Outside Xiangyang City, in the camp of Yuan Shu's army, Yuan Shu saw Yan Xiang, walked up with a worried face, doubted, and asked, "Zixuan, what's wrong?" ”

After Yan Xiang saw Yuan Shu, he saluted first, and then said: "Lord, according to the accurate news from our spies, Jiangdong Sun Jian led 30,000 troops to attack Jiangxia, and it is estimated that it will not be long before Jiangxia will be surnamed Sun." ”

"Sun Jian?" Yuan Shu's eyes flashed with a dangerous light, and he said, "How daring, I fought to death with Liu Biao in Xiangyang, and this Sun Jian was picking peaches next to him." What is the situation in Jiangxia, didn't Huang Zu send someone to stay behind? ”

Yan Xiang said: "Before Huang Zu sent troops to rescue Xiangyang, he sent his subordinate general Su Fei to lead 10,000 troops to stay in Jiangxia, but this time Sun Jian used 30,000 soldiers and horses, all of them are elite, I'm afraid Su Fei will not be able to hold Jiangxia." ”

Yuan Shu's eyes were resentful, and he said, "Zixuan, go and call Xiaoxian and Xiu Ruo, and let's discuss this matter well." ”

"Yes."

Not long after, Chen Zhong and Xun Yan came to Yuan Shu, and after learning from Yan Xiang that Sun Jian led his troops to attack Jiangxia, Chen Zhong and Xun Yan were both in thought.

Yuan Shu looked at the three major think tanks of Yan Xiang, Chen Zhong, and Xun Yan in front of him, and asked, "Zixuan, Xiaoxian, Xiu Ruo, Sun Jian's troops went out of Jiangdong with the intention of seizing Jiangxia, what do you think we should do now?" ”

Xun Yan said: "Lord, the key is whether this Su Fei can hold Jiangxia under Sun Jian's offensive, if he can hold it, then we don't need to care too much about Jiangxia's affairs, after all, Sun Jian can't enter Jiangxia, so it will be difficult to affect the situation in Xiangyang City now." But if Su Fei can't hold it, then we need to prepare early, either withdraw or continue to fight, otherwise, if Sun Jian leads his troops to come when we are in a dilemma, I am afraid it will not be good for us. ”

Yuan Shu looked at Yan Xiang, Yan Xiang understood, and said to Xun Yan: "Xiu Ruo, Sun Jian is a Jiangdong tiger, and in a few years, he has swept away the land of several counties in Jiangdong, and the Jiangdong army under his command is all elite, not to be underestimated, Su Fei has no more than 10,000 men, I am afraid he can't stop Sun Jian." ”

Xun Yan said: "Since Su Fei can't stop Sun Jian, it depends on how long it takes Sun Jian to take Jiangxia, how long it will take to assume that Sun Jian will send troops to Xiangyang after taking Jiangxia, if we can take Xiangyang before Sun Jian sends troops to Xiangyang, then everything will be fine." ”

Yuan Shu glanced at the three people in front of him at this time, and said in a deep voice: "Why do you think Sun Jian sent troops to Jiangxia?" ”

Chen Zhong said: "Lord, since Sun Jian got the jade seal of the country, he knows it in his heart, and Sun Jian has also fought with Liu Biao many times in the past few years, but there is no result, this time Sun Jian probably wants to take advantage of our stalemate with Liu Biao in Xiangyang City, take Jiangxia, and then use Jiangxia as a springboard to seek the entire Jingzhou." ”

"Jingzhou?" Yuan Shu muttered to himself at this moment, sounding the Sun Jian he saw when the princes of the Eighteenth Route were discussing the Dong Alliance, and his voice was also a little colder, and said: "He Sun Wentai has such a big appetite, he actually wants to swallow Jingzhou." ”

Yuan Shu asked again: "Zixuan, Xiaoxian, Xiu Ruo, then what do you three think, should we withdraw our troops at this time or continue to storm Xiangyang City?" ”

Chen Zhong said: "Lord, my subordinates think that the city of Xiangyang is strong, and now we want to have strong soldiers in the city, and it is not easy to take it, and Sun Jian attacked Jiangxia, Liu Biao is more anxious than us, I think we should withdraw from Xiangyang at this moment and return to Nanyang, Liu Biao will inevitably send troops to fight with Sun Jian, and when Sun Jian and Liu Biao are both defeated, we will send troops to the south, and we will definitely be able to capture Xiangyang and even the entire Jingzhou in one fell swoop." ”

As soon as Chen Zhong finished speaking, Xun Yan also said: "Lord, my subordinates think that our soldiers have been besieging Xiangyang for a long time, and they only need to add more force to take Xiangyang. And Liu Biao and Sun Jian are not fools, it is difficult to want the two of them to lose both. The most important thing is that even if Sun Jian captures Jiangxia, he will not be able to send troops to Xiangyang for a moment and a half, and we can completely take Jingzhou at this time. ”

Chen Zhong wanted to retreat, Xun Yan felt that he wanted to take Xiangyang City, and what the two of them said was very reasonable, which made Yuan Shu a little difficult to choose, so he had to look at Yan Xiang, hoping to get the answer he wanted from Yan Xiang.

Yan Xiang also felt Yuan Shu's gaze, and said in a timely manner: "Lord, we have spent a lot of money to attack Xiangyang, if we give up at this time, our subordinates feel that it is inappropriate, but Sun Jian also has to guard against it, if Sun Jian kills him when we fight with Liu Biao, it will not be good at that time, so my subordinates think that we can attack Xiangyang on the one hand, and pay attention to Jiangxia's movements on the other, and be sure to take Xiangyang under Sun Jian's killing of Jiangxia." ”

Yan Xiang had followed Yuan Shu for many years, so he naturally knew that Yuan Shu was unwilling to withdraw from Xiangyang at the moment because of the news of Sun Jian's attack on Jiangxia, but Sun Jian had to guard against it, so Yan Xiang made such a suggestion. As long as the timing is right, it is best to be able to take Xiangyang, and if you can't take Xiangyang, you can retreat in time.

After hearing Yan Xiang's suggestion, Yuan Shu's eyes lit up, and his eyes were a little hot when he looked at Yan Xiang, and then Yuan Shu said to the three people in front of him: "Okay, in this way, pass on my order, the army will rest tomorrow for a day, and start attacking the city the day after tomorrow, this time I have only one request, that is, to take this Xiangyang City for me within ten days, I don't believe it, there are so many fierce generals in our army, and I can't take a small Xiangyang City." ”

Yan Xiang and the others glanced at each other, and from Yuan Shu's words, they could already sense Yuan Shu's determination, and immediately didn't say anything more, just nodded silently.

It is not impossible to take the current Xiangyang City within ten days, but in that case, the casualties may be a bit large, but they understand that this is something that cannot be stopped, and from Yuan Shu's words, they understand Yuan Shu's attitude, that is, at all costs.

Although this approach is a bit more than worth the loss in the eyes of Yan Xiang and the others, but now that Sun Jian is marching into Jiangxia, they must take Xiangyang as quickly as possible, as long as they take Xiangyang City, all this effort is worth it. However, it is estimated that from the day after tomorrow, Xiangyang City will become a meat grinder, and I don't know how many soldiers of the two armies will lose their lives forever under Xiangyang City.

The outbreak of war is often accompanied by the death of an unknown number of people, and the lives of soldiers and soldiers are like dust, and how many people in the world really care?