Chapter 31 Three thousand miles of mountains and rivers
Today I saw the simplified version of "A Generation of Military Advisors" published by the People's Publishing House. I feel that the quality is very good. Although the book is relatively thin, it is very substantial. Now that I think about it, although the editor's requirements were more, there were some modifications that I found ridiculous.
, for example, the history of Chu in the Southern Dynasties has become the history of Southern Chu, and the Kingdom of Shu has become the history of Tianshu, but it still feels very good. The typesetting and proofreading are very careful. If you want to collect it, this edition should be a good choice.
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You can buy this book on the online book store!
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February 26, Youshi, Xiangyang.
Under the setting sun, Yong's army gradually retreated. Rong Yuan sighed softly, feeling extremely melancholy in his heart. Since the death of Prince De, he became the general of Xiangyang and guarded the important town because of the prince's recommendation. However, over the years, he has not
There has never been a trace of joy. To the monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu, Rong Yuan was just a poor scholar. Although he had some ability to defend the city, he was not a famous general, so he could only defend Xiangyang for more than ten years. He really wanted to achieve a few achievements.
After a great victory, he felt proud and entered the military center of Nanchu. However, no matter how hard he tried, he was still just a defender. What made him even more depressed was that Dayong had never been defeated since King Qi's two failed attacks on Xiangyang.
Place heavy troops on Xiangyang. Every time there is a war, 100,000 or 80,000 soldiers and horses are sent to besiege Xiangyang. In this way, although Xiangyang sleeps peacefully, the credit cannot be mentioned. Just like the battle that just ended
During the war, Lu Can and Shi Guan received various awards, but he and Jiameng Guan Yumian did not receive even a piece of commendation. Thinking that even though he did not have a great victory over the enemy, countless Yong troops died under Xiangyang City, and
The city of Xiangyang alone was able to attract more than 100,000 Yong troops, which in itself was no small feat. However, after the war, he did not get the slightest recognition. With Rong Yuan's character, how could he bear such humiliation.
Looking at the retreating Yong army, Rong Yuan slapped his palm on the stone of the city wall angrily. Changsun Ji, a thief, simply regarded Xiangyang City as a place for military training. He sent out troops in turns to attack the city every day to hone their combat power.
, did not have the courage to make a desperate move. Didn't Yong's army know that if it could not win Xiangyang, it would not be able to threaten Jiangling and Jiangxia, and even if it captured Huainan, its footing would be unstable?
February 26, Haishi, Suzhou.
The night was hazy and the cool breeze was blowing. In a simple and unpretentious bedroom, the candlelight was flickering. A person was sleeping on the couch, with scars on his face. Even in his sleep, his brows were frowning. Outside the door, two guardians
The guards' eyes were like hawks. Even under the protection of thousands of troops, they still did not relax for a moment. When it was almost midnight, the guards who changed shifts hurriedly came over. They walked to the door, and the two guards who were originally guarding the door looked at each other.
With a smile, he walked out quietly, preparing to change his defense. One of the guards inadvertently glanced at the face of the guard, but it was an unfamiliar face. He was startled, stopped and was about to ask, then
He felt a cold light flash before his eyes, and then a hand covered his mouth and nose, and blood poured into his throat. He tried his best to shout, but he couldn't make a sound. The other guard was almost completely unprepared and just felt
As soon as his vision went dark, he lost consciousness. The two pretended guards quickly put the two of them at the door and let them stand leaning against the wall. Under the waning moon, if you looked at them from a distance, you would just think that the two of them were lazy and fighting.
He was just dozing off. Then one of the two men pushed open the door and entered, while the other hid himself under the window. In his hand, it was as cold as snow, but it was a dagger.
Cui Jue's eyes were about to burst. He watched his long-time friend die in blood and died on the battlefield. He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, feeling ashamed and angry. Then he woke up from his dream. He sat up and opened his eyes to look.
