When Jushou walked into the Zhongjun tent, he realized that Cao Cao had indeed been defeated, and that the defeat was miserable and desolate.
The most direct proof is that Cao Cao came all the way to Hanoi with only one entourage.
Cao Cao has a good reputation and great ambitions. He usually doesn't show off when he shows up, but he will bring a sufficient number of followers with him. Moreover, his relationship with Yuan Shao is relatively complicated. He is considered a subordinate, but also relatively independent. In order to reflect the latter, he and Yuan Shao
When Yuan Shao meets, he usually brings enough people with him to maintain an attitude of neither being humble nor overbearing.
But today, there is only one person behind him!
The indirect proof is the expressions of everyone in the Chinese military tent. To use a less elegant analogy, the moment Jushou looked around the tent, he felt as if he had seen a group of frightened frogs.
Whether it's Yuan Shao or the group of celebrities under his account, including Chun Yuqiong, a long-established general, their mouths are wide open at this moment, and their eyes are wide open. If they drool a little more, they can have another relationship with the frog.
What's the difference?
Well, this is indeed incredible.
Ju Shou considered himself to be half an outsider, but when he first heard the news, he was still shocked. The victory or defeat of the coalition forces led by Cao Cao was naturally of greater significance to everyone present, so it is not surprising that the reaction was exaggerated.
In fact, Cao Cao's embarrassing image is enough to explain everything.
Cao Cao usually pays great attention to appearance. If he doesn't pay attention to it, it won't work. In this era, people's appearance is very demanding. If they are too ugly, even if they have talents, they will not be able to use them.
Cao Cao looks quite majestic, but he is a little short, which has some flaws. But at this moment, his eyes are dim, his face is gray, and his clothes and armor are in tatters, with a lot of blood stains on them.
The follower behind him was even more embarrassed than Cao Cao. He didn't even have a combat boot on his feet, so he came in barefoot.
If it weren't for a huge defeat, wouldn't Cao Cao have made himself so miserable?
Xu You had a good relationship with Cao Cao and was familiar with the people around him. He whispered in Jushou's ear and introduced: "That is Mengde's disciple Lian. The sergeant outside the camp said that when Mengde arrived, he only had one horse.
Lian followed on foot..."
Jushou nodded and remained silent, his assessment of the situation becoming even more pessimistic.
Only one horse left? Maybe Cao Hong gave it to Cao Cao. This battle was not only a huge defeat, but the entire army was probably destroyed.
Jushu was quite famous, but no one present had seen him. Xu You wanted to introduce him, but everyone in the tent looked like they had no time to look around. Jushu himself was also hinting, so he had to put it aside for the time being and find a seat to sit.
, listen to Cao Cao’s story together.
"...On that day, Cao Cao responded to Brother Benchu's initiative and contacted other heroes in Suanzao to raise troops. Fortunately, he fulfilled his mission... Cao Cao raised 5,000 soldiers and horses by himself, and Gong Zhen also..."
Cao Cao's 50,000-strong army is a coalition force, including 5,000 of his own private troops, 5,000 of Wei Zi's son Wei Zhen, plus 20,000 troops of Bao Xin's brother who returned to the jujube army, as well as Liu Dai, Zhang Miao, and Qiao Mao.
They sent an accompanying army of 20,000 troops, making up a total of 50,000 troops.
"When we arrived in Chenggao, we received the news of the sudden change in Luoyang. At that time, Xu Rong and Chen Bing were on the bank of Gushui east of Gong County, but they had not yet joined the Luoyang reinforcements. Cao Cao thought that after hearing the news from Luoyang, Xu Rong's military morale would inevitably be shaken, and he would not
In addition, the reinforcements had not yet arrived, so they were defeated one by one, so all three armies were mobilized to fight on the banks of the Gushui River..."
It was quiet in the Chinese military tent, no one spoke, but the breathing became much heavier.
There was nothing wrong with Cao Cao's response. The sudden change in Luoyang, the slow march of the reinforcements, and the vast plains along the Gushui River were able to give full play to his advantage in military strength... According to common sense, if there is no third party, it is impossible to defeat the battle.
It should be Xu Rong who destroyed the army.
"Xu Rong's use of troops is simply... Cao Cao has experienced many battles since the first year of Zhongping. He thought that he had some martial arts skills. After receiving the news from Luoyang, the officers and soldiers of the three armies were as powerful as a rainbow, and they were not without their lives. Yuncheng's younger brother Tao
I personally put on my armor and fought in front of the battle, but..."
