Chapter 161 The Lion Roars Jiangdong
As Sun Ce expected, Liu Yao did not dare to stay in Jurong or Moling all the way westward. He ran to Niuzhu in one breath and then stopped.
In fact, Liu Yao's situation at this time was much better than in history.
Historically, it was because of the Zhou family's backstabbing that more than 10,000 Niuzhu elites were killed, and a large amount of military supplies and weapons were lost. On the contrary, it reduced the Sun family's supply pressure.
Although Qu'a has been lost now, it seems that the old nest has been lost, but the old nest is actually just an empty frame. Not only does it have no money, no food, it doesn't even have any hostages from the army.
Therefore, after seeing Liu Yao himself, Liu Yao's troops quickly stabilized and there was almost no trouble.
But what happened next became troublesome.
Naturally, Niu Zhu's army wanted to conquer Qu'a. After all, many of them were powerful men from Wu County.
Although the fall of Qu'a would not prevent them from returning home, they could still detour from the mountainous area below Danyang County to Kuaiji County, and then return to Wu County via Qiantang.
But their concerns about Wu Jun made them support an immediate counterattack on Qu'a.
The internal problems of the Niuzhu Army are not big. Even the powerful people in Danyang County can support it. After all, they still understand the principle of death and coldness.
But Xue Li and Zuo Rong had a big problem here.
They did not refuse directly, but had their own little ideas.
In the past ten days, Liu Yao has sent three or four groups of envoys to the camps of Xue Li and Zuo Rong, inviting them to come over to discuss important matters.
But these two people were making excuses and had many reasons, but they couldn't come.
"It should be the position of the governor of Wu County."
Xu Shao was very good at judging people. He had long seen that Xue Li and Zuo Rong were not honest people, especially the latter, who was the source of trouble.
If Yuan Shu and the Sun family were not under too much pressure, he would have suggested that Liu Yao join forces with Xue Li to eliminate Zuo Rong first.
Now Xue Li and Zuo Rong are standing still and deliberately delaying time. It is clear that they have taken a fancy to the position of Wu Commandery's prefect. If they want to drive away tigers and devour wolves, let Sun Ce get rid of Xu Gong, the governor of Wu County, for them, and then they can logically put forward conditions to Liu Yao.
"You villain, you are such a despicable villain."
Liu Yao could have thought of this himself, not to mention that it was Xu Shao's guess. Of course he took it all in his favor.
So, Liu Yao couldn't help but curse: "It's because of these villains in power that the situation is so difficult."
It's just a matter of scolding, but the problem still needs to be solved.
Niuzhu only has more than 10,000 people. Even if they are all taken away, it will not help.
And Xue Li and Zuo Rong are in the rear, so Liu Yao is not at ease at all.
"Ming Gong, this trend must not be encouraged."
Although Xu Shao was seriously ill physically, his mind was still very clear.
In addition to a few scholars from Qingzhou and Yuzhou around him, Liu Yao's most die-hard supporters were nothing more than the powerful alliance of local nobles in Yangzhou.
Although Xu Gong and the local scholars in Yangzhou were very unhappy, and the two sides had deep grudges, this did not mean that Liu Yao could betray each other.
After all, Xu Gong still supports Liu Yao until now. Not only did he provide him with money, food, military equipment, goods and manpower, but he was also very obedient to Liu Yao and the court's system.
If Liu Yao betrayed even such a subordinate, what would the entire Yangzhou gentry think of him?
Therefore, Liu Yao not only could not give up Xu Gong, but also had to rescue him.
"Ming Gong, first of all, can quickly order people to pass the order to pay tribute. Wu County should guard it. If it cannot be defended, it can retreat to Youquan County. As a last resort, it can retreat to Qiantang. It must be resolutely stated that the state capital is absolutely He will not give up Wu County, and will definitely send troops to restore the county for him."
Xu Shao straightened up and offered countermeasures: "Secondly, Ming Gong can choose brave men to go to Xue Li's gate in person. This person and Zuo. Although Rong supports his troops and respects himself, he is fierce on the outside and has little ambition. As long as Xue Li can bow his head and obey orders, Zuo Rong will not dare to disobey orders alone."
"When the time comes, Ming Gong can mobilize 6,000 troops from these two men, 4,000 more from Niuzhu, and thousands more from Danyang's wealthy families, for a total of more than 10,000 troops from west to east. At the same time, Wang Lang, the governor of Kuaiji County, can be ordered to assist Xu Gong and march from the south. To the north, attack from two sides and recover Wu Commandery.”
Having said this, Xu Shao rested for a short while and continued to add: "If Sun Ce still cannot be defeated in this way, then Duke Ming can only ask for help from the north or west."
"This ..."
Liu Yao naturally accepted Xu Shao's previous opinions in full, and Liu Yao also understood the last words.
