allonlinenovel Chapter 456 3 Countries
Chapter 456 3 Countries
"In fact, signs of the tripartite division of the Three Kingdoms began to appear after the fifth year of Jian'an."
"Next, we will introduce a battle from the fifth year of Jian'an (200 AD), which is also a relatively famous battle in the history of the Three Kingdoms."
"At that time, there were two major separatist forces, namely Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. Cao Cao gradually caught up and later even welcomed Emperor Xian of Han to the throne."
"However, Yuan Shao, who was once a powerful ruler, was plagued by internal discord. From 196 to 199 AD, Gongsun Zan used the strength of an entire province to fight against Yuan Shao."
"But Gongsun Zan, according to records, imprisoned himself in a city called Yijing, where he had food and weapons, and passively responded to Yuan Shao's attack."
"He even advised his subordinates to set up one like that, instead of trying to save friendly forces, because if they couldn't be saved, it would be a loss. So who would serve a boss like that?"
"Despite such an opponent, Yuan Shao was still unable to take Youzhou in the first three years until 199 AD."
"On the other hand, Yuan Shao was internally divided, and many of his advisors actually switched sides to Cao Cao."
"For example, Xun Yu was known as a man of great talent, capable of seeing far ahead."
"While I was working for Yuan Shao, I observed him and realized that he didn't seem like someone capable of great things, so I switched sides!"
"In 196 AD, the strategist Guo Jia switched sides from Yuan Shao to Cao Cao's side. Like Xun Yu, he discovered Yuan Shao's shortcomings after a period of contact and thus switched sides!"
"Yuan Shao had many advisors around him, but he didn't listen to advice or adopt it, which led to Cao Cao's side receiving a constant stream of advisors. It was like he was supplying talent to Cao Cao!"
Yuan Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty: Slander, blatant slander!
Emperor Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty: Many of Cao Cao's strategists were former officials who switched sides!
"Getting back to the main topic, let's continue with the battle between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao—the Battle of Guandu."
"The pre-war preparations of both sides began in 199 AD. Yuan Shao occupied Ji Province and other places, which have always been known for their large population, abundant cultivated land, and plentiful mulberry and jujube trees."
"Therefore, he could mobilize more than 100,000 people, while Cao Cao's Yan and Yu provinces were in a vulnerable position, and his advantage was not as obvious as Yuan Shao's."
"Therefore, in the fourth year of Jian'an (199 AD), Yuan Shao led 100,000 elite troops and 10,000 warhorses, attempting to march south and attack Xuchang, thus beginning the conflict between the Yuan and Cao families."
"Before the formal commencement of the war, both sides held a small meeting. First, on Yuan Shao's side, Tian Feng offered advice:"
"The campaign against Gongsun Zan has already resulted in heavy losses for many years; now, facing Cao Cao again, the people are exhausted and impoverished—this is extremely worrying."
"At the same time, Tian Feng also proposed a strategy: first, send troops to garrison Liyang, and then gradually resume production and manage the south side of the Yellow River."
"It would be best to build more ships, repair more machinery, and deploy elite cavalry to raid and harass their borders, keeping them constantly on edge. Then we'll be in a comfortable position!"
"But the strategist Guo Tu said: 'The method in this book is that if your forces outnumber the enemy tenfold, surround them; if they outnumber the enemy fivefold, attack them; if the forces are evenly matched, then engage in battle.'"
"Right now, with our lord's wisdom and martial prowess, and by uniting with the powerful army of our Hebei region, it will be easy to defeat Cao Cao. If we do not seize the opportunity now, it will certainly be difficult to deal with him in the future."
Ju Shou, however, said, "The enemy is a righteous army, and Cao Cao's laws are strict, unlike Gongsun Zan's. This will be difficult to defeat."
"In short, the strategists Guo Tu, Ju Shou, and others argued back and forth on this issue, almost to the point of fighting. Ju Shou's advice against sending troops was against Yuan Shao's orders, so Guo Tu and others took the opportunity to spread rumors and sow discord among Yuan Shao, saying that Ju Shou's military power was too great and his prestige too high, making him difficult to control and arousing Yuan Shao's suspicion."
