Although Yan Liang had newly acquired seven counties in the new field and had over 10,000 troops, the newly recruited thousands of Jingzhou surrendered soldiers were not yet popular and could not yet form an effective fighting force. To fight against Cao's army, he still relied on his 5,000 direct line infantry and cavalry.
If he were to fight against Cao's army alone, Yan Liang would have nothing to fear. Five thousand cavalry would be enough to defeat him.
The key is that behind Yan Liang there is Liu Biao with 100,000 troops.
If he mobilized all his troops to fight against Cao Cao, and Liu Biao suddenly betrayed his alliance and took the opportunity to send troops north to recapture Xinye, wouldn't he be in a desperate situation surrounded by enemies on all sides?
Therefore, in order to prevent Liu Biao from causing mischief, Yan Liang must leave enough soldiers and horses to guard the new country. In this way, the troops that can be used to deal with Cao Hong will be extremely limited, not to mention Cai Yang who came from Runan.
contempt.
Xu You was very resourceful and understood Yan Liang's meaning instantly.
"From this point of view, our situation is really unfavorable. This battle is not going to be easy." Xu You frowned, seeming to lack confidence.
The atmosphere in the lobby became a little heavy for a while.
Suddenly, Yan Liang burst out laughing, laughing wantonly and arrogantly.
Xu You was stunned for a moment, with a look of suspicion on his face, but he didn't understand how Yan Liang could still smile in the face of such an unfavorable situation.
"It's good that Cao Hong has come, but I'm afraid he won't come. Everyone in the world knows that I'm in a disadvantageous situation, so I just want to win a battle to show them, so that they know how powerful I am Yan Liang!"
Yan Liang's tone was bold, his knife-like face showed resoluteness, and his whole body exuded strong self-confidence.
Such a confident aura deeply affected Xu You, causing his frown to gradually relax, and his admiration for Yan Liang was revealed between his brows.
Without hesitation or hesitation, Yan Liang made a big plan to defend Xinye that day.
In order to guard against Liu Biao, Yan Liang left Xu You and Zhou Cang behind and led nearly 7,000 troops to guard Xinye. He also ordered Liu Pi to lead 1,000 troops and stationed in Huyang City to the east of Xinye to hold out without fighting and resist Runan's attack.
Cai Yang's department.
Yan Liang himself led Wenpin and 2,000 elite infantry and cavalry, and went north to meet Cao Hong's 4,000 army.
######
It was dawn the next day.
Huang Yueying got up early in the morning, or rather she couldn't sleep all night long. What lingered in her mind was the thrilling scene of lying in Yan Liang's arms and killing everyone.
She always felt that it was a bit inappropriate for her daughter's family to always think about such things. She tried several times to restrain herself from thinking about it, but she found that all her efforts were in vain.
Feeling confused, she simply got up early and planned to resign to Yan Liang, as far as possible from this rough warrior who made him uneasy.
When she opened the door, she was surprised to find that the entire prefect's mansion was heavily guarded, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Footsteps sounded, and Yan Liang, in silver armor and red robe, strode forward with a heroic aura.
Huang Yueying suddenly felt anxious again, but she tried her best to appear calm and composed.
"Miss Huang got up so early, I wonder if she slept well last night?" Yan Liang said with a slight smile.
Huang Yueying's haggard expression showed that she didn't have enough rest, but she managed to squeeze out a smile, "The general took good care of her, and the daughter of the people had a good rest. The daughter of the people was afraid that her father would be worried, so she wanted to say goodbye to the general."
Yan Liang nodded and said: "The general is about to lead his army out of the city, so I'll give the girl some time."
Huang Yueying suddenly became suspicious when she heard that Yan Liang said that he was going to lead his army out of the city, as if he was going to fight.
The Huang family is a powerful family in Jingxiang and is well-informed. Huang Yueying already learned about the alliance between Liu Biao and Yan Liang last night.
Now that Yan Liang is about to lead his army on an expedition again, Huang Yueying is wondering whether the alliance has changed and Liu Yan and Liu Yan are about to go to war again. In this case, Jing Xiang will have to go through the torture of war again.
With suspicion in mind, Huang Yueying left the prefect's mansion, got on her horse, and walked side by side with Yan Liang.
"I wonder who the general is going to fight when he leaves the city this time?" Unable to bear his doubts, Huang Yueying finally asked.
