Chapter 1024 Retreat
An unexpected cold wave swept across the north and south of the Yangtze River.
The Wei army in the new city of Hefei fell seriously ill.
As for the Wu army outside the city, it was even more miserable.
In just three days, the epidemic began to spread in the Wu military camp.
If it weren't for Lu Xun, who was guarding Chaohu and guarding his pets, urgently transferred a batch of warm clothes.
I am afraid that the Wu army may have lost 30% of its combat effectiveness due to the epidemic caused by typhoid fever alone.
Even so, the casualties suffered by the Wu army during these days' siege, coupled with the raging epidemic, also made the army miserable.
It just so happens that there is a shortage of siege equipment. Under such circumstances, there is no way to replenish them in time.
So Sun Quan could only watch helplessly as the city wall that was finally destroyed was rebuilt by the enemy during these three days.
"Your Majesty, although the general has sent some clothes, it is still not enough."
Zhuge Ke found Sun Quan again and persuaded him earnestly, "The spies sent by the general to the north have sent news again. It is very likely that Cao Rui personally led the army to reinforce Hefei."
“Your Majesty, there is an epidemic in the army now, there are not enough medicinal materials, and the soldiers do not have enough clothes to keep out the cold. If Cao Rui really comes, the army will be in danger!”
Looking at Hefei New City, which is backed by mountains and has Shishui as a moat, Sun Quan's face turned livid, and he didn't know whether he was cold or angry.
At this time, he missed the time when he led the army to attack Hefei for the first time.
Because that time was the closest to success.
At that time, Cao Cao was defeated in Chibi. Hefei City was under his attack and the city wall was about to collapse.
Unexpectedly, the thief general Jiang Ji used a trick to mistakenly believe that reinforcements had arrived, and hurriedly burned the camp and retreated.
Later I learned that the Hefei defenders used grass and leaves to repair the city wall.
The thieves' reinforcements were unable to come in time due to heavy rain and muddy roads.
Thinking of the past, when he heard Zhuge Ke mention for the second time that Cao Rui would personally lead the army to rescue Hefei, Sun Quan didn't know whether to believe it or not.
Still, Wei thief couldn't even keep Guanzhong. Cao Rui didn't want to support Guanzhong, but left Luoyang. This was unreasonable at all.
After these days of siege, although the soldiers in the army suffered heavy casualties, Sun Quan believed that the thieves in Hefei City also suffered heavy casualties.
He transferred Lu Xun to Chaohu, which not only protected the army's retreat, but also held Man Chong back.
As long as he regroups his army and continues to attack the city, Sun Quan believes that Hefei will be captured sooner or later.
But just at this moment, news came that Cao Rui personally led the army to rescue Hefei.
It is difficult to say that it is not false news spread deliberately by thieves.
It is careless to be fooled once, and it is really stupid to be fooled a second time.
Sun Quan finally made up his mind after thinking about this:
"We cannot retreat. The thieves are trapped in the city, and the situation will only be worse than ours."
Speaking of this, Sun Quan said firmly, "I still believe that now is our best chance to capture Hefei."
"Because the Shu people have attracted most of the attention of the Wei thieves in the west. If we miss this opportunity, the Shu people will not be able to give us such a good opportunity again."
Sun Quan looked at Zhuge Ke and said, "Although the Shu people have an alliance with us, it is based on joint resistance to Wei."
“But if Shu can really win Guanzhong, they will have enough strength to compete with Wei alone. At that time, our chances of Wu will become even slimmer. Do you understand?”
Sun Quan continued to emphasize his tone, "Now it is difficult for the Wei thieves to divide their troops to rescue Hefei. So, Yuan Xun, don't you think the news that Cao Rui personally led the army is abnormal?"
Zhuge Ke was startled when he heard this.
Because he had never thought about it.
He is still young. Although he has led the army to win several battles, his experience is still insufficient for those old foxes.
Or maybe I don’t have enough experience, so I didn’t think so far.
“But your majesty, whether it’s a detailed inspection or a scout, they all say that the thieves in the north are very powerful..."
“All the suspected soldiers are very powerful! Now, you should go down and appease the soldiers, or prepare siege equipment, instead of staying here to persuade me to retreat.”
Zhuge Ke had no choice but to retreat.
“Your Majesty refuses to retreat?”
