Cao Ren and Xu Huang really did not dare to go directly to the city to call for battle. They knew that Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and many fierce generals in the city. With only ten thousand men, they had no chance of winning when they challenged the city, so they stopped ten miles away to wait for the army.
.
Soon, the army led by Cao Cao and Ju Shu also arrived.
Cao Cao discussed with Jushu and others and divided their troops to surround Xiapi on all sides.
Jushu and Wen Chou led 30,000 troops to surround the south side of the city to prevent Liu Bei from escaping south.
Yan Liang led 20,000 troops to siege the east side of the city, Cao Ren and Xu Huang led 20,000 troops to siege the north side, and Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun led 30,000 troops to siege the west side.
The most important thing now is the west, which is the main direction of attack, followed by the south.
If Liu Bei wanted to escape, he would definitely flee to Yangzhou and leave the city from the south.
The east and north sides are less important.
Liu Bei led everyone to the west gate tower and looked at the enemy soldiers arrayed outside the city.
Cao Cao has sent people to call for war.
"Lord, let's go to war!"
The first person to ask for a fight was Gan Ning.
"Yes, brother, since Cao Cao wants to fight, we just go out of the city and kill him, and his troops will retreat."
Zhang Fei followed, only regretting that he was one step behind Gan Ning.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard, squinted his eyes, looked at the city, and said calmly: "Brother, let me lead the troops out and behead Cao Cao!"
It was a good thing for the generals to ask for a battle. Liu Bei felt slightly satisfied, but he did not immediately agree to their request. He looked at Zhou Ping and asked: "Sir, do you think it is possible to fight?"
Zhou Ping looked at the city at this time and saw that the enemy troops outside the city were in strict formation and very powerful. Cao Cao was personally commanding the troops, which was different.
"The enemy is besieging the city on all sides. We must go out to fight, otherwise it will be a show of cowardice and will damage our morale. However, if we fight, we can only win, not lose. Even if it is a slight victory, we must show our power.
"
The most important thing now is, just like Zhang Liao defended Hefei, he must exert his power so that the people in the city have the confidence to defend the city, and also let the enemy soldiers outside the city know that it is difficult to break the city, so that the city can be defended.
But if they are defeated, the people in the city will be even more frightened, and the destruction of the city will probably be inevitable.
Liu Bei nodded slightly, knowing that there must be a battle: "If there is a battle, how many troops can we send?"
Now there are 30,000 soldiers guarding the city, but enemy soldiers are surrounding the city on all sides. We want to prevent the other three sides from suddenly attacking the city when we go out to fight. Therefore, the troops and horses responsible for garrisoning the other three sides cannot be mobilized.
After excluding the five thousand guards on each side, there are only more than ten thousand soldiers and horses left. If we want to go to war, only ten thousand horses can be brought out.
"Brother, give me ten thousand horses, and I will kill Cao Cao when I go out!"
Guan Yu now wants to kill Cao Cao most to avoid the shame of his own defeat.
"I'm going to fight too!" Zhang Fei said anxiously.
"I will fight too!" Gan Ning was not to be outdone.
Liu Bei looked at Zhou Ping and wanted to hear his opinion.
Zhou Ping whispered: "One thousand!"
"How much? One thousand?!"
Liu Bei couldn't believe his ears and thought he had heard wrongly.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Mizhu Zhuge Jin and others also thought they had heard wrong and looked at Zhou Ping in confusion.
"Sir, are you just joking? There are 30,000 enemy soldiers outside the city, and we only have 1,000 men to fight?" Zhang Fei asked quickly, while Guan Yu blushed, wondering why Zhou Ping said that.
"My lord, everyone, Cao Cao has 30,000 troops outside the city, and he is good at using troops. Even if we send 10,000 troops, it will be very difficult for us to win completely. Moreover, our intention in this battle is to establish momentum, not to destroy the enemy. The enemy will be defeated.
