"I have decided to send troops to conquer Cao Cao next year!" Yuan Xi's voice echoed in the meeting hall.
The hall was silent for a moment and the sound of iron needles falling to the ground could be heard. Most of the staff were surprised that Yuan Xi attacked Cao Cao so quickly.
Because there is still one year left for three years of cultivation. Only Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Liu Ye, the three real close ministers, had a deeper understanding of Yuan Xi's thoughts.
"Didn't the general make a three-year training plan? Why are you so eager to send troops?"
Moreover, the Yuan family has not returned the food they lent during the last war.
"At this time and that time, military strategy has always been adaptable. At that time, it was because the four states were exhausted. In the past two years, soldiers and people have been working in the fields, so that the treasury has accumulated a lot of grain, money, and silk. On the other hand, Cao Cao, he conquered the east and the west. The begging made the soldiers tired and there was not much food left. If Cao Cao can train for another year or two, he can obtain a large amount of money, food and supplies from Nanyang, Runan, and Xuzhou, then our army will not have the advantage in continuing to fight." Yuan Xi replied.
"Mr. Youruo should know that to capture Yanzhou, our army needs to transport grain and grass from Qingzhou and Jizhou deep into Henan. If a large amount of grain is also accumulated for Cao Cao, then I, Hebei, will not be able to gain an advantage no matter how many years I hoard more grain. I, Hebei, are here This is not the time of prosperity, but this is when Cao Cao is at his weakest!" Guo Tu replied immediately, fearing that he would be overtaken.
In fact, Guo Tu followed Yuan Xi's wishes, but he reiterated the contrast between strengths and weaknesses, which also won Yuan Xi's approval.
"The strategy of self-cultivation and exhaustion of the enemy set by the general has not yet fully achieved the set goals. Although Cao Cao is sending troops everywhere, he may not be tired. The outcome of the expedition at this time is really unknown." Tian Feng said worriedly. In his opinion, sending troops The requirements are prudent and comprehensive, and the enemy should be destroyed in one fell swoop with absolute superiority, like a mountain bearing down on top.
Yuan Xi frowned and explained, "Mr. Yuan Hao should know that the so-called military power can be created. A general who can seize the opportunity to defeat the weak can defeat the strong, but the absolute advantage you seek is really difficult to achieve."
"Actually, our army has already gained an advantage. As the ancients said: The school uses tactics to gain revenge. Which of the two armies is wiser?" Guo Jia asked.
"The general's government is clear and clear, and the soldiers and the people support it. Of course, our army is righteous." Guo Tu replied.
Regarding Guo Tu's flattery, Guo Jia smiled helplessly, and then said coaxingly, "Which general is capable?"
Xu You looked at Guo Tu and wanted to cater to him, so he quickly said: "I have so many famous generals in Hebei. Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Xu Chu, and Zhao Yun are all enemies of ten thousand people. Ju Yi, Xu Huang, and Zhang He are all outstanding commanders, and they have great talents." Lan, Han Meng, Zhang Xiu, Zhang Liao, Tai Shi Ci and others are all generals. How can there be such talents in the world?"
"Which one is better in heaven and earth?" Guo Jia continued to ask.
"The general has a secret edict from the Han Emperor. Yanzhou is surrounded by Jizhou and Qingzhou. Of course, our army occupies the right location and the right time." Guo Tu replied quickly, fearing that Xu You would steal the limelight.
Guo Jia was noncommittal and asked again: "Which of the soldiers is stronger, how well the soldiers are trained, and who knows the rewards and punishments?"
"Both Heshuo and Qingzhou have sent out elite troops, and there are also Wuhuan Tuqi as my minions. It is obvious that the general has clear rewards and punishments in running the army." Xu You said seriously.
Yuan Xi was stunned by their questions and answers, thinking that those so-called temples were just trying to amplify themselves and look for local weaknesses.
"After such analysis, this is when Cao Cao is at his weakest." Jushou nodded in agreement and then asked. "I just don't know how much food the surrounding treasuries can supply for the army."
