Without the oars, Yuan Jun lost the cover of bows and arrows. Zhang He and Gao Lan led troops to attack Cao Jun's camp several times, but were repelled by Xia Houyuan and others.
In desperation, Yuan Shao thought of Gongsun Zan's Yijing Tower, so he planned to imitate the gourd and prepared to use underground offensive to break down the solid barriers of Cao's army camp.
It is a pity that Cao Cao also carefully studied Gongsun Zan's defeat and dug the long trench in advance, so Yuan Jun's tunnel battle failed.
In Yuan Jun's camp, Yuan Shao was sitting on the commander's chair, tilting his head to one side and resting his chin on his hands, "Everyone, Cao Jun cannot hold out. Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"
In the Chinese military tent, there was a long silence after this question was raised.
Facing an enemy army that is unable to escape has always been a headache. Otherwise, Gongsun Zan, who was at the end of his rope in Youzhou, would not have wasted a year in vain.
After trying methods such as building oars and digging tunnels, the Northern Consultants Group was at a loss.
In the past, Jushou and Tian Feng were the most enthusiastic counselors. Now that Tian Feng was away and Jushou saw that no one spoke, he stepped forward and bowed:
"My lord, Cao Cao does not have enough troops, so he wants to defend and look for opportunities to gain an advantage. We cannot continue to delay, and the casualties of a strong attack will be too high.
I suggest that five armies, each with 5,000 men, be sent down the Yellow River to raid Puyang, Yongqiu, Yaocheng and other places. If Cao Cao's rear becomes turbulent, his army will surely collapse.
This move can also give full play to the advantage of our military strength, so as to prevent hundreds of thousands of troops from gathering here without achieving anything. "
The method Ju taught not only conforms to the art of war, but can also be considered a tactic tailor-made for Yuan Shao. It is a type of land-grabbing warfare.
The only drawback is that if Cao Cao ignores the small towns in the rear, the delay will be much longer.
When he was in Youzhou, in order to lure Gongsun Zan out, Yuan Shao also used similar methods and constantly harassed the surrounding counties, but Gongsun Zan held on to Yijing and refused to come out.
Of course, this move may push Cao Cao into a desperate situation, but the time-consuming process obviously went against Yuan Shao's original intention. He took a deep breath, and a trace of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
Even this fleeting hesitation could not escape Guo Tu's eyes. The dog-headed military advisor could always figure out Yuan Shao's inner world through the subtle changes in his expression, and immediately stepped forward to retort:
"With such procrastination, when will we get to the Central Plains in such a long time? My lord, it is better to focus on Guandu and not be distracted by other things."
Yuan Shao went from being the governor of Bohai to today's lord of the four states. In terms of achievements, Guo Tu really didn't help much, but he was able to get along like a fish in the crowd of advisers in the northern country because he spoke for Yuan Shao.
No matter whether it is Ju Shou, Tian Feng, Xu You, Shen Pei and others, they only know that Yuan Shao wants to unify the Central Plains, but no one knows that what he desires more in his heart is to be fast. Therefore, all tactics should not focus on winning, but should be quick.
After all, no one would think that this battle with unequal strength between the two sides has the possibility of failure.
Guo Tu's quick wit earned him Yuan Shao's admiring gaze. Although he didn't say anything, everything was unspoken.
People's status is unknowingly promoted through such frequent displays of goodwill, and Guo Tu knows this well.
"My Lord, it seems to me that Cao Cao will not leave the stronghold to fight with us in the short term. In that case, it is better to leave an army of 180,000 to deal with it, and send Zhang He and Gao Lan to lead 200,000 elite troops to attack directly. Xuchang!"
Xu You held his head high and said confidently: "Xuchang is Cao Cao's capital, and it is also the puppet capital. As long as Xuchang falls, Cao Cao's army will be in chaos!"
This time, Yuan Shao was really moved. He even changed his sitting position and looked at Xu You, his eyes constantly turning.
