Dragon map of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1790 Cao Cao's Decision

A bloody murderous intent flashed in Cao Cao's pupils: "If they are alone at this time and attack regardless of the cost, they have the advantage of the right time and place, at least they can fight with us and we will suffer a loss. At that point, the loser may be We have fallen for him, and we have really fallen for him!"

The strength of the Ming army already had a special feeling in their hearts, which made them preconceived, and this possibility is not impossible.

Besides, Mujing's cunning did not impress them overnight, they had been fooled too many times, so they couldn't help but have some instinctive vigilance.

Even if they are simple, they can complicate things, so be prepared.

This mentality, whether it is Cao Cao or Guo Jia, thinks it is very important.

Guo Jia cupped his hands and continued: "It is also possible that they have indeed lost some troops, so their combat effectiveness has weakened, but even so, our attack will have to pay a huge price!"

He thought for a while, and said: "We lack a lot of siege equipment, and we have traveled a long distance. We have not had much time to build siege equipment. This is our shortcoming!"

"So you mean, hold down the attack time and wait for the next spring?"

Cao Cao frowned.

Although he was apprehensive, he was unwilling to give Mu Jing time to recuperate, because the Ming army was too strong, and if he recovered from the battle with the Yan army, Cao Cao didn't know how much chance he had of winning.

He took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Feng Xiao, the decisive battle between the Yan army and the Ming army at any cost, Jiangdong Sun Bofu personally led the army northward to entangle Huang Zhong's main force for the orphan, this created such a great victory for us." If we give them enough time, then everything we have done will be in vain!"

"Not necessarily!"

Guo Jia shook his head and said softly: "Time is for them and for us. Although the Yan army is defeated, there are still remnants in Youzhou and Hebei. You can send people to contact them and let them entangle the remnants. Focus on Taiyuan And going south to suppress, this will relieve a lot of pressure on us. In addition, on the Jiangdong side, I believe that Sun Bofu can hold on for a while, and at this time, they can attack the land of Jingxiang. Didn’t they attack their hinterland from the East China Sea? They can attract the attention of the Ming army by heading west. In this way, whether the Ming army will return to aid or continue to attack the hinterland of Jiangdong depends on the Ming army’s own decision. Jiangdong, I think In the past two years, it will not be a big problem, unless Sun Bofu lost to Huang Zhong on the Runan battlefield, but this possibility is unlikely, Sun Bofu is good at fighting, even if Huang Hansheng has the title of Nanyang Sword King It's not such a simple matter to solve Sun Bofu for a while, we still have time!"

He paused, and then said: "There is another point, that is, there is a problem with the food and grass of the Ming army. That is a certain problem. As long as we keep an eye on this point, maybe we can be defeated without fighting. If it really comes to a point where food and grass are no longer enough to sustain their lives, then they will break through at any cost. At this time, we will wait for work with leisure, better deploy combat power, reduce casualties, and eliminate the main force of the Ming army with the least damage!"

This is the benefit, the benefit of their truce, the emptiness of food and grass, the siege without attacking, this is the best tactical deployment.

Of course, they also need to worry about many things.

If there is no problem with the food and grass of the Ming army, then their move may have contributed to the time for the Ming army to rest and reorganize. When the Ming army rests and recuperates, their combat effectiveness will increase greatly, and they may suffer even more.

Cao Cao was silent for a while.

It's not that he didn't think of these things, it's just that he's a little bit unwilling. There is a chance to attack in front of him, but he has to suppress his fighting spirit.

"What if there is no problem with the food and grass of the Ming army?"

Cao Cao asked back.

"This point..." Guo Jia smiled bitterly: "It can only be said that we are unlucky, and the only way to meet it is to fight to the death!"

Both sides set up their formations like this, no one could escape, no matter if it was the Ming army or the Wei army, there was no way to withdraw from the battlefield, either they were defeated and fled, or they died here.

They pushed the Ming army into a desperate situation, and they also put themselves on a desperate road.

In this battle, if it hadn't been for the great Han to regain the country.

That means Ming Dynasty ruled the world.

Guo Jia bowed his hands and said sincerely: "This decision is related to the life and death of our army. Please make the decision early, Your Majesty!"

"It's really hard for Gu to make this decision!"

Cao Cao sighed a little.

He thought for a while, and said: "But it's really inappropriate to attack now. First, order Lu Bu, Yan Xing, and Guan Hai to clean up the periphery of the eldest son city, especially the eastern and southern suburbs of the eldest son city. On the main battlefield, we must grasp the geographical advantage!"

