Chapter 9 Chasing the Central Plains Section 32 Mid-April, Henan, Guandu. Yan Liang, Wei Xu, and Zhou Shan were stationed on the bank of the chasm, looking at the Yuan army camp on the opposite bank.

The chasm water is beautiful and pleasant against the background of the blue sky and white clouds. On a whim, Zhou Shan talked about the origin of the chasm water with great interest.

The chasm water is also called Guandu water, but because when Chu and Han contended, Gaozu Liu Bang and Chu overlord used this as a boundary to divide the world equally, so

The "chasm" is known to the world. The chasm water was excavated during the Warring States period (circa 339 BC), when King Hui of Wei began at Taohuayu in Xingyang and diverted water from the Yellow River to Putianze in order to irrigate his farmland.

Later, this canal was extended, starting from Putianze, going southeast to Daliang, the capital of Wei (now Kaifeng, Henan), and then flowing into Suishui and Surabaya, connecting the Huang and Huai water systems into one.

In the twentieth year of the reign of King Qin (225 BC), Wang Ben led an army of 600,000 to attack Wei, surrounded the Wei capital Daliang, and led the Yellow River and the chasm to irrigate Daliang.

"The Wei State was strong because of the digging of the chasm water, but in the end it was defeated by the chasm water." Zhou Shan said with emotion,

"Current events are fickle, fickle."

"Taohuayu is the boundary between the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, right?" Wei Xu asked.

Nodding to the mountain, he continued,

"The Yellow River has been flooding repeatedly, and the channel from Taohuayu to Putianze has long been swallowed up by sediment, and now the water in the chasm comes from the Bianqu. The Bianqu was also dug by the Wei state, and at that time, they considered the problem of flooding and sediment blocking the channel, so they dug another channel. Who would have thought that hundreds of years later, this secondary channel would replace the main channel. Yan Liang squinted his eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh river breeze, pointed the horsewhip in his hand obliquely in the direction of Zhongmu, and said with a smile: "You say, do we also follow the example of our ancestors, plug the gap water, and pour into Zhongmu City?" Wei Xu laughed,

"If Yuan Shao is willing to give us time, we might as well give it a try."

"This is not a decisive battle, does it need such fanfare?" Zhou Shan waved his hand disdainfully,

"When the main force of the army advances to Henan, we will not be too late to try." The three of them were chatting happily when they saw a fast horse galloping towards them.

"There's news." Zhou Shan said,

"Let's see what other tricks Yuan Shao has."

"What other tricks can he have besides waiting for the Jingzhou army to go north?" Wei Xu scoffed,

"After Lord Zhang He supported Pinggao, Gao Rou and Zhu Ling were gradually unable to attack because of the lack of troops. Lord Xu Huang strangled Cheng Gao and stuck Yuan Xi's neck, so that this talented and handsome boy could only stand on the tiger prison and sigh. In the direction of Aocang, because Yuan Shao divided his troops to the south to support Zhongmu, he lost the advantage in terms of troops, and he could only confront each other across the river. ”

"The reason why Yuan Shao was repeatedly restrained on the battlefield in Henan was mainly because he did not have an absolute advantage in terms of troops, and in order to preserve his strength, he did not dare to fight a decisive battle with us. But once the Jingzhou army moved north, he had an advantage in troops, and he was immediately ready to launch a fierce attack. Zhou Shan shook his horsewhip and said leisurely,

"Yuan Shao is a tiger, don't be mistaken, treat him as a timid and docile cat."

"Tiger?" Wei Xu turned his head to look at Yan Liang and grinned,

"The tiger is here, and Yuan Shao is just a wolf at best." Guancheng reported urgently that Jingzhou's Wenpin army was found in Yuanling, more than 100 miles south of Guancheng.

This army was about 10,000 men and marched slowly. The scout kept tracking him and found that he had been camping and resting in the afternoon for two consecutive days, as if he was not in a hurry to rush to Guancheng to cut off the rear route of the Northern Frontier Army.

