How long will the troubled times that began in the first year of Zhongping last? It is difficult to give an accurate answer. People in the Central Plains believe in learning from history. The troubled times in Chu and Han lasted for seven years, but the troubled times in the late Western Han Dynasty lasted for more than twenty years.
, not to mention the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods in the pre-Qin era.
Therefore, no one can accurately predict the answer. But no one likes to live in troubled times.
In the eyes of many wise men of the world, in the eleventh year after the chaos began, the dawn of the end of the chaos finally appeared! The two major forces that dominated the world finally ended their previous tacit understanding of avoiding each other, and unabashedly pointed the finger at each other.
Got the other party!
This is a very iconic signal, indicating that the chaotic era of melee between heroes is over, and the decisive battle to win the Central Plains is about to begin. Once the winner is determined, the chaotic era will come to an end.
Because of this understanding, even though they knew the tragedy of this war, many people still looked forward to it, waiting for the peaceful years to come after the severe labor pains.
Onlookers may think so, but the people in the area where the two armies are fighting will definitely not think so. The upcoming war will bring them nothing but endless panic.
There are many opinions on when the war started. If we count it from the moment when the two major forces made targeted mobilization, it should be on the tenth day of November.
On that day, Qingzhou Internal Army General Xu Shu and Western Conquest General Xu Huang led a hundred thousand troops, including fifty thousand elite soldiers, to leave Wei County and enter Bingzhou via Jingxing, Fukouxing, and Baixing respectively without stopping.
They crossed Huguan, Jinyang and other important towns and went straight to the Zishi area at the junction of Xihe and Taiyuan, Shangdang.
The Xiliang Army was slightly slower in gathering troops and horses. It was not until the beginning of December that the main force was assembled in Lishi. After each completed their deployment, the forwards of the two armies were less than a hundred miles apart, and it was possible to enter combat at any time.
If we look at it from a diplomatic level, on November 25th, General Zhang Liao of the Yi Division and General Huang Zhong of the Northern Expedition led their troops from Gaotang to the south, through the city and Lu County, and in the early morning of the 25th, they arrived at Sui at the junction of Jibei Kingdom and Dongping Kingdom.
Township, assumed an offensive posture, and issued an ultimatum to Guo Gong, the governor of Yuzhou.
Strictly speaking, before the war, Guo Gong had no clear inclination. He knew that his strength was limited and he was unable to participate in such a big scene. He only wanted to be a wallflower.
If possible, Wang Yu would not pay attention to him, but Guo Gong's territory just blocked the Qingzhou Army's attack on Cao Cao's flank.
The Yanzhou battlefield faced the main force of Cao Cao's army, as well as strong cities such as Fengqiu, Chenliu and even Hulao Pass. Even if he gained the upper hand, it would be difficult to quickly expand the results. It was necessary to deploy troops from the flanks. And Guo Guo
Gong's own strength is not worth mentioning. If you don't know what to do, you will certainly have to fight him all the way.
Guo Gong was also a tempered master, and his plan of not offending both sides could not work out, so he simply turned to Cao Cao, which could be regarded as a bad temper.
When and how these secret connections took place are unknown to the world. The only thing that is known is that almost on the same day when Zhang Liao's army went south, Xia Houyuan's troops stationed in Liang and Chen areas marched eastward and entered the mountains.
Within the territory of Yangjun. With this backer, Guo Gong decisively rejected Qingzhou's offer to recruit him, and Chen sent heavy troops to Wuyan City and Dongpinglu, determined to fight with all his strength.
But the place where the two armies first clashed was not in Yanzhou or Bingzhou, but on the river in Yangzhou!
Niuzhuji.
In the fierce river wind, hundreds of ships were lined up on the river. The officers and men on board were at war with each other and were full of murderous intent. On the flagship in the middle, two general flags were fluttering in the wind, showing great power. On the slightly higher general flag,
The character "Deng" is written in Douda, and the character "LV" is written in the flag of the deputy general on one side.
