Chapter 229: Strategizing [Subscribe]

In the darkness of the night, shouts of killing were heard everywhere.

"General Qu, the troop transport road we dug was discovered by Cao's army, and Li Su and other soldiers were captured alive."

Qu Yi stared at the scout who came to report and took a deep breath.

Cao's camp was well prepared and the tunnel was discovered, so the tactic of combining internal and external forces to break Cao's camp could not be implemented.

There is no need to continue the current war, which will only increase consumption.

Before Qu Yi could finish his thoughts, the second scout approached and said:

"——Cao's army raided our Guandu camp. Supervisor Guo asks the general to return to the camp as soon as possible."

During the battle during the day, when Yuan Tan was severely injured, the feeling of confusion that once surged in Qu Yi's heart resurfaced.

When he came to attack the camp, he was obviously used by Cao's army to attack the Jizhou camp.

Qu Yi suddenly felt a fear of being dominated tactically.

"Withdraw troops, everyone return to defense!"

Yuan's army retreated, and Cao's army pursued them.

……

Gao Shun, wearing heavy armor and face guard, rode out of the camp and headed towards the Jizhou military camp.

Behind him, eight hundred standard bearers rushed to the enemy camp.

The Yanzhou army marched out of the stronghold. Not only were the infantry well-equipped, but the cavalry were all fully armored, undoubtedly demonstrating their local tyrant temperament.

In a sense, all the tombs in the world are Cao's warehouses.

After the Xianzhen Camp joined Yanzhou, they were shocked by the wealth and sophisticated equipment of Yanzhou!

"General Zhonglang, I think there are at least 20,000 to 30,000 cavalrymen in Yanzhou, both light and heavy, all of them are wearing armor, including the horses.

Look at my helmet, and then touch my armor, it is so thick. Wearing this armor, I feel embarrassed to hide in battle, otherwise I would feel sorry for the armor on my body. "

Jia Xiong, the deputy general of the Xianzhen Camp, whispered to Gao Shun: "How much does it cost to buy these armors? How come Yanzhou is so rich?"

Gao Shun's position as General of the Central Army was conferred by Lu Bu.

He joined Cao's camp, and Cao Cao made him inherit the rank of General of the Central Army.

Gao Shun shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

"General, look quickly."

Jia Xiong's eyes suddenly widened.

Gao Shun turned around and looked, holding a long-handled war hammer in his hand.

The scene he saw made him stunned for a moment.

Not far away, a man was running hard, carrying a "small mountain" on his back.

Dian Wei was carrying a giant catapult that was nearly four meters high, built with huge wood, and as big as a house.

He was under the catapult, and it looked as if the catapult had grown two legs. He ran very fast and flew past the troops of the Formation Trap.

Trebuchets are powerful siege weapons, especially large ones.

Cao Cao decided to attack the Jizhou military camp.

After Dian Wei received the order, the secret orifices in his body vibrated, his weapons became as sharp as burning flames, and he exerted force suddenly, lifted up a giant catapult and ran away.

Xu Chu was not willing to be outdone, so he also raised one and followed Dian Wei.

The two of them crossed the trap camp one after the other.

Jia Xiong was stunned:

"These two must be the commanders of the Tiger Cavalry Army. Their bravery is too terrifying!"

"Speed ​​up, they are carrying large Thunderbolt vehicles and are faster than us!"

Gao Shun lightly squeezed the horse's belly and rushed forward.

Guandu Camp.

Cao Cao and Guo Jia stood side by side.

The night wind blows, and my sleeves flutter.

"After today, the situation will become much clearer," said Guo Jia.

Cao Cao: "Changsha, Youzhou, any news?"

"Yes, we are advancing according to the order of the governor." Jia Xu's voice came out of nowhere behind Cao Cao.

Cao Cao's gaze moved to another direction.

Zheng Xuan's direct disciple was not far from the entrance of the camp.

He has been observing Cao's camp these days.

----

Yuan Shao woke up in the middle of the night, put on his clothes and left the tent.

After arriving in Yanzhou, he has been having trouble sleeping.

I woke up in the middle of the night, walked out of the tent, and looked towards Guandu, south of Yanjin.

