diskusbooks Chapter 286 The best way.
Chapter 286 The best way.
Ye Kun knew he was about to be exposed when he heard this, so he immediately quietly ordered the archer behind him: "Aim at Jiang Huo, and fire at once!"
"Jiang Huo, do you think I'm a fake?"
Gongsun Erniang laughed loudly and tried to buy time: "Two months ago, Chu Xiu advised me that Yizhou was preparing its troops and might invade Hanzhong..."
Bang bang bang!
Whoosh whoosh!
Suddenly, there was a loud sound of bowstrings, and seven or eight arrows flew towards Jiang Huo on the top of the city wall.
Jiang Huo leaned half of his body out and was talking to Gongsun Erniang. He never expected that an arrow would come at him so suddenly.
"oops!"
Jiang Huo let out a scream and fell from the top of the city wall into the moat outside the city.
Gongsun Erniang shouted towards the city: "Jiang Huo is dead, why don't you open the gate?"
The surrendered soldiers from Hanzhong also shouted: "We are all one family, open the door quickly, Lord Ye will never kill anyone!"
Now that the commander is dead, how can the remaining soldiers dare to resist?
Besides, although it was hard to tell whether Zhang Mi was real or fake, he had greatly undermined the morale of the soldiers defending Xunyang.
"Don't shoot, we'll open the door and surrender..."
There was a loud shouting from the top of Xunyang City. The soldiers threw down their swords, guns, bows and arrows, lowered the drawbridge and opened the city gates.
Gongsun Erniang rode into the city on horseback, looking very proud and arrogant.
This not-so-clever strategy finally helped them capture Xunyang City without bloodshed.
Ye Kun's troops quickly blocked the city gates, took over the treasury and armory, imposed a curfew, and prohibited anyone from going out.
Ye Kun issued an order: "No soldier is allowed to harass the people. Anyone who moves a brick or tile of the people will be executed immediately."
At the same time, Ye Kun announced that officials would be restored to their posts and people would resume their jobs.
All officials in Xunyang retained their official positions and no one was moved; all the people’s property was protected and not a single cent was encroached upon.
However, Jiang Huo, the defender of Xunyang, died a tragic death.
Ye Kun ordered his subordinates to find Jiang Huo's body and bury him properly with the rites of a county magistrate. Ye Kun personally visited Jiang Huo's family, expressed his condolences, and gave them a large sum of money as compensation.
The next day, Ye Kun was patrolling in Xunyang City when he received an urgent report.
Shangguan Jifu captured the city of Jingzhou, but unexpectedly, he fell into Xiahou Chang's trap.
Xiahou Chang left Shangguan Jifu an empty city without any food or defense equipment.
After Shangguan Jifu led 20,000 troops into the city, Xiahou Chang sent out 70,000 troops to besiege Jingzhou and attack Shangguan Jifu in a closed-door manner!
At the same time, Xiao Dequan of Yangzhou, Jiangdong, also mobilized the whole country to attack Shangguan Jifu's navy, capturing cities and strongholds along the way. He had already captured Yichun and Nanxiang and was approaching Changsha!
Ye Kun was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. He immediately called everyone together to discuss how to deal with the situation.
Zhuge Feng said:
"Shangguan Jifu's 20,000 troops are trapped in Jingzhou. They have no food or reinforcements. They are doomed to fail. Wei Ning is no match for Xiao Dequan from Jiangdong. I think it will be difficult to save Changsha. We are in Hanzhong and we have to fight a decisive battle with Zhang Mi. We can't afford to split our troops. Even if we split our troops to rescue them, we may not be in time."
Ye Kun frowned and said:
"Shangguan Jifu and I are brothers, I have no choice but to save him. The situation in Hanzhong has been determined, and Zhang Mi's defeat is only a matter of time. I want to personally lead the army to save Jingzhou!"
Sang Buyi bowed and said, "Xiahou Chang is a master at military operations. He deliberately let Shangguan Jifu enter Jingzhou and then caught him in a trap. This is a brilliant move. Maybe Xiahou Chang has an even more brilliant plan, which is to wait for Lord Ye to come to rescue him and then wait for him to tire himself out."
"Surround the site for reinforcements?"
Ye Kun also thought of this and gritted his teeth and said, "Even so, I can't help but save Shangguan Jifu."
