The Wu army successfully dug up the river embankment and retreated westward. Along the way, they could hear the roaring waves like thunder sweeping towards Shouchun. The soldiers were all delighted and talked about drowning Cao's army in Shouchun to make them suffer the consequences of their own actions.
Lu Fan was worried all the way. He didn't expect that Sun Quan would send more troops. It was obvious that he no longer trusted him, and he inexplicably felt a sense of crisis.
Since Sun Quan took control of Jiangdong, although he tried to appease Sun Ce's former subordinates, he did not use them very much. Except for Zhou Yu, most of them died in accidents or illnesses. Some people rumored that this was done deliberately by Sun Quan.
Lu Fan and Sun Ce had known each other as early as Shouchun. Lu Fan followed Sun Ce and made many contributions. He was highly valued by Sun Ce. He was pleased to meet a wise master, but unexpectedly he suffered a sudden disaster, which was a pity.
When Sun Quan first took control of Jiangdong, he was able to appoint talented people to important posts. However, as he grew up, he became more arbitrary and dictatorial in recent years, deliberately suppressing Sun Ce's old subordinates. Lu Fan was also trembling with fear. Fortunately, he had always been poor and self-reliant, never made friends with outsiders, and was still highly valued.
After this incident, Lu Fan became a little uneasy. Since the death of the lady, all kinds of rumors suddenly spread in Dongwu, and some even said that Sun Ce was killed by Sun Quan's conspiracy. For a time, people were shocked.
Sun Quan was furious about this, and ordered Han Dang to personally lead the Jiefan Army to conduct a thorough investigation throughout the government and the country, and to arrest and interrogate those who spread the rumors, causing an uproar in the city and causing panic among the people.
This time, Sun Quan personally led the Northern Expedition with the intention of expanding the territory and also to disperse conflicts. He wanted all the civil and military officials to fully prepare for the war so that they would no longer be idle and suspicious every day.
Just as Lu Fan was thinking about how to protect himself on his return trip, a soldier came to report that the fields ahead had been flooded and could not be passed, so he could only continue to go around to the west.
…
In the Wu army tent, the lights were on brightly. Sun Quan, wearing armor, sat on the commander's seat. He looked around at the civil and military officials who were all puzzled, with a smug smile on his face.
No matter how wise Lu Su was, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other veterans were still unable to guess his strategies. He finally surpassed these veteran ministers in terms of strategy.
Huang Gai clasped his fists and said, "Shouchun city is damaged in many places. We can take this opportunity to build more catapults and battering rams. Once the weather clears, we can break the city in one fell swoop. If we retreat now, won't all our efforts be wasted?"
Generals such as Han Dang also requested orders, unwilling to retreat, and were ready to avenge their dead comrades.
Lu Su was also confused. Sun Quan had previously wanted to attack Shouchun and had vowed not to retreat until the city was captured. Why did he suddenly want to retreat overnight
Although he did not understand the meaning, he knew that Lü Meng had sneaked into Xuzhou and could not retreat at this time. He advised: "We stationed troops here to contain Cao Ren. I hope you will think twice."
“Hahaha, I have a brilliant plan…” Sun Quan stroked his beard and laughed. He was about to give a long speech when suddenly the defenders hurriedly reported in.
"Report - there is a flood spreading to the camp."
"Hmm?" Sun Quan frowned slightly and waved his hand, saying, "It has been raining for days, so it is inevitable that the river will overflow. Don't panic. Just dig the soil to block it first."
The defenders retreated, and Sun Quan was about to order his generals back to the camp to set off, when he saw a flood pouring in from the corner of the tent and reaching everyone's feet in the blink of an eye.
Han Dang was the first to discover it and exclaimed, "Where is the flood coming from?"
Lu Su and others stood up. The first thing to do when setting up camp is to guard against water and fire. There are trenches and canals all around, and the camp can also drain water. How could such a large amount of water flood in
"Report - something terrible has happened, Dongying has been flooded!"
"Report—West Camp is flooded!"
When everyone was in panic, urgent reports came from various camps. Han Dang, Huang Gai and other generals were horrified. In a blink of an eye, the flood filled the tents and was already above their ankles.
Sun Quan's face also changed drastically. He stood up suddenly, slammed the table and shouted, "Retreat quickly!"
