Chapter 1177 Using body as bait

   "Taigong Liutao" once wrote: One rider can be eight soldiers.

  This is not a quantitative ratio that the ancients came up with at will, nor is it the imagination of literati in literary works, but a conclusion drawn from actual combat.

   On flat ground, a horse sprints at the fastest speed, combined with its own weight, and the kinetic energy it can finally generate can overturn eight people in a row.

   Note that this is still without a saddle and stirrup.

  So, although the pawns want to deal with the cavalry charge, the best way is to form an formation.

  But if the sudden cavalry is really not afraid of death, they must attack the formed formation.

   In the end, it is very likely that there will be a dead end, but pawns have to pay a certain price.

   And once the pawns are not firm in their will, it is not impossible to pay a heavy price.

  If the assault cavalry charging into the formation is equipped cavalry, then the infantry must be more careful, and must make thorough preparations in order to block the devastating charge of the equipped cavalry.

   Facing Sun Quan's formation with buildings and boats as the core, if it were Cao Pi's era, Wei State at that time still had a large number of fine cavalry, and it might be possible to try to use fine cavalry to attack in turn.

  But with the current situation of Great Wei, Wang Ling is no longer allowed to waste cavalry like this.

  Since the first sneak attack on Longyou by the Shu captives more than ten years ago, the land of horse production in the Great Wei has been constantly being eroded.

  In the past few years, the situation has become more and more serious.

  In Youzhou, the only horse-producing place in the Wei Dynasty, the quantity and quality of war horses sent to the Central Plains went from bad to worse.

  Forcing the entire Wei army to extend the service time of war horses.

  Even because of the lack of war horses in the army, the poor horses that were originally used for transportation according to previous standards were forcibly regarded as war horses.

  So Wang Ling had no way of using a large number of cavalry to unscrupulously harass the flanks and grain roads of the Wu army like the previous governors did for Sun Quan's invasion this time.

  After letting the cavalry try to charge once but failed, Wang Ling did not continue to take the initiative to attack.

   Instead, he decisively led the army and retreated to the camp outside Hefei, quietly waiting for Sun Quan's arrival.

   "Your Majesty, do you really want to disembark?"

   This time, Sun Quan was accompanied by Sun Shao who had been guarding the border for decades.

  Having been at war with the Wei army all year round, Sun Shao knew how powerful the Wei army was. Seeing that Sun Quan planned to disembark, he personally led the army to Hefei.

  He couldn't help feeling a little worried, and persuaded:

   "Your Majesty came here this time to lure you. Now that Wang Ling has led an army to Hefei, your Majesty's goal has been accomplished. Why bother to take the risk yourself?"

   "Gongli, it is precisely because I use my body as bait that I personally lead the army to disembark and head to Hefei."

  Sun Quan stood on the boat, looking at the city of Hefei, which was built on the back of the mountain, with complicated eyes.

  Because there is the place where he lingers in his dreams.

  But see Sun Quan's tone is heavy:

   "The Northern Expedition this time is the power of the whole country. If you don't make any progress like before, do you know what it means to Da Wu?"

  He didn't wait for Sun Shao to answer, so he continued on his own:

   "It means that in the future, my Great Wu will only be trapped in the land of Jiangdong forever, and will no longer be able to compete with the Han and Wei Dynasties."

   "Gongli, this is a dead end for Da Wu!"

   No matter who will win in the end of the Han and Wei dynasties, Great Wu will be surrounded on three sides and will be trapped to death in the end.

   "Instead of leaving a dead end and slowly waiting for death in humiliation, I might as well fight hard for the last chance of survival."

   To be honest, Sun Quan is a bit regretful now.

  During the first Northern Expedition of the Han Dynasty, he had informed himself that he hoped that Great Wu would send troops at the same time to destroy the thieves together.

  Just remembering Lu Xun's judgment on the situation at that time, Sun Quan couldn't help gritting his teeth:

   "Lu Boyan misunderstood me!"

   "Your Majesty!"

  Sun Shao turned pale with shock, quickly looked left and right, and made sure that there were all the inner guards of His Majesty's palace around him, and then he breathed a sigh of relief:

   "Your Majesty, be careful!"

