In Cao Cao's camp, after the generals returned, they were drunk for a night. Cao Cao was squatting in front of the brazier to warm himself up, as if he was deep in thought.
Actually, he wasn't thinking about it. It was just that he had shouted too loudly during the day, causing his mind to be a little muddled and blank.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have shouted so excitedly. He almost shouted himself silly.
"Big brother!"
Cao Ren walked in happily with a smile on his face.
"Why aren't you going to the banquet? We've already gotten Guan Yu drunk, and he's finally willing to drink with us!”
"He killed Yan Liang, and the soldiers of the three armies admired him very much. They are still praising him now!”
"Hehehe…"
Cao Cao smiled, but he looked up at Cao Ren seriously and said,""Let me ask you, if the enemy attacks the camp now, what should we do?”
"This…"
Cao Ren was stunned." That's impossible, right?"
"What's impossible?"
Cao Cao stared at him coldly," I have taught you a lot of military tactics, but you have never carefully experienced them. You have followed me all these years, but you have only learned a little. How can I hand over the army to you in the future?"”
"When we march, if we are defeated, it is common to attack the camp at night. It is the easiest to attack when the enemy is unprepared. Everyone has times when they underestimate the enemy.”
"Yes! I'll remember it!"
Cao Ren nodded heavily." I'll go to the camp immediately and arrange for the soldiers to be on duty.”
"Alright."
Cao Cao closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.
The two strategists beside him, Xun You and Cheng Yu, were watching from the side as the Lord of Merit copied down the military merits and recorded what he had obtained, so they did not notice Cao Cao.
After a long time, Cao Cao frowned and said in a weak voice,""Sigh, I have a splitting headache. Who can make me a bowl of hot soup?”
"My lord!"
Cheng Yu was the first to hear that. He immediately came back to help Cao Cao up and onto the bed. Then, he revealed a flustered expression." Headache again? 1”
"Yes, go and make a bowl of hot soup.”
"I'll get someone to go now!"
Cheng Yu sighed deeply and turned around to leave the tent. Not long after, Xun You caught up with him and grabbed him." Zhongde, why does my lord have a headache? Did he get injured on the battlefield today and we didn't see it?"”
"Aiya, Gongda…Don't you know about this?”
"My lord's headache isn't really a headache, but because…sigh.”
"Why?"
Xun You's heart trembled, not knowing what Cheng Yu was talking about.
"Yes, although we won this battle, it didn't cause Yuan Shao's army to scatter. It can't be considered a great victory.”
"Moreover, we don't have much rations left.”
Cheng Yu's expression was a little melancholic. Moreover, it seemed that he really had no way to deal with this.
" So that's the real headache…"
Xun You nodded in agreement." If we don't have rations, we can only retreat.”
"That's right. Once the army is withdrawn, it means…that today's victory will be meaningless. It will only be a blow to the morale of the army. However, Yuan Shao naturally has a way to gather his own morale.”
"Sigh, I'll go make soup first."
Cheng Yu sighed and went out. At this moment, the scout soldier returned to the camp and reported the situation in Yuan Camp.
Cao Cao couldn't sit still anymore, his splitting headache seemed to be getting worse, and he sat on his bed in anger.
"How could this be? Why is this happening?"
Cao Cao's expression was extremely ugly.
"I spent so much effort and all of my soldiers were united. It wasn't easy for me to defeat Yuan Shao's army, but it was resolved by him just like that?! Yuan Benchu was indeed Yuan Benchu, he could actually still struggle like this before his death.”
"He should have sufficient rations now, otherwise, it would not be so easy to gather those soldiers. The morale of the army has also been subdued because of this.”
Cao Cao smiled bitterly. He never thought that this would be the result.
Yuan Shao actually drove Liu Bei away and made him bear the crime of betraying the enemy and colluding with the enemy. This was to turn the fear and depression of the soldiers into hatred for Liu Bei.
Although this action was indeed a little shameless, it really stabilized the morale of the army. As a result, this battle would have to be seen for a period of time.
"Sigh."
For a moment, Cao Cao felt his head hurt even more.
