Chapter 87 Advance to the Central Plains

Guan Yu sat on his building boat and looked at the south gate of Fancheng in the distance, looking very solemn. He knew that there were Thunderbolts on Sun Shao's building ship, but he did not expect that Sun Shao would concentrate on the use of the five Thunderbolts on the building ships for intensive launch. He originally thought that Sun Shao would divide the troops into at least two ways, one virtual and one real, so that Cao Ren could not defend, but Sun Shao did the opposite. The five building ships were all concentrated in the south gate. When Cao Ren sent heavy troops to defend the South Gate, although he was still a little angry, Guan Yu still reminded Sun Shao that the difficulty of the siege would be greatly increased, and the casualties would be heavy. But what Guan Yu saw now made him speechless: in the face of 20 Thunderbolts and 75 giant crossbows, plus the intensive bombing of a thousand archers, the south gate of Fancheng became hell with just a cup of tea.

Watching Cao Ren and Sun Jiao fall to the ground, Guan Yu sighed and twitched the corners of his mouth a few times. Finally, he handed Sun Shao the thousand-mile eyes in his hand without saying a word.

"Where did it come from?" Sun Shao is very strange. For the sake of technical confidentiality, Qianliyan has always been very strict and has never flowed into the hands of others. Not to mention Guan Yu, he doesn't even know Sun Quan.

"It was sent by the military general." Guan Yu smiled reservedly: "The first batch of five thousand-mile eyes made by the military general, and I got one."

Sun Shao understood that what he was proud of was not that he had a thousand-mile eye, but that Zhuge Liang valued him, and the first batch would be given to him. He looked at it, took it over and took a closer look in his eyes, and had to praise. Zhuge Liang is really smart. He just told him this principle, and he did it. Although some places are quite different from the Qianli eyes in his hand, he is self-reorganic and has no plug-ins. He doesn't have this ability.

"How's it going?" Seeing the surprise on Sun Shao's face, Guan Yu finally got some psychological comfort.

"Cao Ren has fallen, the head of the city has collapsed, and Fan Cheng has changed hands." Sun Shao put down his eyes and said faintly, "My father-in-law can now install a car into the city."

Guan Yu was a little disappointed. Sun Shao not only praised his Qianli's eyes, but also mentioned the battle of Fancheng, and told him in this tone, which was really annoying. He said that Sun Shao was playing with thousands of miles of eyes, and he was reluctant to give up, so he smiled and said, "Feng Xian, when the next batch of thousands of miles of eyes from the military division arrives, I will give you one." The meaning is that you can give it back to me first.

Sun Shao suddenly realized, glanced at the Qianli Eye in his hand, and put it directly into his arms. Guan Yu was anxious at first sight. Although Sun Shaogang helped him break Fan Cheng, he only had one Qianli Eye, which was useless for Sun Shao to take. He raised his hand and was about to speak. Sun Shao took his Qianli's eyes from Shuai Zeng's hand: "Let's change it with my father-in-law."

"Do you have it too?" Guan Yu was stunned for a moment and looked at the thousand-mile eyes in his hand. His original proud mentality suddenly disappeared. Sun Shao was much more beautiful than his one. The brass pipe was carved with a simple and generous pattern, which made people feel particularly comfortable as soon as they got it. He raised it up and looked at it, and he was even more frightened. Sun Shao's thousand-mile eye was much clearer than the one sent by Zhuge Liang.

"How's it going?" Sun Shao asked in the same tone.

Guan Yu weighed his eyes and hesitated for a while before saying, "It's okay." Sun Shao smiled at the corners of his mouth and looked at Guan Yu with joking eyes. Guan Yu was a little uncomfortable, and then said, "It's just okay?"

Guan Yu stared at him angrily and finally changed his words: "That's right."

"Hahaha..." Sun Shao laughed, came to Guan Yu's side, and said without treating himself as an outsider at all, "My father-in-law, my son-in-law is half-in-law. Do you treat me as an enemy just because my surname is Sun?"

Guan Yu glanced at him and said no word. He turned around and ordered Guan Ping to command the army into the city.

... Sun Shao, with his hands behind his back, looked at Niu Jin, who stood with a horizontal knife and was covered in blood, and frowned: "If you don't move again, General Cao will die, I won't bear any responsibility."

