After seeing off the high-spirited Cao Cao, Liu Bei returned to his tent in a bad mood, sighing.
Zhuge Liang asked: "My lord, I am sighing a lot today. I don't know what I am worried about."
Liu Bei lowered his head in silence, and then sighed for a long time: "It's nothing. I just saw others making great achievements, but I have to stay here. It's depressing to think about it."
Zhuge Liang gently shook his folding fan and said: "My lord, don't think that Cao Cao can be sure of victory if he goes to fight White Horse. Zhang Liao has always known people well and has many generals who are experienced in fighting. However, the important task of guarding White Horse has been assigned to Lu Meng alone. This man is both civil and military." , if he persists without fighting, Cao Cao may not be able to get a good deal..."
Liu Bei said in surprise: "Why didn't the military advisor tell me earlier so that I could remind Duke Cao to be more careful about this person?"
Zhuge Liang gently shook his folding fan and said, "My lord, you better not mind other people's business. Cao Cao left you to garrison in Guandu, but he has no good intentions. My lord, why not hurry up and prepare a batch of things to treat frostbite and keep warm for emergencies..."
The first half of Zhuge Liang's sentence made Liu Bei suddenly silent. This sentence can be said to have hit Liu Bei's heart.
After getting Zhuge Liang, Liu Beiman thought that it would be smooth sailing to establish alliances with the local powerful families in Jingzhou in the future. But to his disappointment, Cai Mao, Kuai Liang and others seemed to regard him as non-existent and only focused on befriending Cao Cao, and Cao Cao also He was quite enthusiastic towards Cai Mao and others, so he left Liu Bei aside, which made Liu Bei, who had high expectations, feel disappointed.
What makes Liu Bei even more depressed is that after Cai Mao and others arrived, although Cao Cao didn't change much towards Liu Bei on the surface, secretly he seemed to be alienated intentionally or unintentionally, and he didn't want to give Liu Bei a chance to get along with Cai Mao and Kuai Liang, just like This time, Cao Cao led Cai Mao to send troops, but left Liu Bei in Guandu, which made Liu Bei feel very unhappy.
Of course, this may be just an illusion of Liu Bei's, or it may be just an inadvertent arrangement by Cao Cao, but the wealthy family in Jingzhou is really of great significance to Liu Bei, and receiving such treatment, Liu Bei's heart was knotted.
Seeing that Liu Bei was deep in thought, Zhuge Liang smiled and said nothing. Liu Bei finally came to his senses after a while and said, "What did the military advisor just say? What's the use of preparing something to treat frostbite and keep warm?"
Zhuge Liang shook his folding fan and said with a smile: "The soldiers and horses of Jingzhou and Xiang are not as good as those of the soldiers in the north. How can they withstand the cold weather? My lord has taken precautions and thought of the soldiers of Jingzhou. The soldiers are not grateful to my lord. After all, it is freezing cold now." "It's not a good idea to send troops out." Zhuge Liang kept saying that Jingzhou's soldiers and horses couldn't stand the severe cold in the north, so he held a folding fan in his hand, which looked a little strange.
Liu Bei suddenly understood, smiled and said: "He who knows me is a military advisor."
This time Liu Bei was completely convinced by Zhuge Liang's wisdom and strategy. Zhuge Liang could see clearly and could see what he was thinking. The key was to be able to relieve himself of worries and doubts. Liu Bei was also a smart man, and he already understood what Zhuge Liang was thinking. The intention is to win people's hearts.
Cao Cao's taking Cai Mao to fight this time may have the opposite effect. Let Jingzhou soldiers freeze in the wild fields of Yanzhou. Not only will they not be favored by Cai Mao and others, they may also be attacked by a group of Jingzhou bosses and soldiers. Jealousy, at this time, Liu Bei can stand up and win people's hearts.
Thinking of this, Liu Bei suddenly felt happy, and immediately ordered Mi Zhu to seize the time to prepare medicine, cotton-padded clothes, blankets and other winter supplies.
Seeing Liu Bei turn from worry to joy, Zhuge Liang's face did not change much. He had one sentence buried deep in his heart but did not say it out loud. Liu Bei wanted to get Jingzhou, and Cao Cao was already one of the difficulties he had to overcome.
Liu Bei is the most skilled at winning people's hearts. As soon as the things Mi Zhu purchased arrived, Liu Bei immediately launched a warm-hearted offensive. He greeted the tens of thousands of Jingzhou troops who stayed in Guandu and showed concern. In just a few days, these deep-seated The Jingzhou sergeant who suffered from the cold was extremely grateful to Liu Bei, and even Su Fei, the general who commanded the army, became close friends with Liu Bei.
On the other hand, as Zhuge Liang expected, less than ten days after Cai Hao's troops set out from Guandu, a heavy snowfall and a drop in temperature caused Cai Hao to lead 30,000 Jingzhou soldiers back in embarrassment. Many of the soldiers in the army died of frostbite. Thousands and 30,000 soldiers and horses lost their combat effectiveness almost overnight. At this time, the frostbite ointment prepared by Liu Bei was like a timely help, making Cai Hao and others suddenly feel that Liu Bei, an outsider, was more pleasing to the eyes.
Cao Cao, who had just arrived in Chenliu, regretted why he led Jingzhou soldiers to attack Baima in the first place. He actually just wanted to avoid some battle losses for his own family. After all, Yanzhou was now severely damaged, and its soldiers, food and grass were unsustainable. It was better now. , the Jingzhou soldiers retreated halfway, and it was reported that the lower-level Jingzhou soldiers complained about themselves.
Although the Jingzhou soldiers retreated, the White Horse still had to be beaten. Cao Cao shook off the regret in his heart, cheered up, and led his sergeants to point directly at the White Horse. The 50,000 soldiers and horses under his command were still five times that of the Hebei Army.
After marching for more than ten days, the 50,000-strong army finally arrived at Baima after a hard journey. Cao Cao first ordered people to set up camp, and then sent more people to investigate and monitor the movements of the Hebei army. Although Cao Cao was determined to win this battle, he faced Baima's guard general Lu Meng. He didn't dare to be careless again, because before this, Cao Cao had fallen into Lu Meng's plan because of his carelessness, delayed his rescue of Liu Bei, and lost Xuzhou, the strategic right wing that he originally valued!
This time, Cao Cao will never allow another mistake, and he must show Lu Meng a little bit of strength to let him know that he is not so easy to fool.
At this time, Baima City had become a solid fortress after more than ten days of construction by Lü Meng. Lü Meng divided the more than 10,000 soldiers under his command into two groups and led 5,000 troops and horses to defend the city. Deputy General Chen Wu led 5 soldiers. Qian set up camp at the ferry in the north of the city, acting as horns to resist Cao Cao's army.
Baima City is very small, only three miles long and wide, but a small city also has its advantages. Five thousand sergeants are more than enough to guard such a city, but Cao Jun's troops and horses invested at one time are limited, and with Chen Wu's support behind him, Even if Cao Cao attacks the city, he must leave enough troops and horses to guard the city, and once Lu Meng's defense of the city is tight, Chen Wu's troops can enter the city from the north gate at any time to support the defenders.
"This city is difficult to attack..." Cao Cao led his generals to observe the city for half a day. He felt worried in his heart. The weather was very cold and it was really not suitable to attack the city. Lu Meng's defense was so tight.
Yue Jin remonstrated: "My lord, the arrow is on the string and has to be fired. The wall of the White Horse City is low. If I attack with a strong army, I am not afraid that I will not be able to defeat..."
Cao Cao looked solemnly and said in a serious voice: "Okay, order the sergeants to build siege equipment, and launch the attack in three days."