How is the battle going?
This afternoon, we received news from all sides.

Jingzhou and Huainan have already dispatched troops, and there is another arrangement that will soon show results...

Yuan Shao glanced at the sky and knew that Yanzhou would definitely be defeated by him.

However, when Yuan Shao turned around, he saw a personal soldier running towards him with a panicked look on his face, and his heart suddenly sank.

The personal soldiers came to report that Yuan Tan was seriously injured and dying.

Guo Tu and others used the excuse that they were busy with treatment and did not dare to report Yuan Tan's attack until this moment.

In addition, Cao's army counterattacked the Guandu camp overnight. By the early morning, Yuan's troops in Guandu suffered heavy casualties, and the camp was once breached.

If Qu Yi had not been there and fought to the death, Jizhou's losses would have been even greater.

Yuan Shao gathered nearly 150,000 soldiers and horses at Guandu. With so many troops, they would not be defeated by a single attack from Cao's army.

But it was a fact that the Jizhou army was outnumbered by the Yanzhou army and the battle situation was unfavorable.

Powerful crossbows and underground troop transport routes were all ineffective.

After the war broke out, generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou were killed one after another.

The continuous news of war flashed through Yuan Shao's mind.

Three days later, he personally went south from Yanjin to Yangwu to supervise the battle, and was very close to the Guandu camp, facing Cao Cao face to face.

Yuan Shao's arrival in Yangwu at this time slightly boosted the low morale of the Jizhou army.

In Yangwu County, Xu You came to Yuan Shao: "Benchu."

"The battle situation is not good. You might as well think about my previous strategy again." "I have carefully calculated the number of soldiers and horses in Yanzhou. Those who are scattered in various states and counties for defense dare not move. In Guandu, there are probably 60,000 to 70,000 elite troops gathered."

"I have calculated over and over again that Changyi must be empty.

If the surprise attack on Changyi succeeds, Yanzhou's baggage and food supplies will be in trouble, which will help you win."

"enough."

Yuan Shao was furious: "How can you change the military order of the war without authorization? I said that Changyi is an important place and he must be well prepared.

Go out, and don't mention this matter again."

Xu You was driven out of the tent and looked back at the tent:
"You are not as good as Cao Mengde in commanding troops. The art of war is to use the real and the fake. Changyi must be a fake. You don't believe me, no wonder you are at a disadvantage and don't listen to good advice."

At the same time, in Yecheng, Jizhou, something closely related to Xu You was happening.

When Yuan Shao went to war, Shen Pei and Feng Ji, who stayed behind in Yecheng, received a secret report and found out that a merchant in Yecheng had sent huge sums of money to Xu You many times to seek official positions for his sons and nephews.

Shen Pei later discovered that the merchant had a hidden identity and was most likely a spy from Yanzhou.

If the merchant is related to Yanzhou and has contacts with Xu You, it would be very suspicious.

However, the merchant had already fled, and the relevant clues were obscure, and it was only Shen Pei who pieced them together.

He is not sure whether there is any definite connection between Shang Jia and Xu You, or even Yanzhou.

If Xu You really had dealings with Yanzhou, he would be suspected of colluding with the enemy.

This is a very serious matter.

Shen Pei immediately reported the situation to Yuan Shao in person through a secret letter, asking him how to deal with the situation.

Yuan Shao’s response was to conduct a thorough investigation.

Towards the end of December, the cold wind was howling, and Xu You's home in Yecheng was confiscated.

His family wealth was considerable, and the wealth he acquired was astonishing.

What’s strange is that when the property in Yecheng was confiscated, Xu You, who was far away in Yangwu, actually got the news first.

It is true that he is greedy for money and has a huge fortune of unknown origin.

Yuan Shao raided his house and wanted to bring him to justice...

Xu You then fled from Yangwu and disappeared without a trace.

Neither Yuan Shao nor Xu You knew that the reason Shen Pei was able to find clues and uncover the matter and trace it back to Xu You at this point in time was the result of a certain talented and cunning person in Cao's camp who was hiding in the dark and silently pushing the issue.

The clues were obscure, and Shen Pei took great pains to grasp the connection with Xu You. These had to be done just right to make people believe it.

