Jinting Han people

Chapter 190: The Strategy of Setting Up a Net on All Sides (4k)

When discussing how to deal with the enemy, the first thing to discuss is the enemy situation. Zhang Gui handed the map to Liu Xian, asking him to give a brief introduction since he had already come into contact with the enemy.

Liu Xian took the map and looked at it with great reluctance, because this map of Guanzhong should have been specially made by the Zhengxi Army. It was made of silk, and the content included not only the two states of Yong and Qin, but also the Longyou and Hedong regions, which were things Liu Xian could not collect on a normal day.

After carefully looking at it for a few times, he sorted out his thoughts, pointed to Linfen County in the east of the river, and said slowly:

"As of now, the rebels in Linfen are still growing. Before I went there, I estimated their number to be around 70,000 to 80,000. But after arriving in Linfen, I discovered that the number of people living under the city walls has probably exceeded 100,000. With both men and women living together, it's difficult to determine the exact number of able-bodied men. A conservative estimate is around 40,000."

"Since they brought their families with them this time, it can be said that they are united. Even if there are many women, children, the elderly and the weak, it should not be assumed that the rest of the people cannot participate in the war."

"While morale is high, fighting a war cannot be solved simply by high morale. In my opinion, they are facing at least three problems now."

"The first problem is that they are seriously lacking in armor and weapons."

"During my exploration, I fought against them three times and discovered that although they had no shortage of horses, none of them wore armor, and they couldn't even provide a sword for each person."

"Although everyone can fight with bows and arrows, and their accuracy is quite good, this situation greatly restricts their tactics. Even considering that the enemy has conquered several cities in a row and equipped themselves with all their swords and armor, they can only have about ten thousand men at most. If it were a head-on battle, I think we have a 70% to 80% chance of winning."

"The second problem is that the rebels' organization is too backward."

"Although they are nominally the rear Xiongnu, from what I've seen and heard, they still live together as a clan and are not subordinate to each other. Hao San, as the commander of the rear, cannot clearly mobilize each of his tribes."

"This will cause them to have a major flaw in the joint battle. That is, they cannot enforce orders, and instead require each commander to act according to circumstances. I believe that as long as we can successfully capture and kill the bandit leader Hao San, we will surely achieve victory easily."

"The third problem is that the Xiongnu's military discipline is too lax."

"Perhaps it's because they haven't been used to fighting for a long time. They have almost no habit of keeping watch at night. Plus, the personnel are mixed together, and even their uniforms are not standardized, so it's impossible to effectively identify them. As long as you have a basic understanding of their unit structure and are brave enough, it's almost easy to sneak in."

"Of course, this is my experience this time. I was discovered this time, and I alerted them, which may cause them to change. However, this change will not be effective overnight. From this perspective, we can also consider using surprise attacks, whether it is splitting up the troops to attack, or fighting at night and burning the camp, both are good strategies."

Zhang Gui's original intention was to have Liu Xian briefly describe the enemy situation. Unexpectedly, his response not only described the characteristics of the Xiongnu in the rear, but also outlined corresponding solutions, and his insights were quite mature.

Everyone present showed admiration in their eyes. Zhang Gui even stroked his beard and smiled, "Huai Chong is indeed the descendant of a famous general. Among my peers, there is probably no one with more insight than you."

However, as the commander-in-chief of this rebellion, he did not immediately express his opinion. After praising Liu Xian, he turned to the others present and said, "Warfare is a matter of national importance. We must carefully consider and learn from the strengths of others. You are all outstanding men of your time. Now that Huai Chong has put forward his suggestions, do you have any suggestions to follow?"

Li Han was a famous scholar in Liangzhou. Although he came from a poor family, he was always arrogant and thought he was superior to others. Over the years, he considered his greatest shame to be that he had not been able to obtain the Zhuoran Second Rank. Therefore, when Liu Xian came in, Li Han regarded him as a rival. At this time, he was eager to show off, and immediately bowed and said:

"Military Commander, I believe that while County Lord Liu has said that the rebellious Hu are a motley crowd, I agree. However, there's a saying in military strategists: 'Be prepared for the enemy's misfortune. Failure to prepare leads to failure.' The Xiongnu's rebellion must have some extraordinary qualities, and we shouldn't underestimate them."

Liu Xian was momentarily baffled by this. After all, he had witnessed the current situation in the Xiongnu's rear with his own eyes and was merely relaying it truthfully. How could this be dismissive or not? After all, looking back at the Western Expedition Army's main camp, he saw at least some basic level of military discipline. Judging from their military horns, weapons, and armor, they were far superior to the Xiongnu. So why should he hesitate?

