In November, Zhang He, who had endured for nearly three months, finally took action and sent troops to attack the boundary bridge in an attempt to destroy the bridge.
However, Taishi Ci had been stationed at the boundary bridge. Scouts from both sides were spying on each other on the plain. When they learned that Zhang He had sent troops, Taishi Ci led 5,000 troops to occupy the boundary bridge and formed a camp to defend the place.
Zhang He sent Zhu Ling to attack with 8,000 men, but the two sides could not hold out. Finally, Gao Shun's army from Qingyuan came to help and drove Zhu Ling back.
When the first plan failed, Zhang He devised a second plan and sent people north to attack Xiajin.
This Xiajin was known as Xiajin County in later generations, but at this time there was no county seat. The surrounding wilderness was an endless plain where a large number of villagers lived.
Chen Mu built a simple walled city on the basis of the original Xia Ting and named it Xia Jin, which has the same status as Wuchao. It is a transfer station for grain and grass transported from the plains to the front line. Zhang Fei is stationed here, and Guangzong is to the west.
, to the north is Dongwu City, to the south is Ganling, and to the east is E County and Ling County.
The reason why we set up a stronghold here is that it is not far from Dongwu, E County, and Ling County, and there are plains, Gaotang and other places behind us. Once attacked, reinforcements can arrive within a day.
Zhang He sent Jiang Qi and Ma Yan, with a total of 10,000 troops, to attack Xiajin. Zhang Fei, with only 4,000 troops, defended the city and resisted tenaciously.
Two days later, reinforcements from all over the country arrived and forced Jiang, Qi, Mayan and others to retreat. Zhang He failed again.
Now the road from Xiajin to Guangzong is full of soldiers and horses of the Qingzhou Army, and there are surveillance scouts outside Ganling City. Once Zhang He moves, he will be noticed by Chen Mu and defeated.
Although if Zhang He's entire army attacks, for example, all 40,000 people attack Jieqiao, Xiajin and other places, it may indeed cause some trouble.
But the problem is that this is equivalent to a stud. Once the offensive is frustrated and these strategic locations are not breached in a short period of time, the Qingzhou Army from other places will soon arrive and surround them.
At that time, the cities of Ganling and Beiqiu had no defenders and would soon fall. Zhang He could only camp in the wild, without any city defenses at all.
Therefore, no matter how courageous Zhang He was, he did not dare to send out all his troops, and could only send out a small group of troops to harass.
However, these blows did not discourage Zhang He. After thinking about it for several months, he had some vague ideas. Since stud was not an option, it would be better to fight guerrilla warfare, so he sent out multiple small troops every day, ranging from hundreds to many.
Thousands of them went around harassing grain transport convoys.
This is mobile warfare, an attempt to mobilize all the Qingzhou troops around Ganling. One place is attacked, and many places are supported. Then they fish in troubled waters, find weaknesses, and lead the soldiers to break out of the encirclement.
But Chen Mu himself was an admirer of that great man, and engaging in sports warfare in front of him was as ridiculous as wielding a machete in front of Guan Gong's gate.
What's more, Zhang He's mobile warfare was only a prototype and did not have the essence of the great man. Chen Mu saw through it easily. Instead, he used the grain transport convoy as a bait to ambush Zhang He several times, causing him to lose some men.
In the end, Zhang He had to be honest after being beaten to a pulp.
By December, there was only about a month of food and grass left in Ganling City. The food and grass were decreasing every day but could not be replenished. Zhang He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot and had to start thinking about breaking out.
"Did the force shrink?"
In the pavilion in the backyard of Guangzong's mansion, spies from the Military Intelligence Department found out that Zhang He had never sent out small groups of troops to harass these days, and all his troops had withdrawn into the city.
After hearing the spies' words, Chen Mu touched the mustache growing out of his upper lip and chuckled: "It is indeed time to shrink the troops and prepare to break out. Zhang He should only have one month of food and grass left. If we don't break out, we will wait.
