The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 218 Yuan Shang was impressed. The last person who fought like this was Bai Qi.
But Liu Bei rushed to Xu County to visit Li Yi, and they talked about the issue of grain transportation.

Due to the weather, grain transportation efficiency is low.

Although livestock was the main means of transporting food, the main reliance was still on human labor.

Human transportation in ancient times was quite cruel, and it was common for laborers to die on the way.

In the words of the Salt and Iron Treatise, "The best soldiers died in the army, and the middle-ranking soldiers died in the transport of grain."

This means that soldiers in good health have to go to the front lines as cannon fodder.

Soldiers with weak bodies cannot escape the fate of being consumables and must participate in operational work.

No matter whether you are a soldier or a laborer, no matter whether you are driving a cart or carrying military rations.

The people who participated in the transportation had a very hard time, especially those who transported military supplies.

Because military rations are of paramount importance, officers who delay them will be subject to military law.

Therefore, in order to ensure transportation efficiency, military officers will not treat the laborers as human beings.

This is a characteristic of the feudal era.

As long as you participate in transporting military rations, you will be skinned alive even if you don't die on the road.

Li Yi was supervising the transportation of grain from Huainan and Yuzhou in Xu County, and he also realized this problem.

So I spent more than half a month coming up with a way to improve transportation efficiency.

After a while, the workers took out the object invented by Li Yi.

Liu Bei quickly widened his eyes and stretched his neck to look.

“…Is this a deer cart?”

Liu Bei frowned. The structure of this car was very similar to the deer cart, but it had four more pillars, so the overall structure was different.

Li Yi explained to Liu Bei:

"This vehicle has four legs and can travel dozens of miles a day in a single direction."

"The group can travel 20 miles a day."

In other words,
When forming a team, the quality of the people pushing the carts varies, some walk fast, and some walk slowly.

So according to the minimum standard, you can walk at least twenty miles a day.

Of course, this transportation efficiency is definitely not high.

But the good thing about it is that it won’t be too hard for the person pushing the cart.

At least there won't be a situation like now where a large number of laborers die on the way.

Li Yi invented this car out of humanitarianism.

Although most of the people transporting grain were corvée laborers, they were, after all, transporting grain to the soldiers on the front line.

Their lives should be respected.

"I don't know how much food this vehicle can carry at a time?"

Liu Bei asked the question that concerned him most: how much grain could be carried was the key point.

After all, although this vehicle ensures the safety of the laborers' lives, if its efficiency is inefficient, it will drag down the entire army.

"One cart can carry twenty stones!"

Li Yi raised two fingers and made a solemn promise to Liu Bei.

"……Um."

Liu Bei nodded and said with emotion:

"One cart can carry one person's food for a year at a time. It's really a good cart!"

Then, he smiled and asked Li Yi:

“Does this car have a name?”

Li Yi looked calm and said calmly:
"Yi named it the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse."

That’s right, the wooden ox and flowing horse are actually a modified version of the unicycle.

This is not only the mainstream opinion of the ancients, but also the mainstream opinion of modern academia.

However, these opinions are very controversial only among the public.

Why is it so controversial?

The public opinion is that Prime Minister Zhuge is so capable.

How could the wooden ox and horse be just an ordinary wheelbarrow?

Even if it's not an intelligent robot, it should at least be something else high-end, right?
I can only say that this is a bit too demanding of the Prime Minister.

No matter how capable the Prime Minister is, he cannot break through technological conditions and physical laws.

During the Han Dynasty, deer carts were mainly used to transport people.

A maximum of two people can be carried at a time.

Previously, when Li Yi was harvesting grain in Wei, he did not have enough livestock for transportation, so he could only use deer carts to replace them.

At that time, he thought of converting the deer cart into a wheelbarrow for transporting goods in order to improve transportation efficiency.

In fact, Zhuge Liang in history also changed his mindset and transformed the wheelbarrow from transporting people to transporting grain.

