Chapter 231: Victory at Guandu! [Subscribe]

The night is dark.

Cao Cao is now leading the troops personally, gathering the military's luck, and suddenly he has a special feeling.

Guandu was the land under his jurisdiction in Yanzhou.

When he pushed forward the marching plan with all his strength, it seemed as if the mountains and rivers were responding to him, and heaven and earth were working together.

The entire army suddenly disappeared like a night fog swept away by a strong wind.

It was already midnight when Cao's army approached Wuchao in secret.

Cao Cao stopped his horse on a small hill and looked out at Wuchao.

He promoted the two abilities of listening to the battlefield and watching the fire from the other side of the river, and a map-like picture of the city was clearly presented in his perception.

The city is heavily guarded, and all four gates are heavily guarded.

Yuan's army was ready for battle.

Chunyu Qiong was the commander-in-chief of Wuchao.

In addition, there were Jizhou generals such as Sui Yuanjin, Han Juzi, Lu Weihuang, and Zhao Rui as deputies to assist in defending Wuchao.

"Meng De, in my opinion, you should wear the Jizhou military uniform."

Xu You had just arrived at Cao's camp and was very active, saying, "I know all their flag signals. If I put on Jizhou military uniforms, I might be able to trick them into opening the city gates."

After Xu You finished speaking, he glanced at the five thousand soldiers behind him.

Cao Cao came to Wuchao with only 5,000 men, and Xu You felt that he underestimated the enemy.

It would be impossible for five thousand men to attack Jizhou's heavily guarded grain storage area without deception.

The place where everyone stayed was about fifty feet away from the city wall on the Wuchao side.

The scouts of Cao's army have engaged in battle with the scouts of Jizhou outside Wuchao.

At this distance, it is impossible to remain hidden.

Just as they were talking, torches were lit on the top of Wuchao City.

Chunyu Qiong was fully armored, with one hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. Accompanied by a group of generals, he climbed up to the top of the city wall and looked in the direction of Cao Cao:
"Cao Mengde, you are so unkind and unjust. You followed my governor in the past. Now you boast of your strength and become an enemy of Jizhou. Have you forgotten the kindness and support my governor showed you in the past?"

Cao Cao said nothing.

He had no intention of engaging in verbal battle.

His grudge against Yuan Shao was not personal.

Rather, it is a life-and-death struggle between two political forces, or even a game of chess between different classes.

Cao Cao once wrote a poem called "Crossing the Passage Mountains". Just by looking at the first sentence, you can tell his ambition and goal:
"In the world, human beings are the most precious."

This sentence does not mean that Cao Cao's cognition transcended the limitations of the times and that he had already awakened to humanistic thinking at the end of the Han Dynasty.

What he meant was to oppose the "aristocratic class" that had been in power since the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Object to them placing themselves above everyone else.

The theory of destiny was very popular in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Confucianism was no longer the "Confucianism" of Confucius' time. It had become a tool of power and a political weapon manipulated by aristocratic families.

As long as everyone believes that the theory of heaven and earth is correct and cannot be changed, then its inventor, the aristocratic class, will serve as officials for generations and treat the common people as slaves, which will become natural.

Yuan Shao and even the "aristocratic families" were one of the main culprits that caused the chaos in the late Han Dynasty.

But looking back, it is still high above.

To understand what would happen if someone from a noble family took control of the imperial power, one only needs to look at the Sima family.

Cao Cao gave the order: "Attack the city!"

In the Yanzhou army's ranks, there were four war horses pulling two small catapults with wooden wheels on the bottom base.

Xu You had seen two Thunderbolt cars before, but he never figured out what their use was.

At this time, the two Thunderbolt cars were pushed up.

The soldiers made some adjustments.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu actually stood on the "spoon" of the catapult.

The soldier suddenly pulled the catapult.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu were catapulted into the air like stones, and fell towards the top of the city wall with terrifying speed and impact force.

When he saw the catapult for the first time, Dian Wei said excitedly, "If I could be put on this thing, I could go to the rear of the enemy's camp and attack and kill the enemy's main general with ease."

Good steel should be used on the blade. Cao Cao did not use it when attacking the Jizhou military camp.

Destroying Wuchao would be a fatal blow to Yuan’s army.

It’s just right to use it at this time.

