On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, while Liu Xiang was drinking porridge in the military camp, Yan Rou rushed to Ye County.
From Xihe County, he crossed the Luliang Mountains, walked from Taiyuan to Baijie, and then crossed the Taihang Mountains, passing through Zhao State to Ye County. The mountain roads were rugged and the wind was biting. He drove non-stop for six days, day and night.
Why so anxious?
He has not seen his lord for more than two years. In the past two years, there have been many more people under his lord's command, many scholars from different factions.
Who knows if those noblemen will say bad things about him?
The general who leads the army is most afraid of his master's suspicion.
This time when the lord summoned him, he had to be submissive and give the lord a sense of loyalty and reliability that would come and go as soon as he was called.
The Lord has lofty ambitions, his power is getting stronger and stronger, and the world is in chaos. In the future, he will be able to reach the supreme throne. He must show the fear that his subjects have towards the king.
After entering the city, he asked for an audience directly without delay. Near noon, he was summoned to the Chinese Army Festival Hall in Ye County Camp and met Liu Xiang, who was handling military affairs.
"The general has been ordered to report his duties and pay homage to the lord." Yan Rou bowed and saluted.
"Go and make a bowl of ginger tea to drive away the cold for Ziming." Liu Xiang ordered the guard, turned around and looked at Yan Rou, who was wrapped in fur, wearing a furry hat, and his eyebrows and beard were covered with frost.
He said movedly:
"Thank you for your hard work, Ziming. I have called you back this time to discuss important matters. We have a big battle to fight."
He really didn't expect Yan Rou to come so quickly. With his own order, Yan Ziming came despite the wind and snow. These generals from Yuan Cong were trustworthy.
Their wealth, honor and disgrace are all tied to themselves, and they are much more trustworthy than those members of the gentry who care about their family and have their own plans.
Yan Rou cupped her fists and said loudly: "I am willing to kill the enemy for my lord!"
Liu Xiang nodded and pointed to the table on his left: "Sit down and talk. Drink the ginger tea first."
"Thank you, Lord." When Yan Rou sat down, the ginger tea had been brewed. He picked up the bowl and warmed his hands while sipping the tea. After drinking the hot tea, his body warmed up a lot. He couldn't help but take a sip.
I shivered and took off my frozen fur again, feeling much more comfortable.
Liu Xiang waited for him to finish drinking and relieve his chill, then he said: "I think Chang'an is going to be in chaos, and this is a good opportunity to seize Guanzhong. There are two roads from Bingzhou to Guanzhong. Cross the Yellow River to the west at Pubanjin in Hedong County.
And go south along the Luoshui River in Shangjun."
Yan Rou thought about the terrain of Bingzhou and said: "Shangjun is uninhabited, supplies are difficult, the terrain is rugged and difficult to navigate, and it is difficult to mobilize the army."
Liu Xiang agreed with his point of view: "Yes, this road can only be used as a partial division, involving Zuo Fengyi's troops. The main army must start from Hedong."
"My lord wants to attack Hedong?"
"First attack Hedong, and then enter Guanzhong Sanfu! The two places have to fight continuously." Liu Xiang frowned and said in embarrassment: "In the first month of the next year, there may be war in Xuzhou. It is difficult for me to mobilize the Chinese army to give you much support."
Yan Rou replied confidently: "There are 40,000 garrison troops in Bingzhou, plus the rear army and the Duliao camp, 50,000 troops are enough to take down Hedong."
"The Baibo bandits are causing a lot of trouble in Hedong, and Yufuluo of the Southern Huns has formed an alliance with them. They are very powerful, with at least 100,000 people. We should not take it lightly." Liu Xiang took the map and prepared to explain the strategy of Hedong County to Yan Rou.
Ideas:
"The Baibo bandits are in Yong'an. They have more than 40,000 troops stationed in them. They are facing off against Zhang He's 20,000 men at the boundary mountain line. The rest are stationed in various counties for food, with Linfen and Anyi having the largest number of troops.
The Huns had tens of thousands of cavalry, most of whom were stationed in the Jie County area southeast of Hedong County, so that they could cross the river to plunder Hongnong and Zuo Fengyi. Hedong had been devastated by them and was so sparsely populated that it was difficult to feed these beasts.
After the beginning of spring, Zhang He's troops left Jie Mountain, and Xu Huang marched westward from Huai County. He mobilized 5,000 men from the front line of Tianjing Pass, joined the right army to gather 10,000 men, and pretended to attack Jiguan.
After attracting the enemy's attention from the east and north, your 20,000 troops take advantage of the fact that the Yellow River has not yet thawed, rush south along the river at a high speed, rush out of Longmen, seize Pishi County, and threaten Linfen.
If all three armies are deployed, the enemy will be in chaos. You need to look for opportunities to capture Hedong quickly."
Yan Rou thought about the specific tactics and put forward her own idea: "A certain person will lead the cavalry out of the dragon gate first, and Zhang He and Xu Huang will then send troops to contain the enemy and take the pressure off our department."
Liu Xiang nodded. He knew that Yan Rou wanted to catch him by surprise, so he couldn't help but remind him: "Although there are no building checkpoints in Longmen, the terrain is steep. I blocked the Xianbei people there and know how dangerous it is. You must be quick.