"Well, don't cheat me. If you want to take the head of General Cao, you can step over from my Niu Jin first."

"You are a thick fool." Sun Shao smiled angrily and pointed to Cao Ren, who was unconscious behind Niu Jin, and said, "What's the use of wanting his head? Am I short of these money? I can tell you that he lost too much blood. If he is not treated in time, even if the head is saved in the end, his life will definitely be lost.

Niu Jin looked at Sun Shao in disbelief. Of course, he was worried about Cao Ren's injury. Cao Ren was stabbed in the abdomen by Sun Jing, and his intestines came out. If he didn't save him, he would definitely die. But at this time, he didn't care about saving Cao Ren. He could only use his own surname to save Cao Ren from being cut off from the head - although he also knew that he could not be saved in the end, at best, just delaying time.

"You won't kill him?"

"Why do I want to kill him?" Sun Shao was angry and waved his hand: "Take down this vertical and immediately order the medical craftsman to save General Cao."

With an order, Cui Qian, who had been eager to try for a long time, rushed up. Along the way, his achievements were still undetermined. This siege made Wu Shuo, Zhang Liang and others take the lead. Seeing that he was going to return empty-handed, it was a good choice to have a chance to win Niu Jin. He waved his knife and fought with Niu Jin. The people next to him rushed over, picked up Cao Ren and left. Niu Jin shouted anxiously, but he was forced by Cui Qian to free up his hand. Accidentally, he was stabbed on his arm by Cui Qian, and the long knife fell to the ground.

"It's really troublesome. You have to treat one more." Sun Shao shook his head in pain: "Take him over too."

Niu Jin's face turned pale and he no longer struggled.

"This big man is a big deal." Cui Qian rubbed the blood on the knife on the sole of his boot and praised: "Although he was injured many places and fought hard for half a day, the knife is still very fierce. If I hadn't worried about his master, I'm afraid I haven't taken him so soon."

"Do you think you are the only master?" Sun Shaobai gave him a look.

Cui Qian smiled, arched his hand, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "The general is the master."

"I tell you, Cao Ren, who has just been carried away, is the first warrior of Cao Ying, but in terms of martial arts, he is slightly inferior to the first master of Cao Ying." Sun Shao pointed to Guan Yu in the distance: "My father-in-law is the enemy of ten thousand people. In those years, the head of the general among the army was like a bag. In front of him, I guarantee that I will be unbeaten within ten rounds at most, and after ten rounds, I will lose more and win less.

Cui Qian was stunned. Although Guan Yu is tall and powerful, he also knows Sun Shao's martial arts. Sun Shao said that he is not Guan Yu's opponent, so how invincible will Guan Yu be?

After Fan Cheng was defeated, Lv Chang, the general of Xiangyang, was in a mess. Guan Yu and Sun Shao led the army around, and he surrendered. The second city of Xiangfan was pactied, and the Han River became Guan Yu's inland river. He immediately summoned Sun Shao to discuss the matter of continuing to march into Nanyang. Through this battle, he learned two things. First, it is not so easy for him to sweep Nanyang alone. Second, his son-in-law has a way to fight, which is unconventional and to the point.

Sun Shao had the instructions of Sun Quan and made corresponding concessions. As a striker, he attacked the area near Wancheng, cleared the obstacles for Guan Yu's army, and then joined forces with Guan Yu in Wancheng. As long as you take down Wancheng, Nanyang can attack Xu County, which can not only shake the Central Plains, but also has a lot of farmland near Xu County. Once Xiangcheng is taken down, it can greatly alleviate the difficulty of the supply of military grain.

Guan Yu is very satisfied. Sun Shao's approach is very safe. When his army has been fighting for a long time, he is already a little tired and in urgent need of rest. When Sun Shao's people have been recuperating for a long time, their morale is strong, and it is appropriate to be a striker. He agreed with Sun Shao's suggestion and sent Zhao Lei to assist Sun Shao. At the same time, on the grounds that Sun Zhuo needed to recover his injury and was not suitable to come to the front line in person, he divided Sun Zhuo's department into two. Zhang Liang led 3,000 people and Sun Shao as the vanguard, and Wu Shuo and others stayed with him.