Cao Cao closed his eyes and shook his head in pain. After a long time, he sighed: "We are still defeated, just defeated. The 50,000-strong army collapsed in one fell swoop. Bao Tao died on the spot, and Yuncheng also wore several wounds.
, the personal guards risked their lives to snatch him away, not knowing whether he was alive or dead, Gong Zhenyi..."
How miserable the defeat was can also be seen from the casualty rate of the generals. According to Cao Cao, except for him and Bao Xin, who did not know whether he was alive or dead, almost all the other generals died!
"Even if it's Cao..." Cao Cao laughed sadly and looked back at Cao Hong: "If Zi Lian hadn't risked his own life and let the horse save him, I might not be able to meet you here."
"His!" Everyone gasped in unison.
Following Cao Cao's wishes, he was defeated by Xu Rong in a head-on battle with nearly four times the force and was completely wiped out!
Nothing is more terrifying than this!
If Cao Cao falls into the trap, even if he loses, Yuan Shao and others may only be superficially surprised, secretly gloating or something. Without a competitor, and knowing the enemy's strategy, they can take targeted precautions and prepare for future wars.
Play a certain positive role.
In a sense, being defeated by others usually does not lead to despair, because you can find excuses and reasons to comfort yourself that you can make a comeback next time.
But in an advantageous situation, he was defeated head-on. Judging from Cao Cao's narrative, he didn't even understand how and where he lost.
If he is not exaggerating, this little-known general, Xu Rong, is simply a desperate opponent!
Cao Cao is not an ordinary person. If he did not approve of his military strategy, why would the princes of Yanzhou allow him to serve as a general? You know, in terms of reputation and status, Cao Cao is not even a bit worse than the heroes of Yanzhou!
"Xu Rong? Who is this person? Why have I never heard of his reputation?" Yuan Shao asked the doubts in most people's minds.
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.
"When you were in Luoyang, you heard someone mention this man. He is from Xuantu, Liaodong. He previously commanded the army in Chang'an and was under the command of Huangfu Yizhen. It is said that Huangfu Yizhen admired him very much and said that his military skills were not his.
But no one takes it seriously, because although this person has never heard of any defeats, he has never won any battles, so, uh, by the way..."
"When he was in Suanzao, Sun Wentai of Jiangdong, whom the Highway General highly praised, was also defeated by Xu Rong that day. I heard that he only escaped with his life..."
Xu You has many friends and is good at lobbying. He is responsible for intelligence work under Yuan Shao. He knows the questions that no one can answer, but he is not very detailed. Especially the last sentence, it even irritated Cao Cao and made the latter's face twitch a few times.
Down.
"That's all?" Yuan Shao asked unwillingly. How could such a defiant figure have no reputation at all, so that only Huangfu Song could see his ability?
"General Yuan, don't forget that after Dong Zhuo entered the capital, he promoted this man to Zhonglang General, whose status was even higher than that of Lu Bu. At his request, he appointed Gongsun Du as the prefect of Liaodong... After hearing this, among the border troops
, there are often people who pretend to claim meritorious service, I am afraid that this person’s military exploits will all be forgotten...and Dong Zhuo has been in Xiliang for a long time, so he should know this person very well, so he promoted him and made him lead an army alone."
Xu You didn't answer Yuan Shao's question, but Ju Shou gave his own inference, and everyone nodded.
Yuan Shao stood up, bowed, and said with joy: "Could this be Mr. Gong Yu? Your views are indeed extraordinary. From what you are saying, do you think this man is indeed an extraordinary military officer?"
"Don't dare." Jushou stood up and returned the greeting, nodded to Cao Cao, and then said: "Being able to defeat General Cao's 50,000-strong army head-on is definitely not a fluke. This person's military strategy is probably even better than Wang Pengju's!"
Yuan Shao's face changed slightly. Ju Shou's words were unintentional, but he still couldn't help but feel unhappy. Wang Yu was the thorn in his heart, which made him unable to let go. At the same time, he was secretly afraid.
Now he also knew what was going on in Hedong. Thinking of his own embarrassment that day, the thorn pierced deeper. And according to Jushou, Xu Rong was still above Wang Yu. After Cao Cao's defeat, he
Isn't it already very dangerous?
The value of his 50,000 soldiers and horses is much worse than that of Cao Cao's 50,000. Except for him and Zhang Yang's own soldiers and horses, the others are all strong men who are not equipped with weapons. They are just a ragtag group.
