Guo Jia nodded: "The southern defense area has strong troops, and it does not have to be purely defensive. If Cao Cao's troops reveal flaws during the attack, they can also seize the opportunity to counterattack; if the lord goes south, Cao Cao does not make any changes.
, these 40,000 horses can also be turned into a reserve team and quickly go to the Jingzhou frontline via waterways to support them."
Turning back to the present, Guo Jiali stood on the edge of the map and said, "I thought the overall layout was like this."
Wang Zheng nodded slightly, Guo Jia had thought it through very well. With Cao Cao's current strength, he would have to go out in full force, probably only 50,000 to 60,000 people. As the defensive side, the Yangzhou Army already occupies a certain geographical advantage, so they arranged infantry in Xia Cai
Sticking to the city, Ping'a acted as a flank to respond, while Shouchun in the middle behind was the hub town, which could ensure stability on both land and water. In addition to the original garrison troops in each county, the number of troops and horses used to defend the southern defense area was close to 50,000.
, as long as the coach uses it properly, there will be no gaps in defense and it can be resisted.
As for the candidate for the head coach, even if Guo Jia did not say it clearly, both of them knew very well that there was no other candidate besides Xufang.
This is not only a consideration of ability and character, but more importantly, it also requires status, qualifications, and the most critical issue of trust.
The defensive aspect has been finalized. As for the offensive aspect, the attack on Jingzhou is already a battle of national annihilation level. The strategy is second, and the most important thing is actually the combat strategy.
Three days later, Bafu finally formulated a battle strategy. Wang Zheng summoned the generals. After discussion, everyone agreed. Wang Zheng immediately decided to set the schedule for the southward journey to July in late summer and early autumn.
Although there are still three months before the war starts, the entire Yangzhou and even Xuzhou are mobilized quickly from this moment. After all, the military situation is very good. Start preparations one day early. When the war breaks out, you will be more sure of victory.
In addition, Wang Zheng also planned to take advantage of this period to capture a city in Yuzhang first, not only as a test for Liu Biao, but also to open another route south to Jingxiang.
This city is the county seat of Yuzhang, Nanchang.
It’s already the moonlight in the atrium.
The study room of Gan Ning's residence was still brightly lit by candlelight.
Gan Ning sat in the main seat, opposite Tai Shi Ci. The two of them stayed up all night and discussed all night long. The discussion was not about anything else but how to outsmart Nanchang.
At today's court meeting, as soon as Wang Zheng proposed to take the Yuzhang, some of the newly attached generals rushed to take the order.
This is not to say that capturing Yuzhang and defeating Hua Xin is a great achievement, but Bafu's strategy is very clear. In the future, the attack on Jingzhou will be carried out in two ways, advancing by land and water.
The Jiujiang side is dominated by waterways, and Zhou Yu is in command. It is estimated that the local generals in Yangzhou will be the main ones. In addition, the others are better at land warfare and were originally unwilling to go.
The land attack will basically be launched from Yuzhang. Everyone knows it well and knows that Wang Zheng will most likely be the leader of the expedition this time. Since he is the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Wu Sheng will definitely rush to be the vanguard.
.
If we fight again at that time, we may not be able to win, but if we take down the Yuzhang first to make a contribution, and then make preparations in advance, we may be more sure when the time comes.
It was precisely because of this consideration that almost everyone came out to fight for it, not only Zhang Liao and Wei Yan, but even Huang Zhong jumped out.
Of course, everything was unexpected, but in the end Gan Ning, who was recommended by Xu Fang, had the last laugh, and Tai Shi Ci, who had just joined, was arranged as his deputy general.
The reason why Gan Ning came out on top was not just because he was recommended by Xu Fang, but because he was unwilling to conquer Jiangdong last time. After some thought, he guessed that Wang Zheng must first attack Jingzhou before using troops.
We took action against Yuzhang, so we made preparations in advance.
"Brother Ziyi, that's probably it."
Although they had known each other for a short time, Gan Ning spoke very politely when facing Taishi Ci, and there was no arrogance on his face as before: "I have successfully instigated several Nanchang generals to rebel. One of them is named Zhou Li.
The captain was formerly with Duke Yuan. Oh no, he was serving under Yuan Thief. After Shouchun recovered, he fled to Yuzhang. This person has a good relationship with the general, so he should be trustworthy."
"There are also two uncles who are also former ministers of Shouchun. Because they were demoted, they were not reused. Most of the troops they command now are from the previous tribes. They number about a thousand people. Although
It is not enough for civil strife, but it is definitely enough to be used as internal support to cooperate with our army in taking the city."
"If there is an internal response, it should not be difficult to capture the city." Taishi Ci nodded slightly and asked, "When did General Gan contact these people?"
"In January."
"It's March now, and the time is not short."
