Cao Cao led 30,000 troops, set off from Xudu, and went straight to Pengcheng.

Yuan Shao was also mobilizing troops and preparing to march to Xuzhou.

The first soldiers of the Yuan family to send troops were Yuan Tan, who set off from Qingzhou.

Previously, he had borrowed 3,000 soldiers and horses to Liu Bei, but he didn't expect Liu Bei to stay in Mount Tai for a few days before he was destroyed by Pang Tong.

Mount Tai belongs to the southernmost county of Qingzhou.

After Mount Tai, it is the boundary of Xuzhou.

Yuan Shao divided his troops into three routes, and Cao Cao's troops divided into two routes, a total of five routes of army advanced towards Xuzhou, as long as any of them broke through the defense line, they could attack Pengcheng.

No matter which way they get to Pengcheng, most of the battles to defend Xuzhou will end in failure.

Although the other two groups of people from the Yuan family in Hebei have not yet set off, Lu Bu, who is in Xuzhou, has already broken down their intentions.

The general's barracks at the Pengcheng military camp.

Lu Bu asked people to make a big sand table in the barracks.

The sand table is the entire miniature version of Xuzhou.

At the bottom of the sand table is Huainan, which is adjacent to Xuzhou.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Huainan County was subordinate to the Yangzhou Thorn History Department, which was the foundation of Yuan Shu's development.

It's a pity that Yuan Shu is a brainless person, and there are not many capable people under him, and he dares to arrogate the emperor.

If Yuan Shu had not been proclaimed emperor, relying on his foundation in Huainan and recruiting talents in the name of Kuangfu Han, even if it would not be as strong as Yuan Shao in Hebei, at least it would not be easy for Cao Cao and his ilk to break through.

Lu Bu, who came to this era and rewrote the direction of history, gradually increased his strength by defeating Yuan Shu.

There are pennants on the sand table.

The flag is divided into three colors: white, black and green.

In later generations, most of the small flags on the sand table would be blue and red.

In the era of the late Eastern Han Dynasty, red dyes were very expensive, and only the nobles of the noble clan could wear red clothes, and most of the clothes worn by the common people were deep clothes that were not dyed.

The three colors of white, black and green are also chosen because these three colors of cloth are the easiest to find.

The brightest green represents the army under Lu Bu.

And black and white, respectively, represent the armies of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.

The small black and white flag forms an encirclement posture against the green flag, and from the sand table, the situation is very unfavorable to the green flag.

Sitting in the barracks were all Lu Bu's staff.

When the staff came to the barracks, they were all taken aback.

It was the first time they had seen a sand table.

When I first saw the sand table placed in the barracks, the staff gathered around one by one and discussed the use of this sand table in a gossiping manner.

It wasn't until Lu Bu walked into the barracks and told them that this sand table was a miniature model of the upcoming war in various places, that the staff suddenly discovered that the small flag planted on the sand table corresponded to the deployment of the military forces of both sides.

"You may wonder why I would have someone make such a thing." The staff members sat around the sand table in the barracks, and Lu Bu walked in a circle behind them: "Please come over, not just to watch the sand table, nor to simply use it to analyze the enemy situation. I intend to establish a system from today onwards, a system of planning before the use of troops. ”

Sitting facing the sand table, the staff did not say a word.

Ever since they came here, they found that Lu Bu hadn't even invited a general.

Everyone sitting here is a brilliant strategist, not a general who charges into battle with bravery.

There were quite a few people sitting in the barracks, but not one of them spoke.

Even wise people like Chen Gong and Pang Tong didn't think of what Lu Bu would say next.

"In the past, we were all strategists cooperating with the generals, and the strategists made suggestions, and the generals led the troops to fight." Coming behind Chen Gong, Lu Bu held his shoulders with both hands, and his eyes circled around everyone's faces: "But today, I want to change this combat method, and I want you to experience a new combat deployment." ”

Everyone still didn't speak, they were all waiting for Lu Bu to continue.

"A strong enemy is right in front of you." Letting go of the hand holding Chen Gong's shoulder, Lu Bu walked from his side to the sand table, and said to the edge of the sand table: "I am going to discuss with you today to come up with countermeasures, and discuss how to deal with the enemy's attack in various places. ”

"Shiyuan." His eyes fell on Pang Tong's face, and Lu Bu said: "You were already in Mount Tai, and I invited you back to tell everyone how you defeated Liu Bei in Mount Tai, and what was the situation over there?" ”

Pang Tong originally went to Mount Tai with Chen Zhi.

They killed Liu Bei in Mount Tai, and after that, they were preparing to meet Yuan Tan, but they didn't expect Lu Bu to send someone there and invite him back.

The confused Pang Tong returned to Pengcheng, and before he could catch his breath, he was summoned to the military camp by Lu Bu.

When he came to the barracks and saw the sand table, his reaction was exactly the same as everyone else's.

