The next day, Xu Sheng rushed to Beihai and reported that Cheng Xi refused to surrender and fled with the remaining soldiers. Zhou Yu did not take it seriously and ordered a reward for the three armies.
The Wu army traveled thousands of miles and left their homes. Although the soldiers were willing to march north, they were still somewhat worried. Now that they finally have a foothold and sufficient money and food, they are all happy.
Seeing Zhou Yu looking unhappy at the banquet, Xu Sheng said with a smile, "Is the Grand Commander worried about Cao's army? If Xiahou Dun comes, I can stop him."
"Xiahou Dun is a general who is often defeated. Why should we be afraid of him?" Zhou Yu sighed. "Since we arrived in Qingzhou, we have been separated from the main army by mountains and seas. We have not heard any news from Huainan so far. I wonder how the lord and his men are advancing."
Xu Sheng said: "My lord, you will lead the expedition in person this time with 200,000 elite soldiers. The best troops of Jiangdong are all in Huainan. We will surely win. The commander-in-chief does not need to worry about this."
Zhou Yu smiled and said, "What Wen Xiang said makes sense. The lord has Lü Meng and Lu Xun to assist him, and veterans like Huang Gai and Han Dang to lead the troops. Even if Cao Ren had three heads and six arms, it would be difficult to resist him. We only need to defend Qingzhou, and the lord's army will come to join us."
"I will return home in glory soon!" Xu Sheng laughed and went to celebrate with the generals.
Zhou Yu put down his wine glass, turned around and went out. The weather had been hot recently, it was already midsummer, and the cicadas were chirping non-stop, just like his irritable mood at the moment.
Xu Sheng didn't know that Zhou Yu was not worried about the affairs in Huainan, but was waiting for news from Jiangdong. Now that Sun Quan had crossed the river and headed north, Taishi Ci had secretly arrived in Jianye, and he didn't know how the investigation was progressing.
Although his physical discomfort has been alleviated a lot after taking medication recently, he found that the toxins in his blood have not been eliminated. This is secondary. The mastermind behind this is what makes him feel like a thorn in his throat and he can't sit or lie down.
If this was really done by Sun Quan, he really didn't know how to face the current situation. His childhood friends and half his life's hard work had gone to waste. What was the use of all this fame and territory
This time, Zhou Yu crossed the sea to the north despite the danger, in fact, he also wanted to escape from the place of trouble. No matter what conspiracy was involved, he would be caught in a dilemma. He might as well stay away from Jiangdong and wait for the truth to come out.
…
At this time, in the Hefei camp, Sun Quan was in a bad mood. Since March, the two armies had been confronting each other in Shouchun. Although both sides had victories and defeats, Cao Ren's defense was impeccable. No matter how he deployed his troops, he returned empty-handed.
Lu Xun believed that Cao Ren was good at defense and had Sima Yi as his military advisor, and that Cao Ren had seen through his plans many times. He should not advance rashly. Fighting with reluctance would only wear down morale and deplete manpower.
When there is a change in the Central Plains and Zhou Yu makes some achievements in Qingzhou, while Cao's army is torn apart, they can gather their strength and march north in one go, then they can capture Xuzhou and join forces with Zhou Yu's troops to seize the Central Plains.
However, generals such as Lu Meng and Huang Gai were impatient. Liu Qi took Guanzhong with great momentum, Guan Yu marched into Yanzhou, and Zhou Yu also entered Qingzhou. As the main force of Jiangdong, they achieved nothing in Huainan. Wouldn't they be laughed at by the world
The two sides have been arguing for half a month. Some people requested to lead the attack to show the power of Jiangdong's troops, while others suggested to sit on the sidelines and wait for the fierce battle in the Central Plains to take place and then take advantage of the chaos to advance.
Zhang Zhao and others even jointly wrote a letter to Sun Quan, asking him to return to Jianye to take charge of the rear and stabilize the foundation. Otherwise, when Cao Cao returns from the northern expedition and hundreds of thousands of cavalry march south, the result may be more loss than gain.
Just as he was unable to make a decision, a scout suddenly came with news that Liu Biao had passed away. Liu Qi returned to Xiangyang to attend the funeral. The Jingzhou soldiers suspended their offensive and stationed in various places to train, recuperate, and calm the people's hearts.
At the same time, news of the Qingzhou war spread. Zhou Yu captured Beihai with wisdom, and the Liaodong army suffered a severe defeat. Gongsun Yang fled back to Liaodong by sea, and the eastern part of Qingzhou became the property of Eastern Wu.
