After the fourth watch, Cheng Pu sent troops out of the city to rob the camp. One troop was sent out from each of the three gates to test the strength of Cao's army.
At dawn, three generals, Chen Wu, Ding Feng and Dong Xi, returned to the city one after another. They all reported that Cao's camp was heavily guarded and there were constant patrols of soldiers, leaving no opportunity to take advantage of them.
Before Ding Feng got close to the enemy camp, he was spotted by a sentinel hiding in the dark. He immediately warned him and was almost injured by Cao Jun's random arrows.
Cheng Pu did not blame the three men, and asked them to return to their camps to rest, and ordered Huang Gai and Lu Meng to take turns guarding the city.
When Huang Gai saw that Cheng Pu was actually smiling, he wondered, "The robbery of the camp failed last night. Why are you so happy instead of worried?"
Cheng Pu chuckled and said, "I have a plan to defeat the enemy. We will see the outcome within three days."
Huang Gai wanted to ask again, but Cheng Pu had already gone down to the city to rest. At this time, Cao's army was already in formation and preparing to attack, so he had to arrange his defense first.
In Cao Jun's camp, Xiahou Dun walked back and forth like a trapped animal. Xun You and Sima Yi were there, one handling military affairs, and the other unfolding the map and drawing.
Drums were beating loudly outside the camp, and the generals continued to supervise the siege. However, in the past few days, nearly 10,000 people had been lost, the camp was full of wounded soldiers, morale was low, and the offensive was far inferior to the previous days.
Xiahou Dun couldn't hold himself back and asked: "The Wu army has come to rob the camp. Although they are prepared, the soldiers are tired and there are always mistakes. Why don't you say a word?"
Xun You raised his head and said with a smile: "General, please be patient. We said a few days ago that the Wu army will change over time. Now they have taken the initiative to leave the city and rob the camp. It can be seen that the city is also struggling and something has changed!"
"Oh?" Xiahou Dun's eye shone brightly: "So, sir, you have a plan to defeat the enemy?"
Sima Yi nodded and said: "The Wu army thought that Shouchun was strong, but they did not expect that our army had sufficient equipment and the defenders suffered a lot of damage. Cheng Pu is also a veteran general in Jiangdong. He often compares himself to Zhou Yu. I expected that he would not be willing to be trapped in the city. Last night The sneak attack is just a test, there will be big moves in the next couple of days."
Xiahou Dun frowned and said, "If you want to join the army, will the Wu army come to sneak attack again?"
Sima Yi smiled and said: "Yes, Shouchun has 30,000 defenders, and only 10,000 are enough to defend the city! The ones he is afraid of now are the wells, catapults and other equipment in our army. This time they must be directed at the old camp. .”
Xiahou Dun suddenly understood and laughed loudly: "If Mr. Cheng Pu dares to come here, I will capture him!"
Sima Yi said: "This time Soochow sends out troops, they will definitely use all their best troops. They cannot be underestimated. We also need to deploy additional tiger and leopard cavalry to help ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Xiahou Dun said displeasedly: "To deal with the Jiangdong rats, one person is enough, why do we need to deploy more troops?"
Sima Yi said: "The general still needs to personally guard the central army and attract the Wu army to kill. The war is changing rapidly, so don't be careless."
Xiahou Dun stopped showing off and ordered people to report to Pengcheng, asking Cao Chun to come to help in the battle.
Sima Yi also ordered Zhu Ling to transport the weapons from the main camp to the three main camps ahead, and ordered the three generals to consume these equipment as soon as possible.
In the afternoon, Lu Meng was guarding the city to supervise the battle. When he saw Cao Jun bringing in another batch of baggage, he couldn't help frowning.
Cao Cao owned the Central Plains and Hebei, with a constant supply of money, food and material resources. He only took Huaihai from Jiangdong, and it was in urgent need of governance. If he kept defending the city, it would not be a long-term solution.
For a moment, I was caught in the tangle of two strategies, Lu Su and Cheng Pu. A long-term plan to plot the Central Plains, and a proactive attack to solve the urgent need, both seemed to make sense.
As the sun was about to set, Cao Jun's offensive became more fierce. The moat had already been filled in. I don't know how many catapults were broken. The catapults kept hitting the city. Standing on the city felt like an earthquake.
Cheng Pu was full of energy, climbed to the city again, and asked, "How is the military situation?"
