Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1105 Accident
Cao Cao launched the attack earlier than Yuan Xi expected, so many of his secret maneuvers were not completed, so he was passive in the early stages.

The reason for this is that the counselors in Yuan Xi's camp did make some miscalculations, which was the time when Ma Chao arrived in Yecheng and completely obeyed Cao Cao's orders.

Ju Shou, Tian Feng and others estimated that Ma Chao should have been extremely angry when Ma Teng was executed by Cao Cao. Even if he wanted to negotiate with Cao Cao, he would first make a gesture of revenge for his father.

In order to appease Ma Chao, Cao Cao will certainly spend a lot of effort and time. If not handled properly, Ma Chao might even hinder the war in Jizhou. Therefore, Cao Cao is afraid that he will not let Ma Chao directly intervene in the battlefield in Jizhou.

Even the most pessimistic Zhuge Liang believed that Ma Chao would not give in for at least a month in order to raise the price for negotiations with Cao Cao.

At that time, Cao Cao had not yet mobilized his troops, many horses of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had not yet arrived, and Cao Cao had not yet learned the details of Yuan Xi's frequent mobilization of troops, so the Jizhou advisers were somewhat relaxed and believed that the possibility of war breaking out this month was not great.

Although Yuan Xi had knowledge of later generations, the world had changed dramatically and many things had changed. Moreover, Ma Chao and Cao Cao had fought a great war in later generations. Therefore, Yuan Xi had no way of judging what the situation would be like next, so he asked the cities in Jizhou to remain vigilant and defend themselves.

But no one expected that after Ma Teng was killed, Ma Chao hurriedly crossed Sili and rushed to Yecheng. His purpose was not to raise an army to punish Cao Cao, but to recognize Cao Cao as his adoptive father!

Cao Cao was also decisive. He agreed immediately and immediately put Ma Chao into the game, hoping to cause huge damage to Yuan Xi's territory in a short period of time.

This made Yuan Xi's advisers at a loss. When Yuan Xi convened a meeting, they all pleaded guilty. Yuan Xi said to them, "It is useless to talk more. The key now is how to stop Ma Chao as much as possible."

He was also a little depressed. He understood why the dividing line between forces was either a big river or a dangerous pass, because only in this way could the confrontation between the two sides reach a balance.

Places with wide open gates like Xuzhou, and the situation where Jizhou was equally divided between Yuan Xi and Cao Cao without any natural barriers in between, made it extremely easy for the enemy to break through the defense line and cause great damage to the territory.

This was also the tactic proposed by Tian Feng at the time to harass Cao Cao's rear. Everyone understood the approach, but it was really difficult to deal with. Although most people could hide in the city for refuge, there were always some who did not have time to escape.

Zhuge Liang said, "My lord, I have already asked you to think of a countermeasure for this tactic."

"Right now, the counties of Jizhou are releasing balloons from high above the fortresses, and using spies to investigate the enemy situation. Once there is any sign of trouble, they will immediately send a message with rockets to notify the people in the direction of the enemy to take shelter."

"But this method also has disadvantages. First, the enemy can turn at any time, so the signal can only warn of the general direction."

"Secondly, the Xiliang Army split up into several teams and attacked in a dispersed manner, just like casting a net, leaving the people in the area with nowhere to escape."

"It must be said that the Xiliang Army has mastered how to march and plunder quickly over the years, and the Jizhou defenders could only deal with it passively, and the situation was reversed very late."

"So if we want to solve this dilemma now, we can only increase our troops as soon as possible and use the most violent means to defeat the Xiliang Army and reduce the losses."

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "I think so too."

"But Ma Chao is very difficult to deal with, and he relies on looting locals to replenish his military rations, so it is difficult to exploit his logistical weaknesses."

"Besides, it's hard to decide who I should send out. The Youzhou cavalry is a little slower and may not be able to catch up with the Xiliang cavalry. Although the Hu-Han light cavalry under Yan Rou and Xian Yu Fu are fast, they will be at a disadvantage if they are charged by the Xiliang soldiers."

"More importantly, there are more than 20,000 soldiers from Xiliang. If I send too few soldiers, they will be ineffective. If I send too many, it will easily expose my cards. Cao Cao's real purpose is probably to test my strength. This move really hits my weak spot."

Everyone thought hard and thought that Cao Cao might have become suspicious of Yuan Xi's previous frequent movements, so he sent Ma Chao to lead the charge. These Xiliang cavalry who came and went like the wind were really difficult to deal with.

Ju Su said, "We must send cavalry, but we cannot do so with the goal of a decisive battle with the enemy."

“If we lose the battle, not only will our morale be dampened, but we will also be in a passive position, which will be disadvantageous for the next war.

"We still need another month or two to prepare equipment and manpower. It is not appropriate to expand the scale of the battle now."

Tian Feng frowned and said, "But we can't just watch the people of Jizhou die, right?"

"The Lord's intention is to take back Jizhou. If we allow the Xiliang cavalry to cause chaos, the people of Jizhou will lose their morale!"

Ju Su said, "I know Yuan Hao has family in Jizhou, so he is very anxious, but I am the same."

"There's no point in being anxious right now. The most important thing is to save the situation. Otherwise, if we fail to deal with it properly, it will only cause the people of Jizhou to suffer even more."

Tian Feng was indignant when he heard this and said, "This is really a freak thing. With the two sides at war, the people have become an important bargaining chip to contain us!"

