Chapter 343: Storm
What kind of changes will occur once the news of Sun Ce's death reaches Zhou Yu?
This may be the key to breaking the deadlock.
Liu Bei asked, "According to what Mr. Han Yu meant, should we release this messenger into Huaiyin City?"
Chen Gui shook his head, "No, if you really do that, it will seem deliberate."
They cannot choose this route to inform.
Zhou Yu would not easily believe the messenger they sent back, just as they once had distrust towards the intercepted messenger.
So, they have to do it in a different way.
Chen Gui pointed to the marching map in front of him and said, "We will march directly to Sheyang."
If they had followed the original central route, they should have captured Huaiyin before marching to Sheyang to prevent too many troops from crossing the border. Instead, they were ambushed by Zhou Yu from behind and ended up losing more than they gained.
But now, on the one hand, the news of Sun Ce's death is bound to have an impact on Zhou Yu's army, and on the other hand, Qiao Yan's drastic actions in Yangzhou show his determination to seize Xuzhou. They must make a quick decision.
Chen Gui may not be considered a very successful strategist, but his experience has determined that he has a more mature and experienced judgment in understanding human nature.
He then said, "My Lord, let's make a bet on whether Zhou Yu will rescue Sheyang."
"If he rescues Sheyang, we will have a chance to ambush him halfway, considering his disturbed state of mind. If he doesn't rescue, then the southern part of Xuzhou will lose a strong supporter, which is also good for us."
Liu Bei was overjoyed: "Just do as Mr. Han Yu said."
However, although Chen Gui said it was a gamble, he actually planned another escape route for Liu Bei before starting to implement their plan.
As the news of the change of position was conveyed, what Zhou Yu saw from the top of Huaiyin City was the coalition forces of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei slowly retreating and rushing southward.
This action is really abnormal!
With the two groups joining forces, it is only a matter of time to capture Huaiyin City.
Although according to Jia Xu, they are now at the critical moment of Tian Ji's horse racing, and the situation can only be turned around after the other two routes successfully break through and Lu Su's troops take action, Zhou Yu only needs to defend, but he is still a little anxious in his heart.
It was not just because he was worried about the situation in Yangzhou, but also because as the commander-in-chief, he had to be responsible for the soldiers from Yangzhou who came here with him. There were also many people from Xuzhou in Huaiyin City.
It would not be a good thing if they were always in this passive state where they could not control the situation and could only rely on Jia Xu who was in the middle to provide support!
But now the defenses around Huaiyin City were suddenly withdrawn. Instead of feeling the joy of escaping, he had an indescribable sense of unreality.
"Send a scout out to investigate the situation as soon as possible."
Liu Bei and Zhang Fei's ability to command troops was such that they were able to make judgments during the several battles between Zhou Yu and them. Although they could not be said to be able to turn the situation around easily, they did not seem like they would make such low-level mistakes.
Leaving your back to the enemy is a mistake.
Unless they are sure to successfully intercept Zhou Yu, or seize Sheyang before Zhou Yu's pursuers arrive.
But what Zhou Yu never expected was that his scout who went out for investigation was actually tied up and sent to the city by Zhang Fei and his men.
The crossbows on the top of the city wall did not make General Zhang nervous at all. He sat on his horse with a spear in his hand and shouted to Zhou Yu who was standing on the top of the city wall: "Take away the flies that come to get information. We can keep you if we want to, and leave if we want to. We are too lazy to argue with you."
Although he was looking up at the city wall, Zhang Fei acted extremely arrogant, which made Zhou Yu's eyelids jump for no reason. "If you have the guts to chase me, then go ahead. Anyway, I am not the one who killed my superior."
As soon as Zhang Fei said this, before Zhou Yu could even open his mouth, his subordinates shouted, "What do you mean by that? General Sun is young and promising, how can you be so nonsense and curse him here?"
"Curse?" Zhang Fei sneered. "The obituary of your general has been posted all over Yangzhou. He failed to conquer Zu Lang and died in Danyang. If it weren't for that General Qiao who led the navy from Jingzhou to Yangzhou and killed Zu Lang to avenge your governor, Yangzhou would have been in chaos by now."
