Riding and cutting the imperial pirates of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 606 The Boat of Friendship Is About to Capsize
Because Xun Yu and Cheng Yu were important ministers, and they often followed Cao Cao to inspect the various armies, so although this Du Bo's military rank was not high, he was already familiar with both of them.

At this time, Cao Cao finally finished reading the military newspaper, raised his head and asked Uncle Du: "I remember the last military newspaper from Shouchun, saying that on the day of Wang Zheng's wedding, thousands of soldiers and horses left the city in Shouchun. Said to go to Xuzhou for garrison rotation."

"Now it seems that he went to the bank of the Yangtze River and is planning to attack Wu County?"

"It should be so."

Before Uncle Du could answer, Cheng Yu who was on the side stroked his beard and said, "It's less than half a month since Wang Zheng's wedding, and Qu'e, an important town in Wu County, has already fallen. It can be seen that this man has been prepared for a long time."

"Hey, speaking of Qu'a's fall, it's no wonder that Cheng Pu underestimated the enemy and was careless. Who would have thought that Wang Zhenghui would be so deliberate? Not only did he choose to send troops at the end of the cold winter months, but he also used marriage to confuse the eyes and ears of the world. Seeking out their surprises, attacking their unpreparedness, I am afraid that what this means may not be just Wu County."

"Mr. Cheng is right."

Uncle Nadu showed admiration on his face, "It is true that there is a military situation in Danyang, Captain Li also guessed that the Yellow Turban bandits are very likely to split into two groups, intending to take down the second Jiangyou County in one fell swoop!"

"If that's the case, there must be a lot of troops dispatched by Wang Zheng this time." Xun Yu's soft and melodious voice sounded, "I'm afraid not only Shouchun, but also troops from Xiapi and Guangling."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, and asked the Dubo a few other words, all about the situation in Jiangdong, and he had a general understanding, "But there is still something important to report?"

Uncle Nadu hesitated for a moment, before hesitating to speak, "There is nothing important, but when the villain was waiting in Shouchun, he heard a rumor in the market, which was quite strange."

It is said that it is a rumor, but the authenticity has not been verified, so naturally it will not be mentioned in the military newspaper, but Cao Cao became interested in Dubo's attitude, leaning forward and asking: "What rumor?"

"It is said that this rumor came from a group of boat passengers going back and forth between the two sides of the Yangtze River."

Na Dubo said: "It is said that before Qu'a, the Dan disciples in Linjiang were first attacked by a group of bandits, and some people recognized that these bandits were disguised as the Jizhou army in Linzi."

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the hall was moved. Cao Cao was the first to react, and laughed, "It is indeed a rumor in the market, it is extremely nonsensical!"

"Although there are many powerful generals under Benchu's command, the Hebei Sitingzhu ranks first. As a result, first Wen Chou died in Kaiyang, and then Gao Lan changed his family. It can be said that Wang Zheng directly lost half of them. This is known to all. The enmity is so deep, there must be a battle sooner or later, and before the victory is decided, how did the Jizhou army appear in the hinterland behind the Xuzhou army?"

While laughing, he waved his hand casually, "You wait a long time to deliver the letter, the journey has been tiring, so let's go and have a rest earlier."

"No." Uncle Nadu bowed to accept the order, calmed down, and carefully stepped back out the door.

Until the opponent's back completely disappeared, Cao Cao's smile faded away, his eyes flickered sharply, he looked around and said in a deep voice, "What do you think about this?"

Cheng Yu said: "Businessmen's words are not enough to be trusted." Xun Yu said: "There may be a reason for nothing. After careful consideration, we will make a decision."

Cao Cao nodded slightly, his eyes fell on Sima Yi again, and he asked calmly, "Where is Zhongda?"

Sima Yi thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I think this is very possible."

"Oh?"

Cao Cao glanced at Sima Yi with great interest, "Then let's talk about your own opinions and listen to them."

Xun Yu and Cheng Yu also showed attention at the same time, wanting to see why Sima Yi said this.

"Yes."

Sima Yi calmly said: "I have been puzzled before, why Wang Zheng will use troops again at this time, we must know that the Jiangdong land is important, but it is indispensable now, and in terms of its current situation, it is impossible to defend against the enemy. The most important thing is to open up borders, this move is extremely unwise, I just suddenly realized it today, but this son has a plan in his mind."

Hearing this, Xun Yu was silent and fell into deep thought. Cao Cao's eyes lit up, obviously understanding the meaning of Sima Yi's words. Cheng Yu glanced at Sima Yi and asked in a deep voice: "Zhong Why did Da make such a judgment?"

Sima Yi smiled slightly, and looked at Cheng Yu, "I would like to ask Cheng Gong first, is this raid on Jiangdong the first time Wang Zheng has used troops since last year?"

"Fight the North Sea, aid Yuzhou, fight against Sun Ce, and destroy Yuan Shu." Cheng Yu thought for a moment and said, "It should be the fifth time."

