Chapter 437 The Great Victory at Wangcheng
"My lord, everything is ready."
Sun He walked to Sun Ce, looked at the foot of the mountain and whispered.
"Okay, get ready for action!"
Sun Ce looked down the mountain. Several members of the Cai family were preparing to attack the city. At this time, they went down the mountain to attack. When they rushed to the plain, they happened to be trapped in the city and could not advance or retreat.
Yuchi Mountain is not very high, with an altitude of only more than 700 meters, but it is advantageous in that it occupies a large area. Sun Ce's 6,000 troops are hiding in it. It is impossible to find them unless thousands of people are sent to search.
Sun Ce's main force was hiding in a mountain col. It was not far from Wangcheng, only a dozen miles away. It only took one and a half to two hours to arrive in a hurry.
Following Sun Ce's order, the army began to take action.
The ones at the front were not cavalry, but light infantry. Their task was to go out to the plains and try their best to rush to the Xiang River in the north to block the Jingzhou Army's northward escape route.
Following them were the cavalry, led by Sun Ce himself.
The Cai Jiajun's offensive was quite fierce, and their troops were well trained. At this time, they got Cai Zan's promise not to seal the sword, so they naturally became violent.
In less than half an hour, soldiers from the Cai family army in the north and east of the city had already boarded the city and began to expand towards the city gate. I believe that the city gate will be successfully captured in a short time. When the army pours in, the guards at Wangcheng will no longer be able to resist.
But just when Cai Zan and Cai Yan were beaming with joy, the scouts in the distance suddenly started to warn them crazily, whipping their horses frantically towards the main formation. Behind the scouts, a large number of Jingnan soldiers gradually appeared in front of Cai Zan.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!"
The scout screamed heartbreakingly as he galloped.
Cai Zan's body shook slightly and he woke up immediately.
No, you have to run!
But when he turned his sight forward, he saw his own soldiers on the wall chasing each other into the city, without noticing the changes outside the city.
At this time, it would take at least half an hour to withdraw the troops.
Cai Zan fell into pain, and then gritted his teeth and issued an order: "Order Cai Zhongwang to concentrate in the north of the city, order Cai Yan to retreat to the Xiang River formation, and move the main formation north to join forces with Cai Yan."
Although he didn't know if it was too late, Cai Zan still issued a series of orders to try to get a chance.
********
"My lord, a letter from Jingnan."
Lu Xun took a silk letter and sent it to Liu Feng's desk: "Sun Ce defeated Cai Zan in Wangcheng, captured three generals Cai Zan, Cai He, and Cai Zhong alive, killed more than 700 levels in the formation, captured more than 2,000 people, and drowned heavily. Only Cai Yan led hundreds of people across the Xiang River to escape. ”
"Oh!?"
Liu Feng raised his head in surprise. He didn't expect Sun Ce to cause such a big battle in Jingnan. It seemed that he already had a lot of power in the Jingnan army.
Liu Feng opened the silk book and read it carefully.
As he watched, a smile appeared on his lips.
Lu Xun also catered to him just right and said: "Sun Bofu's battle has a lot of traces of our lord's Qiantang battle. Although the navy was not used, hiding troops in Yuchi Mountain was a clever move."
Liu Feng nodded. The battle report sent by Sun Ce was very comprehensive, including the many scouts sent by Cai Zan, Cai Yan and others to alert all directions.
With the boost from Sun Ce's battle, it would not be easy for Kuai Yue to attack Linxiang quickly.
"Okay."
Liu Baofou smiled, raised his head and told Lu Xun: "Bo Yan, Bo Fu fought brilliantly in this battle. You can write a letter in my name to tell Bo Fu that he does not have to defend Linxiang and let him act according to the situation."
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"Now Kuai Yidu has just arrived in Xiakou. Although the forward has suffered a small setback, it is not harmful."
Liu Feng stood up and walked slowly in the hall, thinking: "In my opinion, the time to send troops should at least allow the main force of the Jingzhou Army to hold troops under Linxiang City for two or three months."
Lu Xun nodded and agreed: "It's only April now, and it's only July after March. As long as Linxiang can hold on, we can at least send troops before the autumn harvest, and we can also defeat the enemy with food."
"Good!"
Liu Feng nodded: "Just tell Bo Fu this meaning, unless Linxiang City cannot be defended, or there is a sudden change in Zhang Xian and Huan Jie, let him contact the shogunate as soon as possible."
Lu Xun responded respectfully: "Here!"
********
When the news spread back to Linxiang, the whole city was shocked again. Even Zhang Xian, who was bedridden, was happy to have recovered.
After Huan Jie received the good news, he confirmed it several times before he believed that Sun Ce had given him such a favor.
But he didn't know that he had to thank Cai Mao for his selfishness. If it were Huang Zhong and Wenpin who led their 4,000 troops, Sun Ce would still win with a high probability, but the result might not be so rich.