In addition, we must overcome the difficult and complex transportation conditions in Shu and maintain or even improve transportation efficiency.

This was already very impressive in the historical context of the time.

As Mr. Liu Xianzhou, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a mechanic, commented,
——"The invention of a wheelbarrow is already a great progress."

Li Yi ordered someone to push another cart over.

This car is different from the previous one-legged quadruped, it has four wheels.

“…This is the wooden ox, and this is the flowing horse.”

Li Yi pointed with his hand and introduced the two cars to Liu Bei one by one.

That’s right, the wooden ox and the flowing horse are two kinds of vehicles.

The wooden ox is the modified version of the unicycle that Li Yi had made before.

The Liuma replaced the four pillars of the wooden ox and added three wheels.

Two square bags were placed on the back of the wandering horse, and all the food was put into the bags for transportation.

Each square bag can hold two stone and three dou of rice, which means that a first-rate horse can carry four stone and six dou of grain.

Therefore, the Liuma is far inferior to the wooden ox in terms of grain transport speed and transport volume.

However, it is more labor-saving than the wooden ox, and there is basically no possibility of it dying of exhaustion halfway.

But considering its transportation efficiency, it certainly cannot be used on a large scale.

It is best to use it in combination with the wooden ox.

"When Yi came to Xu County last time, he discussed with the craftsmen of this county about modifying the deer cart to be used as a wooden ox and flowing horse."

"Since the lord is here, why not approve this resolution so that the craftsmen can produce on a large scale."

This kind of invention in the military field still needs to be approved personally by the supreme leader Liu Bei.

Liu Bei said without hesitation:

"...Mr. has always been cautious in his actions. He once used a curved plow to improve farming."

"This year, we have used the wooden ox and flowing horse to improve the efficiency of the movement, which is truly a good move that benefits the army and the people."

"Just follow your wishes, sir."

Immediately, Liu Bei waved his hand and agreed to the plan of mass production of wooden oxen and flowing horses.

As they were speaking, someone suddenly reported that an envoy from Qingzhou had arrived.

The scout came in a hurry because the two leaders of Xia Pi, Liu Bei and Li Yi, were not there.

After asking around, he found out that he was in Xu County, so he hurried over to report.

When Liu Bei saw that it was an envoy from Qingzhou, he asked Li Yi if he knew the purpose of the envoy's visit.

Li Yi said firmly:
"I heard that Yuan Xiansi was defeated by Yuan Shang a few days ago. He was trapped in a small town in the plain and was definitely no match for Yuan Shang."

"You are sending an envoy here now, so you must be asking for something from Xuzhou. Go quickly!"

So everyone quickly rushed back to Xia Pi.

When he arrived at Xia Pi, he met the envoy, who was Xin Pi, the current magistrate of Pingyuan.

Li Yi said to Liu Bei:

"Xin Zuozhi is a man of great eloquence, my lord, please be careful in dealing with him."

Liu Bei followed his advice and invited Xin Pi to the posthouse, where the two sides exchanged greetings.

Xin Pi was about to present Yuan Tan's letter.

The letter talked about Yuan Tan's gratitude to Liu Bei for recommending him as a talented person, and also expressed his own difficulties.

He hoped that Liu Bei would send troops to help him defeat Yuan Shang.

Seeing this, everyone advised:
"Yuan Tan was attacked too hastily by Yuan Shang, so he had no choice but to surrender."

"Don't trust their hearts easily. Be cautious if you want to mobilize troops."

Sun Qian and Jian Yong also advised:

"Now that the Yuan brothers are fighting, it is the right time for Henan to reap the benefits."

"Why rush to mobilize troops?"

"Besides, after years of war, Xuzhou was exhausted and the people were in hardship."

"Earlier, when the Marquis of Tan went north to attack Wei, he only managed to capture three months' worth of food and money."

"It is not helpful to start a dispute again now."

