Chapter 511: Fighter Plane Appears
After another half hour, when Quan Cong's 8,000 soldiers arrived at Bu Zhi and hastily formed a battle formation with Bu Zhi's troops, Xu Shu had already advanced to five miles northwest of Fancheng.
"The enemy army is powerful, but they don't attack. What should we do?" Bu Zhi asked Quan Cong who was standing beside him.
Quan Cong raised his head and pointed to the west, then said, "It's already 3 . Judging from their direction, they must be coming from Deng County, so they won't be able to stay for too long."
"Should we line up here and wait for the Wei army to retreat, or should we advance to meet them?" Bu Zhi asked again.
Quan Cong snorted coldly: "I, Quan Zihuang, have never been timid in commanding troops. I cannot afford to sit back and wait for the enemy to retreat. Please ask the right general to lead his troops with me and lead the army to meet the enemy!"
"Okay." Bu Zhi nodded gently: "You bring 8,000 soldiers from the main camp, and I will take out 4,000, a total of 12,000 soldiers, I think you will be fearless."
It was not that Bu Zhi was weak, but that most of his troops were stationed in the camps, and he could only temporarily withdraw 4,000 soldiers. Quan Cong had more soldiers and came from Sun Quan, the King of Wu, so he had to listen to Quan Cong's opinion.
Bu Zhi was a typical Huaisi scholar. His native place was Huaiyin, Guangling, the hometown of Han Xin, a great general of the Western Han Dynasty. When the rebellion broke out at the end of the Han Dynasty, Bu Zhi went to Jiangdong alone and joined Sun Quan as an official in the fifth year of Jian'an.
The fifth year of Jian'an was also the year when Sun Ce was assassinated by Xu Gong's followers and Sun Quan succeeded to the throne. Bu Zhi's resume completely overlaps with the timeline of Sun Quan's coming to power, and he can be regarded as a first-class confidant. Bu Zhi worked hard for many years to conquer Jiaozhou and pacify Jingnan. Although he was not a front-line general against Wei and Shu, Bu Zhi's military achievements in stabilizing the rear also earned him the title of Right General, ranking alongside Left General Zhuge Jin.
With the sound of drums and gongs, the 12,000 Wu troops were divided into the left and right wings and moved forward together. Quan Cong's 8,000 troops were on the right, and Bu Zhi's 4,000 troops were on the left, heading towards the Wei army.
When facing an enemy, the first thing to do is not to lose momentum. The Wei cavalry patrolling under the city just now was almost humiliating. If Quan Cong and Bu Zhi did not react, they would be laughed at.
But whether it was Xu Shu in the north, or Bu Zhi and Quan Cong in the south, they seemed to have maintained a tacit understanding. They faced each other from a distance of a mile, and none of them had any intention of taking the initiative to attack.
For the Wei army, today was just a demonstration to the Wu army. As for the Wu army, they had fewer troops at this time and were temporarily transferred here. The King of Wu had not properly arranged the tactics, so they should not fight immediately and force the enemy to retreat.
As the sky gradually darkened, Xu Shu led his troops to retreat. After discussing with Bu Zhi, Quan Cong did not pursue them, but retreated calmly to the vicinity of the camp.
At night, in the Wu army camp on Yuliangzhou, in the central army tent.
"About 20,000 Wei troops? Zihuang, have you taken a closer look?" Sun Quan looked seriously at Quan Cong who had hurried back by boat.
"I saw it clearly. I was in the west and the right general was in the east. We both thought the number was about 20,000. There was no mistake." Quan Cong nodded.
Sun Quan frowned slightly. "Since there are 20,000 Wei troops, and Zihuang and General Bu only lead more than 10,000 troops, the enemy has more troops than them. It would be strange if the enemy generals did not attack. This is different from the tactics of ordinary Wei generals."
"We need to test it again tomorrow. I can't rest without knowing the intention of this Wei army." Sun Quan said firmly, "Tomorrow morning, I will personally lead 10,000 infantrymen and go to the northwest of Fancheng with Zihuang to test the strength of the Wei army."
"The Supreme is coming in person?" Quan Cong was a little surprised, and Shi Yi, Hu Zong, Zhuge Jin and others in the tent were all surprised.
"Yes, can I not go?" Sun Quan stroked his beard and smiled, "With the Han River at our backs, what is there to fear? I will personally lead the army to support you. If the Wei army comes again tomorrow, Zihuang will go and fight!"
"I obey your order!" Quan Cong responded with a bow.
Yi, Hu Zong, Zhuge Jin and others stood by, but they did not say anything to persuade him. Since the defeat at Wancheng a few years ago, the King of Wu has become more and more arbitrary in military affairs. Whether it is about recruiting soldiers for garrison or commanding troops for expedition, once a decision is made, no one is allowed to change it.
When it comes to leading troops in battle, Sun Quan's mentality is complex and contradictory.
Although Sun Quan was not good at commanding large-scale armies, he was not lacking in personal bravery and courage in the face of an enemy. In the 20th year of Jian'an, Sun Quan was defeated by Zhang Liao at Xiaoyaojin. The main reason was that Sun Quan ordered the army to withdraw first, and he took the initiative to lead the troops to cover the rear. Zhang Liao saw through the opportunity and launched a surprise attack, which put him in danger.
In this Xiangfan battle, the Wu army had the best geographical advantages, whether in terms of battlefield layout, logistics support, or naval superiority. Sun Quan's psychological advantage at this time also came from this.