Others could not withstand the catapult's catapult. The dizziness and imbalance caused by the process and the impact when landing were enough to be fatal.

But Dian Wei and Xu Chu can.

The two men's physical strength not only allows them to withstand high-speed throws, but they can even adjust their positions in the air, change their landing points, and accelerate their landing.

Dian Wei used the catapult to propel his practice and climbed directly to the top of the city wall. Like a flash of lightning, he struck in front of Chunyu Qiong.

Xu Chu fell behind the city gate like a cannonball.

Boom!

The ground is paved with blue bricks, and the cracks are like spider webs.

The rubble flew everywhere, shaking the entire Wuchao.

Xu Chu turned around and rushed towards the city gate.

All of Cao's troops outside the city had already charged forward.

Twenty heavy cavalrymen were still the vanguard, followed by Gao Shuntong's Xianzhen Camp, and rushed towards the city gate.

On the high ground, Xu You was stunned.

Yao Jing, a disciple of Zheng Xuan who was accompanying him on the other side, was also surprised.

The two men subconsciously looked at the catapult, and then looked at Dian Wei on the top of the city wall.

Chunyu Qiong was an old acquaintance of Cao Cao. In his early years, he was one of the Eight Commandants of Xiyuan and a selected Han army general.

He likes to drink, but when he doesn't drink, he is actually quite powerful.

Regarding the attack of Cao's army, Yuan Shao gave many instructions and asked Chunyu Qiong to take strict precautions.

The Jizhou army stationed a large number of troops in Wuchao, and Chunyu Qiong had absolute confidence that he could hold Wuchao firmly.

Moreover, Yuan Shao could send troops to support at any time.

From all aspects of analysis, there is no possibility that Wuchao will be lost in the short term.

But no one expected that Dian Wei and Xu Chu would be catapulted into the air by the catapult, landing in front of Chunyu Qiong and directly defeating the enemy's main general.

On the top of the city wall, a group of personal soldiers drew their swords and slashed at Dian Wei who was falling down.

The moment Dian Wei landed on the ground, he drew out the Sun and Moon Halberd.

When the two halberds were crossed, a unique metallic sound was emitted.

This roar pierced the ears of all the soldiers like a sharp sword. Including Chunyu Qiong, they all became deaf for a moment, their eardrums hurt, and their thinking became slow.

He wanted to retreat and draw his sword to fight Dian Wei.

In Dian Wei's hand, the Sun Halberd suddenly burst into light, as brilliant as the sun.

boom!
It was like an explosion happened in front of Chunyu Qiong.

His sword and armor broke together, and his chest felt like it was hit by a hammer.

Dian Wei swung the halberd in his other hand as flexibly as an extension of his arm, and used it to lock the neck and hook it forward. Chunyu Qiong staggered and fell into Dian Wei's hand involuntarily.

The soldiers around were stunned.

As soon as the war started, the main general was captured.

They had made many arrangements in the city, but they were all disrupted when Chunyu Qiong was captured.

Boom!

Below the city wall, Xu Chu and the heavy cavalry, with coordinated efforts from both inside and outside, broke open the city gate.

The Xianzhen Camp and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry instantly defeated the defenders behind the city gate and broke into the city.

Outside the city, Xu You had an indescribable feeling.

He neither expected that Cao's army had the unique tactic of trebuchets, nor did he expect that Dian Wei and Xu Chu could capture generals and break the city alone.

The city was filled with the sound of killing, and the battle was just beginning.

But Cao Cao and others knew that the capture of Wuchao was inevitable and Yuan’s army was powerless to reverse the situation.

Cao Cao came in person for another reason.

He did not intend to burn the grain as he had done in history, as there was no need for that. Instead, he wanted to occupy Wuchao and swallow up the military rations of Jizhou.

As Cao Cao rode his cavalry slowly forward and pressed towards Wuchao, he thought: After this battle, it will be the end.

The deep sky is dotted with stars.

Dian Wei jumped down from the top of the city wall, grabbing Chunyu Qiong and saying, "Provincial Governor, what should we do with this man?"

"cut!"

When it's time to kill, there's no need to hesitate.

Chunyu Qiong had been a loyal follower of Yuan Shao for many years.

Cao Cao would not use such a person, giving the other party the opportunity to betray him and stab him in the back!
Dian Wei reached out and broke Chunyu Qiong's neck.

