Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3270 All tactics rely on changing families

It was Cao Hong who originally planned to expand the flanks of Cao's army.

If Cao Hong could capture Puban County and Puban Jin before, he would not only have the capital to move westward to threaten Feiqian Pass, but also have an excellent channel to break through the Emei Mountains northward.

After all, from Puban County to the north, the directions of attack and defense are clear.

Unfortunately, Cao Hong failed.

Therefore, we can only retreat and settle for the next best thing, using up to two generals as defensive flank generals. Gundam was obviously not as awesome as his name. Half of his life was taken away by Sima Yi's false report, leaving Xie Xuan alone trembling.

Xie Xuan was not a wise general to begin with. He was somewhat brave but not outstanding. Of course he was pretty good at dealing with small soldiers, but he couldn't even compare to Cao Hong.

Cao Cao sent Xie Xuan to guard the flanks, not because he wanted him to fight alone to open up a passage that Cao Hong couldn't defeat, but just for defense and warning. Unexpectedly, he couldn't even defend well...

The false report proved to a certain extent that Sima Yi was cunning, but it also showed that Xie Xuan was stupid.

Therefore, Xie Xuan has been a little anxious these days, fearing that he will be scolded or punished by Cao Cao.

What he didn't expect was that the person Xie Xuan was waiting for was not Cao Cao's special envoy, but Cao Ping and his party. Then from Cao Ping's mouth, he knew what he had missed and what he had done wrong...

This time, Sima Yi did suffer a big loss.

Sima Yi originally wanted to surprise Cao Jun's transit camp, burn Cao Jun's food and grass, and see if he could catch some larger fish and shrimps, but unexpectedly he kicked the iron plate of Lianzhao and ran away in disgrace. go back.

After Qianzhao defeated Sima Yi, he prepared to withdraw his troops. Qianzhao believed that defeating Sima Yi once was enough. It would let Sima Yi know that there was a cavalry guard here, so Sima Yi would naturally not dare to continue to be so arrogant. So although the combat results are not perfect, they have achieved certain results.

But the problem is that Cao Ping is not willing to end the battle like this.

Because he didn't catch anything, the idea of ​​"cooling the enemy" with Zhao Zhao was actually an excuse.

Ever since, Cao Ping found Jie Xuan.

At first, Xie Xuan thought it was another false report from Sima Yi, but when he found out that it was Cao Ping from the real Central Guard Army who came, he hurriedly left the camp to greet him, then bowed in front of Cao Ping's horse and said respectfully: "To report to the Captain, I... I failed to detect clearly and fell into the traitor's plot... I lost men and horses. I ask the Captain to punish me..."

Xie Xuan had been shrinking his head for a while, fearing the attack of the hussar army. When he heard that Cao Ping had "defeated" Sima Yi, he was surprised and uneasy. Naturally, his attitude towards Cao Ping was extremely good. Place yourself very low.

Xie Xuan's attitude made Cao Ping feel much more comfortable.

Like that bastard Qianzhao, he was smelly, hard, and simply unreasonable.

"Well, let's not mention this for now. ” Cao Ping dismounted and helped Xie Xuan up, “The thieves are cunning, and they will inevitably fall into the trap if they are not careful... How many troops do you still have in your army now? 』

Xie Xuan was stunned, "This..."

Cao Ping also realized that he seemed a little anxious, so he nodded, "Let's talk about the camp first." 』

"Yes, yes..." Xie Xuan nodded repeatedly, "Captain, please..."

After entering the camp, Cao Ping didn't say he wanted to take a look at the injured Captain Gao.

Lieutenant Xie also lowered his eyebrows and did not even mention it.

Although Xie Xuan and Gao Da are captains of the school, and their titles sound similar to those of Cao Ping, everyone understands the difference. Like not all managers are managers.

"The bandit army dispatched three thousand people?" "Cao Ping listened to Xie Xuan's report and couldn't help but sneered, "Are you sure? 』

"Uh... this..." Xie Xuan lowered his head, "Captain Gao's men..."

"I'm asking you. ” Cao Ping was very domineering.

Xie Xuan was silent for a moment, "The bandit army should actually number...two, two thousand..."

"Bah!" Cao Ping sneered, "The total number of thieves is less than a thousand!" 』

"Captain!" ” Jie Xuan’s eyes widened. He was unwilling to admit that Sima Yi's number was small just to prove that he was not so incompetent. Now if it was confirmed that Sima Yi's number was less than a thousand, wouldn't it mean that he was too incompetent?