Sun Hao knew that Guan Yu was splitting him, but there was nothing he could do. On the one hand, he was seriously injured in the battle with Cao Ren, and he could not take action for at least a month or two. On the other hand, Sun Quan had an order to follow Guan Yu's command and assist Guan Yu in attacking Nanyang. Sun Hao is not a fool. He understands the psychology behind Sun Quan's initiative. Of course, he will not disrupt Sun Quan's plan because of his strength at this time. Besides, Sun Shao almost turned against Guan Yu in order to fight for merit. He believed that Sun Shao would not turn his elbow out and harm Jiangdong's interests.

Sun Shao took 10,000 troops and went straight to Wancheng along the water. Along the way, people from all walks of life who were already connected with Guan Yu converged one after another. They had been imprinted by Guan Yu for a long time, but before Guan Yu failed to conquer Fancheng, they were scattered and fought separately. Therefore, although they fought lively, their record was really limited. Now Guan Yu has defeated Fancheng and Xiangyang. Cao Ren, who is one of the five good generals, and Cao Ren, who is one of the five good generals, and Man Chong, who has outstanding wisdom, have been captured in half a month. His reputation is greatly shocked. Everyone believes that he can continue to attack Wancheng, so he swarmed and competes to work.

In just half a month, Sun Shao gathered more than 20,000 volunteers. Although these people have limited combat effectiveness, and there are many people who fish in mixed water, they are good at creating momentum. Guan Yu's great victory spread all over Nanyang County in a short time through their mouth. For a while, Nanyang rebels were everywhere, and even people under the banner of Guan Yu appeared near Xu County.

Tian Yu, the governor of Nanyang, did not dare to neglect. On the one hand, he organized people to prepare to defend the city. On the other hand, he sent the news to Hanzhong and Ye City, and asked Cao Hen and Cao Pi, who stayed in Ye City, to immediately send more reinforcements. Wancheng had just experienced the chaos of Hou Yin at the beginning of the year and was slaughtered by Cao Ren. At present, his vitality was greatly damaged. If there were no reinforcements, he would not be Guan Yu's opponent at all.

Cao was stunned.

It was only half a month. The original good situation was lost. The 30,000 troops were advancing steadily. When they could relieve the siege of Fancheng, they were actually washed away by a flood. Just as he arranged someone to save Cao Ren, Fancheng was broken again. Now Guan Yu's vanguard Sun Shao has been straight to Wan. In the city, Tian Yu's urgent document was placed in front of him, and the words were shocking.

Guan Yu, Sun Shao! One is that he was a little afraid many years ago, and the other is that he has paid more attention to recently. This pair of Weng's son-in-law have created miracles under the most unlikely circumstances.

"What should I do?" Cao Qian called Liu Ye, Sima Yi and others over, threw the emergency documents in front of them, and asked impatiently.

Liu Ye picked up the document and took a look. His face was very solemn. Sima Yi took a look and didn't say anything. Cao Xun narrowed his eyes, glanced at their faces twice, and said, "Wancheng is dilapidated. Although Tian Yu is brave and resourceful, I'm afraid he is not the opponent of Guan Yu and Sun Shao. Nanyang is in danger, and Xu County is uneasy. I'm going to move the emperor to Yecheng. Do you think so?

"No." Liu Ye and Sima Yi said in unison.

"Why?" Cao looked at them suspiciously.

Sima Yi lowered his head. Liu Ye pondered for a moment and said, "I think that although Guan Yu and Sun Shao seem to be very strong, their leaders are in the navy, especially Sun Shao. The people he leads are all the navy. This time he was defeated in the war and the loss of Fancheng are all because of the water, which is not entirely due to their strength. Although Wancheng has water, the amount of water cannot be compared with Han water. In Yichen's opinion, it is not so easy for them to break through Wancheng. Secondly, nearly a thousand miles from Xiangyang to Wancheng, their transportation burden of grain and grass will be greatly increased. If they rely on water for transshipment, they must send heavy troops to guard, and the number of people who can carry out the siege is limited. Although Wancheng is dilapidated, as long as there are reinforcements, it can still defend Wancheng. If Your Highness orders the relocation of the capital, then the people of Wancheng will think that Your Highness has decided to give up them, and Wancheng will not break down. In this way, Nanyang is not owned by the state.

