Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 317: Four Hanyang clans, each showing their military strategy

In June, the Shanxi army marched all the way from Guanshan grassland to Long County. Along the 200-li journey, they followed Zhang Yu's instructions, providing relief food and fodder to the poor people, appeasing the people in various villages, and teaching the people the principles of governance.

The people along the way saw that the troops from Shanxi were different from the previous chaotic armies, and they all welcomed the imperial army. Those who knew the way led the army, and the wealthy provided military supplies. Zhang Yu took the opportunity to issue a decree to provide relief to the people and to recruit people to serve as corvée labor for the army.

Therefore, when the army camped at Qinting, a place under the jurisdiction of Long County, thousands of old and weak people from Long County came to help the army repair the camp, and those who were rich and had many cattle and horses transported food and grass for the army. Thanks to the help of the people of Long County, Zhang Yu's troops quickly gained a foothold in Qinting.

Long County, the rebel camp on Longshang,
Inside the big tent, Han Sui sat on a stool, with Song Jian, Yan Xing, Cheng Gongying, Fan Chou, Yang Qianwan, Cheng Yi and other generals standing on his left and right.

Hearing from the scouts that the Long people were repairing the camp for Zhang Yu, Han Sui looked particularly solemn and said, "Zhang Yu has just arrived in Longyou and has been able to gain the services of the Long people. He is a strong enemy for our army."

"Zhang Yu's troops have just arrived in Longyou, and they don't know the geography of Longyou well. Fan Chou believes that if we want to defeat Zhang Yu, we should gather elite soldiers and brave generals to challenge him, set up an ambush and fight him, so as to defeat Zhang Yu's troops. But if we allow Zhang Yu to gain a foothold in Longyou, I'm afraid it will be difficult for our army to defeat him." Fan Chou said worriedly.

Fan Chou had joined forces with Li Jue and Guo Si to start an army, but when Li Jue and Guo Si were defeated by Zhang Yu during the Battle of Guanzhong, Fan Chou led a thousand remnants to escape to Chencang. Later, Fan Chou was worried that Zhang Yu would not tolerate him, so he led his troops to Jincheng and took refuge with his old friend Han Sui.

Han Sui saw that Fan Chou had come to surrender and that he was sincere, and considering his relationship with the court, he accepted Fan Chou and allowed him to lead his troops to station in Yunwu. At that time, Zhang Yu led his troops to the west to attack Longyou, and Fan Chou naturally followed Han Sui to take over Zhang Yu's troops.

Han Sui frowned and thought, then looked at Cheng Gongying and asked, "Bojie, what do you think now?"

Cheng Gongying shook his head and said, "Zhang Yu led his troops to Qinting and recruited civilians to repair the camp. I'm afraid he intends to confront our army."

"Zhang Yu's army has penetrated deep into the mountains alone, crossing the Long Mountains for hundreds of miles. Their food supply route is long and narrow, and they need to fight quickly. How dare they confront our army?" Song Jian couldn't believe it and questioned, "It's June now, and autumn has arrived in the blink of an eye. The Long Mountains are cold and often snow heavily. In winter, the roads will be blocked by heavy snow, and the enemy will definitely be short of food!"

"Perhaps Zhang Yu relies on the Weishui Road!"

Han Sui stood up from his stool, holding his sword, and tried to explain Zhang Yu's intention to everyone, saying: "The Wei River flows out from Long, flows through Chencang, Huaili, Chang'an, and directly flows into the Yellow River. In the deep winter, heavy snow falls from the sky, and the Long Road is cut off, but the Wei River will freeze. Sometimes, we can use carriages and horses to travel on the river, and it is easy to transport military supplies!"

The north is cold in winter, and even the Yellow River in the Hedong section will freeze, not to mention the Wei River section from Longyou to Guanzhong, especially the Chencang area where thick ice will form.

The Weishui Road was originally the shortest road between Guanzhong and Longyou. However, due to the narrow banks of the Weishui River and the rugged terrain, it was not the core road for the army to conquer Longyou.

However, with the arrival of midwinter, the surface of the Wei River would freeze over, forming a wide natural road in disguise. Therefore, during the first month in deep winter, Guanzhong could transport large amounts of baggage to Longyou via the frozen Wei River. Not only was the journey shortest, it was also capable of accommodating large armies.

