The person who dispatched troops fastest among Yuan Cao's army was Chen Xiang Xia Houyuan.
From the moment Yuan and Cao joined forces to kill Gongsun Zan, he was ready to send troops at any time.
After Yuan Shao agreed to send troops, Xiahou Yuan set out from Chen State.
The State of Chen bordered on the State of Pei, and he led 10,000 soldiers and horses to the county seat of Pei State very quickly.
Xiao Jian went from Langya to Pengcheng and then to Pei. Liu Bei asked him to serve in Pei. He didn't expect him to resist the enemy. He just hoped that the west of Pengcheng would not be directly threatened and leave a buffer area.
There are only a thousand county soldiers in Xiangxian City. Adding the officials and people in the city, there are less than two thousand people who can climb the city to guard it.
Xia Houyuan sent someone first to ask Xiao Jian to prepare food and grass, and to transport the troops and horses as soon as they arrived.
How could Xiao Jian be willing to give Xia Houyuan food and grass? He flatly refused and closed the city gate tightly.
Originally, Xia Houyuan did not expect Xiao Jian to be willing to provide food, but just found an excuse to get rid of him to prevent him from cutting off his food supply.
Xia Houyuan was from Qiao County, Peiguo.
The Cao family and the Xiahou family are not famous families in Yuzhou, but they are quite influential in Pei State.
The next day after the soldiers and horses arrived outside Xiangxian City, someone inside the city secretly opened the city gate to welcome Xiahou Yuan into the city.
The first thing Xia Houyuan did when he entered the city was to kill Xiao Jian, then take food and grass and continue marching to Pengcheng.
Liu Bei and Zhou Ping were deeply saddened when they heard the news. People like Xiao Jian wished they could live in a peaceful world!
They marched faster, but they were worried that Xia Houyuan would advance too quickly and Tian Yu of Pengcheng would not have time to retreat.
At this time, Guan Yu led his soldiers and horses just past Qilu, not far away, and received an order from Liu Bei to retreat to Xia Pi.
But at this time, news came from Pengcheng that Xiahou Yuan led his troops to the gates of Pengcheng.
"If Tian Guorang abandons the city and retreats at this time, he is afraid that he will be pursued by enemy soldiers, and the people in the city will also suffer!" Xu Ding said worriedly.
Guan Yu gently stroked his long beard, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said: "Cao Cao's army is still far away from here. Xia Houyuan is advancing alone. I want to help the country and give way."
Immediately, the order was sent and we continued to rush towards Pengcheng.
Tian Yu and Liang Lu were in Pengcheng City and received Liu Bei's order to retreat to Xiapi. However, Xia Houyuan had already arrived outside the city. If he retreated at this time, he might be pursued by enemy soldiers, and the people in the city would probably be massacred by them.
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"Guorang, what should we do?" Liang Lu asked.
"According to the reports from the scouts, it will take ten days at the earliest for Cao Cao's army to arrive here. Xia Houyuan came in such a hurry and wanted to win the first victory, but also killed Prime Minister Xiao. Humph, we must not retreat just like this." Tian Yu said bitterly.
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Liang Lu asked again: "Are we going to go out of the city to fight him?"
Tian Yu knew how brave Xia Houyuan was and the enemy's force was twice that of Pengcheng. He didn't have much chance of winning in a battle outside the city.
"It has been reported that General Guan's troops have passed through. We are not far from Pengcheng and can arrive in two or three days. Why not let General Guan lead his troops here to attack Xiahou Yuan together and destroy Cao Cao's majesty first."
"That's okay." Liang Lu agreed.
Many generals who followed Liu Bei in his conquest of Yangzhou have made meritorious deeds, but Liang Lu hardly had the opportunity to make meritorious deeds in Pengcheng. Now is a good opportunity to make great achievements, how could he miss it.
Tian Yu immediately sent someone to see Guan Yu and expressed his thoughts.
Guan Yu was overjoyed, but he did not expect that he and Tian Yu would coincide with each other, urging his troops to rush towards Pengcheng.
Zang Ba found out that Yuan Tan had led 30,000 troops to Beihai and was going to attack Langya.