Lu Meng sighed: "Today the third battalion brought in a batch of weapons. Cao Jun added more wells and catapults. The defenders have suffered two thousand casualties."
Cheng Pu glanced at the battlefield and asked, "If Cao's army doesn't have these weapons, how long can General Lu hold on?"
Lu Meng thought for a while and replied: "If we only have rams, ladders, etc., we only need 10,000 people to defend it for more than half a year."
"Young man, don't be too arrogant!" Cheng Pu said slowly: "Know yourself and the enemy and you will be victorious in any battle. It is never advisable to underestimate the enemy."
Lu Meng was unconvinced and said loudly: "The general did not underestimate the enemy. Shouchun City is well-defended. Without sharp weapons, Cao's army will be in vain if it comes with another hundred thousand troops."
"This young man..." Cheng Pu glanced at Lu Meng. Although he was dissatisfied with him for contradicting him before, seeing how confident he was, he said with emotion: "You really are a formidable young man."
Lu Meng was startled, thinking that Cheng Pu was respected as "Mr. Cheng" by people in Jiangdong. Sure enough, it was not because of his seniority and extraordinary magnanimity.
Baoquan said: "Sun Tzu said: The method of using troops is to surround it with ten troops, attack it with five troops, and divide it if it is doubled. Although Cao's army is numerous today, it is not enough to surround me, so I know it can be defended!"
Cheng Pu was surprised and said: "You also study the art of war?"
Lu Meng nodded and said: "Thanks to the teachings of my lord, I am just getting a glimpse of the door."
When Cheng Pu heard that Sun Quan valued this person, he nodded and said: "You can teach me, keep up your efforts."
Unconsciously, it was already dusk, and Cao's army retreated like a tide, leaving a pile of corpses under the city wall. Black smoke billowed, and the smell of burning assaulted the nostrils, even emitting a foul stench.
Lu Meng frowned and said: "If this continues, the body will rot and it may cause a plague. It is better to set it on fire."
"Back then, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, tens of thousands of people were killed in the wilderness. What does that mean?" Cheng Pu looked up to the sky and sighed, and said with emotion: "It is better to draw fuel from the bottom of the cauldron to stop the boiling!"
Lü Meng didn't know what Cheng Pu was referring to, and was about to ask, but Cheng Pu sent an order to raise the account, and assigned Lü Fan and Cheng Zi to patrol and guard the city.
When he came to the government office, he saw that only Huang Gai and a few other generals were absent, and none of the other minor generals were there. Lu Meng realized that this was important military information and consciously stood behind Chen Wu.
Cheng Puyan said: "Watching the battle in the past few days, I have found out the details of Cao's army. They are heavily defended outside the city, but the grain, grass and baggage are in the camp at the rear. If we can destroy the camp and destroy its baggage, we can protect our lives."
Huang Gai laughed and said: "General Cheng's trick in the morning made me unable to sleep well all afternoon. It turned out that he planned to attack the old camp. This plan is very clever!"
Lu Meng frowned and said: "The camp is guarded by Xiahou Dun himself. It may not be easy to attack out of the city. If we are robbed halfway and cannot advance or retreat, what should we do?"
Cheng Pu said with a smile: "If Cao Jun has the same idea as General Lu, we will not dare to leave the city, and the camp will be lax in defense. This is to attack it unprepared and take it by surprise. When Bo Fu led the army, he often used light cavalry to directly attack the enemy's camp, defeating the enemy like an autumn wind sweeping through it. Ye used this strategy to sweep across Jiangdong."
Huang Gai stroked his beard and laughed and said: "What General Cheng said is absolutely true. Although we are old, our swords and spears are still sharp. We should grow stronger as we age and make achievements in defeating the enemy."
Thinking back to the time when they followed Sun Ce, the eyes of several veterans all shone. At that time, they charged into battle and were invincible. That was called fighting. Now, they are looking forward and backward, and they are just submissive. It is really frustrating.
At this time, Lu Meng understood what Cheng Pu had just said, and reminded him: "Cao Cao has commanded the army for many years and has strict military discipline. It is not comparable to Yan Baihu and his like in the past. Generals, please do not underestimate the enemy."
Cheng Pu smiled and said: "If Cao Cao's thieves are in the camp, I will not send troops, but Xiahou Dun is no more than a warrior, so what should I be afraid of?"
