My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 661 Cao Ang's Predicament
Although the city is small, it contains more than 40% of Cao Cao's army's food, weapons, goods, cloth, medicine and other supplies. There are also a large number of laborers working here to transport them.

This was not a decision-making error by Cao Cao's army; it was simply the passive position of the weaker side.

Although Fancheng is small, it is still a proper county town with a county government, city walls, and warehouses.

At this time, the irrigated area had not yet been established as an independent county. Although there was a small town, it could not store much material, let alone station any troops. Under these circumstances, a large amount of food and supplies were stored in the fields, protected only by trenches and wooden walls, and sheltered from the rain entirely by hemp cloth.

In this situation, anyone would prioritize transferring supplies here.

If Liu Feng were to launch an attack on Fancheng at this time, it would undoubtedly strike at the Achilles' heel of Cao Cao's army, and Cao Cao's army would have no way to dodge it.

Unless Cao Cao's army sets fire to Fancheng again, burning all the supplies there, and then risks being pursued by the Left Guard Army as they flee eastward, leaving all the civilians and supplies to the Left Guard Army, this battle is unavoidable. And this is exactly the kind of situation Liu Feng wants.

In mid-June, Liu Feng set off from Chengdu, passed through Xindu, and arrived at Luocheng, where he joined forces with Sun Ce, Lü Meng, and other troops before turning northwest.

Fancheng is only sixty li away from Luocheng, and the journey is smooth and unobstructed. There is not even a large river, and there is an official road connecting them, so it can be said to be unobstructed and can be reached in the morning and evening.

When Liu Feng's army was assembling in Chengdu, intelligence reports were sent to Fancheng.

Currently, Cao Ang is personally in charge of Fancheng, while Sima Yi assists and advises him.

Upon learning of the unusual activity in Chengdu and the troop buildup, Cao Cao's army realized that a major battle was imminent.

Cao Ren rushed more than forty miles from Guan to Fancheng to discuss the war.

As soon as the battle meeting began, Cao Ang ordered Yang Xiu to report on the transfer situation.

The supplies for Guandi have been mostly delivered, with only less than 30,000 shi of grain and a small amount of other supplies remaining, enough to support the Guandi garrison for more than half a month.

However, the city had stockpiled 400,000 shi of grain, as well as various weapons of different lengths, metal ingots, medicinal herbs, leather, silk, salt, iron, timber, stone, and so on, totaling 800,000 shi urgently awaiting transport.

Based on the current manpower, it would take at least a month to transport all the goods to Shifang, and even longer if they were to be transported to Mianzhu.

"It seems that this battle is unavoidable."

After listening to Yang Xiu's report, Cao Ren made his own judgment.

Cao Ang slowly nodded, agreeing with his uncle's opinion, while also turning his gaze to Sima Yi, hoping that he could come up with some good ideas.

Sima Yi frowned. Liu Feng's speed in pacifying Chengdu far exceeded their expectations. What they didn't expect was that Liu Feng could not only stabilize the hearts of the people in Chengdu and supply the city with grain, but also raise enough grain for military operations. This left them speechless.

No matter how surprised they were, or how Liu Feng had done it, the matter was now a fact. The Left Army was about to set off, and a major battle was inevitable.

Once the Left Army marches out of Chengdu, it will arrive at the walls of Fancheng in five days at most.

Cao Jun would inevitably be unable to hold out to the death, not only because Fancheng was too small, but also because he needed to protect his supply lines.

The allied forces still hold the advantage in strength. Even though Cao Cao's army has dispatched 10,000 troops to reinforce Fucheng, the main force remains intact.

The force consisted of 2,000 personal guards under Cao Ang, 4,000 men under Shi Huan, 2,000 soldiers from Yanzhou under Jia Xin, and 4,000 soldiers from Guanzhong under Yin Shu, totaling 12,000 men. The reason Jia Xin's force only numbered 2,000 was because 2,000 men had been given to Cao Xiu and taken to Fucheng.

In addition, Cao Ren's forces numbered 4,000, Zhang Xiu's forces numbered 2,000 cavalry, and the forces of Niu Jin, Chang Diao, and others, totaling over 14,000 men. Of these, 2,000 cavalrymen from Zhang Xiu's forces were given to Cao Chun to take to Fucheng. Furthermore, Wang Shuang's 4,000 troops had already been stationed in Mianzhu and could not be easily mobilized.

This was not because Cao Cao's army was dispersing its forces, but because it was something that had no other choice.

Although Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, and Li Zheng won a minor victory, their overall troop strength on the eastern front was still inferior, and significantly so.

If necessary, at least 5,000 troops can be transferred from the eastern front to advance westward.

At this moment, Mianzhu has stockpiled a large amount of various supplies, ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 shi, but the garrison only has 1,000 Li Zheng troops and 2,000 Hanzhong County soldiers. If Mianzhu is captured by the Left Army, the situation will deteriorate significantly.

