Lu Bu was very disgusted with the infamy of border refugees, even more so than the three-surnamed domestic slaves Zhang Fei gave him.
However, after Lin Mo told him that he should learn the same mind-set as Qi Huangong, he was already slowly practicing his Qi-nourishing skills. Naturally, it was not because of his inner disdain for Zuo Rong that he gave up his plan to find out the situation in Guangling first.
There was only one real reason. He wanted to catch Sun Ce off guard.
Judging from the intelligence brought back by Gan Ning, Sun Ce should have just handed over to Wu Jing. At this time, he was intensively deploying defenses, appeasing the people, and stabilizing the powerful family.
Sun Ce transferred Yuzhang's navy to Guangling, firstly to demonstrate his strength, and secondly to prevent himself from suddenly launching an attack.
Therefore, it is most appropriate to take advantage of this time when people's hearts are unstable to attack Guangling. The later it is, the more troublesome it will be.
Of course, he didn't think that Sun Ce's ability to compete with him was the key.
Everyone knows that there is no cavalry on the other side of the Yangtze River, but there are really few cavalry. It is rumored that not everyone with the commander-level generals has a horse. You can imagine how miserable it is.
After calculation, Lu Bu felt that he had 3,000 cavalry in his 10,000-strong army, which was enough to catch Sun Ce off guard.
The generals also thought it made sense and immediately agreed. Even Lu Su and Liu Ye believed that Lu Bu's judgment of the battle situation was very accurate.
There was no detailed deployment and combat plan. At the reception banquet, the forward and middle armies were simply divided, and the generals who commanded the troops and the remaining personnel were finalized. The matter was settled.
Everyone didn't have much time to prepare. The departure time was set for five days, which was quite a rush. However, Lu Su's deployment ability was indeed very strong. The preparation of food and grass and the planning of the march route were carried out in an orderly manner. It only took four days. finished.
A seemingly panic-stricken Eastern Expedition has just begun.
Usually the vanguard troops will set off two or three days in advance. Firstly, they need time to set up camp on the front line. Secondly, they have to make captures according to the situation and report the local situation after the arrival of the army.
So on the third day after Gao Shun and others set out, Lu Bu started marching with 7,000 people, baggage and ordnance.
Compared with the anxiety he felt when attacking Lujiang, Lu Bu was very energetic this time.
During the Battle of Lujiang, he had already confirmed that Yuan Shu had become a tiger without claws and did not dare to move at all. Then Xuyi's problem was solved, and he basically had no worries.
After he gets Guangling, he will truly own the six counties of Xuzhou. Counting Jiujiang and Lujiang, he is already the master of eight counties.
And all of this happened in just one year, like a dream.
"What's wrong? You didn't say anything along the way. What were you thinking about?" Lu Bu was full of energy and took the initiative to pick up the conversation.
Lin Mo just shook his head, "Nothing, I was wondering how long this battle will last..."
Lin Mo felt a little uneasy in his heart.
He had never considered Yuan Shu's problem. He was worried about Cao Cao.
This time was different from the previous attack on Lujiang. Cao Cao also needed to solve the problem in Nanyang. After defeating Zhang Xiu, he had his hands free. Once the battle with Sun Ce reached a stalemate, Cao Cao was bound to attack Xuzhou.
The little overlord Sun Ce was certainly no match for Lu Bu if he faced him head-on. Just as Lu Bu was worried about Gan Ning, personal strength was not so critical on the battlefield. The Sun family's disciples had few soldiers and horses, but they were famous for their bravery.
What's more, behind Sun Ce, there is Zhou Gongjin, a man of eternity.
However, simply speaking of the necessity of this battle, Lin Mo also agreed with Lu Bu to start the war. Sun Ce must be driven back to the south of the Yangtze River. Otherwise, if he and Cao Cao fall into a confrontation in the future, he will definitely have ideas about Xuzhou or Huainan.
The Sun family cannot be allowed to have a forward strategic buffer zone in Jiangbei. This is the bottom line.
Lin Mo let out a long sigh of relief. Sometimes luck is needed in battles. He just hoped that something else would bother Cao Cao, otherwise, this battle would be very dangerous.
Of course, if Sun Ce can be driven away in a very short period of time, this problem can be solved perfectly.
...
