My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 359: If Cao thieves rob others, we will rob Cao thieves
"Xiahou Yuan retreated to Pengcheng, and Cao Cao also drew reinforcements from the battlefield in Hedong, so it is really difficult to break through. What should we do now?"

As time entered the twelfth lunar month, after attempting two offensives against Pengcheng County, Guan Yu's counterattack momentum finally came to an end.

But Guan Yu was too proud and arrogant to stop the counterattack, so he held on for a while longer. As a result, he lost another two or three thousand of the capital he had won at the end of October. He was forced to retreat and return to Lanling to discuss countermeasures with Zhuge Jin, Lu Su and others.

But in general, Liu Bei's camp won a great victory in the Battle of Xuzhou. They annihilated more than 30,000 enemies, captured and reformed more than 10,000, and finally lost 2,000 to 3,000, most of whom were surrendered soldiers and cannon fodder. This result is acceptable.

In war, there are always gains and losses, and victory and defeat are common in the military. At the poker table, as long as you win the big bets and stop losses in time when placing small bets, you can be considered a top general.

No one can always accurately know when to stop.

Facing Guan Yu's melancholy, Zhuge Jin's mentality was much better.

This counterattack captured the entire Langya territory and basically took back the Donghai County. The sphere of influence of Cao and Liu in Xuzhou has changed from 50-50 to 28-30.

Zhuge Jin asked someone to bring a map, pointed at it and suggested solemnly:

"Yunchang, don't worry. Using troops in the dead of winter is too disadvantageous for the attacking party. Pengcheng is closely connected to the rear of Cao's army, so there is no risk of reinforcement or supply shortage. For a place like this, it is better to wait until the next spring plowing and then seize the opportunity to fight again.

Moreover, Cao Cao is a man who can take things as they come. This time, letting Xiahou Yuan attack the Huaibei part of Xuzhou under our control was just a test at the beginning. We should stop when things are going well, and stop losses in time when things are going badly. What we need to consider now is to save some face for Cao Cao and let him attack Yecheng first in the spring of next year.

When he attacks Yecheng, the southern front will be empty, which will be a good opportunity for us to attack Pengcheng and even Taishan County in the south."

After hearing this, Guan Yu did not think that the timing of the attack planned by Zhuge Jin was inappropriate, but he still found it difficult to understand what Zhuge Jin meant by "saving some face for Cao Cao."

"After fighting like this, what face are we still left to save?" Guan Yu asked in confusion.

If Liu Bei's army clashed with Cao Cao under the banner of Yuan Tan at the beginning, and Cao Cao later counterattacked under the banner of Taishan bandits to annoy Liu Bei, then both sides could have controlled the scope of the escalation of the conflict. But now that Xiahou Yuan has lost more than 30,000 soldiers, the scale of the loss has reached such a level that the two sides have completely torn their faces apart.

Zhuge Jin was very sure about this: "Yun Chang is a man of integrity and righteousness. He cannot tolerate any injustice and naturally cannot understand. But Cao is cunning and can bend and stretch. Even if he knows in his heart that he and his lord are at war to the death, as long as he is given a way out, he will still go downhill and try to destroy Yuan Shang first to avoid being attacked from both sides for a long time.

We cooperated with Cao Cao for the sake of face, not to deceive Cao Cao, but just to help Cao Cao deceive the ignorant people in the world."

In history, Cao and Liu, and Cao and Sun, were at war for a long time, and everyone knew that they would destroy each other in the end. But in reality, the relationship of interests is unpredictable, and when you want your teammates to resist damage, or want to harm your neighbors, there are many things that are appropriate to give face and give way.

Otherwise, how could Cao Cao have fought with Sun Quan for more than ten years after the Battle of Chibi?
Sometimes Sun Quan would just give Cao Cao a small note saying "I will not be at peace until the old thief is dead", and Cao Cao could always see the goodwill in it, at least seeing that "Sun Quan did not really want to fight him to the death, and Sun Quan still hoped that Cao Cao's forces would attack Hanzhong and make trouble for Liu Bei", and thus withdrew his troops from Hefei and Ruxu.

It can be seen that Cao Cao was a man who could put things in a proper and thoughtful way when it came to priorities. He also knew that "if you suffer a loss in one place and cannot get back on your feet immediately, you should admit your mistake, stabilize the situation, and make up for it elsewhere."

That's why in history Cao Cao could "fight Sun Quan once, fail to gain anything, then turn around and kill Ma Chao to recover health and prestige. Fight Sun Quan again, still fail to gain anything, then turn around and kill Zhang Lu to recover health and prestige."

Now Zhuge Jin wants to save some face for Cao Cao, but this is not even close.

Although Zhuge Jin could not cite examples that had not yet happened to prove his point, his understanding of Cao Cao was certainly very accurate.

After he made this firm judgment, Guan Yu was not convinced yet. Lu Su on the side had already agreed with it and helped Zhuge Jin explain it.

Lu Su found many clues that could be traced back to previous evidence and helped convince Guan Yu. Guan Yu was stunned, but soon he believed it.