But under the dim light, he saw a black shadow rushing towards him. He rolled over and rolled out of the bed almost without thinking. Blood appeared and one arm fell to the ground. Cui Jue screamed in pain and shouted loudly:
"There is an assassin." The voice tore through the silent night sky. The assassin originally wanted to assassinate secretly, but he didn't expect that the sleeping target would suddenly rise up. In the end, he just cut off Cui Jue's left arm. And Cui Jue's
With a startled shout, there was an uproar outside immediately, with lights and shouts coming in this direction. The assassin hesitated for a moment, broke the window and rushed out, joined his companions outside, and rushed out. But Cui Jue was a general, and the relatives beside him
There were so many guards. If Cui Jue hadn't always been conceited about his martial arts and didn't like too many personal guards, the two of them wouldn't have had a chance. Now that they had alerted people, how could the two of them escape? After killing several people
, one assassin died in the battle, and the other assassin was captured alive by the guards. He was pushed to the front of the steps. At this time, Cui Jue was already sitting on a chair with a pale face. Next to him was a military doctor who bandaged his wounds. His arm was suddenly broken. Cui Jue
The injury was extremely serious, and he was now being forcibly supported while interrogating the assassin.
The assassin remained silent. Cui Jue asked several times and saw that he refused to speak. He also lost his patience. He was about to let someone imprison him when suddenly there were screams and shouts of death in the distance, and then came the North Gate.
A raging flame ignited. Cui Jue was startled and stood up, but he staggered. At this time, a sergeant ran in and rushed to him and said: "General, it's not good. It's the Southern Chu army coming to attack the city. The north gate
It was opened by spies, and now the Chu army has entered the city.
Cui Jue said bitterly: "What a cruel method. The Chu army just occupied the north gate and sent me an order to fight with the enemy in the streets." After saying this, he reached out to pick up the weapon, but he felt dizzy and fell to the ground that was supporting him.
Cui Fang, the clan nephew, was in his arms. At this time, most of the generals in the city had rushed to Cui Jue's residence, but they only saw Cui Fang holding Cui Jue and crying. Upon seeing this, Cui Jue's deputy general said loudly: "The general has been seriously injured.
, our army is unprepared. If we fight with the enemy, tens of thousands of troops and horses will be lost in Suzhou. Why not abandon the city and retreat to Xiao County to defend, and then ask for help from Xuzhou." Cui Fang nodded repeatedly and raised his voice.
He said: "Vice-general, please pass the order for the time being. I will escort the general to take the first step." The general heard the words and said with emotion: "I will personally cut off the retreat. All the generals must quickly gather their troops to retreat. The enemy came from the south, but they blocked it.
North gate, for the sake of safety, we retreat from the west gate."
When Cui Fang heard this, he didn't care about anything else. He carried Cui Jue on his horse and rushed towards the west gate under the protection of the guard camp. Not far from the gate of the mansion, he saw a group of cavalry rushing towards them on the long street.
, headed by two white-robed young generals, two silver spears flying like silver dragons, collecting the lives of the Yong Army soldiers. In an instant, their figures were overwhelmed by the onrushing Yong Army, and Cui Fang rushed towards them desperately.
When Ximen was about to rush out of the city gate, he accidentally looked back and saw that there was already a sea of fire behind him. Cui Fang wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and plunged into the vast night.
The battle did not end until dawn. Half of Suzhou's 30,000 troops and horses were killed in the sea of fire. The deputy general died in the city. The flying cavalry camp, led by Lu Yun and Shi Yujin, chased for twenty miles and defeated Yong's army. Yong's army was defeated and retreated to Xiao County.
Cui Jue was seriously injured and fell into a coma.
February 27th, at the end of Yinshi, Sizhou.
The sky is not yet dawn, the fog is cold and the water is cold. On the surging Huai River, there are many ferries, sailing towards the other side in the darkness, quietly heading towards Sizhou City. Sizhou City is only two miles away from the Huai River.
The sergeants were all wearing gray clothes similar to the night. The sky was dim and the fog was locked in the Huai River. Until those gray figures arrived at the gate of Sizhou City, they were still not noticed by Yong's army.
When they arrived at the bottom of the city, more than a dozen black shadows hid themselves under the city and climbed up the city on their hands and knees. These people were agile and could climb up like apes just by relying on the slight unevenness of the city wall. Before they even approached the top of the city, the city
Someone on the top shouted in a low voice: "You are here." After saying this, he put down the rope. With the help of the rope, these men in black had climbed up the city wall and disappeared into the darkness. Less than an hour later, in Sizhou City,
Suddenly there were fires everywhere, and then there were chaotic shouts of killing from inside the city gate. After a while, the city gate opened.
