Chapter 480 Cao Fang’s Bottom Line
Cao Cao's eyes were slightly red, and his heart was filled with emotion and trust: "Wen Ruo, I feel relieved when you say this. But there are only 100,000 soldiers and horses, I am afraid..."
Zhao Yun's ability is not exaggerated. He leads 100,000 elite troops under his command. If Cao Cao only leaves 100,000 soldiers, he will really worry that Yanzhou will be wiped out.
Xun Yu saw Cao Cao's concerns and smiled faintly: "My lord, don't worry. Although Yanzhou has limited military strength now, in the past two years, Yu has been imitating the model under Tian Ze's rule and has trained some young and strong people in various places."
"Although these young and strong men are not very useful, they can still help defend the city. Moreover, with General Xiahou Dun and General Cao Ren here, nothing will go wrong."
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren both stood up, clasped their fists solemnly towards Cao Cao, their eyes full of determination.
Looking at the three people he trusted and relied on the most, Cao Cao suddenly felt at ease.
Although Xun Yu rarely gave advice to Cao Cao, Cao Cao's general policies were all determined by him, so his importance is self-evident.
Moreover, when it comes to governing, he has the ability to turn corruption into magic. In Cao Cao's eyes, no one in the world can match him, even Chen Gong under Tian Ze is no better than him.
Playing well in a favorable situation is not a sign of skill; being able to turn the tide when the wind is against you is a real ability.
Xun Yu was undoubtedly the most critical pillar of support for Cao Cao's side.
You know, Cao Cao fought no fewer battles than Yuan Shao over the years.
What was Yuan Shao's family background? What was Cao Cao's family background?
After failing in his business venture with a rich second generation, he was still able to have the capital to continue running the business, all thanks to Xun Yu's silent and continuous financial support behind the scenes.
Moreover, Xun Yu was not just a domestic affairs adviser, but an all-rounder.
In history, when Cao Cao was fighting with Lu Bu for Yanzhou, Xun Yu was able to remain calm and use clever strategies to save the three key cities of Juancheng, Dong'a and Fanxian despite having few soldiers and generals and the overall situation was collapsing.
His military strategy is by no means ordinary, but it is not as good as his domestic affairs which are generally unmatched.
Although Xiahou Dun has always been nicknamed "the general who always loses", he has always been the number one military officer under Cao Cao, and his status is like that of Xun Yu among the civil officials.
It’s not just because of blood relationship, but because Xiahou Dun is really capable.
Although he was not as good as the famous generals of the time in leading troops and could only be considered qualified, Xiahou Dun was unmatched in commanding the army and winning the hearts of the soldiers and the people.
No matter where he is or what kind of desperate situation he faces, the soldiers under his command will unite as one and fight the enemy together.
As for Cao Ren, there is no need to mention him.
The first defensive general under Cao Cao, his offensive ability was also not inferior. In history, he rarely suffered defeat. Even after the defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs and being isolated and helpless, he was able to defend Jiangling for nearly two years and defeated Zhou Yu.
When Guan Yu was feared throughout China, it was Cao Ren who defended Fancheng to the death, buying time for Xu Huang to come to support him.
If Cao Cao determined the upper limit of this force, then Xun Yu, Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren could be said to have firmly supported Cao Cao's bottom line from three aspects, giving Cao Cao plenty of room for error.
Cao Cao looked at the three people in front of him, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: "In this case, I will leave Yanzhou to you. Supporting Yuan Shao this time is related to the life and death of our army. If we can defeat Tian Ze, we can stand firm in this chaotic world."
"Don't worry, my lord. We will defend Yanzhou to the death. If anything goes wrong, you will be beheaded!" Xiahou Dun said in a firm tone.
Cao Cao nodded, a look of relief in his eyes.
He then discussed some details with Xun Yu and others, including how to deal with Zhao Yun's possible siege strategy, how to allocate resources in the city, and how to maintain contact with the expeditionary army.
After everything was arranged, Cao Cao led the remaining 150,000 elite troops and set out to support Yuan Shao. At this time, the battlefield in Qingzhou was already filled with smoke.
Faced with the large number of cavalry sent by Xu Huang, Yuan Shao had no intention of fighting back, but instead chose to defend the city and clear the countryside.
Yuan Shao led the main force of the army and did not station his troops in Linzi in the front, but in Anqiu County, which was well connected.
Because he had to face too many enemies, the Guan Yu army that was pushing forward all the way, the Xu Huang army that was advancing straight ahead and harassing everywhere, the Gan Ning army that was plundering the rear and preparing to encircle Qingzhou, and the Zang Ba army that came and went like the wind and appeared out of nowhere.
Today, Qingzhou is surrounded by enemies on all sides. It is no wonder that Tian Ze chose this place as a springboard to take over the Central Plains. The location is really too suitable.
In this situation, it would be impossible to break the deadlock by defending Linzi. Once Gan Ning or Zang Ba completed the encirclement, the situation in Qingzhou would become a dead end, so it was necessary to retreat to a place that could take care of the rear.
Anqiu County, located at the junction of Qingzhou and Xuzhou, became the best choice.
Xu You stood on the vast map of Qingzhou and planted small flags everywhere.
Looking at the densely packed flags on the map, all the civil and military officials present couldn't help but frown.
The current situation in Qingzhou is really terrible.
"My lord, according to the intelligence and calculations we have obtained so far, we have lost nearly an entire county and tens of thousands of soldiers in the past month."
"However, the enemy's movements have basically been discovered." Xu You said calmly.
If the weak want to break out, they must make the most of small gains and know how to make choices.
During this month of stubborn defense, they almost watched Guan Yu and Xu Huang gradually eroded the territory under their rule.
But this is necessary, because only by letting the enemy make the first move and understanding the enemy's deployment can they break the enemy's moves in a targeted manner.
"Now, Gan Ning and Zang Ba are not a big threat to us, because their operations are greatly restricted by the terrain. As long as our main force is still stationed here, they dare not act rashly. If it is Sun Ce..."
Having said that, Xu You sighed lightly and then stopped talking.
As the intelligence chief under Yuan Shao, Xu You had already noticed the change in Sun Ce's attitude from some clues, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Helping is a favor, but less helping is a duty. As an ally, Sun Ce is blameless and has already done his best.
"Guan Yu's army is not difficult to deal with. Although its advance is difficult to stop, as the logistics supply is extended and the defense force inside Qingzhou is strengthened, it can at most advance to the vicinity of Linzi. By then, the battle line will be extended and we will have the opportunity to counterattack."
"The most crucial thing lies in the cavalry led by Commander Xu Huang!" Xu You said in a deep voice.
Shen Pei took over the conversation: "Ziyuan is right. From the perspective of terrain, the northern part of Qingzhou cannot be defended, but it cannot be easily abandoned. As long as General Yuan Shu can hold on at Mount Tai and Sun Ce's navy is still there, Tianze will not be able to operate this area with peace of mind."
"Whether it is Guan Yu's army, Zang Ba's army or Gan Ning's army, although they are difficult to deal with, they are not enough to break the situation. As the defenders, we have the advantage of terrain and can definitely hold on."
"But the prerequisite is to wipe out these cavalrymen of Xu Huang's army."
(End of this chapter)