Zhuge Jin was originally still thinking about how to find arguments, but now he felt relieved. He thought it was a rare privilege for him to have an "external brain to help him think about problems".

Zhuge Jin was only responsible for proposing ideas and providing arguments. Lu Su was responsible for finding the evidence.

It is like the supervisor who is the corresponding author only needs to think about the topic and ideas, and the subsequent manual work will be handled by his graduate students.

After Guan Yu was convinced, the problem became simple. He asked Zhuge Jin very pragmatically how to proceed.

Zhuge Jin also casually pointed out: "We don't need to brag too much about our victory over Xiahou Yuan this time. We should only gain practical benefits and not humiliate the enemy. But we should make a big fuss about the killing of Zang Ba and Sun Guan, as well as the elimination of the remnants of the Langya and Taishan bandits. We have only done 30% of the work, but we should brag about it as much as 70% or 80%.

Of course, surrendered generals can be employed, but for the families of stubborn bandits who resisted to death, appropriate pressure and punishment can be imposed, or even implicated, to show that it takes a lot of energy for our army to resolve the resistance of local tyrants and bandits in Langya. I think it is up to Zijing to figure out how to balance people's hearts and ensure long-term peace and stability with both kindness and severity.

As long as Cao Cao understands our attitude, he will naturally restore peace with us temporarily this winter, and will not be in a hurry to take revenge in the spring of next year.

In order to reassure Cao Cao, we must also raise the banner of resolute reinforcement of Yuan Tan during this period, so that our army can find something to do in late winter and early spring. The war in Xuzhou has lasted for more than five months. The defense of Langya alone took two months, the battle of the East China Sea took nearly two months, and the final counterattack took more than a month.

During these five months, although we have defended our territory and even pushed back two counties, Yuan Tan's situation has become even more precarious. The isolated city of Nanpi has been under siege for four months, and Yuan Tan has no elite soldiers to support it. Taking advantage of this winter, we should focus on helping the lord to completely subdue Yuan Tan. This is the right thing to do. When Cao Cao sees that we focus on subduing Yuan Tan, the situation in Xuzhou will relax. "

Guan Yu was no longer able to make his own decisions regarding what Zhuge Jin said later. As for the question of how to deal with Yuan Tan, he had to ask Liu Bei for instructions. But in terms of military, Guan Yu would definitely go on the defensive to paralyze the enemy.

...While Zhuge Jin was giving Guan Yu advice, Xiahou Yuan, who was in Pengcheng, finally felt that Guan Yu's counterattack was over and Cao's army's losses had come to an end.

The overwhelmed Xiahou Yuan, while preparing letters asking for help and petitions to Cao Cao, also took time to care for Guo Jia who was recovering from his injuries, hoping that Guo Jia could help him assess the situation.

As for how Guo Jia got injured...it was actually Guo Jia's own fault as he didn't know how to keep fit.

It was early November. After being defeated, Cao's army was on its way to a series of retreats. As they traveled day and night, they even abandoned their baggage vehicles. Naturally, a general like Xiahou Yuan would have no problem with this.

Guo Jia was a scholar and strategist, and he was also a relatively lazy person who liked to drink and party. He had no carriage to ride in, and after three consecutive days of riding on horseback, he was finally too tired and fell off his horse, suffering minor injuries.

The main problem was that my leg was broken and needed to be reattached. Fortunately, it was not trampled or crushed by the horse, otherwise it would not be as simple as a splint on the thigh bone for a few months.

Guo Jia was already feeling guilty for not being able to see through the enemy's tricks and for misleading Xiahou Yuan by saying "In Liu Bei's army, those with strategies are of low rank, and those with high rank are less intelligent." After being injured, he actually felt more relaxed. It was a good opportunity for him to recuperate at home and not see any outsiders, so as to avoid being gossiped about and humiliated.

However, Guo Jia's recuperation also resulted in a chain reaction in which when Gao Shun, Lu Su and Zhang Liao subsequently counterattacked Langya and Donghai, Cao's army became increasingly unable to resist, and there was no one to offer advice and help stabilize the people's hearts.

Although Guo Jia himself knew that after Zang Ba and Sun Guan were killed, the Langya bandits would certainly lose their morale and turn to Guan Yu, and it would not change anything with or without his advice. Under the pretext of recuperating from injuries, he could also avoid a series of defeats and humiliations.

After breaking a leg, you definitely won’t dare to take San again. In the Han Dynasty, after taking San, you had to run as fast as you could to dissipate the heat, which was called “Xing San”. How can you do Xing San with a broken leg? If you still take San when you can’t walk, you may die suddenly.

Without any medicine to numb himself, Guo Jia had to rely on alcohol to relieve the pain and numb himself, and he drank even more than before.

In history, Guo Jia only had five years to live. He was addicted to alcohol and sex, which was very harmful to his health. This broken leg exacerbated his alcoholism, and if he was unlucky, he might lose another year or two of his life.

