Chapter 757: The enemy is overt and we are hidden, using the odd to overcome the odd
Early tenth month of the sixth year of Emperor Zhangwu of the Han Dynasty.
Cao Xiu in Wancheng was meeting with an important person.
This man was Tian Yu who had recommended himself and led his army to Wancheng to support Cao Xiu.
Cao Xiu and Tian Yu were no strangers to each other. They even worked together for a while when Cao Cao went on an expedition to Hebei.
Since they have worked together before, Cao Xiu naturally knows Tian Yu's talents.
Therefore, Cao Xiu was quite happy that Cao Rui could send Tian Yu to support him.
After toasting Tian Yu with a glass of wine, Cao Xiu asked Tian Yu:
"The country has sent me thousands of miles south, what can you teach me?"
When asked this question, Cao Xiu showed an expectant look on his face.
Over the past few days, Cao Xiu's mood has become quite good.
This is because the critical situation he originally faced has been greatly alleviated.
Thinking back to August, when Mi Yang used Zhang He as a surprise force to attack Bowang, the situation at that time was indeed very bad for the Wei army.
At that time, everyone thought that Mi Yang would seize Wancheng in one go and then march into Xuchang.
The image of national subjugation seems to be right in front of us.
Later, a large number of Han troops appeared outside Wancheng, which also proved this conjecture.
To be honest, although Cao Xiu continued to boost morale in Wancheng at that time, he still had the determination to live or die with the city.
Fortunately, Cao Rui was decisive and hurriedly sent an envoy to contact Sun Quan, who asked Sun Quan to send Lu Xun to lead a heavy army to surprise Jingnan, recreating the situation in which Guan Yu was attacked from both sides.
Judging from the current situation, Cao Rui's strategy is undoubtedly successful.
After all, after Mi Yang learned that the police were in danger, he quickly led some troops back to Jingnan to aid.
This directly led to the sudden reduction in the pressure Cao Xiu faced.
Who wouldn't be excited to be suddenly pulled back from the edge of possible death?
However, Cao Xiu also knew that the crisis in the Wei Dynasty was far from over.
At least Mi Yang is not dead yet, right?
Facing Cao Xiu's request for advice, Tian Yu couldn't help but think.
Although he had just arrived in Wancheng, when he passed through Xuchang before, he learned about Mi Yang's retreat from Xiahou Shang.
How to say it.
Feeling that his strategy could successfully drive away Mi Yang, who was famous all over the world, Tian Yu was quite proud of himself.
However, Tian Yu and Cao Xiu had the same view - as long as Mi Yang didn't die, it was far from time for them to relax and be careless.
After thinking for a while, Tian Yu asked:
"I also hope that Grand Sima will inform you of the latest trends regarding the bandits."
After hearing Tian Yu's inquiry, Cao Xiu smiled and asked Wang Jun behind him to deliver the latest information to Tian Yu.
After receiving the information from Wang Jun, Tian Yu quickly started reading it.
After reading the information in his hand, Tian Yu subconsciously praised:
"As expected of him, he was able to come up with a plan to control the water with fire and turn the iron cables across the river into ashes.
Pan Zhang’s death was not unjust.”
As time went by, even in Wancheng, Cao Xiu was able to get the latest news that Zhouling had been recaptured by Mi Yang.
After praising Mi Yang, Tian Yu immediately realized a key issue:
"Now that the Wu army's retreat has been cut off by bandits, has Lu Xun sent an envoy to seek help from Da Sima?"
Seeing that Tian Yu could realize the key point so quickly, Cao Xiu calmly stroked his beard and replied:
"That's natural."
When answering this sentence, Cao Xiu felt a little emotional in his heart.
Just two months ago, Cao Rui was still anxious to ask Sun Quan for help.
Unexpectedly, in just two months, the situation has undergone earth-shaking changes - the original knife holder seems to have become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
After Cao Xiu answered, Tian Yu quickly asked:
"Then what does Grand Sima think of Lu Xun's request for help?"
After asking this question, Tian Yu looked at Cao Xiu with burning eyes.
Although he was sent to Wancheng by Cao Rui, Cao Rui sent him here to assist Cao Xiu.
Since he was assisting, Tian Yu had to figure out what Cao Xiu's strategic goal was.
Facing Tian Yu's inquiry, Cao Xiu replied without hesitation:
"As requested by our allies, we should do our best."
Cao Xiu answered decisively.
Cao Xiu is not stupid, he understands the meaning of death and coldness.
If he ignores Lu Xun's request for help, or does nothing to help him, then after Lu Xun's defeat, Mi Yang, who no longer has any worries, will focus all his attention on Wancheng.
Cao Xiu felt that it was enough to experience something frightening once, and he didn't want to have it happen a second time.
Cao Xiu's answer put a smile on Tian Yu's face.
It was indeed reasonable for Cao Xiu to gain the respect of Cao Cao back then.