The novelty aroused his interest, and he looked around the sand table for a while, and Pang Tong didn't understand the use of putting such a thing in the barracks at that time.

Lu Bu beckoned him to tell everyone about the experience of fighting in Mount Tai.

Pang Tong stood up: "Actually, I don't have anything to say, fighting with Liu Bei in Mount Tai, I have only one feeling, that is, Liu Bei is too weak, so weak that as long as he bumps into him, once the two sides start a war, he will definitely be defeated and flee." ”

Pang Tong said this, and everyone nodded yes one after another.

Many of them had encountered Liu Bei on the battlefield, and what impressed them the most was Liu Bei's best escape.

With everyone's support, Pang Tong recounted how he sensed that Liu Bei had no intention of fighting a decisive battle at all in Mount Tai, and then said how he disrupted Liu Bei's deployment and judgment, forcing him to make the wrong decision to go south to Xuzhou.

Everyone listened to Pang Tong's narration silently, and when he finished speaking, a pair of eyes looked at Lu Bu standing in front of the sand table.

Looking around at everyone, Lu Bu asked, "How is it, have you heard clearly?" ”

A few staff responded, while many more remained silent.

"I can make it a little more clear to you." Lu Bu said: "The success or failure of killing the enemy on the battlefield mostly depends on wisdom, and the wisdom of one or two people is limited after all. ”

"Does the Marquis of Chu want us to gather everyone to discuss and come up with a resolution every time a big war is coming?" Chen Gong finally opened his mouth and asked Lu Bu.

"Or the public station understands me." Lu Bu nodded with a smile and said to everyone: "I have just said that from today onwards, I will establish a system. But when war is coming, all counsellors must act according to the rules of the system. ”

"Chu Hou said so much, we don't know what system it is." It was Chen Gong who was questioning.

After following Lu Bu for many years, Chen Gong didn't even understand what system he was proposing.

From the moment everyone came to the barracks, Lu Bu has been selling guanzi, he has been saying that he wants to establish a new system, but he has never explained what the new system is like.

"I'm going to turn the way we used to fight." Lu Bu said: "In the past, we were all military generals and strategists, and on the battlefield, military generals were the main ones, and strategists were supplemented. Although it is possible to make corresponding tactical changes to the enemy's deployment, it has always been strategically passive. Fighting on the march is not just a matter of having a tactical advantage, but it is necessary to make corresponding adjustments to the entire strategic layout, so that it can survive a hundred battles. ”

His eyes swept around everyone's faces, and Lu Bu continued: "The system I want to establish is called the staff headquarters system. That is to say, whenever there is a big battle, we must gather those who can be summoned here to discuss how to arrange the troops, how to make corresponding adjustments to the enemy's deployment, and how to respond to each other in specific battles. ”

The staff headquarters system first appeared in the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty.

It was proposed by Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, and it was this system that the Song army used in its operations.

Because its role in specific operations cannot be underestimated, and often determines the direction and success or failure of wars, it has been used by later generations.

It's just that Song Taizong himself is an excellent strategist, but he is a very lame tactical executor.

The major battles commanded by him were often very good strategic deployments made in advance, but irreversible mistakes occurred in the final specific tactical application, so that the Song army was repeatedly defeated.

Lu Bu planned to establish a staff headquarters system, of course, he did not want to make a mistake like Song Taizong.

He had already made a plan, and after the establishment of the staff headquarters system, he would continue to follow the specific combat methods of the past, and every army would be accompanied by strategists, so as to ensure the correct use of tactics.

Everyone sitting here were strategists, and after Lu Bu's explanation, they probably understood Lu Bu's intentions.

Everyone sat upright, Lu Bu stood beside the sand table, and then said to them: "I have decided to cancel the title of military advisor from today and replace it with the chief of staff. However, when marching, the chief of staff decides on the specific deployment, and the chief general is only the specific executor. ”

has always been on the expedition, and the main general is the final decision-maker, but Lu Bu subverted this.

He handed over the responsibility for the specific deployment of the operational strategy to the military division renamed the chief of staff, and instead transformed the commander-in-chief into the concrete executor of the strategy.

It is not clear what role this change can play in specific operations, but they all know that it is a subversive change in the way of operations in the past.

No one fully understood Lu Bu's intentions, and certainly no one would speak easily.

"You should understand what I'm doing for what I'm doing." Lu Bu continued: "I want to improve your status in the army and hand over the combat deployment to you, while the generals only have a small part of the right to modify the strategy in the specific implementation. No matter how dangerous the situation is, the soldiers must move forward bravely, and if you say retreat, no matter what advantage has been achieved, the army must retreat. In other words, from now on, the chief of staff will be the ultimate decision-maker on the strategy of the military, rather than the Lord making the decision in the future. ”

"Chu Hou." Chen Gong spoke again: "It doesn't seem to be in accordance with the rules to do this......"

