My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 633 Cao Cao: Victory and defeat are common in the military! The plan remains unchanged!
With Lü Kuang being stabbed to death by Zhao Yun, the Cao army that pretended to attack into Bohai County basically collapsed completely.

However, the combined strength of Zhao Yun and Xu Sheng was only about half that of Lü Kuang's troops. This was still a battle on the Hebei Plain, and after a whole day of fierce fighting, it was already dark.

Zhao Yun hoped to encircle and annihilate Lu Kuang's troops, but that was impossible to do.

As Cao's army completely collapsed, the captains under Lu Kuang fled with their troops in all directions.

Once entering this stage of interception and pursuit, Xu Sheng's infantry was useless as he could not catch up with the fleeing enemy soldiers at all.

Especially those heavy infantrymen in Xu Sheng's army who were equipped with steel-filled lamellar armor. They were very sharp when they were holding the front line, but when they were chasing the enemy, they were dragged down by the heavy armor and ran very slowly.

As the victors, they could not put down their equipment and pursue lightly, but the enemy could throw away their armor and helmets to reduce their burden. Xu Sheng's heavy infantry could only slowly follow behind to clean up the battlefield and pick up the weapons and supplies left behind by the defeated enemy soldiers.

In contrast, Zhao Yun's cavalry could pursue, but Zhao Yun's physical strength had declined significantly after a long march, a whole day of pulling, and the final fierce battle.

Although the 5,000 cavalrymen he brought did not suffer many casualties in the fierce battle, many of them were slightly injured or exhausted. At most, he could gather half of the light cavalry to continue the pursuit.

The enemy troops were scattered in many groups and fled for their lives, so Zhao Yun could only catch up with one or two of them and encircle and annihilate them.

Finally, after an evening and a whole night of pursuit and cleaning up the battlefield, the total casualties of the 23,000 Cao troops led by Lu Kuang were about 5,000 to 6,000, which already included the casualties in the pursuit after the collapse of the Cao army.

There were also more than 4,000 people who were surrounded and captured by Zhao Yun, or who were forced to surrender. Among the 5,000 or 6,000 enemy casualties, there were also more than 1,000 lightly wounded soldiers who were captured and taken back to fend for themselves. These people would not be disabled, and even if they could not go to the battlefield later, they could be used as laborers in farming or repairing salt fields.

The next day, Zhao Yun wanted to let the soldiers who had rested the night before continue to pursue the enemy in rotation. However, because the battlefield was too close to the Zhang River, the pursuing troops encountered Zhang He, who quickly sent people to help.

Zhao Yun didn't want to advance rashly and dampen his morale, so he decided to quit while he was ahead.

In this way, Zhang He controlled the total loss of troops to about 10,000 people, which was considered to be a timely stop.

Although Ma Yan and Zhang Xi, generals under Lü Kuang, were also injured, they were successfully rescued by Zhang He and escaped. Considering that the status and official positions of middle-level generals such as Ma Yan and Zhang Xi were much lower than those of Zhang He and Lü Kuang, they had received Zhang He's life-saving grace this time, so they could only obey Zhang He's orders in the future.

Although Zhang He lost some troops, he got rid of a useless teammate who had an inflated status but poor ability.

At this point, the surrendered troops of the Jizhou faction originally under Yuan Shao's command were finally completely back under Zhang He's control.

It is actually a miracle that a waste like Lu Kuang can live to this day. He has never won any decent victory in his life.

He lost the first battle and the first one, only because he had only fought one battle with Liu Bei's army in his life. Now that he had fought the second battle, his lifetime winning rate was forever fixed at two losses in two battles, and he no longer had the qualifications to fight a third battle in the future.

However, compared to Lu Xiang, who died at the hands of Taishi Ci in the Battle of Nanpi, Lu Kuang should be content.

He died at the hands of Zhao Yun today, and has lived 270 chapters longer than Lu Xiang. He is lucky enough.

……

The feint attack by Cao Xiu and Guo Huai in Hanzhong held back Liu Bei's army in Shuzhong for more than two months. From mid-April to the end of June, the troops in Shuzhong were on high alert and could not move.

Zhang He and Lu Kuang's feint attack in the Bohai Sea direction also tied down Zhao Yun, Zhou Yu, and Taishi Ci for more than two months. In addition, they also harvested wheat from two counties and the harvest stock of the Changlu Salt Field.

In general, the price paid by Cao's army was a bit high. They lost about 10,000 soldiers on each front in the east and west, but they only bought time and snatched some things. The profit was far less than the cost they lost.

As soon as the east and west routes suffered defeat, urgent news was quickly sent back to Xu Du.

It only took four or five days to travel from Chencang and the Hejian front to Xudu, each traveling 600 miles by express train.

When Cao Cao heard the news, he was naturally shocked and angry.

