The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 226 Good medicine tastes bitter
Cao Hong perked up immediately upon hearing this.

"Sir, do you already have a plan to defeat Guan Yu?"

Jia Kui shook his head and said:
"As I just said, the opportunity to defeat Guan Yu has been lost."

"However, although we cannot defeat Guan Yu, we can still hinder Guan Yu from supporting Liu Bei in taking Guanzhong, and even force Liu Bei to rescue Guan Yu, making it difficult for him to exert his strength in the north!"

Seeing that Cao Hong and Cao Tai both seemed to understand, Jia Kui continued:
"Let's take the Battle of Kunyang as an example again."

"Since the general is familiar with the military tactics of this battle, do you know why Wang Yi, the general of the Xin Dynasty, lost hundreds of thousands of troops at the Battle of Kunyang?"

If this question were asked during the Han Dynasty, there would only be one answer:
Emperor Guangwu, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was appointed by Heaven and ruled to relieve the people and punish the guilty. He was always victorious.

But now that we are in the era of the Great Wei, Cao Hong naturally has no need to utter such "correct" nonsense.

After a moment's thought, he said:
"Because Wang Yi ignored Yan You's advice and insisted on taking Kunyang first to establish his authority, he missed the opportunity to provide relief?"

Jia Kui slowly nodded and analyzed:
"Why did Wang Yi lose his mind like this? Two hundred years have passed, and it is really hard for people today to figure it out."

"But Yan You's suggestion actually revealed the truth about the Wanluo Passage."

“Kunyang and Yexian were not originally large cities, and Chu Fangcheng was not an impenetrable Great Wall.”

"As long as we divide our forces to lock down the small towns along the way, the main army can enter Fangcheng directly and head straight for Wancheng!"

"That was exactly Yan You's plan back then!"

Cao Tai, who was standing nearby, heard this and his eyes lit up. He immediately started counting on his fingers:

"This time, I brought more than 10,000 soldiers from Yuzhou with Lord Jia. If we recruit more laborers later, we will have 20,000."

"And the elite central army under my uncle's command, including Xiahou Zhongquan's, numbered around 30,000. With the addition of auxiliary troops, the total number reached 100,000."

"On the other hand, Guan Yu and Mi Wei's troops have been fighting for more than half a year, and their number of soldiers who can fight is less than 30,000. The so-called 'righteous army' is just a bunch of remnants and ugly people, and is not worth mentioning."

Even if we take all the factors into account, our numerical advantage still remains with us, and we have more than enough forces to divide our troops and blockade the city!

As the former commander, Cao Hong was naturally more familiar with the troop numbers of both sides than Cao Tai.

But instead of getting excited, he frowned and said:

"Even if I send my entire army straight to Wancheng, what then? We'll still have to obediently attack the fortified city and let Guan Yu wear down our morale bit by bit."

"Besides, I don't think that Mi Wei is a fool. If this drags on, he might be able to get out of the predicament."

"Once the siege is lifted, I will worry that they will cut off my retreat and I will repeat the mistakes of Xiahou Boren (Xiahou Shang)!"

Jia Kui let out a soft "ha" and praised:
"General, you truly are a veteran! This is precisely the key to the second half of my medicine!"

"My half-dose of medicine aims to avoid fortified cities and protracted battles, seeking only a swift victory!"

"Specifically, the infantry will be sent to block the city, while elite cavalry will raid the enemy's rear. If the enemy is strong, we will retreat; if the enemy is weak, we will pursue. Then we will burn their granaries, plunder their soldiers, and destroy their fields, making it difficult for them to manage Nanyang in peace. Their military supplies will be cut off, and their military strength will be unable to grow. That's all!"

Cao Hong was immediately dumbfounded.

After a long pause, he said:

"Isn't this the same tactic that the Qiang and Hu tribes have used to invade the border regions year after year?"

"We must learn the tactics of the Bianhu!" Jia Kui readily admitted.

"Nanyang will be irretrievable within a few years."

"Since I cannot have it, I would rather destroy it than let Guan Yu easily annex it and use the land to support his army."

"Given the combined financial resources of the Central Plains, if both sides were to wear each other down for several years, Guan Yu would be unable to continue, while we still have the resources. He will inevitably have to seek help from Yizhou."

