Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

In the direction of Tan County, Wei Yan and Pang Tong had just arrived and were trying to attack the city twice, trying to find flaws in Tan County's defenses, but they hadn't really taken action yet.

The order to Wei Yan and Pang Tong to retreat quickly was delivered to Wei Yan and Pang Tong, making Wei Yan and Pang Tong, who had been prepared to fight to the death to capture Tan County, feel like wilted eggplants.

"What bad luck! What bad luck!! How could that thief Cao be so vulnerable?!"

Wei Yan walked back and forth in the big tent cursing, and he felt as if he had just taken off his pants and was reminded of the clock.

"Time waits for me!"

Pang Tong sighed, his ugly face full of bitterness.

Tan County was right in front of them. After a quick march, Pang Tong, who was a student of Li Ji, took the trouble to personally observe the surrounding terrain and troop deployment, and continued to test Tan County day and night.

Later, Pang Tong was drawing up a plan, but before he could implement it, he had to retreat.

Pang Tong, who was young and ugly, reminded helplessly.

"General Wenchang, stop shaking. It's useless to shake anymore. The military order has arrived. Execute it immediately."

"Don't retreat!"

Wei Yan blurted out.

Pang Tong was startled at first, then frowned and asked, "General Wei, are you planning to disobey the teacher's military order?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Wei Yan's rebellious mentality based on unwillingness instantly disappeared. He sat down weakly and said.

"But Tan County is right in front of us! It's right in front of us. If we are given three to five more days, we might be able to capture Tan County. Wouldn't it be a waste of all our efforts if we retreat?"

Pang Tong felt regretful when he heard this, but he was not as regretful as Wei Yan, who was extremely utilitarian.

After coming into contact with Wei Yan, Pang Tong also had a certain understanding of Wei Yan and realized that what Wei Yan really didn't want to give up was the military merit that seemed to be within his grasp.

Once Wei Yan really captured Tan County, it would have a significant impact on the situation on the entire Xuzhou battlefield, and he could even be regarded as the first meritorious service.

How could this not be tempting for Wei Yan, who always openly expressed his "progressive" ideas?

"What else can we do if we don't retreat? The teacher's letter clearly stated that Cao Cao and Cao Hong are likely to withdraw their troops towards Tan County. If we don't leave, I'm afraid the entire army will be in danger of being wiped out." Pang Tong asked in return.

Wei Yan gritted his teeth and said, "But if we capture the city before they return to Tan County and burn all the supplies and money, Cao's army will surely collapse."

Pang Tong, who saw through Wei Yan's thoughts, said bluntly, "General Wen Chang, are you planning to bet the lives of 10,000 soldiers on a possibility?"

"One general's success is the result of the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers..." Wei Yan replied in a deep voice.

"Then the teacher will chop off your head. Even the master can't persuade you. That's what I said."

Pang Tong poured a basin of cold water on Wei Yan without hesitation, which made Wei Yan, who had just had a ferocious look on his face, instantly become obedient.

It would have been fine if no military order had been delivered, but when a military order had already been delivered requiring Wei Yan to retreat, Wei Yan violated the order and continued to attack Tan County, which was undoubtedly a serious crime.

Even if he won, Pang Tong was sure that his teacher would chop off Wei Yan's head with tears.

After all, Pang Tong knew that people at the level of his teacher often did not necessarily care about tactical wins and losses, but would always focus on the overall strategic level. Therefore, even if Wei Yan won by disobeying military orders, it would be a huge hidden danger for Li Ji that might affect the strategic deployment. He would probably kill Wei Yan to enforce military law and prevent others from following suit.

Otherwise, if Wei Yan could disobey military orders and act on his own for the sake of military merit today, who knows, one day there might be Zhao Yan, Qian Yan, or Sun Yan who would dare to lead an isolated army and act recklessly and self-righteously.

Wei Yan was not afraid of others and he truly respected and feared Li Ji. Even though he was filled with resentment, he could only stammer for a long time before grumbling.

"You are teasing me, Lord. When my lord and I were by his side before, he failed to defeat Cao Cao. But after the division of the army, he defeated Cao Cao with his inferior force..."

After a pause, Wei Yan muttered, "Could it be that we are hindering the Marquis from performing his duties?"

Pang Tong didn't have the habit of talking about his mentor behind other people's backs. He glared at Wei Yan unhappily and reminded him again.

"General Wenchang, the retreat should be done sooner rather than later. It should be done more urgently than slowly. Please make arrangements as soon as possible."

Wei Yan left the military tent somewhat reluctantly, feeling unwilling, but he still carried out the arrangements in a swift and decisive manner.

Retreat is often much more dangerous than attack, but Wei Yan had no choice but to be cautious.

After Wei Yan left, Pang Tong picked up the military order sent by Li Ji, which also recorded the battle report in general. Pang Tong couldn't help but feel fascinated when he saw it.

A brave general like Wei Yan might have been puzzled as to why Li Ji failed to win a big victory despite having more troops, but instead defeated Cao Cao quickly with fewer troops. He wondered if this affected Li Ji's performance.

But Pang Tong saw the wisdom of the military strategy of "using the normal to unite and the unusual to win".

When the army had the upper hand, the teacher may not have won a great victory, but he was able to suppress Cao's army with his upright army, and even discovered some flaws in it, intending to expand his advantage by tiring the enemy.

Among them, they seized the fleeting opportunity and destroyed the cavalry in Cao's hands in one fell swoop, thus completely establishing the initiative.

Everything up to this point laid the foundation for the teacher to use a brilliant strategy to defeat Cao's army later.

Precisely because they have the initiative, it is a brilliant plan rather than a risky one. Even if the brilliant plan fails, it will not put the army into a difficult situation and unable to extricate itself. This is very different from Wei Yan's gamble.

At this moment, Pang Tong clearly felt that there was still a gap between himself and his teacher. Perhaps when he also had such ability to achieve a miracle, he would be able to officially become a master.

Therefore, Wei Yan only felt unlucky, but Pang Tong's first feeling was that time was not waiting for him.

There was no one around at the moment, and Pang Tong couldn't help but whispered to Li Ji.

"The teacher is too strong. He doesn't give his students any chance to show their talents..."

The only thing that still puzzled Pang Tong was why his teacher suggested the dangerous strategy of going deep behind enemy lines, and why his lord seemed to have chosen this strategy tacitly.

Even though he now knew that Li Ji had defeated Cao Cao with his brilliant strategy, Pang Tong still felt that there must be a deeper meaning behind it that he was not aware of, otherwise his teacher would not be the type to come up with such a dangerous strategy of exchanging food routes.

However, after thinking for a while, Pang Tong refocused his attention on the withdrawal of troops and planned how to retreat safely.

Otherwise, if Xun Yu was really held back for a while and then surrounded by Cao Cao and Cao Hong who had returned, there would undoubtedly be a risk of the entire army being wiped out.

In addition, Pang Tong was also thinking about how to make proper arrangements when he saw the last sentence in the military order, "Leave scouts in Tan County to investigate the movements of Cao's army." (End of this chapter)