Mid July.
Chang'an assembled a total of 170,000 horse and infantry, 140,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry. There are countless military tents around Chang'an City, with military flags and huge crowds of people.
But it is many but not complicated, many but not chaotic.
The soldiers in each cavalry and military camp strictly abide by military regulations and act according to military orders. Special prosecutors are in the military to inspect at any time. Those who are caught in trouble will have their military pay deducted and corporal punishment will be imposed on them for traveling fifteen kilometers.
However, the soldiers all came from afar. They had never seen the prosperity of Kyoto, and they wanted to go in and have a look. Of course Zhang Xiu knew what the soldiers were thinking, so he ordered the soldiers of each battalion to enter the city in batches and at different times to eat, drink and have fun, as long as they paid.
The soldiers were all paid their military pay before going on the expedition, and there was plenty of money.
In a short period of time, Chang'an became prosperous.
But it didn't last long. At the end of July, Zhang Xiu issued an order and the three armies were dispatched. Liu Bao was ordered to lead 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry as the vanguard to Nanyang. He led a 140,000 middle army and marched towards Nanyang in a mighty manner. The entire army was very long and lined up in four lines, but there was still no leader.
The front army had almost reached Lantian and entered Wuguandao, and the rear army just started from Chang'an.
Such a huge military operation naturally cannot be hidden from the eyes of the hidden guards. Seeing that the Jingguo army finally took action, they immediately sent a message to Ye Jing.
If Jingguo doesn't take action, Cao Cao will be in a hurry.
The 80,000-strong Wei army had crossed the Yellow River and headed south as early as May, and its 100,000-strong Chinese army was still waiting in Yejing. Every day, people and horses chewed the ground, which cost a lot of money, just waiting for Jingguo's action.
The secret message was rushed 800 miles away, and Cao Cao finally felt relieved.
With a smile of successful strategy on his face, he handed the letter to Guo Jia beside him and said with a smile: "Haha! Zhang Xiu finally fell into my trap. The official roads in Yanzhou and Yuzhou have been repaired. As long as Zhang Yan and the others take action, We can return as quickly as possible and enter Bingzhou."
Guo Jia said: "Your Majesty, Jingguo has many powerful advisers, so we must not be careless. Xi Zhicai's ministers have already taken over, and everything is ready. However, Jingguo seems to be on guard in Bingzhou, and has also secretly left many troops. , we must strike first.”
Cao Cao said with deep understanding: "Well... we must not let Zhang Xiu take the upper hand, but Zhang Xiu's army has not reached Nanyang yet, so our army must take action."
Youdi stopped smiling, and issued an order with a majestic voice: "Pass my decree, and the army will cross the river and go south!"
As a result, Cao Jun's 100,000-strong army set out from Ye Jing in a mighty manner, crossed the Yellow River and went south, setting up a full posture to attack Soochow, but placed the main cavalry in Runan County in Yuzhou instead of Xuzhou.
Xu Shao, a character critic in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, rated Cao Cao as: a capable minister in governing the world and a traitor in troubled times.
This sentence is very accurate.
In the troubled times of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cao Cao commanded the princes according to the emperor and occupied a place in the world. He was worthy of being called a traitor. After proclaiming himself emperor, he worked diligently for the people, was good at water conservancy, and reduced taxes. Let the five states of Ji, You, Xu, Yan, and Yu recover in just two years, bursting with vitality, and finally have some food in the national treasury.
This is also the confidence that Cao Cao dared to fight with Zhang Xiu.
However, his confidence was limited and he was unable to divide the land among the people and collect grain taxes like Zhang Xiu did. Without the constraints of the gentry, roads and canals were opened, schools were opened, and ethnic trade was opened, allowing the Qiang, Xianbei, and Xiongnu tribes to seek common ground while reserving differences and coexisting peacefully with the Han people, which made the national power of Jingguo soar. Such a surge made Cao Cao jealous and worried, and he had to launch a war.
If there are a few more years of development, Jingguo's national power will be invincible.
As a traitor, Cao Cao knew very well that in war, he was fighting for national strength, food and grass, and the economy. Without these as pillars, no matter how brave the soldiers are, it will be useless.
We can only take advantage of the small gap between the two countries and destroy them in one battle.
The armies of Jing and Wei went south, with a total of 350,000 troops on both sides. The situation in the south suddenly became tense. The fighting was the most brutal. As soon as the army arrived in the south, the sky was filled with a strong sense of killing. .
But what Cao Cao didn't expect was that after Zhang Xiu arrived in Nanyang, he did not set up the Chinese army command in Wancheng, nor on the front line of Fancheng, but in Duyang City.
Cao Cao's plan was disrupted by half in an instant.
The plan of Qi Bing's plan to destroy Jing was to attack Jing from two fronts. After Zhang Yan launched the offensive, he rushed to Chang'an with lightning speed, forcing Zhang Xiu to return reinforcements. At this time, Cao Cao used the advanced trebuchet he developed to quickly break through Duyang City, enter Nanyang, and follow the Wuguan Road, Dajing could be broken.
Now, Zhang Xiu has positioned his Chinese army in Duyang City. The surrounding areas of Duyang City are so heavily guarded that even mosquitoes cannot fly in. How can they attack it?
More importantly, Duyang City is only two hundred miles away from Xuchang, the companion capital. If there is a sudden attack, Xuchang's defense strength is insufficient and it will inevitably be defeated in one battle. At that time, Cao Cao will be dragged to Yuzhou by Zhang Xiu. The 170,000 troops here did not leave, and the 180,000 troops on Cao Cao's side did not dare to move at all.
With the army unable to return to Bingzhou, wouldn't Zhang Yan's 50,000 Black Tiger Army have to go deep alone?
Moreover, Dajing has not yet shown the Hongtian artillery carriage, which worries Cao Cao.
"Follow Xiao!" Cao Cao said thoughtfully, "What does Zhang Xiu mean by setting up the Chinese army in Duyang City? Is it to warn us not to act recklessly?"
Guo Jia said: "Back to the emperor, I think there are two meanings in it."
"Oh!" Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia: "I'll try my words as a filial piety."
Guo Jia: "Your Majesty, we, Wei and Zhang Jing, are like friends and enemies. Whether they are friends or enemies is just a thought. They launch a war against Liu Chu. How can they not set up defenses against us? To set up defenses, the best place is Duyang City, so Zhang Xiu simply stationed the Chinese army in Duyang City. This is one of the reasons. Perhaps Jingguo's counselors have guessed our plot against Jingguo, and they probably thought that our army would enter from Duyang City and attack Jingguo. army, so Zhang Xiu suggested that Zhang Xiu position the central army in Duyang City."
Cao Cao nodded with deep understanding.
He looked towards the ceiling of the military tent, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "What if Zhang Xiu learns that when Zhang Yan leads the army to Chang'an, he does not come back to help, but instead fights with me?"
Guo Jia said flatly: "Chang'an is the foundation of Dajing, and Zhang Xiu will never let the foundation of the country be shaken." Then he smiled softly, "If Zhang Xiu wants to fight desperately, the emperor might as well retreat directly to the north bank of the Yellow River and let Zhang Xiu catch up. With such a long front, Zhang Xiu cannot transport grain and grass, so how can he be our army's opponent?"
If you think about it carefully, this seems to be the truth.
If they attack Xuchang, the capital of Dajing, let him fight. As long as Ye Jing is not breached and Chang'an, the capital of Dajing, is captured, he will win the battle.
Thinking this way, Cao Cao felt a lot more comfortable, and he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Seeing this, Guo Jia quietly exited.
