The scouts sent by Cao Xiu at night disappeared into the sky forever like birds released.
Although the terrain of Nanyang is flat, you must choose the main road and the main road when marching. Running indiscriminately is easy to lose your way, and it is also easy to be swallowed up by thorns, swamps and other natural factors.
The main road leading to the Central Plains is also the area Guan Yu focuses on. He also places Meng Da, who is good at defense, in Duyang, which means that if Bowang fails to guard against it, Duyang in front will have a second layer of insurance.
In addition, the Han army had a good mass base in this area, and the people who slipped through the net would still be tipped off by nearby people, so Cao Xiu's idea was ultimately in vain.
Guan Yu relied on the grain, grass, winter clothes, and arrows swindled from the Central Plains, and planned to slowly play with Cao Xiu at Bowang. However, within three days of confrontation and testing, new news came from the direction of Duyang.
Instead of sending any more supplies, Wei's rear sent small groups of troops out of Ye County to investigate. Although they were eventually dealt with by Meng Da's troops, it showed that the Wei court had discovered clues. Guan Yu thought that the frequency of food reminders was probably too high. And the 'oil and water' have been squeezed out almost completely.
Seeing that the "oil and water" in the Central Plains had been squeezed out, Guan Yu changed his steady style in recent months and began to actively launch a fierce attack on Cao Xiu's army.
Cao Xiu was caught off guard and was defeated for thirty miles in the battle that day. Then the Jingzhou soldiers took advantage of the victory and pursued them. Within a few days, they drove all the Wei troops in Nanyang back to Wancheng. Cao Xiu then switched from offense to defense.
While Zhang Liao was stationed in Wancheng, he repaired and reinforced the city wall. Although Guan Yu was at the peak of his military strength at this time, he did not choose to attack the city by force.
Cao Xiu's food reserves were running low at this time, so Guan Yu was not anxious at all. Time is the best helper to defeat the enemy.
Jingzhou soldiers pursued them to the waters of Wancheng, but the warships could not move forward due to the blockage of the river. Guan Yu ordered the warships to be stationed in the river section, and sent scouts to Wancheng for close surveillance, but stopped other military operations.
Guan Yu left Xiangyang in October last year and has been out fighting for nearly half a year now. He relied on Wei's supplies to survive the winter smoothly. However, after the other party realized that they had been tricked, they decisively cut off their food supplies, and the Jingzhou soldiers began to "take advantage of everything".
Seeing that Guan Yu was calm and calm all day long, Guan Ping took the lead to lose his composure. He went to Guan Yu alone and said, "Father, there is no way for us to waste our lives here. I'm afraid we can't believe the words of those who surrendered. If Wancheng's food supply It’s very sufficient, so won’t we become passive in two or three months? The boy thinks that the river should be dredged immediately, and troops should come to Wancheng to put pressure on Cao Xiu.”
Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard and explained: "There is no danger to defend around Wancheng. It is not a city for garrisoning grain. In addition, it is close to the Central Plains, so there is no way to store more here. I guess Cao Xiu's army rations are running out. As for dredging the river, there is no point. It is a big, dry season in winter, the river water level has dropped a lot, and the river water is cold, and dredging is time-consuming and labor-intensive, which is really not advisable."
Guan Ping thought for a while and made a suggestion: "The people in Bowang and Duyang are loyal to the Han Dynasty. If some civilians are recruited to help with dredging, the boy thinks that as long as his father raises his arms, there will be a cloud of followers."
"Tan Zhi also knows that Wei will no longer provide food. If the people are recruited to help dredge the river, won't our food consumption be faster?" Guan Yu laughed dumbly.
"Uh... I don't think well. If my father thinks that dredging is time-consuming and laborious, why don't we just surround Wancheng? Now the two sides are almost equal in strength. I guess Cao Xiu will not fight us head-on again. Send Zhong Ling out to monitor Spying, I'm afraid I'll never meet a general like General Zhang again..." Guan Ping shook his head gently.