Isn't Xu Shao hinting to him that if he really can't handle it himself, he'd better ask for help as soon as possible.
It is not too late to discuss other matters after the Sun family's problems are resolved. After all, Yuan Shu, the man behind the Sun family, has already promised Hui Qu to be the governor of Yangzhou, and he obviously does not recognize him.
Liu Bei and Liu Biao at least recognized him as the governor of Yangzhou, and Liu Yao could clearly distinguish which one was more important.
Liu Yao looked at the brothers Sun Shao and Teng, and saw that they all agreed with Xu Shao's words, so he nodded in agreement and said, "If you are good, just do what the general said."
****************
Great changes have taken place in Jiangdong, and Liu Feng on the other side of the river is naturally very concerned about it.
As he expected, after Sun Ce landed ashore, he attacked Dantu and Qu'a, and directly forced Liu Yao to run away, creating a great momentum.
Immediately a lot of powerful people and knights came to the local area.
The rise of Sun Jian has given unlimited hope to the young heroes in Jiangdong and the rangers in the countryside. It is simply an inspirational template.
Coupled with the fact that Sun Jian had been an official in Jiangdong for a long time and had a great reputation, Sun Ce attracted hundreds of people around him to defect to him in just over ten days after he captured Qu'a.
If it takes longer, when the news spreads completely, more people will definitely seek refuge with him, and there will even be local tycoons in Yangzhou who can't help but place their bets.
Liu Feng was actually a little worried about this.
When to cross the river, when to intervene in the east of the river.
This point in time is a very important thing.
Going in early, worried that the Sun family would not be able to survive.
I came in late, and I was worried that the Sun family had grown up.
In the final analysis, it still depends on the strength of your own strength.
If 50,000 elites can go to Jiangdong, they can follow Sun Ce in Jiangdong and go whenever they want.
In the following time, Liu Feng's attention was completely focused on Jiangdong. He made many detailed investigations across the river and reported back to Guangling as soon as there was any news.
**********
Half a month later, in Jiangxia, Jingzhou, in the navy stronghold.
Captain Su Fei is looking at the documents in the hall.
Not long after, footsteps were heard outside the hall, but the guards outside the door did not dare to stop them.
Su Fei raised his head and smiled.
Sure enough, the next moment, a strong man wearing a brocade robe and a flowered hat walked in.
This man is Su Fei's good friend, the former Commander-in-Chief of Shu County, and the powerful Gan Ning of Yizhou.
“Brother Yude, do you have anything to do with me?”
Gan Ning smelled of alcohol and was walking like a tiger. He was not polite in front of Su Fei and sat down directly opposite Su Fei.
Su Fei, on the other hand, loved him for his bold temperament, his righteousness over wealth, and didn't care about the other person's rudeness at all.
"Xingba, your chance has come."
Hearing Su Fei's words, Gan Ning was shocked and looked at him quickly.
Su Fei held up a piece of silk writing in his right hand: "The state government has issued an order for Mr. Huang to select elites and escort the envoys south to Jiangdong, Guangling. This is your opportunity."
It turned out that as early as half a year ago, Liu Feng had received Liu Bei's permission to send someone to Jingzhou to look for Gan Ning and inform him of his intention to conquer.
Just because Gan Ning was still under the command of Liu Biao and Huang Zu at this time, he could not conquer directly. He could only show Liu Bei's love for talents.
Gan Ning failed in his rebellion in the early years of Xingping and was forced to live in exile in Jingzhou. He suffered from the contempt of Liu Biao and Huang Zu.
Fortunately, Su Fei, the governor of Jiangxia, admired him, but despite his repeated recommendations, Huang Zu was not recognized. Instead, Huang Zu secretly seduced Gan Ning's subordinates to betray him.
Liu Feng really couldn't understand Huang Zu's brain circuit.
You said that you think Gan Ning is incapable and you don't need him. Although you are really blind, you can still understand it.
But it is really puzzling to think that Gan Ning is incompetent and at the same time covet Gan Ning's songs.
If Gan Ning was incompetent, how could he practice a good song?
What makes the situation worse is that although Huang Zu looked down on Gan Ning, he was very wary of Gan Ning. Not only did he restrict his movements, but he also placed his base in the Chinese military camp, making him basically No chance to leave.
Otherwise, Gan Ning would have long wanted to go down the river and join the Sun family in Jiangdong. However, things changed half a year ago. Liu Bei, the pastor of Xuzhou, actually sent someone to express his goodwill. He valued him very much and even wrote a letter of condolence in his own hand, hoping that he could come to Xuzhou to meet him if he had a chance.
He also said that the construction of the Xuzhou navy was lacking sharp generals, which made Gan Ning very moved.
