After the rain, the sky cleared up and the sun was shining brightly, and the training of the Jingzhou army was in full swing.
There is no need to send troops during this period. Just wait for Cao's army to become exhausted and collapsed, then beat them when they are down and gather their strength, waiting for the thundering blow.
In contrast, Cao's army was so hungry that they had been looting everywhere for days. The people's food and seeds were all taken away, and there were even massacres of villages, leaving no people or animals behind. It was a brutal tragedy.
Zhuge Liang was not pleased when he heard the news. He sighed and said, "Cao Cao has always been strict in military discipline. He allowed his soldiers to commit violence like this. It must be because the army is short of food. It can be solved, but it will make those innocent people suffer."
Liu Qi said helplessly: "It is true that when it prospers, the people suffer; when it perishes, the people suffer!"
Zhuge Liang recalled the poem Liu Qi had left in Longzhong, saying: "Today, the world is in chaos, the princes are fighting for power, each for their own selfish interests, and the only one who can think about the people is you, the general!"
Liu Qi smiled bitterly and said, "I will inherit the ambition of my uncle and treat others with kindness. As the ancients said, a benevolent person is invincible, and he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. I should put the people first."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Cao Cao is cunning and cruel, while the general is wise and wise, and he puts the people first. He carries on the aspirations of the Yan Han Dynasty and eliminates cruelty and violence for the country. The people are loyal to him, so why worry about the Han Dynasty not prospering?"
After spending this period of time together, although they have not yet reached the level of eating at the same table and sleeping on the same bed as Liu Bei, and are like fish in water and inseparable, the two of them have basically formed a tacit understanding.
Liu Qi came from later generations, and subconsciously cared about people's livelihood. He treated soldiers equally and had an indifferent concept of hierarchy. In Zhuge Liang's view, he cared about the people, respected the wise and humble, and was truly a rare wise ruler.
While they were discussing the issue of governing the people, a scout suddenly came to report that 20,000 Cao troops had retreated back to Bowang City.
Liu Qi stood up and let out a long sigh: "It must be that Cao's army's food and grass will arrive soon. The time for the decisive battle is finally here."
Zhuge Liang, however, looked worried and said, "Cao Cao is a great hero of the time, far superior to Yuan Shao. He is also cruel and kills innocent people. After the plan is completed, we must guard against him taking risks and fighting like a trapped beast."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "Given Cao's character, he will not sit still and wait for death. He will definitely fight to the death."
Cao Cao’s refusal to retreat in vain was his last act of stubbornness!
…
In Cao's camp, Cao Cao's condition only improved after two days. He had a fever, cough and headache, and looked very haggard.
Although food and fodder had been shipped out of Xuchang, they were only enough for half a month. Xun Yu sent someone to deliver a secret letter, saying that the Eastern Wu was secretly strengthening its military forces in the Ruxu area and was very likely to launch a surprise attack on Lujiang and Hefei.
After reading the letter, Cao Cao's face became even gloomier. He had sent out 500,000 troops, thinking that taking Jingzhou would be easy, but he was trapped in Nanyang, with no way out.
After eliminating Yuan Shao and conquering Hebei, Liu Bei met with disaster again. Cao Cao thought he was invincible and did not even take Sun Quan seriously.
Unexpectedly, Liu Qi suddenly appeared out of nowhere. At this time, the whole world's attention was focused on Nanyang, which made him lose face.
Fighting against bears and tigers, and being invincible, but being defeated by dogs and pigs, isn't that a laughing stock
If Liu Bei had defended Nanyang, Cao Cao would have retreated after the heavy rain, but he was still hesitating at this time.
The more you endure, the angrier you will be; the more you take a step back, the more you lose!
He invited Cheng Yu and Xun You to come and discuss the matter, saying, "Wen Ruo has sent a letter saying that food and grass are insufficient, the soldiers are exhausted, and Sun Quan is coveting Huainan, and he wants us to withdraw our troops. What do you two think?"
Xun You said: "The three armies have lost their fighting spirit and their weapons are incomplete. It may not be beneficial to fight again. It is better to return to Xudu for the time being. We should use the strategy we used against the two Yuans. Once we withdraw our troops, Sun and Liu will surely clash. The Prime Minister can sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. Take this opportunity to rest and reorganize the troops. When the troops are well trained and the food is sufficient, it will not be too late to attack Jingzhou again."
