Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 274: Yanzhou, I’ll take it!
In May, Anci camp.

Inside the big tent, Lü Fan looked worried and said, "According to the report sent by Lord Zhong, there has been no rain in Bingzhou and Yongzhou for three months this year. The counties in the two states are suffering from severe drought, and the crop yields have decreased, or even failed. Therefore, if the army continues to attack Youzhou, it is likely that food and grass will not be delivered as scheduled, and more supplies will need to come from Youzhou."

"Youzhou has also not had any rain for more than 70 days, and each county is more or less short of food. In addition, all the more than 3 million shi of grain and grass in the Ji County treasury have been transported to Yijing, so there is no surplus food in Youzhou now. Mu Bo said that he will do his best to collect food for the soldiers."

Although the delay of spring rain made it easy for Zhang Yu to pass Beigukou, it was followed by a severe drought. The drought not only existed in Youzhou, but also spread throughout the Central Plains, lasting from ten or twenty days to seventy or eighty days. The farmland lacking river irrigation would have a significant reduction in production.

The reduction in crop yields would directly affect the military. Seeing the continuous drought in Bingzhou and Yongzhou, Zhong Yao had to inform Zhang Yu so that Zhang Yu could see if he could go to Youzhou. Unexpectedly, Youzhou, like Shanxi, also suffered from drought and reduced yields.

Zhang Yu frowned slightly and asked, "How many days can the food and grass in the army last?"

After organizing his troops in Ji County for half a month, Zhang Yu learned of Gongsun Zan's movements, then led his troops across the Qingquan River, marched south to Anci, and looked at the southern border of Yan across the Yishui River.

"Half moon!"

Lu Fan said: "Liu Youzhou has tried his best to collect food and grass, which should last for several months, but I dare not say how much can be collected. Judging from the current situation, you must quickly defeat Gongsun Zan. If you cannot quickly defeat Gongsun Zan, you must plan to retreat early!"

Although Zhang Yu was feeling annoyed, he still nodded calmly, indicating that he understood the current situation.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, looked at the civil and military officials in the tent, and asked, "Today's drought is a natural disaster, not a man-made disaster, so I wonder what you think?"

Zhao Zi was the first to speak, saying, "Your Excellency sent troops to Youzhou, first to conquer Gongsun Zan, and second to station troops in Youyan. Now you have recommended Lords Yan and Zu to sit in the north of Yan, and defeated Gongsun Zan's troops and swept through the five counties of Youzhou, so I think the matter is settled!"

"There is a severe drought in Hebei right now. Food and grass are scarce and difficult to provide. The treasury has no surplus food, and the great event has already been accomplished. So it is better to lead the army to withdraw to Bingzhou and plan for Hebei next year."

"Withdrawal?"

Zhang Yu hesitated and continued to look at Guo Tu, Xun You, Jia Xu and others.

Xun You frowned and said, "Gongsun Zan has stored 3 million dan of grain, which is enough to hold out against our army for two years. Our army should not waste time with him, so what Mr. Lu said makes sense. We should either defeat Gongsun Zan as soon as possible or withdraw on time!"

"But in You's opinion, Gongsun Zan is based in Yijing, which has ravines outside and high towers inside. If he is defeated in the south of Yan, he will take refuge in Yijing, so it is a place that cannot be won quickly."

"Moreover, Gongsun is weak now, and Gongsun and Yuan are allied, so they rely on each other to become stronger. If our army rushes to take Gongsun, Yuan will surely send troops to support it. It is better to slow down the army and wait for changes. Therefore, given the current situation, I think you can withdraw your troops!"

Zhang Yu said: "Gongsun Zan still has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. If I lead the troops to withdraw, the situation in Youzhou will change."

"Your Excellency's worries are not without reason!"

Jia Xu stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Why don't you lead your troops to defeat Gongsun Zan before withdrawing your troops, so that Gongsun Zan will not dare to attack Youzhou again."

"Mr. Jia, your opinion is great!"

Guo Tu said: "Gongsun Zan has no long-term plans. He is brave and aggressive, and has an arrogant temperament. We might as well make him arrogant and lure him to send troops."

