The ambush in Huoshan destroyed Zhao Xu's troops and also caused the Xuzhou Army to lose hundreds of elite troops, but this small setback was not all bad.
Wu Dubo and other Qingzhou generals were either frightened or ashamed, but they felt more at ease. Huang Zhong also took advantage of this to establish his prestige in the army, and finally gained actual control over the troops.
Huang Zhong divided his troops into four groups and spent two days to stabilize the situation around Qianxian County and annihilated many local defenders who were not taken away by Dong's attack. Then he raised a large army and went out day and night, leaving no survivors along the way.
On the 7th and 8th day, they had bypassed Lu'an, which was also raging at the same time, and quietly approached Hefei, and launched a surprise attack that night.
But under the moonlight, horses galloped, raising dust and smoke. In the county town, fires shot into the sky, and black smoke rose into the sky. In order to conquer Hefei quickly, Huang Zhong once again chose to take the lead and take the lead, even at the risk of death and injury, and fought until dawn.
, in just ten months, the military flag finally changed on the city wall of Hefei for the third time.
When the news spread, the whole state was shocked.
Because the return of Hefei, a choke point leading to Jiujiang, not only blocked Sun Ce's northward ambitions again, but also cut off the retreat route of Huang Gai's tribe in Lu'an to the west. It was also a turning point in the entire Yangzhou war.
Since Sun Ce raised his troops in Jiangdong, he has been invincible in every battle. The result of almost every battle is that he opened up frontiers, captured cities, and expanded his territory.
Huang Zhong's capture of Hefei was a complete failure.
...
Lu'an City on the other side.
As the sun rises, the sun shines on the clouds, spreading its rays all over the city and the mountains and rivers far and near, making them dazzling. The cool morning breeze, carrying the breath of the wild, rolls up to the top of the city and hits your nostrils.
Come on, if you do it on a normal day, this will definitely make people feel relaxed and happy, and you will feel refreshed.
But at this time, the garrison soldiers on the city were not in such a mood. They looked at the overwhelming Xuzhou camp under the city, which was endless, with flags like a forest, coming in and out, galloping like flying, and there were countless soldiers pushing them in the dark.
The trebuchets and watchtowers moved forward, ready to attack the city before they saw it. All of them had earth-colored faces, and some of the timid ones even froze in despair.
The commander-in-chief, Huang Gai, seemed to be looking at you quickly, but in fact he was also worried.
Because just last night, he had just received news that a group of Xuzhou troops had quietly bypassed Lu'an and captured Hefei.
No matter what he was thinking in his heart, he naturally couldn't flow on the surface. He led a hundred guards to inspect the city and then turned into a shed. Five or six people followed him and sat down respectively.
Looking around, Huang Gai asked: "Is there any reply to the messenger sent last night?"
Hefei was lost yesterday. Today, Wu Sheng, who has been at the city for many days, started driving and prepared to attack the city. Huang Gai's intention was not clear. He was clearly preparing to attack from both sides and besieged from all sides!
Wang Zheng's army and horse siege experience are extremely rich. Even though Liu'an is a big city, facing such an opponent who is good at siege warfare, especially when there are two groups of troops in front and behind, Huang Gai, who only has 5,000 troops, is a little unconfident.
Well, the most important thing is that most of his five thousand troops are new soldiers and surrendered troops, rather than the elite of Sun Ce's army.
Therefore, after learning the news of the fall of Lu'an, Huang Gai stayed up all night, tossing and turning, and finally decided to send a messenger to report the emergency outside Shu County.
He knew that the Major General attached great importance to Wang Zheng, and he also knew that if the Xuzhou Army could be beheaded, the overall situation would be decided. But now Huang Gai is even more worried that before Shu City is conquered, Liu'an will fall first!
After hearing Huang Gai's inquiry, a general on the left replied: "General, the Yellow Turban bandits have also deployed a group of troops and horses behind our city. The reason why there was no reply from the messengers sent by the general out of the city is that they probably failed to break through.
Block."
Another general also echoed: "The last general is coming from the west of the city. On the west wall of the city, I saw from a distance that the yellow turban bandits who intercepted my messenger were holding a high flag. The last general sent a scout horse to look at it.
, but I saw the word 'Wu' written on it."
"Wu?" Huang Gai frowned: "Aside from Wu Sheng, the leader of the bandit army, who else in the bandit army has the surname Wu?"
Everyone shook their heads, and then they spoke humanely: "It is said that Wang Zheng was born in Wujia Village in Zhao County, Qi County, Qingzhou. Wu is the common surname in the village. I think there must be many people with the Wu surname who had trouble with him in the past.
However, Jianshui Tower is still unknown and is considered incompetent."
Someone asked at this time: "Could this be Wu Sheng's headquarters?"
"Wu Shengnai is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, how could he do such a small thing himself?" The general shook his head: "It should be impossible."
"There is no need to delve into this matter further."
"Everyone knows that thieves are treacherous." Huang Gai thought for a while and said, "Everyone knows that bandits are treacherous. However, our army was unprepared and fell into his trap. Now, the Yellow Turban bandits are pressing down on the border and have cut off our army's foreign aid.
