Chapter 442 Yuan Cao Begging for Alms
"We understand the difficulties faced by Envoy Yuan and Envoy Cao. However, without cavalry, it will be difficult to defend the Central Plains!" Pang Tong said in a deep voice.
"But the Central Plains is short of horses and food," said Xun Yu.
Make bricks without straw.
It would be fine if Tian Ze was a person who liked to go all in, but he was a master at attrition warfare and psychological warfare. He would never give them a chance to turn the tables and would definitely choose a tactic of attrition.
Due to the successive wars and natural disasters in recent years, the area under their rule is now impoverished.
Cao Cao's family background was not as rich as Yuan Shao's, and he was able to hold on only thanks to Xun Yu's efforts.
Now Cao Cao still has more than 200,000 combat-ready soldiers under his rule, which has made Tian Ze quite depressed.
Chen Gong therefore admired Xun Yu very much and said frankly, "Xun Wenruo's ability is beyond Gong's reach!"
His ability in internal affairs and controlling the situation is simply incredible.
But even so, Xun Yu is not a god, and he cannot create food and horses out of thin air.
"As for horses alone, all the horse-producing areas in the north have been completely occupied by Tian Chengshou. The number of war horses that can be mobilized under my jurisdiction is less than 30,000, and many of them do not meet the standards for war horses."
"Moreover, the Central Plains lacks land for raising horses, and there is also insufficient food. The number of war horses can only be maintained at a certain limit, and it is simply not enough to support a few battles."
Xun Yu sighed.
Ju Su of Yuan Shao's side also felt the same way.
He continued, taking over Xun Yu's words, "What Wen Ruo said is absolutely right. The number of war horses under my command is almost the same as that of Lord Meng De. It is simply a drop in the bucket for the 100,000 elite cavalry that we are about to face."
If you don’t become a householder, you don’t know how expensive firewood and rice are!
Wars are fought for logistical supplies. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao have been gambling like crazy over the years, but they are walking on thin ice every day.
They often spend money that they have not earned yet and repair the holes in their pockets.
He almost couldn't even guarantee military rations many times, and his internal deficit was extremely serious, almost squeezing the people and local tyrants under his rule to the limit.
If the two had not governed properly, I am afraid that before Yuan Shao and others could fight to the death, wars and uprisings would have broken out everywhere under their rule.
Therefore, Xun Yu and Ju Shou were very clear that if Tian Ze deployed a large number of cavalry, they would not be able to fight this battle, let alone afford the time.
After hearing what Ju Shou and Xun Yu said, everyone felt more and more depressed. The atmosphere in the hall became more and more depressing. The charcoal fire was clearly burning brightly, but it could not dispel the dark haze in everyone's hearts.
Liu Bei frowned slightly, his eyes swept across everyone's faces, and he slowly said: "Everyone, although the current situation is serious, we cannot be discouraged. If we don't have war horses, we will find a way to get them."
"My Jingzhou can also produce a certain amount of horses. Although not as many as the three states of You, Bing and Liang, but we can still produce a lot." Liu Bei said gritting his teeth.
Pang Tong, who was standing by, had a conflicted look on his face when he heard this. However, he opened his mouth but did not try to stop him. He just let out a long sigh.
"I would like to provide Brother Benchu and Brother Mengde with 20,000 war horses each."
Liu Bei knew that his action was tantamount to aiding the enemy, but the situation in the Central Plains did not allow him to take these into consideration.
If he, the leader of the alliance, does not lend a helping hand, Zhongyuan will soon be taken over by Tian Ze, and then it will be too late to save the situation.
Liu Bei's generous promise instantly brought about a subtle change in the atmosphere in the hall.
A hint of surprise and gratitude flashed in Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's eyes.
Yuan Shao stood up, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to Liu Bei: "Lord Xuande, I will never forget this friendship!"
Cao Cao also stood up quickly and said solemnly: "Xuan De's move has solved my urgent need. If there is a need in the future, I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation."
Chen Qun, who was standing beside Liu Bei, had a slightly ugly expression on his face, and snorted in his heart.
It is clear that these two people have no good intentions in nominating the Lord as the leader of the alliance. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao participated in this alliance just to cry poor and seek support.
Unlike Liu Zhang, he had the advantage of geographical location and was able to maintain his position.
The terrain of the Central Plains and the situation between the enemy and us destined Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to face a worse situation.
The two of them were simply unable to resist alone and could only seek help from other princes.
Moreover, this kind of help is almost like throwing meat buns at a dog, which is never returned.
After all, these two families are now completely penniless and have nothing to offer except population and territory.
And they would definitely not give in to this, which was equivalent to begging for alms from Liu Bei and others.
Liu Fan heard this and after a little hesitation said, "Yizhou has many mountains and hills, and the horse production is not as good as Jingzhou. Fan can give you two 10,000 horses each."
After hearing this, Sun Ce ignored Zhang Hong's anxious gaze behind him and said loudly, "Same to me."
After the advent of troubled times, the trade of merchants in various places became unstable. Therefore, in order to be prepared for any eventuality, each state actually selectively operated some horse-breeding land just in case.
Although the environment and financial resources are limited, the number of war horses that can be raised is small and the quality is not high, but it is better than nothing.
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were overjoyed by the gifts from the three southern princes, and they both showed gratitude.
Liu Bei is a kind man, so he will consider the overall situation.
Sun Ce is a loyal man, so he will do it regardless of the cost.
As for Liu Fan, he could hardly protect Yizhou now. Yizhou didn't have much use for horses, so he might as well do a favor and consolidate his position among the princes.
With his lack of strength, it seems that there is nothing else he can do except spending money.
By this calculation, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao could each barely gather 70,000 war horses. Although most of them were not of high quality, they should be enough to build 30,000 to 40,000 cavalry.
Even if 20,000 cavalrymen are retained for a major war, more than 10,000 horses can be left for maneuver.
However, it's not over yet.
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who had already prepared to beg for alms, were prepared to be shameless this time.
Xun Chen spoke first: "Tian Chengshou has always been cautious in his military operations. I'm afraid he won't be determined to fight us and will choose to delay and consume our forces."
"If they use their cavalry to conduct guerrilla warfare in the Central Plains and do not actively launch an attack, I am afraid we will be unable to resist them."
Mao Jie naturally took over the role of the supporting actor: "Actually, that's not the case. If we have sufficient food and grass, we can rely on the strength of the cities in various places, fortify the walls and clear the fields, and still be able to hold on."
"But where do we get so much food and grass? It's hard for the food and grass in our warehouse to last until the autumn harvest." Xun Chen said.
After saying this, the two of them looked at Liu Bei again in tacit understanding.
A gentleman can be deceived.
Everyone present was a shrewd man. They knew that their little tricks could not be concealed at all, so they just concealed them slightly and got to the point.
Pang Tong and Chen Qun behind Liu Bei had livid faces. If it weren't for the overall situation, they really wanted to draw their swords and fight these two men.
So annoying!
These bastards are clearly begging for alms, yet they act so arrogantly despite being poor!
(End of this chapter)