"Where does the plan come from?" Zhang Yu asked.

Jia Xu smiled and said, "Why don't you start with food and grass?"

"Jia Jun is so wise!"

Xun You instantly understood what Jia Xu meant and said with a smile: "Everyone knows that there is a severe drought in the world today. Gongsun Zan has emptied the military supplies in Youzhou, so he knows the predicament of our army even better. If you follow his wishes and obey his will, you will be able to win a great victory!"

"forage?"

Seeing that Xun and Jia were talking in a confusing way, Guo Tu secretly groaned in his heart. These two people had so many tricks up their sleeves and he could no longer keep up with the pace. Fortunately, the prince valued him, otherwise Xun You and Jia Xu would have surpassed him long ago.

Guo Tu racked his brains and finally came to an understanding. He said, "Since you want to lure Gongsun Zan into sending out troops by claiming that there is a shortage of food and grass, why don't you send Gongsun Zan's former officials to surrender to the enemy and have them leak the news to Gongsun Zan?"

Zhang Yu thought for only a moment, then showed an expression of approval and said, "You all have a profound plan, and we can follow it now!"

The best way for a monarch and his subjects to get along is to have a unified mind, especially if the monarch can judge the right options. If one is like Yuan Shao, who was entangled in options and could not make a decision, it is a taboo for military strategists.

Fight when you want to fight, retreat when you want to retreat, it’s that simple!
If there are problems, find ways to solve them. If you hesitate, it will be difficult to accomplish anything great.

Liu Bang was able to defeat Xiang Yu because he knew how to use people and acted decisively. He never looked back and forth. He would just try again if he failed. Moreover, the correctness rate of Liu Bang's choices was very high, far better than that of ordinary people. The high correctness rate of choices was essentially because Liu Bang knew how to adapt. A flexible person is not only good at dancing with long sleeves and knowing how to communicate with others. More importantly, he is not stubborn in his thinking, does not believe in himself or others, but can make appropriate choices according to the environment. The characteristic of flexibility is a quality that most people do not have.

Since Zhang Yu read about Liu Bang's life, he has gradually learned to be flexible. The first step to being flexible is to empty oneself. One cannot firmly believe in any statement, but try to make appropriate options based on the reports from his subordinates.

When Zhang Yu was discussing military affairs with the others, a cavalryman hurried into the tent and said, "My Lord, urgent news from Anyi!"

Guo Tu stood up immediately and accepted the military report on behalf of Zhang Yu.

"Gashu!"

"promise!"

Guo Tu spread out the military report and read the contents with excitement. He said, "Sir, when Cao Cao was on an expedition to Xuzhou, his subordinates Chen Gong and Wang Kai, together with Chenliu governor Zhang Miao, rebelled against Cao Cao and welcomed Yanzhou governor Lu Bu into Yanzhou."

"When Lord Zhong learned of this, he allocated 500 horses and 1,000 stones of salt to support Lü Bu. Yuan Shu also provided 3,000 infantry and cavalry to Lü Bu to help him defeat Cao Cao. Now Lü Bu has gone to Puyang and is attacking the counties of Dongjun."

Guo Tu congratulated him, "Congratulations, sir. The plan has been completed. If Lu Bu can drive Cao Cao out of Yanzhou now, Yuan Shao's flank will be in danger. When you attack Yuan Shao and order Yanzhou and Yanzhou to send troops, Jizhou will be unable to resist!"

Now not only Guo Tu was happy, but also his trusted civil and military officials such as Lu Fan, Jia Xu, and Xun You were all delighted.

Although the relationship between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao was delicate, Cao Cao had guaranteed the safety of Yuan Shao's flank to some extent. Although Lü Bu had a bad reputation and was independent, he was at least a pro-Zhang faction. Now that Lü Bu had captured Yanzhou and driven Cao Cao out of Yanzhou, the overall situation would be favorable to Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu discussed the matter of letting Lü Bu attack Yanzhou with his confidants. Most people thought it was difficult for Lü Bu to take control of Yanzhou, but Zhang Yu and Guo Tu pushed for it, so Lü Bu was appointed as the governor of Yanzhou.

