Chapter 299: Attack him and save him
It is located in the south of Luoyang, only two days’ march away.
When Liu Bei learned that Cao Cao was defeated and retreated to Mengjin Ferry, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Cao Mengde is too greedy. If he had not taken such a risk, he could have just cut off Zhang He's food supply and the battle would have been won."
Pang Tong heard this and shook his head: "It's not that Cao Mengde is greedy, lord, but the situation forces him to do so."
"The gap in strength between Tian Ze and us is too big. Cao Mengde naturally wants to take a big gamble and make it a final decision, so as not to be hindered by him in the future."
As embarrassing as Yuan Shao's position was before, Cao Cao's position is just as embarrassing now.
Being on the front line against "Tian", there is no room for development.
According to Tianze's background, simply defeating any one of them would be of little significance to Cao Cao. Only by completely destroying these two legions can Cao Cao be given room to develop.
Moreover, Cao Cao didn't want to confront Tian Ze head-on.
Otherwise, even if he could win, the loss of nearly 200,000 troops would be a disaster for Cao Cao.
You know, Yuan Shao and Liu Bei still have their strength at this time!
"It's not easy to form a truly close alliance." Liu Bei shook his head after hearing Pang Tong's words.
"In fact, the Central Plains is not suitable for defending. Even its development does not have much advantage nowadays. It is like chicken ribs." Pang Tong said.
"The reason why Tian Chengshou was unwilling to attack the Central Plains was probably because he wanted to use it to delay Cao Cao and Yuan Shao."
"If it weren't for these two territories, the two of them would have gone all out and gone to Jiangdong or Guanzhong, and the situation would have been much better."
"It's a pity that the Central Plains is such a fertile land, who would be willing to give it up?"
After the trip to Youzhou, Pang Tong gained a lot and had a clearer and more thorough understanding of the situation in the world.
The reason why Tian Chengshou chose to attack Guanzhong instead of the Central Plains was largely because the Central Plains had no strategic locations to defend and was not a place worth defending.
Imprisoning Yuan Shao and Cao Cao here does not pose much threat and is easier to deal with than letting them flee to other places.
Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were not unaware of this, but they could not voluntarily abandon the noble families and the common people under their rule. They could only wait to die in the Central Plains and be slowly bled out.
"Henei Prefecture of Sili, Dong Prefecture of Yanzhou, Pingyuan Prefecture of Qingzhou, and Le'an Prefecture. Most of these prefectures and counties around the Yellow River have been cleared by Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and the population has been moved south, forming a large uninhabited area."
"This way, we can prevent Tianze from plundering the population and also make the logistical pressure on Tianze to march southward much greater."
"This is a brilliant move. But unfortunately, they will be eroded step by step by Tian Chengshou, because they have no ability to counterattack, while Tian Chengshou has sufficient military strength." Pang Tong sighed.
"If you migrate, you will be eaten away step by step. If you don't migrate, you will be plundered. If you take risks, you will most likely fail miserably. If you don't take risks, you will have no chance of winning at all."
"Tian Chengshou's way of employing troops seems moderate, but in fact it is simple and ingenious, and it is almost a sure-fire way to win." Kuai Liang said in a deep voice.
"Is there really no way to break the impasse?" Liu Bei murmured.
Pang Tong, Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue were silent for a long time.
"If the two pillars of the empire and the three heroes of the early Han Dynasty were reborn, there might be a possibility of breaking the impasse. Otherwise, we can only drag it out and wait for Tian Chengshou to defeat himself." Pang Tong said.
It’s not that he wants to boost others’ morale, but he really doesn’t see any possibility of winning for the time being.
In the Battle of Qinshui, Cao Cao almost used all his means, but even so, Zhang He's army did not reveal any flaws.
Although it seemed like it was being eaten away and divided bit by bit, it was actually not a loss for Zhang He's troops.
As long as he didn't make any obvious mistakes, even if he only had 30,000 troops left, Zhang He could maintain a situation where both sides would suffer losses in the face of Cao Cao's frontal attack.
But for Cao Cao, this meant he had already lost.
"Cao Mengde provoked and teased him in every possible way, but Zhang Junyi remained as steady as a rock and did not show any flaws. Even when he was attacked by water, he was still able to react quickly and form a defensive formation."
"It shows that Tian Zejun is extremely prudent and has reduced the possibility of making big mistakes to a very low level."
"It's hard to take advantage of your combat power, and you can't make any outstanding moves. You can only strike back, but it's very stable." Kuai Yue said. After following Liu Bei, he realized that the world is so big and full of wonders.
He had never heard of such a fighting style of the army under Tian Chengshou, and he had never found such a style in any of the history books.
Or, those who do this are fools, the grass in front of the grave is already three feet high.
But it was precisely by relying on this "stupid" tactic that all the heroes in the world surrendered to him.
From the Battle of Hebei to the present, every time a war breaks out, Tian Chengshou seems to be led by the nose, and his civil and military officials are teased like fools.
However, in the end, it was found that they were the ones who were dancing happily, but they were also the ones who lost in the end.
All kinds of fancy tactics were used to make Tian Zejun confused, and when the fight started, he was helpless.
"Now is not the time to discuss Tian Chengshou's strength. What we should consider is how to fight the next battle." Yi Ji interrupted as he listened to the three people's analysis.
"This time we are heading north with only a hundred thousand troops, of which there are only over thirty thousand veteran soldiers who are fully armored and capable of fighting." Pang Tong took a deep breath.
"If it's a field battle, if it really comes to that, we may not even be able to defeat the 30,000 Tianze troops."
"And what we are facing is Zhang Liao's army of 100,000 men!"
"So, we must not engage in direct combat."
"Zhang Liao has surrounded Luoyang. What should we do if we don't engage in a head-on battle? Can we lure Zhang Liao out?" Kuai Yue asked with a headache.
He didn't know how much food and grass there were in Luoyang City, but he knew it would not last long.
Zhang Liao knew this better than them, so as long as he didn't move, he would win the battle.
Judging from Zhang Liao's past style, he is calm and steady in using troops, and can definitely hold himself back and will not pay any attention to any of their tricks.
"If you can't lure them out, then attack where they must be rescued!"
……
Under the city of Luoyang, Zhang Liao was quietly playing chess with Guo Jia, in a good mood.
After the grain supply line of Xiaopingjin Ferry was cut off, Zhang Liao sent 20,000 troops to provide cover. Although it did not play any role, it did a good job in protecting the grain route in the rear.
Zhang Liao was very clear about the current situation, so even though Liu Bei's army was close at hand, he did not move at all.
As long as we delay for another month and ensure the logistics are not compromised, Luoyang will surely fall!
Guo Jia was a little depressed at this time.
If he had known this earlier, he would have switched positions with Xun You.
Xun You had at least fought with Cao Cao before, but he was extremely bored.
The trouble with being too strong is that there is no room for him to perform.
A chess piece fell casually, ending the game. Guo Jia stretched himself and waved his hand, saying, "No more, no more."
Although Zhang Liao's chess skills were pretty good, the gap between him and him was too big. Even if he gave him a few pieces, it was still difficult for him to win.
Zhang Liao looked at the chessboard and sighed, "The military advisor's chess skills are truly unpredictable. Every move he makes is beyond my expectations."
Guo Jia snorted: "No matter how much you praise me, I won't give up even one more piece."
Just kidding, even though he is a good chess player, he will definitely lose if he gives too many handicaps.
Just like in combat, when the difference in strength reaches a certain level, even with a thousand tricks one cannot break the deadlock.
(End of this chapter)