After hearing this, Song Jian gradually understood what Han Sui said and said, "Wen Yue believes that Zhang Yu wants to confront our army in Lueyang, and his intention is to lift the siege of Ji County and then dredge the Weishui River."

Han Sui nodded and said, "There are four surnames in Hanyang: Ren, Yan, Zhao, and Jiang. The four surnames control the three cities of Xicheng, Shanggui, and Jixian. Zhang Ze got help from the four surnames and was able to occupy Ma Teng. Now Zhang Yu led his troops into Hanyang, and Yan Wen personally went to Guanzhong to seek help. It can be seen that the four surnames are ready to surrender to Zhang Yu."

"If Zhang Yu breaks the siege of Ji County, the four great families will definitely donate their livestock and people to support Zhang Yu. And our army is stationed in Lueyang, and we may be attacked by the Qinting and Jixian armies. Then the situation will not be in our favor!"

During the Three Kingdoms period, Hanyang County was also known as Tianshui County. The four major aristocratic families, Ren, Yan, Zhao and Jiang, each had their own representative figures. Ren's son Ren Yang welcomed Ma Chao to his revival. Yan's family had the famous scholar Yan Zhong in the past, and now has a son Yan Wen. Zhao's family had Zhao Ang, the governor of Yizhou in Wei. Jiang's family was represented by Jiang Wei and his son.

Especially when the influence of the Eastern Han Dynasty in Longyou weakened, the role of the four major families was particularly astonishing. They controlled every aspect of Hanyang County from top to bottom, and it can be said that they were able to influence the direction of Hanyang County's politics.

For example, during the Liangzhou rebellion in the late Han Dynasty, Han Sui and Wang Guo supported Yan Zhong of Hanyang as the leader of the rebels. Essentially, they valued the influence of the Yan family in Hanyang County and Yan Zhong's fame in Liangzhou.

Once the siege of Ji County is lifted, the reinforcements sent by Zhang Yu, combined with the troops of the Four Surnames and Hanyang County, will become a force that can change the situation in Longyou.

"Qingshui City is a strategic point that blocks the passage between Long County, Ji County and Shanggui County. We need Ren Wei to guard it strictly now!"

Cheng Gongying pointed to Qingshui Township on the map and made an assessment.

Ren Wei was a member of the Ren clan. When Ma Teng and Han Sui raised an army to attack Zhang Yu, Ma Teng sent people to persuade him, and he led his clansmen to defend the city and defected to the rebels.

It was previously said that the political stance of the four surnames of Hanyang leaned towards Zhang Yu, but don’t forget that the big clans are made up of people, and they themselves have different political tendencies. Most people of the four surnames are optimistic about Zhang Yu, but that does not mean that everyone supports Zhang Yu.

"Qingshui Township was a county in the Former Han Dynasty. In this dynasty, due to the decline of population, it was downgraded from a county to a township. Its city walls are strong, close to the water and the mountains, and it can hold off the enemy with one or two thousand men. So now we can send a thousand men to Qingshui."

Han Sui hesitated for a moment and said, "Since our army has a large number of troops stationed in Lueyang, if Zhang Yu attacks Qingshui, his troops will only be 6,000 or 7,000 at most. Ren Wei can lead his troops to defend the city for a few days, and our army can send troops to support it. If we launch a surprise attack at that time, Zhang Yu's troops will surely be defeated!"

In terms of blocking the enemy, Han Sui's garrison in Long County was the best. However, considering the overall transportation network, Lueyang could take care of the overall situation in Longyou. For example, the transportation between Guanzhong and Longyou includes Fanxu, Guanlong, Weishui and other roads, and Lueyang is not only a must-pass place for Guanlong Road, but also a must-pass place for Fanxu Road.

Now Han Sui has stationed his troops in Lueyang, blocking Zhang Yu at the Guanlong Road, and can adjust at any time according to Zhang Yu's deployment of troops to the north or south. Therefore, those who guard the right side of Long must also guard Lueyang.

Perhaps it was because he had seen Han Sui's strategic level that Song Jian laughed and said, "People often say that Wen Yue has good plans and is familiar with military affairs. I have seen it now, and his reputation is well-deserved. If Zhang Yu really wants to connect Qingshui in the south and dredge Shanggui and Jixian, he will definitely be defeated." "I dare not!"

