After some discussion with the think tanks, Cao Cao decided to move the base camp of the army to Wancheng and capture Huyang as soon as possible. This is exactly what Liu Cong expected. After arriving in Wancheng, Gan Ning quickly led his troops to retreat into Deng County. There was no contact with Cao Cao's army. However, Cao Cao did not host Gan Ning. His first target now is Huyang.

Huyang is like a fist stretched out by Liu Cong, forming a triangular encirclement of Wancheng with Xinye and Deng County. At the same time, it forms a triangular encirclement with Biyang and Fuyang to Runan. If Huyang is not removed, Cao Cao is like a fish in his throat, which is very uncomfortable!

After thinking about it again, Cao Cao decided to use Sima Yi! Because at present, in Wancheng, these generals have more or less suffered Liu Cong's losses.

Not to mention that there is a psychological shadow, there are still psychological hints to a certain extent. The soldiers under him were also very curious about who would lead the troops as the vanguard. In the first Cao Cao's southern expedition, Xiahoudun folded 5,000 tigers and leopards. Then Cao Ren was set on fire by Liu Cong before he learned his lesson, and then there was another water, and the 30,000 vanguard infantry were wiped out. Then it led to low morale, so that it could not be attacked for a long time, and the plague broke out! Cao Cao was defeated and retreated.

This time it was even more outrageous, the pioneer Cao Pi was riding with 20,000 tigers and leopards, and was actually defeated by the infantry in Jingzhou! Many military generals, including Xiahoudun and Cao Ren, Cao Cao did not say that they were not willing to serve as this vanguard anymore.

And speaking of this Sima Yi. Cao Cao was also depressed, and Sima Yi was talented, and Cao Cao could naturally see it. But as Cao Pi's military advisor, he actually watched Cao Pi defeat, and he didn't even understand the reason. In fact, Sima Yi can't be blamed entirely for this.

Sima Qi was first born from Chongli, the son of Emperor Gaoyang, who was the Xia official Zhurong, and served in the Tang, Yu, Xia, and Shang dynasties. The Zhou Dynasty, with Xia Guan as Sima. Later, Cheng Bai retired his father, and when King Xuan of Zhou, he was the official Keping Xu Fang, and the tin was an official family, so he was a clan. Between Chu and Han, Sima Ang was the general of Zhao and fought Qin with the princes. Qin died, established as the king of Yin, and the capital was Hanoi. Han took his land as a county, and his descendants took it as his home.

Sima Yi's ancestor Sima Jun was the general of the expedition to the west during the Emperor An of the Han Dynasty, his great-grandfather Sima Liang was Yuzhang Taishou, his grandfather Sima Jun was Yingchuan Taishou, and his father Sima Fang was Jing Zhaoyin. Sima Fangyu had eight sons, because there was a word "Da" in the word, and he was known as Sima Bada at that time. Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty Sima Yan's edict said: "This is a family of all beings, and the gift has been passed on for a long time"

Sima Yi is the second son of Sima Fang. "There are few strange festivals, how clever and strategic, erudite and informative, and Confucianism." At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Sima Yi was born in troubled times, "often worried about the world"

Yang Jun, the Taishou of Nanyang, is known for knowing people and being good at things, Sima Yi was twenty years old, Yang Jun had seen him and said that he was by no means an ordinary son;

Shangshu Cui Yan was good friends with Sima Yi's brother Sima Lang, and once said to Sima Lang: "Your younger brother is smart and sensible, decisive, and heroic, which is not comparable to you."

Sima Yi had a good relationship with the famous hermit Hu Zhao when he was a teenager. Because of the grudge with Zhou Sheng and others in the same county and was murdered, Hu Zhao immediately went into danger to find out, found Zhou Sheng and his party between the mountains and ponds, and begged them to let Sima Yi go, Zhou Sheng refused at first, but Hu Zhao's sincerity in crying finally moved him and saved Sima Yi.

