The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

The atmosphere in the main hall of the governor's mansion was somber.

Everyone lined up on either side according to their civil and military status, while the scout who had just returned from Pingcheng stood in the center to report:

"Reporting to General and Prefect! The Xianbei have amassed 20,000 cavalry, crossed the Great Wall, and are heading towards Pingcheng! All the tribes along the way have been captured, and they will be at the city gates in less than ten days!"

"Those Xianbei traitors!"

Zhang Fei slammed his palm on the table, making the teacups clink.

"We just healed Yanmen Pass, and they're here! Brother! Give me ten thousand, and I'll storm the Xianbei royal court and cut off that Xianbei leader's head!"

"General Zhang is right!" Pang De stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and declared, "This humble general is willing to be the vanguard, and will surely ensure that the Xianbei people never return!"

The newly appointed military commander, Huang Zhong, stood up: "My three thousand archers are fully trained. If the Xianbei dare to come, it's a good opportunity to test their arrow barrage."

Qian Zhao then stood up: "This humble general is willing to organize garrison troops to assist in the defense of the city. Many Hu tribes on the border have received favors from our lord, and this humble general will go and contact them to send troops to help in the battle."

The military officers were all eager to fight, their killing intent palpable.

None of the civil officials advocated for peace either.

Xun Chen coughed once:

"Yanmen is in dire need of reconstruction; we must not allow the flames of war to spread into our territory. All the hard work of the past few months has been in vain. We must fight, and we must win."

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to Yanmen, and barely slept for months!

Jian Yong nodded: "The people have only enjoyed a few good days. If they are plundered by the Xianbei, it will be difficult to win back their hearts and minds in the future."

Jia Xu, holding his teacup, said, "The Xianbei people come for profit. As long as they know that seizing Yanmen will cost them ten times more, they will naturally back down."

Looking at the assembled civil and military officials, Liu Bei slammed his fist on the table: "Fine! Then let's fight! If we don't inflict pain on the Xianbei, they won't know the meaning of pain!"

With the tone set, everyone immediately began discussing tactics.

"Brother! I think we should take the initiative!" Zhang Fei spoke first. "The Xianbei have come from afar and their foothold is not yet secure. A night raid on their camp will surely result in a great victory!"

"No." Guan Yu immediately shook his head:

"The Xianbei cavalry are highly mobile, and our army currently has only 10,000 combat troops, of which less than 3,000 are cavalry. Taking the initiative to engage in open battle is exactly what they want."

"I think it would be better to rely on passes like Pingcheng and Mayi, implement a scorched-earth policy, and hold the cities to the death. The Xianbei people have no siege equipment; as long as we hold the cities, we can wait for an opportunity to attack!"

"Defending to the death won't work either." Li Chang nodded in agreement. His second brother, Guan Yu, was improving really fast!

He continued:

"To hold out to the death is to be passively attacked. If the Xianbei cannot take the city, they will send troops to plunder the surrounding villages. At that time, the people's crops will be stolen and their houses will be burned. Even if we hold the city, we will still lose."

Everyone looked at Li Chang. Yes!

They almost forgot about this!

This time is different from before, because they are mainly the ones who take the initiative in attacking, while this time they are local officials who also have to protect the people!

"Defend against the enemy outside Yanmen Pass." Li Chang pointed to the north on the map. "We must not allow the flames of war to reach the heart of Yanmen Pass. All battles should be resolved outside Yanmen Pass as much as possible."

"How can we defend against the enemy?" Jian Yong asked. "We don't have enough troops to deploy defenses across the entire front."

"No need for a full-scale defense." Li Chang pointed to three locations on the map. "Just defend these three places."

"Pingcheng, Qiangyin, Shanwu".

"Qiangyin is the northern gateway and must be defended at all costs. Pingcheng guards the main road to Dai County, and Shanwu is the former seat of Dingxiang County, which can prevent the Xianbei from flanking and attacking from behind."

"First, within a month, fortify all the defenses of these three cities. Dig three deep moats, and line the outside of the moats with stag antlers and chevaux-de-frise. Bury horse traps under the city walls, and prepare rolling logs, stones, and fire arrows on the city walls."

Secondly, at key passages such as Gaoliu, they fortified strongholds, engaging in prolonged battles, with each stronghold supporting the other. Whichever stronghold the Xianbei attacked first, the other two would send troops to harass their rear. They would never engage in open battle, relying solely on fortifications to wear them down.

