EBE Chapter 26: The Allied Forces Divide Their Troops, and Yuan Shu Plans to Remain at Sishui Pass?
Chapter 26: The Allied Forces Divide Their Troops, and Yuan Shu Plans to Remain at Sishui Pass?
Allied Commander's Tent
The seats were packed with all the feudal lords.
The group was discussing their next route of advance.
"Gentlemen, the traitor Hua Xiong is dead."
"Now is the perfect opportunity to advance on Sishui Pass!"
The one who spoke had a voice like a rooster, and when everyone turned to look, they realized it was Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shao couldn't help but chuckle and said:
"Gonglu, what happened to your voice?"
Yuan Shu gave a cold snort and ignored Yuan Shao.
Although Hua Xiong is dead, Yuan Shu has lost all face.
Yu She, one of Yuan Shu's top generals, was publicly beheaded by Hua Xiong, which was an extremely shameful thing.
And then.
Zhang Fei once again represented Yuan Shu in battle.
If they had won, that would have been fine, but Zhang Fei was a "good-looking but useless" fellow, and he almost got killed by Hua Xiong!
This humiliation naturally fell on Yuan Shu.
after all.
Zhang Fei represented Yuan Shu's camp.
Even Dong Zhuo's spies mistook Zhang Fei for a general under Yuan Shu.
And today.
However, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were nowhere to be seen in the main camp.
Of course, apart from Cao Cao and Su Yu, no one else's attention was focused on the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.
Su Yu whispered to Cao Cao:
"My lord, it seems that Liu Bei has become honest and knows what he should fight for and what he shouldn't."
Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled.
Today's meeting appears to be about discussing the next advance route of the allied forces.
But in reality, how the allied forces should advance was ultimately decided by the powerful warlords Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Gongsun Zan, and Tao Qian.
Other feudal lords included Wang Kuang, the governor of Henan; Zhang Yang, the governor of Shangdang; Zhang Chao, the governor of Guangling; and Kong Zhou, the puppet governor of Yuzhou.
Even if someone wants to offer suggestions, no one will listen attentively.
This is similar to a company meeting.
In name, most employees are required to participate and be able to speak freely and express their opinions.
But in reality, would you, an ordinary low-level employee, dare to make such a suggestion?
Liu Bei originally joined the coalition against Dong Zhuo with Gongsun Zan, and he was full of enthusiasm and eager to make a name for himself.
But after a series of events, he has now truly become honest.
Su Yu felt somewhat disappointed by this.
Without Liu Bei, the fun is halved!
After Yuan Shu made his suggestion, Gongsun Zan, Tao Qian, and other warlords also made a few symbolic remarks.
However, it was clear that most of the feudal lords were not very interested in continuing to attack Sishui Pass.
after all.
Even if we capture Sishui Pass, we still need to continue attacking Hulao Pass before we can force our way into Luoyang.
How could the various warlords, who were good at calculating and making a profit, not know about this kind of thankless and unprofitable business?
Seeing that everyone had expressed their opinions, Yuan Shao turned his gaze to Cao Cao and gestured:
What are Mengde's views?
Cao Cao laughed and said:
“All of your suggestions have their own unique merits.”
"I am not very talented, but I would like to offer a few words of my humble opinion."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the feudal lords wore smiles on their faces.
At present, Cao Cao's strength is not comparable to that of established warlords such as Tao Qian, Gongsun Zan, and Han Fu.
However, Cao Cao, as the strategist of the allied forces, always had a high EQ in his speech and actions.
Apart from Yuan Shu, the other warlords naturally did not dislike Cao Cao.
Tao Qian smiled kindly and said:
"Mengde, please speak freely. We are all ears."
Cao Cao sent his personal guards with a map and, in front of all the warlords, explained:
"Look, everyone, Hulao Pass is a strategic location, far more dangerous than Sishui."
"Next, the old scoundrel Dong Zhuo will definitely focus his defenses on Hulao Pass."
"Once we break through Hulao Pass, we can continue forward and march on Luoyang."
"On the contrary, if that old scoundrel Dong Zhuo can hold off our army at Hulao Pass."
"It won't take long; as long as we cripple our army's food and logistics, we can achieve victory."
All the feudal lords nodded in agreement.
Dong Zhuo occupied Sili Province, Guanzhong region, and some grain supplies, so logistical transportation was not difficult.
and.
After Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, he effectively annexed several forces, including the Luoyang Imperial Guard, the Luoyang Western Garden Army, and the Bingzhou Army.
In terms of money and provisions, they also received a huge sum of money left behind by He Jin and the Ten Attendants.
This meant that Dong Zhuo was now fighting on home soil, giving him a huge advantage.
Meanwhile, the various warlords mostly embarked on distant expeditions.
Especially for warlords like Sun Jian and Gongsun Zan, whose bases were far from Luoyang, they simply did not have the time or energy to wage a protracted war against Dong Zhuo.
Other smaller and medium-sized vassal states were constantly worried about changes happening in their own territories, living in constant fear.
In other words.
If Dong Zhuo only needs to hold Hulao Pass for two months, chaos will inevitably break out within the allied forces.
At that time, all the warlords would have to rush back to their bases, and no one would want to continue to fight with Dong Zhuo.
Historically, Dong Zhuo's relocation of the capital to Chang'an was partly intended to avoid the combined forces of the coalition.
However, there are some reasons why the allied forces did not pursue them.
Fighting is a waste of money.
Without sufficient benefits, wasting troops, resources, and money on a meaningless war will only result in losses.
After careful consideration, the various warlords in the allied forces naturally lost the patience to continue pursuing Dong Zhuo.
Now, Cao Cao pointed out that Dong Zhuo would focus his efforts on Hulao Pass, and all the warlords agreed.
Yuan Shao opened his mouth with a smile:
"Gentlemen, what Mengde said is very true."
"This leader of the alliance also believes that the old scoundrel Dong Zhuo will hoard a large number of troops at Hulao Pass."
Yuan Shao's speech almost determined the route of the allied forces' march.
However, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's statements clearly contradicted Yuan Shu's opinions.
Yuan Shu's intention was to attack Sishui Pass and capture it in one fell swoop.
Seeing that most of the warlords had already supported Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's views, Yuan Shu mocked:
"Our Alliance Leader Yuan really has a bad memory."
"Don't forget, there are still tens of thousands of Xiliang troops inside Sishui Pass!"
"What if the Xiliang army inside Sishui Pass attacks from the rear while you, Alliance Leader Yuan, are leading your troops to attack Hulao Pass?"
Yuan Shu was completely unaware that he had fallen into a trap set by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.
After listening to Yuan Shu's speech, Cao Cao solemnly bowed to Yuan Shao and said:
"Leader, I believe that what Gonglu said is a wise and experienced way of governing the country."
"The troops inside Sishui Pass must be guarded against."
Yuan Shao stroked his beard and said:
"This is indeed an oversight on my part."
"But if that's the case, I'm afraid our allied forces will have to split into two groups and disperse our forces."
"Moreover, the route left to guard Sishui Pass can only be commanded by a person who is both wise and brave."
Upon hearing this, the smiles on the faces of the various warlords became quite amused.
What a brilliant and brave person!
To put it bluntly, isn't it just that only those with the ability and qualifications can become commanders?
Yuan Shu chuckled and said:
"Since Alliance Leader Yuan has said so, why don't I take charge of commanding this journey?"
"However, those who are attacking Hulao Pass must not falter."
A barely perceptible smile flickered across Yuan Shao's lips.
His goal was to keep Yuan Shu in the Sishui Pass area!
……