Chapter 194: Driving straight in, as powerful as thunder [Subscribe]

"The governor."

Inside the military tent, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Xun You looked stern.

They all knew that this battle was not just about Lu Bu, or even about Xuzhou.

Instead, it is a game of chess with all four parties.

If the war breaks out at this point in time, all parties will never sit idly by and watch Yanzhou swallow up Xuzhou and continue to grow stronger.

Especially Jizhou!
Yuan Shu in the south, Jingzhou in the west, including Liangzhou, and Zhang Yang in Hanoi may all seize the opportunity and launch a concentrated outbreak.

This is why Yanzhou has been known as a place of four wars since ancient times.

But if we delay and do not attack Xuzhou, it will be more dangerous when the war with Jizhou breaks out.

This is a battle that Yanzhou must fight, and it’s a matter of life and death!
Cao Cao lowered his head and examined the marching map.

"I'm afraid this battle will be somewhat turbulent."

Jia Xu used a technique practiced by counselors to deduce success or failure.

In the practice of counselors and strategists, this technique is called "no omission in the plan", and it is a strategy that few people can master.

Once activated, the strategist will enter a state where his thoughts are focused and work very fast, far exceeding his usual ability to deduce and plan.

Guo Jia looked pale.

He also used a kind of strategic practice to foresee success and failure and lock in variables.

"The speed at which we break through Xuzhou is the key!"

If Yanzhou is dragged down by the war, the variables will continue to increase.

The longer the fighting lasts, the more likely it is that the hesitant parties will rush over to join the battle.

Jizhou, Yecheng!

"Yanzhou declared war on Xuzhou and divided its troops into two groups.

The troops from Yanzhou entered Xuzhou from the north and pushed eastwards, looking like they were going to cut Langya County in half and separate the northern part of Xuzhou from the other counties."

Tian Feng looked excited and reported to Yuan Shao.

When Yanzhou and Xuzhou went to war, Jizhou's opportunity came.

Tian Feng and Ju Shou had previously jointly offered advice to Yuan Shao, suggesting that when Yanzhou attacked Xuzhou, he should make every effort to block Yanzhou.

Tian Feng and Ju Su were the first to propose that Jizhou should send troops to Henei to rescue Zhang Yang.

But this is just an appearance. In fact, after the Jizhou army moves westward, it will suddenly turn south, attack the Yanzhou mainland, and directly use troops against Yanzhou.

Everyone thought that Jizhou had suffered heavy losses after defeating Youzhou, and should avoid direct participation in the war.

But Tian Feng and Ju Su's advice was to try their best and not let go of the opportunity before them.

Secondly, Jizhou had sent envoys to Jingzhou to lobby Liu Biao.

Liu Biao was in Jingzhou with over 100,000 soldiers and was very powerful.

If Jingzhou could send troops to attack Yanzhou together, it would affect the entire war situation.

The third strategy was for Jizhou to send people to persuade the Liangzhou army to counterattack, at least to delay Zhang Liao's troops and consume Yanzhou, making it unable to return to support.

If any one of the above three strategies is implemented, it will deal a huge blow to Yanzhou.

At this time, Ju Su and Tian Feng were sitting on both sides of Yuan Shao:
"How long it will take Yanzhou to defeat Xuzhou is crucial."

"The Yanzhou army is a powerful force with strong troops. Although Lu Bu is a brave general, he will definitely not be able to defend the periphery of Xuzhou.

His best option is to hold on to Xia Pi, which is an ancient strong city. As long as he pulls back the defense line, he can hold on for several months without any problem. "

For thousands of years, sieges have been the most difficult wars to fight.

It is not uncommon for sieges to last for months or even years.

"Xuzhou's food supplies and resources are all gathered in Xiapi. With the abundant baggage, it is impossible for Yanzhou to break through the city quickly given the strength of Xiapi."

Tian Feng, Ju Su, and Yuan Shao all had the same judgment.

As long as Yanzhou cannot quickly capture Xuzhou and the battle drags on, Jizhou's plan will have time to be implemented and the chances of winning are great.

"As time goes on, people from the surrounding areas of Yanzhou will join the battle!

If Yanzhou is unable to cope with the situation, then defeat is not far away!"

Ju Su's face was thin, and his eyes were shining:
"I discussed with Yuan Hao (Tian Feng), in addition to the previous three strategies, there are still two strategies that can be supplemented to help me win the victory of Jizhou!"

