Chapter 6727: Mutual Schemes

Chapter 6727: Mutual Schemes
Seeing Tian Zhong's cautious expression, Xu Yuan immediately asked, "Brother Tian, ​​is there anything else I don't know?"

Although Xu Yuan and Tian Zhong were similar in rank and title, Tian Zhong was an old man who had been a centurion since the Yellow Turban period. Even if he was not a rebel among the Yellow Turbans in the early days, as Huangfu Song said, if you were not from a Yellow Turban family, then you were from the Three Rivers and Five Schools. As long as you can live to this day, there is not much difference. After all, you are almost the same level as your opponent.

Therefore, based on experience, Xu Yuan has always believed in Tian Zhong's judgment. After all, Tian Zhong has never made a mistake in his judgment on the battlefield for so many times. Eight or ten times would be fine, but the Empire War has been fought for ten years, and Tian Zhong is still alive and well. His judgment must be trusted.

"Ardashir might run away." Tian Zhong said solemnly.

"Ah?" Xu Yuan was shocked when he heard that. "Then the other party wants to run away. What should we do? No, no, no, that's not right. We are at a disadvantage now. If the other party wants to run away, it will only benefit us. It's a good thing. Brother Tian, ​​why are you so serious?"

"Cut it before you leave." Tian Zhong directly stated his judgment, "Are you sure that when you observed them before, they were preparing for war?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and quickly recalled what he had observed to make sure that it was indeed the case. Then, combined with Tian Zhong's words, Xu Yuan instantly realized that the legion led by General Yan Xing was the target that Tian Zhong had mentioned!
"Then let's report it quickly. I run fast, and I'm afraid that even the soldiers over there haven't been disciplined yet." Xu Yuan said, holding Tian Zhong's hand. Although he didn't have a good relationship with the bastard in Liangzhou, they were brothers who had been on the same battlefield for almost ten years after all. Moreover, when that bastard Lao Cao was killing people last time, the brothers under General Yan Xing faced it together with them. After all, they were brothers in life and death.

"No, that's not the problem." Tian Zhong shook his head and said, but he didn't say much. He just told Xu Yuan, "Take this thing to find the eldest master and tell him my judgment. The counselors under the eldest master will naturally understand."

Tian Zhong was somewhat worried that he would not have enough time. Besides, Tian Zhong also doubted Lao Cao's character. However, Tian Zhong agreed with Cao Ang, saying that he was a capable person and a very powerful one.

"I'll go now." Xu Yuan nodded. It would be difficult for other people to pass the message to Cao Ang. But Xu Yuan and Cao Ang were brothers-in-law. They both married daughters of the Wei family, but Cao Ang married a legitimate daughter and he married a concubine's daughter. But it didn't matter. Cao Ang, who was open-minded and cheerful, recognized this relationship, and that special channel was more or less useful.

After Xu Yuan left, Tian Zhong quickly wrote a letter and called Ma Pin, "Xiao Ma, take this letter to inform General Cao. He should have made a judgment after reading the letter."

Ma Pin took the letter without saying anything and quickly took it to find Cao Zhen. As he said before, although Tian Zhong, a veteran, did not hold a very high rank, he did have connections in the army.

When Xu Yuan went to see Cao Ang, Cao Ang's guards did not stop him. When Cao Ang saw Xu Yuan coming, he took the letter in front of Cao Cao, as if he was handling the affairs of the Prince's Mansion. However, after opening it, Cao Ang's face darkened and he couldn't help but glance at his father, but he didn't say much. It was good news to receive this news in advance, and Cao Ang believed in Tian Zhong's judgment and Xu Yuan's investigation.

During the tea break, Cao Ang handed the token directly to Xu Yuan and asked Xu Yuan to go directly to the military camp instead of attending the meeting. Cao Zhang and Xiahou Ba, who were stationed in the military camp, had the task of patrolling the defense area. In Cao Ang's view, there was no point in arguing with Cao Cao directly in this situation. He should first send someone to ensure the safety of Yan Xing and his army. As for the bait plan, based on Cao Ang's understanding of his father, there was nothing to doubt.

"Young Master!" Cao Ang called Mao Jie over and told him Tian Zhong's analysis. Mao Jie was not moved at all and thought it was very normal.

"Ardashir is coming out in full force. General Yan will not be able to stop them no matter what." Cao Ang said calmly, "Doctor Mao, do you have anything to teach me?"

"The patrolling legion in the north of the city can serve as support." Mao Jie said slowly.

"I have already sent my third brother and cousin over, but it is not enough. We all know Ardashir's strength very well. In terms of killing efficiency and breaking formations, the Holy Death Knights are absolutely top-notch." Cao Ang said solemnly, "And what is my father's attitude?"