"In the end, Yuan Shao divided the military supervisors into three commanders, and then appointed Ju Shou, Guo Tu, and Chunyu Qiong to each command an army."
"However, the reason why Yuan Shao's side was constantly arguing was because of their different origins, which divided them into two factions and perhaps foreshadowed what would happen later."
"Looking at Cao Cao's side, news of Yuan Shao's southward march reached Cao Cao's side. Because Yuan Shao was once very powerful, many people believed that he was invincible."
"But what is the relationship between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao? They are childhood friends, they grew up together, everyone knows him well, so Cao Cao knows what's going on!"
"He thought he could win because Yuan Shao was, in his mind, an ambitious but incompetent, stubborn, and ungrateful person."
"Therefore, it was decided to use all available resources to gather all the tens of thousands of troops he could muster."
Yuan Shao of the Eastern Han Dynasty: Cao Cao, you traitor! Slander! Utter slander! You just wait!
Cao Cao, the boss: Which sentence is slander? Everything I said is true!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: The success or failure of this battle reveals the true nature of those who came after!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: The disagreements are probably due to differing interests... If we win, then which faction will be the hero?!
……
In another time and space, the emperor and his ministers of the Song Dynasty suddenly remembered the internal strife they had experienced at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty!
Those were all factions fighting each other, and either they were exiled or exiled. The number of people who stayed in Lingnan and Yazhou could probably form a small team!
Factional strife is a terrible thing; once it starts, it's not so easy to end!
……
Meanwhile, Yuan Shao in another timeline was furious at the words Cao Cao used to describe him!
He wasn't that kind of person at all! Then he remembered the talented people on his side and switched allegiance to Cao Cao!
Now, feeling extremely dizzy, Yuan Shao finally understood what it felt like for those people to be so angry at their unfilial descendants that they vomited blood!
You traitor Cao! You just wait, I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!!!
……
The live broadcast continues.
Strategically, Cao Cao dispatched Zang Ba with elite troops from Langya into Qingzhou, where they occupied Qibeihai, Dong'an, and other places.
"These actions were intended to contain Yuan Shao, consolidate the right flank, and prevent Yuan Shao's army from attacking Xuchang from the east."
"On the other hand, Cao Cao led his troops to occupy Liyang in Ji Province, ordering Yu Jin to lead 2,000 infantry and cavalry to garrison Yanjin, an important ferry crossing on the south bank of the Yellow River, and then assist Liu Yan, the governor of Dongjun, who was guarding Baima, in blocking Yuan Shao's army from crossing the river and advancing south."
"At the same time, the main force built fortifications around Guandu to block Yuan Shao's frontal attack; then, people were sent to pacify Guanzhong and win over Liangzhou to stabilize the flank."
“At that time, Cao Cao’s military strength was actually inferior to Yuan Shao’s. His strategy was not to divide his troops to guard the south bank of the Yellow River, but to concentrate his forces, guard key passes, and set up key defenses.”
"Secondly, the geographical environment at the time, in the case of Guandu, was located upstream of the Honggou Canal and bordered the Bian River. The Honggou Canal connected the important places of Hulao, Gong, and Luo to the west, and flowed eastward to the Huai and Si Rivers, serving as a barrier to the north and east of Xuchang."
"In short, this place is a key location and a must-contest area for Yuan Shao to seize Xuchang. In addition, Guandu is close to Xuchang, and its logistics and supplies are more convenient than those of Yuan's army."
"Cao Cao's team was more united than Yuan Shao's team. Although Cao Cao had experienced failures in the early stages, he did not argue endlessly like Yuan Shao did."
"After the strategic objectives were set, although some members of Cao Cao's army might have thought that seeking peace would have been better, they still fought Yuan Shao's army according to their lord's wishes!"