"My master Han Yu said that if you, Zhou Yu, consider yourself a native of Xuzhou, then you should continue to stay here and fight with us in the suburbs. If you still remember that you are Sun Bofu's subordinate, then don't interfere in my battle in Xuzhou!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his horse and headed south, leaving the defenders in Huaiyin City who were all stunned by his words.
By the time someone thought of taking the opportunity to intercept and kill Liu Bei's favorite general, Zhang Fei had already run far away.
Zhou Yu was silent for a long time. He still felt that Zhang Fei's words before he left were like thunders exploding in his mind. It was not until his subordinate asked cautiously that he was pulled out of his state of confusion. "...General?"
He raised his eyes and met the anxious gaze of his subordinates, "What should we do now?"
Zhou Yu knew very well that what the other party wanted to know was not what they should do now, but whether what Zhang Fei said was true!
But Zhou Yu couldn't find an answer to this question in his confused mind.
Zhou Yu never thought of the possibility that Sun Ce would die.
Among all the governors in the world today, Sun Ce is the youngest. Even if you were to guess who would die, no one would guess Sun Ce!
He had known Sun Ce for several years and had never thought that he would lose him just when Yangzhou was recovered.
Emotionally speaking, Zhou Yu was absolutely unwilling to believe that what Zhang Fei said was true.
The moment he heard the news, he had already made countless explanations for Zhang Fei's action in his mind.
For example, he said this to keep him here.
Due to the inconvenience of traveling to Yangzhou, it was difficult to verify quickly. As long as he believed this possibility, he would not have time to stop Zhang Fei and others from attacking Sheyang.
It was even difficult for Zhou Yu not to make further inferences. It was precisely because Jia Xu did not support him that Liu Bei and others mistakenly believed that there was a rift between the two sides, so they came up with such a ridiculous statement to deceive him.
But intellectually...
Before he argued with Zhang Fei on the issue of Sun Ce's survival, he might have already believed it halfway.
Zhou Yu subconsciously took a step back.
"Let me think about it first...let me think about it."
He spoke in a daze, pushed away the support of his subordinates, leaned against the watchtower on the city wall, and lowered his eyes in thought.
In a direction that others could not see, this young man, who was wearing armor but had a graceful demeanor, had a face that was much paler than usual.
Just because it was contrary to his emotions, his reason told him that what Zhang Fei said was very likely to be true!
If this was a lie, there would be no need for them to make up so much false news.
For example, Qiao Yan would change from being based in Luoyang to going to Yangzhou in person.
For example, she would capture Zu Lang from Yishan in just a few days.
These things would be inconceivable if they happened to other people, but they were not so difficult to understand if they happened to the Grand Marshal whom he had once visited in Chang'an.
But this is not a lie that can be perfected so easily.
Zhang Fei spoke so smoothly that Zhou Yu's heart naturally tilted in favor of him.
The four words "Sun Ce's death" turned into bloody words flashing before him.
How could he accept such a fact and how could he make a decision at this moment!
What's even more tragic is that he can only gamble now. His guess is correct, but he has been trapped here for too long and cannot get accurate intelligence from Yangzhou. However, as the commander here, he must respond quickly.
Otherwise, at best Liu Bei's forces in the north of Xuzhou would occupy the south of Xuzhou, and the front line that had originally advanced to the Huai River area would be lost again. At worst, he and his subordinates would lose their lives.
He also had to distinguish between friend and foe as quickly as possible.
Especially...Qiao Yan.
This Grand Marshal had already been suspected by him because of Jia Xu's existence and the power he enjoyed, but Jia Xu had previously implicitly expressed that suspicion was useless, and the war situation was urgent, so he temporarily suppressed this idea.
But at this moment, when it was very likely that she would arrive in Yangzhou at a too coincidental time, Zhou Yu had to bring up this suspicion again.
Thinking of all the support Sun Ce had received from her in the past, thinking of what he had seen and heard during the meeting in Chang'an, thinking of every move she had made during this upheaval in the world, Zhou Yu felt that -
It is not easy to tell whether she is an enemy or a friend.
