Liu Bei's camp.
Zhang Fei drank a large bowl of cold water and shouted: "It's so damn happy. I picked five primary schools. But they are far less than my second brother."
Guan Yu smiled lightly and stroked his long beard. He said, "It's just a few small schools. If Cao Ren dares to go out of the city to fight, what's the difficulty for me to take his head?"
"Both worthy brothers have made many meritorious deeds, and this Yanzhou army was forced back by you." After a while, Liu Bei said distressedly: "But we lacked siege equipment, so we were unable to attack Kaiyang, and then went south to the East China Sea and other places. .”
"If you ask me, Yuan Xi's kid is so stingy!" Zhang Fei said angrily: "We helped his Yuan family fight against Cao Cao, but we didn't even send a few siege fighters over! What a big deal!"
"Third brother, don't talk nonsense, be careful if others hear it and damage the relationship between my family." Liu Bei scolded.
Liu Bei showed no emotion or anger on his face, but he was dissatisfied in his heart. Since the capture of the three counties of Langya. Qingzhou stopped supplying grain and grass. As for the siege equipment, Liu Bei was asked to raise and build it himself.
What annoyed Liu Bei the most was that Yuan Xi annexed many of Tao Qian's things. For example, Mi Zhu, Chen Deng and other nobles, a large number of craftsmen, and the elite Danyang soldiers.
At first, Liu Bei had more than 20,000 Xuzhou soldiers and more than 30,000 soldiers and their families. But they all depended on Qingzhou's food supply, so he could only endure what Yuan Xi did.
Although Liu Bei occupied the three northern counties of Langya at this time, he still couldn't take over the entire Xuzhou alone. He also needed the support of Qingzhou, so Liu Bei dared not speak out.
Guan Yu frowned and said: "But Qingzhou is really bullying people. Why did they annex the Danyang soldiers and Zang Ba's men?"
"Who told us that we are weak and can be bullied! Zang Ba and Mi Zhu have come to seek refuge with them. What can we use to feed those people?" Liu Bei said with a bitter smile.
"It's so frustrating!" Zhang Fei sat down on the ground and muttered.
"My lord, my lord!" Jian Yong hurriedly walked into the camp. He said: "Fortunately, I have fulfilled my duty. I asked Tian Yuanhao of Qingzhou for a batch of siege equipment and asked my lord to accept it."
"Ah! Where are you now?" Liu Bei asked anxiously.
"Just outside the camp!" Jian Yong said and took out a letter: "Mr. Yuan Hao asked me to hand it over to the lord, saying that this is a good strategy to defeat the enemy. Let the lord act according to the plan, and Qingzhou will try its best to cooperate."
Liu Bei opened the letter and read it, and asked in surprise: "You want our army to divide our troops and go south?"
Jian Yong nodded: "Mr. Tian Feng said that we have many soldiers, so we can send a large general to go south to deter the East China Sea. If we can persuade them to surrender, we will be able to incite rebellion in the cities in the East China Sea. At that time, Cao Ren was surrounded by two sides, and he was bound to be defeated. .”
Liu Bei paced back and forth, looking very hesitant.
"Brother, this is a good idea. Although Qingzhou may not have good intentions, it can indeed break the current deadlock." Guan Yu said.
"Mr. Tian Feng said that Cao Ren will station heavy troops in Langya, and the East China Sea, Xiapi and other places will be very empty. He also sent some old officials from Xuzhou to help us persuade us to surrender." Jian Yong said.
Liu Bei looked at the letter, then looked at Guan Yu, and said: "Second brother, lead 10,000 troops south to the East China Sea!"
White horse, Cao Cao's army camp.
Baima is just a small city. Its city walls are made of rammed clay and are not necessarily very strong. Therefore, the Yanzhou Army built a barracks connected to the city wall and looked after each other with Baima City, forming a three-dimensional fortification.
Puyang and Baima areas have long been cleared of wild lands, and the people of Baima area have also been moved to the rear. Cao Cao's Chinese army camp was stationed in the city.
