Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 212 Surprise Attack on Baima Ford, Liu Bei Joins Forces with Cao Cao (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
Inside Puyang City.

Upon receiving the news, the newly appointed Prefect of Dongjun, Shen Pei, rose in shock and repeatedly demanded, "Liyang City has been burned down? How is that possible? Where is Chunyu Qiong? Where did Chunyu Qiong go?"

The scout shook his head, unsure.

"Damn it! It must be that good-for-nothing Chunyu Qiong who was careless and gave the thieves an opportunity." Shen Pei slammed his fist on the table, completely forgetting that he had also been deceived by Min Chun in Hanoi.

Both are defeated generals; elder brother, don't speak ill of the second brother.

"I heard some time ago that the General marched his troops to Liyang and drove Liu Bei away at Shequan. Now that Liyang has been burned, either the General has been defeated and returned to Ye City, or something has happened in Ye City and the General has no choice but to return to his camp."

"Regardless of the reason, it will be difficult for the General to head south in the short term."

Chen Gong analyzed the situation with concern and then drew new conclusions.

"Lord Shen, beware of Cao Cao's surprise attack on Puyang!"

Chen Gong was from a powerful family in Dongjun, while Shen Pei was from a powerful family in Weijun. The two came from similar backgrounds, and Shen Pei did not underestimate Chen Gong's analysis like Qiao Mao did.

After thinking it over for a while, Shen Pei agreed with Chen Gong's analysis, saying, "Liu Bei personally came to Hebei and appointed Cao Cao as the governor of Yanzhou, which must be because he believed that Cao Cao was capable of competing with us. Cao Cao has a lot of troops in Yanzhou. If we only defend and do not attack, we will surely lose if we hold out for too long."

Chen Gong suggested, "Why not send soldiers and able-bodied people to seize the grain first, and then fortify the walls and clear the fields? As long as Cao Cao cannot obtain grain in Dongjun, he will eventually run out of food and retreat."

Shen Pei nodded and said, "Gongtai's words are very good. We should implement them immediately before Cao Cao makes any move. I will also send a message to Ju Shou and Tian Feng later to arrange for them to cooperate in the defense."

Compared to Qiao Mao, Li Zan, and Bao Xin, who each had their own agendas, Shen Pei, Ju Shou, and Tian Feng were all powerful clans in Hebei and were now allies, making them more harmonious with each other.

Dingtao.

Cao Cao showed Guo Jia his plan to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun, saying, "Sun Tzu's Art of War says that a skilled commander does not register troops twice, nor does he take provisions for three years. He takes provisions from the state and from the enemy, so his army's food supply is sufficient."

"Although the Imperial Uncle's annihilation of the powerful bandits in the three prefectures has resulted in a large stockpile of grain in the treasury, a large number of laborers are needed to transport the grain to the Eastern Prefecture. If there are too many laborers, it will be difficult to achieve the effect of a surprise attack."

"Therefore, I intend to directly lead a light force into Dongjun, take Dongjun's grain for military use, and use the people of Dongjun as laborers. Fengxiao, do you think this is feasible?"

With the grain left behind by Liu Bei after he wiped out the bandits in the three counties, Cao Cao had fed the Qingzhou soldiers quite well over the past few months, and the elite soldiers of the Trapped Camp had plenty of meat to eat.

With a strong and well-equipped army, Cao Cao was naturally no longer content with merely governing the country.

South of the Yellow River, Yuan Shao deployed a large number of troops in Yanjin, Baimajin, Puyang, Fanxian, Shouzhang, and Dong'e. Cao Cao intended to defeat and annex these troops.

"One cannot allow others to sleep soundly beside one's bed." As the governor of Yanzhou, how could he allow Yuan Shao's troops to seize the city of Yanzhou and its ferry crossings?
"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. If we want to lead troops into Dongjun, we need to launch a surprise attack." Guo Jia only pondered for a moment before agreeing with Cao Cao's plan and added, "Puyang is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Yanjin and Baimajin are just fortified strongholds. We can launch a surprise attack when the generals of the two places are not on guard, and then lure the troops of Puyang out of the city. Dongjun can also be obtained."

Cao Cao was overjoyed.