After pondering for a moment, Taishi Ci said: "Although Hua Xin is a Confucian scholar, he is not a fool. Naturally, he is very clear. He is the governor of Yuzhang, but he has taken refuge with Liu Biao, the pastor of Jingzhou. The Lord will not sit idly by and ignore it. Sooner or later, he will send troops to attack, and he will certainly do the same.
Be prepared and be alert to instigating rebellion and internal responses."
"If the delay is too long, he may see that something is wrong with Zhou Li and those two uncles. I think we should act quickly next."
"good!"
Gan Ning said happily: "I think so too. It will be a long night and a lot of dreams. Tomorrow I will go to the Ba Mansion to get the talisman. When all the troops and horses are gathered, how about we leave the city immediately?"
"good."
Tai Shici agreed very much, "In my opinion, although the lord said that the general should be given five thousand men and horses, since he has internal support, three thousand men and horses are actually enough, because in the battle to capture Nanchang, in my opinion, the key to this battle is only two
word."
Gan Ning asked: "Which two words?"
"One is 'fast' and the other is 'hidden'." Taishi Ci said seriously: "Three thousand troops, although the number is smaller, can speed up the march. Even if we stop marching along the way and be more cautious, we can avoid Yuzhang's sentry.
Riding, this is the speed of soldiers."
"Surprise!"
When Gan Ning heard this, he slapped his thigh and said, "What brother Ziyi said is exactly what I want. I thought so too!"
"If we need to use five thousand elites to deal with a mere scholar, how can we show our capabilities?"
"There's just one more thing." Taishi Ci said: "After we capture Nanchang, what will we do with Hua Xin?"
This was an understatement, but the words were full of pride and confidence. After all, they had not even set off for the expedition yet, but they seemed to regard Nanchang as a treasure in their pocket.
But Gan Ning found it very pleasant. He laughed, but did not answer immediately. Thinking of his response when he asked Wang Zheng today, his heart moved. He suddenly picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, and then gently poured the tea.
He put down the cup and looked at Taishi Ci with a smile.
Unexpectedly, Taishi Ci pondered for a moment and then immediately asked: "Only take Nanchang and let Hua Xin go?"
Hearing this, the smile on Gan Ning's face froze for a moment. After being stunned for a moment, he couldn't help blurting out and asked: "How come you understood so quickly?"
"Taking Nanchang is to capture Jingzhou in the future, and the same is true for releasing Huaxin."
Taishi Ci said in a deep voice: "The former is to gain geographical advantage, but as for the latter, since Hua Xin has taken refuge with Liu Biao and is expelled from Nanchang by our army, he will definitely ask Liu Biao for help. How will Liu Biao react?"
"If you ignore it, you will not only lose the hearts of the people and tarnish your reputation, but if the Yuzhang is lost, you will completely lose the opportunity to defend the enemy from the country. Therefore, Liu Biao must take action. In this way, the general will be able to make a name for himself when he goes south.
."
Why didn't I think of it at that time? Gan Ning sighed secretly. Just when he was feeling a little depressed, Tai Shici asked again: "General Gan, I have one more thing to ask you."
"Brother Ziyi, please tell me."
"Since we are cooperating with the inside and outside, I think that after taking Nanchang, both the Yuzhang army and our army should suffer few casualties. If the strategy is right, it is possible to kill without losing blood."
Taishi Ci said: "Then what should be done with the prisoners in Yuzhang?"
Yuzhang is a county, and there are at least 6,000 defenders. Even if 4,000 prisoners are taken, it is still a large number. Taishi Ci and Gan Ning have just decided that in order to speed up the troops and take surprise, they will only take 3,000 troops this time.
The cavalry is the main force, even if the thousand men and horses from Zhou Li are added, it is only the same as the number of prisoners, so that is indeed a problem.
"After we capture Nanchang, we have to capture the counties in the north one by one. For the sake of stability, naturally not even half of the original defenders can be left behind after capturing the city!"
Gan Ning snorted coldly and said: "All the captives who are willing to surrender will be sent to Shouchun. Those who are unwilling to surrender, hey." At this point, he raised his hand and chopped it off.
Taishi Ci was silent for a moment, then asked in a deep voice: "Have you ever told my lord about this?"
Gan Ning knew that what he was asking was actually another sentence, but he still nodded slightly. Taishi Ci said no more, raised his hands and said, "Nuo!"
Three days later, Gan Ning and Tai Shi Ci led the troops out of the city.
All the way, flags and drums were silenced, and we traveled at night until dawn. On March 9, the second year of Jian'an, we arrived outside Nanchang City and set up camp thirty miles away from the city.
Instructing his men to remain the same as before, they were only allowed to eat dry food and were not allowed to light fires and smoke. Gan Ning invited Tai Shici to come to the commander's tent to discuss the next siege.