The chief official of Cangcao was Zhong Yao. He quickly stood up and replied: "The grain production in Youzhou has recovered a lot, but due to the supply of Wuhuan people who have moved in, there is not much grain in the past two years. In Bingzhou, only Shangdang and Taiyuan have larger grain production. There are a lot of grains in stockpiles. Hedong is a major grain-producing county in Sili. The grain production in the Fenshui area is quite considerable. In the past two years, Jizhou has returned to normal renting and has reached the situation of the Zhongping period. It is the most important part of our army. grain-producing land.”
With that said, Zhong Yao concluded: "The food in these three states can supply the army for half a year."
Hear this. Everyone kept nodding. This situation is quite impressive, but they don't know that Zhong Yao's calculations are still very conservative.
"What about Qingzhou?" Yuan Xi asked with concern. That was his initial foundation, and he had put a lot of thought into it over the years.
"Qingzhou's household registration is solid. In recent years, water conservancy has been widely opened. Compared with Jizhou, it has not made more concessions." Zhong Yao sighed: "The money and food stored in Qingzhou's treasury can supply the needs of a hundred thousand troops for a year!"
As soon as this statement came out, many people were in an uproar. Qingzhou alone had hoarded as much money and food as the three states combined in the past two years.
Most of them are old ministers of Jizhou, and of course they do not know the situation in Qingzhou. Ever since Yuan Xi occupied Qingzhou, people have been migrating continuously, and most of these people are farmers. Plus the Qingzhou reserve soldiers who work part-time as farmers, of course, the grain collected by the officials That’s more.
The plan that Yuan Xi and others made back then to station 100,000 Qingzhou soldiers has now been realized.
"In this way, our army's food garrison can supply the needs of an army of 200,000 for most of half a year. However, no matter how rich Cao Cao's two states are, they can only supply 100,000 people for one season. What do you have to worry about?" Yuan Xi asked proudly.
In fact, Yuan Xi himself knew that Cao Cao would not be stupid enough to compete with him. Cao Cao must fight quickly, and his advantage lies in abundant supplies. This is an advantage, so he has more tactics to choose from.
Everyone looked at each other for a while and stopped discussing it.
"Please tell everyone about the available soldiers of our army, sir." Yuan Xi ordered.
Jushou bowed and saluted, and then said: "Because many soldiers were laid off two years ago and the necessary defenders in various places were removed, the three states can now recruit 140,000 soldiers, including 20,000 cavalry. Wuhuan three The tribe can also recruit 10,000 sudden cavalry. As for Qingzhou, as the general said, there can be 100,000 elite soldiers."
What Jushou did not say is that nearly half of the soldiers currently stationed in Jizhou are Qingzhou soldiers.
"Youzhou and Bingzhou are still not at peace, especially Bingzhou needs to take care of the Ma family, so there is no need to recruit soldiers from these two states. Jizhou and Qingzhou each mobilized 90,000 infantry, plus 20,000 cavalry. Baggage The battalion can choose 20,000 reserve troops from Qingzhou, and recruit all 10,000 Wuhuan cavalry!" Yuan Xi said, as for the Wuhuan cavalry in Youzhou, he will consume it as much as he can.
Everyone made their own calculations and held their breath, so there were two soldiers in total! The world is about to turn around!
"Since the general has decided to send troops, he must make the momentum bigger. He should use the emperor's secret edict to unite Liu Biao, Ma Teng, and Sun Jian to jointly attack the Cao thieves." Tian Feng suggested.
"That's right. It is said that the first step is to attack the enemy with troops, and the second is to attack the enemy. But Ma Teng, Liu Biao, and Sun Jian are all people with different ambitions. It may not be easy for them to attack Cao Cao together." Yuan Xi said.
"Sun Jian and others can't escape even a single word of advantage. We can use it to gain advantage, let Ma Teng attack Wancheng, and let Sun Jian and Liu Biao divide Runan. This will prevent Cao Cao from looking after each other." Tian Feng said.
"Leave it to Mr. Yuan Hao to send people to handle this matter. If it can be accomplished, Mr. Cao will definitely be defeated." Yuan Xi ordered.
