Chapter 883 Pale
In this real world, you have never been the protagonist. In other words, everyone in this world is an observer and has the world in his eyes.
When Cao Cao in Qingzhou was worried about his troubles, Chen Deng in Xuzhou did not relax.
To a certain extent, the difficulties he encountered were only a lot more than those faced by Cao Cao.
……
On February 10, the fourth year of Taiwu, outside the postal pavilion ten miles south of Pengcheng, there were many elite soldiers and generals.
They are generals from the Xiangwu Corps stationed in Pengcheng. The leader is the right-hand man of Zhou Mu Chen Deng, Xiangwu General Zhou Tai.
Sometimes a person's life depends on personal struggle, but more often it depends on following the right person.
It took Zhou Tai two years to go from being a water bandit to leading an army of tens of thousands of people. Wasn’t he following Chen Deng?
But no one can deny or ignore Zhou Tai's bravery. The scars all over his body are the result of his unyielding victory in hundreds of battles.
But such a brave and fierce warrior on the battlefield now wore the clothes of a scholar and learned how to behave like a decent person in Xuzhou.
But even if Zhou Tai changed his skin again, he was still evaluated by Xuzhou scholars such as Wang Lang, Zhang Zhao, etc.:
"Being crowned by the monkey!"
This It was early spring and it was still a bit cold outside the pavilion.
But perhaps it was because they had not waited for Chen Deng for a long time. People like Zhou Tai and others were sweating on their foreheads and looking around in anticipation.
Zhou Tai's appearance was not just pretending, as if he was showing loyalty. In fact, he really looked forward to Chen Deng arriving soon.
The reason for such a mentality is that Zhou Tai is worried about the Pengcheng war.
The Xuzhou Army is actually no different from the Yangzhou Army. They are all organized according to the family branch system, so the independence of each army is relatively strong.
The most independent one here is Zang Ba's legion in Langya. The entire legion of more than 20,000 people is basically Zang Ba's private territory.
As for Zhou Tai's Xiangwu Army, it was better, and it was regarded as the army directly under Chen Deng.
But even so, the Xiangwu Army and the Xiapi shogunate still used two sets of intelligence systems. For example, Zhou Tai had his own agents, sentries, and his own intelligence sources.
In the past few days, Xi Zuo, who has been traveling in the Central Plains, has sent intelligence to Zhou Tai in Pengcheng. They all unanimously expressed that the main force of the Taishan Army originally stationed in the Snake Hill area was dividing its forces.
Part of them crossed Surabaya and headed south, approaching Peixian County, the outskirts of Pengcheng. Some seemed to be moving along the Surabaya area, starting to clear the local barriers of power.
As these news continued to come, Zhou Tai ordered the surrounding areas of Pengcheng to enter a state of preparation for war, while at the same time he was extremely anxious.
To be honest, King Zhang of the Taishan Army put too much pressure on Zhou Tai. This was not only because the enemy's main force reached 70,000 to 80,000, but more importantly, from the perspective of history, Look, everyone who faces that charge is already dead.
Zhou Tai is not afraid of death, but he is afraid that he will mess it all up, so he needs Chen Deng to come to Pengcheng to take charge of the situation, so that he can feel at ease.
In fact, Zhou Tai was very well prepared. After the Taishan Army set out from Kyoto, he began to hoard food and equipment in the city, building Pengcheng like an iron wall.
Although Taishan's army is large in number and strong in combat power, if they really want to attack Pengcheng, which is garrisoned by thousands of soldiers, they will probably suffer heavy casualties.
But this is the reason. No one in Pengcheng, whether they are Li Shu, wealthy or aristocratic, has confidence in Zhou Tai.
This is also a sign of Zhou Tai's lack of prestige. He was promoted too quickly and would always be considered to have come up through connections.
Therefore, everyone in Pengcheng hopes that Chen Deng from Xiapi will take charge of the overall situation of Pengcheng.