Now Langya has 7,000 troops guarding Kaiyang under his command, and Sun Kang has 3,000 troops guarding Ju County. Facing 30,000 enemy troops, it will definitely be disadvantageous if we divide our troops to defend. We must unite our troops and hold on to the city.
But he hesitated on the issue of guarding Kaiyang or Ju County.
Kaiyang is where he is located, which is far away from Qingzhou, but very close to Mount Tai, so it is easy for Cao Cao to divide his troops to attack.
Ju County is a good place to block Qingzhou's troops, but it also has a disadvantage. If Cao Cao divides his troops to attack, Ju County will have no retreat. Ju County is surrounded by mountains to the east and west, and only the north and south are accessible, and Yuan Tan led his troops from
When attacking from the north, Cao Cao blocked the road to the south. Once he was defeated, there would be only death.
This is where Zang Ba hesitates, whether to be flexible and resist the enemy, or to fight with all his strength.
Just when he was hesitant, Liu Bei sent someone to ask him to lead troops to guard Ju County. This was Zhou Ping's suggestion.
Zang Ba's role now is mainly to block the enemies of Qingzhou. If Cao Cao does not divide his troops to attack, his 10,000 troops can completely block Yuan Tan's 30,000 troops.
Cao Cao's main target is Liu Bei, and he will not divide his troops to deal with Zang Ba. As long as Qingzhou's soldiers and horses can hold Zang Ba back, it will be fine.
According to Liu Bei's instructions, Zang Ba led three thousand soldiers and Wu Dun, and left Kaiyang towards Ju County.
Liu Bei also asked Chen Deng to lead 5,000 troops from Guangling to Xuyi, to build momentum for Xiapi from a distance and to support the people going south.
Cao Cao led 50,000 soldiers and horses in the front, and Ju Shou and Yan Liang Wenchou led 50,000 soldiers and horses in the rear. A hundred thousand troops marched toward Xuzhou in a mighty manner.
In addition to Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xu Huang, Lu Qian, Han Hao and others all went with the army. Of course, there were also Guo Jia and Dian Wei. Those who stayed in Yanzhou were Cheng Yu and Shi Huan.
"Report, General Xiahou Yuan has led 10,000 troops to the gates of Pengcheng."
"Report, Liu Bei is leading his troops back to Xiapi."
"Report, Guan Yu is leading more than 10,000 people and is marching towards Pengcheng."
"Report, Nanyang Governor Zhang Xiu has led 20,000 troops to Yingchuan and is heading towards Xuzhou."
As intelligence came from various sources, Cao Cao was very proud.
The last time he came to attack Xuzhou, he only brought 50,000 troops. This time, although he still led 50,000 troops, he also had troops from Yuan Shao and Zhang Xiu. The total number was 160,000 troops.
"Hahaha...Fengxiao, this time hundreds of thousands of troops attack Xuzhou. How do you think Liu Bei will respond?"
Cao Cao laughed and asked Guo Jia.
Guo Jia smiled and said: "Liu Bei only has three choices now."
"Oh, what are the three choices?" Cao Cao asked.
"The first is to hold on to the city, the second is to abandon the city and retreat, and the third is to bow down and ask for surrender."
"Hahaha... Then which one do you think he will choose?" Cao Cao asked with a smile.
Guo Jia replied: "If we hold on to the city and hold on with our troops, we may be able to hold it for a while, but we will eventually be defeated. This is a sure way to die. If we abandon the city and retreat, although we will lose the support of the people, we will still retain our troops. If we ambush
The first one wants to surrender, haha, I think Liu Bei will never do this."
"Well, Liu Bei is not someone who surrenders easily." Cao Cao nodded in agreement.
Guo Jia continued: "Liu Bei will not bow down and ask for surrender. As for whether to hold on to the city or abandon the city and retreat, I think he will choose to abandon the city and retreat."
Cao Cao looked at Guo Jia, wanting to hear what he said.
