The road distance between Guandu and Changyi is just over 400 miles. If the road is smooth and the post horses are replaced along the way, it will take a little more than a day at most to send the news from Guandu to Changyi. Unfortunately, it is a war era now, and the western section

The road checkpoint was controlled and blocked by Yuan Shaojun. Cao Jun could only risk his life by walking on a remote road to bypass the checkpoint. He first sneaked to Chenliu and rode a horse before rushing to Changyi. Therefore, no matter how hard Cao Jun's messenger tried,

It took more than five days to walk the four hundred miles - this was due to luck not to be intercepted by Yuan Shaojun's patrol team and the hard work of driving.

After reading Boss Cao's one-sentence letter, Deputy Director Tao did not react at all. He just handed the letter to senior staff officers such as Jia Lao and Liu Ye for circulation, and quietly inquired about the origin of Cao Jun's messenger. When he learned

When the dusty and exhausted messenger in front of him came directly from the Guandu camp, Deputy Director Tao quickly asked about the specific battle situation in Guandu, paying special attention to some key details, "How is your ration distribution? Have there been any cuts in rations or

How about using dendrobium to distribute food?"

"Replying to the envoy, no." Cao Jun's messenger recalled: "Except for a few times when the rations contained a lot of bran and wheat bran, there was never a shortage of grain, let alone Xiaohu's grain. Our warehouse officer Wang Jie was

You are a kind man. He has been responsible for distributing rations for eight years and has never withheld the rations of our soldiers. He is highly respected by our soldiers."

"There are a lot of bran and wheat bran?" Deputy Director Tao rolled his eyes and asked about the time and frequency of deterioration in Cao Jun's rations. After Cao Jun's messenger carefully recalled and tried his best to answer, Deputy Director Tao finally concluded.

Boss Cao is not lying. The Cao army's food problem in Guandu is indeed extremely serious at the moment. It must have been in short supply several times. Therefore, Boss Cao used chaff, wheat bran, chaff and other materials to fill up the supply six or seven times in order to stabilize the situation.

The morale of the army may collapse at any time because it runs out of food and refuses to fight.

After thinking about this, Deputy Director Tao finally asked the Cao Jun messenger: "When you came, did the master of your family say that if I was willing to lend him food, could he have a way to transport it to the army for use?"

"No." Cao Jun's messenger shook his head blankly and replied honestly: "The Prime Minister just told the villain not to let the letter fall into the hands of others. If there is danger, the letter must be destroyed immediately. Furthermore, if the envoy has a reply,

Let the villain take it back to Guandu."

Deputy Director Tao frowned again, then nodded quickly and said: "Very good, then you go down and rest first. If you get a reply later, I will summon you again. Come, take him down to rest, and treat him well."

." Cao Jun's messenger saluted and thanked him, and hurriedly left the room with the guards, going to the guest room to rest and eat.

"The Cao thief can't hold on anymore." Deputy Director Tao said to Jia Lao, Liu Ye, Chen Ying and others on the left and right: "Although my father-in-law has suffered a few small losses, he is obviously not a Cao thief in terms of strategy.

The opponent, but his conservative tactics of not overly dividing his troops and not daring to win by surprise also restrained the Cao thieves, basically not giving the Cao thieves any chance to reverse the situation. As long as the deadlock of the confrontation is not broken, after a while, Cao thieves will

The thief will definitely be defeated."

"My lord, is it time to take sides?" Jia Laohu said calmly: "If my lord is determined to join forces with Cao Cao to fight against Yuan Dynasty, then we must take action at this time. Otherwise, once Cao Cao falls, our army will not even think about it.

It is too late to join forces with Cao Cao to fight against Yuan. If the lord is determined to avenge his old lord and gives Cao Cao the most critical and fatal blow at the most critical moment, he must take action at this time. Otherwise, when Yuan Shao wins Guandu, our army will not count

If we hug Yuan Shao's thigh, Yuan Shao may not give our army another chance."

Deputy Director Tao didn't say anything. He bit his thumbnail and gnawed his own fingernails in a very guard-like manner. After a long time, he suddenly asked: "How do you think our army should line up?"

"Ye proposed to support Yuan Shao in destroying Cao." Liu Ye spoke first: "There is a huge disparity in strength. Cao's army is not even qualified to defend Guandu until Yuan Shao's army is exhausted. At this time, choosing to join forces with Cao to fight against Yuan is tantamount to self-defeating.

