Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 340: From a high place, sending cavalry to plunder

December, 195 AD, the second year of Xingping.

On the frozen Wei River, tens of thousands of soldiers and horses marched slowly along the river bank, the sound of horse hooves clattering.

In the dead of winter, the flag bearer's fingers were as stiff as iron, tightly grasping the cold flagpole, his skin cracked without him noticing. A gust of north wind whistled, and the soldiers in front of them felt as if their faces were cut by a knife. The flag first tilted and fell, and then was pulled straight by the flag bearer.

"March faster, we can rest when we reach Chencang!"

The cavalrymen galloped back and forth along the line, urging the infantry and cavalry in the army to speed up.

The Weishui Road directly connects Chencang and Jixian, and the distance between the two is only more than 300 miles. The Guanlong Road that crosses Longshan Mountain is more than 600 miles away, almost twice the distance of the Weishui Road. Especially in winter, because the Weishui River freezes, it is more convenient for troops to march. In order to return home as soon as possible, Zhang Yu naturally chose the shorter Weishui Road.

Zhang Yu wrapped his hands in fur and held the reins, saying with emotion: "It's cold in Longshan, but not as cold as in the north. The temperature in the north is changeable, with sunshine in the morning and heavy snow in the afternoon. In the past, I trained soldiers in Pingcheng, braving the severe cold and snow. After hundreds of trainings, I got elite cavalry. With the elite cavalry in the clouds, I conquered the barbarians in all directions, and thus I was able to establish a career."

Zhang Liao smiled and said, "Most of the knights in the Clouds are now serving in various armies. If you miss your subordinates, why not call them to Anyi for a gathering at the beginning of the year?"

Zhang Yu's means of controlling the troops is not only relying on the loyal generals of the various armies, but also on the former imperial guards and the Yunzhong Army. Although these former troops do not have the ability to command thousands of troops, after years of baptism by fire, they have become Zhang Yu's tentacles for deeply controlling the grassroots troops.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "As Wenyuan said, we can call the Imperial Guards and the old members of the Yunzhong Cavalry to Anyi for a grand banquet in February to reminisce about the past."

"Your Excellency is a man of great affection!" Guo Tu praised.

"Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect?"

Zhang Yu smiled and promised everyone around him, saying: "It is because of your assistance that I have the two states. When the world is at peace, I will share the wealth and honor with you."

"We are willing to serve you!" everyone responded in unison.

Zhang Yu summoned his old subordinates to Anyi for a grand banquet. It was not just to reminisce about the past, but to encourage his old subordinates who were grassroots officers. After all, after Longyou was pacified, Zhang Yu's next target was Hebei. And fighting Hebei would be a tough battle, which was related to whether Zhang Yu could rule the Central Plains.

If the Central Plains can be pacified, as long as Zhang Yu does not make mistakes and proceeds steadily, even if the southern states and counties resist, it will still be difficult to change the general trend of unification.

At noon, the cold wind suddenly stopped, the sun shone down, the cold air gradually dissipated, and the ice surface sparkled.

"Your Excellency wants to attack Hebei. Many soldiers in the army have spread rumors. I wonder when the troops will be deployed?" Gao Shun took a sip from the water bag, moved closer to Zhang Yu and asked.

Zhang Yu did not rush to answer, but asked: "Zixun, do you have any good ideas?"

"My Lord, our army has been on the expedition for many years, and most of the soldiers are exhausted. There is no surplus food in the warehouse, which is a taboo in using troops. Hebei has many soldiers and generals, a rich population, and a vast territory. It is not possible to take Jizhou all at once. Therefore, in my opinion, it is better for you to rest for a year, recuperate, and then send troops to attack Yuan Shao." Gao Shun bowed slightly and said, "If you rush to attack, defeat will be a small matter, and it may damage your reputation. Therefore, in my humble opinion, you need to think carefully about the timing of using troops!"

Zhang Yu held the reins and walked slowly. He pondered for a long time, looked at his confidants and asked, "Do you have any different opinions?"

