Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 221 The Duke did not cross the river, yet he actually crossed the river!
In the spring and summer of the second year of Jian'an, the accumulated snow melted and the continuous spring rain turned into the rolling Han River flowing eastward.

Liu Biao appointed Sun Quan as his general, leading 100,000 troops to garrison north of the Han River, intending to resist Yuan Shu in the south.

However, looking at the 70,000 convicts forcibly conscripted by Cai Mao, they were all resentful and their military discipline was lax. Although the officers and soldiers strictly disciplined them, many soldiers still deserted. Everyone thought that they were not up to the task.

Only Sun Quan, for some reason, seemed to have already made up his mind and was not concerned about this matter. On the contrary, he was full of confidence.

When asked why and what he could do about it, Quan simply smiled and remained silent.

Kuai Yue was deeply worried about this, so he summoned his generals to discuss the matter in Sun Quan's council tent.

"Yuan Shu's army was well-trained and well-supplied. His generals, such as Sun Ce, Xu Chu, and Zhou Tai, were all capable of fighting ten thousand men. He had a multitude of fierce generals and strategists. Since he marched into Jingzhou, he had been invincible and few could resist him."

"Our soldiers were all forcibly conscripted, and their hearts are not yet with us. It would be better to dig deep trenches along the Han River, build high fortifications, and wait for their army to grow old and exhausted. We can then delay until something happens in Shouchun, at which point they will retreat on their own."

Everyone praised his wisdom, considering him a wise and experienced strategist.

Sun Quan was planning to cooperate with his inside ally Zhou Yu to win a great victory and defeat Yuan Shu in one fell swoop. Naturally, he was displeased upon hearing this plan.

Deep trenches and high walls? This kind of foolish siege warfare would be a death trap for Zhou Yu, even if he wanted to.

After all, in such a protracted and arduous battle, how to fight and how to fight are almost obvious, so even if Zhou Yu wanted to cooperate, he wouldn't have a chance.

Therefore, before Kuai Yue could continue speaking, Sun Quan shook his head and said, "Teacher is mistaken."

Because Yuan Shu was invincible, he became extremely arrogant. This is the reason why an arrogant army is bound to be defeated.

They will surely underestimate our small number of troops and advance hastily. If we wait until they are halfway across the river and then attack them, we can achieve a great victory!

If we can annihilate Yuan Shu's army here, we can rest easy.

Sun Quan pondered for a long time before recounting the story in detail.

Kuai Yue frowned and pondered deeply upon hearing this plan.

"Attack him while he's crossing the river? Yuan Shu has been waging war for many years, and in recent years he has often won victories. If we can think of attacking him while he's crossing the river, how could he not know? What if he doesn't fall for our plan?"

"He'll fall for it."

Sun Quan seemed very confident about this, saying, "If he doesn't fall for the trap, he won't be able to cross the river, and we will have successfully kept him outside the Han River."

But if he crosses the river, he can't possibly send all 100,000 troops across at once, so he will inevitably be defeated by us while we are crossing!
As for whether he guessed it? So what if he guessed it? This is an open scheme; could he possibly avoid crossing the river?

That makes sense.

After all, the Han River was such a large river blocking the way, and anyone who tried to cross it would inevitably be attacked halfway across. Since Sun Quan insisted on saying this, Kuai Yue had no way to refute it and could only suppress his worries for the time being.

Seeing that Kuai Yue looked unwell, Sun Quan was reluctant to tell him directly that Zhou Yu was an inside agent, so he could only give further instructions.

Although Quan had already made up his mind, he had no choice but to listen to his teacher's wise and prudent advice.

My intention is to take advantage of the fact that Yuan's army has not yet arrived, and while preparing to attack them while they are crossing the river, I also order the convicts to build more fortifications in preparation for any eventuality.

If we were to attack while the enemy was crossing the river, and something unexpected happened, we could retreat to our camp to defend against Yuan's army, thus ensuring our safety.

"That's excellent. Having two options ensures that nothing goes wrong."