"Liu Bei has now occupied the three counties of Yangzhou, Jiujiang, Wu and Danyang. As long as he abandons Xuzhou, he cannot threaten Yuan Benchu and Jizhou. If he sends people to Yecheng to persuade him, Yuan Benchu will definitely retreat and stop pursuing. Although Liu Bei can give up
Xuzhou, however, Guangling will not abandon it. It uses the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River as dangerous obstacles, and retains its troops to prepare for it. It will still be a big trouble for Ming Gong in the future!"
Cao Cao nodded frequently: "Well, that makes sense, hahaha... Liu Bei is indeed an orphan!"
He remembered that when he faced a large army siege in Xudu, he also chose to compromise and moved the emperor to Yecheng, and then secretly recruited troops and horses to recharge his batteries and wait for today.
Liu Bei is also a man of great ambition. Facing this army of hundreds of thousands, he will definitely be unable to withstand the enemy. The only way to preserve his strength is to abandon Xuzhou and retreat to Jiangdong.
"But... I'm afraid Zhou Wen'an will have some tricks to harm me!" Cao Cao thought of Zhou Ping and couldn't help but worry.
Guo Jia raised the corner of his mouth and said: "Don't worry, Ming Gong. Facing so many soldiers and horses, no matter how wise Zhou Wen'an is, he has no other good strategy except abandoning the city and retreating. How can they still defeat an army of hundreds of thousands?"
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"Hahaha... There aren't many soldiers. If Yuan Gongli leads the troops, it will be hard to say."
"But now that Ming Gong is commanding the army, how can Liu Bei defeat him?"
"Will Liu Bei abandon Pengcheng? I heard that Guan Yu is leading his troops towards Pengcheng, so I am worried about Miaocai!"
Cao Cao thought of Pengcheng and Xiahou Yuan who led the troops to the city again.
"General Xiahou Miaocai has 10,000 soldiers and horses, and Guan Yu only has more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. Even if he joins forces with Pengcheng, it will not be easy to win. Moreover, our soldiers and horses are approaching. They should be thinking about how to defend the city or retreat.
"Guo Jia comforted.
Cao Cao chuckled softly and stopped talking, but he was still worried. After all, the person Xia Houyuan was facing was Guan Yu.
The last time he fought with Guan Yu, Cao Cao had seen how powerful Guan Yu was, and Yu Jin was beheaded by him. This man was difficult to deal with!
Cao Cao led the army to continue advancing, with Cao Ren leading 10,000 troops as the front army.
Pengcheng.
Xia Houyuan set up camp five miles away from the city and called for war inside the city, but the city defenders did not dare to fight. Later, they heard that Guan Yu had led more than 10,000 troops to help and had entered Pengcheng.
"General, Duke Cao's army has not arrived yet, and the enemy has reinforcements. Should we retreat another five miles to set up camp?"
His military lord was attacked by Liu Bei before and suffered a heavy defeat. He also heard that Guan Yu had killed Yu Jin, so he knew that he was a fierce man. Moreover, with reinforcements in the city, he had more troops than himself, so he could not confront him head-on. Waiting for Cao Cao
It is a good idea to lead an army to fight again.
"Are you afraid of Guan Yu?" Xia Houyuan glanced sideways at Junhou.
"It's not that we are afraid. The enemy has reinforcements. We only have 10,000 troops. If we go to war, we may not be able to win easily. It is better to retreat temporarily and wait for the army."
"Hmph, you are afraid of Guan Yu, but I am not. Tomorrow I will go to the city to call for a fight and see if he dares to fight."
Xia Houyuan has never fought Guan Yu, and Yu Jin cannot compete with him. Guan Yu can kill Yu Jin, but he may not be able to defeat him.
In the city, Guan Yu saw Tian Yu and said: "Guo Rang, my eldest brother asked us to abandon Pengcheng and retreat to Xiapi. I always feel that it is not appropriate."
Tian Yu probably knew what Guan Yu meant: "Is General Guan afraid that if we retreat to Xiapi, Cao Cao's troops will directly enter Xiapi to besiege the city?"
"Exactly, if we garrison Pengcheng and coordinate with Xiapi, we can not only divide Cao Cao's troops, reduce the pressure on the siege, but also make it easier to attack the enemy." Guan Yu stroked his beard and said.