"I didn't expect Liu Bei to have destroyed Liu Zhang so quickly! Liu Zhang is such a loser! How could he surrender after only holding out for four or five months! If he had big cities like Chengdu and Luocheng, it would take him a year to defend them!

Wen Lie's defeat was caused by Ma Chao's return. Alas, if they hadn't heard that Liu Zhang had surrendered to Liu Bei, the morale of the Guanxi soldiers wouldn't have fallen to such a level!
On the other hand, Lu Kuang in Hebei is really an incompetent man! If he had not brought Yuan Shang's reinforcements and surrendered to the court, such an incompetent general would not have been allowed to hold such a high position! He even had to compete with Zhang He for merit and advance rashly. It is really a pity that he should die!"

Cao Cao couldn't help but curse and criticize in front of some of his most trusted aides.

In Cao Cao's view, Cao Xiu's defeat was understandable because a key factor in whether Cao's army's morale and willingness to fight in the battle in Shuzhong was whether Liu Zhang could be saved.

The moment they were sure that Liu Zhang was beyond saving, the morale of the army was inevitably greatly affected, and this was not the fault of the war. It can only be said that Liu Bei's army made too rapid progress in Shu, Liu Zhang was too useless, and Zhuge Liang kept the news secret and used it too skillfully, which just happened to maximize the benefits.

In contrast, the tug-of-war between the Hejian and Bohai battlefields ended up like this, all because of Lü Kuang's idleness and his desire to compete with Zhang He, which led to internal disunity. Otherwise, even if they were to lose, at least they could have reduced most of their losses.

They kept dragging their feet, one had to prove himself, and the other couldn't be dissuaded, so what a fight it ended up being!
However, at least Cao Cao didn't have to dirty his own knife, and he got rid of those surrendered useless people who had to be placed in high positions but had no real ability.

Fortunately, Cao Cao always had a good and tenacious mentality, knowing that the past cannot be retrieved, but the future can still be changed.

Now that things have come to this, he still has to look forward and focus on what he can do. The chips have been thrown away, and no matter how much you curse and hate, just let it go, don't dwell on it anymore.

"Gongda, Wenhe, Zhongda, don't blame yourselves. The two-pronged feint attack to buy time for the situation in Jingzhou is also the strategy I personally decided.

Although we have suffered a minor setback, victory and defeat are common in the military. This is also due to the poor execution of the frontline generals, and has nothing to do with your advice. "

After Cao Cao scolded Lu Kuang for his incompetence, he immediately changed the subject and appeased the three major strategists who had participated in the decision-making.

Xun You, Jia Xu and Sima Yi were all grateful when they heard this: "The Prime Minister's mind is so broad that even Yi Yin and Zhou Gong cannot match it!"

Cao Cao waved his hand and got straight to the point: "The matter of Jingzhou has been planned for more than a month. If we launch an attack on Jingzhou next month, how many troops can the court mobilize? Are you ready? Gongda, you have to pay attention to this matter and coordinate it carefully.

"Wenhe, how are you doing over there? How is your contact with Cai Mao and Kuai Yue going? How is Liu Biao's condition? How many civil and military officials in Jingbei are willing to help the court?"

Cao Cao asked two questions in a row, covering the preparations for both military attack and secret winning over.

After formulating the strategy, he handed over the overall military planning to Xun You, who was responsible for coordinating all parties.

As for the secret efforts to win over the people, Jia Xu was left to arrange it - of course, Jia Xu did not have to deploy such a task personally, he just used his rich experience as a con man to help find and fill in the gaps.

In response to the inquiry, Xun You immediately reported: "After more than a month of preparation, the court can now gather 200,000 troops in Nanyang and Nanzheng.

Only 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers are needed in Guanxi to secure the Qinling Mountains. 100,000 soldiers are needed in Hebei, and 100,000 soldiers are needed in Yanyu. Tens of thousands more are needed in Xudu and Heluo, the central areas.

The rest of the troops that can be deployed have already been secretly gathering in Xudu and can march south at any time."

The territory controlled by Cao Cao could only maintain about 500,000 combat troops. Two years ago, the Battle of Hanzhong resulted in the loss of as many as 90,000 troops, which at one point reduced Cao Cao's military strength to just over 400,000.

However, after two years of recuperation, farming and military training, Cao Cao managed to slowly restore his total military strength, and now he can gather about 470,000 to 480,000 troops.

However, the newly recruited soldiers had generally served in the army for less than two years and had never fought in a war before. Their quality was definitely weaker than those lost in Hanzhong.

Fortunately, the equipment level of Cao's army has improved slightly compared to two years ago.

This is also the inevitable result of the diffusion of technology and the development of productivity. At least now, Cao's cavalry has popularized double-sided metal stirrups and high-bridge saddles.

Two hundred thousand regular troops are almost assembled and can launch a military offensive next month.

