Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1203 Giving up
After hearing Sima Yi's words, Zhong Yao and Xun You had the same thought: a newborn calf is really not afraid of a tiger.

As counselors, Zhong Yao and Xun You are already among the best in the world and it would be no problem for them to be ranked in the top ten.

But in the past few years, the two have suffered repeated setbacks in their battles with Yuan Xi, and their fighting spirit has gradually been worn out. Later, when the two encountered Yuan Xi's army, their first reaction was no longer to take the initiative to attack, but to make defense and self-protection their top priority.

Especially since Xun You had been with the army for many years, he was beaten so hard that he doubted his life. Zhou Yu, who was even more ferocious than Xun You, still sighed before his death. Not to mention Xun You, who had been abused countless times in battle. He sometimes even wondered if there was no one in the world who could control a ferocious tiger?

But since he was already tied to Cao Cao's boat, Xun You could no longer turn back, so he could only try his best to stabilize the situation. Fortunately, he had Zhong Yao's help, and now with the addition of Sima Yi, his confidence increased sharply.

Especially after hearing what Sima Yi said, Xun You couldn't help but muster up his courage again. The ferocious tiger is also a human being, and humans can make mistakes. And in such a crucial battle, as long as he seizes one mistake of the opponent, it will be enough to change the situation!
Thinking of this, Xun You said in hatred: "Xionghu is now determined to destroy us. We will avenge Miaocai!"

"Although the current situation in Ye City is not good, it has not collapsed yet. We might as well take advantage of the situation and lure the fierce tiger into the trap!"

Zhong Yao pondered and said, "I think so too, but with our current strength, we have more than enough defense but not enough offense."

"The Jin army's siege equipment and crossbow carts are far superior to those of the Wei army. Even if we can lure them into a trap, we don't have enough power to eat them."

Sima Yi said, "Besides the soldiers, the only forces we have are water and fire attacks."

"If we want to attack by water, we can first lead the Jin army to the low-lying areas, and then dig the rivers around Yecheng to flood it. Of course, some of our soldiers may die, but as long as the casualties of the Jin army are greater than ours, everything will be worth it."

These words sounded extremely light when spoken by him. Zhong Yao and Xun You were shocked when they heard them, but at the same time, a thought came to their minds that their men had lost their enterprising spirit because of the ferocious tiger. In the next ten years, Sima Yi would be the backbone of Cao's camp in resisting the Jin army!

Sima Yi continued, "But this method also has weaknesses. It takes too long to prepare for digging a river, and it is easy for people to detect it. Xionghu may not be fooled. In addition, the power of the water attack outside the city is limited, and it will not have the effect of seriously damaging the vitality of the Jin army."

"So I think a better strategy is to attack with fire."

Xun You asked, "Fire attack?"

"Wouldn't that mean more ignition materials would be needed, more troublesome, and easier to be discovered?"

"The Jin army's several fire attacks were all coordinated with their unique rocket kerosene. We don't have these things, do we?"

"Even if there is, is there any suitable place outside the city that can burn the Jin army so hard that it will suffer heavy losses?"

Sima Yi said in a deep voice: "The most suitable place is not outside the city, but under our feet."

Zhong Yao and Xun You reacted immediately and their faces changed.

Burning down Ye City?

This plan is too cruel, it will destroy both sides!

Sima Yi said, "May I ask you two, what is the location of Yecheng?"

Xun You said: "Of course it is extremely important. This is the gateway to Guandong, so..."

Sima Yi said in a deep voice: "I don't think so."

"Yecheng is indeed very important. If it falls into the hands of the enemy, it will pose a great threat."

"But Yecheng is not easy to defend. The surrounding area is mostly plains. The enemy can come and go as they please. Although we can defend in the city, our troops will be forced to stay in the city. This is a common bond between the two sides."

"Moreover, given the current situation, the three directions of Black Mountain, Youzhou and Qingzhou are already the territory of the Jin army. Once we send out our troops, we will encounter enemies on three sides."

"If the Wei army is at a disadvantage, and the Jin army sends troops to cut off the passage from Yecheng to Chang'an in Guanzhong and open up Yanzhou in the south, are we going to be trapped to death if we keep this lonely Yecheng?"

"Since the war began, Weijun has suffered 70,000 to 80,000 casualties, almost twice as many as the Jin army. If it continues like this, it will only be a matter of time before the situation reverses!"

"If Yecheng can no longer play a role in restraining us, it will become a yoke hanging around our necks, dragging us into the quagmire!"

Zhong Yao said in a deep voice: "Zhongda has hit the nail on the head. In your opinion, what should we do to turn the tables?"

Sima Yi said firmly: "Use the internal strife of the Cao family to lure the Jin army to attack, and then choose a suitable time to set fire to the city, turning the main force of the Jin army and this city into ashes!"

"Then retreat to Chang'an, hold the Guanzhong area tightly, and at the same time fortify the city and clear the fields, relocate the population to the wealthy Jingzhou and Yizhou, and create a thousand-mile unmanned belt at the border between the two countries, stretching the supply line of the Jin army and making it difficult for them to advance!" "In this way, the Jin army's only offensive route is to go south to Bingzhou or west to Jingzhou."

