Chapter 144: Touching People's Heart
Yuan Shu could not accept Guangling's gains and losses.
In fact, Yuan Shu knew very well that except for the Sun Army, which may not be afraid of the Xuzhou Army, the other troops under his command were not as powerful as the Xuzhou Army. The combat strength ratio might be 1.5 to 1, or even 2: 1.
That is to say, two Yangzhou soldiers are needed to fight against one Xuzhou soldier.
But if you have Guangling, it will be completely different.
At that time, Yuan Shu was backed by a fortified city and had sufficient food and weapons. Facing the Xuzhou Army coming from afar, the gap between the two sides may have returned to 1:1.
Furthermore, the grain and grass of the Xuzhou Army had to be transported hundreds of kilometers to reach the front line. Even with the help of rivers, it was still a heavy burden.
In this way, Yuan Shujun will have a big advantage.
But now, Sun Ce retreated without permission.
How could this not make Yuan Shu angry?
However, Yuan Shu also understood that Sun Ce was demonstrating with him.
I blame him for breaking his promise several times and getting fat.
For the first time, he promised Sun Ce to let him be the governor of Jiujiang, but in the end the position was given to his protégé Chen Ji.
Later, Yuan Shu asked Sun Ce to attack Lujiang and promised to make him the governor of Lujiang, but in the end he gave it to Liu Xun.
Now he asked Sun Ce to attack Guangling, but he didn't even make a promise.
Sun Ce was dissatisfied and wanted an official position from himself.
The anger gradually subsided and Yuan Shu calmed down again.
Many people only know that Yuan Shu lived an extravagant life, was short-sighted, and was prone to war.
But I don’t know that Yuan Shu himself has a very strategic vision and planning ability.
In fact, when he was in Nanyang, he had already fallen into death as soon as Sun Jian died.
At that time, to the south of Nanyang was Liu Biao, who was already in a life-and-death situation with Yuan Shu, and to the northwest was the Liangzhou Army. Because of Ma Rixi, he realized that he was being tricked by Yuan Shu, so he completely broke with Yuan Shu.
Xu Qiu in the east blocked Yuan Zhong's support for Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao in the north was simply Yuan Shao's die-hard younger brother, a thug who was separated to open up the situation in Yanzhou.
Isn’t it an exaggeration to use one sentence to describe Yuan Shu at this time?
Yuan Shu's Nanyang County at that time, due to his excessive exploitation and constant wars, the population dropped drastically, the fertile fields were deserted, and it was no longer able to support Yuan Shu's tens of thousands of troops.
But in this desperate situation, Yuan Shu actually started extreme operations.
First of all, he proposed that his old official Chen Yu be appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, with his capital in Jiujiang and stationed in Shouchun.
Then he joined forces with Jin Shang, the governor of Yanzhou sent by Li Jue and Guo Si, and went north to attack Yanzhou.
With Liu Biao constantly plagiarizing his own retreat, Yuan Shu went all out and crossed Yingchuan County and Chenliu County, which had become white ground, and stationed himself at Fengqiu, where he designed a trap for Cao Cao and waited. Cao Cao fell into a trap.
As long as Cao Cao dares to attack Kuangting, Yuan Shu will follow him and stage an encirclement for Cao Cao to support him.
This set of planned actions can be said to be smooth and flowing, and it really has the style of a master.
But why did you lose in the end?
Two reasons, one is subjective and the other is objective.
The subjective reason is because this strategic master is too out of touch.
Yuan Shu was so indolent that he had no intention of inspecting the terrain on the spot. He could only do map work and direct battles on the map.
As a result, he ignored a very important issue, which is the difference in terrain.
Yuan Shu buried a nail in Kuangting, trying to lure Cao Cao to attack, and then surrounded him to help Cao Cao.
In terms of distance, Cao Cao's Juancheng to Kuangting is indeed much farther than Yuan Shu's Fengqiu to Kuangting, and it's not a little farther, but much farther.
Theoretically, Yuan Shu could easily attack later in Fengqiu and catch Cao Cao off guard in Kuangting.
But Yuan Shu made an extremely stupid mistake, that is, he did not notice that four rivers needed to be crossed from Fengqiu to Kuangting, while only one river needed to be crossed from Juancheng to Kuangting.
Everyone knows how difficult it is to cross the river, especially when a large army crosses the river, which is even more procrastinating.
This led to the fact that after the war actually started, Yuan Shu, the man who was close, took more time to get to Kuangting than Cao Cao, the man who was far away.
When he arrived at Kuangting, Cao Cao had already pulled out the nails he had planted. Even the other party had rested and was waiting for him.