   Between His Majesty and the Great General, did something happen?

   "It's just telling the truth, why should you be cautious?"

  When Sun Quan thought of what happened back then, his heart was filled with anger:

  "Lu Boyan once asserted that the Han country was small and the people were scarce, and all the roads in Hanzhong were difficult, so the Northern Expedition would be of no avail and would only waste national power in vain."

   "It is suggested that I sit back and watch the Han and Wei dynasties, and wait until Zhuge Kongming is defeated and returns to the army. Whether it is for self-protection or for the success of defeating thieves, the Han will only ask me more and more."

   Speaking of this, Sun Quanchang sighed:

   "Unexpectedly, Han Guo... Alas! Da Wu has missed a good opportunity all these years!"

  Sun Quan seems to be an open-minded person, but in fact he likes to keep small books in his heart.

  Zhu Zhi, a former minister of Sun Jian, recommended Sun Quan as Xiaolian in his early years, but later he was dissatisfied with Zhu Zhi and unwilling to speak out, so he once harbored resentment.

   When Jiyan was convicted by Sun Quan, there was one thing that said "Jiyan's father and brother, attached to evil rebellion", scolding her father and brother for being sorry for Sun in the early years.

  When Zhang Wen was implicated by Ji Yan, he was scolded by Sun Quan as "an old minister".

  Anyway, I will silently remember all your mistakes, and I will speak up when I can't bear it anymore.

  The matter of Lu Xun was naturally recorded in Sun Quan's notebook.

  When Lu Xun was still trusted by Sun Quan, this was naturally not a problem.

  But in the past few years, the Han State has repeatedly won big victories, and the Wu State has repeatedly failed. In addition, there is a Lu Yi next to him who intentionally or unintentionally enters.

   As soon as Sun Quan thought of this incident, he felt like a thorn stabbed deeply in his heart.

  The more obvious the gap between Han and Wu, the more painful this thorn will be.

  So it is not for no reason that he has become more and more alienated from Lu Xun these years.

  Sun Shao naturally didn't know Sun Quan's psychology at this time. He opened his mouth when he heard this, but didn't know what to say, and finally fell silent.

   As Sun Quan's confidant, he naturally heard a little about this matter.

   Now that His Majesty has confirmed it, he has to admit that the Great General did make a mistake in this matter.

   "Your Majesty, the Great General is still the pillar of my Great Wu, and he is also on duty at the front of the battle. Your Majesty still has to be careful with his words."

  Sun Quan took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and pretended to smile:

   "How could I not know? It's just a feeling in my heart, and I said it casually, and it was a momentary slip of the tongue."

  If it weren’t for the entire Wu Kingdom, no one could match Lu Xun in military affairs. I still need to rely on him to fight bandits for me, so why would I tolerate him until now?

   "But the most important thing right now is to do enough tricks. We are here. The longer we delay Wang Ling, the better."

   After finishing speaking, Sun Quan refused to let Sun Shao persuade him any more, waved his hand, and ordered:

   "Get off the boat!"

  The horn sounded, and the ships following the building ship responded one by one.

  Wu Jun on the ship began to disembark officially.

  At the same time, Wu Jun, who was guarding the shore, sent a large number of scouts to check the surrounding situation.

   "Your Majesty, the Wei thief seems to have retreated, and it seems that he wants to defend the city."

   "Don't take it lightly. The Wei thieves have many cavalry and can come and go freely. Our soldiers are far inferior to the Wei thieves in land warfare."

   "Since that's the case, Your Majesty, why don't you let your ministers lead the army to find the way for Your Majesty."

  Sun Shao begged again:

   "Even if Your Majesty wants to go to the city of Hefei in person, please don't put yourself in danger."

   This time, Sun Quan didn't force himself, and nodded:

   "Then I will distribute five thousand elite soldiers to you as pioneers to explore the way."

   "Here!"

  The disembarkation place is more than 30 miles away from Hefei New City.

  Sun Quan suffered a loss here before, so naturally he would not be careless.

