Commanding a few people is not a problem, but commanding thousands of troops is not that easy. After taking charge of Duting, Cao Peng's first order was to resume training. He didn't know when this war would end, so Cao Peng
Peng must seize the time to knead the soldiers and horses in his hands into shape. This is not easy. A group of broken soldiers want to restore their morale? It is a simple matter there!
"After the captain took control of Duting, he ordered the complete list of all soldiers.
Name, residence, family members at home... The captain of the school has made a law of sitting in a row in the army. Anyone who cannot complete the training will be killed as one person. If a team cannot be completed, the whole team will be seated together. If a team cannot be completed, the whole team will be seated together.
, sit in the entire village... If there is any escape, the captain will immediately order people to arrest the family members, and sit in the whole house. Only in this way can these people be kept under control.
The school captain once said: Sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in war.
He rarely expresses any opinions during the performance, but no matter it is windy or rainy, he will not relax for a moment, and the whole camp must continue to perform."
Tian Yu explained to Dong Zhao, but Dong Zhao was still confused.
"What's the use of acting like this?"
Tian Yu said with a smile: "At least they know how to cooperate, know how to collaborate, and what military orders are like."
"What's the meaning?"
"The captain said that at this time, practicing fighting is of little use. After all, it cannot be practiced in a day or two. But on the battlefield, the most important thing is not how powerful an individual is, but the collaboration between them. This
This kind of team performance is to cultivate their tacit understanding. It does not necessarily have to be the same as advancing and retreating, but it can also let them know the importance of their partners and know how to cooperate with each other and protect each other. Only in this way, even when they are defeated,
It won’t lead to a quick defeat… In short, there are indeed many benefits.”
In the school grounds, drums rumbled.
Dong Zhao watched groups of troops marching and retreating, their formations changing with the flags, and he couldn't help but nodded slightly.
However, he came here not to watch the performance, but to convey orders.
"Guo Rang, Sikong is ordered to leave the school captain to discuss matters in Suanzao. Please inform the school captain as soon as possible."
Without saying a word, Tian Yu turned his horse and went straight to his command post.
About a quarter of an hour later, Cao Peng waved an order to stop the performance, and then, accompanied by Tian Yu, hurried to Dong Zhao.
"Dong Jijiu, why did Sikong call me?"
"This... the lord just said, order you to go to Jujube immediately."
Cao Peng and Dong Zhao are not strangers, so there are not many polite words.
After hearing Cao Cao's summons, Cao Peng immediately returned to the military tent and changed his clothes. Then he lit up a team of flying dragons and returned to Suanzao together with Dong Zhao.
"Mr. Gongren, how is the war with jujube?"
"It's still a stalemate...but in the past two days, Yuan Shao's attacks were not particularly fierce.
Nearly 100,000 soldiers and horses from Hebei have crossed the river, and my lord is very worried now. Maybe Yuan Shao is accumulating strength to launch a fierce attack on Jujube."
Dong Zhao didn't hide anything, and informed Cao Peng of the situation very readily.
At the end, he said softly: "The Suizao generals are also a little unstable now, and their military morale is not very stable."
Cao Peng smiled and said, "Don't worry, my lord must have a case against you."
I hope so!
Although Dong Zhao didn't express any opinions, he couldn't help but feel uneasy in his heart.
Yuan Shao gradually calmed down from the initial ferocious attack. Although Yuan Shao's morale was low after losing Wen Chou and Gao Lan, after all, the skinny camel was bigger than the horse. After all, the strength in Yuan Shao's hands was there.
People feel some worries.
He is slowing down his attack now, clearly to prepare for an all-out attack later.
Although Cao Cao had previously said that he and Yuan Shao had their own victories and defeats, and seemed to be between equals, but could he cope with Yuan Shao's general attack? Dong Zhao couldn't tell.
————————————————————————
The journey was uneventful. When Cao Peng and Dong Zhao hurried back to Jujube, it was already dark.
In the yamen of Suanzao Mansion, Cao Cao and his lieutenants, the lieutenant generals, were discussing matters. Dong Zhao led Cao Peng and went directly to the yamen hall.
When Cao Cao saw Cao Peng coming, he just smiled and motioned for him to sit down.
"What exactly is the situation?"
"My lord seems determined to retreat." Cao Zhen replied in a low voice.
Cao Peng secretly took a deep breath and immediately realized the mystery in his mind.
Cao Cao retreated his troops at this time?
Could it be that the Guandu battlefield has been properly arranged?
He looked up and saw Xun You reporting the situation in the army to Cao Cao. Now, Cao Jun had mobilized more than 30,000 troops on the Yanjin battlefield. Among them, there were about 30,000 troops from Xiangyong County who came from Chen Liu.
There are 20,000 people, and Cao Cao’s headquarters has about 10,000 troops...
The disparity in military strength is too great!
Yuan Shao's military strength was three times that of Cao Cao.
Moreover, there is no danger for Jujube to defend, and now it can only fight with all its strength.
