Three days later.
Spring farming will still follow the military settlement method this year. At the same time, because of the emperor, 20% more village residents will be allocated land than in previous years.
Moreover, those who have made meritorious deeds can settle down in Xudu, and can even help with marriage matters, so that single villagers can have heirs.
After the new order for farming was issued, except for some tax reductions and exemptions, all other encouragements made the people cheer and praise Cao Gong's virtues.
At the same time, they are also grateful for the emperor's mercy and the land of Yuzhou that allows them to live and work in peace and contentment. Therefore, this year's farming is more lively than in previous years. In early spring, you can already see cattle all over the field and people working together in the fields.
There are also children grazing, the grass is fragrant, and it is a peaceful scene.
After the resettlement, the imperial court ordered that at the end of last year, Zhang Ji's soldiers and horses had looted Nanyang and invaded the people's homes. They were regarded as a thief of trouble, so the imperial army raised 80,000 soldiers and horses, with Sikong Cao Cao as the commander, to lead the army to conquer Zhang Ji.
Zhang Ji was dead, so he conquered his nephew Zhang Xiu and captured Wancheng. At the same time, he issued an edict instructing Liu Biao of Jingzhou not to give him food and grass. He should cut off his food and grass retreat and withdraw his troops back to Xiangyang. Otherwise, he would be punished with the same crime of rebelling against the party.
When Guo Jia and Cheng Yu made their remarks, they couldn't get rid of the grain issue they had discussed during the "paper talk" that day in their minds.
The grain road in the southeast is hidden, so it is difficult to cut it off. The easiest way is to have Cao Cao meet the emperor and inform the emperor of the military situation of the grain road. Of course, this military information may not be true. In short, it is sent in the form of a spy report.
It is speculated that Liu Biao was secretly supporting Zhang Xiu. This would be equivalent to dragging Liu Biao into the water. He would either be cut off quickly or completely branded as a traitor to the party.
In this way, Cao Cao can even capture Nanyang and station troops here, taking advantage of the fact that Yuan Shao will go all out to end the war in Youzhou this year and fight against Jingzhou.
Liu Xie readily agreed and used this to test Liu Biao's sincerity.
So, Cao Cao, who held the emperor's edict in hand and issued a petition to punish the thieves, drove him out in a chariot and sent the three armies to attack Wancheng.
In February, when the spring rain continued, the march slowed down at first, and then accelerated again when the weather was a little better.
This time, Zhang Han was riding Jueying.
Cao Cao sat on the couch in front of the carriage door, looked around, and finally focused on Jueying, who made a clear and cheerful sound of "ta da da".
The shiny black BMW with flying black mane, Zhang Han sitting on it is even more handsome and handsome, wearing a dark red military robe, long limbs and flying ponytail, wearing a headband, red lips and white teeth, strong and powerful.
Cao Cao looked at it for a long time and felt that it was quite similar to when he was young. At that time, he was so free and unrestrained and heroic.
The only drawback is that Zhang Bochang has something hanging on his waist.
A thick, irregular iron rod?
How... it was made like this, rugged and angular, but it was difficult to see the craftsmanship after taking a closer look, but at first glance... it seemed a bit majestic if I forced myself to look at it vaguely.
"Bo Chang, what are you talking about?"
"Mace."
Zhang Hanyan said concisely and comprehensively, "I have recently become interested in the blacksmith's skills. After I first understood it, I couldn't put it down, so I was in a hurry and made this handy weapon myself."
"This soldier weighs eighty kilograms and is three feet long. It is so powerful and heavy that it can be swung like a mountain toppling over. No enemy can defeat it. I can swing it with one hand!"
Zhang Han introduced them excitedly. He felt that Guo, Xi, Cheng, Dian and others were actually too rigid and not flexible enough.
Unlike ordinary people like them, the Lord always dares to open his eyes to new things in the world and is willing to accept various improvements. He will definitely understand the beauty of this magic weapon.
