novelAbuy Chapter 80 Yuzhang and Nanchang: Luring the Enemy into a Trap
Chapter 80 Yuzhang and Nanchang: Luring the Enemy into a Trap
After several months apart, Xu Sheng appeared even more composed.
Lu Yong reached out to help him up, patted his arm, and said, "You've worked hard."
Xu Sheng straightened up and said with a smile, "It's not tiring. It's just that we rushed on the road and the brothers haven't had a proper rest for two days."
Zhang Fei leaned over and punched Xu Sheng in the chest: "Not bad, kid, you're pretty quick."
Xu Sheng deliberately took two steps back after being punched, then grinned and joked, "Third General, your strength has increased again."
Lei Hu chuckled in agreement.
Lu Yong said to Xu Sheng, "Let the brothers go into the city and get some rest."
"We're having hot pot right now, come and have some with us."
"That's really good timing!" Xu Sheng said with a smile.
Back at the prefectural governor's residence, the soup in the pot was still boiling.
Lu Yong asked someone to add another bowl and chopsticks, and cut some more meat.
Xu Sheng picked up the bowl, took a big gulp of wine, and then let out a long breath.
"Strategist, what's our next move?" Xu Sheng asked impatiently.
"Rest for a day, and the day after tomorrow you will lead your troops to collect sea salt."
"This humble general obeys the order," Xu Sheng said, putting down his bowl and clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Then, Lu Yong looked at Zhang Fei and Lei Hu and said:
"Third General, go and fetch Youquan."
"Understood!" Zhang Fei replied with a smile.
"Lei Hu, go and fetch Piling."
"Alright!" Lei Hu replied happily, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
"I'm going to fetch Qiantang. Gongxu, you write to the lord and ask him to send a prefect of Wu Commandery as soon as possible."
"Yes," Shen Yi replied, cupping his hands in greeting.
While Zhang Fei wasn't looking, Lei Hu secretly grabbed another piece of meat, only to have Zhang Fei slap his hand away.
"You little rascal, you're stealing food again."
"..."
After taking a few bites, Xu Sheng suddenly asked again, "Strategist, I don't want to lead the army alone anymore. Can I stay by your side?"
Lu Yong glanced at him and asked, "What's wrong? Isn't it good to be able to handle things on your own?"
Xu Sheng scratched his head: "It's good. But you can only learn real skills by following the strategist."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei burst into laughter: "Not bad, Wen Xiang, you have a strong desire to improve!"
Lu Yong smirked and replied, "Don't worry, I will soon open a university, and all generals will have to come and study there!"
The scene suddenly fell silent.
Zhang Fei stared wide-eyed, asking incredulously, "I have to go learn too?"
"As the lord's sworn brother, Third General, you must take the lead!" Lu Yong said bluntly.
The fat on Lei Hu's face trembled involuntarily.
Reading... is absolutely terrifying!
Xu Sheng was overjoyed and said, "Strategist, rest assured, I will study hard and live up to your expectations!"
At this moment, Shen Yi, who had been mostly silent, suddenly spoke up: "Strategist, can I also study at your university?"
"Of course," Lu Yong replied, then added, "but those who enter the university must be our own people, or from respectable families who entered through the imperial examinations. Not just anyone can get in."
Shen Yi's eyes lit up, as if he could see his bright future.
Thirty-six years old, that's the prime of life!
night is deep,
The crowd dispersed and returned to their rooms.
At midnight, the system notification sounded precisely on time.
[It's midnight; let's begin today's settlement.]
[Host's achievement for today: Main force captured Wu County, detachment captured Wucheng. Today's achievement +2.]
Overall rating: S grade.
[Rewards: Special Item x1, Free Attribute Points x5.]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Bagua Heart Protection Mirror (Special Item)]
Effect: The wearer can withstand one fatal attack. The item is destroyed upon activation and cannot be repaired. For the wearer only.
[Free attribute points have been automatically saved; the host can allocate them at any time.]
Lu Yong put the [Eight Trigrams Heart-Protecting Mirror] into his bosom. This thing could save his life in critical moments, so he had to keep it close to his body.
All the attribute points were added to Intelligence.
…………
The seat of Yuzhang was Nanchang.
Jiang Qin led 5,000 naval troops down the Gan River towards Nanchang.