Cheng Yu said, "If we withdraw our troops now, Liu Qi will take advantage of the situation and rise up, which will be a great threat in the future. Moreover, Nanyang has been completely lost, and Xudu is in danger. After withdrawing our troops, we will have to discuss moving the capital. Where is the dignity of the prime minister?"
Moving the capital also touched Cao Cao's sore spot. He nodded and said, "Zhongde's words are very much in line with my opinion. Even a snake bite can penetrate deep into the wood. How can we just withdraw our troops?"
Xun You frowned and said, "But right now the army has no food. We can only rely on looting to survive. How can we use the troops?"
Cheng Yu stroked his beard and said, "I have my own plan for the food and grass. Why don't we ask Wen Ruo to return to Bowang and arrange for the withdrawal of troops? Once the Prime Minister has severely damaged Liu Qi, we can retreat calmly."
Cao Cao was unwilling to retreat, so he nodded and said, "If we retreat rashly, Liu Qi will surely take advantage of the situation to pursue us. Wen Ruo and Cao Hong should lead the remaining troops to retreat first and go to support them."
Xun You looked at Cheng Yu deeply, said nothing more, and left after receiving the order.
After eating thin porridge for two days, Cao Cao suddenly felt hungry. He ordered someone to bring him some food and discussed with Cheng Yu while eating.
Cao Cao saw that there was only one piece of meat in his bowl, so he guessed that the other soldiers were probably eating porridge, and sighed: "Without enough food, the soldiers are weak, how can they fight?"
Cheng Yuyan said: "All the food in the nearby villages has been looted, but hundreds of thousands of people are consuming a huge amount every day, which is just a drop in the bucket. If we can reduce the number of troops, we can wait for the food and grass to arrive and fight Liu Qi to the death."
Cao Cao asked, "Is it enough for Cao Hong to take away tens of thousands of remaining soldiers?"
Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "Wancheng has only 50,000 soldiers and horses. The Prime Minister only left 100,000 elite soldiers, which are enough to capture Wancheng. In this way, we can deal with Jingzhou and protect Xudu."
"One hundred thousand?" Cao Cao frowned and asked, "But the food and grass haven't arrived yet. How are the rest of the troops going to retreat?"
Not only do troops need to eat when advancing, but they also need to eat when retreating. Without food and fodder, they cannot move a single step.
Cheng Yu said: "This time we are heading south, most of the troops are from Hebei. Yuan's old subordinates have not returned. There have been many complaints in the army recently, all from the northern army. Keeping them will be a big problem. Why not use them to deal with Liu Qi?"
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, held up his chopsticks and pondered for a moment, then said, "But the soldiers are short of food, tired and exhausted. How can they be willing to fight?"
Cheng Yu pulled his thick beard and said slowly: "Prime Minister, do you still remember that when we fought against Lu Bu, the army was short of food and there was a locust plague. It was I who provided three days of food and defeated Lu Bu?"
"You mean..." Cao Cao's hands trembled slightly. Looking at the piece of meat in the bowl that he was reluctant to eat, he suddenly lost his appetite. He put down his chopsticks and even felt a little nauseous.
Cheng Yu smiled and said, "This is beef, Prime Minister, you can eat it without worry."
Cao Cao patted his chest, pushed the bowl aside, and asked, "What countermeasures does Zhongde have?"
Cheng Yu said: "The previous surprise attack on Anzhong and Xinye failed. I think the defenders have relaxed their vigilance. Why not send out a large army to attack them again? Divide all the equipment in the camp into the two armies and send orders to break the city. Only by taking the city can we get their food and grass. The soldiers must fight to the death. If we can break the city, we can turn the situation around."
Cao Cao closed his eyes and asked after a while, "When will the food and grass be ready?"
Cheng Yu replied, "Most of it has been prepared. If the Prime Minister wants to use it, we can prepare it tonight."
"Go and prepare quickly!" Cao Cao waved his hand, and Cheng Yu took the order and went out.
Neither of them discussed the consequences of failing to capture the city. They were determined to fight to the death. If they failed, they would die.
Cao Cao sat in silence for a while, then called Cao Chun over and ordered him, "Send someone to spread rumors among the Hebei army immediately, saying that the first batch of emergency food and grass has arrived. I sympathize with the fatigue of the northern army after traveling so far, so I will give them food and meat first. Don't tell anyone else."