Before Liu Bei led his troops out of Guanzhong, Guan Yu had already led his troops into Nanyang.
The actual situation forced Cao Pi to make the decision to maintain the original strategy and enter Luoyang.
The geographical location of Luoyang is actually quite critical, especially in the current situation.
The distance from Luoyang to Wancheng and to Chang'an are not far. The infantry march support only takes seven or eight days, and from Luoyang to Xuzhou is just across Yanzhou, and the infantry march only takes about 20 days.
There are really serious changes in these places, and Cao Pi, who is in Luoyang, does not have enough time to respond.
Another one. Zhou Yu in Jiangdong is indeed difficult to deal with, but Guan Yu in Xiangyang is not easy to offend either.
Both of them are world-famous generals, and both have achieved amazing results. Neither can be underestimated.
In addition, Liu Bei was eyeing Hanzhong. It is not surprising that Cao Pi made such a decision.
Now Guan Yu, after capturing Xinye, took a short rest and then continued northward to lead his troops to besiege Deng County.
However, Guan Yu did not rush to attack. Instead, he set up camp steadily and assumed a state of long-term confrontation.
This posture made Zhang Liao frown slightly.
Although as a defender, it should be a good thing that Guan Yu is not in a hurry to attack. After all, the longer the attacker delays, the greater the consumption of food and grass will be, and the greater the logistical pressure will be.
But Zhang Liao knew that with Guan Yu's ability, he could not do such a heartless thing.
Zhang Liao knew that Guan Yu was waiting, and he could probably guess what Guan Yu was waiting for - waiting for Liu Bei to leave Guanzhong.
Once the news of Liu Bei's departure from Guanzhong reaches Guan Yu, Guan Yu will definitely launch a violent attack on Deng County and even Wancheng. Cao's army, which has restrained Nanyang and even the entire Sili, will not dare to easily move westward to support Chang'an.
In the last Northern Expedition, Guan Yu fought like this. The Wancheng Company asked Chang'an for reinforcements three times.
If Liu Bei hadn't had to retreat due to the long supply line and too much logistical pressure on Liu Bei's side. If the battle continued, it's hard to say how long Wancheng could have defended.
Now that he is repeating his old tricks, how could Zhang Liao still not guess Guan Yu's purpose.
At this time, Guan Yu was also frowning.
Zhang Liao was right. Guan Yu indeed planned to wait for Liu Bei to march into Guanzhong before launching a large-scale siege.
But Zhang Liao only guessed half of it right. Guan Yu is not as calm as Zhang Liao imagined. He is actually very anxious.
This Northern Expedition can almost be said to have been triggered by Guan Yu's memorial. Guan Yu knew that his physical condition was getting worse and worse than before, which also gave Liu Bei a sense of urgency, leading to this second Northern Expedition.
In fact, Guan Yu also knew that it was not the right time to launch the Northern Expedition.
Jingzhou is actually doing okay. After so many years of recuperation and development, Jingzhou has only had two major external campaigns. One was to attack Xiangfan and defend Jiangling, and the other was the last Northern Expedition.
Jingzhou can still afford it, but Yizhou has not calmed down much in the past few years.
There was a battle in Sichuan, a battle in the north to capture Hanzhong, a battle in the south to pacify Nanzhong, and then another battle in the Northern Expedition. In Yizhou, there was a war almost every two years on average, and there was really not much time to recuperate.
But even so, Liu Bei adopted Guan Yu's advice without hesitation and launched the second Northern Expedition.
The success or failure of this Northern Expedition, for Guan Yu, not only had a sense of urgency, but also a great sense of responsibility.
Guan Yu didn't want to fail, but he knew that if he followed the strategy of the last Northern Expedition and faced the Dengxian-Wancheng defense system presided over by Zhang Liao, he still wouldn't have a good way to break through it quickly, and would inevitably fall into a protracted tug-of-war.
This is what Guan Yu doesn't want to see.
Therefore, Guan Yu was also very anxious. He wanted to win a quick victory, but he was always hesitant.
It's not that Guan Yu didn't have such a method, it's just that this method has a very high risk factor. If it is done well, it may be possible to defeat Wancheng in one battle, but if it is not done well, the Jingzhou Northern Expedition will immediately return without success.
Therefore, Guan Yu has always been hesitant about whether to follow his own ideas. If there is a better way, Guan Yu does not want to take the risk.
It's not that I can't afford the price, it's mainly that I don't want the Northern Expedition to fail because of taking risks.
After Guan Yu set out from Xiangyang, he had been thinking about this problem, and he had been discussing with Xu Shu and Deng Ai on a better way to conquer Wancheng, but there was really no good way.
Opposite him is Zhang Liao, the man who killed Tadun in the White Wolf Mountain Formation and used 800 men to attack Sun Shiwan's Chinese army camp in the battle of Xiaoyaojin. He is both wise and courageous, and has extremely rich leadership experience.
According to Xu Shu, such people should not be in a hurry. Only by attacking steadily and not by rushing forward can they have a chance to defeat the opponent.
But in this case, the quick victory that Guan Yu wanted would be impossible to achieve.
Marching all the way from Xiangyang to Xinye, and then starting from Xinye to station troops outside Deng County, Guan Yu thought about it all the way, and finally decided to adopt the risky method he had hidden in his heart for a long time.
As for this method, as soon as Guan Yu proposed it, he was immediately opposed by the counselors and generals.
