Chapter 170, Half-crossing and attacking

Just when Yuan Shao placed his hopes on Yuan Shu, he didn't know that his good brother was also facing difficulties at this moment.

"What, how dare Liu Biao attack my Nanyang camp!"

When he heard the news that the Jingzhou army was attacking Nanyang, Yuan Shu was shocked and angry.

What surprised him was that Liu Biao took control of Jingzhou so quickly. What made him angry was that this man was so bold. It would be great if he didn't deal with the other party, but the other party dared to take the initiative to attack him!

However, he was still angry, but he also knew that Liu Biao did have the ability to threaten him at this time. In this battle, he almost went out in full force. Nanyang was equivalent to an empty camp, and I was afraid that it would be difficult to defend it for a long time.

Counselor Yang Hong came out and said: "Lord, there is no room for loss in Nanyang."

Yuan Shu didn't know this, so he just sighed: "What a Liu Bei, what a move to surround Wei and save Zhao. After this battle, I'm afraid no one can stop his rise."

He knew very well that after the alliance collapsed this time, it would be difficult for them to organize effective restrictions on Liu Bei. This man would soar to the sky and continue to occupy the position of the number one prince in the world.

Yang Hong advised: "In my humble opinion, after this battle, the lord can advance into the three states of Yu, Yang, and Jing. By then, even if Liu Bei seizes the opportunity to annex the four states of Yong, Liang, and Yi, the lord will still be able to fight.

"

Liu Bei's intention has been fully revealed, and the next step must be Guanzhong, Liangzhou, and Yizhou, and gradually expand.

Among these four states, Bingzhou and Liangzhou are both barren places, while only Guanzhong and Bashu are rich places. Liu Bei is not invincible.

Yuan Shu knew that what he said was reasonable, but the other party ignored an issue.

"Do you think Liu Bei will let us leave safely?"

Yang Hong has already thought about this problem.

"My lord, those who achieve great things don't stick to trivial matters. Sometimes you need to have the determination of a strong man to cut off his wrists, otherwise you may risk losing everything."

Yuan Shu understood instantly that this was another time for him to find a shield and a scapegoat.

But... who to look for?

He subconsciously thought of Sun Jian, because only Jiangdong Army could barely block the fierce offensive of Bingzhou Army.

However, this idea was quickly rejected by him. Sun Jian's troops had suffered most of the casualties in the last war. Now there were only a few thousand people left, and they no longer had the strength to fight against the Bingzhou Army.

Yang Hong saw his hesitation and added: "My lord can pretend to withdraw in a hurry. Liu Bei will definitely lead his army to pursue him. At that time, my lord can send troops and horses to ambush halfway to give the army a chance to retreat."

Yuan Shu's eyes lit up: "What a brilliant idea. When Liu Bei sees that I am retreating in a hurry, he will definitely neglect to take precautions. This battle can kill him for a while."

Yang Hong nodded with a smile.

"Come here, summon everyone to discuss matters in the big tent."

"Here!"

Yang Hong's ambush strategy was indeed ingenious, but he didn't know that Liu Bei had the convenience of Jin Yiwei. He had already learned about Liu Biao's attack on Nanyang before he did, and was now making plans.

…

Because Yuan Shu and Cao Cao divided their forces, Liu Bei had to send Gao Shun to lead 10,000 elites to garrison Sishui Pass. It was precisely because of this that the two sides had been in a stalemate for several months.

Zhang Fei was already itching and couldn't bear it. After learning about the fire in Yuan Shu's backyard, he decisively stood up and asked for a fight: "Brother, we must not let this boy Yuan Shu escape. As long as you give the order, I will go and take his head off for you."

Come."

Liu Bei smiled helplessly, do you think Yuan Shu's head is a wild fruit? Just pick it if you ask? Although Yuan Jun is not as powerful as them, he still has a numerical advantage. It is not easy to annihilate them.

Regardless of using the power of heaven and earth such as cunning, water and fire, if you want to encircle and annihilate an army, you must at least have an absolute advantage in numbers, otherwise the encirclement is likely to turn into a counter-encirclement.

Not to be outdone, Lü Bu stepped out and said: "My lord, let me be the vanguard. The Iron Buddha is a sharp weapon in the army and should not be touched lightly."

Zhao Yun also said: "Let the general go."

All the generals came out one after another.

Liu Bei was not in a hurry to make arrangements, but looked at Liu Ye and Jia Xu. This battle was crucial and there could be no accidents.

Otherwise, with the combat power of the Bingzhou Army, why would the stalemate with Yuan Shu last so long?

