Xu Chu's hands were torn open at the base of his thumbs, blood gushing out, and the broadsword in his hands had vanished!
Chapter 598 Alliance
Xu Chu, shirtless, challenged Xiang Yu to a duel, a head-on clash, and then...
With both hands injured again, let alone weapons, I'm afraid I won't even be able to pick up a pair of chopsticks for several days.
Actually, Xu Chu was really strong when he was shirtless; he could probably defeat Guan Yu in a one-on-one fight.
However, Xu Chu, in this near-mad state, didn't know how to cooperate. Even if he was worth three people, he was still not as threatening as a group of five, including Xu Huang and Cao Ren.
If Xu Chu had been able to cooperate closely with Xu Huang, Cao Ren, and others, he wouldn't have been defeated by Xiang Yu so quickly.
However, Xu Chu's sudden attack was not entirely useless; at least it gave Xu Huang and the others a chance to catch their breath and time for the other generals to surround them.
Cao Cao took this opportunity to escape to a relatively safe place, anxiously watching the battle unfold in the circle.
Xu Huang, Cao Ren, and more than ten other generals besieged Xiang Yu, but they could not gain any advantage.
Because their weapons dared not clash head-on with Xiang Yu's, they fought somewhat hesitantly. Many times, just when they were about to achieve victory, Xiang Yu would turn around and sweep his halberd across them, forcing them to abandon their attack and hastily dodge.
Even so, people were constantly knocked off their horses, but Xiang Yu did not kill them; he basically stopped when they were about to fall.
As the saying goes, even a fierce tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves, and a hero can't overcome a large number of people, but this doesn't apply to Xiang Yu at all.
Xiang Yu possessed peak strength and boundless stamina, and wielded the Overlord's Halberd with unparalleled skill. He also had extremely rich combat experience, capable of taking on groups of enemies single-handedly.
Now Cao Cao is in a difficult situation. The best solution is actually to withdraw his troops, but he can't. He simply can't bring himself to do it. How could it be acceptable for thousands of elite troops to be driven away by one person?
But if they don't run away, what can they do if they stay?
It's obvious we can't win!
Looking at the camp full of wounded soldiers, Cao Cao's heart was bleeding. How did he inexplicably provoke such a ruthless person?
In the beginning, it was just this guy who called himself Xiang Yu who blocked Guan Yu's escape. They should have been allies, right?
Gradually, Guo Jia, who was standing next to Cao Cao, noticed something amiss. "My lord," he said, "I feel that Xiang Yu has been showing mercy. After fighting for so long, our generals have only been wounded, but none have been killed in action."
"The enemy could defeat a fierce general like Xu Chu in just a few rounds, and survive unscathed from being surrounded by more than a dozen generals. There's no reason they couldn't kill a single one, is there?"
"Hmm? Fengxiao is right!" Cao Cao, reminded by Guo Jia, also realized that the battle could not continue. "You all, immediately cease your attack and withdraw! Brother Xiang Yu, hold your fire, I have something to say! Xu Huang! Cao Ren! Quickly bring your men back! This Brother Xiang Yu is not an enemy!"
Upon hearing this, all the generals were stunned. Then, two of them, who were still in a daze, were knocked off their horses by Xiang Yu's halberd, their fates unknown.
Just then, a rider galloped from the direction of Guandu, and it was none other than Cao Hong, one of the military generals who was left to guard the Guandu camp!
"Report!"
"What happened?" Cao Cao wondered. Could it be that Yuan Shao had taken the opportunity to cross the river? Otherwise, why would Cao Hong have come all the way here in person?
"Reporting to my lord! A major upheaval has occurred in Hebei. Yuan Shao was ambushed by Yuan Tan, defeated, and captured. The entire Hebei region has fallen to Yuan Tan, who is currently strengthening his army and could attack at any moment!" Cao Hong said, wiping his sweat. It was truly unexpected!
Cao Cao was stunned upon hearing this. "How is this possible! Yuan Shao was defeated by his own son?"
Guo Jia was also puzzled, but now was not the time to think about such things. "My lord, let's return to the Guandu camp first."
"Good, return to camp immediately!" Cao Cao glanced at Xiang Yu and said through gritted teeth.
"Withdraw!" Cao Ren gave the order, and all the generals turned their horses around and left the battle, rushing back to the Guandu camp at full speed.
Cao Cao was extremely eager to return home and was burning with anxiety.
I just hope Yuan Tan doesn't attack within the next hundred days, otherwise he might not have enough generals.
The key question is, after Xu Chu was injured, who could withstand Lü Bu's ferocity?
And there's that mysterious man in the iron mask, as well as Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun under Liu Bei's command!