Li Yi refuted everyone and said:
"What you say is not a good theory!"

"Since the defeat of Yuan Shang, the only powerful state in the world is Xuzhou."

"Cao Cao occupied Yan and Yu, while Liu Biao protected Jiang and Han."

"Yet the Yuan family has not been defeated. They still control four states and have hundreds of thousands of soldiers."

"When I conquered Wei in the north, I dealt a heavy blow to Yuan Shang, and Yuan Tan's desire to seize the throne has only grown stronger."

"If the two sons could get along and work together to preserve their achievements, who knows what the world would be like."

"Now, while their brothers are attacking each other, they are desperate and have come to me. I will lead my troops to help them capture Yuan Shang first."

"Then sit back and watch the world change. Jizhou will be established. Why miss this opportunity?"

"Now Yuan Tan is in urgent need, and because of his old friendship, he has come to Xuzhou to surrender."

"If you do not save him, he will surrender to Cao Cao. What will you do?"

Li Yi's words left everyone speechless.

Liu Bei then asked Li Yi:
"...Sir, what are your chances of success this time?"

Li Yi frowned, and with a righteous look, he analyzed the situation for Liu Bei in an orderly manner:

"The Yuan brothers were fighting each other, and no one else could separate them. They just thought they could rule the world in their own hands."

"I have now asked for help from my lord, because Yuan Tan knows that he cannot defeat Yuan Shang, and his strength has been exhausted."

"When the army is defeated externally, counsellors are executed internally, and brothers quarrel over slander, the country is divided in two."

"Years of war have left lice on armor, and drought, locusts, and famine have come at the same time. The country has no granaries, and people have no food to carry when they travel."

"Natural disasters come from above, and human troubles come from below."

"Everyone knows that the Yuan family will collapse. This is the time when God will destroy the Yuan family!"

"The Art of War says: 'Even if you have a stone fortress and a hot spring, and a million soldiers but no grain, you cannot defend it.'"

"The lord's mighty power is like a swift wind blowing away autumn leaves when he meets an impoverished enemy and defeats an exhausted bandit.

"At present, the two Yuans are not pursuing long-term strategies, but are plotting against each other, which can be described as chaos."

"If a man stays without food, and a man travels without provisions, he is doomed."

"Now, since they asked for help, we should comfort them. There is no greater benefit than this."

"In my humble opinion, the enemy in all directions is the one in Hebei."

"Once Hebei is pacified, the six armies will be strong and the whole world will be shaken."

"May the Lord think about this carefully!"

Li Yi explained his analysis to Liu Bei one by one.

Have we talked about what is a true talent to assist the king?
That is to do it.

Flattery with reason and evidence.

Talk about the problem from your own perspective.

Suggest with conviction.

Only when all these three points are achieved can you truly convince others.

While improving the morale of one's own group, it can also skyrocket one's own ideology.

Liu Bei was overjoyed, and immediately appointed Li Yi as commander-in-chief and led 20,000 troops north to Qingzhou.

Assist Yuan Tan to take back Jizhou.

Li Yi led his troops northward, and Yuan Tan was overjoyed to learn that Li Yi had indeed led his troops to support him personally.

He personally led the army thirty miles out of the city to welcome them.

As soon as he saw Li Yi, he bowed and said:
"Yuan Xiansi greets you, my Lord!"

Li Yi personally helped him up, held his hand and said:

"My wife is also from the Yuan family. If we talk about seniority, you and I are cousins."

Yuan Tan was overjoyed and immediately invited Li Yi into the city.

When he hosted a banquet for Li Yi, he asked about the strategy of returning to Jizhou.

Li Yi said:

"The army is short of food now. I intend to go north to Bohai first."

Li Yi did not bring much food and fodder with him this time, so he could only rely on Yuan Tan for supplies.

But the small plain certainly cannot support so many soldiers.

That's why Li Yi proposed to go north to take Bohai County first.

