Chapter 50 Liu Wu: That’s right, the one I shot off his horse was Cao Mengde!
Chapter 050 Liu Wu: That’s right, the one I shot off his horse was Cao Mengde!

Jiangdong, Jianye.

"The crime of leaving the army without permission is unforgivable! Please punish us, Lord Wu." In the water camp, the twelve generals who had just returned to Jiangdong knelt down in front of Sun Quan and pleaded guilty.

"Stand up." Sun Quan waved his hand and said, "I also know the inside story between you and the Xiling bandit general. I will forgive you and show you no guilt."

If Sun Quan had not noticed that the Jiangdong generals secretly went to Xiling under the pretext of Lu Su escorting the Shanyue fleet, he would have lost his position as the lord of Jiangdong.

But he trusted these veterans' loyalty to Jiangdong, and he also knew that the battle of Shentingling had always been a thorn in their side, so he turned a blind eye and let them go.

Seeing that their lord had no intention of asking for punishment, all the generals breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, lord."

"When you return to Jiangdong, what is the situation in Xiling?" Sun Quan asked what he was most concerned about.

Cheng Pu was startled, and recalled the scene he saw when he and his companions boarded the ship: "When we boarded the ship, we saw a large army coming from the north, all with Cao's flags. It must be Cao Cao's army that has arrived. I think the two sides have already fought several battles."

coming.

As expected, Cao’s army has already reached Xiling, and the plan for Jiangdong can begin!

Sun Quan was excited and said in a deep voice: "Not long ago, I led a naval force of the Eastern Wu to Xiling with Zhou Gongjin as the main general and Taishi Ci as the deputy general!"

Zhou Gongjin led the Jiangdong navy to attack Xiling? !
The twelve generals of Jiangdong were all stunned. This news caught them off guard. As important generals of Jiangdong, how could they have never heard any news of such a big event before?

"My lord!" Veteran General Huang Gai hurriedly saluted: "Cao Cao's troops are now trapped in Xiling. The fight between the two sides will surely be fierce. If Jiangdong participates in the battle of Xiling at this time, I'm afraid it's not a good opportunity."

Sun Quan said calmly: "Who said that Jiangdong sent troops to attack Xiling?"

Jiangdong's intention is not Xiling?

The twelve generals were all confused. What was Zhou Yu doing leading the navy to attack Xiling?
bass! ~
Sun Quan suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at a certain place on the map behind him. Where the sword tip was pointing was the word "Hefei".

"This time Jiangdong's intention is Hefei!"

The generals looked even more confused. They had no idea what the Marquis of Wu was trying to say.

Sun Quan kept talking: "We have been in Jiangdong for three generations, and all we have been thinking about is crossing the Yangtze River to the north and competing for the Central Plains."

Fight for the Central Plains!

These four words made the generals feel restless. When they followed the first lord Sun Bofu to unify Jiangdong, wasn't their goal to compete for the Central Plains and achieve a great cause that will last for eternity?

"If Jiangdong wants to go north to the Central Plains, there are only two feasible routes. Either take Xiangyang and Fancheng, or go to Hefei..." Sun Quan turned his back to the generals, his eyes always wandering between Xiangyang and Hefei.

"If our army takes Xiangyang, Jiangdong can occupy the entire territory of Jingzhou, but if we want to move forward to take Xuchang and Luoyang, there will be no waterways to navigate. The Jiangdong navy can only fight on land and fight against Cao's cavalry on the plains of the northern country."

"In this case, the Jiangdong navy is no match for Cao's cavalry!"

"But if we take Hefei and Shouchun, our Jiangdong navy can start from the Yangtze River and head north to the Huai River..."

Sun Quan's sharp blade followed the river on the map and pressed forward all the way: "Then, we will take advantage of the tributaries of the Huai River, such as the Sishui River, the Woshui River, the Hongshui River, and the Rushui River, and march straight to Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and even Xuchang and Luoyang in the Central Plains!"

"By then, Jiangdong will be able to severely damage Cao's foundation and hurt his vitality. In this way, why should we worry about Jiangdong's great cause not being accomplished?!"

