Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

"Is Shi Yuan so certain that General Zilong will also lead troops to assist?" Guo Jia asked with a hint of amusement.

"My senior brother would never come here alone; General Wei must be nearby," Pang Tong replied with certainty.

"Shi Yuan, you've guessed wrong on this point," Guo Jia shook his head and replied unhurriedly.

"General Zilong is probably still reorganizing his troops near Ying County in Taishan Commandery, which is more than three hundred li away from here."

Upon hearing this, Pang Tong felt a bit puzzled, but then he understood.

Zhao Yun led the White Horse Riders in a surprise attack on Dongchao Ford, and they didn't carry much food and supplies. Moreover, after such a rapid march, the White Horse Riders were naturally extremely exhausted.

Therefore, it was impossible for Zhao Yun to have the strength to directly transfer to Linzi after a long march of hundreds of miles and a major battle at Dongchao Ford.

Even if the White Horse Riders were so exhausted and transferred, and barely had the strength to fight, the direct combination of the two armies would only exacerbate the predicament of insufficient food and supplies.

Therefore, after Zhao Yun's surprise attack on Dongchao Ford, the best option was undoubtedly to temporarily retreat along the road to the vicinity of Ying County, which was controlled by the Taishan bandits, and first carry out some food and supply replenishment and rest before fighting again.

After understanding this point, Pang Tong was a little surprised to ask Guo Jia, who appeared in front of him.

"Then how does Senior Brother Fengxiao know about the predicament faced under Linzi and happen to be here?"

After a pause, Pang Tong vaguely understood and asked further.

"Could it be Teacher's arrangement?"

Guo Jia smiled and said, "It's no wonder that Teacher praised you highly for having the name 'Phoenix Chick.' Shi Yuan is still young, but his cleverness is truly rare in the world."

Immediately, Guo Jia's expression became slightly serious, and he said.

"Teacher had foreseen the predicament that Shi Yuan is facing, so he sent someone to deliver a secret order to the vicinity of Ying County. General Zilong received the secret order as soon as he led his troops back to the vicinity of Ying County, ordering General Zilong to lead his troops to assist Linzi."

"It's just that the White Horse Riders still need to rest for several days, and considering that no matter how fast the White Horse Riders are, once they pass through Jinan State again and enter the vicinity of Linzi, Linzi will probably know the information in a short time, which will inevitably startle the snake."

"Therefore, in order to make the White Horse Riders a winning surprise force, I came here first to meet with Shi Yuan, discuss strategies, and then send a message to the White Horse Riders when to set off, trying to cooperate with the two armies to seize Linzi in one fell swoop."

Hearing this, Pang Tong's face was filled with joy, and he admired his teacher's ability to predict the enemy's movements from a thousand miles away.

The dead end under Linzi City that made Pang Tong helpless was undoubtedly brought to life with the addition of the White Horse Riders as a fresh force to the battlefield.

If Zhao Yun's ten thousand White Horse Riders were used well, it would be enough to reverse the situation here in an instant.

Pang Tong's eyes lit up, and he said with a hint of joy, "Senior Brother Fengxiao, I happen to have a plan, please consult with me together."

"I have only just arrived in Linzi, and my understanding of this place is far inferior to Shi Yuan's. If Shi Yuan has a good plan, just say it," Guo Jia replied.

For a time, there was a whispering sound in the tent, and from time to time, there were intense discussions.

Soon, as the tent quieted down, Guo Jia and Pang Tong went to the central army tent to find Wei Yan and further finalized the plan.

Among the White Horse Rider squad that escorted Guo Jia, three riders were also separated, each carrying a secret letter back to Ying County to deliver to Zhao Yun.

It was also from this day that Li Dian in Linzi City noticed that the number of cooking smoke in the Han army camp had decreased slightly compared to usual.

Could it be that the Han army is finally short of food?

Li Dian didn't know the amount of food and supplies carried by the Han army, but under the circumstances that the Han army had penetrated deep into the enemy's rear and the supply line was cut off, the lack of food and supplies was only a matter of time.

Under the circumstances that the Han army did not reduce its troops due to battle losses, the scale of the rising cooking smoke showed a slight decrease, which had to make Li Dian a little suspicious.

Li Dian didn't have full confidence in judging whether it was true or false, so he simply reported the analysis to Li Qian and Cao Xiu as it was, so as not to delay the opportunity.

In terms of official rank, Cao Xiu is currently the highest in Linzi City, and he is also from the Cao clan.

Especially when Cao Xiu personally observed the Han soldiers on the city wall, he found that those Han soldiers who usually showed ferocity and bravery were now pale, and their movements were somewhat weak and powerless, making it difficult to hide the fact that they were strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

As the two sides fought fiercely for most of the day, and the Han army, which could not do anything to Linzi, slowly retreated again, Cao Xiu kept recalling the state of those Han soldiers, and became more and more convinced that this Han army detachment was not far from being completely out of food.

Immediately, Cao Xiu urgently summoned a group of Cao generals in the city, including Li Qian, Li Zheng, and Li Dian, to hold a military meeting, and after stating his judgment, he said.

"Given all of this, this general has to suspect that the Han army's reckless attack today, regardless of casualties, is to confuse us, so that we can take advantage of the opportunity to retreat and evacuate when we are tired of defending the city."

As soon as this statement came out, many of the Cao generals present nodded in agreement.

Such a judgment is indeed in accordance with the art of war.

As long as those who are familiar with the art of war understand that the time of retreat is the most dangerous, and a little carelessness may lead to a great rout in which one side is constantly pursued, so the annihilation of the entire army is not impossible.

Therefore, in order to retreat safely, it is very likely that the Han army deliberately pretended to be strong.

Seeing that the generals seemed to have the intention of leaving the city to pursue, Li Dian couldn't help but remind him.

"The main generals of the Han army outside the city, Wei Yan and Pang Tong, are both deeply valued by the Han Chancellor Li Ji, and they are by no means easy to deal with. I am afraid that there is a trap in it."

After the two sides confronted each other for so many days, the Cao army naturally gradually figured out who the main general of the Han army was.

In terms of battle achievements, Wei Yan's prestige has not yet been revealed, and Pang Tong is even more of a newcomer.

But just the sentence that Li Ji values them cannot be underestimated by others.

What Cao Xiu was worried about was undoubtedly the same as what Li Dian was worried about.

The defense of Linzi City is a major matter, but to watch such a large group of Han troops who are about to run out of food retreat safely is almost more uncomfortable for Cao Xiu, who admires martial arts and seeks merit, than killing him.

After careful consideration, Cao Xiu still did not act rashly, but continued to send more scouts to monitor the Han army camp at the cost of casualties.