Now, he needs to take a stand.
Hesitation is far worse than failure in making a decision on the battlefield!
"Someone come!"
Hearing Zhou Yu's decisive voice of command, his subordinates hurriedly came up to him. "I will wait immediately..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard a soldier guarding the north of Huaiyin running towards him and saying, "Not long after the enemy troops in the north retreated, two people arrived at the city and came to see the general."
"They said they were from the Qiao family of Leping and were ordered by the Grand Marshal to see the general."
Leping Qiao family?
Zhou Yu frowned slightly.
If he remembered correctly, since Qiao Yan split off from the Yanzhou Qiao family due to the actions of the Yanzhou Qiao family and established the Leping Qiao family as an independent branch, among the people who were merged into the Leping Qiao family, there was only one Qiao Zhen, the daughter left by Qiao Mao. Why were there two more people?
But just like the news that Qiao Yan successfully attacked Zu Lang, if anyone just wanted to make up a false news, there was no need to choose such an identity!
What he originally wanted to say, "We'll go back to Yangzhou," but at this moment he changed it to "I'll go and take a look at the situation."
He stepped into the reception hall and saw two people standing there, dressed in men's clothes but still recognizable as women.
As soon as he came in, the older one bowed to him and said something that almost made him want to draw his sword, "Your Majesty asked us to tell the general that General Sun left a will to entrust Yangzhou and the Sun family to her. Huang Gongfu, Zhou Youping, Han Yigong and others have heard about this. General Han has come from Yangzhou to help. Please think twice before acting, General Zhou."
As early as when Qiao Yan arrived at Tongguan, Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting were already in Xuzhou. They met with their teacher in Sheyang. While receiving news from Yangzhou, they watched the confrontation between Zhou Yu and Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and others.
What made Jia Xu particularly satisfied with these two people was that, although their father died at the hands of Zhang Fei as a result of the battle between Yuan Shu and Liu Bei, since arriving in Sheyang, they had never shown any signs of losing their calm due to hatred.
They were also very clear that who lived and who died in the battle of Xuzhou was not decided by them, but by Qiao Yan.
So when Qiao Yan sent someone to report the developments in Yangzhou to Sheyang, Jia Xu also reminded them, "Do you think you can only exist as Huang Yi and Huang Ting in the future?"
What Qiao Yan wanted was not just two independent intelligence talents, but also relatives who could support his royal family status.
He pointed to a sentence in the letter and said, "Isn't this the best opportunity for you to appear before the world in the name of Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting?"
It was written on the paper that Jia Xu would consider who would persuade Zhou Yu not to make a wrong decision.
The opportunity he was talking about to Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting at this moment was to make merit in the battle of Xuzhou!
They immediately set out for Huaiyin, and then witnessed Liu Bei, Zhang Fei and others retreating.
After a conversation between the two people who had turned and came from the north, they made some judgments on the current situation.
This is why the sisters appeared at the foot of the city, as students of Leping Academy, disciples of Jia Xu, and members of the Leping Qiao family, rather than as the two merchants from Shu, to meet Zhou Yu in person.
It was for this reason that Qiao Lan came up and directly pointed out Sun Ce's last words and the news that Han Dang was heading north.
Amid the constant onslaught of news, Zhou Yu's expression flashed like a revolving lantern, and finally settled in silence, "Let's talk it over."
Qiao Ting continued, "Of course, but the military situation is urgent, and we may not have as much time as we think."
Similar words were spoken to Lu Su from Pang Tong's mouth almost at the same time.
Jia Xu had previously written in a letter to Zhou Yu with considerable confidence, saying that Pang Tong had persuaded the nobles of Pei State to rebel against Liu and thus convinced Lu Su to work for them.
Pang Tong and Lu Su had already gone north to Langya, and they might become the key chips to break the balance.
But although his words sounded nice, no actual progress was immediately implemented.
In other words, the people arrived, but the team brought by Lu Su was nowhere to be seen.
Pang Tong could not help but get anxious as he thought the situation in the south was about to break out. He said to Lu Su, "Why do you have to win over Zang Xuangao? Just as you said before, bring along the people you can contact in Langya and Donghai counties. We can take advantage of Liu Bei's trip to the south and Wang Lang's administration to kidnap them and dispatch the remaining troops."
