Tiger Guards

Chapter 427 Reactive Conservatism
After discussing with Zhang Yang, Chen Gong led more than a hundred officers and cavalrymen, along with more than three hundred villagers recruited from Chenliu, into two teams, one by land and one by water.

The knights followed Chen Gong along the main road to Jiyin and Dingtao, while the remaining infantry took boats down the Ji River.

Now is a time to race against time. Even if we don't advance by a day, just half a day can complete the recruitment and gathering of a county and its surrounding areas.

Chen Gong set off under cover of night, and around midnight Zhao Ji's cavalry followed the road, galloping along the west bank of the Honggou Canal.

On the Honggou River, more than 3,000 men under Gan Ning rowed boats, and with the light of torches lit by knights on the west bank, they also sailed upstream.

Due to factors such as poor drainage, the Central Plains region is crisscrossed by waterways, connecting swamps and wetlands of all sizes.

North of Chenliu lies Junyi, a key hub for the Central Plains' grain transport, and north of Junyi lies Suanzao.

Between Suanzao and Junyi, there are periodic marshes and wetlands. When they flood, it is impossible to navigate by boat, and when they dry up, even if roads are built, they are easily destroyed.

Therefore, this area is suitable for marching during droughts, but not for vehicle traffic.

Uneven and rugged roads will exacerbate vehicle damage.

East of Xingyang, in Ruying, Chenliu, Chenguo, Jiyin, Dongjun, as well as Liangguo, Peiguo, and Shanyangjun, there are too many such swampy and rotten lands. The difference is that some of them will dry up during droughts, while others will not.

As for wetlands for storing floodwater and navigating boats during floods... these are hard to find because the Central Plains are flat and have little elevation difference, so water cannot be easily dredged; there are also not many ditches to block or collect water.

When Zhao Ji's cavalry passed through Chenliu and Junyi, Xiahou Yuan and Cao Hong's armies supported Cao Ang and led him to leave Suanzao and enter Yan County, northeast of Suanzao, which can also be called Southern Yan.

Wuchao Marsh, on the eastern outskirts of Yan County.

The area around Wuchao Marsh was dry, and Cao Cao's army had abandoned most of their vehicles, using horses to carry important armor and valuables. Most of the personnel walked, following the dry ground along the western side of Wuchao Marsh.

These were all elite Cao troops, and their morale remained relatively stable during the retreat north, with no large-scale desertion.

The officials and soldiers all knew that it would be difficult to return home alive if they scattered and fled.

If you carry food or other supplies while fleeing, you will be intercepted and killed by refugees, starving people, and powerful clansmen along the way; if you travel light without food, you can only plunder along the way... In the current environment, you can't steal anything from refugees and starving people, and you can't defeat the powerful clansmen along the way.

In fact, given the notorious reputation of Cao Cao's army in Yanzhou, when they scattered and fled, the deserters were more like rats than a pack of wolves returning home after a long journey.

North of Wuchao Marsh lies Baima Mountain.

While the main force of Cao Cao's army of over 10,000 was still trekking through Wuchao Marsh, the vanguard had already reached Baima Mountain.

On Baima Mountain, Cao Ang stood blankly, observing the distant ferry crossing.

From west to east, there are Yanjin, Baimajin, and Puyangjin, with Puyangjin connected to Puyang City.

Across from Baimajin lies Liyangjin, a vital passage from the Central Plains to Hebei, where Hebei troops were stationed year-round.

Cao Hong helped Cao Ang down from his horse and said, "Yanjin is the closest. Although Baimajin is large, last year when Zixiao ambushed Zang Hong here and chased down the remaining enemies, Baima City was burned to the ground, and Baimajin was abandoned."

At this time last year, Cao Ren ambushed and defeated Zang Hong's more than 10,000 men who were heading from Puyang to Suanzao, seriously wounding Zang Hong.