If there are fewer of us, it will be easier for us to exert power, and it will be easier to retreat to the city. If there are too many people, it will be easier to drag down the city."
"If we send out one thousand troops and can kill two or three thousand of the enemy, the enemy will be afraid of the bravery of our army, and they will be able to win easily when we go to war. With my will, I can select a thousand warriors from the army who are good at fighting, and the clouds will be long and beneficial.
De, and Xingba will lead the troops to fight together, suddenly attack the enemy's formation, and return immediately after victory, without giving the enemy a chance to slow down. If Cao Cao dares to call for a battle again, we can do this again. After a few times, no one will be afraid of the enemy's soldiers.
The power of our army! Can they still not retreat?"
“If we must win a battle and seek total victory, how can we return with a small victory?”
Guan Yu didn't want to just go out and fight and then run away. If he wanted to fight, he had to fight to the end.
"Yes, brother, although Cao Cao has 30,000 soldiers and horses, if we lead 10,000 people to fight, and I, my second brother, and Xingba are there together, how can we defeat Cao Cao!" Zhang Fei understood his second brother's temper.
It doesn't matter to Gan Ning, as long as he can fight.
Liu Bei hesitated and felt that what Zhou Ping said was reasonable. If ten thousand people went out to fight and lost, the consequences would be disastrous.
But if only a thousand men go out to fight and cannot kill many enemy soldiers, there is no actual victory.
Moreover, how could Yun Chang be willing to just go out and retreat in one strike?
"Zizhong, Ziyu, what do you think?" Liu Bei couldn't decide, so he asked Mi Zhu and Zhuge Jin.
"The enemy has 100,000 troops and is surrounding the city on all sides. If we want to retreat, we must kill Cao Cao and win a great victory. In my opinion, we can order Yunchang and Yide Xingba to lead 10,000 horses into battle." Mi Mi
Zhu answered first.
Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Jin again.
"My lord, if you lead 10,000 soldiers to fight, if you can win, you should be able to make the enemy retreat quickly. If you lead 1,000 soldiers to fight, even if you can only win a small victory, you can destroy the enemy's power and make it easier to defend the city."
Liu Bei shook his head slightly after hearing this. It was as if Zhuge Jin had not said anything.
"My lord, Cao Cao has been planning for a long time. He has gathered a large army and will not retreat easily. If he goes out with ten thousand troops and horses, if he can win the battle, it will be fine. If he can't, he may not be able to protect Xiapi. But if he goes out with a thousand men, he will definitely win.
It is easy to win and it can inspire soldiers and show their power. As long as this city can be defended for a long time, Cao Cao's army will definitely retreat."
Zhou Ping always felt that leading ten thousand people into battle was too risky.
Although Yu Zhang Fei and Gan Ning were involved, Cao Cao still had too many troops. If he was defeated by then, it would be difficult for these ten thousand people to retreat.
If they are defeated and lose thousands of men and horses, the people in the city will be in panic. If the enemy soldiers attack from all sides, the city will collapse.
"Brother, if we can't win, we are willing to fight to the death!" Zhang Fei said again.
Liu Bei turned around and looked outside the city. Ten thousand versus thirty thousand, the odds of winning were really slim.
But this is also an opportunity. If we win, even if we can't kill Cao Cao, as long as we defeat them, Xiapi can be saved.
"Brother, if you are trapped for a long time, the soldiers in the city will become afraid. This is a good opportunity to retreat from the enemy!"
Guan Yu advised again that he was confident that he and Zhang Fei and Gan Ning would win the battle together.
"Okay, Yun Chang, Yide, and Xingba, I order the three of you to lead ten thousand people to fight. You can only win, not lose. It would be better if you can behead Cao Cao!"
Liu Bei finally made up his mind and asked the three of them to lead 10,000 troops to fight.
Zhou Ping already knew from the situation just now that Liu Bei would definitely do this because it was not easy to go against the crowd now.
"My lord, there is one more thing. If you ask for gold, you must withdraw your troops and do not want to fight." Zhou Ping said hurriedly.
