"My lord, what you mean is..." Zhang Liao could already feel that Yan Liang's body was filled with murderous aura.
Yan Liang stood up suddenly and said with a sneer: "Go ahead and order Gan Xingba to lead an attack with ten thousand naval troops tomorrow. I will go and frighten that Biyaner."
At this time, Sun Quan still had 30,000 naval troops in his hands. If Ai County could not be captured for a long time, Sun Quan would probably send more troops to Yuzhang.
Although Wei Yan's ability to defend the city was outstanding, he was deep into Wu territory after all. Although Yan Liang was full of confidence in him, he could not let Wei Yan bear all the pressure alone.
Therefore, Yan Liang wanted to change his tactic of not fighting and take the initiative to order the navy to attack. Even if he did not engage in actual battle with the enemy, he could put pressure on Sun Quan and prevent him from easily deploying his troops.
Zhang Liao was stunned for a moment, then understood the intention, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "My lord is so flexible in using his troops. His ability to adapt to changes seems to be as good as Cao Gong's. It's really commendable."
…
Twenty miles downstream is the Wu army camp.
In the large tent of the Chinese army, Sun Quan was pacing back and forth, his brows furrowed and his expression full of anxiety.
As for Ai County, Sun Quan had already learned the news that Lu Su's army could not attack for a long time.
Sun Quan really couldn't believe that there was something so special about that unknown man named Wei Yan that he could make the 25,000-strong army led by Lu Su helpless.
Gan Ning, Huang Zhong, and now Wei Yan, these were not well-known people who were originally under Liu Biao, but now in the hands of Yan Liang, they have all become headaches for Sun Quan.
What method did that thief Yan Liang use to make every piece of rotten iron in his hands shine like gold?
Sun Quan couldn't figure it out even if he thought about it.
But these are not the key points. The key point is how to capture Ai County as soon as possible. If we continue to delay this war, it will only become more and more beneficial to him.
Sun Quan originally wanted to mobilize another part of Shouchun's army to go south, but unfortunately, an urgent report came from Cheng Pu just a few days ago, saying that the enemy general Zhang He was leading 5,000 elite infantry and cavalry southward along the Ying River.
, heading towards Shouchun.
After receiving this news, Sun Quan naturally hated Yan Liang even more in his heart.
Sun Quan knew very well Yan Liang's purpose of using troops in the north. A mere five thousand infantry and cavalry were not enough to capture Shouchun, but they were enough to pose a considerable threat. Yan Liang's move was clearly intended to hold back his army in Shouchun and make him
I dare not send any troops to go south.
Obviously, Yan Liangzhi's goal was achieved.
Even though Sun Quan knew Yan Liang's intentions, he did not dare to take the risk. After all, Shouchun was too important to him at this time, and if anything went wrong, the consequences would be disastrous.
Pacing back and forth, the cloud on Sun Quan's face became heavier and heavier.
All the generals in the tent held their breath and did not dare to take another breath of air.
In the silence, Xu Sheng suddenly said: "My lord, since Ai County cannot be attacked for a long time, the general thought that it would be better to transfer another 10,000 troops from the camp to Governor Lu. I don't believe that if we combine 35,000 troops, we can still defeat him."
A mere Ai County can't be conquered."
Sun Quan stopped and looked back at Xu Sheng, his frown slightly relaxed, as if he had received some reminder.
"Since more than 20,000 troops have been mobilized, if we cannot recover Ai County as soon as possible, it will be a waste of effort. If so, it is better to simply mobilize another 10,000 troops and annihilate the enemies of Ai County in one go..."
Sun Quan's thinking quickly turned around. He weighed it for a long time, his frown gradually relaxed, and he seemed to have made a decision.
"Wen Xiang's words make sense. It's useless to have 30,000 troops sitting here. It's better to mobilize another army..."
"Report——"
Before the words were spoken, a scout hurried in and shouted: "Your Majesty, the sentry ship upstream is reporting urgently. We have discovered that Yan Jun's navy has been dispatched in large numbers and is heading towards our military camp."
As soon as these words came out, all the Wu generals in the tent, including Sun Quan, looked shocked.
No one expected that Yan Liang, who had been holding on, would choose to attack at this time.
After the shock, Sun Quan's blue eyes immediately burst out with a look of ecstasy, and he laughed and said: "Yan Liang, the thief, finally couldn't hold himself back anymore. Well, it would be better for him to take the initiative. I will take this opportunity to kill him."
The navy took advantage of the situation and annihilated it."
Sun Quan, who was in ecstasy, thought that Yan Liang had finally failed. In excitement, he immediately ordered Xu Sheng, Chen Wu and others to lead the navy out in full force, trying to annihilate the main force of Yan Liang's navy in one fell swoop through a decisive battle on the water.
Thirty thousand Wu troops and more than 600 warships came out of the killing water camp in a mighty manner, went up the river, and rushed towards the 10,000 naval troops commanded by Gan Ning.
When Wu's army left the camp in a fierce manner and was still seven or eight miles away from Gan Ning's fleet, the sentry ship reported the news to Gan Ning.
Looking downstream at the overwhelming cloud sails coming from a distance, Gan Ning revealed a sarcastic sneer at the corner of his mouth.
"As expected, my lord, Sun Quan was so impatient that he wanted to fight us, so he sent out his entire army so quickly, huh."