"Wenpin?" Yan Liang handed the letter to Wei Xu and said coldly,

"During the Jizhou War, let him run away. I don't know what his luck will be this time. ”

"People who know how to run on the battlefield always live a little longer." Zhou Shan teased,

"You see that he went north to Henan this time, and he is still more than a hundred miles away from Guancheng, and he has already begun to advance at a rapid pace." Wei Xu hurriedly read the letter and said cautiously: "In my opinion, it is better to be careful." I'll take some of my men and retreat first. ”

"It's fine." Yan Liang nodded,

"There are only 3,000 people in Guancheng, and Xingyang is almost an empty city, and once there is an accident, we will be surrounded. Although it looks majestic when it is bluffing, when we are really surrounded, we are completely exposed, and life and death hang by a thread. ”

"I'll leave tonight." Wei continued to say,

"I won't bring any grain and grass, and I'll go directly to Guancheng to replenish it."

"Don't go into the city." Yan Liang thought for a moment and said,

"The situation on the battlefield in Henan should be very clear, he must be famous for advancing at such a fast pace, be careful that he shows weakness in the open, but secretly does the business of sneak attack."

"My lord means that I want to lead the army to lurk outside the city, echoing with Hou Cheng inside and outside the city?" Liang sneered,

"Regardless of whether Wenpin is an open attack or a covert attack, it is a dead end." In mid-April, Jiyin County, Yanzhou, injustice.

The city is on the north bank of the Jishui River, two hundred and fifty miles away from Chenliu in the west and one hundred and thirty miles away from Dingtao in the east.

Due to the concentration of all the iron cavalry in the north of the Jishui River on the plain south of the Jishui River, Cao Cao and Liu Bei's army was blocked, and it was difficult to advance an inch, and there was no chance to rush to the area of Dingtao and Changyi to rescue.

Cao Cao immediately made a decision to cross the Jishui River to the north and attract a part of the northern Xinjiang iron cavalry to the north bank of the Jishui River.

Under the obstruction of the Jishui River, the Northern Xinjiang Iron Cavalry was immediately divided into two parts, unable to support each other in time.

The Yanzhou army was relatively numerous, and Cao Cao thought that with the advantage of troops, he might be able to advance eastward to rescue the army trapped in Dingtao.

But to do so, you need Liu Bei's help. The Xuzhou army must contain the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Iron Cavalry in the area of Bo County, otherwise Cao Cao still has no chance.

As soon as Cao Cao crossed the river into the city of injustice, the scouts came to report that Zhao Yun of the Northern Xinjiang Army had also led iron cavalry to cross the river sixty miles away.

"The ghost is not gone." Cao Cao was so angry that he smashed his fist on the table and scolded. After Zhao Yun inflicted heavy losses on Xiahoudun's forward army in Cao Ting, he immediately led the iron cavalry to keep a distance from the main force of the Yanzhou army, and followed suit, looking for an opportunity to attack again.

Cao Cao urgently summoned Cao Hong, Guo Jia and others to discuss the strategy of attack.

"At present, the army is seriously short of food and grass, and it needs to be replenished urgently." Ren Jun said,

"After Zhongde (Cheng Yu) arrived in Xuchang, I don't know if I want to get grain and grass." The grain and grass of the Yanzhou army were mainly stored in Dingtao and Changyi, and now these two cities are surrounded by the Northern Xinjiang army, and the army cannot be replenished.

The attack on Dingtao had to fight with the iron cavalry in northern Xinjiang, and there were many bloody battles along the way. In order for the army to continue to advance, it must be provided with sufficient food, grass and ordnance.

As time continues, the Yanzhou army's grain and grass will gradually run out, and the army will become more and more difficult.

