Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

Chapter 65 Cao Ren is also a ruthless person
  This time to attack Xiangfan, Guan Yu chose to advance both by land and water, so he had two sets of tactics.

Repeating his old tricks, he lured Hu Xiu out of the city, secretly ambushed an army and captured Xiangyang, and then occupied Xiangyang to confront Cao Ren across the river.

Or use a land-based partial force to contain the Xiangyang defenders, and use the main force on the water to surround Fancheng, and use encirclement points to provide reinforcements.

Considering that Cao Ren was not Yue Jin and was more general than Yue Jin, Guan Yu preferred to use the tactic of encircling the point for reinforcements.

Therefore, Guan Yu did not order Zhao Lei to fake defeat alone, but allowed Zhao Lei to perform freely.

If Zhao Lei wins, the main force on the water will directly surround Fancheng; if Zhao Lei loses, it means that Guan Yu underestimated Hu Xiu, and Guan Yu must first get rid of the threatening Hu Xiu before attacking Fancheng.

No tactics are static. Guan Yu will decide whether to fine-tune tactics according to different battle situations.

"Hu Xiu was defeated. With Cao Ren's ruthlessness and decisiveness, Xiangyang City will be replaced by good generals who are good at defending."

"Wenpin is far away in Jiangxia County, and he has to be wary of Lu Meng's sudden attack in Lukou. It is impossible to go to Xiangyang."

"Fu Fangyuan lives in Nanxiang County. He is also arrogant and extravagant. It is better to use Fu Fang to replace Hu Xiu than to use Hu Xiu."

"Then the only one who can enter Xiangyang City is Lu Chang, the prefect of Zhangling who is close to the city."

"Lü Chang was famous for his bravery and his ability to govern the county. When he was in Zhangling County, he also had strict laws and regulations, so that the people in Zhangling County had no objections."

"With Zhao Lei's ability and the five thousand new victorious cavalry, as long as Guan puts his warship across the Han River between Xiang and Fan, Lu Chang will not dare to leave the city."

"With five thousand soldiers to besiege Xiangyang, Hu Xiu really gave Guan a big gift."

Guan Mou stroked his beard and smiled, accurately deducing the next battle situation in Xiangyang City.

Guan Yu would not have elaborated on these words due to his taciturn personality, but Guan Yu was determined to train Zhuge Qiao, so he explained the war in more detail.

Zhuge Qiao thought carefully.

"Xunzi" discusses "upper courage", "middle courage" and "lower courage" in the theory of "evil nature".

Xia Yong is the courage of an ordinary man who is strong against the enemy, and the intention is to win.

Zhongyong is the moral courage to respect virtue and practice wealth, and it is also the courage to uphold justice to praise the virtuous but not the unworthy.

Lü Chang's reputation as "Zhongyong" means that Lü Chang is very good at uniting the soldiers and the people. Although he is not as brave and good at fighting as Hu Xiu, he is better at defending the city than Hu Xiu.

same.

This is Lu Chang's advantage and also Lu Chang's disadvantage.

Lu Chang was good at defending but not good at attacking, so Guan Yu didn't need to deploy too many troops in Xiangyang.

Guan Yu's navy was spread across the Han River. If Lu Chang left the city, the navy could land on the south bank of the Han River and concentrate its superior forces to capture Xiangyang.

By capturing Xiangyang, Guan Yu could advance, retreat, or defend. He could harass Cao Ren in Fancheng at any time, and isolate Zhangling County and Jiangxia County to the east.

With Cao Ren's caution and calmness, it was impossible for this situation to occur.

Then Cao Ren will definitely give Lu Chang a military order to defend Xiangyang.

Zhao Lei's five thousand vanguards were enough to contain Lu Chang in Xiangyang City.

As long as Guan Yu wins in Fancheng, Xiangyang will be defeated without any attack!

"The Art of War says: Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you be victorious in every battle."

"The prince has figured out the temperament of the important generals that Cao Cao has deployed in Jingzhou. He was able to defeat Cao Ren, the general of heaven and man, into a city-defending general. This is not an accident, but the result of the prince's hard work."

Zhuge Qiao felt awe-struck, and his admiration for Guan Yu arose spontaneously.

As it was getting late, Guan Yu ordered the soldiers to rest in Hanjin and prepare to go north along the Han River tomorrow.

the other side.

