Chapter 41 Chapter 41: The Prime Minister's Banner

At this time, Kong Rong, the prefect of Beihai, was appointed general and was staying in Xudu.When he heard that Yuan Shao's army had advanced to Liyang, he hurried to the Prime Minister's Mansion to meet Cao Cao.He said bluntly: "I don't think we should start a war with Yuan Shao lightly. It's okay to agree to some conditions. We can try to fight back in the future, but seeking harmony now is the only surefire strategy." "Do you think so too?" "It is extremely stupid to dare to block a powerful enemy force head-on." "Avoiding the sharp edge and attacking the weak point is the natural art of war. But to deal with the arrogant army that boasts of being well-equipped, wouldn't it be an excellent strategy to launch a surprise attack with a small group of nimble soldiers?"

Cao Cao was talking to himself, but he didn't come to a conclusion on whether to implement it or not.He said again: "Anyway, go and listen to the opinions of the audience. You must attend today's military meeting." At the military council meeting that day, Cao Cao asked all the generals to express their opinions without hesitation on the question of "whether to seek peace or a decisive battle".Xun Yu spoke first: "Yuan Shao came from a famous family and is a representative of the old forces. He opposes the progress of the times, but blindly clings to the dreams of the old times. Supporting him is tantamount to going against the law. So I think we have to go through a battle to be able to Completely crush this corrupt old force."

Kong Rong stood up and retorted immediately after Xun Yu's speech: "You are wrong! Hebei is fertile and vast, and the people are hardworking. You will have to admit the strength of the country only after you have seen it. Not only that, there are many civil and military elites in Yuan Shao's family. Under his command are excellent generals who are good at using soldiers, such as Shen Pei and Feng Ji, as well as the resourcefulness of Tian Feng and Xu You, and the bravery of Yan Liang and Wen Chou. These are all factors that are difficult to deal with. In addition, Ju Shou, Guo Tu, Gao Lan, Zhang He, Yu Qiong and other retainers are all celebrities in the world. Why do you underestimate Yuan Shao's strength so much?"

Xun Yu listened to Kong Rong finish his speech with a sneer, and then replied calmly: "I only know one thing but don't know the other. Belittle the enemy and understand the reality of the enemy are completely two different things. Although Yuan Shao can be called the No. He is rich and powerful, but he is an unrepentant figure as the lord of the country. He pursues authoritarianism and has no tolerance for newcomers or new ideas. In addition, his domestic laws are not conducive to ruling. His subordinates are also flawed. Yu and Yu meet each other. Tian Feng is resolute, but has a habit of committing crimes; judges are only blindly strong and have no foresight; although Feng Ji knows people deeply, he has no understanding of opportunities. They are villains who show off their bravery, and they can be easily captured alive in a single battle. And they have a more deadly problem. Although these people are all mediocre villains, they all like to fight for power and profit with each other. He hates energy, and only cares about quick success. So what can this 100,000 troops do? It is our great fortune that he has come. If we don’t wipe him out now, but instead seek peace, it will eventually make him even worse. Arrogant, leave a hundred years of regret."

After Cao Cao silently listened to the argument between the two, he finally spoke calmly and said: "I advocate a fight! Now that the discussion is over, we must immediately make preparations for the expedition!" That night in Xudu, the candles were brightly lit. The 200,000 officers and soldiers from the front and back battalions went into battle.The war horse neighed, and the armor clattered.From night to dawn, the troops gathered one after another continued to move towards Li Yang. Naturally, Cao Cao personally led this army and fought in Liyang.In the early court, he paid homage to the emperor in full armor, and then set off from the palace gate on horseback.Before leaving, he ordered the 50,000 soldiers and horses to be handed over to the two generals Liu Dai and Wang Zhong to perform another task.

"Go to Xuzhou immediately to arrest Liu Xuande!" Cao Cao took the prime minister's flag from the flag bearer holding the flag behind him, and said: "You hang this flag in the Chinese army, and let the enemy see this flag as if they saw me, Cao Cao." Cao Cao personally taught them the strategy and handed over the prime minister's banner to them. The two generals marched towards Xuzhou with the army in high spirits.After seeing this, Cheng Yu immediately remonstrated with Cao Cao: "To deal with Liu Xuande, the two generals Liu Dai and Wang Zhong are still not enough. Do you want to send another suitable general to join us?"

Cao Cao nodded as if he didn't hear it and said: "I am very aware of this deficiency, so I specially handed over my prime minister's flag to them. Tell them to let the enemy see this flag when fighting, and mistakenly think that I am personally on the scene to supervise the battle. Liu Xuande is very aware of my strength. If he knows that I am in the formation, he will worry that his camp will not be safe and will never attack rashly. After I defeat Yuan Shao's army, I will take advantage of the victory and go back to Xuzhou from Liyang. At that time, I will prepare Grab Liu Xuande's neck with your own hands, and treat him as a souvenir."

Cao Cao laughed out loud. "I see! That's also..." Without saying a word, Cheng Yu admired Cao Cao's resourcefulness.He further thought that in this decisive battle, Li Yang was the key point, as long as Yuan Shao's army was defeated in Li Yang, Xuzhou would immediately become Cao Cao's palm. If Xuzhou is the focus and good generals and heavy troops are sent to Xuzhou, then Yuan Shao will definitely send reinforcements to Xuzhou.This will only result in a foolish battle where Xuzhou has not been captured and Liyang has not defeated the enemy. "I seldom advise the prime minister, but I didn't expect my opinions to be so shallow."

Cheng Yu secretly thought to himself. The confrontation between the two armies in Liyang (near Ru County, Henan Province) was unexpectedly in a stalemate for a long time. Cao Jun and his enemy Yuan Shao were 80 miles away from each other, and neither side actively fought from August to October. what the hell is it? What if the other party has a plan for large-scale operations?Cao Cao couldn't make up his mind for a while, so he could only stand still.So he secretly sent spies to inquire about the enemy's situation, and finally realized that the actual situation was not the case.

According to the spies' report, one of the enemy's generals, Feng Ji, became ill after he arrived in Liyang, so the judge had to exercise command duties alone. order to execute. Cao Cao couldn't help being overjoyed when he found out: "Haha! This also shows Yuan Shao's indecisive nature. Wouldn't the army not come out to challenge when they arrived here? Maybe sooner or later there will be internal strife." Cao Cao saw through Yuan Shao's true nature, so he returned to Xudu with an army. Even so, after he left, he still kept almost all the generals including Zang Ba, Li Dian, and Yu Jin, and appointed Cao Ren as the marshal.In this way, the defensive positions from the borders of Qingzhou and Xuzhou to the front line of Guandu are always in a state of readiness for war and continue to be stalemate.Cao Cao, who is good at finding opportunities to fight, said, "Even if I stay here, it won't do me much good."

Cao Cao made the above decision after seeing through the cowardly nature of Yuan Shao's army.So he must focus on the battle situation in Xuzhou.