Cao Ang simply looked at Cao Hong, who continued, "Yanjin lacks boats, which is not conducive to the army crossing the river. Currently, the morale of all armies is low, and they can still march for survival. However, if we reach the crossing point, the armies will inevitably fight to cross, which could lead to a mutiny."

"Does Uncle mean to go to Puyangjin?"

"Yes, Puyang is a large city. The local heroes must be worried about Zhao Ji's tyranny and his tendency to implicate others. With the help of the heroes, our army can cross the river quickly. By combining the garrison of Puyang and Juancheng, our army will have more than 20,000 men, which will be beneficial for Zixiu to establish a foothold in Hebei."

Cao Hong analyzed in detail: "When we get to Hebei, given Yuan Shao's character, he will surely separate me from Zixiao and Miaocai. Qu Yi is a cautionary tale for us. Under his command, we dare not fight to the death. If we can unite the armies of Puyang and Juancheng, Zixiu will have something to rely on."

Cao Ang nodded slowly, looked around and saw that they were all relatives, and asked, "So what should we do from now on?"

"If Zixiu can secure his place in the world, we can wait for a good opportunity to work together to build a great career."

Cao Hong said things that even he himself didn't quite believe, probably in order to encourage Cao Ang, and continued: "Zixiu, don't be discouraged. Have you not seen what happened to Sun Bofu?"

"Yes, Uncle, rest assured. Once we reach Hebei, I will submit a petition to the court requesting permission to observe three years of mourning for my father's remains and refrain from worldly affairs to quell Yuan Shao's suspicions. If a good opportunity arises in the future, we will make further plans; otherwise, the priority will be to preserve the family business."

Cao Ang gradually regained his composure, and Cao Hong was relieved to see this. He then stretched out his arm and pointed to the long, winding marching column behind him: "Zixiu, give the order."

"Ah."

Cao Ang turned around and looked at the messengers who led his horses forward: "Tell all armies to cross the river at Puyang!"

"Here!"

The messenger mounted his horse and relayed orders to the advancing troops behind him.

If I'm going to die, I'll die in Puyang. In the current situation, only by going to Puyang can I get at least half a month's worth of supplies. If I can get the support of the garrison in Juancheng, then I can take more supplies to Hebei.

Sufficient supplies and wealth were needed for Cao Cao's army to survive the winter after crossing the river.

If they had no food reserves for winter and wanted Yuan Shao to provide them with grain, they would have to risk their lives for Yuan Shao.

The relevant messengers have already been dispatched to Puyang, Juancheng, Dong'e, Fanxian, as well as Dongping and Jibei. How much support they can obtain depends on the capabilities of the local Qiaopei villagers.

If the people of Qiaopei Township are capable enough to suppress the counterattack of the local powerful clans, they can gather manpower and transport supplies to Puyang.

Otherwise, if the local powerful clans were to retaliate, these Qiaopei villagers would either be lucky enough to be escorted out of the country or unlucky enough to have their heads chopped off and sent to the imperial court to claim a reward.

Cao Ang also mounted his horse and looked back at the marching column. For the next three years, he could only observe mourning for Cao Cao and educate his brothers.

His filial piety was impeccable, leaving no room for criticism.

Yuan Shao would naturally follow public opinion and recommend Cao Ang for office.

Cao Ang couldn't predict how things would change in three years. He could only hope that his fellow villagers from Qiaopei would have better luck and gather more manpower and resources from Puyang.

Judging by the time, the first wave of messengers should have already delivered the message to Yuan Shao's army camp in Liyang. Considering the distance of less than two hundred li from Liyang to Yecheng, delivering the message to Liyang is equivalent to delivering the message to Yuan Shao.

If we go to Puyang now, and Zhao Ji catches up slowly, our side can gather more manpower and resources, and we can hold Puyang and wait for Yuan Shao's support or mediation.

If Zhao Ji pursues too quickly, then cross the river quickly to preserve your strength.

Cao Ang squinted and stared intently at the vicinity of Yanjin upstream. He couldn't see anything clearly, but if the garrison of Liyang sent people by boat to pick him up in advance, the best place would be Yanjin.

