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

Chapter 171 It turns out that this is what it feels like to win with Xuzhou

Taishi Ci's heroic spirit showed his determination not to return until he had defeated the bandits in Danyang.

Seeing that he had made up his mind, Yuan Yin said:
"...Well, the two generals have made up their minds to fight the Yamayue bandits."

"Yuan will do his best to help."

Xu Sheng asked again, "Who is the most powerful among the clan bandits in Lingyang County?"

Yuan Yin frowned, thought for a while, and replied:
"At that time, there was a local nobleman in Danyang, Zulang from Jing County, who was a powerful local tyrant and had gathered countless people."

"He called himself 'Jing County Marshal' and no one dared to offend him."

"When Sun Bofu started his army, he first joined the then Danyang governor Wu Jing and gained several hundred people."

"Zu Lang saw Sun Ce recruiting soldiers in Jing County, so he launched an attack, and Sun Ce almost died at his hands."

"Afterwards, Yuan Shu returned to Sun Jian's old army, and Sun Ce gained a thousand men and attacked Zu Lang again, driving him away."

"They are temporarily stationed in Lingyang County. However, they have joined forces with other clan leaders and have gathered more than 10,000 people. They should not be underestimated."

Zulang was a local clan leader and nobleman. He led the fierce Danyang people and dominated the local area.

When Sun Ce first arrived, Zu Lang saw that he dared to challenge the great emperor and fought with him many times.

Sun Ce almost died at Zu Lang's hands twice. The first time, Sun Ce fought desperately to escape.

The second time, Cheng Pu rescued him and broke through.

Later, Sun Ce's power grew and he personally led an expedition to Lingyang County, capturing Zu Lang alive.

However, Sun Ce did not kill Zu Lang, but said to him,

You attacked me before and cut my saddle. Now that I want to build a great cause, I have to put aside the old grudge.

I treat everyone in the world like this, not just you, so you don't have to be afraid.

Zu Lang kowtowed and pleaded guilty, and Sun Ce personally untied his shackles and appointed him as the thief commander under his command.

That is, the person who is specifically responsible for guarding against thieves.

Zu Lang was very influential in Danyang. Sun Ce's move demonstrated his political skills and successfully won the hearts of the Shanyue people in Danyang.

"It seems that as long as we subdue Zu Lang, Danyang's Shanyue problem will be solved."

Taishi Ci also realized the influence of this clan leader named Zu Lang.

"Do the two envoys have any plan to defeat the enemy?"

Yuan Yin asked again.

Xu Sheng said:

"The army does not move, but the food and fodder must go first."

"As long as they have no food, the Shanyue people will not be able to resist our soldiers."

"Before we came here, Marquis Tan suggested that we seize the grain and rice ears of the Shanyue people during the summer harvest."

Yuan Yin seemed a little uneasy, and said in a daze:

"…But it's winter now. Do we have to wait until next summer to mobilize the troops?"

If they really have to wait until summer, Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng will have to wait here for more than half a year.

Yuan Yin doesn’t care, but Taishi Ci still has a mission to go to Yuzhang. Can he stay here forever?
"…There is no need to follow the rules in everything. The summer raid on food was only to force Zu Lang and other thieves to submit."

"If we send out troops now and burn the grain stored in Lingyang, we can defeat Zulang and other bandits."

Taishi Ci put forward his own views.

Whether it is seizing food during the summer harvest or burning food supplies in the winter, the essence is to attack the food supply.

As long as they run out of food, the Shanyue people will have to surrender.

"...Good, what's the plan?" Yuan Yin asked again.

Generals Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng said that they must first survey the terrain in the Lingyang area.

Yuan Yin had no choice but to accompany them. He selected some men and followed the two of them to Lingyang Mountain.

After walking around for a whole morning, I had a general overview of the terrain around Lingyang Mountain.

Afterwards, they set up camp outside the mountain and gathered their generals to discuss strategies to defeat the enemy.

"I see that the mountains here are steep and rugged, making them easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"We must lure Zu Lang to lead the troops to attack!"

Xu Sheng said.

Yuan Yin expressed his concern and frowned:
"Zu Lang and his gang are very cunning. Seeing that we are so many, how could they be willing to take the initiative to attack us?"