In the Sikong Mansion in Xuchang City, Cao Cao, who was hiding from the scorching heat under the pavilion, leaned lazily on the wooden benches in the corridor and sighed disdainfully: "Yuan Shu is really becoming more and more useless."
Even Lu Bu was not in Shouchun, and he specifically asked Zhang Xun to bring back 40,000 to 50,000 people. But you still dare not take action. If I give you the opportunity, you will be useless.
It seems that this calculation was wrong.
"Sun Ce crossed the river, and Lu Bu reacted very quickly. He rushed to Guangling as soon as he captured Lujiang River. This is a good opportunity for Sikong." Cheng Yu, who was standing under the corridor, said softly.
"Unless Sun Jian can crawl out of the grave, how can Sun Ce be Lu Bu's opponent." In Cao Cao's view, the Sun family's reputation was all due to Sun Jian's killing. He witnessed it with his own eyes at Hulao Pass five years ago.
In fact, Sun Ce was able to seize such a large area of Jiangdong after crossing the river with more than a thousand people. Of course, it was because of the financial support of Zhou Yu and others, but to a large extent, it was indeed because of Sun Jian's name that he attracted a lot of people. People defected.
"So, Sikong doesn't plan to take this opportunity to capture Xuzhou?" Cheng Yu was a little curious.
Cao Cao turned to look at Guo Jia, who was silent at the side, and asked, "Feng Xiao, do you know my heart?"
"Sun Ce's footing is not stable and it is difficult to bring the battle into a stalemate, so we actually don't have much time to take action.
Secondly, in the past year, our army fought a battle in Ku County and was damaged in Wancheng. The army was short of men and horses and was in urgent need of rest and reorganization.
Thirdly, summer planting also required the input of sergeants. During this period, Wenruo asked the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to rush to produce a large number of curved shaft plows, which required a lot of manpower to open up wasteland. "
After Guo Jia finished speaking, he took off the wine gourd from his waist. After taking a sip, he said: "I think Sikong's concerns are justified. It's better to rest for a few months and prepare the troops hard. After the autumn harvest, we can attack Xuzhou with all our strength." .”
It's June now, just wait for another season.
Even if Lu Bu recaptures Guangling, it will still take time to reorganize order. He can't do anything for a season without letting Sun Ce consume his energy.
"Why Xuzhou and not Huainan?" Cao Cao tapped his hand on the handrail of the corridor without looking at Guo Jia.
"Xuzhou is Lu Bu's foundation."
Guo Jia paused, and Cao Cao looked at him again and asked with a half-smile: "Does Feng Xiao have a plan to conquer Xuzhou?"
"I can't talk about it, but I did think of a few ways, maybe I can give it a try. After all, Sikong values Lin Yunwen so much, and Lu Bu often praises him as a genius, so I dare not not make some preparations in advance."
Guo Jia's modesty seemed to Cheng Yu to be Versailles, and it seemed a little sour. He probably wanted to challenge Lin Mo head-on.
Cao Cao burst out laughing, "Wen Ruo and Gongda also meant the same thing. It would be most appropriate to hold the Pengcheng sacrificial flag."
After that, he sighed again, stood up slowly, stood side by side with Guo Jia, looked forward, and said in a deep voice: "Lu Bu is just a brave man, but with the help of Lin Mo, he can control the two states. Filial piety should not be taken lightly.”
After saying that, he took Guo Jia's wine gourd, covered it with a leather stopper and tied it back to his waist. He continued: "Gongsun Zan has been forced to Yijing by Yuan Shao and has become a trapped beast. He is alone in the thirteen states of the Han Dynasty. He monopolized Qingyou and the four of Ji, and after he takes Gongsun Zan away, the next step will definitely be to unify the Central Plains."
Cao Cao patted Guo Jia on the shoulder, looked deeply in his eyes, and said earnestly: "We will capture Xuzhou after the autumn harvest. We can only win but not lose. We cannot annex the three states of Yan, Yu, and Xu. I will be swallowed up by Yuan Shao."
After saying all this, Cao Cao walked away slowly with his hands behind his back.
After a while, Guo Jia bowed to Cao Cao's back under the corridor and murmured in a voice that only he could hear: "Don't worry, Sikong, Jia doesn't dare to let you down..."
(It will be released at 24:00 the day after tomorrow. I know all the rules. Big chapters will be added)