   Sun Quan walked for a whole day on this section of the road before he camped in Anzhai, fifteen miles away from Hefei City.

   "Your Majesty, it seems that the thief has already prepared."

   Standing on a high place, looking at the layers of camps outside Hefei City from a distance, Sun Shao couldn't help feeling a little apprehensive.

  The fleet brought by His Majesty this time seems to be continuous, but in fact it is not fully loaded with troops.

  Unexpectedly, Sun Quan smiled indifferently:

   "It is better to be prepared early. The more fully prepared Wang Ling is, the more it shows that he is not aware of our true intentions at all."

  Sun Shao is not as relaxed as Sun Quan.

  The thieves camp is so vast, I am afraid that the army will be indispensable.

  If you see through the reality of your own side and don't defend and counterattack, I'm afraid there will be a hard fight.

   I don't know if he heard Sun Shao's heartfelt words. Wu Jun had just set up camp here, but he saw the sound of war drums not far away.

   Then, I saw a group of Wei Guojing cavalry approaching with shouts, and ran around the camp outside the Wu army camp.

   Making various provocative actions, at the same time someone shouted in front of the battle:

   "Wu Gou, do you dare to fight?"

  Wei Jun Jingqi suddenly arrived, causing a commotion in Wu Jun's camp.

  Sun Quan held a halberd and drank:

   "Don't be surprised by the thieves, the generals will follow orders. Come, send someone to shout, and say that I will fight tomorrow in person."

   "Here!"

  Wang Ling sent someone to challenge, but he wanted to frustrate Sun Quan's spirit, and at the same time it was a test.

   Naturally, he didn't expect Wu Jun to follow his own ideas.

   "Reporting to the governor, there is indeed a yellow canopy found in Wu Kou's army. It seems that this thief, Sun Quan, must be here."

  Hearing the report from the subordinates, Wang Ling's eyes flashed:

   "Excellent, I didn't expect Sun Quan to really dare to come here in person!"

   "Decree, tomorrow the whole army will make meals at the third shift, and set off at the fifth shift, follow me to destroy the thieves!"

   "Here!"

  The next day, just before dawn, Wang Ling had already led the army to the front of Wu Junzhai to set up formation.

   "Your Majesty, what shall we do?"

   "The thief has come, how can I avoid it?"

  Sun Quan sullenly ordered:

   "Let the generals go out to meet the enemy."

  Although I was just using my body as bait this time, in order to ensure safety, the troops around me would naturally not be too small.

  Even if it is not enough to attack the city, at least it is worthy of fighting with the thieves on flat ground.

  Drums sounded, but seeing the gate of Wu Junzhai opened wide, one team after another of soldiers came out and began to line up.

  Wang Ling squinted his eyes and saw that there was indeed a canopy moving in the opponent's army, and laughed immediately:

   "Sun Quan, die!"

  The drums on both sides became more and more urgent, and the soldiers "drinked" loudly.

   This is a head-on battle.

  The sun rose and cast a golden light, which added a bit of sharpness to the battlefield.

  Smoke and dust rise, swords shine brightly.

   "Puff!"

  The two sides shot at the corners of the formation and began to walk toward each other with their weapons raised.

  …

   At the same time, at the head of Lu'an City, Wen Qin looked at Wu Jun who retreated again, and his face no longer had the high spirits of the previous few days.

   These days, the intensity of Wu Jun's siege has far exceeded his expectations.

   It can be seen that Wu Kou will not give up until he wins Lu'an.

  Even the soldiers below felt that Wu Kou was unusual this time.

   Some old soldiers even remembered that when Lu Xun led the invasion, they didn't seem to be as crazy as this time.

  Wen Qin looked at the city, Wu Jun's camps were densely packed and stretched continuously.

   It can be seen that Wu Jun has been receiving new reinforcements these days.

   Or, that is their rear army at all.

  There are so many Wu troops, it is enough to show that Wu Kou's main attack direction this time is undoubtedly Lu'an.

  Wang Ling delayed sending reinforcements from Hefei for two days, causing Wen Qin, who had not seen the reinforcements, to feel a little anxious:

  Wang Yanyun is also a veteran of the Great Wei, so he shouldn't ignore the overall situation for his own selfishness, right?