In the sixth year of Jian'an (201), the county elected him as the top planner. When Cao Cao was serving as the secretary, after hearing his reputation, he sent someone to summon him to serve in the palace. Sima Yi saw that the national fortunes of the Han Dynasty were in decline, and he didn't want to be under Cao Cao, so he used the excuse that he had wind paralysis and couldn't live physically. Cao Cao didn't believe it, so he sent someone to spy on the news at night, and Sima Yi lay there, motionless, as if he was really infected with wind paralysis.

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an, after Cao Cao became the prime minister, he used coercive means to dispel Sima Yi as a literary scholar. Cao Cao said to the messenger, "If you review Huan, you will accept it." Sima Yi was afraid of it and had to take office. Cao Cao asked him to travel with the crown prince, and successively served as the Huangmen squire, the councilor, the prime minister of Dong Cao, and the prime minister's chief bookkeeper.

Cao Cao's subordinates have always been short of talents, especially resourcefulness. From Xi Zhicai, to Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Xun You, Cheng Yu, Liu Ye, Jia Xu......

To be able to make Cao Cao use the strong, he has to invite Sima Yi, which shows that Cao Cao also values Sima Yi's talent very much, and at the same time does not want him to use it behind the backs of other princes. This time, he was appointed as Cao Pi's military advisor, but also to train Cao Pi to make contributions. But Sima Yi didn't work! Cao Cao thought that he didn't pay enough attention to it, or that he didn't stand alone, so this time he decided to use Sima Yi as the vanguard.

But after Sima Yi was called to the military tent by Cao Cao alone, Sima Yi's head shook like a rattle: "Lord, Fei Yi excuses." But is it really impossible to do anything in this battle? This Sima Yi actually refused Cao Cao's order and was unwilling to attack Huyang as a vanguard.

Cao Cao held back the anger in his heart and asked, "Zhongda, why do you say this?" ”

"The lord has been on the battlefield for a long time, why does he have to go against the sky at this time? Lord, this time I will fight with Liu Cong, and the lord will not have an advantage in terms of time and place......"

"And what does Zhongda mean?" Cao Cao has been preparing for the southern expedition for so many years, and few people dare to point out Cao Cao's problems so directly. However, Cao Cao is right to think about it, he is in his early fifties, and most of these wise men and fierce generals are people who have followed him for more than ten or twenty years.

They either shared Cao Cao's hatred and wanted to recover the Son of Heaven, or they became sleek and sophisticated, unwilling to refute Cao Cao. Especially those literati, Xun Yu's fate made them invariably choose to watch and not speak. Especially recently, Liu Ye gave Cao Cao a strategy, but the result was miscalculated, and they were even more conservative. But this Sima Yi is different, I don't want to be an official, you Cao Cao has to force me, I can't bury my reputation in this life on the Huyang battlefield in a daze.

Sima Yi clearly realized that Cao Cao was at a disadvantage when the time and place were favorable. Although he still has self-confidence in his ability to command troops. But the ones stationed in Huyang were Wen Ping and Guan Yu. Sima Yi is such a cautious person, he was originally a descendant in Cao Cao's army. They are in their teens or twenties younger than these people. If you lose the first battle, the end will be much worse than if you resolutely don't accept your life now. Not only may he lose Cao Cao's trust, but he will also be despised by Cao Pi and others.

"Lord, with all due respect. We might as well withdraw our troops back to Xuchang, and then send envoys to contact Sun Quan and Zhang Lu......"

"Withdrawal?" Cao Cao was stunned, he really didn't have this idea. The others never told him: "Zhongda, is it true that our army has no chance of winning at all?" ”

This is Cao Cao's point, although he is very conceited, he can still listen to advice when he calms down. Because of his conceit, he couldn't tolerate Liu Cong, the spearhead boy, sneaking up on him behind his back, snatching Han Tianzi, not to mention, and kidnapping Xun Yu, who he wanted to die. This is simply an insult to his Cao Cao. This practice undoubtedly wants other princes to prove that in this Huaxia, Liu Cong can already compete with him.