As he said this, Cao Ang looked at Mao Jie coldly.

"Sikong needs a war to determine the current situation of the Holy Death Cavalry." Mao Jie had no intention of hiding it. Cao Ang had already determined that Yan Xing was a bait, so there was no need to say anything else. After all, Yan Xing's army under Cao Cao was the most suitable for doing this.

"How about a large-scale battle in such a heavy rain?" Cao Ang looked at the heavy rain outside. "Ardashir can deploy outside, but we can't deploy inside. If we rush out and fight Ardashir around the Helmand River, what should we do if the enemy is determined to kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of his own and directly blows up the barrier lake upstream?"

The most important reason why Cao Ang was not very supportive of going out to fight was that Ardashir was outside and his men could preset the battlefield, while Cao's army was inside the city. It was difficult to conduct reconnaissance over the entire area in such heavy rain, and there would inevitably be omissions. What if Ardashir built a large impounded lake in a place they couldn't see, waiting for their army to rush out, to lure the enemy and use water instead of soldiers? That would be a disaster.

After all, such heavy rain had turned the sky gray. With Cao Ang's eyesight, he could hardly see the figures of people more than ten meters away. In this case, it was possible that Ardashir had built a barrier lake in a mountain road in the rain in advance and the Cao army scouts had not discovered it.

In today's environment, even a top scout like Xu Yuan can only go out to investigate a distance of more than 30 miles, and it cannot even cover the entire area. Who knows what Ardashir has prepared outside during this period of time? What if it really is a killing move that will result in both parties dying?

"It's possible, but the likelihood is very small." Mao Jie shook his head and said, "Tavasdes would not resort to such a strategy unless he was at his wit's end."

Cao Ang had experienced what happened the year before last, and had become extremely sensitive to many things. His originally gentle eyes suddenly turned cold after hearing this. "What you mean is that we have a killer move that will kill both of us. No, that's not right. Our killer move is ineffective against Ardashir who is on the high ground. We are just waiting for Ardashir to come down!"

When he said this, Cao Ang's expression became extremely ferocious. If this matter was really as Cao Ang judged, then Yan Xing would be abandoned.

"General Le and General Li are storing water in the northern mountain roads for the recent disaster relief?" Cao Ang asked sharply. Mao Jie didn't say anything, and Cao Ang reacted instantly. "What a trick, ruthless, really ruthless. No wonder I was wondering why Sang Lao and his men who were still in the city a few days ago disappeared. I thought they went to inspect the dams and prevent floods. Now think about it, if they really did this kind of thing, they wouldn't need so many people. They went to build a temporary dam as technical supervisors, right?"

Although his tone was questioning, Cao Ang was already certain of this judgment.

"So, it's not that Bakza blew up the mountain and created a dammed lake there, forcing my father to deal with it, but that you found a suitable battlefield from the very beginning. Bakza was just a hunter disguised as a prey. General Yan's so-called expulsion of Bakza was just to attract attention. You had already judged that Ardashir might retreat?" Cao Ang looked at Mao Jie and asked sternly.

"Yan Ming will not be drowned, you can rest assured, young master. This plan is only to determine the maximum combat effectiveness that the officers under Ardashir can demonstrate under the current circumstances." Mao Jie spoke slowly, admitting that they did build a temporary dam, that Yan Xing was indeed a bait, and that they did predict Ardashir's choice.

Cao Ang felt a lump in his chest. He really wanted to ask Mao Jie if he didn't know that there was an obvious rift among Cao Cao's subordinates, and even some disunity to a certain extent. In this situation, if Yan Xing was still plotted against in this way, what would others think afterwards.

"Because only General Yan is suitable." Mao Jie said seriously, "Other legions would not be able to withstand the devastating attack launched by the main force led by Ardashir when they were preparing to retreat. No one else would be able to withstand it. The only difference is how ugly their death would be."

Ardashir is the commander of a large army, and the kind of commander of a large army who has the ability to judge and analyze the battlefield in an instant. In other words, Ardashir's combat situation can be ranked among the top five in the world. If the Holy Death Knights established by Ardashir are included, there is absolutely no possibility that a normal army can withstand such a blow.

Not to mention the elite troops under Cao Cao, even the Tenth Knight Legion and the First Auxiliary Legion would suffer heavy losses after such an attack by Ardashir.

This is also the reason why Cao Cao directly rejected the offer when Zhang Xiu and Cao Zhen raised their hands to express their willingness to expel Bakza, because they would definitely not be able to win in a head-on fight, so they could only try other methods.

Cao Cao specifically told Yan Xing to provide cloud energy, which was actually telling Yan Xing not to save it and to maximize the legion talent. As for why he didn't tell Yan Xing, it was very simple. It is different to be prepared when you know that the enemy is coming and to be prepared when you don't know that the enemy is coming.

