Chapter 482: Determined to Die
Although he led the army and slowly advanced towards Linzi, Guan Yu did not feel much joy in his heart.
As they attacked along the way, the intensity of Yuan's army's resistance was beyond his imagination.
The scorching heat and clearing of the countryside in various places was still within his expectations, but the tenacity of the soldiers defending the city and the desperate resistance of the young and strong people in the city did give him a headache.
Yuan Shao tried every possible means to defend the city.
Not only did they hold the families of those defending the city hostage, but they also implemented the law of collective responsibility.
If one person backs down, the whole family suffers and the team is punished.
This meant that all the soldiers and civilians in the city were tied to Yuan Shao's chariot, forced to fight to the death.
If it weren't for the Thunderbolt Chariot, I'm afraid it would be difficult for our army to advance.
But even so, they only captured less than one county in a month and lost thousands of people. This result made Guan Yu quite embarrassed.
You know, he had been preparing for this battle for a long time, and he tried his best from the beginning. He thought he could push directly to the city of Linzi with an unstoppable force, but he didn't expect to be poured a basin of cold water at the very beginning.
Compared to the full preparation at the beginning, the army is now a little tired, and the offensive is no longer as fierce as before.
At this rate, it might take another two months to reach Linzi city.
Moreover, as they pushed forward, logistical lines became longer and longer, and harassing enemy forces began to appear.
Logistics are crucial for such a large-scale offensive.
Previously, Jizhou was taken by Tian Zedu in two batches. The difficulty of attacking Qingzhou this time is no less than the previous one, so Guan Yu naturally would not be complacent.
Therefore, Guan Yu planned to push the front line to Linzi from the beginning. After all, if he moved forward further, the logistical pressure would probably be out of control.
When Xu Huang, Zang Ba and Gan Ning's troops gather together and capture Langya, he can then take over the entire Qingzhou.
But they did not expect that the resistance of Yuan Shao’s army would be so fierce that in a month, they did not even see the border of Qi County, let alone Linzi.
"Brother Gongming, what's the situation with Xingba and Xuan Gao?" Guan Yu asked with a frown.
"The situation is still not optimistic." Cheng Yu frowned as he held the newly received intelligence.
"Yuan Benchu's resistance was extremely tenacious, and his methods were extreme and full of tricks."
"Gongming is fine, but we have not achieved much. We have already achieved our goal of cutting off the connection between the counties and severing their logistics."
"But on Xuan Gao's side, Yuan Gonglu had set up strong camps in all the dangerous places, stockpiled enough food and fodder, and laid traps all around, causing Xuan Gao to suffer a lot."
"Yuan Shao's army has built a lot of fire ships on Xingba's side, and every time they send a small group of navy to harass, they always prepare a lot of fire starters on the ship. Now it is midsummer, and the wind is mostly from the south, which has caused a lot of trouble for Xingba."
Compared with the offensive, Yuan Shao became more cunning in the defensive state. He almost used every possible means. His main strategy was to delay the enemy even if he couldn't win, and from time to time he would fight to the death together.
This defensive method brought a lot of trouble to the Qi army.
"How could this happen? In the past battle of Jizhou, although Yuan Benchu was difficult to deal with, it was not as bad as this!" Guan Yu asked puzzledly.
Cheng Yu shook his head slightly: "The battle of Jizhou was because Yuan Shao had little will to resist."
"Because he couldn't stay in Jizhou forever and act as a shield for other princes, so he had no intention of confronting our army for a long time. When he realized that he couldn't drive our army away, he didn't want to put up too much resistance."
"But now, Yuan Benchu has nowhere to retreat, so he is determined to defend to the death. Before this battle, we have already made some preparations."
Since ancient times, defensive wars have been much easier to fight. The advantages of terrain, people, logistics... the defenders have much greater advantages than the attackers. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many confrontations and tripartite situations.
The current war between Da Qi and Yuan Shao is somewhat similar to the war between Wei and Wu in history. Even though their side has a lot of advantages, they can still only take the northern part of Qingzhou in one battle. If they want to go further, it will be risky.
To be on the safe side, they could only rely on Xu Huang's cavalry to divide and consume the enemy.
Guan Yu listened to Cheng Yu's analysis. Although he felt unwilling, he had to admit that what he said made sense.
"Pass the order down, the army will rest for a day."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu nodded slightly.
Although there was no distinction between the primary and secondary in this attack on the Central Plains, Xu Huang was clearly the protagonist.
Only if Xu Huang was in this position, if it were someone else, Guan Yu would probably not give up so easily.
After all, Guan Yu was arrogant by nature, and only a few people like Xu Rong and Xu Huang could convince him.
Not only Guan Yu, Zang Ba and Gan Ning also had a headache at this time. They didn't feel it before when they were fighting in the field or defending, but now when they were attacking Yuan Shao, they really felt how difficult it was.
Yuan Shao made full use of the geographical advantages, and although some of his methods were not worthy of being mentioned above, the effects were truly frustrating.
The entire Qingzhou war now seems to be clearly leaning towards the Qi army. All troops are advancing smoothly, but the resistance is so great that it is hard to describe, and it is getting bigger and bigger.
When Cao Cao learned about the current war situation, he thought about it carefully and also felt Yuan Shao's methods.
"Yuan Benchu is truly extraordinary." Cao Cao exclaimed sincerely.
"In times of adversity, Yuan Benchu can always burst out with unimaginable power." Mao Jie said in a deep voice.
The Yuan Shao in this time and space is different from the Yuan Shao in the original historical trajectory. He has been in adversity and the pressure he faces is increasing.
Therefore, his courage and ability have overwhelmed all the princes in the world from the very beginning. Even Cao Cao is slightly inferior to him. Moreover, as the situation worsens, he is getting stronger and stronger. It is simply abnormal.
Turning most of his generals and young men into death squads is not something that can be achieved with just a few tricks or punishments. It not only requires Yuan Shao's talent, but also countless efforts behind the scenes.
Yuan Shao in this state made Cao Cao feel terrified yet at ease.
"Fortunately, we are allies now."
Looking at the two cavalry units on both sides behind him.
The pitch-black armor, the determined gaze, the silent atmosphere, all reveal a restrained aura of being ready to die, which is daunting.
The ability to mass-produce suicide squads!
How terrifying!
"My lord, our allies today may become our enemies in the future. We can't just stay where we are!" Mao Jie said quietly.
When Cao Cao heard this, he was startled for a moment, but soon became confident.
"I, Cao Mengde, have never been inferior to anyone in my life!"
Mao Jie smiled slightly when he saw this, but he sighed deeply in his heart.
But I don’t know if the current situation is exactly what that person wants.
The foundation of the various princes in the Central Plains is being continuously reduced, but their strength is being constantly stimulated, just like raising Gu, they are the best vanguards!
(End of this chapter)