Subsequently, Gan Ning told Su Fei about the matter. After Su Fei inquired around, he told Gan Ning what he knew.
Liu Bei is just a newcomer to Xuzhou, and there is local unrest in the state, so the situation is not optimistic.
Although Gan Ning was a little discouraged, he did not stop thinking.
For him, Bole is far more important than strength.
Liu Biao dominates Jiangbiao, is he strong enough?
But the problem is that neither Liu Biao nor Huang Zu took him seriously and blatantly seduced his soldiers. If Su Fei hadn't persuaded him so hard, he would have really wanted to fall out with Huang Zu. .
He would rather not suffer such humiliation a second time.
But Huang Zu watched too closely and Gan Ning could not leave.
Otherwise, whether it is to go to the Sun family or to go to Xuzhou first, it is a good choice.
Next, Su Fei and Gan Ning were very curious about Liu Bei and wanted to inquire about each other.
Unexpectedly, there are so many big news in Xuzhou, one after another.
Received Danyang, pacified Langya, and recently went south to Guangling to compete with Yuan Shu.
This is not a weak state pastor, it is clearly a hidden dragon coming out of the abyss, and the power of rising dragon is obvious.
Gan Ning deeply hated Huang Zu for blocking him. If he had surrendered in the past, he would have become a great hero today.
It is a pity that Liu Shijun has gained momentum, but Gan Ning is still trapped in Jiangxia and is not allowed to surrender. He can only dissolve his grudges with wine day and night.
What surprised Gan Ning even more was that three months later, Liu Bei's letter arrived again. The words in it were broad and gentle, and contained sincerity. He not only felt for Gan Ning's situation, but also expressed his feelings for him His ability is very certain, and he cares deeply about Gan Ning.
At the end of the letter, he also told Gan Ning not to give up on himself and to read more scholars to encourage himself, which made Gan Ning heartbroken.
By this time, the Sun family's choice had been eliminated from Gan Ning's mind.
Gan Ning's mind was not big, and he could only accommodate the governor Liu of Xuzhou.
"Xing Ba, you also know that I have recommended you several times, but the lord can't use it again. The sun and the moon are passing by, and there are so many years in life. You already have a long-term plan, and Fei Ye knows it. It's just that the lord is too careful, and he can't Opportunity."
Su Fei handed the silk book in his hand to Gan Ning: "This is an official document from the state government. It will be sent directly to my office. I can take this opportunity to bypass the lord and report directly to the state government and arrange for the minister to come. Assuming this position, you can decide where to go after sending off the envoy."
Gan Ning also read the silk book at this time and looked up at Su Fei excitedly: "Brother Yu De, you are so kind and kind, please let me. How can I repay you?"
Su Fei sighed regretfully: "It's a pity that I can't go to the battlefield with Xingba."
When Gan Ning heard this, his eyes were bright red. He took a step back and bowed down and said: "Brother Yude, I will not thank you for your kindness. If you have a destiny in the future, you only need a scroll of silk. I would rather die in return."
"Why is this!"
Su Fei quickly stood up, walked around the desk, and helped Gan Ning up: "Xingba, you and I, brothers, why are you so open to outsiders? But the order of the state government is very strict I'm in a hurry. I'm going to leave the day after tomorrow. I'm going to have a banquet to see you off tonight."
Gan Ning was overjoyed and held Su Fei's hand in his hand: "Okay! You and I won't be drunk tonight. Come back!"
Two days later, Gan Ning led more than 400 people in more than ten small and large boats to welcome the convoy of the envoy Liu Xian and Mr. Travel eastward, all the way down the river, heading towards Jiangdong.
************
At this time, a war had just broken out in Jiangdong.
Liu Yao followed Xu Shao's plan and led eight warriors to Moling. They went straight into Xue Li's tent, denounced him for his righteousness, and ordered him to send out three thousand elite soldiers in the name of Yangzhou Mu to attack eastward.
Under Liu Yao’s scolding, Xue Li was too shy to say anything, so he bowed down and obeyed.
Afterwards, Xue Li named three thousand elites and handed them over to Liu Yao.
Liu Yao took these 3,000 elites, plus the 3,000 people gathered by the Danyang powerful men, and the 4,000 elites drawn from Niuzhu's defense line, and forced them directly to the door of Zuo Rong's house.
Ze Rong could only go out of the camp to meet Liu Yao. In response to Liu Yao's call, he handed over three thousand elite soldiers to Liu Yao on the spot.
Subsequently, Xue Li and Zuo Rong were invited into the big tent by Liu Yao, who told them to pay attention to the direction of Niuzhu and rush to help immediately if something happened.
Xue Li and Zuo Rong were photographed by Liu Yao, so they could only agree.
Subsequently, Liu Yao led an army of 13,000 to the east to attack Sun Ce.
