Chen Cheng interrupted the debate between Chen Gong and Zang Hong with a smile and said, "I have always admired Meng De. If possible, just let him go to Chang'an to take up a casual position. The top priority is to win the battle first.
This time we have to dispatch 100,000 soldiers and horses to fight Cao Cao, which requires a lot of food and grass. If we expect the enemy to be lenient, we will need at least 200,000 dan based on the food and grass for 100,000 people for a month. Gongtai, Yanzhou can now
Is there so much food?”
Chen Gong said: "We harvested a lot of potatoes before, plus some grain harvested in the summer, we can have hundreds of thousands of stones, but..."
"Just what?"
"Mengde sent Xia Houyuan back not long ago and transported most of the grain and grass to the Xuzhou front line."
Chen Cheng frowned and asked: "In other words, the state can no longer provide food to the army?"
Chen Gong looked embarrassed and said: "If you squeeze, you can still get about 100,000 stones."
"This is enough for ten days. Is there no more?"
When Chen Gong was about to speak again, Zhang Miao stood beside him and said, "The general's military skills are known to the world. Ten days is enough to defeat Mengde!"
Unlike Zang Hong, although Zhang Miao also belonged to the scholar class, he only had a close relationship with Cao Cao and had little dealings with Yuan Shao. He could even be said to have a grudge against Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao once asked Cao Cao to kill Zhang Miao, but Cao Cao did not agree.
After following Chen Gong in the rebellion, Zhang Miao always felt guilty towards Cao Cao.
Chen Cheng said: "How can we predict the war accurately? If Cao Cao had a deep ditch and a high base, the war would have been protracted. One month is just the most conservative estimate."
He turned around and said to Zang Ba: "Xuan Gao has led troops, so he should know the dangers of insufficient food and grass."
Zang Ba and the scholars in Yanzhou were not in the same camp. Hearing this, he said loudly: "Yes, if there is no food, the army will disperse immediately. Cao Cao is used to using troops, and he has many old friends in Yanzhou, so he will definitely know about us.
False and true. Now that he has hundreds of thousands of stones of food and grass, he might not be in a hurry to fight us!"
Chen Gong gritted his teeth and said, "I still have a plan to defeat Cao Cao!"
"Please tell me on the public stage!"
"Most of the families of Cao Jun's officers and soldiers live in Xuchang. The general can make people..."
"No!" Zhang Miao interrupted Chen Gong and said loudly: "How can a man use his family to threaten others? This is not what a gentleman does!"
Last year, before Cao Cao went on an expedition, he entrusted his family to Zhang Miao and said, "If I can't come back, please take more care of my children." Many people in Yanzhou knew about this, so
It was not surprising to everyone that Zhang Miao objected to using his family members to threaten Cao Cao.
Chen Gong smiled bitterly and said: "Meng Zhuo, please be patient. I'm not trying to do anything to Meng De's family. I just want the family members of the soldiers in Xuchang to write a letter. Since the general led his troops into Yanzhou, he has gone through
Qiu did not commit any crime and did not treat the family members of Xuchang harshly. Let them write letters to Cao Jun's officers and tell them about the general's kindness. I believe that many people will abandon the secret and turn to the bright side."
Literary people are just different. They almost mean the same thing, but when you say it, they feel completely different.
"Then just do what Gongtai said!" Chen Cheng thought for a while and then said: "There are too many family members of Cao Jun in Yanzhou. It is better to send the family members of the generals to Chang'an first, and then move the family members of the soldiers in batches.
Settling in Henan, this will also prevent them from conflicting with local heroes, or from colluding with Cao's army."
What he didn't say was that it could also weaken Yanzhou's power and enhance the imperial court's strength.
"Moving Cao Jun's family to Henan?" Chen Gong said: "It is a sound strategy, but will it cause unnecessary trouble?"
"As long as you do something, there will always be trouble. Unless you don't do too much, there will be no trouble at all." Chen Cheng said: "That's it, several things will be done at the same time. I will send someone to bring Cao Jun in Xuchang
The family members moved to the vicinity of Luoyang in batches and asked them to write letters to Cao Jun's officers and soldiers. It's harder for you to go to the public platform. You must raise more food and grass, including miscellaneous grains. General Zang Ba led his troops to Xiaopei with me to prepare
Fight against Cao Cao!"
Chen Cheng was a little tired of the quarrels between Yanzhou people and directly issued the order.
"But........."
"Nothing!" Chen Cheng stood up and said coldly: "This is an order! Do any of you want to disobey it?"
When he no longer kept smiling, he naturally looked murderous. Chen Gong and others felt their hearts tense, forced by Chen Cheng's momentum. Even if there were still people who wanted to express their objections, they were speechless now.
Chen Cheng said to Chen Gong: "You go and prepare first. Remember, at least two hundred thousand stones of food and grass are needed."
After Chen Gong and others left either excitedly or angrily, Chen Cheng said to Zang Ba: "Xuan Gao goes to rectify the troops first, and we will set off later."
Zang Ba cupped his hands and said: "No!"
Chen Cheng said to Lu Bu again: "First of all, you go outside and send an order for our people to pack up and break camp in half an hour."
After there were only three people left in the hall, Meng Da added: "The people of Yanzhou just can't stand Cao Cao's harsh punishments. They are not sincerely surrendering to the court. My lord must be careful."
"I see."
