Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 368: Good at adapting and stable

February, the second year of Jianxing.

Since Yuan Shao adopted the strategy of Tian Feng and Feng Ji, he ordered Yan Liang and Zhang He to lead 15,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Zhang Yan of Heishan, and sent Gongsun Zan and Tadun to invade Youzhou from the north and south.

On February 25th, Yan Liang was ordered to go to the battlefield. When his troops arrived at Julu, he learned about Zhang Yan's situation and summoned everyone to discuss the matter.

Inside the big tent, Yan Liang sat on a stool, with the commander-in-chief's flag behind him, looking into the distance with a solemn expression.

"I am now following your order to attack Zhang Yan, and Zhang Yan and Zhang Yu have formed an alliance, so I am afraid that Zhang Yu will learn of our army's movements and send a general to lead troops to rescue us." Yan Liang glanced at everyone in the tent and said, "You are all highly valued by your Excellency. Do you have any strategies to offer?"

As he spoke, Yan Liang glanced at Zhang He intentionally or unintentionally, and said in a sarcastic tone: "General Zhang is good at making changes. Do you have any strategy now?"

Yuan Shao attached great importance to the campaign against Zhang Yan, so he appointed Yan Liang, who was good at fighting, as the commander, and Zhang He, who was resourceful, as the deputy general, in order to deal with Zhang Yu's reinforcements.

Hearing this, Zhang He knew Yan Liang was trying to point the finger at him, so he asked calmly, "How does General Yan plan to attack Zhang Yan?"

Yan Liang raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "The Black Mountain bandits led by Zhang Yan are entrenched in the cities along the mountain. Puwu is connected to Jingxing in the west. I want to attack Puwu, advance to Taihang, and wipe out the Black Mountain bandits."

Zhang He pondered for a long time and said, "If you attack Puwu, Zhending will be a strategic point for our army. If Zhending is lost, our army will be attacked from both sides. So I am afraid that Zhang Yu will send his officers to sneak out of the valley, plunder and occupy Zhending, and attack Zhang Yan from both inside and outside."

"What about Yi Junyi's opinion?"

Seeing that Zhang He could point out the key to the military strategy, Yan Liang's expression became slightly serious and he asked.

"General!"

Zhang He stood up and walked to the displayed map, pointing and saying: "According to the Taihang Valley Road, there are two shortcuts for the army to rescue Zhang Yan. One is to march out of Taiyuan, go straight to Jingxing Road, join up with Heishan, and lift the siege of Puwu; the other is to march out of Yanyu, sneak out of Qingshankou, first take Duxiang and Yuanshi, and then raid Zhending."

"Aoyamaguchi?"

Xin Ping frowned and thought, and asked: "There are eight passes in Taihang Mountain. What is the path to Qingshankou today?"

Zhang He explained: "The Taihang Mountains are towering, with countless deep valleys and mountain passes. Jingxing connects to Taiyuan in the west and Shangdang in the south, and the roads are complicated. Therefore, Qingshankou is the entrance to the southern Jingxing Road, and Que and E guard the key point between Qingshan Road and Jingxing Road, which is the key point."

"In the past, when fighting at Queyu, Qin sent troops to besiege Queyu in order to cut off Zhao's connection with Shanxi. However, Zhao She, the general of Zhao, was well versed in the various roads of Taihang Mountain. He pretended to lure the enemy in Handan, but actually led his troops to sneak north, and arrived at Queyu via Qingshan Road. He then defeated the Qin army and saved Zhao from the danger in Shanxi."

Taihang Mountain has a complex terrain, so people only know the eight passes of Taihang Mountain, but not the Qingshan Pass. Therefore, when people in later generations deduce the battle between Queyu and Qin, they often mistakenly believe that Zhao She entered Taihang Mountain from the Fukou Pass where the Qin army took the route, and wonder how Zhao She deceived the Qin army and how he did not get discovered by the Qin army.

Little did they know that Zhao She adopted the strategy of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west. He pretended to build fortifications in the southern part of Handan to appear weak to the Qin army and try to lull the enemy into submission. When the time was ripe, he led his elite troops to sneak north, entered Taihang Mountain through Qingshankou, and defeated the Qin army by surprise.

In later times, Qingshan Road gradually became an important road between Hebei and Shanxi provinces because of its crisscrossing mountains and valleys. Many provincial and national roads passed through Taihang to various counties and cities in Shanxi.

