Chapter 299

Ding Yuan Shao seemed to have aged significantly all of a sudden.

He sighed deeply.

"I never expected Liu Bei to have grown to this extent!"

The chariots he spent a fortune to build were gone in a single battle!

(agfh)

Other elite units also suffered significant damage.

Sun Ce's expression was also pained; he had brought sixty thousand troops, and twenty-five thousand were lost in a single battle. How could he have the face to return!

Cao Cao suffered the least damage this time, only a thousand or two more than Gao Shun's forces.

This was mainly because Liu Bei focused his main attacks on Sun Ce and Ding Yuan Shao's center armies.

Cao Cao coughed.

"Everyone, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. We only lost a few tens of thousands of troops, but we have tested out all of Liu Bei's new unit types!"

Everyone's eyes lit up. Indeed, they had paid a bloody price, but they had also tested Liu Bei's trump cards.

Zhou Yu nodded.

"Although our army was defeated, we haven't suffered any fundamental damage, and our troops are still about twice the size of Liu Bei's."

"As long as we think of a way to deal with the heavy cavalry and elephant troops, our chances of winning will be even greater."

Guo Tu curled his lips.

"That's easy to say, Zhou Zhou Gongjin, but have you thought of how to deal with the heavy cavalry and elephant troops?!"

Zhou Yu had already thought it through.

"Everyone, the key to heavy cavalry lies in the word 'charge.' They only have lethality when they are charging. We can find ways to prevent them from charging."

"We can use horse-tripping ropes, trenches, parapets, traps, and so on to trap the heavy cavalry, and then use hook-sickle spears to injure the horses' legs. The heavy cavalry's armor is very heavy; once they fall off their horses and are injured, they might not even be able to crawl up."

Cao Cao's heart stirred; this Zhou Zhou Gongjin really had some substance!

Zhou Yu continued his analysis.

"As for the elephant troops, all animals fear fire. Our army can fire flaming arrows, or use cavalry to hold torches to frighten the elephants, and then use heavy crossbows to shoot the barbarian soldiers on the elephants."

Cao Cao couldn't help but look at Zhou Yu again and laughed loudly.

"A hero emerges from youth; Zhou Lang is indeed full of wisdom!"

Zhou Yu cupped his hands.

"Master Meng De is too kind with his praise."

Cao Cao couldn't help but have ideas about Zhou Yu, but it was a pity that Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were iron brothers and couldn't be poached!

Sun Ce felt a sense of crisis; he had heard that the Cao thief liked other people's things the most, so he had to be careful.

Cao Cao added,

"Heavy cavalry is very difficult to accelerate on muddy roads, and in heavy rain, crossbows will also lose at least half their power."

He cupped his hands to Ding Yuan Shao.

"Alliance Leader, I suggest that next time we choose to fight Liu Bei during weather that is about to have heavy rain."

Ding Yuan Shao secretly cursed that this Cao Cao Aman was truly sinister!

Last time it was sunshine, this time it was heavy rain—he probably had eight hundred schemes in his head!

"Very well!"

He paused.

"Meng De is full of wisdom and commands well. This time you fought to a draw with Liu Bei's left flank. How about you take command of the next major battle?"

Cao Cao did not decline. If he could defeat Liu Bei in the next battle, his status in the eyes of the Hebei soldiers would soar, and taking over Hebei in the future would be half the effort for twice the result!

Xu You cupped his hands.

"My Lord, Liu Bei's main army is gathered here. I suggest sending troops to sneak attack cities like Anyi in Hedong. Hedong Commandery is the place where Liu Bei started his career and is also a key place for him to obtain money and grain; he will definitely send troops to rescue it."

Ding Yuan Shao nodded.

"Good! Xu You's suggestion is excellent!"

Zhou Yu and Sun Ce exchanged glances.

Sun Ce cupped his hands.

"Alliance Leader, our Danyang elite soldiers are all mountain elites and can cross Mount Mount Zhongtiao to advance."

Ding Yuan Shao and Cao Cao exchanged glances; Sun Ce still had thirty-five thousand men, but their effectiveness was average, and they had just suffered a crushing defeat, so letting him go harass the enemy was fine!

"Very well, Sun Bofu, be careful."

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu left the center camp.

"Zhou Gongjin, why did you ask me to go attack Anyi?"

Zhou Yu said in a low voice,

"My Lord, our army only has thirty thousand men left. Instead of being assigned by Cao Cao to face Liu Bei's elites, it is better to take Hedong and build merit from another side."

Sun Ce's eyes lit up; that made sense. Instead of being controlled by others, it was better to lead troops on his own!

"Good, let me turn Liu Bei's Hedong upside down and see how he can hold his camp steadily!"

The two sides ceased fighting for a few days; apart from some small frictions and sending ruffians to curse each other, there were no major movements.

Liu Bei listened to Jia Xu's report on the intelligence of the past few days.

"My Lord, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu have already led troops to Mount Mount Zhongtiao, intending to attack Anyi. As a result, they were unfamiliar with the terrain and were met with a head-on blow by Xu Rong and Zhang He. The two have retreated to hold their ground in the mountains, neither advancing nor retreating."

Sun Ce hadn't expected that when he went to pick a soft persimmon, he would run into Xu Rong, who had made his father suffer a setback back in the day.

As a result, he himself was also repelled by Xu Rong...

Liu Bei nodded.

"Zhou Yu's strategy is not bad. Have someone notify Xu Rong and Zhang He to be wary of the Sun army using fire tactics."

Zhou Yu was a famous arsonist; Liu Bei had to remind Xu Rong and Zhang He.

"Report!"

A scout came to report.

"My Lord, Cao Cao has sent someone to deliver a challenge letter, challenging you to a major battle tomorrow!"

Liu Bei opened it and took a look; Cao Cao's meaning was roughly that the Allied forces were careless last time, and if you, Liu Xuande, have the ability, come out and fight again.

Jia Xu frowned.

"My Lord, this Cao Cao has ill intentions. I observed the celestial phenomena tonight, and I fear there will be heavy rain here tomorrow."

"Heavy rain will greatly reduce the power of our crossbows, and the roads will be muddy. The heavy cavalry is too heavy, and if they get stuck in the mud, they won't be able to maneuver."

Guo Jia also said,

"I have also observed the ants in the camp moving house; I fear it will be a heavy rain."

Liu Bei secretly sighed.

"Being a strategist is truly not easy; not only do you need to be good at language and mathematics, but you also need to understand biology and geography!"

Zhang Fei:??

"Guo Fengxiao, you are really idle enough to watch ants moving house."

Liu Bei waved his hand.

"Zhang Yide, stop talking nonsense. A major battle must pay attention to the timing, the terrain, and the people. Observing the abnormalities of animals can very well predict future climate, such as preparing winter clothes for snow, or storing grain well to prevent it from getting wet in heavy rain."

Academic failure Zhang Fei:??

"It's too difficult; I'd rather just charge into battle."

Guan Yu, however, was thoughtful, as if he had learned some knowledge.

Liu Bei sent people to make sure the grain and fodder were protected from the rain; it would be bad if they got damp.

He stood up.

"Since Cao Cao wants to have a battle in the rain with our army, then let's fight!"

Everyone's eyes lit up; a rainy day indeed had its advantages and disadvantages, it just depended on how it was used!