, everyone, how about the plan?"
"General, don't worry too much."
A general replied: "Although Liu'an is quite far away from Shu County, it is only two or three days' journey from Hefei. Hefei is sinking and the bandits are pressing down on the territory with great momentum. Even if the thieves block the inside and outside, it is expected that the major general will know sooner or later that there is no difference between the good and the bad."
In a few days, maybe they will prepare and send reinforcements. As for the current situation, there is no other way. From the general's point of view, it is just eight words."
"Oh?" Huang Gai looked sideways: "Which eight characters?"
"there is always a solution to a problem."
The general replied: "What we have to do now is to hold on to the city and wait for reinforcements. There is a lot of food stored in Lu'an City, which is enough to feed our army for several months. Moreover, Lu'an City is strong, so it will be much easier."
The bandits on the Hefei road want to attack from both front and rear, but our army is quite large in number and can defend all directions without leakage, so it will definitely be difficult to defeat them quickly."
"As long as we can hold on for ten days and a half, the reinforcements from Shucheng will arrive. When the reinforcements arrive, the defenders in our city will respond to the reinforcements from inside and outside,"
"It is necessary to stick to it, but it must be done without backup."
Huang Gai pondered for a while and said: "I have just made a rough estimate of the number of enemies coming from the city to exceed 10,000. How many people are there in the other bandit army? Although there are not many soldiers left in Hefei, there are more than 2,000.
, I couldn’t even survive the night..."
He looked around and said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid there won't be too few people on this journey, maybe no more than ten thousand, and it's not far."
Everyone nodded. A close confidant who had followed Huang Gai for many years observed his words and guessed the explanation. He immediately came out and said: "What the general said is true. I will see if the young general gets the news too late."
, the reinforcements were not timely, and once the people from Hefei completely blocked our retreat, Lu'an would become a place of death. Although this is just a case, we should take precautions as soon as possible."
Huang Gai glanced at his confidant with a dull look and asked: "Then what do you think should be done to prevent it?"
"The general believes that those who use the army should not only consider victory but not defeat. In view of this, it is time to formulate the direction and measures to break out of the encirclement as soon as possible."
Breakout?
Isn't that abandoning the city and retreating?
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar immediately. Huang Zhong even stood up and yelled: "Bold! You are really brave!"
"You talk and leave before fighting. This is a crime of fearing the enemy. If you follow the military law, you are messing with the morale and morale of our army. You should be killed according to the law!"
There was a "clang" sound, but Huang Gai had already unsheathed his sword.
Seeing that Huang Gai seemed to be really angry, the confidant hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty. All the generals on the side also changed their expressions and hurriedly stood up and knelt down, pleading for mercy on his behalf. However, Huang Zhong still had a murderous look on his face.
He had already made up his mind, and it wasn't until someone said, "The war is about to begin, it would be unlucky to kill a general first." He hesitated for a while, and then said, "That's it. For the sake of the generals, I will spare your life. If you dare to say such a thing again,
Come out and I will kill you without mercy!"
"Thank you, General!" The confidant thanked him quickly, and he became more and more certain in his heart. The more Huang Gai acted like this, the more likely he was that he was right.
The confidant knew that Huang Gai's intention to retreat was not actually cowardly, but more likely to preserve his strength. However, he was the commander-in-chief of the armed forces after all. Regardless of the reason or motivation, such words must not come from his mouth, especially at this time...
.
The fight hasn’t really started yet!
Let’s talk about retreat first. It did indeed have the effect of “retreating without fighting”, especially when Sun Ce’s army was victorious in consecutive battles. This matter spread widely, which not only damaged morale, but also made it difficult for Sun Ce to explain.
Therefore, he, the new generation, can only speak on his behalf and lay the groundwork first.
Sitting back at the main seat and looking around at everyone, Huang Gai softened his tone again: "Everyone, since Liu'an is an important town, I don't need to tell you all about it. You all know its importance."
"We finally captured Lu'an, how can we give up so easily?" He said loudly: "What is Lu'an? Is it just a city? It is now the western wing of our army and the gateway."
"As long as Lu'an is still in our hands, the more than 10,000 bandit troops under the city will not be able to pass through. They dare not act rashly, let alone relieve the siege of Shu County. The major general told me that day that the top priority is to defeat the Yellow Turbans.
The thieves want to capture Wang Zheng, Shuzi, but Yuan Shu can slow down his plans. If Hefei is lost, it will be lost, but Liu'an will definitely not tolerate any loss!"
"Why did the Major General send me to guard this place? Why did the Major General send you all to help me? From this, we can see that the Major General attaches great importance to Lu'an. Everyone, since we have the credibility of the Major General, how can we not share the Lord's worries?"
"
Everyone was moved by these words and shouted in unison: "Yes!"
Huang Gai held a sword in one hand and issued an order to the general: "From now on, the three armies are united in their desire to defend the city! If anyone dares to speak or act again, regardless of whether they are generals or soldiers, they will be killed!"
He was indeed ready to give up Lu'an at this time, but before that, he must make Wu Sheng and Huang Zhong pay the maximum price!
