With the advance of the three-way coalition army, Cao Ying had to assign elite soldiers and strong generals to guard all checkpoints. Since the strength of Ma Teng and Liu Bei should not be underestimated, Cao Ying also felt a little headache. In the three-way coalition army, he has been at odds with Ma Teng for many years, and he has fought with Zhang Lang one after another, and there is nothing to speak of here at all. However, Liu Beiping in Shuzhong said that although he had no contacts, he had not reached the point of turning his face, so Cao Ying sent Xiang Pet to enter Sichuan and lobby Liu Bei, hoping to dispel Liu Bei's idea of marching and eliminate the threat of this road. Of course, it is up to people to make things happen, no matter how successful they are, Cao Ying does not have any hope, and it is rumored that Liu Bei is under Zhang Lang's advice and support that he decisively broke away from Liu Biao's forces and entered Sichuan, so Liu Bei and Zhang Lang must have reached a certain strategic agreement. But having said that, there are no eternal friends and no eternal enemies on the battlefield, if Zhang Lang's threat ambition is infinitely expanded, for Liu Bei, who is also ambitious, he can't help but beware of the expansion of Jiangdong's power.

Although the three-way people are fierce, with Cao Ying's strategic vision, he is still ready to unmistakably distinguish the respective faces and flaws of the three-way coalition forces. Liu Bei, the upstart in Sichuan, has just established Shuzhong and pacified Hanzhong, and he will not dare to really make a big move, and will only wait and see the actions of the other two people, if he wins, then Liu Bei will enter Guanzhong. If Zhang Lang and Ma Teng were repulsed one after another, Liu Bei would inevitably retreat to the Meridian Valley and stabilize Hanzhong. And the Xiliang soldiers led by Ma Teng, although they are extremely brave and good at charging into battle, but Ma Teng Han gradually disagreed, coupled with the lack of strategizing, the strategists who decided the battle situation could occasionally win a few battles, but they could not achieve a big event. But having said that, although Ma Teng is not afraid, if he continues to let it go, he is afraid that sooner or later he will become his confidant. According to the current form, only Zhang Lang is the biggest threat to Zhengzhen among the three roads, as long as Zhang Lang can be repelled, the other two roads will not constitute a big threat at all. Cao Ying was full of ambition, intending to take the opportunity to destroy Zhang Lang and pacify Hanzhong.

In the spring of 211 AD, Cao Ying faced the alliance of the three major legions led by Zhang Lang, launched a strong counterattack, mobilizing 200,000 troops into the pass, in an attempt to stop the offensive of Ma Teng and Liu Bei. He personally led an army of 300,000 troops, provoked elite soldiers and fierce generals to go to the front line, intending to compete with Zhang Lang again and divide the winner.

Cao Ying went to Hefei again, and the special commander Tiger General Cao Rentong 50,000 soldiers were the vanguard, the son of Jingzhao Yin Sima Fang, Sima Yi's brother Sima Lang was the staff officer, the genius Jia Xu was the strategist, the far-sighted Xi Zhicai was the military advisor, Cao Zhen was the supervisor of the army, Han Hao was the rescue envoy, and Tian Yu was the supervisor of grain. Sima Yi, one of the most important ministers of the Wei State in history, accompanied his brother on the expedition for the first time.

After Cao Ying's assignment was completed, the army rushed straight to Ruyin, intending to open the gap from Yingshang County again. Cao Ying also ordered Xun Yu to take charge of Yingchuan and suppress Zhou Yu's attack, while hoping to recapture Xiangcheng as soon as possible, reduce Jingzhou's pressure on Xuchang, and order Yu Ban to organize the Sankun defense line to guard various checkpoints and be ready for battle.

At this time, Zhang Lang had already personally led an army of 100,000 to enter Shouchun and wait for Cao Ying's arrival.

Cao Jun has not yet pressed the border, and Shouchun is already busy.

Zhang Lang, Xu Shu, Guo Jia and others have discussed countless times, and they have clearly distinguished Cao Bing's various possible surnames.