Only when the enemy cannot react can you rush out of the dragon gate. It is not suitable for a forceful attack.
If things fail, we will return to Xihe County, go to Zi County, cross the Luliang Mountains, enter Taiyuan County, join Zhang He's troops, attack Yong'an, and go south along the Fen River."
"How can the mere Baibo bandits and a few Huns be compared with my lord? They can't stop me. Don't worry, lord, Yan will definitely capture Hedong for your lord!" Yan Rou flattered him.
He was very confident. The White Wave and Yellow Turbans lacked training, lacked weapons and equipment, and the old, weak, sick and disabled all went into battle. The number of people was only one or two times larger, so it was not difficult to defeat him.
Those southern Huns have long since degenerated and have been beaten by the Xianbei people over the years. Although they are known as ten thousand cavalry, their combat power is only that much. The five thousand cavalry under their own command are enough to defeat them.
Liu Xiang is not too worried about attacking Hedong. As long as Yan Rou can successfully break through the dragon gate, the subsequent battle will not be too difficult.
This time three armies were dispatched, with a total of 50,000 infantry and cavalry, including the Duliao Camp and the Right Army, and 15,000 elite rear troops, which was sufficient combat strength.
This is also the reason why he dares to fight on two fronts.
"Xuzhou is just cooperating with the allies to weaken Yuan Shao. The scale of the battle will not be too big. I will end the war as soon as possible, and then lead the cavalry to the west. After joining you, wait for the fighter plane and march into Chang'an." Liu Xiang made the final arrangements.
.
The war represents meritorious service. Yan Rou's title is already Marquis of Guannei. If he goes one step further, he will be a real Marquis. He stood up and said loudly: "Time has not waited for me. I will go back to Xihe to reorganize the army and go south to win it for the Lord as soon as possible."
Hedong.”
"Ziming has been working hard all the way. Let's rest for a few days before returning." Liu Xiang advised.
Yan Rou laughed and said, "Thank you for your concern, my lord. I have been training in the army over the years and my body has become much stronger. The wind and snow are nothing to worry about. Only by capturing Hedong as soon as possible can we be fully prepared to attack the third auxiliary."
"Kunfu, I understand. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month next year, Zhang He and Xu Huang will send troops to Hedong. You can do whatever you want to do."
Speaking of this, Liu Xiang suddenly remembered that he had almost forgotten about the telescope. Now that the atmosphere was just right, it was time to put the icing on the cake. It was too late to go to the palace to get a new one, so he picked up the telescope he carried with him and handed it to Yan Rou.
"This object has a great view and is very useful for mobilizing troops. It was just made a few days ago. I took one with me and gave it to Ziming."
Yan Rou didn't know what this black cylinder, which was as thick as a palm and as long as a palm, was, but the lord was very capable and had several magical inventions, so this must be a good item.
He quickly took it with both hands.
I held it in my hand and looked up, down, left and right, but I didn't understand it.
"Lord, how do you operate this object?"
Liu Xiang bypassed the memorial table and led Yan Rou out of the lobby. He pointed at the tower in the distance and gave instructions: "Open the covers on both sides and pull out the sleeve. The thin end is facing your eyes and the thick end is facing you.
The place where you look is called a telescope. As the name suggests, it can observe things in the distance."
Yan Rou pulled off the lid and found that the lids at both ends were connected to the barrel by strings. There was no need to worry about falling off. There was flawless water jade under the lid.
This is a precious thing, so I can't blame it for having to be protected by a cover.
He gently stretched the sleeve, and there was water jade inside. He was reluctant to use force, what if it broke? What a pity.
Following the instructions of the lord, aim the thin end at your eyes and the thick end at the tower in the distance.
"Hiss~" He took a long breath of cold air in the cold winter months, shivering from the cold, and almost threw the telescope in his hand.
He hurriedly clenched his hands to prevent the rare treasure from falling. He squinted his left eye, which had been slapped, and turned to look at Liu Xiang in surprise, then turned to look at the city tower more than a mile away, and asked unconfidently.
road:
"My lord, I just saw the appearance of the guards on the city. This...this is really unbelievable."
Liu Xiang confirmed his observation: "It can indeed be seen that the flat ground is closer. From the tower, you can see for more than ten miles. It is convenient to observe the enemy's formation and movement, and you can also see the enemy general's troop movement flag. This
That’s the original intention of making this thing.”
"It is indeed a magical treasure! My lord is truly a god!" Yan Rou was so shocked that she couldn't even remember the words of praise. She kept repeating these two sentences over and over again, missing a good opportunity to flatter her.
Liu Xiang handed over the wooden box containing the telescope and stopped Yan Rou, who was holding the telescope and turning around to look around.
"Put it away. This is yours. You can take a look at it later."
"Thank you for the reward, my lord. This kind of rare treasure is hard to find in the world. I will definitely keep it safe."
"This is to assist you in fighting. Just be careful not to be stolen by others. Don't take it too seriously. As for the war in Hedong, I will send orders to Zhang He and Xu Huang. You will be in charge of the war in Hedong."
"Thank you Lord for your trust!"
Yan Rou came in a hurry, received the commanding arrow and tiger talisman, obtained the rare treasure, then mounted the horse and hurried away.
Whether Xuzhou and Hedong will fight on two fronts depends on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, when the Five Kings Alliance will gather to worship heaven.