Not only will it not save Cao Cao from defeat, but it will also lead to an all-out war between our army and Yuan Shao, leaving no room for compromise."

"Ying Ye feels that we should join forces with Yuan to destroy Cao." Chen Ying, the secretary of Deputy Director Tao who has gradually grown up, analyzed: "Let's not talk about the blood feud between the five counties of Xuzhou and Cao's thieves, nor Yuan Shao's kindness to our army.

Deep down, the attitude towards our army is far more friendly than that of Cao's thieves. Even if our army can put aside the past grudges and join forces with Cao's thieves to fight against Yuan Shao, we still don't have the strength to support Cao's thieves in defeating Yuan Shao."

"That's right." Liu Ye nodded in agreement: "No matter whether our army sends troops directly or provides food and grass assistance, it can't help Cao Jun. If we send troops directly, with the current strength of our army, it can at most share some positive pressure for Cao Jun and cannot change Yuan Yuan's army.

The situation where Cao Cao is strong and Cao Cao is weak cannot resolve the food and grass crisis of Cao Jun. To assist Cao Jun's food and grass supply, the road and Jishui shipping have been cut off by Yuan Shao's army. The detour to Guandu is far away and the water cannot quench the thirst of the nearby. We will wait until we deliver the food and grass to Cao Jun's hands.

, the battle in Guandu is definitely over."

Deputy Director Tao continued to bite his nails and calculate, and turned his attention to Jia Laodu, who was also silent. Although Jia Laodu understood that Deputy Director Tao wanted to express his opinions, he hesitated and refused to speak. Seeing Jia Lao's hesitation,

Deputy Director Tao couldn't help but smile and asked: "Mr. Wenhe, what's going on? It's rare to see you so hesitant."

"The fate and future of our army are at stake. Xu really dare not speak rashly and mislead the lord." Jia Laohu replied helplessly, and then sighed: "Although Mr. Ziyang and Yuan Fang both said something reasonable, given the current situation and the Guandu War

Judging from the situation, joining forces with Yuan to fight against Cao is also the safest and safest choice for our army, but..."

Speaking of this, Mr. Jia shook his head again and didn't want to talk any more, but Liu Ye refused and asked on behalf of Deputy Director Tao: "But what? Why did Mr. Wen He hesitate to speak?"

"Mr. Wenhe must be worried about what will happen after Cao Cao's death, right?" Deputy Director Tao spoke, his voice low and helpless: "To be honest, I am also worried about this. Joining forces with Yuan to destroy Cao Yiru, and start again.

It is not difficult for me to please my father-in-law. However, after the fall of Cao Cao, Yuan Shao's next expansion target will be either Jingzhou or Xuzhou. By then, our army will only have two ends. One is to serve as cannon fodder for his father-in-law.

To attack Jingzhou, the second is to take Cao Cao’s place and fight alone against Lord Yuezhang’s army of hundreds of thousands or even millions!”

"My lord also missed something. Fighting against Yuan Shao alone, our army is far more difficult than Cao's army." Jia Laohu added: "First, our army's military strength is not as good as Cao Cao's. Second, Xuzhou is the place of the Fourth Battle, and there are almost no

The danger is defensible. We can't find Guandu, a major choke point for water and land transportation, that can resist Yuan Shao's army. We must concentrate our forces on one point to fight Yuan Shao. It will be extremely difficult to defend."

Deputy Director Tao nodded silently and admitted that what Jia Lao Poison said was true. If he wanted to replace the historical role of Cao Lao in attacking Yuan Shao, it would be hundreds of times more difficult than Cao Lao. But Jia Lao Poison had not yet spoken and sighed again.

He then added, "Furthermore, Xu can also conclude that after Cao Cao's fall, our army must be Yuan Shao's first target. The water network in Jingxiang area is dense, and building a navy army will not only cost a lot of money and food, but also require a lot of time to train."

Train navy soldiers. It will be very difficult for Yuan Shao, who currently has no navy, to capture the nine counties of Jingxiang."

"Our Xuzhou is different. The open terrain is suitable for Yuan Shao's superior cavalry to maneuver vertically and horizontally, and there is abundant money and food for the prosperity of agriculture and commerce. Capturing Xuzhou can not only obtain a large number of people, money and food, but also obtain a stable rear base to protect the flanks, and even gain the power we are currently forming.

