Chapter 514 The 800,000 army marches south to Jingzhou!
Today is the third day that Nan Shengmi, Shi Niu Li and others have stayed at Dahan Inn.
For them, these three days were like being in a fairyland.
There is no hunger and cold here, and there is no war here. Some are fragrant rice; some are delicious and diverse dishes; some are soft and warm cloth, as well as new things that frighten them and regard them as sacred objects.
Paper.
This kind of life that far exceeds that of their royal family can actually be enjoyed by ordinary people in the Han Dynasty. This makes Nan Shengmi and Urban Niu Li and others feel extremely envious and jealous. Even in their dreams, they dreamed
He became the master of this land of China and lived a better life than now.
But the good life does not belong to them after all, and their dreams can only be daydreams.
Three days after they met Cao Cao and Lu Yan, Lu Yan, Guo Jia, and Xi Zhicai summoned Nan Shengmi and others. The rest of the work would be left to them.
During this conversation, Lu Yan told Nan Shengmi and others about his plans.
Although they were somewhat regretful that the Han could not send troops to help, they were still quite content to be able to buy the Han's "advanced" weapons and armor using silver mines that were of little use to them.
At the beginning, Cao Cao's army had a large-scale replacement of weapons and armor. Keeping the old armor that had been replaced took up space and cost manpower and financial resources to maintain. It would be a pity to destroy them directly.
Now that we can sell them to countries in the East, we can not only clear the inventory but also make a fortune, and at the same time increase their internal friction, killing three birds with one stone, why not?
After deciding on the general strategy, the rest was completed by Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia, a pair of gay friends.
And Lu Yan, together with Cao Cao, will start an expedition against Jingzhou in the south!
May of the 10th year of Jian'an.
After preparing for nearly half a year, Cao Cao finally led an army of 300,000, claiming to be 800,000, and marched south brazenly!
At the same time, Cao Ren and Cai Mao, with a total of 100,000 troops, advanced towards Jiangxia, trying to take over the important town of Jiangxia on the north bank of the Yangtze River first.
Cao's army marched south with an army of one million men. The whole country was shaken, and the city of Xiangyang was immediately in chaos!
Since Cao Jun's navy had already controlled the Han River and even the Jiangxia Yangtze River Basin, the Jingzhou navy was unable to stop it and could only watch Cao Jun cross the Han River batch after batch.
On land, Wenpin's pre-established defense line was of no use at all.
In just one day, Wenpin's defense line was defeated by Zhao Yun, Lu Lingqi, and Wei Yan, the vanguard of Cao's army. Cao's army also took advantage of the situation and set up camp on the plain northeast of Xiangyang.
After Cao Cao led his army to the outskirts of Xiangyang, he sent dozens of groups of light cavalry and infantry to block all the important roads in and out of Xiangyang.
During this period, good news also came from Cao Ren and Cai Mao's land and water armies: just yesterday evening, Cao Ren and Cai Mao combined an army of 100,000 to attack Jiangxia City. Grandfather Huang died in the battle, and Jiangxia was completely occupied by Cao's army!
After Cao Ren captured Jiangxia, he left 10,000 troops and his deputy Niu Jin behind to guard Jiangxia to defend Jiangdong; he himself, together with Cai Mao, crossed the Yangtze River from Xiakou and joined Cao Cao in Xiangyang.
Three days after Cao Cao's army arrived in Xiangyang, Cao Ren and Cai Mao's armies also landed from the east of Xiangyang. The two armies formally met outside Xiangyang City. Their total strength was 400,000, and they were so powerful!
In the main camp of Cao Jun.
Cao Ren, Cai Mao and others entered the Chinese army's tent one after another. They strode up to Cao Cao, bowed and clasped their fists and said loudly: "The last general, Cao Ren (Cai Mao), has met the prime minister!"
Cao Cao has always loved Cao Ren, his younger brother. Although he is sometimes a bit reckless, in general he is a calm and measured general who knows how to seize opportunities and is good at running an army.
"Zixiao, Degui, you took Jiangxia faster than I expected. You did a great job! You should be credited with a great contribution!" Cao Cao praised with a hand.
"Thank you, Prime Minister!"
After Cao Ren thanked Cao Ren, he stood among the generals of Cao's army. He had just surrendered to Cao Cao and had accomplished such a great feat in capturing Jiangxia. He couldn't help but feel a little proud in his heart. Even when he looked at the others, his eyes were filled with excitement.
A little proud.
After taking Jiangxia County, the threat to the north of Jingzhou was gone. In addition to guarding against possible sneak attacks from Jiangdong, Cao Cao could now concentrate on dealing with Liu Qi and Pang Tong.
The tent seemed very quiet, but the atmosphere was not dull. On the contrary, it was unusually lively because the dozen or so generals inside were looking at Cao Cao. The burning fighting spirit in their eyes could no longer be suppressed!
Cao Cao could see that everyone was eager to fight. He nodded secretly, and then said to Xun You, the mastermind behind the left hand: "Gongda, Zhicai, and Fengxiao have other important matters to deal with. You will serve as my counselor this time."
Lord, it’s up to you to tell everyone what we know so far!”
Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai are currently busy with matters in Dongzhou. As for this not-so-difficult southern expedition to Jingzhou, they did not participate in it. The opportunity to make meritorious deeds should always be given to others. This is the way of the world.
It is also a way to protect yourself.
"Here!" After Xun You saluted meticulously, he took two steps to the side, stood up and said: "Gentlemen, our army has discovered the news carefully. Jingzhou originally had more than 300,000 land and water troops. However, due to civil strife, the two
Most of the 100,000 navy troops were lost, and under Pang Tong's control, there were only less than 30,000.
The main force of its army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Nanyang, and the number currently defending Xiangyang is estimated to be around 100,000.
As for Jiangling and other places, the garrison will not exceed 30,000.
The four counties in Jingnan are basically in a state of independence, so as long as we capture Xiangyang, we can say that the entire Jingzhou has almost been captured by us!"
Xun You's words excited all the civil and military officials in the big tent.
At the same time, there was a sense of urgency in their hearts, "We have to step up our performance to win the military merits. Otherwise, after taking Xiangyang, I am afraid there will be no big achievements."
However, Xun You still poured cold water on them, "But it is not easy to conquer Xiangyang.
Xiangyang City is one of the most fortified cities in the world. It has recently been renovated and reinforced by Pang Tong. Not only is the city high and the pond deep, there is also an urn in the city.
The moat outside the city comes from the Han River and is more than four feet wide. The bottom of the river is densely covered with spikes, and those who fall into the water have basically no chance of survival.
Moreover, the city wall of Xiangyang City is dotted with sentry towers and turrets. There is an arrow tower every twenty steps. As for the ordinary defensive materials, they are countless.
Therefore, gentlemen, if we want to capture Xiangyang City, we will probably have to pay a huge price!"
Xun You also talked about a lot of details, and it took him nearly half an hour to explain the information he learned in detail.
I originally thought that this victory was basically within reach, but after learning more news, everyone couldn't help but pay more attention to it.