Relocation of the capital and development of new waterways. Although Kure was the core area of Jiangdong at the time, it became difficult to mobilize troops in terms of external expansion.
Eastern Wu had two directions of expansion, Huainan in the north and Jingzhou in the west, but in either direction, the troops with the naval division as the main force had to enter the Yangtze River waterway.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Wu dug the Zhongjiang River to connect Zhenze (Taihu Lake) with the Yangtze River. However, after six or seven hundred years of silting, this artificial river channel has become unusable.
In order to better expand to the outside world, Sun Quan considered Jingkou and Moling in the process of finding the best place to build his capital. The Beijing ** Pass was once a route for Liu Xuan to flee after being defeated by Sun Ce, so it was regarded as a favorable location.
However, Zhang Hong believes that Moling, which is located to the west, has an advantage over Jingkou. Moling was originally known as Jinling, and Qin Shi Huang once changed its name on the grounds of destroying feng shui. Historically, there are many people who believe that Moling is the birthplace of the people who carried the Liu family.
From a geographical point of view, Moling is closer to Niuzhuji and Mixukou along the Yangtze River, and is more suitable as a capital.
Liu Bei also suggested that Sun Quan choose Moling as the capital, and later Sun Quan really renamed Moling Jianye, which means meritorious service.
Since then, Nanjing has begun its glorious history, which continues to this day.
Sun Quan's second major event was the construction of the Wet Whisker Dock at the mouth of the Wet Whiskers. The confrontation between Sun Quan and Cao Cao on the Eastern Front was mainly concentrated in the Jianghuai waterway, and the current most important stronghold Hefei was occupied by Cao Cao, which put Sun Quan in an extremely disadvantageous position.
As the last line of defense at the southern end of the Jianghuai waterway, the mouth of the river is the lifeblood of the eastern part of the river. If this place is lost, Cao's army can cut off the Yangtze River, cutting off Jiangdong from the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.
Therefore, Soochow had to adopt an aggressive defensive strategy and avoid shrinking its forces to the south bank of the Yangtze River. The Wet Whisker Dock is a fortification built in the north of the river.
In the fourteenth year of Jian'an (209), Cao Cao began to accumulate the strength of counterattacks on the front line of Hefei, which aroused the vigilance of the Eastern Wu side.
Lü Meng attached great importance to this, and he proposed to build a fortress on the water of the water.
Although the other generals objected to this, Sun Quan believed that Lü Meng was right, because combat did not guarantee victory in a hundred battles, and once he came ashore and suddenly encountered the enemy, he would find himself in trouble.
Sun Quan approved Lü Meng's suggestion and began to build the Whisker Dock. There are different versions of the specific location of this fortification, some believe that it is forty miles southeast of Chao County, and some believe that it is next to Chao County.
In any case, the Wet Whisker Dock is a complete set of defenses, including the east and west passes, built between the two mountains.
Of the two defense scenarios, I prefer the latter. The terrain of the mouth is gentle, which is not conducive to defense, and this is already the last line of defense of Soochow, which is obviously a bit of a broken kettle, which is not a wise move.
The fortification of the city between the valleys can achieve the effect of one man being the most important pass, and it can also use the fortifications of the Seven Treasures and the two mountains of Misu to form a stronger defense line.
Although historical records record that the Wet Whisker Dock did not play a role in the beginning, I don't think it was a chicken rib. Although the amount of work is huge, if it can be completed as soon as possible, it will be a good line of defense.
At the time of Cao Cao's southern expedition, the Wet Whisker Dock may not have been completed, but once it was completed, it would be difficult for Cao's army to cross it. Cao Cao seized this opportunity to attack first, which was a huge test for Sun Quan.
The enemy is outnumbered, and there is no natural danger to defend in Jiangbei, so the best choice is to garrison Jiangnan and take advantage of Jiangdong's naval division. However, Sun Quan set up a Jiangxi camp on the north bank, which is incomprehensible.
This large battalion had limited strength and could not stand up to Cao Cao's army. Sun Quan's deployment is helpless, and his self-confidence comes from nowhere. Regarding Sun Quan's deployment, his generals also expressed opposition, among which Sun Yu suggested to be more stable.
But Sun Quan insisted on his opinion. The final result was also expected, Cao Cao had an overwhelming advantage in Jiangbei, the Jiangxi camp was quickly breached, Sun Quan had to retreat to the south bank, and Gongsun Yang was captured by Cao's army.
Sun Quan's campaign in Jiangbei was a rehearsal for the Battle of the Wet Whiskers, and although he thought he had led to the initial defeat, the world was unpredictable, and Cao Cao could not always have smooth sailing.
After the victory in the first battle, Cao Cao planned to further eliminate Sun Quan's stronghold on the small island in the river, for which he prepared some oil tankers and planned to attack.
However, this strategy was too immature in the face of the experienced Jiangdong naval army, and Cao's army was quickly defeated, with more than 3,000 captured and thousands killed.
Sun Quan has understood that defensive counterattacks are the best strategy. He personally came to the front of the battle on a big ship to lure Cao Jun, but Cao Cao had already learned to be obedient and was no longer easily deceived.
He simply ordered a crossbow to be fired, and one side of the ship was soon covered with arrows, which tilted the ship.
Sun Quan ordered to adjust the direction and meet the bow and crossbow with the other side, and the ship regained its balance. Cao Cao suffered a dumb loss this time. Soon after, Sun Quan came again on a light boat.
In February, Cao Jun strictly ordered that he was not allowed to go out into battle and shoot, and Sun Quan's fleet traveled five or six miles in front of Cao Jun, and then went back with drums and music.
Cao Cao saw that Sun Quan's sailors were neat and tidy, and sighed: "Giving birth to a son should be like Sun Zhongmou, and Liu Biao's son is like a pig and a dog." ”
In this war, the two sides are evenly matched, and neither side can achieve a decisive victory. In the end, the pragmatic Sun Quan took the initiative to strike the troops, and he told Cao Cao that now that spring is coming, the water level is **, and it is a wise choice to withdraw the troops.
He also attached a small note expressing his wish that Cao Cao would be safe. Cao Cao felt that what Sun Quan said was reasonable, so he decided to withdraw his troops. The month-long battle ended in a draw.
However, for Soochow, they actually achieved a strategic victory. Cao Cao led a large army to the expedition but found nothing, while Eastern Wu succeeded in repelling the invading enemy, boosting morale and laying the groundwork for further operations in Huainan.