Chapter 7 Wind and Thunder Stirring Section 7 Under March, Yanzhou Changyi. Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Biao and others discussed the strategy of attack day and night.

In the new imperial court, Yuan Shao's strength has an absolute advantage, and in the upcoming crusade, the coalition forces must rely on Yuan Shao's army in Guanzhong and Guanxi to contain the Northern Xinjiang Army in the direction of Hedong, otherwise they will not be able to attack smoothly.

Therefore, Yuan Shao deservedly became the commander of the coalition forces, as in the past. However, unlike in the past, Cao Cao and Liu Biao are now all big officials, and they no longer obey Yuan Shao's orders, but point fingers.

Yuan Shao set the time of the attack from mid-April to early May, which is the time for spring plowing and spring harvest, and the attack at this time can force the southern counties of Jizhou to be unable to carry out spring plowing and spring harvest.

In this way, in the second half of the year, the number of displaced people in Hebei increased dramatically, and the situation in Hebei was immediately precarious. If it can promote the riot of displaced people in Jizhou, then Jizhou will basically be in hand this year.

Yuan Shao's attack strategy was to garrison heavy troops in Guanzhong and Guanxi, threatening Hedong and Jinyang, so as to effectively contain the forces of the Northern Xinjiang Army, and at the same time, the armies of various routes attacked Jizhou from Hanoi, Yanzhou Dongjun, and Qingzhou Plains County in seven routes.

The benefits of this approach are numerous. First of all, the armies of all walks of life can rush to the bank of the Yellow River at the fastest time and speed and cross the river nearby.

In this way, the attack time can be advanced, the soldiers can reduce the distance they march, and the food and grass can be saved.

Secondly, the allied seven-way army marched in unison, which could greatly increase the speed of advancement. The faster the advance of the coalition forces, the more panicked Hebei became, and the more favorable the situation would be for the coalition forces.

Third, the most powerful thing in the Northern Xinjiang Army is the Iron Cavalry, and the most terrifying thing about the Iron Cavalry is that it is elusive. The best way to get this disadvantage back is to split up and attack together.

Attacking in separate ways not only allows the armies of all sides to support each other, but also greatly reduces the range of movement of the Iron Cavalry, forcing them to lose their flexibility and mobility.

Fourth, Hebei's financial endowment is limited. The reason why Li Hong wanted to revise the military system was because Hebei's financial endowment was unable to support its huge army.

Hebei first sent troops to Guanzhong the year before last, and then suffered a disaster, and last year it fought outside the Saiwai, and this year it is unable to support a protracted war in any way.

Therefore, in order to keep Jizhou, the best and fastest way for the Northern Xinjiang Army is to fight a decisive battle with the coalition forces in the south of Jizhou as soon as possible.

The coalition forces went the opposite way, delaying the decisive battle as much as possible and moving the decisive battle to the central part of Jizhou.

The only way to achieve this is to divide the forces and advance. First, the coalition army can use the numerical advantage to consume the strength of the Northern Xinjiang Army, the second can hit the morale of the Northern Xinjiang Army, the third can force Hebei's financial collapse to collapse, and the fourth can destroy Jizhou, let the number of displaced people in Jizhou increase dramatically, induce the displaced people to riot, and push the Northern Xinjiang Army into a desperate situation.

But this seven-way strategy has very obvious disadvantages. The armies of all walks of life were easily defeated by the Northern Xinjiang Army one by one, and finally led to the rout of the whole army.

Cao Cao proposed to change the seven-way attack into a three-way attack. In this way, each army has enough strength to resist the attack of the Northern Frontier Army.

If one of the armies can entangle the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army of Jizhou, then the other two armies can go all the way unimpeded, quickly kill to the central part of Jizhou, and then turn back to encircle the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army.

The two sides argued about it. At the same time, news from all over the world was sent to Changyi. The Jizhou Northern Frontier Army was assembling towards the Yellow River from all directions.

Jizhou's galloping roads and rivers were full of horse-drawn carriages and boats, and hundreds of thousands of people were sending large quantities of grain and grass to Handan, Yecheng, Ganling, and the plains.

The people of Jizhou rumored that the Northern Xinjiang Army was about to go south to quell the rebellion. The Northeast Frontier Army did not move. The armies of the prefectures and counties of the Central Plains were dispatched one after another, alarming the Guan Cheng and Guan Hai stationed in the area of Mount Tai.

Wu Ba in Xuzhou, Liu Bi in Yuzhou and other remnants of the Yellow Turban Army. These Yellow Turban troops have been active recently, and they may take the opportunity to loot the grain and grass transported to Yanzhou.

The fighting in Jiangdong became more and more intense. Sun Ce asked for help several times, and Yuan Shu had no choice but to divide his troops south to Jiangdong.