Whether they were civil servants like Xu Shu, Zhao Lei, and Wang Fu, or generals like Deng Ai, Zhou Tai, and Liao Hua, they all unanimously opposed Guan Yu's tactics.
Because Guan Yu's tactic was not a tactic, it was simply gambling.
"I would like to invite Wen Yuan to fight in front of the formation to decide life and death!"
This is the strategy Guan Yu came up with.
Guan Yu's idea was to imitate the battles of the ancients in the Spring and Autumn Period and have a decisive battle with Zhang Liao in front of the battle array.
If Guan Yu wins, Zhang Liao will be disabled, and the entire Deng County-Wancheng defense line will definitely become a mess without anyone in charge.
As long as he seizes this opportunity and attacks before Cao Pi sends a new general, he might be able to capture Wancheng, which is leaderless and has low morale.
This is the most ideal result in Guan Yu's tactics.
But the soldiers under Guan Yu's tent will not just think about the best. What if you have never done that Zhang Liao? !
That means the Jingzhou Northern Expedition army is leaderless, right? !
This is no joke.
Guan Yu had a battle example of beheading Yan Liang in formation, but Zhang Liao also had the merit of beheading Tadun in formation.
And the most important point is that Guan Yu is already over sixty years old this year, while Zhang Liao is only in his early fifties.
This is a real battlefield, not a martial arts drama. There is no setting that the older you are, the higher your internal strength will be. This is the case in the real world. As you get older, you will get older and weaker.
After all, rushing in front of the formation is something that young people can do.
Guan Yu has been a veteran for forty years, how could he come up with such a heartless idea? !
Especially Xu Shu and Deng Ai, they don't understand. What happened to Guan Junhou, who was relatively calm and good at using soldiers in the past? Could it be that his mind has become confused as he gets older? !
Xu Shu, as the second person in Guan Yu's army and also the highest-ranking counselor in the army, had to stand up and admonish Guan Yu at this time.
"General!" Xu Shu saluted Guan Yu first, and then said, "The general is a famous general in the world. It is not for a common man to give advice, but what the general said today is very unwise."
When Guan Yu saw that Xu Shu was about to speak, he waved his hand slightly, looked at Xu Shu, and said with a smile, "Mr. Yuan Zhi, don't say anything. I know that this is a powerful thing, but this is not the case. I can't defeat Cao Thief quickly."
When Xu Shu heard this, he frowned. This Guan Junhou has become a general. Could it be that he can't even listen to his advice? !
It shouldn't be the case. The general is arrogant, but he still knows the priorities of things. Even if he doesn't accept correct advice, he will give reasons. But why is it so strange today? !
Xu Shu thought for a moment and missed the opportunity to admonish Guan Yu again.
Fortunately, Xu Shu didn't catch the opportunity and Deng Ai was still there.
"The general must not act on his own initiative!" Deng Ai stood up and said to Guan Yu, "The general is a man of great wealth, and he has high hopes from your majesty. On the governor's side, the overall situation must be the top priority in everything. How can we do a duel in front of the battle array? ! If you want to implement this strategy, Ai Ke will do it for you, why do you need the general to take action?!"
In the military camp, it was a formal occasion after all. Deng Ai, the son-in-law, could not call Guan Yu "father-in-law". He had to be commensurate with his official position.
Therefore, although Guan Yu really wanted to teach Deng Ai a lesson, he couldn't do it like his father-in-law. Who are you, you dare to ask Zhang Liao for a duel? !
If Zhang Liao looks at you in the eyes, he is bullying the weak, let alone agreeing to challenge you in a duel.
This is not a question of whether we can survive the fight, but a serious mismatch of identities.
In fact, could Guan Yu not know what Xu Shu was going to say and what Deng Ai was trying to persuade him? !
He has become a great general, the highest military commander in a country, and he can't do such a heartless thing even if he goes to find the enemy to challenge him.
When you are a rogue general, charging into battle is not a problem, but when you are a general, charging into battle is seriously irresponsible.
Not only is it irresponsible to oneself, it is also irresponsible to the country.
Guan Yu actually understood everything, but now, he had no choice.
If we continue to spend hard money, we will inevitably have to fight for consumption and national strength in the end. At this point, the Han Dynasty cannot beat Cao Wei, who occupies the essence of Hebei in the Central Plains.
In today's situation, what is most beneficial to the big man is a quick victory, but if he wants to win quickly, he has to do extraordinary things, otherwise he will not be able to break the situation at all.
Guan Yu went to Zhang Liao for a duel, which was Guan Yu's idea of breaking the game.
Although he will also bear certain risks, Guan Yu has confidence in his martial arts. Even when he is older, Guan Yu's self-confidence still exists.
As for Zhang Liao, he was also a wise and courageous general. Guan Yu knew that the overall situation should be the most important thing. Could it be that Zhang Liao didn't understand? !
If Guan Yu personally went to the battle line to invite a duel, Zhang Liao might not be able to agree to it. If you were a junior, Zhang Liao wouldn't even say a word to you.
"I am the general of the country, I will not kill unknown people!"
This sentence was enough to send Deng Ai away.
Moreover, the world would only laugh at Deng Ai for not overestimating his abilities, and would not doubt whether Zhang Liao was courageous at all.
Zhang Liao's courage has been proven in the two battles between Bailangshan and Xiaoyaojin. Who do you think Deng Ai is? !
Only Guan Yu, a famous general with outstanding courage, could invite Zhang Liao to fight. Others were simply not qualified.
(End of chapter)