"That's right, there are five wars alone, and there are also battles like rushing to help Mount Tai in the middle."

Sima Yi said: "From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, there is no time to fight, and the day does not stop. The cost is more than tens of thousands. Wouldn't the soldiers be exhausted? Some elite troops may rely on their military exploits, and continue to march forward bravely under the stimulation of heavy rewards. Ordinary soldiers have long been exhausted, not only tired of fighting, but afraid of fighting."

"Even outsiders can see this matter, how can Wang Zheng not know? So there must be three principles for attacking Jiangdong this time."

"What principle?"

"On the one hand, there will not be too many soldiers and horses, and the general soldiers will be demoralized and demoralized. It will not be beneficial but harmful to go into battle; second, we must fight fast and perform beheading in order to achieve a quick battle. Taking advantage of Wujun and Danyang The other counties haven't reacted yet, so they don't have time to help. First, take down the two counties directly, and then slowly pacify other recalcitrant forces. What."

"Since the troops are insufficient, even if they are full of battles, once they cannot quickly occupy the two counties of Danyang and Wu County, it is not appropriate to stay for a long time. They must withdraw immediately, otherwise they will fall into a situation where supplies cannot continue and the army will go deep."

"If the result is really like this, not only will there be no gains for the teachers, but the elite will be damaged, and the myth of being victorious in all battles before Wang Zheng will be wiped out in an instant!"

Speaking of this, Sima Yi paused, looked around, and said in a deep voice: "So Wang Zheng's use of troops against Jiangdong at this time is actually very risky, so why is he so urgent?"

"It should be known that Wujun and Danyang are not as rich as Jiujiang. The remnants of Sun Ce and Danyang Shanyue are also suffering from ringworm and scabies. It is difficult to deal with it. It doesn't make much difference whether it is solved sooner or later. You can rest for a while and wait until after the spring plowing , and then mobilize tens of thousands of horses to look eastward, then there will be a tendency to overwhelm Mount Tai, and there will be victory without defeat!"

Cheng Yu was silent for a while, then nodded slowly: "What Zhong Da said is not unreasonable, so why did Wang Zheng want to attack Jiangdong so eagerly?"

"There is only one possibility."

Sima Yi said: "Wang Zheng will launch a large-scale battle this year. In this battle, Yangzhou will become the launching point of the offensive, so he is eager to defeat Cheng Pu and Shanyue, so as to eliminate possible variables in advance."

Speaking of this, the three present all understood what Sima Yi said before.

Whether Jiangdong is important or not depends on Wangzheng's strategic plan, and Wangzheng's strategic plan depends on its situation.

In terms of the situation, last year in the Great Han Dynasty, the situation of the two princes, one from the south and the other from the north, changed drastically. Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan, while Wang Zheng defeated Sun Ce and Yuan Shu.

At this time, it can be said that the two of them have become the biggest targets in each other's eyes, so any next actions of Jizhou Army and Xuzhou Army will naturally consider the other's reaction.

It is impossible for Yuan Shao not to care whether Wang Zheng will go south or north, and whether Yuan Shao will lead his army to go east and attack Xuzhou from Qingzhou, Wang Zheng must also be very concerned, including other princes in the world. , or will they temporarily form a confrontation, and then conduct a decisive battle after each develops to a unified half?

If Wang Zheng is planning to go north, or Yuan Shao is planning to go east, then the focus of the troops of both sides will only be in the central part of Xuzhou. If this is the case, Jiangdong will not be so important.

Needless to say, bandits in places like Shanyue, Cheng Pu, on the one hand, did not have much ability to counterattack, and on the other hand, if he counterattacked, he had to cross Guangling or Jiujiang first, so he could not directly affect the situation of the two heroes hunting.

But if Wang Zheng planned to go south, it would be very different.

Because Yangzhou will become the focus of troops stationed, commanding the front line of the war, under the changing situation, the importance of Wujun and Danyang has been greatly advanced, and Wang Zheng may think that it is too close, which is a bit of an eyesore!
Xun Yu pondered for a while, then nodded slowly: "What Zhong Da said is true, my lord, I am afraid that Yuan Shao and Wang Zheng have secretly reached a tacit understanding, and even made a covenant. Let's make preparations in the morning."

If the Xuzhou army wants to go south, it is not up to Wang Zheng alone, and Yuan Shao needs to nod and cooperate. How to cooperate?Naturally, Wang Zheng was convinced that Yuan Shao would not use force against Xuzhou this year, so that he would have no worries.

So if Yuan Shao doesn't look eastward, where will he use force next?Needless to say.

Cao Cao remained silent, and suddenly with a mocking smile on his face, he shook his head and sighed, "It's easy before it's difficult, and it's difficult before it's easy. The world knows who is stronger and weaker between Wang Zheng and I, but Yuan Shao wants to make it easy before it's difficult." , based on this alone, we can know that he has no foresight, and it is difficult to become a great weapon!"