First go to Xuchang, cut off its logistics, and then fight back. Attack Cao Cao's camp on both fronts. Not only does it have a great chance of winning, but it also takes a short time. If nothing goes wrong, Cao Cao can be killed within three months.
Yuan Shao supported the desk and sat upright again. When he was about to make up his mind, Yuan Shang stood up.
"Father, these gentlemen are all outstanding men in the Northern Kingdom and have outstanding intelligence. What they have proposed is also a strategy to stabilize the country. I shouldn't say anything nonsense, but I have doubts in my heart and I don't want to express my displeasure."
"Shang'er can tell you what you want." Yuan Shao smiled happily. It's good to have doubts. It proves that he has his own opinions in his heart. What he despises the most is a master who only listens to the opinions of his subordinates. Yuan Tan doesn't do this enough. To his satisfaction.
"Our army has an absolute advantage in Guandu. This advantage is not only in terms of military strength, but also in terms of grain, grass and ordnance supplies. It is reported that Cao Cao and Lu Bu fought several times in Anfeng and Xiaoguan, and the granaries of the government were already empty. In order to For this war, he borrowed 100,000 stones of food and grass from powerful families."
Yuan Shangnian was only sixteen or seventeen, but he did not have stage fright. He analyzed confidently and calmly in front of the civil and military officials, "In other words, Cao's army may not be able to last more than two months with food and grass. This is our army's advantage.
Secondly, if we divide our troops rashly, once Cao Jun takes action or misses a loophole, our military strength may not be sure to knock him down.
The most critical point is that hundreds of thousands of our troops are stationed here, which has a great deterrent effect on Cao's army. Everyone in Cao's camp must be in danger now. If the troops are divided, once Cao Cao chooses to defeat the enemy, it will give him a chance to break through our central army. Opportunity. "
Hearing this, Xu You retreated tactically. What do you call it? The 180,000 people left behind are certainly not elites, but if they just stick to the camp and cooperate with the defense of the village, it is impossible to stop Cao Cao's attack.
Before Xu You could refute, Yuan Shao laughed loudly, "Okay, okay, Shang'er has made great progress with the army. Being able to see this level is like knowing the autumn leaves."
"I think that Young Master Yan is well versed in the essence of the art of war, so I second my opinion."
"I also agree that we should not divide our troops easily!"
Shen Pei and Pang Ji stood up and stood in front of Xu You.
In fact, Yuan Shang's words don't have much insight into the art of war, but there is one point in it that Yuan Shao agrees with. Once the troops are divided, if Cao Cao reveals a flaw along the way, his elite will not be able to give him a fatal blow.
Coupled with the fact that You Shenpei and Pang Ji spoke, Yuan Shao hesitated for a while and felt that staying here and continuing to wait and see was an option.
Of course, he was more pleased. In Yuan Shao's view, it was ultimately a matter of time to deal with Cao Cao, and there was no doubt about victory or defeat. However, Yuan Shang was able to put forward his own opinions in front of many civil servants and generals, which broke away from the image of a vase. , which he was very happy about.
Little did he know that Xu You's plan had too great a chance of overturning the battlefield in Yuan Shang's eyes, and he had no choice but to stand up and oppose it.
As a popular person to seize the throne, he actually didn't want to offend people like Xu You and Jushou, but now he had to oppose them.
The reason is simple. Yuan Tan has already suffered a loss on the Qingzhou front. He read the battle report. It is not at all like what Yuan Shao said was to retreat the enemy to attract Lin Mo into his trap. On the contrary, Yuan Tan planned to lose his troops and generals in the battle of Qishan. He has already Being passive.
Once Cao Cao collapses quickly on the Western Front, Lu Bu will inevitably be unable to resist the Northern Army. Yuan Tan, who was originally at an absolute disadvantage, will also receive military glory that he does not deserve. Yuan Shang does not want to see this.