Seeing that Sun Quan, after becoming the top general of Jingzhou, still valued his teacher's advice, Kuai Yue was quite gratified. With this two-pronged approach, the generals were also at ease, and morale was somewhat stabilized.

Seeing that everyone had agreed to the plan, and that Chen Ying, Bao Long, and the like were following his lead, Sun Quan immediately gave the order.

Where are Chen Ying and Bao Long?

"Your subordinate is here!"

"I order you two to each lead 20,000 troops to lie in ambush on both sides of the riverbank. When Yuan's army is halfway across, unleash a barrage of arrows to prevent them from coordinating their attacks."

He then led his troops out to launch a surprise attack on both flanks, cutting off Yuan Shu's 100,000-strong army across the river.

"Here!"

Sun Quan nodded and said to him:

"You two just need to hold off Yuan's army for now, while the rest of the generals follow me and lead 60,000 troops to break out!"
This time, we must decisively defeat half of Yuan Shu's army, crippling the old scoundrel Yuan Shu."

The generals agreed, cupped their hands in salute, and said, "We will obey the general's orders!"

Meanwhile, in Yuan Shu's camp.

Zhuge Jin cupped his hands and said:
"Reporting to my lord, Xiangyang lies beyond the Han River. Sun Quan has made it clear that he intends to attack while the river is halfway across."

This is a well-intentioned but difficult-to-counter strategy. The only option now is to send more elite soldiers across the river to form a defensive array and hold out until the main force has crossed, at which point we can then defeat the enemy.

Yuan Shu deeply agreed with what Zhuge Jin said.

Just when everyone thought he was going to choose an unparalleled general to lead the elite troops across the river to defeat the enemy, no one expected that his gaze would fall on Xing Daorong.

He chuckled and said, “General Xing is a general from Lingling, known as the number one man in Jingzhou. However, since joining my camp, he has not made any great contributions.”

"I wonder if you would be willing to select eight thousand men from your Fengtian army to fight this time, to help me cross the Han River and defeat the enemy?"

This question left not only others bewildered, but even Xing Daorong himself was stunned.

I?
Lord Yuan, didn't you hear what Zhuge Jin just said? Sun Quan has already set up his battle formation, preparing to attack while the enemy is crossing the river.

At this point, whoever crosses the river first will inevitably have to use a small number of elite troops to withstand the pressure of being surrounded by 100,000 troops on the other side.

Is this the kind of work you're asking me, Old Xing, to go with that bunch of Fengtian soldiers?
Whether it's him or the Fengtian Army who are determined to surrender, what fighting power do they have combined?

Even so, you still won't let me take the Fengtian Army with me? Taking only eight thousand men is just sending them to their deaths.

However, before he could answer, Zhou Tai rushed to agree.

"I will obey your orders, my lord. Rest assured, General Xing will complete the mission and will not disappoint you."

Xing Daorong: "."

Zhou Tai has already agreed on his behalf, so what choice does he have left?
He immediately beamed and clasped his hands in agreement.

"Don't worry, Godfather. With this pear blossom axe in my hand, I will make sure that Sun Quan and his ilk lose their heads."

Yuan Shu nodded in satisfaction, "General Xing is an unparalleled warrior. As long as you are willing to fight to the death, this battle will be won without worry."

After saying this, he gave instructions to Zhou Tai.

"The Fengtian Army all come from Jingzhou, and there should be many skilled swimmers among them. You should select eight thousand of the best swimmers. Once you reach the other side, if the enemy attacks, lead your troops to form a defensive formation and wait for reinforcements."

If the enemy does not move, dig deep trenches and build high walls on the spot to create a bridgehead for the main army to cross the river.

Upon hearing Yuan Shu's words, Zhuge Jin slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "My lord, your plan is truly brilliant!"
We will send only 8,000 men ahead. If Sun Quan makes a move, we can only attack this advance force while it is halfway across the river. Once his ambush is in place, our main force will then cross the river and launch a surprise attack. We will not be at the mercy of others.