Yuan Tan was Yuan Shao's son. He replaced his father and took the throne. Most of Yuan Shao's soldiers and generals could accept this, and some may have even always been optimistic about Yuan Tan and wished for him to return and inherit Yuan Shao's legacy.
In this way, Yuan Tan could consolidate his strength in the shortest amount of time, and even continue to use Yuan Shao's strategy for attacking Henan.
Most importantly, Qingzhou is Yuan Tan's territory, so he can attack Guandu without crossing the river. With attacks from both sides, Guandu won't be able to hold out for long!
If Yuan Tan's Qingzhou troops temporarily abandon Guandu and march straight for Xuchang, then it will be even more disastrous. We will have no other way out but to retreat to Luoyang and Chang'an.
Upon thinking of this, Cao Cao's vision went black, and he almost fell off his horse. The series of shocks were simply too much for him to bear.
"My lord," Guo Jia helped Cao Cao up, then whispered, "Xiang Yu didn't pursue the matter further after our generals stopped fighting."
"Hmm, that's good." Cao Cao felt somewhat relieved. Fortunately, he had listened to Fengxiao's words and ended the battle; otherwise, the remaining half of the generals would probably have been injured as well.
"Also, he's been following us the whole time," Guo Jia said with a slight smile.
"Oh?" Cao Cao couldn't help but turn around and saw Xiang Yu riding his horse at a leisurely pace following behind.
"My lord, let me go and talk to him first," Guo Jia volunteered.
Cao Cao hesitated slightly, "Fengxiao, be extra careful."
"Don't worry, my lord, I'll be right back." Guo Jia said, then turned his horse around to meet Xiang Yu.
"Your Majesty, please accept my bow! I am Guo Fengxiao, a strategist under Cao Cao." Guo Jia adopted a very humble posture, because the person opposite him was a fierce man who could take on an entire army by himself and could easily crush him, a weak scholar.
Moreover, since this person dares to call himself Xiang Yu and considers himself a hegemon, he must be someone who is easily swayed by soft words but not by force. Going head-on against a hegemon would be suicide, wouldn't it?
Xiang Yu nodded slightly. "I know you. You are a talented person who is good at devising ingenious strategies, but it's a pity that your health is not very good."
Guo Jia gave a wry smile. "What the Overlord says is true. I do have some health problems. However, even if I had a body as strong as Xu Chu's, I would still be no match for the Overlord."
"No need for further words. I am following you because I have heard about Yuan Tan's occupation of Hebei, so I want to form an alliance with you to fight against Yuan Tan together," Xiang Yu said frankly.
"An alliance? May I ask how many troops the Overlord has?" Guo Jia's heart stirred. Sure enough, they were friends, not enemies. Perhaps his previous battles with the generals were just to demonstrate his martial prowess.
Xiang Yu smiled slightly, "I have no soldiers, only my black horse and my halberd."
"In that case, why don't you join our army and work together to achieve great things? There's no need for such a troublesome alliance, is there?" Guo Jia had long guessed that Xiang Yu did not belong to any faction, otherwise he would have been famous long ago.
"No, an alliance is necessary, because I will not submit to anyone," Xiang Yu said solemnly.
"Then how do we form an alliance?" Guo Jia didn't try to persuade him further; he had only asked casually earlier.
Xiang Yu smiled. "It's simple. I'll deal with Yuan Tan and his generals; the rest are yours. After defeating Yuan Tan, we'll divide Hebei equally, and Qingzhou will also be mine. What do you say?"
Guo Jia's forehead veins throbbed, and just as he was about to refuse, he heard Cao Cao's voice from behind.
"I agree! A promise is a promise!"
Chapter 599 The Nest of Crows
It's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general. Guo Jia certainly understood this principle, let alone Xiang Yu, a powerful warlord with invincible talent. No condition he asked for was too much.
The problem is that Guo Jia's words don't count; he's just there as an intermediary to try and lower the other party's demands so that he can make things easier when he gets back to Cao Cao.
As a result, Cao Cao actually risked coming over and readily agreed to Xiang Yu's conditions.
So Xiang Yu and Cao Cao returned to the Guandu camp together, where Xiang Yu was treated as an honored guest and attended military meetings chaired by Cao Cao every day.
Everyone believed that with such a major upheaval in Hebei, Yuan Tan would need to resolve his internal problems first and gain complete control of Hebei and Yuan Shao's army before attacking Guandu.
This period is particularly important for Cao Cao's army. They must prepare for a decisive battle, or take the initiative to attack while Yuan Tan's position is not yet secure.
However, Cao Cao and his advisors discussed the matter for three days without reaching a decision. Some wanted to launch an offensive, some wanted to defend Guandu, and others wanted to move the capital to Luoyang...
