"Just let him go?" Jaw was stunned.

"Of course not."

Yuan Xi looked around, raised his hand and said, "Hold the mountain pass, don't let Zang Ba escape." Our army immediately marched to Pengcheng to fight Cao Cao. Without Zang Ba's help, Cao Cao's military strength has been sharply reduced, and it will be easier for us to win. ”

"The lord is wise..."

Zhang Jaw sent a lieutenant with 5,000 soldiers and horses to garrison the mountain pass.

The 100,000-strong army continued onward.

Soon arrived at Pengcheng.

Pengcheng is a large city in Xuzhou, with high walls and thick walls, extremely strong, and also has a long history. Four hundred years ago, Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, suffered the biggest defeat since the beginning of the army, a full 560,000 troops, defeated by Xiang Yu's 30,000 troops, and the pieces of armor killed were not returned.

And today, Yuan Xi led 100,000 troops to Pengcheng.

Although they did not have as many troops as Liu Bang, they had the same pride and hope, and they all wanted to exchange this war for victory in the Central Plains. However, it is still unknown whether Yuan Xi can win.

Knock knock...

To the north of Pengcheng, Yuan Jun beat the drum to challenge.

Cao Cao led the military generals of Wenchen to observe on the city tower.

followed Cao Cao to the city, in addition to Cheng Yu and Xu Chu, there was also Jia Xu, a military advisor who had just arrived in Pengcheng.

Jia Xu said: "Yuan Xi's Hebei army, even if there is no giant beast, is very powerful. Especially the cavalry, far from being comparable to the soldiers and horses in my Central Plains, does the prime minister really want to fight this battle? ”

"Of course I don't want to fight."

"Then let's avoid war." Jia Xu said.

Cao Cao glanced at him and said to Xu Chu next to him: "Order, all cities are exempt from war and hold on." ”

"No."

Yuan Xi sent Zhang Jaw out to challenge, but Cao Cao did not answer.

After observing the city for a while, he returned to the palace.

Cao Cao still doesn't trust the newly appointed military advisor Jia Xu very much, and he also doubts his ability.

Faced with a tricky situation, Cao Cao asked: "Does Wenhe have a way to deal with it?" ”

"Yes."

"Tell me about it."

Jia Xu stood up and said, "I need a map of the whole country." ”

Cao Cao took the map from Cao Hai.

All the civil and military officers did not squint, looking forward to Jia Xu's speech.

Jia Xu stepped forward and said: "Feng Xiao recommended him as a military advisor, which is really unexpected, but since he is a military advisor, he should give advice to the prime minister." Before coming to Pengcheng, I had already drawn up three strategies for the prime minister to choose from. ”

"What are the three strategies?" Cao Cao asked.

Jia Xu replied: "The best policy I have drawn up is to abandon Xuzhou, Qingzhou, Shouchun, Hefei, and Liyang, stick to Huainan, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou, and attack Liu Bei in Jingzhou with all his might. The middle strategy is to abandon Xuzhou and march eastward with the whole army to meet Zhou Yu. The next strategy was to feint an attack on Yuan Xi's main force, transfer 50,000 to 100,000 troops from Luoyang and Yanzhou, seize Puyang, and cut off Yuan's army's grain route. ”

Jia Xu said it very simply, it can be regarded as a one-stop job.

The civil and military forces present listened in one go.

Cheng Yu and Hua Xin got up one after another and retorted: "Prime Minister, in this way, we will lose most of the territory in the Central Plains." Absolutely undesirable. ”

"It's tantamount to cutting off your arm! Judging from the current situation, we haven't gotten to that point yet, have we? "Many generals don't like Jia Xu's advice.

Cao Cao didn't like it either, and even less agreed.