Sun Quan remained unmoved, watching helplessly as these eight thousand men dug deep trenches, built high ramparts, and erected bridgeheads.

Therefore, their so-called strategy of attacking while the enemy is crossing the river will collapse without a fight.

This plan will surely leave him in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat, and at a loss!

Yuan Shu simply smiled and remained silent. This was because Jiang Qin's navy was still fighting against Zhang Yun's, and the addition of the Jin Fan pirates and Gan Ning had put him at a disadvantage.

We have already exhausted all our strength to barely hold off the Jingzhou navy from causing trouble, and we really have no ability to send troops to provide further support.

Therefore, while Yuan Shu ordered his men to search the mountains and seas for boats to prepare for crossing the river, he secretly left Xu Chu behind and told him...

“Zhongkang, since we met in Qiao County, you have been with me for many years.”

It's a pity that with your talent, you've always been confined to my side, and your talents have been largely wasted.

Do you still remember the promise I made to you that day?

A brave man either lives or dies, and his name will be remembered!
Today I have a very important task for you, one that I require you to undertake, so that you may achieve lasting fame and glory.

"Since following you, my lord, I have achieved great things. I have no regrets."

Xu Chu's expression was solemn and dignified. Since joining the camp, he had always been a meticulous personal guard.

"Please give me your orders, Your Excellency."

"it is good!"

Inside the spacious tent, only the two of them remained. Amidst the swirling mist, Yuan Shu's eyes, which had been partially hidden, suddenly turned cold.

"I will lead ten thousand men under the pretext of collecting ships, lie in ambush upstream, dig a hole in the Han River, and at my command, flood the army of one hundred thousand, completely crushing Liu Biao's will to fight again."

Water and fire are merciless!

As the spring snow melts and the spring rains fall, the Han River will rise, but it won't cause as much harm to innocent people as the torrential rains and floods of summer and autumn.

In warfare, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, mountains, rivers, fire, and even the spirit of plants and trees can all be used as weapons.

Xu Chu was well aware of what Xing Daorong was, what the eight thousand vanguards were, and what the deep trenches and high walls were digging on the opposite bank, leaving Sun Quan in a dilemma of whether to attack or retreat.
It was all a lie!
No wonder Xing Daorong was asked to select eight thousand men who were good at swimming, so that they could be rescued if they drowned, right?
The lord's true purpose was actually to breach the Han River and flood Xiangyang!
The flooding of an army of 100,000 brought him instant fame. Xu Chu, shocked, quickly bowed and agreed.

"Rest assured, my lord, I will not disappoint you."

"I've always trusted you to get things done."

As Yuan Shu spoke, he continued to instruct, "Liu Ye is most skilled in such astronomical and geographical matters, as well as ingenious and ingenious techniques. Take him with you and have him calculate the most suitable breach."

Meanwhile, diversion and drainage channels will be prepared nearby. Once the first wave of water has passed, these channels will be dug to divert the remaining water into the Han River in batches.

Although Liu Ye still harbored treacherous intentions and his heart was with Cao Cao, his current opponent was Liu Biao, not Cao Cao. Even if he wanted to secretly communicate with the other side, he had no way to coordinate an attack from within or without.

Now, what he is asked to do is to save millions of lives, and he has no reason not to do his best.

For Yuan Shu, having Liu Ye and Xu Chu keep an eye on things, release some water to flood the city, and scare Sun Quan was enough; he had no intention of actually flooding Xiangyang.

After all, it won't be long before this is Xiangyang under his rule, and if it's really destroyed, it won't be easy to repair and manage.

While this approach cannot completely prevent the flooding of Xiangyang from causing damage to the local area, it is still a worthwhile effort.

It was because Cao Cao was pressing too hard. He had seen the latest military reports from Lujiang. The so-called organized Yellow Turban army, apart from the first wave which caught them off guard, had only managed to launch a surprise attack.

After that, they were just using the lives of ordinary people to buy time. Every day they delayed in Xiangyang, another day was spent killing people and causing rivers of blood to flow in Lujiang.