Han Chun said: "Xiahou Chang now has 300,000 to 400,000 troops. In addition to the 50,000 troops stationed in Chang'an, the main force is in the Central Plains. It will take less than five days to rush to Jingzhou. Lord Ye needs to gather at least 100,000 troops to save Jingzhou. If you use the tactic of adding fuel to the fire, you will definitely fail!"
Xiahou Chang's military force is truly terrifying.
If Ye Kun took 10,000 people to rescue Jingzhou, he might be eaten by Xiahou Chang before he even reached Jingzhou!
Ye Kun now has cannons, thunder bombs, and chariot pulley crossbows, but he has no advantage in terms of mobility.
If the two sides fight against cavalry, Ye Kun will undoubtedly lose.
There is also the problem of food and fodder support, and Ye Kun cannot compete with Xiahou Chang.
Because Xiahou Chang's territory has convenient transportation and a large population.
Ye Kun wanted to leave Sichuan, and the roads were all mountainous, and transporting food and grass would be exhausting.
Hanzhong was so close, and Ye Kun prepared for half a year before he dared to attack.
If Ye Kun were to march into the Central Plains and fight Xiahou Chang, he would have to prepare for at least one or two years!
Ye Kun also knew that what everyone said made sense, and gritted his teeth and said, "Should I just watch Shangguan Jifu die at Xiahou Chang's hands?"
Sang Buyi nodded: "At this moment, we can only defend our territory."
Zhuge Feng clasped his fists and said:
"Xiahou Chang has joined forces with Jiangdong's Xiao Dequan to wipe us out in one fell swoop. Lord Ye, you can order Jiang Laowu's navy to enter Tianmen County to resist the Jiangdong navy and support Jingzhou. Order Yan Liuhai to mobilize troops from Dongba County and Chongqing to station at Shuangya Mountain to support Changsha. Send Xue Ju, Wu Xuan, and Sima Yu to feint eastward from Jiaozhou to tie down the Jiangdong troops.
Then let General Qin Erwu lead an army of 20,000 to capture the three counties of Shangyong and cooperate with Jingzhou to attack Xiahou Chang. "
Ye Kun forced himself to calm down, looked at the map and said:
"It will take a long time to attack the three counties of Shangyong. I'm afraid it's too late."
Sang Buyi said: "But saving Jingzhou is not the best strategy. Zhang Mi has not surrendered yet. If we are not careful, we will not be able to control Hanzhong!"
Ye Kun waved his hand: "Everyone, please stop forcing me. Let me think about it. You should also think about it and seek a foolproof plan."
Everyone clasped their fists and retreated.
Ye Kun was very tired and stared at the map in a daze.
Qin Erwu stayed, looked at Ye Kun's face, and asked in a low voice:
"Brother, if we want to rescue Shangguan Jifu, shouldn't we take the water route, which is faster? Why did Zhuge Feng ask me to attack the three counties of Shangyong? From the map, after the three counties of Shangyong, it is Xiangyang."
Ye Kun smiled bitterly: "Brother, Zhuge Feng certainly knows this, they just don't want me to send troops to rescue Shangguan Jifu."
Qin Erwu was surprised: "In that case, Shangguan Jifu is dead, right?"
“So I’m at a loss now.”
Ye Kun sighed, "I know what Sang Buyi and Zhuge Feng said makes sense. But how can I feel at ease watching Shangguan Jifu trapped and dying?"
By the time they attacked Hanzhong, the division was already old and the soldiers were tired.
Yizhou was empty inside and did not have many available troops.
At present, Ye Kun's fastest speed and greatest ability can only concentrate 30,000 troops within seven days, or 50,000 troops within half a month.
However, the water transport capacity from here to Jingzhou is insufficient, and most of the troops must travel by land, which takes at least ten days to reach Jingzhou. If they encounter an ambush on the way, they will not reach Jingzhou in a month.
Sending light cavalry to provide support is a tactic of adding fuel to the fire, like a moth flying into a flame!
Qin Erwu thought for a moment and said:
"Brother, I am a rough man who only knows how to fight. As for whether to save Shangguan Jifu, I want to ask you, if you were trapped in Hanzhong and were on the verge of death, would Shangguan Jifu come to save you?"