After the fourth watch, Cheng Pu sent troops out of the city to raid the camp, with a troop stationed outside each of the three gates to test the strength of Cao's army.
At daybreak, the three generals Chen Wu, Ding Feng and Dong Xi returned to the city one after another and reported that Cao's camp was heavily guarded and patrolled by soldiers continuously, leaving them no chance to take advantage.
Before Ding Feng got close to the enemy camp, he was discovered by a scout hiding in the dark. He immediately raised the alarm and was nearly shot by Cao's arrows.
Cheng Pu did not blame the three men. He asked them to return to the camp to rest and ordered Huang Gai and Lu Meng to take turns guarding the city.
Huang Gai saw that Cheng Pu was actually smiling, and asked in confusion, "Last night's raid failed, why are you not worried but happy?"
Cheng Pu chuckled and said, "I have a plan to defeat the enemy. The outcome will be clear within three days."
Before Huang Gai could ask more, Cheng Pu had already gone down the city to rest. At this time, Cao's army had already formed a battle array and was ready to attack, so he had to arrange his defenses first.
In the Cao army camp, Xiahou Dun paced back and forth like a trapped beast, while Xun You and Sima Yi were calm and composed, one handling military affairs and the other unfolding a map and drawing.
Outside the camp, drums were beating loudly, and the generals were still supervising the siege. However, nearly 10,000 soldiers were killed in the past few days, the camp was full of wounded soldiers, morale was low, and the offensive was far less aggressive than in the previous days.
Xiahou Dun could not help but ask, "The Wu army has come to raid our camp. Although we are well prepared, the soldiers are tired and mistakes are inevitable. Why didn't you two say anything?"
Xun You raised his head and said with a smile: "General, please be patient. We have said a few days ago that the Wu army will change after a long time. Now they have taken the initiative to go out of the city to rob the camp. It can be seen that the people in the city are also in trouble and something has changed!"
"Oh?" Xiahou Dun's eyes lit up. "So, sir, you already have a plan to defeat the enemy?"
Sima Yi nodded and said, "The Wu army thought Shouchun was strong, but they didn't expect that our army had sufficient equipment and the defenders suffered a lot of casualties. Cheng Pu is also a veteran general in Jiangdong and often compares himself to Zhou Yu. I think he will not be willing to be trapped in the city. The sneak attack last night was just a test. There will be a big move in the next one or two days."
Xiahou Dun frowned and asked, "Does the Wu army want to launch another surprise attack?"
Sima Yi smiled and said, "That's right. Shouchun has 30,000 defenders, and only 10,000 are needed to defend the city! What they are afraid of now is the equipment in our army, such as the well traps and catapults. This time they must be heading for the old camp."
Xiahou Dun suddenly realized what was going on and laughed, "If old Cheng Pu dares to come, I will capture him!"
Sima Yi said: "The troops sent by Dongwu this time will surely be the best and most powerful. They should not be underestimated. We need to mobilize the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to help us to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Xiahou Dun said unhappily: "To deal with the rats in Jiangdong, one person is enough, why do we need to mobilize more troops?"
Sima Yi said: "General, you still need to personally take charge of the central army and attract the Wu army to attack. The war situation changes rapidly, so you must not be careless."
Xiahou Dun then stopped trying to show off his bravery and sent people to Pengcheng to report the situation and ask Cao Chun to come and help in the battle.
Sima Yi also ordered Zhu Ling to transport military equipment from the main camp to the three main camps in front in turn, and ordered the three generals to use up the equipment as soon as possible.
In the afternoon, Lu Meng was guarding the city and supervising the battle. When he saw that Cao's army had transported another batch of supplies, he could not help but frown.
Cao Cao owned the Central Plains and Hebei, and had an endless supply of money, food and other resources. Jiangdong had just taken Huaihai and was in urgent need of governance. If he continued to defend the city, it would not be a long-term solution.
For a moment, he was caught in the tangle of the two strategies of Lu Su and Cheng Pu. One was a long-term plan to seize the Central Plains, and the other was an active attack to solve the urgent problem. Both seemed to make sense.
As the sun was setting, Cao's army's offensive became even more fierce. The moat had long been filled up, and countless catapults had been broken. Battering rams kept hitting the city walls, and standing on the city walls was like an earthquake.
