When Sun Quan heard that Lu Su had a plan, he clasped his fists and said, "I would like to hear the details."
Lu Su said, "Although Liu Qi has withdrawn his troops to pacify the people, Guan Yu's army is in Xuchang. Cao's army in the Central Plains will not dare to act rashly. We can send four armies to take Xuzhou: My lord, lead the army out of Hefei to besiege Shouchun, Guangling will send another army to the north along the coast, and the navy will support from the east and west of the Huai River. This will make Cao's army tired of running around to deal with it. At this time, send another Lujiang army from Shiting to attack Shouchun. We only need to defeat the enemy along the way and we can enter the Central Plains!"
"This is a great plan!" Sun Quan was delighted when he heard this and said with a smile, "Xiahou Dun will go north, and Cao Ren is the only one in Cao's army. I can fight him myself! Huang Gongfu and Ziming will lead an army to Guangling, and my brothers Sun Yu and Sun Jiao will lead a large army to Shiting to attack and capture Xuzhou. What do you think?"
Lu Xun frowned and said, "Since the Grand Commander crossed the sea and marched north, Cao's army has strengthened its coastal defenses. It is difficult for Guangling's troops to go north. Even if Cao Ren does not understand this plan, I am afraid that Sima Yi will see through it. Shiting is a dangerous place. Once the troops are ambushed, they will be in a dilemma and the loss will outweigh the gain."
Sun Quan was displeased and said, "Sima Yi is just a young boy, how can he see through my plan?"
Lu Meng paused for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "Although the plan of the governor of Lu is brilliant, it is not enough to achieve a surprise victory. I can add a plan that will catch Sima Yi off guard."
After Sun Quan persuaded Lu Meng to learn, he found that Lu Meng was growing very fast and was deeply recognized by Lu Su. He immediately looked forward to it and said, "Zi Ming, just talk!"
Lu Meng said: "Now that we are at a stalemate with Cao's army, you can pretend to be angry and forcibly recruit civilians to serve as soldiers, making it look like a decisive battle. This can both win the trust of Cao's army and stir up public resentment. Secretly select a thousand sailors to disguise themselves as merchants and civilians, all wearing white clothes and crossing the Huai River to the north to avoid the chaos, but hide the elite soldiers in the boats and attack Donghai County. Go north to meet with the Grand Commander, and go west to support the lord's army to attack Shouchun. If the Lujiang troops advance smoothly, it will be easy to take Xuzhou."
Lu Su nodded and praised: "This is a plan to sneak across Chencang! The four armies are real and fake. Even if Sima Yi has great ability, he can't predict this plan."
Lu Xun frowned and said nothing. This plan seemed indeed ingenious. Even if Cao's army saw through the Lujiang troops, they would not have expected that there would be a surprise force. But he always felt that something was wrong, and he didn't know where to start for a moment. Seeing that Sun Quan was dissatisfied with him, he had to lower his head and remain silent.
Sun Quan was so excited that he stood up, clapped his hands and laughed, "This man is truly my Zi Fang!"
Lu Meng said: "Guangling's troops are a rare force. If we use people with high reputation, Cao Ren will certainly be wary. I would like to select young generals and go to Guangling under the pretext of reorganizing the troops and comforting the people. This will ensure safety."
Sun Quan was very pleased with Lu Meng and nodded, saying, "Gongjin has crossed the sea and headed north. Cao's army certainly didn't expect me to repeat my old tricks. I now appoint you as the General of the Northern Expedition and ask you to accomplish another great feat."
Lu Meng thanked him, and Sun Quan ordered Lu Su to pass on the order. Three days later, the army was dispatched to attack Shouchun by land and sea. Lu Xun conscripted laborers and food from all over Huainan, preparing for a decisive battle.
The Wu army in Hefei was dispatched, and the scouts had already reported it to Shouchun. Cao Ren hurriedly gathered all the generals to discuss countermeasures: "Sun Quan has been wary of him for several months since he came to Hefei. This time he has brought a large army and must have some plan. What do you think?"
Jiang Ji said: "This must be because Sun Quan heard that Zhou Yu was attacking Qingzhou and was anxious to go north to join him. The enemy's morale is high, so there is no need to attack, just to deploy defenses."
Cao Ren frowned and sighed, "Central Plains is in chaos now, with battles everywhere. If this continues, we will just sit there and wait for death. Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"
Sima Yi's eyes were deep, and he said slowly: "Sun Quan has not taken action for several months, and suddenly sent troops. I am afraid it is not for the battle of Qingzhou. I think there must be a trick."
