Chapter 445 Those who play tactics have a dirty heart!
Peng! Peng! Peng!
At the foot of the leeward valley, there were several knocking sounds.
Three or five soldiers were holding pickaxes and banging on the ground in an attempt to create a deep hole. But unfortunately, the weather was freezing and the ground was as hard as steel. The common people's wooden pickaxes could only clean up the loose soil.
But it is difficult to penetrate deeply.
A full half an hour later, it was only a small hole about a foot deep, barely enough for a person to lie flat on, but not enough to be used as a tomb.
"Qu Shuai, is this okay?"
A soldier looked up at Guan Cheng and tried to ask.
"Do you think that's okay?"
Guan Cheng's eyes narrowed, and he was obviously a little dissatisfied: "If the wind changes direction next year, won't it mean that Qu Shuai's body will be exposed in the wilderness? Keep digging, there will be a hole of at least three feet."
"General Guan."
Yan Liang, who was watching on the side, frowned and stepped forward and said: "It's freezing cold today. It's really not easy to dig a hole more than three feet tall. We might as well do this first and wait until the wind direction changes next year, and then we can arrange for Qu Shuai to do it."
How about a coffin and re-burial?"
The soldier who was excavating nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, the soil will become soft next year, and we will have more time. Naturally, we can purchase a coffin for Qu Shuai to be reburied."
call-
Guan Cheng thought about it carefully, took a deep breath, and glanced at Guan Hai in his arms: "Well, that's all we can do now. Dig the hole bigger and don't let Qu Shuai squeeze in."
"Okay, okay."
The soldiers said hello repeatedly and took action quickly.
Not long after, the pit, which was more than a foot deep, was widened.
Guan Cheng buried Guan Hai with his body wrapped in a straw mat, and filled the soil with his own hands spade by spade. He also muttered: "Qu Shuai, I am sorry for you. If you have any grievances, come to me."
, don’t look for anyone else.”
"Brother just wants to pursue a better future and doesn't want us brothers to be separated. If we can be the masters of the family in the future, we will definitely let all the brothers live a good life."
"You can rest in peace, you really can rest in peace!"
"..."
After backfilling the broken soil, Guan Cheng placed the two cakes he carried with him in front of the tombstone, and placed the water bag filled with wine next to it, and said softly:
"Qu Shuai, we've been hungry all the way. When you go there, you'd better eat and drink before you go. We have to be a well-fed person, not a starved person."
"Gone."
Immediately, Guan Cheng stood up slowly and exhaled: "If anything happens, remember to tell me your dream, and I will do my best to help you solve it."
Yan Liang on the side took a breath and said softly: "I didn't expect that your relationship with this person would be so good. This can be regarded as an explanation to him. That's it. We have to go back and make arrangements."
"kindness."
Guan Cheng nodded, then turned and left.
After returning to the military camp, he happened to meet Guo Tu and Sima Ju. Guo Tu took the initiative and said, "How is it? Are you buried?"
Guan Cheng did not take the initiative to answer, because he knew that this sentence was not a question to him at all, but to Yan Liang behind him: "Well, it has been buried, no problem."
"good."
Guo Tu nodded and breathed a sigh of relief: "In that case, let's come over and discuss how we should plan next so that we can defeat Xu Rong's troops with lightning speed."
Yan Liang cupped his hands and said, "Here."
at the same time.
It's late at night and the moon is bright in the sky.
When a ray of moonlight fell on Guan Hai's cemetery, the broken soil on the grave trembled slightly and rustled down.
Suddenly, the soil trembled greatly and rolled down to both sides.
A straw mat rose straight up, and then was pulled away, revealing Guan Hai himself. He was breathing heavily, as if he had been suffocated for a long time, desperately sucking in fresh air.
After he had completely calmed down, he endured the pain and turned around to look. In front of the tombstone, there were indeed two cakes for sale and a water bag of wine.
Guan Hai understood that this was what Guan Cheng left for him to escape. He was not trying to kill him, but to help him escape. Therefore, he was the only one who knew that his heart was different from ordinary people and was on the right side.