"The first is to send envoys to lobby Liu Bei."

"Liu Bei?"

“He was suppressed by Lu Bu in Xuzhou. Although he seemed insignificant, his position was very important.

The governor only needs to promise Liu Bei that he will help him become the head of a state after the war, and he will surely be impressed."

"In addition, even if Jizhou cuts back on food and clothing, we will send out another force, led by a great general, to attack the Yellow River from the front and head south to attack the heart of Yanzhou!"

Yuan Shao said solemnly: "You mean, we should go to war with Yanzhou now!"

Ju Su and Tian Fengqi said: "Yes!"

"Yanzhou cannot afford to fight with all four parties at the same time. This is the best opportunity."

"As long as Jizhou shows signs of crossing the Yellow River and heading south to formally use troops against Yanzhou, we can get Liu Biao and Yuan Gonglu to participate and hunt down Yanzhou and Yuzhou."

Yuan Shao hesitated for a long time before saying:
"You may not understand Cao Mengde, but I have known his character since I was a child.

He will not put all his energy into one thing and spare no effort.

You two said that you would attack Yanzhou from the south along the middle route. If you really do that, you will be blocked head-on."

"Cao Mengde will definitely retain some strength to protect the heartland of Yanzhou."

"As you said, the other suggestions can be implemented, but we must be cautious about the middle one."

"If our army moves, the slightly restored baggage reserves will be exhausted again. We cannot gamble everything in a war. It would be too hasty to want to decide the outcome in one battle."

However, Ju Su's plan was that the main force in the middle was the most important, so he said hurriedly:
"Go south from the middle road, and we can decide the outcome in one battle!"

"Yanzhou is surrounded by enemies. If we make a full-scale military move, we can attract all parties to join the game and attack together. We will surely be able to conquer Yanzhou!"

Ju Su and Tian Feng looked earnest.

Yuan Shao thought about it and said nothing.

He needs to think carefully about everything he does along the way.

Fighting for his life and risking everything is not his style.

He believed more in his own judgment of Cao Cao.

Cao Cao led the Yanzhou army with 50,000 armored soldiers and marched straight eastward from Pengcheng State, directly approaching Xuzhou Xiapi.

After learning that Cao Cao had sent troops, Lu Bu was full of heroic spirit and not afraid at all.

Zhen Xin's eyes also sparkled: "Cao Cao is using his troops at this time, he must want to take Xuzhou in one fell swoop. He dare not delay, otherwise Yanzhou will be dragged down first."

"My husband, when you face Yanzhou this time, you must not fight hard. Just defend yourself and waste time with him."

"As long as the other parties send out troops, my husband can take the lead in counterattacking. That will be the best chance to defeat Yanzhou!"

Lu Bu was a good man. During the Han Dynasty, he knew how to respect women. When he had problems, he would ask for advice, but he never looked for professional counselors. Instead, he trusted the advice of his wives and concubines.

This is a historical fact. Not only Zhen Xin, but his wife also often gave him advice.

And Lu Bu always listened to his wife.

Lu Bu nodded in agreement and led his troops to fight against the Yanzhou army.

Xia Pi and Lu County, where Cao's army from Pengcheng State was stationed, were not far away.

This is the strategic advantage accumulated by Yanzhou in attacking Xuzhou over the past two years.

When troops marched eastward from Lu County, there were only seven small cities separating them from Xia Pi, and there were no large counties or fortified cities that could be defended.

When Lu Bu came to Xuzhou, the state of Pengcheng had already been occupied by Yanzhou.

He still chose to stay in Xia Pi, one reason being that he had just accepted Cao Cao's reward and the attitudes of both sides were quite friendly.

More importantly, Xia Pi is the heart of Xuzhou, a famous fortress in history that is difficult to defend and break.

At this moment, Cao's army marched out, passed through the first small town, and circled the city without entering.

Because of the advantages accumulated from past military operations, Lu Bu had almost no place to defend except Xia Pi.

He chose to station troops in Qiu County, the only small county west of Xia Pi that could accommodate garrisons, and rely on Xia Pi to fight against Cao's army!

"Cao Mengde, if you come to attack Xuzhou, it will be the beginning of a disastrous defeat. I don't think you can conquer Xuzhou, how will it end?"

Lu Bu laughed loudly on the top of the city wall.

He kept Zhen Xin's instructions in mind and wanted to hold the siege and fight a war of attrition with Cao's army.

