After forcing himself to suppress the doubts in his heart, Cao Cao ended the celebration party calmly.
The generals obeyed the order solemnly, and the plan was 90% successful, but in the end there was still one last step left. If you get carried away now, if you make mistakes later and fall short, you will definitely become the laughing stock of the world.
Speaking of which, this anti-encirclement plan is indeed very complicated. It requires not only luring the enemy, but also accurately grasping the time. Thousands of people boarded the ship, disembarked, formed a team, and outflanked them all in one night. How about the spirit?
The matter was important, but Cao Cao was not worried. He had good generals under his command, so he naturally did not need to do everything personally. Le Jin was born in the army, and his martial arts skills were average, but he was very experienced in commanding, dispatching, and setting up camps. Compared with Cao Cao himself, , it’s just a little bit inferior.
Li Qian also followed. He wanted to command thousands of private soldiers and fleets of the Li family, but he couldn't do it without him as the head of the family. Li Dian was somewhat unexpectedly retained by Cao Cao. On the one hand, he valued his talent, and on the other hand, , Cao Cao also had the intention to win over the Li family.
Including Li Dian, there were only four people left in the tent. The level of the secret discussion was quite high, but Li Dian acted very calmly. Although he looked flattered, he did not show any pretentiousness or fear.
Although he had something on his mind and had no time to look around, Li Dian's performance still made Cao Cao's eyes shine. However, what he wanted to pay attention to now was Xi Zhicai's intelligence.
"Lord, there are changes in Qingzhou..." Xi Zhicai narrated in a low voice the changes in the situation in Qingzhou in recent times. His intelligence was very detailed, but it was not timely enough. Many outdated intelligence appeared together with the latest intelligence. .
There is nothing we can do about it. The journey is long and there are many dangers on the road. It is a blessing to be able to send the information back safely. It is not easy to report it in real time.
"It's as hard to know as the clouds, and it moves like thunder..."
Cao Cao's brows became tighter and tighter, and when he finished speaking, he sighed in a long voice: "That day when this son first returned to Mount Tai, he was not in a hurry to raise troops. I knew that he was trying to confuse others, so he gathered all his strength to strike, but I didn't expect it. , His attack was so fast and violent, not to mention the mob in Qingzhou, even our princes and ministers were frightened when they heard it."
"My lord, although the outcome of the Battle of Duchang was glorious, it is not the focus worthy of attention."
Xi Zhicai frowned and said: "It's just a light cavalry raid. It has been around since ancient times, and Wang Peng is not the first to set a precedent. In the future, when there is more time, the lord can also build a cavalry to resist the light cavalry raid. Besides fighting in formation, the best way is Just use light cavalry to defeat it..."
Cao Cao said seriously: "What Mr. Zhicai said is that Cao Cao had feelings for a moment, but he lost his mind."
Xun Yu frowned slightly. The lord suffered losses from Wang Yu several times. It was normal for him to be a little distracted, but Xi Zhicai's tone and attitude were a little... This friend was talented and resourceful, but his character was real. Some... are sharp.
It is a good thing that the Lord has magnanimity and is willing to treat virtuous subordinates, but ministers should not be arrogant because of favor, otherwise it will lead to disaster sooner or later. I cannot sit back and watch, and I must find an opportunity to remind the other party in the near future.
Cao Cao looked calm and could not see the slightest displeasure after being offended. He thought for a moment and asked: "In Mr. Zhicai's opinion..."
Xi Zhicai said without hesitation: "My lord Mingjian, Wang Yu captured Guan Hai alive but did not kill him or appease him, and released him along with his accomplices. He is obviously following the example of the ancients who bought horse bones for a thousand gold coins. His ambition is very ambitious!"
"Sir, you mean..." Cao Cao had already thought of the answer, but he couldn't believe it for a moment.
"Why are your lord and us here? Then that's what Wang Yu is thinking about." Xi Zhicai did not hesitate.
He had never dealt with Wang Yu before, but after joining Cao Cao's shogunate, he studied all Wang Yu's deeds. Without preconceived subjective impressions, the conclusions he drew were much more objective.
"This..." Cao Cao was speechless, Xun Yu just shook his head, and Li Dian could no longer maintain his composure, staring at Xi Zhicai in stunned silence, his head buzzing.
In order to convince the Li family, Cao Cao did not hide anything. Both Li Dian's uncle and nephew knew that the ultimate goal of this battle was to incorporate the Bailuo tribe of the Black Mountain Army. The Black Mountain Army that invaded Dongjun was far more than just the Bailuo tribe. Yu Du and Sui
Gudu were all Qu commanders on par with Bai Rao, and there were even many Huns cavalry among them.
