[PS: There's only one chapter today. I'll make it up after one chapter. Apologies.]
Jiangling City Lord's Mansion.
Cao Cao had been in a state of excitement ever since he returned from the port.
They had to fight again, but the crux of the matter now was how they were going to fight this war.
Cao Cao gathered Cheng Yu and Jia Xu to discuss the details. As the representative of the mutants, Ouyang Shuo was allowed to attend. The special role of the ocean fleet meant that Ouyang Shuo had the right to speak.
Seeing Cao Cao's excitement, Ouyang Shuo had to pour cold water on him. "Prime Minister, allow me to brief you on the situation of our mutant armies."
"Speak!" Cao Cao didn't dare to treat the mutant armies lightly.
"In this battle, our mutant army has a total of 270,000. Excluding the navy, we have less than 250,000. The enemy's mutant army has a total of 350,000, and we can't rule out the possibility that they have a navy as well. "
"That's the difference?" Cao Cao frowned.
Ouyang Shuo nodded.
After the Red Cliffs, Cao Cao's remnant army numbered about 100,000. In addition to the 30,000 that Cao Ren left behind in Jiangling, Cao Cao's army now numbered about 130,000.
At the same time, Sun Liu's alliance split into three groups.
Liu Bei led 20,000 troops to attack Changsha's capital, Linxiang. Huang Gai's navy numbered less than 10,000. After entering Dongting Lake, they turned to Yuan River.
As a result, Zhou Yu's army that pursued Cao's army on land and water only numbered about twenty thousand.
In comparison, Cao Cao's mutant army seemed insignificant. The total strength of the two camps was still about the same.
The problem was, morale was the most important factor.
Cao Cao's army suffered a crushing defeat, and their morale fell to rock bottom. As a result, Cao Cao's army was chased by Zhou Yu's army.
In the end, Cao Cao didn't stay in Jiangling for long. He led his army back to the north. A year later, even Jiangling, which Cao Ren was defending, was breached by Zhou Yu's army.
From this, one could see that Cao Cao's 130,000 troops wouldn't be of use in the short term. On the contrary, Zhou Yu's army was full of vigor and sharpness.
The morale of the natives would affect the mutant army's morale.
The feudal lords in Cao Cao's camp had long since given up on the battle. On the contrary, Sun Liu's mutant army would definitely seize the opportunity to seize victory.
As such, the difference in strength was obvious.
Even with the support of the ocean-going fleet, Cao Jun's situation was still not optimistic.
Apart from that, there was something else that had to be taken into consideration. If Sun Quan, who was overseeing the rear, received the news of the great victory in the Battle of Chibi, would he lead the army to the front as reinforcements?
Even if they didn't, Ouyang Shuo believed that Di Chen and the others would find a way to persuade Sun Quan to send more troops.
As such, the situation became more and more unfavorable.
The Battle of Chibi was not just a water battle, but a confrontation between land forces.
…
"How strong are the enemy's navy compared to your fleet?" Cao Cao asked.
Ouyang Shuo thought for a moment. Among the enemy's navy, there were probably only three people, Xiong Ba, Zhan Lang, and Seeking Dragon Acupuncture Point. Their battleships were sold by Shanhai City.
As for the cannons, he had obtained more than 30 of them from Shanhai City.
Ouyang Shuo did not know if Mighty Tyrant and Battle Wolf had grasped the technology to manufacture cannons. This was because the technical manuals for the same skill in the game might not be everywhere, but they weren't the only ones.
In theory, Xiong Ba and the others also had the opportunity to obtain the cannon manufacturing technology from other sources.
At the same time, Gaia also stipulated that when a country had more than five territories that grasped a certain technology, the technology would be made available to the entire country's feudal lords for free.
For example, if Ouyang Shuo were to give the steam engine manufacturing technology to Lingxi City, Fallen Phoenix City, Hardstone City, and Black Lion City, then all the feudal lords in the China region would automatically grasp the technology.
This was also why not long after England developed the steam engine in Castle Avik, the entire country entered the Industrial Revolution.
"Battleships are comparable, but firearms are slightly inferior," Ouyang Shuo replied to Cao Cao.
When Cao Cao heard this, his eyebrows twitched. "Wen He, tell me your opinion."
Throughout the entire process, Jia Xu did not say a word. Only when Cao Cao called him did he stand up and say, "My lord, my opinion is that the water route should be the main attack, while the land route should be the main defense."
"Tell me the details."
"The navy is at its peak, so we should go upstream and take the initiative to attack Zhou Yu's navy. It's best if we can defeat them in one fell swoop. If possible, it's best if we can reoccupy Chibi. " Jia Xu was indeed Jia Xu. His thoughts were clear. "This way, we can use a great victory to boost our army's morale and sweep away the current dispirited situation. Secondly, we can use Chibi as a node to cut off Sun Quan and Liu's allied army.
"Occupying Chibi will cut off Sun Quan's reinforcements and cut off Zhou Yu's army's provisions. Only then can we fight to the death with Zhou Yu's main army in the Dreamy Cloud Swamp area. "
Jia Xu paused for a moment to let everyone digest this, then continued, "After talking about the water route, it's easy to understand the main defense of the land route. Before the navy occupies Chibi, it's best for our main army to stay in Jiangling City to rest and defend. Firstly, the army can take this opportunity to rest and recover from their injuries. Secondly, we can also take this opportunity to transfer troops from all over Jingzhou to reinforce Jiangling City. Most importantly, we should take advantage of this time to replenish our provisions. "
During the Battle of Chibi, Cao Cao's army used Chibi as their base camp. Most of their provisions were transported there. In the end, a huge fire burned all of the provisions.
