Chapter 432 Liu Biao sends troops
Spring begins in the third year of Jian'an, on the first day of March.
In Xiangyang, Jingzhou, Liu Biao paid homage to the former Nanyang prefect, and Fan Tinghou Kuai Yue was appointed as the rebel general and commander of the navy and army. He commanded 70,000 troops with a number of 300,000, and went south to Jingnan to quell the rebellion. In addition, 30,000 civilians, more than 400 large and small warships, and more than 600 grain ships were mobilized for Kuai Yue's use.
After the news came out, the Central Plains was shocked.
It can be said that Liu Biao gave everything he had, even entrusting the commander-in-chief to Kuai Yue, who was secretly afraid of him. This shows how much he attached importance to this campaign, hoping that Kuai Yue could quickly put down the rebellion and then withdraw the main force to Xiangyang.
However, although Liu Biao relied heavily on Kuai Yue, he also laid down three back-ups.
The first is of course the hostages. All the Kuai clan, including Kuai Liang and others, were detained by Liu Biao in Xiangyang. Only Kuai Qi accompanied Kuai Yue on the expedition.
The second is Cai Mao. Although the Cai family is an ally with the Kuai family, Cai Mao himself has a very good relationship with Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue. However, Cai Mao is also Liu Biao's brother-in-law, an authentic relative, and he is placed next to Kuai Yue as a naval officer. The governor is naturally a kind of restraint.
The last backup was his nephew Liu Pan. Liu Pan was not only outstanding in force, but also capable of leading troops. He had a fairly harmonious relationship with the middle and senior generals of the Jingzhou Army. On the contrary, he was not on good terms with Zhang Yun, who was also a kinsman. At this time, he was quite suitable to serve as the army commander.
It's just that Liu Pan's qualifications are actually lacking, but he doesn't care about that much at the critical moment.
Liu Biao recommended Liu Pan based on the bottom line of abandoning Kuai Yue. Fortunately, Kuai Yue was also very sensible and had no objection to this, which made Liu Biao quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
In fact, Liu Biao did not know that Kuai Yue was not very interested in this southern expedition.
But he also saw Liu Biao's thoughts and knew that if he declined this responsibility, the entire Kuai family would become the target of Liu Biao's suppression in the future.
Fortunately, Liu Pan and Cai Mao were both top-notch land and sea warriors in Jingzhou. Although Liu Biao was extremely selfish, he was not the wrong person.
Kuai Yue also recognized it.
When the army set off, Liu Biao personally went out of the city twenty miles to see him off, giving Kuai Yue enough favor and honor.
Immediately, the largest war in the Eastern Han Dynasty this year began, which was also a preview of a larger-scale war in the future.
Liu Biao raised troops to attack Zhang Xian, and the news spread quickly that the army left Xiangyang and headed south via the Han River.
Zhang Xian, the party involved, was naturally shocked. He did not expect Liu Biao to be so decisive and to move such a large army southward like Mount Tai pressing down on the top.
Zhang Xian immediately summoned Huan Jie, Zhang Yi, Sun Ce, Liu Pan, Ou Xiong, Zhang Cheng, Liu Ba, Xiong Shang (Quhong Chang of Guiyang), Xiong Yuan (Liang Chang of Linglingdu), Wen Chun (Chief of Chaling in Changsha) ), Du Hui (Prime Minister of Lingling Chong'an), Huan Zuan, and Huan Yi (descendants of the Huan family in Changsha and members of the Huanjie clan) discussed matters.
There are many factions among these people. Among them, Zhang Yi is Zhang Xian’s son, Huan Jie is Zhang Xian’s mastermind, Sun Ce is Zhang Xian’s guest, Zhang Cheng is Zhang Xian’s clansman, Liu Ba, Xiong Shang, Xiong Yuan, Du Hui, and Wen Chun were all members of Zhang Xian's Lingling County and Township Party, while Liu Pan, Ou Xiong, Huan Zuan, Huan Yi, and others were all wealthy families in Changsha County and powerful figures in Linxiang City.