Even after this mentality spread, even Zhou Tai himself lost confidence. He wrote to Chen Deng several times, hoping that he could come to Pengcheng to take charge of the overall situation to reassure people.
But who knew that Chen Deng, who seemed to be far away in Xiapi, was more confident than Zhou Tai. He believed that the entire Xiangwu Army had been tested, and at the beginning he insisted on entrusting the overall situation of Pengcheng to Zhou Tai.
I don’t know what happened later, but Chen Deng decided to come to Pengcheng again. Not only would he bring 20,000 Jianghuai soldiers, but he would also bring 20,000 elite soldiers of his ally Sun Jian to the Pengcheng battlefield. .
This made Zhou Tai and Pengcheng Wenwu immediately excited.
However, they didn't seem to be curious about why Chen Deng, who had been keeping calm all this time, suddenly changed his mind.
While Zhou Tai was anxious, the Chang Shi beside him was also Lu Su, the aide assigned to him by Chen Deng.
Lu Su said something to ease Zhou Tai's anxiety, and said warmly:
"Youping, the way to be a general is to be calm at every turn, otherwise what will the people below think?"
From It can be seen from Zhou Tai's dress that he admires and respects scholars like Lu Su very much, so when Lu Su said this, although Zhou Tai was anxious, he stopped pacing.
He just sighed and turned to Lu Su:
"Old Lu, I feel depressed in my heart. You said that I am not afraid of charging into the battle, but now I have to shoulder Pengcheng. Even the gate of Xuzhou, how can I afford it?"
As he said that, Zhou Tai pointed at his bloodshot eyes:
"Old Lu, look at me again. These eyes, it’s true, Lao Zhou, I haven’t slept well for several nights. There is a saying among you literati, what is nothing, what is a sigh.”
Lu Su corrected:
"It's hard work and sleep all night."
Zhou Tai slapped his forehead and nodded quickly:
"Yes, yes. Lao Lu, you have to be here, there is no one to help, these Those documents in the Sunlight Army gave me a headache.”
When these words came out of Zhou Tai’s mouth, Lu Su believed them.
As far as he is concerned, Zhou Tai's cultural quality can actually only serve as a general, but Lu Su understands that Chen Deng has no one around him, so he can only push Zhou Tai to in this position.
While Zhou and Lu were chatting, more than ten riders came running over from the front, everyone wearing bright clothes and angry horses.
As soon as they arrived, they shouted:
"General Zhendong is arriving!"
With this shout, Zhou Tai strode forward, and then Lu Su and others followed, and then all of them saw a scene like this:
From the southern skyline, a red giant snake appeared in front of them, and countless dust was flying. It's like flags flying like stars. It's so spectacular.
Led by Zhou Tai, everyone cheered.
The protector of their eastern soil, the hero of Xuzhou, the number one hero in Jianghuai, General Chen Deng and Chen Yuanlong of Zhendong, are here!
......
Thousands of troops and horses galloped past, and Zhou Tai and Pengcheng Wenwu just stood there. Smoke and dust were flying everywhere, and everyone was beaten to dust.
In the team behind Zhou Tai, from time to time there were officials who could not help but spit and lose their manners.
This made Zhou Tai very dissatisfied, and his anger was already on his face.
He regarded Chen Deng as the most noble person in the world, and did not want to make Chen Deng dissatisfied because of these people's gaffes.
But just when he was about to scold him, Lu Su pinched his sleeve from behind, and then he heard a gentle laughter coming from in front:
"Youping, why are you so angry again?"
Zhou Tai suddenly raised his head, his whole body filled with excitement, but when he saw the person in front of him clearly, his eyes suddenly turned red.
It turned out that there were more than a dozen chariots coming in front, all with military drums and flags on them, and Chen Deng, the Zhendong general, was standing on a chariot in front of him, looking at Zhou Tai with a smile. But Zhou Tai was not happy at all, because he found that his lord's face was much paler than the last time we parted.