  The wide moat of Lu'an City now has eight floating bridges side by side.

   Not to mention letting war horses gallop, even large siege equipment can cross the river safely.

   "How is the car built?"

  Zhuge Ke stood on this side of the pontoon bridge, looked at Lu'an City opposite, and asked.

   "General, only half of it has been built. It may take some time to complete it."

   "It's too late!" Zhuge Ke looked at Lu'an City, "The news came from the scouts in the east that reinforcements from the Wei bandits will arrive tomorrow."

   "Tomorrow we will raise our troops to attack the city. Also, send an order to the east gate to guard for at least three days. If it is more than three days, he will be credited with merit. If it is less than three days, he will be dealt with according to military law!"

   "Here!"

  …

"kill!"

  On the outskirts of Hefei City, the soldiers led by the coaches of Wei and Wu in the Ming and Ming Dynasties should be cautious.

  But at this time, the two sides have already killed their anger.

  Wang Ling was also considered a brave general, although he was old, but at this moment he was galloping forward, shouting non-stop, to encourage the soldiers who took turns to go into battle.

   And Sun Quan did not hide it, and directly placed the canopy in the most conspicuous position, just to let the soldiers know that the emperor is with them.

   "Kill the thief!"

  Different from the Wu soldiers seen in the past, this time Sun Quan brought out the imperial guards.

  His courage is by no means comparable to that of ordinary Wu Jun.

  But seeing a general of the Wu army in thick armor roared like a liger, threw away the broken halberd in his hand, and pulled out his long knife with a "choke".

  The sharp blade shone brightly under the sunlight.

  This knife is a bit weird, and it is a bit different from the usual ring head knife.

  I saw him raising his knife and slashing fiercely!

   "Clang!"

   "Gah!"

  …

  Several consecutive blows sounded, and the two long halberds in front of him were cut off abruptly.

   Wei Zu seemed to be taken aback, he didn't expect that a mere general of the opponent would have such a precious sword.

   Before they could react, General Wu Jun laughed wildly:

   "Come on, thief!"

  Snow brightly passed by, but when he heard the sound of "chi la la", the armor on Wei Zu's body was actually torn.

  If it weren't for this armor to protect him, he would have been ripped apart on the spot.

   "Happy!"

  Sun Shao was still a little worried at first, but after Wu Wei and Wei came into contact, he discovered that his side had a sharp edge.

  Although Wei Jun was also brave, his weapons were not as good as others, and he was gradually pushed back.

   At this time, only a whistle was heard.

  A cavalry suddenly appeared on the flank, cutting in from the battle between the two sides.

  Sun Shao was afraid of making mistakes, so he quickly said to Sun Quan:

   "Your Majesty, morale has been greatly boosted in this battle. The bandit cavalry has arrived. Why don't you retreat for now."

   In this battle, not only did they gain the upper hand, but they also forced out the cavalry hidden by the opponent.

  Sun Quan seemed to be very satisfied with the performance of the soldiers, and nodded with a relaxed expression: "Alright."

  The golden gong sounded, and the two sides began to disengage.

   "I didn't expect His Majesty's imperial army to be so sharp."

  Sun Quan shook his head, then let out a long breath:

   "I finally know why the Han State has repeatedly defeated the Wei thieves!"

  He pointed at the soldiers who were retreating with his whip, and said in a low voice:

   "These weapons of the soldiers were newly made in the Han Dynasty, and they were sent to Wu two months ago."

   "I thought that the weapons of the Han Dynasty before were already very sharp, but I didn't expect that the latest batch delivered is much more powerful than before."

  Sun Shao was taken aback: "Han?"

  Sun Quan nodded: "That's right, it's Han."

  If he was not prepared, how could he easily lead the army off the ship and come to provoke?

  Recalling the armor and weapons of the armored cavalry in the palace, Sun Quan's eyes became hot:

   "Waiting for my brave knight to come back from the Han Dynasty, Wei Zhijing rides, but he has chicken ears and dog ears!"

  (end of this chapter)