Cao Cao's military strength was only over 3,000, so of course he couldn't swallow such a big target, so he effectively targeted Bai Rao. This person was the most impulsive and reckless, easily provoked, and had the fewest subordinates.
Even so, the uncles and nephews of the Li family were shocked when they first heard about this timing. They were deeply impressed by Cao Cao's courage and strategy, and then they resolutely surrendered. How could he conquer subordinates who were more powerful than himself with his personality charm alone?
As a result, a more courageous one has appeared now!
There are already 300,000 people gathered at the foot of Linzi City. Yellow turbans from all over the country are still gathering in a steady stream. By the time the two armies fight, there may be more than 500,000 people, or even more!
With eight thousand people, are you going to swallow all the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans?
This is no longer a matter of courage, no lunatic would have such crazy thoughts!
Cao Cao's mood was much more complicated than that of Li Dianke. From the moment Wang Yu appeared, he had been weighing on him.
Wang Yu, who was also assassinating Dong, had his ear cut off and even had time to weigh the pros and cons of killing or not killing; he didn't even draw a knife.
They were all members of the alliance, and Wang Yu roped in powerful allies such as Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, and Yuan Shu, and successfully borrowed the power of these allies to conquer Hulao Pass; but he could only struggle to deal with a group of short-sighted rats.
When they both attacked Luo, he used several times the number of troops and horses, but Xu Rong defeated his entire army and only escaped with his own life. Wang Yu defeated the many with fewer, killed Xu Rong in formation, and captured all of them!
Now, with the same intention of recruiting the Yellow Turbans, his target is the tens of thousands of people in Bailuo; while Wang Yu is eyeing the hundreds of thousands of people in the entire Qingzhou.
This is really... so embarrassing!
"Lord, now is not the time to marvel, we must come up with a countermeasure!" Xi Zhicai didn't understand the bitterness in Cao Cao's heart. If he knew it, he wouldn't pay attention to it. If he suffered such a setback and couldn't recover, how could he talk about dominating the world?
?
"Sir, what do you think?" Cao Cao was confused and couldn't figure it out for the moment, so he simply didn't speak and only listened to what Xi Zhicai had to say.
"This son is not a trivial matter. If we let him get through the difficulties smoothly, he will be a big trouble for the lord and even the princes in the world in the future. Our army cannot just sit idly by and do nothing!" Xi Zhicai looked directly at Cao Cao and said word by word: "My lord, I suggest that you conquer him.
After Bailuo, I postponed my plan to return to Dongjun, but stayed in Shouzhang area to wait for the opportunity..."
"Abandon Dongjun?"
Xun Yu said with an moved face: "No, Lu Bu has not yet established a foothold in Luoyang at this time. Yuan Shu and Sun Jian are fighting Liu Biao in Jingzhou. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we don't take control of Dongjun as soon as possible, we will miss the opportunity and be defeated by Zhang Mengzhuo."
It’s too late to regret it.”
Xi Zhicai sneered: "How can a mere Dongjun compare with Qingzhou and Mount Tai? What's more, can this move eliminate a serious problem like Wang Yu?"
As he spoke, he spread out a map, pointed to the terrain at the junction of Qingzhou and Mount Tai, and said: "Wang Yu sent four thousand troops to leave Fenggao under the guise of rescuing Beihai. In the end, only a group of captain Tai Shici entered Qingzhou.
Thousands of Qingqi and three thousand soldiers and horses from Yu Jin entered Laiwu."
He nodded hard at Laiwu, as if he wanted to poke that place off the map: "Yu Jin is known as the Iron Wall. Although it was Wang Yu's casual work to make his subordinates famous and win over the army, it explains it very well.
We understand the characteristics of this person. Just like General Wen Qian of our army, he is good at guarding the ban! Put such a person in Laiwu, and Wang Yu's strategy will be ready to come out."
Xi Zhicai spoke faster and faster: "He wants to use Laiwu as a nail to firmly attract the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans under the city, and use Taishi Ci's light cavalry to harass the enemy rear. When the Yellow Turban soldiers are exhausted and their food and pay are insufficient, he will
Lead the main force to defeat him in one fell swoop, and then rely on his reputation to recruit him to surrender!"
"Although what you said is not quite right, it is not far off either."