Xuzhou Navy, in this way, no matter how confused Yuan Shao is, I am afraid he will not make the wrong choice."

After listening to the analysis of Jia Laohu and Deputy Director Tao, Liu Ye and Chen Ying, who had previously agreed to join forces with Yuan to destroy Cao, were dumbfounded. Only then did they realize that their suggestions could lead to so many horrific consequences, and even

It may bring disaster to the five counties of Xuzhou. Shocked, Chen Ying quickly changed his words and said: "My lord, let's simply join forces with Cao to fight against Yuan. While sending troops to contain Yuan Shao's flanks, we will detour to the two counties of Chen and Liang to deliver a batch of grain and grass to Cao's thieves.

In the past, if Cao Cao's traitor falls, our army will soon face disaster."

"It will definitely be too late to take a detour to deliver food." Deputy Director Tao shook his head and frowned: "Sending troops directly will not only have an unpredictable support effect, but also be very dangerous. The road from Changyi to Guandu is 416 miles, and almost all of it is

In the open area, our army's food route will not only be threatened by Yuan Shaojun's cavalry, but also by the local troops of Cao's thieves. Just rely on a gentleman's army of more than a thousand people..."

"Huh?"

Deputy Director Tao was stunned for a moment, and Yin Xie's little white face also showed a strange look. Jia Laodu, Liu Ye and others present were all familiar with Deputy Director Tao's temper, and they hurriedly asked: "Master, what can you think of to solve the problem?"

Got a clever idea?"

"No, with such a huge disparity in strength, how could it be possible to come up with a clever way to solve the problem so easily?" Deputy Director Tao shook his head, then smiled and said, "I just thought of a possibility and was stunned for a moment. In short, our army directly sent troops to rescue Cao Cao.

Thief, although there will definitely be some effect, there is no guarantee of how great the effect will be. At the same time, our army will also take great risks, so we cannot hope that our army will send troops to attack Yuan Shao's back, which will resolve the frontal crisis of Cao's thieves. It will definitely be possible.

Help Cao Cao defeat Yuan Shao."

"Then how should our army stand?" Chen Ying said distressedly: "To unite with Yuan to destroy Cao is to destroy yourself. To unite with Cao to fight Yuan is neither sure nor effective, and it will be too fast to continue to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight against Cao's thieves.

We can no longer hold on, we are in a dilemma, and we are in a dilemma. How should our army choose? How to choose?"

As resourceful as Liu Ye, as cunning as Jia Lao, as ruthless as Deputy Director Tao, none of them could answer Chen Ying's question. After biting his fingernails and thinking about it for a long time, Deputy Director Tao suddenly felt something in his heart and hurriedly

He shouted to the guards on the left and right: "Go and ask Mr. Ziyi to come to the hall quickly to discuss matters. Just tell him that I have important military matters to discuss with him and ask him to come quickly."

One of the guards left singing the promise, and Deputy Director Tao turned to Jia Lao and others with a smile and said: "Don't be anxious, gentlemen. Mr. Ziyi is very knowledgeable. He must have high opinions on this important issue that determines the future and destiny of our army."

Let’s listen to his opinions and then decide whether to unite with Yuan to destroy Cao, or to unite with Cao to fight against Yuan?”

Hearing Deputy Director Tao's words, Mr. Jia's eyes widened, Liu Ye opened his mouth, but Chen Ying screamed, "My lord, are you kidding me? When my lord appointed Mr. Zi Yi as his counselor, Zi Yi

Both Mr. Jing and his brother had warned the lord, saying that Mr. Ziyi was over-the-top and that he was sophisticated in small matters and confused in big matters. Do not listen to his opinions and suggestions lightly. The lord had rarely discussed military and state affairs with him in the past two years. What is at stake here is

At a critical moment for the rise and fall of our army, how could the lord suddenly think of asking for his opinion?"

"Mr. Ziyi is unreliable. I know this a hundred times better than you Yuan Fang." Deputy Director Tao waved his hand and said with a smile: "But I just want to listen to his unreliable remarks today. If he suggests that I join forces with Yuan Mie

Cao, I will join forces with Cao to fight Yuan! If he suggests that I join forces with Cao to fight Yuan, I will resolutely join forces with Yuan to defeat Cao! In short, whatever he says, I will give priority to doing the opposite!"

