Chapter 224 There are extraordinary people, and then there are extraordinary things
Chapter 224: There are extraordinary people, and then there are extraordinary things
July of the fourth year of Jian'an.
On the edge of the Yellow River, war horses neighed, drums beat loudly, and there were many swords, spears, swords and halberds.
Yuan Shao's 700,000-strong army and hundreds of thousands of war horses are rapidly gathering here, ready to go south to attack Xudu at any time.
On Cao Cao's side, 70,000 elite troops have long been stationed at the Guandu camp. The two sides are at war with each other, which seems to indicate that a big war is coming.
But... August has passed, and September has passed.
There was still no movement along the Yellow River. Cao Cao was on the defensive. It was understandable that he didn't move... but Yuan Shao's delay in moving was a bit confusing.
As for the reason...
Just as Yi Xiaotian judged Yuan Shao, one of the characteristics of his work is that he always holds a meeting to discuss anything before doing anything. To express it, he is a very democratic person.
So... the soldiers have been assembled and preparations are ready, so according to the process... let's hold a meeting to discuss it first, right?
According to Yuan Shao's thinking, the issue discussed in this mobilization meeting was not at all whether to go south, but how to beat Cao Cao harder after going south.
I never thought that the first person to speak would set the pace of the entire mobilization meeting a little off.
"My lord, you are going south at this time because of moral discord!"
Jushou, Yuan Shao's chief adviser, surrendered.
"Cao Cao was entrusted by the Emperor to command the world, but now we are marching southward with our troops. This is openly standing on the opposite side of the Emperor, and there is a moral discord."
"Besides, the outcome of a war is not determined by strength or weakness. Cao Cao has strict laws and well-trained soldiers. He is not someone like Gongsun Zan who just sits there and is trapped."
"Now, let's abandon the sure-win method and raise unknown soldiers. To be honest, I feel scared for my lord!"
Despite a series of suggestions, Jushou still insisted on his own ideas...
You can fight, but you can't fight hastily, you have to slow down the fight. Compared with our army, Cao's army can't afford to delay it.
His proposal immediately received support from Tian Feng, who was also from the Jizhou faction.
"My Lord, what Military Advisor Jushou said is right!"
Tian Feng advised with earnest words.
"We have just fought against Gongsun Zan for so long. In recent years, we have been fighting in the south and the north. The soldiers have not even had a chance to rest. Now, our financial resources and energy are somewhat insufficient. The top priority is that we should launch a large-scale production movement to let people
Let’s all take some time to rest and recuperate, and also stock up on some food and grass.”
At this point, Tian Feng raised his tone.
"Of course, lord, what I mean is that we can rest, but we can't let Cao Cao rest too. We have to create public opinion to condemn Cao Cao while producing, and then slowly march into Liyang, completely control the north bank of the Yellow River, build a large number of ships, and constantly send
The elite soldiers and generals are harassing Cao Cao, making Cao Cao uneasy!"
"If Cao Cao is so exhausted, it can take as little as two or three years, or as many as five or six years. We will win against Cao Cao without a fight!"
really…
Tian Feng also proposed the fatigue tactics proposed by Yi Xiaotian.
Moreover, he explained it in more detail, and even helped Yuan Shao do it step by step...
Yuan Shao's eyes rolled, and he suddenly felt that it made sense. According to the opinions of Tian Feng and Ju Shou, he sent troops along the Yellow River, and then used the "tiring Cao" strategy. For a few years, Cao Cao was exhausted and dragged to death... he surrendered without fighting.
Isn't this the best strategy to use a human army?
That’s right…
Everyone in the entire Chinese army camp was a smart man, and everyone could tell that what Ju Shou and Tian Feng proposed was a sure-fire way to win.
But...even if it is a sure-win method, someone has to stand up and refute it, both for rights and for gain and loss.
That's right.
Another faction in Yuan Shao's advisor circle, the Runan Suiying clan, would never willingly give up such great achievements to their arch-enemy Jizhou advisor faction...
"Lord."
Shen Pei and Guo Tu immediately stood up.
"History has proven many times that you, Mr. Yuan, are the greatest military strategist of all time. No matter who the opponent you fight, Mr. Yuan, will definitely be defeated! Now, with ten times the strength of Cao Cao, we will go south directly and attack with all our strength.
We killed Cao Cao. In the face of absolute strength, all conspiracies and tricks are just paper tigers. I really can’t figure out what Commander Ju Suo and Commander Tian Feng are afraid of?"
This rebuttal was brilliant...
It not only praises Yuan Shao's bad feet, but also highlights his image of a hero who is promising at a young age but does not feel inferior, and who succeeds in middle age and does not retreat. Then he expresses his own opinions and refutes his opponents, killing three birds with one stone.
When Jushou heard this, he immediately became angry and reminded him hastily.
"Mr. Yuan, now that Cao Cao controls the emperor, isn't it true that declaring war on him is equivalent to attacking the emperor? In my opinion, it is better to be more cautious! After all, we have no name at all!"