Guan Cheng deliberately stabbed himself in the left chest, making it clear that he was giving himself a chance to survive, hoping that he could escape safely and rush to Langya Corridor to report the news.
"brother!"
Guan Hai was deeply moved.
He hurriedly got up, picked up the bread and water bag, and took advantage of the darkness to simply pack up the tomb to prevent the contents from being exposed. Then he fled the valley and headed straight outside.
*****
The exit of Langya Corridor.
Xu Rong Military Camp.
Central army, big tent.
In front of a cowhide map, Xu Rong was staring at the map with his hands behind his back, wondering what he was thinking about.
In one day, we can enter Beihai County, which is not far from the place where Qingzhou Yellow Turban is stationed. But for some reason, Xu Rong always feels that something is wrong.
"Did the news get out?"
Xu Rong frowned and turned to glance at Hou Cheng.
"kindness."
Hou Cheng nodded and said with absolute certainty: "It has been spread out. I think it has spread to Beihai now. I guess it won't be long before these yellow scarves will brave the cold wind and come to greet us."
There was no excitement on Xu Rong's face, but he was extremely calm: "What about the food, grass, winter clothes, and tents? Are they ready? According to the intelligence, there are probably 500,000 people in this group of Yellow Turbans. It is not easy to prepare these supplies."
"General, don't worry."
Hou Cheng said with great certainty: "General Zu Mao is responsible for escorting the food and grass. Military advisor Kan Ze has contacted Xuzhou Tao Qian and is mobilizing various supplies. According to the latest recovery, the food and grass are enough for half a month. There are already 200,000 pieces of winter clothes and 20,000 tents." Yu Ding.”
"Although we haven't collected everything yet, at this rate, after we all receive the Yellow Turbans, we will definitely be able to collect them without delaying things."
Speaking of this, Hou Cheng's face became excited: "As long as we can recruit this team, I'm afraid we can get at least tens of thousands of elites. By then, we will have a place among the major commanders in Nanyang."
"Don't be too happy yet."
Xu Rong poured down a basin of cold water and frowned: "I don't know why, but I always feel that the situation is not good, as if something is wrong somewhere."
"wrong?"
Hou Cheng was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but wonder: "What's wrong?"
Xu Rong shook his head and exhaled: "I'm not sure, but we have to be careful. If we come here with supplies, it's not certain whether the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans will surrender on their own initiative."
hiss-!
Hou Cheng was surprised and took a breath.
He realized what Xu Rong meant and asked tentatively: "What the general means is... that they might fight us and then rob us of our supplies? Isn't this a bit unlikely?"
"Why is it impossible?"
Xu Rong asked a soul-level rhetorical question.
"this......"
Hou Cheng was speechless and didn't know how to answer.
After all, no one can say for sure whether the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans will surrender, but Hou Cheng subconsciously thought that they would surrender, and he never considered robbing supplies. Now that he thought about it, it was really possible.
"General!"
A look of horror appeared on Hou Cheng's face: "There are 500,000 Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou. Even if we exclude the accompanying people, there are probably more than 100,000 soldiers and horses, or even more. We only have less than 40,000 people. This battle may not be possible."
It’s too easy.”
Xu Rong is extremely mediocre.
Obviously.
He had already considered the possibility of this happening: "If that's the case, just let it go. Don't forget, Jizhou is Yuan Shao's territory, and he will never let us take over this army easily."
"That's right."
"Indeed."
Hou Cheng nodded with great certainty.
He admired Xu Rong's overall view from the bottom of his heart. At the same time, he understood the significance of Xu Rong's spreading news: "The general was ordered to spread the news before, but to test the reaction of the Yellow Turbans?"
"kindness."
Xu Rong did not hide it, and responded: "But judging from the current results, it is not ideal. It may be due to the influence of the cold weather, but we cannot rule out the possibility of Yuan Shao's assassination.
"
Hou Cheng nodded slowly: "That makes sense!"
Xu Rong said softly: "So, General Hou should know what to do?"
