Tiger Guards

Chapter 655 As if Standing on the Edge of an Abyss
Northwest of Zhang County, Han Sui's camp stretched for over a hundred li, with its northern end connecting to Didao.

The joint camp was not only long, but the mountain gullies on both sides of the official road were also occupied by the Qiang tribes' camps of various sizes.

Han Sui's army had a large number of animal herds, but lacked reliable logistical support. Therefore, he could only spread out his troops as much as possible to expand the area where the animals could obtain fodder.

Since the pursuit reached Zhang County, only seven or eight days have passed, and the supplies in the surrounding mountain gullies and forests are almost exhausted.

On the southwest side of Bird and Mouse Mountain, near the official road, lies Han Sui's central army camp.

Given Han Sui's military habits and style, he would not set up his main camp at the front line unless absolutely necessary.

Bird and Mouse Mountain, also known as Bird and Mouse Cave Mountain, is the highest point of the surrounding mountains and a famous watershed.

The terrain here is treacherous, and although Ma Chao set fire to the forest in an attempt to clear the land, he was unable to cause much damage.

Therefore, Han Sui was able to gather his elite cavalry to search the mountains and hunt for supplies.

Han Sui was never known for his military prowess, but he was an excellent horseman.

He leaped onto the hill, grabbed the reins with his left hand, and pulled hard, bringing his fine steed to a steady stand at the top of the hill.

The north wind blew, causing Han Sui's cloak to flutter. He squinted as he observed the valley below the mountain. More than a thousand riders had dispersed to various places, while another thousand riders were divided into more than thirty groups to chase and drive the beasts to the mountain wall for the final hunt and execution.

Han Sui observed for a moment, then turned to Cheng Gongying and said, "The heroes of Tianshui have raised an army, which is a good thing, but I have some doubts."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Gongying spurred his horse forward half a step, slightly lagging behind Han Sui, so that they could hear each other clearly in the cold wind: "Does Your Excellency mean that this is a trick by the Zhao family? Intending to lure our army out of the camp and eastward?"

"No, the uprising of the heroes of Tianshui was not a hoax."

Han Sui took out a scroll of silk from his waist pouch and handed it to Cheng Gongying. As Cheng Gongying took it, the silk scroll was blown open by the wind. He held it with both hands and bent down to read it. He was greatly surprised: "Liu Jing Sheng actually joined forces with Liu Ji Yu?"

"Well, although I have doubts about the sincerity of these two Lius, I can only place my hopes on them for now."

Han Sui spoke with a gloomy gaze, showing no trace of the joy of a great hunt.

The current hunt can only slightly alleviate the army's shortages, but cannot solve the long-term supply problem.

Unless they invade Sanfu, they can effectively replenish their population and resources through plunder.

When the Liangzhou rebels stormed the Three Auxiliary Regions and disturbed the imperial tombs, they looted more than just wealth and food; the most precious thing in the world was people.

Just like Zhao Ji's numerous military campaigns, each time he captured a large number of people and brought them back to Hedong and Taiyuan, so much so that Hedong and Taiyuan are now teeming with people, and if they were to mobilize to the maximum extent, they could still muster another 100,000 troops to defend the territory.

Cheng Gongying carefully studied the wording of the silk scroll, which was brought by Huan Jie, a native of Changsha and an envoy of Liu Zhang.

If this silk scroll is genuine, then Liu Zhang's vanguard, Zhang Xiu, the governor of Hanzhong, and Zhang Lu, the commandant, had already appeared east of Shanggui, cutting off the communication between Tianshui and Chencang.

At the same time, Zhao Ang, the Protector of the Qiang, will also lead a combined force of no less than 30,000 Qiang and Di tribes and Han powerful clans from Longnan to appear between Jicheng and Shanggui. This is a strategic force that is enough to influence the course of the war.

With the support of Zhao Ang's more than 30,000 men, both those who were starting the uprising and the powerful figures in Tianshui who were watching from the sidelines would place their bets and increase their stakes!
In other words, the local powerful clans in Tianshui now have a combined force of over 30,000 men, along with Zhao Ang's forces and those of Zhang Xiu and Zhang Lu, making it a large army of nearly 100,000.

However, Guanzhong was only just beginning to recover. If the people of Tianshui actively waged war and moved closer to Guanzhong, they would eventually seize the people and resources of Guanzhong. This would replenish and enhance the war machine of the people of Tianshui, allowing them to reach a new level.

As for Han Sui's pitiful Hehuang Han-Qiang allied forces... if they fail to seize supplies and people, they will disintegrate and return to their homeland. The most crucial thing is that Han Sui's own reputation and appeal will plummet.

By then, before Zhao Ji could launch a campaign of retribution or seek revenge, the powerful clans of Tianshui would be the first to turn west and annex them!

Han Sui's eyes were gloomy, and he felt that every step he took was difficult.

Given his blood feud with Ma Teng and Ma Chao, if the powerful families of Tianshui successfully dispersed the Jin army within their territory and cut off the retreat routes of Ma Chao, Zhang He, and Zhang Xiu's five armies, these people would rather rely on the powerful families of Tianshui than unite with him.