Starve to death."
Taishi Ci asked: "What should we do now?"
"Of course we have to close the door and beat the dog."
Chen Mu stood up from the table, looked at the sky in the distance, smiled slightly and said: "After deploying for so long, it's time to close the net. Let me teach that young general Zhang He a lesson."
Taishi Ci said speechlessly: "Zi Gui, I remember that you are only twenty-seven in false years and twenty-six in real years. I heard that you are already over thirty..."
"snort."
Chen Mu snorted arrogantly: "So what if you are older than me? Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, I defeated Zhangjiao and fought against Dong Zhuo. I eliminated bandits and captured the thieves. I fought for nine years and killed more than 100,000 people? What about that?
Zhang He is just relying on the famous Zhang family in Hejian, Ren Zimenyin, how can he compare with me?"
Taishi Ci rolled his eyes, not wanting to discredit Chen Mu.
In fact, the Zhang family in Hejian is indeed a descendant of Zhang Er, and it is true that he is a prominent family in Hejian.
The problem is that Zhang He is not the legitimate son of the Zhang family and does not enjoy so many resources. He is also a member of the Yellow Turban family.
certainly.
Although they are all asking for the Yellow Turban, the starting point and gold content are indeed different.
Because when Zhang He was recruiting for the Yellow Turbans, he was directly appointed as Army Sima, and his starting point was very high. This means that he was able to get this official position only by recruiting his own troops, and he had a certain family background.
On the other hand, when Chen Mu followed Liu Bei, he was just a Qu Junjun at the beginning, but he only got the official position after following Lu Zhi, otherwise he would still be in vain, and he would indeed be able to judge superiors.
The army began to move vigorously, not Chen Mu's troops, but Zhang He's troops.
In late December, when there was only half a month of food and grass left, Zhang He knew that he had to take action. The enemy neither attacked the city nor forced him. Even if he wanted to fight with his back to the wall, the trapped beasts were still fighting, but he did not have the strength to do so.
So we can only think of ways to lead troops to break through.
Zhang He first sent Jiang Qi and Ma Yan, each with 5,000 troops, to pretend to attack Xiajin and Lian County as suspicious troops. Then he personally led the army to Beiqiu, where he joined Jiao Chu and Zhang Nan's troops, and 30,000 troops crossed the river.
Therefore, head towards Fagan, Leping and Liaocheng.
He wanted to bypass the heavily guarded Qingyuan and Taoguan areas, pass through the junction of Jizhou and Yanzhou, and run back to Yuancheng of Wei County, which was still in the hands of Jizhou, from the area between Cao Cao and Liu Bei's army.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The garrison generals of Yuancheng are Zhao Rui and Yan Chang. They have already contacted each other before. This road is also relatively safe and has been explored by Zhang He by sending scouts many times.
The road, because Cao Cao was at odds with Lu Bu at this time, there should be no spare power to deal with him, so he could run back boldly.
"This Cao Mengde is really good at raising prices."
In Guangzong County, Chen Mu was a little unhappy looking at the letter in his hand.
Because Zhang He lacked intelligence, he did not know that Lu Bu had withdrawn his troops, so Cao Cao actually had the power to attack him.
The timeline is also very simple. In September, Wang Fen ordered Zhao Rui and Yan Chang to lead the troops out, and at the same time asked Lu Bu to return to defend Wei County and confront Guan Yu and Zhao Yun's army in Hanoi.
In this way, it was already October from the time the order was issued in September to when Lu Bu returned from reorganizing his troops. Zhao Rui and Yan Chang left in September, so they only knew that Wang Fen had died of illness and that Yuan Shao had succeeded Jizhou Mu.
, but didn’t know the news of Lu Bu’s return.