"Why don't you listen to my opinion?" Xiang Yu was really getting fed up. Having too many strategists also had its drawbacks. If opinions were not unified, it would drag on and cause missed opportunities in battle.
"Uh, what brilliant idea does the Overlord have?" Cao Cao had almost forgotten about the great strategist he had invited back.
However, Xiang Yu was unparalleled in martial prowess; could he also have unique strategic skills?
"Yuan Tan won't give us much time. His army might already be ready to attack Guandu."
The primary issue in defending Guandu is food supplies, but as far as I know, the camp's food supplies are extremely tight. If Guandu is besieged, the situation will be dire.
Therefore, for us, offense is the best defense, but if we want to take the initiative, today is our last chance.
Xiang Yu estimated that after Yuan Tan defeated Yuan Shao, his army would be strong and powerful, and he would surely launch a thunderous attack on Cao Cao.
"In your opinion, how should our army take the initiative to attack?" Cao Cao asked.
"If Yuan's army wants to attack us, the primary problem is also supplies. Moreover, Guandu is quite far from Yuan Shao's heartland, so transporting supplies is a significant issue. As long as we send out scouts to find Yuan's army's supply convoys or grain transit points, burn or seize Yuan's supplies, we can severely damage Yuan's army's morale, and our army's chance of victory will arrive."
Xiang Yu's most frequently used tactic in the anti-Qin and Chu-Han Wars was to cut off the enemy's supply lines. The Battle of Julu is considered a classic battle. Later, when he besieged Xingyang, he also constantly attacked Liu Ji's supply lines, forcing Liu Ji to send assassins to impersonate him and surrender outside the city.
Although Peng Yue later used this tactic to harass Xiang Yu's supply lines, it was not without its countermeasures; he simply lacked a bit of luck. Fan Zeng seized the opportunity presented by Chen Ping's divisive tactics to secretly return to Pengcheng, intending to deal with Peng Yue and give him a big surprise.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and Fan Zeng died on the road from a carbuncle.
In short, food supplies are absolutely the lifeblood of any army; even the strongest army cannot withstand a war without them.
In the Battle of Guandu in history, Cao Cao's surprise attack on Wuchao and burning of Yuan Shao's army's supplies was definitely the key to turning the tide of the battle.
However, Cao Cao made this decision because Xu You, a strategist who was originally under Yuan Shao, betrayed Yuan Shao at a crucial moment, bringing Cao Cao important intelligence that Yuan's army's supplies were in Wuchao, and suggested that Cao Cao burn Yuan's army's supplies.
Cao Cao was incredibly bold; he personally led 5,000 elite troops in a surprise attack, and he actually succeeded.
However, now, due to the interference of Yuan Tan, history has already gone astray. Xu You, who knows what he went through, betrayed Yuan Shao much earlier than expected.
Therefore, no one provided Cao Cao with intelligence about Wuchao.
Of course, even if Xu You could provide such intelligence, Yuan Shao had already been replaced by Yuan Tan. Cao Cao might not be able to succeed in attacking Wuchao with 5,000 troops, and he might even be killed by Yuan Tan in Wuchao.
Now that Xiang Yu has brought up the matter, Cao Cao is also deep in thought.
After a moment's thought, Guo Jia stepped forward and said, "My lord, I believe that the Overlord's plan is worth a try. As long as we burn Yuan's army's supplies, whether our army wants to hold Guandu, counterattack Yuan's army, or even retreat to Luoyang, we will be much more at ease."
Xun Yu stroked his beard. “My lord, Fengxiao is absolutely right. Moreover, our army now has a fierce general like Bawang. I think as long as we can find the location of Yuan's army's grain supplies, Bawang will surely be able to burn them.”
Xun You and Cheng Yu also stood up to support Xiang Yu's plan, and Cao Cao's strategist group quickly reached a consensus.
"Is Xiang Yu willing to take on this important task?" Cao Cao had just been thinking of personally going to burn Yuan Shao's army's supplies, but after listening to the suggestions of Xun Yu and others, he also felt that Xiang Yu was more suitable to do this.
"Alright." Xiang Yu had already made preparations by bringing up this matter himself; if Cao Cao didn't use him, then he wouldn't be Cao Cao.
"Good!" Cao Cao clapped his hands. "In that case, I will entrust this important task to the Overlord. Just name your number of troops!"
"Five hundred scouts will suffice. Each of them should carry tinder. If they discover a city where Yuan's army has stored grain, notify me immediately," Xiang Yu said solemnly.
"Five hundred? Isn't that a bit too few?" Cao Cao thought to himself that five thousand would be more like it. What could five hundred men do? They could only find the grain storage places. They would be of no use in a real battle.