Chapter 363: Intercepting the Food Road
The war in the Central Plains paused for a while, but it was not completely over.
The three armies sent by Tian Ze confronted the allied forces in various states, forcing Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Sun Ce to return for support, but the fighting in Gaotang and Taishan Mountain areas did not stop.
Liu Bei took on the task of stopping Zhao Yun's troops alone. Relying on the help of many famous generals under his command and the three princes who stayed behind, he blocked the already exhausted Zhao Yun's troops north of the Ji River.
Zang Ba and Yuan Shu faced off against each other in the Taishan mountain range.
He was isolated and helpless. Although he had stored a lot of food and grass, it could not sustain him for half a year. Seeing that Zhao Yun's troops were unable to transport food and grass, he could not help but feel anxious.
"How are the counties down there?"
Seeing the scout returning, Zang Ba asked hurriedly.
"General, the people in the counties and villages near Mount Tai have basically been relocated by Cao's army, and even the grain fields in various places have been cleared out."
When Zang Ba heard this, the last glimmer of hope in his heart was extinguished and he let out a long sigh.
"Xiahou Yuanrang, what a character!"
This time, Zang Ba was tricked by Xiahou Dun, his defeated general.
Although Xiahou Dun's record in frontal combat is very poor, it must be said that his abilities are very comprehensive, especially when he is in charge of one side.
As early as when he was hunting down Zang Ba, Xiahou Dun had the foresight to start preparing in advance for the relocation of people in the counties and villages around Mount Tai.
While everyone's attention was focused on the war near Gaotang and Zang Ba was busy consolidating the defenses within the Taishan Mountains, Xiahou Dun had already quietly completed his plan of clearing the countryside.
Relying on his prestige in the army, as well as his outstanding internal affairs and dispatching abilities, Zang Ba was unable to react.
Now that we know about this, it's too late.
As an expert in mountain warfare and robbery, Zang Ba knew best the viciousness of this move.
To him, the threat was no less than that of an army of 100,000.
If you want to take root in the Taishan Mountains, besides food and grass, the most important thing is the people's hearts.
Without the support of the surrounding people, Zang Ba's army was like water without a source and a tree without roots, and the threat was greatly reduced.
If they want to replenish their troops and food, they can only rely on Tian Ze's unilateral assistance.
This move really hit Zang Ba's weak spot.
"Yuanzhi, how is the Weilu Army's suppression of bandits going?"
His best skill of winning over bandits was completely crushed by Yuan Shu's talent, and a large-scale attack would not be worth the cost. Zang Ba was considering a surprise attack with a small group of elite troops he had trained.
These elite troops are the "fake" military soul corps trained by Zang Ba. They are extremely powerful and are best at sneak attacks and suppressing bandits.
In the current situation, Zang Ba can only hope to rely on them to break the impasse.
Xu Shu sighed softly.
"It's not very effective."
"Although the suppression of the bandits was smooth and without much loss, Yuan Shu became defensive after suffering two losses."
"The food in those mountain strongholds is less than half a month's supply, and they have set up many traps and self-destruct devices. Even if we capture them, the food we harvest will be very little."
For the first time, Xu Shu deeply understood what it meant that seeing is believing and hearing is false.
He used to think that Yuan Shu was a waste who was incapable of anything. He just had a good family background but his abilities were extremely poor. He was a complete blood bag for all the princes.
Such a huge foundation was destroyed by myself.
However, now that they were actually facing each other, he realized.
It’s not that Yuan Shu is too weak, but he is too weak compared to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others.
No one who can become famous is simple. Yuan Shu, who he never took seriously in the past, now makes him feel helpless.
Yuan Shu's method was simple, but he couldn't break it at all.
These bandits are scattered around, their fighting power is extremely weak, but they are as difficult to deal with as leeches attached to the bone.
Attacking will not be worth the cost.
Without attacking, this group of people pressed forward step by step.
Because of Yuan Shu's talent, these bandits trembled and dared not move under the pressure of their large army, but no one evacuated or surrendered.
It's really disgusting.
"Have you found where Yuan Shu is?" Zang Ba asked.
"Found it. It's near Dongping Mausoleum. The other party has no hidden plans." Xu Shu sighed.
Zang Ba narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It seems like he has us in his grasp."
"When Yuan Shao retreats, he will most likely leave an elite force near Dongping Mausoleum. This is a blatant trap," said Xu Shu.
Zang Ba was silent after hearing this, and then asked: "Yuanzhi, do you have any good ideas to break the deadlock?"
Xu Shu pondered for a moment, then said decisively: "Robbery!"
"The bandits in the Taishan Mountains are not suitable for conquest, but these people are stationed nearby, so they must be mobilized from the rear for food and grass. We will disperse our forces and rob their food supply routes, which may alleviate some of the pressure on food and grass."
After hearing what Xu Shu said, Zang Ba said, "But I'm afraid that if we do this, there will be a lot of casualties. Once the troops are dispersed, it will give Yuan Gonglu an opportunity to take advantage of it, which will play into his hands."
Xu Shu smiled faintly: "So we have to choose a good place."
"Xuan Gao, don't forget that our greatest advantage lies in the mobility of our soldiers."
"In this mountain range, Yuan Shu's army is far slower than us in climbing over obstacles. We can use guerrilla harassment to have fun with Yuan Shu."
Xu Shu was also disgusted by Yuan Shu's method, so he simply came up with this way to disgust the other party in return.
Even if you, Yuan Gonglu, have extraordinary charm, you can make these bandits unwilling to surrender and be determined to be our enemy.
But these bandits have to eat too.
"In this way, even if we cannot intercept much food and grass, we can break Yuan Gonglu's step-by-step pressing and nibbling strategy and gain space for our army to move."
"But I'm afraid the food problem will still be difficult to solve." Zang Ba said.
He had thought of Xu Shu's trick before, but it could not solve their most critical food problem.
"In addition to intercepting the food supply of Yuan Shu's army, we can also intercept the food supply of Liu Bei's army." Xu Shu said quietly.
"At this moment, Liu Xuande is confronting Zilong. Although he is on guard against us, he does not have much energy."
"As long as Zilong can hold back Liu Xuande and buy us some space, we will have a chance to intercept Liu Bei's army's food supply route."
Xu Shu saw it very clearly.
Liu Bei's staying certainly solved the most troublesome problems for Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and other princes and restricted their development.
But Liu Bei is a guest army!
The army could not provide the food and fodder it needed by itself, and had to rely on Yuan Shao or Cao Cao to send troops for support.
The Taishan Mountain Range is very large and has many branches. Although it is a little far from where Liu Bei is currently stationed, there is always a chance to control some important routes for transporting food and fodder.
Not to mention intercepting a large amount of food and grass, at least it can give Liu Bei a headache.
They still have half a year's worth of food and grass, but what about Liu Bei?
(End of this chapter)