Liu Ye walked out of the column and asked, "May I ask my lord, where did the Jin Yiwei learn about Liu Biao's dispatch of troops?"

Liu Bei was startled, thinking that he was questioning the authenticity of the matter, so he explained: "The Jin Yiwei witnessed the Jingzhou army's expedition and followed and monitored it all the way. There is no way this matter is false."

Liu Ye smiled, shook his head and said, "I'm not questioning the authenticity of the news, but I want to confirm something."

"What's the matter?"

"Who among us or Yuan Shu knows the news about Liu Biao's dispatch of troops faster?"

Liu Bei's eyes flickered: "Zi Yang wants to take a preemptive strike and make arrangements in advance?"

Liu Ye nodded and said with a smile: "I have had many conversations with Brother Fengxiao, and he taught me a truth."

Everyone looked at him with curiosity and waited patiently for what was going to happen next.

Facing everyone's gaze, Liu Ye began to talk.

"Fengxiao once said that no matter when, where, or what situation we face, we must try to change the situation and think about the problem from the opponent's perspective."

"Because only by considering all the means that your opponent may use, you will not make mistakes. He calls this... putting yourself in someone else's shoes."

"If my lord were Yuan Shu, would he withdraw his troops after hearing the news that the rear was being attacked?"

"Yes!" Liu Bei replied without hesitation.

Because the rear base camp is as important as the grain and grass camp in a sense. After all, the grain and grass camp only contains grain and grass, but the base camp is home.

Your home has been occupied, are you still in the mood to fight outside?

"What arrangements will the lord make before withdrawing the troops?"

"nature!"

If you do not arrange for the rear troops to be withdrawn when withdrawing, they may be followed and harassed by the enemy, and may even cause huge casualties.

Liu Bei suddenly understood. Liu Ye was reminding him that since we got the news faster and had insight into Yuan Shu's possible arrangements, why not take advantage of it?

Yuan Shu would inevitably leave a force of troops to snipe or even set up an ambush during his retreat.

Most of Yuan Shu's army consisted of infantry, but there were many cavalry in the Bingzhou army. He could send a partial division and rely on the mobility of the cavalry to rush to the place where Yuan's army must retreat.

Jia Xu, who was resting with his eyes closed on the side, also opened his eyes and said with a smile: "Although Guo Fengxiao is far away in Luoyang, his shadow is everywhere in this battle, which is really annoying."

Everyone laughed.

Who says it’s not?

From Jin Yiwei's constant delivery of news to Liu Ye's words at this moment, Guo Jia can be said to be everywhere.

And not only the Hulao Pass battlefield, but also Hangu Pass and Bingzhou had his plans.

Jia Xu added: "But what he said is indeed reasonable and well-founded. It coincides with Sun Tzu's words. If you know yourself and the enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger."

The reason why Sun Wu's words are regarded as a wise saying about the art of war is because he covers many aspects, and the perspective-taking thinking proposed by Guo Jia is only one of them.

Liu Bei also understood the intentions of the two conspirators at this time, and immediately began to arrange his troops.

"Zilong listens to orders."

"The end will be here."

"I order you to lead five thousand light cavalry and set off immediately to set up an ambush here." After Liu Bei finished speaking, he pointed to a certain point on the map, which was a plain south of Ru River.

"If Yuan Shu wants to withdraw to Nanyang, he must cross the Ru River south. You can attack it while it is halfway across the river. The Jinyi Guards will always observe the movements of Yuan's army and provide you with intelligence."

Zhao Yun was overjoyed: "The last general has taken the order." After saying that, he turned around and went down to mobilize his troops, as if he was afraid that he would be robbed of his job if he was too late.

But all the generals just looked at this pretty boy with envy as he had the most lucrative job. As the main force in the ambush, Zhao Yun's side army would definitely get a lot of credit.

Zhang Fei and Lu Bu both looked at Liu Bei expectantly. Now Zhao Yun had taken the lead in ambush, leaving only the post of pursuit vanguard officer.

Liu Bei decisively ignored Zhang Fei's pitiful look and looked at Lu Bu: "I order you to lead 10,000 fine cavalry as the vanguard in pursuit, but you are not allowed to engage in battle with the enemy. You only need to follow along and wait for my order before attacking."

"Here!"

Lu Bu knew that Liu Bei was worried that he would be ambushed by his greed for power, but this was no longer important. As long as he took the position of vanguard officer, were he still worried that there would be no battles?

It's not that Liu Bei doesn't care about brotherhood, but Zhang Fei holds the ace card of Iron Buddha and has already attracted enough limelight.

In this regard, Liu Bei had to start tilting opportunities to others to maintain the necessary balance.
Chapter completed!