Tavasdes is a very cautious person. Once there is any sign of trouble, he may directly abandon the current plan to strangle Yan Xing. Even if Ardashir attacks with his entire army, in the current environment, even if he falls into Cao Cao's trap, there will not be too much loss. Tavasdes will also repeatedly confirm the situation of Yan Xing's army. In this case, Cao Cao has no choice but to be cautious.

"I have sent people to chase General Yan." Cao Ang said slowly.

Mao Jie took a deep look and said nothing. Cao Ang's power under Cao Cao had actually developed to this extent.

"It's not a big problem, and the Minister of State will not necessarily cause trouble to you, young master." Mao Jie said slowly, "After the tea break, the Minister of State will dispatch officers to rescue. As for Ardashir, they should have been dispatched by now, and we should also make preparations here."

On the other side, Xun Youxu was knocking on the table. Now that the situation had developed to this point, it would depend on whether Chen Gong's judgment was correct. Anyway, he, Xun Youxu, had done what he was supposed to do. At least until now, Ardashir still did not realize that it was not only him, Ardashir, who was building a barrier lake in the valley in the mountains. Cao Cao was also doing the same.

"Ardashir is already gathering the entire army." Mao Jie walked over and spoke to Chen Gong, who was sitting nearby and seemed to be resting.

Upon hearing this, Chen Gong opened his eyes and looked at Mao Jie, then turned to look at Chen Qun. Chen Qun shook his head. The intelligence personnel on his side did not report.

This is why sometimes the speed at which Guo Jia's professional intelligence personnel delivered news was not as fast as the speed at which Liu Bei received the news, because there really were some gods who saw some shocking situation on the spot and then ran back overnight to tell Liu Bei about what they saw and heard.

Also a scout, Xu Yuan was highly skilled and courageous. He used his special talent to wander around the outskirts of Ardashir's camp in the rain and saw Ardashir's call with his own eyes. After seeing this scene, he ran back as fast as he could to inform Tian Zhong. Tian Zhong was then responsible to Cao Ang and passed the information directly to Cao Ang. There was no middleman and the analysis process was entirely based on intuition.

The intelligence personnel under Chen Qun were actually the same people under Cheng Yu's command. They did not have the spirit of Xu Yuan. They had done their best by hiding in the rain in a position where they could see Ardashir's camp and observe. To confirm that Ardashir would attack, they had to wait until Ardashir's army left the camp. As a result, no intelligence had been passed back until now.

Because Ardashir's troops have only just been purged and have not yet launched an attack! How could an intelligence officer be able to pass on this information?
"The channel with the eldest master has been confirmed." Mao Jie said with a sigh.

When the people present heard this, they were all silent. The eldest master had received the news, but none of them had. The meaning of that was self-evident. In other words, the problem of Lao Cao's subordinates not working hard was becoming more and more serious.

"But the problem is not that big. It's not that the scouts under our command didn't work hard, but the scouts under the eldest son's command tried too hard. They even went close to Ardashir's camp to confirm the situation." Mao Jie said helplessly, "When he confirmed the news, Ardashir was summoning the entire army, so they should not have sent out the troops yet. It's normal that we didn't receive any information."

This is just like when Huang Tao sometimes brings back an interesting story from Central Asia for Liu Bei, Guo Jia has to wait a few days to get it from the intelligence organization, especially the kind of information that is not very important, but worth mentioning, but not worth rushing.

"In fact, each department is not short of elite veterans. In fact, the backbones at all levels are not inferior to those in the Ganges in terms of smelting level." Xun Yu said slowly.

It's useless. I'm just working for Lao Cao. Why should workers risk their lives? Just do your best.

"The eldest young master is actually quite good." Mao Jie said slowly. He actually admired Cao Ang very much. He was moral and capable, and was also willing to take responsibility. He was very outstanding. If old Cao had not been alive, Cao Ang would have been in power long ago, and he might even be very successful now.

"There's no point in saying this now. Let's first determine Ardashir's current strength and whether we can use it to implement Plan 2. After we've completed Plan 2, we can consider these other things." Chen Gong said expressionlessly.

"The resources I have in reserve are sufficient." Xun Yu said with a gentle expression. He had hardly made any progress over the years, and Cao Cao's current situation left him with no energy to deal with these things. Now that he had room for progress, it was a good thing for Xun Yu.

"I want to mention something. Whether you are willing to discuss it in front of everyone depends on whether you are willing to accept it. Anyway, I am just a messenger." After seeing that this group of people were ready, Chen Qun told them the news he had received.

"What's the matter? Why do they ask you to be the messenger?" Cheng Yu frowned and said.

