I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 429 Pengcheng
Yuan Shao is probably really going to die.

Based on this alone, Liu Miao felt that his trip to Changling was worthwhile!

However, paper offerings were indeed insufficient. Emperor Gaozu, being rather petty, did not allow Yuan Shao to die directly in Ye City, but instead allowed him to come to the front lines while still clinging to life.

"Gongjin! I'm leaving!"

Having already gathered intelligence, Liu Miao, who had previously stubbornly insisted on staying in Dingtao, now wanted to slip away and didn't want to stay in Dingtao for even a moment longer.

"Retreat when it's time to retreat! Remember, I'm here to protect you!"

Yuan's army was piled up like mountains, and the Han army was equally stretched out like the sea!
Liu Miao, fearing that Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci might act rashly, also offered them some advice.

The number of troops mobilized by the North and South far exceeds one million.
The battle lines between Han and Zhao were more than a thousand miles apart.

What are the gains and losses of a single city or region worth mentioning?

Especially since there are no defensible positions here, we cannot afford to be impulsive!
"When it's time to run, run! Running fast is a fine tradition of our Han army!"

Zhou Yu was exasperated, but seeing Liu Miao's relaxed demeanor, he couldn't help but smile.

"His Majesty is indeed still the same as he was back then."

"His Majesty did the same when facing Yuan Shu."

Liu Miao asked doubtfully, "Really?"

Moreover, Liu Miao corrected Zhou Yu's statement.

“Our beloved General Hou was not like that when he came! Back then, I had already decided that if we really couldn’t survive in Jiangdong, we might as well surrender to General Hou!”

Zhou Yu's warm smile vanished instantly, and the black lines that had been erased returned.

He only just remembered that Liu Miao had indeed told him that if he couldn't win, he could join them...

But things are different now!

Zhou Yu was slightly taken aback, but then heard Liu Miao say with regret, "Now I would like to surrender, but Yuan Shao doesn't want me to!"

How can an emperor, a man of such high status, keep talking about surrender?

Zhou Yu wanted Liu Miao to say less negative things and more to boost morale, but then he heard Liu Miao sigh and say, "So, now is the time to abandon illusions and prepare to fight for victory with all our might."

"If we lose this battle, we'll have nothing left."

"The Three Chiefs, the Equal Land Distribution System, the Fubing System, the Three Provinces and Six Ministries, maritime trade, workshops and markets, the revival of various schools of thought, the doctrines of Taoism... all of these have disappeared."

This was the first time Zhou Yu had ever heard Liu Miao's voice sound so heavy.

Judging from Liu Miao's tone, these things seemed to be far more important than his position as emperor, his dignity as emperor, or even his life as emperor.

However, Liu Miao quickly recovered and put his arm around Zhou Yu, saying, "At that time, the fiefdom given to Gongjin will be gone, and he won't even have the chance to become the ruler of a country!"

Zhou Yu's heart skipped a beat at that moment.

Although there had long been rumors that Liu Miao might follow the example of the Zhou emperor and establish fiefdoms...

But all of that is still just hearsay.

Because of the sensitive nature of their positions, it was even less likely that a subject would take the initiative to inquire about Liu Miao's situation.

Hearing Liu Miao say these words in person now stirred Zhou Yu's emotions once again!
However, even though Zhou Yu was furious, his expression remained as calm as a still lake: "Your Majesty should have limits when joking."

Zhou Yu wanted to play the game of feigning indifference to lure Zhou Yu into a trap.

Liu Miao glanced at Zhou Yu, leaving only a mysterious smile, neither responding directly nor hinting at rejection.

"In any case, Gongjin, remember this: don't get carried away! If you can't win, run!"

"Your Majesty, that's called a planned retreat."

"Okay! We'll just have to run fast when we retreat!"

Liu Miao then ordered a batch of livestock and meat to be sent from the rear to reward the soldiers in Dingtao, and then rode back to Pengcheng.

Pengcheng is the gateway to Xuzhou.

The Dan River, which flows east-west, and the Si River, which flows north-south, converge here, and the city of Xuzhou is located to the south of the confluence.

Its hills and ridges surround it, forming a large ring, like a basin, which means that the hills and ridges surrounding Pengcheng are the best defensive positions.

The three mountains to the west are connected in one area, namely Jiuli Mountain, Yunlong Mountain and Quanshan Mountain.

These three mountains are not very tall, generally only about 100 zhang (approximately 33 meters) high. However, in Xuzhou, a region dominated by plains, these mountains and hills can be considered absolute high points.

Sun Ce, Zhu Huan, and Xu Sheng, who had distinguished himself in the previous battle, each led their troops to garrison on the three mountains and began digging trenches and building camps, turning the three mountains into fortresses that were absolutely impossible to fall.

The central army camp was located at the foot of Nanshan Mountain, south of Pengcheng. It was connected to the only passage south of Pengcheng, making it convenient for logistics and supplies to be transferred here as soon as possible.

In addition, the southeast of Xuzhou is a vast, marshy depression that is impassable.

To the north and east are the two natural moats, the Dan River and the Si River.

Further north lies Weishan Lake, a vast expanse that separates Qingzhou from the Central Plains.

The Han army's ships had already entered the marshland, and watchtowers had been built along the river. If enemy troops appeared in the north, they could immediately send a signal to Gao Shun's troops, who were stationed north of the Dan River, to notify them.

The entire city of Pengcheng was under tight security by 150,000 elite Han troops concentrated here!

The core of the defensive counterattack strategy is already poised to launch! When Liu Miao returned to Pengcheng, he did not choose to summon all the generals in a grand manner, but instead gathered his staff and discussed the matter in secret.

"Yuan Shao actually came here to fight despite being ill?"