Zhang Xian and others had discussed before that Liu Biao would either not raise troops to go south, or if he did, he would have to do so after the beginning of spring.
Sure enough, now in March, the weather has just warmed up and the rivers have thawed. Liu Biao can't wait to raise his troops and go south. He wants to wipe out Zhang Xian's heart, but it is really difficult for him.
It is precisely because of this expectation that the manpower for this meeting is relatively complete.
After Sun Ce entered the hall, he saluted Zhang Xian, Zhang Xian stood up and returned the salute, and then the two of them took their seats.
Zhang Xian was very respectful to Sun Ce, and the reason was naturally very simple. Liu Feng, standing behind Sun Ce, was the only helping hand he could hope to get now. Moreover, Liu Feng's strength and combat power are second to none in the south.
Even for Liu Feng's sake, Zhang Xian had to give Sun Ce a high tribute, not to mention that Sun Ce himself had great influence in Changsha and treated Huan Jie, Ou Xiong and others with great courtesy.
The last point is that Sun Ce himself has extremely strong military talent. At least among the four counties in Jingnan, no one can match him.
Now that Liu Biao's army is moving south, it will soon reach Linxiang. It is the time to recruit people, and Zhang Xian also hopes that Sun Ce can do more for him.
After Sun Ce took his seat, he was also thinking.
After getting deeply involved in Jingnan, he naturally knew more information.
The Jingnan Army originally numbered 20,000 to 30,000 people. After nearly five months of expansion, it now has nearly 50,000 soldiers.
However, the most powerful among them were the tens of thousands of people who returned home from Sun Ce's father, Sun Jian. Secondly, there are the county soldiers and horses from the four counties in Jingnan and the tribes of Jingnan gentry powerful men. Among them, there are about 15,000 county soldiers, one-third of which are Changsha county soldiers. There are about 7,000 people in the tribe of powerful nobles from all over the country, and Zhang Xian himself has a tribe of 2,000 people.
All these together amount to about thirty-one thousand people.
The last part is the newly recruited young warriors from various counties and counties. These people are about 16,000 to 7,000 people, but most of them can only serve as civilian husbands. At most, they can barely be used in city defense battles. use.
If you want to rely on them to fight in the field, it will only lead to the collapse of your own military formation, and the gain will not be worth the loss.
Therefore, the Jingbei Army far surpassed the Jingnan Army in both quantity and eliteness.
Sun Ce suggested sending 5,000 to 8,000 land and sea elites to station in Yiyang to threaten the Jingbei Army's retreat so that the Jingbei Army could not concentrate all its energy on attacking the city.
Then two thousand elite troops were stationed in Luo County to harass the logistics of Jingbei Army.
As for Baqiu and Wangcheng, Sun Ce hoped to give up after blocking them at all levels and not to defend them. The best way is to abandon the city and retreat after the city's defense facilities are damaged to conserve troops.
However, although this method is quite excellent, it is also extremely difficult. Even if Sun Ce goes into battle in person, he is not sure. After all, he is not leading his old subordinates now.
After everyone had gathered, Zhang Xian immediately said: "Liu Biao's unknown soldiers invaded our territory. Now that the enemy is strong and I am weak, do you have any good strategies to teach me how to retreat from the enemy?"
As soon as Zhang Xian said this, the whole hall fell into discussion.
Everyone was whispering and discussing, but for a long time they couldn't come up with a decision.
Zhang Xian glanced at Huan Jie, who in turn glanced at Sun Ce.
Zhang Xian understood that Huan Jie had asked him to ask Sun Ce for advice in person.
Among all the people in the hall, only Sun Ce has commanding experience of tens of thousands of people. For this reason, the others cannot compare.
If you take the record into account, the gap will be even greater.