Cao Ping said slowly, his nostrils raised high, "Before I came here, I fought with Sima Xiaothief and defeated him in the transit camp. Killing the thief was useless!" The bandit army was in disarray, and they followed their trail at some point. Unexpectedly, Lieutenant Xie Xiaoxiao closed the camp and refused to leave, so he easily let go of the defeated bandit army..."

No calculation? Well, I didn’t do the math.

Xie Xun's face suddenly darkened.

He was frightened by Sima Yi, so when he knew that Sima Yi was defeated, he didn't believe it at all. He thought it was Sima Yi who had made another trick to lure troops. If something happened again, his head would really be in danger. Adhering to the principle that if you do too much, you will make mistakes, and if you don't do well, he pretended not to see Sima Yi's escape, but he did not expect that this time Sima Yi's escape was actually true!

This... the baby is feeling miserable!

But Cao Ping wanted to put the label of instigating the enemy on Xie Xuan's head, so Xie Xuan naturally refused.

However, Cao Ping repeated his old tricks for the sake of soldiers and horses, rather than really wanting to break up with Xie Xuan, so after saying this, he said: "But Xie Gu and defending the camp are also the duty of the guard... but there is no need to kill the thieves." Treat it as a scourge... What do you think, Lieutenant Jie? 』

What else can Xie Xuan say? All he could do was say repeatedly, "Captain Cao is mighty!" I admire you! admire! 』

Cao Ping pretended to be humble and nodded, "My lord is wise and knew that the thieves would come to attack, so he ordered me to fight... Well, after this battle, how many men do you think the thieves can still have left?" 』

Xie Xuan was stunned, and then realized, "Captain, what do you mean?" 』

Cao Ping smiled, "Don't you want to eliminate the shame and make great achievements again?" 』

"I, of course I think so. ” Xie Xuan said.

"Then take action!" Cao Ping shouted, "Do you have a plan?" Fetched! 』

Like Cao Ping's subordinate, Xie Xuan quickly took the map and unfolded it on the table.

"Look, Puban Jin Puban County is connected into one. There is Emei Mountain on the top and Dahedu in the west." Cao Ping pointed at the map and said in a deep voice, "If we can get it, we will grasp the key points for our lord and open up a new path! This is a great achievement! 』

"This..." Xie Xuan was obviously hesitant, "There are many defenders in Puban County..."

"hehe. Cao Ping said with a disdainful smile, "Maybe there were some before, but...now how many people do you think Sima Thief can have left?" Um? This is an excellent opportunity. 』

Cao Ping turned to Xie Xuan, stared at Xie Xuan and said, "Have the rebel scouts appeared in the past few days?" 』

Xie Xuan thought for a while and shook his head.

"That's it, we can't even send out scouts," Cao Ping nodded and said, "Is it possible that Captain Jie wants to wait for the rebel army to replenish its troops before attacking Pu Ban?" 』

"But... but..." Xie Xuan still hesitated, "My lord ordered me to defend here." 』

"That's right. ” Cao Ping didn’t deny it, but there was still some disdain on his face, “ This person speaks outright, Captain Jie, please forgive me... defend this place, and what will be the result? Losing troops and generals? 』

Xie Xuan's eyebrows suddenly jumped.

Cao Ping said nothing more and waved to his own soldiers.

Cao Ping's soldiers came forward, holding a sword.

"Come, Lieutenant Jie, look, what is this?" ” Cao Ping pointed at the sword proudly and said.

Xie Xuan took a closer look and immediately prostrated, "Is this... the master's sword?" ! I pay my respects to the special envoy! May I ask how your lord is doing? 』

"My lord is safe. ” Cao Ping just took out his sword to gain momentum, and did not dare to say that he was a special envoy sent by Cao Cao. After all, he came to Xie Xuan without receiving orders from Cao Cao.

Anyway, I will be outside or something...

Cao Ping had read military books for several days.

He did not say that he was a special envoy, nor did he ask Xie Xuan to do anything in the name of the sword. He just let Xie Xuan see and think for himself. Just like a San San who opened his mouth to say that he wanted to go if he was sick, Cao Ping said nothing.