Whenever Cao Cao discussed matters with Guo Jia, Guo Jia could always accurately grasp the direction Cao Cao wanted to know and provide the solutions Cao Cao desired, which made Cao Cao feel more and more like a confidant to Guo Jia.

"Those who know someone are filial piety!"

After confirming the plan to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun with Guo Jia, Cao Cao no longer hesitated and quickly mobilized troops deployed in Chenliu, Jiyin, and Shanyang, selecting light troops to enter Dongjun.

Cao Cao set his sights on Yan Liang at Baima Ford.

Cao Cao was unaware of Shen Pei's military skills, but he was very clear about Yan Liang's ability to lead troops.

He was just a relatively capable retainer under Yuan Shao, and he had been leading troops for no more than two years. How much skill could he possibly have?

Whether it's personal martial prowess or leading troops into battle, it all takes time to hone.

With time, you'll naturally become skilled through practice.

Cao Cao is now increasingly acknowledging Liu Bei's strict demands on his soldiers when he was in the Western Garden Army.

When Liu Bei was in the Western Garden Army, he issued a military training order: except for the captains of each battalion who needed to report for duty, all soldiers in each battalion were required to participate in training according to the training schedule of the military camp. They were to get up and practice martial arts at dawn, eat and read at dawn, practice riding and archery at 9 am, eat and read at noon, practice swordsmanship and spear fighting at 1 pm, eat and read at 3 pm, practice endurance at 5 pm, and go to sleep to recharge at 7 pm.

Cao Cao initially thought Liu Bei was deliberately targeting him, but over time he realized that Liu Bei was targeting everyone, not just Cao Cao.

In the past few months, after Cao Cao had sufficient food and supplies, he trained the Qingzhou soldiers and subconsciously replicated Liu Bei's training orders for the Xiyuan Army in the Qingzhou soldiers.

After a few months, Cao Cao found that the Qingzhou soldiers were becoming easier to manage.

The most important thing in leading troops into battle is to ensure that orders are obeyed without question.

Liu Bei's training orders were designed to train his soldiers' obedience day after day.

Compared to the former Xiyuan Army, the promotion of simplified characters made it much easier for Qingzhou soldiers to learn to read and write.

With more people becoming literate, more soldiers were able to listen to Cao Cao's reasoning, and the number of disturbances to the people decreased.

Cao Cao also adopted the military system of Liu Bei's generals, including deputy clerks, deputy clerks, and deputy clerks, and applied it to the Qingzhou soldiers, which made the cohesion of the Qingzhou soldiers stronger day by day.

The higher the cohesion and obedience of the Qingzhou soldiers, the more easily Cao Cao could use them, and the more certain he became that Yan Liang, despite leading troops for the past two years, was just an mediocre general.

Cao Cao did not believe that Yan Liang could command troops effectively.

Even if a retainer who has never led troops has led troops for two years, how much skill can he possibly have?
To be on the safe side.

Cao Cao selected 5,000 elite Qingzhou soldiers and personally led fierce generals such as Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian, Li Jin, and Li Qian as the vanguard. They rushed to Baima and deployed the Trapped Camp east of Baima City to block the reinforcements from Puyang.

The troops in the rear were gradually brought in by Cao Xiu, Guo Jia, and others.

As one of Yuan Shao's trusted retainers, Yan Liang was able to command troops, but not because he was particularly skilled in military command. Besides his personal bravery, he was more focused on loyalty to Yuan Shao, unlike Zhang He, Shen Pei, and others who were powerful figures in Ji Province who each led their own private armies.

For Yuan Shao, Yan Liang was like Liu Bei's Lingyan Army Colonel or Cao Cao's Xiahou clan—a loyal and loyal confidant who would never betray him.

When Yuan Shao was in the Western Garden Army, he often mentioned "Yan Liang and Wen Chou" to show his favor.

As one of Yuan Shao's most trusted generals, Yan Liang also actively trained and commanded troops for Yuan Shao.

However, the methods of training and commanding troops are neither like village brawls nor gang fights; they require a set of rules and regulations.

Cao Ren, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, and others under Cao Cao all enjoyed wielding swords and spears, and before following Cao Cao, they had hundreds or even thousands of henchmen.