As the scouts sent by Zhang He were repeatedly strangled by the Qingzhou scouts, except for Cao Cao's direction in Yanzhou in the south, other directions were blocked by the overwhelming armies of Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan and Chen Mu from all directions.
So the only people he could contact were Zhao Rui and Yan Chang from Yuancheng. That was after Chen Mu withdrew his troops in October, and Lu Bu had just returned at that time. Zhao Rui and Yan Chang naturally didn't know what was happening hundreds of kilometers away.
situation, so what Zhang He got was wrong information.
That is because Zhang He thought that Lu Bu was still dragging Cao Cao away in Yanzhou.
This information is obviously fatal. Chen Mu is not a fool. Of course, he will not leave such an obvious loophole in the defense zone to Zhang He, so he has informed Cao Cao a long time ago and asked him to hold back Zhang He's troops so that Chen Mu can mobilize troops to encircle and suppress him.
Zhang He buys time.
Little did they know that Cao Cao was also very cunning. He raised prices and complained loudly in his letters, saying that he had been at war with Lu Bu for several months, that the army was short of food, suffered heavy losses, and was unable to attack.
The meaning is also very obvious. It's not that the allies are ineffective, but that the allies have no money, food, or equipment. If you mean it, I can attack.
This scene reminded Chen Mu of the first time he met Cao Cao.
At that time, Cao Cao and Chen Mu met in Mishui. Cao Cao wanted to annex Chen Mu's army, but Chen Mu refused on the pretext of lack of food, grass, weapons and equipment.
If he wanted to unite his troops, he had to replenish strategic supplies. As a result, the lion opened his mouth and scared Cao Cao away.
Now Cao Cao uses the same tactics to deal with him.
"Cao Cao is obviously threatening us."
After hearing Chen Mu's words, Taishi Ci frowned. This behavior obviously made him feel a little disdainful.
Chen Mu smiled and said: "Although the method is not glamorous, in troubled times, one should do whatever it takes. A benevolent and righteous gentleman like my eldest brother, if not for the hundreds of years of luck in the Han Dynasty, and the protection of the second and third brothers,
He probably won’t live long.”
This is the truth. Looking at Liu Bei's life, although he kept running away, he could always turn danger into disaster and turn danger into safety. If ordinary people followed his example, the grass on their graves would already be three feet high.
Taishi Ci asked again: "How much does he want?"
"I didn't mention it in the letter. It seems that he wants me to take the initiative to give. If I give less, he won't give me anything. If I give too much, he will make nothing."
Chen Mu rubbed his chin and thought: "This Cao Cao is well versed in negotiation."
Negotiations are based on the psychological minimum price of both parties. Now Cao Cao is just complaining in the letter without making a clear statement. He is obviously thinking of letting Chen Mu make the offer.
If the price is too low and does not reach Cao Cao's psychological bottom line, Cao Cao will definitely not agree. If the price is too high and exceeds Cao Cao's psychological bottom line, then the excess will be earned. You will get so many materials for nothing, so why not?
Therefore, this letter is not only a subtle attempt by Cao Cao to steal money from large households and ask for food and supplies, but it is also a battle of wits between the two parties to see who can take advantage of the other party.
certainly.
If Chen Mu simply lets Zhang He leave regardless of the consequences, Cao Cao's trick will fail.
But if Zhang and He's 40,000 troops could be retained, the strategic goal of weakening Jizhou would be further advanced. Obviously, Cao Cao also saw this clearly and had no fear.
"So what do we do now?"
Taishi Ci worriedly said: "We don't even know how much he wants. If Cao Cao cannot be satisfied, he is afraid he will let Zhang He go."
Chen Mu stared at the letter in his hand carefully for a while, then turned to Hou Xu who was hiding in the shadows and said, "Mr. Bo Zhu, you should have read this letter."
Hou Xu put his hands in his sleeves and lowered his head slightly: "I've seen it."
"What did you see?"
"I only see that Cao Cao is indeed asking for supplies."
"anything else?"