In addition, there was another news that attracted the attention of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others. Yanzhou Diannong Zhonglang told Cao Cao that since the first month, there has been no rain in the Central Plains, and it has been three months.

Everywhere the canals are on the verge of drying up, which is very likely to affect spring planting. If the Central Plains suffers from a drought this year and the number of displaced people increases dramatically, it will be very dangerous to attack Hebei.

Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others urgently discussed countermeasures. At this moment, Hebei must have received news that the coalition forces of various states and counties are going to attack Hebei, so the Northern Xinjiang Army has been dispatched.

They may cross the river and move south before the coalition forces attack, pushing the battlefield to the Central Plains. The Northern Xinjiang Army was able to kill the Central Plains, not only to keep Jizhou, but also to take advantage of the scattered forces of the coalition forces to deal a severe blow.

The situation suddenly became dire. However, since more than half of Yuan Shu's troops had been trapped in the Jiangdong battlefield, the threat of Xuzhou was completely lifted, and Liu Bei could mobilize more than seventy percent of his troops to go north to participate in the war, which made the coalition army more advantageous in terms of strength.

Yuan Shao no longer hesitated, and ordered the armies of all prefectures and counties to immediately go north to the Yellow River, garrison various ferries, and strictly prevent the northern Xinjiang army from crossing the river and heading south.

Just wait for the food and grass to be ready, and immediately launch an attack. Yuan Shao still decided to use the seven-way attack strategy. According to his speculation, the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army, in addition to the southern and northern armies of the Jinyang Imperial Court, is the Saiwai Iron Cavalry.

There were 60,000 troops in the south and north, and it was impossible for them all to rush to Jizhou, and in addition, the main force of the northern Xinjiang army was also needed to take care of the east of the river.

Last year, Li Hong conquered outside the Saiwai, but the desert may not be stable, and it is impossible for all the iron cavalry outside the Saiwai to go south. In this way, the main force that the Northern Xinjiang Army can put into Jizhou is only about 60,000 people at most.

As for the strength of the seven military battalions in Jizhou, Yuan Shao believed that those were all Tuntian soldiers recruited after the implementation of the new military system in Hebei, and the training time was short, they had little combat effectiveness, and they were vulnerable.

Cao Cao didn't insist anymore. At this time, whoever can cross the river first will be able to take the lead, and let's kill the river first.

Eight hundred miles of fast riding rushed to Changyi City, roaring in all directions. Tian Kai, Liu Bei, Zhang Yang, Ma Teng and others also went out of the city and joined their respective armies.

April of the first year of the founding of the Han Dynasty (197 AD). At the beginning of April, Li Hong, the general of the Great Sima, arrived in Handan and established the Great General's line.

The left general Lu Yi, the tiger martyr general Yan Liang, the commanders of the seven battalions of Jizhou Wang Dang, Zhang He, Gao Lan, Wen Chou, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Xu Huang, Jizhou Assassin Shi Guo Ce, Wei County Taishou Ding Li, Ganling State Minister Xu Mixed and other Hebei civil and military ministers rushed to Xingyuan to meet Li Hong.

Sima Fu Gan explained in detail the attack strategy and reported the approximate positions of the various armies currently participating in the battle. The northern army led by the right general Zhang Yan and the Fenwei general Lu Butong is crossing the Taihang Mountain, and it is estimated that in another seven or eight days, the army can reach Handan.

The 20,000 iron cavalry of the Long Xiang general Zhao Yun had already arrived at the Flying Fox Fortress. The 5,000 iron cavalry of the Fenwu general Gongsun Zan had already arrived in the Hejian Kingdom.

Wu Feng Zhonglang has driven Li Su's 10,000 iron cavalry to Jicheng. Ten days later, they could reach the Sindu camp.

The seven battalions of soldiers and horses have arrived at the designated crossing and have completed preparations for crossing the river, and are ready to start the river crossing operation at any time.

If all went well, ten days later, seven battalions of soldiers and horses began to cross the river, and fifteen days later, the iron cavalry entered the Central Plains.

General Zuo Changshi Yanzhi then explained the movements on the south bank of the Yellow River. The movement of the rebels was very slow, so far, only 20,000 troops of Tian Kai in Qingzhou and 30,000 troops of Cao Cao in Yanzhou rushed to the south bank of the Yellow River.

Hanoi's 10,000 horses are still near Montenegro, and there is no sign of an attack. Liu Bei's army in Xuzhou, Yuan Wei's army in Yuzhou, Yuan Shu's army in Yangzhou, and even Yuan Shao's army have not been discovered so far, and it is estimated that they are on their way.