Cao Cao nodded and shook his head: "The key is that the Yellow Turbans may not do what he wants. This time the Yellow Turbans rise in Qingzhou, their behavior patterns are quite different from the past, and there seems to be someone behind them. They should know that their ability to attack difficult problems is weak, although
We have many troops, but we should not be able to attack Laiwu City where famous generals are stationed. Instead of attacking the city with troops, it is better to divide our troops to besiege the city and defend the rear route, and then..."
He walked up to Xi Zhicai and stretched out his finger to draw a line from east to west on the map.
"Go straight in!"
Then he frowned even more tightly, "With Wang Pengju's military strategy, he shouldn't be able to see through this. Why does he think he can defeat the enemy by dividing his troops into three groups? You know, these are hundreds of thousands of people."
"I don't know why, but I'm just using my own strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses."
Xi Zhicai shook his head and did not answer Cao Cao's words, but brought up the previous topic: "Whether it was the decisive battle in Laiwu or Fenggao, Wang Yu was fully confident, otherwise, he should not have acted like this.
What He means is that our army is waiting in Shouzhang, and when the fierce battle breaks out in Mount Tai, our army will march eastward quickly, with a mantis stalking the cicada and an oriole behind!"
"If Wang Yu wins the battle at Mount Tai, he will probably be too exhausted to withstand our army's surprise attack. Our army can reap all the results of this battle. If he plays with fire and kills himself, it doesn't matter. Our army can repeat his old tricks and lure Qingzhou."
The Yellow Turbans march westward to Yanzhou and force Liu Dai to fight a decisive battle with them! At that time, depending on the progress of the battle, we can profit from it and expand the target to the entire Yanzhou. Wouldn't it be beautiful?"
After Xi Zhicai finished speaking, he seemed a little tired. He stopped talking and just looked at Cao Cao, waiting for the other party to make a decision. Cao Cao and others were shocked by Xi Zhicai's plan, and they were also thinking for a long time.
No sound was made.
For a moment, the military tent was so quiet that you could hear a needle drop, which was in sharp contrast to the noise of people outside the tent shouting and neighing.
Cao Cao thought about it again and again, but still hesitated. The prospect described by Xi Zhicai was very good. No matter whether he lost or lost in the Battle of Taishan, his side would have a chance to benefit. But if it was a protracted war, he would be completely blind, with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses.
In your hands, the amount of food and grass consumed in a day is an astonishing amount. How long can the Li family last?
"Wen Ruo, what do you think?" Unable to decide, he had to ask another military advisor for advice.
"There is a saying in the art of war: Those who are good at fighting should first establish themselves in an invincible position without losing the enemy. Therefore, the victorious army wins first and then seeks battle, and the defeated army fights first and then seeks victory." Xun Yu did not answer directly, but quoted it.
The Art of War implicitly explains the point of view.
This passage comes from Sun Tzu's The Art of War, which means: Those who are good at using troops to fight first establish themselves in an invincible position, and then seize the enemy's loopholes to win. Therefore, a victorious army will try to strengthen itself first to establish itself in an invincible position.
An army that first launches an attack and then seeks victory will easily lose the battle.
Based on the current situation, Xun Yu is opposing Xi Zhicai's plan. He believes that he should first capture Dongjun, obtain a base, strengthen himself, and then find ways to defeat the enemy, instead of pinning all his hopes on the enemy.
On the body.
The opinions of the two great counselors were completely different, and it was even more difficult for Cao Cao. He also knew that Xun Yu was not good at military strategy, but his own opinions also tended to seek stability, but the prospect of playing with one's own will was real...
After thinking for a long time, he suddenly turned his head and asked Li Dian: "Mancheng, what do you think?"
"So-and-so..." Li Dian was dumbfounded by the question. His character was quite mature and steady, and he stood out among his peers. However, no matter how talented he was, how could his intelligence and vision be compared to those of Xi Zhicai and Xun Yu?
Compared to such a great talent?
He intended to retreat, but for some reason, Cao Cao kept staring at him. He could only bite the bullet and said: "What Mr. Zhicai said makes sense, what Mr. Wenruo said is also good, Dian... Well, why don't we divide our troops?"
How are you doing?"
He is simply trying to make peace with Cao Cao. Cao Cao's strength is already insufficient. If he divides his forces again, it is likely that both sides will lose.
The two counselors shook their heads and turned to Cao Cao, waiting for his final decision.
Cao Cao thought for a moment, then suddenly his eyes narrowed, and he said decisively: "Forget it, I have made up my mind, so I will take..." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to register as a member of Piaotian Literature to recommend this work, you