If we delve deeper, Sun Quan experienced the disastrous defeat of Lu Xun's troops. As long as his personal safety was not in danger, he still wanted to face the enemy in person to see the truth.
At dawn the next day, the Wu army sailed westward from the Yuliangzhou camp again, and the Wei army defenders in Xiangyang city also watched carefully.
Zhao Yan still stood on the top of the city wall, stroking his beard and asking, "Is that Sun Quan on the boat?" Yin Fan replied, "Mr. Zhao is right. It is Sun Quan's tower ship. The decoration and shape are so exaggerated, and the hull is larger than ordinary tower ships. It must be Sun Quan himself who came."
Zhao Yan turned to look at Yin Fan and Niu Jin and said, "Yesterday afternoon, the Wu army sailed, and you two saw it. They have sent reinforcements to Fancheng for two consecutive days. Apart from the enemy in the north, I can't see any other reason."
"Hey, Lord Zhao doesn't even need to tell me, it must be reinforcements coming from the north." Niu Jin said with a smile, "We received reinforcements yesterday, and again today, I'm afraid there will be a lot of reinforcements."
"Lord Zhao, Sun Quan is now transporting troops to Fancheng. It's so busy, I should give Sun Quan some gifts."
Zhao Yan immediately responded, "The opportunity for battle has emerged today. The Wu army camp has been mobilizing troops for two consecutive days. When Sun Quan's troops are about to disembark, the strength of each unit of the Wu army has been determined. It will be too late to deploy them in a few hours. Now is the time to defeat the Wu army under the city."
"Uncle." Zhao Yan's usually gentle eyes suddenly became fierce. "This governor orders you to lead 8,000 troops to attack the east dock of Xiangyang from the east gate. Eliminate the enemy camp within two hours. No chance of failure!"
Niu Jin immediately responded with a salute, his expression no longer relaxed, but unusually serious: "I will follow the orders of the chief inspector! I will go and organize the troops and march out of the city to attack the enemy in two quarters of an hour!"
"Go!" Zhao Yan pointed in the direction of the steps on the city wall.
"Follow the order!"
Niu Jin walked away with big strides. His spirit and energy had changed. He looked more solemn before facing the enemy, or more excited at the thought of a war.
Yin Fan saluted and said, "The governor has been trapped in Xiangyang for half a month. Today is the opportunity for battle. We should accomplish our mission today!"
Zhao Yan nodded: "These days, the people in the city have only defended and not attacked, showing weakness to the enemy, as if there are only three or four thousand people. The Wu army only left ten thousand people outside Xiangyang City. They made a wrong estimate, and they have to bear the consequences themselves."
"Sun Quan has sent reinforcements to Fancheng twice. Judging from his fleet and its structure, I'm afraid this battle will be a big one. In a few hours, the Wu army will not be able to take care of the outside of Xiangyang. From the foot of the city to the Wu army camp, it's only a mile, which is enough. You and I will stay here and watch General Niu succeed!"
"Very good. I will accompany Lord Zhao." Yin Fan replied calmly.
Zhao Yan stroked his beard and said, "After this battle, Shuping will return to the court to serve as an official. You are young and have accomplished such a great thing. I think His Majesty and the Ministry of Personnel will also ask for your own opinion."
"Do you want to be in the court or in the army?"
This was the first time Zhao Yan asked about this matter since Yin Fan entered Xiangyang a few days ago.
Yin Fan thought for a few moments, then cupped his hands and said, "I have heard of Lord Zhao's deeds in Luoyang. From Lord Zhao's perspective, what kind of official position would be suitable for me?"
"You are quite clever." Zhao Yan smiled and shook his head. "That was more than thirty years ago. In the second year of Jian'an, I surrendered to Emperor Wu and was appointed the magistrate of Langling County. Because of this, I helped Li Tong and Li Wenda to suppress bandits. That's how I gradually caught the attention of Emperor Wu."
"The rest of the time, I will just be assigned to different positions and do different things." Zhao Yan slightly raised his head to look at the sky, his tone full of emotion: "Before, there were many wars in the world, and I had to serve in the army. There was nothing I could do about it. Now that Hebei has been settled and Wu and Shu are weak, I think the world will be pacified soon. It is better to stay under the emperor's feet than to serve in a foreign post."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhao, for your advice. I will keep it in mind." Yin Fan bowed respectfully, then stood up straight and stood motionless behind Zhao Yan, gazing at the Han River with him.
"It's almost time. General Niu should leave the city now." Two quarters of an hour later, Yin Fan reminded: "Why don't you move to the east wall to watch the battle?"
"Okay, Shuping, please go with me." Zhao Yan nodded.
Xiangyang City was larger than Fancheng City and easier to defend. In addition, Zhuge Jin attacked the city a few days ago. After Yin Fan sneaked into the city, the Wu army focused on attacking Fancheng, which made Zhuge Jin outside the city focus on besieging the city and his offensive became slower and slower.
Niu Jin assembled his troops in the city and quickly marched eastward after the city was opened, heading towards the eastern wharf and several camps south of the wharf. The Wu army, which had been at ease for a few days, was unable to respond. Zhuge Jin tried his best to dispatch troops from other places, but it was still difficult to respond.
In just half an hour, Niu Jin's troops had already penetrated four camps. The Wu troops in the east of Xiangyang City, the northernmost dock, and the three camps in the south were all in danger.
(End of this chapter)