"Moreover, many Shanyue people colluded with the Han people. Once they heard the news of the government's encirclement and suppression, they hid in the mountains and refused to come out."

"This place is surrounded by mountains, so a large army can't get in. If we send a small team in, it's easy to be defeated by a single force."

"It is difficult, difficult, difficult..."

Taishi Ci gently stroked his beautiful beard, thought for a while, and then said:
"Then we will only bring a small number of troops to lure Zu Lang to attack."

Yuan Yin smiled slightly and said:
"Zu Lang is brave and good at fighting, and the Shanyue people under his command are all fearless and unafraid of death."

"If we use a small number of troops, I'm afraid we won't be able to defeat him."

Taishi Ci seemed very confident and said solemnly:
"When sending out troops, one must use surprise tactics. This battle is not to defeat Zu Lang, but to burn his food supplies."

"I will first lead a thousand soldiers, carry food and supplies across the mountain, and lure Zu Lang to attack."

"Wen Xiang could have hid eight hundred brave men in the woods, but when he saw Zu Lang coming, he let him pass, and then he would go up the mountain and raid his granary."

"If you see any food and grass stored out, just set it on fire."

Xu Sheng said happily, "This is a great idea!"

Yuan Yin was a little worried, "This plan is too risky. What if Zu Lang reacts?..."

Before he could finish his words, Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng said in unison:
"In any battle, the right way to win is to use the unexpected."

"Now we are the official members of the imperial court, and we are ordered to suppress the bandits, which is in accordance with the law."

"If you can take risks and lure the enemy behind their backs, and attack their food supply routes, then you will be using the tactics of the army."

"Why does Governor Yuan have any doubts?"

"If we are timid in deploying troops and dare not take any unexpected actions, how can we defeat the enemy and win the battle?"

After being criticized by Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng, Yuan Yin was speechless.

He thought to himself that maybe he really couldn't keep up with their thinking.

The quality of these generals from Xuzhou still needs to be examined.

Yuan Yin agreed to their battle plan and handed over the officers and soldiers in the county to them.

The two men also asked Yuan Yin to prepare something to start a fire and wait behind Lingyang Mountain.

After the discussion, everyone acted according to the plan.

Not stated.

As for Lingyang County and Lingyang Mountain.

The clan leader they were targeting was Zulang, a wealthy family in Jing County.

It is said that there are more than 10,000 bandits occupying the entire Lingyang Mountain, but they are scattered among the mountains and communicate with each other.

It is rare for more than ten thousand people to go out to rob the county together, and it is mostly when there is a big business.

The commanders of various tribes gathered together to discuss the matter of sending troops.

That day, a vanguard hurried to the mountain to report the military situation to Zu Lang.

"Commander! There is a group of soldiers at the foot of the mountain!"

When these words were spoken, all the generals were shocked.

Everyone is very sensitive to the words "officers and soldiers".

"How many people are here!?"

Zu Lang asked hurriedly.

"About a thousand!" the sentinel replied.

“So many of them?”

Zu Lang frowned, stroked his chin with one hand, and seemed to be in deep thought.

"In the past, when soldiers passed by the mountain, there were at least three hundred and at most five hundred. Why are there a thousand today?"

There was also Zongshuai Feizhan, who was also a noble family in Danyang.

Analyzed aside:

"Is it because of me?"

Zu Lang said disdainfully:
"If they are really coming for us, let alone a thousand people, even ten thousand people would not be able to stop us."

Although the commander of Lingyang Mountain also had an army that was not united and was hesitant and moving in a scattered manner.

Most of the commanders were unable to gather together.

But if they really want to unite against the outside world, everyone will still unite and deal with the officers and soldiers.

The outpost then added:

"These government officials are accompanied by a large amount of food and supplies."

Oh?
When they heard about the food and supplies, Zu Lang and Fei Zhan's eyes suddenly lit up.

Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you had money and grain?
"I heard that Sun Ce is going to use troops against Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, recently. It is common for food and grass to be exchanged in Jiangdong."

Considering the recent war between Jingzhou and Sun Wu, everyone suddenly felt that it made sense.