Cao frowned and hesitated. Of course, he knew that moving the capital was not a trivial matter. Once he ordered to move the capital, it was not only weak, but also equivalent to giving up Nanyang, or even giving up the territory south of the Yellow River. However, if the capital is not moved, what if Sun Shao and Guan Yu break through Wancheng and they turn to attack Xu County and rob the emperor? The troops of Xu County have been transferred by him, leaving only 10,000 soldiers under Yan Kuang, the general of Diannong Zhonglang, which is impossible to stop it. Although Cao Yan now feels that the emperor is a burden, he knows that once the emperor falls into Guan Yu's hands, he will immediately become the national thief referred to by Wanfu, and his moral advantage will be swept away.

So he knows that the emperor has lost its use value, but he still can't let the emperor fall into Guan Yu's hands.

"Zhong Da, what do you think?" Cao Jian turned to the silent military Sima Sima Yi.

Sima Yi replied respectfully, "I agree with Liu Changshi's opinion."

"Do you have any other opinions?" Cao Jian is very contradictory to Sima Yi. He knew that Sima Yi was talented, and because he knew that he was talented, he was very worried about Sima Yi, especially when he knew that Sima Yi was a wolf. The so-called wolf's appearance means that the body does not move, the neck can turn half a circle, and directly twists to the back to look at people, just like a wolf. It is said that a person with such a body is bound to rebel once he gets it, so he is very careful against Sima Yi and even wants to kill him, but Sima Yi is very cautious. He never makes mistakes, even a small language problem. Without an excuse, Cao Jian did not dare to touch the Sima family in Hanoi. What's more, Sima Yi's father, Sima Fang, also recommended him to be a captain in the north, which was kind to him.

Sima Yi lowered his head and licked his lips inadvertently. Every time Cao Jian spoke like this, he always felt a lot of pressure. Although he did not look at Cao Jian's eyes, he knew that Cao Jian must be looking at his neck and it was more appropriate to think about how to cut it. Although he looked down on Cao Wei, the power brought by Cao Wei's years of expedition still made him shudder.

"I think it's time to ask for help from Wancheng."

Cao Xiu's eyebrows trembled: "How to rescue in three ways?"

"On the first road, Your Highness can send a general down from the Han River, directly hit Xiangyang, and cut off Guan Yu's grain road."

Cao Yan nodded. This is a good way. It is very convenient to go down the Han River from Hanzhong, and it can save the physical strength of the soldiers. Once the grain road is cut off, Guan Yu will collapse without fighting. Even if he doesn't succeed, he can make Guan Yu hesitate and delay his speed.

"The second way, Your Highness can leave Zhang Liao to guard Hefei to prevent Sun Quan from taking advantage of the opportunity. General Fubo was ordered to retreat to Wuyang and Xiping to cover Xu County.

Cao hesitated for a moment, and then nodded again. He withdrew Xiahou Dun, leaving only Zhang Liao to defend Hefei. Although his strength was a little weak, Sun Quan was very afraid of Zhang Liao. In addition, the Qingxu Water Division could control the river. Even if Sun Quan had the courage, he might not have the ability to conquer Hefei. Even if he broke through Hefei, it would be difficult for him to gain a foothold between Jianghuai.

"The third way..." Sima Yi hesitated and looked up at Cao Yan. Cao Yan stared at him without saying a word, which made him uncomfortable and worried about whether his words would cause trouble. But after thinking about it, he continued to say, "But please ask the deputy prime minister to send troops to help Wancheng from the direction of Luoyang to cover Luoyang."

Cao Wei understood. The other two ways are pseuding, and this is the most important way. Cao Pi stayed in Yecheng and is now stationed in Mengjin. He still has more than 20,000 people under his command. It is the last mobile force that can be moved except for Cao Zhang, who is guarding Bingzhou. Cao Zhi made contributions to Bashu, and Cao Pi's position as an unstable son is even more uncertain. If Cao Pi can make contributions and block Guan Yu, who is gaining momentum, then he is the greatest contributor to solving this crisis. Cao Zhi's achievements will not be worth mentioning - unless he can take Yizhou.

Cao Qian didn't say anything and turned his head to look at Liu Ye: "Ziyang, what do you think?"

Liu Ye nodded: "I think Zhongda's plan is feasible." He paused and added, "The land of Jianghuai is empty. Even if Sun Quan gets Jianghuai, his strength will not increase. However, I don't think Sun Quan can easily get Jianghuai.

