Chapter 365 Yuan Shu's Enlightenment
The situation on Yuan Shao's side is even worse than that of Cao Cao.
He was more inclined to fight with a large army, and when his forces had to be dispersed to deal with Zang Ba's and Gan Ning's forces, he simply could not spare enough troops to suppress Guan Yu.
Guan Yu's talent and character meant that if he could not be suppressed, he would inevitably be suppressed.
Unsurprisingly, they were defeated by Guan Yu and had no choice but to defend themselves.
The two sides engaged in a long standoff and tug-of-war around Tai County on the north side of Dongping Mausoleum.
Xu Huang also took the opportunity to cross the Yellow River and arrived between Zhao Yun's troops and Guan Yu's troops, ready to provide support at any time.
Under such circumstances, Zhao Yun's troops naturally began to follow Xu Shu's plan without any scruples and cut off Liu Bei's army's food supply.
"My lord, our situation is not good."
In Liu Bei's military camp, after receiving the news that the grain route was repeatedly harassed, Pang Tong said with a serious expression.
Although there were still a sparse amount of food and grass being delivered, and even enough to barely sustain Liu Bei's army, Pang Tong had already sensed the sinister intention behind it.
"Tian Chengshou was killing people with a blunt knife."
"Whether it's us, Cao Cao, or Yuan Shao, we're all being bled without a murmur."
Staring at the several armies around him on the map, Pang Tong fiercely pointed at the location of Pingyin City.
"Moreover, we are in greater danger than them and have been surrounded by the enemy."
"Although Tian Ze hasn't taken action yet, if this continues, the net will get tighter and tighter. We will be like fish caught in the net, and will slowly lose our chance of survival."
"We must break out before this big net closes in."
Pang Tong had never expected the situation to deteriorate so quickly.
Tian Ze had obviously made many preparations long ago and calculated every choice they would make.
No matter how they struggle, as long as they still don't give up Zang Ba as the bait, they will fall into the trap.
But Zang Ba's threat was too great, and they were unwilling to give up.
As a result, Tian Ze completed their plan without them making any noise, leading to the current extremely embarrassing situation.
"Now, Tian Ze doesn't want to start a full-scale war, he just wants to consume our energy," Kuai Liang added.
"As long as we don't start a full-scale war and the stalemate continues, Tian Ze will definitely win."
This was the first time that Kuai Liang participated in a war of this level, and he really gained a lot of experience.
There is actually such a way to fight a war.
You can win without fighting.
Fighting a war has become an economic matter. Even if you win, you may still lose.
Winning or losing seems to have become less important at this moment.
Tactical victory is so insignificant compared to strategic failure.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei also understood his current situation.
"That is to say, we have already lost since Zang Ba entered the Taishan Mountains." Liu Bei said.
Although he was very reluctant, Pang Tong still nodded.
"We were negligent."
"I always thought that Tian Ze's strategic direction was Xiliang, and he would not take action against the Central Plains so early."
"Although Tian Ze didn't do anything, he planted a big nail in the Central Plains. We were careless in guarding against it, which led to the current embarrassing situation."
"The moment we allowed Zang Ba to enter the Taishan Mountains, we were already trapped."
At this moment Pang Tong completely understood Tian Ze's plan. It was a complete trap.
Unless they have the strength to break through the triangular defense line of Zhao Yun, Tian Ze and Xu Huang, there is no possibility of winning this battle.
However, they did not even have the strength to break through Zhao Yun's first line of defense, so their defeat was only to be expected.
Liu Bei stared blankly in the direction of Mount Tai.
In this battle, it was the terrain of the Taishan Mountains that activated the entire battle situation and achieved Tian Ze's layout. Although the full-scale war did not start, Liu Bei was very clear about the significance of this battle.
Now they have completely lost the initiative. Even if they cease fire, the huge losses will greatly reduce their combat capability next year.
The original plan to join forces to break the deadlock when Yu Tianze attacked Xiliang has now become much less likely.
They lost, badly.
I don't even understand now how I lost.
"Is the Mandate of Heaven really not with the Han? Even Mount Tai..." Liu Bei was extremely confused at this time.
But his strong will quickly helped him get rid of the random thoughts in his mind.
"In that case, then withdraw your troops."
Realizing that the situation was hopeless, Liu Bei stopped struggling.
He has experienced too many failures.
It’s not scary to lose, you can just win again.
As long as you are alive, there is hope.
In the past, Emperor Gaozu only occupied the land of Bashu, but he was still able to reverse the situation, defeat Xiang Yu and take over the world.
Now that he controls the land of Jingzhou, it may be possible for him to change his fate.
"promise!"
After hearing Liu Bei's words, Pang Tong breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time he couldn't help but admire him.
Being able to afford to lose and not afraid of losing is Liu Bei’s most valuable quality.
Faced with the current situation, Liu Bei did not make a meaningless struggle, but evacuated decisively, which was undoubtedly the best choice.
Naturally, the actions of Liu Bei's army could not be concealed from Zhao Yun and Zang Ba's troops, who had been paying close attention to them.
However, when Zang Ba was preparing to take action, he suddenly discovered that Yuan Shu had led his troops to surround his camp at some point.
Zang Ba was shocked when he saw Yuan Shu's army surrounding him silently.
"Yuan Gonglu's move really gave us a warning!"
Xu Shu nodded slightly.
I thought Yuan Shu was only good at gathering bandits, but I never thought he had such tricks.
If the other party suddenly did this when they were sending out their troops, I'm afraid they would suffer considerable losses.
"In this case, we have no choice but to let Liu Bei go." Zang Ba said somewhat unwillingly.
What a great opportunity!
If Liu Bei could be trapped, Jingzhou would inevitably lead to disputes among the princes of the world again, and the situation would be more favorable for Tian Ze.
"Yuan Gonglu's timing was perfect and he was also very decisive." Xu Shu said in a deep voice.
At this time, Yuan Shu was thousands of miles away. He looked at the information in his hand calmly and continued to drink his honey water.
"My lord, isn't it too easy for Zang Xuangao to stop him like this? If we launch a surprise attack while he's attacking..."
Hearing what his bandit general said, Yuan Shu glanced at him indifferently.
The terrifying power immediately silenced him.
"Can the soldiers under your command defeat the elite troops under Zang Xuangao? Even if they can, can you afford it?" Yuan Shu said disdainfully.
After the previous failure, he had a clearer understanding of the abilities of these bandits under his command, and also knew more clearly what combat method was most suitable for him.
Fighting with Zang Ba, no matter winning or losing, it would be a loss for him.
The best choice is not to fight, forcing Zang Ba not to move, and suppressing Zang Ba's development, which would be a success for him.
Now, Yuan Shu was no less capable than Yuan Shao and others in judging the situation. In fact, because he was a bystander, he had a clearer view of the situation.
(End of this chapter)