"There is a shortage of food in the mountains. If we send troops to seize it, won't we have enough food and clothing this winter?"

Fei Zhan immediately suggested going down the mountain to rob food.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the bandits raised their arms and cheered.

But Zu Lang had seen the world after all, so he remained calm at this moment and asked first:

"Are you sure this group of soldiers are not coming for Lingyang?"

"Have you found out who these people are?"

The vanguard replied that they were Taishi Ci's men.

Tai Shi Ci?
"Is he the official who helped the county government win the case against the provincial government?"

Taishi Ci became famous at a young age. His fame grew when he went to Luoyang to submit a letter to the imperial court.

"...Hahaha, yes, he is the errand boy. He is only fit to escort food and fodder."

Although Taishi Ci became famous very early, his fame was just a topic of conversation among the nobles.

Most of the wealthy families only regarded him as an errand boy, who was at most a little more capable than others.

It would be a joke if Taishi Ci were allowed to lead the troops alone as a general.

When others suggested that the governor of Yangzhou, Liu Yao, should make use of Taishi Ci, Liu Yao's original words were,

——"If I use Ziyi, won't Xu Zi laugh at me?"

In the eyes of these scholars and nobles, class concepts are very serious.

Although Zu Lang, Fei Zhan and others were Shanyue bandits, they also came from wealthy families.

In Danyang, he is like a local tyrant, and even the head of a county like the Danyang prefect is not taken seriously.

How could they take a small errand boy like Cao Shi seriously?
"Although Taishi Ci was a strategist, I heard that he had already joined Liu Xuande and became a general in Xuzhou."

"It is not the same as the one that was reported to Cao Shi in the past."

Feizhan raised his eyebrows and asked:

"In my lifetime, I have never heard of a Liu Bei in the world."

"Who is Liu Xuande?"

Danyang is adjacent to Xuzhou, so Zu Lang had certainly heard of Liu Bei, and he knew Feizhan, so he must have known Liu Bei as well.

Judging from his tone, he obviously looked down on him.

"...Liu Xuande is a hero of the world and should not be underestimated. With Li Ziyu as his assistant, he is like a tiger with wings."

Feizhan asked again:

"Who is Li Ziyu?"

Zulang said:

"To be honest with you, Marshal Fei, I know very little about this person. I only heard about him from my brothers in the underworld."

"This person has a talent that is beyond compare and has extraordinary strategies. He is truly a rare talent in the world and should not be underestimated."

"The pirate Xuezhou was defeated by this man before and was captured in a battle on the river."

Feizhan disagrees.

"Xuezhou is a thief of the rivers and seas. He is not as good as others in handling water. It is because of him that he is not good enough."

"How can you compare to us in the mountains, coming and going without a trace, living a carefree and happy life?"

"In my opinion, Liu Bei is a rat and Li Yi is a nobody."

"We are in the mountains, so why should we be afraid?"

"Besides, these two are not here. Once we report to the Cao officials, it will be easy to capture them."

Seeing Fei Zhan so confident, Zu Lang's confidence was boosted.

"In that case, how about you and I go down the mountain together, rob it and bring it back to Liu Bei to extort a ransom?"

Zulang suggested.

Feizhan waved his hand and said:

"How can you kill a chicken with a bull's knife?"

"Besides, since you and I are going down the mountain together, one of us must stay behind to guard the mountain."

So, the two of them made an appointment.

Feizhan led his clan members down the mountain to rob Taishi Ci's food and supplies.

Zu Lang led his own clan members to guard the mountain pass.

Since Feizhan had put in a lot of effort, he had to take 70% of the looted food and fodder.

Having made an appointment, each of them set off on their own.

Fei Zhan quickly led his men down the mountain to block Taishi Ci's way.

Taishi Ci went out to the battle field, brandishing two halberds, and asked:

"I am following General Liu's orders to transport food and grass. How dare you stop me?"

Feizhan yelled:
"Tell me to leave the food and fodder for me as soon as possible! I will spare your life."

Upon hearing this, Taishi Ci became furious, drew his halberd and rode his horse straight to Feizhan.

Fei Zhan brandished his two axes to meet the enemy, and the two horses met, and the battle lasted only a few rounds.