"It's nothing, it's just that Cao Hong led his army to invade south from Wancheng, and Yan is going to send him away."
Yan Liang's tone was understated, without any sense of urgency, and he seemed not to take Cao Hong seriously at all.
That kind of calmness made Huang Yueying feel a little incredible.
"Cao Hong is in front, and Liu Shijun's 100,000 troops are watching from behind. The general's situation seems to be very unfavorable, but the general doesn't seem to be worried at all." Huang Yueying's tone seemed to be sarcastic that Yan Liang was pretending to be calm.
Hearing her words, Yan Liang's heart was slightly shocked.
Huang Yueying judged the situation she was in so clearly, and her knowledge was indeed extraordinary.
"She is really a strange woman, interesting..."
Yan Liang secretly appreciated it, but on the surface he remained calm and said lightly: "It seems that Miss Huang is not very optimistic about Yan. So in Miss Huang's opinion, how should Yan resolve the current predicament?"
Yan Liang already had a countermeasure, so how could he really ask a prostitute for advice? He just wanted to see how knowledgeable Huang Yueying was.
"How dare you, a daughter of the people, speak nonsense, for fear that the general will be found guilty." Huang Yueying began to remark humbly.
Yan Liang smiled and said: "The girl underestimated Yan Liang's size, but she said it doesn't matter."
Huang Yueying pondered for a moment and then said: "The general has very few troops. If there are few troops in the new field, they will not be enough to defend Xiangyang. If there are more troops, they will not be enough to defeat Cao's army. According to the people's opinion, this dilemma is inevitable."
The plan can be solved."
Judging from common sense, Huang Yueying's analysis is quite reasonable. It is not easy for her to analyze to this point.
But she still doesn't understand that the man in front of her likes to do the most unreasonable things.
"According to what the girl said, no matter how hard Yan tries, he will always be dead." Yan Liang said with a bitter smile.
Huang Yueying remained silent. Although she did not say it explicitly, the subtext was already clear.
Yan Liang coughed slightly and said calmly: "The girl's judgment is too pessimistic. Can't I use most of my troops to defend the new country, and then use a small force to defeat Cao's army's southern invasion?"
"Cao Hong is a veteran general of the Cao family. If the general wants to use a weak enemy to become strong, I'm afraid it won't be easy." Huang Yueying raised a disapproving smile at the corner of her mouth.
Yan Liang sneered: "Girl, you are looking down on Yan too much. No matter how strong Cao Hong is, how can he be stronger than Cao Ren? Doesn't girl know that Yan defeated Cao Ren in Runan?"
"At this time and that time, the women thought that the general could defeat Cao Ren in Runan, mostly because Cao Ren underestimated the enemy. Now that the general's reputation has been established, Cao Hong would not dare to underestimate the enemy again. If the general wants to repeat his old tactics, he is afraid it will be even more difficult.
Disaster."
At this point, Huang Yueying's attitude was very clear. She firmly believed that Yan Liang would be defeated.
Yan Liang had to admit that there was some truth in what she said. Although Runan's victory was due to his own tactics, Cao Ren's underestimation of the enemy was absolutely undeniable.
However, how can the outcome of victory or defeat be decided just by talking about it on paper?
At that moment, Yan Liang smiled boldly: "The girl's insights really impress Yan. I wonder if the girl dares to make a bet with Yan."
"Bet? What to bet on?" Huang Yueying was confused for a moment.
"Let's bet on whether Yan can survive this crisis in Xinye safely." Yan Liang repeated his old tricks and set a trap for Huang Yueying again.
Anyone with talent must have some self-confidence. Although Huang Yueying is a female, she is no exception.
Seeing that Yan Liang dared to challenge her own judgment, she became angry and said: "If the general is so interested, the daughter of the people should accompany him, but I don't know what the general wants to bet on?"
An imperceptible smile flashed across Yan Liang's lips.
He looked directly at Huang Yueying's pretty face and said calmly: "If Yan loses, I'm afraid her life will be at stake, so just treat it as a bet. But if the girl loses, she must marry me, Yan Liang."
I wonder if the girl dares to gamble."
Upon hearing this, Huang Yueying was shocked, and her pretty face, which was originally calm, instantly turned red to the roots of her ears.