Liu Bei nodded and said: "Well, that's right, Yunchang, Yide, and Xingba, you have all heard it. If I ask for gold, no matter what, you must obey the order and return."
"promise."
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and Gan Ning responded in unison.
"My lord, please order Bo Jian to lead three thousand soldiers to stand by at the gate of the city, ready to respond at any time." Zhou Ping added.
He always felt that this battle was too risky and he had to make a foolproof plan.
Now Chen Dao and Gao Shun Xu Sheng each guard one side, and Liu Bei doesn't have many generals around him, so it would be more appropriate for Xu Ding to lead the troops to support him.
Liu Bei agreed with Zhou Ping's proposal and asked Xu Chu to lead three thousand soldiers to wait at the city gate. If Guan Yu and the others retreated in defeat, they could immediately leave the city to respond.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei Gan Ning got off the city wall, mounted their horses, carried their weapons, and gathered their troops to prepare for battle.
Cao Cao sat on his horse and looked at the city with narrowed eyes.
Guo Jia and Xiahou Dun were beside him, and Dian Wei was behind him.
"Fengxiao, do you think Liu Bei dares to go to war?"
Cao Cao asked Guo Jia.
"The army is surrounding the city on all sides. If Liu Bei does not dare to fight, the soldiers in the city will be afraid. If morale is damaged, the city will be difficult to defend. Moreover, Liu Bei has many brave generals under his command. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others are very fierce. With what we have
Guo Jia replied with a smile.
"It would be great if he goes out to fight, but the only thing I'm afraid of is that he doesn't dare to go out to fight!"
"Yes, if Liu Bei holds the city and holds it, we will eventually break the city, but it will take a long time."
"Look, the city gate is open and Liu Bei is out to fight."
Xiahou Dun saw the city gate open and said quickly.
Cao Cao and Guo Jia hurriedly looked toward the city gate, and sure enough they saw soldiers and horses coming out of the city, and the leader was Guan Yu.
"Go quickly and inform Xu Huang and Wen Chou so that they can prepare." Cao Cao ordered.
Xiahou Dun responded and sent someone to inform Xu Huang and Wen Chou.
It turned out that Cao Cao had already thought that Liu Bei might send troops to fight, and also thought that Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and others were too brave. Especially after hearing about Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun's victory over Guan Yu, he decided to still use their reinforcement method.
Let Xu Huang and Wen Chou each lead 5,000 men and prepare in the North City and South City. When the enemy troops in the city go out to fight, they can start to rush towards the West City.
When the time comes, they will appear behind the enemy soldiers, cut off the enemy soldiers' retreat route back to the city, and destroy all the enemy soldiers leaving the city.
"Prepare for war."
Cao Cao gave another order.
At this time, the general in the front line was Lu Qian, commanding five thousand soldiers and horses.
Cao Cao established his own central formation, which was divided into left, center and right. There were 5,000 soldiers on each side. Cao Cao's central army had 10,000 soldiers, and another 5,000 soldiers served as rear troops to guard against any ambush by the enemy.
Appear later.
After all, Zhou Wen'an has always been good at setting up ambushes.
"Hey, Zhang Fei is out too!"
After forming a formation on the opposite side, Guo Jia seemed a little surprised when he saw Zhang Fei.
"Haha, Liu Bei asked Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to fight at the same time, which shows that he is determined to win this battle." Cao Cao smiled and said, "That's good. If we can win this battle, Xiapi will be ours."
"Liu Bei wants to decide victory or defeat in one battle! Zhou Wen'an is definitely not such a person!" Guo Jia was puzzled. "With Liu Bei's power, the best strategy is to hold on to the city at this time. Even if he goes to war, he will not be able to win."
They shouldn’t send out so many troops and let Guan Yu and Zhang Fei go out to fight at the same time. Do they have the confidence to win?"
Cao Cao laughed again and said: "Haha, Fengxiao is too worried. Liu Bei is eager to repel us, so of course he will use all his elites."