Hou Cheng handed over his hand and said: "Don't worry, general. We will send additional scouts to find out the news and at the same time spread the news that the imperial court is preparing to rescue millions of Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou."
"kindness."
Xu Rong nodded: "That's very good."
immediately.
He continued to turn his head and stared at the map in front of him, thinking about how he should respond if an enemy situation appeared in order to gain the greatest victory at the least cost.
The situation will be like this if the troops are stationed here today, and they will be in another place tomorrow. The geography and environment are all different, so the response measures are also different. This is a dynamic process that requires constant thinking.
Simply!
Xu Rong is an experienced commander and has all kinds of methods to deal with various circumstances. Therefore, even if the time is short, he can find suitable countermeasures in the shortest time.
At this moment, he is already thinking about the dangers he may encounter on the road tomorrow, as well as some countermeasures he should take when danger occurs, so that he will not be too passive.
A good commander is like this. He can give priority to any situation that occurs, and then think of ways to deal with it to keep himself awake and calm at all times.
"Report—!"
At this moment, a long announcement sounded outside the tent.
Xu Rong turned around and looked.
However, He Qi hurried forward, leaned forward and said with his hands in his hands: "General, the flying pigeon message from the Nanyang Imperial Court was delivered by fast horse from Xuzhou. It is extremely urgent."
Flying pigeon transmission is a transmission at two fixed points. For the marching team, it can only be sent to the nearest point. After receiving the transmission from Fei Ge, it will be expedited for another 800 miles and sent to the front line.
"oh?"
Xu Rong was surprised: "Send it up."
He Qi cupped his hands and said, "Here."
After receiving the letter from Fei Ge, Xu Rong started browsing, and the look on his face suddenly became nervous: "I really guessed it."
He Qi and Hou Cheng were both stunned: "General, what happened?"
Xu Rong passed the flying pigeon letter to Hou Cheng and said softly: "The imperial court sent an urgent report. Yuan Shao sent people into Qingzhou. It is very likely that they will intervene in the Yellow Turban incident in Qingzhou. Let us deal with it carefully and remember to protect the supplies."
"Damn Yuan Shao, he actually came to interfere. It's so shameless."
Hou Cheng's eyes swept over the letter, and the anger in his heart boiled completely. The muscles on his face twitched subconsciously, and he held the flying pigeon in both hands tightly, as if he was pinching Yuan Shao's neck.
He Qi on the side was even more surprised: "It is normal for Yuan Shao to attack the Qingzhou Army, but will the Qingzhou Army be fooled so easily? With Nanyang's current strength and reputation, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban should be able to distinguish who is strong and who is weak."
"General He must not be so lucky."
Xu Rong pinched a strand of goatee under his chin, frowned and said: "Although Nanyang is famous, Yuan Shao and others will definitely try their best to find things that are not beneficial to the Qingzhou Army."
"Just like this year's battle at Baibo Valley, judging from the briefing issued by the imperial court, Zhang Liao tried to recruit them, but the other party did not surrender. It was obvious that they had taken it into consideration."
For every battle, the imperial court would make a briefing on the process and send it to every commander, so that they could know the situation of each army, with a view to learning and discussing.
The power of the Fire-Following Thunder was fully demonstrated in Zhang Liao's battle at Baibo Valley, and it became known to all the armies. They wondered when they would be able to truly see the power of the Fire-Following Thunder.
The reason why Liu Bian did this was that through the application of these things, the commanders of various armies could gradually sublimate their fighting methods to adapt to future battlefields and not be eliminated by the advanced era he created.
Judging from the current results, the performance of Cao Cao, Xu Rong and others is pretty good. Especially Cao Cao himself has begun to realize that the requirements for generals in future wars will focus more on strategy than bravery.
He Qi nodded and said affirmatively: "Yes, according to our rules in Nanyang, Qingzhou Yellow Turban generals may not be able to play here at all, and they will be eliminated sooner or later."
"perhaps......"
He Qi breathed out and said softly: "This is also a reason."