"Oh, what are you going to do?" Cao's eyes flashed.

"Your Highness, have you forgotten that there is another person around Guan Yu now?"

Cao Xiu turned his eyes and then understood: "Sun Shao and Sun Fengxian?"

"Yes." Liu Ye said confidently, "Liu Bei was beaten and retreated step by step in Ba County. He has been trapped in the Sword Pavilion for more than half a year. Sun Quan has also been a few months ahead in the area of Ruxu. Guan Yu and Sun Shao are like breaking bamboo and take Nanyang in one fell swoop. While they win a big victory, they will certainly bring hidden worries to Liu Bei and Sun Quan. How can he support Guan Yu and Sun Shao without reservation and let them make greater contributions?

Cao Zhen nodded slowly. The relationship between Guan Yu and Liu Bei is not bad. Liu Bei has always trusted Guan Yu. Even if Guan Yu is suspected of being a big deal, Liu Bei will not pay too seriously. However, Sun Shao is different. Sun Shao is Sun Ce's son. Originally, he has been suppressed by Sun Quan. In the past two years, Sun Shao has moved around and soared unexpectedly. Now it is beyond Sun Quan's control. The strength in his hand has made Sun Quan sleepless.

The news from Xiahou Dun said that Sun Shao's Zhendan sailor was split into two by Sun Quanyi. Cao Shen was very surprised. According to Sun Shao's surname, how could he sit back and watch his strength be swallowed up by Sun Quan? He always felt that Sun Shao must be playing something. He had an in-depth exchange with Sun Shao and knew that what was hidden under the boy's cute smile was a deep depth that was difficult to figure out. He used Jiaozhou Mu to give a bait to their uncle and nephew. As a result, neither Sun Quan nor Sun Shao was fooled. He used the modified Thunderbolt car drawings to set up Sun Shao. Sun Shao also saw through it at a glance and turned to Sun Quan. However, to Cao's surprise, Sun Shao and Sun Quan had the same drawings, and the power of the Thunderbolt car used by Sun Shao was obvious. However, it is far more than Sun Quan's. That is to say, although Sun Shao gave the drawings to Sun Quan, he intentionally or unintentionally retained his hand.

Now, Sun Shao broke through Fancheng with five building ships. The Thunderbolt car is indispensable. It is impossible for Sun Quan not to see the hand left by Sun Shao. At this time, he has no idea at all? Use the land of Jianghuai in exchange for Sun Quan's centrifugation. As long as he has ideas about Sun Shao and Guan Yu and breaks their food, then Sun Shao and Guan Yu will become rootless wood and sourceless water. The smoother the front, the greater the disaster will be. At that time, they not only had to face the three-way army they sent, but also prepared for the possible crisis in the rear. If Guan Yu and Sun Shao are repulsed, the war situation will return to a favorable situation for the other side, even better than before.

Liu Ye didn't say much. He just used Jianghuai to bait Sun Quan and exerted the role of Jianghuai as a chicken rib to the limit, which was one level higher than Sima Yi's response plan.

This is Liu Ye's experience. Although Sima Yi is smart, he still lacks a lot of experience compared with Liu Ye.

"So... Is Yizhou still competing? Why are you in a hurry?" Cao said slowly. "

"Fight." Liu Ye replied, "However, in my opinion, Yizhou no longer needs Your Highness to sit in the town in person."

Cao Shen stroked his beard and pondered for a moment: "Who is responsible for that?"

Liu Ye didn't say anything. It's very important who is responsible. Once you say it wrong, it's the problem of standing in the wrong team. After Cao Zhi sent out a strange soldier, Cao Wei's original idea of abolishing Chang Liyou moved again. Seeing him like this, he obviously had the intention to leave Cao Zhi in Hanzhong, but what about Xia Houyuan? What if Cao Zhi is defeated or killed?

Cao Qian looked at Liu Ye and Sima Yi. Obviously, he would not be satisfied if he didn't give an answer. Sima Yi lowered his eyelids and resolutely said nothing. He thought the same as Liu Ye, not to mention that he took a fancy to Cao Pi and did not want Cao Zhi to make contributions.

Liu Ye hesitated for a long time and finally said, "I think that when I am a general in the west, I just need to arrange a supervisor for him."

(to be continued)