There are only two richest places in the entire Jizhou, one is Bohai and the other is Weijun.

A few decades earlier, Bohai could be said to be the richest county in Jizhou.

The estimated population is between 110 million and 200 million.

However, after Yuan Shao took control of Jizhou, he moved the seat of government to Ye County in Weijun.

Therefore, Wei County jumped from being the last county in Jizhou to becoming the richest county in Jizhou.

In addition, except for Zilong’s hometown Changshan, counties like Qinghe and Anping are also populous counties.

Therefore, Jizhou dares to call itself the leader of the Nine Provinces, and it is definitely not an exaggeration to say that one county is equivalent to one province.

Li Yi wanted to take Bohai first, on the one hand because of food and fodder considerations, and on the other hand because he wanted to occupy this large county first.

After all, Weijun is an enclave for Xuzhou. Even if it is indirectly controlled by Yuan Tan, it will be difficult to compete with Cao Cao.

Cao Cao had long regarded Wei County as his own possession and a fish in the pond.

Earlier, when Li Yi led his troops back from Wei, he saw Yu Jin's large number of troops in Liyang, and he already knew that Cao Cao was about to launch an attack on Wei.

It just so happened that Cao Cao's raising of an army could help him contain Yuan Shang's troops.

"If we take Bohai first, what will we do if Yuan Shang leads his troops to attack us?"

Yuan Tan asked hurriedly.

"…If Yuan Shang leads his troops to rescue, the territory of Wei will be empty, and Cao Cao will surely take advantage of the situation to raise an army and seize the territory of Wei."

"If Yuan Shang doesn't come back to rescue us, we will lose our nest."

"If he comes to rescue me, I can follow him."

"As a result, Yuan Shang could neither lift the siege of Bohai nor repel Cao Cao's troops."

"Their defeat is certain!"

Yuan Tan was overjoyed and immediately held Li Yi's hand and said:
"I'd like to follow your advice!"

Having said that, he couldn't help but glare at Guo Tu.

I curse you inwardly, look at other people's counselors, and then look at yourself.

How can the gap between people be so big?

Immediately, Yuan Tan followed Li Yi and sent troops north to attack Bohai.

When Yuan Shang heard that Yuan Tan had asked for troops from Xuzhou, he was furious:

"The other day this bandit defeated me, how can you allow foreign invaders to invade and occupy my land again?"

"I swear to kill him!"

Just as he was about to lead his troops to rescue Bohai, Shen Pei advised:

"Your army is far away, so we must be on guard against Cao's army crossing the river."

Yuan Shang said:
"Shen Gong can defend the land for me."

So Yuan Shang left Shen Pei to guard Yecheng.

He appointed Chen Lin as his counselor, Ma Yan and Zhang Yi as his vanguards, and personally led an army of 20,000.

Head north overnight to rescue Bohai.

On the other side of the river, Liyang garrison commander Yu Jin had been keeping an eye on the situation in the north.

When he realized that Yuan Shang had led his troops out and the military strength of Wei County was greatly reduced, he immediately sent an envoy to Xu County overnight to inform Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this: "I will definitely take Jizhou this time!"

Therefore, he ordered Cao Hong to lead an army of 10,000 to attack Yecheng first.

He then led an army of 20,000 to attack Shangdang County and cut off Yuan Shang's left arm.

Shangdang County belonged to Bingzhou and was not very rich.

But for strategic considerations, Cao Cao decided to attack here first.

Only by taking Shangdang can the Hedong area be connected with Henei and Weijun.

What's more, Cao Cao had recently heard that Ma Chao surrendered Bingzhou after one battle.

Although Ma did not explicitly say that it was Xuzhou who instigated him to send troops, he did so out of caution.

Cao Cao still had to take Shangdang first to prevent being held hostage by Bingzhou in the future.

Therefore, Cao's camp divided its troops into two groups.

Along the way, Cao Hong took Jizhou, and along the way, Cao Cao took Bingzhou.