Yuan Shu did not want the people of Huainan to shed their blood in Lujiang and build the last line of defense with their blood. If he did, he would have to let down the people of Xiangyang who were standing in his way.

Xu Chu accepted the order and left. Yuan Shu also secretly moved some of the troops, whose ships were not large enough, to higher ground under the cover of night. He set up more stoves and flags in the camps on the shore and made noise every day to boost morale.

In any case, even if the Jingzhou soldiers find out, they will only assume that he has sent all his troops out to search for ships, and they will not suspect anything.

Soon, news of Yuan Jun's widespread troop deployment to search for ships along the south bank reached Sun Quan's camp on the north bank.

The crowd didn't take this seriously, and even thought that Yuan's army was indeed preparing to force their way across the river. It was time to use General Sun's strategy of attacking them while they were crossing to give them a head-on blow!
Finally, the scout reported:
"Yuan's army has prepared boats and is beginning to cross the river!"

Everyone thought to themselves, "They've arrived!" and together with Sun Quan, they looked towards the south bank. Sure enough, they saw a forest of warships on the opposite bank, with hundreds of boats racing against each other.

Under the Fengtian banner held high by Xing Daorong, Yuan Jun boarded the warships in an orderly fashion and headed towards the north bank of the Han River.

The warships lined up on the river, banners fluttering, drums and horns sounding, arriving with a magnificent momentum.

Upon seeing this, Kuai Yue immediately exclaimed that something was wrong and hurriedly said to Sun Quan:

"Zhongmou, things have changed!"

Sun Quan was surprised. "Why do you say that, teacher?"

Kuai Yue raised his hand and pointed to the hundreds of light boats and small boats led by the vanguard general Xing Daorong, explaining the situation.

"Look, those who came are only these light boats and small boats, but where are Yuan's large ships? They have searched the mountains and seas for days, why haven't they found a single large ship? Could it be that they couldn't find them?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised and suspicious. This matter was indeed strange. Sun Quan pondered for a moment and tentatively analyzed it.

"Could it be that they are planning to cross the river secretly from somewhere else?"
"What if they wait until we're halfway across the river and then attack, engaging this vanguard force in battle, before suddenly launching an ambush and killing us instead?"

"Now it seems that this is the only way."

How could Yuan Shu, in his military campaigns, not understand the principle of attacking while the enemy is crossing the river? He must have taken precautions.

Upon learning that Yuan Shu's true army had not yet made its move, and that they might not even know where it would strike, a shadow of unease crept over everyone.

Similarly, Xing Daorong, who was leading his troops across from them with a large banner raised high, was actually panicking inside.

Only he knew that the Yuan army camp behind him was completely empty!
These days, the Lord would transfer a group of people away every day, and Xing Daorong had no idea where they went.

With everyone else gone, and only a handful of people left to attack the enemy's army of 100,000?

Especially last night, even his deputy general Zhou Tai left, taking the remaining 32,000 Fengtian soldiers with him, saying that the lord had another important task for him.

Xing Daorong: "???"

Oh no, oh no, is my lord going to sell me out?

I heard that the fighting in Huainan is fierce. Could it be that the lord left me here to hold off the enemy and confuse the situation, while actually leading the main army back to Huainan to provide reinforcements?

As the light boat beneath his feet continued to approach the north shore, Xing Daorong grew increasingly uneasy, feeling as if some terrible thing was about to happen.

My lord? My godfather! You promised reinforcements, you can't lie to me, Old Xing!

His mind was in turmoil. If it weren't for the fact that even if he raised the white flag and surrendered, Kuai Yue and Sun Quan, who had suffered a loss before, would definitely not believe him.

He was filled with fear and unease, and wished he could set things right again.

But now that things have come to this, he has no way to back down.

Xing Daorong gritted his teeth, vigorously waved the Fengtian flag, and shouted loudly:

"Cross the river! Get ashore!!!"

(End of this chapter)