Zhang Lang said: "When I said that I would guard the river, I would guard the Huai, and now I finally got results." Between the north and the south, the south against the north, not only relying on the Yangtze River but also guarding the Huai River. The Huai River and the Yangtze River play a double role as a barrier. If the defense of the Yangtze River is purely passive, then the Huai River has both defensive and active offensive significance. The south confronts the north, and in terms of defending, the Huai River can be used as depth through the vast area of Huainan; In terms of attack, it is possible to enter the Central Plains out of Huaibei. ”

Xu Shu nodded and said, "The lord has a foresight, and his subordinates are beyond their reach. Throughout the entire tributaries of the Huai River, most of them originate from the Huaibei, especially Surabaya, and can be connected to the Yellow River after a little excavation, so that the power of the south can be thrown far into the Yellow River basin. It's just that the existing famous general Xiahou Yuan guarded and suppressed Shanyang, so that our army could not easily send troops. ”

Guo Jia said: "Guarding the Huai River is mainly to choke the confluence of the tributaries of the Huai River and the Huai River. In Huaixi, it is mainly Shouchun and Zhongli. In Huaidong, mainly Huai'an and Xuyi. Now Zhang Liao has extended control of Xuzhou in his hands to protect the Huaidong defense line. But if the lord wants to march into the Central Plains, he must make Zhang Liao out of Surabaya and recapture Shanyang. Whether or not Xiahou Yuan's army can be defeated is the key to this. As long as Shanyang is in hand, you can advance into Yanzhou, and you can protect and dig Surabaya. Once the excavation is successful, it can borrow the combat power of the water to go straight into the Central Plains and penetrate the Yellow River. ”

Zhang Lang has entered the age of no confusion, and the person has not changed much, only more mature and steady, and the frivolous expression of the past is no longer visible, replaced by a face full of majesty and the spirit of a king. Zhang Lang said lightly: "I naturally understand this matter, now I unite Liu Bei and Ma Teng, I just don't want to hold too much with Cao Ying, when I went out of Jiangdong, I have ordered Zhang Liao to start fighting, regardless of death or injury, we must fight back for control of Shanyang, control the situation in Juye, only in this way can we maintain continuous pressure on Yanzhou, and at the same time use Bian, Si Ershui, dig the Yellow River." ”

Guo Jia said in a shimmering spirit: "Since the lord has been prepared, his subordinates are not too careful. However, in the Huai River, the upstream tributaries mainly include the Ying River and the Vortex River. The confluence of the Ying River and the Huai River is the Ying Mouth, and the confluence of the Whirlpool River and the Huai River is the Whirlpool. And Shouchun is facing Yingkou, blocking the enemy in the direction of Yinghe River and Huai River; Zhongli is facing the mouth of the vortex, blocking the rush of the vortex river. Shouchun now has the lord himself in charge, and he can sit back and relax, but Zhongli is an important town, but the lord needs to be heavily guarded. ”

Zhang Lang nodded and said: "Now I have Xuzhou in Huaidong, and Huaixi is the focus of the enemy's army. Last time, Cao's army attacked the front line of Yinghe without dividing the troops into the vortex river, and this time there will be some changes. Although Zhongli is guarded by the general Ding Feng, I am still a little worried, why not let Chen Wu and Dong Xi bring 30,000 horses to help? ”

Xu Shu said: "What the lord said is extremely true, Zhongli is a place, and you must guard against it. ”

Zhang Lang said again: "Shouchun and Zhongli used to be important towns in Huaixi, controlling the Huaihe River channel, and they must not be missed, and if our army wants to take the initiative to attack, we must not forget the great advantages of the two Hebei." Now I have ordered Zhou Yu to lead his troops out of Nanyang and into Yingchuan, trying to break this balance and shake Xuchang. At this point, General Ben never doubted, it was just a matter of time. The other army was led by Zhang Liao out of Pengcheng and marched into Shanyang, which was somewhat difficult. Xiahou Yuan is a famous general in Caozhong, both civil and military, and he is in a hurry for a while. Will the generals have a good plan? ”

Xu Shu lowered his head and sank, while Guo Jia closed his eyes and thought.