Even if Mianzhu is held, the Left Army can still openly bypass the city.

The surrounding area was all plains, so the Left Army could move wherever they wanted.

When the great battle begins, a newly formed Left Cursed Army will suddenly appear from the direction of Mianzhu, which will shake the morale of the entire Allied Forces. This is no joke.

Therefore, Mianzhu must be reinforced and defended, and these must be elite troops capable of blocking the westward advance of the Left Wing Army on the eastern front.

Therefore, Cao Ren's right-hand man, Wang Shuang, was dispatched to reinforce Mianzhu and take unified command of the allied forces' defense along the Mianzhu-Shifang line.

Wang Shuang and Niu Jin had been with Cao Ren for a long time and were among Cao Ren's most trusted generals, often leading an army on their own during missions.

Niu Jin had been responsible for guarding Pixian and supporting Chengdu, so he couldn't leave. Therefore, Cao Ren had no choice but to send Wang Shuang to Mianzhu.

In this way, the combined forces of Cao Ang and Cao Ren, along with Zhang Wei's army which had been replenished with 5,000 men, brought Cao's total strength to approximately 31,000.

In terms of troop strength alone, Cao Cao's army could no longer match the Left Guard Army.

Fortunately, Cao Cao's army was not fighting alone; they had allies, the Shu army.

Pang Xi's more than 10,000 Dongzhou soldiers, plus more than 10,000 Shu soldiers, totaled about 30,000 to 40,000 men.

However, the atmosphere within Liu Zhang's army is somewhat strange at present, stemming from the imbalance within the army.

Originally, the Dongzhou army was strong while the Shu army was weak, and the Dongzhou army was small while the Shu army was large, thus creating a situation of mutual checks and balances, which was controlled by Liu Zhang.

However, the Dongzhou army still has more than 15,000 men, and its strength has not been greatly reduced, while the Shu army has less than 20,000 men left. In particular, Huang Quan's most elite force of more than 4,000 men surrendered without a fight, which dealt a major blow to the morale and strength of the Shu army.

Meanwhile, in order to win over Pang Xi and the Dongzhou soldiers to stand firmly on the Cao family's side, Cao Jun offered the title of General Who Pacifies the South and Marquis of Pingyin. As a result, Pang Xi is now a proper marquis and a general with a miscellaneous title, and his status is now on par with Liu Zhang.

In the original timeline, Liu Zhang did not receive the title of General Zhenwei from Cao Cao until the Battle of Guandu.

In this life, Cao Ang, in order to win over Liu Zhang to retreat eastward together, offered the title of General Who Conquers the East and Marquis of Jingling, a position higher than Pang Xi's in terms of both fief and rank. However, their statuses were roughly equal, and strictly speaking, they were not in a superior-subordinate relationship.

The change in status, coupled with the weakening of the Shu army, made it difficult for Liu Zhang to control the Dongzhou troops. Although it hadn't reached the point of being out of control—after all, the Dongzhou troops weren't solely controlled by Pang Xi, but also included the brothers Wu Yi and Wu Ban, as well as Fei Guan's followers—the balance had indeed been broken.

Cao Ang was aware of this, but he couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. In addition, the matter itself was very sensitive, and rashly intervening might displease and offend Liu Zhang.

Therefore, Cao Ang could only pretend not to know for the time being, hoping that this matter would not affect the already weak fighting strength of the Shu army.

"The most urgent task is to recall Cao Chun's troops as soon as possible."

After pondering for a long time, Sima Yi finally spoke, and his first words were about Cao Chun.

Cao Chun's 4,000 elite cavalry were the cream of Cao's army and the entire allied forces. Cavalry played the most important role in open field battles, while their role in defending cities, though significant, was still not as important as in open field battles.

Cao Ren, an experienced military strategist, naturally understood this point and immediately agreed, saying, "Zhongda's idea is excellent; I think it's feasible."

Seeing that his right and left arms were in agreement and that he had no other opinions, Cao Ang nodded in agreement.

Yang Xiu then wrote down the order in cursive script, which was then handed to Cao Ang for review. After confirming that there were no problems with the order, Cao Ang affixed his seal and issued it.

Next, Sima Yi made several suggestions. The first suggestion was that Cao Ang should personally step forward to mend the rift between Liu Zhang and Pang Xi.

With a formidable enemy at hand and a major battle imminent, what is needed is to join hands and help each other to overcome the difficulties.

We don't need a great victory; as long as we can repel or even hold off the Left Guard Army, buying time for Cao Cao's main force in the Jingzhou direction, that would be a great victory.

However, this matter is not easy to handle, because no matter how conservatively Sima Yi estimates, he will need to restrain Liu Feng for more than three months.

In fact, three months is hardly enough time for a major city like Xiangyang.

Fortunately, this Xiangyang was still the Xiangyang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Fancheng was still in Cao Cao's hands. Otherwise, it would have taken at least a year and a half for you to say that you wanted to attack Xiangfan.