Therefore, Xun You suggested to Cao Cao that if he continued to hold on to the jujubes, he might suffer greater losses, so it was better to retreat as soon as possible.
Cao Peng could tell that Xun You had discussed this with Cao Cao. He said this because he was afraid that the generals in the army would have other ideas.
But this kind of thing is simply inevitable.
Historically, after the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao received many letters from Bu Qu to Yuan Shao from Yuan Shao's camp. There were so many people that Cao Cao did not dare to check them, so he directly ordered people to send the letters to Yuan Shao.
Burn it. And now, I'm afraid someone has started to contact Yuan Shao.
"In this way, you all will act according to your plan."
After listening to Xun You's words, Cao Cao said in a deep voice: "Wen Qian led the headquarters and hid it by the Jishui River.
If Yuan Shao knows that I am withdrawing my troops, he will definitely order a pursuit. When the time comes, Wen Qian can take the opportunity to attack. After defeating Yuan Shao's pursuing troops, he quickly retreats through Jishui. Then he uses Jishui as a natural chasm and defends Chenliu, echoing Gongming. When Yuan Shao arrives,
, you must not dare to attack easily."
Le Jin stood up and accepted the order.
"Youxue!"
Cao Peng and Cao Zhen were communicating in low voices, and suddenly they heard Mr. Cao calling his name.
He quickly raised his head, stood up and said, "The general is here."
"As for Duting, can we make preparations?"
Cao Peng replied: "Don't worry, my lord, Duting has been prepared. The general has ordered people to camp on the west bank of the river. As soon as the lord passes the Duting pontoon bridge, the pontoon bridge will be destroyed immediately to delay Yuan Shao's pursuit."
"Very good!"
Cao *** nodded with satisfaction.
When he ordered Cao Peng to garrison Duting, it was to protect this retreat.
Now it seems that Cao Peng has understood his thoughts very clearly and has done a very good job. Controlling Duting with thunderous means is equivalent to ensuring the safety of Duting pontoon. Therefore, although Cao Peng went on a killing spree in Duting
, Mr. Cao did not have any intention of blaming him. In the eyes of outsiders, Mr. Cao loved Cao Peng too much. But in fact, this was also an important test for Mr. Cao to Cao Peng.
Cao Peng's approach made him very satisfied!
However, Cao Peng suddenly remembered something, "Lord, the general has another problem."
The eyes of everyone in the government hall suddenly focused on Cao Peng.
***Cao asked: "What's the problem?"
"My lord has evacuated the Zizao people, what should we do with the people of the Zizao people?"
Xun You was stunned and looked at Cao Peng, "Youxue, what do you mean by this?"
Cao Peng said: "The general just suddenly thought of the white horse."
"Um?"
"When Yan Liang crossed the river and attacked Baima, he massacred the city and turned Baima into an empty city.
If you look at his story, you can know what kind of person Yuan Shao is. If the lord withdraws, will Yuan Shao become angry and humiliated, and will he order the massacre of the people of Jujube?"
Xun You couldn't help but take a breath of cold air and turned back to look at Mr. Cao.
This is indeed very possible!
Yuan Shao is not a kind person, that guy is very cruel when he attacks... Last year, after Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan, he ordered a massacre of the city for three days, turning Yijing into an empty city. This time in the battle across the river, Yuan Shao lost a lot of money.
It was even worse than the initial confrontation with Gongsun Zan. Especially when two of his favorite generals were killed, Yuan Shao was extremely angry. Cao Cao had been stationed in Suanzao for a long time, and there was no guarantee that Yuan Shao would not anger the Suanzao people. Once Cao Cao retreated, Yuan Shao occupied Suanzao.
, will inevitably bring about a fierce and bloody storm...
But the problem is, ***Cao has nothing to do!
In recent years, there have been so many massacres of cities that they have almost become a habit.
When Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, he also massacred Pengcheng...
"What do you mean by Youxue, do you want to continue to stick to wild jujube?"
Cao Peng said quickly: "That's not what I meant, I just hope that the lord can consider the 30,000 lives of Zizao when he retreats."
"You mean..."
"My lord is retreating, why not lead the people to leave together?"
As soon as Cao Peng said these words, the government office seemed to explode, and there was a lot of discussion.
Dong Zhao said: "This is impossible... We are retreating this time. If we march with 30,000 people, it will definitely delay the retreat."
There was a bit of ridicule on many people's faces.
As for Cao Peng, he didn't know that the danger of doing so was really too great.
Historically, when Cao Cao attacked Jingzhou, Liu Bei fled from Xinye with 100,000 people. As a result, he only marched 20 miles a day. In the end, he was chased by tiger and leopard cavalry, causing heavy casualties. If Cao Cao had evacuated with the jujube people,
, it is very likely that the defeat in Changbanpo will be staged in advance.
However, Cao Peng still hoped that Mr. Cao would accept his opinion.
When he was in Baima, he lamented Yan Liang's massacre of Baima and felt extremely angry.
