Dragon map of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1588 The Beginning of the Decisive Battle

On the north bank of the Yellow River, Yanjin.

There is only one Yellow River from Yanjin to Guandu. After crossing the river, they can directly participate in the war. However, Yuan Shao has never dared to cross the river easily.

It's not that he doesn't want to fight.

It's an opportunity he hasn't found yet.

If there was a battle last year, there was still a chance, but by this year, Cao Cao's vitality must have recovered a lot, and the strength of the Central Plains is not so easy to defeat.

Moreover, Cao Cao suddenly allied with Liu Bei and Sun Ce, and suddenly he was fighting alone in Hebei.

All of a sudden, the situation changed rapidly.

The Wei army took the upper hand, but the Hebei Zhou army fell behind, and the longer the time dragged on, the weaker the fighting spirit of the Zhou army's soldiers became.

In particular, the decline of Hebei has led to the weakening of the Zhou army's confidence in the Yuan family.

If there is no fighting spirit, there is no morale.

Yuan Shao didn't dare to fight this battle at all.

Yuan Shao is a child of a noble family, but he is also a general who broke through the sea of ​​swords and flames. He was able to fight in Luoyang back then, not only because he is a child of a noble family.

He can also carry a sword and gun to kill the enemy, and he can also plan thousands of miles away. He understands the battle situation, but his character is a little lonely, which makes him always inferior to Cao Cao.

In the spring of this year, Hebei began to deploy troops, and the Central Plains also frequently put their combat power on the front line, and the war was imminent.

Yuan Shao knew very well that it was time for him and Cao Cao to fight to the death. Whoever wins this battle will rule the Central Plains and the Han court.

As long as he can win the battle, whether it is Liu Bei or Sun Ce, they will quickly turn hostility into friendship with him.

This is his only chance.

But he dared not act rashly.

Because of confidence.

He must have enough confidence to dare to go to war. He only has one chance. If he loses, Cao Cao can still resist a little bit more. But if he doesn't even have Hebei, he will really lose.

"Fengji!"

In the big camp, Yuan Shao looked at the middle-aged scribe and asked in a low voice, "How is the matter?"

"Everything is as expected, the giant deer can't hold it anymore!"

Feng Ji cupped his hands and said.

"broken?"

Yuan Shao narrowed his eyes.

"Yesterday's news has been breached!" Feng Ji replied: "The Black Mountain Army took action and assisted the commander of the Yan Army to drive straight in. The second prince lost to the main force of the Yan Army. Did not return to Yecheng, and set up a defense line in the northern border of Wei County!"

Feng Ji reported.

"Is there a problem with Yuan Xi's defeat?" Yuan Shao was very suspicious, even if it was his own son, he might not trust it.

"There shouldn't be any problem!" In Feng Ji's eyes, a strange light flashed for a moment, then disappeared quickly, and then returned to rigor.

"That's good!"

Yuan Shao stood up slowly, and said to Feng Ji: "From now on, you must spread the news that the Yan army broke through the giant deer and the soldiers approached Wei County to me in the army, and everyone must know about it!"

"Your Majesty, didn't you block the news? Why did you spread the news?" Feng Ji couldn't figure it out.

"If Tian Yuanhao were here, he wouldn't ask Gu this question!"

There was a trace of loneliness in Yuan Shao's eyes.

There is only one Tian Feng in Hebei.

But Tian Feng is dead.

Whether it is Xun Zhan, Feng Ji, these advisers, compared with Tian Feng, they are almost lacking in ability, or almost in their eyesight, and they have never been able to replace Tian Feng as a counselor with the spirit of the Zhou army in Hebei.

"Subordinates are ignorant!"

Feng Ji quickly knelt down and pleaded guilty.

"Go!"

Yuan Shao was somewhat dispirited, and he said in a low voice: "Within two days, let all the generals of the Zhou army know that our Zhou army has been defeated, and Yecheng cannot be defended!"

"Yes!"

Feng Ji didn't dare to ask any more questions, he bowed his hands in salute, turned and left, with a touch of cold sweat on his forehead, to be honest, in front of Yuan Shao, the pressure was too great.

"Your Majesty!"

When the judge came in, he opened the door curtain, saluted first, and then reported: "The eldest prince has returned to the north!"

"why?"

Yuan Shao's long and narrow eyes burst into a cold light.

"After the eldest prince's main force in Qingzhou was defeated by Tai Shici, his only remaining main force protected him and went north. Although he gathered some troops along the way, he didn't intend to return to Qingzhou to continue fighting. Instead, he wanted to go straight to Yecheng! "

Trial Road.