The Yanzhou army could not solve it by itself, so it could only hope for Yuan Shao and Liu Bei. Yuan Shao's army is currently fighting fiercely on the four battlefields of Henan, Guanxi, Hanoi, and Baima Puyang in Yanzhou, and the consumption of grain, grass and ordnance is very large.

Whether it can help the Yanzhou army is unknown. Originally, Liu Bei could still provide some of the Yanzhou army, but now Guan Yu's army and the Northern Xinjiang Army are fighting fiercely in Langya County, and the Xuzhou army is fighting on two battlefields at the same time, and the consumption of grain and grass is very large, and it may be difficult to support the Yanzhou army in a short time.

Taking a step back, even if Liu Bei is willing to support, it will be difficult to transport the grain and grass to the north bank of the Jishui River for a while.

One grain road is not safe, and the iron cavalry in northern Xinjiang is haunted, and it will be wiped out if there is a slight accident. Second, Liu Bei must first ensure the needs of his army, and it will take time to transport grain from Xuzhou to Yanzhou.

When Liu Bei sent the grain and grass to the north bank of the Jishui River, Dingtao was estimated to be finished. When Cao Cao led his army north from Bo County, he wrote to Chen Liu.

said that he was about to enter the front line of Jiyang and Jiyang, and asked the defenders stationed in Chen Liu to send the grain and grass immediately.

Cao Cao was very confident that Yuan Shao would not only agree to his conditions, but also could not wait to send grain and grass.

Seeing Ren Jun's sad face, he said indifferently: "Don't worry, the grain and grass will arrive soon." The priority is to attack, to attack immediately. ”

"Now there are not many iron cavalry in the north of the north who have rushed to the north bank of the Jishui River, and it is time to attack Dingtao. Once the Northern Xinjiang Army has conquered Changyi, the iron cavalry on the southern plain of the Jishui River will quickly rush to the north bank, and at that time, not to mention that there is enough food and grass, even if there is more than double the force, it will not be able to defeat it. Guo Jia got up to dissuade,

"My lord, the army is marching north from Jianghuai, traveling hundreds of miles a day, exhausted, coupled with the lack of food and grass, and low morale, at this time it is urgent to rest and recuperate, and must not rush to attack. Doesn't Lord Xiahoudun's defeat in Cao Ting still explain the problem? With the wisdom of Xun Yu, Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan and other adults, Dingtao and Changyi will be able to hold on for a long time. Adults are at ease. After thinking about it, Cao Cao reluctantly accepted Guo Jia's suggestion, and planned to take a break for two days in the wrongful sentence, urging Chen Liu to ask for food, and at the same time inquiring about the news of Dingtao and Changyi.

The next morning, the scouts who went down the Jishui River by boat to find out the news were very lucky to save several messengers who were being chased by a team of northern iron cavalry and jumped into the river to escape.

Cao Ren's letter was quickly delivered to Cao Cao. Changyi has been lost, and the left and right armies of the Northern Xinjiang Army have converged under Dingtao City.

Now it is necessary to seek a dead end by risking a breakthrough, and ask the prime minister to quickly rush to the rescue of Dingtao to meet the breakthrough of the army.

Cao Cao has a mixture of joy and sorrow. Sadly, Changyi was lost, the life and death of the family were unknown, and Xun Yu, Li Tong and thousands of soldiers died on the battlefield.

Fortunately, Xin Bi rushed to Dingtao first, and Xiahou Yuan, Wang Zhong and Cai Yang also successfully withdrew to Dingtao, which made Dingtao's defensive force reach 13,000 people.

With this strength, it is simply impossible for the Northern Xinjiang Army to lay a solid foundation in the short term. Cao Ren also said in the letter that although the Northern Xinjiang Army attacked for two consecutive days, it was all tentative, and it was obvious that they were not willing to take the heavy cost of attacking Dingtao.