Xu Rongen sighed: "Your Majesty is indeed kind to the people, but the internal competition mechanism is indeed very cruel. Not to mention the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, even the children of aristocratic families have to rely on their ability to make a living."
"Human nature is all selfish. It is indeed possible for Qu Shuai in the Yellow Turban to consider his own future. In this case, it is reasonable for him to be taken advantage of by Yuan Shao."
"That's right."
Hou Cheng nodded: "That must be the case, General, we must be careful."
Xu Rongdan smiled and showed a confident look: "Don't worry, since I have already predicted it, I will naturally find a way to deal with it. Let's implement it according to the original plan first and don't show any flaws."
Xu Rong's cautiousness and calmness made the two of them calm down instantly and felt very at ease, so they both raised their hands and said, "Here."
*****
Yanzhou, Jinan.
Cao Jun's camp.
Central army, big tent.
A lamp is like a bean, and the candle flame flickers.
Cao Cao held a flying pigeon from the imperial court to pass the message and sighed: "As expected, this guy Yuan Shao has intervened in the Qingzhou Yellow Turban matter. We are facing a lot of pressure."
Cheng Li nodded and nodded, but his eyes were focused on the intertwined forces on Shuaiyu's map: "Based on the information obtained so far, there are about 500,000 Yellow Turbans in Jinan."
"There are only more than 8,000 soldiers and horses coming from Qinghe Kingdom. Yuan Shao is not particularly willing to participate in the war, not to mention that there are wolf cavalry, leopard cavalry, and tiger cavalry stationed in Wei County."
"It's very possible..."
Cheng Li frowned and guessed: "Yuan Shao will send people to assist the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans in commanding the battle, but he himself should not be able to do anything lightly. His purpose is just to disrupt our acceptance of the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans."
"That's right."
Cao Cao nodded affirmatively and sighed: "I know Yuan Shao very well. How could he help the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans? He is just afraid that we will take over such an army and become stronger."
"Based on this calculation, Cao Cao and Xu Rong can get at least 200,000 troops or even more troops. In the decisive battle next spring, he will definitely face huge pressure, that's all."
Yuan Shao is very aware of the pressure he faces. Now he is surrounded by enemies on all sides. If Cao Cao and Xu Rong are allowed to absorb the Qingzhou Yellow Turban, then what awaits him will be a dead end.
Therefore, Yuan Shao will definitely do everything possible to prevent this from happening. Even if he cannot use the hands of the Yellow Turban to eliminate Cao Cao, he will at least take this opportunity to make both sides suffer so that he can profit from it.
Cheng Li is naturally aware of the current situation, but even so, it does not mean that there will be a solution. After all, there are too many Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, and they are all hungry and desperate people.
Such a team can often fight you tooth and nail. Even if she is a woman, she dares to carry a hoe and fight fiercely with you. It is definitely unwise to fight head-on with you.
"General."
Cheng Li paused for a moment and said slowly: "Although it is unlikely that Yuan Shao will participate in the war, we still have to send troops to guard against it. Otherwise, once the opponent takes action, it will have an irreparable impact on our army."
"kindness."
Cao Cao nodded graciously: "Don't worry, I will send Zixiao and lead five thousand troops to guard Ling County. If Yuan Shao makes any movement, he will definitely not be able to escape our eyes."
Cheng Li frowned: "Ling County? This is Yuan Shao's territory."
Cao Cao smiled faintly: "Yes, it is an invasion of his territory. Quan should be a warning to him. Of course, Lingxian County is the Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou churches. The geographical location is very important. To occupy this place,
It’s much better than anywhere else.”
In history, the reason why Cao Cao was able to successfully absorb the Yellow Turbans was, in a sense, closely related to the fact that he was Yuan Shao's ally at the time, which was extremely important.
Without Yuan Shao's blessing, the difficulty for Cao Cao to absorb this Yellow Turban would inevitably increase exponentially. If it were a little more difficult, the situation would be completely different.
This is the case now. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are in a hostile state. It is more difficult to fully absorb the Qingzhou Yellow Turban. The other party even actively participates in it, which is enough to prove this.
certainly!