"No more. Is there any other information in it?"
"certainly."
Chen Mu shook his head: "Actually, this letter also clearly states how much he wants. Cao Cao is opening his mouth like a lion."
Hou Xu asked curiously: "How did Si Ming know?"
Chen Mu explained: "Cao Cao said in the letter that Yanzhou was in a mess after Lu Bu left. His 50,000-strong army had no clothes to cover their bodies, they were not hungry, and their food reserves were less than half a month. Their armors, weapons and equipment were all damaged, and their food and grass were exhausted. New food was needed.
It will be harvested next summer, but the situation is indeed not good and we cannot send troops to intercept Zhang He, which is really a shame."
He specifically emphasized the words "fifty thousand troops" and "new grain will not be available until next summer's harvest".
After being slightly tapped by Chen Mu, Hou Xu suddenly realized: "I understand, Cao Cao wants to have 50,000 troops to harvest food and grass until next summer."
"good."
Chen Mu nodded: "A 50,000-strong army will consume at least 100,000 shi of grain in January. It is now November, and there is still nearly half a year until next summer's harvest. He needs 600,000 shi of grain and grass, as well as weapons, armor and equipment for a 50,000-man army."
.”
"hiss!"
Taishi Ci and Hou Xu both took a breath of air.
Cao Cao was more than just talking like a lion, he was asking for high prices and was slaughtering Qingzhou like a fat sheep.
The reason why Liu Bei supported Cao Cao in the first place was because the Dongjun that Cao Cao occupied could not tolerate any loss, and he had to give him food as a last resort.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! But even at that time, he was only given 200,000 hu of grain, 30,000 hu of salt, 2,000 pairs of armor, and 8,000 weapon blades.
Vice, that’s a lot of help.
As a result, now they actually want three times the price, and they are treating Qingzhou as a fool.
"Si Ming, you must not give it to me."
Hou Xu immediately said: "Where did Cao Cao get the 50,000 troops? If he really gave them to him, I'm afraid he would be able to expand to 50,000 or 60,000 troops in an instant. When he takes over the entire Yanzhou, his strength will definitely increase greatly, which will be a disaster."
Chen Mu sneered and said: "I don't know this truth, but he can ask for a high price, and I can pay him back. I just have to pay attention to how to grasp this degree."
This is a balance of interests.
In order to annihilate Zhang He's 40,000 troops, he spent a lot of money to help Cao Cao expand his army to 50,000 or 60,000 troops. Only a fool would do such a loss-making business.
Therefore, even if he failed to achieve the strategic goal of weakening Jizhou, Chen Mu would never be able to do what Cao Cao wanted.
Cao Cao must have known this, so he didn't ask for it directly, but mentioned it in a subtle way. If Chen Mu could understand, then there would be a discussion. If he couldn't understand, then Cao Cao couldn't be blamed.
To paraphrase a modern and fashionable saying, it is a classic riddle such as, "The interests are too involved, you know everything, just study it carefully."
Therefore, this letter is far more than just a subtle request for supplies. It is also a secret battle between the two sides to see who can have the last laugh.
The most important thing is that now Cao Cao still has the initiative. This move is to retreat in order to advance, but it is very insidious.
Reading the letter, Chen Mu sighed that Cao Cao really should not be underestimated.
But there is one thing that is strange about him.
Although Cao Mengde was smart, most of his abilities were reflected in his political and military talents. How could he be proficient in such scheming strategies?
Judging from the current information, Cao Cao only has three people under his command: Chen Gong Xi Zhi and Cheng Yu. Among these three, Xi Zhi Cai is not understood because there are too few historical records. However, Chen Gong and Cheng Yu are by no means the kind of people who are well versed in people's hearts.
people.
Unless Xi Zhicai has this talent, otherwise Cao Cao must have recruited one of the four people Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Sima Yi, and Yang Xiu.
