Chapter 484 Cao Yuan Combines
You know, in cavalry combat, the result is either a great victory or a great defeat, and the casualty ratio is often extremely exaggerated.
In this battle, the cavalry led by Tang Tao were surrounded by them with their superior numbers without much preparation and with great physical exhaustion.
Although there was a big difference in the quality of the individual soldiers of both sides, in this small-scale cavalry battle, the role played by fierce generals such as Yan Liang and Xiahou Yuan was enough to make up for it.
But even so, such heavy losses were still inflicted that it really made Cao Cao sigh.
There is too much difference in hard power.
In this battle, the enemy was caught off guard and had the advantage of terrain and people, but still suffered such losses.
I'm afraid future battles will be even more difficult.
The cavalry they had were far fewer than Xu Huang's.
Cao Cao stared at the valley not far away with a sharp gaze, and said, "It seems that we have to think of a solution."
In the next few days, Xu Huang's cavalry suffered attacks one after another.
Cao Cao knew very well that once Xu Huang reacted, he would definitely take countermeasures and take advantage of this period to kill as many surrounding cavalry as possible.
Thirty thousand cavalrymen were dispatched at one time and attacked in turns. Under the leadership of Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Xiahou Yuan and other generals, the soldiers and horses did not rest and they attacked everywhere.
Moreover, after the first test, Cao Cao began to adopt strategies such as ambushes and fire attacks in order to reduce casualties, trying to minimize them as much as possible.
After all, they didn't have many cavalry, especially war horses, which were even more scarce.
During the battle, Cao Cao also ordered his soldiers to avoid harming the war horses as much as possible.
After all, the horses of the cavalry under Tian Ze are all good horses, and there are quite a few of them, and at least one person has two horses.
After several days of fighting, although more than 3,000 soldiers under Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were killed or wounded, the number of war horses increased instead of decreased, which seemed to be a case of fighting to support the war.
But the good times will eventually come to an end.
Xu Huang soon noticed the actions of Cao Cao's army and realized that Cao Cao had arrived with reinforcements.
Looking at the battle damage statistics in his hand, Xu Huang frowned: "What courage and tactics! Cao Mengde is indeed worthy of being the great enemy of our Great Qi!"
It was not that Xu Huang had not been on guard against Yuan Shao's counterattack, nor had he not expected that Cao Cao would come to his aid.
But he didn't expect that Cao Cao would arrive so quickly and fight back so fiercely.
Although Yuan Shao had many generals under his command, not many of them were good at cavalry combat, and even fewer were capable of such delicate operations.
Because Yuan Shao's combat system and style were completely different from Cao Cao's, the cavalry under his command were fully prepared for large-scale combat. Their troops were powerful, but their tactics were relatively rigid.
However, Cao Cao always adopted the strategy of defeating the enemy with fewer troops and using unconventional strategies.
The current situation is that the enemy is weak and we are strong. The advantages of Yuan Shao's army have been directly cut by half, and their tactics have been abolished. Therefore, Xu Huang has never cared about Yuan Shao's cavalry, but is extremely wary of Cao Cao.
Xun You sighed slightly and said, "It seems that Cao Mengde has risked everything and actually came to help in person."
A glimpse of the whole picture can reveal the whole picture. Although the information in hand is not much, Xun You saw a lot of hidden information behind it.
Cao Cao came in person to help, so it would definitely not be a half-hearted effort. He brought tens of thousands of cavalry with him, so he must have done his best. Xun You guaranteed that the number of reinforcements coming this time would definitely not be less than 100,000.
Moreover, Yan Liang and Wen Chou were actually under the command of Cao Cao, and the information revealed behind this was even more terrifying.
Did Yuan Shao and Cao Cao completely come together?
Xun You couldn't help but feel solemn.
Your Majesty, you have indeed achieved your original goal, but now, they are still our enemies!
When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are united, their combination is more than just 1+1=2.
Cao Cao is not Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu's existence is a great supplement to Yuan Shao, but the talents and tactics of both sides cannot be fully integrated. Yuan Shu can only serve as a supplement to better develop Yuan Shao's strengths and serve as an auxiliary force to contain him.
Of course, this does not mean that Yuan Shu’s role was insignificant. After all, he was able to contain Zang Ba firmly in the Taishan Mountains with the same amount of military force. This ability was truly terrifying.
Yuan Shu’s role in Yuan Shao was no less than that of a hundred thousand soldiers.
And Cao Cao’s meaning to Yuan Shao is even more extraordinary.
Putting aside the unreasonable existence of Tian Ze, Yuan Shao can be said to have taken the kingly way to an extremely deep level. His skills and abilities are admired by everyone in the world. If it weren't for Tian Ze's cheating, it would be hard to catch up with him.
However, when human resources are limited, Yuan Shao, who follows the path of kingship, also has weaknesses.
However, these weaknesses are exactly what Cao Cao, who took the path of hegemony, was best at.
If the two were really combined, the threat level would increase exponentially, even to the point where Xun You would have to take it seriously.
"Unfortunately, it's still a little too late." Xun You chuckled half with relief and half with regret.
Tian Ze rose too quickly, hid too deeply, and made his plans too early, leaving no possibility for the princes of the world.
Even if Yuan Shao and Cao Cao really combined completely, it was already too late.
If it had been like this during the previous Central Plains War, there might have been a slight chance of breaking the deadlock, but now.
"Gongming, contact Zilong and order him to attack the Yanzhou area."
"Notify Xuanbao and Xingba again, and ask them to be more cautious. They must not be tricked by Cao Mengde at this time." Xun You warned.
Xu Huang followed the order without hesitation.
"Military Advisor, what about us? Should we withdraw the cavalry first?" Xu Huang asked.
Xun You shook his head gently: "Wouldn't this be exactly what the enemy wants?"
If this blockade tactic is relaxed even a little, all previous efforts will be wasted.
He dared to guarantee that Yuan Shao had already prepared a large amount of supplies and baggage soldiers, and once they retreated, they would immediately replenish them and provide supplies to various places.
"No matter how Cao Cao schemes, the situation where we are strong and the enemy is weak will not be reversed in a short period of time. We still have the advantage now." Xun You said.
"However, facing the Cao-Yuan coalition forces that have the advantage of terrain and intelligence, we do need to change our strategy."
Xu Huang nodded slightly, his eyes full of thought: "Military Advisor, what you mean is..."
Xun You smiled slightly and said, "We can't let them easily outnumber us and ambush our cavalry."
"From now on, organize the cavalry into teams of at least 3,000, and keep them at a distance so that they can coordinate with each other."
Xu Huang frowned and said, "But if that's the case, we can't guarantee the scope of our patrol."
You know, the area Xu Huang was responsible for cutting off was most of Qingzhou.
Nearly 100,000 cavalrymen may seem like a lot, but if they are dispersed over such a large area, each county would only have one or two thousand men.
With Yuan Shao's intelligence capabilities, if he withdrew his troops in this way, he would easily be able to find a flaw and transport soldiers and supplies in.
"If we give up the northern part of Qingzhou and only defend the southern line of Qingzhou, will our military strength be sufficient?" Xun You asked.
"What about northern Qingzhou?"
"Let Xingba send his troops forward."
(End of this chapter)