"My father didn't plan to send Zhong Ling out, but An Guo wanted to learn how to conduct reconnaissance, so Zhong Ling had no choice but to accompany him. Besides, this place is nearly seventy miles away from Wancheng, and transporting food without the protection of warships would be risky. I won't Give Cao Xiu any chance. You must know that promising food to hungry soldiers is more effective than promising high-ranking officials and generous salaries, so it is better to let the Wei army collapse on its own." Guan Yu nodded and said.
"The Wei army did everything to kill people and massacre the city. If the day comes when food runs out, wouldn't father worry about them going south? It would be bad if it harms the city under your rule." Guan Ping frowned.
Guan Yu didn't take it seriously: "Does Ping'er think Yuan Zhi is just a decoration? We have deduced it together before the war. If Cao Xiu makes a desperate attempt to seize Jingzhou City, he will organize the people and defenders to hold on and never give the Wei army an opportunity. only..."
"Just what?" Guan Ping asked.
"It's just to prevent Cao Xiu from going south to Xinye, and then escaping from the north of Tongbai Mountain to Runan. The battle lasted for so long and Man Chong didn't come to help, which proves that the battlefield in Huainan is also very fierce." Guan Yu replied seriously.
After hearing this, Guan Ping tried to ask: "Why don't we divide our troops and go back to Xinye to garrison? If the Huainan battlefield really comes to a critical moment, we can't let Cao Xiu and the others go."
Guan Yu nodded: "My father has this plan. I will allocate 10,000 troops and horses to you. In addition, I will send someone to contact Yuan Zhi. The big fish in Nanyang are dying. We will close the net after the spring."
"Wei." Guan Ping cupped his fists and accepted the order.
Guan Yu watched Wancheng by the Feishui River. Cao Xiu's life became more and more difficult day by day. He saw that the food stored in the treasury was slowly bottoming out. Like Cao Zhen, his hair and beard were completely gray during this period.
When he left the city to fight Guan Yu, he was no longer able to defeat him. Cao Xiu sent troops southward several times to plunder, but he could not break the city defense because he had few troops. However, he sent too many troops and was afraid that Guan Yu would sneak attack Wancheng.
Cao Xiu very much hoped that Guan Yu would come to attack by force. Defending the city was much easier than fighting in the field. Unfortunately, Guan Yu on the opposite side did not go on the road at all. Cao Xiu wasted time and food in the struggle.
It wasn't until the mountains and rivers were exhausted that Cao Xiu gathered all his troops in Wancheng and headed south.
When the Wei army moved, Jingzhou soldiers also moved.
On the land of Nanyang, the scene of "lions chasing wildebeest" was reproduced. At this time, the number of wildebeests was greatly reduced compared with when the troops were first sent out, and in every confrontation, "wildebeests" died or fell to the ground.
In late May, Cao Xiu divided his troops and went south to plunder. The main force he led failed in a surprise attack on Fancheng, and was forced to fight two hundred miles northwest. In the ambush of Xu Shu and Guan Yu, the Wei army officers and tiger and leopard cavalry were killed and surrendered one after another.
Finally, Cao Xiu fled to the bank of the Han River. Cao Xiu was covered in blood, and only the old horse was left with the same blood stains. He looked at the Han generals who were surrounding him, and his heart was filled with sadness.
General Pi, who rushed to the front, saw that Cao Xiu was alone, and was thinking about the opportunity to kill the general and make a meritorious service. When they were about to surround and kill him, they were suddenly stopped by Guan Yu's voice.
Seeing Cao Xiu's tenacity, Guan Yu looked in admiration and said loudly: "Cao Xiu, as the great commander of the Wei State, you have tried your best. You can also be regarded as a hero of the Wei State. It's just that you were born at the wrong time. The power of the world is like the Han River." It is impossible to reverse it. Guan knows that you will not surrender, so I will give you dignity and commit suicide..."
"Being defeated at the hands of General Guan, I, Cao Xiu, did not lose unjustly. You used warships to cooperate with land battles. This is really wonderful." Cao Xiu finished with a sigh, lowered his head and stroked the knotted horse's mane, and said meaningfully: "Good horse, follow me down to the river to train the navy, and drive..."