Taishi Ci said: "At present, it seems that the city is not aware of it, which is of great benefit to me. However, before attacking the city, we must first think of ways and internal connections."
"That's exactly what it should be."
Gan Ning immediately called his personal guards, "Take three or two people with you, don't wear armor, don't need weapons, disguise yourself, and pretend to be locals. Try to sneak into Nanchang City, go find Zhou Li and others, ask them, and see if they are ready."
Are you done? Ask again and see when they can take action."
The bodyguard responded and went away after receiving the order. Taishi Ci and Wang Xiong were waiting in the army.
It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that the guards turned around and reported to the account: "Because we were unable to enter the city late last night, the city gate was opened today, so we went to enter the city and found Zhou Li and others."
Gan Ning looked sideways and asked, "How did they say that?"
"General," the guard replied, "Zhou Li said that if you want to coordinate the inside and outside, tomorrow night is the most suitable?"
"Why is it tomorrow night and not tonight?" Taishi Ci interjected and asked: "You know, one more day will increase the possibility of being discovered by the defenders."
"Zhou Li said that Hua Xin likes to talk about style very much. Tomorrow happens to be the day when he invites relatives and friends to smell the fragrance and drink. I think he will sing all day long and stay up all night."
Hearing this, Taishi Ci's eyes moved slightly and he sighed secretly, because it was the same thing when Kong Rong was in Beihai.
Gan Ning asked: "Then when does he think it is appropriate to launch it?"
"Zhou Li thinks that our army can attack the city at noon."
"Where to attack the city from?"
"The people guarding the city are all direct descendants of Hua Xin, and there is no such thing as Zhou Li. However, among the garrison guarding the east city gate, Du Bo named Niu Wu has been secretly bribed by Zhou Li. It is determined that our army is approaching the city.
When the time comes, he will open the door from the inside."
That was to attack the east city gate. Gan Ning nodded slightly and asked, "How many troops and horses are there in the city? Can you ask Zhou Li clearly about their specific locations and deployment?"
"There are seven thousand soldiers and horses in the city, one thousand at each of the four city gates, and more than three thousand troops in the camp in the north of the city. In addition, there are hundreds of guards stationed beside Hua Xin's mansion."
A proud and arrogant person like Gan Ning is naturally able to do things as his bodyguard. The bodyguard replied in an orderly manner: "Zhou Li said that all the troops stationed in the city are direct descendants of Hua Xin, and the camp in the north of the city is
Among them, most of them are miscellaneous. His more than a thousand people are stationed in the north of the city. There are also two uncles who are also stationed in the north of the city. Therefore, the camp in the north of the city does not need to be managed by our army and has its own perimeter.
The bream men are responsible. He promises that he will never let a single soldier out of the camp."
"The three of them only have a thousand troops." Gan Ning was a little confused. "Can they control the other two thousand defenders?"
"With all the calculations, there won't be enough control over them. Once a riot occurs, there won't be many troops to support the city gate."
Taishi Ci said: "What I'm most afraid of right now is that Uncle Du can't open the door as promised. Not only will we miss a good opportunity, but we will also be discovered by the defenders, and we will lose the chance of surprise."
"What is Ziyi's advice?"
"There must always be our people in the city!"
Taishi Ci said in a deep voice: "Since we will launch tomorrow night, there is still time. Why not send some more troops in batches, all dressed in ordinary clothes, with short blades hidden, pretending to be common people's businessmen and sneaking into the city. It doesn't take too many, a hundred
A large number of people is enough, try to keep the city gates open, and at the same time, you can set fires everywhere at night to create disturbances and reduce the defense of the city."
"Wonderful, with Ziyi's plan, great things will happen!"
Gan Ning immediately slapped the case and ordered loudly: "Select a hundred elites immediately and sneak into the city before tomorrow."
After the soldiers received the order and left, Taishi Ci pondered for a moment and then said: "General, it is good that everything goes well, but soldiers are also crafty. Although Hua Xin is a scholar, his reputation is not small. We must beware of this.
People also use tricks."
Gan Ning was startled, "How do you say that?"
"If Hua Xin has discovered that Zhou Yi has alien intentions and has been prepared for it, how should we respond?" Taishi Ci pondered: "Or what if the defenders have actually discovered us but pretended not to know?"
"The former is fine. Nanchang is not a fortified city. It doesn't matter if it takes a little effort at most. But the latter is more difficult. If the enemy pretends not to know, they will set up an ambush in the city and deliberately lure us into the city."
"What Ziyi said is true."
Gan Ning, who has experienced many battles, naturally knew that Tai Shici's concerns were possible. He frowned, thought for a moment, and suddenly smiled and said, "I have a plan to ensure that even if it is the latter, our army will be able to successfully capture the city!"