: Die before you succeed

In the first month of the 13th year of Jian'an (200th) of Emperor Xian of Han.

Tian Yu took the white horse, Zhang Yan defeated Yanjin, Quan Cong, and He Qi led only 600 remnants to retreat to the sea under the support of Jiang Qin's naval army.

February.

Xiliang general Gao Shun led a 100,000 army (50,000 elite military farms, 30,000 cavalry of Xiliang, and 20,000 Hebei surrendered troops) as the left side, went out of Runan to attack Qingniu Pass, Fang Yue led a 100,000 army as the right side, went out of Shanyang to attack Pengcheng, Ma Yue personally led a 200,000 cavalry and infantry army as the middle side, passing through Qiao County, Pei State was aggressive and approaching Shouchun.

Pengcheng.

Taishici stood proudly at the top of the city. Looking back, Pengcheng, which was originally bustling and lively, had now become an empty city.

As early as the end of last year, the people of the three counties of Pengcheng, Langjia and Donghai, north of the Huaihe River, had been forcibly conscripted from Huainan. Suddenly, a cold smile appeared on Taishici's face. Even if the Liang army captured the three counties of Xuzhou in Huainan, they had only obtained a barren land. They could not find a grain of food from Huainan!

Amid the rapid footsteps, Wu Junjiao hurried up to the city tower and said to Taishici: "General, you will find Liang Jun thirty miles north!"

"Are you finally here?" Taishi Ci nodded slightly and shouted suddenly, "Send an order to set fire, and the entire army retreat to Huainan!"

At the order of Taishi Ci, the Wu army, who had been waiting for a long time, set fire in the city. When the Liang army's right vanguard Ma Dai led 20,000 cavalry to the outside of Pengcheng, the entire city had already turned into ashes.

Qiao County was also turned into ashes in a fire.

The horse was surrounded by Jia Xu, Li Su, Kuai Yue, Lu Su and others and walked among the broken walls in the city. The only ones that appeared in front of everyone were burnt scorched earth and ruins full of blue veins.

"Lord." Jia Xu looked worried and said to Ma Yue, "This is a scorched earth strategy to strengthen the walls and clear the fields."

Ma Yue subconsciously knocked on the saddle with a horse whip, and suddenly laughed to the sky: "Hahaha, it seems that Sun Quan's son has really grown up and has learned to plunder the population. However, this population migration is a double-edged sword. In the long run, a large number of people can certainly improve the strategic potential of Jiangdong, but in the near future, it will bring a heavy burden to the logistics of the Eastern Wu. Does the Eastern Wu have so much food supply to these people who migrate south?"

"I understand." Jia Xu, who was on the side, suddenly sighed, "It's worthy of being Zhou Yu!"

Ma Yue's heart thumped, and he turned around and asked anxiously: "What does Wenhe understand?"

Jia Xu said: "Zhou Yu's defensive strategy."

"Oh?" Ma Yue said anxiously, "Wenhe, come on."

Jia Xu said: "Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan were Zhou Yu's first barrier. We took advantage of our army to attack Hebei and the Central Plains to force the people of Xuzhou, Qiao County and Runan counties to Huainan. Although Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan surrendered without fighting, Quan Cong and He Qi were trapped in Baima and Yanjin successfully delayed the lord's army's southward journey. Therefore, Zhou Yu's first plan was still successful."

Ma Yue said, "What's the matter?"

Jia Xu said: "Then the Wu army will retreat to Huainan in full and prepare to fight our army in Huainan!"

"A decisive battle with our army in Huainan?" Ma Yue's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said in a deep voice, "Wenhe said that Sun Quan and Zhou Yu decided to give up the vast area north of the Huaihe River?"

Jia Xu said: "There are many plains in Huaibei, which is conducive to the movement of cavalry. The Huainan River is crisscrossed with water networks. The power of the Iron Cavalry in Mobei will be greatly reduced. The Eastern Wu naval army is like a fish in water, and its power is doubled. The Jinfan naval army of General Ganning has only 5,000 people, which is at a clear disadvantage compared with the tens of thousands of naval army of the Eastern Wu. It is probably difficult to play a role."

Li Su said: "In this way, the Wu army's military disadvantage can be greatly compensated."

Lu Su said: "I think it is necessary to remind the Prime Minister again, it is best to end this war before June!"

"Thank you, Zijing, reminded me." Ma Yue nodded, "I understand that most of the Liang army soldiers are northerners. It is difficult for northerners to get used to the plum rain climate in the south. Once the war is delayed until June, there is a great possibility that the outbreak of the time epidemic will occur in the army (the so-called time epidemic is the influenza that often breaks out in the southern region at the turn of spring and summer. In ancient times without antibiotics, colds were also very deadly, and large-scale outbreaks in the army were even more devastating)."