"Humph!"

Yuan Shao snorted coldly: "Yuan Tan is always difficult to become a master!"

He has some prejudice against the eldest son, but now it is even more worthless. Why is Yuan Tan returning to Yecheng at this time? It is nothing more than seizing power.

He even doubted whether Yuan Xi would also go to Yecheng.

Zhou Guo was about to collapse, but his sons did not work together to defend against the enemy, but at this time, they were fighting openly and secretly to seize power.

Don't they know that as long as their own army is defeated, Hebei will be divided quickly. As his sons, if they surrender and meet some benevolent people, there may be a chance of survival.

But if they support their own self-respect, they will definitely be beheaded.

"My lord, do you need me to make a trip?"

Trial question.

"no need!"

Yuan Shao shook his head and said: "Since he wants to go back, let him go back. Jushou is in Yecheng, and the two brothers together are no match for Jushou. You can rest assured against Yecheng alone!"

"Yes!"

"Shen Pei, you have always had the talent of a military adviser, but these years, it has been so neglected. Now Hebei has no famous ministers. You have to take on the important task. Now Yuan Xi has just taken on the important task. Go and help him. He holds [-] partial teachers. , Living in Wuchao is a rare soldier, if given the opportunity, it will definitely be able to exert a miraculous effect, but someone needs to tell Yuan Shang when the opportunity is, others don’t worry about it, but you, don’t worry about it!”

Yuan Shao spoke to the judge in a low voice, with some deep emotions in his voice.

He will buy people's hearts, too.

To be a vassal is to have a charismatic personality. The honor of the fourth generation and the third son of the Yuan family is too high, so his words are naturally valuable, which can make the judge excited.

"Sir, you should cooperate with the third prince to complete the task and never let the king down!"

The judge nodded.

"very good!"

Yuan Shao suddenly stepped out of his seat, walked to the desk next to him, picked up a sealed kit, handed it to the judge, and said: "This is a secret order, remember, only the day when the army is defeated can you Open, if you lose the Central Plains alone in this battle, it is also your fate, you will do as the kit says, if you don't want to, don't force it!"

"My lord, never betraying the king's trust!"

The judge is not a fool, he can feel the weight in it, like the weight of a lonely person, which makes him a little flattered, after all, he is not ranked high among civil servants and generals in Hebei.

"Go!"

Yuan Shao waved his hand.

"Yes!"

Trial and resignation.

In the empty camp, Yuan Shao narrowed his eyes quietly, looking at the distance outside the window, with a slight smile on his lips: "Cao Mengde, it's time to fight to the death!"

He and Cao Cao have known each other for a long time, from good friends, to like-minded brothers, to enemies, and now to life and death...

In this life, he still feels very lucky to have met Cao Mengde.

........................

Zhongmou.

The main force of the Wei army built a camp around Guandu, and Cao Cao now lives in Zhongmou, which can be regarded as the headquarters of the front line, and all military orders go out from here.

After several days of heavy rain, the air pressure around the sky was very low. The sky was overcast and there was no light to be seen. Cao Cao felt a little irritable.

"It seems that this year's rainy season will be brought forward?"

Cao Cao stood in front of the door looking at the sky, his eyes flickered with a cold light.

He hates this rainy day.

To be honest, rainy days make it impossible to do many things, even if it is just to deliver the food from the back, it cannot be done.

"Your Majesty!"

A very soft voice interrupted Cao Cao's thoughts.

"Feng Xiao, didn't I ask you to cultivate yourself? If you are not feeling well, you should cultivate well and don't need to work too hard!" Cao Cao looked back and saw Guo Jia coming from the barracks next door with an oil-paper umbrella.

"Master, you are fine!"

After Guo Jia bowed his hands and saluted, he said: "I just received a message, and I need to pass it on to the king immediately!"

"Come in and sit down!" Cao Cao personally pulled Guo Jia into the camp. He has always loved Guo Jia very much, and this is his number one military advisor.

"What kind of news can shock you?"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, and his eyes flickered coldly: "Gu has already ordered everyone not to disturb your cultivation. It seems that they don't take Gu's words seriously!"

"Your Majesty, don't be angry, this is Jia Wenhe personally sent someone to deliver it to me!" Guo Jia quickly appeased Cao Cao's anger.

A scholar dies for a confidant.