At the same time, the Cao-Liu alliance also reached the most delicate node of relationship.

That is, no matter whether Li Yi or Cao Cao sent troops, they would no longer greet or remind the other side as before.

Basically, they just fight each other.

At most, I won’t hit you, and you shouldn’t hit me.

The originally solid alliance between Cao and Liu has now evolved into a "Non-Aggression Treaty".

……

On the other hand, Yuan Shang led his troops to rescue Bohai.

As soon as he arrived in Nanpi County, the seat of Bohai, he immediately received shocking news.

Li Yi has already conquered Chonghe, Dongguang, Yangxin, Gaocheng and other places.

Although Yuan Shang was farther away, his speed was definitely slower than Li Yi.

But Li Yi was the attacker and had to go through many checkpoints along the way.

And Yuan Shang had a smooth journey in fighting on his own land!
As a result, when he arrived, almost half of Bohai Sea had been lost.

"How did they advance so quickly?"

Yuan Shang was quite shocked.

The people around him explained:

"I heard that Li Yi's army this time mostly traveled light and abandoned food and supplies."

“So it goes fast!”

Yuan Shang suddenly understood.

...That's not surprising, that's not surprising.

Traveling light can indeed greatly increase the marching speed, but it requires the commander to capture the city in the shortest time possible.

Otherwise, without supplies from the city, the soldiers would starve to death immediately.

This way of fighting requires a lot of courage.

The last person who fought a war like this was Bai Qi during the Warring States Period.

Although Yuan Shang and Li Yi were not on good terms, he saw him lead his troops all the way and overcome many obstacles.

Still couldn't help but sigh:
"When my father was alive, he said that Li Yi was a master of military strategy."

"Even if Han and Bai were resurrected, they might not be better than this."

"…Today I believe that what you said is true."

The people around him then added:
"I heard that during this battle, Li Yi used a catapult to attack the city wall."

"Its force is like thunder and its power is like a landslide."

"When the engine started, huge rocks flew into the air, whistling towards us."

"Wherever they struck, the city walls collapsed and the towers and turrets were destroyed."

"The defending soldiers were all terrified."

"They were also afraid of Li Yi's reputation, so they would often just fire a cannon and the generals defending the city would surrender to Li Yi."

what?
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang became furious and cursed:

"When my father was alive, he treated people like this well."

"Now Li Yi has just arrived, and before he has fired a single arrow or crossbow, the whole city has surrendered to him."

"This people are really hateful. Wait for me to recover the lost land."

"But kill them all!"

The whole of Hebei hates traitors very much.

Because after Yuan Shikai lost the Battle of Guandu, the propaganda against Hebei was:

They lost the battle because Zhang He and Gao Lan defected in the middle of the battle.

Therefore, it is extremely politically incorrect for officials in Hebei to dare to talk about "surrender".

When he heard that some local officials in Bohai surrendered to Li Yi's army without a fight.

Yuan Shang was of course angry, but at the same time he was thinking to himself.

How scared were these people that they dared to surrender to Li Yi under such tremendous pressure?
"Li Yi's army is coming fast. How will you deal with it, my lord?"

The generals asked one after another.

Yuan Shang analyzed:
"Since Li Yi is traveling light, he must want to fight and end the war quickly."

"I will first set up camp fifty miles away from Nanpi and defend it."

"If Li Yi's attack becomes urgent, send reinforcements from Nanpi."

Chen Lin advised:

Li Yi is a master at using troops. Now he has abandoned the city and is occupying the fort to resist the enemy."

"This is exactly what Li Yi is planning, in my humble opinion."

"It is safest to garrison in Nanpi."

"This place is close to Youzhou. We can send someone to write to the Second Young Master and ask him to send troops from Youzhou to help us."

"This way, we can also save Jizhou's military strength."

"We just need to defend Nanpi to the death, and hold out against them for a long time."

