Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 713 Making a feint to the east and attacking in the west
In this fierce confrontation, Jia Changsheng had another plan in mind. He secretly sent an envoy to rush back to the Sui Empire and conveyed a bold and secret order to the generals who stayed behind: while Yuan Shao's main force was out and Youzhou was empty, attack Youzhou with all your strength.

After receiving the order, the army of the Great Sui Empire took action quickly. Led by Yang Su, an elite army of 200,000 soldiers marched day and night towards Youzhou. Along the way, they avoided Yuan Shao's eyes and ears, marched along hidden paths, and approached Youzhou City quietly.

Yuan Shao left only 50,000 defenders in Youzhou City. Facing the sudden attack of the Sui army, they were immediately thrown into disarray. When the defending general Gao Lan heard the news, he was horrified and quickly climbed up the city wall to check. Outside the city, he saw the camps of the Sui army lined up in an endless stream, with military flags flying, and the soldiers were ready for battle with high morale.

"What should we do? The enemy is coming with great force, and we are outnumbered. I'm afraid we can't defend this city!" said the deputy general beside Gao Lan anxiously.

Gao Lan frowned, thought for a moment and then said, "Send someone to ask the lord for help immediately. We will hold on to the city first. We will hold on as long as we can."

However, Yang Su did not give them much time to delay. He personally went to the front to command and ordered an attack on the city. The catapults of the Sui army took the lead in the attack. Huge stones rained down on Youzhou City, smashing the fortifications on the city wall to pieces. The soldiers hid. Then, the siege vehicles slowly moved forward, hitting the city gate, making a deafening sound.

Although the defenders in the city fought hard, they were gradually overwhelmed by the fierce attack of the Sui army. Seeing that the time was ripe, Yang Su ordered his soldiers to set up ladders and launch a general attack. Suddenly, the Sui soldiers rushed to the city wall like a tide and engaged in fierce close combat with the defenders.

At the same time, the battle in front of Hulao Pass also entered a white-hot stage. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were extremely anxious when they saw that they had been unable to capture the pass for a long time. Yuan Shao personally led the elite troops and charged in front to try to boost morale. Cao Cao commanded from the rear and constantly adjusted tactics.

Jia Changsheng stood on the city wall, watching the enemy's frantic attack, but he was very calm in his heart. He knew that as long as he held on for a while longer, the situation would be reversed when the news came that the Sui army had taken Youzhou.

At this moment, a soldier hurried over and whispered something in Jia Changsheng's ear. Jia Changsheng showed a barely perceptible smile on his face, and he ordered loudly: "Soldiers, the enemy is at the end of its strength, fight back!"

Following Jia Changsheng's order, the gate of Hulao Pass slowly opened, and Zhang Liao and Xu Huang led the elite cavalry and rushed towards the coalition forces like a tiger descending from the mountain. The morale of the coalition soldiers was low due to the long-term attack, and when they saw the defenders in the city counterattack, they immediately became confused. Seeing this, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao hurriedly organized their soldiers to resist, but they were unable to stop the offensive of Jia Changsheng's army.

In Youzhou, after a fierce battle, the Sui army finally broke through the city gate. Yang Su led his soldiers into the city and engaged in street fighting with the defenders. Gao Lan saw that the situation was hopeless and had no choice but to lead the remaining troops to surrender.

When the news of the Sui army's successful occupation of Youzhou came, the coalition forces in front of Hulao Pass were immediately in chaos. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were shocked when they learned about it. They did not expect Jia Changsheng to attack Youzhou from behind. At this time, they were faced with the dilemma of being attacked from both sides, so they had no choice but to order a withdrawal.

Jia Changsheng stood on Hulao Pass, watching the allied forces fleeing in panic, with a lot of emotion in his heart. This confrontation at Hulao Pass not only allowed him to successfully resist the attacks of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, but also allowed him to take Youzhou and further expand his sphere of influence. And his road to hegemony continued to extend forward in these thrilling battles.

At Hulao Pass, the shouts and cries of killing were so deafening that people's eardrums hurt. Cao's army and Yuan's army were like surging tides, attacking the defense line of Hulao Pass again and again, but the towering pass was still as solid as a rock under Jia Changsheng's perseverance. Yuan Shao, wearing heavy armor and riding a vigorous black horse, galloped back and forth in front of the formation, shouting at the top of his lungs, trying to boost the morale of the soldiers: "Soldiers, charge! Break through Hulao Pass, and glory and wealth will be in front of you!" His face was full of anxiety and unwillingness, and sweat mixed with dust slid down his cheeks.