[You personally led the troops to attack Wuchao, your military luck rises, and your military strategy skill value of "Watching the Fire from the Other Side" +1, 97. Reach Wu (the sixth in the Heavenly Stems)]

……

Before Yuan Shao set out on the expedition, he deployed several generals, including He Mao and Wang Mo, to guard along the line in the direction of the Henei camp.

Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun were ordered to attack Liyang again.

The two men each led their troops and approached the Jizhou defense line.

Zhang Liao said: "Zilong, just go around the border town and hurry to complete the governor's order. I will deal with the Jizhou garrison!"

Zhao Yun promised, "Wenyuan, be careful."

Zhang Liao laughed and said, "Let's see who will achieve success first, me or Zilong."

"good!"

The two men then took action.

Zhao Yun led two thousand elite troops and rode at high speed. He bypassed the camp built in Jizhou facing Henei and drove straight eastward.

Zhang Liao, on the contrary, rushed straight to the enemy's garrison, engaged in a battle, and tied down Yuan's army.

But Zhao Yun led his troops and broke into the border of Jizhou overnight.

He traveled quickly until night fell again the next day when he approached Liyang.

At this time, Liyang was also heavily guarded, and Yuan Shao issued several orders to keep the city strictly guarded.

The Jizhou army tightened their defenses and was on full alert.

After Zhao Yun approached Liyang, he contacted Cao Cao, who had occupied Wuchao, through the communication beads: "Governor, our troops have arrived at the combat position."

"Use troops!" Cao Cao responded.

Zhao Yun put away the signal beads and led his troops to the Yellow River ferry south of Liyang.

That’s right, it was the Yellow River ferry, not Liyang where Jizhou was fully prepared and where a large army was stationed.

After Zhao Yun left, Zhang Liao also withdrew his troops from the other side and turned south from Henei.

The next day, Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun were almost on par with each other in fighting for the ferry crossings along Yanjin and Baima and on both sides of the Yellow River.

If the ferry is lost, the grain cannot be transported, which is tantamount to destroying the grain.

This is the difference between being able to fight a war and not being able to fight a war. If you know how to use troops, you can find the weaknesses in the enemy's defense in a seemingly stable battle situation, and gain the greatest fruits of victory with the least consumption.

Yuan Shao devoted all his efforts to defending Liyang and protecting the food supply.

But Zhao Yun suddenly turned around and tried to seize the ferry.

Before, both the enemy and us thought that Cao's army was going to attack Liyang, but it was actually a feint.

Including Zhang Liao's second attack on Baimajin and Yanjin.

Even Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao couldn't help but admire when they received the order.

The defense of the ferry is relatively lax. Breaking the ferry and burning the food have the same effect, but the resistance is much smaller.

All the grain from Jizhou that was transported across the Yellow River was transported to Wuchao.

Cao Cao personally occupied Wuchao, and then ordered Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao to attack the ferry crossings on both sides of the river.

After Wuchao was occupied by Cao Cao, he stationed troops there, and in terms of position, it formed a pattern of one south and one north with the original Guandu Camp of Yanzhou, which in turn trapped the Guandu Camp of Jizhou in the middle.

The entire battle situation changed as a result.

The Jizhou army was faced with enemies on both sides and a desperate situation of food shortage.

The news that Wuchao had been captured by Cao's army and the Liyang ferry in Jizhou had been burned by Zhao Yun spread to the military camps of Jizhou Army and Yangwu, and it almost became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

When Yuan Shao heard the news, his face turned pale.

In the following days, Yuan Shao mobilized the Jizhou army with all his strength and launched a frantic counterattack on Wuchao in an attempt to regain the food supply, but all ended in failure.

By early January, the Jizhou army's food supplies were on the verge of running out.

What made Yuan Shao despair was not the frontal defeat, but the fact that generals such as Gao Lan and Zhang He chose to surrender to Yanzhou in desperation.

Zhang He and Gao Lan were both from the Jizhou local faction.

Before this, Yuan Shao, Ju Shou and the Jizhou local faction led by Tian Feng were very unhappy.

Moreover, most of the Jizhou tribes were composed of aristocratic families, and few of them would be loyal enough to follow Yuan Shao to death.

Zhang He and Gao Lan personally rode their horses to Wuchao to surrender to Cao Cao.

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(End of this chapter)