Chapter 1020 Uncertain

   In the east, there are 50,000 people who are actually 30,000, and they are pretending to attack Guangling's flank.

   On the west side, Lu Xun personally led a supporting reinforcement army of 50,000 but actually 20,000.

   After Sun Quan personally led the 100,000 troops ashore, he was impatient and impatiently headed towards Hefei.

  To be honest, even when the Shu Kingdom took Liangzhou back then, Sun Quan was never in such a hurry.

   Not only was he not in a hurry, but he also had the intention of watching a good show.

  After all, those who have won the world since ancient times have first leveled Guanzhong and then settled Liangzhou. Who settled Liangzhou first and then entered Guanzhong?

   Not to mention a place like Liangzhou, which is not only sparsely populated, but also has barbarians who have been in chaos for more than a hundred years.

  The only advantage is to produce good horses.

   But if you want a good horse, can you get around the barbarians?

   At that time, the more good horses are asked for, the faster the Hu people will react?

  Shu's covetousness of this kind of territory, it is hard to say whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages or the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

   Not to mention Sun Quan and Lu Xun, even Cao Rui and Sima Yi never thought that the Shu Kingdom could not only win the hearts of the barbarians in Liangzhou in just a few years.

   It even managed Liangzhou into a place where woolen materials were produced.

  The so-called food, clothing, housing and transportation are the foundation of people's livelihood.

  Especially food and clothing are necessary for everyone.

   Liangzhou has become a wool producing area. Not to mention chaos in the future, it is not surprising that there will be a few world-famous rich cities like Guzang.

   (Note: Guzang during the transition period between the Han and Han Dynasties, that is, Wuwei of later generations, because it avoided the war and was at the node of the Silk Road, it is the first city that never sleeps in Chinese historical records)

  After the battle in Guanzhong, Sun Quan understood it completely.

  Shu really has a way of governing Hu Yi.

  Nanzhong planted sugar cane, and Liangzhou produced wool, although I don’t know what Bingzhou will become in the future.

  But thinking of Feng Yongneng quickly passing through Bingzhou south to the east of the river, it is said that he even instigated a group of Bingzhou barbarians.

  If he didn't promise enough benefits, the Hu people who have always had no faith would be so obedient?

   But remembering that the state of Wu had also pacified Shanyue in Danyang in the past few years, and at the same time Wuling Wuxi barbarians were also weakening day by day, Sun Quan felt a little more balanced.

  In Sun Quan's view, Feng Yong is indeed good, but Zhuge Ke's three-year flattening of Danyang Shanyue and his collection of more than 100,000 people is not too bad.

  Especially Zhuge Ke took the post of general of Weibei, and after he was officially stationed at Wankou in the north of the Yangtze River, he broke through Shu County, a border county of Wei State, and plundered its people and returned them.

   At the same time, they continued to send scouts and agents to the north, the farthest reaching Shouchun.

  The road crossings in the Jiangbei and Huainan areas have been checked to a close.

  Before Zhuge Ke led the army alone, most of the court thought that he was too arrogant to assert that he could level Danyang Mountain in three years.

  So the achievements he has achieved in these years have really amazed Wu Guo.

   Regardless of Zhuge Jin's strong opposition, Sun Quan, who promoted Zhuge Ke directly, felt even more proud.

   Not to mention that Zhuge Ke was personally recommended by the prince Sun Deng.

This shows what?

  In the state of Wu, no matter the ruler or his ministers, they are all considered as successors.

  Sun Quan rode his horse and stopped on the shore of Chaohu Lake, watching the troops coming ashore continuously, with a sense of pride in his chest.

  According to what Zhuge Ke learned in advance, the Wei army in Qingxu Erzhou showed signs of mobilization some time ago, and it is very likely that they went west to reinforce Guanzhong.

   Moreover, in the past few days since he made his move to the north, the Wei army in the Jianghuai area has not received any new reinforcements.

  This shows that the State of Wei has indeed attracted most of the attention of the State of Shu.