As for why Qingshan Road was not as famous as the Eight Xings of Taihang in ancient times, there are many reasons. The most important one is that it is difficult to accommodate a large population along the Qingshan Road, and the road is too remote, unlike Jingxing and Fukou, which are more convenient. Therefore, its reputation is not prominent and it is only known to a few people who are well versed in geography.

Yan Liang stroked his beard and thought, pointing to the road on the map, and asked, "Now there are two roads. I wonder how Jun Yi will block the reinforcements for me?"

Zhang He said: "I want to station troops at Yuanshi so that I can strike hard at the reinforcements coming from the Bing army."

Yan Liang looked suspicious and said, "Li Song, a general under Zhang Yu, has his troops stationed in Taiyuan. If he wanted to help Puwu, why would he not go to Jingxing, but go to Qingshankou to seek help instead of the nearby one?"

Zhang He was confident and said, "This is not difficult. We can store the military rations in Yuanshi and let the troops know."

"What a plan!"

Xin Ping cheered and commented: "The general's food is stored in Yuanshi. If the enemy knows where our food is, they will sneak out of Qingshankou and steal Yuanshi's food. General Zhang leads his troops to guard Yuanshi. At that time, he knows the enemy's route, and General Zhang may be able to take advantage of the situation to defeat them."

"good!"

Yan Liang nodded slightly, reluctantly praising him and said, "Jun Yi is indeed very wise. Don't let me down."

Zhang He bowed and said, "Although the strategy of luring the enemy to attack the grain is good, I dare not assert that Li Song will go to Qingshan instead of Jingxing to relieve the siege. Therefore, when General Yan conquers Heishan, he needs to pay more attention to Li Song's troops."

Yan Liang waved his hand and smiled, and said with a little pride: "I think the soldiers of Shanxi are like chickens and dogs. Last time you attacked Shangdang, Li Song was bluffing. Now he dares to break the siege. I will lead my troops to defeat him and let Zhang Yu know that my soldiers of Hebei are brave."

Xin Ping asked, "How many troops will General Zhang need?"

Zhang He hesitated for a moment and said, "I have 5,000 soldiers and horses. You can temporarily lead 5,000 soldiers and horses to supervise the transportation of grain for our army to lure the enemy to plunder Yuan's grain and grass."

"Five thousand soldiers may not be enough!"

Considering the war situation, Xin Ping said: "If the army goes out of Qingshankou to plunder food, there will be no less than 10,000 soldiers and horses. With 5,000 soldiers and horses divided to resist, I am afraid General Zhang will not be able to split the troops. General Yan, do you ~"

Although Xin Ping did not finish his words, Yan Liang understood that Xin Ping hoped that he could divide his troops to Zhang He's part. Considering the overall situation, Yan Liang said: "If the enemy comes out of Qingshan, I will send thousands of elite troops south to help Jun Yi defeat the enemy."

"Thank you, General Yan!" Zhang He bowed and thanked.

"As long as we can win!" Yan Liang said in a deep voice: "Our army will first attack the Bing army. If we can win this battle, it will greatly boost the morale of our Hebei soldiers."

"promise!"

After deciding on a strategy at Julu, Yan Liang and Zhang He led their troops straight to Puwu.

On February 28, Yan Liang led his army to Puwu, approaching the stronghold of Heishan. Zhang Yan led 10,000 people to fight with Yan Liang's troops at Mianman. Yan Liang defeated Zhang Yan's troops with his elite troops and beheaded more than a thousand people.

After the defeat, Zhang Yan retreated to Puwu overnight and sent people to ask Zhang Yu for help. Yan Liang led his troops to encircle Zhang Yan, while Zhang He led his troops south to Yuanshi and Gaoyi to station under the pretext of supervising the transportation of food and grass for the army.

Because there was a post station between Zhang Yu and Zhang Yan, the news of the defeat in Heishan took only three days to reach Anyi.

"Black Mountain Urgent News!"

The cavalryman hurried into the hall and said anxiously, "My lord, Yuan Shao appointed Yan Liang as the general and Zhang He as the deputy general, leading more than 10,000 soldiers to invade Black Mountain. Zhang Zhengbei led his troops to resist but was defeated by Yan Liang. He has now retreated to Puwu. I beg you to send troops to support him."