The general of the Nanchu army who was hiding in the dark saw it, and knew that the strategy of cooperating inside and outside to defeat Sizhou was half completed. He waved his flag and the sound of killing was loud. The Nanchu sergeant rushed towards the city gate. The general took the lead and entered the city.
Seeing the fireworks in front of him, the man who led the way quickly disappeared in the martial arts performance. The general frowned and shouted: "Don't go deep, control the city gate."
At this moment, shouts of killing suddenly came from both sides. The general was stunned and saw Yong's army rushing up from both sides. The city gate behind him was slammed shut. The general knew something was wrong and shouted: "Zhong
Come on, follow me and fight out." But before he could even take two steps, he was killed by a sharp arrow.
On the other side of the Huai River, Yang Xiu, who was looking at Sizhou from a distance, had an ominous premonition in his heart. It had been half an hour and he had not yet received any reward. Just when he was anxious, he saw the Sizhou city gate on the other side of the river suddenly opened, and a Yongjun general
Riding his horse to the river, he laughed loudly and said: "Thank you for your generous gift. I accept it with joy, General." After that, he waved his hand, and the sergeant beside him dropped dozens of heads. The general said loudly: "General Zhang
By fate, all those who have secretly collaborated with the Chu army and attempted to seize Sizhou will be punished, and the leader ordered me to give their heads to Mr. Yang." After saying that, the Yong army galloped back. At this moment, the smoke on the river had just dispersed.
, revealing the turbulent Huai River and the impregnable city on the other side.
Yang Xiu felt a sharp pain in her heart, knowing that the insiders who had worked so hard to contact and the warriors sent to capture the city had all been martyred.
Zhang Wenxiu, who was standing at the top of the Sizhou city at this moment, was also sweating. If he had not received a secret report yesterday, the aristocratic families in the city would have shown signs of instability. At dusk, he received a secret order from Pei Yun, asking him to desperately take the wealthy families in the city into custody. Only then did he realize that the Nanchu army should cooperate with the outside world.
If not for this conspiracy, I am afraid that Sizhou City will not be protected. Now he has 50,000 troops guarding Sizhou and Xucheng respectively. The Southern Chu Army has set up camp in Duliang on the other side. The Huaidong Chu Army took the initiative
Going north, it goes without saying that this battle is difficult.
On March 2nd, inside Xiangyang City, Rong Yuan looked at the secret report in his hand and almost gritted his teeth. In the past two days, the Yong Army suddenly slowed down their offensive. Rong Yuan felt uneasy and sent people out to investigate, but found that the Yong Army had left outside the city.
More than half of the way, only tens of thousands of people were left there to feint attack. In confusion, some Yong Army sergeants were captured and tortured, and they learned that the battle on the Jianghuai battlefield had begun, Pei Yun's letter asking for help had arrived in Xiangyang, and Changsun Ji had left 20,000 people behind.
This was a bluff, and he took the main force to Huaibei. After Rong Yuan learned about it, he felt very angry. He didn't even know about such a big event, and Lu Can was too deceived.
Mobilizing all his spies, Rong Yuan quickly learned about the situation in Jianghuai. This war spread to both Huaihe and Huaihe, and the fighting was extremely fierce.
On February 26, Cui Jue was assassinated, Suzhou fell, and Cui Jue retreated to Xiao County.
On February 27, Yang Xiumou failed in Sizhou and crossed the Huaihe River to attack Xucheng. The two armies fought several battles between Sizhou and Xucheng, with both sides winning or losing.
On February 28, Yang Xiuliu's troops attacked Sizhou, and he led his navy to attack Chuzhou from the Li Canal.
On February 29, the Chu army broke through Xucheng and flooded Sizhou with floodwaters. Zhang Wenxiu was forced to retreat to Chuzhou, blocking Yang Xiu's way.
On March 1, after Zhang Wenxiu fought hard for a day and night, Pei Yun left Chuzhou to meet the Sizhou army. The two armies retreated into Chuzhou, and Yang Xiu was trapped.
On March 2, after five days of fierce attacks, the Xiaoxian city was defeated. The Huaixi Army and the Feiqi Battalion pursued the Yong Army and fell into ambush in Jiuli Mountain. Lu Yun and Shi Yujin led their troops to break through the encirclement and retreat to Xiaoxian.