"Yes!"

Guo Jia bowed his hand to accept the order, and then ordered a personal guard to pass on the military order.

"Fengxiao!" Cao Cao said suddenly, "Do you feel that this situation is very similar to the situation back then!"

"Battle of Wancheng?"

Guo Jia's pupils twitched.

"It was the same back then. We were sure of winning and had obvious advantages, but in the end we were defeated and collapsed, and our spine was almost broken!"

Cao Cao clenched his fists tightly. The defeat of Wancheng was a battle that he would steadfastly remember all his life. It was also from that time that he almost lost the ability to compete with Mujing.

This time, if Liu Bei was not the vanguard and Sun Ce was supporting him, then he would not be able to fight the Ming army at all. Even though the main force of the Ming army has already fought a great battle with the Yan army, his main force of the Wei army is still afraid of three points and dare not attack. , otherwise he would have been directly crushed, so is there still a need to try and test like this.

In that battle, even if Cao Cao had the determination to move forward, he was defeated by more than one-third, so that his determination was no longer as fearless as before.

This is human nature, when there is something to be afraid of, no matter what you do, you will feel fear and awe.

"Your Majesty, today is different from the past, and in the battle of Wancheng in the past, the Ming army just caught us off guard because we were not familiar with them. If our soldiers were not familiar with artillery and thought it was God's punishment, they would not have The morale of the army will be broken, and the defeat will be so tragic!"

Guo Jia said in a low voice: "There are some things that cannot be separated from each other. Now in our army, many soldiers are actually familiar with the artillery of the Ming army. The battle of Huguan is the best explanation. Lu Bu already understands it." They are able to evade the artillery, and the soldiers under their command will not be scattered and confused because of the roar of the artillery. Even if there is some turmoil, it is still under suppression. The artillery is a very powerful weapon. It is undeniable, but it is not irresistible. The Ming army Some of them are not many, and once our cavalry gets close, they can be quickly destroyed!"

"That being said, how do you know that they only have cannons, what if they have other weapons?" Cao Cao was scared, really scared, Mujing's innovation in weapons has already surpassed the times , The emergence of hot weapons broke Cao Cao's own understanding of weapons. At the same time, it also opened a door for him to let him know that there are such weapons in this world, so he has to let him think more.

"Even so, the battle is still to be fought. Your Majesty, the princes of the Han Dynasty, and the Ming court cannot coexist. Only you die and we die. This battle is our best chance!"

Guo Jia resolutely said: "If we lose this battle, it means that God will let the Ming court replace it. Even if we die, we will die for what we deserve!"

"It makes sense!"

Guo Jia's words broke Cao Cao's fear and worries. At this point, what else could he do? Abandoning the Han Dynasty and surrendering to the Ming court is impossible.

He, Cao Mengde, should have lived and died for the Han Dynasty.

If there are variables in this battle.

Then he deserved to die.

After figuring this out, Cao Cao became more resolute and decisive: "Then according to your intention, go and scan the periphery first, and then let Yelou find a way to find out the details of the Ming army, so that we can act response!"

With a gloomy gaze, he added: "In addition, let the scouts thoroughly check outside the eldest son city, whether it is east or south!"

"Your Majesty is worried, the Ming army has Tibetan soldiers!"

"This is their usual tactic. Although our defeat in Wancheng was due to artillery, there is another point, that is, we did not expect that their artillery would be set up behind us!"

Cao Cao sneered: "Although we were in Huguan, we broke their artillery army, but Gu didn't think it was all they had. They must still have an artillery army. Find it, and Gu will feel at ease!"

"Yes!"

Guo Jia nodded: "I will go with Wen He to find them out personally. If we can capture them alive, maybe the enemy's sharp weapon will be our sharp weapon!"

"Report!"

At this time, a voice came from outside the camp gate.

"Enter!"

"Report to Your Majesty, General Xiahou has sent a military report!"

"Bring it up!"

Soon the military report written by Xia Houyuan himself appeared in Cao Cao's eyes, which made Cao Cao's pupils a little gloomy, and his complexion dripped with water.

"My lord, what's the matter?" Guo Jia noticed it and asked quickly.

"See for yourself!"

Cao Cao said gloomyly: "The house leaked and it rained all night. We thought that the Ming army was short of food and grass, but now we didn't expect that Luo Yang had a problem first!"

"General Xiahouyuan and Gongsun Du are all defeated?"

