xymnovel Chapter 106 A Surprise Attack on Ji Province, Facing a Dilemma
Chapter 106 A Surprise Attack on Ji Province, Facing a Dilemma
Guo Tu is very panicked now...
He never dreamed that Li Zhao would actually make a move!
Is this guy completely unafraid of losing the trust of the world?
If the written promises made at the time were made public, the impact could be quite negative.
With this in mind, he immediately questioned upon meeting the Prime Minister, "What does Your Excellency mean by this?"
"You promised me that you would never lay a hand on my lord, no matter what."
"He even made a written promise; is the Prime Minister really so untrustworthy?"
"Aren't you afraid of losing credibility with the world, and that no one will dare to trust you in the future?"
Upon hearing his question, Liu Bei and the others couldn't help but sneer.
Is this guy really a strategist?
Li Zhao, however, looked at him calmly and said, "Sir, you are right. I did indeed make a promise!"
"Sir, do you still remember what my promise was?"
"You said you would never lay a hand on my lord!"
"Of course I won't take the initiative, but Yuan Shao sent his men to assassinate me. He was the one who started this unjust act, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Wh...what?"
"Sir, you seem to be doing quite well since you arrived in Qingzhou. Today I would like to borrow something from you, and I hope you will not refuse!"
"You...you..."
"May I borrow your head, sir?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a long sword pierced through his chest.
Slowly lowering his head, Guo Tu looked at the still-dripping blood from the sword blade in front of his chest, his face ashen.
He had imagined his possible fate, considered all the possibilities, but he never expected that he would actually die here.
"You...you'll die a horrible death!"
The longsword disappeared, and Guo Tu suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his body half-kneeling on the ground, and he quickly lost his life.
Li Zhao didn't even glance at him, and immediately issued the order, "Yuan Shao sent assassins to kill me; this is an outrage against Heaven and Earth! Immediately send troops to Ji Province!"
Everyone bowed in unison, "Yes, sir!"
……
After receiving clear instructions, Cao Ren immediately led a force of over a thousand men, dressed in Yuan's army uniforms, and marched towards Liyang, hiding by day and moving by night.
The problem he faced was that Liyang was on the north bank of the Yellow River, and he would have to cross the river to get there.
The ferry crossing was firmly controlled by Yuan's army, and to cross it, they had to be eliminated silently.
Otherwise, if the garrison on the other side is alerted, the surprise attack will not achieve its intended effect!
Once he arrived at the location, Cao Ren realized that it was impossible to do so silently.
Yuan Shao was indeed very shrewd; he not only left a large number of troops to guard the ferry crossing.
They also set up both visible and hidden sentries, covering a large enough area that Cao Ren simply couldn't have made these people disappear silently at the same time.
"What should we do..." Cao Ren frowned and looked back at the army behind him.
It was nearly dawn, and if they couldn't launch a surprise attack, they had to retreat immediately.
Otherwise, they will be completely exposed when it gets light!
At that moment, he suddenly remembered that Cao Cao had given him a brocade pouch before he left.
Tell him to open it when necessary; it contains the follow-up arrangements.
After a brief hesitation, Cao Ren took out the brocade pouch from his bosom.
Upon quickly opening it, the parchment inside contained only one line of text: "Strike the ferry crossing and draw the enemy troops to the opposite bank!"
Cao Ren was stunned for a moment...
This was completely contrary to their original intention. If they launched a strong attack, they would alert the garrison on the opposite bank, making it impossible to destroy Yuan's army's supplies.
"I'll risk it!" Cao Ren gritted his teeth and put the brocade pouch back.
Although they couldn't understand Cao Cao's intentions, there was no other way at the moment.
It's better to execute the command!
Nearly a quarter of an hour later, at Cao Ren's command, the thousand troops launched an attack simultaneously.
The garrison at the ferry crossing immediately noticed the anomaly, and the two sides quickly engaged in a chaotic battle.
Not long after.
The garrison on the opposite bank of the river also received the news, and the troops were quickly mobilized, all gathering at the ferry crossing on the opposite bank, ready to deal with Cao Cao's army rushing over at any time.
Based on their current strength, no matter how many Cao soldiers charge in, they can be wiped out in a very short time!
however.
Something unexpected happened!
The grain and fodder camp in Liyang was suddenly engulfed in flames.
In an instant, flames shot into the sky, extremely visible against the dark night sky.
The Yuan army, which had been gathered at the ferry crossing, panicked and immediately returned to defend.
However, they fell into Taishi Ci's trap, who ambushed them on their only route, causing their morale to fall into chaos instantly.
Meanwhile, the situation on the other side of the river was clearly visible to the garrison on the other side.
The troops were thrown into chaos, giving Cao Ren a tremendous opportunity!
He didn't have time to think too much and seized the opportunity to intensify his efforts.
The situation began to turn in one direction, and in just over half an hour, the ferry crossing was completely under control!
More than half of Yuan's troops were captured alive after their morale collapsed upon discovering the fire on the opposite bank.
After taking control of the entire ferry crossing, Cao Ren stood on the riverbank, looking at the flames shooting into the sky on the opposite bank, and immediately understood Cao Cao's plan.
No wonder they wanted to launch a strong attack to draw the enemy's defenders away!
It turns out that our lord had already foreseen that someone on the other side would take action.
But who could it be?
……
"My lord, we can't let this drag on any longer!" Zhang He paced back and forth anxiously.
Looking at Yuan Shao, who was sitting in the main seat and had no reaction, he had a very bad feeling.
"Cao Cao's army has been holding firm and refusing to engage, which is definitely a deliberate act. If we cannot take them down in a short time, we should retreat immediately..."
"What's wrong?" Yuan Shao held an antique in his hand, gently wiping it, and looked up at him.
"Now even you like to say things like that? Cao Cao just wants to wear me down!"
"But have you considered whether he has the right to waste time with me?"
"this……"
"The grain supplies from Ji Province will be continuously transported here. Don't forget, even Qing Province has been secretly supporting us all along!"
"Li Zhao is quite trustworthy; he has never missed a day in delivering the grain he was supposed to."
Yuan Shao sneered, placing the antique he was holding on the table in front of him. "We have absolutely no worries, so why should we be afraid of him dragging this out?"
"The longer this drags on, the greater our chances of winning. Do you think Cao Cao isn't worried?"
He is now very confident that he can outlast Cao Cao!
And it is quite certain that, given Cao Cao's personality, he would make such unusual moves, especially in dangerous situations.
Only those who lose their composure will fall for his tricks!
"But……"
Zhang He looked back at Gao Lan, who had retreated from Yanjin, and was suddenly startled.
Is Qingzhou continuously supplying grain and fodder?
In other words, Li Zhao actually knew their marching route.
How can this be allowed?
Just as he was about to say something, a soldier rushed in from outside in a hurry.
That hoarse voice echoed throughout the hall, "My lord, something terrible has happened!"
"Our supply depot has been destroyed, and all the grain sent from Jizhou is gone!"
"What did you say?" Yuan Shao suddenly stood up.
……