12dz Chapter 356 Yuan Tan delivers his head! Cao Cao: I miss my brother Yuan Shao!
Chapter 356 Yuan Tan delivers his head! Cao Cao: I miss my brother Yuan Shao!
Yuan Shang raced against time and finally arrived at the outskirts of Ye City before Cao Cao's army arrived.
Upon seeing Shen Pei, Yuan Shang immediately pressed for an answer:
"Mr. Shen, what's the situation now?"
Shen Pei shook his head and said:
"The morale of the garrison inside the city is low, and they fear Cao Cao like a tiger."
"If we cannot defeat Cao Cao's army and the situation becomes a stalemate, people's morale may waver."
Yuan Shang was in despair.
Even Shen Pei said something like that, which shows how urgent the situation was.
But that's the way it is.
The weakened Yuan camp, without Yuan Shao and Ju Shou, could not even be called a paper tiger!
For Shen Pei, after years of being a daughter-in-law, she finally became the new leader of the powerful families of Jizhou.
But for the other members of the Jizhou aristocratic families, apart from the only Celestial Dragon Ju Shou, it didn't matter who was the leader.
Will you accompany me to the burial ceremony?
There are no doors!
Therefore, the powerful families of Ji Province who had previously provided unwavering support to Yuan Shang and Shen Pei...
Upon hearing the news of Liyang's defeat, he instantly turned into a wilted eggplant.
What?
Do you need money, food, or manpower?
No!
With years of war, where would we find the money?
Shen Pei was furious.
That was the excuse he used to fob off Yuan Shao back then.
Years later, it became the sharp arrow that pierced his brow!
……
They were completely different from Yuan Shang and Shen Pei from Ye City.
When Yuan Tan of Linzi heard the news that Cao Cao's army had captured Liyang in just a few days, a different thought immediately arose in his mind.
He summoned Guo Tuxin and Ping, and asked them:
"Gongze, Zhongzhi, Cao's army is advancing like a whirlwind."
"At this rate, I'm afraid the entire territory of Ji Province will soon fall into the hands of Cao Cao's army."
"You...you know what I mean, right?"
Yuan Tan winked and made faces.
As Yuan Tan's trusted strategist who had followed him for many years, Guo Tu immediately cupped his hands and said:
"My lord, you are the rightful heir to the Yuan family's legacy!"
"Ji Province naturally belongs to our lord as well!"
"Our army has absolutely no reason to hand over Ji Province to Cao Cao's army for no reason!"
Yuan Tan nodded and said:
"That's true."
"But turning against Cao Cao's army now would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock..."
All I can say is that he truly lives up to his reputation as Yuan Tan.
The bottom line of morality is quite flexible!
Just a month ago, he wrote a letter in blood to Cao Cao asking for help, addressing him as Uncle Mengde repeatedly.
A month later, they had already developed the intention to kill Cao Cao's army!
But this is the chaotic world.
Prioritizing interests.
Xin Ping was furious and tried to dissuade him:
"My lord, you shouldn't be so greedy for Ji Province!"
"Cao Cao was a cunning and ruthless hero of his time!"
"Su Yu is as cunning as a fox!"
"And those like Jia Xu, Cheng Yu, and Guo Jia are all rotten scoundrels!"
"You intend to compete with Cao Cao's army for Ji Province?"
"It's not like throwing an egg against a rock, it's like an egg crashing into a mountain!"
Instead of heeding Xin Ping's advice, Yuan Tan became inexplicably stubborn.
Hmm, quite reminiscent of Tian Feng!
Yuan Tan raised his neck and said:
"Xin Ping! What do you mean by that?"
"Am I, Yuan Xiansi, just going to stand by and watch Cao Cao capture Ye City and devour Hebei?!"
"If that's the case, I, Yuan Xiansi, will just live as a rustic villager. Why should I bother fighting for the world?"
obviously.
Yuan Tan's ambition was disproportionate to his abilities, but he himself was unaware of this problem.
Xin Ping let out a long sigh.
He couldn't persuade Yuan Tan.
At this moment, Yuan Tan's thought process was strikingly similar to that of Tian Feng.
No one can change his mind.
If there really is one, it's probably only one of Cao Cao's "mysterious training camps"!