Opportunity, opportunity is at hand. Cao Cao didn't care about anything and resolutely ordered an attack. Changyi has been lost for four days, and as he crossed Jishui north and stationed in Yiju City, the number of troops threatening Dingtao and Changyi from the front line of Chengwu and Liangqiu City was reduced, and the northern Xinjiang iron cavalry on the plain south of the Jishui River would also quickly rush to the north bank of the Jishui River to prevent him from rescuing Dingtao.

That night, the 800-mile fast horse came galloping. Yuan Shao sent Cao Cao a reward for sticking to the soldiers of Dingtao and Changyi, and told Cao Cao that the grain and grass that Cao Cao had sent to the Yanzhou army was on the way to Jiyang City.

At the same time, Yuan Shao, in the name of the Son of Heaven, explained in detail the strategy set by the imperial court to deal with the war.

In view of the current situation, he begged Cao Cao to abandon Dingtao and Changyi, withdraw his troops to hold on to the line of Yiju and Jiyang, and buy time for the coalition forces to defeat Yan Liang on the battlefield in Henan and establish two lines of defense to block.

Cao Cao smiled bitterly and was speechless. Yuan Shao actually didn't need to plead with him to withdraw his troops from Dingtao and Changyi, one of these two cities had already been lost, and the other was also in the pocket of the Northern Xinjiang Army.

Now it should be himself who begged Yuan Shao to do his best to quickly establish a second line of defense in the area of Fengqiu and Chenliu.

Otherwise, not only will he become a homeless homeless person, but even Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, and Liu Bei will be defeated one after another, and the Han Sheji will also be overturned.

"Tell Liu Bei and ask him to launch an attack on the front line of Jishi and Bo County as a containment, and plan for our army to attack and kill Dingtao." In mid-April, Jiyin County, Yanzhou, Jishi City.

Liu Bei and the soldiers of the Xuzhou army were indeed frightened by the mighty Hun iron cavalry. When the Xiongnu cavalry withdrew, Liu Bei did not hesitate at all and led the army to retreat overnight.

After retreating eighty miles, he returned to the territory of Peiguo in Yuzhou. Liu Bei knew that Changyi was finished, and it was estimated that Dingtao could hold on for only a handful of time, so the top priority was to immediately join the armies of Yuan Shao and Liu Biao and block the attack of the Northern Xinjiang Army in the area of Chenliu.

Just as Liu Bei was about to report his opinion to Cao Cao, Cao Cao's letter arrived. Cao Cao said that he wanted to cross the Jishui River north and rescue Dingtao from the north bank of the Jishui River, and he asked Liu Beixi to retreat to the area of Bo County and Jishi City to respond.

Liu Bei wrote to Xuchang and contacted Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, and at the same time led the army to the west and stationed in Boxian and Jishi.

Bo County was two hundred and fifty miles away from Chenliu, and if the Northern Xinjiang Army attacked too fiercely, he could quickly retreat west to Chenliu.

After Liu Bei arrived at the front line of Boxian and Jishi City, he immediately summoned the local government officials and ordered them to recruit and transfer people to strengthen the city defense.

Set up obstacles on the galloping road between Jishi, Boxian and Kaocheng to prepare to resist the attack of the Northern Xinjiang Army.

At this time, Cao Cao's letter arrived again. He told Liu Bei that Cao Ren had a letter delivered, confirming that Changyi had indeed been lost, and it was unlikely that Dingtao would be held now, but the army in Dingtao City could not give up.

He wanted to lead the army to attack and join forces with the defenders in the city, so as to break through the encirclement of the Northern Xinjiang Army and help Cao Ren lead the army to break through.

Cao Cao asked Liu Bei to attack at the same time to help him contain more northern Xinjiang troops in the south of the Jishui River, so as to form a flanking attack on Dingtao on the north and south banks of the Jishui River.

Liu Bei hesitated. Cao Cao's approach is undoubtedly a tiger's mouth, with the strength of the northern Xinjiang army and Li Hong's blood, how can he let the Yanzhou army in Dingtao City break through smoothly?