The last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty could not compare to the wilderness of the Main Plane.
Every year of war, the common people were miserable and homeless. Coupled with the large number of young men conscripted into the army, there were few men in the villages. Large tracts of land were barren and uncultivated.
Thus, to the army, provisions were even more precious.
If they wanted to gather provisions for the next battle, they would have to work hard for more than half a year. Because of this, Xiahou Dun, Zhong Yao, and the other ministers who guarded the rear were also the heroes behind the scenes.
In addition, it was already midwinter, and the common people only had a little food left for the winter. If they wanted to gather provisions again, it would naturally be even more difficult.
In history, Cao Cao's decision to retreat was not without reason.
Jia Xu's analysis could be said to be to the point, every word a gem. Ouyang Shuo's eyes flickered when he heard this. Without a doubt, a strategist like Jia Xu was the talent that Ouyang Shuo lacked the most.
"If they really don't obey, I might just kidnap them." Ouyang Shuo's heart was already filled with 'evil thoughts'.
Cao Cao did not directly express his stance. He turned to look at Cheng Yu and asked, "Zhong De, what do you think?"
Cheng Yu was one of Cao Cao's five strategists. After Guo Jia's death, he became the number one strategist in Cao Cao's camp. At the same time, Cheng Yu was the only one among the five strategists who had the ability to lead troops into battle.
Speaking of this, there was another story. In history, after Cao Cao's great defeat at the Red Cliffs, he once cried out, "If only I were filial, I would not have suffered such a great loss!"
Some people interpreted this as Cao Cao being dissatisfied with Cheng Yu, Jia Xu and the other strategists.
In reality, that was not the case.
If one carefully read through the historical records, one would find that during the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao's strategists did not fail in their duties. Previously, Jia Xu had suggested that they should not advance rashly and should first stabilize the people of Jingzhou.
In the end, Cao Cao did not listen and was anxious to unify the world.
Cheng Yu had long predicted that Sun Quan and Liu would form an alliance. He said, "Sun Quan is newly ascended and has yet to be feared by the sea. On the other hand, Grandmaster Cao is unrivalled in the world. When he first established Jingzhou, his name shook the world. Although Sun Quan is resourceful, he cannot resist alone. Liu Bei, on the other hand, has a heroic reputation. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are both enemies of ten thousand men. Sun Quan will definitely help them defend against our army. "
Looking back, his words were indeed spot on. If Cao Cao had listened to Cheng Yu's advice and made preparations, he would not have been caught unprepared by Zhou Yu at the Red Cliffs.
As such, it was not difficult to understand Cao Cao's current actions. When it came to deciding the success or failure of his hegemony, Cao Cao still habitually consulted Cheng Yu and Jia Xu for advice.
Ouyang Shuo felt somewhat ashamed when he saw this. His actions in Shanhai City were much more tyrannical than Cao Cao's.
Cheng Yu did not dare to be negligent. He stood up and replied, "My lord, I agree with Wen He's judgment. However, the enemy has Zhou Yu overseeing their formation and Zhuge Liang is behind them. In addition, the enemy is familiar with our situation. I'm afraid that they will make some targeted arrangements against the ocean-going fleet. "
"Zhong De's words make sense. In that case, how should we deal with them?" Cao Cao was not afraid to fight. He was an ambitious person. Since he had already made a decision, he would not easily change his mind. Instead, he was thinking about how to achieve his goal.
"My suggestion is to use speed to fight slow." Cheng Yu explained, "Even if the enemy is prepared, they will not expect us to attack without any preparation and without any hesitation. This way, we can catch them off guard before they are fully prepared. "
"This is a brilliant plan!"
Cao Cao's voice was very magnetic. He stroked his beard with his hand and had a calm demeanor. He wore a smile on his face, making it impossible for others to guess his true thoughts. He was truly an ambitious person.
Ouyang Shuo could only feel envious when he saw this.
When would he be able to gather such a group of top-notch tacticians under him?
"Prime Minister!" Although he was envious, Ouyang Shuo had always been very straightforward. He took the initiative to ask for battle. "I am willing to lead the ocean-going fleet and set off immediately to take down the Red Cliffs!"
Considering that they might encounter some people among the enemy, Ouyang Shuo had to personally lead the ocean-going fleet. Otherwise, Zheng He would not be able to handle such a complicated situation when facing the mutants.
Ouyang Shuo also wanted to meet the navy of Sun Liu's camp.
It was time for the ocean-going fleet of Shanhai City to make use of this naval battle to prove themselves.
"Good!" Cao Cao laughed heartily. "I hope that the fleet you lead will be victorious."
"Yes!"
Ouyang Shuo solemnly promised.
Next was to discuss the specific details of the battle. Apart from that, there was also the arrangement of the mutant army. After all, Ouyang Shuo was not in Jiangling. They had to make early arrangements.
The battle of the Red Cliffs would once again begin with the confrontation between the navy.
The real battle had just begun!
[PS: Shengxiao's official WeChat account has been opened. Search for "Swordsman Shengxiao" on the account and add him immediately. There will be constant updates of various settings, gossip, news, and so on. Seeking fans ~ ~ ~]
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