Even so, after following Cao Cao, they still had to learn from him how to train and command troops, transforming rural brawls and gang fights into structured military training and command.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others under Liu Bei also followed Liu Bei in diligently studying both literature and military skills every day. They then led their soldiers in studying literature and military skills, honing their skills through a great deal of time and effort, until they had mastered the art of training and commanding troops.

This is also the core reason why Liu Bei's Lingyan Army was often able to defeat many enemies with few troops. Anything can become an art if you persist in it to the extreme, and the same is true for training and commanding troops.

Although Yan Liang was also very proactive, he was neither as knowledgeable nor as hardworking as Liu Bei and Cao Cao, and his soldiers did not undergo high-intensity training.

Liu Bei and Cao Cao could use large quantities of grain for the Lingyan Army and Qingzhou soldiers, while Yuan Shao could not use large quantities of grain for Yan Liang.

Powerful figures like Shen Pei, both civil and military, prioritized training their own private armies and detachments, and wouldn't grant Yuan Shao priority simply because he was their lord. Yan Liang, too, could only train his troops as much as possible with the limited resources provided by Yuan Shao.

September mornings are often foggy.

Looking at the fog that was obscuring his vision, Yan Liang felt somewhat irritated.

A few days ago, because Liyang City was burned down, Shen Pei issued a military order to Yan Liang to guard the camp carefully and guard against sneak attacks.

Being assigned a new commander had already made Yan Liang uneasy, and the foggy weather only exacerbated his irritability.

"He only has some influence in Wei Commandery. How can that compare to my loyalty to the General? Once the General wipes out Liu Bei and Cao Cao, Shen Pei will be eliminated sooner or later."

Yan Liang vented his dissatisfaction indignantly.

As the fog gradually dissipated, Yan Liang's agitated mood also eased considerably.

After his routine inspection of the camp, Yan Liang turned his attention to Hebei.

"Chunyu Qiong is truly useless. He has followed our lord for so many years, yet he couldn't even hold onto Liyang. If I were in Liyang, would Liu Bei have succeeded?"

"Liu Bei is arrogant and domineering in Hebei, which is really infuriating. It's a pity that I have to guard Baimajin, otherwise I would definitely go back and fight Liu Bei."

"I don't see how much better Shen Pei, the governor of Dongjun, is than Qiao Mao. He only knows how to defend and doesn't dare to use his troops against Cao Cao. The best defense is offense. Instead of guarding against Cao Cao's sneak attacks, we should directly attack Cao Cao."

"Alas, with these idiots in power, my great ambitions are thwarted."

The thought of continuing to be under Shen Pei's command made Yan Liang even more agitated.

"Report!"

"Reporting to the general, a force of troops with unidentified flags is heading towards Baimajin."

Upon hearing the scout's report, Yan Liang instantly became excited.

Cao Cao really dared to launch a sneak attack!
"Issue my order: assemble and form ranks, and follow me out of the camp to attack the enemy!"

Although Shen Pei's military order was to guard the camp carefully, Yan Liang had no intention of just being a coward.

Since they had anticipated Cao Cao's sneak attack and even discovered Cao Cao's sneak attacking troops, how could they not launch a counterattack against Cao Cao?
Having assembled 5,000 elite troops, Yan Liang ordered his deputy to guard the camp, and then marched menacingly towards Cao Cao.

Yan Liang had barely left the camp when Cao Cao's scouts discovered his whereabouts.

"Yan Liang, even now that he's a general, is still as impatient as ever," Cao Cao couldn't help but chuckle.

Cao Cao originally planned to launch a surprise attack on Baimajin at night. However, he also learned from an old farmer that there would be heavy fog in the next few days. So, Cao Cao deliberately pretended to launch a surprise attack on Baimajin under the cover of fog.

In reality, they deliberately let Yan Liang's scouts discover their whereabouts, inducing Yan Liang to take the initiative to attack.

The difficulty of launching an attack on Yan Liang's fortified camp versus waiting for Yan Liang to abandon his advantageous terrain and launch an attack is vastly different.