  150,000 vs. 60,000 to 70,000, more than twice as many as the enemy, the advantage is on Wu's side!

"Da da da…"

   A rush of horseshoes interrupted Sun Quan's train of thought. He turned his head and saw that Zhuge Ke, who had volunteered to lead the army, was running towards this side with several personal guards.

   "Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"

   After getting permission, Zhuge Ke got off his horse and trotted over:

   "Your Majesty, according to reports from spies, it seems that a support army has come to Hefei, and at the same time, there seems to be movement in Shouchun's army of Wei thieves."

   This is to be expected.

  The chief general of the Wei thief is full of favors, and Sun Quan has also fought against him. I think this person is also a rare general.

  Now even if the troops are smaller than him, the opponent can still maintain enough concentration, and he will follow him when he actually lands.

   "How many people are there in the former army that the Wei thief supported Hefei? Have you checked it out?"

   "The bandit army is huge, and the scouts watch the smoke and dust from a distance, at least tens of thousands."

  When the Wei army scouts faced the Han army scouts, they were at a disadvantage because of the generation difference in equipment.

  But facing the Wu Jun scouts, that has a certain advantage.

   After all, the state of Wu does not produce good horses, and there are even fewer soldiers in the army who are proficient in riding.

  This is also one of the reasons why Wu Jun's repeated attacks on Hefei were unfavorable.

  The reason is the same as when Wei Jun faced the Han Army.

  When the two armies meet, the more the scouts are suppressed by the opponent, the less the commander has control over the situation on the battlefield.

  Unable to keep abreast of the mobilization of the opponent's various forces, in many cases they can only respond passively.

   "Well, it seems that Wei people's reaction is quite fast."

  Sun Quan pondered, with some hesitation on his face.

  Leaving Chaohu, when Wu Jun faced Wei Jun, he no longer had any advantage.

  Hefei area, although there are many small lakes, but the terrain is flat and open.

  Wei Thief can fully play the huge advantage of fine cavalry, and move freely around.

  Although Sun Quan has as many as 100,000 people, half of those who can really use siege may not reach it.

  Because the rest of the people, in addition to guarding the rear food road, also have to guard against Wei Guojing cavalry who come out from all directions at any time and come and go like the wind.

   It has to be said that Man Chong built Hefei New City in a dangerous place far away from Chaohu Lake, which made it at least twice as difficult for Sun Quan to capture Hefei.

   Now that Wei Jun had reacted, what Sun Quan immediately thought of was:

   Temporarily slow down the marching speed, while advancing slowly, deploy troops along the way to guard against the fine cavalry of the Wei army.

  Probably because in these years, everything has gone too smoothly with Pingshan Yue and Shucheng broken, so Zhuge Ke is far bolder than Sun Quan at this time.

  He didn't notice Sun Quan's hesitation, but said excitedly:

   "Your Majesty, according to my opinion, Shouchun learned that His Majesty led the army to Hefei, and the thieves must come to the rescue."

   "I would like to personally lead an elite army and head north quietly. At that time, Shouchun's army is empty, and I will surely be able to go down with one drum!"

   "At that time, the thief's back will be cut off, and there will be a large army in front, like a mouse in a cage, why worry about it?"

  In the past two years, Zhuge Ke has sent many spies to investigate the north, not just for Hefei.

   Otherwise, why did he need to come and report in person about the military situation mobilized by the Wei army?

  Sun Quan was taken aback by this bold proposal.

   Hit Shouchun directly?

  He led the army to the north with only one goal: Hefei.

   Directly hitting Shouchun has never been in Sun Quan's consideration.

  I saw him shaking his head subconsciously:

   "No! This move is too risky. The people of Wu are good at steering boats, while the people of Wei are good at riding horses. They stay away from Chaohu Lake and go north alone. This is no different from being eaten by tigers."

  Zhuge Ke saw Sun Quan's veto, he couldn't help being anxious, and was about to state his reasons.