Guo Jia is already very satisfied with Cao Cao's anger, even if it's just for acting. Besides, Guo Jia knows that although Cao Cao is suspicious by nature, he really does not doubt whether he employs people or not. He trusts himself as always, otherwise It was impossible for Yelou's news to reach him directly.

"What news did Yelou inquire about?"

"Liu Xuande defeated Julu, Hebei has lost its barrier, and only Wei County is left to fight in the Zhou Kingdom!" Guo Jia's words were astonishing.

"So fast?"

Cao Cao's pupils widened, and he was very surprised: "How could Hebei be breached so easily!"

"Don't forget, Your Majesty, we helped them!"

Guo Jia reminded.

"Black Mountain Army!"

Cao Cao suddenly understood: "It turns out that the Heishan army led the Yan army into Julu, so the momentum is huge, but Liu Xuande's Yan army can go down Julu, which is the limit. If he is a smart person, he would not dare to go south. , because whether it is Hejian or Julu, they will attack him at any time!"

"That's right!"

Guo Jia said: "However, this is enough to make Hebei turbulent, and I also inquired about an interesting news, that is, Yuan Benchu ​​did not stop this news from spreading to every soldier in the Zhou army!"

"Why is that?"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes.

"Your Majesty, you forgot, we once guessed, if Yuan Shao wants to fight, how should he fight?" Guo Jia reminded.

"Understood!"

Cao Cao laughed, and said, "Gu still underestimated this guy, he really has such courage, and wants to imitate the overlord of Western Chu, and let Gu come to a standstill?"

"My lord, this battle should not be underestimated. Yuan Benchu ​​really wants to fight in a desperate situation. After all, he lost Hejian and Julu. The defeat of Hebei is only a matter of time!"

Guo Jia reminded: "So Yuan Shao's only contribution is to forcibly go south to the Central Plains. Even if he only occupies Yanzhou, he still has a chance of survival, but if he is directly defeated here, he is really doomed!"

"Gu Ke has never dared to underestimate Yuan Benchu. Gu Ke grew up with Yuan Benchu. Gu Ke knows exactly how capable Yuan Benchu ​​is!"

Cao Cao looked serious, and said: "In the past, Gu once said that if Yuan Benchu ​​was more courageous, Gudu might not be his opponent. Now he has finally brought out the courage that he has admired all his life, and he wants to fight Gujue to the death. , How dare I despise it!"

He is very familiar with Yuan Shao.

Because of familiarity, the understanding between them is deep-rooted.

"My lord, now we can strike first!"

Guo Jia proposed.

"Why?"

Cao Cao was puzzled: "Didn't you say, let go of the Guandu defense line, we can only fight if they cross the river, otherwise we will beat them back!"

"It's not like it used to be!"

Guo Jia coughed twice. In the climate of spring and winter, he contracted a minor illness. With the help of the doctor, he managed to stabilize his illness. He only needs to cultivate well to maintain his health. But now The battle is imminent, and he can't stop.

Even if he risked his life, he must win this battle for Cao Cao.

Only with the victory of this battle can Cao Cao justifiably surpass Sun Ce and Liu Bei. After all, alliances also need to have a primary and secondary position.

Cao Cao is in charge of the center, but he is the prime minister of the court. It is the best way for him to govern the universe and unite the princes, so as to resist the Ming army's front.

He considered his language and said: "Now it is he Yuan Benchu ​​who is going to fight decisively, that is to say, no matter what, he Yuan Benchu ​​will not withdraw his troops. In this case, why can't we increase our geographical advantage? The right time, the right place, the right people, and the advantage of the location are very important. If we continue to give way in the entire Guandu battlefield, if we win, they will really enter the game. If we win, we will suffer a lot!"

When he said this, Cao Cao was a little moved.

To be honest, Wancheng was defeated in the battle of last year, and he suffered a great loss, and the elite suffered heavy losses. Now even if the troops are restored, the combat effectiveness is more than [-]% worse.

If this battle is fought too fiercely, it will inevitably lead to the weakening of the Wei army's combat effectiveness. In the future, he will face the Yan State in the north and the Wu State in the east of the river. His advantages are not obvious enough to suppress them.

So if he can preserve his strength on the premise of victory, he is still willing to do it.

"Then what are you going to do?"

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and asked Guo Jia.

"Push the front line to the front with all your strength!" Guo Jia said in a low voice: "We don't need to fight the city, but I don't want to intersperse it, so as to make the whole battle look more balanced. As long as we start a war, we can bloom everywhere. When the time comes The battlefield is our advantage!"

"Makes sense!"

Cao Cao's eyes brightened slightly.

(End of this chapter)