The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

It was already dark, and a huge candle as thick as an arm illuminated the central army tent.

A military map made of silk brocade was hung in the big tent, and Li Hu walked back and forth in front of the map with his hands behind his back.

The army was located in the Sui-Zao Corridor. To the east was Tongbai Mountain, which is the boundary mountain between Hubei and Henan and the source of the Huai River. Parallel to Tongbai Mountain is Dahong Mountain, which separates the Nanyang Basin and the Jianghan Plain. Between the two mountains is the Sui-Zao Corridor, and the reason why it is called the "Sui-Zao Corridor" is because Suizhou and Zaoyang guard its key points.

There are two ways to enter Henan Province from the north. One is the waterway on the west side of Dahong Mountain, the Han River. The other is the Sui-Zao Corridor. If you control this area, you will control the land route into Henan, and you can also control Xinyang in Henan through the "three passes" of Wusheng, Jiuli and Pingjing, and then open up the channel to the heart of the Central Plains.

This is the purpose of Shui Rong leading his troops north.

Li Hu stopped and scanned the map. This area was mainly low hills, with mountains and alluvial plains. The plains formed by river alluvial deposits were long and narrow. The art of war said that infantry was good at dangerous places, while cavalry was good at flat areas. This kind of terrain could not bring out the advantages of cavalry.

After staring at the map for a long time, Li Hu shook his head. In this battle, the cavalry could only play a supporting role, and the final victory or defeat would be decided by the infantry.

Since Li Hu took command of the troops, except for the battle of Yongding River, all the field battles had relied on cavalry raids to achieve the final victory. Faced with this sudden change, he felt a little uneasy. With a gap of nearly twice the number of troops, could he win?
The curtain was raised, and Wang Daniu walked in with several personal soldiers.

The two guards in front were holding two braziers, and the two guards behind were holding a lunch basket and a water bottle respectively.

Wang Daniu took the lunch basket, took out a porcelain cup from it, opened the lid, and walked in front of Li Hu.

Wang Daniu: "Marshal, drink some bird's nest porridge to warm your body."

Li Hu came back to his senses and asked: "Where is the bird's nest porridge?"

Wang Daniu smiled and said, "That show-off Xue Pan brought it here."

"He even brought bird's nest with him when he went out?" Li Hu took the bowl of porridge from Wang Daniu's hand, scooped up a spoonful and put it into his mouth.

The charcoal fires in the two braziers burned red, making the tent much warmer.

Wang Daniu: "It was given by Madam Xia to Madam Xue. Xue Pan was worried about the servant, so he brought it with him and gave it to Madam Xue personally."

Li Hu smiled and said, "It was given to my concubine by the Xia family girl."

Wang Daniu: “I think so too.”

Li Hu: "Then how did it get into my bowl?"

After the guards had all left, Wang Daniu smiled and said, "As the old saying goes, 'one who takes from someone else is obliged to return the favor, and one who eats from someone else is soft-hearted.' The Marshal ate his bird's nest, so it's not right for him to refuse to talk about his sister."

Li Hu was too lazy to pay attention to him. He ate bird's nest porridge while scanning the map.

Wang Daniu: "If we are not sure, we can retreat to Suizhou city."

What does this mean? Are you looking down on yourself?

Li Hu glared at him and said unhappily: "If you don't understand, just shut up. Shui Rong will surround the city and starve you to death!" After that, he drank the rest of the porridge in one gulp.

Wang Daniu smiled awkwardly: "Well, I've just boiled some hot water, you can soak your feet to relieve your fatigue."

Li Hu waved his hand, stared at the map for a moment, and made up his mind: "Notify the camp leaders to come to the central army tent to discuss the matter."

Wang Daniu answered loudly, "Yes." He turned around and strode out.

Li Hu also walked out and looked towards the south: "Then let's have a head-on collision."

Just as the sky was getting light, a low horn sounded in the camp, and then the entire camp began to move, operating in an orderly manner like a machine.

