The sky was just getting light and the rain was slightly reduced. The Baihe River was shrouded in mist and rain, and the situation on the other side could not be seen clearly.
Liu Qi had just arrived at the central military camp when a scout came to report that Cao's army had retreated ten miles overnight, that the camp upstream had been submerged by floods, and that Cao's army had suffered countless casualties.
Xu Shu laughed and said, "Cao's army moved camp overnight in the rain, so they must have lost a lot of supplies. If the rain continues for a few more days, the food and grass will not be delivered in time, and they will be defeated without fighting."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "The strategy of retreating to advance has been accomplished!"
So far, everything has been as expected. Leading Cao's army to Nanyang is to stretch their supply lines and consume supplies.
Although Cao Cao unified the north and gained great prestige, his soldiers were exhausted from years of fighting, and Hebei had not yet recovered. Cao's army was already strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
At this time, Cao Cao led his troops south, taking advantage of the momentum of a great victory. As long as he exhausted this momentum, he would be powerless to continue.
Liu Qi's original plan was to use the Nanyang Corridor to engage Cao's army. After Zhuge Liang arrived, he supplemented the plan to draw all of Cao's troops over by advancing as a retreat.
You have to know that in the era of cold weapons, transporting food and supplies was extremely difficult. It all relied on human and animal power, and the roads were uneven. Basically, the number of people transporting food was equal to the number of troops.
If the journey is long, the number will increase, and the people transporting the grain also need to eat and drink, so this consumption cannot be underestimated.
Before troops move out, food and fodder must be sent ahead. This is not just a simple saying, it is indeed related to the lifeblood of the three armies.
The consequences of a food crisis would be disastrous, as it involves the food rations of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people.
In this chaotic world, many people are desperate and join the army just to make a living. Only a few really want to make achievements.
The most common saying in the military is that soldiers eat food and eat food to serve as soldiers!
If they don't have enough food for one meal, they can still barely keep things stable, but if they don't have food for a day, it will easily cause a mutiny. The more people there are, the more serious the crisis will be.
This is also why Cao Cao had to kill the warehouse official Wang Hu. He used one person's life to appease the army. It was also a helpless move.
This time Cao Cao retreated hastily in the middle of the night and it was raining heavily, so he would lose at least half of his supplies. If the subsequent supplies could not be delivered in time, he would face a crisis again.
Zhuge Liang's suggestion of retreating in order to advance was actually to play the long game and catch the big fish. He should stretch Cao's supply line, lure him to Nanyang, and then cut off his way back, so that he could win the battle in one go.
Now seeing that Cao Cao not only took the bait but also swallowed it, how could Liu Qi not be excited
Zhuge Liang arranged Guan Yu to guard Huarong Road and deliberately let Cao Cao go in order to stabilize the north and prevent Sun Quan from gaining profit and becoming stronger, because Liu Bei was living under someone else's roof at the time and had no ability to get a share of the pie.
But the situation is completely different now. If there is a chance to catch Boss Cao, or even get rid of this tyrant, Liu Qi will never show mercy.
Once Cao Cao dies, there will be chaos in the north. We can take advantage of the situation to march into the Central Plains. If we can capture Xuchang and rescue the emperor, occupy Luoyang, and then take Guanzhong and Yizhou, it will be easy.
If Sun Quan had had a little bit of brains, he would have taken the opportunity to attack Xuzhou, and Zhou Yu would not have stabbed him in the back, causing infighting and giving the Cao family a chance to rise.
However, all this is just his own idea. The most important thing right now is to destroy this Cao army and make Cao Cao no longer dare to covet Jingzhou, so as to achieve a three-way balance of power.
While they were discussing, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun and others came into the tent one after another. Upon hearing that Cao's army was retreating, they all wanted to ask for orders to send troops.
They were chased dizzily by Cao's army in the Central Plains, and now that the situation has reversed, they all want to avenge their previous humiliation and vent their anger.
Liu Qi signaled everyone to be patient: "I know you are all very anxious, but don't be impatient, at least wait until the weather clears up, right?"
Everyone was startled, and then, listening to the sound of rain outside the tent, they suddenly realized what was happening and burst into laughter.
