The Grandmaster Strategist

Chapter 204: Three thousand miles of mountains and rivers

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On February 26, Youshi, Xiangyang.

Under the setting sun, Yong Jun gradually retreated, Rong Yuan sighed softly, and felt extremely melancholy in his heart. Since the death of Prince De, he became the general of Xiangyang and guarded the important town because of the Prince's legacy. However, over the years, he has There was never a trace of joy. To the monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu, Rong Yuan was just a scholar from a poor family. Although he had some ability to defend the city, he was not a famous general, so he could only defend Xiangyang for more than ten years. He really wanted to win a few big wins, raise his eyebrows, and then enter the military center of Southern Chu, but no matter how hard he tried, he was always just a defender. What made him even more depressed was that Dayong had never placed heavy troops on Xiangyang since King Qi failed twice to attack Xiangyang. In each war, 108,000 soldiers and horses were sent to besiege Xiangyang. In this way, although Xiangyang had a good sleep, the credit could not be mentioned. Just like the war that just ended, Lu Can and Shi Guan received various awards, but he and Jiameng Guan Yumen didn't even have a single compliment. Thinking that even though he didn't have a great victory in defeating the enemy army, there were countless Yong troops who died under the city of Xiangyang, and he was able to lead more than 100,000 Yong troops by relying on the city of Xiangyang alone. But after the war, he didn't get the slightest approval. With Rong Yuan's heart, how could he bear such humiliation.

Looking at the retreating Yong army, Rong Yuan angrily slapped the stone stamp on the city wall. Changsun Ji, the dog thief, took Xiangyang City as a training ground, and sent troops to attack the city every day in turn to improve their combat strength. He didn't have the courage to make a desperate attempt. Could it be that Yong Jun didn't know that if he didn't get Xiangyang, he couldn't threaten Jiangling and Jiangxia, and even if he won Huainan, he would be unstable

On the 26th day of the second lunar month, at the time of Hai, Suzhou.

The night was hazy and the breeze was breezy. In a simple and unadorned bedroom, the candles were flickering, and a person was sleeping on the couch. Outside the door, the two guards guarding their eyes were like hawks. Even under the protection of thousands of troops, they still did not relax for a moment. When they were about to have a baby, the guards who changed the shift came hurriedly. They walked to the door. The two guards who were originally guarding the gate smiled at each other and walked out lightly, ready to switch defenses. One of the guards inadvertently glanced at the guard's face, but it was an unfamiliar face. He was startled, stopped and was about to ask, when a cold light flashed in front of him, and then a hand had covered his mouth and nose, blood poured into his throat, he tried his best to shout, but he couldn't make a sound . The other guard was almost completely unguarded, only to feel the darkness in front of him, and he lost consciousness. The two disguised guards quickly put the two of them at the door and let them stand against the wall. Under the waning moon, if they looked at it from a distance, they would only think that the two were lazy and dozing off. Then one of the two pushed open the door and entered, while the other hid under the window, with a dagger in his hand as cold as snow.

Cui Jue's eyes were about to split, and he watched as his long-term friend died in the battle after he was drenched in blood. He couldn't help being sweaty and embarrassed. Then he woke up from the dream. He sat up and opened his eyes to look. But he saw a dark shadow coming towards him under the dim light. He almost rolled over and rolled off the bed without even thinking about it. The blood flashed, and one arm fell to the ground. Cui Jue cried out in pain and loudly: "There are assassins." The voice ripped apart the silent night sky. The assassin originally wanted to assassinate secretly, but the target, who was already asleep, would suddenly burst into flames, only to cut off Cui Jue's left arm. And Cui Jue shouted in surprise, and the outside was immediately abuzz, and the shouts of lights came to this side. The assassin hesitated for a moment, and had already exited through the broken window, meeting his companions outside and rushing out. However, as a general, Cui Jue has a lot of personal guards around him. If Cui Jue had always been arrogant in martial arts and didn't like too many personal guards, the two would have no chance at all. Now that they have alarmed people, how could these two people They were able to escape, and after killing several people, one assassin was killed and the other was captured alive by the guards. Push down the front steps. At this time, Cui Jue was already sitting on a chair with a pale face. Next to him, the military doctor wrapped his wounds for him, and suddenly broke his arm. Cui Jue was seriously injured, and now he is forcibly supporting the assassin.

The assassin kept silent, Cui Jue asked several times and saw that he refused to speak, and lost his patience. He was about to be imprisoned when suddenly there were exclamations and shouts of killing in the distance, and then the North Gate. A raging flame is lit. Cui Jue was startled, and stood up, but staggered. At this moment, a sergeant rushed in and threw himself: "The general is not good, it was the Southern Chu army who came to attack the city, the north gate was opened by spies, now The Chu army had already entered the city.