Sun Quan was very surprised and hurriedly called all the generals to discuss the matter. He said, "The Grand Commander has established a foothold in the north and is waiting for me to come to the north to support him. Only by taking Xuzhou as soon as possible and joining the Grand Commander can we compete for the Central Plains. What do you think?"
Lu Su frowned and said, "If there are no soldiers from Jingzhou to hold back Cao's army, it will be difficult for us to achieve any results if we march north alone. We can take this opportunity to recuperate and wait until autumn to advance."
Lü Meng said anxiously, "If Liu Qi does not move his troops, how long will it take for the Central Plains to start a war? When the Duke of Wu fights for the world, why would he rely on the power of others? Liu Biao's death is God's will for the Lord to take the Central Plains. If Liu Qi can take Guanzhong, why can't we take Xuzhou?"
Sun Quan narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard this. Every word Lu Meng said hit the nail on the head. Since the marriage with Liu Qi, the two families withdrew their troops on the river. Liu Qi made rapid progress all the way, entering West Sichuan, taking Guanzhong, and planning for the Central Plains. The territory expanded by more than three or four times, but the Eastern Wu had been lingering in the Huainan area.
If you think about it carefully, it was he who helped Liu Qi to contain Cao's army. As a result, Dongwu gained nothing, only Liu Qi benefited. He watched half of the country go to the Liu family. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Thinking of this, he looked at Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin and said in a deep voice: "Xiahou Dun has retreated, and only Cao Ren is left to guard Shouchun. I have 100,000 naval forces. If I don't take Huaibei, people will regard my Jiangdong navy as nothing."
Zhou Tai stepped out of the line, clasped his fists and said, "My lord, what you said is absolutely right. I am willing to lead the navy northward, take the Huai River and enter the Si River within a month, and march straight to Xia Pi City. I don't believe that Cao Ren will not retreat."
Lu Xun hurriedly advised, "Cao's army is in high spirits now. My lord, don't be in a hurry! I think Xiahou Dun is no match for the Grand Commander. Once he is defeated, Cao Ren will be unable to defend or retreat. He will be upset, and his morale will be lost. If his morale is lost, the three armies will be mobilized. If we send out troops at that time, we will be invincible."
"What a scholar's view!" Huang Gai and his men had always been dissatisfied with the Jiangdong noble families. Seeing that Lu Xun had been playing it safe and not daring to advance since he arrived at the army, they were already dissatisfied and said coldly, "We also eat your salary, so why don't we share your worries?"
Han Dang clasped his fists and said, "Since General Sun pacified Jiangnan, we have all been armed to the teeth and braved life and death. Now the Grand Commander has led his army deep into enemy territory alone, so we should go to support him as soon as possible and plan for a great cause. I am willing to fight to the death."
"There is more than just Commander Zhou in Jiangdong," Lü Meng said loudly, "When two powers fight, the one with the upper hand wins. Now the Marquis of Wu has come to the front line, and the three armies are united. Why should we be afraid of Cao Ren? I am willing to be the vanguard and swear to capture Shouchun."
All the generals also asked for orders. Although everyone respected Zhou Yu very much, if they relied on Zhou Yu alone for everything, it would not be enough to accomplish great things and it would also make them appear incompetent.
"I have made up my mind. I will march in three days!" Sun Quan stood up and pressed his sword, saying in a deep voice: "I will not return to Jiangdong until I enter Xuzhou!"
Lu Xun was about to persuade him again, but Lu Su stepped forward and stopped him, clasping his fists and saying, "Since the lord has decided to send troops, we should unite our minds and brainstorm, and come up with a good plan and use a unique strategy to fight the enemy."
Sun Quan saw Lu Su's expression and understood what he meant. He nodded and said, "Zi Jing, Zi Ming, and Boyan, follow me to the back hall to discuss matters. Generals, organize your troops and be ready at any time."
Huang Gai and other generals responded loudly and went to prepare. Sun Quan and the three of them went to the study to discuss countermeasures.
Lu Su said bluntly: "Cao Ren is good at defense. If we fight head-on, both sides will suffer losses. It is better to use a roundabout strategy, make a feint to the east and attack in the west, and catch him off guard."
Sun Quan frowned and said, "Sima Yi is quite strategic. He has seen through your plans several times. I'm afraid he may have made things worse."
Lu Su stroked his beard and said, "Now that Gongjin has established himself in Qingzhou and the lord is determined to take Xuzhou, there is no need to hold back. You can mobilize all the forces in Jiangdong and fight Cao's army. The troops from several routes are mixed. Although Sima Yi has strategies, Cao Ren is too busy to deal with them. How can he be a rival?"