Cheng Pu was full of energy, and he climbed the city wall again and asked, "What is the military situation?"
Lü Meng sighed, "Today, the Third Battalion has brought in another batch of weapons. Cao's army has added more traps and catapults. The defenders have already suffered 2,000 casualties."
Cheng Pu stroked his beard and looked around the battlefield, asking, "If Cao's army didn't have these weapons, how long could General Lu hold out?"
Lu Meng thought for a moment and replied, "If we only have battering rams and ladders, we only need 10,000 men and can defend for more than half a year."
"Young man, don't be too arrogant!" Cheng Pu said slowly: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. Don't underestimate the enemy."
Lü Meng was not convinced and said loudly: "I did not underestimate the enemy. Shouchun City is well defended. Without powerful weapons, even if Cao's army sends another 100,000 troops, it will be in vain."
"This young man..." Cheng Pu glanced at Lu Meng. Although he was dissatisfied with Lu Meng's previous confrontation with him, he was impressed by his confidence and said, "Young people are indeed to be feared."
Lu Meng was stunned, thinking that Cheng Pu was respected as "Mr. Cheng" in Jiangdong, and it was not just because of his seniority, but also because he had extraordinary breadth of mind and bearing.
He clasped his fists and said, "Sun Tzu said: The method of using troops is to surround them if they are ten times your number, attack them if they are five times your number, and divide them if they are twice your number. Although Cao's army is large, it is not enough to surround us, so we know we can defend it!"
Cheng Pu asked in surprise, "You also read the Art of War?"
Lu Meng nodded and said, "Thank you for your teachings, lord. I have only gained a glimpse of the key points."
When Cheng Pu heard that Sun Quan valued this man, he nodded and said, "You are a teachable boy. Keep up the good work."
Before they knew it, it was already dark. Cao's army retreated like a tide, leaving a pile of corpses under the city wall. Black smoke billowed, and the smell of burning was tangy, even emitting a stench.
Lu Meng frowned and said, "If this continues, the corpse will rot and may cause plague. It is better to burn it."
"During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, tens of thousands of people were killed in the wilderness. What does this mean?" Cheng Pu sighed and said, "It is better to remove the firewood from under the cauldron than to try to stop the boiling water by adding more water to it!"
Lu Meng didn't know what Cheng Pu meant, and was about to ask, but Cheng Pu ordered to go to the tent and dispatch Lu Fan and Cheng Zi to patrol and guard the city.
When he arrived at the government office, he saw only a few generals such as Huang Gai, and the rest of the generals and lieutenants were not there. Lu Meng realized that this was important military information and consciously stood behind Chen Wu.
Cheng Pu said, "I have seen Cao's army in action for the past few days. They have deployed heavy troops outside the city, but their food and supplies are in the main camp in the rear. If we can destroy the main camp and their supplies, Shouchun will be safe."
Huang Gai laughed and said, "General Cheng kept me in suspense this morning, which kept me awake all afternoon. It turns out that he was planning to attack the old camp. This is a brilliant plan!"
Lü Meng frowned and said, "Xiahou Dun is personally guarding the main camp. It may not be easy to attack from the city. If we are robbed on the way, what should we do if we cannot move forward or backward?"
Cheng Pu smiled and said, "If Cao's army has the same idea as General Lu, they will be sure that we dare not leave the city, and the camp will definitely relax its defenses. This is to attack them by surprise. When Bo Fu led the army, he often used light cavalry to attack the enemy camp directly, and defeated the enemy like autumn wind sweeping leaves. He swept across Jiangdong with this strategy."
Huang Gai stroked his beard and laughed, "General Cheng is right. Although we are old, our swords and spears are still sharp. We should make the best use of our age to defeat the enemy and achieve merit."
Recalling the time when they followed Sun Ce, the eyes of several veteran generals all lit up. At that time, they charged into battle and were invincible. That was what war was all about. Now, they are hesitant and submissive, which is really frustrating.
Lu Meng understood what Cheng Pu had just said, and reminded him: "Cao Cao has been in charge of the army for many years, and his military discipline is strict. He is not comparable to Yan Baihu in the past. Generals, do not underestimate the enemy."
Cheng Pu laughed and said, "If Cao Cao was in the camp, I would not send troops. But Xiahou Dun is just a warrior, what is there to be afraid of?"