Zhang Yu put aside the discussion of who to stay in Shanxi, quickly glanced at the military report, and said to his subordinates: "According to Zhang Zhengbei's report, Yan Liang's troops are the best troops in Hebei, and most of the soldiers are in armor and have excellent equipment. The people of Heishan are no match for him. He led 10,000 people to resist, but now only half of the troops are defending Puwu."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu handed the report to his attendants for them to review, and asked, "What do you think?"

Everyone looked gloomy as they passed the contents of the military newspaper around.

After a while, Gao Shun took the lead and said, "Sir, although there are many princes in the world, they are divided into three parts. Yuan Shao occupies the borders of the river and the sea, and is as hostile to you as fire and water. Zhang Yan has surrendered to you. If you do not send troops to rescue him, the people of Hebei may be disappointed. Our rise and fall depends on this battle, and we cannot afford to lose it. Therefore, in my opinion, we need to discuss the rescue now."

"Of course!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "At this moment, Generals Li Song and Hao Zhao will lead their troops to station in Taiyuan and Shangdang respectively. Order them to reunite immediately. With Li Song as the main general and Hao Zhao as the deputy general, they will lead 10,000 soldiers to help Puwu and rescue Zhang Yan first. I will lead the main army to go out in ten days, first to Shangdang and then to Fukou."

"promise!"

Zhao Zi quickly sketched a military order for Zhang Yu.

"Sir, Yuan Shao sent troops to attack Zhang Yan first, so why didn't he prepare reinforcements?"

Xun You handed the letter to someone else and said: "Yan Liang is a brave general in Hebei who can fight ten thousand enemies; Zhang He is a veteran general in Jizhou who is good at making plans. The two of them are leading the army to fight, and with Xin Ping as the military advisor, the enemy must be well prepared. In Xun You's opinion, you might as well send another elite force as a backup to support Generals Li and Hao."

Zhang Yu seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "Yuan Shao took the initiative and sent his generals to attack Zhang Yan. This was to cut off the wings of our army. Now he must have a backup plan."

As he spoke, Zhang Yu glanced at the generals in the hall to see if there were any available generals who could lead troops as backup.

"Where is Zilongan?"

"The general is here!"

Zhao Yun stood up, holding his sword, with a serious expression, waiting for Zhang Yu's instructions.

Zhang Yu ordered, "Zilong will lead a thousand elite cavalrymen to set out as the vanguard of our army and support Li Song and Hao Zhao. If the two armies are unable to rescue them, Zilong can lend a helping hand."

"I obey your command!" Zhao Yun said solemnly.

"Sir, here are the military orders!"

Zhao Zi examined the military order and then submitted it to Zhang Yu's desk.

Zhang Yu trusted Zhao Zi, so he only checked it briefly before stamping it with his seal and asking his attendants to distribute it.

When the military order was handed over to Zhao Yun, Zhang Yu warned him, "If we encounter Yuan Shao's army, Zilong, tell the soldiers and generals that the army will arrive soon. Tell them not to worry."

"As ordered!"

Although Li Song's last rescue of Huguan was brilliant, Zhang Yu saw from the incident that Li Song's style of using troops was radical. Zhao Yun, on the other hand, was steady in temperament. He might not be able to come up with exquisite tactics, but he could maintain a minimum, which inexplicably gave people a sense of peace of mind. Therefore, letting Zhao Yun as a backup to support the two generals was considered a lock for Zhang Yu's rescue.

After Zhao Yun took the order and left, Zhang Yu looked at Zhong Yao and Du Ji and said, "I am far away from Anyi now. I'll ask you two to look after the mansion. If there is a war or unrest, we can order the Xingguo Qiang in Longyou to send troops, and Duan Wei can lead the troops to suppress the Qiang and Hu. And the unrest in the northern border can be dealt with by Hu Yanshi."

"What if Chang'an is in danger?" Zhong Yao asked.

"I will order Zhang Feng to stay in Lantian!" Zhang Yu said, "If Yuan Shu sends troops, Jingzhao and Fengyi can send troops to help."

Zhong Yao was worried and said, "The elite troops have been sent on a long expedition, and the remaining county soldiers are weak and may not be a match for the elite soldiers and brave generals!"

"If you need to mobilize troops, you can ask Madam for permission to mobilize the Zhongtiao Army." Zhang Yu finally revealed his true colors and said, "Although most of the Zhongtiao Army are young, they have been training for many years and are skilled in archery and horse riding. They can be used!"

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)