Seeing this, Zhang Lang couldn't help frowning slightly.

In the middle of the sound, Xu Shucai took the lead in speaking: "Xiahou Yuan is familiar with military books and knows the art of war, Shanyang is guarded by this person, and Yanzhou is in a hurry. However, Lord Tian Feng is now in Xuzhou, or he will have a good plan to help Zhang Liao repel Xiahou Yuan. ”

Zhang Lang sighed helplessly and said, "I hope so." In the land of the four battles in Xuzhou, although our army controlled it, it could not be used to give full play to it, which is a great regret. ”

At this time, Guo Jia opened his eyes and said with a faint smile on his face: "Don't worry, Lord Tian's scheming, he will definitely not make Xiahou Yuan comfortable." You can rest assured that the front line of the Central Plains from Xuzhou can rest assured, and I believe that with the martial arts of Zhang Liao and Tai Shici, and the strategies of Tian Feng and Xu Yi, it is definitely not something that Xiahou Yuan can resist. What the lord is worried about now is how to resist Cao Bing's mid-lane advance and firmly contain them in the Jianghuai area. ”

Zhang Lang perked up, squinted his face and said, "What Feng Xiao said is extremely true. If the south is weak, it will defend the Yangtze River, and if it is equal, it will fight a decisive battle on the Huaihe River, and if the south is strong, it will be sent by Huaibei and Xuzhou. At present, our army is on a par with Cao's army due to the containment of Liu Bei and Ma Teng. If you can get out of Xuzhou, it is the best, if you can't, there is nothing to regret. ”

Just when the generals were discussing, a soldier came to report that Cao Ren, the vanguard of Cao Ying, had led an army of 50,000 to force into Yingshang County.

Zhang Lang's messenger said: "You go back and tell Zilong that he only needs to hold on and not fight." ”

After the messenger came out, Zhang Lang stood up and said in a majestic voice: "Today, it is said that our middle road army is sticking to Shouchun, and its greatest intention is to drag the main force of Cao's army, and then march into the Central Plains with Jingxiang and Xuzhou as the main attack points. Therefore, we must defend the Jianghuai defense line, and wait for the two flanks to break through, which is a good moment for us to counterattack. According to this strategic layout, you must let the defenders know that they should not attack lightly. ”

Xu Shu and Guo Jia responded together, "Yes." ”

"Order Sun Ce to take Han Dang, Huang Gai, Cheng Pu and 10,000 horses to immediately enter Cai and assist the defenders to resist Cao's attack."

Immediately, one of the attendants gave the order.

And Zhang Lang then said ambitiously: "No matter which side of the two wings break through, the battle situation will inevitably change dramatically. ”

In the summer of 211 AD, a large-scale battle between Cao Ying and Zhang Lang broke out in Jianghuai.

The same Jiangdong Army as last time is still the main defender in the middle lane. Unlike last time, the flanks began to attack synchronously.

In order to take the initiative, Cao Ying began to divide his troops into two routes, one was Cao Zhen led 100,000 elite soldiers from the vortex to Zhongli. All the way, he personally led an army of 200,000 into Shouchun. On the first line of Yingshui, the front position of Shouchun is Xia Cai County, and the left is the Anfengjin Ferry, these two main defense points are the main attack direction of Cao Ying.

Sticking to the left side of Shouchun is Zhao Yun, after several fierce battles, seeing that the enemy is huge, in order to reduce unnecessary casualties, he once again let Ying go to the city and retreat to the front line of Anfengjin. And Cao Ying, who went down the Yingshui, once again met with the Jiangdong Army in Xia Cai. Although the guard general Sun Ce is not good at strategy, he is brave and good at fighting, and he is complemented by Cheng Yu, and Cao Ying is helpless for a while.