"Yes." Zhuge Jin shook the letter in his hand and repeated what Sun Quan said to Zhuge Ke.
The water flowed into the mouth of Chaohu Lake. Lu Xun stood on the boat and looked a little worried:
“Your Majesty takes it for granted.”
"Huh?" Zhuge Jin originally thought it made sense, but Lu Xun had a different opinion. He couldn't help asking, "Why did Bo Yan say this?"
Lu Xun pointed around:
"If we say that before you and I came here, Man Chong divided his troops to attack the rear of the army, it can still be justified."
"But now His Majesty leads an army of 100,000 troops stationed at Hefei City, and we are watching the army's retreat, but Man Chong still has not left this area. He has been looking for opportunities."
Lu Xun turned around and looked at Zhuge Jin: "What does this mean?"
"What?"
“Man Chong did this because he either didn’t care about the gains and losses of Hefei at all, or he didn’t worry about the loss of Hefei at all. Tzuyu, which one do you think it will be?”
Wei's laws are strict, and losing land is a serious crime, which affects your family.
This is also the reason why in the battle against the Shu people, once the city was lost, the generals who defended the city either committed suicide or died in battle, and few surrendered.
So Zhuge Jin also doesn’t think that Man Chong doesn’t care about Hefei.
“Does Boyan mean that the reinforcements from the north are real?”
"Other than this explanation, I can't think of any other reason." Lu Xun's face looked a little solemn, "Man Chong is an old man who has followed Cao Cao in his early years. He should not be underestimated."
Hearing what Lu Xun said, Zhuge Jin’s face changed slightly:
“Then over there, Your Majesty…”
“I will personally write a letter to persuade your Majesty to withdraw the troops.”
With Lu Xun’s status as the general, he personally persuaded Sun Quan, no matter how reluctant he was, he would consider it carefully.
Zhuge Jin said with some worry: "I'm afraid your majesty will be unhappy because of this."
Lu Xun Surong said: "How can you abandon the great justice of the country just because your Majesty is displeased?"
Zhuge Jin’s lips moved, trying to say something, but in the end he didn’t say it.
In the past few years, the school affairs office has been in a fierce situation. Even the Prime Minister Gu Yong, who was following His Majesty, was scolded by His Majesty and almost lost his official position because he was slandered by the school affairs.
Not to mention the General Shang who is far away from His Majesty in Wuchang and has become the head of the ministers (Zhang Zhao passed away last year).
And Lu Xun was a person who was loyal to state affairs. Although he was away from home, he often wrote letters directly stating current affairs.
The shortcomings of the school administration were repeatedly mentioned in the memorials.
Especially in the past two years, even Zhuge Jin has clearly felt Sun Quan's alienation from Lu Xun.
The Great General is nominally the governor of the affairs of the three counties of Jingzhou and Yangzhou Yuzhang, but most of the troops in Jingzhou are in the hands of the hussar general Bu Zhi who is stationed in Xiling.
Taking this troop dispatch as an example, the total number of troops led by Lu Xun and Zhuge Jin was actually only 30,000.
If we say this, this can also be explained by Sun Quan's desire to balance the power of the two major groups in Wu: the Jiangdong gentry and the Huaisi group. (Bu Zha belongs to Huaisi Group)
So, Sun Quan’s personal letters sent to Ji Han were always first sent to Lu Xun for review.
Now, it has gradually become the case that the school affairs office will send it directly to Shu. This is the most obvious signal.
Of course, when Sun Quan did this, it did not mean that he did not trust Lu Xun.
He did this because he followed his political instinct and deliberately suppressed the Jiangdong gentry who had begun to take full control of Wu's military affairs.
And Lu Xun happened to be a typical representative of the Jiangdong gentry.
In addition to political reasons, there is also a more important economic reason.
That is to say, the school affairs office has opened up the door to the Shu people and can get a large amount of supplies that Sun Quan urgently needs from Shu.
For example, many of the cold-warming clothes that Lu Xun urgently sent to Hefei this time were made of wool produced in Shu.
Although Wu State also imported a large amount of materials from Shu State in the past, most of them went to the hands of Jingzhou Juntou and Jiangdong clan.
The majestic Emperor Wu could only drink soup behind the local military chiefs and wealthy families. Where could he put his face?
After eating and drinking, did you forget the last name of Emperor Wu?