The main generals included Cao Ren, who was originally in charge of the Huaibei defense zone, Yu Jin, who had always been in charge of the defense of Nanyang, and Xu Huang, who had just been transferred here. There was no need to elaborate on the rest of the Li Dian, Cao Zhen and others.

Hearing that the troops were ready to attack, Cao Cao verbally praised Xun You for his good coordination and preparation, and then turned to Jia Xu. Jia Xu naturally did not dare to neglect it, and immediately stood up and bowed:
"I used Cai Mao to find out about Liu Biao's condition last month. Liu Biao contracted a carbuncle on his back last year, and his health has been deteriorating over the past year. The carbuncle on his back has been happening more and more frequently.

Moreover, according to Cai Mao's description, Liu Biao's illness was greatly affected by his mood. Once he was anxious and worried, his condition would be significantly worse. Last month, Liu Biao had just heard that Liu Zhang had been annihilated and annexed by Liu Bei, and his condition worsened again.

Now he can't even get out of bed, and can only eat porridge, soup, and other food. I think that even if I leave him alone, Liu Biao will not survive this year! If by chance, I can frighten him again, it is possible at any time..."

Cao Cao's frowning expression finally relaxed a little at this moment.

This is the first good news he has heard in recent days. It is really not easy.

Historically, Cao Cao went on a southern expedition in July of the 13th year of Jian'an. When Liu Biao heard about it, he became worried and fell seriously ill, and died in August.

In this life, Liu Biao's health condition is said to be better than the same period in history.

But the recent downfall of Liu Zhang triggered many worries in Liu Biao, and unexpectedly the butterfly effect accelerated his illness.

If you think about it carefully, this is reasonable. Liu Biao is a suspicious and indecisive person. People with such heavy minds are most likely to think too much.

When he heard that Liu Zhang had been annexed by Liu Bei, he could easily make simple associations and wonder if his good brother Xuande had suddenly changed his face and would no longer act, and wanted to completely integrate all his former allies.

In today's world, the other clans and prefects who opposed Cao are like the four weak sects in the Five Mountains Sword Sect. Cao Cao is like Ren Woxing, the demon sect, and Liu Bei's annexation of Liu Zhang is interpreted by suspicious people as "wanting to merge the Five Mountains Sword Sect into the Five Mountains Sect", which is normal.

With this kind of thinking, Liu Biao thought he was threatened from both the north and the south. How could he not become more worried?
But he had a traitor like Cai Mao by his side, who shared all the information with Cao Cao in times of crisis, which further strengthened Cao Cao's determination to instigate the pro-Cao faction in Jingzhou to rebel.

After Cao Cao had sorted out the current situation, he coldly ordered: "Since Liu Biao is seriously ill and will die soon, I don't need to spend my energy on winning over Liu Biao.

It would be better to support a member of the Liu family who originally could not sit on the position of Governor of Jingzhou, and use coercion and inducement to make him surrender to the court when the time comes.

If Liu Bei dares to set up another puppet, the imperial army will immediately march into Nanyang County to meet the official governor of Jingzhou appointed by the imperial court."

Cao Cao had already figured out this logic in his mind.

This can be considered as an extra advantage that Cao Cao gained in this life.

Originally in history, Cao Cao did not contact Cai Mao in advance, nor did he instigate Cai Mao to become a traitor in advance. It was after Cao Cao's attack and Liu Biao's death that Cai Mao spontaneously decided to become a traitor.

This is naturally because in history, after Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao, he unified the entire north, and there were no decent princes in the south who could fight against him. Cao Cao became arrogant and too lazy to make too many preparations.

In Cao Cao's view at that time, as long as he prepared 200,000 elite troops to march south, he could defeat Liu Biao while he was still alive. Why should he prepare so carefully?

But in this life, Cao Cao never dared to show off, nor was he qualified to do so - Liu Bei had grown to a level of strength equivalent to 70% to 80% of Cao Cao's on paper, and had been confronting him from the north to the south for many years, so how could Cao Cao dare to show off.

Cao Cao's caution allowed him to deploy spies in advance and gather more information, which allowed him to think of the strategy of supporting a puppet in advance.

After hearing Cao Cao's instructions, Jia Xu immediately checked the potential candidates for puppets in his mind. This question was not difficult to answer, so he immediately offered a suggestion:

“Since the Prime Minister is willing to win over people with kindness, I think Liu Biao’s second son Liu Cong is the best candidate.

Although Liu Cong had long been favored by Liu Biao because of Cai's doting, Cai had a history with the prime minister and had always been hostile to Liu Bei.

Liu Qi had already secretly approached Liu Bei. If Liu Cong did not get the support of the court, he might not be able to secure his position as the Governor of Jingzhou even with Liu Biao's will.