On the basis of defense, Zhang Lang frequently launched attacks on Cao's army.

Xu Huang led 50,000 soldiers and horses to the left and right, the left can be with Zhou Yu to attack Yingchuan, and the right can cut off the transportation route of Cao soldiers at any time and encircle Cao Ying.

Under such circumstances, Cao Ying once again dispatched Lejin to contain the Runan troops.

At the same time, the butterfly effect brought about by the Chinese army's war began to play a role.

Zhou Yu once again led the troops out of Xiangyang, all the way to Sankun as a surprise soldier. led heavy troops all the way into Tunxiang City and began to threaten Yingchuan.

Under Zhang Lang's instructions, Zhang Liao, the other army, was no longer as stable as last time, and Tai Shici led tens of thousands of horses out of Tai'an and began to invade Jinan, intending to contain the reinforcements of Yanzhou and control the upper reaches of Wen and Surabaya.

Dong'a Taishou was full of favors and hurriedly asked Xiahou Yuan for help.

In July, Xiahou Yuan ordered the deputy general Cao Xiu to lead 20,000 troops, and rapidly increased Dong'e, Juping, and tried to protect Dong'a.

At the same time, Zhang Liao sent Gao Shun as a general and led 20,000 troops to attack Dongping, in an attempt to cut off the connection between Dong'e and Shanyang. At the same time, the water passage from Wenshui to Juping will be opened.

In the middle of the month, Xiahou Yuan increased his troops in Dongping on the one hand, and on the other hand, he personally led the army to march to Peixian, hoping to take advantage of the time when Pengcheng was divided into four areas, and took this important strategic stronghold.

Not to be outdone, Zhang Liao dispatched five thousand new iron cavalry chain horses at Tian Feng's suggestion, which was the first appearance after the last battle with Yuan Shu, because Zhang Liao knew its power and understood its weaknesses. Good steel is to be used on the blade, and Zhang Liao is extremely looking forward to competing with Xiahou Yuan under Peicheng.

Xuzhou, one of the springboards for the Northern Expedition that Zhang Lang has always attached the most importance to, finally began to play its due role after 20 years.

The sky had just dawned, and the passionate war drums had already spread throughout Pei County, and the loud horns kept hovering in the sky.

Zhang Liao led the lieutenant generals to patrol the city.

The city was black and oppressive, and flags fluttered everywhere.

On the other hand, in Pei County, every soldier in the city is gearing up, with murderous faces and eager to try.

Zhang Liao's sharp eyes glanced at his lieutenant generals, and said loudly: "Do you know who the enemy generals under the city are?" ”

"Naixiahou Yuan is also." A pair of generals spoke out.

Zhang Liao shouted: "The lord has already ordered that the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains must be advanced from Xuzhou, and now Cao's army is pressing Shouchun, and the lord is on the front line, how do you feel?" ”

The generals responded in unison: "Go out of the city to kill the enemy and march to the Central Plains." ”

Zhang Liao said with satisfaction: "Okay, where are Xu Sheng and Jiang Yu?" ”

The two lieutenant generals who were pointed out were overjoyed, and at the same time they were full of spirits, and said majestically: "The end will be." ”

Zhang Liao said in a deep voice: "What is the current situation of the iron riding chain horse that Ping said told you to step up your training?" ”

Jiang Yu's expression was a little impatient and said: "Of course, it is extremely powerful, I think that Yuan Shu, who was killed in just a year and a half by the lord of the lord back then, could not be defeated, not to mention the drills and improvements in the past ten years." ”

Zhang Liao said coldly: "Is this your mentality?" How to go into battle with such impatience? ”

Jiang Yu said ashamedly: "The general taught a lesson. ”

Zhang Liao's face eased a little, and he said in a deep voice: "You two go and prepare for me immediately, General Ben will personally press the formation for you, and the first formation is only allowed to win, not defeat." If you are defeated, you will never see this general. ”

Jiang Yu and Xu Sheng suddenly received the order.

(To be continued)