After Yuan Xi looked around at everyone, he said in a deep voice: "This battle against Cao Cao has exposed many shortcomings in our army. Military orders are not strict, generals privately plunder, soldiers are overworked and slack, etc..."
"I'm wondering, why can Cao Cao's army attack with thousands of soldiers and horses, and our army has tens of thousands of troops stationed there? But we can't?" Yuan Xi became more and more angry as he spoke, and said sternly, "Why can Cao Cao's archers attack?" One hundred and fifty steps, but our soldiers can only shoot a hundred steps!"
Yuan Xi questioned him and silenced all the old officials in Jizhou. Some of them were indifferent and some were angry. There are also those who are embarrassed and annoyed, but the temple is beautiful.
"General, the defeat of White Horse is a great disgrace to our army! Tens of thousands of soldiers could not capture the little White Horse, and they could not protect the old lord's life! I am ashamed of myself!" Yan Liang made a puff and knelt down in the middle of the meeting hall. "If the general hadn't managed to turn the tide, I don't know how many of the 100,000 soldiers would have been able to return home. During this battle, the last general will know how useless his subordinates are. Please give me one year, general, and the last general will be assigned to the general. Train an undefeated elite soldier!"
Yan Liang's move was partly out of gratitude, partly out of strong desire for revenge, and perhaps to show his loyalty to his new master. Although Yan Liang was a martial artist, he was not a fool, right?
"General, although I am about to lead my troops out, I will also learn from the lessons of the defeat and train an elite army to avenge the enemy!" Gao Lan said with an angry expression.
"Okay! From now on, new military orders will be implemented in the army, and a group of military governors will be dispatched to supervise. Anyone who disobeys the military orders will be killed without mercy! Remember what I said today!" Yuan Xi ordered loudly.
The military order Yuan Xi wants to implement is actually the military order implemented by the Qingzhou Army. He wants to expand the Qingzhou model to the four states in Hebei, and now is a good time. Seeing this established situation, all the generals can only accept the order.
After the order to reform the military system was issued, Yuan Xi felt a big stone removed from his heart, and then said in a deep voice: "Cao Cao and I have an sworn hatred, and I wish I could send troops to conquer immediately!"
"Ah! No, General." Jushu immediately persuaded, "Our army has mobilized troops one after another. Hebei has reached a very exhausted situation. There is no extra money, silk, food and grass to supply the army with troops. Although we have sworn enemies, But we should also accumulate strength, and let’s talk about revenge! General, please think twice!”
"Now that Youzhou is in turmoil and the soldiers are exhausted, we really shouldn't send out troops hastily." Shen Pei also advised.
Having just suffered a defeat recently, some civil servants were unwilling to risk another battle. So they all followed the advice. This was different from when they encouraged Yuan Shao to send troops before the Battle of White Horse. They were scared out of their wits by Cao Cao, so they persuaded Yuan Xi, not based on the reality of Hebei.
Yuan Xi didn't know his own situation, but as Yuan Shao's heir, he had to take revenge and couldn't show his timidity towards Cao Cao, otherwise the soldiers would be uneasy. This also avoids the argument that he persecuted his brothers before avenging his father's revenge. Just like when Li Keyong was about to send troops to Zhu Wen, he must not let others see his weakness.
Yuan Xi nodded, agreed and said, "As you said, Hebei really cannot afford another war. So we should take this opportunity to recuperate, save money and food, and then train our troops. I will spend three years with you. We promise to send troops in three years to avenge our country and our family!"
"I obey the general's orders!" everyone said, and they also breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, Hebei's morale was indeed poor.
Therefore, Yuan Xijun, in addition to accumulating strength, also needs time to overcome his fear of Cao, that is, a victorious war. This is more useful than anything else, such as the mentality of the Japanese before the Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War.
The three years mentioned by Yuan Xi were actually carefully considered. As long as the unrest in Hebei is put down quickly, it will take more than two years to restore Hebei's vitality.
What's more important is that with the recovery of production in Qingzhou. In three years, we can stock up on food and grass to supply 100,000 Qingzhou troops. One hundred thousand Hebei soldiers and one hundred thousand Qingzhou soldiers. Yuan Xi believed that at that time, he had enough strength to dominate the world.
After Yuan Xi arranged some more political orders, he asked the civil and military officials to leave. And among his generals and subordinates of Cao Cao, there were Tian Feng, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, Jia Xu, Xu You, Zhong Yao and other confidants left behind.