Anyway, this battle will not be lost no matter how hard it is fought. In this case, you can choose a conservative approach, hold Cao Cao in front, and let Lu Bu and Lin Mo find ways to deal with Yuan Tan.
As long as Yuan Tan is defeated, or suffers some serious losses, even if the war situation on the Western Front collapses in the end, he, Yuan Tan, will only benefit from the overall situation, and there will be no military merit. Naturally, he can make some articles here.
It must be said that Yuan Shang’s intentions are far-reaching.
Not only Yuan Shang, but also Guo Tu, Shen Pei, Pang Ji and others worked very hard, much harder than Cao Ying's counselors and Lu Ying's counselors.
Because the counselors of the two sides are considering retreating from the enemy and winning. In addition to winning, they also have to consider their own interests, which is not easy.
"I've made up my mind!"
Yuan Shao narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Zhang He and Gao Lan continue to lead their troops to challenge. Han Meng and Lu Kuang each lead three thousand troops to bypass the rear of Cao's camp and wait for an opportunity to cut off Cao's army's food route!"
"Here!" The four generals came out and bowed their hands.
At this point, Jushou and Xu You also understood that unnecessary dissuasion would only have the opposite effect, so they could only lower their heads and sigh.
I hope that the overall situation can go as the Lord hopes.
The mentality of the two of them is still good. They feel more disappointed that their suggestions have not been adopted many times.
As for the internal conflicts, they saw it in their eyes, but they were very calm in their hearts, because they all understood that this was not a characteristic of the Yuan family.
In fact, any dynasty or even vassal forces will have internal conflicts of one kind or another. This will only become more prominent as the Yuan family grows bigger.
Not to mention Yuan Shao, the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty, no matter how powerful they were, they couldn't kill all the contradictions. Wherever there are people, there will be rivers and lakes. This is eternal.
Because of this, in the eyes of the two of them, Guo Tu, Shen Pei and others were more like the flattering ministers in the dynasty, or the eunuchs who disrupted the government.
But the most powerful weapon is in the hands of the person you despise the least in this group of people. Life is very painful.
On the Qingzhou front, Lu Ying advanced fifteen miles and arrived near the location where Yuan's army was stationed previously.
Here, Qishan has only become a support and no longer has the effect of defending. Instead, we must always be careful of Yuan Jun running up from the other side of the mountain to fight sparrows.
The diversion of the giant ocean water is also diverted from here, unable to form a natural protective barrier.
Fortunately, the position was not in a completely open area. Even if Yuan's army came to attack, they would not be able to spread out all the troops. However, if the soldiers of Lu Ying were to attack, they would inevitably collide with the Northern Army in the wilderness. This would reduce the strength of the army. The shortcomings will be more obvious.
But this is helpless. If you want to make a fuss about the grain and grass camp, it will be a matter of time to advance.
"How about you gentlemen, I don't have any good ideas on my end." In the military tent, Chen Gong and Jia Xu sat side by side. Lin Mo, who walked in from outside the tent, sat in front of them, spread his hands, and hoped I can seek some comfort from these two great talents.
"The disparity in military strength is so great that Yuan Tan even has the ability to set up ambushes on both sides at the same time."
Chen Gong shrugged and said with a wry smile: "Unless we can mislead Yuan Tan and let him keep all the elites in the camp, there is still a chance of succeeding in such a forceful attack on his grain camp, but the risk is too great."
Yuan Tan has an army of 200,000, and of course they cannot all be elite. According to the troop ratio and the intelligence previously obtained, his most elite troops, except for the first camp, euphorbia soldiers and chariots, should be commanded by Wen Chou. Eight thousand cavalry and twelve thousand infantry.
Based on this calculation, the elites are only in their early 20,000s. According to the custom of using troops, clumsy units such as the first camp, euphorbias and chariots are unlikely to be dragged to the grain and grass camp dozens of miles away.