If this matter is not careful, Cao Cao may compensate himself. It doesn't matter if Cao Cao loses it, but he can't draw it because of his loss of troops.

Cao Cao's Yanzhou has been lost, and after this battle, no matter whether he wins or loses, Cao Cao's strength has plummeted, and it is impossible to dominate Yanzhou alone.

He still has Xuzhou, even if this battle is defeated, it is impossible for the Northern Xinjiang Army to kill Xuzhou immediately. He needs troops to protect Xuzhou against the Northern Frontier Army.

As long as there is still an army and Xuzhou, there will be a chance for him to make a comeback, a chance to unite with other states and counties to defeat Li Hong, and a chance to revitalize Sheji.

Almost at the same time, the holy decree sent from Xuchang also reached Liu Bei's hands. In Xuchang's strategy to meet the battle, it was clearly stated that Dingtao and Changyi would be abandoned, and Cao Cao and Liu Bei would concentrate their forces on the line of Yiju and Jiyang to block the attack of the Northern Xinjiang Army.

Liu Bei took Xuchang's decree and Cao Cao's letter and thought about it for a long time, and finally decided to send troops to attack in response to Cao Cao's rescue of Dingtao.

In order to block the attack of the Northern Xinjiang Army, the strength of himself and Cao Cao was obviously insufficient, but the holy decree did not mention the matter of military assistance, which shows that Yuan Shao, Liu Biao and others did not care about the life or death of themselves and Cao Cao.

Since Xu Chang was indifferent to the life and death of himself and Cao Cao, he had only himself to save himself. Liu Bei wrote a book.

The messenger, under the protection of a troop of iron horsemen, left the city and headed northwest, galloping two hundred miles to the injustice. Eight hundred miles of fast riding all the way to Pengcheng, six hundred miles away.

In mid-April, Jiyin County, Yanzhou, injustice. The sound of war drums shattered the silence of dawn, and groups of heavily armed Yanzhou soldiers left the city in a hurry, and nearly 40,000 Yanzhou troops marched eastward along the avenue on the banks of the Jishui River.

On the Jishui River in the distance, more than 100 improvised boats of all sizes carrying food and some ordnance followed.

On the way to 130 miles, the Northern Xinjiang Iron Cavalry will launch a blockade from the front, and grain and grass will be the main target of the Iron Cavalry.

Transporting food by water would greatly reduce the likelihood of attack. Cao Chun took three thousand tigers and leopards to ride the way first.

Cao Cao personally led Xu Chu and Dian Wei's tiger camp to walk at the forefront of the army. Guo Jia, Man Chong, and Ren Jun were stationed by the Ma River, with grim expressions and gloomy faces.

The Prime Minister was furious and completely lost his mind. In this bloody battle, it is very likely that the whole army will be annihilated, but he seems to have been too deeply stimulated by excessive grief and despair, and he could not listen to any advice, and he simply looked like he was going to die together.

"Fengxiao, except for a decisive battle with the Northern Xinjiang Iron Cavalry on the bank of the Jishui River, there is no other way to rescue Dingtao?" Ren Jun sighed and asked softly.

Guo Jia closed his eyes and shook his head helplessly and sadly.

"That's all there is to us. or give up and let the brothers in Dingtao City die on the battlefield; Either survive the death and take the brothers in Dingtao City to fight their way out. ”

"Prime Minister......" Cao Cao looked back suddenly. A team of iron horsemen galloped from behind, and a louder cry made Cao Cao tremble.

A strong feeling of suffocation rushed straight to his head, and Cao Cao involuntarily opened his mouth wide and gasped for breath.

"Prime Minister, Lord Liu is in a hurry to ......"

"Something happened to Bo County?" Cao Cao took the letter and asked urgently,

"The Northern Frontier Iron Cavalry took the initiative to attack?"