"Da Sima Yingming."
After praising Cao Xiu, Tian Yu said:
"Although the Mi thieves succeeded in sending part of the bandits southward by surprise last month, in order to cover the Mi thieves' retreat, there are still about 30,000 elite bandits outside Wancheng.
I heard that these 30,000 elite thieves were led by Deng Ai, the favorite general of the thieves.
If Da Sima can destroy these 30,000 elite thieves, he will not only be able to deal a heavy blow to the Mi thieves, but he may also be able to regain his homeland in northern Jing in one fell swoop."
Cao Xiu was deeply convinced by Tian Yu's words.
That's what he was thinking.
only.
Cao Xiu sighed and said to Tian Yu:
"Guo Rang doesn't know something.
When Gu Zai learned that Mi Yang was sending troops south, he immediately led his troops out of the city to attack the bandit camp.
However, the camp of the bandit army was stable and could not be attacked by a single force.
Later, Guben thought about retreating with his entire army, and when the thief Deng Ai led his army to continue retreating south, he would launch a fierce attack on the rear of the thief army.
But that little thief Deng Ai may have received some advice from the Mi thief, so he patiently chose to stand still and not give our army an opportunity to take advantage of it.
To this day, our army and the bandits are still in a confrontation outside the city."
Cao Xiu told Tian Yu what he had been having trouble with recently.
It is true that when the disparity in strength between the two sides is large, if the side with fewer troops retreats first, the other side will get a God-given opportunity.
But the problem is that Deng Ai is young but more stable than ordinary veterans. He will not retreat.
After realizing what Cao Xiu was worried about, Tian Yu seemed to have a plan in mind.
After he smiled slightly, he raised his hands to Cao Xiu and said:
"Yu has a plan that will force Deng Ai to retreat."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Tian Yu’s words made Cao Xiu very happy.
Cao Xiu immediately leaned over and asked, "If Guo Rang has any clever plan, tell me quickly."
Under Cao Xiu's eager inquiry, Tian Yu stood up and walked towards the map hanging behind Cao Xiu.
After standing still, Tian Yu pointed his finger to a certain place on the map.
Then Tian Yu said:
"Da Sima, do you still remember how Zhang Fei unexpectedly led his army to Wancheng last year?"
Tian Yu's words, coupled with the place Tian Yu pointed to, made Cao Xiu react instantly.
"What Guorang means is that our army can follow Zhang Fei's story last year and lead the army southward from Niyang to the rear of the Han army?"
"Exactly."
Tian Yu confirmed Cao Xiu's guess.
"Now that the bandits are facing enemies on both sides, the troops in the northern Jing Dynasty will definitely be empty.
In addition, our army's military strength is twice that of Deng Ai's, which is a good opportunity for our army to divide our forces.
Yu Yuan asked for orders and led a group of elite soldiers southward via Niyang to detour to the rear of the Han army.
At that time, Yu can first cut off the Han army's food route, and secondly, it can shock the counties in Yiyang and destabilize the Jingbei region.
If everything goes well, in this situation, what other choice does Deng Ai have besides hurriedly retreating?"
"Once Deng Ai abandons the strong camp and runs south, Da Sima can personally lead a heavy army to pursue him, while Yu can set up an ambush in front of the rebel army to harass them.
Under attack from two sides, the bandit army will be defeated!"
After listening to Tian Yu's plan, Cao Xiu subconsciously clasped his hands and laughed.
"Guorang is really a clever plan!"
But after laughing, Cao Xiu still had a worry in his heart.
"The boundary of Niyang is full of swamps and mountains, and the roads are rugged and difficult to navigate. Can we be sure of the country's surrender?"
Regarding Cao Xiu's concerns, Tian Yu was confident.
"If there is anything else, I don't dare to speak nonsense.
But it has always been difficult to do good deeds!"
When he said these words, Tian Yu's whole body showed strong self-confidence.
Tian Yu's confidence is not groundless.
When he accompanied Cao Zhang on an expedition to Daijun, he personally led the Wei army and traveled through countless harsh mountains and rivers.
Cao Xiu knew about this.
Therefore, Cao Xiu soon felt relieved about Tian Yu.
"Okay, I will give you five thousand elite soldiers.
I hope Guorang can lead these five thousand elites to create a world-shaking avenue for Wei as he did back then!"
...
Deng Ai outside Wancheng didn't know yet about Tian Yu's arrival in Wancheng.
He has been in the camp these days, working with several generals to figure out the Wei army's next move.
Deng Ai looked at Zhang He and asked:
"Junyi thinks that after Cao Xiu cannot attack our army for a long time, will he give up?"
Some time ago, the Wei army launched attacks on the Han army camp from time to time.
But in the past few days, the Wei army stopped attacking.
The Wei army remained stationary for several days, which made Deng Ai suspicious.