Taishi Ci pretended to be defeated and fled.

Fei Zhan led his troops in pursuit, but after walking less than two miles, Taishi Ci turned his horse around and fought again.

He left without counting the rounds.

Someone advised Feizhan:
"Taishi Ziyi is trying to lure the enemy like this, I'm afraid it's a trick!"

Fei Zhan had won two games in a row and was in high spirits. He said:
"With such an enemy force, even if we are surrounded by ambushes from all sides, what is there to fear?"

"Besides, I am familiar with the terrain here. I have not seen any place where a large group of ambushes can be hidden along the way." "If only a small number of troops come, how can they defeat us?"

"Even if you can't defeat me, how can you keep me here?"

After two consecutive soul-searching questions, Fei Zhan was full of confidence and continued to lead his troops to chase Taishi Ci.

Taishi Ci was transporting grain and fodder, so he couldn't move fast.

Seeing that the enemy was approaching quickly, he hurriedly asked the people around him, "Have they arrived yet?"

"It's finally here!" the deputy general replied excitedly.

When the army passed through a reed bed, Taishi Ci ordered everyone to abandon the food and fodder.

Each team went up the mountain.

Fei Zhan and his men arrived, and the bandits saw that the officers and soldiers had abandoned the food and fodder, so they stopped chasing them and instead stole the food.

Feizhan couldn't stop for a moment, so he whipped his whip and shouted:

"Don't rob, capture the person first!"

However, the Shanyue bandits had poor military discipline, so when they saw the food in front of them, how could they not rob it?
If you are slow, others will get there first.

For a moment, everyone abandoned their axes and rushed to the grain carts to grab the food.

In just a moment, Feizhan's troops were in chaos, and the soldiers rushed to the grain carts to grab it.

Can't stop.

"Wait! There's no food under this grain!"

The crowd only robbed the bags on the cart, which were indeed filled with food.

But under the car, the heavy bags were not filled with food.

Instead, it looks like wormwood.

Fei Zhan finally realized that something was wrong. He thought to himself that there were many mountains and rivers here, and the trees were dense, and there were many flammable objects left on the vehicles.

If the enemy really sets fire to attack, what should we do?

"Oh no, I've fallen into a trap!"

Fei Zhan reacted and shouted loudly:
"Get out! Get out!"

However, with so many people rushing together and the noise everywhere, how could one hear clearly?
It was already late in the evening, with thick clouds covering the sky and no moon.

Everyone was running around like headless flies.

However, Fei Zhan became more and more frightened the more he thought about it, and without caring about anything else, he reined in his horse and wanted to turn back.

Before he could finish his words, he heard shouting behind him and saw a fire.

The fire came rushing over, carrying away the reeds on both sides.

In an instant, there was fire everywhere.

The wind was very strong at night, and the grass helped the fire grow.

The wind fueled the fire, and it burned faster and faster.

The mountain bandits were frightened by the fire and ran around telling each other what was happening and fled in all directions.

Countless people were trampled to death.

At this time, Taishi Ci led his troops back to attack.

The Shanyue bandits were in great chaos and unable to resist the enemy, so they fled in smoke and fire.

Everyone fought in the fire and tried to escape.

Both the men and the horses were exhausted, and without even taking a moment to catch their breath, they hastily fled up the mountain.

As we were walking, we suddenly heard a rustling sound in the jungle.

Another group of people rushed out, it was Xu Sheng.

Fei Zhan was greatly shocked upon seeing this, and his heart was broken with fear.

When he sent troops to chase Taishi Ci, he passed by this place and felt that it was suitable for an ambush.

However, this place is very small and cannot hide much, so it is not guarded.

Who could have imagined that there would be such a defeat later?
Xu Sheng rushed out with a knife in hand. The morale of the crowd was high and they shouted that everyone should surrender and not be killed.

How could Fei Zhan and other thieves still have the will to fight?

Although their numbers were superior to Xu Sheng's, their morale was low and their troops were disunited, and they had no desire to fight at all.

Faced with the vigorous and powerful officers and soldiers, everyone turned against their enemies and surrendered to Xu Sheng.

