When Yuan Shao heard this, his face suddenly darkened.
Because Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong repeatedly failed at the hands of the Qingzhou Army, he gradually faded out of the high-level power center in Jizhou.
In other words, in the past two years, I finally gained my trust and climbed back.
As a result, the entire cavalry army was wiped out just after they obtained military power.
Although he found a high-sounding reason and said that the mission had been completed, if the mission was not completed and the cavalry was completely wiped out, was there no responsibility?
Now he still dares to pretend that he has something confidential and important to discuss with him. Has he forgotten the mistake he made?
You really deceive me into being too kind!
Thinking of this, Yuan Shao was furious and shouted: "Guo Gongze, there is no room for you to bargain here! If you have any secrets, just say it clearly and don't pretend to do it. Do you still want to disturb the morale of the army?"
"Ming Gong, this is not what I meant."
Guo Tu quickly admitted his mistake. What he was good at was to adapt to the situation. Knowing that Yuan Shao had tolerated him to the limit, he immediately said: "What Tu wants to say is that Liu Beijun's granary is not only in Linxi.
And they are fully prepared and are about to go south to attack Weiqiao."
"What?"
Xu You was shocked and said: "Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could they attack Weiqiao?"
Liu Hui also frowned and said: "Guo Gongze, don't talk nonsense. Liu Bei's main army is clearly at Jieqiao, where did they get the strength to go south? What's more, even if they go south, such a long grain road will take four or five days from the plain to Weiqiao.
It's a hundred miles away, not to mention the intermediate consumption, even if they risk attacking Weiqiao, aren't they afraid of us robbing food?"
The reason Liu Hui wanted to help was because he and Xu You were the ones who concluded that the Qingzhou Army would not attack Weiqiao, and it was he and Xu You who overcame all opinions to allow Yuan Shao to garrison Jieqiao. If this was really the case,
Then it proves that their judgment is wrong. How is this possible?
However, Guo Tu said unhurriedly: "Ming Gong, this is absolutely true. After Tu escaped from Linxi, he secretly lurked into Xiabao, Dongzhao, Jianzhong and other township pavilions to inquire about the news.
And I saw it with my own eyes.”
Yuan Shao said in a deep voice: "First tell me what happened when you went to Linxi for a surprise attack. How did you escape? How do I know whether you have been captured and surrendered to Liu Bei?"
Guo Tu immediately said: "Ming Gong, if Tu was captured, how could Liu Bei send me back? My family are all in Jizhou, not Qingzhou, so what could he threaten me with?"
"Forehead........"
Only then did Yuan Shao realize that he had asked a very stupid question. Guo Tu's family were all in Jizhou. If Guo Tu surrendered to Liu Bei, how stupid would Liu Bei be to put him back?
First, Liu Bei has no means of coercion. He will let the tiger go back to his mountain as soon as he comes back. You can't guarantee that he will agree to be an undercover agent.
Secondly, Guo Tu himself was indeed loyal to Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao knew this very well.
So this question itself shouldn’t be asked.
"But how I escaped, this matter should indeed be reported to Ming Gong."
Guo Tu continued: "That day, I was ordered to lead Zhao Rui, Jiang Qi and others to attack Linxi. I galloped all night and arrived at Linxi at midnight. I saw Liu Bei's army camp was heavily guarded and there were countless patrolling soldiers around. Only the west gate was open. , the guards are quite lax."
"Why are the guards at the west gate lax?"
Yuan Shao asked again subconsciously.
Guo Tu shook his head and said: "Ming Gong forgot, that day happened to be the day when Liu Bei sent his cavalry to collect food and grass."
"Well."
Yuan Shao then remembered that Guo Tu had already told him that after burning the grain and grass, he happened to meet the Qingzhou cavalry who came to get the grain and grass. This was also consistent with the intelligence they had previously detected.
As for the statement that Liu Beijun sent people to collect food at night, no one, including Xu You, Liu Hui, Xun Chen and others, doubted its authenticity.
Because ancient wars were very cruel, and all kinds of methods were used, including cutting off grain roads and burning grain and grass. Therefore, when transporting grain and grass, it was normal to choose to transport it at night to avoid enemy sneak attacks.
Guo Tu added: "We didn't know at that time that the cavalry sent by Liu Bei was actually a large group of cavalry, so when we saw that the defense of the west gate was lax, we prepared to attack from the west gate. I first sent people to harass the camp from the east gate to attract the enemy's attention. Then the large army broke through the west gate and burned the food and grass."
"Um."
Yuan Shao nodded, this is a very good strategy.
Guo Tu sighed and said, "It's a pity that we never expected that Liu Bei would hide tens of thousands of cavalry. We just lit the fire at that time, and the fire spread everywhere. We planned to go out through the north gate, but the fire burned too fast. The north gate Being devoured by fire, we had no choice but to go through the south gate, but as soon as we left the south gate camp, we were blocked by the Qingzhou cavalry."
"Then what?"
Yuan Shao asked.