"Read more military books in the future. There are enough craftsmen in the army." Cao Cao did not continue, he just glanced at him and forced himself not to look at his weapon.
Cao Cao could tell at a glance that the forging of this mace was all money without any skills. He didn't know how much fine iron and stone Zhang Han wasted.
"Bo Chang," Cao Cao looked at him, "What's the news about the troops sent to the outpost?"
"Normal patrol report, nothing unusual," Zhang Han answered.
After a pause, he then said: "Zhang Xiu wants to sell it at a price and make a lot of money from the Lord. He must show his military strength. Otherwise, our vanguard army will be able to capture it and we will lose the opportunity to recruit him. capital.”
"So I predict that they will set up an ambush first. If that doesn't work, they will retreat to the city and stay there for several days, waiting for us to surrender."
Cao Cao smiled and nodded. This analysis was consistent with the views of several previous advisers. Even Xun Yu understood Zhang Xiu's thoughts.
"Then what do you think is the best thing to do?"
Zhang Han thought for a while, then handed over his hands and said, "We won't give the enemy what he wants. This is also the way to win."
"After Zhang Xiu wanted to resist, he waited for the Han court to surrender. Therefore, we should use Runan as a base to transport grain, and then attack the enemy outside Wancheng first. After sweeping into the city, we can besiege without attacking."
"Use Runan's grain collection station as a station, slowly transport it to various places, occupy the cities along the way for settlement, and do not recruit enemies to surrender. They can only be worn out by small battles at any time."
"Our rear is strong. Both Hanoi and Dongjun are heavily guarded. There is no need to worry about Yuan raiding the rear. Yuan Shu is also involved in major events, so he can afford it."
After Cao Cao heard this, he looked at Guo Jia who was riding on the left side. Seeing him nodding slightly, he knew that this was their plan.
There were often banquets in Zhang Han's residence, and Cao Cao knew about it. After Cao Ang returned home, he would also go to the backyard study to talk to Cao Cao about various characters and comment on their civil and military qualities.
Cao Cao had also heard about "talking on paper", but he was never surprised. After all, it was still a debate. This trick was actually similar to that of Confucian scholars debating scriptures.
Moreover, the people in Xudu who know the best about the art of war and are best at marching and forming formations are not here. They are arguing over each other! Cao Cao often thought this way, so he didn't take it seriously.
"Go and order the cavalry troops to attack the upper reaches of the Wei River, and then order Zhang Liao to lead his headquarters to raise troops to cut off the southern grain road."
"As commanded."
Zhang Han was ordered to leave, speed up his march, and divide his cavalry into two groups to attack the upper reaches and cut off the grain road.
There are more than 6,000 cavalrymen on this expedition, accounting for 80% of Cao Cao's current elite cavalry. There are more than 2,000 tiger cavalry and 1,800 leopard cavalry.
There are also Zhang Han's escort camp of black-robed armored cavalry, and Zhang Liao's Bingzhou wolf cavalry of eight hundred.
In fact, not all of Zhang Liao's 800 cavalry were his old Bingzhou troops. There were only about 300 people in the old troops, and the rest were basically elites selected from the Qingzhou soldiers.
After the cavalry took the order and left, the layout of the entire march was basically the same as the previous discussion.
After three days of marching, Cao Jun arrived at the Wei River. The Leopard Cavalry was led by Cao Chun, with Li Dian as deputy general. They first took the upper reaches of the Wei River, and there were ambushes on both sides.
Cao Chun followed Cheng Yu's plan and the cavalry passed quickly. After delaying the infantry, he followed him into the forest path and happened to see Zhang Xiu's troops coming out.
Attacked from the front and back, the ambush was broken. The infantry held swords and shields and ran up the mountain from both sides, but Zhang Xiu was caught off guard.