Guan Yu said: "Cao Cao is very resourceful in his use of troops. If we fail to capture Wancheng, he may attack other places. General, you must prepare early."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Don't worry, Yunchang, everything has been arranged."
There is Huo Jun in the direction of Xinye and Wen Pin in the direction of Rangxian. Both of them are very good at defending. It is not easy for Cao Cao to divide his troops and break through.
…
At this time, there was a cloud of gloom in Cao's army camp.
Cao Cao sat in the central military tent, his legs covered in mud, his clothes wet, and his face gloomy.
Listening to the sound of rain hitting the tent, I felt confused and sighed: "When it rains, it pours..."
After discovering it was raining last night, he realized that something was wrong and immediately ordered the entire army to retreat, but it was too late. Before they could move camp, heavy rain began to pour.
The troops retreated in the rain overnight, and many soldiers were confused as to why, and there was a lot of resentment in the army.
The most taboo in breaking camp is rushing, and the most fearful things in marching are darkness and rain. How miserable would it be if all of them happened at once
What was even more tragic was that they had to find a place to camp overnight and set up camp again in the rain, and it was no longer possible to set up a complete camp.
The tents were badly damaged and most of the supplies were left behind. Even if the tents were set up, it was no different from being outdoors.
The ground had long been soaked by the rain. It was raining heavily outside the tent and drizzling inside the tent. Everything was soaked. More than a dozen people were crowded in the tent, and the soldiers were miserable.
Cao Cao's central military tent was full of mud and leaking water on all sides, so one can imagine the situation for the other soldiers.
Just as he was sitting in boredom, Cao Xiu came into the tent to report that most of Cao Hong's camp near Bowangpo was submerged by floods, countless soldiers were killed or wounded, and all the camp and supplies were destroyed. The situation was serious.
Cao Cao's expression became more solemn. He stood up, put his hands behind his back and looked outside the tent. The sky was gloomy, with continuous rain and fog, just like his mood at the moment.
"Fire or water disaster?" Cao Cao narrowed his long eyes into a slit. At this moment, he thought of Zuo Ci's words and felt that it should be on him.
Cao Xiu frowned and said, "Most of the food and grass of the rear army have been destroyed. What should we do?"
Cao Cao was startled and said, "Send someone to Xuchang immediately to inform Xun Wenruo to deliver the food and grass as soon as possible at any cost."
"Yes, sir!" Cao Xiu also knew that the situation was urgent, so he hurried to pass on the order.
In the rainy weather, Cao Cao felt a slight headache again. He rubbed his forehead and thought about what to do.
Xun You walked in with his hair and beard wet, and said, "We didn't expect a sudden heavy rain. More than half of our troops and horses were injured, and we are running out of food and grass. Prime Minister, make preparations early."
Cao Cao sighed helplessly, "I have sent people to Xuchang to urge for grain."
Xun You said: "The rain has not stopped yet, distant water cannot quench nearby fire. To solve the urgent problem, we must take the initiative to send troops."
Cao Cao stroked his beard and asked, "Gongda, what good plan do you have?"
Xun You said: "Liu Qi has gathered his elite troops to defend Wancheng, but it is too urgent to take it down. Why not divide the troops and attack elsewhere? It is raining heavily now, so a surprise attack will surely succeed. We can temporarily station troops to replenish the shortage of food and grain, and also tie down the enemy, killing two birds with one stone."
Cao Cao nodded and said, "That is what I am thinking, but I am confused and don't know how to use the troops."
Xun You said, "We can divide our troops into two groups. One group can attack Xinye to take Fancheng and cut off the troops in Jingzhou. The other group can attack Anzhong to take Rangxian and take over the counties in Nanyang. If Liu Qi divides his troops to rescue, Wancheng will be difficult to defend. We can also ambush him along the way. If he does not divide his troops, we can cut off his way back and his army will be in chaos without a fight."
Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then laughed and said, "Gongda's plan is brilliant. It's ridiculous that Xu Shu and Zhuge Liang only care about the present and don't know the general situation. They only divide their troops to defend Baihe. How can they defend Jingzhou? If any of these two armies succeeds, Liu Qi will be defeated!"