"Nope." The sweaty messenger was so tired that he almost lay on his horse's back, and he gasped violently as he said intermittently,

"Lord Liu said, 100,000 urgent, 100,000 urgent......" Cao Cao's heart relaxed, his right hand shook vigorously, and he unfolded the bamboo slip.

Brother Meng De's move is tantamount to self-destruction. When Changyi has been occupied, and our troops are stationed in the area of Boxian and Jishi two hundred miles away, how many iron cavalry will the Northern Xinjiang Army leave to block the attack of our army?

If the Northern Xinjiang Army deploys 20,000 iron cavalry on the plain south of the Jishui River, then on the north bank of the Jishui River, within 100 miles of Dingtao City, there are nearly 80,000 soldiers of the Northern Xinjiang Army waiting for each other.

With less than 40,000 troops, can you save the army in Dingtao City? If you and I join forces and have 60,000 troops, at this time, the Northern Xinjiang Army will divide troops to garrison Changyi, and divide troops to besiege Dingtao, and the army used to block us head-on will be insufficient, so that we will have a chance.

We continued to advance towards Dingtao, and the Northern Frontier Army would suffer heavy losses whether it was besieging the city for reinforcements or blocking the reinforcements for the city, and in the end they could only retreat.

In this case, if the Northern Frontier Army wants to defeat us, there is only one choice, that is, to transfer all the iron cavalry on the southern plain of the Jishui River to the Dingtao battlefield.

At this time, my army is no longer in the area of Boxian and Jishi, and the Northern Xinjiang Army does not need so many troops to protect Changyi.

When the armies of both sides have gathered on the battlefield of Dingtao, please set your sights on Changyi, and the prime minister will definitely find an opportunity to defeat the Northern Frontier Army.

Changyi is empty, and we only need to use an army of 10,000 people to retake Changyi. The loss of Changyi meant that the Central Plains War ended ahead of schedule for the Northern Xinjiang Army.

If we take Changyi, we can not only attack the Northern Xinjiang Army from the flank of Dingtao and threaten the grain route of the Northern Xinjiang Army, but more importantly, we can join forces with the Xuzhou Army to recapture Dongping, Rencheng and other counties, so that the Northern Xinjiang Army's strategy of stabilizing Yanzhou counties and counties to replenish grain and grass on the spot will completely fail, and the Northern Xinjiang Army's dream of seizing the Central Plains on the basis of standing firmly in Yanzhou will be completely shattered.

When the Northern Xinjiang Army suddenly heard that Changyi was lost, it was bound to divide troops to rescue, and defeat was inevitable under the care of one and the other.

In this way, we not only rescued the army in Dingtao City, held Dingtao, but also recaptured Changyi.

After a long period of futility, the Northern Xinjiang Army had to withdraw its troops from Hebei and return with hatred. In order to ensure that Changyi could be captured, I have urgently ordered Jian Yong of Pengcheng and Zhang Fei to lead his troops north.

In the letters sent to us, Yuan Shao had an incisive analysis and inference about the purpose of the Northern Xinjiang Army's attack on Xuzhou.

I think he has a lot of point. The purpose of the Northern Xinjiang Army's attack on Xuzhou was not to occupy some counties in Xuzhou, but to promote the development of the Central Plains war.

Therefore, regardless of whether Guan Yu was defeated and retreated to the East China Sea, or even to Pengcheng, the Northern Xinjiang Army would eventually quickly enter Yanzhou from Xuzhou and fly to the Central Plains battlefield.

If the armies of Gao Shun, Zang Ba, and Guan Hai were killed from the direction of Rencheng, it would not only ensure the stability of Yanzhou County, but also ensure the advance of the main force of the Northern Xinjiang Army.

In order to stop the attack of this Northern Xinjiang Army, I complied with the will of the imperial court and transferred the rest of the troops in Xuzhou to the Central Plains Battlefield as quickly as possible to ensure that we had enough troops to block the Northern Xinjiang Army.