Yuan Xi asked Xu Chu, a strong man, to carry a huge topographic map with Hu Wei. This was a map of the territory of the Han Dynasty that he combined with the march map at that time and the memories of later generations, and asked Ma Jun to perfect it.
Yuan Xi pointed to the Yanzhou area and said: "Cao Cao returned to Yanzhou. He should be busy now, deploying troops to quell the rebellion in Xuzhou. In my estimation, even with the support of Qingzhou, Liu Bei is no match for Cao Cao. Xuzhou's fall again is only a matter of time. How much land is there?"
Xu You understood, and continued what Yuan Xi said: "Our army is accumulating strength, and Cao Cao is also accumulating strength. The two sides are competing to see who is faster. Cao Cao will not sit back and watch Hebei become stable, and we will continue to cause trouble for him. OK."
"Mr. Ziyuan is right! It is said that the first step is to attack the enemy with troops, and the second is to attack the enemy. When the decisive battle in the Central Plains comes, it will not only be about the soldiers' food and fodder. It will also be about whose rear is more stable." Yuan Xi said firmly.
Jushou stared at the entire territory map and analyzed: "Although Liu Bei is weak, he is also a veteran general. If Cao Cao wants to completely pacify Xuzhou in the east, it will take some means and time. Liu Biao occupies the vast land of Jingzhou. With the armored We have more than 100,000 soldiers, who can be used to contain Yuzhou in the south of Cao Cao. Cao Cao has taken the imperial court hostage, which will definitely make those old ministers dissatisfied. We can contact them and then join forces with Zhang Ji in Nanyang to contain the west of Cao Cao. "
Feng Ji smiled and said, "If we are included in the north, wouldn't Cao Cao be surrounded from all sides?"
Ju Shou shook his head and explained, "Liu Biao and Zhang Ji are both snobs. They are probably just bluffing. To achieve the purpose of weakening Cao Cao, we still need our own strength and detailed planning."
"It all depends on the person. If you can wear him down, it will be a little bit." Yuan Xi said optimistically, "Zang Ba who is stationed at Mount Tai is well versed in military affairs, and he is good at mobile surprise attacks. I plan to send Hao Zhao and him to constantly harass the eastern part of Yanzhou. Once we come, We rushed to Liu Bei's aid, and secondly used offense as defense to delay the recuperation of his three eastern counties. In addition, the cavalry stationed along the river could also continue to cross the river in small groups and harass the northern part of Yanzhou to achieve the purpose of tiring the enemy."
"General, does this count as following Wu Zixu's strategy of tired Chu?" Liu Ye asked with a smile.
"You are harassing Cao Cao like this!" Xu You rolled his eyes and asked: "Is the general worried that Cao Cao will join forces with powerful enemies to attack and harass me in Hebei?"
Yuan Xi thought to himself, Xu You's ability to figure out people's thoughts is really not inferior to that of Guo Jia or Jia Xu. He must also understand his ultimate intention, which is to be smart.
Yuan Xi pointed to Hebei on the territorial map and continued, "The Xianbei Xiongnu tribe in Bingzhou, the Black Mountain bandits roaming Jibin, and Wuhuan, the three counties of Youzhou, are all powerful enemies that threaten our Jizhou. Among them, the three counties Wuhuan is the most powerful and poses the greatest threat to Youzhou, Hebei!"
"General, haven't we already sent envoys to appease Tadun? You don't necessarily have to be against Tadun!" Shen Pei hurriedly persuaded.
Yuan Xi's face immediately darkened. Said, "All of you here are my close ministers, let's not talk about those clichés. Tadun has a close relationship with my eldest brother. I think he will borrow troops from Tadun to harass my two states of Youji and Hebei. Instead of passively defending for a long time, it is better to destroy them quickly." Get rid of these barbarians who threaten our great Han Dynasty!" Only by fighting can we make peace, just like Emperor Taizong Li Shimin fought against Jieli Khan.
Although these people are Yuan Xi's trusted ministers, there are some things they cannot say. Yuan Tan has always been a problem in Yuan Xi's heart. In their opinion, Yuan Xi wants to take advantage of this to eliminate this hidden danger.
"The land of the three counties is far away, and the supply of food and grass is a big problem. Besides, our army is exhausted, and Wuhuan has no less than 100,000 soldiers. How many soldiers must be recruited to pacify the land of the three counties?" Jushou immediately objected.