So in Sun Quan's eyes, the contribution made by the school affairs office this time is very important.
As for representatives of the Jingzhou faction like Zhuge Jin, they seemed a little embarrassed at this time.
No matter how incorruptible Zhuge Jin is, he can't cut off the wealth of his hometown elders, can he?
Otherwise, without the support of Jingzhou’s elders, how much say would Zhuge Jin have in Wu?
But emotionally, Zhuge Jin tended to support Lu Xun.
So in dilemma, Zhuge Jin could only remain silent.
It's just that Lu Xun considered himself loyal and upright, so he didn't need to think too much.
He immediately wrote all his analysis in the letter, and at the end of the letter he advised Sun Quan to withdraw his troops. Then he called his confidant Han Bian and told him that he must deliver it to His Majesty himself.
After receiving the order, Han Bian did not dare to neglect and immediately set off by boat.
The young horse of Wu State is good at handling boats.
If you want to deliver this letter to Sun Quan as quickly as possible, it is estimated that at least one horse will be killed in a horse race.
There is no such problem when taking a boat.
Not to mention that Han Bian thought there was nothing wrong with what he did, even Lu Xun thought it was normal.
Just around Hefei, there are water and lakes all over, so this method is not a big problem in spring, summer and autumn.
The problem is that winter has begun.
Many swamps and lakes have dried up, and the range of activities that Wei's elite cavalry can move has been maximized.
In addition, this is the territory of Wei State, and Han Bian is not familiar with the terrain.
On the way, his ship strayed into a dry river and was captured by Wei's elite cavalry who had been patrolling near the river.
Lu Xun’s letter finally fell into Man Chong’s hands.
Man Chong was overjoyed when he learned that Sun Quan believed that Hefei had no reinforcements and had no intention of retreating:
“I was lingering between Hefei and Chaohu, just to delay the Wu people’s retreat. I didn’t expect Sun Quan to be so cooperative. God is helping me!”
After learning the thoughts of Wu Guo's top officials, Man Chong did not hesitate at all and sent the news to the reinforcements as quickly as possible, which was less than a hundred miles away from Hefei.
The reinforcements were nominally led by Cao Rui himself, but in fact Cao Rui's condition became more and more serious.
Coupled with the fatigue of traveling all the way, my body could no longer hold up, so I was lying in the Xuchang palace to rest.
In fact, the person who led the army to rescue Hefei was Zhao Yan, who had just been appointed as the Hussars General.
Zhao Yan, like Man Chong and others, was a veteran of the three dynasties of the Wei Kingdom and had taken refuge with Cao Cao in his early years.
When Cao Ruigang came to the throne, the Jin Dynasty granted him the title of Duxiang Marquis, with a settlement of 600 households, and was authorized to supervise the military affairs of Jingzhou and the holidays.
It just happened that Zhao Yan was ill and could not make the trip.
After recovering from his illness, Zhao Yan first oversaw the military affairs in Yuzhou, then became Chief Sima Military Advisor, and finally entered the DPRK as Chief Agriculture Officer.
In Cao Rui's eastern expedition, Zhao Yan was the actual leader of the army.
After receiving the news from Man Chong from the front, Zhao Yan immediately had a plan in mind.
He first sent out a small number of cavalry and quickly moved forward to the surroundings of Hefei, planting many flags.
Sun Quan expected that the troops coming were suspicious. After sending troops to test the attack, Wei's reinforcements indeed took the initiative to retreat thirty miles.
After reading Lu Xun’s second letter of persuasion, he, who was already a little wavering, could not help but once again strengthen his determination to capture Hefei, saying to his left and right:
"I have seen through the Wei thieves' plan a long time ago! Everyone just attack the city with all their strength and don't pay attention to the thieves outside the city."
Who would have expected that Zhao Yan would personally lead 10,000 fine cavalry at this time, and launch an attack from the side while the Wu army was attacking the city with all its strength.
Seeing the rumbling Wei cavalry appearing on the horizon covering the sky and the sun, Emperor Sun, who was originally confident and vowed to take Hefei, suddenly turned pale.
At this time, the Wu army's camp layout was all aimed at capturing Hefei. Who would have thought that the enemy would suddenly appear from the side?
Many camps on the periphery were immediately rushed into chaos.
Fortunately, Zhuge Ke was reminded by Zhuge Jin and made some preparations in advance.