However, in the middle of the night.
There was a letter from Xu Zhen from Qingzhou.
Cao Cao immediately got up from his bed.
"When did it arrive?"
Cao Cao shouted. The soldier stopped in his tracks and said in a panic,"Yes, it was delivered when my lord was fighting with Yuan Shao's army. It has been almost three days now.”
"Give it to me!"
"Quick, quick, quick! Run over!"
Cao Cao waved his hand as he extended his hand, instructing the soldiers to quickly place the letter in their hands. At this moment, Cao Ren, the guard outside, also came to inquire.
There were also military advisors Xun You and Cheng Yu.
Because Xi Zhicai was now in charge of the school affairs office, he didn't bring him along.
"Bowen's letter?"
Cao Cao nodded," That's right, Bowen's letter!”
At this moment, his heart was filled with anticipation, but he was also a little worried. He was worried that it was not a plan, but Xu Zhen reporting the military situation in Qingzhou to him. If that was really the case, then there was nothing to be happy about.
It must be a strategy, it must be!
Opening the letter, Cao Cao's eyes were filled with shock. The corners of his mouth curled up as he let out a sigh of relief. A moment later, he laughed loudly.
"Hahaha! Haha!"
"Bo Wen, Bo Wen is really my Han Xin!! He really knows what I want the most right now!! This was great, this was great! Cao Ren!"
"I'm here, my lord. What does this letter say?!”
At this moment, Cao Ren was filled with doubt and curiosity.
"Yes, immediately organize the troops and gather everyone. I need a group of death warriors to attack a place with me!”
"Where?"
Cao Ren asked immediately. He was even more curious now. Was it a plan?!
Or a map?
Or perhaps Xu Zhen had received some accurate news and sent a fighter jet.
At this moment, Cao Cao's eyes were filled with hope of victory.”
He kept muttering as he stared at the letter in his hand. There was a piece of silk cloth in the letter. On the silk cloth, there was a map drawn. This place was called "Crow Nest".
In this life, there was no need for Xu You to submit. Xu Zhen directly informed Cao Cao of the location. In order to not appear so shocking and be regarded as a monster, Xu Zhen specially asked the special forces of the Snowy Dragon Riders to draw a map of Wuchao.
Then, he wrote down the entire plan in the letter. These words became the words that relieved Cao Cao's heart knot. He burned the rations and let Yuan soldiers die without fighting.
"When you see the granary on fire, just charge!”
Cao Cao spoke eloquently and called Xun You over to discuss with him.
"Gongda, think about it. Now that I know the location of the enemy's rations, how many people do you need to send troops?”
"Naturally…the more the better. Even if the sacrifice is huge, we can burn it down. After that, we can defend to the death, and Yuan Dynasty's army will definitely retreat.”
"Not bad!"
At this moment, Cao Cao asked confidently," If you can think of it, I can think of it too. Yuan Shao will definitely think of it too. He will naturally not miss this opportunity. Now that he has just reorganized his army, he will definitely not use it to defend Wuchao.”
"Therefore, he will definitely attack my camp and secure the victory! I want to gather my forces and attack his camp. I will pincer attack from the front and back, occupy Wei County, and attack Li Yang!”
"What do you think?"
Xun You immediately nodded. That's it!"
"Big brother, I'll go give the order now!"
Cao Ren was overjoyed. If he could really defeat Yuan Shao with this, he would be extremely bold. But if he really won, he would be extremely charming.
"But my lord!"
At this moment, Xun You stopped Cao Ren," It's not that I don't trust Bowen, but this is an important mission. If we can make such a crucial decision with just a letter from him, isn't it a little too hasty?”
Cao Cao stood up with his hands behind his back. He puffed out his chest and raised his head. His eyes lit up with a fierce light as he said,"Along the way, I have relied on not using people I suspect and not trusting people I use. I believe that Bowen's map will definitely lead us into the crow's nest. As for how to burn their rations, that will depend on the bravery of our soldiers.”
When Xun You heard this, he could only sigh. He did not know what to say and could only bow deeply. Cao Cao trusted Xu Zhen like a nephew.