As long as the prime minister prepares a court decree, immediately after Liu Biao's death, Liu Cong will be officially appointed as the governor of Jingzhou. Liu Cong is young and does not know how to fight, so he cannot command the army. Jingbei can return to the control of the court. "

"This is a very good idea. As long as it can be accomplished, it will allow Liu Cong to continue to be the governor of Jingzhou. What's wrong with that? You can also tell Cai Mao about this condition as soon as possible and say that I promised it myself. Let them do what they want without worrying!"

Cao Cao nodded immediately. The price he offered this time was much higher than the same period in history.

Historically, after Liu Cong surrendered to Cao, Cao Cao only gave him the position of Governor of Qingzhou, and later changed it to the position of Counselor, which meant that Liu Cong was not given any real power in the local area.

The governor of Qingzhou was just a figurehead. Liu Cong left his base in Jingzhou and went to the north where he had no way to exercise actual power.

In this life, Cao Cao was willing to let Liu Cong inherit the title of Governor of Jingzhou, and he announced the title before the other party even surrendered. This was already a huge concession.

There is no doubt that this was all forced by Liu Bei.

With one more bidder, of course he will bid a high price to snatch the property, and the investors will be in trouble.

Jia Xu quickly accepted the order and said he would arrange it immediately, and at the same time added:
“Prime Minister, I believe that Liu Bei is currently being held back by our feint attacks on both the east and west routes of Shuzhong and Jizhou, so the number of troops he can deploy to Jingzhou is far less than that of the imperial court.

But if we delay any further, by the time Liu Bei reacts two months later and the troops in Shuzhong are freed up again, the time we have fought so hard to gain will have been wasted.

Therefore, the attack on Liu Biao and the winning over of his son need to be implemented as soon as possible. After promising official positions and titles to Cai Mao and Liu Cong, can we hint to Cai Mao to quickly anger Liu Biao and make him more frightened? Maybe this will lead to Liu Biao's quick death! "

Cao Cao hesitated for a moment at this obviously more radical proposal, and could not help thinking in his heart: This Jia Wenhe is indeed the one who dared to instigate Li Jue and Guo Si to rebel, and he is much more vicious than me! But if he did this, would he be caught?

Cao Cao thought for a moment and then asked a supplementary question, "This matter is certainly beneficial to the court, but can it be kept secret? If Liu Cong knew about this, would the court's plan to hasten the death of his father leave hidden dangers?
To put it another way, even if Liu Cong had no doubts, he could still be a puppet of the court wholeheartedly. But would Liu Qi seize the fact that Liu Biao was about to die and accuse the Cai family of murdering Liu Biao?

If such words were allowed to spread in Jingzhou, it would be very detrimental to the court's ability to quickly control Jingzhou and stabilize people's hearts."

Fortunately, Jia Xu had repeatedly considered Cao Cao's concerns before offering his advice.

He quickly said confidently: "Liu Cong is young, it should not be difficult to deceive him. As for Liu Qi, we can also try to lure Liu Qi to death before Liu Biao dies, so that he will not be able to make trouble with Liu Biao's death.

Of course, luring Liu Qi to his death would inevitably lose some of the people in Jingzhou. But the most important thing right now is to occupy more prefectures and counties and gain more benefits. Concerns about reputation can only be put aside for the time being."

Jia Xu felt that there were no other neutral princes in the world now. Liu Biao was the last one.

Once Liu Biao is destroyed, it will only be Cao and Liu who will face off. Liu Bei will never surrender, so why would Cao Cao still have the face to do that?
Credit and face are used to persuade people to surrender and let them let down their guard.

Just like Qin Shi Huang still needed to have some face before persuading Qi to surrender, he needed to "treat the surrenderers well", such as by treating King Qian of Zhao well to suppress King Jia of Dai and undermine the Zhao people's will to resist.

But after King Jian of Qi surrendered, there was no one else to persuade him to surrender. Ying Zheng could instantly become shameless and throw King Jian of Qi into a 500-li wilderness to starve him to death.

The vendors at tourist attractions know that they will only rip off customers once in their lifetime, and there will be no second chance. So of course they will take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rip off customers as much as possible.

Repeated game is the beginning of trust.

Without repeated games, there would be no foundation for trust.

Cao Cao was much more respectable than Jia Xu. But he had to admit that Jia Xu's change of mindset did make sense.

When there are only two families left in the world, diplomatic credit and reputation will be meaningless. If Liu Qi can be lured to his death, even if the means are a little despicable, as long as a few more counties are occupied, it will be fine to lose a little reputation and face.

Besides, even if Cao Cao was willing to listen to Jia Xu and use the strategy of luring and killing him, he might not be able to kill him.

If Liu Qi did not take the bait at all and did not dare to return to Xiangyang before Liu Biao's death, then even if Cai Mao wanted to do something desperate, he would not find a chance to assassinate Liu Qi.

(End of this chapter)