Seeing Xin Ping's failure, Guo Tu continued his analysis:
"My lord, although Cao Cao's army is powerful, we are not without a chance!"
"My lord can use the pretext of supporting our allies to lead our troops north and join forces with Cao Cao's army to besiege Ye City!"
"If Yuan Shang cannot hold out and abandons the city, my lord can take advantage of the Cao army's entry into the city to launch a surprise attack on the Cao army's rear, which will surely throw them into chaos!"
"Gongze, well said!"
"This is a very clever plan."
"With your help, Yuan is like Emperor Gaozu gaining Marquis Liu!"
Yuan Tan excitedly patted Guo Tu on the shoulder.
I strongly agree with Guo Tu's "ingenious plan".
……
a few days later
Fifty miles outside Ye City
Cao Cao received a letter sent by Yuan Tan via urgent messenger.
"Oh, my nephew is really a kind-hearted person."
"Fearing that Cao might lack sufficient troops when attacking Ye City, I personally led my troops north to lend Cao a helping hand!"
To be honest, the moment Cao Cao opened the letter, he was delighted, but at the same time, he felt a pang of nostalgia for Yuan Shao.
Cao Cao could easily see through Yuan Tan's little scheme.
Is this supposed to be a support mission for allies?
They're clearly here to seize Ye City and betray us!
I wonder which brilliant strategist came up with the idea for Yuan Tan.
It's probably Guo Tu!
Su Yu took the letter, his eyes also filled with a strange expression.
I've seen people send themselves to their deaths, but I've never seen someone travel a thousand miles just to send themselves to their death!
He even took the initiative to lead his troops to join up with Cao Cao's army, as if he was afraid that Cao Cao's army would let him escape!
Sometimes, many things can be really stressful.
For example, Yuan Shao, a man of such great ability, had several such good sons.
To put it bluntly, without Yuan Shao and Ju Shou, Yuan's camp was like the West losing its holy city!
Cao Jun's northward advance was like a crushing defeat.
Of course, this is also thanks to Su Yu.
Historically, it took Cao Cao nearly seven years to pacify the north.
Ultimately, this is because Cao Cao's strength was far less than it is now.
Yuan Ying's forces are much stronger than they are now.
The internal strife within Yuan Shao's camp only officially began after Yuan Shao's death in 202.
But now.
Cao Cao was stronger, and Yuan Shao's camp declined even faster.
According to Su Yu's estimate, it will take at most one or two years for the four prefectures in Hebei to be pacified!
Moreover, in the past year or two, it is estimated that most of the time has been spent on military travel and calming the public.
"Ignore my good nephew Cao for now."
"Ziyi, our army is getting closer and closer to Yecheng."
"Is it possible to persuade the garrison inside Ye City to surrender?"
Cao Cao asked Su Yu.
Su Yu shook his head:
"That Shen Pei is a ruthless person."
"He knew that the people of Yecheng were not at peace, and he would definitely take corresponding measures to stabilize their morale."
"Furthermore, given the lesson learned from the defeat at Liyang, it is probably unlikely that we can take Yecheng without bloodshed."
"but……"
"There is no need for our army to launch a full-scale attack on Ye City."
“Yuan Xi and Gao Gan must have received Yuan Shang’s letter requesting assistance by now.”
"Our army can defeat these two men outside Ye City!"
"Use this method to make Ye City lose its last will to resist!"
"it is good!"
Cao Cao made the final decision, setting the tone for the Battle of Ye:
Siege the city and attack the reinforcements!
Isn't Shen Pei supposed to be very fierce?
However, once the gap in strength between the two sides becomes too large, reaching a point where it is impossible to stabilize public sentiment.
Relying solely on Shen Pei's personal prestige is still not enough to turn the tide!
……
On the official road leading from Youzhou to Yecheng
Yuan Xi rode a tall horse and wore a bright red battle robe.
He had only been married to Cui Yan's niece for a little over a month when he eagerly embarked on his journey to support Ye City.
At this moment, Cui Yan, standing beside Yuan Xi, was lost in thought.
Going to Ye City is definitely a must.
After all, Cui Yan was from a prominent family in Ji Province.
When the family faces a life-or-death crisis, he naturally has to be present.
But once you get to the vicinity of Ye City, what to do next becomes a difficult question!
.........