In fact, he had no hope that Ma Teng and others would cooperate in besieging Cao Cao. Liu Biao was just a guest, Sun Jian had to spend time unifying his forces, and Ma Teng was even more difficult to say.
"Ju Yi stationed in Hedong to guard against Ma Teng. I will command the soldiers and horses of Jizhou. But I don't know who can command the soldiers and horses of Qingzhou?" Yuan Xi asked.
This is indeed a problem. Although Xu Huang is a general, no matter his qualifications, reputation or commanding ability, it seems that he is not enough to lead an army of 100,000 people to fight alone. The same is true for Zhang He, Ju Yi and Yuan Mai.
Everyone looked at each other. To lead an army alone requires not only talent, but also a certain reputation. Otherwise, how could the generals below obey?
"Mr. Gong Yu is familiar with military warfare, and he is also a military officer. He once served as a Fenwu general under Ben Chu Gong's account and has leadership experience. Moreover, in the previous battle of Liyang, Gong Yu controlled the army and fought against Zhang He and his son. Cao Cao, I think there is no one more suitable than him." Jia Xu said.
Yuan Xi's eyes lit up. Although Jia Xu was taciturn, he always hit the mark. Jushou is the chief official of the army. The prestige is there, and he is not just a counselor, he has also had the qualifications to lead troops before.
"Okay, sir, I will appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the right route army. Xu Huang, Zang Ba, Hao Zhao, Zhou Cang, Ji Ling and others will be under your command. In addition, I will send Qingzhou Chen Deng as the military advisor and Gu Yong as the guard. , Guoyuan and Wang Xiu stay behind." Yuan Xi ordered.
"promise."
No one had any objections. Jushou also took over his post.
"General, have you figured out how to advance?" Jushou asked.
He guessed that Yuan Xi should have a rough plan, and what they wanted to do was to perfect this plan.
Yuan Xi stood up and came to the right side of the meeting hall. Pointing to the territory map, he said: "I decided to divide the troops into two groups. On the right, the Qingzhou Army of 100,000 will march out of Mount Tai. They will attack Lu State, Rencheng, Shanyang, and Jiyin, and directly attack Chenliu's right wing. The Jizhou Army will march out of Liyang to cross the river. Then get off your white horse and attack Puyang to clear the obstacles, and then join forces with the Qingzhou Army to attack Chenliu. When the two armies capture Chenliu, concentrate your troops and go straight to Xu County!"
Jushou nodded and said, "What our army wants is a decisive battle with Cao Cao's main force. Encircling the important area of Chenliu from both sides will force Cao Cao to divide his troops to resist. It can be said that attacking him will save him. We have many troops, so we will send a surprise force to attack his flank. Finally, we will be able to defeat the enemy."
Zhong Yao looked at the territory map and wondered: "The Qingzhou Army runs through the four counties of Yanzhou. The road along the way is long and goes deep into the enemy's strongholds. It is difficult to supply its supplies and food."
Yuan Xi narrowed his eyes and said: "The Art of War says: If the ground is scattered, there will be no fighting, if the ground is light, it will be endless, and if it is heavy, it will be plundered. If a sergeant goes deep into the enemy's territory, his army will be dedicated, and if he is in a dangerous place, there will be no fear. It will be difficult to penetrate deep into the enemy's country. If you are scattered, you can seize grain when you enter important areas."
"Everyone knows that the Qingzhou Army is actually the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans. They didn't have the habit of carrying extra baggage in the past." Guo Jia said and smiled, "Fighting deep into important areas is the strength of the Qingzhou Army. If they advance in early Xia, then the cities and counties of Yanzhou Isn’t it the same as the wilderness, which is just fodder?”
"Start transporting part of Qingzhou's grain and grass to Liyang now, and capture Puyang and Baima first next year. By then, Qingzhou's grain and grass can reach the front line through river transportation." Tian Feng suggested.
"As long as our army has enough food and grass, Cao Cao will be in chaos when the time comes. We can attack his weak spots first," Yuan Xi said, pointing to a small place name on the map, "When we besiege Chenliu, we can store food and grass here along the way. , in order to supply the needs of the front line.”