Yang Xiu is 18 years old this year and is now following his father Yang Biao in Luoyang. Sima Yi is only fourteen years old and is now following his brother Sima Lang back to Hanoi County and has been monitored by Chen Mu.
As for Jia Xu.
Jia Xu was still in the Gu Pond in Guanzhong, following Yan Zhong to protect himself with his mighty army, so it was impossible for him to come to the Central Plains.
Then there is only one possibility left.
Guo Jia!
That genius Guo Jia!
A strange light flashed in Chen Mu's eyes.
He had always wanted to find Guo Jia to work in Qingzhou, but unfortunately he sent several waves of people but failed to find him.
I originally thought that something else had gone wrong with Guo Jia, but now it seems that there is a high probability that he has already taken up an official position in Yanzhou.
Unexpectedly, Guo Jia eventually followed Cao Cao.
Chen Mu's mood was a little complicated for a while. He felt regretful but also faintly happy.
It is a pity that Guo Jia did not follow Big Brother, but followed a competitor who is still very weak. Fortunately, maybe he can bring him unexpected surprises.
Among the Three Kingdoms, when it comes to controlling people's hearts, no one is better than Guo Jia.
Although Jia Xu has seen through Duan Xuan, Yang Xiu has seen through Cao Cao, and Sima Yi has seen through Cao Shuang, all three of them are men who have insight into people's hearts.
But compared to Guo Jia, he is far behind.
Because Guo Jiadian's talent is to understand people's hearts, he can be called the top psychology master in the Three Kingdoms era.
He did not plan any strategic direction for Cao Cao, nor did he come up with any particularly powerful strategies. Unlike Xun Yu, who was a strategic genius, who sat at the rear and strategized, and unlike Xun You, who was a tactical genius, full of clever ideas and exhaustive strategies.
Only in terms of penetrating people's hearts and seeing things clearly, he has extraordinary abilities.
He first served in Yuan Shao and saw through the essence of Yuan Shao. Later he served in Cao Cao and believed that Cao Cao was the wise master. Then he saw through Liu Bei, saw through Lu Bu, saw through Sun Ce, saw through Liu Biao, saw through Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, even if he was about to die.
At that time, we could also see through the thoughts of the Wuhuan people in the northern part of the Great Wall, which is also known as the "legendary plan to determine Liaodong".
It can be said that it was Guo Jia who accurately grasped the psychology of everyone, including Cao Cao, and knew how these people would react, and finally helped Cao Cao win in the cracks in the early southern and northern campaigns.
Otherwise, it would be difficult for the two strategic and tactical masters Er Xun to develop and grow if they did not understand the psychology of the surrounding princes and were timid in fighting.
Even Cao Cao could live without Cheng Yu and Jia Xu, but he could not live without Er Xun and Guo Jia.
And now, if Guo Jia has really taken up an official position in Yanzhou, then this letter may have been written by him.
Guo Jia.
This is bargaining with Chen Mu to help Cao Cao obtain a batch of early capital aid in an attempt to develop and expand Yanzhou.
Thinking of this, Chen Mu found it even more interesting, and there was a faint excitement in his eyes.
When it comes to controlling people's hearts, why doesn't he claim to be a master of psychology?
When I was in school, I took psychology as an elective.
When he was in Luoyang, psychology gave him a lot of help. He made friends with party members and hooked up with eunuchs. Lu Qiang was saved by Chen Mu's psychological suggestion.
Now the number one psychology master in the Three Kingdoms has appeared, and has begun to challenge Chen Mu. How can he not become competitive despite already feeling invincible?
Finally have an interesting opponent?
Chen Mu felt a trace of long-lost excitement, and the blood and pores all over his body seemed to tremble.
The genius Guo Fengxiao.
His eyes looked at the desolate sky in the distance, and there was no melancholy between his eyebrows, only joy.
Be invincible for too long.
Since you left the mountain, you also went to follow Cao Ah Ma.