Han Xiang

Chapter 338 The old fox passively offered advice

Xun You was very surprised after hearing this, but he also understood Cao Cao's anger.

Being able to beat Xiahou Dun like this, Jiangdong is no longer a serious disease, no matter it is fatal.

Although Cao Cao was angered by his speech, Xun You still remonstrated rationally:
"Ming Gong wants to help Shouchun and attack Jiangdong without any delay, but don't you want to make a battle plan? It is impossible to go to Guandu with [-] horsemen. We must keep some of them to guard against Yuan Shao's surprise attack. In addition, we have not built large warships. It is unrealistic for the Yangtze River to attack the Jiangdong mainland, should we flatten Huainan first?"

"Gongda's words are reasonable."

Although Cao Cao was angry when he heard the words, he was slightly relieved after venting his emotions, and he was still able to treat the Huainan war rationally.

The battle plan mentioned by Xun You is very important. It involves the number of troops to be dispatched, the duration of the war, the dispatch of military supplies and logistics, the effect of the war, etc. Blind attack will appear chaotic.

Cao Cao closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, showing an uncomfortable expression, but still opened his mouth to order: "You guys discuss it first, come up with a plan as soon as possible, and the troops must be dispatched after noon."

Xia Houyuan, Cao Chun, and Zhang Liao defeated Sun Quan last year, so they have the most right to speak at this time. After watching each other for a while, the three finally fell on Xia Houyuan.

Xia Houyuan did his part, patted his chest and said disdainfully: "Jiangdong soldiers and horses are all mobs. Last year, a few thousand elite soldiers were able to defeat the enemy. Now if I can give me [-] soldiers and horses, I will definitely be able to win. My lord can still lead the troops to Hebei."

All the generals looked at each other and said nothing, only Cao Chun and Zhang Liao nodded in affirmation to him.

"Dividing troops before the war is a big taboo. One side's setbacks will affect the other side. This time I will go to the Southern Expedition myself."

Cao Cao opened his eyes and rejected Xia Houyuan's proposal, tilted his head and pointed at Guo Jia, "Feng Xiao, tell me."

Guo Jia walked up to the people and analyzed to the generals with his beard: "Yuan Shao was defeated twice in Guandu and Cangting, but his strength is still the crown of princes. If he wants to attack Jiangdong at this time, he must cut the mess quickly. Within two months The battle must end, otherwise it will cost more money and food to procrastinate. In fact, Gongda’s suggestion just now is very pragmatic. This time, we can take Huainan first, slowly prepare warships and train the navy, and take advantage of the situation to take Jiangdong after Hebei is pacified.”

"Two months is neither long nor short."

Cao Cao frowned, wondering what he was thinking.

With Guo Jia throwing bricks to attract jade, Xun You also stood up and continued to offer advice: "In the past, Sun Ce Jiangxia defeated Huang Zu and captured tens of thousands of warships. Relying on warships has extremely fast strategic support capabilities, and the combined strength of all parts of Jiangdong is estimated to be With a crowd of 2, I originally thought that Jiangdong’s soldiers were weak in combat effectiveness, but General Yuan Rang’s defeat at Zipeng Mountain showed that Sun Quan also had a lot of elite soldiers, so sending only [-] people should not be enough, I think at least half of them should go to Guandu.”

"One hundred thousand?"

The corners of Cao Cao's mouth twitched, and he sneered, "Last year Yuan Shao also gathered [-] troops in Cangting, but he was not my opponent head-on. We should not pay too much attention to Sun Quan, otherwise he would be ridiculed by the heroes of the world. I think [-] cavalry is enough. Yuan Shao Rang's failure should have been accidental, if he hadn't been ambushed by Jiangdong, how could he have won with the traitor Chen Lan? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Xun You remonstrated again: "Sun Quan used troops against Shouchun last year, mainly Yuan Shu's old troops. The combat effectiveness is indeed not high. It is said that Sun Jian and Sun Ce's old troops are under Zhou Yu's jurisdiction. Minggong personally led troops south. It is very likely that there will be a stalemate from time to time, and this gives Yuan Shao a chance."

