Chapter 479: Sword Pointing to Qingzhou
Zhongyuan, time goes back to two months ago.
Shortly after Zhang He secretly sent troops to Hanzhong, Guan Yu, Xu Huang, Zang Ba, Gan Ning, Zhao Yun and other troops also began to take action.
Compared to Yizhou, which could not deploy too many troops due to terrain restrictions, the battle in the Central Plains was the first time that the Qi army opened up to the local landlords.
With Xu Rong in charge of the rear, the generals no longer had any concerns and a total of 600,000 troops moved together.
The momentum was so great that it made the entire Central Plains tremble.
The situation has changed.
Now, all of them combined cannot match the number of troops that Tian Ze is attacking this time. The gap in combat effectiveness between the two sides is extremely large, and there is a huge gap in logistics, ordnance, etc. Anyone would feel hopeless in this battle.
But Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were both heroes, and they were the best at creating miracles in adversity.
Faced with this situation, the two did not retreat at all, but quickly began to act according to the established plan.
"There is no movement from Sun Ce's side, right?" Cao Cao asked in a deep voice.
Mao Jie sighed softly, "The powerful families in Yangzhou have made some unusual moves. It is understandable that Sun Bofu is reluctant to come to our aid in the short term due to his concerns."
Cao Cao looked slightly gloomy, but he didn't say anything.
He did not blame Sun Ce.
To be honest, what Sun Ce did was very nice.
If he were in Sun Ce's position, he might not have participated in the previous battles, nor would he have given him so much support.
Like Liu Bei, Sun Ce was a "sincere" person.
Only this kind of person can do so many "stupid" things.
However, Sun Ce was not a saint and would never give up his own foundation for the survival of himself and Yuan Shao.
Although Cao Cao was not fully aware of the current situation in Jiangdong, he could sense it a little.
The vision and courage of these southern families cannot be compared with those of the Central Plains families, and their perspectives on issues are completely different.
Therefore, it was expected that Sun Ce was restrained by them.
"Now, we can only rely on ourselves." A sharp light flashed in Cao Cao's eyes.
"This time, several armies under Tian Ze are acting together. The strength of the troops is probably no less than 500,000, and the momentum is extremely huge." Mao Jie easily revealed the matter and walked to the map and said in a deep voice.
"First of all, the Zang Ba army stationed at Mount Tai has now been replenished in terms of manpower and logistics. It is extremely sufficient, and it is likely that there are no less than 100,000 people."
"Now, it is encroaching on the southern part of Mount Tai, and is in a tense situation with Yuan Shu. Although Yuan Shu can hold on for a short period of time, without external assistance, the loss of Mount Tai is almost inevitable, which is a matter of three to five months."
"Secondly, Gan Ning and Han Dang's navy is estimated to have a combined force of no less than 100,000. They are heading towards Langya from the direction of Donglai. Their purpose is self-evident, and they aim to cut off the connection between Xuzhou and Qingzhou."
"Xu Huang has led a large number of cavalry across the Yellow River and entered Qingzhou. They are advancing straight ahead and harassing everywhere. Their organization is strict, their coordination is exquisite, and their scale is huge, no less than 100,000 people."
"Yuan Shao can only rely on the newly built and reinforced cities in Qingzhou to defend himself. He has no ability to fight back in the short term."
"Although Yuan Shao has a lot of cavalry, he dare not send them out easily before finding out Xu Huang's strategy for using troops. He is ready to strike back."
"Guan Yu's army of no less than 100,000 soldiers and horses have also crossed the Yellow River. They are now cooperating with Zang Ba and Xu Huang to attack Jinan, Le'an and other counties."
"Zhao Yun's army has no less than 100,000 soldiers and horses, and has already entered Linyi, Dongjun. They can attack the heartland of Yanzhou at any time."
Mao Jie paused slightly before telling the intelligence he had obtained and his estimation of the military strength one by one in one breath.
"With this arrangement, the Qi army's goal is self-evident, it is Qingzhou!"
It was expected that Tian Ze would send troops to the Central Plains and target Qingzhou.
After Cao Cao's party learned about this, they were both extremely troubled and relieved.
Although Tian Ze's attack on Qingzhou was extremely disadvantageous for them.
Once Tian Ze takes Qingzhou, relying on the danger of Mount Tai and the advantage of the navy, he can continue to maintain a tight defense and continue to oppress them.
However, Qingzhou was Yuan Shao's territory after all. Even if it was lost, it would be better for Cao Cao than losing his own Yanzhou.
Feeling a little relieved, Cao Cao quickly calmed down.
In today's situation, we must not gloat over other people's misfortunes, and we must be united.
It is certainly gratifying that Tian Ze is aiming at Qingzhou, but he must also do his best to help.
"Yuan Shao only has over 300,000 troops under his command. It is impossible for him to defend Qingzhou with his own strength alone."
"When the lips and teeth are gone, they interdependent. This battle is not just Yuan Shao's, but a joint battle between the two of us who share weal and woe. We must try our best." Cao Cao said solemnly as he looked at the civil and military officials under his command.
Not everyone has a sense of the overall situation. The level of effort required to help others fight a battle is completely different from fighting for yourself.
Cao Cao set this tone right from the start in order to ensure unity among the troops and to avoid any dirty moves during the battle.
Everyone in the hall nodded solemnly to show that they understood.
Mao Jie continued pointing at the map and said, "If we want to help Yuan Shao, it doesn't make much sense to attack Zhao Yun's army and Zang Ba's army in Mount Tai. The former is too difficult to deal with, and we are not good at mountain warfare for the latter."
"Therefore, we can only send troops from the Lu State area to the direction of Langya, and then go north to provide support from a detour."
"Speed is of the essence in war. The Tianze Army has already taken action. If we want to support them, we must be precise and decisive. Otherwise, if we delay the opportunity, it will be useless."
"but……"
Mao Jie pointed to the location of Linyi in Dongjun and said, "How to deal with Zhao Zilong at this point is the key."
If the rear is unstable, it is impossible to fight with peace of mind in the front.
If Cao Cao wanted to support Yuan Shao, the prerequisite was that the troops left behind could defend Yanzhou, or at least ensure that the essential part of Yanzhou was not lost.
Otherwise, even if Cao Cao had a spirit of sacrifice, his generals and powerful families would not be willing.
This is an almost unsolvable problem for Cao Cao.
Everyone in the world knows how capable Zhao Yun is.
In the past, he was able to fight against all the heroes of the world on his own. Even though he was slightly inferior in offensive ability, he was still not someone that ordinary people could deal with.
How could Cao Cao feel at ease when he led an army of 100,000 to block the doorstep without leaving sufficient troops for defense?
When everyone was silent, Xun Yu stood up.
"My lord, if you leave behind 100,000 soldiers and Generals Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren, you can protect Yanzhou."
When Cao Cao heard this, his eyes were filled with surprise and relief.
This is his ovary!
In the past, when he fought outside, he was always able to fight happily, but that was because he had Xun Yu constantly providing support in the rear. Otherwise, the little wealth under his command would have been squandered long ago.
Xun Yu rarely made suggestions on war, but his importance to Cao Cao was undoubtedly that of the number one person.
And at this critical moment, it was Xun Yu who stood up again.
(End of this chapter)