"But we can't use the same methods. It's really frustrating!"

"It's always easier to attack than to defend. As long as we want to protect the people, we will inevitably be led by the enemy!"

Yuan Xi also had a frown on his face. The troops under his command were being mobilized and rotated, and then Zhao Yun and Zhang He would retrain and reorganize the army. It was unrealistic for him to send troops immediately. The army's organization had not been sorted out, and going to the battlefield would be tantamount to committing suicide.

Zhuge Liang said, "If we defend, there may be a way."

"I've heard that the Jizhou Army is very good at siege work. Whether it was fighting Gongsun Zan or Cao Cao, they used a lot of siege equipment." "For example, in the battle of Yijing, they used underground digging vehicles, which went several feet deep into the ground, like a long tongue, digging the soil at the front and loosening the soil at the back, and the progress was very fast."

"The Jizhou army relied on this weapon to dig through Gongsun Zan's high walls and towers, thus securing victory."

Ju Shou said: "Indeed, the front of this thing is a huge digging shovel tooth, and the efficiency of digging soil outside is indeed much faster than manpower. At present, there are still some in the warehouse of the lord's army."

"But this thing is not without weaknesses. It is very large and moves slowly. People cannot defend themselves inside it. It is a target for bows and arrows. If there is no protection from cavalry and infantry, it will be slaughtered at will."

"It was able to be used in Yijing in the first place because Benchu ​​Gong had more soldiers and could guard all four directions. Secondly, most of the excavators were underground, and the only part that needed to be defended was the soil transport exit at the back."

"And it is ultimately driven by manpower. The more people there are, the faster the excavation will be. But right now Jizhou is short of defensive manpower, so it cannot solve the urgent problem."

"The last part is the most important. The digging carts are used to deal with the enemy's fortifications. How can we deal with the Liangzhou cavalry that come and go like the wind?"

Zhuge Liang said: "Of course this thing can't directly cause damage to the cavalry."

"What they dig out and bring back is the effective way to stop the cavalry."

Tian Feng's eyes lit up, "What did Kong Ming mean, the underground?"

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan and said, "To be precise, it is a tunnel trench."

"If there are trenches densely packed around the town, not only can the people hide in them, but soldiers can also ambush in them. If the Xiliang soldiers dare to dismount and enter, we can use the terrain to give them a head-on blow."

Three words emerged in Yuan Xi's mind.

Tunnel battle!
Ju Su said: "This is indeed a good idea."

"But there is still a problem. There are not enough people."

"It would be fine if the excavation was done a year or half in advance, but how could it be completed in ten days or half a month in such a hurry?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Mr. Gongyu hit the nail on the head. I have some immature ideas about this matter."

He took out a piece of silk from his arms and began to explain by pointing at it.

He said, "Zi Jing is currently commanding the navy on the Yellow River, in Jizhou. There are dozens of these on his warships."

"As long as it is dismantled and sent to the nearest city, it can be installed on the front of the excavator with a little modification, and excavation can be started immediately. If the excavator teeth are replaced with round ones, the efficiency will be higher."

Yuan Xi was the first to react and said, "Kong Ming, what a good idea!"

Naturally, he realized at a glance that Kong Ming was talking about the steam engine. This thing has power as long as there is fuel, and with power it can achieve work efficiency far exceeding that of human power!
After Zhuge Liang explained it briefly, Ju Shou and Tian Feng also understood it. They smiled bitterly and said, "We are really old. Although we have heard of these new things, we only know the general idea and have not thought about other aspects."

"Kong Ming has brilliant ideas and strategies, and he is truly recognized by every generation."

Zhuge Liang said a few humble words, and Tian Feng said: "But in this way, the Yellow River navy's ability to go upstream will be much weaker. I am afraid that it will not be able to be mobilized in time at the critical moment."

Zhuge Liang sighed, "Mr. Yuan Hao thought of it, so Cao Cao would have thought of it too."

"When the battle comes to a critical moment, he will definitely not allow the lord's navy, which has an absolute advantage, to enter the battlefield."

"Given Cao Cao's current style of attacking ordinary people, I'm afraid that after the war, he will take the opportunity to dig up the river bank and let the river water flood the Jizhou Plain, thus preventing the lord's fleet from entering."

After hearing this, Tian Feng and Ju Su's faces changed drastically. If Cao Cao did this, how many people would die in the future? It was simply unimaginable!
Moreover, even if he knew that Cao Cao was adopting this strategy, he would not be able to guard against it because the Yellow River was too long and it was impossible for Yuan Xi to send tens of thousands of people to watch it all the time.

Once the river mouth is dug, the three counties of Yuanxi downstream will naturally be the worst hit. This strategy is really too cruel!
With a bang, Yuan Xi slammed his fist on the table and said in a deep voice, "Let's beat back the Xiliang army first."

"After that, we can only prepare for the worst-case scenario, fight back if the enemy comes, and be ready to relocate the people at any time."

"Sooner or later, Cao Cao will have to pay for this on the battlefield."

"Everyone, we can't lose. We must not lose. If we let Cao Cao, who regards human life as worthless, win this war, who knows how many people will die!"

"For the sake of the people and ourselves, we must survive and win this victory!"

Zhuge Liang and the others bowed and said, "We are willing to serve our lord and defeat Cao Cao to the death!"

(End of this chapter)