"Am I afraid of Zhou Yu? Besides, there are soldiers in the rear that haven't moved, so what if Yuan Shao goes south?"

Cao Cao snorted coldly, looked at Xun You and asked: "At the time of the decisive battle at Guandu, I led my troops to Wuchao to cook food, and Gongda and Zilian stood firm in the camp. The two of you cooperated tacitly. This time, you are still guarding the rear. If Yuan Shao dares to come to Xudu directly, he can give up the Yellow River Ferry, and then stay at Guandu to wait for work, and when I take Huainan, he will go north immediately."

"only."

Xun You bowed his hands and then reminded Cao Cao: "Duke Ming, after two defeats, Yuan Shao may not dare to advance lightly. It may only disturb Yanzhou, and it may not be feasible to just guard Guandu."

Cao Cao pointed at Cao Ren again: "That son, Xiao, is also staying here. Your cavalry can quickly support everywhere. Remember not to be greedy for meritorious deeds, just hold back."

"My lord. The Huainan battlefield needs a quick victory, and the cavalry of the last general can just do it."

Before Cao Ren finished speaking, he was interrupted by Cao Cao waving his hand: "Thousands of cavalry with Miaocai and Zihe are enough to deal with the young Jiangdong. You can stay at the rear and share my worries."

"Yes." Cao Ren clasped his fists sonorously.

Seeing Cao Cao's deployment of guards in the rear, Xun You worried that Cao Cao might underestimate the enemy, so he secretly winked at Guo Jia, hoping that he could persuade him again.

Guo Jiaxin understood, and then cupped his hands and said: "Ming Gong, [-] to [-] people are enough to stay behind. There are still a small number of garrisons in Yanzhou. It will not be a problem to contain Yuan Shao for two months. You should bring more troops to Huainan. Don't forget that after the war It is necessary to keep troops for defense, and only [-] is indeed a little less."

"Feng Xiao's words are very kind, so let's leave [-] troops behind and march into Huainan with [-] cavalry."

After Cao Cao made a final decision, he looked around and found Shi Huan among the crowd, and ordered: "Shouchun's defenders are tense now, and all the vanguard troops are leaving by boat. Gong Liu (Shi Huan) quickly dispatches the ships."

"Wei." Shi Huan clasped his fists and turned away.

Cao Cao remembered the gaffe when he woke up just now, and caught a glimpse of Zhang Xiu's embarrassed expression in the crowd, and immediately waved his hand: "You and Miaocai go to prepare the army first, and your two troops will be the vanguard later."

"Yes."

Zhang Xiu was like a student sitting in a corner who was suddenly named and praised by the teacher on the stage, and he couldn't react for a while.

Xia Houyuan and Zhang Xiu turned around to leave, but Cao Cao called Zhang Xiu again and asked, "Did Jia Wenhe not come today?"

"Uh, both Wen and just now."

Zhang Xiuzheng was hesitating to explain, when Jia Xu suddenly showed his head from the corner, raised his right hand to indicate his existence, and said with a smile: "Ming Gong, I am here."

Cao Cao frowned, and asked in surprise, "Why are you hiding behind the crowd?"

Jia Xu quickly explained: "I was suddenly anxious just now, so I went outside the tent to relieve myself, and when I came back, I didn't push forward."

Xun You and Guo Jia looked at each other, and three words popped up in their hearts at the same time: Old Fox.

Cao Cao didn't hesitate after hearing this, and signaled Jia Xu to come forward, and directly asked his own question: "Everyone has offered suggestions, and Wen He, who serves as a military counselor, should also share his own opinions? Gongda and Fengxiao said Just don't repeat it."

"only."

Jia Xu bowed his hands, stroked his beard and thought while answering: "The waterway to Huainan is accessible, Ming Gong should take advantage of the waterway march, imitate the way of attacking Liu Bei before Guandu, and transport all the soldiers and horses to Huainan quickly by boat. It will definitely catch Sun Quan by surprise."

"All by water? No."

Without waiting for Cao Cao's answer, Xun You denied it first, and continued to add: "Most of the ships in Guandu are full of food and grass. It is impossible to take away [-] soldiers. At most, they can only send away a few thousand."

(End of this chapter)