Seeing that Chen Cheng didn't seem to take this matter to heart, Meng Da said anxiously: "Although Cao Cao's laws are harsh, they are very similar to the laws promulgated by the lord in Guanzhong and Liangzhou. Chen Gong and the others can betray Cao Cao."
, I will definitely resist the imperial court in the future!"
Chen Cheng smiled and said to Fazheng, who was meditating beside him, "What do you think of Xiaozhi?"
Fazheng raised his head and said: "Cao Cao's defeat has been decided. What we are worried about is that Yuan Shao will not sit idly by. Yuan Tan is in Yuzhou and the senior officials are in Qingzhou. If we send troops to rescue us, we will also be in a situation of being attacked from both sides.
Please don't think about other things for the time being, my lord, first attack with all your strength and defeat Cao Cao's army, and then talk about other things."
Chen Cheng smiled and said: "Xiaozhi thinks the same as me."
He said to the two of them: "Actually, I don't really want to fight this battle, not only because of the lack of food and grass. If Cao Cao could safely be his Yanzhou Shepherd, I would not bring troops here."
Fa Zhengdao said: "My lord is kind-hearted, but the princes in the world don't think so. They annex each other, which is no longer a matter of a day or two. If they don't send troops to conquer, who will return the power to the court?
"
Chen Cheng smiled and said: "That's why we have to work hard to improve technology!"
"???"
"Okay, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Chen Cheng did not come to make friends with the Yanzhou people, but to fight, so he did not stop at Yongqiu for a few days. After joining Zang Ba's army, he immediately broke camp and marched eastward, setting up camp along the line from Xiaopei to Zhuqiu.
Prepare to block Cao's army in Xuzhou, and then work with Liu Bei to kill Boss Cao.
He had been thinking before that in the original history, Cao Cao could turn defeat into victory and kill Lu Bu in a desperate situation. But Guan Yu could only end up defeating Maicheng. Not only was this because of the two
Their personalities are different, and there are also factors that make the situation completely different.
Now that he had replaced Lu Bu's role, he naturally would not give Cao Cao any chance. But did he really want to kill Cao Mengde? Chen Cheng was deep in thought on horseback.
Three days ago, on the front line of Xuzhou, under Xuyi City.
After a long siege of the city, the difficult siege battle had lasted for five days. The young men recruited from the surrounding areas were all dead and wounded. Cao's soldiers had to fill their own flesh and blood into the flesh and blood millstone. However, although the defenders were human
Although they were young, their will to fight was very strong. Thanks to Cao's army's brutal behavior of slaughtering the city at every turn, the people of Xuzhou would fight to the death even in desperate situations.
"boom!"
Behind the wooden raft, a catapult was finally overwhelmed due to excessive use and disintegrated during use. The energy bound in the winch was released, and ropes and stones flew out, knocking over the surrounding soldiers.
The sound of screams and wailing resounded on the battlefield. When Cao Ren saw it, he ordered the soldiers to carry the wounded down. He stretched out his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, raised his head and looked forward, and saw that although his own soldiers were fighting to the death,
He moved forward, but couldn't rush forward at all. He galloped to Cao Cao's side and shouted: "My lord, this is not the way to go! Too many of our people have died!"
Cao Cao's expression changed slightly and he shouted: "Are you trying to disturb the morale of the army?"
Cao Ren was frightened and lowered his head, saying: "I will not dare!"
Cao Cao snorted and said: "I know the soldiers are in hardship, but..."
He pointed at the Xuzhou soldiers on the city who kept protruding their heads to attack, and said: "The Xuzhou soldiers will only become more difficult! Liu Bei has no reinforcements, and now he is almost breathless. As long as Liu Bei is defeated once more, Xuzhou will fall to us.
It’s under control!”
While he was talking, a messenger ran frantically along the avenue.
"Stop!"
"stop!"
Under the loud scolding of Cao Jun's soldiers, Xin Xin strangled his mount hard. Facing the spears and open bows and arrows approaching, he raised a letter and shouted loudly: "Emergency from Yanzhou."
The military information must be presented to Ambassador Cao immediately!"
"dismount!"
The soldiers at the camp gate shouted: "Wait here, someone will inform the envoy!"
After a while, Cao Cao, who was supervising the battle below the city, received the news and rode back to the military camp. He sat down in the Chinese army's tent and said, "Bring the messenger in."
The messenger walked in covered with dust, knelt down on the ground, raised the letter, and said: "The military advisor has urgent military information and wants to report it to the envoy!"
"Oh, what other urgent military situation is there now? Is there another family that refuses to hand over food?"
Cao Cao casually pulled out the letter, opened it and looked at it. He jumped up from his seat in shock, "The imperial army has entered Yanzhou, and the Taishan thief Zang Ba has also sent troops? How is this possible?"
The expression on his face changed drastically, he stared at the messenger fiercely, and said angrily: "How is this possible?"
The messenger leaned down and said loudly: "Now most of Yanzhou has fallen into the hands of Chen Gong, only Juancheng is left, and Fan County and Dong'a are still holding on. The military advisor asks the envoy to withdraw the troops immediately...
..."
Cao Cao didn't wait for the messenger to finish speaking, and shouted: "Here comes someone!"
The soldiers outside the tent rushed in. Cao Cao pointed to the ground and said: "This man is a spy from Xuzhou, kill him on the spot!"
The messenger was shocked and said: "Your Majesty, I am not... ah!"
Amid the screams, the soldiers withdrew their blood-stained weapons and said to Cao Cao: "The spies have been executed!"
