Xingyang.
The princes are reviewing yesterday's battle on the city wall.
Liu Bei had nothing to lose, and Yuan Shao's faction of princes had nothing to gain, so it was still acceptable. The only one who was unhappy was Liu Dai.
Not to mention the loss of troops and generals, Wang Hu, his general, was also beheaded by the enemy.
Liu Dai could afford to lose one or two thousand troops, but he couldn't afford to lose face.
During the discussion, soldiers suddenly came to report that a small group of enemy troops appeared outside the city. However, they did not attack the city. Instead, they shot a letter into the city.
Looking at the silk held by the soldier, Liu Dai frowned and snatched it with his hands.
When he opened it, he suddenly had an angry look on his face and slammed the table.
"Hmph, Thief Dong is so brave!"
Everyone came together to take a look and found that it was Dong Zhuo's letter of challenge.
Dong Zhuo was born in the military, and his education level could not be said to be illiterate. It can also be said that he burned books to entrap scholars. Therefore, the content of the letter is very simple and straightforward, and can be summarized in one sentence.
You Guandong bandits, aren't you clamoring to overthrow me, Mr. Dong?
Now that I'm here, you're just shy?
Once the seeds are planted, I will definitely let you know why the flowers are so red!
A saying with high emotional intelligence: Come, be happy!
Low EQ: You fools, you have the guts!
Although the rhetoric is not gorgeous, it is simple, straightforward and extremely sharp. It is no wonder that Liu Dai was furious.
"Hmph, Thief Dong, you dare to be so rampant, you treat me like nothing!" Zhang Miao was also very angry and sneered.
Yuan Yi advised: "Brother Meng Zhuo, calm down. With our army here, how can we allow this old thief to talk nonsense? So what if we leave the city for a decisive battle? We can wipe out the rebels in one battle!"
"Brother Boye's words make sense. Let's go out to the city for a decisive battle and complete the victory in one battle!" Bao Xin also nodded in agreement.
But this move quickly aroused Cao Cao's opposition, "Yuncheng must not be impulsive. Dong's thieves are difficult to deal with. I'm afraid there is fraud in them."
Compared to the jujube princes whose confidence almost overflowed the screen, Cao Cao still maintained a sober attitude.
Of course, it was Bao Xin. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't bother to remind him.
What does it have to do with me whether you die or not?
"Meng De is worrying too much." Bao Xin waved his hand confidently, "According to previous reports, Thief Dong has at most 70,000 to 80,000 troops, and our combined forces total nearly 200,000 troops. How can there be any reason to be invincible if we fight three against one!"
Well, it turns out that it can still be calculated like this!
Cao Cao was speechless for a while, thinking that if there are more people, it will be useful. Then why did Wang Gong die yesterday?
He actually wanted to tell Bao Xin that a war cannot be won by whoever has more people.
But the princes of Yuan Shao's clan all looked satisfied and satisfied. Cao Cao thought about it and gave up.
"Yes, we will kill the rebels right here!" Zhang Chao also nodded solemnly and said, "Originally, I thought Dong thief was afraid of our troops and had already sneaked into Chenggao City and became a coward. That's not the case. It was a bit troublesome, but he actually came out on his own initiative, so we thought about it and went to attack the city."
Yuan Shao's impassioned speeches revealed only one message - engage in head-on battle and overthrow Dong Zhuo!
As for Liu Dai's small group, Qiao Mao looked at Liu Dai, but the latter remained expressionless.
"What do you think?" Kong Min asked directly.
Liu Dai then sneered, "Of course we have to fight, otherwise what would we do if we came here? But where to fight is not up to Thief Dong."
Seeing Liu Dai's statement, Qiao Mao quickly agreed: "Yes, since Thief Dong wants to fight, we have no reason to refuse. It's just that we have to decide the location of the decisive battle!"
Dong Zhuo has already made it clear that of course he cannot be afraid of fighting. It's just that you, Dong Zhuo, have the final say. What if you cheat!
Out of caution, Liu Dai planned to choose the location for the war himself.
As for whether he could win, he never considered this issue at all.
Bao Xin had already measured the strength of both sides just now. If we can't win with such a huge military advantage, then there is no need to lead troops in the future.
When the princes of Yuan Shao's clan heard this, they couldn't help but nodded.
"What you said makes sense. The location of the decisive battle needs to be carefully considered." Zhang Miao said with a smile.
"Oh, what do you think of Meng Zhuo?" Liu Dai turned around and asked.
For a moment, Zhang Miao naturally didn't have any good ideas, so he smiled and said, "This matter is not urgent. We have to think about it carefully before replying to Thief Dong."
"That makes sense."
Liu Dai nodded and said, suddenly remembering that Liu Bei hadn't spoken yet, so he turned back and looked at Liu Bei.
"Brother, why don't you say a word?"