If the rebels had completed their build-up in mid-April, we would have attacked just a few days ahead of them.

"How many soldiers and horses the rebels have, have you figured it out?" Li Hong frowned, looked at Lu Yi and asked.

Koji shook his head.

"Since Cao Cao made a three-family alliance and rebuilt the imperial system, the situation over there has changed, and it is no longer a plate of scattered sand, but two huge forces have been formed. Two voices talking, of course, works better than five or six voices, so it is possible for them to attack north with all their troops. That adds up to at least 200,000 people. Of course, these people have their own ideas, and it is impossible to take out all their belongings. So we calculate that the rebels attacking Hebei should be around 150,000. "It is necessary to assemble an army of 150,000 people, raise food, grass and ordnance for the 150,000 army, and requisition hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, without three or four months.

We in Hebei Province began preparations as early as the end of last year, but we have not yet started an offensive, so it can be seen that it is impossible for the rebels to cross the river in mid-April to attack.

"These rebels are not of the same mind in the first place, they have to greatly compromise on the execution of orders, and now even if they are united, if they want to be ready to attack smoothly, I think it will take at least until the end of May." Koji Yi waved his hand disdainfully and continued,

"At present, it seems that we can definitely win this battle in the early stage, but the question is, can we hold on to it after we reach the Central Plains? Can you defeat the combined attack of this 150,000-strong army? Because if the rebels are defeated in this battle, they will only wait for death, and there will be no chance to turn over, they will fight back desperately. Ko Yi smiled at Li Hong,

"It's a life-and-death battle, and no one can afford to lose." Li Hong nodded,

"What are you worried about? Worried about our lack of troops? Or, financial power? ”

"I'm worried about both." Koji Yi intertwined his hands and rubbed them slightly. After so many years of war, the real elite of the Northern Xinjiang Army is only about 100,000 people, and these soldiers are distributed in the border desert, Jizhou, and Hedong, and each place does not have an absolute superiority in troops, which is also the main reason why Hebei wants to revise the military system and expand the army.

At present, the 70,000 troops of the seven battalions in Jizhou, except for some middle- and lower-level military officials, are almost all recruited from the displaced people who dug the Zhongxing Canal, and the training time is too short to be of great use.

Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Liu Biao, Liu Bei, Tian Kai, and Yuan Shu were partly the original Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army, and partly were elite soldiers who had fought for several years.

But when united, the strength will surpass that of the Northern Frontier Army. Especially after we crossed the Yellow River and forced them to a dead end, even if these people have a deep blood feud with each other, in order to survive at this time, they have to let go of their previous suspicions and fight hand in hand.

Once the war drags on, after half a year, Hebei's financial endowment will definitely not be able to support it. More than 100,000 infantry cavalry troops, hundreds of thousands of people, fighting for half a year, the amount of money, food, and ordnance needed is a huge number.

At that time, the Northern Xinjiang Army could only withdraw to Hebei, return empty-handed, and fight in vain. Li Hong had already heard the meaning of Koji's words, he pointed to Yan Liang, Zhang He, Gao Ran and others, and said with a smile: "You also talk about it." I have been in the desert for a year, and after I came back, the situation has changed again and again, and there are some things that I don't know very well, so I have to listen to your opinions. Yan Liang, Zhang He, Gao Lan, Wen Chou and others saw that Li Hong did not mean to blame, and immediately came to their senses and expressed their opinions on the attack strategy of the imperial court.

These generals believed that the purpose of the battle was unclear. If the rebellion is to be quelled, it should be prepared early and attack at the end of March, when the rebels have not yet formed a posture of massing and can quickly occupy Yanzhou with one blow.

The rebels were hit by this heavy blow, and in a panic, it must be difficult to assemble again, so Yanzhou can be attacked.

If it is a passive response, it should rely on the natural danger of the Yellow River to block the rebels on the south bank of the Yellow River, so as to reduce the casualties of the army and save a lot of manpower and material resources.

The rebels have been fighting for a long time without success, and the morale of the army will surely be weakened. Coupled with the contradictions between each other, they will soon be scattered, and Jizhou can be guaranteed.

However, today's strategy of the imperial court is to attack instead of defend when the first opportunity has been lost, and do not hesitate to risk defeat to the Central Plains, which completely violates the principle of using troops.

What is the purpose of this battle of the imperial court? The right servant of Shangshutai, who was ordered to walk with the general, shot Tian Chou, the governor of the two provinces, Shi Yupeng, and a group of main subordinates of the two prefectures had ugly faces.

It was clear that the generals of the Jizhou army had a negative attitude towards the strategy set by the imperial court. This is serious. The strategy of this battle was agreed by the general Li Hong and the officials of the two prefectures, and finally approved by the eldest princess in the name of the Son of Heaven.