Seeing that the outer perimeter of the army was being attacked by the Wei army, he quickly led his troops to protect Sun Quan's middle camp.
“Fortunately, Yuan Xun!” Sun Quan felt happy in his heart, but then he was a little panicked, “There are countless thieves, we can’t stay here for a long time!”
Hearing that Sun Quan wanted to quit, Zhuge Ke hurriedly tried to dissuade him:
"Your Majesty, you cannot retreat at this time. If your Majesty retreats at once, the whole army will be defeated. Once the thieves' elite cavalry are chasing after them, the army may not be able to return with only one wheel."
“Then what should we do?”
“The thieves are making such a large-scale surprise attack. They must have come from a long way to deceive others. As long as we avoid their aggressiveness, the thieves will be weak. Then they can retreat slowly.”
Sun Quan returned from Hefei several times with great defeats, so he naturally knew that what Zhuge Ke said was indeed true.
But when he saw the smoke and dust in the distance and the faint shouts of killing, he could not help but feel a little frightened:
“In case the bandit cavalry breaks through the middle camp...”
Facing the elite cavalry of Wei State, Sun Quan always felt a sense of fear.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. I am willing to personally lead the army to stop the thieves, and I will not let the thieves rush in front of Your Majesty!"
Sun Quan was moved: "I know Yuan Xun's loyalty!"
Zhao Yan's attack this time naturally did not expect to defeat the Wu army in one fell swoop.
After all, Sun Quan led an army of 100,000 people encamped in a camp, not 100,000 pigs running around.
The Wei cavalry took the initiative to retreat after causing a large number of casualties to the Wu army outside Hefei.
Hefei has been unable to be captured for a long time. Diseases are prevalent in the army. Wei's reinforcements have arrived, and there are many people watching the retreat.
Sun Quan finally had to retreat after being attacked by Zhao Yan.
Just how to retreat is another question.
However, fortunately, Lu Xun, who had been guarding the rear, learned that the situation ahead had changed and immediately led his troops to respond.
Both Man Chong and Zhao Yan were afraid of Lu Xun and did not dare to get too close.
When all the Wu soldiers retreated into Chao Lake, both sides breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your Majesty, the thieves seem to have retreated!”
“Withdraw troops? Is the news confirmed?”
"It should be correct. The news from Fenglingdu is that there is a large army heading east at Tongguan."
Governor Feng, who had just wrapped himself in his down coat, was startled when he heard the news, and then his eyes fell on the thin layer of ice on the river.
“Cao! You’ve been fooled! I asked why Sima Yi didn’t move. I thought the Prime Minister was really blocked by him. It turned out that he was waiting for this day!”
』
“This old fox!”
“Junhou? This…”
Everyone on the left and right did not know why the king suddenly started to curse.
“Your Majesty, do we want to pursue you?”
“Chasing a piece of shit!”
Governor Feng kicked a stone into the river. There was a "click" sound, and the stone broke the ice and sank to the bottom of the water.
“Tell me first how to cross the river now? Breaking the ice and rowing a boat at the same time? By the time you finish crossing the river, the old turtle will be gone!”
The river is not frozen, so the worst case scenario is to build a pontoon bridge to cross the river, and then chase after them.
Especially since he is leading the Liangzhou Iron Cavalry, his speed is guaranteed.
If the ice on the river is too thick, it is also easy to chase them one after another.
Because the cavalry ran directly across the ice.
Only when a thin layer of ice has just formed on the river surface is it most difficult to pursue, and it is also the best time for Sima Yi to run.
Because the river at this time cannot be walked directly, nor can it be sailed directly.
You can’t take a detour to Longmen Ferry, right?
It takes six hundred miles to go back and forth...
“Cao!”
Although Governor Feng did not expect to keep Sima Yi in Guanzhong, he felt that he could at least cause some trouble for him.
Unexpectedly, this old turtle had already thought of this trick.
Even if I ran to Fenglingdu at this time, I could only watch the other party go away.
“This old turtle is quite courageous. Chang’an, which has been in business for so many years, actually gives it away as soon as he says it?”
Feng Jishishi continued to scold him, but when he thought that the other party was able to escape from three sides under the attack of Zhuge Laoyao, Jiang Wei, and himself, he had to admire Sima Yi's ability.
(End of this chapter)