"Boom!" Another cannon stone was thrown here, destroying a well railing.
The Yanzhou soldiers were suppressed behind the fence with their shields held up. If they showed up, they would become targets for the crossbowmen on the opposite well fence. Their manholes were destroyed as soon as they were erected, so the Yanzhou soldiers could only passively destroy them.
Cao Cao, who was patrolling the camp, frowned and said angrily: "Where are the craftsmen of our army? Don't you even fight back with the catapults!"
Xun You shook his head: "My lord, you don't know. Our army's trebuchets are huge and difficult to place behind the camp. The accuracy of the artillery and stone alone is not as good as that of the Jizhou army. Some of the trebuchets were even... Their cannon stones hit directly!"
"The land of Hebei is really rich in products. There are many talents!" Cao Cao sighed.
"Lord, in this situation, Baima cannot hold on any longer. Please make a decision as soon as possible whether to fight or retreat." Cheng Yu said.
"We can't retreat!" Dong Zhao said anxiously: "If Chen Liu retreats, we don't know whether he can hold it or not. It is also possible that the Jizhou army will be led to Xu County, which may cause riots."
"That's right! Our army is small. Even if we insist on defending, we may not be able to withstand it. If we retreat blindly, we will be trapped and perished like Gongsun Zan." Xi Zhong also agreed.
"The land of Yanzhou and Yuzhou is vast, and our army still has many hinterlands. Why not temporarily avoid the front?" Li Tong, who was accompanying the army, asked.
"General Li doesn't know something. The so-called defeat is like a mountain falling. If he retreats to Yuzhou, his morale will plummet. The soldiers will fear the Jizhou army like tigers and wolves, and the previous battle will be in vain." Xi Zhong explained: "Besides, if Jizhou The army occupied several key points on the south bank of the river and stopped moving forward. Wouldn't our army have lost these key points in vain? "
"That's war! But there are many soldiers in Jizhou. We are at a disadvantage in a field battle!" Xia Houyuan, who was accompanying the army, said worriedly.
"The school is based on planning, and the emotions are investigated. He said: Who has the right way, who is the general, who is capable, who has access to heaven and earth, who can issue orders, who is strong in the army, who is well trained in soldiers, who knows rewards and punishments, and I will know the victory or defeat by this. That’s it!”
Everyone looked around and saw that the person who made the noise was an actor. What he was reading was exactly a passage in Ji Pian. It is said that the outcome of the battle is judged according to seven situations.
Cao Cao smiled and said: "It is only ambition that knows my heart. Yuan Shao and the Jizhou Army are actually not as powerful as you think!"
"I would like to hear the details." Li Tong said.
Cao Cao pointed to the stone car in the distance and analyzed in a loud voice, "It is true that Jizhou has excellent military equipment and numerous soldiers and horses. However, Yuan Shao has great ambitions but few talents, is fierce in character but lacks courage, is jealous and nepotistic, and has many soldiers but not good at coordinating them. , the generals are arrogant and have selfish motives. It can be seen from the first two battles that Jizhou soldiers are not as elite as our Yanzhou soldiers. If we really send troops for a surprise attack, as long as they are planned properly, although they are many, they may not be our opponent. "
The actor couldn't help but nod his head: "According to the seven methods of predicting the enemy, we at least have six advantages: monarch, general, geographical location, orders, soldiers, rewards and punishments. Yuan Shao is just a strong man on the outside and a capable man in the middle. As long as he is cleverly laid out, he can be defeated in one battle. .”
Xi Zhong is worthy of being Cao Cao's confidant. He knows Cao Cao's thoughts clearly and can cooperate with him as much as possible.
Although Cao Cao and Xi Zhong spoke eloquently, they also had doubts in their hearts. In Cao Cao's heart, being able to repel the Jizhou army was the best result.
"There is not much ration left to stock up on White Horse. Please make a decision soon, lord, otherwise we will have to mobilize rations from Chenliu." Dong Zhao reminded.
"Report! A letter from Chen Liu." The herald sent a letter.