Li Han continued, "This time, the Shangdang rebellion spread to Hedong, sparking rebellions among dozens of other tribes. The impact is undoubtedly devastating. Just now, General Zhang and Xin Caoyuan said that, while we should nominally seek a small part of our territory, we must also consider the overall situation."

"Over a hundred Qiang and Hu tribes in Guanzhong are now watching Hedong, watching how we handle this rebellion. If we simply suppress them with military might, we might be able to defeat or even crush these bandits, but we will never be able to completely exterminate them."

"If we don't handle this properly and let these rebellious Hu people roam free, it might turn out like Huangfu Song's Yellow Turban Rebellion. Although we eliminated the ringleader, the remaining poison is endless. In the end, these thieves will grow like grass in the wind. We can't kill them all, but they will continue to rob. That would be very difficult to deal with!"

Liu Xian finally understood a little, and he couldn't help but applaud Li Han's analysis. While he'd only considered the outcome of the battle, this Yongzhou Beijia was also considering the political perspective. He not only wanted to win the battle, but also to resolve the Hu people's rebellion once and for all, permanently and without further repercussions. From this perspective, he was a step ahead of him.

He immediately exclaimed in admiration, "Li Biejia's words make sense. I didn't think it through. So, in Li Biejia's opinion, what strategy should we use?"

Li Han was stunned when he heard this. He obviously didn't expect Liu Xian to praise him so much. He couldn't help but look at Liu Xian twice more, then stroked his beard and said:

"Military Commander, you should have heard that General Liu of Ningshuo and Lord Ji have already proposed three strategies for suppressing the bandits. One of them is that we should prioritize appeasement and use both kindness and force."

Zhang Gui nodded and said, "Indeed, do you also agree to pacify them?"

Li Han replied, "We must certainly try to persuade them to surrender, but in my opinion, the Hu rebels have been conquering cities one after another, and their morale is high. They will surely be hoping for a lucky break and refuse to surrender. We will inevitably have to fight a few more battles. Only after we win can we talk about surrendering them."

"Well, that's the case. So how do you think we should arrange it?"

"As my subordinate just said, we must make preparations first to prevent the thieves from escaping. It's like fishing. If you want to catch them all in one go, you can first spread the nets in all directions."

"Spreading nets on all sides?" Beigong Chun was quite interested and asked with a smile, "What do you mean by spreading nets on all sides?"

Li Han took the map from Liu Xian and pointed at it one by one, saying, "The so-called four-sided net means blocking all their escape routes. If it were in Guandong, my proposal would be considered unrealistic. But fortunately, they came to Hedong."

"The Hedong region has always been known for its dangerous mountains and rivers. To the north, the only way to enter Xihe County is by following the Fen River or going north along the Great River. To the east, there's only one road leading to Shangdang, via the Qinshui River Valley. To the south, Dianjinban connects to Hongnong. To the east, we guard the Longmen Ferry, Puban Ferry, and Fengling Ferry."

"There are seven routes in total. As long as we block all seven routes first and then engage in a decisive battle, as long as we win, no matter how they flee, they will only be able to escape within Hedong and Pingyang counties and won't cause any trouble."

"Finally, we'll eliminate a few bandit leaders, then recruit them. It'll be a piece of cake." After he finished speaking, the other six nodded in agreement. But Fengyi Commander Bai Yun asked, "But many of these places are not even within our jurisdiction! And we don't have enough manpower. Does Li Beijia want us to submit a petition to the court?"

"That's not the main issue." Zhang Gui pondered for a moment and then suggested, "I can submit a petition to the court. The court shouldn't object. I think the Taiyuan Governor's Office will also agree. But there's a problem with this strategy: the time it takes."

"From the time we send the message to the court, it will take at least two months for all the arrangements to be completed."

"Two months, we can afford to wait, but the people of Hedong cannot. It's already May, and by the time everything is arranged, let's say July. If we fight a major battle and then win, pacify and resettle the people, it will take at least two months, which would be September by then."

"There are already nearly 200,000 refugees in the two counties, not to mention whether there will be more in the future. With so many people, where are we going to get the food to keep them going until September?"

"Even if we make it to September, winter is coming soon. People will definitely not have a harvest this year. How can they survive until next year when there is a harvest?"

Having said this, Zhang Gui's expression could not be said to be anything but serious, and everyone present also felt a great deal of pressure. They all understood that this was a matter that could lead to great chaos if one was not careful, and it was comparable to the current rebellion of the Hu people in Linfen.