  Sun Quan raised his whip to stop Zhuge Ke's words:

   "I know that you have always had a strategy, but the time for this matter has not come, and we will discuss it later."

  As long as Hefei is captured, whether it is westward to Lu'an, northward to Shouchun, or eastward to Guangling, it is all right. Why take risks at this time?

  Emperor Wu Guosun was very specific to Hefei.

  Of course, this veto did not affect Sun Quan's optimism towards Zhuge Ke.

   After all, young people, there is nothing wrong with being radical.

  In the future, as long as you train well and experience many things, you will naturally stabilize.

   I saw that he slowed down again:

   "Yuan Xun, I know that you are eager to make meritorious deeds, but killing thieves is not an overnight achievement. As long as the opportunity comes in the future, there will be a day when you will make meritorious deeds."

  Seeing that His Majesty has said so, Zhuge Ke had no choice but to leave in dismay even if he didn't want to.

  Looking at Zhuge Ke's back, Sun Quan knew he was still unwilling, so he frowned slightly:

  Although Zhuge Yuanxun has a strategy, is his temperament a bit too stubborn?

   However, the current situation does not allow Sun Quan to think too much. On the contrary, Zhuge Ke's suggestion gave Sun Quan a reminder:

   "Right now, I have many enemies. If the army rushes to Hefei, the thieves may not be able to come to rescue them in time. Why are they afraid of them attacking and disturbing my rear?"

  Thinking of this, he immediately gave up the idea of ​​defense along the way and ordered the whole army to speed up.

  Man Chong, who was also rushing to Hefei, was very anxious when he heard the news, but he stopped in his tracks, and at the same time summoned the generals in the army:

   "Although there are 100,000 thieves, I personally supervised the construction of Hefei New City, and it is located in a dangerous place. The city is solid and the soldiers are strong, so the thieves will not be able to go down overnight."

   "Now the enemy is outnumbered and we are outnumbered. If we raise our troops forward and meet the enemy head-on, we will be outnumbered and we may not have a chance of winning, so we have to find another strategy."

  Wang Ling had always been at odds with Man Chong, and since Guangling had police, he had already separated from Man Chong and led troops to support him.

  Manchong has 40,000 people in his hands, and first allocated 3,000 to Tian Yu to go to Hefei in advance, and then allocated 5,000 to stay in Shouchun.

  Therefore, starting from Shouchun, there are no more than 32,000 people at most.

  Over the years, the climate has been erratic, and droughts, floods, and locust disasters have alternated and never stopped.

   Even in winter, it is often warm for one or two years and frozen for three or four years.

  Although winter is just about to start this year, the cold is already a bit overwhelming, and it seems to be another cold winter.

   During the march, no matter how careful you are, someone will catch a cold. If the wind and cold do not go away, it is easy to become an epidemic.

  So those who have apoplexy and cold must be quarantined. Even if there are auxiliary soldiers and civilians, some soldiers in the army should be assigned to take care of them.

  Be lenient when predicting the enemy, and be strict when counting yourself.

  Manchong can only calculate the strength of 30,000 people now, no more.

   Not only Man Chong knew this, but the generals also knew how many troops they had. When the commander said this, they all nodded.

   "Then I wonder if the general has a plan?"

   "We can't fight head-on, and I also believe that General Tian can hold Hefei. Therefore, we will no longer go to Hefei this time, but divide our troops into two groups."

   "All the way, I personally led the fine cavalry and rushed to Xiaoyaojin to harass the thieves and people on the food road."

   Speaking of this, Man Chong glanced at everyone, and Hong said:

   "There is another way, which is to hide around Hefei. One is to respond to the city at any time, and the other is to look for fighters and wait for opportunities to attack."

   "I see the thief Sun, who stayed at the mouth of the nest for more than two months, and now suddenly rushed to Hefei after landing. Therefore, the siege mold was either transported from Chaohu Lake, or it was temporarily made under the city."

   "Let's not talk about the temporary production of siege equipment under the city, but if he really transported it from Chaohu Lake..."

