My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 322 Several Battlefields
In Sun Ce's army, all the generals turned their gazes toward Sun Ce, their faces extremely grim.

Just moments ago, everyone was overjoyed, having dealt a heavy blow to the Kuaiji army. If they simply continued to pursue the enemy, they could very well defeat them completely. Even if they couldn't, they could still take the opportunity to encircle Shanyin.

According to the prisoners, they were able to capture 12,000 Kuaiji soldiers this time. Based on the prisoners and heads they have captured so far, the enemy has at most 8,000 left.

However, upon closer examination, a large number of defeated soldiers would scatter and flee, so the true strength of the Kuaiji Army would only be even less.

Now is indeed the best time to launch a surprise attack on Shanyin.

However, the loss of the fist meant that the army's logistics were left with only the grain stored in Gaoqian Village.

Gaoqiantun did indeed have a lot of grain stored up, but there is one key point that cannot be ignored.

Gaoqiantun itself is not very large.

It was chosen by the Kuaiji Army as a transit point for supplies simply because it was located at a strategic transportation hub with easy access in all directions.

Large quantities of supplies were transported from Shanyin, passed through Gaoqiantun, and distributed to the Guling front line.

Gaoqiantun itself was not a true storage place, so although there was a lot of grain and military equipment in Gaoqiantun, it was only enough for Sun's army for ten days.

The number of Sun's army was more than twice that of the Kuaiji army. In fact, the grain stored in Gaoqian Village was enough for the Guling front line to use for more than 20 days.

But Gaoqiantun was just a transit point after all; he couldn't stockpile more grain, nor was there any need to stockpile more grain.

Because military rations would be continuously replenished from Shanyin.

But that's the situation in Kuaiji Army. Now that Gaoqiantun has been occupied by Sun Ce, their food reserves are dwindling every day they eat.

Sun Ce could have either returned to his own forces or sent a detachment north to attack the Guling line from the rear, thus allowing his own army north of the Qiantang River to cross the river and simultaneously opening up the supply line.

But now that Quan County has lost its transit point and base of operations for stockpiling supplies, it means that even if he goes north to Guling and opens up the supply line, it will be useless, since the source has been blocked and no matter how smooth the water pipes are, no water will come out.

This is why Sun Ce's generals split into two factions.

The veteran generals, led by Han Dang, advocated for stability and returned north. After defeating the garrison at Guling, they returned to the north bank of the Qiantang River and joined forces with Zhu Zhijun, who was stationed there, to recapture the city.

Or they could simply attack Wucheng, employing a strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao".

In the view of veteran generals like Han Dang, it would be best to simply march into Wucheng, since the Yan brothers and the local strongmen of Wucheng had stockpiled a large amount of food and supplies.

If Sun Jun can seize these supplies, he will be able to catch his breath for the time being.

Otherwise, once the food supplies in Gaoqian Village are used up in the next ten days, the army will collapse without food.

"General, we cannot retreat!"

Generals like Lü Fan and Chen Wu strongly urged Sun Ce to send troops to attack Shanyin as soon as possible.

In their view, Shanyin was not necessarily more difficult to attack than Wucheng, and the Kuaiji army was now a defeated army, demoralized and weak, and incapable of fighting.

Shanyin City also stored a large amount of grain. It was Wang Lang's main base and stockpiled all the military rations of the Kuaiji Army. The grain in Gaoqiantun was transported from Shanyin City.

Moreover, once Shanyin is captured, Sun's army will once again escape the predicament and at least have a way out.

But if we only take Wucheng, even if the grain there is no less than that in Shanyin City, it will only change the sudden death to a slow death.

Sun Ce had a headache. To be honest, both sides had their own reasons.

Although attacking Shanyin would have brought more benefits, Han Dang's insistence was not without its advantages.

Sun Ce already knew that the one who launched the sneak attack on Youquan was Wang Sheng and others from Wucheng, who joined forces with the Yan Baihu brothers.

In Sun Ce's eyes, these people were nothing but a rabble, utterly incapable of being defeated.

If I were to head north, I could feign an attack on Wucheng for a few days and lure Wang Sheng, Yan Baihu, and others away from Youquan. If I were to strike them on the way, I would surely win a great victory and might even be able to take back Youquan.

Moreover, Cheng Pu and Huang Gai had just been expelled from the Fist, so he could deal with them more calmly when he went north.

Even Sun Ce, known for his decisiveness, was unable to make a decision for a moment.

Sun Ce's silence intensified the debate among Lü Fan, Chen Wu, and Han Dang.

"General, we must not hesitate any longer."