Zhang Gui turned to Xin Ran again, clearly aiming his words primarily at him. Seeing Xin Ran's pale face, he continued, "This is something we must handle with great care! If these people go hungry, I'm afraid they'll stir up new chaos in Guanzhong before we've completely wiped out the Hu people."

"Xin Caoyuan, I hope you can explain this matter clearly to Sun Changshi and not harbor any luck."

Xin Ran's forehead broke out in cold sweat again. He quickly smiled bitterly and said, "What are you talking about, General Zhang? Sun Changshi also has the overall situation in mind."

“The big picture isn’t something you think about or talk about, it’s something you do!”

Zhang Gui spoke slowly, but the pressure in his voice was immense. He continued, "I usually don't care what Sun Changshi does because I know he doesn't care about the lives of these people, so there's no point in saying anything."

"But in this situation, I'm thinking about Sun Changshi. There are hundreds of thousands of people rebelling, and hundreds of thousands more without food or clothing. If we handle this well, Sun Changshi can continue to live a carefree life. If we don't, you and I will both be punished with our lives!"

"I hope that Sun Changshi will prepare not only military rations but also disaster relief grain. If Sun Changshi thinks the relief grain is too much, he can provide half relief and half loan. The loaned grain will be returned in three years after the people have a harvest."

"Though life will still be hard for the people, at least they can get by, and the Great Jin will not be affected. We soldiers on the front lines can also focus on fighting without distraction."

"Otherwise, I really wouldn't dare to carry out this plan of setting up a net on all sides."

Having said this, he looked around and said to the others present: "This is just my personal opinion. What do you think?"

Zhang Guang took the lead and said, "Although soldiers mostly join the army to achieve great things, they also strive for peace and prosperity. What General Zhang said is exactly what I am thinking. If General Zhang submits a petition, I am willing to sign it."

Beigong Chun was Zhang Gui's good friend, so he naturally didn't want to be left behind. He said, "How can such a great reputation be left to Shi Yan alone? Count me in too!"

This matter also concerned Fengyi's defense. As the commander of Fengyi, Bai Yun naturally wouldn't object. "What Mr. Zhang said is the right path. How dare I disobey?"

The only ones who hadn't expressed their opinions were Liu Xian and Li Han.

Liu Xian's reasons for not expressing his opinion were simple. First, his position was low, so his signature was clearly unnecessary. Second, his relationships with both Sun Xiu and Jia Mi were poor, and signing his name would have served no purpose other than simply angering and resenting them. It was better for him to remain silent.

Li Han was a little hesitant. He knew that if he signed his name, he might offend Sun Xiu, and it would not go well with the court, which might affect his future.

But then he thought again. This plan of setting up a network on all sides was originally proposed by him. If he ended up executing his own plan without taking responsibility for the relevant preparations, it would inevitably affect his official reputation. Li Han still cared about his reputation, so after thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and agreed.
"This is all for the benefit of the country, and I am willing to sign my name!"

In this case, Xin Ran had no reason to refuse, so he had to promise publicly that he would explain the matter in detail to Sun Xiu and make him agree to provide relief to the refugees. Only then was the matter over.

When the military meeting was over and everyone started to leave, Liu Xian was about to leave when Zhang Gui stopped him and said with a smile, "Huai Chong, wait a moment. I promised to give you some herbal medicine passed down from our ancestors."

Liu Xian stayed in the tent and waited for a while. After a while, Zhang Gui personally pulled out a fist-sized clay pot from the corner and handed it to Liu Xian, saying, "Take good care of your injuries. Once everything is arranged, I'll see you show off your skills."

"Military Commander, thank you for your praise! I believe that with your presence here, we will surely win this battle!"

When Liu Xian said this, he was truly convinced. Today's meeting can be said to have opened his eyes and made him truly understand what kind of people are the pillars of the country.

Zhang Gui, however, had a look of dejection on his face. He looked at the cloudy sky outside the tent and sighed, "It's hard to say! I can only do my best and leave it to fate."

He patted Liu Xian on the shoulder and said, "I have a military mission for Huai Chong. I wonder if Huai Chong dares to take it."

"Military commander, please feel free to speak."

"Until Sun Changshi's relief grain arrives, how about you comfort the victims in Hedong?"

"Ah?! Me?" Liu Xian was stunned for a moment.

He couldn't help but look up at Zhang Gui's expression and try to guess his intentions again.

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(End of this chapter)