Chapter five hundred and fortieth epidemic disease in the army
Some people may have this doubt: Why didn't Cao Cao attack Jiangdong by land from Changsha instead of going from Jiangbei to Chibi and then having to fight Jiangdong's army by water?
In fact, this problem still cannot be circumvented by Jingzhou’s special terrain, which is the unique vertical and horizontal water network in the south of the Yangtze River.
If Cao Cao wanted to cross the Yangtze River, he could actually cross the Yangtze River from Jiangling City to the south of the Yangtze River at any time.
To the south of the Yangtze River are the four counties of Jingnan, which are now under Cao Cao's control.
But the question is, what role can just crossing the Yangtze River play?
Jingzhou has a dense water network. Even if it crosses the Yangtze River and wants to attack Jiangdong eastward, the army still needs to cross the Xiangshui River again. Therefore, Cao Jun still has to fight with the Jiangdong navy.
But the most important point is that even if Cao Cao's army can cross the Xiang River and the Yangtze River, what will happen to their food supplies?
When a large army fights, food, grass and baggage are the most important thing.
Once the Jiangdong navy bypasses the waterway and cuts off Cao's army's food route, then even if Cao Cao really has a million-strong army, it will only be in vain to give the lives of Sun Quan and Zhou Yu.
"My Iceberg Beauty Wife"
Even now Cao Cao has Lu Yan and his Han navy.
However, Lu Yan's navy is all large warships, and those small and dense water networks are not suitable for large ships to enter. If small ships are sent to fight, they may not be the opponent of Jiangdong navy at all.
If Cao Cao really attacks Jiangdong from Jingnan, once his retreat is intercepted by the Jiangdong Navy, I am afraid the end will not be any better than in history...
It is precisely because of these considerations that both Cao Cao in history and Boss Cao at this time chose to march from the long route on the north bank of the Yangtze River. Another point is that Cao Cao understands that the confidence and capital of Jiangdong's self-protection are these waters.
division.
If Cao Cao defeated or destroyed the Soochow navy in the Yangtze River water battle, then the Yangtze River would not be a natural hazard, and Cao Cao would have control over the water. Once Cao Cao's army controls the water, the demise of Jiangdong would be only a matter of time.
The army led by Cai Mao and Zhang Yun has already set up a water stronghold in Chibi. This will be the best place for Cao's army to cross the river.
At this moment, Cao Cao is leading an army of 200,000 land troops advancing towards Chibi and Xiakou; the 100,000-strong Jingzhou Navy on the water route is commanded by Cai Mao, and the 100,000-strong Han Navy is commanded by Lu Yan.
Advancing by land and water, Cao's army was not very fast, but its momentum was very grand.
Cao Cao had made up his mind to completely eliminate Sun Quan and pacify Jiangdong, and to accomplish his feat in one battle, so he was very cautious along the way.
But although precautions have been taken in advance for every situation,
But when the army was halfway through the march, something unexpected happened that Cao Cao could not have imagined.
The day before yesterday, a general under his command came to report that one of his soldiers was suffering from an epidemic, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, and looked very painful.
However, Cao Cao didn't take it seriously at that time. Who would have thought that just over a day later, diseases similar to plague and dysentery began to appear in every camp of the army.
When a mass epidemic occurred among the soldiers in the army, Cao Cao's first thought was that the soldiers were not accustomed to the climate and had contracted the plague!
In this era where even a cold can easily kill someone, plague is a terrifying existence that everyone hears and turns pale.
The emergence of plague in the army is not a trivial matter...
Once the soldiers started to have diarrhea, not to mention delaying their march, but if they really went to the battlefield and started fighting, they would have already been paralyzed by diarrhea. How could they still have the strength to fight?
Upon seeing this, Cao Cao quickly ordered military doctors to step up diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, he sent people to Xuchang to consult the miracle doctor Hua Tuo to see if he had any way to alleviate the diseases of the soldiers.
At the same time, Cao Cao recalled what Lu Yan said in his diary about his disastrous defeat at Chibi, and suddenly thought in his mind: "I'm afraid there was a plague in the army, which greatly reduced the combat effectiveness of the soldiers, and it was also one of the important reasons for my defeat at Chibi, right?"
Thinking of this, Cao Cao became a little anxious. This time, the head wind that had not occurred for a long time actually happened again.
With an unbearable headache, Cao Cao could only lie down in the carriage. Fortunately, Cao Cao's army now had doctors accompanying him, and Cao Cao received treatment as soon as possible.
When they learned that Cao Cao suddenly had a headache, Xun You and Jia Xu immediately rode over.
Xun You asked with a concerned tone: "Prime Minister, how do you feel now?"
Cao Cao was resting with his eyes closed when he suddenly heard Xun You's concerned voice outside the carriage.
He slowly opened his eyes, opened the curtains, and replied with a forced smile, "I'm fine, but what happened to the soldiers who were infected with the epidemic?"
After hearing Cao Cao's question, Jia Xu said worriedly: "The number of people infected with the disease is still increasing..."
Cao Cao frowned and said, "Didn't the military doctor distribute decoctions?"
"The soldiers drank it, but it didn't seem to work..." Xun You arrived helplessly.
"Has Old Divine Doctor Hua arrived?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid it will take four or five days at the earliest."
When Cao Cao heard this, he sighed and said, "Publish this message and ask the soldiers to persist. When Dr. Hua comes, the epidemic will definitely be under control."
"Here!" Xun You accepted the order with his hands raised.
Then, Cao Cao said: "I think it would be better to send some more people to urge Hua Tuo..."
"Here!" Jia Xu ordered, so he sent out a few more cavalry, and then went to Xuchang to invite Hua Tuo.
...
On the other side, Lu Yan's navy finally arrived at Wulin.
But he did not rush to Chibi to join Cai Mao. Instead, he ordered people to patrol this section to prevent Jiangdong Navy from going around here to attack Cao Cao's troops on land from the side and rear.
After the Jingzhou navy arrived at Chibi and set up camp, the three thousand navy sent by Jiangdong, led by Lu Meng and Jiang Qin, finally arrived from Chaisang.
The weather was not very good that day and there was a lot of fog on the river.
Although the navy led by Cai Mao had seven to eight hundred warships, they were basically small warships, with only a few large ships barely able to support the scene.
Although Lu Meng and Jiang Qin's navy were all small boats, they were extremely familiar with the water conditions here.
When he heard that soldiers came to report that there were Jiangdong warships on the river, and there was heavy fog on the river, Cai Mao did not dare to send troops easily, so he ordered his soldiers to shoot arrows into the river.
The navy led by Lu Meng is quietly approaching the Jingzhou Water Village on the north bank of Red Cliff.
But he didn't expect that Cao Jun would discover the whereabouts of himself and others.
But the Jingzhou Navy did not go out to fight, but just asked people to shoot arrows at their own fleet on the shore...
A continuous rain of arrows struck the hull of Lü Meng's fleet, causing the hull to tilt slightly due to the heavy weight on one side.
Lü Meng had an idea and ordered people to turn the ship around, and then asked people to beat drums and make a formation. Sure enough, another shower of arrows was triggered.
After the other side of the ship was almost full of arrows, Lü Meng ordered the fleet to return.
After returning, Lu Meng laughed and said:
"Jingzhou Navy is still the same bunch of cowards... Not only did we find out their true and false intentions, but we also brought back nearly 100,000 missing arrows. They are truly a god-like opponent!"
Jiang Qin also laughed and echoed: "General Lu adapts to the situation and directs decisively. He already has the demeanor of a great governor! Hahaha!"