Therefore, according to speculation, if Yuan Tan really wanted to set up an ambush, he must have used Wen Chou's 20,000 people.
As for whether the 20,000 people will be used separately, it depends on how big the fishhook is. If the grain and grass camp is definitely a fishhook, then the 20,000 army must be a stud. The reason is simple. It is worth it. A battle in which one's own elite swarm forward.
"You all know the means I have prepared. It may work wonders if you use it once, but it can only be used this once. I still don't know whether the grain and grass camp is real or not, so I dare not touch it without permission." Jia Xu also agreed. One sentence.
Well, it seems that the two of them have no good way to judge what is going on in the grain and grass camp. This kind of thing cannot be tested. Once tested, it will give Yuan Tan a wake-up call.
It's a very itchy feeling to win a battle that can easily be won by destroying the opponent's food camp.
It's a pity that we don't have enough troops. If we had Yuan Tan's 180,000 troops, we could do all kinds of tricks.
Although the old scumbag won a good battle, it was only an advantage and did not form a victory.
Moreover, this advantage is not long-lasting and will slowly dissipate over time.
Lin Mo rested his chin on his hands and felt a little melancholy.
"Why don't you use your means to attack Yuan Jun's food camp? If there is an ambush, we won't suffer much loss. If there is no ambush, we can take advantage of the situation to get the food and grass and cut off its retreat!" Chen Gong was a little worried. Getting impatient.
Jia Xu didn't say anything, but Lin Mo smiled bitterly, "God knows whether the food camp is real or fake. If there is no food and grass in it at all, wouldn't what Mr. Jia prepared be in vain?"
After saying this, Chen Gong wilted and sighed depressedly.
It's very tricky.
Moreover, Yuan Tan was much more difficult to deal with than expected. After Qishan's defeat, he didn't even let Wen Chou lead his troops to challenge him anymore, most likely to appease the morale of the troops.
The number of scouts behind the camp has increased significantly. They must be exploring the location of their own supplies.
Forget it, in the battle of life and death, if you are not sure of victory, you should try not to take action. After all, he, Yuan Tan, is more anxious.
In fact, Lin Mo was wrong to think so, at least not completely right, because there was someone in Yuan Camp who was more anxious than Yuan Tan.
"Sir, it's been almost a month. The location of the grain and grass camp you exposed has not attracted Lu Bu's army. Are we just waiting? This is an army of 180,000, and Lu Bu only has 60,000. What's the point of confrontation? Necessity!
Sir, I'm afraid you have forgotten that my brother is still being humiliated in Cao Cao's prison, right? "
At first Wen Chou was a little patient, thinking that the attraction of the Grain and Grass Camp should be sufficient, good guy, but in the end there was no movement from the other side, so he found Yuan Tan and Tian Feng unwilling to be alone.
He had no choice but to think of Yan Liang still suffering in Xuchang Prison, and he wanted to immediately start a life-and-death battle with Lu Bu.
The love between generals can last through life and death.
For Yan Liang, he would even risk his life.
Yuan Tan looked at Tian Feng helplessly. Although he knew that now was not the time to take action, Wen Chou had to comfort him and could only divert his anger.
Tian Feng stroked his short beard and nodded, "It's been a month already? It's almost time."
Immediately, he bowed to Yuan Tan and said, "Sir, it's time to take action."
"Do it?"
Yuan Tan frowned in confusion, "Sir, do you mean to attack Lu Bu's army camp directly?"
Tian Feng shook his head, "Let him attack us."
"How is this possible? Lu Bu only has so many people, and I don't even dare to lend him any courage!" Wen Chou took over the words directly and snorted coldly.
"He doesn't dare. Someone will help him."
Tian Feng smiled knowingly, "Prefect Zhang has been with our army for many days, it's time to help."
I found that I have a bit of social anxiety and don’t dare to join groups...
(End of chapter)
