After a loud "boom" sound, a three-foot-wide section of the city wall began to collapse.
"Quick, quick, bring up the fence and the basket!" Le Jin shouted to the soldiers.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Yanzhou soldiers braved the hail of arrows and filled up the baskets filled with soil and the fence, completely sealing the gap.
"Boom! Boom!" The stone hit the city wall and fence, but it could not be shaken.
Man Chong led his troops to garrison the city wall. The Jizhou Army had made many small-scale attacks like this. The defenders adopted the methods of Xun You and others, using baskets and fences filled with earth to fill the gaps in the city wall. Therefore, although the situation was critical from time to time, the The walls remain strong.
"General, the people of Jizhou have been repulsed by us again!" A hundred-man general with a simple face said with a grin.
"Ah, yes!" Man Chong was a little indifferent, and at the same time worried about his subordinates who had followed him for many years.
Because he knew the situation in the city and the advantages of the Jizhou Army, the most likely outcome of this battle was the destruction of Cao Cao's army, and the Jizhou Army also suffered heavy casualties.
"General Man, the Prime Minister has asked you to go to the government office to discuss matters!" the messenger reported.
Man Chong agreed, handed over the defense to his generals, and led a few soldiers down the city wall.
Man Chong rode his horse and ran in the city. He looked at the depressed streets and alleys around him. There were not many closed houses anymore, and Yanzhou soldiers were demolishing the wooden boards and masonry of some houses. There was no way, because the war was serious and Yanzhou soldiers had to strengthen the city defense.
Man Chong had to ride his horse carefully because many trenches had been dug in the streets and alleys. These trenches would serve as the last barrier against the Jizhou army. Seeing this, Man Chong felt a sense of sadness in his heart. This is the end of the road. Once surrounded, people in the city will inevitably have a wave of suppressed negative emotions.
Man Chong handed the war horse to the soldiers in front of the government office to take care of it, and he entered the meeting hall of the government office.
At this time, Yanzhou's top generals and officials were all there, presumably discussing the city's defense issues or Cao Cao's big decision.
"Lord, gentlemen!" Manchong saluted.
"Bo Ning, how is the south wall?" Cao Cao asked.
"The collapsed city section has been repaired, but the Jizhou Army failed to succeed." Man Chong replied truthfully.
Cao Cao let out a long breath. Then he said: "Gongren, you have always been in charge of Chenliu's defense. Please tell everyone about the current situation in the city."
"Yes!" Dong Zhao took possession, "After counting, there are many of us, but excluding the wounded and old and weak, there are actually only 40,000 soldiers capable of fighting. Originally, Chen Liu had hoarded a batch of food, fodder and baggage, but the two armies fought a war some time ago. The front is Most of the grain and fodder in the city are transported from Chenliu, so there is actually not much grain in the city, only enough for two months at most. And all the defenses have been properly arranged. As long as there is as much grain as possible, the city can hold on for as long as it lasts!"
Cao Cao felt that the matter was difficult, frowned, and asked, "Zixiao, tell me about the situation outside the city."
Cao Ren stood up, pointed to a pile of soil on the ground and piled it into a map model, and introduced, "Now the Jizhou army is in the north and east of the city, digging trenches to block our army from leaving the city, while pushing earth mountains in the east of the city and digging tunnels in the south of the city. Now. They deployed heavy troops on the mound to the east of the city, trying to attack the city from here."
"In other words, even if the Jizhou army besieges and fails to attack, our army can only defend for two months at most?" Xiahou Dun asked.
"I'm afraid that's the case." Dong Zhao said in frustration.
"Then why defend? It's better to fight to the death, maybe break out to Pei State. That's our territory, and there might be a chance for a comeback." Xiahou Dun said anxiously.
"Jizhou's army is so powerful that forcing a decisive battle will only lead to a narrow escape from death." Xun You objected, and he came to a conclusion after objective analysis.
"Tell me, Commander Xun. What will happen to us in two months? Will we break through then?" Xiahou Dun asked in return.
Xun You couldn't answer for a while. At this time, Cao Cao's army was extremely embarrassed, leaving Chenliu alone. No matter how wise Xun You was, he couldn't conjure food out of thin air. He was also a man and not a god.
"You can release the people in the city to reduce the pressure on food and fodder." Xun You suggested.
"No!" Dong Zhao immediately objected, "Let alone the people's objections, even if we let them out, there is no guarantee that the Jizhou army will not take the opportunity to attack the city. Moreover, the Jizhou army is trapped outside the city. They may not let the people out at all."
Cheng Yu sighed and said: "
Now there are only two ways to go, either fight to the death to break out of the encirclement, or risk a close call and fight decisively to put the army to death and survive! "
"Yes, the lack of food in the city cannot last long. It is better to take advantage of the fact that the morale of the army is still stable and fight to the death with the Jizhou army. Although we cannot win completely, it is worse than sitting back and waiting for death!" Xiahou Dun agreed.
"Relying on the city can also cause damage to Jizhou's generals, but our army has no advantage in a decisive battle outside the city!" Xun You retorted.
"I understand your thoughts, but Gongda, have you ever thought about it. If the food runs out in two months and the morale of the army is weakened by then, it will be impossible to break through or fight decisively." Cheng Yu said.