"Your Excellency has far-sighted plans, and I cannot understand your profound intentions!" Lu Fan said ashamedly.

Zhang Yu showed a little joy and said with a smile: "In the past, when Liu Dai died and Cao Cao came to power, when I discussed this matter with Gongze, Gongze said that Cao Cao and Zhang Miao would meet in battle sooner or later. Now this is the credit of Gongze's participation in the discussion!"

Although Guo Tu was not very good at military affairs, he was very good at judging people's hearts. A typical example was when Cao Cao entered Yanzhou, he predicted to Zhang Yu the changes in the relationship between Zhang Miao and Cao Cao. It was precisely because of Guo Tu's talent and his rich experience that Zhang Yu appointed Guo Tu as a military advisor to supervise military affairs.

Guo Tu was secretly pleased, but he looked humble and said, "It's just my humble opinion, I dare not praise it!"

Xun You hesitated for a moment and said, "Yanzhou is the flank of Jizhou. If Cao Cao fails, Yuan Shao will surely send troops to intervene. Your Excellency needs to be prepared."

Zhang Yu calmed down and said, "Gongda's words make sense. Lü Bu has few soldiers and generals. He just entered Yanzhou and relied on the big families in Yanzhou. Cao Cao has a lot of soldiers and horses. He has ruled Yanzhou for a long time and has made contributions to the counties. The two will fight for Yanzhou."

"So send someone to inform Lord Zhong that I am far away in Youzhou now, and let him take care of Yanzhou's affairs. Be sure to provide as much support as possible to Lu Bu, especially the supply of military horses. Lu Bu is good at cavalry, and he is no match for Cao Cao without cavalry."

"promise!"

In history, Cao Cao and Lu Bu fought fiercely for Yanzhou. Lu Bu used his cavalry to make Cao Cao suffer so much that Cao Cao even wanted to give up Yanzhou and join Yuan Shao or take Xuzhou in the east.

In the end, Cao Cao relied on Yuan Shao's continuous help and gradually gained the upper hand on the battlefield. Due to frequent wars, Lü Bu's troops and horses could not be replenished, and due to the lack of food and grass, he gradually became no match for Cao Cao and was eventually defeated and fled to Xuzhou.

Although Cao Cao defeated Lu Bu, the price he paid was also very high. He ceded Dongjun to Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao was even able to extend his hand to Yan and Xu.

Therefore, under difficult circumstances, Cao Cao gave up his original base in Dongjun and chose to welcome the emperor to Xu County, Yingchuan in the west. Only then did he open up the situation in the Central Plains, appoint officials in the name of the emperor, and compete with Yuan Shao for the right to speak in Henan.

In the current plane, Zhang Yu has used Lu Bu to disrupt the situation in Yanzhou, so he will not sit idly by and watch Lu Bu being defeated by Cao Cao. He and Yuan Shu will jointly support Lu Bu. Yuan Shu will provide soldiers, and he will provide horses; Yuan Shu will provide food, and he will provide salt. If Lu Bu is not good enough, he will not even mind sending troops out of the pass to assist Lu Bu in fighting Cao Cao.

In short, Yanzhou is his to take!
Jia Xu reminded him, "Sir, Yanzhou is a long-term matter. The fight between Lü and Cao is hard to determine in a short time. Gongsun Zan has stationed his troops in Yinan and is planning to withdraw them to Jin. Don't be careless."

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded and smiled, saying: "I already have a plan to defeat Gongsun. Let's see if Gongsun Zan falls into my trap!"

ps: "Records of the Three Kingdoms": "Hong was in the state for two years, and bandits fled. Shao admired his ability and moved him to be the governor of Dongjun, governing Dongwuyang."

"More than 100,000 troops invaded Weijun and Dongjun, and Wang Gong was unable to resist. Taizu led his troops into Dongjun and attacked Bai Rao in Puyang, defeating him. Yuan Shao therefore recommended Taizu to be the governor of Dongjun and govern Dongwuyang."

(End of this chapter)