Cao Cao was originally wondering if Yan Liang's impetuous nature would change after he became a general and led troops in the past two years. He was also wondering how to lure Yan Liang out of the camp if Yan Liang did not fall for the trap. As a result, Yan Liang led his troops out to fight.

Yan Liang offered to die, and Cao Cao naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.

The troops were directly divided into three groups.

Two groups were lying in ambush on the left and right, while Cao Cao personally led one group, pretending to be tired and resting on the spot.

Discovering that Cao Cao was "unprepared," Yan Liang became even more excited and led his army to charge.

"Yan Liang is here! Cao Cao, surrender now!"

Yan Liang shouted loudly at Cao Cao, and seeing Cao Cao panic and flee on horseback, Yan Liang was even more pleased with himself.

"Don't let Cao Cao get away!"

"Pass on my military order: whoever captures Cao Cao will be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold!"

As one of Yuan Shao's most trusted generals, Yan Liang knew very well how much Yuan Shao hated Cao Cao. If he could capture Cao Cao alive and bring him back to Ye City, it would be a great achievement.

Yan Liang did not question why Cao Cao was so panicked.

It wasn't that Yan Liang wanted to underestimate Cao Cao, but rather that Cao Cao had no outstanding military achievements to date.

Without Liu Bei, Cao Cao would have been trapped in Xiaopei.

Even with Liu Bei, Cao Cao only managed to seize Mount Tai after Kong Zhou's death, then went to Beihai Kingdom to defeat Kong Rong and recruit the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou.

Yan Liang didn't even consider the achievements of defeating Kong Zhou and Kong Rong, or the surrender of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou.

Although it seems that Cao Cao now occupies most of Yanzhou, Chenliu, Jiyin, and Shanyang were all conquered by Liu Bei and handed over to Cao Cao, not by Cao Cao himself.

This is why Yan Liang looked down on Shen Pei for only defending and not attacking.

The opponent isn't Liu Bei, so what is there to fear?
Therefore, when Yan Liang learned that Cao Cao was coming to launch a sneak attack, he did not consider that Cao Cao was using a trick; and when he saw Cao Cao in a panic, he did not consider that Cao Cao was using a trick.

He only managed to establish himself in Yanzhou by chance thanks to Liu Bei, so how could he know how to use troops?
Just as Yan Liang was about to catch up with Cao Cao, suddenly the sound of drums rose from both sides of the road. Cao Ren, Cao Chun, and Cao Hong were on the left, while Li Dian, Li Qian, and Li Jin were on the right, directly splitting Yan Liang's troops into two groups.

Cao Cao, who was originally in a panic, returned with Xiahou Yuan and Cao Xiu to fight back.

"Yan Liang, you've fallen into their trap!"

A burst of laughter erupted, a mockery of Yan Liang's arrogance and carelessness.

Yan Liang was both ashamed and furious, and hurriedly ordered his men to break through the encirclement.

With the big fish in the net, Cao Cao wouldn't hold back against Yan Liang.

Although the Qingzhou soldiers, who had undergone several months of intensive training, could not be considered battle-hardened elites, they were excellent at obeying orders. If Cao Cao ordered the Qingzhou soldiers to go east, they would not go west.

Although Yan Liang was brave, his troops were not as obedient as the Qingzhou soldiers. In addition, they were ambushed, and panic began to spread, and soon chaos ensued.

Watching Yan Liang charge left and right, Cao Cao felt a pang of regret: "If any of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, Dian Wei, or Huang Zhong were here, I would surely have been able to kill Yan Liang today!"

The plan succeeded, but they couldn't kill Yan Liang. They could only watch helplessly as Yan Liang broke through the encirclement and escaped. This regret of not being able to achieve complete success made Cao Cao increasingly envious of Liu Bei's generals.

Meanwhile, in the direction of Suanzao, Cao Cao's long-cherished targets, Lü Bu, Dian Wei, and Huang Zhong, were now lying low and heading towards Yanjin.

Cao Cao wanted to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun, and Liu Bei also wanted to launch a surprise attack on Dongjun.

Liu Bei was not being arrogant by taking only a battalion of Lingyan Army to provoke Yuan Shao; rather, he was looking for an opportunity to attack Yanzhou again!
(End of this chapter)