Those who are familiar with the Jiangdong Army's establishment must know that Deng Dang and Lu Dai, two direct descendants of the Jiangdong Army, fought hand in hand.
In the downstream direction, a slightly smaller fleet was slowly approaching, with the word "Xu" written on its flag. Lu Dai was a little confused: "The surname is Xu? Xu Huang, aren't Xu Shu all in Wei County? This person is here.
Who is he? Could it be Xu He, a remnant of the Yellow Turbans?"
"Ding Gong doesn't know, but there is a rising star in Xuzhou Yulin named Xu Sheng..."
Deng Dang smiled coldly and said: "You are said to be a rising star. I also met him in Yicheng that day. He is just a young boy. He has some brute strength. But at such a young age, even if he started learning the art of war from his mother's womb, he would still be able to do it.
How many means? Zhang Jia did not come in person, but sent such a child to die, but it is no wonder that someone is ruthless!"
On that day, Sun Ce and Wang Yu made a duel at Yicheng, and the result was a complete defeat. All Jiangdong generals were ashamed of it. Deng Dang was an ordinary martial artist. He was knocked off his horse during the battle and suffered serious injuries. He was raised for more than three months.
Only then did he completely get better, and he became quite hostile to the enemies who had also participated in that fight.
In addition, his official career has been difficult over the years, and he has experienced many ups and downs before getting better. He is particularly disgusted with people like Xu Sheng who have climbed to high positions smoothly at a young age. Seeing Xu Sheng now, he also feels new and old hatreds.
Come to mind.
"It's not that Zhang Jia doesn't want to come, it's just that he has no time to separate himself. Yuan Shu is erratic. From the time he attacked Jingzhou with our army, it can be seen that his mind is unstable and he intends to betray the alliance. At this moment, Jingzhou has fallen,
He was very satisfied with his ambition, so it is no wonder that he suddenly made a large-scale eastward march and came to Sui'an."
Lu Dai was similar in age to Deng Dang, but he was much more stable. He knew what Deng Dang was thinking, so he followed his lead and said: "There are Yuan Shu in the west, Chen Hanyu and his son in the east, and we have to handle the fleet from Jingzhou."
, Zhang Jiao only has 30,000 troops in his hands, so how can he send them out? It’s just that this place is not far from the mouth of the river, so we have to be on guard against Qingzhou’s maritime fleet.”
"Sea fleet?" Deng Dang exhaled from his nostrils with a look of disdain on his face: "They are just a group of coolies transporting goods. Not to mention that Governor Zhou set up beacon towers along the river, even if he didn't, between you and me,
With human power, why are you afraid of him? If he dares to come, defeat him and let him know what the real navy is like!"
Lu Dai was about to speak but stopped.
Before sending troops, Zhou Yu repeatedly warned that the main purpose of sending troops this time was to intercept Gan Ning, not to fight with the Qingzhou Navy. The main force of the Jiangdong Army is now in Jiangxia. It is too late to rush back, and there is no accurate information about the Qingzhou Navy for the time being.
, I don’t know how powerful it is, so I rush to fight. The risk is very high.
According to Zhou Yu's opinion, the safest way to fight this battle is to use an iron rope across the river to block Qingzhou from connecting with the navy, and concentrate on dealing with Gan Ning.
This strategy is relatively safe, but it is not without its drawbacks. The river in the Niuzhuji area is relatively narrow, but it is still several miles away. Of course, it is not realistic to pull a whole iron cable across it. Dozens or even hundreds of them must be sacrificed.
It can only be completed by ships. It costs a lot of money and is a bit too conservative.
Deng Dang was a veteran in the army. His opinion of Zhou Yu was not much stronger than that of Xu Sheng. At most, he had no hostility and was only slightly dissatisfied. When he set out from Wanling, he promised well. But now listen to what he said.
, obviously he is going to change his mind.
Lu Dai wanted to persuade him, but he had only joined the Jiangdong Army for a few months, and his status and qualifications were much inferior to Deng Dang's. He knew he couldn't persuade him, so he simply didn't put in the effort.