Five thousand naval troops and over a hundred warships stretched out along the river, their sails blocking out the sun and their oars forming a forest.
The lieutenant stepped forward: "Captain, Nanchang City is just ten miles ahead."
"Dock ashore. Send someone to contact Prefect Zhuge first," Jiang Qin decisively ordered.
The fleet slowly approached the west bank of the Gan River.
Jiang Qin ordered his men to set up camp on the shore, with warships lined up along the bank, ready to set sail at any time.
After nightfall,
A young man dressed in hemp clothing sneaked outside the camp but was stopped by a sentry.
He claimed to be a subordinate of Guo Jia and said he had a secret letter to deliver to Jiang Qin.
After receiving the letter, Jiang Qin opened it, intending to read it.
The letter contained three messages:
First, Zhuge Xuan's family has been safely moved to a residence in the south of the city and is being carefully guarded by spies.
II. The list of Yuzhang gentry families who supported Zhu Hao is attached below, totaling seven families, with the Hu and Xiong families at the forefront.
Third, Zhu Hao planned to launch a general attack on Nanchang City three days later.
The letter ended with the line: "Enter the city, control the water, lure the enemy into a trap, and use boats as your camp."
Jiang Qin put away the letter and ordered his men to take the spies away and make proper arrangements for them.
He returned to his cabin, ordered someone to bring him a map of Nanchang's defenses, and began to study it carefully.
The city wall of Nanchang was nearly three zhang high and had a circumference of about twelve li.
It has four land gates and two water gates.
The Zhangjiang River and the old course of the Fuhe River pass through the city, and boats can travel directly to the stone wharf in front of the prefectural governor's mansion via the waterway.
The Nanchang Water Gate is located in the south of the city. It is equipped with an iron gate that is raised on weekdays to allow ships to pass through, and can be lowered to block the waterway in wartime.
Guo Jia's statement meant: After entering the city, control the waterways, then lure the enemy into the city, and use the ships for defense to eliminate them.
After a night's rest,
Early the next morning,
Jiang Qin then led his fleet towards Nanchang.
Zhuge Xuan had already received Guo Jia's secret letter, and upon meeting Jiang Qin, he immediately ordered the water gate to be raised.
The warships filed in and sailed into the city's waterways.
When people on both sides of the strait saw a large number of warships entering the city, they all closed their doors and windows.
Jiang Qin lined up his warships along the old course of the Zhangjiang River, with shields mounted on the bows and crossbows on the sides.
Each ship also has a lookout on its mast, who can overlook the streets and alleys on both sides of the river.
Jiang Qin's troops did not land on the shore or climb the city walls, but instead used boats as their base, controlling all the waterways within the city.
Zhuge Xuan stood at the dock in the city to greet Jiang Qin.
Seeing Jiang Qin arrive in a small boat, he couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
At the end of last year, the imperial court suddenly appointed Zhu Hao as the Prefect of Yuzhang.
This unofficial governor, appointed privately by Yuan Shu, completely lost his foundation.
Many of the county soldiers in Nanchang City also fled, leaving only a few dozen old and weak people.
If it weren't for that letter from Zhuge Jin, Zhuge Xuan would have already taken his family to Jingzhou for refuge.
"It is fortunate for the Zhuge family that Ziyu has been given such an important position by Liu Bei..."
As Zhuge Xuan was reminiscing about how the Zhuge family had fallen into a slump but was fortunate to receive help from a benefactor, Jiang Qin's small boat had already arrived.
Jiang Qin jumped off the boat, came to Zhuge Xuan, clasped his hands and said, "Greetings, Prefect Zhuge. I am late in arriving."
Zhuge Xuan quickly returned the greeting: "Commander Jiang, you've worked hard. Please come in and talk."
The two entered the prefectural governor's residence.
Zhuge Xuan dismissed his attendants and lowered his voice: "Military Advisor Guo, do you have a plan?"
Jiang Qin nodded and said, "Guo Junshi's scouts have found out that Zhu Hao has gathered all the private troops provided by the local aristocratic families who support him, and will launch a general offensive in three days."
"How many people are there?" Zhuge Xuan asked somewhat nervously.
"About 13,000 people."
"Hiss!!" Upon hearing this, Zhuge Xuan couldn't help but gasp.
"Rest assured, Prefect, Military Advisor Guo has already made arrangements. You only need to do as instructed..."