This has to mention the second objective reason, which is that the opponent Yuan Shu met was Cao Cao.
Cao Cao was keenly aware of Yuan Shu's flaw, and without any thought of delaying time, he immediately sent out troops to attack Kuangting, conquering the city first, and then waiting for work, completely defeating Yuan Shu's 50,000-strong army.
But even though Yuan Shu was so defeated, the situation suddenly changed after he successfully ran to Jiujiang.
Everyone was surprised to find that Yuan Shu was alive again.
Not to mention being resurrected with full health, Yuan Shu, who suffered a huge defeat and was beaten by Cao Cao for six hundred miles, was resurrected with most of his health.
Not only did they regain possession of Jiujiang County, which had not experienced war, but they also regrouped tens of thousands of troops. Their influence directly expanded to Jiangdong, and they directly ennobled their general Wu Jing as the prefect of Danyang, and captured them without any bloodshed. When they arrived at the two counties of Yangzhou, they also extended their tentacles into Wu County.
This operation can be called a god-level performance.
If Yuan Shu won the Battle of Kuangting, it would be because Yuan Shu, the righteous left general of the imperial court, joined forces with Jin Gong, the real governor of Yanzhou who was worshiped by the imperial court, and together they defeated the fake independent Cao Cao supported by Yuan Shao. It is justifiable. He took the entire Yanzhou, and then joined forces with Yuzhou's Prime Minister Yuan Zhong and his original home base of Nanyang, and suddenly expanded into the world's number one warlord with ten counties.
Even if he failed, there was no threat to his life. Cao Cao kicked his butt and escorted him for six hundred miles to Yangzhou and Jiujiang to become the King of Jiangdong.
When I arrived in Jiangdong, I immediately owned three counties, and I could also get my hands on Guangling in Xuzhou and Lujiang in Yangzhou. In the future, I would use the whirlwind of the Little Overlord to directly sweep across Wu County and Kuaiji County. No matter how I look at it, I have a long-term vision. .
That is to say, Yuan Shu was finally defeated and died. If he could successfully unify the world, this experience would be as exciting as Guangwu riding north to Hebei alone.
Yuan Shu walked in circles in the hall, frowning and thinking, obviously planning something.
At the end, he stopped, raised his head, and said to Yang Hong: "Tell Bo Fu that as long as he can capture Guangling, I will immediately declare him as the prefect of Guangling County, and I will never break his promise this time! Tell Zhongyi again that I originally wanted him to be the governor of Guangling, and he should know it. It’s a pity that Bofu is having trouble with me now. I did break my promise before, and I’m sorry for him.”
"This time we can only temporarily aggrieve Zhongyi and let Bo Fu temporarily serve as the governor of Guangling. After we defeat Liu Bei, we will besiege Jiangdong in three directions, and we will definitely let Zhongyi resume the post of governor of Danyang."
Wu Jing, courtesy name Zhongyi. , is Sun Jian's brother-in-law, Sun Ce's biological uncle, and Sun Ce's mother's biological brother.
At this time, Wu Jingnai was an important general under Yuan Shu. Like Sun Ce's clan brother Sun Bi, he was Yuan Shu's confidant and favorite general. His popularity was actually higher than that of Sun Ce.
"Yes, my lord."
Yang Hong respectfully agreed, then called for paper and pen, wrote the letter, handed it to Yuan Shu to read it correctly, sealed it and sent it to Jiangdu quickly.
"Let Qiao Rui stop staying in Li Yang. It's time to go to Jiangdu."
Yuan Shu said dissatisfied: "Is giving him 20,000 people just to let him watch a show?"
< br>Yang Hong responded again: "Yes, lord!"
************
Liu Bei got the news not much earlier than Yuan Shu, but he was not the same as Yuan Shu. The same thing is that he got the news on horseback.
Because a large number of ships were provided to Liu Feng's vanguard troops, Liu Bei could not advance by land and water. He could only use waterways and ships for logistical supplies. The army moved south on foot, which was much slower than Liu Feng's troops.
Until Liu Feng had already fought in Guangling and captured Guangling County.
When the news came back, Liu Bei was still in Xiapi County and had not yet entered Guangling County.
"Good! Ziyang has done a great job, and Ziyi has done a minor job. They are all good!"
After receiving the news, Liu Bei praised him repeatedly.
Originally, Liu Bei was mentally prepared to fight a fierce battle under Guangling City.
Although he and Liu Feng had discussed it several times, they both felt that Yuan Sui had a soft temper and would sacrifice the city to avoid war if there was a chance.