"In the past, when the imperial court conquered the barbarian barbarians, it would send out the best soldiers in the country, supplemented by grain, grass and baggage collected from various places. We used the exhausted strength of the four states to conquer the three counties of Wuhuan. The chance of success was really not good. General, please think twice." Tian Feng also objected.
"I think our army has a great chance of winning if we attack Wuhuan at this time!" Guo Jia said lightly.
After saying that, Guo Jia stood up and explained to everyone, "There are constant disputes among the tribes of the Hu people. We can unite with the Xianbei Wuhuan people in Yuyangdai County and other places to attack Tadun. This is one of them. Tadun is remote. There must be no defense now. A sudden attack will definitely achieve the effect of a surprise attack. This is the second one. Although the Hu people have many people who control strings, they are loosely organized. Although our Han cavalry is small, they are all skilled in studying battle formations. Sharp. Therefore, the former Pingyuan Marquis and Huo Qiao were able to chase the enemy with thousands of horses and ten thousand horses to the north. These are three of them! Based on these three points, I conclude that this battle will be won!"
"Well said!" Xu You couldn't help but clap his hands in agreement. How could he not understand Yuan Xi's thoughts? What Guo Jia meant was actually Yuan Xi's original intention. How could he not applaud?
Seeing that Yuan Xi had already made a plan, and it was related to the internal dispute between the two brothers of the Yuan family, Ju Sue, Tian Feng, Shen Pei, Feng Ji, and Zhong Yao, although they did not agree with this risky battle, they did not give much advice.
As for Yuan Xi's core staff, Liu Ye and Jia Xu knew that Yuan Xi had always been good at winning by surprise, so they felt that there was still a chance of victory.
"How to mobilize troops and how to march?" Xu You then asked. In fact, he was giving Guo Jiashun the rhythm.
Guo Jia smiled and explained, "Young Master can send two more groups of envoys to Liucheng with heavy gifts, explain to Tadun the intention of making good friends, and ask him to return the eldest Young Master."
"Oh! This is a tactic of concealing strength and showing weakness, which can paralyze the enemy." Xu You immediately praised. If he didn't give it, it would give him a legitimate reason to send troops. After all, he had an intelligence of 91, but if he didn't keep his mouth shut, he could easily show off his intelligence like Yang Xiu, which could lead to death.
Guo Jia continued, "Young Master has a long-standing friendship with Yan Rou from the valley. We can send people to join him in raising an army together. Our army will select 30,000 elite soldiers to avoid the main roads and attack Liucheng by small roads! There is a 50% chance of winning."
"Even if we start from Yuyang, the road to Liucheng is very far and remote, and the supply of food and fodder along the way is a problem. We in Jizhou don't have much food, and it is impossible to recruit hundreds of thousands of people to transport food like Emperor Wu did when he attacked the Xiongnu." Jushou reminded. road.
"If more civilians are recruited to transport baggage, the effect of a surprise attack will not be achieved." Yuan Xi shook his head in denial, and then asked, "The battle against Cao Cao ended early. Our army still has enough food and grass to supply the 30,000 troops for three months, right?" "
"It can still supply 40,000 soldiers for three months." Zhong Yao quickly replied.
"That's good. We will use elite soldiers for the expedition, and bring more mules, horses, and boxcars. Then we will buy a batch of cattle and sheep from Yuyang, Shanggu and other places for military use. This way there will be no need to provide heavy supplies again." Yuan Xi said roughly. .
At this time Jia Xu stood up. Youyou said, "The attack on Liucheng from the Youzhou Trail can indeed achieve surprising results, but the Major General forgot, can our army send another surprise force to raid the enemy's rear?"
Yuan Xi squinted his eyes and thought for a while, looked at Jia Xu, the old god, and said in surprise, "Sea route!"
"Yes, it's the sea route." Jia Xu pointed to the territorial map and said, "On the Mi family's ship, I heard the boatman say that someone ran across Liaodong by sea. As long as we send another elite soldier to land in Liaodong, we will be able to Attack Liucheng from behind. Even more so, you can catch them by surprise and attack them unprepared."
"Such a surprise army by land will become a real soldier, and an army by sea will be even more surprising!" Yuan Xi said excitedly, so the chance of winning is greater.
After everyone discussed the arrangement of food and fodder for the soldiers, they all retreated.
Jushu walked halfway and returned to Yuan Xi. He saluted and asked, "I would like to ask. When the general transferred Ju Yi back to Yecheng, do you want him to lead the army to conquer Wuhuan?"