"Li Yi will naturally withdraw his troops."

Yuan Shang followed his advice and immediately sent troops into two groups.

Heading north, they went to Youzhou to seek help.

He returned to Ye all the way and urged Shen Pei to provide food and grass.

In preparation for a protracted war with Li Yi in Nanpi.

Li Yi's army soon arrived in Nanpi.

Li Yi first surrounded the city and was not in a hurry to attack.

After riding a horse to inspect the city, he saw that Nanpi was well defended, and Yuan Shang was ready to fight a protracted war with him.

Xu You was familiar with the geography of Jizhou. He participated in the battle as a guide throughout and successfully persuaded many city defenders to surrender.

It can be said that his achievements are outstanding.

That day, Xu You accompanied Li Yirao to visit Nanpi again.

"It seems that Yuan Shang is ready for a protracted war with Ziyu."

"What do you think, Ziyu?"

Xu You stroked his beard and asked Li Yi.

But there was a sense of calm on his face, as if he was confident about defeating Nanpi and was just waiting for Li Yi to ask him for advice.

Of course he had this confidence. After all, he had been unstoppable along the way and had offered many suggestions.

But this time Li Yi did not ask for his advice as usual, he just said calmly:

"Yuan Shang leads a large army to Nanpi, and the Wei territory will be empty."

"If Cao Sikong leads a large army, Yuan Shang will be unable to take care of both ends, and Jizhou can be captured."

Xu You was startled and asked hurriedly:

"Then how does Ziyu plan to take Nanpi?"

Li Yi stroked his beard and immediately divided the army into four parts.

Zhao Yun surrounded the north, Zhang Fei surrounded the east, Zhang Liao surrounded the west, and Li Yi himself led the army to defend the south.

Seeing that Li Yi had surrounded Nanpi tightly, he was not in a hurry to attack.

Yuan Shang, Chen Lin, Ma Yan and others on the city wall became nervous.

I wondered if Li Yi was traveling light.

He should be short of food. It is impossible that he really wants to kill them by besieging the city, right?

To this end, Yuan Shang also came up with a clever plan.

Among all the philosophers, he is the most popular.

So he personally climbed up the city wall to speak, calling on all the people to climb up together to defend the city and resist the invaders.

The Yuan family's reputation is still good, but the people's understanding of them is mostly short-sighted.

Instigated by Yuan Shang's few words, he quickly climbed up the city wall with the soldiers.

They acted as if they were determined to defend the city to the death.

Li Yi, accompanied by Yuan Tan, rode his horse to the foot of the city.

When Yuan Shang saw Yuan Tan coming in person, he whipped his whip and yelled:
"The traitors colluded with foreign enemies and invaded the northern lands."

"Are you inviting wolves to harm your brothers again?"

Yuan Tan was furious and shouted at the wall:

"You poisoned your father to death and usurped the title."

"I am the eldest son, so I should be the heir!"

Yuan Shang was furious. He drew his bow and arrow and shot towards the city.

Whoosh!
An arrow flew over and was deflected by Xu Chu with a knife.

"With such martial arts skills, can you serve as a general in battle?"

Yuan Tan laughed loudly. If we talk about horsemanship, Yuan Tan does have the nerve to say this.

Yuan Shang became even more angry and shouted:

"Li Ziyu, just come and attack my city."

"We, the people of Hebei, would rather die in battle than make peace with the bandits!"

Yuan Tan heard Yuan Shang's sarcasm and felt ashamed and annoyed. He immediately challenged Li Yi to a battle:
"Sir! This thief is too hateful."

"I am willing to be the vanguard and help you conquer Nanpi."

"Please give your approval, my Lord!"

Li Yi waved his hand, signaling Yuan Tan to stay calm.

"Nanpi is different from other places. Our army has few soldiers. If we attack by force, the losses will be great."

"It's not conducive to the next battle."

