Mrs. Wu held the baby in her arms and knelt on the mat. Her knees ached slightly and she could not help but move her body slightly.
Zhou Yu, who was sitting below, heard this and quickly quickened his speech.
"Now Bo Fu has already arrived at Tancheng in Xiapi, and when this intelligence was delivered, Cao's army had already arrived fifty miles west of Tancheng."
"But Yu guessed that Cao's army would not attack the city easily, but would bypass Tancheng and cut off the passage from Guangling City to support Tancheng."
"Either we deliberately leave a passage and wait for an opportunity to attack the army that is coming to rescue Bofu, or we surround Bofu without attacking, forcing him to abandon the city, and then take the opportunity to pursue him."
"Cao's army is very good at this. When they attacked Wenhou before, they defeated Wenhou's army many times."
Madam Wu heard this and said worriedly, "Even the world-famous Wen Hou couldn't defeat Cao's army. Gongjin, do you think Bofu will be in danger?"
Zhou Yu raised his head slightly and caught a glimpse of Mrs. Wu's beautiful face. His heart skipped a beat and he quickly lowered his head.
He glanced at Qiao Rui opposite him, and remembered that when the two of them were drinking, Qiao Rui drunkenly said that Madam Wu was the most beautiful woman in Jiangdong, but if his two daughters grew up, they would no less beautiful than Madam Wu.
Zhou Yu scoffed at this. He was a descendant of a prominent family and had met at least eight hundred women from aristocratic families, but he had never seen anyone who was half as beautiful as Madam Wu. Qiao Rui must be bragging.
He calmed himself down and said, "Although Marquis Wen is extremely powerful and his generals are all brave men, he has a fatal flaw."
"He lacks a military advisor who can give him advice."
After hearing this, Madam Wu said, "Aren't Chen Gong and Chen Gongtai, Zhang Miao and Zhang Mengzhuo considered counselors?"
Zhou Yu thought to himself that Madam Wu really knew everything about the world.
When Sun Jian was alive, Mrs. Wu helped with internal affairs and military affairs. After Sun Jian's death, the Sun family was on the verge of collapse. Mrs. Wu persuaded many nobles to support Sun Ce, which helped them get through the most difficult period.
Even now, when Sun Ce first took charge of the Sun family, it was also with Madam Wu's strong support behind the scenes that the current situation was possible. Thinking of this, Zhou Yu secretly admired her.
Zhou Yu continued, "Chen Gong is good at planning, but not good at fighting. Zhang Miao is a famous scholar of his time, but he does not know the art of war."
"Most of Lu Bu's men are warriors from Bingliang, and they are all good at charging into battle. However, the art of war requires long-term study. Not only does it require the instruction of a wise master, but it also requires extensive reading in order to gain a thorough understanding."
"So nowadays, those who are proficient in military tactics are almost all from noble families."
"Gao Shun, who is under Marquis Wen, does have some skills in battle formations, but unfortunately, Marquis Wen is suspicious of him and I'm afraid he won't be allowed to lead the army alone."
"I can only say that Marquis Wen has no tolerance for others, which has led to the current situation."
Madam Wu was puzzled and said, "But I saw that Marquis Wen was able to quietly start the rebellion from Cao Cao's territory, and at the peak of his power, he only had three cities left. He is quite good at military tactics."
Zhou Yu thought for a while and said, "I guess that there was someone behind the scenes directing Wen Hou, so he was able to be so unstoppable at the beginning."
"After that, the battle became stalemate. There was a huge difference between before and after. The master should have left."
Madam Wu nodded. She did not delve into the details and continued, "Even so, Marquis Wen cannot be said to be weak. Cao Cao was able to defeat him. Can Ce'er defend Tancheng?"
Zhou Yu said, "Madam, rest assured. There is sufficient food and grass in Tancheng, and most of the garrison troops are from Danyang. Bofu has great prestige among them, so there is no problem with the morale of the troops."
"Besides, I have already told Bofu several countermeasures. As long as he does not act rashly, we can definitely delay Cao's army until they run out of food and retreat."
Madam Wu felt relieved when she heard this. She bowed her head slightly and said, "My son's foundation is all thanks to Gongjin's help. I am very grateful to him."
