Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

After entering Xia Pi State, Liu Bei's army slowly marched to the vicinity of Xia Qiu County of Xia Pi State.

As the distance changes, the timeliness and efficiency of the intelligence transmitted by the Jinyi Division have undoubtedly improved a lot.

In a large tent specially set up for the staff group, a large number of various maps of the surrounding area are hung, and a large amount of relevant intelligence is sent in for the staff group to analyze.

Liu Bei was also among them, and after opening the latest information sent back by Runan County, he frowned and said something.

"Zikun, it looks like Yuan Shu is also going to send out his troops."

Immediately, Liu Bei handed the information in his hand to Li Ji.

After Li Ji glanced at it, he handed it over to Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and others who were serving as military advisers at the time to review.

The sooner an intelligence organization takes root and lays out its presence, the easier it will be to detect a large amount of valid information.

Although the Jinyisi was unable to place any high-ranking insiders in the Yuzhou army due to its size, capabilities, background and other reasons, with the cooperation of the Mi Chamber of Commerce, it was easy for it to extend its tentacles into all aspects of the industry.

Mobilizing a large army will inevitably leave a lot of traces in a large number of related industries.

For example, the simplest and most basic...straw sandals.

Soldiers rely entirely on their two legs to march. Shoes may seem insignificant, but they are actually essential and important supplies, and are also necessary consumables in long-distance marches.

Without straw sandals, the soldiers would not be able to walk very far before their feet would be worn out.

Therefore, based on the intelligence reported by the Jinyi Division based in Yuzhou, a rough estimate of the total number of straw sandals that Yuan Shu urgently mobilized was made.

Straw sandals are only one aspect of the reflection. Any important materials related to the army's logistics are within the scope of investigation and statistics of the Jinyisi.

When all kinds of emergency material mobilization data are laid out in front of us, it is not difficult to estimate the scale of troops that Yuan Shu is preparing to mobilize.

Li Ji stood up and walked to the map of Yuzhou hanging on the side. Combining it with the previously known information about the deployment of Yuzhou troops, he made an estimate and said.

"The number of troops Yuan Shu mobilized is probably between 90,000 and 110,000."

so much?
Suddenly, many people's expressions changed slightly.

"This is a bit difficult, teacher."

Pang Tong's ugly face squeezed slightly, as if he had eaten something hard to swallow, and he spoke first.

"It would be fine if Yuan Shu only sent a small army of 40,000 or 50,000 to respond, but facing a large army of Yuzhou of this size, the 20,000 troops deployed by Tao Gongzu in Pengcheng will definitely not be able to stop it."

"And according to the intelligence feedback, Cao's army is now stationed in various advantageous terrains in Donghai County, north of Xiapi State."

"If the northern and western fronts attack Xuzhou from both sides, unless our army splits up, I'm afraid we can only save one of Pengcheng and Xiapi."

Xu Shu took over the conversation and said, "We cannot divide our forces. Our army is small while the enemy's is large. In addition, Tao Gongzu's attitude is still unclear. If we divide our forces, there is a risk of being divided and defeated."

Zhuge Liang raised his concerns and warned, "However, if Pengcheng or Xiapi is captured again, it will be difficult to defend the isolated city, and our army will be completely passive in the Xuzhou battlefield."

After this analysis, not only did Liu Bei feel that his analysis of the current situation was extremely clear, but even Li Ji nodded secretly.

It has to be said that although Zhuge Liang and others are still in their youth, their growth rate is amazing if they are watered with enough nutrients in advance and given the corresponding stage.

The cruel fact is that it is talent that determines the upper limit.

No matter how well Zhang Fei read military books, he could never be compared with Zhuge Liang in terms of strategy and tactics.

At least, Zhang Fei, who was sitting in the big tent and listening, heard the eyes blinking, showing confusion, and obviously failed to follow the staff's thinking. In fact, it was not only Zhang Fei who didn't understand, but also the other generals who were listening in the tent.

Huang Zhong bowed and asked, "Young Master, why did we become passive in the battle of Xuzhou after losing Pengcheng and Xiapi?"

"Don't dare to take it seriously."

Zhuge Liang responded modestly, then pointed to the map of Xuzhou spread out in the big tent and explained.

"General Huang, please take a look. Xia Pi and Peng Cheng are located at the upper and lower reaches of the Si River, only a hundred miles apart. They are both strong cities, and they are natural barriers that can form a horn in Xuzhou."

"Xia Pi City and Pengcheng are both located in the heart of Xuzhou. Although there is a large area of ​​territory in the rear, it is difficult to rely on the terrain to hold on, and there is no suitable fortified city to defend."

"Therefore, if Pengcheng and Xiapi are lost, the remaining half of Xuzhou, although vast, can be easily penetrated by the enemy; and if Pengcheng or Xiapi is lost, it will be difficult to defend it alone, and it will also be lost if it defends for a long time."

Combining this analysis with the map, many generals immediately understood why Cao Cao chose to temporarily station in Donghai County after learning that Liu Bei had entered Xuzhou, and did not continue southward to attack Xia Pi.

Wei Yan suddenly realized and spoke.

"So, Cao Cao's original plan was to wait for Yuan Shu to advance westwards and then launch an attack on Xiapi City and Pengcheng at the same time?"

"Nine times out of ten."

Xu Shu answered like this.

All of a sudden, many people in the tent began to frown and think hard.

In a sense, this is undoubtedly a strategic conspiracy.

In battles involving a large army of more than 100,000 soldiers, it is rare to see Yuan Shu's reckless behavior similar to that he had previously shown on the battlefield in Jingzhou.

Of course, Yuan Shu was so confident at the time, which was invisibly a flaw that Li Ji deliberately revealed, making Yuan Shu think that Li Ji was not yet firmly established and had insufficient troops, and thus unknowingly attracted him.

Under the premise that neither side had the intention of a direct decisive battle, it was normal for the Yuan army and the Gongsun army to confront each other for more than a year, similar to the Battle of Jie Bridge.

The two armies were at a certain distance from each other, occupying terrain that was advantageous to each other, and looking for each other's weaknesses.

It is normal to fight a decisive battle only after you are absolutely sure of your chances.

Neither Liu Bei nor Cao Cao would be so impulsive as to rush over and go all in. They would just try their best and leave the outcome to fate.

Not to mention that Cao Cao couldn't afford to lose, even if Liu Bei lost 100,000 troops, it would still be a serious blow.

Therefore, strategic depth is undoubtedly a very important condition in this confrontation.

Pengcheng and Xia Pi are important cities that can serve as support to maintain strategic depth.

At this moment, Cao Cao's plan is becoming clearer.

After learning that Liu Bei had entered Xuzhou, he also brought Yuan Shu into the game, and then relied on the military advantages of the two families to attack Pengcheng and Xiapi City respectively.

The morale of the Xuzhou army was low after repeated defeats, and their combat effectiveness was almost gone. In addition, Tao Qian seemed to be afraid of Liu Bei.

This made Liu Bei feel caught in a dilemma in Xuzhou, with internal and external troubles.

Just as everyone was frowning, Zhang Fei, who had realized it belatedly, opened his mouth and shouted.

"If I had known that Cao was so treacherous, I should have poked him in the lurch." (End of this chapter)