After a day and night of fierce fighting, more than 2,000 enemies were killed and thousands more were captured. They occupied the upstream camp and prepared to store water with earth bags and build pikes to stop the Wei River and facilitate the passage of the army without having to detour too far.
Zhang Liao, on the other hand, took a detour and ran down, heading straight to the grain roads in Wancheng and Nanyang, strictly intercepting and supervising Liu Biao's movements, and secretly cutting off the Wancheng soldiers.
Therefore, when Cao Cao first arrived at the Wei River, his troops had actually fought two or three battles with Wancheng, almost all of which were fierce battles in the upper reaches of the Wei River.
In addition, due to the continuous damming up of water and the flow of water upstream, the march of Cao Cao's army was shorter than they expected, and Zhang Xiu suddenly panicked.
…
Upstairs at the gate of Wancheng.
Wearing a black Confucian robe with wide sleeves, Jia Xu walked like the wind, his beard fluttering, his thin face extremely cold, and he eagerly walked into the gatehouse.
Zhang Xiu was in the chief position, crouching in front of the case to read the military information delivered. At this time, he had no advantage at all. He was defeated by Cao's army and retreated steadily. Within three days, all the arrangements outside Wancheng were shaken.
When he heard Jia Xu's footsteps, he immediately stood up, raised his eyebrows, stared at the visitor, and asked in a deep voice: "Sir, how is the situation?"
"It's very bad." Jia Xu stood in front of him and said with cupped hands: "Cao Cao has controlled the upper reaches of the Wei River. Although the direction of the river does not pass through the city, if he digs a river channel to divert the water into the city, Wancheng's defensive trenches will collapse , and the entire city was destroyed."
"We have lost control of the upper reaches. Cao Cao, with Cao Chun and Li Dian as generals, set up camp in the upper reaches and hoarded water day and night."
"What should we do now?"
"Withdraw the defense inside the city, or attack overnight to recapture the upper reaches of the camp." Jia Xu also found it difficult to continue, and spread his hands and said, "These are the only two methods."
"If not, ask for surrender immediately!"
Zhang Xiu's cheeks were slightly bulging, and his expression was sulky, but he was not completely defeated.
Jia Xu's eyes narrowed, then he raised his hands seriously and said, "Major General, the situation is already very difficult now. We have been losing our elite troops one after another. If we lose more, maybe Cao Cao will not accept the surrender. By then, it will be really difficult." .”
After saying this, Jia Xu felt deeply powerless. He just felt as if someone had manipulated his thoughts.
Cao Cao must have known what they were thinking, so he tried his best to reduce the number of troops outside Wancheng. When the time came to surrender, they would naturally have no price to negotiate.
Now, if we attack the camp again, there will definitely be an ambush.
At this moment, another scout came in and informed that Cao Jun's figure had appeared on the grain road in the rear. He did not send troops to attack and was hidden in the mountain trails.
Jia Xu thought for a while, then immediately bowed and said: "Major General, Cao Jun was discovered by us on purpose. Those on the southeast side must be elite cavalry."
"That's right." The scout glanced at Jia Xu in surprise, and quickly agreed: "Young General, they are all elite cavalry, and there is no trace of the infantry!"
Jia Xu looked at Zhang Xiu expectantly.
This situation has made it obvious that these cavalry are not here to attack and invade. Their purpose is to threaten the rear. They can be seen or hidden so that Liu Biao does not dare to send food easily.
This is to swallow up Wancheng's soldiers and horses in a few months.
This is not an invitation to surrender, he really wants to defeat the Wancheng soldiers and horses in one fell swoop!
If we wait any longer, once Cao Cao loses his patience and is not benevolent, he will definitely flood the city with ditches, but the city will not be destroyed. Even if the river water pours into the city, it will flow out to lower areas.
However, if the troops outside are not withdrawn, they will really not be able to withdraw.
Once these soldiers and horses are damaged, they may not even be able to survive until the time of surrender, because if the morale of the Wancheng soldiers collapses, then they will really have to pray for surrender.