Guo Tudao said: "Seeing this situation, the soldiers had to fight bloody battles. However, after a night of galloping, we raided the granary. The horses were already exhausted and could not be driven. They were no match for the Qingzhou cavalry, who were like wolves and tigers. I stood there On horseback, he climbed over the fence of the camp, climbed over the fence, and hid in a tunnel near the camp, and finally managed to save his life."
"The Qingzhou Army didn't pursue them?"
"No."
Guo Tu shook his head: "Maybe they thought I had been buried in the flames, so they didn't search everywhere. I didn't dare to go north, so I walked all the way south. When I got to Dongzhao Township, I sold the jade pendant around my waist, changed my clothes, and walked all the way. He hid in Tibet, gave all his money to a boatman by the river, and finally escaped."
His words are both true and false. The true part is that all the events are true and can withstand scrutiny. The false part is that there is no food in the Qingzhou Army's granary, it is all straw and stones.
But it is impossible for Guo Tu to tell Yuan Shao the truth, because in this case, it will prove that his trip is not only meaningless, but also loses the army. It also proves that the judgment of political enemy Xu You is correct. Don't talk about him then, just Even Yuan Shao couldn't keep it on his face, because Yuan Shao disagreed with Xu You's judgment and thought Xu You was timid.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! So Guo Tu must be killed. There was food in the Linxi granary. Not only was there a lot of it, but they all burned it. This was a great achievement. One thing, even if the troops are lost and the cavalry is wiped out, at least the "food and grass" are burned, the merits and demerits are balanced, and a certain strategic goal is achieved.
Otherwise, he would bring so many cavalry to attack an empty shell, and then all of them would die. With Yuan Shao's character, Guo Tu would definitely be used as a scapegoat. After all, Yuan Shao gave the order, and Guo Tu was just the executor, but Yuan Shao couldn't carry it out.
If you don’t carry the pot, who will?
After hearing Guo Tu's experience, Yuan Shao thought carefully for a moment. There were no flaws in it. Guo Tu was also very calm throughout the entire narrative process, without any evasion, which shows that the authenticity must be very high.
Thinking of this, Yuan Shao softened his attitude and said slowly: "Since you successfully burned down the Linxi granary, and you happened to be unlucky enough to bump into the Qingzhou cavalry who came to get food, causing the cavalry to be wiped out, what about this matter?
Gongze shouldn’t be blamed. However, our cavalry also suffered heavy losses, so the merits and demerits are equal to each other, so let’s forget about it.”
"Thank you Ming Gong for your forgiveness."
Guo Tu bowed his hands in salute and continued: "But on the way back, I saw the Qingzhou Army transporting grain and grass in Dongzhao Township, Xiabao Township, Jianzhong Township and other places. Later I secretly investigated and Liu Bei was in these township pavilions.
A large number of manors and forts have been built in the surrounding area, and I suspect that these grains and grass are hidden among them."
"Didn't you say that you burned all Liu Beijun's food and grass? Why did so much appear again?"
Xu You interrupted and asked.
Guo Tu glanced at him and sneered: "Ming Gong, our army's food reserves are already 10 to 20 million shi. If Liu Bei attacks us, will it still be less than 10 million shi of grain and grass? In Linxi, they only burned part of them.
That’s it, Chen Zigui is very cunning. He built a large number of granaries around the border bridge and stored them in scattered ways, just to prevent us from raiding the grain."
"How to prove this?"
"I remember that our army has spies in the villages such as Xiabao Jianzhong in Dongzhao. In the near future, this news should come."
"Hmph, official documents from spies from all over the country have been delivered this afternoon, why didn't I see them?"
Xu You snorted coldly. He has been responsible for handling official documents recently.
Hearing the conversation between the two, Yuan Shao's face suddenly froze, and then as if he remembered something, he quickly searched among the messy official documents on his desk, and finally found an official document, which he opened and quickly checked.
Everyone noticed that Yuan Shao's expression was wrong and quickly looked at him. Xu You looked at it eagerly. He remembered that there should be no such information in today's official document.
"call!"
Yuan Shao breathed a long sigh of relief, shook his head and said: "This official document came here not long ago. It was sent by the spies in Xiabao Township. The official document said that there have been a lot of Qingzhou troops coming and going from the township pavilions around Xiabao Township recently. It seems that there is a big force.
Action, and the Qingzhou Army transported a large amount of food, grass and baggage from some manors, which can indeed prove what the public principles say."
"I didn't expect that the Qingzhou Army really hid a granary in these rural pavilions. Chen Zigui's reputation as cunning is indeed true."
""Warring States Policy" says: The cunning rabbit has three caves. It seems that the Qingzhou Army knows its way well."
"If this is the case, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to cut off their food and grass. Our army has 10 to 20 million stones of food and grass, and Liu Bei's army may not have less than 10 million stones. They store millions of stones in each place and burn them in one place.
, there are still nine places that cannot be burned at all."