The difficulty involved is really beyond the reach of ordinary people.

This is the strategist's way of planning and sowing discord.

Yuan Shao was busy making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones, and uniting various parties, and the same was true for Yanzhou.

Jingzhou.

During the Han Dynasty, Jingzhou originally had seven counties, namely Nanyang, Nanjun, Jiangxia County, Lingling County, Guiyang County, Wuling County, and Changsha County.

By the end of the Han Dynasty, some counties were separated from Nanyang County and Nan County, making Xiangyang and Zhangling counties independent.

So Jingzhou was divided into nine counties.

However, not everyone in Jingzhou supported and obeyed Liu Biao.

Zhang Xian, the prefect of Changsha among the nine counties under his jurisdiction, and even several counties in southern Jingzhou headed by him had long been at odds with Liu Biao.

Since Liu Biao took control of Jingzhou, he has relied heavily on the Kuai brothers, Cai Mao and others.

The interests of some other people have been affected, and they have been harboring hidden dissatisfaction for a long time.

When Jingzhou was stable, Liu Biao was powerful and all parties were relatively peaceful.

But Cheng Yu and Xun You had been working secretly some time ago.

Zhang Xian, the prefect of Changsha, is the key public relations target.

When the Battle of Guandu broke out, the two strong states of Yanzhou and Jizhou confronted each other. Liu Biao entered the game and led his troops into Yuzhou.

In the following days, the Jingzhou troops advanced smoothly in Yuzhou.

Liu Biao received good news repeatedly and was in high spirits.

At this moment, he was suddenly attacked strongly.

Cao Ren led Cao's army to lie dormant in Qiao County for many days, waiting for the opportunity.

In late December, after receiving orders from Cao Cao, Cao Ren led 20,000 elite troops to attack the Jingzhou army head-on.

Subsequently, in the southern part of Jingzhou, Zhang Xian, the prefect of Changsha, led the three counties of Changsha, Lingling and Guiyang in open rebellion and raised troops to declare independence.

Among the nine counties of Jingzhou, Nanyang had been taken by Cao Cao, leaving one less.

Xiangyang, which Liu Biao used as his base, is located in the center of Jingzhou.

The three counties of Changsha, Guiyang and Lingling are located in the southern part of Jingzhou and are connected to each other, accounting for almost half of the area of ​​Jingzhou.

While he was trying to occupy Yuzhou, a fire broke out in the backyard. The fire was so big that it burned half of his belongings.

Liu Biao felt dizzy upon hearing the news and almost fell down.

During his time in Jingzhou, he used both kindness and force to attract people, and boasted that he pleased and pleased all the people.

He also opened a school of classics, and thousands of scholars from Guanzhong, Yan, and Yu returned to him. Internally, he controlled thousands of miles of territory, led more than 100,000 soldiers, and dominated Jingjiang.

Liu Biao always believed that he was the best among all the parties.

He knew that Zhang Xian had some disagreements with him.

Zhang Xian had a stubborn character and never tried to please Liu Biao.

Liu Biao didn't like Zhang Xian very much either.

However, Zhang Xian was very popular among the local people and had many supporters.

Liu Biao had some concerns, so even though the two sides disliked each other, they had been at peace in the past.

Liu Biao never expected that Zhang Xian would dare to unite the three counties and rebel against him.

The blow almost killed Liu Biao.

He immediately ordered the withdrawal of troops from Yuzhou and returned to quell the rebellion.

But they soon discovered that the soldiers could no longer withdraw.

This is the result of Xun You and Cheng Yu working together to plan and strategize.

The two of them relied on the fact that Yanzhou held the emperor hostage and occupied a righteous position. They first sent a man named Huan Jie, who was originally from Changsha, to contact Zhang Xian. They pushed him step by step and finally succeeded in inciting Zhang Xian to rebel and took over Jingzhou's backyard.

When Xun You returned to the camp to see Cao Cao that day, he spoke cryptically, and the person he was referring to was Zhang Xian, the prefect of Changsha, who was one of them.

In addition, there is another plan that will soon become a surprise and will continue to be given to Liu Biao.

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(End of this chapter)