And, maybe you won’t get anything.
"If I can recapture the upstream camp, can this situation be solved?" Zhang Xiu asked seriously.
Jia Xu looked up to the sky slightly and sighed: "It's difficult. Cao Jun will definitely guard the upstream camp and will never take any chances."
"If the Major General goes there, it is very likely that he will be ambushed, so everyone will suffer losses."
Zhang Xiu was silent for a while, then raised his head unwillingly and said, "Then, what if we ask Liu Biao for help?"
"Liu Biao will not send troops, and will only support the major general with food, grass and baggage. However...the Cao army's elite cavalry behind them gave him enough reason to refuse."
It's true that Liu Biao didn't intend to wade into troubled waters in the first place. He might just wait to see the results.
If Cao Cao is defeated, Jingzhou soldiers and horses may take advantage of the situation. Although Zhang Xiu is young, he can understand the situation clearly.
It was extremely difficult for Liu Biao to obtain this family property in Jingzhou. He would not risk it easily or cause chaos in his territory.
However, it was only after Jia Xu said this that he knew the purpose of Cao Jun's appearance deep in the southeast. In addition to threatening, it could also give Liu Biao a more perfect reason not to send troops.
These soldiers and horses cannot be pursued and suppressed. If they are driven forward, these cavalry will definitely withdraw immediately, which is equivalent to a futile effort.
Then... you can't go to the camps upstream of the Wei River, and you can't go to the southeast. If you still want to fight, you have to send troops directly to fight Cao Cao in the wild.
Attribute...the army counterattacks! It's unwise... Fighting like this is a bloody battle, but there is no such grudge against Cao Gong.
Moreover, my uncle has received commendations and awards from His Majesty. In any case, he can still be regarded as a meritorious official of the Han Dynasty. Why should he be like this?
Every day in Wancheng is just for two meals, what kind of life are you playing?
"Business first, how should it be?"
"Dong Cao's move is just to force us to retreat to the city," Jia Xu thought deeply and said with a wry smile: "If we hold on, it will cause danger to the city, and the two sides will gradually become resentful."
"Why not, follow their wishes and retreat into the city to defend it, waiting for Cao's army to attack the city, and abandon the three camps outside the city."
Zhang Xiu frowned, unable to make a choice, but in the end he decided to believe Jia Xu. He stretched out his hand and slammed the table, nodded and said, "This is the best we can do."
Jia Xu's face relaxed and he said, "Young General is wise. Cao's army will definitely attack the city and start a war within three days. This will show off your skills."
…
Three days later.
Cao's army besieged the city but did not attack, and did not even send a letter of surrender to recruit them. This made the generals in the city panic every day, as if Cao's army was about to attack the city at any time, but they did not dare to relax and had to tighten their nerves at all times.
On top of the city, the Wei River rose again. Cao Jun had completely controlled the crossings of the rivers and did not give Zhang Xiu any chance.
"how so!"
Jia Xu beat the city wall, showing an unexpected look of decadence for the first time.
It was completely calculated. How could this Duke Cao have such a mind?
He actually calculated all his thoughts carefully, walked in front of him every step of the way, and set up hidden dangers and ambushes.
Moreover, the general trend can completely lead him around. Wancheng's lack of soldiers and horses is indeed a flaw, but the strategy is also very strange.
Jia Xu felt that he was facing a perfect person. He seemed to be incapable of making mistakes, and he had planned many plans in his mind. It was like a hundred-layer network that was repeatedly intertwined. It was not easy to break out.
There are actually people with this kind of mentality in this world! ?
"Major General, why don't you... go and beg for surrender?" Jia Xu persuaded again.
Zhang Xiu gritted his teeth, feeling extremely uncomfortable, and said in a deep voice: "I have been waiting for three days, but he has not yet attacked the city, and now he is waiting for this??"
(End of chapter)