Cao Ping quickly put away the sword with his own soldiers, then pointed at the map and said: "The Sima thief's method of fighting is nothing more than sneak attacks with cavalry, disturbing the rear line, and attacking the grain road." Now that his cavalry is frustrated, his men and horses are injured, and he has no backup troops and horses. If he does not pursue and kill him at this time and cut off the source of the problem, is it possible to wait for the thief to replenish his men and horses before attacking? How about it, Lieutenant Jie, do you have the guts to go with me on this trip? Take this great achievement into your pocket? ! 』

What Cao Ping said is actually not that wrong.

After all, most of Sima Yi's style was like this before. He never fought head-on. He would ambush when he could, and attack by surprise when he could. And this time the recruitment in the transit camp seemed to prove that Sima Yi's frontal combat ability was weak.

In short, Cao Ping felt that Sima Yi did not dare to fight a tough battle or confront Cao's army head-on, and had been doing his best to avoid casualties. He felt that this was Sima Yi's biggest weakness.

After understanding Cao Ping's thoughts, Xie Xuan thought for a moment and whispered: "But to attack Puban County, we still don't have enough manpower..."

Cao Ping smiled, as if he was confident, "It doesn't matter!" As long as you all work together, we can make the most of it! 』

Xie Xuan frowned.

No matter how loud this slogan is shouted, it may not have any effect...

But Cao Ping’s surname is Cao!

Cao Ping pointed at the map, "Is it possible that the traitor army is allowed to ambush us, but we are not allowed to ambush the traitor army?" 』

Xie Xuan's eyes lit up, "Captain, what do you mean..."

Cao Ping nodded and said: "This time, I not only want to take the head of Sima Thief, but also take advantage of the opportunity to take down Pubanjin!" Open a way for the Lord and make new achievements! 』

…

…

Puban County.

After Sima Yi was defeated, he also reflected carefully. He realized that he lost because he was a little too proud. As the battle becomes more intense, his opponent will learn and grow as well. After all, fighting Cao Jun is different from the barbarians in the desert.

Cao Jun reacted faster and changed faster. After realizing that the cavalry suppressed the infantry, they immediately used the cavalry to counterattack. If the big yellow crossbow hadn't stopped the lead move, Sima Yi would not have been dead or injured now.

After achieving certain results, Sima Yi was still a little confused.

This is not only shown in how he treats his brothers on the battlefield, but also in how he treats his brothers...

Of course, the great thing about smart people is that they will not fall into similar pits repeatedly. After going through the pain, Sima Yi wrote a battle report in detail about the battle.

Sima Yi did not make any excuses for himself, but almost from the perspective of a bystander, describing the battle from Puban County to the present.

"When fighting, we should fight without causing chaos. Cao's army used the base as a defense and should take advantage of the situation to resolve its strategy. In order to use the strategy of fatigue, our army will wait for work and recharge its batteries. 』

"Yi wins, but loses caution." The original intention was to send elite cavalry to surround them, cut off their food routes, and dampen their morale, but unexpectedly, Cao's army was well prepared and attacked fiercely with sudden cavalry, almost with swordsmen..."

"After this battle, I deeply felt that soldiers are really deceitful." Victory can be known but cannot be expressed, and the speaker does not know it. Someone uses food and grass as a plot, and Cao Jun uses food and grass as bait to lure someone into taking the bait..."

"Therefore, you must be careful when fighting." 』

Sima Yi finished writing the last few words, and then stared at "Shen" for a long time. Finally, he sighed, tied up the battle report, put it in a bamboo tube, added fire paint, and sent it to the rear. Hidden archive.

Victory is victory, defeat is defeat.

Sima Yi won, but he also had to admit defeat.

With such a relatively objective summary and reflection, Sima Yi cheered up again.

His total number of casualties this time has caught up with the previous total.

The damage is not serious.

War is like gambling. No matter how much you win before, you may lose it in the last chance.

Just like Yuan Shao had won mostly in Jizhou before, and he still had so many chips, but in the process of dueling with Cao Cao, he lost everything.

Therefore, Sima Yi deeply realized the brilliance of General Fei Qian. Fei Qian cherishes his troops like a miser and never takes action without absolute certainty. Although some opportunities may be wasted, unnecessary damage is also avoided. Whether it was the attack on Guanzhong or the march into Sichuan and Shu, it was not a wasteful war, but a selective battle, nor a blind expansion of the army...

There is still a gap!

When Sima Yizheng was sighing, he received detection from the scouts, saying that Cao Jun was dispatching in large numbers and heading straight for Puban County!