"The rules are made by people, and they are broken by people." Lu Bu said: "In different periods, of course, the rules will be different, and the rules we have set must be in line with the interests of the current stage. Once the rules that were set in the past must be broken if they do not suit the interests of the present. ”

As for Lu Bu's proposal for the staff headquarters system, the strategists would certainly not raise objections.

After all, under this system, they are the ones who get the most benefits.

In the past, they were only auxiliary in the army, but in the future, they will gradually become the main decision-makers.

No one would oppose the rise of their power, but the strategists present were still a little unaware of the sudden change.

Lu Bu's decision is simply a subversion of the way of fighting through the ages.

****************************************

The so-called staff headquarters is not the most important thing to improve the status of the strategists in the army.

What's more, every time there is a big battle, the strategists gather for a meeting to study how to deal with the enemy.

Everyone did not raise any objections, and Lu Bu said to them: "I have decided that from today onwards, all armies must implement the staff headquarters system, but whenever there is a battle, an operational meeting must be held first, which will be presided over by the chief of staff. ”

Everyone's eyes fell on Lu Bu's face, waiting for him to continue the conversation.

Lu Bu continued: "Every army must be equipped with a sand table to make specific combat deployment demonstrations. The name of the meeting is called the sand table meeting. ”

"Chu Hou Yingming!" Chen Gong, who had the most questions, was the first to stand up and express his support for Lu Bu's decision.

The strategists present also stood up one after another and shouted in unison: "Chu Hou Yingming! ”

"The staff headquarters system has been formally established, and then we will discuss the strategy of dealing with the enemy's attack and hold the first sand table meeting." Lu Bu first pointed to the direction of Mount Tai in the sand table and said to everyone: "The scout has news that Yuan Tan is leading an army of 40,000 and is killing from Qingzhou to Mount Tai. He has Xin Ping, Xin Bi and other wise and strategic people, as well as Zhang Nan and other generals, it can be said that this time Taishan has to deal with an extremely strong enemy army. What do you think we need to do at Tarzan to intercept and eventually crush the enemy? ”

"Qingzhou is very close to Mount Tai, and there will be no problems with their grain, grass and ordnance at all." Pang Tong, who had previously been ordered to lead his army to Mount Tai to intercept Yuan Tan, replied: "Even if we send men and horses to stop at the junction of Mount Tai and Qingzhou and attack the enemy's grain and grass, it is impossible to deal a fatal blow to their supplies. Fortunately, the number of our army is not too much worse than the enemy's thoughts, and I plan to rely on the terrain of Mount Tai, concentrate superior forces, and adopt the method of division and encirclement, so as to eat the enemy army one by one. ”

"Shi Yuan said, how do you divide and encircle, and how do you rely on the terrain of Mount Tai to eat the enemy army one by one." Lu Bu gently tapped on the edge of the sand table, motioning for him to go to the sand table and continue.

Pang Tong got up and came to the sand table.

He pointed to the area around Mount Tai on the sand table and said: "There are many lofty mountains and mountains in the area of Mount Tai, and I just plan to hide the army in the mountains, wait for the enemy vanguard to come, and eat their vanguard first." Without the vanguard, Yuan Tan can only postpone the advance, and I can lead the army to rely on the mountain situation and completely block him on the road from Mount Tai to Xuzhou. ”

"Do you think there is any omission or inadequacy with this method?" Lu Bu asked the people present.

Everyone was silent, but Zhou Yu got up and said, "Shi Yuan's method is good, but I feel that something is missing." ”

"Tell me about it." Motioning for Zhou Yu to come to the sand table, Lu Bu said to him: "Point out what you think is missing." ”

Zhou Yu answered, came to the sand table, and pointed to the place that Pang Tong had pointed out just now: "There is no problem with Shiyuan's deployment as a whole, but I remember that Bai Weijun followed him to Mount Tai this time. The Bai Wei Army is the elite trained by General Chen Shuzhi, they can be a hundred, and thousands of them are also equipped with repeating crossbows. Wouldn't it be a shame not to use them? ”

Pang Tong listened to Zhou Yu's words, and also pinched his chin and nodded.

Lu Bu raised his hand and motioned for Zhou Yu to continue.

"The Baiwei army is well-equipped, the soldiers are well-trained, and General Chen Shuzhi is an enemy of 10,000 people." Zhou Yu said: "I think Shi Yuan can lead the army to block the route of Yuan Tan's march, and then order the Bai Wei army to climb over the mountains and go around the enemy's back, and enter Qingzhou to capture the city and break the enemy. ”

"Going around behind the enemy's army, isn't it for the sake of suddenly attacking and breaking the enemy's army?" Zhou Yu's proposal made Lu Bu also feel a little surprised.

Pang Tong looked like he had a sudden epiphany: "Gong Jin's proposal is indeed a good way to break the enemy." ”

"Did anyone else have a different proposal?" Lu Bu asked everyone.

"I second." Chen Gong stood up and was the first to second.

Others seconded the bill.

