After arranging the new front line, Liu Bei completed a tour. According to the previous discussion, in addition to ordering each team to continue to drill the formation, he only sent a few civilians to continue digging.

The trench has been formed. Continuing to dig the trench will make it wider and more difficult to cross, but this is not the purpose.

The main purpose was to deliberately let the officers and soldiers see that the Zhuozhou Army was still digging trenches, so that the officers and soldiers would know that if they dared to stay one more day, the trenches would be deeper, thereby achieving the purpose of forcing the officers and soldiers to retreat.

This is another application of the art of attacking the mind.

For the past few days, all the people have been working day and night, busy and exhausted. There is no point in continuing to dig trenches. It is more important to seize the time to rest.

Behind the Zhuozhou Army's new front line, behind a slope of earth as high as one person, the civilians sat on the ground, resting with nothing to do.

On the north-facing front, due north, Liu Bei stood on the top of the slope, staring towards the official camp, and saw the chaotic movement of men and horses in the official camp.

Liu Bei frowned slightly.

The Zhuozhou Army made another first move, and the officers and soldiers responded next. They might fight decisively or seek peace. These are the only two possibilities.

Liu Bei was afraid that the officers and soldiers would come out, so he felt a little uneasy and unsure.

In the current situation, if the officers and soldiers seek a battle, Huangfu Song will be defeated without any surprise.

What Liu Bei was afraid of was just being an enemy of the imperial court and committing rebellion.

Here, Liu Bei was uneasy.

In the military camp and on the arrow tower, Huangfu Song could clearly see Zhuozhou soldiers holding hoes and baskets in front of the formation and continuing to dig ditches as if no one was around.

Huangfu Song's heart sank.

At this time, even a fool could understand that the Zhuozhou Army had not only dug deep trenches and built earthen forts, but also continued to expand the trenches deeper and wider.

The longer the stalemate lasts, the stronger the Zhuozhou army's geographical advantage will be. It cannot hold on any longer and must break the predicament.

Huangfusong's expression grew colder, he snorted coldly, and went down from the arrow tower.

——

The officers and soldiers were in the big tent, and all the officers and soldiers gathered in the tent.

In the center of the throne, Huangfu Song wears a helmet and armor, sitting upright with a solemn expression like a statue.

Seeing the desperate situation, all the generals in the tent looked panicked, and the sound of sighs and sighs could not be heard.

Everything fell into Huangfu Song's eyes.

In this critical moment, how can we let it go?

Huangfu Song took off the sword from his waist and calmly slapped the sword on the short table with a loud bang.

There was a startling sound, and all the generals in the tent immediately came to their senses, stopped talking quickly, sat up straight, and waited for Huangfu Song to lecture.

Huangfu Song didn't care what happened to the generals and directly ordered in a deep voice, "Where is Li's manuscript?"

"The end is here!"

As soon as he walked out, he knelt on the ground with his fists in his hands and listened to the order.

Huangfu Song looked at the generals in the field and said solemnly, "I order you to be the vanguard, lead three hundred cavalry, and stand by at the north gate."

The generals on the field were stunned when they heard the order. After reacting, the pioneer officer Li Gao's expression changed and he hurriedly tried to persuade him, "Our army has been tightly surrounded. If the battle is absolutely impossible to win, please give me a long-term plan!"

There were many people in the army who were also timid. As soon as the vanguard officer gave words of advice, he immediately made his voice harmonious to the crowd.

"General, please take a long-term approach!"

"If you go into battle rashly, your chances of winning are slim. You should find other ways."

"Our army has a stronghold to defend it, so why should we fight against it?"

…

There were many voices urging Huangfu Song not to go to war.

Huangfu Song's face was expressionless, and he just looked coldly at the general who was trying to persuade him to avoid the battle. Those who were seen immediately did not dare to look at Huangfu Song again, nor did they dare to say another word.

The voice of persuading people to avoid the war was instantly silenced under the pressure of Huangfu Song's cold eyes.

Huangfusong's eyes finally landed on the pioneer officer Li Gao, and he only stared at Li Gao without saying a word.

However, Li Yao was stared at by Huangfu Song so much that his scalp went numb and he was so nervous that he broke into a cold sweat.

"Humph!" Huangfu Song suddenly snorted coldly, "You are deprived of the imperial salary and do not want to share the imperial palace's worries. Instead, you are avoiding fighting. How can we tolerate you in our army!"

Huangfu Song angrily scolded him.

"Come here!" Huangfu Song shouted sharply, "Push him out and kill him!"

Immediately, two muscular axemen with big axes walked in from outside the tent and entered the tent.

Pioneer officer Li Guo, with an earthy face, hesitated to speak, and defended himself with one or two sentences. In the end, he just kowtowed to Huangfu Song, got up, without saying a word, raised his legs and left, and was about to go out with the sword and axe-hand to go to the execution.