Sima Yi frowned slightly.

This is a bit troublesome.

It's not just the problem of more wounded people and insufficient number of soldiers, there's another big problem...

The fortifications of Puban County are not good.

The defenses in Puban County have always been poor, so Sima Yi was unwilling to defend Puban County before, preferring to fight on the outside. Now that the troops are reduced, if they continue to defend Puban County, it will not only be a matter of passive defense, but also the possibility of being blocked in Puban County and unable to move.

"Immediately send more teams, contact Captain Hao, and order him to return to the army immediately and look for fighters behind Cao's army!" Go quickly, go quickly! 』

Sima Yi immediately issued the first order.

In order to create an opportunity for Sima Yi, Hao Zhao went around in circles near the Zhongtiao Mountain camp to make a feint attack. Now that Sima Yi has been ambushed, it means that Hao Zhao's feint attack has been seen through.

But even if more teams are sent, they may not be able to contact Hao Zhao immediately.

Sima Yi still needs to find a way to solve the problem at hand.

To defeat the invading Cao army, we must also minimize losses.

Otherwise, let alone whether he can survive, if all his troops are lost, he can announce his withdrawal from the battle order before replenishing them...

Here comes Honu, hanging by one arm.

Huo Nu was originally seriously injured, but Sima Yi wanted to go to the rear to recover from his injuries, but Huo Nu was unwilling to do so.

"Cao's army is attacking and Pu Ban cannot be protected. You should go to the rear to recuperate!" ” Sima Yi frowned and said.

Huonu waved his good arm, "You can still hold a knife and fight!" 』

"..." Sima Yi was silent for a moment, "Then let's move the wounded soldiers to Emei Ridge first. Cao Jun is coming, we can't take care of them! 』

Huo Nu had high requirements for himself, but he was not too demanding for other wounded soldiers and nodded in agreement.

Transporting away the wounded soldiers first will indeed reduce some of the burden, but how to face Cao's army next is still a problem...

"Fight to the death!" "Although Huo Nu was injured, he was still very fierce, "Cao Jun dares to attack the city, don't tell me I will take a few backs! 』

Sima Yi frowned and said nothing. He was thinking back on the summary of the battle report he had just submitted.

"how? " Seeing Sima Yi like this, Huonu asked, "Did you fail once or are you afraid? 』

Sima Yi was not annoyed, but said: "I remembered some words my lord said..."

"What words?" ’ asked Honu.

Sima Yi nodded and said, "My lord once said, "If you save people and lose the land, you can still gain the people; if you save the land and lose the people, the land will be difficult to defend." This is the perfect truth. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were disputes among various countries. Some put the land first, while others put the people first. If you save people and abandon the land, even though you have lost thousands of miles of land, but the hearts of the people will return and the morale will be boosted, you can try to recover and rejuvenate the country without losing the best strategy. 』

"On the other hand, if you save land but lose people, even if you have a territory of thousands of miles without anyone to protect it, it will be like nothing." The land is empty and desolate, with no people to cultivate it and no soldiers to defend it. Although there is a vast land, it is finally given to people... The Lord in Pingyang said that the four people are important, and it is consistent with this reason. 』

Huo Nu thought for a moment, "What I heard means...are you planning to abandon the county seat?" 』

Sima Yi smiled, "Not only that, I'm even ready to give up on Pu Banjin..."

"Um? ! ” Huo Nu was stunned, “What do you mean? Talk about it in detail! 』

"The purpose of Puban is to advance to Emei Mountain in the north and cross the river in the west. But now the ice of the river has melted and the ferry cannot go. This is a dead end..." Sima Yi stretched out his hand and gestured in the air, "We will gather soldiers and stay on Emei Mountain, spread many flags, and pretend to be a false army, so that we can clamp down on Cao's army going north... Therefore, if Cao's army gets Puban County Jin, seeing the many flags on Emei Mountain, they will not dare to advance, and will divide their troops to guard the city Jin to wait for reinforcements. '

"But if Cao's army really goes north into the mountains," Huo Nu said, "what will happen? '

Sima Yi said in a deep voice: "Cao's army is mainly composed of infantry and moves slowly. If they really go north, we can welcome them on both sides of the road! But Cao's army is now heavily armed, and they must be empty afterwards! Cao's army thought that we had just been defeated and lost our courage and will, and the only way to defend County Jin was... but they didn't know that they had revealed a big flaw! '

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