After Xiahou Yuan arrived, he had to show his magnanimity and respect for others. He asked about Guo Jia's recovery and confirmed that he was fine except for his legs. Then he started to ask about the business:
"...Recently, Guan Yu finally stopped the counterattack and withdrew his troops. Then I heard that there were stubborn bandits in Langya who were unstable and rebellious. Guan Yu used thundering means to purge the remaining Zang Ba. Feng Xiao thought, is there a trick in this matter?"

Xiahou Yuan first gave an overview of the progress of the war in recent days and the changes in the situation. Guo Jia listened very carefully, but this time he did not dare to answer immediately, and asked several more questions. It was obvious that he had learned a lesson from the defeat in Donghai and he would never speak without thinking again.

After fully confirming the enemy's movements, Guo Jia sighed and said, "It seems that Zhuge Jin wants to stop temporarily and wait until Cao Gong attacks Yuan Shang again in the future, or when the southern line is once again empty due to other reasons, he will let Guan Yu advance to Pengcheng and take Xuzhou.

This is also forced by the situation. If Liu Bei only relies on his own strength to fight Cao Gong with all his strength, it will not be enough to succeed. They can only take advantage of Cao Gong being surrounded by enemies and his energy is tied up elsewhere, and rush up to bite him! It's just like a wolfhound!"

After hearing this analysis, Xiahou Yuan's anxious mood finally relaxed temporarily - but only temporarily. Guo Jia said it very clearly that it was true that Guan Yu would stop the counterattack now, but the truce would not last too long.

Xiahou Yuan stroked his beard and said carefully, "In this case, I will report the latest situation here to Xudu and see how the court will deal with it."

Seeing his solemn expression, Guo Jia said a few more words of comfort, "But don't worry too much, General. No matter how resourceful Zhuge Jin is, he is not as well-informed as we are about the situation in the north. Even if our army and Yuan Shang go to war again in the future, Zhuge Jin will not be able to know immediately. There will always be a little time difference that can be used.

Let's not talk about the distant past, just talking about the autumn and winter of this year, although our army was defeated in Xuzhou, we have not gained nothing on other fronts. A few days ago, I heard from the secret envoy who came to Xudu to inquire about the situation of the war that the imperial army and Ma Teng in Bingzhou have joined forces and have made great progress.

At the end of the previous month, Pang De, a general under Ma Teng, killed Guo Yuan, a general under Gao Gan, in Shangdang. The imperial army marched northward along the Qin River from Hedong, conquering Changping and Shangdang. Now Gao Gan has fled back to Taiyuan.

It was just that in the cold winter, the eight passes of Taihang were all blocked by heavy snow. Yuan Shang, who was in Yecheng, could not immediately know the latest situation in Bingzhou, let alone the civil and military officials under Liu Bei? In my opinion, the battle for Bingzhou will definitely be over before the snow melts in the spring of next year.

The court used the excuse that "Yuan Shang was submissive, but Gao Gan still pretended to obey but was secretly disobeying" to first eliminate Gao Gan and cut off Yuan Shang's wings, and then attack Yuan Shang after the snow melted next year, which would surely succeed. As long as Yecheng was taken, Jizhou was pacified, and Daidi was connected to the north, straddling Zhao and Dai, even if Liu Bei helped Yuan Tan capture Yan and Qi, our army could change the embarrassment of being attacked from all sides.

When the time comes, the imperial army will head east again and will be able to defend every corner and prevent Guan Yu from succeeding."

What else could Xiahou Yuan say? He could only accept this kind of bland consolation and calm down his mood.

However, the troops Cao Cao sent to Zhong Yao and Zhang Ji were far inferior to the elite troops he had. The enemy's detachment, with the help of Ma Teng and Pang De, fought better than him. Xiahou Yuan himself was a little embarrassed.

……

Xiahou Yuan quickly reported to Xudu that the military situation on the Xuzhou front had finally been stabilized.

When Cao Cao received this news, it was already the middle of the twelfth lunar month.

Cao Cao's news about the battle in Xuzhou was about ten days later than Xiahou Yuan's. But Cao Cao's news about the battle in Bingzhou was ten days earlier than Xiahou Yuan and Lingtong's. As one was gaining strength while the other was losing strength, Xiahou Yuan's bad news was delivered to Cao Cao together with Pang De's another great victory.

"Zhang has conquered Leping and has taken over the entire territory of Shangdang. Pang De has conquered Pingyang (Linfen), is approaching and besieging Jiexiu, and is about to attack Taiyuan County. I didn't expect that Ma Teng would have such a powerful general under his command. Compared with him, Miao Cai seems incompetent... Alas, I can't say that. Yunchang is too strong."

Cao Cao felt very complicated when looking at the two battle reports, one of victory and one of defeat, and couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

In order to coordinate the response to this mixed situation, Cao Cao quickly called the two Xuns and threw both the victory and defeat reports in front of them, wanting to hear everyone's collective wisdom and how to break the deadlock in the next stage.

(End of this chapter)