Boarding at Yanjin, the transport ships sailed downstream and were rowed towards the north bank, reaching Liyang just in time. The garrison at Liyang had not made any preparations for this, and therefore there were no scout reports.

Thinking of this, Cao Ang was deeply disappointed.

Based on the timeline, Yuan Shao should have been aware of the situation last night or the night before, giving him ample time to make arrangements.

But Yuan Shao didn't do that. It's also possible that Yuan Shao gave the order, but the garrison in Liyang was slow to act and didn't welcome them... No, that doesn't make sense either. If Yuan Shao wanted to provide support, the envoy should have arrived nearby by now.

After considering Yuan Shao's actions, Cao Ang made a judgment and said to Cao Hong, "Uncle, Yuan Shao's envoy has not yet arrived, which shows that Yuan Shao has no intention of fighting Zhao Ji."

Cao Hong was taken aback, then nodded: "That should be the case. In the Battle of Changshan last year, Zhao Ji's army defeated Gao Gan and Yuan Xi in succession, which made Yuan Shao very wary. If our army goes to surrender, and he sends troops to support us, and then we fight a decisive battle with Zhao Ji between Puyang and Baima, that would be disadvantageous for Yuan Shao."

As Cao Hong spoke, he raised his whip and pointed towards the foot of Baima Mountain and the south bank of the Yellow River: "The terrain here is open, which is very advantageous for Zhao Ji's cavalry to charge. Zhao Ji also has Baima Mountain to cover his tracks, which is very disadvantageous to our army and also to Yuan Shao's army. If Yuan Shao's army comes in small numbers, it will be useless; if there are too many troops, it will be difficult to assemble them in a short period of time. Zhao Ji is known for his swift and fierce military tactics, and he will never give Yuan Shao the opportunity to mobilize his troops."

After completing his analysis, Cao Hong remarked, "A decisive battle breaking out here would be disadvantageous for Yuan Shao, and he would not easily initiate hostilities."

Cao Ang nodded, his expression solemn and revealing no joy, sorrow, or anger. He simply said, "That's good. Our army can rest and recuperate at our leisure, and we can seek revenge another day."

Cao Hong nodded silently. He no longer had much thought about revenge. The living had to think about survival, how could they be so focused on avenging the dead?

It's not that he doesn't want revenge, but he's currently under Yuan Shao's control. Judging from Yuan Shao's current reaction, he doesn't want to fight Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji's army still had the battle flag of "Protect the Country and Punish Yuan". Now that Yuan Shao has sent troops south to fight against Zhao Ji, wouldn't that confirm the accusation of being a traitor to the country?
Yuan Shao also had to consider the thoughts and face of the people of Hebei, so this year was indeed not suitable for starting a war.

Only after eliminating Gongsun Zan and unifying the two provinces of You and Ji could Yuan Shao act with greater freedom.

Cao Ang stopped thinking and discussing, lightly kicked his horse's belly, and led more than a hundred fellow villagers on horseback down the gentle mountain road, heading towards Puyang.

North of Baima Mountain, there is a road that originates in the northern suburbs of the county, runs parallel to the Yellow River, and enters Puyang through Baima County.

To the west of this road, although it leads to Suanzao, the terrain is flat and barren, but it is a wasteland on the south bank of the Yellow River, unsuitable for cultivation, and looks like a desert from afar.

On the other side, in Rencheng Kingdom, at dawn, Sun Ce and Taishi Ci officially divided their forces. Taishi Ci and Sun Fu led 5,000 troops along the eastern road of Juye Marsh, heading straight for Fan County and heading towards Dong'e.

Sun Ce's main force remained in Rencheng Kingdom to observe and wait for Zhao Ji's envoy. However, Zhao Ji's envoy did not arrive, but Zhang Liao's envoy arrived first.

They were more than two hundred li apart, which seemed far away, but Cao Cao had just died and Yanzhou was in chaos and without a ruler.