Jia Xu needed to observe his words, and chuckled: "The prime minister doesn't want to lose most of the territory of the Central Plains, so he can choose a strategy, feint to attack Yuan Xi's main force, and transfer troops to capture Puyang." Now Puyang's military strength is the weakest time, and there are no giant beasts, and the troops of Yanzhou and Luoyang will definitely be captured. Yuan Xi was cut off from food, he will definitely come back to help, and then the danger of Xuzhou will be solved. ”

"Ahem..."

Cao Cao said: "Wenhe, this is the best policy, right?" ”

"No, in the minister's opinion, this is the next policy, not the best policy." Jia Xu replied.

"Tell me, then, why?"

Jia Xu said slowly: "Actually... Everyone understands that the Hebei army is very strong, and it is difficult for us to win, especially when we are attacked by many enemies, and it is even more impossible to achieve anything. From the very beginning of the war, we switched from offensive warfare to defensive warfare, and we have always been at a disadvantage. Before Feng Xiao's death, I had discussed with him, and he was not in favor of a decisive battle with Yuan Xi, but the prime minister still sent troops. The minister was appointed as a military advisor, and he had to advise that this war should be considered for the end, and he could not make mistakes again and again. ”

"Wenhe, you... You must not shake the hearts of the army. Cheng Yu scolded.

"I'm just telling the truth."

Jia Xu said: "Based on the fighting in the past few months, the following conclusions can be drawn. First, our army's field combat capability still needs to be strengthened, especially the transformation of the Shenji battalion into a mobile force. Or a large-scale encirclement and annihilation battle is the key to our army's victory. Second, although Feng Xiao offered advice, broke the whole into pieces, and made a surprise army to fight Yuan Xi, I don't think this is the best strategy. Because so far, in addition to trapping Zhang Jaw and eliminating the tens of thousands of Yuan troops in Cage City, no good results have been received. This is a mistake in our command and a mistake in our decision.... ”

This sentence directly negates Guo Jia.

Everyone present was slightly angry.

Jia Xu continued: "Therefore, I suggest that the prime minister abandon Xuzhou, Shouchun, Hefei, Liyang, and Qingzhou, which the prime minister is trying to capture, gather all his troops in Yanzhou, and then mobilize heavy troops to stabilize the battle situation in Jingzhou. In this way, there are three benefits. First, we have concentrated our forces and have sufficient conditions to carry out a large-scale encirclement and annihilation battle in Yanzhou, and if Yuan Xi arrives, we will definitely win. Second, Jingzhou is the belly of the world, with sufficient grain and grass, and a vast territory, which is not only a good place to raise troops and store grain, but also a treasure land for training naval troops, and the prime minister must not lose it. If I go with heavy troops, I will definitely hit Liu Bei hard and solve my worries. Third, after Xuzhou, Hefei, and Liyang were ceded to Yuan Xi and Sun Quan, Yuan Xi's territory was connected with the territory of Eastern Wu, and sooner or later he would raise a sword army, which gave the prime minister a chance to breathe, accumulate strength, and strike later.... ”

"In addition, the prime minister might as well think deeply, what is Yuan Xi's purpose in attacking the Central Plains? In the past few months, almost all of them have fought on the border of Xuzhou and the north of Yanzhou, and Gaolan, who is stationed in Puyang, has not advanced westward although he has a heavy army. From this, we can conclude that Yuan Xi's main goal was not to capture Yanzhou and Guanzhong, he only wanted Qingxu. Of course, if the prime minister's strength is not good, he will still take Yanzhou, but... Once he feels difficult, he will give up Yanzhou and only take Qingxu. It is a wise move for the prime minister to take the initiative to give up and retreat as advance. ”

Jia Xu said that the head is the Tao, but when he first came here, he has not yet gained a firm foothold, and it is difficult to affirm his strategy.

Cheng Yu was the first to object: "Prime Minister, what Wen He said may have some truth, but the minister thinks... We're not there yet, are we? Xuzhou still has more than 100,000 heavy troops, capable of facing Yuan Xi, and may even defeat him. It's too child's play to give up most of the Central Plains like this.... ”