Lu Fan's calm face showed a hint of anxiety as he advised, "No matter what strategy the general prefers, we must make a decision as soon as possible. If we delay, we will lose all our opportunities and our army will have no way to survive."

Lü Fan's words startled Sun Ce.

As Lü Fan said, there is a reason for choosing either option, but hesitating is the worst choice.

"Ziheng is absolutely right!"

Sun Ce suddenly awoke with a start, and immediately slammed his hand on the table: "My mind is made up! I'll go down to Shanyin first!"

Han Dang was taken aback for a moment, but said nothing. He stood up, cupped his hands, and accepted the order.

But Sun Ce continued, "Send an order to General Zhu, commanding him to lead the troops north of the Yangtze River to meet Uncles Cheng and Huang, and ask him to ensure their safety."

Upon hearing Sun Ce's words, Han Dangchang breathed a sigh of relief and immediately expressed his support.

Lü Fan and Chen Wu did not object. Their strong advising to continue eastward was out of public interest, not for power struggles or to harm Cheng and Huang. Therefore, Lü Fan and Chen Wu were already quite pleased and satisfied after Sun Ce decided to lead the main force eastward.

Once Sun Ce made his decision, his army immediately sprang into action. Chen Wu and Lü Fan each led a force of four thousand men to set off first and continue their pursuit of the Kuaiji army.

Sun Ce then led the three Sun brothers, Sun Gao and Sun Dang, as the central army, with Han Dang as the rearguard, and the entire army marched eastward.

Only a thousand men were left to stay in Gaoqian Village, while also being responsible for transporting grain eastward.

Immediately, the army set out to pursue the Kuaiji army.

However, setting off now would be a full hour and a half too late, making it quite difficult to catch up with the Kuaiji Army.

********
From the city of Quan, Zhou Bin arrived at the county government office and requested an audience with Zhou Yu.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yu personally came out to greet him, smiling broadly as he took Zhou Bin's hand.

“Brother Zixu, if it weren’t for your words, how could we have entered the city so easily?”

Zhou Yu praised Zhou Bin because Zhou Bin had displayed exceptional bravery and skill during the capture of Youquan the previous night.

Although Zhou Yu's allied forces managed to win over the powerful clans and gentry in the city and open the east and south gates, the occupation became a stalemate.

Although Zhou Yu's allied forces had a numerical advantage, they were likely able to overwhelm Cheng Pu's troops by sheer numbers.

However, Zhou Yu did want to buy time, and the situation was not actually very optimistic.

In the end, Zhou Bin led his men in a fierce attack on the North Gate, forcing the enemy into a desperate situation. They eventually chose to abandon the attack and retreat.

Therefore, in Zhou Yu's eyes, Zhou Bin, who shared the same surname, was the one who made the greatest contribution to this great achievement.

In addition, there was another main purpose in inviting Zhou Bin to meet me.

This night raid really gave Zhou Yu a fright.

He never expected that the troops of Wu Chenghaoqiang and the Yan Baihu brothers would be so weak.

Therefore, Zhou Yu planned to put the defense of the three gates into the hands of his own people.

Otherwise, he strongly suspected that after Sun Ce returned to his army, he would be harmed by this group of burdens.

So Zhou Yu came up with a plan to put all the defense duties of the three city gates into the hands of his own people.

Zhou Yu himself was in charge of the most dangerous south gate, Yu Mi was in charge of the west gate, and Zhou Bin was entrusted with the final north gate.

Due to its geography, Yuquan only has three city gates, lacking an east gate, which makes perfect sense, since the area east of Yuquan is a swampy coast.

After hearing Zhou Yu's suggestion, Zhou Bin was secretly delighted and readily agreed.

Zhou Yu quickly reminded Zhou Bin again, urging him to be extremely careful, and also informed him that tens of thousands of reinforcements were about to arrive.

Zhou Yu successfully persuaded Wang Sheng with the help of Lü You, while Zhou Bin also persuaded Zou Ta and Qian Tong, and at the same time, he also made contact with the Yan Baihu brothers.

With such favorable circumstances, how could Zhou Yu remain idle in Yangxian? He immediately decided to launch an expedition, leaving only Yu Mi's two thousand men to garrison Yangxian, while taking all other troops with him.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yu also sent messages to Liu Feng, who was outside Wuxi, and to the troops of Taishi Ci and Xu Huang, who had already arrived in Wuhu. In these messages, Zhou Yu reported to Liu Feng the specific developments of the battle in southern Wu Commandery and urged Taishi Ci and Xu Huang to send reinforcements.