"Bah..." Facing Jushou's suggestion, Guo Tu showed his disdain. "What does it mean to go out without a name? I tell you, to destroy the traitor Cao Cao is to go out with a name... Now is the time when we are the most powerful, and it is the time when Cao Cao is the weakest.
, the so-called killing him while he is sick... there is no reason not to take action now and wait until he becomes stronger!"
"You..." Jushou still wanted to speak...
"Don't argue anymore..."
Yuan Shao raised his hand. He enjoyed the quarrel among the advisers. It felt very comfortable for him to finally make the final decision...
Of course, he would prefer to let this comfort last longer.
"Is it urgent to fight or to slow down the fight? Let me think twice before deciding!" Yuan Shao waved his hand. "It's over, it's over. Let's stop talking about it today!"
Just say it in one sentence...
Yuan Shao was about to stride out of the Chinese army's tent. As he walked, Yuan Shao kept whistling for a hundred years, as if he didn't take the final decision seriously...
When he reached the door, he paused, as if he had figured something out.
Is there no need to discuss this anymore? There are more militant factions, and the minority obeys the majority, so let’s fight... He, Yuan Shao, is a democratic person.
What's more, from the bottom of his heart, he didn't want to stop for a moment about beating his former younger brother Cao Cao.
"Hahaha…"
Yuan Shao laughed out loud immediately, and then said loudly, "We hold the power of the river to the south, Yan to the north, and the dangers of Dai. We annex the Rong and Di people, and go south to compete for the world. Who can compete with us for supremacy?"
"Now that the army of the Southern Expedition is gathering, it will take some time to arrange food and grass. You can send an envoy with me to write a letter to Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Ma Teng, and Han Sui. They have made an appointment to attack Cao Cao. They will send troops to the south and west to contain it and buy me time."
"When my army moves to the ground, it will form a pincer attack from the north and the south... It will be easy to defeat Cao Aha."
Some impassioned words came from Yuan Shao's mouth, and his meaning was very clear. Urgent war is inevitable. The army is waiting for food and grass dispatch, but the diplomatic war and the public opinion war are the first to start!
As soon as this statement came out...
"Yuan Gong Shengming." The main fighting faction, led by the Runan Suiying clan, all bowed their hands and bowed...
The easing of the war faction and the peace-promoting faction, which are dominated by talented people from Jizhou, are all frowning...
Yuan Shao forced a 50-50 win situation!
Ju Shou was convinced, and so was Tian Feng.
Alas... alas...
Diplomatic war? Public opinion war? Can it be won?
…
…
Xu Ducheng, Sikong Mansion.
Cao Cao has been having a headache recently. He seems to have encountered some troubles, some very troublesome troubles.
The first thing to bear the brunt is his attitude towards fighting Yuan Shao, even though Cao Cao repeatedly emphasized that he must persist in fighting - fight hard, fight urgently...
But the court was still divided into two factions...
Among them, the surrender faction and the peace faction, headed by Shaofu Kong Rong, caused a lot of trouble for Cao Cao.
They clearly understood Yuan Shao's advantages, including his vast territory and strong military, including advisers like Tian Feng, Ju Sue, and Xu You, fierce generals like Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Zhang He, and Gao Lan, various types of arms, and military formations too numerous to mention.
In the view of Kong Rong's group, there might be a chance of survival if you sue for peace, but there is no chance of winning if you fight...
Phew...Cao Cao breathed a sigh of relief and knocked on his forehead. It was really a rather complicated trouble.
The attitude of Kong Rong's group has made more and more officials in the court begin to waver. As far as Cao Cao knows, there are many people who have an affair with Yuan Shao.
Many people, with the thought that Cao Cao would be defeated, had already begun to look for a way out.
However, Kong Rong was such a sophist that Cao Cao couldn't even speak to him in court... This was very embarrassing.
In addition, there is also the threat posed by Yuan Shao in diplomacy...
According to detailed reports, Yuan Shao has begun to secretly contact Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Ma Teng, Han Sui... none of these princes are easy to use. What will their attitude be? How should Cao Cao respond? This is also very important and can even influence
The game between Cao and Yuan.
besides…
Cao Cao always felt that there was an undercurrent surging inside Xudu City. His keen sense of smell could smell the slightest smell, but he didn't know where the source was. He sent people to investigate but had no clue. For a while, Cao Cao had a headache.
It hurts more and more.
Exactly at this moment.
Cao Cao suddenly discovered a good way to stop his headache.
Because, he finally got the letter that Yuan Shao sent to the world to punish thieves...
The opening line of the epistle lifted Cao Cao's spirit - "There are extraordinary people, and then there are extraordinary things; there are extraordinary things, and then there are extraordinary achievements!"
These few words completely stunned Cao Cao. He had not encountered such a spiritual statement for many years.
The level of the article was so high that Cao Cao immediately forgot about his headache and trivial matters, and read on with relish.