However, these battles have nothing to do with the Xiangyang Army. Every time he thinks about this, Rong Yuan feels like his heart is cut by a knife and he is filled with jealousy. He is a narrow-minded person, but the last time Lu Can won a great victory, he
Even without hard work, this matter has already become irrefutable evidence of Lu Can's jealousy of talents in the mouths of people with ulterior motives. Now Lu Can does not consider the Xiangyang army at all, and launches the Jianghuai War on his own. He is even busy in the naval battle in Wuyue.
, only left the war to Yang Xiu, Shi Guan, and the young Lu Yun and Shi Yujin, but they did not see the combat power of the Xiangyang army. This kind of contempt made Rong Yuan want to strive for merit.
On March 6th, at the top of Xian Mountain, I was admiring the earlier cliff carvings from the previous dynasty. My heart was as calm as water. While I was studying the vague words carefully, Hu Yanshou came over in a hurry and said: "Master Hou, Rong
Sure enough, Yuan has already gone to Nanyang."
I sighed softly when I heard the words and said: "Rong Yuan is an old acquaintance of mine. He is a talented person, but he is too narrow-minded. He did not get the Jianye award last time and was already jealous. This time Lu
Canxing Bing had nothing to do with him, so how could it not make him angry? The so-called "powerful leader" was so stupid that as long as he set up a scheme to make him think that General Changsun was really going to rescue Huaidong, he would definitely look for an opportunity to go to war and achieve great achievements, compared with the great achievements of regaining Huaibei.
, if he can capture Nanyang, he will have the opportunity to attack Wuguan and approach Guanzhong. If he is not tempted by such a great achievement, he will not be Rong Yuan."
Hu Yanshou smiled and said: "The great thing about Lord Marquis's plan is that all the news is true, but he tried to let Rong Yuan know more. General Changsun's strategy of reducing troops and increasing kitchens allowed Rong Yuan to attack Nanyang
The army has no doubts about advancing eastward, so it is greedy for success. Unfortunately, General Changsun has deployed heavy troops in Nanyang, and I am afraid that Rong Yuan will not be able to go."
I smiled faintly and said: "Rong Yuan went to attack Nanyang just because he wanted to gain some credit. He would be suspicious of his advance and retreat along the way. If there was a slight disturbance, he might run back to Xiangyang, so he had to be lured to Nanyang.
Only when he is frustrated in Nanyang will he rush back to Xiangyang. At that time, our army will set up an ambush on the way to block his return. When Rong Yuan attacks Nanyang, he will have to go north with light cavalry, and there will still be a garrison force left in Xiangyang city.
Therefore, our army needs to trap Xiangyang. If we destroy the main force led by Rongyuan, Xiangyang will no longer have the power to attack. If we take advantage of the situation and capture Xiangyang, we will achieve a complete victory. As long as Xuzhou is still in our hands,
Even if we lose the whole of Huainan, it’s not a big deal.”
Hu Yanshou said with admiration: "The Hou Ye's plan to attack people's hearts is the most difficult to guard against. I never thought beforehand that Rong Yuan would leave Xiangyang and go north."
I heard this and said, "You didn't expect that according to my original plan, I just used rumors to motivate Rong Yuan to fight, let him win a few games in a row, and then trap and kill the main force of the Xiangyang cavalry. But I didn't expect that the Jianghuai War would break out in advance. I
Only then did I think that we could use this opportunity and Rong Yuan's limited resources to trick him into using his troops to attack from afar, and we would take the opportunity to seize Xiangyang. Regardless of whether this move succeeds or not, Xiangyang will no longer be the sharp thorn in Da Yong's throat."
After saying that, he ignored Hu Yanshou's deep thoughts. Standing on the top of Xian Mountain and looking into the distance, Xiangyang City, the Han River, Yuliangzhou, and Lumen Mountain on the other side of the Han River were all vivid in his mind. He thought that in half a day, this would be the place.
When the war breaks out again, the city that has lost its general will not be able to remain impregnable.
The situation changed extremely rapidly in the next half month. I never thought that the second war between Yong and Chu would start so soon.
On March 7, Changsun Ji sent general Mo Ye to attack Xiangyang and cut off the passage between Xiangyang and Nanyang.
