destroy him!"
"Immediately send out fast horses and say that I will personally lead the army to rescue, so that the Lujiang soldiers can defend the city with peace of mind."
After urgently rectifying the troops and horses in Shouchun City, Manchong personally led the army westward against the Huai River. Then at the intersection of Jueshui and Huai River, he went south along Jueshui and circled to the west of Lujiang River.
At this time, the offensive and defensive battle in Lu'an City had reached a fever pitch.
The moat has long been filled in, and a layer of corpses has been laid under Lu'an City.
Lu Xun's initial worries became reality.
Although Lu'an City is small, it is difficult to attack.
Now they have begun to send all the generals in the army to fight in person, but no one can still stand firm on the wall.
The closest they got was that they were able to attack the city and then be driven back.
Lu Xun didn't care about the situation below Lu'an City. His eyes turned more and more to the east.
As long as there is enough time, Lu'an City can definitely be captured.
But the east side in the direction of Hefei is really too quiet.
It was unnervingly quiet.
After all, based on the days, if the Wei thieves wanted to reinforce Lu'an, there would have been movement by now.
This somewhat abnormal situation made Lu Xun feel slightly uneasy.
Lu Xun felt helpless when he remembered that His Majesty was still stationing troops in Ruxukou and had not entered Chao Lake at all.
Although it is tempting to lure the enemy, the battle in Lu'an City is so fierce. It would be better if someone could lead the troops into Chaohu, advance to Hefei, and put pressure on the Wei thieves.
While thinking about it, he loosened his down jacket a little warmly.
Man Chong, this man is quite talented, and he is an old man left by Cao Cao, so he should not be underestimated.
Unusually calm, an opponent that cannot be underestimated, and the sensitivity of a perennial leader, Lu Xun's uneasiness turned into suspicion.
"Someone is coming."
"Come on, General."
"Send the order to attack the city today and withdraw the troops in advance."
"promise!"
When the attack on the city was in a hurry, it suddenly slowed down, which was a good thing for the defenders, because they could seize the time to repair the city wall and give the tired soldiers some breathing time.
But for the Wu army who was eager to capture Lu'an City, it was like using more lives to fill the gap later.
"General, the thieves in the city seem to be exhausted. Why do they suddenly withdraw their troops?"
"I'm afraid the thieves have some agenda."
"Could it be that there's something going on in Hefei?"
"It is precisely because there is no movement in Hefei that I feel worried."
"General, why worry?"
"Man Chong is nowhere to be found in Hefei, how can I not worry?"
Lu Xun sighed and looked at the scarred walls of Lu'an City, inexplicably reminded of the Battle of Xiaoguan the year before last.
I heard that after Feng Yong led his army out of Xiaoguan, he defeated several cities in a row, and after annexing Anding, he was able to turn around and win with a small number, defeating Cao Zhen.
The Shu people have continuously expanded their territory over the years, and now they have opened the gate to Guanzhong and are advancing in full force.
On the Wu side, although Shiting had a great victory, it was still suppressed by Hefei in the south of the Yangtze River and could not break through.
Lu Xun felt depressed and anxious.
How did Feng Yong manage to break through several cities in a row?
"Maybe your Majesty has attracted the Wei thieves in Chaohu and made them afraid to divide their troops?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Xun twitched the corner of his mouth and glanced at the general who said this.
Others might believe this, but how could Lu Xun not know the truth?
Ever since His Majesty was forced by Zhang Liao to "climb high tombs" and "jump horses to rush to Jin" in Xiaoyaojin, he really hated and was a little afraid of Hefei in his heart.
Those whom I hate will not want to go to Hefei every day.
Those who are afraid will not dare to approach the city of Hefei without an army of 100,000.
Now Ruxukou is just to lure the enemy. Where can we get a hundred thousand troops?
Therefore, Your Majesty has just wrapped his feet in the mouth of Ruxuxu and will not enter Chaohu Lake.
On the second day, Wu Jun finally arrived and brought Lu Xun the news he wanted most:
"Urgent report! General, there seems to be Wei troops in Anfeng County to the west!"
Before the spy could tell the details of the news, Lu Xun suddenly woke up:
"No! Man Chong wants to cut off my future!"