Zhang Xian knew this in his heart, but he wanted to see if other people in the hall had any suggestions before asking Sun Ce.
It just made him a little disappointed. Although everyone in the hall discussed it for a long time, they could not come up with a practical strategy. They just criticized Liu Biao for raising troops without authorization, which was an act of rebellion. Even Huan Jie put his hope in Sun Ce.
Helpless, Zhang Xian could only take the initiative to ask Sun Ce: "Bo Fu has commanded the army for many years. In this battle, please Bo Fu not to hide his secrets."
Sun Ce straightened up and cupped his hands towards Zhang Xian: "I am grateful for the Ming government's kindness and have nothing to repay. I am willing to help the Ming government to plan something to resist Liu Biao's atrocities."
Seeing Sun Ce speak, everyone in the hall fell silent and listened to Sun Ce's suggestion.
However, Zhang Xian, Huan Jie and everyone else did not expect that Sun Ce's first suggestion would directly detonate the entire court.
"The Ming government cannot defend Baqiu. We sincerely request the Ming government to immediately withdraw the Baqiu garrison and station it in Yiyang."
Zhang Xian's general Zhang Cheng was shocked and objected unconsciously: "How can this be done? Baqiu is an important town in Jingchu, the gateway to Linxiang, and a key pass on the Xiang River. How can such an important place be abandoned?"
"Yes, Baqiu City is high and deep, with water on one side and the Xiang River as a moat. It is an important military town."
Changsha General Ou Xiong was also shocked. He quickly stood up and tried to persuade Zhang Xian: "If you give up, wouldn't you be abandoning your martial arts?"
Sun Ce's suggestion immediately aroused fierce opposition from the people in Linxiang, and the court was filled with rebellion. Important ministers either refuted Sun Ce or persuaded Zhang Xian not to accept Sun Ce.
Except for a few people who were close to the Sun family, most others disagreed. Even Huan Jie and others just remained silent and did not dare to speak for Sun Ce.
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The reason is very simple. Wangcheng is just a small city. After all, it is just a small city. Although it is also a barrier to Linxiang, the city is small and narrow, and the population is sparse. Even if it is defended, it does not make much sense, and its more function is to communicate with Baqiu on the front line. Form a defense system.
But unlike Wangcheng, Baqiu City is a large city in the land of Jingchu. Not only is the city defense very strong, but it is also an important transportation artery blocking the Xiang River and Dongting Lake.
If you can't take Baqiu City, don't even think about driving directly to Linxiang through the Xiang River.
The location of Baqiu is very critical. It is roughly located on Yueyang in later generations. It has always been a battleground for military strategists. There have been many battles around Yueyang, even less than those in Changsha.
Zhang Xian, Huan Jie and others also frowned. If they didn't know that Sun Ce had surrendered to Liu Feng and had a grudge against Liu Biao for killing his father, they would even doubt whether Sun Ce was Liu Biao's spy.
How can one abandon one's own military stronghold as soon as the war starts?
Zhang Xian slowly raised his right hand, and there was a sudden silence in the hall. Then he asked Sun Ce: "Bo Fu, Baqiu is so important. All the ministers have already stated their interests and interests. Do you still want to persuade me to give up Baqiu?"
"Exactly!"
Sun Ce showed no signs of panic, and continued to persuade Zhang Xian: "Your Majesty, Baqiu is indeed a fortified city of Jingchu and a barrier to Linxiang, but now Jingnan has more cities and fewer soldiers. If there are a hundred thousand people, then Ce will definitely The Ming government is urged to station heavy troops in Baqiu to defend the enemy from outside the country. But now we only have 30,000 troops in Jingnan, which are not as elite as the Jingbei army."
"In this case, divide the troops into Baqiu..."
Sun Ce looked at Zhang Xian and asked, "How many troops do you think we should garrison?"
Zhang Xian was speechless.
