The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 136 Yuan Shao and Cao Cao swapped homes; my advantage is unmatched (1st update)
Previously, when he was in Yanjin, Chunyu Qiong had mocked Yan Liang, but unexpectedly, he made the same mistake as Yan Liang today.

If they hadn't been so confident in their martial prowess and underestimated Cao Cao's small army, how could Cao Cao have disrupted their formation?
However, the opportunity has already been lost, and regret is useless now.

"Retreat to camp and hold out for reinforcements!"

Although Chunyu Qiong was alarmed, he did not forget his countermeasures.

This place is only forty li away from the Guandu camp, and there are Yuan soldiers scouts along the way. As long as we hold our fortified camp and wait for reinforcements, we can wait for the cavalry from the main camp to come to our aid.

Han Juzi, Lü Weihuang, Zhao Rui and other generals also retreated into their camps.

See this.

Cao Cao ordered another fierce attack: "The enemy has lost their courage; those who retreat will be executed!"

On one side, the flames grew larger and larger; on the other, Cao Cao's soldiers fought with increasing ferocity. Chunyu Qiong was both anxious and angry.

What was urgent was that there was no chance to put out the fire and save the supplies; what was infuriating was that despite having a large number of troops against a small number and the advantage of fortified camps and terrain, they were still at a disadvantage!

"General, send reinforcements immediately!"

Chunyu Qiong gritted his teeth and could only pray anxiously in his heart.

As the firelight appeared at Wuchao, the scouts along the way realized something was wrong. After discovering the shouts of battle coming from Wuchao, the scouts rushed into the Guandu stronghold.

"You brat, Ah Man!"

Yuan Shao, who was fast asleep, was furious and annoyed when he heard that Cao Cao's troops had launched a surprise attack on Wuchao.

Several thousand carts carrying grain were burned during Han Meng's previous grain transport operation, and now the same trick is being used again.

Yuan Shao hurriedly summoned all his civil and military officials to his tent.

Then they sent someone to invite Xu You.

However, the report came back saying that no one answered in Xu You's tent, and when they went inside, they found only a straw figure on the bed.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao immediately realized something was wrong: "Oh no! Ziyuan has always been arrogant. He must have seen that I wouldn't punish Shen Pei, so he went to Cao Cao's camp that very night."

Although he guessed the truth, Yuan Shao was unwilling to admit that the fire at Wuchao was related to Xu You. If he did admit it, it would be a slap in the face for Yuan Shao!

Unaware of the truth, the crowd urged Yuan Shao to send troops to rescue Wuchao.

Zhang He also advised: "Cao Cao's troops are well-trained and his generals are brave. If he attacks Wuchao, he will surely defeat Chunyu Qiong and his men. If Chunyu Qiong and his men are defeated, Wuchao's grain supplies will be destroyed, and our army will be doomed. I urge the general to send troops immediately."

However, for some reason, Yuan Shao hesitated, clearly not agreeing with the opinions of the others and Zhang He.

After Han Meng's grain supply was burned, Yuan Shao replaced him with Chunyu Qiong to guard the grain supply, and also appointed fierce generals such as Sui Yuanjin, Han Juzi, Lü Weihuang, and Zhao Rui, as well as more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry to obey Chunyu Qiong's orders.

No matter how you look at it, Chunyu Qiong has no chance of losing!

Guo Tu, observing Yuan Shao's words and expressions, discerned his intentions and refuted Zhang He's plan: "Zhang He's words are utterly wrong! Cao Cao has few troops, and tonight he has sent troops to raid our supplies, so our main camp must be empty. We should take this opportunity to launch a major attack, and Cao Cao will inevitably send troops back to rescue us. In this way, Chunyu Qiong's predicament will be resolved without our intervention. This is the strategy of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao'."

Rebuked by Guo Tu, Zhang He said angrily, "Cao Cao's camp is well-fortified, how can it be breached? If Chunyu Qiong and the others are captured, we will all become prisoners."

For a fleeting moment, Zhang He even suspected that Guo Tu was Cao Cao's inside man.

Instead of rescuing Chunyu Qiong, they insisted on attacking Cao Cao's camp.

If Cao Cao's camp was so easy to attack, why would we be stuck here for two or three months?
however.

Faced with Zhang He's angry words, Guo Tu winked at Yuan Shao and then provoked him, saying, "Cao Cao's army has all gone to plunder, leaving only the old and weak to guard the camp. Is General Zhang unwilling to fight or incapable of fighting?" Upon hearing this, Zhang He was immediately speechless.