  Man Chong's eyes were bright, and he looked at the crowd, "I need a brave general to lead the strong men in the army, rush into the enemy's line, burn their siege equipment, so as to delay the time for the thieves to attack the city."

  The generals looked at each other, and finally someone stood up and said loudly:

   "The general's hair and beard are all white, and he is more than a few years old, and he still leads the army in person. How dare we retreat before the battle?"

  Man Chong was overjoyed: "Good!"

   Immediately split up with the generals, Man Chong personally led 10,000 elite riders, and headed towards Xiaoyaojin with great fanfare.

  The remaining 20,000 people quietly continued heading towards Hefei.

   Sun Quan, who was already not far from Hefei, was shocked when he learned that Man Chong led the army and did not come to Hefei, but to Chaohu Lake:

   "How dare Man Thief be so bold? Does he really dare not save Hefei?"

  Sun Quan's eyes were full of disbelief.

   Hefei thieves have few soldiers, if they are full of favors, they really can't come, are they really not afraid of the city falling?

  In his anxiety, he blurted out subconsciously:

   "No! I must lead the army back, just in case."

  Thinking of the hasty journey, Sun Quan couldn't help feeling a little regretful. If he chose to walk slowly and take precautions along the way, how good would it be?

   "Your Majesty, the army has been rushing all the way, and now it suddenly turns back. The soldiers in the army must have doubts. If the army's morale is shaken by then, the event will be over!"

  Sun Tai, the son of Sun Quan’s fourth younger brother, Sun Kuang, followed him north this time and was responsible for escorting the siege equipment. At this time, he learned that Sun Quan wanted to turn around, so he quickly dissuaded him:

   "If your majesty is worried about the safety of the rear, you just need to send more people back to defend. Why do you need to lead the army back?"

   "There are few thieves in the first place. Now that Man Chong is not saving Hefei, we will take the opportunity to attack the city. Then we will see whether Man Chong will cut our way first, or we will take Hefei first."

  Sun Quan couldn't help hesitating when he heard the words.

  He thought for a while, and then said:

   "Although that is the case, the traitors of Wei are fine cavalry, and they are indeed a great enemy of our army. We must guard against them. How about this, you **** the siege equipment and move forward, join Zhuge Yuanxun and attack the city together."

   "I stay here. If there is trouble in the rear, I will turn around and save it. If there is no worry in the rear, I will join forces with you."

   There is no room for hesitation, let alone delay.

  Sun Quan is good at politics but not good at military strategy. At this time, he used political and muddy means between the two battles.

  Sun Tai wanted to persuade him again, but seeing that Sun Quan had made up his mind and Hefei was in sight, he wanted to send the equipment to the city as soon as possible, so he gave up.

   But it was this short distance that caused Sun Tai, who was escorting the siege equipment, to lose touch with Sun Quan.

  Hefei New City is surrounded by mountains rising abruptly.

  When Sun Tai led the army into the foothills, looking at the mountains, he couldn't help sighing:

   "Wei thief chose this place to build a new city, it really has a unique vision!"

  At this time, only the sound of war drums rumbled suddenly in the valley, flags were erected on the mountain, and at the same time there were shouts of killing, and countless Wei troops rushed out of the mountain forest.

  Sun Tai was so frightened that he almost fell off his horse: "When did the thief set up an ambush here?"

   Hasn't Zhuge Ke already arrived at the city of Hefei?

  Where did this Wei thief ambush come from?

  Unless you are well prepared, or you are a rare elite soldier in the world, it is possible to quickly form an formation to block the enemy when the march is attacked.

   Not to mention that most of Sun Tai's command this time are auxiliary soldiers for transporting attack equipment.

   Now being attacked by Wei Jun in this way, chaos suddenly broke out.

   "Don't panic! Come, send orders, all ministries come closer to me!"

  Xu Yin just landed, but saw countless arrows and crossbows flying over.

  (end of this chapter)