Although this statement is Cao Cao's personal opinion, and may even be emotional, it is not without reason.

In most of the previous dynasties of the celestial dynasty, most of the situations were divided by a group of heroes, each adopting a strategy of far-reaching and short-term attack, and gradually evolved to a trio of powerful ones. This is true in the late Han, late Tang, and even the late Yuan.

Among the three, the end of the Han Dynasty is quite special, because the strength of Wei State far exceeds the other two powers, and there is basically no distinction between "difficult and easy". However, Zhao Kuangyin, who ended the Five Dynasties, and Zhu Yuanzhang, who ended the end of the Yuan Dynasty, just chose completely differently. One is to choose the easy first and then the difficult, and the other is to choose the difficult first and then the easy.

When Zhu Yuanzhang stood out from the crowd and was qualified to compete, he asked the officials about the strategy of who to attack first, because he was located between Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang was to the north of him, and Zhang Shicheng was to the south of him, so he had to go first immediately. Solve one of them and escape the dilemma of survival.

As for who to fight first among the two, all civil and military officials agreed after discussion that we should pick a soft persimmon, fight well first, and then attack difficult ones when they become stronger. Therefore, they all felt that it would be safer to fight Zhang Shicheng first. .

Only counselor Liu Jili rejected all opinions: "Scholars sincerely guard the captives by themselves, and there is nothing to worry about. You forgive the hostage, the name is not right, the land is high-ranking, and his heart is always forgetting himself. It is better to plan it first. The Chen family is destroyed, and the Zhang family is powerful. Gu, one action can be settled. Then go north to the Central Plains, and the king's career can be accomplished."

Liu Ji's suggestion was to start with the difficult and then the easy. After defeating Chen Youliang, the others were no problem, but at that time Chen Youliang was still stronger than Zhu Yuanzhang. Let Zhu Yuanzhang directly meet the final boss at this time. The chances of winning are not great. So what is Liu Ji's reason?

As long as Chen Youliang is defeated, on the one hand, he can strengthen his momentum, and on the other hand, he can intimidate Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youding and others so that they will not dare to act rashly.

And if Zhang Shicheng was beaten first, even if they were finished, Zhu Yuanzhang's strength would be greatly depleted. At that time, let alone attack Chen Youliang proactively, it would be difficult for him to protect himself.

Liu Ji's analysis was from a strategic point of view, and what he said was reasonable, but someone raised objections: "What if Zhang Shicheng participates in the battle with Chen Youliang?"

It was precisely this doubt that made Zhu Yuanzhang make up his mind and decided to fight Chen Youliang first. He made the same decision as Liu Ji, but the reason was different: "Youliang is arrogant, and Shicheng is small."

This is a human and military analysis.

Zhijiao likes to make trouble, but a small weapon has no long-term plans. Zhu Yuanzhang means that if we fight Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng will only choose to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, but if we fight Zhang Shicheng first, Chen Youliang will definitely come to make trouble. All we want to keep In single-line combat, you must first fight Chen Youliang!

The final facts also proved that Zhu Yuanzhang's choice of difficult before easy was extremely correct. He not only defeated Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and others, but also sent his troops northward to expel the Tartars, and finally unified the world.

However, Zhao Kuangyin's strategy in the Northern Song Dynasty was completely opposite. He chose to go south first and then north, easy first and difficult later.

In Cao Cao's eyes, Yuan Shao chose to attack him first because he had no foresight. Why?

Yanzhou is certainly closer to you, but the problem is that Wang Zheng has more soldiers and horses than me, and his strength is stronger than me, so it is obviously more threatening!
The key is that these were achieved in just two or three years by that scorpion. How long will it take you to defeat me?How long will it take to recuperate after the fight?
Add it up, at least a year, right?

It means to let that scorpion continue to develop for another year? Take Jingzhou while you and I are at war?

Yuan Benchu, you have such a big heart!

The matter has come to this point, it is useless to think too much, after another warm greeting to Yuan Shao's female relatives, Cao Cao rubbed his eyebrows, and asked in a deep voice: "If Yuan Shao goes west, let's talk about it."

"When will he send troops, how many soldiers and horses will he use, and what should be the attack route?"

Everyone was silent and lost in thought, and the hall fell into a silence that could hear a needle drop for a while.

After a while, Xun Yu was the first to speak out: "Yuan Shao's new acquisition of Youzhou is not yet stable, and it will take time to digest it. And no matter whether the Jizhou army takes over from the east or the west, at least it must be confirmed that Gongsun Du's position in Liaodong is friendly. If you are not an enemy, you can send troops with confidence."

"Based on this calculation, it will take at least half a year. According to Yichen's estimation, if he wants to start a quarrel, it will most likely be in late summer and early autumn."

(End of this chapter)