She would never doubt his intentions.
Little did they know that if they went to Wuchao this time and fell into an ambush, wouldn't they lose their troops and lose their armor? When Yuan Shao attacked again, they could only retreat if they couldn't resist.
The few strategists were the same. They even felt uneasy because of this worry.
Bowen was only the last person, but now he was one hundred and seven. Could it be that the one hundred and six strategists before him didn't consider this plan?
Once he was seen through, Xu Zhen's reputation would be ruined, but to Cao Camp, the loss could be tens of thousands of soldiers.
……
That night, before dawn, Cao Cao's army followed the route drawn on the map. Light cavalry led the way, wearing the armor of Yuan Shao's army.
After deceiving the general, Chunyu Qiong, when he found out that the general was Chunyu Qiong, Cao Cao couldn't help but mock him. Yuan Shao actually used such a useless person.
One had to know that Chunyu Qiong was a lieutenant in the West Garden with Cao Cao. He knew that this person liked to drink and often caused trouble. Especially after something big happened, his emotions would fluctuate greatly. Naturally, he would drink to calm himself down.
As a result, this trip was extremely smooth. A huge fire burned down the crow's nest. The flames filled the sky and were hundreds of feet high. The thick smoke did not disperse, and everywhere was a sea of fire.
Cao Cao had looted a lot of food and then led his troops to lie in ambush nearby. If Yuan Shao really came to help Wuchao, he could lay an ambush and catch him off guard. At least he would not be killed.
But if Yuan Shao didn't come, then the opportunity would really come.
……
At this moment, in Yuan Shao's camp, countless soldiers saw the crow's nest on fire. Yuan Shao's eldest son, Yuan Tan, immediately rushed into the main tent.
"Commander Father, Commander Father! The crow's nest was on fire. The crow's nest was on fire. It must have been attacked!”
"Ah?"
Yuan Shao was awakened from his sleep. His face was filled with disbelief and panic. He got up and rubbed his eyes. When he saw that it was his son, he quickly asked,"What did you say? Where is the fire?"
"Wuchao, Wuchao is on fire. Commander Father, quickly send troops to take a look!”
"Aiya!" Yuan Shao suddenly bounced up, his entire person dumbfounded. His heart felt even more pain as if it had been hit by a heavy hammer.
Barefooted, he jogged out of the tent. When he was on the wooden floor, the rest of the generals and advisors immediately surrounded him. When Yuan Shao saw the fire, he immediately felt as if he had been hit hard.
"Aiya! My provisions!"
"Cao Mengde is too ruthless! You traitor, oh my, this is a million dan of grain, but you burned it to the ground…It's simply outrageous!!”
With so much military rations, what will my soldiers eat after they are burned? These people are all collected from the people of various places. Isn't this a waste of food?
Yuan Shao was so angry that he stomped his feet. The people around him immediately surrounded him and kept consoling him. Only Xu You suddenly said,"My lord, quickly think of a way. If we go to Wuchao now, we might be able to cut off Cao Cao's army and capture his commander!”
" Huh?!"
Yuan Shao listened to his words. That's right, I definitely can't let Cao Cao burn so much of my rations so safely. At the very least, I have to pay the price.
Eh?
Yuan Shao's heart suddenly jolted as he thought of something.
Cao Mengde…will surely know that I will send troops to rescue him. He will set up an ambush on the mountain path near Wuchao and wait for my troops to arrive, causing me to suffer another loss.
I can't be fooled.
There are 5,000 guards in Wuchao. If Cao Cao were to take them down in an instant, he might have mobilized a large number of elites. This means…
His camp was empty now.
"If I go out in full force and head straight for his camp, I can uproot him. Then, I can gather the soldiers nearby and surround him. I can make Cao Cao have nowhere to go and only defeat him.
Hmph, Cao Mengde…
You've miscalculated!
Thinking of this, Yuan Shao took a deep breath, confidence returning to his side.
With his hands behind his back, he slowly puffed out his chest. The corners of his mouth curled down, and he looked around with a dignified appearance. He sneered and said,"What are you panicking about?"