There are only 30,000 people in total. A big city like Baqiu needs at least 10,000 people to defend it. Moreover, you can't just put 10,000 people. You have to arrange thousands of reserve troops to supplement it. Otherwise, if Baqiu is injured, If it is only 20% or 30% without any supplement, it might just collapse at some point.
In this case, how many more soldiers and horses will be sent to Wangcheng?
How many soldiers and horses will be left to defend Linxiang in the end?
You must know that although Wangcheng is small, Linxiang is a larger city than Baqiu City.
Linxiang is the county seat of Changsha and the capital of Jingnan. It is an important military town for the Han people who suppressed Baiyue and Jingman since the Qin Dynasty.
Linxiang City is not only a super large city, but also has a very complete defense system. The city walls are more than three feet high, and the Xiang River is used as a moat. It is also bordered by water on three sides, with the Xiang River on one side and the Liu River on the other. There is only a river delta in the north.
The only place where the offensive can really be launched is in the southeast of Changsha City, with half left in the east and half in the south. What is even more outrageous is that Linxiang City is already so easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it actually has two acropolis, forming a horn with Linxiang.
Such an impregnable fortress naturally requires sufficient manpower.
Sun Ce estimated that Linxiang would need at least 30,000 people to fully defend Linxiang. If it were less than 30,000, it would be impossible to maximize the power of various city defenses.
Sun Ce's question not only left Zhang Xian speechless, but also Zhang Cheng, Ou Xiong and others who had just objected fiercely were speechless.
They know very well the military strength of Jingnan. To put it bluntly, it has 30,000 combatable soldiers, plus more than 10,000 young and strong civilians.
Of the 30,000 combatable troops, the most elite are only 20,000. The remaining 10,000 county and county soldiers can do well relying on the city walls, but they will probably be hindered in field operations.
Baqiu wanted to release at least 10,000 people, but Linxiang could only release less than 30,000 people.
But if Baqiu doesn't release ten thousand people, but only releases three to five thousand people, then it's just like what Sun Ce said. It's better to just give up.
Huan Jie received Zhang Xian's hint and said hesitantly: "Bo Fu, isn't there a way to have both ends?"
Sun Ce was silent for a moment and shook his head: "Brother, I don't know. If my troops are by my side, I can guard Baqiu for the prince. After consuming a wave of Jingbei army, abandon the city and retreat, rely on Wangcheng to stop the enemy again, and finally Retreating to Linxiang will not only maximize the effectiveness of Baqiu and Wangcheng, but also greatly damage the morale and energy of the Jingbei Army."
"Then why not now?"
When Zhang Xian heard this, he immediately became anxious: "If Bo Fu is willing to take command, the elite of Jingnan can be chosen by Bo Fu."
Sun Ce's words spoke to Zhang Xian's heart, and he naturally hoped that Sun Ce could realize it for him.
But Sun Ce is not a fool. He is in danger and fighting fiercely. He doesn't even have any close friends under his command. These troops are the troops of Zhang Xian and the Jingnan noble clan. They may abandon him and run away at any time.
Now that Sun Ce doesn't even have the title of Little Overlord, can he still be expected to single-handedly fight through an encirclement of 100,000 people like an Overlord?
Even if these people don't abandon him, this kind of action is still very dangerous, and Sun Ce has no obligation to help Zhang Xian get out of the fire.
"The ruler of the government clearly knows that he refuses to accept orders that are not right. There are actually two reasons."
Sun Ce declined: "First of all, Sun Ce only lived in Linxiang temporarily and did not become an official. If his name is not correct, his words will not be smooth. How can he lead a large army to fight?"
Zhang Xian opened his mouth to speak, but Sun Ce deliberately pretended not to see it and continued: "Secondly, the armies in Jingnan also have elites, but Ce has no contact with the armies and does not know the strengths of the armies. The art of war has it that you know yourself and the enemy. Only if you don't know yourself and the enemy can you fight a hundred battles without danger."
(End of chapter)