At this time, Wu Jing was attacking Wu County City, and Xu Gong was holding on with difficulty.
Sun Ce only had 6,000 troops, and with the more than 1,000 heroes who defected to him during this period, the total number was only 7,000, which was only half of Liu Yao's army.
Originally everyone thought that Sun Ce would stick to the city and compete to see who could hold on better.
If Wu Jing goes to Wu County first and then turns back to assist Sun Ce, Sun Jia will win.
If Liu Yao captures Qu'a first, Liu Yao will win.
Liu Yao even discussed with his confidants Zhang Ying, Sun Shao and others whether to take Qu'a first or Dantu first.
Liu Yao and others all concluded that Sun Ce would definitely shrink his main force to Qu'a. After all, if Qu'a was defeated, Wu Jingke would suddenly become a bird in a cage and a fish in a net.
When the time comes Wu Jing will not even have anywhere to run, and with the morale of the army in chaos, even self-protection may be a problem.
On the contrary, Dantu was lost. Although the situation was equally serious, the Sun family at least had room to wait for Wu Jing to join them.
Even if Wu Jing cannot capture Wu County, after he comes back and joins Sun Ce, he will still have a heavily armed group and can counterattack Dantu at any time.
Therefore, Liu Yao and the others were very careful when making their decision, and decided to directly besiege Qu'a. They did not distinguish between soldiers and disciples, and did not seek to capture Qu'a. They only wanted to force Wu Jing back and relieve Xu Gong from the siege.
At that time, Liu Yao and the others can retreat to Jurong and confine Sun Ce's army to this northern Wu area.
There are many rivers and lakes between Wu County and Qu'a. Although the distance is not far, it is very troublesome to march.
As long as Liu Yao sends more careful scouts at that time, there is no need to worry about Wu Jing being able to retreat quickly. Even if Wu Jing retreats to Piling, he will have enough time to withdraw to Jurong.
Between Qu'a and Jurong, there is another river called Vanilla River.
This river is a north-south river, only forty or fifty miles away from Qu'a.
Liu Yao's army doesn't even need to return to Jurong. As long as it withdraws across the river, Sun Ce's army will no longer be able to threaten Liu Yao's army. This makes Wu Jing how to catch up with him.
Liu Yao, Zhang Ying, Sun Shao and others have considered almost all the situations that can be considered, but unfortunately only one situation has been missed.
That is Sun Ce’s personality.
Sun Ce is just like his father, with extraordinary bravery, how could he be so conservative.
Therefore, no one expected that Sun Ce would directly abandon Dantu and gather all his troops in Qu'a.
Subsequently, to everyone's surprise, Sun Ce came out of Qu'a, and formed a formation to attack Liu Yao thirty miles west of Qu'a and ten miles east of the Xiangxiang River.
Liu Yao's army was caught off guard. After half a day's march, as soon as they crossed the Xiangxiang River, they hurriedly fought, but were beaten by Sun Ce to wait for work.
Afterwards, Sun Ce personally went into battle and made a surprise attack. He charged into the battle four times in half a day, broke seven spears, and replaced four horses. He finally defeated Liu Yao's army and captured three thousand prisoners.
Liu Yao was defeated and retreated ten miles. After retreating across the Xiangxiang River, he went down to the stronghold and collected the defeated troops.
Unexpectedly, Sun Ce used the prisoners as his vanguard, tricked him into opening the camp gate, charged into Liu Yao's camp, and then set fire to everything.
After the defeat, the camp was robbed again. Liu Yao had almost no power to fight back, so he could only drink bitter wine and be defeated again.
Under Zhang Ying's desperate bloody battle, he fought his way out and finally escorted Liu Yao to escape into Jurong.
After two defeats in one day, the 13,000-strong army only had more than 3,000 left, and more than half of it was lost in one go.
Except for the nearly four thousand people who were captured by Sun Ce, most of them ran away.
The improvised tribe of the wealthy family naturally fled home directly, while the two tribes of Xue Li and Zuo Rong naturally stopped looking for Liu Yao stupidly and simply bypassed Jurong and fled to the west. Went.
Only those who ran with Liu Yao, the Niuzhu garrison, and some more loyal wealthy tribes came to Jurong with Liu Yao.
When Liu Yao saw the army in Jurong in such a mess, he suddenly lost control and burst into tears. He was so sad that he fainted, which caused Zhang Ying and others to panic.
In the Battle of Xiangxiang River, Sun Ce defeated Liu Yao twice in one day and captured nearly 4,000 people. It shocked the entire Jiangdong. At the same time, with Danyang as the core, it quickly spread in all directions. Come.
The impact of the Battle of Vanilla River will take a long time to fully appear, but the immediate impact is enough for now.
(End of this chapter)