Shouchun.

Taishici walked into the military tent with a meteor, clasped his fists and bowed to Zhou Yu, "The people of the Grand Governor, Qiao County, Runan and Huaibei have all moved to Huainan, with a total of more than 3.69 million people."

"Okay." Zhou Yu nodded, "Thank you for your hard work, please go down and take a break first."

"I will surrender at the end."

Taishici bowed and turned around and left.

"Grandmaster." Taishi Ci had just left. Xie Jing, who was in charge of intelligence spy, entered the tent and said to Zhou Yu, "I have roughly found out the movements of Liang Jun."

"Oh?" Zhou Yu said anxiously, "Tell me quickly."

Xie Jing gasped and said, "The total strength of the Ma Butcher's army is between 400,000 and 500,000. Gao Shun led more than 100,000 troops to attack Qingniu Pass on the left, Fang Yue led more than 100,000 troops to attack Xuzhou on the right, and Ma Butcher himself led more than 200,000 cavalry troops to the middle, heading straight to Shouchun. Now the army has just passed Qiao County. In addition, the 100,000 troops led by Xu Huang seemed to have retreated back to Nanyang."

"Haha, that's right." Xu Shu smiled on the side, "Ma Butcher Ma still dares not take Cao Cao lightly."

Veteran Huang Gai said in a deep voice: "But Ma Butcher, Gao Shun and Fang Yue's three armies are not easy to deal with. The total number is 400,000 or 500,000, which is almost six times that of our army."

"The butcher Ma is already very clear." Lu Meng glanced at Zhou Yu and analyzed, "He led more than 200,000 troops to advance to Shouchun, obviously wanted to attract the main force of our army in Shouchun, and then ordered Gao Shun and Fang Yue's troops to attack Qingniu Pass and Xuzhou in two groups, trying to make a breakthrough from the two wings first, then deviate from Shouchun side, and finally attack in a three-sided siege against Shouchun."

"This is the benefit of having too many soldiers." Huang Gai sighed, "If there are too many horse butchers, they can divide their troops unscrupulously. However, our army has few soldiers, but they can only concentrate their troops to defend a few strategic areas. Although there are Huai River, Hongze Lake, and Baima Lake in Huaiyin, and there are also naval forces to restrain them, the front line that needs to be defended is too long. It is probably difficult to stop Fang Yue's tens of thousands of elite soldiers with the three generals (Sun Yi) alone."

Lu Meng said: "What is most worrying about is actually Qingniu Pass. Although Qingniu Pass is in a dangerous terrain and Major General Ling Tong led 5,000 elite troops to guard it, he faced more than 100,000 elite troops led by the famous Western Liang general Gao Shun! Gao Shun has been through many battles and has never been defeated. Three thousand dead soldiers are particularly sharp and unstoppable. Every attack is very powerful!"

"The generals don't have to worry. This great governor has a complete plan." Zhou Yu said loudly, "If the butcher Ma doesn't come, he will stop. If he dares to raise 400,000 people to attack, he will die without a place to bury him!"

Qiao County.

Ma Yue said to Jia Xu: "Wenhe, Zhou Yu's forced recruitment of Huaibei people to Huainan seems to have nothing to do with the decisive battle between the two armies?"

"No, Zhou Yu's move has other profound meanings!" Jia Xu said in a narrow voice, "Zhou Yu could not put all his hope of winning on Wu Jun, who was less than 70,000. He must have other arrangements! If he is not wrong, this arrangement will inevitably be related to the millions of people who moved to Huainan. Lord, there are at least millions of young and strong laborers among the millions of people who moved south!"

"Millions of young and strong laborers?" Ma Yue's heart was thrilled and he said sternly, "I understand a little!"

Xiangyang, Cao Cao's official residence.

Liu Ye said to Cao Cao: "Lord, give me a detailed return. Xu Huang's 100,000 troops have returned to Nanyang."

"This is also expected." Cao Cao nodded and asked Liu Ye, "How is the progress of the war in Huainan?"

Liu Ye said: "The specific movements of the Liang army have not been sent back yet, but based on the information collected before, it can be analyzed that it will be within two months that the butcher's army of hundreds of thousands of troops entered Huainan."

Cao Cao said: "In other words, the battle in Huainan is already an arrow on the string, so we must not stop it?"

Liu Ye said: "It should be like this."

"Hahaha." Cao Cao laughed three times to the sky and said loudly, "Now the horse butcher's army has been restrained by the Wu army in Huainan area, and the time has come to enter Sichuan."

Pang Tong said: "If the lord wants to seize Xichuan, he must leave a general to guard Xiangyang."