Jia Lao Duwu and Liu Ye both laughed, and Chen Ying also breathed a sigh of relief, and then said worriedly: "But my lord, what if Mr. Ziyi gave the right advice this time?"

"Do you think it's possible?" Deputy Director Tao asked with a smile, "When our army first sent out troops this time, it was even possible to come up with such a bad idea as defeating Xuchang first and kidnapping the emperor. Is it possible for Mr. Ziyi like this to give the right advice?"

Chen Ying smiled again, nodded and no longer objected, and began to accompany Deputy Director Tao to wait patiently for Mr. Ziyi's opinion. Mr. Jiang Qian, who had not performed well since he came to Deputy Director Tao's account, was also eager to make contributions and soon

They soon arrived at the meeting hall where Deputy Director Tao was. After meeting and saluting, Deputy Director Tao was not polite at all. He went straight to the point and told Mr. Jiang Qian the important matter that he had invited him to discuss - that is, whether he should choose to join forces with Yuan to destroy Cao.

Or should we choose to unite with Cao to fight against Yuan? At the same time, in order to facilitate Mr. Jiang Qian’s decision-making, Deputy Director Tao also took the trouble to explain to Mr. Jiang Gan the dangerous consequences of joining forces with Yuan to destroy Cao, the huge difficulties of joining forces with Cao to fight against Yuan, and also introduced

The current food shortage dilemma faced by Cao's army has become so serious that Xuzhou's army must immediately choose sides.

Mr. Jiang Gan did not disappoint Deputy Director Tao. After listening to Deputy Director Tao's introduction and explanation, Mr. Jiang Gan immediately said responsibly: "Thank you for your trust, Lord. Qian has been under your care for a long time since he returned to the Lord's account.

However, I have not made any significant achievements so far, and I deeply regret it. Now that my lord has not given up on me and asked me to do important military and national affairs, I will do my best to think of a good strategy for my lord to resolve the current predicament of our army."

"Mr. Ziyi, please feel free to speak your mind and listen to me for advice." Deputy Director Tao urged sincerely.

"My lord Rong Qian, please think carefully." Mr. Jiang Qian handed over his hand and immediately started thinking about the countermeasures for Deputy Director Tao. Deputy Director Tao, Jia Laohu and others also held their breaths.

He was so angry that he didn't dare to say anything, for fear of interrupting Mr. Jiang Qian's train of thought, so he waited quietly for Mr. Jiang Qian to make a choice.

"Yes!"

Deputy Director Tao, Jia Laodu and others did not wait long. Mr. Jiang Qian quickly clapped and shouted, and then hurriedly handed over to Deputy Director Tao and said: "Master, Qian has thought of a strategy that can resolve the current predicament."

"Mr. Ziyi, please give me a try."

Deputy Director Tao hurriedly urged again. Jia Laodu, Liu Ye and others also pricked up their ears, wanting to hear whether Mr. Jiang Qian wanted to suggest joining forces with Yuan to destroy Cao, or joining forces with Cao to resist Yuan? However, Mr. Jiang Qian's answer made

Deputy Director Tao, Jia Laodu and others broke their glasses together - Mr. Jiang Gan smiled and said: "Neutral! Just stay neutral!"

"Neutral?" Deputy Director Tao was completely dumbfounded, feeling as if a coin had been thrown on the ground but it didn't fall down.

"Neutral?" Jia Laodu, Liu Ye and others were also stunned, and quickly asked together: "How do you think Mr. Ziyi should be neutral?"

"Immediately abandon the two Yanzhou cities of Changyi and Hulu and withdraw to Xuzhou. Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will not be able to help each other." Mr. Jiang Qian said plausibly: "Since the consequences of our army joining forces with Yuan to destroy Cao will be serious, we must join forces with Cao to fight against Yuan Shao.

If we are not sure, then it is better for our army not to join forces with anyone and not to help anyone, but to withdraw to Xuzhou and let them fight. In this way, neither Cao Caosheng nor Yuan Shaosheng has anything to do with our army, and they will not hate each other after the war.

Our army, our army can prepare for war with peace of mind, strengthen defense and develop military strength, so that the victors will not dare to look directly at our five counties in Xuzhou."
To be continued...