"Report, my lord, that General Zhang has led his troops to capture Mingjin Ferry, and beheaded the bandit general Li Ke. He beheaded more than 100 people and captured nearly 200 alive."
In the Youzhou Army camp outside Pushan City, Gongsun Ming was explaining the logistics and transportation matters to Sun Mi, the Bohai County guard who came urgently. Suddenly, he heard a burst of hurried footsteps and saw a reporter covered in blood. The horse snatched it in from outside the tent, kneeled on the ground towards Gongsun Ming, and said a quick report.
"Okay, great job. How are our troops' casualties?"
Although he had known for a long time that with Zhang He's ability, he would be able to successfully capture the Mingjin Ancient Ferry, Gongsun Ming couldn't help but feel a burst of joy when he heard the news of victory.
"Returning to my lord, our army has 165 killed and 283 wounded."
Hearing Gongsun Ming's question, the reporter who came to report the matter did not dare to hide it, so he gave an answer in a low tone.
"Yeah... Got it, pass on the order, take good care of the wounded, and handle the pension matters for all the fallen soldiers in accordance with military regulations. In addition, the boat division will speed up the return trip, and all the ministries will cross the river as quickly as possible."
When he heard that his side's battle losses were actually more than those of the defeated Cao army, Gongsun Ming's eyes couldn't help but darken, but he didn't comment on it. He just let out a sigh of relief, and then continued to attack. Several general orders.
"My lord, there is no need to worry too much. Cao's army has been fighting west all year round. His officers and men are indeed good at fighting. Our army can win two battles in a row, which is enough to frighten Cao's army. Given time, the combat power of our Youzhou army will be strong." Leap above Cao's army."
Although Gongsun Ming did not say it clearly, Xu Shu guessed what Gongsun Ming was worried about. It was nothing more than the strength of Cao's army. Xu Shu obviously did not care about this. After all, Youzhou's army was not strong. They were not infantry but cavalry. If the two sides faced each other head-on, the Youzhou Army would actually be far more likely to win than Cao's Army.
"It should be so. That's all. Let's not talk about it anymore. Please ask the military advisor to arrange for someone to go to Xinye City as soon as possible and ask Yuan Benchu to urge Yuan Tan to send troops to Licheng to ensure that the food route of Xiahou Dun's troops is cut off."
Combat effectiveness is always achieved through fighting rather than training. If you want to improve it, the price of blood is absolutely indispensable. Gongsun Ming actually knows this well. Previously, he was just sad about the tragic sacrifice, but Ci Gongsun Ming was still clear about the principle of not commanding troops, and he would not let such emotions dominate his thinking. However, after listening to his noncommittal murmur, he immediately changed the subject...
"Report to the general. General Zhenwei Cheng Yu has arrived. He is right outside the gate of the mansion."
The Xiahou Dun brothers and their troops had just returned to Linzi three days ago when they suddenly heard that the Youzhou Army had taken Mingjin Ancient Ferry by force. They were all furious and were gathering their generals to discuss counterattack strategies. However, when the plan was still undecided, But they saw a military lord on duty hurriedly marching into the meeting hall, bowed to Xiahou Dun, and said something in a tight voice.
"Oh? Please."
Xiahou Dun had often fought together with Cheng Yu in the past, and they had a very deep friendship with each other. Now that he heard that Cheng Yu had arrived, his mood immediately improved. Although he said he was saying "please", he couldn't wait to go to the door of the mansion. After walking away, when they saw this, Xiahou Yuan and others couldn't stand still, so they had to follow Xiahou Dun step by step.
"I met General Xiahou."
Cheng Yu stood outside the gate of the City Guards Mansion with a tired look on his face. He suddenly saw Xiahou Dun leading the generals to greet him. He didn't dare to lose his etiquette, so he took a few steps forward and bowed respectfully. .
"As soon as Zhongde arrives, I'm worried, hurry up, please go talk inside, haha..."
When Xiahou Dun cooperated with Cheng Yu in the past, he often learned Tuo Yu's magical tricks and was always convinced of his abilities. When they met, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"General Xiahou, gentlemen, before Cheng comes, Duke Ming has a secret order here. All departments of our army must hold firm and must not engage in a decisive battle with Gongsun Xiaoer. However, if we can defend Linzi, it will be a great achievement."
After Cheng Yu chatted with Xiahou Dun for a few words, they entered the meeting hall together and sat down at the military advisor's seat. Without saying much, he immediately showed Cao Cao's secret order and loudly said: The Battle of Fanlinzi set the tone.
"Why did Zhongde say this? According to the investigation, Gongsun Xiaoer's troops only numbered more than 60,000. Although our army suffered a slight setback, there were still more than 50,000 troops. In addition, Qin Qi's two troops More than 10,000 people have come to join together, and their strength is actually greater than that of the bandit army, so An Yan can only hold on to it?"
As soon as Cheng Yu said this, Xia Houyuan lost his composure. There was no other reason why he proposed to withdraw across the Yellow River after his defeat in the previous battle. He was only worried about the strong soldiers and horses of Youzhou's army, fearing that there would be no way out in a desperate battle. Now that he has found out The total strength of the Ming Youzhou Army was only over 60,000, and there was no cooperation from Yuan's army. Xiahou Yuan could not help but have thoughts of revenge. When Cheng Yu opened his mouth, he declared that he would defend to the death. He naturally refused to obey orders.
"Miaocai (Xia Houyuan's word), don't be impatient. Let's listen to what Cheng said. Although the enemy and our troops are equal in strength, the bandit army has more horses, which is more convenient for field battles. Our army faces them head-on. Even if we can win, we will lose. The damage will be great, and we must be prepared to prevent Yuan's army from suddenly approaching and causing heavy losses in a battle. It is better to hold firmly until the severe winter comes and the enemy's logistics and supplies will be difficult to transport, so we must retreat without fighting. Until then, our army will You can seize the opportunity to cover up the killing, and a great victory is within your reach, so why not do it?"
Long before arriving at Laizi, Cheng Yu had anticipated that the Xiahou Dun brothers would be opposed to the defensive strategy, so he would not fail to make preparations. When he heard that Xia Houyuan actually jumped out and sang the opposite tune, Cheng Yu immediately Hao Sheng analyzed the reasons why it was not advisable to fight in the field with the Youzhou Army.
"Hmm...I wonder how Zhongde plans to defend it?"
Xiahou Dun originally wanted to fight a decisive battle with the Youzhou Army, but because of Cao Cao's secret order, he couldn't object openly. But after hearing what Cheng Yu said made sense, he changed his mind. It's just that he was not good at attacking. Defend, I really don’t have any confidence in the strategy of defending.
"This matter is not difficult. Our army can be divided into three parts. One part will defend the city and the other part will occupy Niushan and defend the stronghold. The third part is Qin Qi's troops who are stationed in Jixian County to fight with the main force of our army. They echo each other from afar and act as horns to each other. In this way, it is really difficult for the bandit army to gather their strength to attack our army all the way, but our army can move with the camera. If Gongsun Xiaoer doesn't come, he will be his own, and if he comes, he will not be able to come back!"
Cheng Yu has a reputation among Cao's troops for being good at defense. Over the years, he has repeatedly defeated powerful enemies in defensive battles. Lu Bu and Liu Bei have both suffered a lot of losses under him. Now he discusses the ways of defense, since It was very clear and logical, and even after hearing it, both Xiahoudun brothers nodded their heads at it...