Third, he ordered the Commandant of Taiyuan Commandery to lead all the commandery's troops north to guard the Yellow River crossing and prevent the Xianbei people from coming around from the west to plunder.

Fourth, if the Xianbei launch a major attack, we will defend the city; if they have fewer troops, we will harass them from outside the city!

fifth……"

Li Chang looked at Zhao Yun and gave him the most difficult task:

"Zilong, you will lead the cavalry, primarily composed of Qiang and Hu loyalists, to bypass the Xianbei and launch a surprise attack from the rear! Use any means necessary, such as poisoning water sources, killing the elderly, women, and children, slaughtering cattle and sheep, etc., but remember to ensure your own safety!"

I said it all in one go, so that I could say everything I could think of.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"promise!"

Zhao Yun nodded firmly in acceptance of the order.

Qian Zhao's idea was even more ingenious. Building a fortified camp and engaging in a war of attrition would perfectly counter the Xianbei cavalry's mobility. There was no need to compete on speed; it was all about who could be tougher.

"I'd like to add something," Jia Xu suddenly spoke up:

"The previous powerful Xianbei ruler, Tan Shihuai, died four years ago. His son, Helian, lacks prestige, and the western Xianbei have now effectively broken free of control and are in a state of division."

At this time, those who raided Yanmen were mostly descendants or former subordinates of these "former officials." The Suli and Mijia tribes were outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds.

We might be able to sow discord, divide, win over, or even incite them to seek revenge against Helian for the Xianbei throne!

"Excellent plan!" Liu Bei praised. "Mr. Wenhe's plan is worth ten thousand elite troops!"

"I'll take charge of logistics," Xun Chen said. "Immediately organize laborers to transport the grain from the granaries to the three cities in batches. At the same time, mobilize blacksmiths from all over the country to work day and night to produce military equipment to ensure supplies for the front lines."

"This humble general is willing to guard Shanwu!" Qian Zhao clasped his hands in a fist salute. "This humble general swears that as long as I have a breath left, I will not abandon Shanwu!"

"This humble general is willing to guard the strong yin!" Pang De said.

"This humble general is willing to lead archers to Shanwu to assist in its defense," Huang Zhong said.

"Good!" Liu Bei stood up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, taking into account their individual characteristics:

"Pang De will be the commander-in-chief, with Qian Zhao as his deputy, leading 3,000 main force troops. Guan Yu and Huang Zhong will lead 3,000 men to defend Qiangyin, while the rest will follow me to advance. Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun will provide support wherever needed!"

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Li Chang stood in front of the map, looking north.

"In this battle, we must demonstrate our strength! Only then can we truly settle down in Bingzhou! We must not only drive back the Xianbei, but also make all the Hu people remember us!"

Those who invade the territory of our great Han Dynasty will be defeated and crushed!

After the meeting, everyone immediately got to work.

The entire Yanmen County instantly shifted from the joy of a bountiful harvest to a state of war.

When the people heard that the Xianbei were coming to plunder their grain, not a single one of them fled.

After the harvest, they voluntarily went to the government to help repair the city walls and transport grain.

"Governor Liu distributed land to us and exempted us from rent, allowing us to live a good life. Now the Xianbei are coming to plunder us; we absolutely cannot stand by and watch!"

"If the government feeds us, we'll fight for the government!"

Young men, armed with hoes and sickles, joined the soldiers in digging trenches and burying horse pits.

Women sewed and mended clothes and made dry rations at home to send to the front lines.

The children also helped collect stones and piled them on the city wall to use as rolling logs and boulders.

The Hu tribes that had previously submitted to the Hu people had not yet become opportunists.

The soldiers were on high alert.

At this time, on the northern grasslands.

The leaders of the two Xianbei tribes were leading 20,000 cavalrymen southward in a grand procession.

They rode on tall black horses, gazing at Yanmen County in the south, their eyes filled with greed.

"I've heard that the newly arrived governor of Bingzhou and the prefect of Yanmen are quite good. This year's harvest is bountiful, with grain piled up like mountains."

Sori licked her lips and said to Mika:

"Once we capture Yanmen Pass, we two brothers will divide the grain, women, and wealth equally!"

Mika and Mika exchanged a glance, a smile appearing on their faces, but they had their own thoughts in their minds.