Guo Tu said: "There are five ways to win in war: knowing when to fight and when not to fight; knowing how to use the majority and the minority; having the same desire as the superiors; being prepared for the unexpected; and having a capable general who does not control the enemy. Now, with your divine power, you are leading the powerful troops in Guanlong to attack Yuan. If you have the above five, our army will surely win. If you know the way to win but do not attack, it will be difficult to plan in the future!"

Xun You stroked his beard and thought, and said, "Pingzhou is a high-rise building with respect to Jizhou. If we send troops to attack it, we need to store food in Shangdang. From Shangdang, we can see Zhao and Wei. However, the road in Shangdang is rugged and it is impossible to transport food without human and livestock. Therefore, you are now in Longyou, the soldiers and generals are exhausted, and the food has not been transported. How can you say that you are prepared if you rush to attack Yuan?"

"In You's opinion, you should first discuss the direction of the troops, then contact the armies of Youzhou and Yanzhou, and then transport the troops and food. When the troops are well-trained and the food is sufficient, it will not be too late to send troops to attack Yuan Shao."

"What is Wenhe's opinion?" Zhang Yu nodded, looked at the silent Jia Xu, and asked.

"My Lord, the counties on the right side of Long have just surrendered, and the people are not attached to them. I don't know if there will be unrest. So it is better to wait and see for a few months, so that the troops can rest and the surrendered soldiers on the right side of Long can come back." Jia Xu said, "If you want to attack Yuan Shao in the autumn or winter of next year, you can send elite cavalry out of Taihang to plunder the counties along the mountain, so that they can't rest, and our army can wait for them to tire themselves out."

"Hmm~"

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said, "Yuan Shao already has Qing and Ji, and this year he is planning to take Xu and Yan in the south. If Yuan Shao succeeds, he will have troops from the four states in the Central Plains, and his strength will be twice that of ours, so we should not delay in using our troops. However, our army has just arrived in Longyou, and the soldiers and horses are tired, and the food and grass are not abundant, so we should not use our troops hastily."

"So what you all said makes sense. We can rest our troops and store grain next year. In autumn and winter, we can observe the situation in Hebei, contact the troops in You and Yan, and send cavalry out of Taihang to make Jizhou restless. Our army has Taihang as a shield, so Yuan Shao cannot attack us. When the enemy is exhausted and we are full, it will be time to use troops."

Compared with Zhang Yu who no longer had any worries, Yuan Shao was still distracted by the battlefields of Yan and Xu. Normally, Zhang Yu should have sent troops in time to prevent Yuan Shao from occupying the two states of Yan and Xu.

However, the internal situation of Zhang Yu was just as everyone said. Because of years of war, the soldiers were exhausted, and the people were also tired of being conscripted. If they fought with Yuan Shao, both sides would gather a large number of troops and then fall into a state of confrontation.

Therefore, due to the above situation, Zhang Yu had to store a large amount of military food and prepare his soldiers for the expedition before using the troops. However, he could not sit idly by and watch Yuan Shao successfully annex Yanzhou and Xuzhou, so Jia Xu sent cavalry out of Taihang to plunder the counties along the mountains, which made Zhang Yu quite satisfied.

Taihang Mountain is undoubtedly a natural barrier for Bingzhou. Compared with the rugged mountain roads in Bingzhou, most of the Jizhou area east of Taihang Mountain is flat and plain, which is very conducive to cavalry galloping. Zhang Yu sent troops to raid Hebei, but the Hebei cavalry found it difficult to raid Bingzhou in the opposite direction, which is the advantage of the geographical location.

Yuan Shao would not sit idly by while the elite cavalry plundered Jizhou, and would withdraw troops to defend Jizhou, which would prevent Yuan Shao from concentrating on managing Yanzhou and Xuzhou in Henan. Zhang Yu's continuous dispatch of cavalry to harass would achieve the goal of making Yuan Shao exhausted.

Guo Tu flattered him, saying, "The campaign against Yuan Shao will be a long one, but Your Excellency should prioritize the temple and follow the five principles of victory. You will surely be able to defeat Yuan Shao and take Jizhou."

Zhang Yu ignored Guo Tu's flattery, whipped his horse to gallop, and said: "Yuan Shao is not Gongsun Zan. If we want to defeat him now, we must devote all our strength to the expedition!"

(End of this chapter)