Xu Sheng shouted loudly:

"Take off your armor!"

No one dared to disobey and took off their armor as ordered.

It was a cold day, and after taking off their clothes and armor, everyone huddled together, shivering with cold.

Xu Sheng also ordered everyone to put on the clothes and armor that the Shanyue bandits had dragged off.

He brought four hundred men with him and sneaked up the mountain.

Zu Lang was anxious and worried when he saw that Fei Zhan had not returned from robbing the camp.

Suddenly I heard some noise outside the village and hurried out to see what was going on.

"Is it Master Fei who has returned victorious?"

Zu Lang asked loudly to the people below.

Xu Sheng replied loudly:

"We are the generals under General Fei, and we were accidentally ambushed by the soldiers."

"Marshal Fei ordered us to break out, fight to the death, and ask Marshal Zu for reinforcements."

"Please, General Zu, send troops quickly to rescue our Zongshuai."

Upon hearing this, Zu Lang was so angry that he stamped his feet and beat his chest.

"Aiya! I told you that these soldiers came prepared. It's not that General Fei didn't listen to me that he suffered this defeat!"

No matter how much you hate it, you still have to save people.

This is an unwritten rule among the various leaders of the mountains: if one side is in trouble, everyone who sees it will come to its aid.

Otherwise, if no one comes to rescue them, the various commanders will be defeated soon.

"Just wait a moment, I'll be there soon!"

Because it was dark and the moon was dim, and Zu Lang was distracted, he did not carefully observe the details of Xu Sheng's men.

Thinking only of rescuing people, he hastily gathered all the men in the village and rushed out.

"Quick, follow me down the mountain!"

Zu Lang didn't have time to say anything more. He jumped past Xu Sheng and rushed down the mountain.

Before he had taken two steps, he heard a commotion behind him, followed by shouts of killing.

"Ah ah ah..."

"What, what happened?"

Zu Lang was shocked and extremely surprised.

"That group of people is a fraud! They are soldiers!"

Everyone quickly realized that Xu Sheng and his gang were officers and soldiers.

As the enemy attacked from behind, Zu Lang and his companions were caught off guard and had to fight hastily.

Xu Sheng chopped down several people in a row and then set fire to the place.

Suddenly, the flames on the mountain grew huge, burning until the top was red for a long time.

Taishi Ci and Yuan Yin gathered their troops together and saw a huge fire on the mountain.

Knowing that Xu Sheng had succeeded, he led his troops up the mountain following the fire.

Zu Lang and his companions were already exhausted from dealing with Xu Sheng and his companions, when they suddenly heard another round of shouting coming from the foot of the mountain.

It was even more frightening.

Taishi Ci, Yuan Yin and Xu Sheng led their armies to attack the Shanyue people from the front and back.

The fighting continued until dawn, when the troops were withdrawn.

The killing was so intense that corpses were everywhere and blood flowed like a river.

Zu Lang was hit by two arrows and captured by the soldiers.

The rest of the bandits also scattered like birds and beasts, or turned against their enemies and surrendered to Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng.

This battle was a great victory!

Yuan Yin escorted the prisoners of war and returned to his mansion with his troops.

Generals Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng, who saw the two men, praised them highly:
"Both generals are truly heroes!"

"Zu Lang and Fei Zhan are the most powerful commanders in Lingyang Mountain. I didn't expect that you two, who have just arrived, would capture them in one battle."

"Yunshi admires me so much!"

After saying this, Yuan Yin bowed to the two of them sincerely.

The two of them quickly supported him and said:
"We are here on orders for this purpose."

"It is a great honor for us to be able to help Governor Yuan."

"Moreover, if there was no governor to coordinate and coordinate the troops, how could we have such a great victory?"

The two men were telling the truth. After all, the soldiers they used for this expedition were all Yuan Yin's own troops.

After hearing this, Yuan Yin felt mixed emotions.

They are all the same weapons, why can't I use them to unleash the same power as tonight?

It can’t really be a problem of human incompetence, right?
Yuan Yin thought to himself that it seemed that he had made the right decision to join Liu Bei.

Liu Bei had not yet come here in person, and had only sent two deputies.