"If this can be achieved, then the general and I will have lived up to the expectations of the court!"

Cao Hong suddenly realized the truth.

However, the thought that this tactic essentially avoids the enemy's regular army and targets civilians in the rear inevitably makes one wary.

It was not some woman's kindness.

To be honest, this brutal but absolutely effective tactic actually aligns with Cao Hong's military logic throughout his life.

It's all about the victor taking all, and the loser being condemned. Aggression is like a raging fire.

In the first half of his life, he followed Cao Cao in battles. How many cities did he massacre?
But didn't this reflect on the practice of using any means necessary to achieve military victory after Cao Pi's reforms?

Wasn't there a certain emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty who considered himself a wise and benevolent ruler?

Will such perverse actions offend the emperor?

Seeing his hesitation, Jia Kui knew exactly what he was thinking and said:
"If the general is worried that this plan will lose the hearts of the people of Nanyang, I think there is no need to worry."

"Because regardless of whether we use this plan or not, Liu Bei and Guan Yu currently have more popular support among the people in Nanyang. Even if I suffer a loss, how much can I really lose?"

"Is there anything more worrying than losing Guanzhong?"

Hearing this "what's the use of trying" attitude, Cao Hong finally felt relieved.

Yes, now that things have come to this point, rather than being led by the nose by the enemy, we should return to the tactics we know best and make full use of the advantages of cavalry.

As for the future costs... only the victors need to consider the costs.

Cao Hong: "Since we no longer need to worry about public opinion, let's go all the way and simply follow the old system to strictly investigate the escapees from local military and civilian settlements."

“Those who flee will be executed, and their entire families will be implicated.”

"Any official who fails to investigate, examine, or report will be punished, ranging from a fine to execution in the marketplace!"

Now it was Jia Kui's turn to be dumbfounded.

Because the civilian settlements in Yingchuan were all under his jurisdiction as the governor of Yuzhou.

This drastic medicine will destroy most of the reputation he has built up over half his life.

But he was the one who came up with the idea, and he understands the reasoning behind it.

So, slightly taken aback, he nodded solemnly:

"Good medicine tastes bitter, but for the sake of the king, I am willing to take it with the general!"

……

"Master Zhong, what a skillful man! From this day forward, I fear your achievements will overshadow your lord!"

Upon entering the Grand Commandant's residence, Xu Shu preemptively spoke before anyone else could.

Zhong Yao, beaming with joy, was not offended.

"Yuanzhi truly lives up to his reputation as the chief of the censors; with just one sentence, he has me, a mere ten thousand bushels of grain, firmly in his grasp!"

Some people on either side did not understand his meaning.

Xu Shu took the initiative to explain on Zhong Yao's behalf:
"Yang Wenxian, who always regarded himself as one of the Three Dukes of the Han Dynasty, refused to be employed by the court."

"Now, by recruiting scholars for the dynasty, it may seem that only one person has been recruited, but in reality, it is telling the whole world that the Han dynasty is coming to an end. Even the Yang family of Hongnong, who have held high office for four generations, will have to serve the dynasty in the future. Then I ask you, how many people will still dare to call themselves Han scholars in the future?"

"Zhong Gong's feat of using a pretext to attack Guo far surpasses that of the other officials!"

Then he said to Zhong Yao:
"This humble official was merely joking! Lord Zhong followed the established procedures and wholeheartedly served His Majesty's needs. How could he be someone whose merits overshadowed the emperor? He is clearly a loyal and virtuous official!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yaodao pointed to Xu Shu's chest and said:

"If it weren't for that last flattering remark, I would have believed that this small place was filled with sincerity!"

Xu Shu chuckled and said:
"How can you say he's not sincere! He's clearly trying to curry favor with Lord Zhong!"

Zhong Yao burst into laughter.

Others secretly despised it, but dared not show it.

Afterwards, everyone chatted for a while, which was actually just a variety of ways of flattering each other.

Zhong Yao, after indulging in self-admiration, remembered he had important matters to attend to, so he called Xu Shu aside and asked mysteriously:
"Yuanzhi has a past relationship with Liu Bei and Guan Yu, but I wonder if he has any way to communicate with Wancheng in private?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shu was stunned and broke out in a cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)