Chapter 293 Cao Cao's War Plan "Wenruo, bad news. Tian Chengshou has left more than 200,000 troops on both sides of the Yellow River." Xi Zhicai handed the information in his hand to Xun Yu and said helplessly. "As expected." Xun Yu said calmly. "Even worse news, Zhang Wenyuan's 100,000-man army marched south from Bingzhou to Luoyang and surrounded the Luoyang garrison led by Zixiao. However, they surrounded them without attacking, and cut off the food supply routes around Xiaopingjin and Daguguan." Xun Yu frowned and asked, "Where are Zhang He's troops?" "Standing in Qinshui, guarding Zhang Liao's army's logistics supply line and ready to respond at any time." After hearing this, Xun Yu felt relieved and he let out a long sigh. Xi Zhicai was also very upset. I thought that after winning consecutive battles and easily seizing Hebei, which gave him such a big advantage, Tian Chengshou would not be able to act so cautiously anymore. Normal people have to float at least a little bit. Unexpectedly, the other party was so cautious that they guarded the retreat route first and did not act rashly.
Being both timid and flexible, they really had no idea where to start. "So, should we fight this battle or not?" Xi Zhicai asked. In fact, when Tian Ze made such arrangements, they knew that whether they fought or not, they had already lost. It's just a matter of how much you lose. "Fight!" Xun Yu said firmly. "Only by putting ourselves in danger can we survive. If we don't fight this battle, we will retreat step by step in the future and become completely passive strategically." "No matter what the cost, we must not let Tian Chengshou take Guanzhong easily." "well said!" While the two were chatting, Cao Cao, who had just gone to bed, walked out barefoot. "Lord!" Cao Cao waved his hand and casually picked up a robe beside him and put it on. "Wen Ruo, what you just said is true. We will have to fight Tian Chengshou eventually. The more we hide, the lower the possibility of winning. Even if this battle costs a huge price, we must fight!" Although forced into a desperate situation, Cao Cao was full of fighting spirit at this time and was not intimidated by the huge gap between the enemy and us. "Seeking stability is a double-edged sword. While you protect your retreat route, you also lose a lot of initiative," said Xi Zhicai. He knew best where their advantage lay, which was their willingness to take risks. However, the generals under Tian Ze acted somewhat restrainedly. Having too great an advantage was sometimes a disadvantage because they were unwilling to gamble. "How many troops can we mobilize now?" asked Cao Cao. "One hundred thousand." Xi Zhicai said. "Two hundred thousand against two hundred thousand, it's really a fierce battle!" Cao Cao smiled slightly when he heard it.
"No, it's two hundred thousand against one hundred thousand. We are not at a disadvantage." Xi Zhicai said solemnly. "Tian Chengshou separated Zhang Liao and Zhang He. Although this prevented us from defeating them in one battle, it also gave us the opportunity to defeat them one by one." "As long as we operate properly, we will only face an army of 100,000." ... Outside Luoyang City, Zhang Liao's army was stationed there. As usual, they persuaded the officers and soldiers in Luoyang City to surrender every day, but they had no intention of attacking at all. Zhang Liao always sent out spies far away, and took even greater precautions at night than during the day. It did not seem like they were coming to attack the city. Instead, they were more focused on guarding against the enemy's sneak attacks. "Wenyuan, don't be so nervous. It's still too early for Cao Mengde to take action. We have to wait at least one or two months." Guo Jia shook his head and said as he watched Zhang Liao patrolling the camp every day. "Military advisor, Cao Mengde has always been treacherous in his use of troops, and I cannot afford to be careless. If he really leads his troops to launch a surprise attack, and then joins forces with the officers and soldiers in Luoyang City to attack us from the front and back, I'm afraid our army will not be able to hold on." Zhang Liao said in a deep voice. "That being said, you can't be too vigilant. You and your soldiers have limited energy. If you live in such a tense state every day, I'm afraid you will be exhausted both physically and mentally in less than a month." In ancient wars, surprise attacks and night raids were common. This was not entirely due to the soldiers' laziness and stupidity, because the night attack was also a psychological warfare. The energy of the defending soldiers is limited. It is only possible for an ordinary army to be on martial law for two or three days, but if there are more soldiers, they will not be able to hold on and will only rest in revenge and pretend to obey. Many times, both the attacker and the defender are gambling on the other side's psychology. If the defenders were vigilant, it would be a good opportunity if the enemy attacked them. But if the enemy attacked them unintentionally or saw through their preparations, the defenders would lose a lot of energy and their morale would also be hit. The normal state of alert will not be very effective when there is a surprise attack. In this case, it mainly depends on the strength comparison and quality gap between the two sides. During this trip south, Tian Ze did not give the "small map" to Zhang Liao or Guan Yu, but to Zhang He. Zhang He in the rear may seem to be just a reserve force, but in fact his importance and the attacks he will face are even greater than Zhang Liao. "Don't worry, military advisor. Liao's soldiers can hold on. Cao Mengde has sent spies here many times during this period, and our scouts have captured several 'tongues'. It seems that Cao Mengde is determined to fight this battle." Zhang Liao said in a deep voice. How could he not know the disadvantages of such long-term vigilance? But everything has its pros and cons. With the will and quality of the soldiers under Tian Zezhi, they can fully support this choice. Although the morale and state will inevitably decline, Zhang Liao is more worried about being ambushed by Cao Cao's army. He is never afraid of a head-on battle. Even if he cannot win, he will never lose too badly. Moreover, with Zhang He's support behind him, he was eager for Cao Cao to fight him head-on. Even if he was in a weak state, he would still have the advantage in this battle. "If he doesn't dare to fight, he wouldn't be Cao Mengde." Guo Jia said with a faint smile. The person who knows you best may not be yourself, but often your opponent. If Guo Jia was not very impressed with Cao Cao during the Battle of Hebei, Cao Cao's courage and means in designing the Central Plains Plan later made Cao Cao's threat level in Guo Jia's mind reach the level comparable to that of Yuan Shao. "He is a great hero in troubled times. Unfortunately, the one who will have the last laugh in these troubled times has already been decided." "Military advisor, how do you think Cao Mengde will break the siege of Luoyang?" Zhang Liao asked. "Real and fake. Our strongest point is also our weakest point, that is, we are too stable. If I were Cao Mengde, I would take action immediately and wait for an opportunity to cut off the connection between your army and Zhang He's army, so as to defeat them one by one." "Then what, military advisor, which route do you think Cao Mengde will choose to attack first?" Zhang Liao continued to ask.
"Zhang He's troops." Guo Jia said without hesitation. "Why?" "Because there is not much point in attacking you." Guo Jia said in a deep voice. "Even if Cao Mengde wins, as long as your army is not completely wiped out and you return to Bingzhou, it won't take two months to regroup into a 100,000-man army." "If we want to completely eliminate the danger in Luoyang, we need to keep you and Junyi here." (End of this chapter)