"The general's strategy is to carry out the flag and trap the enemy in battle, and it is also an old man's business to make long-term calculations." Rong Zhai continued under the pseudonym Jiang Wanmi.
It was less than a hundred miles to go from Wenxi north to Baibo Valley. Huangfusong and others marched early the next morning and took most of the day to reach Jiangyi. After meeting up with Zhang Meng, they slowly headed north.
Baibo Valley is located on a huge platform on the west bank of the Fen River. This platform is vast, with one side backed by a mountain, and the other three facing rivers. There are countless gullies crisscrossing the platform, and the soil is white in color, so it is called Baibo Valley.
The leader of the Baibo Army, Guo Tai, had a sharp vision. The reason why he chose Baibo Valley was that it was a vast area that could accommodate tens of thousands of people to rest here. Secondly, the ravines around the platform were both convenient for concealment and suitable for fighting and defense. The most important thing was that
This land is flat and has sufficient water resources, which not only provides food and drink for the tribe, but can also be used for irrigation and farming.
Guo Tai originally occupied this place and operated it for several years. He built forts such as Baibo Fort, which could accommodate tens of thousands of people, and regarded it as the basis for the revival of the Yellow Turbans.
Unfortunately, things are unpredictable. Mrs. Guo suddenly died in battle, leaving no successor, which led to constant disputes among his subordinates. The good Baibo fortress was also destroyed due to internal fighting, and was finally occupied by the most powerful Qu commander Hu Cai. The rest
In order to avoid annexation, the young commanders fled one after another and established new mountains.
It was not until recently that when they heard that the imperial court was sending a large army to conquer again, these commanders remembered the role of Bai Bo Lei, and they all put aside their past grudges and reunited to prepare for the enemy.
"Baibo Valley is north of Linfen, in the middle of the Fenshui Valley Road. Going north along this road can lead directly to Taiyuan." On a high ground, Huangfu Song pointed at the distant mountains with his whip: "Occupy this place and you can escape north.
, and can go south, where the offensive and defensive positions lie. Whether the imperial court is taking over Bingzhou as a long-term plan or stabilizing Hedong as an immediate strategy, it must defeat the bandits here before it can be accomplished."
Zhang Liao and Zhang Meng, who were riding on the side, cupped their fists and learned from each other.
Huangfusong looked at the Baibo Valley in the distance with a particularly deep look, and said leisurely: "If they had strong soldiers and good generals, it would be really difficult to fight here. But now they have no fighting spirit, no fighting spirit, and they still try to rely on the barriers to resist the enemy.
The power of our army is really a delusion."
"Guanqiu Xing is back," Huangfu Song suddenly asked after staring at the broken fortress on the mountain and a group of thieves who were no different from refugees for a long time.
Zhang Liao quickly replied: "There is no news yet. The Xiongnu cavalry is roaming around, and Guanqiu Xing may not have been found yet."
"Then we won't wait for him." Huangfu Song said calmly: "The entrance of the valley is right behind our army and is in an important position. In order to prevent unexpected enemies when going up the mountain, I deliberately let the Northern Army's middle base camp hold down the formation behind."
The Zhongba Camp was a newly added structure based on the five schools of the Northern Army when the emperor was reorganizing the imperial army and Li Jue and other surrendered troops.
It was originally one of the eight schools of the Northern Army of the former Han Dynasty. It was responsible for the defense of the Northern Army's fortresses and later became the Guangwujiang Province. Now it has been restored by the emperor. It ranks first in the Northern Army in terms of personnel and weapons. It is the so-called elite among the elite.
The reason for such preferential treatment is mainly because this army belongs directly to the emperor's uncle, Wang Bin, the Northern Army's lieutenant.
Now that Wang Bin was staying in the capital, the middle camp was assigned by the emperor to Huangfu Song for use as the central army. When Zhang Meng heard that Huangfu Song intended to keep such elite troops in the rear camp, he found it unbelievable: "If the general is worried about those people from Hedong bringing in
Our troops are not strong enough, so in order to guard against the Xiongnu, we can let General Yangwei go."
Zhang Meng still had something to say, and asked Fan Chou and others to stay behind. Then Fan Chou would not get much military merit in this battle, and he, as the one who went into battle, would get more.
His little plan couldn't be hidden from Huangfu Song, but Huangfu Song remained unmoved and reminded in a low voice: "Leave them behind to guard, not to mention whether they will be convinced, just say that when you go up to kill the enemy, you can
rest assured"
Zhang Meng was immediately awakened. Faced with people whose strategies and status were superior to him, he did not dare to be arrogant and conceited. He said apologetically: "It is the general who is confused."
"Don't miss big things just because of small gains." Huangfu Song knew that Zhang Mengwu fought bravely, but his temper was too impulsive and he was extremely conceited. If he did not impose restrictions, he would probably harm others and himself. Out of good intentions, Huangfu
Song still couldn't help but make a few remarks: "How can one person in the world monopolize the merits? He has to share a little with others and win over others carefully in order to achieve greater achievements."
Historically, Zhang Meng was ruined because he refused to share power and cooperate with others. However, once a person's character is developed, it is difficult to change it. After Zhang Meng listened to Huangfu Song's advice, he only obeyed and had no idea.
Did you take it to heart?
Huangfusong withdrew his gaze from a distance, fell on Zhang Meng beside him, and secretly thought it was a pity. The opponent's strategy and bravery were not bad, and he could lead the army alone after a few years of training. It was a pity that his character determined this person.
You can only stay in the ranks of powerful generals, and you will miss the opportunity to be a great general in your life.
In comparison, Zhang Liao was far superior to Zhang Meng in terms of character, strategy, and martial prowess. He was a rare general. Huangfu Song admired him very much in his heart, but on the surface he was calm and indifferent, even his tone and eyes followed him.
Zhang Meng was always the same to show his lack of bias: "Last time you killed Li Le, you released all the captured moth thieves."
Zhang Liao was shocked, clasped his fists and said: "Since receiving the order from the general, the general has selected two hundred moth thieves who were born as civilians and released them. He also stated the interests and benefits to them in advance. As long as they can return to Baibo Valley, in the moth thieves
The army spreads the imperial government's policy of establishing farmland and recruiting people, and persuades other refugees who have been coerced into joining the bandits to submit, and shakes the morale of the army. Afterwards, the imperial court will naturally reward officials and titles, and there will never be a shortage of fertile land and beautiful houses."
"If these people are too timid to move forward and escape halfway, they will ruin our army's affairs." Huangfu Song said: "It's impossible without a leader. You have made arrangements."
Zhang Liao replied: "Everything has been arranged. Not only did he persuade one of the petty leaders with a lot of money, but he also entrusted his brother to lead dozens of soldiers to sneak into it. The general made an appointment with his brother and set up a stone mark on the road into the valley to mark it.
My brother did get in."
His brother Zhang Fan was originally a Jinwu Tiqi, but when he was ordered to capture Qingniujiao and the masterminds of the assassination, such as Li Ru and Yin Zhong, due to a moment of negligence, Qingniujiao, one of the masterminds, escaped and fell short.
The emperor was greatly disappointed and never paid attention to it again.
Zhang Liao couldn't bear to see that his brother had no hope of advancing as an official, so he searched for connections and even followed the path of Wang Bin, Zhonghou of the Northern Army, Sima Fang, Zhijin Wu, and others. Finally, Zhang Fan was transferred to the Northern Army through internal procedures and incorporated under his command.
, in order to find an opportunity for him to gain military exploits and regain the emperor's favor.
Huangfu Song was very satisfied with Zhang Liao's careful handling and nodded: "That's good. When necessary, these people can act as surprise troops."