When everyone was seated, Lu Bu said: "Taishan already has a preliminary strategy, and what we need to consider now is the strategy of me leading the army to meet Cao Cao. ”

When he saw Zhuge Jin, Lu Bu asked, "Ziyu, you will go with me, do you have any specific views on this battle?" ”

Zhuge Jin got up and replied: "Cao Cao came this time to attack Pengcheng. We just have to kill them head-on and stop them where they are and not be able to move forward. When the other roads break through the enemy army, Cao Cao will also have to retreat. ”

"We have an air force and a trouble-relieving army, will we still be afraid of Cao Cao?" Lu Bu asked, "Why can't I lead the soldiers to kill them head-on and annihilate Cao Cao on the edge of Xuzhou?" ”

"Although we have an air force and a trouble-relieving army, Cao Cao brought the Tiger Guard under his command this time." Zhuge Jin said: "The Tiger Guards are brave in battle, and they are not something that ordinary soldiers can deal with. The annoyance soldiers may still have the ability to fight, and it is good for ordinary soldiers to be able to protect themselves when they encounter them. Therefore, to block Cao Cao, it is precisely because the gap between the military strength of the two sides is too large, and it is too difficult to break through and can only be blocked. ”

Lu Bu frowned slightly, looked at the others and asked, "Do you think I have a way to defeat Cao Cao?" ”

"I don't think it's impossible." Another person stood up and said to Lu Bu: "The Tiger Guard led by Cao Cao is indeed elite, but the army and the air force under the lord are not inferior to them in terms of well-equipped and elite soldiers. Although they do not have an advantage in numbers, the lord has more soldiers as backup. When the two armies start a war, as long as it drags on for some time, when most of the generals and soldiers in Cao Cao's army are exhausted, and then the army presses up, there may be a possibility of victory. ”

The person who got up to speak was Yan Xiang, who had just rushed to Pengcheng from Xiapi.

Yan Xiang once served as a staff member under Yuan Shu, and he was not inferior to a first-class staff member in terms of foresight, but it was a pity that Yuan Shu believed in Yang Hong and others at that time, and neglected his advice, so he became the target of the world's discussion because of his arrogance to the emperor.

"I don't think it's a good idea to press all over the board." Yan Xiang's words fell, and another person said: "Chu Hou did not have many soldiers and horses to meet Cao Cao, and he was not as good as Cao Cao when it came to elite. Even if the officers and men of Cao Cao's army are tired, it is not easy to achieve a complete victory. If the whole army is pressed, it is likely that Cao Cao will counterattack, and then it will give Cao Cao the opportunity to break our army. ”

The one who opposed Yan Xiang's proposal was Liu Ye, who had joined Lu Bu from Chaohu.

Before coming to the sand table, he pointed to the location of Peng Cheng on the sand table and said: "The enemy army of the Five Routes is killing Xuzhou, and the biggest threat to Chu Hou is actually Cao Cao's department. Pengcheng is too close to Yuzhou, and only Xiao County is separated from it. Cao Cao led the army from Xudu and advanced all the way east, and it was bound to enter Xuzhou from Xiao County. Xiao County is only one or two hundred miles away from Pengcheng, where the two sides are fighting, and our army is lost all the way if they are careless. ”

"What Ziyang said is similar to what I thought." Lu Bu said to him, "Go on." ”

Liu Ye agreed, and then said: "I think that the Marquis of Chu should enter Yuzhou first before Cao Cao arrives in Xiao County, and open up the battlefield at Cao Cao's doorstep, instead of only fighting in our Xuzhou." ”

His proposal was undoubtedly very bold to everyone.

The Cao and Yuan families divided their troops into five routes, all of which were marching towards Pengcheng.

Liu Ye actually mentioned at this time that he wanted Lu Bu to drive out of Xuzhou and fight Cao Cao in Yuzhou, which was indeed something that no one had thought of.

All eyes fell on his face.

Chen Gong asked, "Ziyang, where do you think it is appropriate for the Marquis of Chu to fight Cao Cao?" ”

Liu Ye's hand moved on the sand table.

When he moved to impress Xiao County's position, the sand table was already on the verge.

But his finger continued to move to the side, and then moved a little, and pointed beyond the edge of the sand table: "Intercept the enemy right here." ”

The place he was pointing to was already outside the sand table, and it was impossible to see where it was.