If we don’t offer the city, we will definitely fight.
The Xuzhou Army was prepared to win.
Now that Liu Ye, Tai Shici and others have captured Guangling, they have avoided a fierce siege battle for the Xuzhou army. This will save an unknown amount of food and soldiers' lives.
Liu Bei was surrounded by generals such as Zhang Fei, Zang Ba, and Xiahou Bo. When they heard that Guangling had been conquered, they were both surprised and happy, but also regretful and relaxed. Everyone knows that Guangling is a fortified city, easy to defend but difficult to attack.
After taking Guangling, the biggest bone of this southern expedition has been chewed away. They no longer need to risk the lives of their subordinates, but the biggest achievement is also gone.
I can’t tell whether I am happy or unhappy.
Liu Bei could see what these generals were thinking from their faces, but these did not affect his good mood.
"Pass my order to let Liu Ye temporarily take over the affairs of Guangling County, with Li Luo as the chief historian, Li Zhang as the county magistrate, and Tai Shi Ci as the county captain, to control the troops of Guangling County."
Liu Bei was in high spirits. As soon as he sent out troops, he completed the most difficult part and made him understand what it felt like to be complacent.
"Send an order to the whole army to set up camp early tonight, give the whole army extra food, and rush on the road tomorrow. When they arrive at Guangling City, they will reward the whole army with wine and meat, and give the three armies a feast."
Liu Bei's order and The good news on the front line spread with the envoys and cavalry. The morale of the Xuzhou army was greatly shaken, and everyone was shouting for victory. Since Liu Bei entered Xuzhou, he must win every battle, conquer every attack, and defend firmly, which has made the Xuzhou Army's combat effectiveness continue to improve.
A thing called self-confidence began to plant seeds in the Xuzhou Army, waiting for the watering of time and achievements to allow it to sprout and grow.
"By the way, have the envoys to pick up Ziyang's family set off yet?"
Liu Bei suddenly thought of something and turned to ask Xiahou Bo.
Before this operation, Liu Ye volunteered to surrender to Guangling, so Liu Bei sent someone to pick up Liu Tao and his son.
If it were just Gaoyou, then Liu Ye's achievements would not be outstanding, but once he really said that he had surrendered to Guangling, Liu Ye would naturally attract people's attention.
With Yuan Shu's character, Liu Tao and his son were under his rule, and there was no guarantee what the other party would do.
Although Yuan Shu might not do anything, if he did, the blow to Liu Ye would be too great.
So, Liu Bei personally arranged the manpower and asked Fu Shiren to lead the team and went to Chengde to pick them up.
Xiahou Bo cupped his hands and replied: "Please don't worry, my lord, Jun Yi had already set off before we set off. He traveled through the starry night to Chengde. I hope he can be picked up in time."
Liu Bei was relieved.
On the other side, Liu Feng was standing on the wall of Guangling City, looking towards the canal.
There was a famous historical landmark before Liu Feng crossed, called the Great Wall of Qin and the Canal of Sui.
It means that some people only know the Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty, so they think that the Great Wall before the Qin Dynasty is fake and fictitious.
Some people only know the Grand Canal of the Sui Dynasty, so they think that China only had canals after the Sui Dynasty.
In fact, the Great Wall is too early. During the Eastern and Western Zhou Dynasties, there was already a small section of earth wall to prevent the invasion of nomads from the north.
In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, countries such as Yan, Zhao, and Qin began to build large-scale city walls, which were eventually connected by the Qin Dynasty to form the Great Wall.
The same goes for canals. Historically, there are records of canals being built during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The Yangzhou area is the most famous and is remembered in history as the Grand Canal. It was the Grand Canal that was created by King Wu Fu Chai, who was born in the Wu Kingdom. In order to go north and conquer Qi and It was built during the Jin Dynasty's struggle for hegemony.
This is Hangou.
Later, the Western Han Dynasty and the Eastern Han Dynasty also repaired and expanded the canal.
Liu Feng took this canal when he went south.
It’s just that this canal still cannot withstand the erosion of time, and now it has obvious siltation and blockage.
Liu Feng was thinking about whether to transfer Chen Deng to Guangling as historically done, and make him responsible for dredging and enlarging the canal.
The benefits of this are very obvious. Not only will Guangling's centripetal force in the direction of Xuzhou be greatly strengthened, but Xuzhou's influence can also reach directly to the three counties of Yangzhou through the canal.
"Youping, look at Guangling or Jiangdu, which one is more suitable for the Navy's military stronghold?"
Liu Feng also had Pan Zhang and Zhou Tai with him.