Cao Cao opened it, read it for a while and then smiled and said: "It's a letter from Wen Ruo. He said everything is fine in the rear. He also suggested that we seize the opportunity to win by surprise and defeat Yuan Shao quickly."
"Can Wen Ruo have a plan to defeat the enemy?" Xia Houyuan asked.
Cao Cao smiled and said, "I have discussed with Zhicai and Gongda before that the only way to use troops is to use falsehood, reality, and correctness. To defeat the seemingly powerful Jizhou army, we must follow the art of war and make the comfortable enemy army exhausted. , looking for fighters while they are in chaos."
Xi Zhong coughed a few times and said calmly: "It's just a matter of cutting off the enemy's food route, making noises in the east and attacking in the west."
"You all go down and reorganize your troops and horses, and come to the Chinese army's tent tonight to receive your orders. Zhicai, Gongda, and Zhongde, you three, stay here!" Cao Cao ordered.
Everyone took the order and went down to prepare. For a while, only Cao Cao and three close advisers were left in the big tent.
Cheng Yu asked: "Is it about the attack on Liyang? I don't think there is anything wrong with it."
Cao Cao's face was not as good as before, and he said: "Our army does not have an advantage in terms of soldiers, horses, food and grass after all. The victory or defeat depends on whether the clever strategy can work."
The dramatist understood and said tentatively: "My lord is not afraid of Yuan Shao, but worried about the little one."
Under the surprised looks of Cheng Yu and Xun You, Cao Cao nodded: "To conquer the entire Qingzhou at such a young age, and to compete with Tao Qian and other Central Plains powerful men, this boy is no ordinary creature!"
Xun You nodded: "In the previous confrontations with Qingzhou, although there was no large-scale fighting, it is not difficult to see that the strength of the Qingzhou Army is even higher than that of the Jizhou Army! Tian Feng, Guo Jia, and Zhong Yao are not inferior in intelligence. As for us and others, my lord is worried that they will find out our army’s true plot?”
"With the addition of the Qingzhou Army, I have never felt at ease. They like to be surprised and make dangerous moves." Cao Cao said with a headache.
"But my lord, don't forget. It's not Yuan Xi who has the final say on the other side. There's also Yuan Benchu above." Cheng Yu reminded.
"Is there a way to differentiate?" Cao Cao asked.
"It depends on people. There are many internal conflicts in Jizhou. It is not impossible for them to be suspicious of each other. It is just that time is too short to implement it." Xi Zhong replied.
"Even if Yuan Xi and the others see our army's plot, I'm afraid they won't be able to stop it in time. The strategy we formulated cannot be changed because of this." Cheng Yu said firmly.
Cao Cao nodded and sighed: "Having a son should be like Yuan Xianyi!"
In history, Cao Cao once lamented that having a son should be like Sun Zhongmou, and now he also lamented about Yuan Xi. Zhu Wen of the Five Dynasties also lamented that having a son should be like Li Yazi, referring to Jin King Li Cunxu, who was as young and heroic as Yuan Xi.
At both ends of the story, on the Qingzhou Army side, Yuan Xi felt more and more irritable the more he thought about it, so he summoned a group of subordinates to discuss the matter.
Five civil servants, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Liu Ye, Tian Yu, and Gu Yong, arrived at the main tent of the Qingzhou Army first, followed by Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Tai Shi Ci, Zhang Xiu, Guo Huai, Duan Pixi, Guan Hai, and Lu Xiang also arrived one after another.
Yuan Xi asked his soldiers to bring them cold water and said, "Thank you for your hard work in such a hot weather."
"Hey! This little bit of heat is nothing. When I was young, I farmed at home, and in the dog days of summer I was braving the fire disk in the sky, but I still didn't dry the grain." Guan Hai said. He poured water into his mouth and made a squeaking sound.
"None of us martial arts practitioners practice Sanjiu in the winter and Sanfu in the summer. It's good for General Guan, he also practiced the crop handle style. However, General Zhou's martial arts is extraordinary. I bet you got all your strength at that time. !" Guo Huai laughed. He is also a child of an aristocratic family, and he likes to make guest appearances as a actor and make jokes on weekdays.
