The Eight Military School Lieutenants of Xiyuan were a military organization established by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty for General He Jinbingquan, a relative of his relatives. In August of the fifth year of Zhongping (188), he recruited strong men in Xiyuan, Luoyang, and established a military organization. -Xiaohuangmen Jian Shuo, the commander of the middle army - Huben Zhonglang General Yuan Shao, the commander of the lower army - Tunqi Colonel Bao Hong, the commander of the dian army - Yilang Cao Cao, the assistant commander of the left army - Zhao Rong, the assistant The right commander of the army is Feng Fang, the left commander is Xia Mou, and the right commander is Chunyu Qiong. When Wuchao was burning food, Chunyu Qiong did fight to the death. He was not lying drunk on the bed like in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Twenty thousand people could not defeat five thousand people. It can only be said that Yuan Shao's troops were too weak.
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October 14th, evening. [bsp; Cao Cao was sitting in the Chinese army's tent. There were two letters on the table in front of him, one from Xun Yu in Xudu and the other from Sun Ce in Lujiang.
Cao Cao has been confronting Yuan Shao in Guandu for too long. It has been so long that even he has doubts about his decision to stick to this place. It has been so long that even he feels that procrastinating like this is not an option. It has been so long that even he has doubts. Return Xu Du¡¯s idea.
Until Cao Cao received letters from Xun Yu and Sun Ce.
Xun Yu's letter was very long. It was a reply to Cao Cao's inquiry about his advice on retreating troops. The letter read: Yuan Shao concentrated his main force on Guandu in order to decide the outcome with his lord. This has reached a critical moment that affects the success or failure of the overall situation. . If the princess takes the initiative to withdraw troops from Guandu, Yuan Shao will definitely take advantage of the situation to attack, and his morale will definitely be revived. The consequences will be disastrous! Yuan Shao is just a mediocre and incompetent idiot. Although he can gather talents, he cannot use them well. The Lord is wise and wise, and he will be able to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop. Although there is a shortage of rations in the army now, the situation is still far from what it was when the Chu and Han sides were in a stalemate between Xingyang and Chenggao. At that time, neither Liu Bang nor Xiang Yu was willing to retreat first, because they were afraid of losing their favorable situation by retreating. The lord has held on to the wall with less than 20,000 soldiers, blocking Yuan Jun's throat and preventing him from advancing for more than three months. Yuan Jun's strength has reached the end of his strength. As long as we seize the opportunity, I believe the stalemate will be broken soon.
Sun Ce's letter arrived along with the army rations he had sent. The letter was very short and wrote: Duke Cao's wisdom, bravery, employment, and courage are all better than those of Yuan Shao. He has been unable to win after a stalemate for half a year. Is it because Duke Cao is too cautious? Want to be foolproof. If you can find a favorable opportunity and make a decisive decision, the situation will definitely change soon.
The two letters have the same purpose. The success or failure in a war often depends on whether you can persist in your efforts. If you persist a little longer, disadvantages may gradually turn into advantages, and conversely, advantages may turn into disadvantages.
Cao Cao read the two letters repeatedly and waited for nightfall. He knew that the soldiers and generals in the entire military camp were waiting like him, because this night might be his last chance to win. Months of persistence had already Almost all the grain and horse grass were consumed, and the remaining reserves could not sustain them through October.
Xia Houyuan, who was sitting under the tent, was tightening the string of his iron bow. He carefully oiled the bow string and pulled it twice gently. Xiahou Dun sat on the other side, looking at the patterns on his sword repeatedly by candlelight. The other generals were all sitting on their own with serious expressions. They had made all preparations. They had put on their armor, fed their horses, and filled their quivers, and were ready to rush to the battlefield at any time.
There was not much time before nightfall. Cao Cao took a deep breath and smiled helplessly in his heart: Is this the last battle? He has no fear in his heart, even if this raid will cost him his life, he wants to use this battle to prove to the world that there is nothing he, Cao Mengde, dares not do, and there is nothing he cannot do. of.
"Generals, lead the troops out of the camp." Cao Cao stood up slowly, "Don't light torches to avoid alerting the enemy."
While Yuan Shao's army was still sleeping, Cao Cao led 5,000 infantry and cavalry out of his camp. They tried their best to remain quiet, with their horses bound in hooves, their men in titles, and without torches. Each of them carried a bundle of dry firewood on their backs, even Cao Cao was no exception. The soldiers and generals pursed their lips tightly, but their eyes shone with a different light because they saw hope - the spies had repeatedly was dispatched, and the news has been confirmed again and again. They firmly believed that Yuan Shao would be shocked and caught off guard when he found out that his grain harvest in Wuchao had been burned to the ground.