The people brought by the White Tiger Hall Master formed a team and squatted in their barracks, holding bowls and surrounding a large basin full of vegetables, eating and talking about what they saw and heard in the barracks. The White Tiger Hall Master walked in from outside, walked straight to them, picked up an empty bowl and a pair of chopsticks from the ground, scooped rice from the rice bucket, squatted next to them, and started eating.

The men who were eating were looking at him.

One man couldn't help but say, "Hey! Big brother, why don't you go to the special kitchen and come to share our food?"

Another man said: "Yes, the food from the small kitchen is delicious and has plenty of oil and water."

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

The White Tiger Hall Master swallowed the food in his mouth and spoke: "What a small kitchen! You thought this was a patrol camp! Eat quickly, and then check the weapons and equipment. It's time to fight!"

Everyone was shocked: "So fast?"

The White Tiger Hall Master ate his meal with big mouthfuls, saying, "The military order has been passed to me. Hundreds of thousands of White Lotus rebels are heading this way."

Everyone took a breath: "Hundreds of thousands"

The White Tiger Hall Master finished the food in his bowl, scooped up another full bowl, and then said: "Listen outside, there is no noise at all. Do you know what this means? They don't take the hundreds of thousands of people on the other side seriously at all."

Everyone looked at each other and looked at each other.

White Tiger Hall Master: "Why are you all standing there? Hurry up and eat!"

Everyone then came to their senses and started eating with big mouthfuls.

While we were eating, we heard a sharp and rapid horn sound outside.

The White Tiger Hall Master stood up suddenly and shouted, "Quick, put on your armor and assemble!"

Everyone hurriedly swallowed the food in their mouths, worked together, and rushed out of the tent in a hurry.

The White Tiger Hall Master and his companions were incorporated into the Sword and Shield Battalion. Just as they formed a line, they heard rustling footsteps and the ground shook.

The White Tiger Hall Master looked in the direction of the voice, his pupils shrank slightly, and his expression was filled with shock.

Armies in armor and uniforms came in neat rows, with swords and spears at the ready, and a fierce aura was overwhelming.

Looking at the large armies rushing past the front of the team, the White Tiger Hall Master couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He had seen the troops of King Zhongshun and Wang Ziteng. Let alone anything else, the momentum alone was a world of difference.

At this time, the messenger came riding up and shouted loudly: "Follow up, follow up quickly!"

The White Tiger Hall Master came to his senses and shouted, "Hurry, follow up, follow up!" He hurriedly led his men in a line to follow.
The cold wind was howling and the red flag was fluttering in the wind.

Under the big flag, Li Hu sat upright on a big white horse, looking quietly into the distance. Half an hour later, the mighty White Lotus army appeared. They stopped and began to organize their formation into a battle queue.

Li Hu saw Shui Rong. He no longer looked as gentle and elegant as before, but now he was old and ugly.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and a strong north wind blew across the battlefield between the two armies. The soldiers on both sides were on high alert, waiting for the order to attack!
Shui Rong was also looking at Li Hu at this time, and then his eyes swept across the government army formation, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He received the news last night that the camp would be moved before dawn. He was confident that he could defeat Li Hu in this battle. Although they were inferior to the government army in equipment, they had an absolute advantage in manpower and high morale, which was enough to make up for the lack of weapons and equipment.

In particular, the terrain here is not conducive to cavalry raids, which gives Shui Rong more confidence. Without the threat of cavalry, the chances of winning this battle increase by three points.

Suddenly, Shui Rong felt a chill on his face. He raised his head and saw snowflakes falling from the sky. He stretched out a hand to catch the falling snowflakes, his eyes shining: "It's a good omen, it's a good omen from heaven! With this heavy snow, the muskets of the Firearm Battalion and the bows and arrows of the Mongols will be greatly affected. With the right time and place, plus the absolute advantage in numbers, we're set!" (End of this chapter)