Zhou Yu quickly leaned forward to return the greeting and said, "I am terrified!"
"I will repay Madam and Bofu for their kindness, even at the cost of my life!"
Mrs. Wu was delighted. Ever since Zhou Yu was a child, she had seen that he had extraordinary insight. Now, after several years, Zhou Yu had indeed mastered the tactics of war and battle formations and had not made any mistakes so far.
With his help, Sun Ce's future achievements will surely be limitless.
She asked casually, "What major events have occurred in the world now? What impact will it have on the situation in Xuzhou?"
Zhou Yu listened, thought carefully, and said: "Now that Liu Yao and Yuan Gonglu are fighting each other in Yangzhou, it is unlikely that they will cross the river to attack Xuzhou."
"In the west, Xia Pi Bo Fu is blocking Cao's army, and the situation is temporarily stalemate. It is unlikely that there will be any major changes in the situation."
"Then the most likely place to suffer an accident is the remnant of Liu Bei's army in Haixi City in the north. I have asked Lord Qiao to send people to deploy defenses."
Qiao Rui said, "Madam, don't worry. Although the area around Guangling City is all plains, I have already sent dozens of scouts within a radius of dozens of miles. As long as there is any movement, Guangling City will definitely get the news within half a day."
Mrs. Wu was relieved after hearing this. She thought for a moment and said, "Guangling City is adjacent to the river on the west and south. Will there be any enemies passing through here?"
Zhou Yu thought for a moment and said, "Madam, you have hit the nail on the head."
"Liu Biao of Jingzhou wants to go down the river, but Envoy Yuan has his own warships to intercept him."
"Liu Yao is now too busy to take care of himself and cannot afford to collect ships."
"Liu Yuzhou is in Haixi, and his Mi family has a shipping caravan. If they enter the Han River from the Huai River and attack Guangling North Wharf to the south, it will be a bit troublesome."
"I will have the northern dock of Guangling step up its defenses. As long as we can keep them out for a few days, they will have no choice but to retreat."
After hearing this, Qiao Rui laughed and said, "I'm afraid Liu Yuzhou can't even gather all his infantrymen now."
"He only has a few thousand soldiers. Why don't I lead my troops to destroy him?"
Zhou Yu said hurriedly: "Although Qiao Gong is brave, the opponents Liu, Guan and Zhang are all fierce generals. Two fists cannot beat four hands. There is no need to take such a risk."
"As long as we hold Guangling firmly and wait for Bofu to force Cao's army to retreat, we can send troops north and defeat Liu Yuzhou completely together with Bofu."
After hearing this, Madam Wu and Qiao Rui both agreed, saying, "Gong Jin is right."
Qiao Rui said, "Let's not talk about whether we go to fight him or not. The day before yesterday, Liu Yuzhou's wife and daughter were sent to Guangling City. I'm afraid he will not be able to hold back and lead troops to rescue him, right?"
Zhou Yu heard this and shook his head, saying, "If he comes to attack the city, without tens of thousands of troops, he will not pose any threat to Guangling at all. After all, this place was the seat of the King of Wu when the Han Dynasty was founded. It is not that easy to capture it."
"Moreover, those who achieve great things will not be forced by others because of their wives and daughters. Otherwise, Liu Yuzhou would be just so-so."
Qiao Rui laughed and said, "When I went to settle them the other day, I found that Liu Yuzhou's first wife was average looking, but his eldest daughter was very outstanding. Gongjin is handsome, so why not talk to Madam and ask her to be his concubine?"
Before Zhou Yu could reply, Mrs. Wu said hurriedly, "No."
"My Sun family came from a humble background, and my late husband and Ce'er were not kind to the nobles, and killed many people who did not deserve to die, so many of the Jiangdong nobles were quite hostile to my Sun family."
"Now is the time to spread your reputation. You must not forcefully take a woman from the noble family."
"I heard that Kong Wenju and his family were also escorted here. They are famous people of the time. I hope you two will treat them well."
After hearing this, Zhou Yu and Qiao Rui quickly agreed.
When Mrs. Wu saw this, she felt relieved a little and thought it would be best if she could find an opportunity in the next few days to meet Kong Rong's family and Liu Bei's wife and daughter in person.