"It is not easy for Bingzhou to fight Sili, and we have the Xiliang Army to help us. Gao Gan's several failures have proved this point."

"As for Jingzhou, Liu Bei has become a powerful figure, but we can still use the conflicts in Wu to contain him. As long as we guard the upper reaches of the Han River, with the support of Yizhou, it will be difficult for him to attack the upper reaches from the lower reaches."

"Although these three directions seem to be on the defensive, the pressure they face is incomparable to that of Yecheng. It only takes less than 100,000 troops to stop the Jin army. But if we want to defend Jizhou now, even 200,000 troops won't be enough, right?"

Zhong Yao and Xun You nodded involuntarily, and then Xun You responded, "What about Yuzhou and Yanzhou?"

Sima Yi said in a deep voice: "It's too late to save him."

"I guess if the fierce tigers enter Yanzhou, they will surrender in droves and turn around to attack us. General Le Jin won't be able to hold out for long."

"Although the Wei army has more troops than the Jin army on paper, the strength of the two countries has already reversed."

"If we don't recognize our position, we will be gradually devoured by the Jin army in the future."

"We have to put ourselves in a weak position, prepare for defense first, and then wait for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack to consume the Jin army, so that we can slowly wear them down in the next ten years."

"The advantage of the Jin army is that they have rich trade routes and support a population and soldiers far less than ours, so they can suppress us in terms of logistics. In this case, we can just give those useless people to them. If their population increases several times, can they still maintain their current strength?"

When Zhong Yao and Xun You heard this, their eyes lit up and they said, "Doing the opposite, Zhongda's idea is indeed unique!"

Xun You then hesitated and said, "But Zhongda's plan seems to be quite different from Ming Gong's idea."

Zhong Yao sighed and said, "That's right, my Lord, you probably know that you will die soon, so you want to have a great battle with the fierce tiger."

"For Ming Gong, this is a move to show confidence in his own strength and to fulfill his wish."

"But on the other hand, if he fails to defeat the fierce tiger, no matter who inherits the Cao family, I'm afraid they won't be able to compete head-on with the fierce tiger within three to five years."

"And if all this happens on the battlefield in Jizhou, we may not be able to withdraw. If the Jin army seizes the opportunity to break into Guanzhong, the defense line will collapse completely, and the future of Wei will be ruined."

This was exactly what Sima Yi wanted to express. When he heard Zhong Yao say it for him, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The reason why he was so active was that he sensed the crisis gradually approaching him.

Regardless of Cao Cao's situation, Sima Yi found that his current situation was neither good nor bad, which was quite embarrassing.

Although he was highly valued, his official position was still that of a military advisor without any private soldiers.

If he said that he was not valued, he had now squeezed into the core circle of the Yingchuan faction. Zhong Yao and Xun You, as the leaders of the Yingchuan faction, were already the top circle of Cao Wei officials. Sima Yi even believed that Zhong Yao and Xun You's current strength was unshakable and they might be suspected and guarded against by Cao Cao.

The reason why he could squeeze into this small circle now was naturally not only because of his talent, but also because of the token of allegiance he made to Zhong Yao a few days ago.

Handing over his family's private soldiers to Zhong Yao, which could be considered treason in a big way, was a big gamble for Sima Yi, but he judged that Zhong Yao and he were tied together, so he dared to make the bet, and he won!
Moreover, Sima Yi's appetite was far from that. Although Sima Fang was from Yingchuan, the Sima family was from Henei, which invisibly made Cao Cao less wary.

Therefore, if Sima Yi can achieve great achievements in a short period of time, he can rely on his military merits to enter the upper class, move between the Cao and Xiahou factions and the Yingchuan faction, serve as a link between the two sides, and become an indispensable force in the court!
This is Sima Yi’s real thought. He is actually the same as Cao Cao. He trusts no one except himself.

Either you don't leave the mountain, or after leaving the mountain, climb up with all your might until you reach a position where no one can threaten you, only then can you live well.

Sima Yi hated the feeling of having his fate controlled by others, so he was eager to increase his strength and gain enough power to protect himself or even go further!

Now he is closely tied to Zhong Yao and Xun You. Sima Yi believes that these two people are actually quite similar to himself. They are unwilling to have their fate controlled by others. Although they are loyal to Cao Cao, they are also loyal to their own lives.

Cao Cao's health is now deteriorating. He must not place all his hopes on Cao Cao. Only the Wei Kingdom after Cao Cao's death is the place for him to show his talents!

Sima Yi even secretly hoped that it would be better if Cao Cao died at this time!
Of course, Sima Yi would never rebel openly, so he came up with a plan to burn down Yecheng. By then, Cao Cao would have to be transferred to Xudu in advance. With his sick and weak body, he would have to travel thousands of miles, and he might not be able to hold on before he even gets to the destination!

Sima Yi didn't know whether Zhong Yao and Xun You would guess his thoughts, but it didn't matter. If Cao Cao's era was going to end sooner or later, it would be better for him to give up the throne early so that Sima Yi could usher in his own era!

(End of this chapter)