Therefore, he really couldn't bear the tragedy of the white horse appearing again in jujube. Even though he knew he couldn't do it, he still wanted to fight for it.
"My lord, Tomoya knows that doing this will be very dangerous.
But has your lord ever thought that when your lord settled in Jujube, he would drag more than 30,000 Zizao people into this war. Moreover, since the war started, the people of Jujube have given your lord a lot of support. Could it be said that if the lord withdraws his troops now, it will
Do you want to give up those people? Those people are all the lord's subjects, the subjects of the Han Dynasty... The lord only uses some tricks, but he can keep 30,000 people alive. In the future, if the word spreads, the world will say that the lord is benevolent and righteous.
!So, if you are brave, please think again, my lord."
After saying that, Cao Peng lifted his clothes and knelt down.
Cao *** was in a dilemma.
It is undeniable that what Cao Peng said makes sense.
But this has been how wars have been fought since ancient times... Taking 30,000 civilians to evacuate Jujuba? That is not an easy task.
Cao ***'s character is the kind of temperament that says, "I would rather betray others than others betray me."
To put it bluntly, he is self-centered and does not care about false reputation.
He looked towards Xun You and saw Xun You shaking his head slightly.
Obviously, Xun You did not approve of such behavior... Evacuate the entire city? There are too many variables! Cao Cao was not sure what the outcome would be.
But Cao Peng's words were sincere, and Cao Cao didn't know how to refuse.
After pondering for a long time, he smiled bitterly and said: "Whether Yuan Shao will massacre the city is still open to question. But if the entire city is evacuated, it will not be an easy task. If nothing else, the current jujube defenders only number 30,000, and there is no way to ensure their
safety. If it is not done properly, the whole army may even be annihilated.
Youxue, I cannot agree to this matter."
"But……"
"Youxue, don't say anything more. Everything will be done according to plan.
As the art of war goes, soldiers need to be quick. If I take 30,000 jujube men to evacuate, my intentions may be exposed. Who can take on this responsibility?"
Cao Peng couldn't help but remain silent!
But he did not get up, and still knelt in the Yamen hall, "Please, my lord, think twice!"
"Nonsense!"
When Cao Cao saw that Cao Peng was still like this, he couldn't help but became furious.
He stood up, rolled up his sleeves and left.
Xun You and others stood up one after another and walked past Cao Peng silently. A few people even sneered secretly, seeming to be laughing at Cao Peng's whims.
"Afu, stop making trouble!"
Cao Zhen stepped forward and wanted to help Cao Peng up, but Cao Peng threw him away.
"I'm not messing around. I just want to save the 30,000 lives of the wild jujubes."
"But you should know that this is impossible."
Cao Peng said loudly: "It's not that it's impossible, but it's that you are willing... I heard people say that water can carry a boat and also capsize it. Although the world is unkind and treats all things as rotten dogs, we can't use the time.
It is said that "the people are important and the king is despised". When they are no longer used, they will be discarded like worn-out shoes.
Lord, I know you are listening.
I just hope that the lord can think of those Kuhaha people who have always been attached to the lord and give them a hope that they can see."
Cao Zhen stood beside Cao Peng, not knowing how to persuade him!
——————————————————————————————
It was already getting late, and Mr. Cao stood on the porch of the flower hall, holding his hands and saying nothing.
His thoughts were a little confused, and Cao Peng's shouts still echoed in his ears.
When it is useful, "the people are the most important and the king is the least". When it is not used, it is "the heaven and the earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs." These are such harsh words that Cao Cao's heart couldn't help but feel.
The formation convulsed. Evacuate the whole city? Or evacuate alone? This is a question of life and death. Cao *** took a deep breath and wandered in the corridor, but still couldn't make up his mind. What exactly did Youxue do?
What do you mean? Doesn’t he know that this woman’s kindness is so important? This is a war, not a game...
But there was another voice in my ear, constantly shouting: Promise him, promise him!
Since becoming an official, Mr. Cao has never been in such a difficult situation as now.
I had already made up my mind, but at this moment I became a little hesitant... This damn Ah Fu has clearly given me a difficult problem.
"Literature."
"Here!"
"You learn from him..."
"Captain Cao is still kneeling in the government hall."
Cao Bin said softly: "No matter how much my brother persuades him, he refuses to get up."
"What's wrong with this kid?" Cao Cao was suddenly furious. "He let the young Lu Bu go when we were in Xiapi. Now he's so stubborn. He's forcing me."
Cao Bin was so frightened that he closed his mouth and lowered his head.
*** Cao glanced at him and said, "Wen Zhi, do you think I should agree?"
"My nephew doesn't know about this."
The irritability in Cao ***'s heart became more and more intense.
He said softly: "It's not that you don't know, but you don't dare to say..."
Cao Bin was as silent as a cicada.
Stopping, Mr. Cao stood on the porch and exhaled a breath of air. After a long time, he whispered: "Invite Gongda to come here immediately!"