Moreover, the lord's energy and spirit are much worse than before, which makes Zhou Tai not worried.
So, he fell on the ground and couldn't help but cry:
"My lord works hard and sleeps all night, so you must take care of yourself. I, the millions of people in Xuzhou, are all on my lord's shoulders. My lord must not fall.”
Don't tell me that Zhou Taigang learned a lot from Lu Su, and now he is selling it now.
But it’s a pity that what he said before is still like that, but the next sentence exposed his rough and rough nature. Who is a good subordinate who would advise his boss like this to prevent him from falling?
But Chen Deng didn't care about this. Although he was not in good spirits, he still jumped off the chariot neatly, which fully demonstrated his prowess as a general on horseback.
Chen Deng helped Zhou Tai up, and then joked to Lu Su next to him:
"Zijing, you Ping's literary skills have improved a lot under your influence."
Lu Su looked at Chen Deng's pale face and felt uneasy, but he would not say this in public. He just bowed deeply to Chen Deng:
"The subordinates and Pengcheng civil and military officials welcome the general!"
< br>Chen Deng waved his hand and was about to speak, when Zhou Tai beside him was delighted. He said cheerfully:
“I learned this literary talent either from Lao Lu, or from my father, Mrs. Chen. The old lady also hopes that I will study more.”
This Chen Deng was immediately confused by this sentence, and it took him a long time to react and burst into laughter.
Lu Su, on the other hand, whispered to Zhou Tai in embarrassment:
"Youping, not my father, but your father, your father."
Zhou Tai couldn't understand why. Is that funny? Isn't my father the old lady of the master's family? What is your father?
However, Chen Deng's laughter relieved a lot of pressure on everyone present.
After a pause, Chen Deng walked to the edge of the road, and then asked only Zhou Tai and Lu Su to follow.
The three of them watched the army moving northward on the roadside, and its destination was Pengcheng in the north.
Chen Dengshu breathed a sigh of relief and asked Zhou and Lu:
"Do you think that the main direction chosen by the Taishan Army is really Pengcheng?"
Zhou Tai was the first to speak. :
“Is there any doubt about this? All the detectives under the general’s command have reported intelligence, and they all say that the direction of attack of the Taishan Army is our Xuzhou Pengcheng.”
Chen Deng glanced at Lu Su and motioned for him to talk.
Lu Su had actually been observing Chen Deng's condition just now.
One thing Zhou Tai was right about was that when he saw Chen Deng again this time, he was much thinner than before.
Lu Su had been with Chen Deng for a while and knew that Chen Deng was a person who loved martial arts. He practiced armor every morning and would not wear it all day long. In addition, there was no shortage of fish and meat on weekdays. , so you shouldn’t be thin anyway.
There is another detail that Lu Su himself paid attention to, that is, Chen Deng's speech is obviously much gentler now than in the past.
Although this was also a sign of Wei Shang's calmness, such a warm voice combined with a pale face always gave Lu Su a bad feeling.
Is the Lord really worried about important events on the front line?
Just when Lu Su was thinking more, Chen Deng called him and asked him for his judgment on the situation.
Lu Su hurriedly put away his thoughts and said seriously:
“My lord, the subordinates also agree with General Xiangwu’s view that Pengcheng will be the place where the enemy and our armies will fight decisively.”
< br>
Seeing that Chen Deng was listening, Lu Su continued to explain:
"My lord, Pengcheng is in the east, the screen of Huaisi. The Taishan army wants to go to Xu Yang, so it must go here. There are three ways to go to Xuzhou from the north. roads, one of which goes south from Beihai along Yi and Mushui go south to Langya and Donghai. This is also the passage that Cao Cao took back then. "
"The second route is from Lu State through the valley between Mengshan and Nishan into Langya. Gudao was also where Guan Yu went south to Xuzhou The passage we take. "
"The last one goes south from Surabaya in Pengcheng and directly enters Xiapi, the center of Xuzhou."