Their arrival happened to give us the strength to capture Changyi. Jian Yong had 5,000 soldiers, and Zhang Fei had 10,000 troops.

When they arrived in the area of Fangdong and Shan Father within ten days, the Prime Minister could quietly go south with 5,000 men and horses to join them.

With a force of 20,000 troops attacking Changyi, can it be captured? Cao Cao read Liu Bei's letter several times, and the expression on his face became more and more cold.

"My lord, what is the urgent matter of Lord Liu?" Guo Jia asked in a low voice. Cao Cao handed the letter to Guo Jia, then turned over and dismounted, took the horsewhip, and walked slowly on the grass near the avenue alone, bowing his head and pondering.

Cao Hong, Man Chong, Ren Jun and others hurriedly gathered around Guo Jia and took a closer look. After a long time, Cao Hong finally screamed,

"Good plan...... Several people walked up to Cao Cao, their expressions were joyful, they swept away the melancholy and frustration just now, and their voices were louder.

"If Lord Liu's plan can succeed, you will not only be able to recapture Yanzhou, but also make outstanding contributions to the eradication of rebellion and the revitalization of the community." Ren Jun said excitedly,

"My lord, this plan is feasible." Cao Cao stopped, looked up at the clear blue sky, and was silent for a long time.

"Fengxiao, what is the certainty of the success of this plan?" Cao Cao asked suddenly. Guo Jia thought for a moment,

"If this plan is implemented, we will never turn around." Cao Cao snorted coldly and asked again, "How sure are you?" ”

"Lord Liu intends to kill two birds with one stone. After all, he is a minister of the clan, and we can't afford to guard against it. Guo Jia still didn't answer the question.

When Cao Hong, Ren Jun and others suddenly heard this, the smile on their faces suddenly disappeared.

"You mean you're not sure?" Cao Cao asked.

"For Liu Biao and Liu Bei, except for themselves, others are rebellious in their hearts." Guo Jia shook his head and sighed,

"Whether this plan can succeed or not, the key is not us, nor the Northern Frontier Army, but Liu Bei." Cao Cao raised his head and sighed, looking pained,

"How can I get away with this?"

"Fengxiao, what do you mean by this, why can't I understand?" Cao Hong pulled off the helmet on his head, wiped the sweat on his forehead, and asked very puzzled,

"Could it be that Liu Bei is still going to self-destruct at this time?" Guo Jia smiled bitterly,

"If Changyi is lost, will the Northern Xinjiang Army still divide troops to rescue? No, Li Hong is angry, and he is bound to raise a large army, fight a decisive battle with us under Dingtao City, and swear to fight to the death to buy time for Hebei to recover. 100,000 to 60,000, how many more do we have left? When we can't hold it out, the Northern Frontier Army allows the troops in the city to break through, and then encircle and annihilate them, how many of us can escape from the battlefield in the end? Cao Hong suddenly realized.

The Yanzhou army was completely annihilated, but the Xuzhou army happened to occupy Changyi. When the Northern Xinjiang Army lost its troops and withdrew from Yanzhou, the Xuzhou Army could just roar up and occupy the entire Yanzhou.

At that time, Yuan Shao estimated that he was still fighting with the Northern Xinjiang Army on the battlefield in Henan. Liu Biao and Liu Bei, the two ministers of the clan, immediately killed Xuchang, won the Son of Heaven, and joined forces to deal with Yuan Shao, who was too busy to take care of himself, and revitalized the Han Dynasty.

"Since you know the stakes of this plan, why can't you just plan it?" Cao Hong hurriedly asked.

"Liu Bei is too powerful." Guo Jia shook his head,

"The crux of this plan is where the adults must be saved. There are the families of the prime minister and the lords in Changyi City, and if the prime minister doesn't follow his plan, we probably won't see them again. According to our inference, these family members are still alive now, and Li Hong will not kill them for the time being. ”

"Since it is possible that our entire army will be annihilated under Dingtao City, why does Liu Bei still come to send him to death?"