"It's a family matter. My uncle said that they have a road leading to Kabul, and asked us if we are willing to accept the proposal to let the Chen family attack Kabul when necessary." Chen Qun said calmly. This was Chen Zhong who asked Chen Qun to ask. He didn't mean anything else. It's just a matter of trying his best. If Cao Cao disagrees, there will be no loss. If Cao Cao agrees, Chen Zhong still has to study how to repair the road that he had completely blown up.

"If that road was still usable, Ardashir would have rushed over and cut off the head of your family elder. After all, if the Chen family had not taken advantage of the chaos to burn the food in Kabul, Oswald would not have needed to be so anxious and thus leaked a flaw, causing the empire's scepter to fall here." Xun You said calmly, and then changed the subject, "So I think you can accept this proposal. I want to see how your family built a road on such a cliff that even the Kushan Empire could not build."

"I'm also very curious, how did your family build a road in that kind of place?" Xun Yu asked with a raised eyebrow.

The reason why Ardashir didn't rush over to take off the heads of Lao Chen's family was because several thousand meters of the mountain road from the Bactra mountain city to the Kabul Valley had been blown up.

The mountain roads in these two places are almost like cliff-side plank roads, the kind that cannot be repaired after being destroyed.

As a result, even when Ardashir wanted to take revenge on Chen Zhong afterwards, he had no way to do so. After all, the road was blocked, unless he was willing to cross mountains and ridges in the Beigui Mountain Area and walk for another half a year to get to the Bactra Mountain City. The problem was that with such a super complicated mountain terrain, how much food and clean water would be needed for such a detour? In exchange, how many civilians would be needed?

This is also the reason why Ardashir has not taken revenge on Chen Zhong to this day, because it is not cost-effective. If he could really come up with that amount of food and supplies, it would be enough to fight a war of attrition against Cao Cao. Taking a detour to fight Chen Zhong is at most just to vent his anger. Isn't that insane?
"I don't know. Anyway, my uncle asked me to mention it. If you are willing, the Chen family will help when necessary." Chen Qun said indifferently. He was just a messenger. As for how the Chen family did this and when they did it, he didn't mention it.

"We can bring it up for discussion at the meeting." Xun Yu thought for a while and said, he was really interested in this matter of the Chen family. Of course, the most important point is that if the Chen family can really rush over from the Bactria Mountain City, they can really achieve amazing results when necessary.

Of course, this record does not mean how many enemies were killed, but that when Cao Cao's forces were in a stalemate with Ardashir, Cao Cao rushed in and burned Ardashir's food and logistics, causing large-scale turmoil. In this way, Cao Cao could achieve victory without winning!
In the afternoon, a meeting of Cao Cao's forces was held again. Recently, Cao Cao gathered most of his officers and soldiers so that when an emergency occurs, he can instantly designate the right person to deal with it.

"Zixiao, how is the work assigned to you going?" Cao Cao looked at Cao Ren and asked.

"We have sent key personnel to deal with the scouts deployed by Ardashir outside Kandahar, but the effect has not been good. We have only captured more than ten people so far, and most of the others have been driven away and not captured." Cao Ren bowed and saluted. The scouts of Ardashir were not easy to capture. If there were no clouds, it would definitely not be a problem to kill most of them by using internal energy to leave the body. But now the army is covered in clouds and suppresses each other, so only small teams can be sent out, and those who can serve as scouts are elites. In this case, being able to capture more than ten people is already the best they have done.

"Expelled them all?" Cao Cao looked at Cao Ren and asked.

"After repeated confirmation by both sides, they have all been driven away." Cao Ren replied calmly.

"Okay, all the troops will gather, except Cao Ren's troops who will stay in Kandahar. All the officers and soldiers present will attack with me and prepare for a decisive battle with Ardashir." After hearing Cao Ren's answer, Cao Cao immediately stood up and gave the order. Before noon, Cao Cao had received a report from Chen Gong and others, confirming that Ardashir was preparing to withdraw as they expected, and was also preparing to make a sacrifice before withdrawing, just as they expected.

All the officers were puzzled, but they did not ask any questions, even though it was raining heavily outside. Since Cao Cao had given the order, they had no choice but to attack. As for whether they could win or not, that was another matter.

After all the officers stood up, Cao Cao, who rarely did so, gave a detailed explanation to all of them in advance, allowing them to clearly understand what the plan was all about. After hearing this, all the officers were eager to get started and had no objections.

On the other side, although Yan Xing did not understand his position in this battle, he still accumulated enough cloud energy and relied on the Shadow Fen Xuan Xiang to create an entire legion of soldiers. Then he used the legion's talent to project them in front, while he himself hung a few miles away.

The National Day is over, and I haven't felt anything yet, but I've already come to work. This is probably the worst National Day I've had in the past 30 years, sigh.