The atmosphere was extremely silent. The generals in the tent kept silent and held their breath, not daring to touch Huangfu Song's head.

When Pioneer Officer Li Gao walked to the curtain door, he was about to leave the tent.

"Wait a minute!"

There was a general at the end who suddenly stepped offside, stepped in front of the vanguard officer Li Gao, and stretched out his hand to block Li Gao's path.

Without waiting for Li Gao's reaction, Cao Cao remained calm and gently pulled Li Gao away with his hand.

Cao Cao paid close attention to Li Guo's actions and saw that Huangfu Song did not immediately reprimand him when he blocked Li Guo, so he knew that there was still room for change.

Feeling suspicious, Cao Cao immediately walked to the tent and bowed to Huangfu Song. After that, Cao Cao looked heartbroken and distraught. Chen was wrong.

"Previously, someone came up with a plan to hold the stronghold and wait for Zhuozhou's army to run out of food and grass. Now the plan failed and our army was trapped to death. It was someone's loss!

The current desperate situation is all caused by Meng De. I should be punished. Why should I blame Li Gao?"

After saying that, Cao Cao knelt down with a plop and said, "Dare you ask the general to forgive Li Guo!"

Once Cao Cao took the lead, the officers and soldiers immediately followed suit.

"Please forgive me, Li Mao."

"We are willing to share the same sin."

…

Among those who supported Li Gao, a group of people knelt in the tent. Li Gao, the pioneer officer, looked at Cao Cao's back and his eyes immediately became hot.

On the throne, Huangfu Song looked at Cao Cao, who was kneeling at the head, and sighed, "Mengde, get up quickly! Although the plan is yours, I am the one who uses the army.

It’s ridiculous that the old lady is incompetent in using the troops, which has led to the desperate situation of our army, which has caused everyone to suffer!”

Huangfu Song's self-incrimination made most of the generals in the tent moved, and everyone was busy saying that the general's words were serious.

Huangfu Song first ordered everyone to sit down, and then looked coldly at Li Gao, the pioneer officer behind the tent, "Huh! Since everyone is interceding for you, you will be exempted from death penalty, but you will not be able to escape from living crime. You go alone and lead the army with a fifty-fifty staff."

Li Guo left the tent without saying a word.

The method of imperial control is to pay equal attention to kindness and power. Huangfu Song is worthy of being a veteran general. His methods are decisive and sophisticated. When he sees that all the generals are timid and avoid fighting, Huangfu Song immediately wants to kill people to establish his authority and frighten the rest of the people. Then Cao Cao intervenes.

, Huangfu Song took advantage of the situation and softened his words, which directly moved the hearts of many officers and soldiers, and their blood surged, and they wanted to follow Huangfu Song Qi to die.

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It won’t take a moment.

The morale of the officers and generals, who had generally been passive and avoiding war, suddenly changed.

It doesn’t matter what the morale of the tens of thousands of soldiers outside the tent is, but the morale of the officers and generals is so high that they are ready to fight.

Huangfu Song's level of control is evident.

After the tent was settled, Cao Cao immediately made another suggestion.

Cao Cao said, "The Zhuozhou Army's earthen base has been built. Even if we fight, our army's chances of victory are slim. Moreover, the Zhuozhou Army still sends a large number of civilians. They will not dig out. They cannot win the battle. They can't hold on. If we hold on for one more day, our army will lose strength."

Better than one day.

We can neither fight nor defend. The only plan for now is to retreat."

"I observed that although the Zhuozhou army was very domineering, it exercised restraint and did not attack first.

Some people think that the Zhuozhou army may not want to fight with the official army. There may be room for negotiation."

After saying that, Cao Cao suddenly stood up, strode to the tent, raised his hands and saluted Huangfu Song, and said in an excited voice, "I am willing to serve as an envoy to negotiate peace with the Zhuozhou army and stop the war between the two sides. Please also invite the general.

Sure!"

Huangfusong's eyes narrowed slightly, and he frowned and thought for a moment, "...then, thank you for your service!"

Cao Cao saluted again seriously, "I will live up to my command!"

Although Huangfu Song wanted to fight decisively, Huangfu Song also knew very well that his own side was at too great a disadvantage, and even if a war started, there would be no chance of victory.

As Cao Cao said, it is inappropriate to fight or defend, and the only way to retreat is to retreat.

However, the Zhuozhou Army spent so much effort to surround the officers and soldiers. If the Zhuozhou Army would give up the encirclement and let the officers and soldiers escape, Huangfu Song would have no idea at all.

Since Cao Cao is willing to go as an envoy, it would be a good idea to let Cao Cao give it a try.

It would be best if peace talks are possible, but if peace talks are not possible, then we will not be able to break through the encirclement.

——
To be continued...