Leaving aside Liu Feng's side for the moment, let's just talk about Taishi Ci's journey. He was already marching quite fast, and now that he has received Zhou Yu's urgent letter requesting reinforcements, he is even faster.

Furthermore, Taishi Ci appointed Xu Huang as his vanguard to take over Wucheng first.

At this point, Xu Huang's troops were no longer purely cavalry, but had been converted into infantry units.

Even so, Xu Huang was still very fast. Zhou Yu sent two messages, one after he launched his attack from Yangxian and the other after he occupied Youquan.

When Zhou Yu first sent the letter, Xu Huang had already arrived in Lishui.

When Zhou Yu sent the second message, Xu Huang was only two days' journey from Wucheng.

Taishi Ci lagged behind Xu Huang by four days. After all, Xu Huang had changed to lighter gear and didn't need to carry much food, so he could replenish his supplies along the way in Lishui and Yangxian.

Taishi Ci's troops numbered more and also carried a large amount of military equipment and supplies. It was only when he received Zhou Yu's message for the second time that he finally arrived in Yangxian.

The reason why Taishi Ci and Xu Huang acted so quickly was because they had some reservations about Zhou Yu.

In their view, Zhou Yu's decision to send out troops without waiting for Taishi Ci's arrival was actually an attempt to steal credit.

However, considering the bigger picture, Taishi Ci was still very worried about the gains and losses of Wucheng and Youquan.

Taishi Ci gave Xu Huang a strict order to hold Wucheng, in particular.

If Wucheng were lost, the more than 10,000 elite troops under Taishi Ci and Xu Huang would be trapped in the narrow passage on the edge of Zhenze, and Youquan, which Zhou Yu had captured, would become an isolated city.

Even if Youquan is lost, as long as Wucheng is in Xu Huang's hands, Taishi Ci can easily leave Wucheng through the narrow pass, harass Sun Ce's rear, or even directly deploy troops under Youquan City, forcing Sun Ce to return to confront him, or even engage in a decisive battle.

Therefore, the task Xu Huang received from Taishi Ci was only to consolidate Wucheng, not to rush to the aid of Youquan.

********
"Okay! Okay!"

Upon receiving news that Zhou Yu had persuaded the powerful local lords of Wucheng to surrender and had contacted Yan Baihu to launch a surprise attack on Youquan, Liu Feng praised him loudly.

"As expected of Gongjin, his military strategy is indeed remarkable."

Liu Feng immediately summoned his generals and decided to launch a general offensive against Wuxi.

By this time, Liu Feng had been stationed at the city of Wuxi for nearly two months. The moat of Wuxi had been almost completely filled in, and the city towers, except for the south side, had all been destroyed.

What chilled Xu Kun and other generals of Sun Jun's army was that Liu Feng brought out several more siege weapons, each of which brought immense pressure to Xu Kun and his men.

Similar to a siege tower, but instead of a railing for people to stand and shoot arrows, the top is a huge long sword. The operator can stand below and use ropes to pry the long sword, causing it to sweep across the enemy and weapons on the city wall with considerable destructive power.

Xu Kun and his men were overwhelmed by these siege weapons, suffering greatly, but they couldn't find a way to break them.

The reason Xu Kun and his men have managed to survive until now is entirely because Liu Feng has not launched a general offensive.

Previously, Liu Feng had been suppressing his generals.

Although the generals dared not disobey Liu Feng, they were still somewhat puzzled and confused.

I don't understand why Liu Feng hasn't taken Wuxi yet.

Now things are alright, Liu Feng has finally issued the order for a general offensive.

The next morning, Liu Feng's army launched a major attack on the city. They first used stone cannons to smash the temporary fortifications on the city walls. At the same time, Liu Feng's Southern Expeditionary Army began to deploy its forces and launch a fierce attack.

This attack is no longer the kind with a clear bottom line like before, and it's no longer a lone attack from the north.

The east and west sides of the city launched an attack simultaneously in coordination with the north side, surrounding three sides but leaving one open, only opening the south side.

In just half an hour, someone climbed onto the city wall.

However, Sun Jun was no pushover either, and quickly launched a counterattack, forcing the soldiers of the Southern Expeditionary Army to retreat from the city walls.

But once you've done it once, how far away can the second be?
Within fifteen minutes, people from the west of the city also climbed onto the city wall and established a small landing point, creating a stalemate with Sun's counterattacking army.

After a day of fierce attacks, the Southern Expeditionary Army scaled the city walls three times. Although they eventually retreated, the pressure on Sun Quan's army was immense, and they also suffered heavy casualties.

On that day, Sun Jun suffered over two hundred dead and over seven hundred wounded, some slightly and some seriously.