Cui Jue said angrily: "What a vicious method, the Chu army just occupied the north gate, and I was told that I would order the enemy to fight in the street." After saying that, he reached for the sword, but only felt dizzy and fell down on the supporter who was supporting him. Clan nephew Cui Fang in the arms. At this time, most of the generals in the city had rushed to Cui Jue's residence, only to see Cui Fang crying while hugging Cui Jue. Seeing this, Cui Jue's lieutenant said loudly: "The general has been seriously injured, and our army is not prepared. If we fight the enemy, I am afraid that tens of thousands of soldiers and horses will be buried in Suzhou, why not abandon the city and retreat to Xiao County. Defend, and then ask Xuzhou for help." Cui Fang nodded again and again, and said loudly: "Deputy general, please give orders on behalf of the general, and I will escort the general to take a step first." The general said: "I will make the decision myself, all generals. Hurry up and convene the troops to retreat, the enemy is coming from the south, but the north gate is closed, for the sake of safety, we retreat from the west gate."

Hearing this, Cui Fang didn't care about anything else, he carried Cui Jue onto the horse, and rushed towards Ximen under the protection of the guard camp. Not far from the gate of the mansion, I saw a group of cavalry rushing towards this side on the long street, led by two young generals in white robes, two silver spears flying like silver dragons, taking the lives of Yong Jun soldiers. In a flash, their figures were drowned by the Yong army surging up. Cui Fang rushed to the west gate desperately. When he was about to rush out of the city gate, he turned around inadvertently, and there was already a sea of fire behind him. Cui Fang wiped away the hot tears from the corners of his eyes and plunged into the vast night.

This battle did not end until dawn. Half of Suzhou's 30,000 troops were killed in the fire. The lieutenant died in the city. The flying cavalry battalion, led by Lu Yun and Shi Yujin, chased for 20 miles and defeated the Yong army. Cui Jue fell into a coma.

February 27th, at the end of Yin Shi, Sizhou.

The sky is still dark, the fog is cold and the water is cold, and on the surging Huai River, there are boats all over the place, sailing to the opposite bank in the dark, and quietly touching Sizhou City, which is only two miles away from the Huai River. The sergeants were all wearing gray clothes similar to the night, the sky was dim, and the fog locked the Huai River. Until those gray figures reached the city of Sizhou, they were still undetected by Yong Jun.

At the bottom of the city, more than a dozen black shadows hid under the city, and climbed up the city with their hands and feet. These people were agile, and they were able to climb up like apes just by the slight unevenness of the city wall. Before they approached the city head, someone in the city whispered: "You are here." After saying this, they put down the ropes. Using the ropes, these men in black had already climbed the city wall and disappeared into the darkness. After less than an incense stick, the city of Sizhou suddenly burst into flames, and then there were chaotic shouts of killing from the city gate. After a while, the city gate opened.

The general of the Southern Chu army, who was lying in the dark, saw it, knowing that the tactic of breaking Sizhou with the inside and the outside had become half, waving the flag, and the sound of killing was loud, and the sergeant of Nanchu rushed to the city gate. The general took the lead and went straight into the city, only Seeing that the fireworks filled his eyes, and the person leading the way quickly disappeared in the martial arts performance, the general frowned and shouted, "Don't go deep, control the city gate."

At this moment, there was a sudden shout of killing from both sides, and the general was stunned for a moment, only to see Yong Jun rushing up from both sides, and the city gate behind him was slammed shut, the general did not know well, and shouted: "Zhong. Get it, kill me." But before he could take two steps, he was shot by a sharp arrow.

On the other side of the Huai River, Yang Xiu, who had been looking at Sizhou from afar, had an ominous premonition in his heart. It had been half an hour and he had not yet received a return. When he was anxious, he saw that the gate of Sizhou on the other side of the river suddenly opened, and a general of the Yong Army was opened. He rode his horse to the river, and said with a loud laugh: "Thank you for your generous gifts, this general smiled." After that, he waved his hand, and the sergeant beside him dropped dozens of heads, and the general said loudly: "General Zhang If you have a fate, all those who illicitly colluded with the Chu army and intended to seize Sizhou have been rebellious, and I ordered me to give it to Lord Yang." After saying that, the Yong army hurried back. At this moment, the smoke on the river has just dissipated, revealing the turbulent Huai Shui and the impregnable city on the other side.