"Zang Ba, Sun Guan and others have been neighbors with Liu Bei for several years. They have only pledged their allegiance to him, but have never really taken any action to submit to him. How can we be sure that these people can really be used by us?"
"Young man, don't be so impatient," Lu Su replied calmly, "It's at times like this that I can see that you really lack some experience. No wonder you quarreled with someone in Hongwenguan in your early years."
Pang Tong's usual mature and steady appearance, especially his previous statement that Lu Su should open his eyes and see the outside world, really made Lu Su feel that he no longer looked young at all. Now it seemed that it was because he had been confident of victory too many times before.
"..." Pang Tong was speechless. He wanted to say that Lu Su was not much older than him, and now he was attacking him by seizing his weak spot. "Are you sure it won't delay the battle?"
Lu Su shook his head. "I don't know if it will delay the battle. If you show us your eagerness to leave when you are outside, we will have no chance of convincing him in a short time."
Pang Tong said: "You can rest assured about this, but you also need to tell me why you want to take the risk and try to win over Zang Xuangao."
"You are already worried about whether we can go south on time and miss the important event. Why should I hide it from you?" Lu Su smiled helplessly and asked, "Who do you think Zang Ba is?"
Pang Tong hesitated for a moment and replied, "In the past, he was an ally of Tao Qian, but now he is a warlord in Langya?"
"You are only half right. Zang Ba is not an ally of Tao Gongzu. It should be said that Tao Gongzu knows how to use this person better than Liu Xuande does—"
Lu Su thought for a moment and gave an evaluation: "He is a man who knows his own limitations but appears to be ambitious on the outside."
"What do you mean?" Pang Tong couldn't help but ask.
Lu Su replied, "Zang Ba became famous when he was young. His father was imprisoned because he refused to obey the order of the Taishan County governor to kill prisoners privately. Zang Ba and his friends rescued his father and fled with him. He later developed into a considerable force in Donghai until he was recruited by Tao Gongzu. On the surface, this man is both filial and righteous. If it weren't for his fierce marching style, he shouldn't be considered a dangerous person."
"This is the decisive leadership style he gives people on the surface, but if you look closely at his actions, you will find that he is not so decisive."
"The Langya County where he was stationed was the northernmost part of Xuzhou. If someone else had been stationed here, Zang Ba's name would have been known to several states. In the early years, Tao Gongzu ordered him to resist the refugees from Qingzhou to the south, but he didn't capture many people. Instead, most of his people were old acquaintances who came from Taishan County. As a result, his power was always limited to a certain scope."
"I once asked Tao Gongzu about this matter, and he said that he taught Zang Ba this move. Although Zang Ba is Tao Gongzu's old subordinate, he has never been able to integrate into the core circle of Xuzhou, and he is not of the same mind as Tao Gongzu's direct Danyang soldiers. Rather than absorbing Qingzhou refugees, which makes people feel that he has bad intentions, it is better to recruit Taishan children and develop their hometown party system to ensure that if the current situation changes, he will never be easily caught in one fell swoop."
Pang Tong listened attentively.
There was no need for Lu Su to say more at this time, he had already heard that Tao Qian's rhetoric was very clever.
He was obviously trying to avoid the trouble caused by the increasing number of troops and complex forces under Zang Ba, but he said that he was showing Zang Ba a way to protect himself.
And Zang Ba actually strictly followed this development path.
What does this mean?
Probably not, it means he is loyal to Tao Qian.
No wonder Lu Su was too lazy to even address him by his name, and just called Zang Ba by his name during his conversation with Pang Tong.
"You should have understood the situation after Tao Gongzu passed away. To the north was Yuan Benchu, to the south was Liu Xuande, and to the west was Cao Mengde. Zang Ba was in the middle of it, but he did not take a single step. This was not an act of forbearance, but he did not know what to do."
Lu Su concluded: "In short, he needs a sense of security and a leader who can always point the way for him, rather than a leader who is still confused himself."