And Deng Ai knew very well that the reason why Mi Yang left Zhang He outside Wancheng was because Zhang He understood the nature and talents of many Wei generals.
If he had any doubts about something, he might get the answer by asking Zhang He.
After hearing Deng Ai's inquiry, Zhang He thought for a while and replied:
"Cao Xiu has a brave temperament and is not someone who gives up easily."
Zhang He gave his opinion.
After hearing Zhang He's views, Deng Ai began to think deeply.
If it is true as Zhang He said, Cao Xiu would not give up easily, then the Wei army's inactivity in the past few days is quite suspicious.
But without more information, Deng Ai couldn't figure out what kind of medicine Cao Xiu was selling in his gourd.
But Deng Ai knew that it was never wrong to cover everything.
Then Deng Ai quickly made a decision:
"Continue to send scouts to explore further and more remote places!"
After receiving Deng Ai's order, several generals and colonels quickly followed the order and left.
Under Mi Yang's influence, Deng Ai has always attached great importance to the importance of intelligence.
Long before that, he had been sending out scouts to gather information about the surrounding areas.
However, the Wei army remained stationary, making Deng Ai unable to relax.
This is an inexplicable intuition.
In order to live up to Mi Yang's trust, Deng Ai, who was in a passive situation, could only further expand the scope of the scout's investigation.
But what Deng Ai didn't know was that his caution did him a big favor.
Under Deng Ai's order, batches of elite scouts were sent out one after another.
And the scope of their exploration has doubled compared to before.
This undoubtedly greatly increased the hard work of the Han army's scouts.
But hard work pays off easily.
Soon after, a piece of urgent information was sent to Deng Ai.
"What?
You said there are signs of a large number of bandits appearing near Nie Yang?"
After hearing the scout's report, Deng Ai couldn't sit still.
It is near Niyang City and not close to Wancheng.
According to common sense, given the distance between the two cities, it would not be unusual for a small number of Wei troops to appear near Nie Yang.
But now, according to reports from scouts, a large number of Wei troops have appeared near Niyang City.
If there were not thousands of soldiers and horses, the scout would not use the word "large number".
Deng Ai quickly realized the seriousness of the matter.
In order not to cause unrest in the morale of the army, Deng Ai first summoned Zhang He privately.
When Zhang He arrived, Deng Ai told him the information he had just received.
After Zhang He heard that there were traces of a large number of Wei troops near Niyang City, his expression became serious.
While Zhang He was still thinking about what Wei Jun's purpose was, Deng Ai blurted out:
"The bandit army wants to send a surprise force to take a detour to the rear of our army."
Last year when Zhang Fei attacked Wancheng, Deng Ai was also in the army.
So Deng Ai immediately guessed Wei Jun's purpose.
The reason why Deng Ai had not thought of this before was that the terrain near Niyang was not suitable for a large army to march.
Last year, Zhang Fei also relied on the help of the navy to successfully march against the odds.
Zhang He was first surprised when he heard Deng Ai's judgment, and then blurted out:
"There must be other thieves coming to Wancheng."
Zhang He basically knew the Wei generals in the city very well.
In his impression, none of the Wei generals in Wancheng were good at marching in dangerous places.
Marching into dangerous places may seem to require only courage, but in this world, this is actually a special talent.
During the Battle of Brazil, he just didn't expect Zhang Fei to have such talent, so he was beaten over the mountains and ridges by Zhang Fei without any precautions.
Deng Ai agreed with Zhang He's judgment.
But he didn't care much about this.
The enemy is not dead, and Cao Xiu is also a veteran general. When the battle situation is deadlocked, it is normal for him to think of other countermeasures.
What matters now is how to deal with Cao Xiu's attempt.
Before Deng Ai made a decision, Zhang He said:
"The terrain near Niyang is difficult to navigate, and even if the thieves will be able to travel in dangerous places, they will not and will not endanger our army's retreat for a while.
It is better for our army to slowly retreat to Jiyang City while the bandit army has not yet cut off our army's food route."
Zhang He gave a safe approach.
It's just that this seemingly safe method did not get Deng Ai's approval.
"Cao Xiu may be waiting for our army to retreat!
When Da Sima retreated, I had 30,000 elite soldiers as Da Sima's rearguard.
If our army retreats now, how many troops can we leave behind?
Cao Xiu has more than 60,000 troops."
Deng Ai's words made Zhang He hesitate.
With half the enemy's strength, it is not difficult to hold on with the strength of the fortress.
But if the military strength is further weakened, so many strong fortresses will be of little use.
After thinking about the stakes, Zhang He raised his head and looked at the man in front of him who Mi Yang had high hopes for:
"General, is there any way to solve our army's predicament?"
Of course there are ways.
After thinking about it, a smile appeared on Deng Ai's face.
"Originally, the enemy was in darkness and we were in darkness, but now we are in darkness.