There were no longer any local forces obstructing them, so this two hundred li was the distance for field battles.

For Sun Ce or Zhang Liao, two hundred li was not a long distance at all; it was enough for them to launch a surprise attack.

Zhang Liao had no choice but to accept Zhao Ji's handover of the four Guan Hai tribes to him. These four tribes were taken from Sun Ce.

Although the families and hostages have moved to Langya with Zhang Zhao, who can guarantee the stability of Guan Hai's four tribes?
Therefore, notifying Sun Ce early on, so that he would keep his distance from our side, would minimize the risk of a mutiny by Guan Hai's four tribes.

Zhang Liao urged Sun Ce to speed up the march with a clear conscience. No matter how unhappy Sun Ce was, he had no choice but to break camp and march as many miles as possible, to make a proper appearance.

There's no point in getting angry with Zhang Liao; the highest priority is to patiently obtain the imperial edicts appointing him as Governor of Qingzhou, General of the Rear, and Marquis of Qi.

As long as Sun Ce is willing to move towards Mount Tai, Zhang Liao will feel much more at ease.

This is the first time he has independently commanded more than 20,000 men. With the addition of more than 2,000 men under Luqiu Jian who will soon join his command, Zhang Liao is very likely to control and command more than 30,000 men this time.

Thirty thousand men is a hurdle; Zhang Liao doesn't even need to establish any merits.

If he can lead more than 30,000 people on a trip and bring them all back safely, then his ability to command a large army will be proven!

If there is another large-scale troop division plan in the future, Zhang Liao will be the deputy general, even if he is not the first choice for the main general.

This is a very important resume. The first standard for becoming a famous general of our time is to lead an army of more than 30,000 men.

If Sun Ce refuses to move, it could incite a mutiny among Guan Hai's four tribes, and Zhang Liao would certainly not give Sun Ce any face.

We'd rather fight a battle first than let Sun Ce ruin things.

Compared to Zhang Liao, who was red-eyed and eager to fight and drive out Sun Ce, Zhao Ji was more tolerant.

Zhao Ji did not participate in the forced march, but led more than 10,000 men to cover the rear... This was the greatest respect he could show to Lü Bu, and he believed that Lü Bu would understand this respect.

As night faded and a new sun rose, Zhao Ji, though tired from his night shift, was in high spirits.

The fact that Lü Bu didn't attack him last night means that the most difficult hurdle has been overcome.

At the military camp outside Fugou City, Zhao Jicai began to process various military documents.

His furthest scouts were basically following closely behind Sun Ce. When they saw Sun Ce stationed at Kangfu, Zhao Ji guessed that Sun Ce wanted to plunder the eastern part of Yanzhou.

Whether Sun Ce personally led the army or sent others to skim off the spoils... Zhao Ji considered this a matter of course.

If you were in my shoes, you would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes, so there's nothing to criticize.

If we don't take advantage of this, then we're still Sun Ce, aren't we?

The most important thing now is to destroy and severely damage the old order left by Cao Cao, and also severely damage the bandits in Yanzhou.

Therefore, there's no need to dwell on whether it's one of your own people or Sun Ce's people who are doing the work.

The goal is to dismantle everything in Yanzhou, divide everything in Yanzhou, and eliminate any possibility of Yanzhou rising again and re-establishing its armed forces.

This wasn't necessarily a bad thing for the people of Yanzhou. The able-bodied young people who could participate in the war were taken to Xizhou for reformation; the cost of governing the remaining people was too high, which allowed them to live a peaceful life for a while.

Even if Lü Bu were to acquire Yanzhou, which is essentially a useless territory, he would be unable to make it a forward base for attacking Hebei.

Yuan Shao wouldn't mind if Lü Bu took it, so Yuan Shao could gather his forces and seize the time to deal with Gongsun Zan.

We cannot give Yuan Shao time to recuperate; we must also get Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan moving.

Only continuous exercise can deplete reserves... which makes sudden death more likely.

(End of this chapter)