Cao Cao walked silently with his horse. For this raid, he specifically did not ride his favorite Claw Huang Feidian (the Claw Huang Feidian was completely white, with only four hooves yellow), but rode the crotch This purple-black horse is the most important battle in his life, and he does not allow any mistakes in any aspect.
Xia Houyuan approached Cao Cao and lowered his voice: "My lord, this surprise attack is too dangerous. There is really no need for you to risk yourself."
"A real general never sits in a military tent and directs a battle. In the midst of strategizing, winning a decisive victory thousands of miles away is nonsense. If you can't see the splashing blood and the rising and falling swords, you can't deeply understand every battle. If we are fighting, we cannot issue executable orders." Cao Cao suppressed his voice in his throat and said coldly, "Besides, I made Sun Ce laugh by taking his food and grass. If I sit in the tent again and command the battle this time, , if he finds out, he will definitely be laughed at, so how can I have the face to fight with him next time."
"Sun Ce, you're just a young boy." Xia Houyuan scratched his head: "Then my lord, please stay in the middle of the formation. It's a little safer there and you can give orders in time."
"Second, keep quiet." Cao Cao said solemnly, "I will give you the last word. Once you rush into Wuchao, there will be no front or center army. Everyone must move forward in unison. Only by burning out Yuan Shao's Only with food and grass can we have hope of winning."
Xia Houyuan nodded solemnly, bowed and said nothing. Cao Cao raised his head, breathed out at the dark sky, removed the heavy stone in his heart and threw it away. Confidence and courage returned to him again. Cao Cao held the horse rein in his hand tightly and bit Gritting his teeth.
When the sky turned slightly white, Cao Jun finally arrived at Wuchao. Food hoards were standing in the open field, and there was not a single defender in sight.
"It's a bit strange." Xiahou Dun frowned slightly and took a few steps closer to Cao Cao with his horse, "How come there are no defenders?"
An unspeakable uneasiness surged in Cao Cao's heart. Xiahou Dun was right. No matter how stupid Yuan Shao was, he would not not arrange a garrison in an important area where grain and grass were stored. Cao Cao's plan was to approach Wuchao before the enemy was aware of it, so that not only would they be unable to set up any ambush, they would also be unable to mount an effective counterattack. In the past two days, Cao Cao had outlined this battle in his mind countless times, every detail, and every possible situation. It was only at this moment that Cao Cao discovered that the most critical link had actually deviated from the development track he had envisioned.
Dawn has arrived, and figures one after another appear on the slowly clearing horizon. The person walking at the front is holding a big flag, and neither the face nor the flag can be clearly seen. When the red sun finally broke through the shackles and rose slowly, Cao Cao finally saw clearly the word "Chun Yu" flying on the flag. The figure holding the big flag planted the flag on the ground and gestured slightly to Cao Cao.
"It turns out to be Zhong Jian." Cao Cao sighed, "It reminds me of the time when I was the eighth captain of Xiyuan. It's really nostalgic."
"Lord, retreat, the enemy is on guard! We can't fight at this time!" Xiahou Dun held Jueying's bridle and said anxiously.
"You can't retreat. Now you have fired your bow and there is no turning back." Cao Cao shook his head, but a smile appeared on his face, and the uneasiness in his heart gradually dissipated. Cao Cao pointed his riding whip at the scattered troops behind Chun Yuqiong, "Even if he has a tiger-like general, Yuan Shao can't produce tiger-wolf troops. Let's bring this battle back to its original track!"
Cao Cao fiercely pulled out his sword, pointed diagonally at the sky in front of him, and roared: "Go forward and crush them!"
The knocking sound between the weapons made a harsh roar, and thick smoke rose into the sky along with the fire
As a turning point in the Battle of Guandu, there are very few descriptions of Wuchao's burning of grain in historical books, only a few sentences: In October of the second year of Xingping, Cao Gong attacked Wuchao at night and was ambushed. With the sword shouting, the soldiers fought desperately and defeated them. They beheaded the guard general Chunyu Qiong, the governor Sui Yuanjin, the cavalry governor Han Juzi, Lu Weihuang, Zhao Rui, etc., and burned all their food and grass before returning.