Yang Xiu felt a sharp pain in her heart, knowing that the insiders who worked so hard to contact and the warriors who were sent to seize the city were all martyred.

Zhang Wenxiu, who is standing at the head of Sizhou city at this moment, is also in a cold sweat. If it hadn't been for the secret report yesterday, there were signs of instability in the aristocratic family in the city, and at dusk, he received a secret order from Pei Yun, which made him desperate to take the giants in the city, only to realize that the Nanchu army should cooperate with each other. If it weren't for this conspiracy, I'm afraid that the city of Sizhou is about to fail. At present, the 50,000 troops in his hands are guarding Sizhou and Xucheng respectively, the Southern Chu army has set up a large camp in Duliang on the opposite bank, and the Huaidong Chu army has taken the initiative to go north.

On March 2, in the city of Xiangyang. Rong Yuan looked at the secret report in his hand, almost gnashing his teeth. In the past two days, the Yong Army suddenly slowed down the offensive. Rong Yuan felt uneasy and sent people out to investigate, but found that the Yong Army outside the city had left most of the time, leaving only tens of thousands of people left. People feint there. Under the doubts, some sergeants of the Yong Army were captured and tortured. Only then did they learn that the battle on the Jianghuai battlefield had begun, and Pei Yun’s letter of help had arrived in Xiangyang. Rong Yuan felt great hatred in his heart after learning about it. He didn't even know about such a big event, and Lu Can was too deceiving.

After launching all the secret spies, Rong Yuan soon learned about the situation of Jianghuai.

On February 26, Cui Jue was assassinated, and Suzhou fell, and Cui Jue retreated to Xiaoxian.

On February 27, Yang Xiumou lost Sizhou and crossed the Huai River to attack Xucheng.

On February 28, Yang Xiuliu's generals attacked Sizhou, and he led the navy to attack Chuzhou from the Li Canal.

On February 29th, the Chu army broke through Xucheng and decided to flood Sizhou with the water of Hongze. Zhang Wenxiu was forced to retreat to Chuzhou and blocked the way for Yang Xiu.

On March 1st, after Zhang Wenxiu fought hard for a day and night, Pei Yun left Chuzhou and joined the Sizhou army. The two armies retreated into Chuzhou, leaving Yang Xiu trapped.

On March 2, after the five-day attack, the Xiaoxian city was destroyed, the Huaixi army and the Feiqiying battalion chased the Yong army, and in the middle of the Jiuli Mountains, Lu Yun and Shi Yujin led the army to break through the siege and retreated to Xiaoxian.

However, this battle had nothing to do with the Xiangyang Army. Every time Rong Yuan thought about it, his heart felt like a knife, and he was jealous. He was originally a narrow-minded person. The last time Lu Can won a big victory, he didn't even work hard. This matter has already become an iron proof that Lu Can is jealous of the virtuous among the people with ulterior motives. Now Lu Can doesn't think about the Xiangyang army at all, and starts the battle of Jianghuai on his own. Even he himself is still busy in the naval battle in Wuyue. military strength. This kind of indifference made Rong Yuan want to fight for merit.

On the 6th day of the third month, at the top of Xianshan Mountain, I was enjoying the stone carvings on the cliffs of Naizhi earlier in the previous dynasty. My heart was calm as water. While I was carefully studying the vague words, Huyanshou came hurriedly and said: "Master Hou, Rong As expected, Yuan has already gone to Nanyang."

Hearing this, I sighed softly and said, "Rong Yuan is an old acquaintance of mine. This person has learned a lot, but he is too narrow. He didn't get the Jianye award last time, and he was already jealous. Can Xingbing has nothing to do with him, so why not make him annoyed, the so-called profit makes the wisdom faint, as long as he devise a strategy to make him think that General Changsun is really going to rescue Huaidong, he will definitely find an opportunity to fight and make great achievements, compared with the great achievements of recovering Huaibei , If he can capture Nanyang, he will have the opportunity to attack Wuguan and go straight to Guanzhong.

Hu Yanshou smiled and said, "The great thing about Lord Hou's strategy is that all the news is true, but he just tried to let Rong Yuan know a little more. There is no doubt that the army will advance eastward, so the heart of greed for merit is born. Unfortunately, General Changsun has already deployed heavy troops in Nanyang, I am afraid that Rong Yuan will not be able to come."