After confirming that the news was correct, Huan Jie immediately went to the county government office to ask for an audience with Zhang Xian.
"Ming Gong! I'm so happy!"
Huan Jie came to Zhang Xian's bed and saw that the other man was also much energetic, and the smile on his lips became even brighter.
Zhang Xian had also heard about the victory ahead, but he didn't know it as clearly as Huan Jie, so he asked, "Bo Xu, where does the joy come from?"
Huan Jie stepped forward, opened the silk book, and read the contents inside.
Zhang Xian listened and smiled, his face full of surprise: "Sun Wentai actually has a son like this, and he will die without regrets."
Huan Jie was already a big fan of Sun Jian. When he heard his new benefactor praising his old benefactor, he felt bright in his face: "What Ming Gong said is true. This son is very like his father, and is especially good at military affairs. He can win him." Help, it will come in handy.”
Zhang Xian thought for a moment and nodded slowly.
This time Baqiu's defeat made Zhang Xian and Huan Jie see one thing clearly, that is, the people from Jingnan could not defeat the people from Jingbei.
Zhang Cheng is the only general among Zhang Xian's relatives. Ou Xiong is the top local tycoon in Changsha and the leading general in Linxiang. Although Xiong Shang is a scholar, he also represents the Xiong family and comes with the Xiong family tribe and county soldiers. Hunan supports.
But even with such a combination, they lead elite soldiers and still defend a fortified city.
The Jingbei Army actually broke through the city in one night. If Ou Xiong hadn't broken through and escaped, he would have been wiped out by the enemy.
Sun Ce was different. Not only could he fight so well, but he also had a special status. Behind him stood Liu Yangzhou, who was even more capable of fighting.
Zhang Xian and Huan Jie were shaken.
********
After Sun Ce's victory, he decisively abandoned Wangcheng and retreated towards Linxiang with the people of Wangcheng.
In order to wipe out Cai Zan and Cai Yan's troops as much as possible, Sun Jiao contained Cai Zan and Cai Yan's siege troops in the city, and deliberately put them into the city to achieve a good containment effect.
But in this way, the city will inevitably suffer a lot of damage from the fire.
Now the big families and common people in the city were also frightened, and they were worried that the Jingbei Army would vent their hatred on them again, so they followed the Jingnan Army and evacuated Wangcheng obediently. Fortunately, the distance between the two sides was more than 200 miles. By the time Cai Yan fled back to Baqiu, Sun Ce had already arrived in Linxiang with a large group of old, weak, women and children.
Otherwise, it would be a difficult journey with so many burdens.
When Sun Ce arrived in Linxiang, Huan Jie took Zhang Xian's place and led the Changsha officials five miles out of the city to greet him, which gave Sun Ce a lot of face.
After Zhang Xian and Huan Jie communicated for a while, they decided to temporarily put Sun Ce's old troops under Sun Ce's command, and adopted many of Sun Ce's suggestions when defending Linxiang.
That night, Huan Jie rewarded the entire army in Linxiang City, and promoted officers and knights according to the list of meritorious soldiers sent by Sun Ce. The morale of the Jingnan army was restored, and the gloom since the beginning of the war was swept away.
********
On the ninth day of April, Kuai Yue's army arrived at Baqiu.
Cai Mao went out of the city ten miles to greet him.
After the two sides joined forces, except for the troops led by Kuai Yue who entered the city, the rest of the army was stationed outside Baqiu City.
Along the way, Cai Mao was anxious. After all, he had just suffered a defeat and allowed the Jingnan Army to regain a victory.
Kuai Yue was more strategist and wiser, and he understood people's hearts well. Cai Mao admired him a lot on weekdays. Now that he was not only under the opponent's hands but also made mistakes, he naturally felt guilty and discouraged.
Kuai Yue behaved very freely. Not only did he not mention anything about the Battle of Wangcheng, but he constantly comforted Cai Mao's soldiers along the way, with a friendly attitude, which made them all obey.
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After arriving in the hall, Kuai Yue's face suddenly darkened, and Cai Hao was frightened to see it.
"It's strange... the great governor is greedy for power and rushes forward, so he hopes that the city will be defeated."
Cai Mao walked to the hall and knelt down to Kuai Yue: "This is all my fault. I beg the governor not to punish others."
Cai Mao is a descendant of a famous clan in Jingzhou, a family of bells and pans, and a clan of gold and fine food. He has been well-informed since he was a child, and has been well-dressed and well-fed. Therefore, he has a bold and generous personality and extraordinary self-confidence.
In addition, he was afraid of Kuai Yue in his heart, so he did not dare to lie in front of the other party, and he did not try to shift the responsibility to Huang Zhong, Wenpin and others.
Hearing that Cai Mao took all the responsibility, Huang Zhong, Wenpin, Cai Yan and others stood up in a hurry, walked behind Cai Mao and prostrated together: "We are all responsible, and it is not the fault of the governor alone. Please ask the governor Mingjian.”