Although some people were skeptical, they could not help but accept the fact after hearing what Lu Su had seen and heard in Yuan's camp.

Pang Tong was the first to click his tongue twice.

"If Yuan Shao really doesn't have much time left, then this arrangement is obviously the best it could be!"

Yuan Shao is probably going to launch a crazy attack on Pengcheng now!

However, under the Han army's management, Pengcheng has basically become a giant hedgehog!

Even if Yuan Jun's cavalry were elite, they could only roam the plains outside and could not easily invade the Han army stationed in Pengcheng.

In particular, the three mountains to the west have essentially rendered Yuan's army's strongest fighting force—the heavy cavalry—useless!

If Yuan Shao were to lead his heavy cavalry in a charge towards the mountains, those heavy cavalrymen, who were incredibly fierce on the plains, would become nothing more than lumps of flesh encased in iron! They would be easily mowed down by the Han army!

Liu Ye, who was standing nearby, took the initiative to suggest: "If we place trebuchets in the three main camps and prepare more deer antlers, then Yuan's cavalry will definitely not be able to break through!"

At that time, the heavy cavalry will not be able to get up, and once the light cavalry or infantry attack, they will be met with a rain of arrows and stone projectiles fired by trebuchets. Just thinking about that scene is exciting!

Liu Miao nodded, agreeing with Pang Tong's statement and Liu Ye's actions, but his eyes never left the three remaining silent men.

Jia Xu, Sima Yi, and Fa Zheng.

With Zhuge Liang no longer around, these three can be considered the top strategists in the Han army camp today!

In particular, since all three of them have somewhat dark personalities, their thoughts are bound to be more comprehensive, so Liu Miao was still waiting for them to speak.

"Shiyuan is right."

Of the three, Sima Yi, who was slightly more lively than the other two, first politely agreed with Pang Tong's point of view before speaking his own opinion.

"If Yuan Shao knew that his life was coming to an end, he would indeed launch a frantic attack on Pengcheng."

"But doesn't Yuan Shao know that Pengcheng is a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack?"

Don't treat Yuan Shao like a fool!
Especially in military matters, how could Yuan Shao, who had once utterly defeated Gongsun Zan and made Gongsun Zan exclaim, "Yuan's attack is like that of a ghost or a god," not know how terrifying Pengcheng was, which was heavily fortified?
In particular, Yuan Shao's greatest reliance was ultimately on his cavalry, so how could he possibly abandon his strengths and expose his weaknesses?

The first step in fighting a war is to understand the enemy's motives and demands.

What Yuan Shao probably wants most now is for Liu Miao to lead his entire army to the plains and use Yuan's cavalry to slaughter the Han army's manpower, so that the Han Dynasty will no longer be able to resist the Northern Zhao.

Given this demand, Yuan Shao was clearly not the type to launch a desperate attack on Pengcheng.

Furthermore, Sima Yi asked Lu Su a question—

"Zijing is in Yuan's camp, yet he still hasn't seen Yuan Tan?"

Lu Su had a photographic memory; recalling the faces in Yuan Shao's tent, he decisively shook his head at Sima Yi.

"This is troublesome."

When making strategic plans, one must first know the enemy's exact troop strength and possible locations.

Now, Yuan's army has appeared in the Xingyang and Guandu areas on the western front, but Yuan Tan is nowhere to be seen.

On the central battlefield, Yuan Shao personally arrived, but Yuan Tan was still nowhere to be seen.

Even on the eastern Qingzhou battlefield, where Yuan Tan was most likely to appear, Yuan Tan has yet to show up.

This made Sima Yi feel uneasy.

Fa Zheng then spoke up—

"The speed of rushing water that can carry away stones is due to its momentum; the speed of a bird of prey that can destroy and break things is due to its precision. Therefore, a skilled warrior's momentum is dangerous, and his precision is swift. Momentum is like a drawn crossbow, and precision is like releasing the trigger!"

This is the content of "The Art of War: Military Strategy" by Sun Tzu.

This article focuses specifically on large-scale warfare!

A swift current rushes forward, capable of carrying away stones, due to its immense power; a bird of prey, striking a sparrow, can kill it in a single blow because it has mastered the most advantageous position for unleashing its force, and its rhythm is rapid. Therefore, a skilled general always creates a perilous and aggressive situation, and launches attacks with a swift and decisive pace. A perilous situation is like a fully drawn crossbow, and a swift rhythm is like the triggering of the crossbow.

"It seems that Yuan Shao is now being aggressive, and Yuan Tan, who is hiding, is like a crossbow! He will fire when the time is right!"

Fa Zheng's words drew everyone's attention.

Liu Miao also asked, "Does Fa Zheng think that now is not the right time?"

"For a war between two countries of this scale, how many more than a million soldiers would be mobilized? How many more than ten million laborers would be conscripted? Yet now there is only a slight conflict in Xingyang, which probably doesn't even qualify as a skirmish. How could it be enough time?"

Liu Miao was speechless.

He had previously advised Zhou Yu against acting rashly in Dingtao, but he himself had acted rashly first.

As Fa Zheng said, the war between Han and Zhao was unprecedented! Even during the Chu-Han Contention, the troops and resources that Xiang Yu and Liu Bang could mobilize were not as great as those that Yuan Shao and Liu Miao could mobilize in this war.

If you rush into things, you'll only end up making things chaotic for yourself.

"Zijing~"

Just then, a faint call sent shivers down Lu Su's spine, who was still recovering from his identity as a Han envoy!
Jia Xu, the mute for all time, actually took the initiative to call out to Lu Su!

　My update schedule has been a bit irregular lately, please bear with me~ Grandma just had minor surgery, and I've been by her side taking care of her these past few days! I'll be updating a lot next week, around the middle of the month, to make up for it~~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)