Although the difficulty has increased, Cao Cao's strength is also unmatched in history.
Not to mention that he had a total of 80,000 troops, and with the Han court in Nanyang as his back, he had no shortage of food, grass, and military equipment. He was also ahead of the entire era by an unknown amount. He was not comparable to Yuan Shao at all.
It is precisely because of this that the battle that determines the fate of the Yellow Turbans is not impossible to win, but it requires Cao Cao to be more attentive in order to do the best.
Cheng Li pinched his beautiful beard under his chin: "If General Cao can lead troops to station in Lingxian County, that would be great indeed. We can also fight against the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans with confidence and boldness!"
"That's right."
Cao Cao nodded affirmatively: "That's what I mean. Just look here..."
Immediately, Cao Cao raised his hand and pointed to the Jibei Kingdom on the map, and said softly: "The remaining veins of Mount Tai have reached here, forming a specific hilly terrain. If we can introduce the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans here, we will definitely be able to make good use of the terrain and start a decisive battle with them."
"Lu County, Feicheng?"
Cheng Li frowned and stared at the place circled by Cao Cao's hand: "This place is surrounded by hills. It is indeed a good place to ambush, but we only have 80,000 people. I'm afraid it will not be easy to wipe them all out."
Cao Cao smiled faintly and raised the corners of his lips: "Who said I would wipe them all out?"
Cheng Li was surprised: "The general means..."
Cao Cao pinched a wisp of beard under his chin: "Although there are some rebels in Yuan Shao, as long as they are killed and the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans are incorporated, there will be no problem."
"this......"
Cheng Li paused for a moment and frowned: "I heard that the general of the Yuan family in Jinan is his general Wen Chou. We want to kill him, but I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
Cao Cao's eyes flashed fiercely, he clenched his fists and said confidently: "It would be okay if he doesn't enter here. Once he does, he will be a turtle in the jar. We lock the exit and destroy him sooner or later."
"Yan Liang and Wen Chou are the top generals under Yuan Shao. If we don't kill them, how can we gain a foothold among the commanders in Nanyang? Whether we can present a generous gift to the court during this winter festival depends entirely on this battle."
Cheng Lineng could feel the fierce fighting spirit from Cao Cao's words.
but......
He was not disdainful at all, but rather a little excited, because he knew Cao Cao's military talents very well. Since Wen Chou was targeted by Cao Cao, it was equivalent to being targeted by the Prince of Hell.
The Lord of Hell asked him to die at the third watch, who would dare to keep him until the fifth watch!
Hum hum!
Wen Chou—!
You've caused trouble, you've caused big trouble!
Cheng Li smiled and said softly: "In that case, we will go to Feicheng tomorrow to check the terrain. If possible, directly deposit grain, grass, winter clothes, tents and other materials into Feicheng first."
"If the Qingzhou Yellow Turban wants to survive this winter, it is absolutely impossible without food, winter clothes, and tents. Let's use it as bait to ensure that every catch is accurate!"
Cao Cao smiled sinisterly and said: "Zhongde, we are really heroes and we have the same views. To be honest, I have ordered Cao Hong to transport some of the supplies sent by the imperial court directly to Feicheng."
"oh?"
Cheng Li was surprised, with a look of disbelief on his face: "It's actually been sent over?"
Cao Cao nodded affirmatively: "Of course!"
Cheng Li took a deep breath: "Could it be that the general has already expected that Yuan Shao will not sit back and watch us absorb the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans?"
Cao Cao smiled faintly, his eyes showing the confidence that he had already seen through the whole situation: "I told you, I know Yuan Shao very well. If he doesn't get involved, he won't be Yuan Shao."
Cheng Li couldn't help but nod his head, and saluted Cao Cao solemnly: "The general is wise, and my subordinates admire him very much."
Cao Cao waved his hand for Cheng Li to stand up, and said calmly: "What a small trick, it's nothing! Tomorrow morning, we will rush to Feicheng to inspect the supplies and explore the terrain to prepare for the final battle."