Both parties hold different opinions and have their own reasons, but the essence of the dispute is the Yanzhou Army's dilemma.
Cao Cao felt a headache after hearing this. This was the most critical battle in his life. If you win, you may be able to turn around. If you lose, you are doomed. He was also very confused, but he had no way out.
And with his understanding of Yuan Xi, Yuan Xi will not give him a way out. This kid is hotter than his father Yuan Shao.
"I have decided!" Cao Cao said solemnly, "Decisive battle. If you win, you will fight back. If you lose, you will wait for an opportunity to break out! Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed!"
Xun You wanted to persuade him, but he knew that Cao Cao was already very inclined to a decisive battle. This was also the effect of Yuan Xi's plan. It was Yuan Xi's Guo Tu who disrupted Cao Cao's judgment and made him inclined to make a desperate move.
"Zhongde, go and write a letter of battle, agreeing to a decisive battle in the north of the city in three days, and let the Jizhou army get out of the way!" Cao Cao ordered.
"Here!" Cheng Yu took the order.
Jizhou Army Camp.
Cheng Yu, led by Yuan Xi's guards, came to the headquarters of the Jizhou army commander.
Yuan Xi couldn't help but feel happy when he heard that Cao Cao had sent someone to issue a letter of war, so he also summoned all the civil and military officials to discuss the matter.
From the moment he entered the Jizhou Army camp, Cheng Yu was secretly shocked, because the soldiers in the camp were full of morale, their armor was bright, and the defense and soldiers in the camp were in good order. They were really an elite soldier who had fought in hundreds of battles!
Entering Yuan Xi's tent, Cheng Yu saw the civil and military personnel in Jizhou at close range. Cheng Yu couldn't help but sigh. A wise man said that you can know the inside by looking at the outside. He sighed that all of Yuan Xi's men were extraordinary.
"General, Cheng Yu is from Xiadong County. I have been specially ordered by my Prime Minister Cao to come here to issue a declaration of war!" Cheng Yu said, neither humble nor arrogant.
Yuan Xi took the letter of challenge, read it over and said: "I won't say much. If Cao Cao wants to fight, I will fight! Let him wash his neck!"
After saying that, he picked up the brush and wrote the word "war" on the back of the letter of war in regular script, which was not yet popular at that time.
"The general is really brave. We will meet in front of the two armies in three days!" Cheng Yu took back the letter of war.
"Wait a minute!" Guo Jia stopped Cheng Yu and asked, "Mr. Zhongde, is your daughter in good health? It's an offense to bring her to Chen Liuduo. But the general is kind-hearted and puts aside your concerns." .”
Cheng Yu's expression tightened and he said calmly: "My mother is still healthy. Speaking of which, I would like to thank the general for her kindness."
"Haha, it's just a little effort, you're welcome." Yuan Xi also smiled lightly and said: "It's just a chaotic situation. I can protect them for a while, but I can't guarantee that it will be like this every time."
Cheng Yu's face turned pale, and he nodded and said, "Cheng understands. But I also want to advise the general to govern the world with benevolence and filial piety, and not to do anything too extreme. Otherwise, it will be like the pre-Qin Dynasty. Although it was strong for a while, it ended up in a miserable state." The ending."
It is true that Yuan Xi expanded too quickly later, had a bit of indigestion, and almost followed the old path of former Qin Fujian.
"Thank you, Mr. Cheng, for reminding me. However, these are troubled times. Let Cao Cao do the benevolence and righteousness. I will use domination to bring peace to the world." Yuan Xi half retorted and half sarcastically said.
"Haha, the general is indeed a talented man. Cheng can't compare to you." Cheng Yu smiled bitterly and was about to leave.
"Mr. Cheng, wait!" Yuan Xi stopped Cheng Yu, who turned around and wanted to leave, "Cao Cao has a grudge against me for killing my father, but I am tired of taking care of several ladies for so long because of our previous friendship. Now I want to return the ladies and ask Mr. Cheng to take them away."
Cheng Yu's pupils shrank. Walk away quickly without looking back.
"Haha!" There was laughter and curses in the tent, especially from Yan Liang, Wen Chou and Chang Tun. The laugh was particularly harsh.
"Come on, come on!" Yuan Xi shouted to stop everyone's laughter and scolding, "Although Cao Cao was forced to come out for a decisive battle, he still had tens of thousands of people who fought to the death and turned the tables.
Victory is not impossible, we have to guard against their tricks. "
Sometimes I wonder if Yuan Xi is like Li Shimin or Yang Guang, or is he somewhere in between? Maybe both!
Jushou nodded and said, "Fortunately, the general has not been paralyzed by the immediate advantage. We must be very cautious in the decisive battle, be prepared for various outcomes, and plan post-war actions."
"Now they are all trapped in the city. The north of the city is the area we control. What tricks can they play?" Yan Liang asked.
Guo Jia smiled and analyzed, "Cao Cao has become a vicious and ruthless bandit. The only way he can win is to use dangerous tactics. And the trick he can play under this disadvantage can be guessed, it is - make a desperate move and sink the boat!"