Sun Quan spoke passionately.

The old general Cheng Pu smiled bitterly and said, "What the Lord Wu said is true. However, Hefei is heavily guarded by Cao Cao's army. It will be very difficult for Jiangdong to take Hefei."

Take Hefei, conquer Shouchun, and finally use the Huai River to allow the Jiangdong navy to advance into the Central Plains!
How could the generals present not know such a strategy? But knowing is one thing, and being able to implement it is another.

Sun Quan smiled faintly: "In the past, it might have been very difficult to take Hefei, but now Jiangdong has the opportunity to take Hefei!"

"I have already made a strategy with Gongjin. If Cao Cao is defeated in his attack on Xiling, Gongjin will immediately lead the Jiangdong soldiers ashore and join forces with Xiling to inflict heavy damage on Cao Cao's defeated troops, forcing them to be unable to leave."

"I will lead another navy with the other generals to attack Hefei fiercely..."

Taking advantage of Cao Cao's defeat in Xiling and being hunted down by Zhou Yu and Liu Wu, leaving him no time to take care of other things, Jiangdong launched a fierce attack on Hefei!

Wonderful!

The generals, who were originally confused, suddenly had their eyes light up. As long as Cao Cao's army was defeated and unable to support Hefei, Jiangdong could send another large army to attack, and it would not be difficult to capture Hefei.

It seems that now is indeed the best time to take Hefei!
Only Zhou Tai hesitated: "But, but if Cao thieves win, what should we do?"

"If Cao Cao wins, wouldn't it be better?" After all, the old general Cheng Pu was a veteran in the army. He had already seen through the plans of Zhou Yu and Sun Quan.

"If Cao Cao wins, he will have to enter the city. Then Zhou Gongjin can directly lead his army to besiege the city and trap Cao Cao to death in Xiling City!"

Cheng Pu's breathing began to quicken, his face flushed: "In this way, Jiangdong can not only take Hefei, but also kill Cao Cao. This is a gift from heaven to Jiangdong!"

Take Hefei and destroy Cao Cao!
This opportunity to achieve a great cause for the ages suddenly fell on Jiang Dong's head. What is destiny? This is destiny!

Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang and other generals were all filled with excitement and their blood was boiling.

But then, several people seemed to think of something...

But if this happens, the old friend from Xiling Chengli will definitely die this time.

Several veteran generals felt sad, but this sadness only flashed by. Compared with the great cause of Jiangdong, the life and death of this old friend meant nothing.

Sun Quan stared at the word "Hefei" on the map. He remembered his brother's last words when he handed him the seal of Jiangdong... "You are not as good as me in mobilizing the people of Jiangdong to fight for the victory between the two camps and compete with the world; I am not as good as you in appointing virtuous people and making them do their best to protect Jiangdong!"

But this time, I want to tell my brother that he, Sun Zhongmou, also has the potential to compete for the world!

hum! ~
Sun Quan's sword was firmly nailed to the location of [Hefei] on the map: "No matter whether Cao Cao wins or loses this time, Jiangdong will take Hefei!!"

……

Inside Xiling City.

Wei Yan, Gao Shun and others gathered at the county magistrate's mansion. They all had a look of fatigue on their faces. The offensive of Cao's army had become more and more fierce in the past two days. Cao's soldiers had attacked the city walls several times. If Liu Wu had not supported them on the city walls, the four gates of Xiling would have been lost long ago.

Just now, Cao's army's offensive slowed down a little, so the lord summoned them here to discuss matters.

Thinking about the losses suffered by the Shanyue defenders on the city wall, and the scene of soldiers rushing like ants at the four gates when Cao's army was attacking the city outside the city, everyone suddenly felt confused.

Can Xiling City really be defended?

Tap tap tap! ~
The sound of footsteps outside the hall interrupted everyone's thoughts. Liu Wu strode into the main hall, and everyone bowed to him.

"Lord."

"Zi Lie."