"Now that we have lost all our cavalry, even if we want to raid the granary, it is already difficult. Moreover, the location of their granary is not very clear. It is very difficult to attack their grain and grass."
Several counselors were talking about it. They didn't expect Liu Bei to be so fearless and build granaries everywhere like a rabbit digging holes.
There are disadvantages and advantages to storing grain and grass in one place. The disadvantage is that once the granary is attacked, all the stored grain will be destroyed. The advantage is also obvious, that is, it is convenient for transportation.
A large number of soldiers gathered on the front line, and tens of thousands of stones of grain and grass were consumed every day by eating and chewing horses. All grain and grass were centrally managed, which naturally made it easier to transport them back and forth.
Otherwise, if you store food in ten places and have to run around when there is a shortage of food, it will be a very troublesome thing in itself.
Guo Tu cupped his hands and said: "Ming Gong, Tu has a second thing to say. On the way here, I found that a large number of soldiers from the Qingzhou Army were moving south, and grain and grass were also transported south. They had already taken all the Qingyuan troops.
Guantao Yuancheng and other places, and further south, is Wei County, so we must take action against Weiqiao."
"I still believe you when you say that the Qingzhou Army built granaries everywhere and placed tens of millions of stones of grain and grass everywhere. But if they want to attack Weiqiao, that's just a dream."
Liu Hui stood up and objected: "Ming Gong, we have discussed this matter before. Wei County is located southeast of Wei County, more than 200 miles away from Hanoi and more than 200 miles away from Jieqiao. Liu Bei wants to cooperate with Guan Yu.
Attacking from the southeast will stretch the supply fronts on both sides extremely long. I believe Liu Bei will not make such a mistake."
"Um......."
Yuan Shao pondered and nodded. He also agreed with Liu Hui, Xu You, Xun Chen and others on this issue.
Because this in itself is an act of seeking the far away at the expense of the near.
The Luoyang army set out from Hanoi County to attack Wei County. After crossing the Huan River, the road was smooth, and there was no need to travel more than 200 miles to Wei County.
The same goes for the Qingzhou Army. After crossing the border bridge, there is a smooth road. Going south around Wei County, the supply line will be extremely long.
As mentioned before, the current Qingzhou Army is temporarily transporting grain and grass from the plains to E County, and then from E County to Ganling, and finally transfers it to the front line. The whole process takes about more than 300 miles, close to 400 miles.
.
From the Jieqiao front line to the Weiqiao front line, it is more than 200 miles, close to 300 miles. If the total distance is converted into kilometers, it is about 300 kilometers.
This distance may not have been a big deal in later generations with developed transportation, but in ancient times it was already considered a very long supply line.
That is to say, the Hebei area with relatively smooth roads has a vast and flat plain area. If it is in a continuous mountainous area, such as the Korean Peninsula or the Sichuan Basin, just 300 kilometers can kill a person.
The most important thing is that hundreds of more miles of supply lines not only mean increased costs, but also increased risks.
Because if you want to attack Weiqiao, the main force must be transferred there.
So what should we do on the boundary bridge side?
The location of Jieqiao is in the center of the Qingzhou Army's attack on Weiqiao. If Yuan's army storms Jieqiao and occupies the east bank of Jieqiao, then your Weiqiao army on the front line will be disconnected from the rear and directly cut in the middle.
At that time, Liu Bei's army will become an isolated army, and supplies will either depend on Luoyang or can only be transported from Dongjun, and the battle line will have to be stretched far and wide.
Therefore, it was obviously unwise to attack Weiqiao. Liu Hui, Xu You, Xunchen and others all thought that Liu Bei would not be that stupid, so the earliest strategic place everyone discussed was to fight a blocking attack at Jieqiao.
Now Guo Tu tells everyone that the Qingzhou Army's goal is not the Jie Bridge at all, but the Weiqiao. How is this possible?
"This is Liu Bei's idea. All of us thought that Liu Bei would not attack Weiqiao, but he attacked Weiqiao. Think about it, isn't this just a surprise?"
However, Guo Tu said seriously: "What we have been thinking about before is what will happen if the Qingzhou Army cannot take Weiqiao. What if they can make a desperate move to take Weiqiao? By then, we will take advantage of our lack of precautions against Weiqiao and let him
Succeeded."
"That's true."
Yuan Shao thought about it carefully and found that his previous considerations were indeed based on the difficulty of attacking Weiqiao in Qingzhou.
The problem is that the difficulty is not insurmountable.
At least if the Qingzhou Army cooperates with Luoyang, there should be no problem in launching a large-scale war against Weiqiao.
Even if it is not conquered, if the army is short of food and grass, then it can be withdrawn, and nothing will be lost.
But what happens once it’s conquered?
That would be a disaster for the Jizhou Army.
Because the road is smooth after Weiqiao, in conjunction with Luoyang's attack on Yecheng, once Yecheng falls, Jizhou will be in complete danger.
Thinking of this, Yuan Shao gradually began to feel that Guo Tu's words seemed not unreasonable.