I smiled lightly and said: "Rong Yuan went to attack Nanyang, and he just wanted to get some credit. He must be suspicious of advancing and retreating along the way. If there is a slight disturbance, maybe he will run back to Xiangyang, so he must be lured to Nanyang. Only when Nanyang is frustrated will he return to Xiangyang in a hurry. At that time, our army will set up an ambush on the way to stop his return. Rong Yuan's attack on Nanyang must be a light cavalry to the north, and there will still be defenders left in the city of Xiangyang. Therefore, our army needs to trap Xiangyang. If the main force brought by Rong Yuan is destroyed, then Xiangyang will not be able to attack from now on. Even if the entire Huainan is lost, it is not a big deal."

Huyanshou said in admiration, "The master's attack is the most difficult to guard against. I never thought that Rong Yuan would leave Xiangyang and head north."

I heard the words: "You didn't expect that, according to my original plan, I just used rumors to motivate Rong Yuan to fight, let him win a few games in a row, and then trap and kill the main force of the Xiangyang cavalry, but I didn't expect that the Jianghuai war would break out earlier, I Only then did I think that we could take advantage of this opportunity and Rong Yuan's narrowness to trick him into making a far-reaching attack, and we took the opportunity to capture Xiangyang. Whether this move is successful or not, Xiangyang is no longer the thorn in Dayong's throat."

After he finished speaking, he ignored Hu Yanshou's deep contemplation there. Standing on the top of Xian Mountain, he could see Xiangyang City, the Han River, Yuliangzhou, and Lumen Mountain on the other side of the Han River. The beacon rose again, and the city that lost its main general, I don't know if it can still be solid.

The situation in the next half month changed very rapidly. At the beginning, I never thought that the Second War of Yong and Chu would start so quickly.

On March 7, Changsun Ji dispatched Mo Ye to attack Xiangyang, cutting off the passage between Xiangyang and Nanyang.

On March 8, Rong Yuan broke into Xinye.

On March 9, Rong Yuan failed to attack Nanyang, and learned that Changsun Ji had not rushed to help Jianghuai.

On March 11, Rong Yuan fought with Changsun Ji in Xinye, and the battle was unfavorable.

On March 12, Rong Yuan suffered heavy losses and succeeded in breaking through.

On the thirteenth day of the third month, Fancheng fell, and Rong Yuan was blocked by the Han River.

On the 14th day of the third month, the defenders of Xiangyang went out of the city to meet Rong Yuan to no avail.

On March 15, Rong Yuan and Changsun Ji fought Tang Baihe again, and Changsun Ji suffered a small setback.

On March 16, Rong Yuan made a detour to the west of Fancheng and wanted to cross the Han River into Xiangyang, but was blocked by Moye.

On the 17th day of the third month, the city of Xiangyang was destroyed, and Rong Yuan, seeing that he was unable to do anything, took the remnants of the army across the Han River and retreated to Yicheng.

During the fierce battle in Xiangyang, the Jianghuai war was also extremely fierce.

Because Cui Jue was unable to go into battle, Pei Yun sent Zhang Wenxiu to aid Cui Jue's troops on March 4th. By March 19th, Huaixi Army and Zhang Wenxiu fought a total of 17 battles between Xiaoxian and Jiulishan. After changing hands many times, both sides suffered heavy losses. Zhang Wenxiu was exhausted and had to retreat to Xuzhou. The Huaixi army was unable to attack for two days.

On March 22, the pioneer general Jing Chi arrived in Xuzhou, and defeated the Feiqi camp at the foot of Xuzhou city. The Huaixi Army of Southern Chu retreated to Suzhou overnight.

On March 24th, Jing Chi failed to attack Suzhou and turned to Chuzhou. At that time, Pei Yun had been holding Chuzhou steadily for nearly a month.

On March 25, Yang Xiu learned that Xiangyang had fallen, and reinforcements from Xuzhou had arrived, so they had to retreat to Huaishui, but Dayong had only one city in Chuzhou in Huainan.

At this point, the Yong-Chu War after a month has finally ended, but the misfortune of Nanchu has not stopped. Jianghuai is possessed, and Xiangyang is lost. Whether it is a gain or a loss, the great change in Shu is even more shocking.

As early as the beginning of the year, there were rumors that Yu Mian was deliberately deviating because he had not been rewarded. Although this rumor was refuted by Lu Can, Shang Weijun felt uneasy. Chu routine, although Lu Can was dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do. Unexpectedly, the inner servant failed to ask for bribes, and repeatedly slandered and accused Yu Mian of having two hearts. Although it did not work because of Lu Can, Shang Weijun's suspicion became more and more serious, and finally he handed over the rations of Jiameng's guards to the prisoner. Under the control of the army, as a result, the servants embezzled most of the food and wages, so that the guards at Jiameng Guan had no food and no wages, and people's hearts were fluctuating. After Lu Can learned about it, he sent a letter to Jianye, requesting to call back the inner servant to ask the guilt. The inner servant learned that, fearing to add to the crime, he secretly surrendered to Dayong, and cooperated with the inside and the outside. On March 29, Qin Yong attacked Jiameng Pass, and Yu Mian retreated to the Jiange Pavilion. .