Liu Wu just nodded slightly and knelt behind the main seat. He directly asked the most urgent question in Xiling City at the moment, "What are the casualties of the soldiers defending Xiling City?"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became solemn.

Lu Xun opened his mouth, but stood up and replied: "My lord, Cao's army is attacking the four gates more and more fiercely. The soldiers in the city are divided into four towers, and there are heavy casualties."

"There are only 3,000 Shanyue defenders left."

Wei Yan followed closely behind him, saying in a low voice: "My men have also lost a thousand men."

After the battle with Cao Ren, Xiling exchanged Cao's prisoners for another 5,000 Shanyue, for a total of 8,000 people. Since the battle with Cao Cao, less than half of the Shanyue defenders have remained.

Since the battle of Xiling began, most of the soldiers defending the city were Shanyue soldiers. Wei Yan's 5,000 soldiers did not suffer many casualties, but even so, they still lost 1,000 soldiers...

This shows how brutal this battle was.

As the two spoke one after another, the atmosphere in the hall became increasingly heavy.

After a short silence, Liu Wu suddenly spoke: "Last night when I was on the city wall, I encountered Cao's army exploring the city."

Cao’s army explores the city?

Everyone looked up in astonishment. The battle had already reached this point, and Cao Jun was still not aware of the situation in Xiling City? Was there any need to explore the city?

Besides, does this matter have anything to do with the current battle situation in Xiling City? Is it worth it for the lord to mention this matter so seriously?
Lu Xun and the others were all surprised, not understanding what their lord wanted to say.

Liu Wu's voice was as calm as water: "I heard the voice of the people who were exploring the city. It should be..."

"Cao Mengde."

Cao Mengde?
Cao Mengde!
Did Cao Mengde come to explore the city in person last night? !

boom! ~
All of a sudden, everyone in the hall stood up suddenly. They could hardly believe their ears. Either they had heard it wrong, or their lord had heard it wrong last night!

"Cao Mengde is the overlord of the north, commanding a large army. How could he do such a dangerous thing?!"

"This, could it be that this thief Cao is plotting something new?"

"My lord, you killed four enemies in the daytime. Did you get too tired at night and misheard?"

Unbelievable!
It's really unbelievable!
Although Lu Xun and others were unwilling to admit it, they had to admit that Cao Mengde now shouldered the eight states of the Han Dynasty and held a high position of power. It seemed unlikely that he would do such a ridiculous thing as sneaking into the enemy city at night.

Even if we take a step back and assume that Cao Cao really came to explore the city, does this kind of thing require the commander-in-chief of the army to go out in person?

"My Lord!" Lu Xun bowed to Zhao Yi, his face full of doubt and uncertainty: "My Lord, you have never talked to Cao Cao, so how do you know that the voice of the person exploring the city is Cao Cao's voice?"

Liu Wu: "When I was in Xuchang, I once secretly saw Cao Mengde and heard his voice."

My lord, have you been to Xuchang?
Lu Xun was stunned, but when he thought of his lord's identity, he suddenly realized that Liu Xuande had also been held hostage by Cao Cao in Xuchang. It was not surprising that his lord had heard Cao Cao's voice.

But if that’s the case, isn’t it possible that Cao Cao really did come to explore the city last night?
Lu Xun's mouth was a little dry. If it was the Lord last night...

"My lord, did you send troops to pursue last night?" Gao Shun asked the question that Lu Xun wanted to ask.

Liu Wu shook his head: "When I heard the noise, I drew my bow and shot two arrows in a row. I faintly heard screams and the sound of falling to the ground. I think Cao Mengde must have been shot and fell off his horse."

Liu Wu's voice was very flat, without any emotional ups and downs in his words.

But these words, like a thunderbolt in the dark summer clouds, suddenly exploded in the hearts of everyone in the lobby!

Their minds were trembling, their blood was rapidly heating up, and their ears were buzzing!
Cao Mengde was shot off his horse by his own lord!

Cao Mengde, who unified the north, held the emperor hostage to control the princes, and was extremely powerful, was actually shot off his horse by his own master! !

(End of this chapter)