Soldiers come to the world

Since Liu Jing failed to attack Hefei several times, he simply stopped all attacks on Hefei and adopted a confrontational strategy. A protracted war backed by national power.

The most advantageous aspect of the Han army was that it was backed by the Yangtze River and used the Yangtze River to transport grain. The cost of grain transportation was extremely small. Not only grain from Jingzhou, but even grain from as far as Bashu could be transported to Hefei through the Yangtze River.

A large cargo ship can transport thousands of shi of grain with only ten boatmen. On the contrary, Cao Jun’s grain is transported from Jizhou, Bingzhou, Xuzhou and Yuzhou to Shouchun, mostly by land, which is extremely inefficient. .

First of all, tens of thousands of people need to be recruited. Each person can only transport two or three shi of grain at most, and half of it will be consumed on the road. When a million shi of grain is transported to Shouchun, there will be only 10 shi left.

This is why Cao Cao must build the canal from Shouchun to Hefei, hoping to reduce the loss of food transportation through water transportation.

But it is the soldiers who really consume the food. Normally, the food of the soldiers is limited. Each soldier can only receive one liter of food a day, and most of them can only eat half full. Soldiers work hard, so they must be fed.

Due to the general shortage of oil and water and the large amount of activities, the soldiers have a huge appetite. Each person consumes at least two liters of rice per day, which is six buckets of rice a month. Ten thousand shi of grain, and Cao Jun had accumulated nearly 15 shi of grain to prepare for the war in Hefei, which can last for half a year according to normal consumption.

But in fact, the distribution of Cao Jun's grain was extremely uneven. Hefei had hoarded 30 shi of grain, and supported Jiangdong with [-] shi of grain. Shouchun's grain storage was actually only [-] shi.

The food in Hefei City can support the defenders for a year, but the food in Shouchun is far from enough. After only two months, the food in Shouchun is almost exhausted.

This is why Cao Cao ordered Cao Pi to prepare 30 shi of grain as soon as possible, but even if 30 shi of grain was prepared, after excluding the consumption on the road, it would only be 20 shi at most when it was transported to the military camp. How long can the 20 shi of grain last?

What's more, Cao Pi couldn't raise 30 shi of grain at all, only 20 shi of grain from Xuchang and Xuzhou, and only 15 shi of grain remained after being transported to the military camp.

This is how war consumes national power. Without a strong national power as the backing, no one can sustain a major battle that lasts for several months or even half a year.

The time has come to mid-September, and the grain shipped from Xuchang and Xuzhou has arrived in Shouchun one after another, so that the [-] Cao army in Shouchun finally avoided the worry of running out of food.

At this time, Cao Pi also arrived in Shouchun and persuaded his father to return to Yedu to recuperate. Cao Cao's illness had lasted for several months. His condition, which had just improved, worsened again.

The situation was different from Cao Pi's imagination. Although Cao Zhi came to Shouchun to visit his father's condition, Cao Cao didn't give him any chance to lead the army. After staying in Shouchun for ten days, Cao Cao sent Cao Zhi back to Xuchang.

In the Shouchun Palace, Cao Pi sat in front of his father's sickbed and told his father three suggestions from Xun You. Cao Cao was very weak, but his mind was clear. He nodded and said, "Xun You is a rare talent. Only Guo Jia, Jia Xu can stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and his three suggestions are very pertinent, but some things are not as simple as he thought."

"What does father mean?"

"I mean the Han army sent troops to merge the prefecture. Although they have withdrawn their troops, I got the news that Hedong County has basically become an empty county, and the population has been taken away by the Han army. The remaining people in Hedong County are less than a thousand people, and the population of Shangdang County has also been taken captive. Halfway through, the food was harvested by the Han army, the city was empty, thousands of miles of red fields, Pi Er, we suffered heavy losses!"