Since the Southern Song Dynasty, as long as the garrison of Xiangfan remained steadfast and there were no internal upheavals, it was extremely difficult for the outside world to capture the city.

Cao Cao dared to come this time for three reasons: first, he had no choice but to come because of Cao Ang; second, the main force of the Left Army was not in Jingzhou; and third, he had the cards of Liu Biao and Cai Mao.

In fact, Liu Biao and Cai Mao are probably more important than the first two cards right now, but without the first two cards, the third card won't be very effective.

Cao Ang agreed with Sima Yi's assessment, but the three-month period was quite agonizing.

It was originally thought that after Liu Feng entered Chengdu, he would be hampered by the shortage of various supplies, and would need to rest and coordinate for at least thirty to fifty days.

However, Liu Feng had already freed up his hands in just over twenty days, and the powerful clans and gentry in Chengdu also took the initiative to donate grain, money, and manpower.

This undoubtedly made Cao Ang grit his teeth in hatred. If the powerful families in Chengdu had given him even half the support he had now, Liu Feng might not have been able to enter Chengdu so quickly.

The second matter concerns Cao Ren's troops. Sima Yi advised Cao Ren to move his entire army eastward and rendezvous with the main force in Fancheng.

As for Guandi, a small number of Hanzhong County soldiers can be sent there to guard it and supervise the transfer of the last remaining supplies.

Even if they are all lost, it won't be a big deal.

This suggestion was unanimously agreed upon by Cao Ang and Cao Ren. Cao Ren said that he would rush back to Guandi tonight, and the army would arrive at Fancheng by the day after tomorrow at the latest.

The third thing was to reinforce the military camp on the small hill southeast of Fancheng.

This hill is one of the few high points in the area, and also the highest point closest to Fancheng; otherwise, Cao Cao's army wouldn't have built a military camp here.

I just didn't expect the Zuo Mu army to arrive so quickly. This military camp was simply built, with only a wooden wall and a few arrow towers.

It is foreseeable that once war breaks out, this place will likely become a key point of contention between the two sides. Although time is running out, the more they can fortify, the greater the advantage they can gain.

Cao Ang immediately agreed and entrusted the matter directly to Shi Huan. Firstly, Shi Huan was a versatile individual who had previously commanded Cao Cao's central army and frequently managed the construction of military camps, possessing extensive experience in such matters. Secondly, the troops currently stationed at that military camp were precisely Shi Huan's men.

The fourth thing is to reward.

This time, Sima Yi's advice was not as casual as before. Instead, he solemnly rose from his seat and bowed in submission. Then, he looked up at Cao Ang and earnestly requested, "My lord, our army has abandoned the fortified city and has been advancing for days. Our soldiers have endured wind and rain, sleeping in the open and sleeping with their weapons at their sides. They are truly exhausted. Now, with a major battle imminent, the morale of the army must be high! I humbly request that Your Majesty bestow rewards, providing wine and meat to encourage our march, and distributing gold and silk to boost morale. In this way, the entire army will be grateful for your kindness and will surely fight to the death to defeat the enemy and achieve great merit!"

Cao Ang fell silent.

With an army of 70,000 men and a major battle imminent, the average reward per person would be at least 10,000 coins, and the rewards for officers and generals would be double that, which would amount to at least 100 million coins.

Although the amount of supplies transported out has reached millions of bushels, the actual value of the goods is not much.

Liu Zhang's previous military expeditions had nearly depleted Chengdu's treasury, and even his private treasury had been used to fill the gaps in the prefecture's finances.

Although Liu Zhang still has a considerable amount of private wealth, the problem is that the person in power is no longer him, but Cao Ang.

Not only could Cao Ang no longer take money from Liu Zhang's private treasury to reward the troops, but he also had to take responsibility for the rewards for the Shu army. Otherwise, if he only rewarded the Cao army and ignored the Shu army, how could they join forces to fight the enemy in the future?

Although Cao Ang was also concerned about the money, he wasn't foolish enough to be stingy at this point. However, even if he wanted to distribute money, he simply didn't have that much.

The previous times the army was rewarded, the money was either paid by Zhang Lu or Liu Zhang.

Cao Ang not only didn't pay a single penny, but also received an extra generous gift.

However, the gold and silver they brought out of Chengdu City totaled only two or three hundred catties, and more than ten million copper coins, of which nearly 60% were actually Liu Zhang's private treasury.

What Cao Ang could actually use was only about 120 or 130 catties of gold and silver, over 5 million copper coins, more than 600 bolts of Shu brocade, and over 40,000 pieces of various silks, hemp, and cotton. If all of this were converted into gold and silver, it would be less than 40 million coins, far short of the 100 million mark.

Cao Ang smiled wryly and said, "Zhongda, you know how much money is left in the treasury. If each person has a few hundred coins and a bolt of cloth, we can barely scrape together the money."

(End of this chapter)