Kuai Yue looked at Cai Hao and the generals at the bottom of the steps, sighed, and waved his hand: "What does De Gui mean? Get up first."
Cai Mao then stood up and peeked at the other party. He found that Kuai Yue's expression was calm and showed no displeasure, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Degui."
Kuai Yue waited until Cai Mao returned to the table and called out: "Please tell me the whole story of the battle at Wangcheng."
Cai Mao responded immediately, and then began to explain it carefully. If there was anything unclear, he would ask Cai Yan to add it.
Kuai Yue was satisfied in his heart, but his face remained indifferent. He just listened to what the other party said, and occasionally asked a few questions, focusing on the key points.
After about a meal, Cai Hao and Cai Yan finally finished their stories.
Kuai Yue then nodded: "The responsibility for this battle does lie with Degui Ru."
"The Commander-in-Chief will eventually be convicted of his crime."
Cai Mao got up and quickly stood up to apologize, but saw Kuai Yue wave his hand and said: "Your fault is that you didn't go straight down to the city before, and then you rushed forward in a greedy way."
After the Battle of Wangcheng, Cai Mao's own review found that he had indeed realized this.
If you follow Kuai Yue's order and immediately rush to Wangcheng after capturing Baqiu, you will most likely succeed. If he later stayed in Baqiu and followed Kuai Yue's orders and just cleared out the two flanking strongholds of Luocheng and Yiyang without going to Wangcheng, then Wangcheng would not be defeated.
Cai Mao knew very well that in the final analysis, he changed Kuai Yue's orders without authorization. He did not move when he should move and moved when he shouldn't. This was the reason for this great defeat.
The entire responsibility lies with him, which is not unfair at all.
But then, Kuai Yue changed the topic: "But it would be unfair if I put all the responsibility on you. I also bear part of the responsibility."
Cai Mao was startled and looked up at Kuai Yue. He saw Kuai Yue smiling at him and nodding: "After all, no one expected that Sun Bofu, the son of Sun Jian, would actually appear in Linxiang, and Zhang Xian would dare to use his military power to It’s really amazing to leave it to him.”
Kuai Yue said he was surprised, but his eyes were as calm as the sea: "Degui."
"My subordinates are here!"
Cai Mao immediately stood up and bowed his hands.
"Although our army suffered a small setback in the battle of Wangcheng, it did not change its strategic advantage."
Kuai Yue said seriously: "Next, you will still be the vanguard of the front army, and the troops will be sent to the city. Do you dare to take the order?"
Cai Mao was overjoyed. He thought that although Kuai Yue would treat him lightly in terms of the relationship between the two families and personal friendship, he also felt that he could not keep his position as a vanguard of the former army. After all, Liu Pan was still watching behind him. With.
But in the end, Kuai Yue actually supported him so much and did not hesitate to share the blame for himself, which made Cai Hao feel moved and excited.
Cai Mao stood up immediately, accepted the order with his hands in his hands, and said impassionedly: "Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, if there is another mistake, Mao will make his own decision at the camp gate without any trouble."
"Good! What a great ambition!"
Kuai Yue first praised Cai Mao, and then warned: "Degui, victory or defeat is a common matter for military strategists. You must not act out of loyalty. You must be aware that it is so easy for thieves to take advantage of you, so you should be careful."
Cai Mao woke up immediately, thanked him and said, "Mao must keep in mind the teachings of the great governor."
Kuai Yue then issued an order, first secretly sending people to Linxiang, hoping to exchange the heads of Xiong Shang and Zhang Cheng for the captured Cai Zan, Cai He, and Cai Zhong.
Secondly, grassroots and veterans were transferred from the Jingbei army, supplemented by young men from Jingbei, and four thousand people were reorganized into one school and two battalions. For the time being, they were still commanded by Cai Hao and Cai Yan. They would be divided into various ministries after they were exchanged back to Cai Zan and others.
Then, civilian men were recruited in Baqiu, Luocheng and Yiyang to supplement the shortage of young people in Jingbei and undertake tasks such as transporting grain.
After dealing with many trivial matters, the army rested in Baqiu for three days. With Cai Mao as the vanguard of the front army, they set out, advancing by land and water, with the front facing the city.
Kuai Yue's envoy came by water and soon arrived in Linxiang.
After receiving the reward, Huan Jie immediately called Sun Ce over and wanted to ask for his opinion.
After hearing about the whole thing, Sun Ce thought for a moment and said, "Brother Shi, from my perspective, it is feasible to exchange prisoners, but..."
"Just what?"
Huan Jie encouraged: "Bo Fu doesn't have to be taboo, you can speak out boldly."
Huan Jie expressed his position like this, and Sun Ce gave up his worries and said directly: "If you want to exchange, you must exchange everything. In the battle of Baqiu, at least more than 5,000 people were captured by the Jingbei Army, including many elites of our army. If we can They all exchanged it, and they only need to rest for ten and a half days before they can go to the city to fight.”
(End of chapter)