Chapter 494: Attack and Save
For the following period of time, Gan Ning came to harass them almost every day.
After firing the stones and crossbow arrows on the boat from a distance, he turned around and left without stopping at all.
If Zhou Yu sent his navy to pursue, Gan Ning would lead the navy to retreat and attack the pursuing Zhou Yu's navy from a distance.
Relying on the absolute advantage in ship speed and attack range, they defeated Zhou Yu's navy without any resistance.
It’s not that Zhou Yu had not tried to set an ambush, but Gan Ning had learned his lesson too deeply before, so he changed his previous aggressiveness and used his troops with extreme caution.
Not only did they attack only when the weather was clear to avoid being ambushed, but they also always attacked from the sea and never near the shore.
Not only were Zhou Yu's ships slower than theirs, they were also just ordinary warships and not suitable for sailing on the sea.
This set of operations gave Zhou Yu a huge headache. He could not think of a solution for a while, so he had to lead the navy into the waterways inside Qingzhou to take shelter temporarily.
Gan Ning, who had "won a great victory", looked at Zhou Yu's navy which was defeated by him for the first time, and couldn't help feeling greatly relieved.
Finally made a comeback!
Your Majesty is right! As long as the technology is strong and the strength is strong, all conspiracies and tricks are paper tigers.
At this moment, Gan Ning understood.
Although he still attached great importance to strategy and tactics, the importance of technology in Gan Ning's mind suddenly increased.
Compared with Gan Ning's high-spirited spirit, although Zhou Yu was slightly frustrated, he was not too disappointed. He led the navy directly to meet Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.
When they arrived in Anqiu, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were already waiting outside the city.
Looking at Cao and Yuan, who had natural expressions and friendly attitudes, Sun Ce couldn't help but blush slightly.
Cao Cao took the initiative to step forward and grabbed Sun Ce, saying, "Bofu, thank you for coming to help us this time. We will never forget this friendship!"
Sun Ce felt even more ashamed when he heard this: "I am ashamed. I came too late because my rule was unstable."
Yuan Shao laughed heartily and said, "Not too late! You've come at the perfect time! With Bo Fu here, great things will be accomplished!"
"Could it be that Lord Cao and Lord Yuan already have a plan to repel the enemy?" Zhou Yu said with a gleam in his eyes.
Cao Cao smiled slightly, his eyes revealing confidence and determination, and raised his hand to signal everyone to go into the city for further discussion.
The group stepped into Anqiu City, came to the meeting hall, and sat down as host and guest.
The candlelight in the hall flickered, illuminating the faces of the people, some solemn and some expectant.
Cao Cao picked up the teacup, took a sip, and slowly spoke: "Gongjin, the Tianze army is coming with great momentum and strength this time, so we cannot fight them head-on. I'm sure you have also felt this."
Zhou Yu and Sun Ce nodded slightly when they heard this.
After being taught a lesson by Gan Ning, they realized for the first time that the disparity in the number of warships could render their most proud bravery and tactics useless.
The gap in strength between the two sides can no longer be made up by fighting hard, but there is a qualitative difference.
"Whether we face the enemy head-on or fight a race of attrition, we are no match for Tian Zefang. If we want to win, we have to use unconventional tactics, come up with surprising strategies, and take risky moves." Cao Cao said in a deep voice.
"Tian Zefang has sent a large number of troops to Qingzhou to fight against our army, and he has used his troops conservatively and prudently, almost without any flaws. There is only one way to repel the enemy."
"Food and grass." Zhou Yu responded without hesitation.
Yuan Shao nodded solemnly.
"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses will definitely require a huge amount of food reserves. As for the current situation in Qingzhou, Tian Zefang lacks enough stable places to store food, so he will definitely store the food in a centralized location." "We have already found out that Tian Zefang has concentrated the food storage near Duchang County. As long as we take Duchang County by surprise and burn all their food and grass, Tian Ze's army will definitely be in chaos and collapse without a fight."
Zhou Yu nodded slightly after hearing this, but after careful consideration, he confirmed again: "Is this information accurate? If this is just a trap, then..."
Zhou Yu had no choice but to be cautious, as the matter was too important and the risk was too great.
You know, Duchang County can almost be regarded as Tian Zefang's rear base.
If the raid fails, the army that went there might never return.
What he was most worried about was that this was a trap deliberately set by Tian Zefang, and they would be in danger.
Yuan Shao took a deep breath and said, "We have found out that Duchang County does have at least one million dan of grain and fodder, and the garrison has nearly ten thousand people."
Zhou Yu then nodded.
Sun Ce's eyes were burning, his hands were clenched into fists, and he said anxiously: "If we can burn the food and grass of Tianze's army, the situation will definitely turn around. I am willing to personally lead the elite troops of Jiangdong to raid Duchang County!"
After hearing what Sun Ce said, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao felt half relieved and half helpless.
Sun Bofu is Sun Bofu!
"Bofu, you have fewer cavalry under your command. Let the two of us take care of this matter. However, your navy will still be needed for this battle." Cao Cao said in a deep voice.
"Duchang County is close to the river, and part of Gan Xingba's main naval forces are stationed in the Xia Mi area. If they get the news and go to rescue, they can arrive in just one hour. I'm afraid we can't defeat them."
"So, your navy must firmly attract Gan Ning's attention. It would be best if we could draw out his main force so that we can act. And in this way, we don't have to worry about Gan Xingba harassing our rear."
After listening to Cao Cao's arrangement, Sun Ce nodded heavily, his eyes full of determination: "Don't worry, Lord Cao, my Jiangdong navy will definitely live up to your trust!"
Zhou Yu frowned slightly, "Gan Xingba is not the same as before. He is very cautious in leading the army. It may not be easy to lure him out."
Yuan Shao smiled slightly: "So, we must attack where they must rescue."
After saying that, he stretched out his hand and clicked on the location of Liaodong on the map.
"No matter how cautious Gan Xingba is, if you attack Liaodong, he will definitely fight you with all his might, just in case."
Yuan Shao knew his opponent Tian Ze very well and was fully aware of his weaknesses.
Having too much, the most feared thing is a strategy of destroying both oneself and others, and the war will not be allowed to spread to the north at any cost.
Even though they knew that Zhou Yu was most likely just trying to provoke a decisive battle with their side, the possibility of them marching towards Liaodong was not high. After all, their ships were not good enough and they were not familiar with the conditions in the surrounding waters, so the risk was too great.
But as long as there was such a possibility, Gan Ning would not dare to gamble.
Otherwise, even if Gan Ning won, Tian Ze and his many civil officials would still feel resentful.
Zhou Yu would naturally have thought of this trick, but he knew better the disadvantages of doing so.
"If this happens, Gan Xingba will probably go crazy." Zhou Yu said with a grim expression.
He really didn't want to fight Gan Ning so quickly, especially after seeing the new warships under Gan Ning's command.
Zhou Yu didn't believe that Gan Ning, who was able to build this kind of warship, would not make targeted modifications to other warships.
Fighting Gan Ning now is too risky, and even if we win, it would not be worth it as we would have to sacrifice all our navy.
(End of this chapter)