"Ding Gong, come and see, then Xu Sheng doesn't know how to command the navy at all. How can he not know astronomy and geography? The river goes east, and he comes from the east. The water flow is already unfavorable, but luckily it catches the winter.
, the wind direction on the river is relatively favorable. Although the wind is blowing from the northwest now, as soon as it passes noon, the wind will most likely turn to the northeast..."
Deng Dangyuan pointed at Xu Sheng's fleet and said with a contemptuous sneer: "But he just refused to wait a moment, so he came up like this. Mr. Ding, tell me, if I let go of this opportunity to defeat the enemy, wouldn't I call myself a general in Jiangdong?"
?”
"But..." Lu Dai hesitated for a while, but still advised: "Anhui County recently sent a message that Gan Ning's fleet had passed Songyang the day before. It depends on the time, that is, around noon today, it will arrive at Niuzhu, so Gan Ning will lead the way.
Hundreds of thieves managed to break through thirteen passes in Jingzhou, which shows how brave they are. If they are attacked from two sides..."
"So we must fight quickly!" Deng Dang waved his hand and shouted coldly: "Since Duke Ding is not worried, he can lead half of his troops to stay behind. I will defeat Xu Sheng's son first, and then I will talk to you later!"
After that, he drew his sword out of its sheath, pointed the tip of the sword forward, and shouted loudly: "Send my general's order, beat the drum! Advance the troops!"
"Dong dong dong..." The Jiangdong navy was well-trained. Upon hearing the order, hundreds of boats immediately raced forward, rushing forward like an arrow from a string. The fleet moved from stillness to slowness, but the speed of the ships did not change at all.
There was no panic, but they formed a formation during the charge, killing the enemy neatly and quickly.
On Xu Sheng's side, it seems that Deng Dang was right about this young general. He was indeed pushed out with his jaws open to make up the numbers. Facing the overall offensive of the Jiangdong navy, he seemed a little at a loss and made a lot of messy and inconsistent statements.
The order came out, causing the fleet, which was already a little panicked and at a disadvantage in numbers, to become even more confused.
A few ships responded to his order and prepared to fight, but they struggled to move forward due to the double obstruction of the river current and wind direction. Most people hesitated to move forward, looking back and forth, and some people were already sneaking behind.
The most ridiculous thing is that among those who intended to fight or escape, whether because they were too panicked or because their boating skills were poor, they ended up spinning in circles. Not only did they fail to achieve their original intention of fighting or escaping, but they ended up spinning in circles.
My colleagues' boats were knocked upside down and some people even fell into the water.
"Haha, son Xu Sheng, why don't you just tie up your hands?" Deng Dang couldn't help laughing when he saw this, and waved his sword repeatedly to urge the battle. The Jiangdong naval forces were all boosted in morale and moved forward bravely. Even those who hesitated,
Lu Dai, who was watching the battle from behind, was a little confused, wondering if he had been too cautious? It seems that the navy army was just improvised to deal with errands.
Thinking about it, because of the existence of the Chen family, the Qingzhou Army's control of Xuzhou does not include Guangling. Naturally, it is impossible to retain many naval forces in the riverside area. At most, there are some routine patrols. The fleet at sea must start from
Coming from the Bohai Sea, the journey is quite long, there is not enough time, and there is no guarantee that there will be no accidents. This behavior is indeed not surprising.
From this point of view, maybe this battle is really won?
Lu Dai thought for a moment, and when he looked up again, he found that the two armies had already engaged in battle. Attacking the unprepared in an orderly manner was overwhelming. He saw that the chaotic formation of the Qingzhou navy was washed into a piece of scattered sand.
It was at this moment that the watchman from the beacon tower on the shore suddenly blew the horn, and the flag bearer waved the flag desperately. Lu Dai watched intently and read the flag message: "Is there a fleet coming from upstream? It's General Jinfan who is coming.