Cao Pi nodded silently. He knew all these things. He wanted to hide it from his father, but he didn't expect his father to know it. At this time, Cao Cao laughed again: "But you were not fooled. Liu Jing's attempt to expand the war situation did not succeed, which made me very relieved. Sometimes things happen suddenly and people will be in a hurry, but as long as you deal with them calmly and don't be easily swayed by emergencies, you will find that many things will happen on their own. It will disappear, this time the Han army sent troops to the Central Plains is like this, it's just a bluff."

After a moment of silence, Cao Pi asked cautiously, "What's your father's attitude towards the Xianbei business?"

Cao Cao sneered and said: "It is the most stupid thing to send pig iron and weapons to the grassland people. I hope you don't come to ask me for this kind of thing in the future. You are a son of the world. You should have the minimum political acumen. Once the Xianbei people become strong, they must It is a big trouble for the Central Plains, do you understand?"

Cao Cao stared at his son sternly. Cao Pi blushed and lowered his head, saying, "Father's teachings, my son will always remember them in his heart."

Cao Cao nodded, "Liu Jing did a good job on this point. After he conquered the Di people and the Qiang people, he strictly prohibited the Di people and the Qiang people from mining and smelting iron. Strategic materials such as pig iron and kerosene are sold to Hexi and the grasslands, and those who violate the order will be punished with death, Pi Er, these are principles, both Liu Jing and we must follow."

"My child remembers."

After a moment of silence, Cao Pi asked again: "Father is going to confront Liu Jing like this?"

Cao Cao smiled wryly and said, "Then what should I do? I can't give up Hefei. He won't withdraw his troops. Should he let me withdraw?"

"But it's not an option to procrastinate like this. Can we fight decisively as soon as possible, and cooperate with the army in Hefei City to wipe out the Han army under the city?"

Cao Cao shook his head lightly, "We only have 13 troops, while the Han army has 15. Not to mention whether we can win, even if our combat strength is better than the opponent, but Liu Jing is willing to fight us? When our army passes, he will Withdrew from the waterway, even detoured to the north to attack Shouchun, and burned our food, Pi Er, Liu Jing has experienced many battles and is extremely cunning, we must not be careless."

Cao Pi was speechless for a long time. Although his father's words were reasonable, they could not solve the Hefei problem. Cao Pi suddenly realized that his father didn't know what to do?

Cao Cao closed his eyes, and after a long while, he said slowly: "The Han army is using a confrontational strategy, and there is no point in staying in Shouchun. I'd better go back to Yedu and let you sit in Shouchun. Don't act rashly. Listen to Cheng. Suggestion from the military division."

"My child understands."

"There's also Sun Quan!"

Cao Cao also told Cao Pi, "Two months ago, I put pressure on Sun Quan to cooperate with our army. Recently, I got news that Sun Quan had already started to act a month ago. My son must pay close attention. Once Sun Quan If successful, the Battle of Hefei will be reversed."

Cao Pi quickly asked: "What will the Jiangdong Army do?"

Cao Cao smiled, "It's called the bottom line!"

He said a few words to Cao Pi in a low voice. Only then did Cao Pi understand and nodded, "I know, and I will pay close attention to the actions of the Jiangdong Army. Once the Han army withdraws, I will attack aggressively."

"No!"

Cao Cao's face changed drastically, and he grabbed his son's hand, "If you counterattack, you will fall into Liu Jing's trap. He will use his tricks to lure you into the bait. You must not pursue them, so let them retreat."

Cao Pi broke out in a cold sweat and nodded again and again, "My child will remember."

Cao Cao stared at him for a while, still feeling uneasy, and said, "You must discuss everything with Cheng Junshi, and you must not act without Cheng Junshi's consent!"

Cao Cao then summoned Cheng Yu again and repeatedly told him to assist Cao Pi in Shouchun, and ordered the generals to obey orders from the prince. After arranging many military affairs, Cao Cao set off for Shouchun.

Although the news of Cao Cao's departure from Shouchun was unknown to many soldiers of the Cao army, the Han army found out about it immediately.