Perhaps the only thing that could reassure the Southern Chu court was that, under the personal supervision of Lu Can, the Wu Yue army had stabilized the coastal defense, and the Yong army could no longer easily enter Hangzhou Bay. However, Wu Yue's small victory was no match for the defeats of Xiangyang and Shuzhong. In mid-April, the army of King Li Xian of Qi arrived in Xuzhou, and the establishment of Jiangnan Xingyuan made the Southern Chu court even more uneasy. Lu Can had already obtained the military report at that time, and the Wu-Yue war was entrusted to the generals and rushed to Jiangxia to command the battle.

After Li Xian arrived in Xuzhou, he sent Sun Ji down from Xiangyang and attacked Jiangling along the Han River Valley. On April 21, Rong Yuan was ordered by Lu Can to abandon Yicheng and defend Jingling. gram. Lu Can sent troops from Jiangxia, along the Han River to aid Jingling, defeated Changsun Ji at the foot of the city, Changsun Ji was defeated and retreated to Yicheng. Rong Yuan chased to Fenglin Pass, but he didn't care that Yong's army repeated the old tricks and set up an ambush again. Rong Yuan was defeated. Lu Can's reinforcements rushed to Fenglin Pass and attacked again. Yong's army was caught off guard, Fenglin Pass was broken, and Yong's army was hit hard and retreated to Xiangyang. Lu Can knew that Xiangyang could not be attacked, so he stopped.

At that time, Qin Yong was unable to fight the sword pavilion for a long time, so he took a detour to Yinping Road, and wanted to go through Longan and Jiangyou to Mianyang. Yu Mian got Lu Can to pass a book thousands of miles, and divided his troops to defend Longan.

With the help of reinforcements, Pei Yun attacked Huaidong fiercely. Yang Xiu went to and fro between Huaishui and the canal with his water troops. Huaixi Shiguan guarded Suzhou in person, Yong general Jingchi attacked for more than a month, the city was destroyed, Shiguan retreated to defend Zhongli, and went to burn Suzhou, leaving only a piece of scorched earth. Yong's army was tired from fighting for a long time, Zhongli's defense line was stable, and there were flying cavalry battalions to assist in the battle.

Yong and Chu fought for half a year, and they were all exhausted. The Donghai Navy repeatedly looted Wuyue. Although the Yuhang Water Camp was helped by the rebels, there was no major loss. However, within 30 miles of the sea, no civilians dared to live. Wuyue's business lost heavily. Although the Yong army had many victories, the Chu army also fought steadily, and the battle lines were cemented, and they could not achieve a decisive victory.

In the tenth month of the golden autumn, Shang Weijun sent an envoy to Xuzhou to negotiate peace. The monarch and ministers of Dayong also suffered from the tenacity of Southern Chu and agreed to a truce to negotiate peace. The negotiation lasted for April. Can resolutely refused. After several months of disputes, the negotiation of peace failed. The following year, the war broke out again. Qin Yong entered Shu from Micang Road and took Ba County through Bazhong. Although Shuzhong has been operated by Lu for many years, it is still the land of old Shu. , Mingjian Secretary Xiahou Yuanfeng personally went to Ba County, and within a few months, Ba County was stable. During this period, the Kuizhou Army of Southern Chu and Jiange Yumen were attacked on both sides, and Qin Yong retreated, and the road in the middle of Shu and the southeast was cut off.

In August of the ninth year of Longsheng, Li Zhi accepted Jiang Zhe's suggestion and proposed a peace proposal to exchange Jiange and all parts of Chengdu for Bajun and Yumen's troops. Lu Can defied the public opinion and ordered Yu Mian to guard Berkshire, and set up heavy troops in Kuizhou as backup for Berkshire.

In the following year, the Yong army did not make further progress, and Yumen defended Ba County without any omissions, and the Yong army did not get the opportunity to go down the river. Jiangling and Jiangxia are also as stable as Mount Tai. The Yong army has attacked Jingling and Suizhou several times without success. Although the fronts of Huaixi and Huaidong have changed from time to time, the Yong army has never been able to occupy the Jianghuai territory. After three consecutive years of war, the Southern Chu army under the command of Lu Can became stronger and stronger. With the danger of Jianghuai and the benefits of the navy, the war fell into a stalemate.