On March 8, Rong Yuan broke into the new field.
On March 9, Rong Yuan failed to attack Nanyang and learned that Changsun Ji had not rushed to Jianghuai to aid.
On March 11, Rong Yuan fought against Changsun Ji in Xinye, but the battle was unfavorable.
On March 12, Rong Yuan suffered heavy losses and successfully broke through.
On March 13th, Fancheng fell and Rongyuan was blocked by the Han River.
On March 14, the Xiangyang garrison went out of the city to meet Rong Yuan, but to no avail.
On March 15th, Rong Yuan and Changsun Ji fought against Tang Baihe again, and Changsun Ji suffered a slight defeat.
On March 16, Rong Yuan detoured to the west side of Fancheng, intending to cross the Han River into Xiangyang, but was blocked by Moye.
On March 17, the city of Xiangyang was defeated. Seeing that the situation was beyond control, Rong Yuan and his remaining troops crossed the Han River and retreated to Yicheng. They were ambushed at Fenglin Pass and only three thousand horsemen escaped.
During the fierce fighting in Xiangyang, the fighting in Jianghuai was also extremely fierce.
Because Cui Jue could not go into battle, Pei Yun sent Zhang Wenxiu to assist Cui Jue's troops on March 4. By March 19th, the Huaixi Army and Zhang Wenxiu fought a total of 17 battles in Xiao County and Jiuli Mountain.
After many changes of hands, both sides suffered heavy losses. Zhang Wenxiu's troops were exhausted and he had no choice but to retreat to Xuzhou. The Huaixi Army attacked fiercely for two days but failed.
On March 22, General Jing Chi, the vanguard of the Yongjiang River southward, arrived in Xuzhou and defeated the Feiqi camp at the foot of Xuzhou City. The Huaixi Army of Southern Chu retreated to Suzhou overnight.
On March 24, Jing Chi failed to attack Suzhou and diverted to Chuzhou. At that time, Pei Yun had been holding Chuzhou for nearly a month. Chuzhou was in danger, but Jingchi rescued him and his morale was greatly boosted.
On March 25, Yang Xiu learned that Xiangyang had been lost and reinforcements from Xuzhou had arrived, so he had no choice but to retreat to Huai River. However, Dayong only had one city in Chuzhou left in Huainan.
At this point, the month-long war between Yong and Chu finally ended, but Nan Chu's misfortune did not stop. It occupied Jianghuai and lost Xiangyang. Regardless of whether it was a gain or a loss, the great changes in Shu were more shocking.
As early as the beginning of the year, there were rumors that Yu Mian had intentionally deserted because he had not been rewarded. Although this rumor was refuted by Lu Can, Shang Weijun felt uneasy, so after the Yuan Dynasty, he sent an internal servant to supervise the army.
Although Lu Can was dissatisfied with Chu's practice, he had no choice but to do anything. Unexpectedly, the eunuch asked for bribes but failed, and repeatedly made slanderous accusations against Yu Mian for having second thoughts. Although all of them had no effect because of Lu Can, Shang Weijun's suspicion became more and more serious.
Finally, the food and salary of the Jiamengguan garrison was handed over to the supervisor. As a result, the chamberlain embezzled most of the food and salary, leaving the Jiamengguan garrison without food and wages, and their hearts were upset. After Lu Can learned about it, he wrote to Jianye, requesting that the chamberlain be recalled for questioning.
When the chamberlain heard about it, he was afraid of being punished, so he secretly surrendered to Dayong, and cooperated with the inside and outside. On March 29, Qin Yong attacked Jiameng Pass, and Yu Mian retreated to Jiange.
Perhaps the only thing that can reassure the Southern Chu court is that under the personal supervision of Lu Can, the Wu and Yue rebels have stabilized the coastal defenses, and the Yong army can no longer easily enter Hangzhou Bay. However, Wu Yue's small victory cannot be compared with Xiangyang and Shuzhong
In mid-April, Qi King Li Xian's army arrived in Xuzhou, and the establishment of the Jiangnan route made the Southern Chu court even more uneasy. Lu Can had received military reports at that time, and the Wuyue war committee was entrusted to his generals and rushed to Jiangxia to command the battle.