Cao Cao stood on a high ground nearby, frowning, the whip in his hand tapping his boots unconsciously. He looked at the stalemate in front of him, thinking to himself: This Jia Changsheng is indeed a difficult person, Hulao Pass has been unable to be conquered for a long time, and in the long run, it will be extremely disadvantageous to our side. Just as he was thinking, Guo Jia beside him came over and whispered: "My lord, I think it will be difficult to conquer Hulao Pass for a while. Yuan Shao is eager to win, I am afraid that bad things will happen." Cao Cao nodded slightly, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes: "Feng Xiao is right, we must find a way to break the deadlock as soon as possible."

At this moment, a scout from the Yuan army rode his horse in a panic and rushed straight towards Yuan Shao. He pulled the reins in front of him, and the warhorse neighed loudly, with its front hooves raised high. The scout jumped off the horse, his face pale, and shouted in a trembling voice: "It's... It's not good, my lord! The Sui army took advantage of our main force here to attack Youzhou. Youzhou is in danger!"

When Yuan Shao heard this, he was struck by lightning, the color on his face instantly faded, and he swayed and almost fell off his horse. "What did you say? Say it again!" He grabbed the scout by the collar, his eyes wide open, bloodshot, as if he wanted to eat someone.

"The Sui army is attacking Youzhou and is now at the gates of the city. The defending general Gao Lan requests immediate support!" the scout repeated in a tearful voice.

Yuan Shao felt dizzy. Youzhou was one of his bases. If it was lost, the consequences would be disastrous. He was extremely anxious, his mind was in a mess, and he shouted without thinking: "Pass the order, the whole army retreat, go back to rescue Youzhou!"

As soon as the order was issued, the Yuan army camp was thrown into chaos. The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment. Before they could recover from the fierce battle, they were asked to retreat. The generals hurriedly reorganized the troops, but the soldiers were unable to maintain a neat formation in the panic. For a while, people and horses were crowded together, and trampling on each other occurred from time to time.

Cao Cao was stunned when he saw Yuan's army suddenly retreat. He looked at the chaotic Yuan army with a look of astonishment on his face, and quickly sent someone to ask Yuan Shao. After a while, the soldier came back and reported: "My lord, Yuan Shao said that Youzhou was attacked by the Sui army, and he wanted to go back to rescue it, so he retreated first!"

Cao Cao was so angry that his face turned blue, and he threw his whip to the ground fiercely: "This Yuan Shao actually deserted at the critical moment! Now that Hulao Pass has not been taken, what should we do if he retreats?"

Guo Jia sighed helplessly: "My lord, now that Yuan's army has retreated, we can't stand alone. If we continue to attack, I'm afraid Jia Changsheng will counterattack. It's better to retreat first and make long-term plans."

Cao Cao gritted his teeth, feeling unwilling, but he also knew that this was not the time to act on impulse. He suppressed his anger and ordered: "The whole army retreats, pay attention to cover, don't let Jia Changsheng take advantage of the opportunity!" Cao's army began to retreat in an orderly manner, but because of the sudden withdrawal of Yuan's army, their flank was completely exposed. Seeing this, Jia Changsheng at Hulao Pass immediately seized the opportunity and ordered an attack. Zhang Liao and Xu Huang led the elite cavalry, rushing out of the pass like a tiger descending from the mountain, and rushed directly to the rear of Yuan's army and Cao's army.

Yuan Shao's army was only concerned with escaping and had no intention of resisting. They were attacked by Zhang Liao's cavalry and suffered countless casualties. Yuan Shao barely managed to break out of the encirclement under the desperate protection of his personal guards, but his army had already suffered heavy losses and morale was extremely low.

Cao Cao, although Guo Jia had arranged a rear guard in advance, was still held by Jia Changsheng's army. While commanding his soldiers to resist, Cao Cao secretly thanked himself for his emphasis on military training and strict discipline, which prevented him from collapsing like Yuan's army. But even so, Cao's army paid a heavy price in the process of retreat.

When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao each led their defeated troops back to a safe area, both were in a state of disgrace. Yuan Shao was filled with regret. He never expected that Jia Changsheng would actually use this trick behind his back, which not only completely bankrupted his plan to attack Hulao Pass, but also put him in danger of losing Youzhou. Cao Cao was very dissatisfied with Yuan Shao's desertion. He knew that after this battle, the alliance between the two sides was in name only, and the situation in the future would become more complicated.

At this time, Jia Changsheng stood on Hulao Pass, looking at the backs of Yuan and Cao's troops going away, with a satisfied smile on his face. The victory of this battle not only allowed him to successfully defend Hulao Pass, but also weakened the power of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, laying a solid foundation for his next plan.