Everyone gathered around and saw that it was a specially marked place name——Wuchao!
Xu County.
A heavy snowfall overnight covered Xu County in white salt. On the last day of the year, the people in the city were busy preparing for the festival.
Under the leadership of several officials, teams of government officials and soldiers cleared the snow from the city gate. Seven or eight chariots and horses drove to the city gate, and Taiwei Yang Biao got out of the chariot first. Then Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, Cao Hong and others also got off the car.
After a while, they saw the flags of the Yanzhou Army flying in the distance, and Cao Cao and others returned in triumph with their troops.
"Prime Minister Cao, congratulations on your victory and return to the court. Your Majesty asked me to greet you on your behalf." Yang Biao stepped forward and said.
Cao Cao jumped off the horse and held Yang Biao's hand, pretending to be surprised and said, "How dare Taiwei Yang do you such a favor!"
Yang Biao took out an edict, read out the commendation to Cao Cao, and then returned to the palace to resume his duties.
Cao Cao returned to his prime minister's palace with a group of subordinates. Mrs. Bian took Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, and Xiahou Dun to greet him.
At the banquet, all the civil and military officials exchanged cups and cups. The Yanzhou army won successively in Nanyang and Xuzhou. They celebrated these two victories. Even Zhang Ji, who had surrendered, and some celebrities from the court were also invited.
"Mengde made great achievements in this expedition to Xuzhou, especially the last one to lure the enemy out of the city, which was really a stroke of genius." Kong Rong said with a smile.
Cao Cao pointed at Dong Zhao. He smiled and said: "This is all the result of Gongren. He dispersed the grain and grass storage warehouses in Xiangbi, so that less than half of our army's baggage was destroyed, and this was the plan to feign defeat."
"My lord has been very tolerant by not investigating his faults in Xiadi. How can I dare to take credit?" Dong Zhao said humbly.
"Now that both the east and west sides are level, the court has no worries. I'll see if your Majesty will reward you Meng De again in a few days," Kong Rong said.
Cao Cao's long eyes were fascinated, "I just recovered two states and counties. The world is in chaos. There are so many thieves and bandits."
Speaking of this, all the subordinates put away their joy just now. After all, they still have many powerful enemies. Not to mention, Yuan Xi, who was entrenched in Hebei, captured Ma Teng in Guanzhong, Liu Biao who occupied Jingzhou and adjacent to Nanyang, and Sun Jian who occupied Jiujiang and bordered Guangling in Runan. Although Yanzhou was located in the Central Plains, it was also a place of the Four Wars.
Cao Cao raised his wine cup and said to Xun Yu: "In these years of conquering east and west, I have achieved such great achievements. Wen Ruo deserves the most credit. If Wen Ruo was not in charge of the counties and counties, raising grain and grass to prepare soldiers and armor, then what could I do? I can lead my troops into battle with peace of mind.”
Xun Yu didn't refuse. After drinking a glass of wine, he said: "
The world is not at peace, and the lord and the generals are about to continue their efforts. As long as everyone works together. No matter how big or powerful the enemy is, it will be defeated. "
"Okay!" Everyone cheered.
Just in the middle of everyone's feast. Cheng Yu arrived in a hurry, and after saluting, he walked to Cao Cao and whispered.
Cao Cao restrained his smile after hearing this. Became very serious.
"I wonder what the big deal is?" Kong Rong asked.
Cao Cao put down the wine baron and said solemnly: "There is no one else. The Yuan family's son has already ordered to raise supplies and food. I'm afraid there will be a big move after the beginning of the new year!"
"Ah!" Everyone exclaimed. The Yuan family who is entrenched in Hebei is the most powerful prince today. If they move south in a big way, it will be no small matter.
"Why, are you all afraid?" Cao Cao asked with a smile.
"What are you afraid of?" Xiahou Dun said loudly, "Last time, we were able to kill Yuan Shao because of such a disadvantage. But our army is not what it used to be. No matter how Yuan Xi's son comes, he will not be able to retreat. Go back to Hebei!"
"Okay, General Yuan Rang is so strong!" Kong Rong praised.