Lu Bu asked, "What exactly is Ziyang talking about?" ”

"Dangshan, Taiqiu, Peiguo line." Liu Ye said: "The terrain here is complex, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is the best place for Chu Hou to deploy defense. Moreover, here, the air force is suitable for taking off by taking advantage of the mountain, and it can hide its tracks with the help of the mountain, which is very beneficial to Chuhou. The three places form a triangle, trapping Cao Cao in it. Chu Hou only needs to deploy soldiers to defend, so that the air force can attack and harass every day, and the annoying soldiers will be the main force in battle. After going down several times, Cao Cao's army must be exhausted. Wait until they are tired, and then lead the army to attack, and it will be successful. Even if we fail to defeat the enemy in one battle, or if Cao Cao counterattacks, because we are still far away from Pengcheng, we will not lead the enemy army outside Pengcheng, at least we have not organized a defense again in the area of Xiao County. ”

"I probably understand what Ziyang means." Lu Bu nodded: "It is for me to deploy a defense on the front line of Dangshan, defend with a large army, and then adopt elite tactics." The army as a backup, and the annoying army as the main force of the attack, is this what it means? ”

"That's what it means." Liu Ye replied: "I think that only by doing this can Chu Hou be able to win a complete victory, otherwise we will be restrained everywhere, and it will be impossible to form an effective block against Cao Cao." ”

"What do you think?" His gaze swept over everyone's faces again, and Lu Bu asked them.

Mentioned earlier, the battle of Mount Tai, except for Zhou Yu pointing out Pang Tong's negligence in deployment, proposed that the Bai Xuan army bypass Yuan Tan's troops, attack Qingzhou, and lead Yuan Tan back to the army to help, so as to achieve the goal of breaking the enemy, no one else raised objections.

And when it came to the time when Lu Bu led the army to meet Cao Cao, several staff members put forward different opinions.

Several different opinions were far from each other, and Lu Bu had just asked casually before, and did not express his position publicly.

It wasn't until Liu Ye put forward his opinion that Lu Bu agreed, and then asked everyone if there were any additions.

After listening to Liu Ye's plan, everyone thought that his proposal was the most suitable for Lu Bu to deal with Cao Cao's elite, so they all agreed.

Subsequently, Lu Bu discussed with everyone the other three aspects of the enemy's strategy, and the first sand table meeting of the staff headquarters actually lasted for a whole day before finally finalizing the outline of the Fifth Route Army to meet the enemy.

The sand table meeting lasted from early morning until the early morning of the next day.

When the meeting ended, the sky was still dark, but the morning star had already appeared in the eastern sky.

Walking out of the barracks, Chen Gong accompanied Lu Bu.

"Chu Hou convened a sand table meeting, can the court meeting be canceled in the future?" Chen Gong asked Lu Bu.

"Cancel the council?" Lu Bu asked, "Why?" ”

"Doesn't Chu Hou feel that with the sand table meeting, the court meeting seems to be redundant?" Chen Gong asked him.

"Of course it's not redundant." Lu Bu said: "The sand table meeting is a meeting of the General Staff Headquarters to discuss the operational strategy before the war, and the content of the court discussion is more detailed, and it is not only you who participate in the court meeting, but also the generals and some officials in charge of the local area. Different meetings have different uses, and so do the discussions. When it comes to this battlefield, people from all walks of life still have to hold frequent sand table meetings, and specific battlefield changes determine whether the entire strategy needs to be adjusted accordingly. ”

"I probably understand what Chu Hou means." Chen Gong nodded and responded.

"Pengcheng is our last foundation, if we lose this place, we will have no way to retreat in the future." Lu Bu patted Chen Gong's arm lightly: "You are one of the first people to follow me, I once trusted you, and I will trust you in the future." I hand over Pengcheng to you, you have to defend it for me, once there is any mistake here, no matter how wonderful we play in front, Xuzhou will still not be able to hold it. ”

"Chu Hou rest assured, as long as I am here, Pengcheng will definitely not make any mistakes." Chen Gong responded.

The two of them didn't go far before Sun Ce greeted them.

Lu Bu stopped and said to Chen Gong: "Cao Cao has already set off, and I will lead the army to the expedition early tomorrow morning, take care of the public platform." ”

"Chu Hou is careful in everything." Chen Gong bowed.

After greeting Sun Ce, Lu Bu turned around and walked towards the gate.

**********************************************

After convening the first sand table meeting, Lu Bu returned to the official mansion, and the first thing he did was to announce some of the things decided at the meeting to the army.

He did not announce the strategy for meeting the enemy discussed at the meeting, but only announced that from now on, the post of military division will be abolished in the army, the military division will be changed to the chief of staff, and all the actions of the army will be controlled and controlled by the military division.

Cao Cao had already led a large army out of Xudu and was heading towards Pengcheng.

Although Dangshan belongs to Yuzhou, it is much closer to Pengcheng than Xudu.

The sand table meeting decided on the location and strategy of Lü Bu to meet Cao Cao, and early the next morning, Lü Bu led his soldiers out of Pengcheng.

Zhao Yun and Sun Ce accompanied Lu Bu.

In addition to them, there were also generals brought by Sun Ce from Jiangdong such as Huang Gai and Cheng Pu on the expedition this time.

The army drove out of Pengcheng and marched all the way east.

After walking for two days and coming to Xiao County, Sun Ce and others thought that they would be stationed here and wait for Cao Cao to come, but Lu Bu had no intention of ordering to stop.

The soldiers continued to advance forward, and Zhao Yun glanced back at Xiao County, where they had just passed.