Tian Yu thought for a while and said: "The enemy troops are very large this time, and we have few troops. If we divide our troops to defend the city, we will lose our strength. If Cao Cao gathers his troops to besiege Pengcheng, what does the general think, will the lord come to rescue or not?"
"Brother will definitely come to rescue you! In this case, we still have to retreat to Xiapi."
Guan Yu seemed to have figured out that if he divided his troops to defend the city, Cao Cao would most likely besiege the city to attack and reinforce him. But if he gathered his troops to defend a city, it would be much easier to go out and fight, or to break out and retreat.
"Xia Houyuan has repeatedly called for war in the past few days. If he calls for war again tomorrow, General Guan can go out of the city to fight with him and defeat him, and then we can leave with the people." Tian Yu said.
Guan Yu gently stroked his long beard, half-squinted his eyes, and said, "Even if he doesn't come to call for battle, I will still challenge him."
Early the next morning, shortly after the sun rose, Xia Houyuan led his troops to the city to call for war.
Guan Yu and Tian Yu stood on the city gate tower, looking at the enemy soldiers outside the city, with smiles on their faces.
Xiahou Yuan was able to lead troops. The troops outside the city were well organized and showed great power.
But in Guan Yu's eyes, they were vulnerable to attack.
"Guorang, you defend the city, I will go out and take his head."
Guan Yu asked Tian Yu to defend the city and led 15,000 troops to fight.
Xia Houyuan immediately stood in front of the formation, holding a big sword in his hand and looking at the city.
Soon, someone nearby said: "The city gate has opened and the enemy soldiers have come out."
Xia Houyuan looked towards the city gate, and sure enough he saw the city gate open and a group of soldiers and horses coming out of the city.
The leader was wearing armor and a green robe, with a long flowing beard. He was holding a moon sword in his hand, urging the horse to move.
"This person is Guan Yu." said the military lord next to him.
The last time Xia Houyuan followed Cao Cao to attack Xuzhou, Guan Yu was in Jiujiang. Later, when Guan Yu led troops to block Cao Cao's path, Xia Houyuan stayed behind to stop Liu Bei.
Therefore, Xia Houyuan had never met Guan Yu, let alone fought with him.
"Hmph, there's nothing to fear from a bearded man!"
Xia Houyuan felt that there were people nearby who were afraid of Guan Yu. Perhaps these subordinates had heard of Guan Yu's reputation.
However, the person his subordinates are more afraid of is Zhang Fei, who is even more powerful than Guan Yu, at least that's what they think in their hearts.
Guan Yu led his troops outside the city, formed a formation, and squinted his eyes to look across.
"General Guan will surely kill the enemy general!"
The speaker was Liang Lu. He and Tian Yu stood on the city and watched.
Previously in Xuyi, Guan Yu killed Xiao Bao with just one sword. Liang Lu was in awe of Guan Yu.
"If I can kill Xia Houyuan, it will be like giving Cao Cao a head-on blow, destroying the enemy's morale, and increasing my prestige. It will be much easier to defend Xuzhou."
Tian Yu felt that this was the only chance to defeat the enemy. Otherwise, once Cao Cao's army arrived, Xuzhou's soldiers and horses might have to hold on to the city and not dare to fight.
After all, the opponent has hundreds of thousands of troops, and their momentum alone has already chilled our own side. It is even more difficult to win on the battlefield.
"I'm afraid Cao Cao will massacre the people because of this!" Liang Lu said worriedly.
"If Xia Houyuan is not killed, Cao Cao may massacre the people, so we have to kill him before we can take the people away." Tian Yu said.
Liang Lu thought the same thing. If he retreated with the people now and the enemy soldiers came to pursue him, the people would still be the ones who suffered. They would also be robbed and killed by the enemy soldiers.
"Look, General Guan is advancing."
Liang Lu pointed to the outside of the city. At this time, drums were beating. Guan Yu raised his sword and slapped his horse, leading his soldiers and horses to rush forward. The opponent's soldiers and horses also advanced with the sound of drums.