"The official believes that the first one is Qingzhou. Cao Cao is here, Taishan Army It is difficult to break through this line of defense in a short period of time. Although the Nimeng Valley is also wide on the second road, it is not suitable for large armies to march. Zang Ba, who is good at mountain warfare, is harassing it, so it is not an ideal road to go south. ”
"But Pengcheng is different. Not only is there Surabaya to transfer military resources, but the surrounding plains are a natural place for decisive battles. I looked at all the battles of the Taishan Army, whether it was the battle of Zhongrenting that decided the north, or the The Yiluo War that decided the Central Plains, Zhang Chongdu loved to decide the outcome in a decisive battle. Therefore, the subordinates believe that the enemy will not miss the opportunity to fight our army this time."
Lu Su is indeed the first strategic person in the history of Soochow, and his macro vision is very thorough. Yes, his words not only convinced Chen Deng, but also made the arrogant Zhou Tai nod his head.
Chen Deng smiled and praised Lu Su's decision, but then he told something that Lu Su didn't know before.
"Lu Jun, do you know that not long ago, Shouchun fell to the Taishan Army."
At this time, Lu Su's face suddenly became serious. Of course he understood that Chen Deng I mean, so I asked:
"My lord, do you think that the Taishan Army is pretending to be attacking from the east and attacking from the west? It is to attack Pengcheng, but in fact it is planning to go south from Shouchun to attack the area south of the Huaihe River?"
But Chen Deng did not mean this, he said:
“No, I still think that the Taishan Army will still come from Pengcheng. Come on, instead of attacking from the east and attacking from the west, I think the enemy is attacking from the west and from the east. Pengcheng is the most important place that the enemy wants to capture."
"What do you mean, lord?"
At this time, Chen Deng sounded quite helpless. He turned to the two of them and said:
"I judge the situation this way, but that doesn't mean others think the same way. Shouchun is the northern gateway to Yangzhou. It is said that Sun Ce, who had previously aided Shouchun, almost got trapped there. Now everyone in the Yangzhou army is clamoring to send troops to Shouchun for revenge. . ”
This is indeed very difficult. The current strength of Pengcheng’s army is divided into two parts, one is Chen Deng’s Xuzhou Army of 30,000, and the other is Sun Jian’s Yangzhou Army of 20,000.
It is precisely with an army of 50,000 that Pengcheng has the confidence to fight decisively. Otherwise, how can we meet the elite soldiers of the Taishan Army?
And if Sun Jian divided his troops and left for Shouchun, then everything Chen Deng had planned would be in vain.
So Lu Su was quite worried at the moment and asked:
"Then Sun Yangzhou wants to divide his troops and leave?"
Chen Deng shook his head again:
"Sun Jian is very determined to stand with me, but again, he also wants to Considering our own interests and the emotions of our subordinates, we must fight the Taishan Army as soon as possible."
In fact, Chen Deng did not plan to mobilize heavy troops to the Pengcheng front line so soon.
Originally, he wanted to use Pengcheng as a point to continuously consume the effective strength of the Taishan Army. When the enemy troops invaded the city and the division veterans were exhausted, he would then send troops from Xiapi. Then it would be the right time for a decisive battle.
But now, it is obvious that time is not on his side. If he continues to follow the previous plan, the Taishan Army in Shouchun will continue to expand its results in Huainan.
Although Sun Jian was from Wu in Yangzhou, the core group under his command were warriors from the Huaisi generation. The core interests of these people were in the Huainan region, and they would not let the Taishan Army wreak havoc in this area.
So the longer the time drags on, the less Sun Jian can bear the losses. Even if he has a fighter plane by then, he will have to withdraw his troops to rescue Huainan.
At this time, Lu Su understood everything, so he could only comfort him:
"Sun Yangzhou is a sensible person. With him here, the Yangzhou army will have no worries."
At this time, Chen Deng could only nod his head and set his sights on Pengcheng to the north.
Pengcheng, can you fulfill my dream, Chen Deng, to become a man of the world?