"Chu Hou is not stationed in Xiao County?" Zhao Yun asked Lu Bu.

"Why are you stationed in Xiao County?" Lu Bu asked him rhetorically.

"After Xiao County, it is Yuzhou, and it is no longer the boundary of Chuhou." Zhao Yun said: "When we got there, there was no city to rely on. ”

"Xiao County is near Pengcheng, only one or two hundred miles away from Pengcheng." Lu Bu said: "If we intercept Cao Cao here, he has 10,000 ways to bypass us and march to Pengcheng, instead of choosing Xiao County, which will make us passive, it is better to enter the boundary of Yuzhou and intercept Cao Cao in other places." ”

"Is the Marquis of Chu going to strike first and attack the city of Yuzhou?" Sun Ce also asked beside him.

"It doesn't matter what we gain or lose in one city or one place, what matters is how many enemies we can annihilate." Lu Bu said: "The most important thing in conquering the world is that there are people fighting on the battlefield, if we capture a city, but lose countless soldiers, for us that battle is also defeated." The city will be taken after the enemy has withdrawn, and if they have not withdrawn, I would rather confront them in the field. ”

Neither Zhao Yun nor Sun Ce attended the first meeting of the General Staff Headquarters, and of course it was impossible to know what kind of decisions Lu Bu and his staff made at that meeting.

Zhuge Jin, who was following behind Lu Bu, came up and asked Lu Bu, "Marquis of Chu, when we get to the place, how should we solve the grain and grass?" You must know that when the army goes on an expedition, grain and grass are a difficult problem to deal with. ”

"Don't worry about the grain and grass." Lu Bu glanced back at the baggage that was following the army, and said to Zhuge Jin: "The grain and grass we carry is at least enough for the soldiers to eat for a year. Cao Mengde's attack on Xuzhou should not last for a year, after all, he still has to worry about the Yuan family in Hebei and whether he will start from behind. ”

Zhuge Jin also looked back at the baggage.

In his experience, although there was a lot of baggage, the grain could only be used for more than a month at most.

Lu Bu said that the grain and grass were enough for a year, but he still didn't believe it.

"Does Ziyu not believe that there is enough food and grass for a year?" Seeing the meaning of disbelief from Zhuge Jin's face, Lu Bu asked him with a smile.

"It's not that I don't believe in Chu Hou." Zhuge Jin replied: "I have also led troops to fight, and I also know how much grain and grass can support how long. Judging from the amount of baggage, I think it can only last for more than a month at most. Chu Hou said that it can be eaten for a year, which is really incomprehensible. ”

"There will be a lot of things I can't figure out in the future." Lu Bu smiled: "When you get to the place and see our baggage, you will understand." ”

After speaking, he and Sun Ce looked at each other and smiled.

The corners of Sun Ce's mouth twitched, and he grinned noncommittally.

Of course, he knew why Lu Bu would say it so confidently.

Lu Bu had earlier asked people to develop dry food, and after pondering for a while, those guys came up with a kind of dry food that completely steamed the water.

If this kind of dry food is eaten dry, it will be very hard and even impossible to swallow.

But if you soak it in water, you can make a big bowl with just a small piece.

What's more, this dry food contains not only meat but also vegetables, all the nutrients that soldiers need in it, and it is easy to preserve and last longer than uncooked food.

Lu Bu's baggage doesn't seem to be much, but most of the food in the baggage is this kind of dry food.

When he set off, he gave an order to equip the army with some ordinary food to eat on the road, so the soldiers had not seen that kind of new dry food, and even Zhuge Jin did not know the existence of the new dry food.

Lu Bu didn't give an explanation, Zhuge Jin felt even more puzzled, but he couldn't continue to ask, so he could only follow Lu Bu to continue to move forward.

The army entered the border of Yuzhou, and the defenders of the border of Yuzhou first probed Lu Bu's military situation, and then passed the news to all the cities, asking the city gates to be closed tightly, and not to give Lu Bu a chance to break the city.

Wherever Lu Bu's army passed, people everywhere were panicking, for fear that he would lead his army to turn around and attack the city.

But soon the defenders of those cities found out that Lu Bu had no intention of attacking them at all, and it could even be said that he didn't take them in his eyes at all, and drove directly in front of him with his soldiers.

"Chu Hou really doesn't plan to take one or two cities?" Zhao Yun, who was accompanying Lu Bu, reminded: "If we don't take them, in case we don't fight too well, we will have a lot of trouble when we return to the army." ”

"I didn't expect to retreat." Lu Bu said: "Cao Cao is going to completely destroy Xuzhou this time, no matter where we retreat, he will not let it go easily." Rather than being chased and beaten by him, it is better to fight him to the death with the determination not to withdraw from the beginning! ”

When Lu Bu said these words, everyone experienced an inexplicable sense of pathos.

But for some reason, this sense of pathos did not make them experience desolation, but made them look forward to the war that was coming.

Lu Bu glanced back at the soldiers who were following behind him, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he didn't say anything more, leading the soldiers to continue to move forward.