No matter how he answered, it was wrong, so he could only glare resentfully at Guo Tu.

Yuan Shao seemed to be deep in thought. He glanced at everyone in the tent and then made a decision: "Cao Cao's camp is currently vulnerable, and this is the time to defeat him. Quickly issue my orders, appointing Zhang He and Gao Lan as vanguards to lead their elite troops to attack Cao Cao's main camp. The remaining generals will take other camps. There must be no mistakes! Chunyu Qiong has more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry. Even if they cannot capture the enemy, they can still defend the Wuchao camp. I will send a separate light cavalry to prevent Cao Cao's troops from returning to reinforce the main camp."

When Zhang He tried to persuade him again, Gao Lan stopped him.

After leaving the main camp, Gao Lan said in a low voice, "When I passed by the camps of Shen Jing and Shen Zhong, I heard them say that they had avenged Shen Pei tonight and made Xu You lose face. However, Xu You was nowhere to be seen when Wuchao was attacked tonight. There must be a reason for this."

Zhang He was shocked: "You mean—"

Before he could finish speaking, Gao Lan gestured for him to lower his voice: "The General first transferred Ju Shou to Youzhou, then imprisoned Tian Feng, then transferred Shen Pei back to Ye City, and now he has asked the two of us to attack Cao Cao's main camp. It seems that Xu You, Guo Tu and others have slandered and framed us, but in fact it is because the General suspects us people from Hebei."

Zhang He frowned deeply: "How could this be? General Gao, you may be overthinking it."

"Whether it's true or false, we'll know after the battle." Gao Lan didn't bother to distinguish, and led his troops with Zhang He to attack Cao Cao's main camp.

Inside the main tent.

Guo Tu, however, congratulated Yuan Shao: "After this battle, General, you will be able to wipe out the Cao traitor and achieve unparalleled merit."

Yuan Shao smiled and said, "Cao Cao thinks he can use the same trick again after sending troops to burn the grain escorted by Han Meng. Does he really think I am ignorant of military matters? Chunyu Qiong has been with me for a long time and will fight to the death. Cao Cao is powerless to turn the tide tonight."

Seeing Yuan Shao's good mood, Guo Tu seized the opportunity to say, "I observe that Zhang He and others are arrogant because of their strong troops and seem to be dissatisfied with the General. After this battle, it is advisable to strip them of their military power to prevent them from becoming too powerful."

Guo Tu's words were exactly what Yuan Shao was thinking.

The thought of Shen Pei arbitrarily arresting Xu You's wife and children made Yuan Shao furious again: "So reckless! Are you sure that I can't pacify the world without you?"
“It’s alright. Ju Shou and Tian Feng have both lost power, and Shen Pei has been transferred back to Ye City by me. How dare the rest not do their best?” Yuan Shao yawned and said, “I’m a little tired. If there’s nothing important, please don’t bother me again.”

Yuan Shao, confident in his large army and believing he had everything under control, did not take the attack on Wuchao too seriously.

Although Yuan Shao sent light cavalry, they were not there to rescue Chunyu Qiong, but to cut off the retreat route of Cao Cao's troops at Wuchao, attempting to join forces with Chunyu Qiong to annihilate the raiding Cao Cao troops.

From a purely tactical standpoint, neither Yuan Shao nor Guo Tu had any major problems.

Cao Cao marched more than forty miles at night to attack Wuchao, and his men and horses must have been exhausted. When he encountered Chunyu Qiong's more than ten thousand infantry and cavalry defending the camp, Yuan Shao and Guo Tu did not believe that Chunyu Qiong would lose.

If Chunyu Qiong had not taken advantage of Cao Cao's smaller army and abandoned the strategic advantage of his camp to fight Cao Cao head-on, then things would indeed have turned out as Yuan Shao and Guo Tu predicted.

Unfortunately.

People are not as good as the sky.

Yuan Shao was fond of revelry, and so were the generals under his command.

First, Yan Liang was defeated at Baima because he was too brave and strong. Then Wen Chou was defeated at Yanjin because he was too strong and had too many soldiers. Now Chunyu Qiong is defeated again because he is too brave and has too many soldiers.

That's how the battlefield is—unpredictable and ever-changing, beyond human calculation.

Wuchao Camp.

Chunyu Qiong's voice had become hoarse from giving commands and shouts.

As the defensive line was gradually breached, Chunyu Qiong's anger grew stronger: "What is the General thinking? Why haven't the reinforcements arrived yet!"

　Chapter 1 is here!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)