Yuan Xi nodded and said, "Ju Yi is well-acquainted with Qiang fighting and has many soldiers. He is a rare general. Moreover, he is one of the few generals who has fought against the barbarians."
"Ju Yi is indeed a talented general, but he is arrogant and arrogant. Many of his colleagues have joined him. A general needs to be well controlled." Jushou reminded.
"I've heard about this a long time ago. I will deal with it well." Yuan Xi replied calmly.
Liu Bei used Wei Yan, Emperor Taizong and Li Shimin used Hou Junji, but he couldn't use Ju Yi?
Jushou hesitated for a while and bowed deeply: "I have been advising you, Mr. Yuan Gong, in the past, but General, you ignored the previous grudges and not only saved my life, but also promoted me to the important position of Bingcao. This makes me really ashamed!" "
This Jushou was also a smart man. He first threw bricks, then attracted jade, and then showed weakness to dispel Taizong Xuanwu Emperor Yuan Xi's suspicion, and also showed loyalty at the same time. He was really a master.
Yuan Xi helped him up and said with a smile, "Sir, you don't have to be like this. Only by knowing people well and assigning them well can the foundation be stable. I entrusted you with the soldiers because of your talent. I hope that you will put the great cause of the Yuan family first and do your best."
"I can only do my best to repay the kindness of the general." Jushu paused and then said, "The general does have the style of Qi Huan, but I want to recommend two more talents to the general."
Look, Ju Shou's words are quite accurate. He compares Yuan Xi to Duke Huan of Qi. Who is he? Guan Zhong? Guan Zhong was also the enemy of Duke Huan of Qi. In the end, Duke Huan of Qi tolerated Guan Zhong. In the end, with the help of Guan Zhong, the nine princes united and unified the world, dominating the Warring States Period. Jushou was self-intentioned here, and he also wanted Yuan Xi to tolerate him.
"Is he someone who knows Wuhuan's affairs?" Yuan Xi asked curiously after hearing this.
"There is one person." Jushou replied. "One of them is Gao Rou, the younger brother of Gao Gan, who has the talent to govern the country. But Gao Gan was close to the eldest son before, but now he is afraid of your revenge, the general, so he keeps the family behind closed doors to protect himself." This Jushou is really good. An old fox.
"They are both my cousins after all. I will go and comfort them myself one day." Yuan Xi said. It turns out that he is his uncle. This is not to avoid relatives, not to mention that he just wants to use Gao Rou.
Jushu nodded and continued, "This second person does know about Wuhuan's affairs. He was the one appointed by Duke Yuan to contact Tadun before."
"Huh, Guo Tu!" Yuan Xi sneered.
Jushuo saw that Yuan Xi's expression was not kind, so he said cautiously, "In the past, Duke Huan of Qi used his enemy Guan Zhong in order to become a hegemon. The gentleman's magnanimity is really not inferior to that of Duke Huan of Qi. I wonder what a mere Guo Tu means."
"Sir, don't praise me like this, but as long as Guo Tu is willing to join me, I can ignore the past. Let's go to see him together." Yuan Xi said with a smile.
Yuan Xi quickly recalled the news about Guo Tu in the late Han Dynasty. Historically, during the Battle of Guandu, this man took the opportunity to sneak attack Cao Ying. After this plan failed, in order to avoid punishment, he led his troops to sneak attack Zhang He and Gao Lan on Cao Ying, causing them to betray Yuan and surrender to Cao. The final straw for Yuan Jun.
Later, he gave the eldest brother a plan to murder the third brother, but was discovered by Shen Pei and others, which led to the brothers fighting. Later, he persuaded the eldest brother to join forces with Cao Cao to attack the third brother in order to reap the benefits of the fishermen.
It can be said that every strategy Guo Tu made was a fool's errand at the time. At a time of crisis, brothers still fought in the same room, which was a recipe for self-destruction. How could Guo Tu not understand?
So speaking of it, Guo Tu is the kind of second-rate strategist who only cares about immediate interests, far from being a first-rate strategist.
But speaking of which, Guo Tu was pretty good. He was already fainting. At least he didn't surrender. His bones were hard and he was always serving the Yuan family. He was still somewhat useful.
The most outstanding thing he did in his life was probably to persuade Han Fu to give up Jizhou to his father.
Generally speaking, Yuan Xi's evaluation of the people in front of him is that it can be used, but not very useful.
Jushou quickly agreed, and then Yuan Xi summoned Xu Chu and a group of guards. They all came to Yecheng together to the military prison where the important criminals were imprisoned, to see their old friend Guo Tu.