Everyone else was very busy, but he was lazy and came here to observe the terrain.
"It must be Jiangdu."
Zhou Tai said categorically: "Although Guangling is connected by a canal, the water is shallow and silted, making it impassable for large ships. On the contrary, Jiangdu has a better terrain and is a natural harbor. But there has always been a canal in the south. Niuzhu, there are Dantu in the east, there is no need for Jiangdu to build a port."
Liu Feng nodded: "Youping can recruit more people, craftsmen, I will be of great use to the navy."
Zhou Tai nodded gratefully. In this era, naval generals are always inferior to others, otherwise the general position of General Louchuan would not be cancelled.
You must know that in the most glorious era of General Lou Chuan, he was only a permanent general. He was considered the most outstanding general among generals with other generals. You can imagine how embarrassed the navy was.
"Youping, come and see."
Liu Feng pointed in the direction of the mouth of the Yangtze River and said to Zhou Tai: "I often think about the river flowing into the sea, but what will be at the end of the sea? Youping can you Do you know?"
Zhou Tai smiled honestly and shook his head: "Young master, a wise man like you doesn't know, how can Tai know?"
Liu Feng smiled gently: "Young master. Ping, do you think there is another continent on the other side of this sea, and on that continent, there is also a person talking about this sea with his confidants?"
Zhou Tai ate a meal? Surprised, he was thoughtful. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that what Liu Feng said was really possible.
Since our side is the shore of the sea, why can't our side be the end? The other side of the sea may also be the starting point.
Seeing Zhou Tai vaguely feeling something, Liu Feng continued: "Besides, there are actually many treasures in this sea, and we need bigger, better, and heavier ships to use them."
"Not to mention other things, if a large ship goes north to Liaodong by sea, it may only take twenty or thirty days to arrive, but if it takes the land route, I'm afraid it won't be enough even several times."
Listen As Liu Feng kept talking, Zhou Tai's eyes gradually brightened.
Although he is loyal and simple, he is not stupid at all.
On the contrary, he is actually quite smart, but he doesn't like to express himself and has a low-key personality.
From Liu Feng's words, you can hear the other party's expectations and emphasis on the naval army. And isn't he the best person in the Xuzhou army who is good at the navy?
Liu Feng is asking himself to talk about this now. Isn't this exactly what he expects from himself?
"Don't worry, young master. Tai knows the young master's ambition and is willing to work for the young master."
Zhou Tai expressed his determination and said: "Tai, you are a thief from Jiujiang and one river, young master Meng If you don't give up, you will die for the young master."
"Tai often travels on the river, and often needs to repair ships, so he is a boatman and craftsman. I live along the river, and I can't get a few orders of business a year. I can only work for the powerful to earn a living."
The more Zhou Tai said, the more excited he became: "If the young master is willing to recruit them, Tai can guarantee that within three months, four hundred craftsmen will be recruited for the young master."
Liu Feng nodded and praised Zhou Tai. .
There are actually several government-run shipyards in Jiangdong.
But due to financial problems in the Eastern Han Dynasty, they were all abolished in the last years of the Han Dynasty.
These craftsmen should all come from these shipyards. After leaving the shipyards, there is almost no other way out except working for powerful workshops.
Not to mention the distance, there used to be a small shipyard in Guangling, and the Lujiang County of Yangzhou, next door to Guangling, even had a shipyard capable of manufacturing high-rise ships.
"Hanshu Geography" records that in the Han Dynasty, "Lou Ship Officers" were set up in Lujiang County. Each of these large ships weighed hundreds or even thousands of tons.
Soochow once built large-scale ships such as "Feiyun" and "Gaihai", each of which had five floors and could carry three thousand soldiers and sailors.
Even if this is reduced by half, it is still a large ship of considerable size.
"Okay!"
Liu Feng patted Zhou Tai on the shoulder: "I'm really happy that you, Yuping, can realize the importance of craftsmen. You can recruit as many as you can. After regaining Guangling, the state capital The food supply is increasing day by day, and it is no problem to feed thousands more people.”
As far as Guangling is concerned, only the four counties of Tangyi, Jiangdu, Hailing, and Yuxian are left, and the others are already in Xuzhou. Under control.
Moreover, Hailing County is relatively isolated and has opportunities that can be fought for.
The one that is really likely to encounter a fierce battle is Jiangdu, followed by Yuxian. Although Tangyi is influenced by Yangzhou, its location is too remote, and there is a high probability that it will not be involved in this war.
Liu Feng was still very confident about taking Jiangdu.
(End of this chapter)