The biggest problem now is that Han Sui lacks the ability to launch a strong attack on the garrison of Zhang County.

Even if he wanted to launch a strong attack, none of the various units of the Hehuang Han-Qiang allied forces would be willing to take on this mission that would result in heavy casualties.

If some people are forced to launch a strong attack, the allied forces will collapse on their own due to the fear of insecurity among everyone.

Without unified command and control, given the current supply situation, civil war is bound to break out among the Han and Qiang tribes! Therefore, Han Sui must maintain the current framework and stabilize the Han and Qiang tribes under his command as much as possible to prevent chaos.

As a wolf king, Han Sui was in a really difficult position.

If they couldn't conquer Zhang County, they could only watch helplessly as the powerful clans of Tianshui completed their integration under the guise of the imperial court's righteous cause. This would be an even more troublesome force than Ma Teng.

Seeing the change in Han Sui's expression, Cheng Gongying asked directly, "May I ask, my lord, is there any way out now?"

There is no way out.

Han Sui answered truthfully, explaining that he had naturally considered the various changes and probabilities in the battle situation. If he abandoned the vanguard and deceived the entire coalition, retreating quickly with only his own troops, he would not have a good end either.

The Han and Qiang tribes of the Hehuang region would surely hate him to the bone, and Song Jian, who was stationed west of Jincheng to observe the changing battle situation, would also send troops to intercept and kill him, to vent the anger of the Han and Qiang tribes of the Hehuang region.

Therefore, Han Sui is currently facing an abyss. If he takes a step back, he will be doomed. But if he takes a wrong step, he will also fall into the abyss.

Similarly, if he continues to hold his troops and wait and see, then regardless of whether the Jin army wins or the powerful families of Tianshui complete their transformation, they will all turn around and join forces with Ma Chao's various armies to deal with him!

For some reason, Han Sui felt a pang of nostalgia for the past.

During Emperor Ling's reign, although the court controlled more people and resources, the court's army was not as proactive in war as it is now.

Before Cheng Gongying could continue guiding him, Han Sui coughed twice and spat out a thick, brownish-yellow phlegm. He stared at the trajectory of the phlegm as it flew away and said, "The situation is perilous now. If we launch an attack, there is still a glimmer of hope. But if we hesitate or retreat, we will all die and our clans will be wiped out."

"Ming Gong..."

Cheng Gongying opened his mouth and sighed, "Does Your Excellency intend to bypass Zhang County and go straight to Tianshui?"

"Yes, only in this way can there be a chance of survival."

Han Sui spoke more clearly, expressing his concern that after the Jin army in Tianshui was defeated, the nearly 50,000 troops of Ma Chao's five armies, trapped in Zhang County, Longxi County, and Xiangwu County, would rely on the local strongmen in Tianshui.

Therefore, it was necessary to infiltrate through Zhangxian, Longxi, and Xiangwu to cut off the connection between Ma Chao's five armies and the people of Tianshui.

This is a huge opening; if Han Sui can swallow these 50,000 people, he will gain an overwhelming advantage over the powerful families of Tianshui and be able to annex them.

His personal grudges were with Ma Teng and his son Ma Chao, not Zhang Xiu, Zhang He, Zhu Ling, and Yang Qiu.

Zhang Xiu and others probably hated the uprising of the powerful local magnates in Tianshui even more.

Therefore, there is a greater chance of winning over Zhang Xiu and others, as these people can be used to coerce and forcefully eliminate Ma Teng and Ma Chao!
The counties of Zhangxian, Longxi, and Xiangwu are not systematic passes that block roads and valleys.

Therefore, an army was dispatched to forcibly bypass the city and penetrate its defenses. As long as the defending troops dared not engage in open battle, they could only watch helplessly as this isolated army advanced eastward.

Han Sui had already figured out the implications of this plan. Now he just wanted to use Cheng Gongying to reveal this dangerous scheme and also get Cheng Gongying to name the suitable candidate.

As the one in power, Han Sui naturally couldn't do all sorts of bad things.

Such offensive tasks naturally require strategists like Cheng Gongying to handle.

Han Sui had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

As an excellent strategist, Cheng Gongying had served under Han Sui for a long time and naturally knew what to do at this moment.

Yan Xing, the most capable vanguard general in the army who has a blood feud with Ma Chao, is the best candidate.

Therefore, after a brief consideration, Cheng Gongying bowed to Han Sui's retreating figure and said, "My lord, only Yanming can accomplish this task."

Han Sui frowned: "Yanming is a great general and a loyal subject of our army. How can he risk his life?"

"This battle concerns the fate of our army. Your Excellency is personally braving the blades; how can we spare our lives?"

Cheng Gong said in a heavy tone: "Now is the time for us to serve our country with righteous indignation. Yanming has always been a man of great principles, how could he be one who seeks personal gain and avoids harm?"

(End of this chapter)