"this……"
Of course Liu Bei was opposed to leaving the city for a decisive battle.
As for the qualities of the jujube coalition, he had clearly seen it on the city tower yesterday. Going out to fight Dong Zhuo in the field was like lighting a lamp in the toilet - looking for death!
Just when Liu Bei was about to object, Zhang Heng suddenly reached out and pulled his sleeve.
Liu Bei suddenly frowned and hesitated in his heart.
"What, my dear brother has something to hide?"
Liu Dai asked quickly. He thought Liu Bei had something inconvenient to say.
Zhang Heng had no choice but to pull Liu Bei's sleeve again.
well!
Liu Bei sighed in his heart and had already made a decision.
I saw him cupping his hands and saying: "Bei also thinks that we should go out of the city to fight the Dong thief. I just saw that you have already made a plan. There are only a few soldiers in preparation, so naturally you don't dare to say anything."
"Hahaha... Brother Xian is so humble."
Seeing that Liu Bei also agreed, Liu Dai looked up to the sky and laughed.
Everyone discussed again, but in the end no result was reached. Seeing that it was already getting late, they all left the scene and waited for the discussion to continue tomorrow, which felt like a meeting in later generations.
After all the princes had dispersed, Liu Bei couldn't wait to ask Zhang Heng: "Ziyi, if the jujube coalition is so powerful, if they go out to confront Dong Zhuo, they will definitely escape death. Why did you stop me just now..."
"Xuan De Gong, even if you object to leaving the city for a decisive battle, will they be able to listen?" Zhang Heng spread his hands and said with a smile.
"this……"
Liu Bei's expression froze, but in the end he shook his head feebly.
For the jujube princes, Liu Bei is now a vested interest, and they will not listen to anything he says.
It doesn't matter whether Liu Bei joins the war or not, just don't hinder us from making achievements.
After all, you have already taken so much credit, so you should be content.
"But you just watch them die?" Liu Bei said with a look of dismay.
After all, everyone is in an alliance, and they are all fighting against Dong Yishi in name. Liu Bei still doesn't want his own strength to be damaged.
"How can we stop others from seeking death?" Zhang Heng said with a nonchalant expression, "Besides, their death was not in vain. At least it consumed a lot of the Dong thief's troops, and it can be considered as a contribution to the fight against the thief."
Liu Da'er is good at everything, but he values friendship too much and is not cruel to his own people.
It was the same with Cao Cao in the previous period and now with the Zizao princes.
This is certainly an advantage, but you should also consider the situation.
Can these princes be considered as our own?
Thinking of this, Zhang Heng couldn't help but remind him: "Mr. ."
Hearing this, Liu Bei was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Okay, let's not talk about this." Liu Bei waved his hand and said, "Zi Yi, what do you think of Dong Thief's letter of war? Is there any fraud in it?"
"Absolutely no fraud."
Zhang Heng said decisively, but then smiled again.
"However, Thief Dong is smart and can make good calculations."
"How do you say this?" Liu Bei asked puzzled.
Zhang Heng shook his head and said with a smile: "The Art of War says: surround it ten times, attack it five times, and fight it twice. Although the city defense of Xingyang is not as good as that of Chenggao Xiongguan, it is also indestructible with deep ditches and high fortresses. Although the jujube coalition is weak, it is There are nearly 200,000 troops, which can be said to be overwhelming in numbers. But Thief Dong only has 70,000 to 80,000 troops under his command. If we defend the city, what will he do to break it?
Furthermore, although the Xiliang cavalry are strong, they are not good at attacking the city. This is why I proposed to defend Xingyang in the first place. Thief Dong's intention to provoke the Suizao princes into fighting outside the city was when he issued a letter of challenge. "
Once they charge on the plains, the Xiliang cavalry will be terrifying. Yesterday's battle has clearly demonstrated this.
"Zi Yi's words are reasonable, but it is a pity that the princes of Jujube did not know the inside story and fell into the trap of Thief Dong."
"That's not a bad thing." Zhang Heng said with a smile, "If we really defend the city, the Dong thieves don't have to attack. If we just waste it like this, as time goes by, we will be the first to cause trouble."
Zhang Heng's words were rather obscure, but Liu Bei still understood them.
Not to mention what Dong Zhuo did, but at least the Xiliang army was united. Looking at the jujube princes again, the hearts and minds cannot work together. As time goes by, discord will inevitably appear within.
"So, this battle must be fought?" Liu Bei asked.
"Yes, regardless of victory or defeat, we must fight!" Zhang Heng nodded heavily.
Liu Bei sighed, "It doesn't matter, let's do our best. Even if the war goes against us, the whole army won't be wiped out."
"No, we can just stay and defend the city for this battle." Zhang Heng shook his head and said.
"Aren't we going to fight?"
Liu Bei said with surprise on his face.