If possible, send him back, and the two sides may not be able to stop the war. After all, Yuan Shu has always been wary of Sun Ce. This time when he attacked Xuzhou, he actually gave very few soldiers, which was a drag both openly and secretly.
With Sun Ce's current strength, it is still quite difficult for him to face Cao and Liu Bei at the same time. If he sends back Liu Bei's wife and daughter as a price, he may be able to make peace with Liu Bei and deal with Cao Cao together.
Mrs. Wu thought that the biggest threat was still Cao Cao. This man was fickle and was truly a powerful figure in the world. He would definitely become a great enemy of Ce'er in the future.
She always felt that she had missed something, and suddenly an idea flashed in her mind, and she said, "Liu Yuzhou and Yuan Benchu are good friends. Now that my Sun family has the support of Yuan Gonglu, we will definitely be regarded as a thorn in Yuan Benchu's side."
"Will he send troops to help Liu Yuzhou at this time?"
Zhou Yu and Qiao Rui looked at each other and thought that what the lady said did make sense, but they were not sure that Yuan would not take action.
Zhou Yu felt a little regretful. Xuzhou looked like a piece of fat meat, but it was actually very greasy when he put it in his mouth. However, he was reluctant to spit it out.
There are too many forces involved in this place and it's too troublesome!
Zhou Yu calmed down and said, "According to the news from the spies in Yecheng, Liu Bei sent Chen Deng to lobby, but Yuan Shao didn't even send anyone to receive him."
"Chen Deng is still staying in Yecheng. It should be that Yuan Shi feels that there is no benefit in helping Liu Bei now, so he is just waiting to talk to whoever is the final winner of Xuzhou."
His eyes suddenly flashed, "I heard that the fierce tiger of the Yuan family left Yecheng a few days ago."
Mrs. Wu heard this and asked, "Is he the fierce tiger who defeated Tian Kai, Liu Yuzhou, and Gongsun Bogui in succession?"
"If that fierce tiger leads his army here, won't Guangling be in danger?"
Zhou Yu said, "Madam, don't worry. He has just been appointed as the governor of Youzhou and has gone to attack Yuyang in Youzhou. That place is rich in salt and iron. Xuzhou is an enclave for him. It will not benefit him to attack here."
"Even if he wanted to help Liu Bei, he could only go through Qingzhou, which requires crossing the Taishan mountain area. It's a very difficult place to travel, and the Taishan bandits won't let him pass easily."
Madam Wu asked in confusion: "Why can't we leave from Yanzhou?"
Zhou Yu explained: "Madam, you don't know that although Cao Cao and Yuan are on good terms, this boy is an exception and is said to be targeting Cao."
"During the negotiations at Dongwuyang, he forced Cao Cao's concubine and daughter to marry him, and even took her as his concubine, which greatly humiliated Cao Cao."
"With him leading the troops, the possibility of joining forces with Cao is not high."
Mrs. Wu was relieved after hearing this and sighed, "Gongjin is truly a great talent of the time. He sits in a room but understands the general situation of the world. With Gongjin's help, Ce'er is like a tiger with wings."
Zhou Yu heard this and quickly said, "I'm ashamed."
Although he said this, he couldn't help but reveal a hint of satisfaction. Among the counselors of the same age, he had indeed never seen anyone who could compare to him.
At this time in Haixi City, Guangling, the Mi family was busy preparing for Mi Zhen's wedding.
After Mi Zhu left, Guan Yu saw that Liu Bei looked happy and hesitated to speak.
Finally, he couldn't help but said, "Brother, my sister-in-law is still imprisoned in Guangling City. If I get married at this time, will people all over the world criticize me?"
"Now that Sun Ce is not in Guangling, but in Tancheng confronting Cao's army, isn't this a great opportunity?"
"Yu is willing to lead a thousand soldiers and horses to Guangling to rescue my sister-in-law!"
Liu Bei listened and sighed, "My second brother, you are right, but I have no other choice."
"Even if you fight to the gates of Guangling, what will you do if the enemy threatens my wife and daughter?"
After hearing this, Guan Yu stared at Liu Bei and asked, "Are we going to just let it go?"