Man Chong and Hu Xiu also returned to Fancheng.

Although Hu Xiu was very reluctant, he was a little afraid of Man Chong, so he could only come to Fancheng to see Cao Ren angrily.

"Hu Governor, why did you disobey my military order?" Cao Ren looked coldly and solemnly, and reprimanded Hu Xiu unceremoniously.

Hu Xiu suppressed the anger in his heart and lowered his head to apologize: "I saw that the enemy had few people, so I wanted to set up an ambush in Yi River to frustrate the enemy's spirit. Now that I have suffered this defeat, I am willing to accept the punishment."

If he hadn't been worried that killing Hu Xiu might frighten the Xiangfan officials and destroy his own prestige and make Guan Yu laugh, Cao Ren really wanted to kill Hu Xiu.

"In view of your past merits, I will not punish you. I will allow you to serve your crime." Cao Ren suppressed his murderous intention and ordered: "You lead your troops to garrison in Pinglu City, thirty miles west of Fan City, and guard the corner." potential."

Hu Xiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Since I have troops in hand and are not in Fancheng with Cao Ren, I don't have to worry about being punished by Cao Ren.

"Thank you, General!" Hu Xiu thanked him and left.

Man Chong glanced at Hu Xiu who was leaving, frowned and said, "There are few soldiers in Fancheng. General, why don't you keep Hu Xiu's soldiers and horses?"

Cao Ren shook his head: "Fan City is small, so it is useless to keep more troops. Hu Xiu's troops are uneven, and it will be difficult for me to rectify them in a short time."

"Having Hu Xiu go to Pinglu City can divide Guan Yu's forces and reduce the pressure on Fan City."

"If the war in Fancheng goes unfavorably, Xu Huang and Pang De from Wancheng can also enter Pinglu City."

There was a pause.

Cao Ren added: "Hu Xiu went to Pinglu City, but Lu Chang has not yet arrived at Xiangyang. I have to go to Xiangyang City first to appease everyone in Xiangyang."

"After Lu Chang arrives at Xiangyang City, Man Changshi will return to Fancheng to help me."

Man Chong saw that Cao Ren's military orders were orderly and well thought out, so he accepted the order and said: "I will go to Xiangyang immediately, and I will never let anything happen to Xiangyang."

Cao Ren got up and came to the topographic map of Xiangfan.

"It's a pity that Fangling was seized by Meng Da, otherwise I could have Niu Jin take the Nanjun Mountain Road again and attack Linju by surprise."

"The tactics of surrounding Wei and rescuing Zhao will not work, and Wenpin will most likely be restrained by Lu Meng."

"To defeat Guan Yu, we can only rely on Fancheng to hold on until Guan Yu runs out of food, and then look for opportunities to counterattack."

"It's a pity that Xiangfan has too few warships to compete with Guan Yu on the water. Otherwise, if Xiangfan is one, there is no need to fear Guan Yu."

"This Hu Xiu is really a waste. He has been the governor of Jingzhou for so many years, and he doesn't know where his money has been spent."

Cao Ren felt a little angry.

Guan Yu's warships in Jingcheng were burned by Wenpin, and new warships have been built in recent years.

The boats built by Hu Xiu in Xiangyang could only be used by the people of Xiangfan to cross the river.

"After defeating Guan Yu, I will recommend Lu Chang to the King of Wei as the governor of Jingzhou. With Lu Chang's ability, I will be able to properly allocate money and food to build warships."

Cao Ren thought silently, having already completely forgotten his promise to Jingzhou.

Whether it is Guan Yu or Cao Ren, they are both experienced generals, and they both clearly understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.

The weather in Xiangfan in July also becomes hot.

The upcoming war seems to make the hot weather a little more chilly.

The next day.

Zhao Lei arrived in Xiangyang.

On the same day, Lu Chang from Zhangling County also entered Xiangyang City.

Zhao Lei followed Guan Yu's order and did not choose to attack the city. Instead, he divided his troops to seize the bridge and ferry, destroying the fortifications and canal obstacles outside Xiangyang City.

They also divided their forces to cut off the main communication routes between Xiangyang City and surrounding cities, and seized livestock, grain, grass, wood, stone and other war supplies outside the city.

Lu Chang, who entered the city, also spent the night arranging the soldiers, civilians and supplies in Xiangyang City.

(End of this chapter)