Jia Hua hurried forward to support Sun Quan. Lu Su also noticed that the water was very strong and realized that something was wrong. He asked anxiously, "Does the lord know?"
Sun Quan walked out quickly. The water was almost up to his knees. He shouted, "Hurry up and prepare the horses. There is no time to explain."
As soon as I left the tent, I saw that the surrounding area was pitch black. There was the sound of waves everywhere, mixed with the screams of soldiers. It was difficult to tell how big the flood was in the middle of the night.
When the guards found a torch and lit it, they looked around and saw muddy river water all around. Sun Quan was soaked and his wounds began to itch again. He cursed, "Lü Fan has misled me!"
The Wu army screamed in agony and scrambled for mounts to retreat southward. Most of the soldiers were trapped in the water. Although most of the Wu people could swim, they could only struggle helplessly in the flood.
When it was dawn, the generals escorted Sun Quan to Hefei. Looking back, they saw that the soldiers were covered in mud and their armor was incomplete. There were only more than 2,000 people following him.
Han Dang was still in shock and asked in confusion: "Such a big flood, unless the Huai River bursts its banks..."
"This must be Cao's army digging the river bank again!" Huang Gai suddenly realized and cursed: "Cao is so vicious, he will definitely die without a son or grandson."
"Cao Ren, old thief, I'll fuck his ancestors!"
"I swear I won't be a human being if I don't take revenge!"
…
For a moment, everyone in the army was cursing and gritting their teeth, and all kinds of vulgar words were heard everywhere, as if another flood had erupted with terrifying momentum.
Sun Quan's face turned pale and he was shaking with anger. He did not expect that Lu Fan would act so decisively and release the water, which ended up drowning his own troops.
Lu Su comforted him, "Cao Ren used this clumsy plan. Shouchun will definitely be difficult to defend. My lord, go back to Hefei to rest first. When the flood recedes, it will not be difficult to take Shouchun."
"This plan... is poor?" Sun Quan looked blankly at the gloomy sky, his voice hoarse.
Lu Su said, "Since we have always used the strategy to defeat the enemy, how can we hurt ourselves? Cao Ren has done something wrong and trapped himself in the city. As long as Ziming can capture Donghai County, we can send a large army from Guangling to the north to support us, and then Xuzhou can be captured."
Sun Quan nodded silently, rode ahead, and thought about where to transfer troops. The soldiers of Eastern Wu retreated to Hefei, cursing all the way.
Shouchun City was surrounded by floods, with the water level halfway up the city gates, making it like an isolated island. However, Cao's army was waving their weapons and cheering on the city walls.
There was a mess outside the city. A layer of tents and clothes was floating on the turbid water, and there were also many corpses with hideous faces. The Wu army was like dead fish in a pond, floating in countless groups.
Niu Jin gritted his teeth and cursed: "Jiangdong boasts of its powerful navy and its invincibility in naval battles, but this flood has turned them into dead fish, revealing their true colors."
Cao Ren looked at the boundless flood, but sighed helplessly, shook his head and said: "This action is against the harmony of nature after all. After two floods, I am afraid that Shouchun will be uninhabited in a few years!"
Niu Jin said, "General, there is no need to feel compassion. Those who died were all Wu soldiers. Jiangdong's elite troops were all sent out this time, and most of them were killed in Shouchun. This is comparable to Zhang Wenyuan's battle at Xiaoyaojin. Sun Quan will not be able to move north for several years."
Cao Ren's eyes were deep. He also defeated 100,000 soldiers of Eastern Wu, and he didn't even engage in fighting, but he still felt that he was not worthy to be compared with Zhang Liao.
Jiang Ji said: "I hope the flood will recede soon, so that the Grand Commander can send troops to support Xuzhou in time and repel the Wu army, so as to put an end to the trouble forever."
Cao Ren placed his hand on the city wall and sighed, "Zhou Yu has taken Beihai and Donglai counties. He has sufficient money and food, and has won the hearts of the people. He is comparable to other local lords, and his threat is even greater than that of Sun Quan."
Although Sun Quan retreated, another group of troops sneaked into Xuzhou, Zhou Yu gained a foothold in Qingzhou, and Xiahou Dun suffered several defeats in battle. The overall situation was still not optimistic.