In the past two months, Sima Yi had seen through Wu Jun's plans several times and had gained Cao Ren's trust. He hurriedly asked, "Zhongda, can you see anything strange?"
Sima Yi scanned the map with his sharp eyes and said, "The Wu army is advancing by land and sea, intending to contain the governor's army. There must be a surprise force to support it. Looking at the situation in Jiangdong, only the troops in Lujiang can be mobilized. I predict that they will attack Shouchun from Shiting."
"Oh?" Cao Ren's eyes were slightly stern, and he said in a deep voice: "Bi Yan'er, are you trying to block my way home?"
Jiang Ji was shocked and said, "The troops in Shouchun have no time to split up. Isn't this dangerous?"
Sima Yi smiled and said, "The terrain in Qianshan is complex. Jiashi and Guache are extremely dangerous. We only need to ambush a group of soldiers and horses, and they will never return."
Cao Ren said, "To set up an ambush here, only a general who can respond to emergencies can be competent. Sun Quan is coming with a large-scale attack, and all the generals need to work together to defend the city. Wen Lie will command the navy to guard the Huai River. Who else can take on this important task?"
Sima Yi clasped his fists and said, "I recommend one person who can keep Shiting safe."
Cao Ren hurriedly asked, "Who is it?"
Sima Yi said, "This man's surname is Wang, his given name is Ji, and his courtesy name is Boyu. He is from Qucheng, Donglai. Although he is only in his early twenties, he is both civil and military, and has extraordinary talents and virtues. He is highly regarded by Wang Ling, the governor of Yanzhou. He transported grain to Shouchun half a month ago. I have seen that he has clear accounts and knows how to mobilize troops. He has the talent of a great general and can be of great use."
Cao Ren immediately ordered someone to bring Wang Ji over. He saw that the man had a young face but a steady demeanor. He asked him some questions about military affairs and tactics, and Wang Ji answered them fluently. Cao Ren was very happy and promoted him to General Anping immediately, and led 5,000 elite soldiers to defend Shiting.
Sima Yi and Wang Ji went to the camp to check the soldiers and gave instructions on the deployment of the troops. Although everything was arranged carefully, he still felt a little uneasy, as if there was something missing. He went to the city alone to patrol and relax.
All the generals went to prepare, and Cao Ren sat alone in the hall, lost in thought. The empty hall was just like his mood at the moment, desolate and deserted.
Looking at the setting sun, he sighed, "Liu Qi..."
Thinking back to the time when the Cao family destroyed Yuan Shao, pacified Hebei, and held half of the country in their hands, they were so glorious. They had many talented people under their command, both civil and military. But when they were preparing to take Jingzhou and met Liu Qi, things took a sharp turn for the worse. Liu Qi was like the nemesis of the Cao family.
In the Battle of Nanyang, not only did Cao's army suffer heavy casualties and great damage to its vitality, but he and Xiahou Dun also suffered the humiliation of being captured. Now that Guanzhong is no longer safe and Zhongyuan is in emergency, Xiahou Yuan was imprisoned in Xiangyang again.
Cao Pi is still young and cannot intimidate the court and the people. Cao Cao has fled to the northern desert and there has been no news of him since then. People in the court are in a state of disarray and the morale of the army is low. Who can turn the tide
Liu Qi was unstoppable, and Sun Quan took advantage of the situation. Even Cao Ren felt powerless in the current situation, let alone Cao Pi who had just taken over the government
If Zhang Liao is exchanged for Shouchun, perhaps it will have a miraculous effect!
Just as a thought flashed through his mind, the defenders suddenly came in to report that the vanguard troops of the Eastern Wu had arrived at the city and were challenging him.
Cao Ren dressed up and climbed the city wall to see. Seeing that it was the old general Huang Gai, he cursed: "Jiangdong rats, you are so fickle. You have repeatedly disobeyed orders and committed crimes. How can I not feel ashamed?"
Huang Gai was furious and said, "Cao is a traitor. Everyone in the world has the right to kill him. Today I will kill you!"
Before he finished speaking, he took out the bow and arrow from his back, and shot an arrow at the top of the city wall. The arrow was like a meteor chasing the moon, almost hitting Cao Ren in the face. The frightened defenders hurriedly raised their shields to protect themselves.
Cao Xiu was furious, drew his bow and shot an arrow, and shouted: "Old man, don't be so arrogant, take my arrow."