In just one day, nearly a thousand people were killed or wounded, accounting for one-tenth of the Wuxi garrison.

Such a high casualty ratio would wipe out the Wuxi garrison in just ten days. Not to mention that in reality, if casualties exceeded 30% or 40%, the army would begin to collapse.

Looking at the casualty figures on the document, Xu Kun felt a pain that went straight to his bones.

Before Xu Kun could come up with a solution, the Southern Expeditionary Army continued its fierce attack the next day, seemingly unaffected by the casualties.

Xu Kun was truly overwhelmed. The casualties on the second day reached over 1,100. If this continued, the Wuxi garrison would be wiped out in just two or three days.

So, on the night of the second day, the Wuxi garrison, led by Xu Kun, abandoned all the wounded who could not move and quietly left the city through the south gate of Wuxi, heading south.

On the third day, when the Southern Expeditionary Army planned to continue the siege, they discovered that the Wuxi garrison had completely fled.

However, in order not to alert the enemy, Xu Kun did not dare to set fire to Wuxi City this time, and a large amount of grain and military equipment could only be given to the Southern Expeditionary Army.

Wuxi was originally supposed to hold out for more than three months, but now, in less than two months, only half to a third of the city's supplies, food, and military equipment have been used up. What remains is no small number.

There is still enough food left to feed 10,000 people for two months.

Liu Feng has 50,000 troops here, which is enough for half a month, and this is grain that does not need to be transported.

After capturing Wuxi, Jia Bin volunteered to pursue Xu Kun.

After careful consideration, Liu Feng chose to refuse.

Xu Kun was no young and impetuous man; he was a seasoned veteran who had fought alongside Sun Jian, a player known for his exceptional abilities.

Even a pig can learn a lot, let alone Xu Kun, who is a smart man.

Therefore, Liu Feng never underestimated Xu Kun. Moreover, Jiangdong is a place with a dense network of lakes and rivers, so cavalry might not be as convenient and fast as infantry.

If things go wrong, Xu Kun might devour the few remaining Sanhe knights, and Liu Feng's joy would truly turn to sorrow.

Therefore, Liu Feng decisively rejected Jia Bin's request and chose to post notices to reassure the people, while also mobilizing laborers to prepare for the next phase of the battle, with his troops heading straight for Wu County.

In this battle, the generals made many contributions. Zhao Fan and Yu Zi were particularly brave. Zhao Fan, in particular, was invincible and climbed the city wall twice. If it weren't for the desperate counterattack of Sun's army, Zhao Fan would probably have won the honor of being the first to climb the wall.

Finally, Liu Feng ordered a rest in Wuxi, awaiting the transfer of supplies such as grain and military equipment. Grain transported by water would go directly to Wuxi via the Han Canal.

At the same time, he prepared to launch another large-scale attack to besiege Wu County.

********
Thanks to Sun Ce's decision-making over the past two hours, Zhou Xin's troops were able to safely escape back to Shanyin County.

Although they suffered a major defeat, with more than half of their troops killed, wounded, or captured, the remaining 6,000 or so successfully retreated to Shanyin County. Furthermore, thereafter, more and more defeated soldiers arrived to regroup, and the number of troops steadily increased.

Upon seeing Wang Lang, Zhou Xin asked with a somewhat displeased expression, "Your Excellency, who ordered the removal of Chadu Village?"

Originally, after Liu Feng's reminder, Zhou Xin and Yu Fan, after discussion and on-site investigation, finally built a village at the current location, named Chadu Village.

Chadu Village was originally in a very good location. If only two or three thousand people were stationed there, it would be enough to withstand a fierce attack of ten thousand people for a period of time.

Therefore, after being advised by someone, Zhou Xin and Yu Fan discussed it and placed three thousand people in Chadu Village.

Thinking that even if Sun Ce really took the Chadu Ancient Road, he would be blocked by Chadu Village. This place could at least buy the Kuaiji Army outside one or two days, and even allow them to calmly regroup and block these Jiangdong bandits first.

Zhou Xin and Yu Fan never expected that all the soldiers here would be transferred away.

After clarifying the situation, it turned out that the front line at Guling was under pressure, and there were no troops stationed in Shanyin. On the contrary, no one had come to Chadu Ancient Village.

In the end, Wang Lang had no choice but to transfer the soldiers here, some to the severely damaged Guling front and others to reinforce Zhou Xin's troops.

If Wang Lang hadn't recalled those three thousand men, Zhou Xin wouldn't have been able to muster twelve thousand to counterattack Gaoqiantun.

(End of this chapter)