After Li Xian arrived in Xuzhou, he sent his eldest son, Sun Ji, down from Xiangyang to attack Jiangling along the Han River Valley. On April 21, Rong Yuan received Lu Can's military order to abandon Yicheng and defend Jingling, but eldest grandson Ji could not even attack.
Ke. Lu Can sent troops from Jiangxia to aid Jingling along the Han River, and defeated Changsun Ji at the foot of the city. Changsun Ji was defeated and retreated to Yicheng. Rong Yuan was impatient and did not follow the military orders to pursue. Changsun Ji abandoned Yicheng and returned north to Xiangyang. Rong Yuan pursued Fenglin.
Pass, but unexpectedly the Yong army repeated its old tricks and set up an ambush again. Rong Yuan was defeated and retreated. Lu Can's reinforcements rushed to Fenglin Pass and attacked again. The Yong army was caught off guard and Fenglin Pass was broken. The Yong army suffered heavy losses and retreated to Xiangyang. Lu Can knew that Xiangyang could not be attacked.
It stops.
At that time, Qin Yong was unable to defeat Jiangge for a long time, so he took a detour through Yinping Road in order to pass through Long'an and Jiangyou to Mianyang. Yu Mian got Lu Can to send a message thousands of miles away and divided his troops to guard Long'an. The Qin warriors could not attack for a long time and retreated to Jiameng Pass.
Pei Yun received reinforcements and stormed Huaidong. Yang Xiu relied on his naval forces to travel across the Huai River and the canal. Yong's army was struggling and could not cross the Huai River half a step. Huaidong fell into a stalemate. Huaixi Shiguan personally defended Suzhou, and Yong's general Jing Chi
The fierce attack lasted for more than a month, and the city was broken. Shiguan retreated to Zhongli, and then burned Suzhou, leaving only a scorched earth. The Yong army was exhausted from long battles, Zhongli's defense line was stable, and there were flying cavalry battalions to assist in the battle, so the Yong army was not allowed to enter Huaixi.
Yong and Chu fought for half a year, and both were exhausted. The Donghai Navy repeatedly plundered Wu and Yue. Although the Yuhang water camp received help from the rebels and suffered no major losses, no civilians dared to live within thirty miles of the sea. Wu and Yue's commerce
The losses were heavy. Although the Yong army had many victories, the Chu army also fought steadily and the battle lines were tight, but they were unable to achieve a decisive victory.
In the tenth month of the golden autumn, Shang Weijun sent an envoy to Xuzhou to discuss peace. The kings and ministers of Dayong also suffered from the tenacity and difficulty of attacking Southern Chu, so they agreed to a ceasefire and peace talks. The peace talks lasted for four months. Dayong asked Southern Chu to cede territory for peace. Shang Weijun was moved, and Lu
Can refused and argued for several months, but the peace talks failed. The following year, war broke out again. Qin Yong entered Shu from Micang Road and passed through Bazhong to seize Bajun. Although Shuzhong has been run by the Lu family for many years, it is still the land of the old Shu.
, Xiahou Yuanfeng of the Mingjian Division came to Bajun in person. Within a few months, Bajun was stabilized. During this period, the Kuizhou Army of Southern Chu and Jiange Yumian attacked from both sides, but Qin Yong retreated, and the road to the southeast was cut off from the middle of Shu.
In August of the ninth year of Longsheng, Li Zhi accepted Jiang Zhe's suggestion and proposed a peace negotiation, exchanging Jiange and various parts of Chengdu for the Chu troops of Bajun and Yu Mian. In September, the peace negotiation was successful, and Southern Chu lost most of the territory in central Shu that it had occupied for many years. Lu Canli
Against all opinions, Yu Mian was ordered to guard Bajun, and heavy troops were stationed in Kuizhou to provide backup for Bajun.
In the next year, Yong's army made no further progress. Yu Mian defended Bajun without any omissions, and Yong's army did not get the chance to go down the river. Jiangling and Jiangxia were also as stable as Mount Tai. Yong's army attacked Jingling and Suizhou several times, but failed.
Although the battle lines in Huaixi and Huaidong changed from time to time, the Yong army was never able to capture all the land in the Jianghuai area. After three consecutive years of war, the Southern Chu army became stronger and stronger as it fought under the command of Lu Can. Moreover, there were dangers in the Jianghuai area and the advantages of the navy.