"Liu Xuande can't play this role, but Da Sima can."
Therefore, after Liu Bei took over Xuzhou, although Lu Su was considered his subordinate, he never proposed to recruit Zang Ba for him.
In the final analysis, it was because this recruitment was impossible before the southern part of Xuzhou fell into Liu Bei's control.
But anyway, Zang Ba would not do anything to take advantage of the situation for no reason, so it would be fine to keep him.
From this perspective, it cannot be said that Lu Su was guilty of dereliction of duty.
Lu Su asked Pang Tong, "Looking at my actions against Zang Ba a few days ago, do you still think I was delaying military intelligence?"
Pang Tong clapped his hands and laughed: "Zi Jing, you are too polite. This is what we call the right medicine for the right disease!"
If Qiao Yan heard Lu Su's analysis, he would probably applaud him.
Lu Su’s analysis is absolutely correct!
Historically, after joining Cao Cao's camp, Zang Ba was the backbone of the resistance against Qingzhou. He was also an important official who did not defect during the Battle of Guandu. However, as a local tyrant, he hardly showed his due value in the rebellion within Xuzhou. Even though he held a high official position, he often expressed his loyalty by being the first to climb the mountain and sending his father and brother as hostages. He even made a confused performance by beating the drum and leaving before Cao Cao later.
He's not that dangerous.
After losing Tao Qian, his superior who gave him guidance, he was in urgent need of a wise leader who could truly help him develop his goals.
Therefore, the more Lu Su acted indifferent and confident about the battle situation in Xuzhou at this moment, and the more he posed such a difficult problem to Zang Ba, the easier it would be for him to make the final decision in his uncertainty.
Sure enough, on the evening of the second day, Zang Ba approached Lu Su, who was playing chess with Pang Tong, and said, "If I have decided to help the Grand Marshal, what should I do now?"
Lu Su held the chess piece in his hand, looked at Pang Tong, and smiled briefly. Then he turned to Zang Ba and said, "Divide your men into two teams. One team will be led by you and me and will go straight to Huaiyin. The other team will be led by Pang Shiyuan and Sun Zhongtai and will go to Xiapi."
"If Xuzhou is conquered, the general will be among those rewarded!"
Langya Kaiyang, this place had long been ignored as Liu Bei's several attempts to win it over had failed, but suddenly two teams set out on this day.
Just as Lu Su had arranged, he and Zang Ba led the army into the center of the Xuzhou battle, while Pang Tong and Sun Guan joined the battle on the left side of Xuzhou.
Let's not talk about how the fight between Chen Deng and Chen Dao and Zhang Ren and Zhang Yang on the west side will change after the addition of Pang Tong and Sun Guan, the central route has completely become a turbulent place.
Soon after Zhang Fei informed Zhou Yu of the move, Liu Bei and his companions, who were still on their way to Sheyang, received news from the rear:
Zhou Yu assembled his troops and marched out of the city.
Instead of heading south back to Yangzhou, he pursued Liu Bei and others.
"He didn't believe the news we told him?" Liu Bei couldn't help but feel a little confused when he heard the news.
"No, he believed it." Chen Gui's face did not show any panic. "My Lord, please listen to his pursuit. If he is really pursuing, his speed is not that slow, and there is no need to take such a move of breaking camp. All he needs is a sufficiently elite team to cut into the rear of our army, burn the food and grass, and leave. That will be enough to stop our attack on Sheyang."
What does this mean?
This means that Zhou Yu wanted to leave, but in order to avoid unrest in the army, he had to pretend to pursue the enemy first. However, if he continued to pursue at this speed, there would be no possibility of catching up with the enemy.
He was caught off guard by the news sent by Zhang Fei, so at this moment he chose to return to Yangzhou to find out what was going on!
"To prevent Zhou Yu from changing his mind and attacking, I suggest that you take advantage of his confusion and immediately send a message to Huaipu, ordering General Xiaoguan stationed here to send out the remaining troops here to join forces with us to attack Zhou Yu from both sides!"
If we can kill Zhou Yu first and then defeat Sheyang——
The disadvantages on the eastern and western fronts are just this!
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