Han Sui smiled and said, "Whether we can defeat Zhang Yu depends on when Ma Teng can take Ji County. If Ji County is not taken, the army will have worries."

"Easy to say!"

Song Jian said, "I have recruited the Wuxi Qiang to help Ma Teng. Now Ma Teng has more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. His son Ma Chao is young and brave, and his general Pang De is extraordinary. Although Ji County is high, we will definitely be able to break it after a long siege. Our army and Qingshui City are in a pincer position. The key is to contain Zhang Yu's military action."

"good!"

Han Sui stroked his beard and looked at the map, a proud look on his face.

Because of the Longshan Mountains, the Guanlong Road is single, and Zhang Yu stationed his troops in Qinting, Longyou. In fact, there are not many directions he can choose to use his troops, only north or south. Now combined with the situation in Longyou, Zhang Yu has no room for him to exert his strength except Wuqingshui. Now that he has anticipated the direction of Zhang Yu's troops, he cannot fail!
Zhang Yu started his army from Shangdang and swept across most of Guanxi in just a few years, which was really formidable. However, compared with him, his military strategy was either slightly inferior or he would be defeated by him.

Compared with the optimism of Han Sui and Song Jian, Fan Chou was a little worried. He had experienced Zhang Yu's military skills. In the past battle of Guanzhong, Zhang Yu attacked Guanzhong with a small number of troops. Even though he was blocked in Hedong, he still found a way to cross the river. Now Zhang Yu's attack on Longyou may not be so simple.

Because he was living under someone else's roof and because he was worried for no reason, Fan Chou could only keep his worries to himself.

When Han Sui and Song Jian saw through Zhang Yu's military direction, Zhang Yu led dozens of cavalry to explore Han Sui's camp.

On the hillside, Zhang Yu stopped his horse and looked out, his face expressionless, making it difficult to guess what he was thinking.

"Where is Shiyi?"

"exist!"

Among the group of cavalrymen, Shi Yi rode his horse forward and bowed to receive orders.

Zhang Yu took the map from his attendant, and when he arrived at the enemy camp, he pointed out the situation and said, "The Dunu River (now the Shuiluo River) flows through Lueyang, flows southwest, and merges with the Huachuan River (Niugu River) in Xianqin. The Huachuan River originates from the Chanmu Mountain in the northwest and is adjacent to Jincheng County."

"Han Sui's army and horses are supplied with food and fodder from Jincheng. According to my guess, the food should flow down the Huachuan River, then go up the Dunu River and be transported to the Lueyang camp."

"You lead the Hu cavalry in the army to cross the Dunu River to the north tonight, pass through Jieting, and go around to the Huachuan River, or near the city of Xianqin, to see if you can burn and plunder Han Sui's food supplies."

Zhang Yu looked at Shi Yi's expression and asked, "Our army has arrived in Longyou. You don't know the geography of Longyou. Do you dare to accept the important task of plundering grain?"

Shi Yi thought for a moment, then said without hesitation: "Since you have entrusted me with the task, I will obey your orders."

As he spoke, Shi Yi cupped his hands and said, "I am far away from the main camp and am going to fight. I have a request. I wonder if you can grant it?"

"speak!"

Shi Yi said: "To lead cavalry to harass the enemy is to hide one's whereabouts. If I lead the cavalry to attack, if I encounter unruly people, I am afraid that they will be slaughtered wherever I pass. I hope you will forgive me!"

"allow!"

Zhang Yu patted Shi Yi's shoulder and said in a deep voice: "I am not a merciful lord. War and slaughter are inevitable. Since you have been ordered to go out, everything is up to you. If you can't plunder food and grass, I will be satisfied if you can lead the troops back safely!"

Shi Yi smiled and said, "Why do you look down on me, my lord? I have been ordered to rob food, but if I return without success, I will not be able to face you again."

"good!"

After arranging the military affairs of Shiyi, Zhao Yun said: "Sir, we have been observing the enemy camp for a long time. I wonder whether we should lead the troops back to the main tent."

Looking at the continuous enemy camps, Zhang Yu had a good plan. He smiled and said, "Let's go back to the camp first and arrange for Yang Qiu to send troops to Qingshui City to clear the Qingshui Road as soon as possible, and then join forces with Gong Ming's troops to lift the siege of Ji County first."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)