Therefore, Cao Cao abandoned Sun Quan and quickly mobilized troops and horses to prepare to encircle and suppress Liu Cong. Unexpectedly, the teacher has repeatedly gone wrong. Of course, Cao Cao knew Sima Yi's talent. I also believe that he refused to be a pioneer because he had no chance of winning. But Cao Cao couldn't give up. Then he said to Sima: "Zhongda, you said earlier that the time, place, and people are favorable, and our side is not advantageous, and I would like to hear about it!" ”

"Lord, you are familiar with military books, why do you want to take the test?" Sima Yi is also a little depressed, aren't you Cao Cao a great military strategist? Do you want me to explain this time, place, and people to you?

Who knew that Cao Cao would not give up, and continued to ask: "But it doesn't hurt to say it!" ”

"Sun Tzu said, 'Where the art of war is used, thousands of cars are galloped, thousands of leather chariots are multiplied, 100,000 armor are taken, and food is fed for thousands of miles. Then the internal and external expenses, the use of guests, the material of glue paint, the dedication of the car armor, the daily cost of thousands of gold, and then 100,000 teachers.

It is also used in battle, and if it wins for a long time, it will be blunt and sharp, and if it is sieged, it will be bent, and if it is a long-term violent division, the country will be insufficient. If the husband is blunt and the soldiers are frustrated, and the princes take advantage of their disadvantages, although there are wise people who cannot be good at it. Therefore, the soldiers heard it quickly, and they did not see the coincidence for a long time. Those who have been serving for a long time and the country are not there. Therefore, those who do not fully understand the harm of using troops cannot fully understand the benefits of using soldiers. ’

Today, our army is far away from Xuchang, and Liu Cong is waiting for work in Xinye, with abundant grain and grass, and high morale. Our army must avoid its edge at this time. And the long delay is even more detrimental to our army...... Moreover, now that the Emperor of the Han Dynasty has entered Jingzhou, if Liu Cong calls on the princes and people of the world to rise up against the lord as a clan, the lord will be even more passive......

Sima Yi quoted Sun Tzu's Art of War to explain the interests of both the enemy and us very thoroughly.

In order to raise troops for battle, it is necessary to prepare materials such as 1,000 light vehicles, 1,000 heavy vehicles, 100,000 heavily armed soldiers, and transport grain to thousands of miles away. Then the expenses inside and outside the army in the front and rear, the expenses for entertaining envoys and strategists, the cost of materials such as glue paint for weapon maintenance, and the expenses for maintaining chariots and armor will cost thousands of gold every day. After preparing according to such standards, an army of 100,000 can set off for battle.

Therefore, the army requires a quick victory in combat, and if it drags on for a long time, the army will inevitably be exhausted and lose its sharpness. Once the city is attacked, the army will be exhausted, and the long-term war outside the country will inevitably lead to a shortage of national finances. If the army is exhausted by the long battle, the spirit is frustrated, the military strength is exhausted, and the domestic supplies are exhausted, the other princes will surely take advantage of the fire to loot. In this way, even the resourceful have no good plan to save the perilous.

Therefore, in actual combat, I have only heard that generals lack high skills and it is difficult to win quickly, but I have never seen a commander who is clever and skillful in protracted combat. There has never been a protracted war that benefits the country. Therefore, without a detailed understanding of the harms of using troops, we cannot fully understand the benefits of using troops.

Sima Yi can understand this truth, how can Cao Cao not understand.

But he is in a high position, and the problem he considers is not a simple victory or defeat like Sima Yi. After listening to Sima Yi's analysis, Cao Cao frowned slightly. Undoubtedly, Sima Yi's analysis is indeed reasonable. But at this time, the withdrawal of troops is absolutely impossible, and it is not only a matter of face. He Cao Cao is already the Duke of Wei, under the Son of Han Tianzi and above ten thousand.

If Liu Cong is allowed to rob the Son of Heaven and ignore it, he will definitely be laughed at by the world, and it will also make the officers and men in the army feel guilty. So no matter whether this battle is won or lost, Liu Cong has already provoked it, so he will lead Cao Cao to fight!