The soldiers who followed Lu Bu on the expedition were also very puzzled that he did not conquer the city along the way.

Although the soldiers did not understand why Lü Bu did not attack those cities, and did not even plunder the villages and towns he encountered, they could only advance with the army.

After entering Yuzhou and walking for another four or five days, the army finally came to the area of Dangshan.

Dangshan is located in the eastern part of Yuzhou, adjacent to Xuzhou.

The nearby mountains and rivers are connected and the terrain is quite complex.

When he came to Dangshan, Lu Bu stopped his horse and looked around, pointing to a mountain and giving an order: "We will camp there and wait for Cao Cao to come." ”

"There is a city nearby, and Chu Hou doesn't take a city as a foundation first, but chooses to camp on the mountain, I really don't understand." Zhao Yun immediately raised his questions.

"I have already said on the way here, this time to intercept Cao Cao, we have no way out." Lü Bu said: "If I lead my soldiers to capture a city, the city will become a barrier that we think we can rely on. You must know that there is no wall in this world that can resist the enemy's attack, and the real barrier that can resist the enemy is the desire to fight and the belief in victory in each of our hearts. ”

"It is better to live after death than to survive in front of us, we think we can catch him, but in the end we are stronger to be dragged by him." Speaking of this, Lu Bu turned his horse and faced the soldiers who were following behind.

He shouted to the soldiers, "Soldiers, I ask you, I did not give the order to attack the city along the way, do you feel very puzzled in your hearts, wondering why I don't take the city that I can take at the touch of a finger?" ”

What Lu Bu shouted was exactly what the soldiers had been puzzled about these days.

Everyone's eyes were on him, waiting for him to give a reasonable explanation.

There is an army of more than 30,000 people, and they can hear each other's breathing in silence.

His eyes swept over the faces of the soldiers at the front, and Lu Bu then shouted: "I'm not afraid to tell you that I didn't think that I would be able to go back alive after defeating this expedition!" ”

His words undoubtedly threw a big stone into the calm water, and the soldiers suddenly boiled.

Many people looked terrified, and some even talked about their views in one ear.

After waiting for a while, the reaction of the soldiers still did not calm down, Lu Bu raised his hand and pressed it and said: "I hope you heard clearly just now, this expedition, I didn't think about going back alive after failure, because I didn't think that I would fail at all!" ”

first said that he could go back alive after failing without thinking about it, and then he came out with a sentence that he hadn't thought about failure at all, Lu Bu's two divine turning words made the soldiers a little unable to react for a while.

The soldiers were quiet again, their eyes fixed on Lu Bu, waiting for the words that were coming later.

"Some people say that Cao Cao's army is elite, and we are not their opponents at all." Lu Bu shouted: "There is no other reason, just because you people are some garbage and waste with no military discipline, and in the face of a powerful enemy army, you have no other choice but to run back with your head in your hands." ”

The words shouted by Lu Bu were undoubtedly an insult to the soldiers, and many people's faces suddenly showed indignation.

"To be honest, I'd love to refute, I'd love to shout out to those who say you're shit, fuck you!" Lu Bu said: "But I really can't yell at them like that, because I have no confidence, and the whole world thinks that you are indeed inferior to Cao Cao's Tiger Guard!" Unless you can actually win a few battles, let people see that the Tiger Guards are nothing more than scum to you! ”

Lu Bu's shouting first suppressed and then raised had already mobilized the emotions of the soldiers a lot.

But the soldiers still didn't respond, they were all waiting for Lu Bu to say the rest of the words.

"I didn't give the order to attack the city along the way, even if I got here, there was Dangshan City nearby, but I still didn't let you fight, do you know why?" Lu Bu finally shouted out the issues that the soldiers were most concerned about.

The eyes of more than 30,000 people were focused on his face, all waiting for him to give a reasonable answer.

His brows furrowed slightly, and Lu Bu's face showed a touch of pathos: "I didn't let you fight those cities, because I knew that for you, it would be easier to take those cities." I don't want you to take those cities, because it's too easy for you to take them. And after taking them, you will think that even if we are defeated, we still have a city to rely on, and we will have a way out! ”

Speaking of this, Lu Bu paused, raised his voice with a very solemn face and shouted: "I won't give you a way out!" I won't let you have any way back! This expedition is either victory or death! Let me ask you, do you want to win or die? ”

"Win! Victory! Victory! All the soldiers raised their weapons high and let out a burst of shouts.

The reaction of the soldiers made Lu Bu very satisfied, he smiled slightly, and waved his hand at the soldiers: "Since you want to win, then work with me to work together, don't think about any way out, and don't think about any reinforcements." There is only one choice before us, move forward! In addition to moving forward, it is death! ”

"Chu Hou is mighty!" Standing beside Lu Bu, Sun Ce felt very mentioned when he heard what he shouted, and raised his weapon and shouted loudly.

