Chapter 328: Win or Lose
The news of the Battle of Shouchun quickly spread throughout the world.
No one was surprised by Yuan Shu's failure.
Although Yuan Shu's level was not bad, he was still a little weak compared with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others, and failure was inevitable.
However, the performance of Yuan Shu and Ji Ling was beyond their imagination.
They were able to rely on Shouchun City to withstand the fierce attack of the four-party alliance. If Ji Ling had not fallen into a trap, they might have been able to hold out for a long time, even until the four princes withdrew their troops.
Such a record is simply astonishing.
"Tsk tsk, Yuan Gonglu is really a troublemaker." Looking at the information handed over by Jia Xu, Tian Ze said speechlessly.
They usually behaved so weakly, but suddenly broke out when being besieged. I guess Yuan Shao and others were also very depressed before this.
"Your Majesty, Yuan Gonglu has now pledged his allegiance to Yuan Benchu," Dong Zhaolue reminded with some concern.
They certainly did not expect Ji Ling’s outburst, but the fact that Yuan Shao accepted Yuan Shu was what worried them the most.
"It seems that they have a clear understanding of the situation. We still have to fight this battle!" Tian Ze shook his head slightly.
He is now like Cao Cao after he occupied Hebei, and his dominance over the world is clear. But unlike Cao Cao at that time, the opponents he faces are all very smart and choose to unite without hesitation.
You know, even when Cao Cao had such an advantage at the time, the princes of the world were still minding their own business, unaware of the crisis at all, as if they were waiting to be recruited.
Xiliang was in disarray, Liu Zhang of Yizhou and Liu Biao of Jingzhou were both guarding their own houses, and even Sun Quan had no intention of ruling the world, but was only concerned with his base in Jiangdong.
Liu Bei, the only one who could see the situation clearly and was unwilling to give up the world, was a dragon swimming in shallow water and had a weak foundation. Although he survived and achieved prosperity later, he was ultimately defeated by the betrayal of his allies.
However, Tian Ze was facing Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, who were ambitious and owned two states, and Liu Bei and Sun Ce, who occupied Jing and Yang and were heroic.
In addition, Liu Fan of Yizhou also appeared to be a wise ruler, and Gongsun Zan of Liangzhou was an extremely powerful warrior.
The most crucial thing is that, except for Gongsun Zan, the other five parties are all far-sighted and rational people who can take into account the overall situation. Instead of fighting each other, they cooperate sincerely.
Even if Tian Ze did not take action now, they were able to remain stable internally and did not have any disputes over Yuan Shu's affairs.
The few conflicts were easily resolved through mutual restraint and compromise.
At this time, Tian Ze was both sad and happy.
The more difficult these people are now, the more reliable they will be in the future.
Leaving Liu Fan aside, the top talents of the other four forces are almost enough to at least replace half a dynasty.
If they were put together, there would be no problem in replacing the four major empires today.
The more extensive the territory he governs, the more clearly Tian Ze can feel the importance of top talents.
There are many talented people in the states and counties, but those who can support an empire and take charge of the center are rare, and each one is a national treasure.
They are the ones who control the empire and are the most indispensable.
Therefore, Tian Ze has been trying his best to save these people's lives.
Even if they have some flaws, as long as they are willing to bow their heads and let a wisp of spiritual energy enter their bodies, Tian Ze is willing to give them a chance.
"Gongren, don't worry too much. The world will definitely belong to your Majesty, it's just a matter of two years earlier or later." Guo Jia smiled nonchalantly.
He had indeed not expected Yuan Shao to be able to do this. The alliance of the five great princes also surprised him.
But it was too late.
If Tian Ze had not yet taken control of Bingzhou and Jizhou and encountered such a situation, there might have been a possibility that these people could have helped him break the impasse.
Now that the general trend has been determined, even if these people are tied together, they cannot change it.
"Now it depends on what choice the five princes will make after Yuan Shu is destroyed." Tian Feng said in a deep voice.
When wisdom reaches a certain level, what matters more than strategy is the confrontation between open and closed conspiracies.
Tian Ze's strategic plan has always been almost transparent, especially now that his strength has been completely exposed.
I will tell you directly where and how I will attack next, and even guess how you will respond, but you can only act according to my arrangements, and be forced into a dead end little by little until you fail.
The alliance of the five major princes will inevitably be to besiege Tianze.
However, the five princes need to make a choice whether to launch a joint attack while the iron is hot or wait for the next opportunity.
"I would rather they attack us now. In this way, although the scale of the battle will be smaller, our chances of success will be much greater," said Cheng Yu.
"How about we provoke them a few times and lure them to attack?" Dong Zhao asked.
Xun You shook his head: "That would be a disadvantage."
"Both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are not easy to deal with. If we take the initiative to attack with a small number of troops, the other side will probably take advantage of the opportunity to defeat us one by one. If we have more troops, we will be in a passive position."
When the combat power and tactics are almost the same, the attacked party will generally have a considerable advantage. Logistical convenience, terrain advantages, etc. will have a significant impact.
Therefore, there have always been many situations in history where many forces stand in a three-way stalemate.
"But if we don't take the initiative to attack, when Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others come, won't we have to attack instead of defend and stop them south of the Yellow River?" Dong Zhao asked.
"It's different." Tian Feng said without hesitation.
"The vast area south of the Yellow River has now been completely depopulated by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and has become a no-man's land. In these areas, our terms are equal to those of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao."
"The Yellow River is not the Yangtze River. The water flow is not fast nor deep. In fact, it is not suitable for naval operations, and there are quite a few ferry crossings." Dong Zhao questioned.
"Yuan Shao and Cao Cao know our concerns and weaknesses best. If I were them, I would definitely send a large number of troops across the river, even if it means heavy casualties, to spread the battlefield to the interior of Jizhou."
"Only in this way can they have a real chance of winning this battle."
A war of this scale is no longer suitable to be judged simply by the outcome of the battle. Instead, we must consider all aspects and sort out the gains and losses.
If Yuan Shao and others want to win, there are only two possible results.
First, they defeated Tian Ze's army with minimal casualties. The casualty ratio must be at least one to five, and even at one to five, Yuan Shao and his men might not be considered the winner.
This possibility can be said to be extremely small, unless the army under Tian Ze's command has huge mistakes and flaws in strategy and tactics.
Second, extend the war to Jizhou.
As long as the war spreads to the people of Jizhou, Yuan Shao and his men will have won half the battle. If they can also plunder some people and money and food, and the loss of military strength is not too great, this battle can be considered a complete victory.
Because only in this situation can the combat power ratio of both sides be narrowed.
(End of this chapter)