In the Han army camp, Pang Tong hurried to Liu Jing's big tent and asked several guards, "Is Your Highness here?"

"His Royal Highness is here, discussing military affairs with General Gan."

"Please report for me, I have something to ask His Highness."

The guards quickly stepped into the big tent. In the big tent, Liu Jing and Gan Ning were discussing the disappearance of the cargo ship in front of the sand table. This happened recently. Some cargo ships always disappeared on the river for no reason, which aroused Liu Jing's vigilance .

Due to the outbreak of war, the Yangtze River has banned merchant and passenger ships from sailing, and only military cargo ships and official ships can sail on the Yangtze River.

The logistics fleet of the Han army usually sails in formation, with hundreds of ships in a row for nearly a hundred miles. Two, it has happened three times in a row, and it is not known where the ships are missing.

Although the loss was not large, this kind of thing itself threatened the logistics and transportation of the Han army. Liu Jing decided to let Gan Ning personally come forward to solve this hidden danger.

Liu Jing spoke earnestly and said to Gan Ning: "A major general will become a problem. Once the logistics and transportation are not smooth, it will affect the whole battle situation. General Gan, I will leave this matter to you."

Gan Ning clasped his fists and said: "Your Highness, please rest assured, I will personally sail with the ship, and within a month, I will find the cause and solve the hidden danger."

At this time, the guard reported at the door of the tent: "His Royal Highness, Master Pang has something to see."

Liu Jing nodded, "Please come in!"

After a while, Pang Tong walked into the big tent, and quickly stepped forward to salute, "My humble minister sees Your Highness!"

Liu Jing finished discussing with Gan Ning, and asked Pang Tong with a smile, "What's important for the military advisor?"

"Your Highness, I have received news that Cao Cao has left Shouchun and returned to Yedu, and now Shouchun is under the command of Cao Pi."

Liu Jing suddenly laughed, "It seems that his body really can't support it anymore, I thought he was going to fight me to the end!"

Gan Ning next to him couldn't help but said: "Your Highness, I feel that Cao Cao wants his son to bear the responsibility for the defeat!"

Liu Jing waved his hand, "You can't say that. After all, Cao Pi is the eldest son, and reputation is also very important. If Cao Cao has this heart, it is better to let Cao Zhang take command. In fact, I can understand. You see that Cao Cao is now deploying in various places, and Cao Zhang is guarding Youzhou. , Cao Hong guards Nanyang, Cao Ren guards Xuzhou, Cao Xiu guards Qingzhou, Xiahou Dun guards the Central Plains, Xiahou Shang guards Bingzhou, all of them are members of his family, and the military power will never be released. As for Hefei and Shouchun, there are so many troops. If Cao Cao himself sits in charge, he really can't support it, so of course he will be replaced by his son Cao Pi, isn't that normal?"

Gan Ning nodded, "If Your Highness doesn't tell the truth, the humble official really didn't notice it. It seems that Cao Cao doesn't trust outsiders anymore."

Liu Jing sneered, "Cao Cao lost his mind to be a hero and became a master of success. I am afraid that even if I have no soldiers in Guanzhong, he would not dare to take a half step."

Liu Jing said this out of emotion. His army sent troops to Bingzhou and Luoyang, and there were only [-] soldiers guarding Chang'an in the entire Guanzhong. If he were Cao Cao, he would immediately send troops to cross the Yellow River and enter the Guanzhong from the straight road. At that time, the Han army would be in chaos without fighting. Unfortunately, neither Cao Cao nor Cao Pi had this idea. This shows that they have lost their offensive intentions and only think about how to keep a little bit of territory. How can such a strategy last?

At this time, Pang Tong said: "Since Shouchun has become the seat of Cao Pi, can we attack Shouchun and test Cao Pi's reality?"

Liu Jing shook his head, "No matter how Cao Cao changes, we must remain unmoved and continue to confront Cao Jun until winter. Cao Cao will naturally ask me for peace."

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