"My lord, don't underestimate your enemy; beware of deceit."
"Filial piety can make you feel at ease, and you can only have the confidence to win."
Liu Bei and Zhou Ping stood on the city and watched, seeing Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Gan Ning already forming their troops.
Guan Yu divided his 10,000 men into front and rear formations. He and Gan Ning led 5,000 men in the front formation, and Zhang Fei led 5,000 men in the rear formation.
Zhou Ping stood silently, always feeling that this battle was too risky.
Although Cao Cao does not have many strong generals around him now, he has many soldiers and horses, and he mainly relies on soldiers to fight, so the role of strong generals has become smaller.
Ten thousand men and horses will soon get mixed up with the enemy soldiers after engaging in battle. If they do not have an absolute advantage, it will be difficult to retreat.
But it's different with a thousand men. After attacking, they can retreat before the enemy soldiers can react.
Just like Niu Jin led 300 men to attack Zhou Yu's forward troops in Jiangling, and Zhang Liao led 800 men to attack Sun Quan's tens of thousands of troops in Hefei.
Liu Bei was actually very worried, worried that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would be defeated.
The two of them are the most prestigious in the army. If even they are defeated, the soldiers in the city will lose all hope of victory.
With the enemy's army surrounding the city on all sides, morale is particularly important.
Mi Zhu, Zhuge Jin and others also looked nervously outside the city.
"Sir, sir..."
Liu Bei called out twice before Zhou Ping reacted.
"Lord."
"Why are you so nervous, sir? With Yunchang and Yide here, and Xingba helping you, are you still afraid that you won't be able to defeat Cao Cao?" Liu Bei asked with a smile.
Zhou Ping smiled softly: "No, Yun Chang and Yide Xingba are both fierce generals. If they fight Cao Cao's 30,000 troops, they should be victorious. What Ping is worried about is whether Cao Cao will call reinforcements from elsewhere?"
"
Liu Bei looked into the distance: "Cao Cao's soldiers and horses have surrounded the city on all sides. Zhang Xiu's soldiers and horses in Nanyang have only reached Pengcheng at this time. How can he get reinforcements?"
"What if he sends reinforcements from the north and south? The defeat of Yunchang Pengcheng was precisely because Cao Ren led his troops to suddenly attack from the side. At this time, we have few soldiers and are already weak. If the enemy has reinforcements during the battle, we will only
I'm afraid that the troops outside the city will be confused!" Zhou Ping thought of Guan Yu's defeat in Pengcheng.
Liu Bei also thought about it seriously at this time.
Indeed, if the two sides are fighting fiercely and the other side suddenly arrives with troops and horses for reinforcements, their side will be frightened and may very well be defeated.
"If this is really the case, how should we deal with it?" Liu Bei became more and more frightened as he thought about it, and asked urgently.
Zhou Ping thought for a while and replied: "We can have a thousand troops from each of the southeast, north and south, and put them under the command of Zhong Kang. If the enemy really has reinforcements, they can also go out of the city to help and block the enemy's reinforcements to stabilize the morale of our army.
"
Now that there are no remaining troops in the city, we can only mobilize one thousand troops from each of the remaining three sides, leaving four thousand troops each to defend the city. Xu Chu was also asked to go down to the city to take command, and at the same time pay attention to the movements of the enemy troops on the other three sides, especially
It's the north and south sides.
After finishing his instructions, Liu Bei looked outside the city again.
At this time, the drums were beating, Guan Yu's long beard was fluttering, his eyes were glaring, he raised the Qinglong Yanyue Sword and pointed forward, shouting: "Advance the troops and kill the enemy!"
He clapped his horse and rushed forward. Gan Ning, unwilling to lag behind, followed suit and rushed forward, followed by the five thousand soldiers in the front line.
Five thousand soldiers and horses led by Zhang Fei also followed behind.
Cao Cao saw the opponent advancing and ordered: "Send the order and defend the formation!"