"Because Xuzhou's army needs time to move north, and our 40,000 troops attack Dingtao alone, it may not be able to support it for ten days." Guo Jia said,

"Liu Bei sacrificed 20,000 people to defeat the Northern Frontier Army, eliminate the Yanzhou Army, occupy Yanzhou, and possibly get the Son of Heaven, he is very cost-effective."

"We can give up attacking Dingtao." Cao Hong gritted his teeth and said angrily,

"We don't settle down, we retreat to the injustice and Jiyang."

"Liu Bei has already transferred troops from Xuzhou to the north. The Northern Xinjiang Army was unable to conquer Dingtao in the short term, and its main forces were on the Dingtao battlefield. When Liu Bei attacked Changyi, the Northern Xinjiang Army stationed in Changyi was very likely to kill all these family members when their troops were insufficient. Therefore, attacking according to Liu Bei's strategy is our only way, after all, there are still great variables in this. The development of the war situation may have unexpected changes, we may be able to occupy Changyi to rescue these families, or we may be able to defeat the Northern Xinjiang Army on the Dingtao battlefield and win a complete victory. Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao, looking helpless,

"In addition, the Prime Minister is not willing to retreat. Without Liu Bei's help, he dared to risk attacking Dingtao and planning for the breakthrough of the army in the city. What's more, now that Liu Bei has taken the initiative to help, he must fight. ”

"Is there any way back?" Cao Cao glared at Guo Jia dissatisfiedly,

"If we lose Yanzhou, what will we do in the future? Where do we go to beg for food? If we defeat Yuan Shu, there is still Jianghuai's retreat, but now we can say that there is no way to enter the heavens and the earth. What else can I do but fight? The crowd was silent and gloomy.

"Your Excellency has decided?" Guo Jia asked.

"Didn't you just say that?" Cao Cao barely squeezed out a smile,

"It's one thing to sit at home and make a plan, it's another to go to war on the battlefield. On the battlefield, anything can happen. ”

"Urgent letter Liu Bei, please come to his aid quickly."

"Do everything possible to send the order to Dingtao, and ask Zixiao (Cao Ren) to hold on for ten days. After ten days, you can break through. ”

"Order all the troops to march thirty miles and camp today." In mid-April, Jiyin County, Yanzhou, Dingtao City. The general Li Hong led 20,000 Hun iron cavalry to Dingtao City.

Lu Yi, Lu Bu, Yushi, Fan Li, Sima Yi, Wei Yan and others came out of the camp to greet each other.

"Da Dan Yu has arrived in Dingtao, how many iron cavalry are still stationed in Changyi?" Lu Yi looked at Liu Bao, who was joking with Liu Ming, approached Li Hong and asked in a low voice.

"Yan Rou and Jiang Wu's 10,000 iron cavalry are still stationed on the front line of Chengwu and Liangqiu City." Li Hong said with a smile,

"In addition, after Tian Chou supervised the transportation of grain and grass and rushed to Juye, I asked him to meet Hu Zi (Wei Jun) and go to Ren Chengguo to have a look first. If there is no chance to capture Rencheng, he and Huzi will return to the east and west to garrison, and the matter of attacking Rencheng will be handed over to Gao Shun. ”

"When will Gao Shun's army arrive at the battlefield?"

"I heard Feiyan say that Gao Shun has already defeated Guan Yu in Jucheng, and it is estimated that he will enter the Lu Kingdom in the next few days." Li Hong turned his head to look at him and asked,

"The attack didn't go well?"

"I have stopped attacking and am patiently waiting for Cao Cao's rescue." Koji Yi smiled,

"I hope Cao Cao still has the courage to break the embankment back then, and he will lead the army to kill directly."

"He'll come." Li Hong sneered,

"That butcher, he can't smell blood, can he sleep?" Jump to