Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

However, the problem that Pang Tong was worried about did not happen after all, after he deployed several strategies to confuse the enemy.

While the troops were retreating from Tan County under the cover of night, Xun Yu did not notice it, or perhaps he noticed it but did not act rashly and allowed Wei Yan and Pang Tong to retreat.

In order to avoid encountering Cao Hong who was retreating to Tan County, Wei Yan and Pang Tong's retreat route was slightly further north.

In addition, Cao Cao had previously carried out a large-scale massacre in Donghai County, and many civilians either died or fled. Wherever the army passed, there was a desolate scene of desolation and no one was around. At the same time, there was no possibility of scouts hiding among the people to track and investigate.

On the other hand, it was quite difficult for Pang Tong to establish a base around Tan County.

The people around Tan County either died or fled. Only in the city of Tan County were there still a considerable number of young and strong men who were controlled by Cao's army to transport food and fodder. This made any scouts that appeared around Tan County extremely conspicuous.

Therefore, even if Pang Tong made arrangements personally, he could only let the scouts monitor the movements of Tan County from a distance and dared not get too close.

……

While Li Ji set up camp on the spot to restore the grain route, Liu Bei also led his army to the section of the Yishui River that was blocked by the corpses of a large number of civilians.

After being soaked for many days, the bodies of many civilians had already become rotten and smelly.

Liu Bei felt lucky that he arrived in time and there was no plague in Yishui yet.

Then, in order to properly and quickly deal with the corpses, Liu Bei quickly sent people to block the Yishui River upstream for a period of time, and then poured a large amount of kerosene into the corpses piled up in the Yishui River.

Finally, a big fire was set to burn it down, and then the remaining debris was cleaned up and buried on the spot.

Even though Liu Bei mobilized a large army, it still took five days to properly deal with all the bodies.

But even so, Liu Bei, who had once passed through Donghai County, couldn't help feeling sad and angry when he saw the deserted surroundings.

I felt sad and sympathetic for the people who were massacred in the war, and I became more and more angry about what Cao Cao had done.

No matter how noble the cause is, it cannot conceal the heinous brutality involved.

At this moment, Liu Bei, who had no worries, looked into the distance in the direction of Tan County with a strong murderous intent in his eyes, and he wished to kill Cao Cao as soon as possible.

However, a piece of information that a scout from the direction of Tan County sent at the risk of his life made Liu Bei look a little dazed.

"What? The thief Cao ran away?"

"Why did you run away?"

"How can he run?!"

Inside the central army tent, Liu Bei uttered three consecutive "quality commands" in a rare display of his power.

However, it was obvious that no one could answer Liu Bei's question. Only the scout who was being stared at was trembling with fear.

However, Liu Bei obviously understood that he could not get any answers from the scouts, so he could only repeatedly ask about the details that the scouts had discovered.

Although the scouts did not dare to get too close to Tan County, they were able to see clearly that Cao's army was leaving Tan County in a mighty manner.

Even after Cao's army retreated, the scouts sent a person into the city to take a look around. The entire city was empty, and all the usable and edible things had been taken away by Cao's army.

Even though the identity of this scout had already been verified, after Liu Bei confirmed it again and again, he still couldn't help but wonder whether this scout was Cao Cao's spy.

After all, Cao Cao's retreat from Tan County meant giving up the Donghai County that he had already obtained, and even the undefended Langya State would have to be given up.

Without Cao Cao to hold him back on one side, it would be impossible for Yuan Shu to take Xuzhou alone.

The danger in Xuzhou was resolved after Cao Cao retreated. But the problem was that Cao Cao retreated after losing so many soldiers and spending so much money and food. Even if he made up for some of the losses by looting Xuzhou, it was obvious that the cost was far greater than the gains.

What’s more important is that after Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou, he invisibly gave Xuzhou a hard push and pushed Xuzhou into Liu Bei’s arms.

When Liu Bei arrived in Xuzhou with a reputation for defeating Cao and Yuan, the process of Xuzhou's transition to Liu Bei's hands was as smooth as pouring a large bottle of lubricating oil.

Even Liu Bei himself knew that Xuzhou was his, so Qingzhou would definitely be the next target.

With Cao Cao's ability, it is impossible for him not to be aware of such a situation where both the lips and the teeth are interdependent, and he must know that retreating in this way would only delay his death.

However, during the period when Liu Bei was clearing Yishui, Cao's army retreated in a mighty manner, transporting a large amount of baggage. Even a blind person would not have been mistaken about such traces, and the scouts also clearly saw Cao Cao retreating to the north.

For a moment, everyone in the tent frowned, and Liu Bei also felt that Cao Cao's behavior was extremely strange.

After a moment, Sima Yi put forward a hypothesis.

"Could it be that Cao Cao saw that the situation in Xuzhou was hopeless and was planning to use Yuan Shu to contain our army and then attack Yanzhou?"

Although this move would mean that Cao Cao would betray his alliance with Yuan Shu, Sima Yi never felt that a piece of paper alliance would have any binding force on a tyrant like Cao Cao.

"will not!"

But after Sima Yi finished speaking, Zhuge Liang shook his head and refuted.

"Yanzhou's location is unique. It is surrounded by Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Lu Bu. It is easy for Cao Cao to violate the alliance with the Yuan family and attack Yanzhou, but it is extremely difficult to defend Yanzhou under the threat of the three families..."

After a pause, Zhuge Liang added, "Unless Cao Cao can get the support of the lord, but the lord and Cao are irreconcilable, how can the lord support Cao's actions?"

"Therefore, if Cao Cao took Yanzhou, he would only be besieged and divided by all the heroes in the world, which would lead to his death."

Xu Shu nodded, agreeing with Zhuge Liang's persuasion, and then said.

"I think Cao Cao is just showing weakness. He wants to preserve his strength now that Yuan Shu has joined the game. He wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and then wait for an opportunity to act. This is also in line with Cao Cao's treacherous style."

"And now Lu Bu is fighting against General Yunchang in the direction of Nanyang County, and Yuan Shu has invaded Xuzhou. Even if Cao Cao retreats, the pressure our army needs to bear is enormous, and it is possible that both sides will suffer losses."

"otherwise!"

Pang Tong waved his hand and said, "You must know that the situation in the Central Plains is a matter of urgency. If Cao Cao retreats first and the news spreads, how could Lu Bu and Yuan Shu risk their lives to save others?"

……

However, as the staff group began to discuss, Liu Bei looked around and still felt that he had lost his support.

Without Li Ji's presence, what the staff members said seemed to make some sense, and it seemed that no conclusion could be reached in the short term.

But Cao Cao had already fled north, and Liu Bei obviously did not have time to investigate further.

Immediately, Liu Bei slammed the table and said.

"Let's not talk about what Cao thief wants to do for now, but how can we tolerate him slaughtering people and then retreating safely? Pass on my order, raise troops and chase him immediately..."

"Lord, wait!"

At this moment, the curtain of the big tent was drawn open, and Li Ji, who seemed to be in a hurry, strode in. (End of this chapter)