People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 415 Life or Death

Accompanied by the sound of hurried horse hooves, a squad of several hundred cavalrymen ran out of the city. The leading general headed straight to the front, where the huge army was stationed.

They ran quickly and soon came to a huge flag with the word "Wei" written on it.

"Your Majesty, only 30% or 40% of the population in the city is left, most of whom are old, weak and disabled. In addition, all the money, food and supplies in the city are gone. I'm afraid our army has nothing to seize."

As Cao Cao listened to the report, his face became visibly gloomy.

Although he had anticipated this result, when he actually confirmed it, he still felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a stone.

This attack did indeed cause the Yellow Turbans to retreat step by step, but although their side seemed to be advancing rapidly, in fact they gained very little.

Along the way, whether it was villages, cities, or even county towns, wherever Cao's army went, it was all empty. The population and materials from all places had long been transferred deep into the mountains and forests. Only some people who were unable to move or were unwilling to leave home remained where they were.

This made Cao Cao suddenly realize that the Yellow Turbans' previous persistence was only to buy time for the rear.

"Your Majesty, although our army is advancing rapidly, without the support of population and supplies, these places are nothing but dead ends. Now I am afraid that we can only garrison in the nearby cities first, and then send a small team into the mountains and forests to search for traces of the people. In this way, we can advance slowly and steadily."

Guo Jia rode his horse forward with a serious expression. This time he even forgot to drink the wine. He immediately made a proposal that made Cao Cao very helpless.

Cao Cao now had a strong urge to kill someone, and his forehead began to ache slightly. This situation was definitely not what he had expected before he sent out his troops.

"Our army has finally gained the upper hand, how can we give up so easily!" He glanced at the huge army behind him and uttered unwillingly.

After squinting his eyes and thinking for a moment, Cao Cao said again: "No matter how powerful the Yellow Turbans are, it is impossible for them to transfer all the people of Bingzhou away. I have concluded that they are only doing this outside Bingzhou. As long as our army goes deep into the territory, we will definitely be able to capture enough people and supplies!"

After all, Cao Cao was a capable monarch, and he quickly realized the problem.

Population transfer is easier said than done, but it is actually extremely difficult.

Unless all the Yellow Turbans were gods, it would be impossible for them to evacuate all the people in Bingzhou. Even to achieve this goal only in the outer counties would be a pipe dream.

Of course, judging from the effects shown by the villages and cities that Cao Cao saw along the way, the organizational capabilities demonstrated by the Yellow Turbans were already quite exaggerated.

At least ask yourself, if it were the Wei Kingdom, Cao Cao would not even dare to dream of transferring so many people and materials in such a short time.

Perhaps because Cao Cao had never gained any advantage over the Yellow Turbans before, he had not seen the Yellow Turbans' joint defense capabilities, so he was caught off guard when he suddenly saw them.

Xun Yu, Cheng Yu and other civil officials behind him also nodded: "Your Majesty is wise. In our opinion, the Yellow Turbans' strategy should be to give up the front and protect the rear. This time, clearing the fields is nothing more than trying to cut off our army's supplies."

Xun Yu and others seconded the proposal, which greatly strengthened Cao Cao's confidence. Slowly, a smile appeared on his face. "In this case, our army should march straight in and take advantage of the Yellow Turbans' weak forces to capture their cities in the hinterland and their people and supplies. Only then can we resist their counterattack later."

He thought that after he finished speaking, all the ministers would second his proposal, but the response he got was just silence.

When he turned around, he saw Xun Yu and others looking embarrassed, as if they were hesitating about something.

Just when he was doubtful, Guo Jia spoke again: "Your Majesty, a straight march is certainly an option, but it is very risky. Although the enemy has given up the land, its troops are still there, just dispersed and hidden. Now our army cannot recruit people and food locally. Once we go deep into the hinterland of Bingzhou, the battle line will definitely be lengthened, and the rear will be easily blocked by the enemy. At that time..."

After Guo Jia explained the pros and cons, Cao Cao immediately understood the problem, and then his brows knitted like Xun Yu and others. Now, whether to proceed steadily or take risks became a big problem for him.

Cao Cao also fully understood the insidiousness of the Yellow Turbans' actions, which really hit the spot for him.

Although they could march straight into Bingzhou's hinterland at this time, the outer cities of Bingzhou had already been cleared by the Yellow Turbans, and they could not collect food and supplies locally, so the battle line would be stretched out. To some extent, the Wei army's march straight into Bingzhou would become an isolated advance. Needless to say, this decision was risky.

But if they advance slowly and steadily, the Yellow Turbans' purpose of limiting their offensive pace will be achieved. Then the Yellow Turbans only need to wait for reinforcements to organize a counterattack, and they will be the ones who suffer.

Should we take a risk and attack quickly, or should we proceed slowly and conservatively?
After thinking carefully, Cao Cao's forehead began to sweat. This battle was a last-ditch effort for Wei State, and now this decision might determine the final fate of Wei State. Cao Cao couldn't help but be nervous.

While he was struggling with his conscience, Xun Yu was the first to break the silence: "Your Majesty, I think the same as Feng Xiao. I also think that our army should temporarily suspend the offensive, first occupy the ground to search for supplies and people, and then plan for the aftermath."

Cao Cao looked uncertain, as if he was unhappy: "We, the Wei Kingdom, have been planning this for half a year, and we only get this little bit. How can this be possible? Although the enemy's reinforcements will not arrive so soon, how can we give our army time to waste?"

Everyone was silent again, and they had to admit that what Cao Cao said was true.

If they really advance at such a slow pace, it would certainly be stable and solid enough, but by the time the army advances to the hinterland, the Yellow Turban reinforcements from other places will also rush here to counterattack.

The battle plan that was planned this time was to take over enough territory in one quick attack, and then slowly deal with the Yellow Turbans' counterattack. If the offensive was slowed down, it would go against the original plan.

This is the truth, but reality forces them to make compromises, which is why this decision is so difficult.

Xun Yu sighed and tried to persuade him helplessly: "Your Majesty, our army's opponent is the Yellow Turbans!"

These words made Cao Cao tremble all over. The word "Yellow Turban" was like a huge rock pressing down on his head, making it hard for him to breathe.

Yes, my opponent is the Yellow Turban after all. Do I really have room to take risks?
For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Cao Cao. The fate of Wei could only be decided by the emperor of Wei. Win or lose, life or death, all depended on Cao Cao's next words.

They saw beads of sweat rolling down Cao Cao's forehead, his brows twisted into a knot, and his extreme anxiety and irritability were conveyed as if physically.

Not long after, his face began to turn red, and he bit his cheeks tightly, and made a hissing sound while breathing, as if he was enduring some pain.

They knew that this was Cao Cao's old headache coming back again.

But they could only watch from the sidelines, and at this time Cao Cao had to decide everything on his own.

After such a long time, when the surroundings had become so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard, Cao Cao finally endured the pain and made the final decision.

"If we fail, we will die. If we are timid, we will just wait for death. After all, we still have Han Sui and Ma Teng to rely on. As long as we advance quickly, we will not be afraid of dealing with the Yellow Turbans again!"

When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

Cao Cao rubbed his forehead and gritted his teeth as he issued his final order: "I have made up my mind. The army will march at full speed!"

(End of this chapter)