Cao Cao asked, "Shi Yuan thought that people could guard Xiangyang?"

Pang Tong said: "It is not enough to take on this important task unless General Zhang Liao."

"Yes." Cao Cao nodded and shouted, "Zhang Liao, Wenpin, Wei Yan obeyed the order!"

Zhang Liao, Wen Pin, and Wei Yansan flashed out of the line, clasped their fists and replied sternly: "The last one will be here."

Cao Cao said: "Based on Zhang Liao as the main general, Wen Pin and Wei Yan as the deputy general, leading 20,000 troops to defend Xiangyang."

"The last general takes the order."

Zhang Liao's three generals agreed with a loud promise.

Cao Cao stood up long, his eyes swept across the faces of the generals with a burning look, and shouted: "The other generals led their soldiers to attack Sichuan with the help of their troops!"

"Abide by the order!"

The generals responded loudly.

February of the 13th year of Jian'an (200th) of Emperor Xian of Han.

While the Western Liang army was fighting fiercely with the Wu army in Huainan, Cao Cao ordered Zhang Liao to defend Xiangyang, Wei Yan to defend Xinye, Wenpin defended Fancheng, and Xiangyang to support Xu Huang's 100,000 Sichuan troops. After all arrangements were made, Cao Cao then set off 30,000 Jingzhou elite troops to plan for Xichuan. Yong'an prefect Zhang Xiu urgently ordered the famous general Zhang Ren in Sichuan to lead a 30,000 army to Yufupu to camp, preparing to seize the enemy and defend to the death.

Yufupu, the central army's tent.

Zhang Ren was wearing a habitual suit and sat on the case. The four generals Wu Lan, Lei Tong, Zhang Yi and Zhang Yi were all in the right place.

Not far ahead of the military camp is the rolling eastward Yangtze River. The river water in this area is deep and rapid, with vortexes and thousands of feet of walls on both sides. Only a narrow post road that the ancient Shu people carved out from the cliffs winds through the depths of the white clouds. This steep scene is already dizzy from a distance, let alone marching on it.

Zhang Ren looked at the map on the table for a long time, then suddenly looked up and shouted, "Lei Tong."

Lei Tong quickly stepped forward and replied, "The last one is here."

Zhang Ren asked: "Have you prepared the fire-driven thing that I ordered you to prepare?"

"Report to the general." Lei Tong replied, "The general's command of the ignition oil, dry firewood, carbon, etc. are all ready to cause fire."

"Yeah." Zhang Ren nodded and ordered Wu Lan, "Wu Lan, start to cut off the post road from today, no one is allowed to wait. Caravans must pass through. All ferries must be stationed at ferries, and regular patrols must be taken on the river surface. Passing ships will be detained. Anyone who finds a Jingxiang accent will be regarded as spies on the spot!"

Wu Lan bowed and replied, "The last general will receive the order."

Zhang Ren thought about it and said, "Zhang Yi obeyed the order."

Zhang Yi rushed forward and replied: "The last one is here."

Zhang Ren said: "Select 30 elite soldiers from Badong, Qiao, who transformed into local woodcutters and hunters, lurked in Yiling and closely monitored the movements of Cao's army, but if you find it, you will get it right away."

"The last general takes the order."

Zhang Yi agreed and took the order and left.

Yiling.

As early as three days ago, 30,000 Cao troops had already entered here to camp.

On a steep mountain peak in Jiangzuo, Cao Cao and Pang Tong were surrounded by Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Cao Hong, Zangba, Zhang He, Huang Zhong and other generals. Standing on the mountain and looking down, the mountains and ridges in this area were like being split in half by magical skills from the middle. The endless stream of Yangtze River flowed through the cliffs that stood thousands of feet high.

"The terrain in this area is really dangerous!" Cao Hong reached out to wipe away the mist on his face and said in a heavy tone, "The Sichuan Army only needs to send an elite soldier to guard the post road, and our army will be unable to move forward. This is simply a man who is in a pass, and tens of thousands of men cannot open up."

Cao Cao agreed and said, "Apart from this steep and difficult post road, I wonder if there are other major roads leading to Xichuan?"

Pang Tong shook his head and said, "As far as we know, apart from this post road, we can only climb the unattainable Wushan."

Cao Hong frowned and said, "So our army has no other choice except for a strong attack?"

Pang Tong said: "Don't worry, Major General. This post road is not conducive to our attack, but it is also not conducive to the defense of the Sichuan army. Our army only needs to send a team of elite troops in a hundred battles as the vanguard and push forward step by step tactics, and then push the Sichuan army back to Yufupu. After passing Yufupu, it will be a flat Sichuan plain!

On a cliff a thousand steps away.
To be continued...