"That's not true. When I was in Qingzhou, I didn't carry the more than two hundred kilograms of stones to the top of the city alone." Guan Hai said quite proudly. He still had some confidence in his own strength. He even repeatedly talked to Xu Chu about this. Of course the freaks with supernatural powers were completely defeated when they competed in sumo wrestling, but that's not true despite the general's repeated defeats.
"Haha! My suitcase is not light. I would have known that General Guan would come to help." Guo Jia said with a smile. He was also a troublemaker.
Yuan Xi coughed dryly and said: "To compete with others, move rocks. This time I came to discuss the military plan with everyone."
Guan Hai immediately silenced him. Although his behavior was vulgar, he still respected Yuan Xi. On the one hand, he was grateful for Yuan Xi's kindness of not killing and preferential treatment, and on the other hand, he was impressed by Yuan Xi's strength.
This is the trend. The vast majority of people obey the trend. It doesn't matter whether they are loyal or not. Betrayal depends on the chips.
After everyone calmed down, Yuan Xi said: "Thanks to Ziyang's Thunderbolt Chariot, the Yanzhou Army has now been beaten out of the camp. In three to five days, part of their camp will be defeated, and then our army will be able to send troops to capture the enemy camp." !”
"Okay! Let's see us make meritorious deeds then!" Zhang Xiu shouted.
"I have been waiting for this day for a long time!" Taishi Ci also agreed.
Yuan Xi smiled: "You generals are eager to fight. It seems that the morale of our Qingzhou Army is high."
"Since I have followed the Major General, we are the only ones fighting against others. Brothers, can't we hope to win a few more battles and get back a few acres of land?" Guan Hai said.
In order to reward military merit, Qingzhou allocated some unowned land to soldiers and generals who had made meritorious service, or reduced the land rent of their "military households". The Qingzhou Army has a complex internal composition. As early as the Yellow Turban Army, they included farmers, handicraftsmen, and unemployed vagrants.
In response to these situations, Yuan Xi and others also introduced various reward methods such as promotion to official ranks, rewards of money and silk, and distribution of fields. In this way, the Qingzhou Army's standing army began to take shape as a professional soldier, and various military orders and regulations were also improved.
"What the young master is afraid of is Cao Cao's schemes and tricks?" Guo Jia expressed Yuan Xi's thoughts.
"Exactly!" Yuan Xi nodded and said: "If there is a frontal offensive and defensive confrontation, our army will definitely win with the advantage of weapons and food! But Cao Cao is not a passive commander willing to be passive. He must be thinking of some trick to reverse the situation of the war."
General Zhang He looked around and said hesitantly: "Sir, there are some things that are related to the safety of the Jizhou Army. I don't know whether to say it or not."
"General Junyi said that we are all our own people here."
Zhang He hummed and said: "If it hadn't been for the great kindness you have shown me, I wouldn't have said these offending words. However, what you said is not accurate. The Yanzhou Army is not at a great disadvantage."
"Huh? General Zhang, please tell me why the Yanzhou Army is not at a great disadvantage?" Yuan Xi asked.
"I'm afraid you didn't pay attention to the training of the Jizhou soldiers. Just from the training of the soldiers, you can see that the Yanzhou soldiers are better than the Jizhou soldiers." Zhang He said solemnly.
Tai Shici understood and said: "General Zhang said that the Jizhou soldiers were training crossbowmen. I have also observed it. Their cavalry sometimes dismounts from their horses and fires arrows! Regardless of whether they are on foot or cavalry, they are targets for hundreds of steps."
Zhang He nodded in agreement with his statement, and Taishi Ci continued: "The archers of our army shoot at targets of one hundred and fifty steps. From previous observations, we know that the archers of the Yanzhou Army also shoot at a distance of one hundred and fifty steps. About one step. This shows that Yanzhou soldiers are more powerful than Jizhou soldiers!"
