Chapter 329 Hiding deeply
Dong Zhao was right.
Compared with the former, the latter has greater benefits and is more likely to be achieved.
"We have built many Wu forts on both sides of the Yellow River, and all the ferry crossings are under our control. As long as we can contain the main forces of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, they will have no power to cross the river to the north." Cheng Yu said.
"What if we can't contain them? Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are both daring heroes. If they burn their boats and risk losing Yanzhou and Qingzhou to head north to Jizhou, should we gamble with them?" Dong Zhao said.
"You all know how talented Cao Cao is. In the Battle of Guanzhong, Wenyuan and Junyi were both led by him. If it weren't for his insufficient military strength, we might not be able to break through."
"This time, the Five Princes Alliance has no fewer troops than us. Our fighting style is to be stable, and once the war in Liang Province begins, the troops we can mobilize will probably be much less than theirs."
"Are you sure you can contain Cao Mengde while withstanding Yuan Benchu's pressure? Besides, there are also Liu Xuande and Sun Bofu."
After hearing Dong Zhao's words, everyone frowned.
There has always been a problem under Tian Ze, that is, it is not difficult to win, but they always want to win steadily without causing any internal damage.
This is like two people fighting, and one of them has his legs tied up.
"Just expand the army by another 200,000 soldiers and that'll be enough." Cheng Yu glanced at Chen Gong calmly and tested him in a low voice.
"roll!"
Chen Gong, Zhang Zhao and others said without hesitation.
There is still a large shortage of workers everywhere now. There are not enough people even to farm, so how can we withdraw people to participate in the war?
"Your Majesty, what Gongren said makes sense. If the five princes do not invade, perhaps we can take the initiative to attack and force them to invade." Guo Jia said.
Although the strategic tone has been set, it is not a bad idea to make some fine-tuning now that the situation has changed.
Tian Ze nodded slightly: "Feng Xiao, where do you think the attack should be?"
Guo Jia pointed to Taishan County on the map without hesitation, and then crossed over Qingzhou.
"Taishan County."
"This place is full of mountains and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is also the junction of Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu. If we can take it, Cao and Yuan will definitely be unable to sleep or eat in peace."
"Moreover, if the opportunity is right, we may be able to send troops from Jizhou, Taishan County, and Donglai County to seize Qingzhou."
"In this way, the defense line in southern Hebei will be transferred from the Yellow River to the Taishan and Langya areas, with huge strategic depth and an active position, which will pose a threat to both Cao and Yuan."
Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard this.
Because of the emphasis on development and population factors, Tianze's attack direction has always been based on geographical advantages.
Whether it is taking over the high-lying Bingzhou, the Jizhou bounded by the Yellow River, or the Sili surrounded by mountains, the influence of geographical factors is very important.
In their inherent impression, the Central Plains is flat and easy to attack but difficult to defend, so the direction they had previously considered was to extend it towards Yizhou.
But when Guo Jia told everyone his plan, everyone suddenly realized that the Central Plains was not without strategic locations, and Mount Tai was a good place.
Especially since they have Zang Ba, the "bandit leader" under their command, it should not be a problem for them to take root in Mount Tai.
"Your Majesty has just ascended the throne. It would be great if you could take Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth," Dong Zhao also said.
"In fact, Nanyang is more suitable than Taishan County," said Tian Feng.
Although what Guo Jia said was correct, in his opinion, the geographical advantage of Taishan County could only protect itself, and it did not play a big role in the defense of Jizhou. It would be safer if Nanyang, which was surrounded by mountains and rivers, could be taken.
Didn’t you see that when Liu Biao took over Nanyang, he only blocked a few important roads in the east and forced Yuan Shu to give up.
"Nanyang is good, but the people Liu Bei sent to garrison here are Wen Pin and Tian Yu." Jia Xu said quietly.
The combination of these two is like a solid wall of iron, impregnable. Add to that the 100,000 troops in Nanyang, and even he couldn't think of a good way to break the situation, unless he attacked with more than twice the force, but he still had to consider the reinforcements of Cao Cao and Liu Bei.
"Anyone who wants to conquer the world usually takes the weak first and then the strong. There is nothing wrong with our original strategy. Xiliang and Yizhou have higher priority than other states and counties. Why bother so much?" Xun You saw that everyone was in a dilemma and said something to wake them up.
"Our initial idea was just to contain them, not to occupy them. It's not a good thing to try to do everything you want."
"Gongda is right. We are a little impatient." Tian Feng sighed.
It has to be said that Tian Ze's enthronement had a very big impact on them.
The original Twelve Ministries were just nominal titles. Although they had real power, they were not formal official positions.
However, when Tian Ze proclaimed himself emperor, he completely established the governance system under his rule, set up a cabinet and twelve ministries, and clarified the ranks and powers, making his position higher than the nine ministers.
For a moment, everyone's minds were naturally agitated, and Tian Ze's idea of unifying the world became more urgent.
"Haste breeds chaos." Jia Xu said calmly.
"If we want to fight this battle, we must first consider the pros and cons and strategic goals. The only suitable place to attack is indeed Taishan County."
"But I don't recommend taking over Taishan County as your goal."
Hearing Jia Xu's words, everyone couldn't help but frown.
"If we want to take Taishan County, Cao Yuan will be extremely anxious. But if we really take Taishan County, I'm afraid Cao Yuan will definitely burn his boats."
"It would be best to pretend to attack Taishan County to contain Cao and Yuan, but the priority should still be on attacking Xiliang. We must first distinguish between the primary and the secondary."
When everyone heard this, they all looked at Jia Xu in admiration.
As expected, he is worthy of being your Majesty's senior minister, and his thoughts are truly profound and comprehensive.
Apart from being a bit cautious and ruthless, Jia Xu's ability is the best among everyone and he is very versatile, but he just doesn't show it in normal times.
Seeing everyone's eyes, Jia Xu took a step back calmly and lowered his head.
Being the most outstanding tree in the forest is not a good thing.
Even though Tian Ze is kind and his colleagues are mostly open-minded, he is bound to offend people.
If this matter was not extremely important, he would not be willing to stand up and say these words.
"What Wenhe said really hits the nail on the head." Tian Ze exclaimed.
"Since there is still a lot of time before winter, it is best to start this war as soon as possible, so that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao can spend a less peaceful year and cause less trouble for us."
"Your Majesty, this battle will probably encounter many dangers. It is best to send a wise and brave general to help Zang Ba fight for Mount Tai, while guarding against Yuan Shao and Cao Cao taking the opportunity to attack Jizhou." Xun You suggested.
Tian Ze nodded and asked, "Who do you think is suitable?"
(End of this chapter)