In the Battle of Hulao Pass, Jia Changsheng successfully repelled the coalition forces of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and took advantage of the situation to have the Sui army harass Youzhou, causing great damage to Yuan Shao. Looking at the messy battlefield below the pass, Jia Changsheng's eyes were not satisfied with this, and he already had a more ambitious plan in his mind - to attack Jingzhou occupied by Yuan Shao.

In the commander's tent at Hulao Pass, candlelight flickered. Jia Changsheng sat in the main seat with a stern look on his face, scanning the civil and military officials who had followed him for many years. "Now that Yuan Shao has just been defeated and morale is low, it's a good time for us to attack." Jia Changsheng's voice was low and powerful, echoing in the tent.

After that, Zhang Liao stood up first, clasped his fists and said, "My lord, although Yuan Shao has been defeated, Jingzhou is strategically located and heavily guarded. We cannot attack rashly. We need to first understand their troop deployment and defensive weaknesses before making any plans."

Jia Changsheng nodded slightly, signaling Zhang Liao to continue. Zhang Liao continued, "I suggest sending elite scouts to sneak into Jingzhou to collect intelligence. At the same time, we should gather troops around Jingzhou and make a feint attack to confuse Yuan Shao and make him unable to figure out our true intentions."

At this time, counselor Guo Jia stroked his beard and smiled: "Wenyuan's words make sense, but to take Jingzhou, military force alone is not enough. Yuan Shao has been operating in Jingzhou for many years and has a deep foundation. Although the people are dissatisfied with him, they are also afraid of him. We can start with public opinion, expose Yuan Shao's evil deeds of levying heavy taxes and oppressing the people in Jingzhou, and make the people lose trust in him. At the same time, publicize our benevolent policies and promise that if the people surrender, taxes will be reduced and production will be restored, so as to win the hearts of the people."

After hearing this, Jia Changsheng's eyes flashed with approval: "Fengxiao's plan is very good. The will of the people is the basis of war. Pass the order down and let the propaganda team take action immediately. Make sure to spread the news among the people of Jingzhou."

Li Dian stood up and added: "My Lord, the strength of the Jingzhou navy should not be underestimated. If we want to attack Jingzhou, we must strengthen our own navy. We can train the navy in the nearby rivers, build warships, and equip them with advanced weapons to meet the challenge of the Jingzhou navy."

Jia Changsheng nodded and said, "Mancheng is right. I'll leave the navy to you. You must build an elite navy in the shortest possible time."

At this time, Man Chong, who was in charge of logistics, stood up and said, "My lord, military operations cannot be separated from the support of food and supplies. If we want to attack Jingzhou, we need to reserve enough food in advance and ensure the smooth transportation routes. At the same time, we need to set up a supply base on the front line to ensure the timely supply of supplies."

Jia Changsheng looked at Man Chong with trust in his eyes: "Bo Ning, the food and supplies are now entirely in your hands. Make sure that there is enough food and that the transportation is safe."

After Man Chong received the order, Xu Huang stood up and said, "My lord, our army's morale is high after the battle at Hulao Pass, but we also need to rest properly. We can select the best soldiers in the army and form a vanguard force to break through the enemy's defense line. The vanguard force must be equipped with the best weapons and the bravest soldiers to play a spearhead role in the battle."

After hearing this, Jia Changsheng's eyes lit up: "Gong Ming, this is a brilliant plan. You will be responsible for selecting soldiers and forming a vanguard force. Make sure to make it an invincible force."

Everyone was talking at once, and the discussion was in full swing. At this time, Xun Yu, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke up: "My lord, in my opinion, in addition to military, public opinion and logistics, we also need to focus on diplomatic strategies. We can send envoys to the forces that have conflicts with Yuan Shao, such as Cao Cao, to communicate with them, make our position clear, and let them remain neutral, or even give us support when necessary. In this way, when we attack Jingzhou, we can reduce external interference."

Jia Changsheng agreed: "What Wen Ruo said is exactly what I want. You will be responsible for arranging this matter and selecting the right envoy to achieve our diplomatic goals."

After a heated discussion, everyone gradually reached a consensus. Jia Changsheng looked at the civil officials and military officers in the tent, and his heart was full of confidence: "Everyone, we are here to discuss today to start the great cause of attacking Jingzhou. As long as we work together, we will be able to conquer Jingzhou and expand our territory."

Everyone shouted in unison: "We are willing to serve our lord and conquer Jingzhou!" The sound made the general's tent buzz, as if foreshadowing that the journey they were about to embark on would be full of hardships, but would surely be glorious.

In the following days, Jia Changsheng carried out his actions in an orderly manner according to the established plan. The scouts disguised themselves and sneaked into Jingzhou, collecting a lot of intelligence about Yuan Shao's army, including troop deployment, food reserves, and characteristics of generals.

(End of this chapter)