The sun was rising, and there was a lot of noise outside the city. Suddenly, horns and drums were heard, and everyone was shouting for death. However, the Xuzhou Army under the city officially began their offensive.
...
Sun Cejun's first defeat immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the world. Not only the generals, soldiers, aristocratic families, and people of both sides, but even Yuan Shu, who was having trouble sleeping and eating in Shouchun, all held their breath and concentrated. Every one of them knew that the six
An has become a key node in this hunt between the two heroes.
Once Lu'an falls and Wu Sheng's army marches straight in, it will be the decisive battle between the two sides!
This city directly affected the direction of the subsequent battle. For a while, many people's eyes were focused on this place.
…
In Xudu City, the General's Mansion.
Cao Cao pressed his finger on the picture and asked with a smile: "Wen Ruo thinks, who will win and who will lose in the Jiangdong war?"
Xun You, who had a handsome face, pondered for a long time and said calmly: "I am more optimistic about Wang Zheng and Xuzhou."
"Why?"
Cao Cao asked: "It took less than a year for Sun Bofu to rebel, but he was able to gather tens of thousands of horses, cross Yangzhou, and defeat Wu Dingyu. This year, he even had the courage to lead his army across the river to attack Yuan Shu in the north. It can be seen that this son actually wanted to occupy the land east of the Yangtze River.
He can be called a young hero. Although he is young, his courage is rare in the world. In terms of his speed of action and brilliant achievements, he is even better than Wang Zheng."
"My lord, you know clearly, so you ask, how can the two be said in the same terms?"
Xun or caressing his beard smiled and said: "Sun Ce is indeed very incomparable, but most of this son's achievements today are due to his father's legacy. Sun Jian is a fierce tiger in the east of the Yangtze River. Sun Ce can be said to have been noble since he was born. Not only
People of the same kind return like nocturnal moths rushing to the fire, with Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other Shacheng generals assisting them. With a little effort, they can achieve great results."
"As for Wang Zheng, this son rose up from a humble background. He didn't have a foot of land as capital, and he didn't have a single soldier to call upon. Why did he dare to rebel against a hero like his lord for a long time?
Not only captured Xuzhou, but also defeated the majestic Taishan Mountain, attacked the Xiongguan Pass of Pengcheng, destroyed Kong Rong and Yuan Tan in the north, and urged Liu Bei and Yuan Shu in the south. Despite their humble status, they became a feudal lord and took charge of the state affairs!"
"If we compare it in terms of achievements, Sun Ce is certainly very prosperous, but Wang Zheng is even more rare." At this point, Xun or looked at Cao Cao, paused and said seriously: "However, although I am more optimistic about Wang Zheng, I really feel that in my heart
I hope Sun Ce can win this battle."
Cao Cao understood what Xun Yu meant, nodded and said: "Yes, Sima Xiangru once said: There must be extraordinary people in the world, and then there will be extraordinary things. There will be extraordinary things, and then there will be extraordinary achievements. The extraordinary ones are where ordinary people are.
The difference is that Emperor Wu therefore said: If you have extraordinary merit, you must treat extraordinary people."
"Wang Zheng and Sun Ce, since these two are extraordinary people, this battle in Jiangdong can also be regarded as an extraordinary battle. I also want to know who can achieve such extraordinary achievements!"
Xun He said: "In my opinion, the lord should not ask who will win and who will lose. As the saying goes, one hair can affect the whole body. When this is an emergency, in this extraordinary battle, can we win in it?
Its benefits, or how to resolve the crisis that may result from this, are what the lord should be concerned about."
Cao Cao was silent.
.....
Jizhou, Weijun, Yecheng.
"Not to mention that before Shucheng was conquered, Hefei was recaptured by the Xuzhou Army?"
Yuan Shao, who had just returned from victory, was using a pen to draw the map of Yangzhou on the paper. After hearing the report from the messenger, he smiled mockingly, "Sun Ce is so incompetent that he still thinks of himself as the overlord. It is really ridiculous.
!”
This time, Yuan Shao personally led an army to attack Youzhou, and he was invincible. He completely suppressed his former enemy Gongsun Zan. Although he did not defeat Yi Jing in the end, it basically ended the confrontation between the two heroes. As the final winner,
Yuan Shu was naturally very proud, and his face was full of high spirits at this time.
"Yuan Hao, in your opinion, who will ultimately win the battle in Jiangdong?"
After hearing the news from his lord, Tian Feng thought for a moment and slowly replied: "Although Wang Zheng's troops are sharp, Sun Ce is also quite sophisticated, but the Xuzhou army is now alone in the depths. Seeing that summer is passing and autumn is coming, the weather is getting colder, and the location is not advantageous.
After that, I lost my time again."
Yuan Shao nodded when he heard this, "The implication is that you think Sun Ce will win?"
Although he had just mocked Sun Ce verbally, he was actually more optimistic about Sun Ce in his heart.
After all, how can we say that this descendant is also the son of Sun Jian? Dragons give birth to dragons and phoenixes give birth to phoenixes. In terms of noble blood, Sun Ce should be better than Wang Zheng!