"The purpose of the imperial court is very clear, the first is to hold Jizhou, and the second is to destroy the three-legged pattern." Tian Chou immediately stood up and said,

"We are absolutely confident in holding Jizhou, there is no doubt about it, but holding Jizhou will not solve the current problems." Tian Chou then explained the obstacles of the three-legged pattern to pacify the world.

"Cao Cao is not a simple person, far more far-sighted than Yuan Shao." Tian Chou sneered,

"Don't think he's a butcher because he kills people without blinking, he's very smart and ambitious. Cao Cao's strength was not enough, so he took advantage of the opportunity to rebuild the imperial system and deliberately created a three-legged momentum to join forces to attack Hebei. If Hebei's strength is damaged, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao will be able to get time to develop their strength, and the loss of the strength of other small forces will give Yuan Shao and Cao Cao the opportunity to annex them, and the strength of the two can expand rapidly. ”

"Once the three-legged momentum is solid, with the power of the three states of Hebei, it will be difficult to make any more achievements." Tian Chou pointed to the map and said,

"When we fight Guanzhong, Cao Cao will fight Jizhou. We hit the Central Plains, and Yuan Shao fought Hedong. We attacked in two ways, but naturally we got nothing, so far the big man was divided into three points, and the society collapsed. Tian Chou looked at the generals present and said solemnly: "This is the reason why we want to enter the Central Plains at all costs." Even if the 70,000 troops in Jizhou are defeated, we will fight. Even if we can't hold Yanzhou and retreat to Hebei in the end, we will fight. As long as this three-legged momentum is completely shattered, we will have accomplished the purpose of this great war. Koji sneered,

"Cao Cao is as smart as you? Why can't I see that there's a three-legged position here? With the strength of our Northern Xinjiang Army, as long as there is another one or two years of development, it will be able to sweep the world. Li Hong looked at him and snorted dissatisfiedly.

Koji Yi is even more angry,

"What bullshit? Lao Tzu's army was killed, and all the people and gods were destroyed, not to mention the three-legged tripod, that is, the nine-legged tripod, and Lao Tzu also burned it. Tian Chou knew Koji's temper and shook his head, ready to explain again.

"Zitai, what bastard did you just say?" Yan Liang glared at him fiercely,

"Even if the 70,000 army is defeated, will it not hesitate? Is there a war like you? You stay with a bunch of tricksters in Jinyang every day, are you treating your brain badly? Is this what you should say? I, the 70,000 soldiers, are not people? ”

"General Hutou, this is a state affair, it is related to the survival of the society, not to kill the rebels in Xiliang and kill the Hu people in the desert, do you know it?" Tian Chou was a little angry and said coldly.

"I know it's a state affair, but you can't play with the lives of the soldiers?" Yan Liang fought violently and roared angrily.

Tian Chou was startled and hurriedly took a step back. Koji and several other generals turned a blind eye. Wen Chou smiled and looked at Yan Liang with interest.

"Sit down." Li Hong patted the case lightly,

"The strategy of attack is mine." Yan Liang turned his head and glanced at Li Hong, wanting to say something, but closed his mouth again and sat down slowly.

Li Hong looked at the generals and said calmly: "Ten days later, cross the river and fight." The generals agreed.

Seeing off the generals, Li Hong walked around the big tent with a heavy heart. Sima Yi sat behind the desk and was immersed in transcribing today's military discussion.

Sima Yi looks very much like his father Sima Fang, tall and strong, with a dignified appearance and a pair of bright eyes.

But his personality is the polar opposite of his father's. Sima Fang is flamboyant and bold, while Sima Yi is restrained and cautious.

Li Hong walked up to him and stopped, and whispered: "Zhongda, just now Master Guo said that there is a drought in the Central Plains this year, and some counties and counties on the north bank of the Yellow River are also facing disasters, in this case, how should Yuan Shao and Cao Cao deal with it?" ”

"Fight, fight resolutely." Sima Yi raised his head and said without hesitation,

"Only by entering Jizhou can the rebels alleviate the pressure brought by the drought to the Central Plains and prevent the victims from rioting because of hunger." Li Hong hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "What do you think is the advice of several generals today......?"

"Once the Central Plains is affected by a disaster, the people will not harvest, and the consequences can be imagined, and it is indeed very dangerous to attack the Central Plains at this time." Sima Yi said cautiously,

"But if we don't hit the Central Plains, how can we break through this three-legged momentum? General, it's hard to choose between gains and losses. Li Hong patted his head affectionately, sighed softly, and continued to meditate in the big tent.

Tian Chou rushed in,

"General, someone from Yangzhou is here." Jump to