However, on the first night of Cao's army's orderly siege of the city, something unexpected happened to Lu Bu.

At midnight, Qiucheng Commander Zhang Yi opened the city and surrendered.

The reason is very simple, Lü Bu seized Xuzhou by force. From the perspective of the former governor of Xuzhou, Tao Qian, Xuzhou was given to Liu Bei.

From the emperor's perspective, he should listen to Cao Cao.

However, Lu Bu had only been in Xuzhou for a few months and his foundation was too shallow.

He has a bad reputation, who would be willing to work with him wholeheartedly?
He wanted to replace all the cities with his own people, but he didn't have enough manpower. Just like Dong Zhuo in the past, he lacked civil servants and strategists.

Qiu Cheng ordered Zhang Yi to open the city and surrender, and Lu Bu was confused.

But he was truly brave. He led his troops outward, quickly broke through a siege line, and retreated to a small acropolis twenty miles away from Xia Pi.

Of course, Cao Cao had other plans. When Lu Bu broke out, he did not try his best to stop him.

When he arrived at the Weicheng, Lu Bu learned from his last lesson and sent Song Xian, one of his eight strongest generals, to seize the power of the original Weicheng commander as soon as he entered the city, and then used his trusted men to defend the city.

There are two acropolises outside Xia Pi, which are not large and can be defended for a while.

What Lu Bu didn't expect was that Song Xian, one of the eight generals under his command, was a man who surrendered to Cao in history.

The next night, Song Xian, like Qiucheng Ling Zhang Yi, secretly opened the city gate and surrendered to Cao.

A number of people surrendered to Cao one after another, and it was not a sudden decision.

It was Cao Cao, the person Jia Xu had contacted and bribed earlier.

Yanzhou had been fighting Xuzhou for nearly two years.

Cao Cao and Jia Xu started to plant obstacles around Lu Bu during the Luoyang period.

They were using arrangements made two or even three years ago, and were using them now. It was impossible for Lu Bu to deal with it temporarily.

The city was opened and surrendered again and again in order to severely damage Lu Bu's morale and fighting spirit.

Surrendering in the middle of a battle was a huge blow to Lu Bu's reputation and confidence.

Song Xian has been waiting for this day for a long time.

If Cao's army had arrived earlier, Song Xian would have surrendered as agreed.

Lu Bu was shocked and angry, and had no choice but to retreat again in a panic.

This time he had nowhere to retreat and no outside lines to defend, so he planned to go straight back to Xia Pi.

In history, it took Cao Cao several months to capture Xia Pi and cost him countless resources.

But it was not easy for Lu Bu to return to Xia Pi.

He left Gao Shun in Xia Pi to train new soldiers, and brought with him the more trusted Wei Xu.

In the cover of night, Lu Bu led his army out of the Wei city and wanted to return to Xia Pi.

To his surprise, what was waiting for him outside the city was not Cao's army, but the troops brought by Liu Bei's three brothers.

Before, Liu Bei's Xuzhou was taken away by Lu Bu. He endured the humiliation and went to Lu Bu, but was besieged by Lu Bu again for the second time.

This time, Cao Cao contacted Liu Bei and promised to appoint Liu Bei as the governor of a county later.

If he had directly promised Cao Cao the head of a state, Liu Bei would have suspected that Cao Cao's promise was too high and would have wanted to harm him later.

The head of a county, just right.

Although Jizhou also wanted to persuade Liu Bei, the opportunity had not yet arrived.

Because the war had only been going on for three days, no one expected that the loyalty of Lu Bu's subordinates was so low that they opened their cities and surrendered one after another.

We were defeated twice in three days, and the battle hasn’t even started!

Once Yanzhou started moving, its force was like thunder and its speed was like wind, breaking the formation at an unexpected speed.

Liu Bei had both new and old grudges against Lu Bu, so he led his brothers Guan and Zhang to intercept Lu Bu and they met on a narrow road!
The three brothers drew their swords and reined in their horses, filled with murderous intent.

"Lü Bu! Today, I will not let you go!" Liu Bei shouted.

"what!"

Zhang Fei glared with eyes as big as copper bells, and rode his horse to charge forward, cursing as he charged into the battle formation:
"Lü Bu, Ding Bu, Dong Bu, you are slaves of three surnames, and your reputation is well-deserved. You stole my brother's Xuzhou, so you should give me your life!"

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(End of this chapter)