Guo Jia also had a gloomy face: "It seems that what we did on the Yuzhou front has also angered Huang Hansheng, the Nanyang sword king. He has become ruthless. He would rather fight Sun Bofu himself, and send some troops north to rescue. Perhaps Not much, but it can solve Luoyang’s woes and allow the Ming army to recapture Luoyang!”

"But this is a big trouble for us. Once we let them rebuild the grain road, all our waiting will be equivalent to giving them time to rest!"

Cao Cao gritted his teeth.

But ordering a decisive battle at this time is not a conscious move. First of all, they don't have enough siege equipment, and they don't even have many bows and arrows for long-distance attack. It's hard to say.

After winter, it will get colder and colder. Under the influence of this climate, the Wei army can display a few percent of its combat effectiveness, and it will still be a cruel battle like siege.

"Your Majesty, perhaps this just confirms our conjecture. The Ming army has already had a big gap in food and grass. That's why they retaliated against Luoyang at any cost!"

Guo Jia thought for a while, and said: "They retreated to Hangu Pass before, but they were unwilling to continue to retreat. In fact, they can retreat to Tongguan, which can save more strength. Why is this? It is nothing more than that Hangu Pass is their last The only chance to pass through the grain road from the east of the river!"

They wouldn't have fought so hard if it wasn't for the fact that the Ming army's supplies were in a precarious situation.

"But Luoyang is lost!"

Cao Cao said gloomyly: "How can we stop them from rebuilding the grain road? Once the grain road is rebuilt, we will lose all our advantages!"

"not necessarily!"

Guo Jia sneered: "The grain road has never been so easy to establish. They go north and cross Hanoi to join the Shangdang. Even if they don't go to Chaoge, they go straight north, which is also within our attack range. Although the tiger and leopard cavalry are rebuilt cavalry, they have the least combat effectiveness. In the old days, it will be six or seven, but at this time, as long as we seal the official road, it will be difficult for them to go north!"

"What about the river east?"

"Hedong?" Guo Jia was silent for a while, and said: "There is only one way!"

"any solution?"

"Send a troop directly to fight across the border. There is no need to occupy the east of the river, as long as they can harass the official roads in the east of the river. Even if the Ming army wants to go from the northeast of the river, it will not be so easy!"

"It's a way!"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, and his pupils shone brightly: "Blocking these food roads, Shangdang's Ming army is a lone army. They are going to supply food and grass. They don't need us to attack, and they will fall into the trap of themselves!"

"The key is whether it can be blocked!"

Guo Jia gritted his teeth. He didn't have such confidence in such a thing. Losing Luoyang, there would be more food choices. If they had so much energy, they could already fight the Ming army to the death. Let's see now, who Who can count, if he counts the Ming army's food road, the Ming army will be unlucky, if the Ming army finds a grain road that is not in his consciousness, then the Ming army may get supplies.

"Shangdang in Hanoi arrived at the grain road, handed it over to Xia Houyuan, and ordered him to perform his crimes and meritorious deeds. If a piece of grain was allowed to enter the camp of the Ming army from Shangdang in Hanoi, he would come to see him!"

Cao Cao said coldly: "As for Hedong, I will leave it to Wen Lie to lead the army to block it. Wen Lie is quick-witted and fickle. He should be able to entangle this northward grain road, even if it can't completely block it, as long as half of it is blocked, it will be enough." Make it impossible for the Ming army to come over this winter!"

"That's all!"

Guo Jia nodded.

"As for the others, two things, first!" Cao Cao's fighting spirit became more and more fierce. This battle is already a decisive battle, a decisive battle of life and death. Since he has put life and death aside, there is nothing wrong I'm so scared: "Let the tigers and leopards go to search, with a radius of hundreds of miles, including all the counties in the southern part of Shangdang, all of them will be searched. If you don't check, you will be uneasy. If you find anything that may be the existence of the artillery army of the Ming army, immediately report!"

"Yes!"

"Secondly, the whole army prepares the siege equipment and prepares for the battle at the same time. They are always in the process of preparing for the battle. I am afraid that the Ming army will really be short of food. With the mentality of Mulongtu, they will not wait for death. By then It must be a bloody breakout battle, and he will fight the lonely blood on the battlefield to the end at all costs!"

Cao Cao never thought that he could trap Mujing to death. Even if he besieged but did not attack, it would be Mujing's breakthrough in the end. This battle only depends on whether he is the main attack or whether Mujing is the main attack to break through.

The position between offense and defense is an advantage.

"Yes!"

Guo Jia took the lead.

(End of this chapter)