It solved the Shanyue problem that had plagued Danyang for years, which was truly remarkable.

"Generals, what should we do now?"

Yuan Yin had already witnessed the abilities of the two generals and knew that they were indeed extraordinary talents.

Next, he just needed to hold on to these two strong thighs and focus on gaining military merits and getting applause.

"We will take advantage of the victory and continue to fight against the Shanyue bandits!"

The two quickly finalized a strategy.

It is advisable to use the remaining courage to pursue the enemy. Now that the two great marshals Zu Lang and Fei Zhan have been captured alive, it will definitely deal a great blow to the morale of the remaining bandits.

Next, lock Zu Lang and Fei Zhan up in the hall.

Taishi Ci scolded:
"My Xuzhou army is invincible wherever we go."

"How dare you stop my army from Xuzhou?"

Zu Lang and Fei Zhan are now prisoners and no longer have the heroic spirit they once had.

Facing the majestic Taishi Ci, they couldn't muster up any energy at all. They looked at each other and said in unison:

"…I didn't know the general's power before, but now I know it."

Taishi Ci was secretly delighted when he heard this. He didn't expect these two to surrender so quickly.

If I had known that the two of them were not that tough, I wouldn't have had to pretend to be so fierce just now.

"In this case, are you two willing to surrender to General Liu?"

Taishi Ci asked again.

The two looked at each other again and answered in unison: "We are willing to surrender!"

Taishi Ci, Xu Sheng and others smiled at each other, then stepped forward to untie the two men.

Then he gave him winter clothes and food and wine.

Zu Lang and Fei Zhan express their deepest gratitude.

Out of gratitude for the kindness of Taishi Ci and others, I surrendered with all my heart.

Taishi Ci also asked the two of them to personally go and persuade the remaining commanders in Lingyang Mountain to surrender.

The two of them gladly obeyed.

Since Zu Lang and Fei Zhan were quite influential in Danyang, they successfully recruited many commanders as soon as they took action.

However, there are also some who are unwilling to surrender to the government and prefer to be free and become mountain kings.

He then rejected the offer of amnesty from Zu Lang and others, and instead cursed the two as traitors and killed their envoy.

Zu Lang, Fei Zhan and others felt greatly humiliated and volunteered to fight against these bandits.

Taishi Ci readily agreed, and borrowed some soldiers from Yuan Yin to join forces with Zu Lang and Fei Zhan to suppress the bandits.

Since the two were familiar with the terrain of Lingyang Mountain, the Lingyang bandits were unable to take full advantage of the mountains.

Soon they were attacked jointly by Taishi Ci, Zu Lang and others.

This happened several times in a row, and he beheaded more than a hundred people in each battle.

After several exchanges, the remaining stubborn bandits all surrendered to Taishi Ci.

This campaign to suppress the Shanyue bandits was a great success.

Although Danyang is the only place with bandits, there are still many bandits lurking in other mountains.

But compared with the Lingyang Mountains, this additional bandit force is really nothing.

Nothing can be done.

Because Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng were sent to assist Yuan Yin in suppressing the bandits.

Therefore, the credit for suppressing the bandits in Lingyang Mountain still goes to Yuan Yin.

Yuan Yin was both surprised and delighted by this. This feeling of winning without any effort was something he could never experience before when he was with Yuan Shu.

Therefore, he reported the results of the battle truthfully to Xuzhou.

As for Xuzhou, Li Yi naturally took over first.

He was in charge of supervising the military and political affairs of Huainan. He saw that Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng had achieved such brilliant results not long after they went to Danyang.

I was very happy.

So he took the initiative to find Liu Bei and ask for credit from Taishi Ci and Xu Sheng.

Then he issued the latest instructions to Danyang.

That is, there is no need to rush to expand the results.

The biggest bandit in Lingyang Mountain has been dealt with, and the remaining ones will not be able to do much.

First settle the captured Shanyue bandits, and then consider the remaining bandits.

At Li Yi's suggestion,
There were more than ten thousand mountain bandits, and the most sturdy ones were selected to join the army, called Danyang soldiers.

The people were registered as common people and included in the Danyang household registration.

Not stated.

……

(End of this chapter)