Zhuangzhuang's momentum is okay, but if he really encounters a strong enemy, he will definitely collapse at the first touch.
If Xu Rong had real materials, then this battle would be impossible to fight.
"Why did you say this, sir?"
"Then Wang Pengju's skill is not in arranging troops, but in his outstanding personal combat power, and he can always use his combat power to the extreme, which is why he has all kinds of incredible achievements. That day he faced the Bingzhou Army in Mengjin without fighting.
Because he couldn't take advantage of it, he avoided the battle and left. This judgment had been made long before the battle."
Jushu knew that Yuan Shao was going to test his own ability, so he cheered up and talked eloquently: "And Xu Rongbu is building a grand formation, and there is no terrain around Gong County that can be used. This shows that Huangfu Zhonglang's praise,
It’s not unfounded, this person’s strategy is extraordinary.”
"Since you and your brother respect this man so much, do you have any suggestions for the conduct of our army?" Guo Tu saw Yuan Shao's eyes flashing and he nodded repeatedly. He felt very unhappy and raised his voice to make things difficult: "I think the situation at the moment is unclear.
, it’s better to put the whole division first, move troops to Huai County, avoid Xu Rong’s front, I don’t know what my father-in-law and brother want?”
He asked and answered himself, and gave the answer that suited Yuan Shao's thoughts first. If Ju Shou followed what he wanted, he would naturally fall into the inferior position; if he said the opposite... Guo Tu couldn't see what else he could do except retreat.
Xu Rong led more than 10,000 troops and defeated Sun Jian and Cao Cao, two men with outstanding reputations. How could he resist this man with his own troops? Even if he could win, these troops and horses of his own would still be strong.
How can something of great use be wasted here for no reason?
Ju Shou smiled faintly and said loudly: "General Yuan, everyone, I believe that this is a good opportunity to capture Luoyang!"
"Ah?" Everyone, including Yuan Shao, was stunned. Only Cao Cao had a strange look in his eyes. Ju Shou's proposal coincided with his. At first, he thought that the other party was also a celebrity who was only good at rhetoric. But now it seems,
He is a real person.
"Sir, do you mean to suggest that I cross the river to fight against Xu Rong?" Yuan Shao asked in surprise. He was a little suspicious that Ju Shou was sent by someone to do some counter-intuitive plot. How could he defeat him?
Pass Xu Rong?
"No." Jushou waved his hand, walked to the map hanging in the middle, pointed and said: "Luoyang is empty now. After receiving Xu Rong's good news, he will probably take it lightly. If General Yuan leads the elite and marches three hundred miles,
, drive directly to Luoyang City, and you will definitely catch Dong Zhuo by surprise!"
Guo Tu retorted: "Lu Bu is now in Zhi County and our army is advancing rashly. How should he react? Xu Rong's army is only two hundred miles away from our army across the river. Will he watch our army attack Luoyang?"
"Lü Bu is alone in Hanoi, with no way to advance or retreat. As long as General Yuan supplies food, grass and equipment, promises to be the first to do so, and is willing to go out and convince the Bingzhou army to fight alongside the general! If it fails, I am willing to lead the army! As for Xu Rong...
"
Jushou smiled slightly, moved his finger eastward, landed on a mark of a pass, and said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid Xu Rong's soldiers and horses are already here!"
"Hulao Pass?"
Jushou did not answer, but turned to Cao Cao and asked: "According to what General Cao said, Xu Rong was not bloodthirsty, but when he pursued General Cao, he pursued him so fast that the general had no way to go and had no choice but to cross the river.
, but so?"
"Exactly!"
"Xu Rong pursued eastward to get ahead of the defeat. He had only one purpose, which was to seize the Yuzhou Army's grain, grass and baggage by taking advantage of the unprepared Hu Lao Pass!" No one in the Chinese army tent spoke except Jushou.
A confident voice echoed.
"General Yuan, Luoyang is short of food, and the morale of the Xiliang army is low. As long as the flags of our army and the Bingzhou army appear at the city at the same time, the Dong thieves will most likely flee in panic. This is the great contribution of Qin Wang!"
Everyone's eyes were focused on Yuan Shao, who was silent and his expression was changing.
After a long time, Yuan Shao finally made up his mind, "Sir, although this argument is wonderful, it is too dangerous and there are few mistakes. I'm afraid...it's better to retreat temporarily and wait for the opportunity."