The soldiers also followed Sun Ce and let out a burst of shouts.

*****************************************

In the end, Lü Bu did not lead his soldiers to attack Dangshan City, he led his army to climb a hill, and stationed on the hillside, waiting for Cao Cao's arrival.

On the top of the mountain, the soldiers set up tents, and from a distance, it looks like countless huge mushrooms blooming on the mountain.

It had been stationed on the hillside for a day, and from the moment they were stationed, the soldiers were busy preparing stones and rolling logs, intending to wait until Cao Cao came, and use these to block the way of Cao's army.

Lu Bu sat on a large rock, looking out in the direction where Cao Cao was coming.

He sent out a lot of scouts, but none of them had brought him back news so far.

Zhuge Jin stood behind him, also looking ahead and didn't know what he was thinking.

Glancing back at him, Lu Bu asked, "Ziyu came out with me this time, do you have any ideas?" ”

"I just think Chu Hou's idea is peculiar, and it's really not something that ordinary people can understand." Zhuge Jin replied: "If I bring troops over, I will definitely take all the cities first." There weren't too many defenders in those cities, and with the air force in the hands of the Marquis of Chu, it would be almost effortless to take them down. ”

"After we take it, we will divide our troops and garrison, and the soldiers will have hope in their hearts." Lu Bu said: "What I want this time is to cut off our back road, after all, we are facing the powerful Cao Cao, not Yuan Shu who was once placed in the coffin. Cao Cao's Tiger Guards have a lot of people, and they can also be used as ten. You were also involved in the sand table meeting that day, and you should know how stressful this battle is for us. ”

"Of course I do." Zhuge Jin nodded: "For Chu Hou, this battle can indeed only be won but not defeated. If we lose, we won't have any way back. Even if he retreated to Jianye, Cao Cao would lead the army to chase all the way. ”

"Cao Cao won't chase after me, but I'm going to give up a lot of what I already have." "I've invested too much in Xuzhou, and I've done a lot of construction there that isn't available elsewhere," Lu said. If I lose Xuzhou, no matter who gets it, it will be a great improvement in strength. But for us, it is the loss of something that has been painstakingly operated for a long time. If you want to run those, one is to have the necessary conditions, and the other is to have the corresponding energy and money investment. I didn't want to lose that, so I had to fight them. ”

"Dare to ask Chu Hou, how much chance do you think we can win this time when we intercept Cao Cao?" Zhuge Jin suddenly asked such a sentence.

"Ten points." Looking back at the direction where Cao Cao was coming, Lu Bu said: "I know that Cao Cao is very strong, and I also know that he is determined to seize Xuzhou this time. But I'm just as strong, and even stronger than him. Since I returned to my youth on the night of the fight, Cao Cao has been an old man on the verge of death for me. He is not as young as me, not as brave as me, and not as brave as me. The only thing he's better than me is that his roots are deeper. But what is the deep foundation? A thousand-year-old tree, as long as we want to put it down, we can also uproot it, not to mention Cao Cao, who has just a few more years of foundation. ”

From what Lu Bu said, Zhuge Jin heard that he didn't mean to take Cao Cao in his eyes at all.

Zhuge Jin didn't say anything more, and Lu Bu also stood up and patted his arm lightly: "Gather everyone, let's have a sand table meeting here, and you will preside over today's meeting." ”

"I'll preside?" Zhuge Jin was stunned: "Chu Hou is here, how can it be my turn to preside over the sand table meeting?" ”

"I have long given an order that all strategies in the army should be decided by the chief of staff." Lu Bu said to Zhuge Jin: "You are the chief of staff of the army, if you don't preside over it, do you want me to preside over it personally?" ”

Zhuge Jin was stunned and didn't know what to say.

Although he is the chief of staff, Lu Bu is their lord after all.

Could it be that the chief of staff has to have the final say in following the lord to go on the expedition?

"Once a military order is issued, it must be carried out." Zhuge Jin's face was full of surprise before he came back to his senses, and Lu Bu said to him again: "Since I have already issued an order to you to be the chief of staff, you don't give me all kinds of excuses, and the sand table meeting will be convened by you and presided over by you." Including me, I have to listen to your deployment. ”

"I see." Lu Bu's words were very decisive, Zhuge Jin knew that he was not joking, and quickly replied: "I understand what Chu Hou means, I will follow the advice of the lord before assigning the task." Chu Hou thinks it is feasible, and I will assign it again. Chu Hou thinks it's not feasible, and we'll discuss other ways to deal with it. ”

"I want you to be the chief of staff to make you think of ways to break the enemy, but you and I came to these officialdom to welcome you." Lu Bu smiled and said to Zhuge Jin: "But what you said is right, if I feel that it is not feasible, you still insist on going your own way, and once something goes wrong, I will have to ask you for blame." ”

"Marquis Chu, please enter the account first, and I will go and gather the generals." Zhuge Jin kept sending Lu Bu into the camp tent before personally inviting the generals to go.