"Commander Father!"
Yuan Tan was stunned.
What the f * ck?
He still wasn't panicking?
Xu You also smacked his lips. He could not understand what was going on.
Why was it that Cao Mengde would usually fly into a rage over a small loss, but now he was not panicking?
Could it be that he was so angry that he had lost his mind?!
"My lord, are you still not panicking?"
Yuan Shao paced a few steps and rolled up his sleeves before saying indifferently,""As a general, you can't lose your mind because of the situation. Cao Cao seized my Wuchao, so he must have mobilized all his forces. He knew that I would come to rescue him, so he had already laid an ambush.”
"And I didn't go save him. It's just a million rations, and I'll definitely be able to get it again next autumn. If I go straight to Cao Cao's camp, how will he deal with himself?!”
"Yeah…"
Xu You was stunned for a moment and nodded repeatedly.
This plan was very clever." Aiya, when my lord is wise, he is also very wise!”
"Left and right, immediately go and urge the army!" Yuan Shao shouted, and the soldiers on both sides immediately gave the order. Yuan Tan personally helped him change into battle armor, and then personally led the army towards Cao Cao's main camp.
Yuan Shao's three armies moved out together, leaving behind 10,000 old and weak soldiers to guard Guandu's camp to prevent Cao Cao's suspicious soldiers from ambushing. He himself charged straight to the other side of the river without stopping.
Along the way, the Cao Cao guards they encountered were pitifully few. Some of them were even sleeping in exhaustion. When they heard the commotion, they only resisted for a moment before immediately fleeing.
Seeing this, Yuan Shao was even more relieved. There probably wouldn't be many ambushes in this camp. Even if there were, with tens of thousands of cavalry behind him and tens of thousands of infantry following him, would he be afraid of an ambush?!
As a result, Yuan Shao had already charged into Cao Cao's camp when the sun was about to rise.
However, what welcomed him was an empty camp.
There were no provisions, no supplies, no weapons. Only the tent was swaying in the morning breeze. The flags were fluttering, and the veterans were wailing.
Because of this, Yuan Shao was dumbfounded.
How could this be?
Ambush troops…but there were none.
But if I said that I won a complete victory…that doesn't seem to be the case. I've never seen such a victory. There's nothing left in the camp. I can't cut down his commander's flag as a trophy, right?
Did I win?
Xu You was twirling his beard at this time.
After a long while, he clenched his fist tightly and his expression changed drastically." Not good!! If Cao Mengde goes to my Guandu camp!! We have nowhere to go!"
Yuan Shao's eyes widened!
But at this moment, several thousand ambushing soldiers suddenly emerged from the vicinity and shot fire arrows into the camp. All the fodder and kerosene in the camp were set ablaze, trapping Yuan Shao's main army within.
A general's voice was heard." Yuan Shao! I'm Cao Ren, the ninth-ranked general on the Brave General Heaven Ranking! You've fallen into my lord's trap! Quickly dismount and accept your surrender. My master will give you a piece of land. Go and farm!”
"You really aren't suitable to be a hero in this chaotic world!”
"You, you! Cao Mengde!"
Yuan Shao shouted loudly and roared towards the sky. However, he was so angry that he fell down from his warhorse.
"Commander Father! Commander Father!"
Yuan Tan immediately dismounted to help him up. Yuan Shao's troops were in a daze. Now that they had fallen into an ambush, they could not return to the Guandu camp. They could only find a way to escape.
Xu You could only stand up and give orders for the time being, even though he was also in a daze and did not know why things had become like this.
"Retreat, retreat along the river and defend White Horse Jin. We'll talk about it after we gather the troops!”
"Retreat! Retreat!"
……
That night, Cao Cao seized Yuan Shao's camp and took over all the military supplies, rations, and important defense documents. Then, he split his forces to Yanjin and Baima Jin.
The two sides didn't expect that the army behind them was actually the enemy.
Yuan Shao was forced into a corner and could only flee left and right. He fled towards the north and finally escaped into the path back to Ye City under the cover of thousands of cavalry.
……
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