The enemy army was approaching, but there was no trace of murderous intent on Gan Ning's face except for the mockery.
He just sneered and said disapprovingly: "The Wu people have left their nest, it's time for us to go back. Send an order to the entire army to withdraw troops and return to camp."
The flag was waved and the order was given. Hundreds of Yanjun warships turned their bows and retreated towards the Fankou camp more than ten miles away.
When the 30,000-strong Wu army arrived in a hurry, Gan Ning's navy had already fled far away.
Xu Sheng and other generals saw that Yan's army was retreating and the battle failed, but they did not dare to pursue and attack Fankou, so they had to return to their own camp with a unhappy mood.
However, in the next three days, Yan Liang ordered Gan Ning to lead his army to attack three times in the morning, afternoon and evening, making it look like he was about to launch a large-scale attack.
Sun Quan, on the other hand, was eager for a decisive battle and sent out 30,000 troops every time. However, every time he rushed to nothing, not even a hair on Yan's army was touched.
After several feints, Sun Quan finally came to his senses after being teased.
It turns out that Yan Liang has no intention of fighting you decisively at all, and his several feint attacks are just harassment tactics, with the purpose of holding back Sun Quan's main force so that he does not dare to divide his troops to reinforce Ai County.
After being teased several times, Sun Quan's hatred for Yan Liang could not help but increase.
However, Sun Quan was helpless, because he could not determine which of Yan Liang's feints was true. If one of the ten feints was true, at that time his troops were transferred to Ai County, and then Yan Liang came to attack in large numbers.
, if the main business makes a mistake, the consequences will be disastrous.
In desperation, Sun Quan had no choice but to give up his plan of sending more troops. At this time, he could only hope that Di Lusu could use his military skills to conquer Ai County as soon as possible.
…
dusk.
In the big tent, Sun Quan had a sad face and stared at the map in trance.
The confidence and domineering spirit that Moling had when he went on the expedition had now been wiped away by Yan Liang's clever tricks one after another. At this time, Sun Quan no longer had the high spirits he once had.
The curtains were raised, and a gust of cold wind penetrated into the tent. Sun Quan trembled and shuddered.
When he looked up, he saw a young man with fine features walking into the tent.
"It's Boyan. Aren't you in Wuzhong? How come you are here?" Sun Quan asked.
That young Confucian scholar was none other than Lu Xun.
Lu Xun cupped his hands and said calmly: "Xun came from Jiangdong to escort grain and fodder under the orders of the lord. He came here to report back to the lord."
Sun Quan was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly remembered this matter.
"I've been busy with military affairs recently, so I forgot about it." Sun Quan patted his forehead gently and laughed at himself with a wry smile.
Lu Xun hesitated for a moment and asked cautiously: "When Xun was in Jiangdong, I heard that the military situation on the Chaisang front was not going well. I wonder if Xun can share the Lord's worries?"
Lu Xun was just a newborn calf with little qualifications, but now he wanted to share Sun Quan's worries. This confidence was commendable.
Sun Quan thought of Zhou Yu who was recovering from illness and wrote to him to recommend Lu Xun, saying that although Lu Xun was young, he was very resourceful. Sun Quan thought that since there was no other way now, he might as well listen to the opinions of this young man in front of him.
At that time, Sun Quan followed Yan Liang's various tricks and dealt with the young man.
After hearing this, Lu Xun was silent for a long time and said calmly: "Our army is being led by Yan Liang in every aspect. The situation is indeed somewhat passive. However, Xun has a plan that may help our army reverse the passive situation."
Hearing these words, Sun Quan was shocked, and a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his brows.
…
Fankou.
Yan Liang was in the tent, drinking some wine and listening leisurely to the generals' reports.
In the south of Ru, Zhang He's infantry and cavalry went south along the Ying River, and successively captured Ruyin and other counties, and their troops were approaching Yingkou.
Zhang He's march south put considerable pressure on the Wu people on the Shouchun front line. Cheng Pu, the governor of the northern front, had to mobilize all the troops in Huainan and garrison them on the Yingkou line to prevent Zhang He's army from crossing the Huaihe River defense line.
The Wu army in Shouchun was no longer able to move south and there was nothing to fear.
As for the Wu camp, Gan Ning's repeated feint attacks had forced Sun Quan to not dare to mobilize any more troops.
South of Chaisang, Huang Zhong, who was good at mountain warfare, also put considerable pressure on Sun Yu with his attack in the Mufu Mountain area.
As for Ai County, let alone Lu Su, who had no reinforcements from Sun Quan. Although he had more than 20,000 troops, he besieged Ai County for many days and launched several fierce attacks, but he was still unable to do anything to Wei Yan.
All kinds of intelligence are developing in favor of Yan Liang, and what Yan Liang has to do now is to wait for his chariots and ships to be armed, and then look for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Sun Quan.
"Very good, send someone to break into Ai County and tell Wei Wenchang that he will be nailed to Ai County for me. If he can hold on until I defeat Sun Quan's main force, he will be the first contributor to my general's pacification of Soochow."
Yan Liang was in high spirits, and all the generals in the tent were also deeply encouraged by the current situation.
At this moment, Zhou Cang hurriedly entered the account and handed the toilet paper and silk book to Yan Liang, "My lord, there is an urgent report from Jingzhou."
Yan Liang took the silk book and glanced at it roughly. The two blade-like eyebrows could not help but condense slightly.