Yuan Tan asked:

"Our army doesn't have much food or fodder. If we don't take Nanpi quickly, we'll have to do it."

"There will definitely be a mutiny in the army!"

Li Yi did not respond, but just stretched out his hand backwards.

"Archers prepare!"

"Order!"

After he finished speaking, rows of archers strode out, drew their bows and arrows, and headed for the city wall.

puff!
Well!
A flying arrow pierced Yuan Shang's hair crown, frightening him so much that he quickly drew his head back and hid under the parapet.

Then he forced himself to remain calm and laughed:

"Li Ziyu, I am worried that there are not enough arrows in the city."

"Thank you for the arrows, sir!!"

"……Hahaha."

laugh!
Just when Yuan Shang was getting carried away, another stray arrow flew by.

It hit Yuan Shang's front teeth right in the middle.

"what!!"

Yuan Shang covered his mouth and screamed, blood gushing from his fingertips.

Everyone around was shocked and rushed forward to rescue him.

Yuan Shang was in great pain, he covered his mouth and said in a fierce voice:
"Li Yi! I swear to kill you!"

Chen Lin advised:

"There are arrows flying from the city walls. If we don't shoot back, they will take advantage of the situation and attack us."

"Nanpi is in danger."

That makes sense...

Yuan Shang was in so much pain that he was unable to speak. He immediately stretched out his hand to signal the archers on the city to release their arrows, and they immediately shot back.

Arrows rained down from both sides of the city.

However, since Yuan Shang was in a dominant position, the rain of arrows and firepower were able to suppress Li Yi's army.

Upon seeing this, Zhang He raised his large shield and tried to charge the city.

Li Yi's urgent way to stop:

"Yuan Shang went to Nanpi in person to boost morale."

"The soldiers and civilians on the city are united. If we force an attack at this time, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses."

Zhang He said anxiously:

"If we use the method of stalemate to wear down their fighting spirit, our army's food and grass will be difficult to maintain for long."

He turned back to look at the soldiers shooting at him, his face gloomy:

"The thief is above, I am below."

"After several rounds of arrow rain, a huge amount of arrows were consumed, but very few enemies were killed."

"If this goes on for a long time, how can we conquer Nanpi?"

“…It’s okay.”

Li Yi stroked his beard and said calmly:

"I have my own plan to defeat the enemy. You can first tell the soldiers to hold shields and wrap them with thick straw."

"Then they made clothes out of grass and covered themselves with them overnight, and attacked the city at nightfall."

Zhang He didn't understand what he meant, but he still did as he was told.

Li Yi called Gao Shun over again and said, "You can order the soldiers to assemble the catapult I used the other day."

"I will use it soon."

Although the counterweight trebuchet is powerful, it is inconvenient to move.

If you want to speed up the march, you have to assemble it temporarily.

"Here."

Gao Shun also took the order and left.

People around said:
"Nanpi is a big city. Our army is small, but we have to surround the city from all sides."

"If reinforcements from other counties come and join forces with the defenders on the city, it will be difficult to resist the enemy."

"Why not withdraw the siege on both sides and only attack the east and south?"

"Yuan Shang will not dare to fight to the death. If he is forced to leave, he will abandon the city and flee."

"In this way, the city can be conquered."

Li Yi explained:
"If we can capture Nanpi before their reinforcements arrive, we will have nothing to worry about."

"If the city is breached, I will surround it on all sides and kill as many enemies as possible."

"We should do our best to weaken Yuan Shang's power. This is a long-term strategy."

Li Yi’s strategic goal was very clear: the Yuan family’s strength in the north was too strong.

The war has begun and hatred between the two places has been formed.

In order to maximize the results of the war, it is necessary to destroy as many new forces that Yuan can mobilize as possible.

This fundamentally weakens his strength.

When everyone saw this, they stopped advising him.

Everyone was just guessing how Li Yi was going to capture Bohai's capital before the enemy reinforcements arrived.

……

(End of this chapter)