Chapter 378 The Mystery of Xu Huang's Reliance on White Wave and Yellow Turban!
Youzhou.
Yuan Shao's camp.
Central army, big tent.
A man with a majestic appearance was sitting upright at the top, staring at the march map next to him.
This person is none other than the Chariot and Cavalry General and Jizhou Shepherd Yuan Shao.
It has been more than half a year since I attacked Youzhou, but I still haven't been able to capture it.
Nowadays, great changes have taken place in Chang'an, leading to sudden changes in the national structure. Yuan Shao naturally has to keep up with the situation and do his best to kill Liu Yu. After trying to secure Youzhou, he can unite with Chang'an to resist Nanyang.
But......
The ideal is beautiful, but the reality is skinny.
Yuan Shao couldn't believe it. Facing a player like Liu Yu, he had been playing for half a year and still couldn't win. This was too slow.
After all, if it weren't for Liu Yu's existence, Yuan Shao could have directly sent his army into Bingzhou and participated in the Battle of Hedong early. In this way, they would have more control over the Nanyang Hanting.
"Don't say anything else."
The angry Yuan Shao waved his hand and immediately interrupted Tian Feng: "Whether it is Wuhuan or the people, I, Yuan Shao, don't care about it. You just need to tell me how to capture it within this month?"
"this......"
Tian Feng was indifferent and did not dare to answer the question.
If he had been able to kill Liu Yu long ago, why wait until now?
Since you still can't kill him, if you continue to attack forcefully, you will actually suffer more losses.
But Tian Feng also understood that with the current national situation here, Yuan Shao could not tolerate wasting time in Youzhou, but if Liu Yu was not killed, it would always be a hidden danger in the future.
quiet!
Quiet!
Deadly quiet!
The entire tent was silent, and you could hear a pin drop.
Liu Yu is now huddled in the city, relying on the common people and the Wuhuan cavalry on the outside to defend him. It is so hard that people can't even chew it. If he has to forcefully chew this bone, he will most likely eat all the steel teeth in his mouth.
Collapse.
The most terrible thing is that even if the steel tooth collapses, Yuan Shao may not be able to capture Jixian. In this case, the gain will really outweigh the loss, and it may even harm himself.
a long time.
Finally, a man appeared from below. He leaned forward and said, "My lord, the only solution now is to unite with Gongsun Zan and let him lead the white horse followers to attack the Wuhuan cavalry on the periphery to relieve the pressure we are facing."
"
Yuan Shao turned his head and glanced at the man, looking at Ju Shou: "Gongsun Zan?"
"That's right!"
Jushou nodded affirmatively: "When Gongsun Zan was ordered to conquer Wuhuan, he was controlled by Liu Yu, but he only focused on the strength of his troops and allowed his tribe to intrude on the people, while Liu Yu focused on benevolent government and strictly prohibited Gongsun from doing this. The two of them came into being.
contradiction."
"certainly!"
Speaking of this, Jushu emphasized: "The biggest conflict between Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu is about their attitude towards Wuhuan. Liu Yu advocates inward migration and integration, supplemented by education."
"However, Gongsun Zan is not like that. He hates Wuhuan deeply and advocates killing them all and driving them out of Youzhou completely. Therefore, Wuhuan's cavalry can sacrifice their lives for Liu Yu, but they are afraid of Gongsun Zan."
"As far as my subordinates know, Liu Yu is afraid that Gongsun Zan will become more powerful, so he is always trying to find ways to suppress Gongsun Zan. This is a more direct conflict between them."
"As for the grudge between the lord and Gongsun Zan..."
Ju Shou pondered for a moment, and finally shook his head: "I think that compared with the conflict between Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan, it can be completely ignored."
"If my lord can lower his stance and contact Gongsun Zan proactively, as long as both parties can form an alliance and kill Liu Yu together, then Jixian County may be captured before the end of the month."
At this point, Yuan Shao has no better way: "What Gong Yu said makes sense. If you put down your posture, you should put down your posture. I will personally write a letter of divorce to Gongsun Zan. If he agrees, Youzhou can be divided equally in the future."
"and!"
Yuan Shao picked up his pen, paused for a long time, and said solemnly: "This general can recommend him to the imperial court as the shepherd of Youzhou, and it is not impossible for him to even become an official in the imperial court and serve as the ninth minister."
"My lord, wait a minute."
After hearing this, Jushou from below quickly interrupted: "Remember not to mention the matter of being the Nine Ministers. Gongsun Zan is a sensible man. He will not care about the official position of the Nine Ministers. It is better to be the Mu of Youzhou and get more benefits."
"Um."
Yuan Shao nodded.
Naturally, he also knew that this was a method of overt promotion and concealment, and it was not suitable to bring it up now: "Don't worry, sir, this kind of thing is not my turn, it should be done by the Taifu."
Jushou raised his hand and said, "My lord is wise."
"Report—!"
At this moment, a long announcement sounded outside the tent.
Yuan Shao raised his eyes and looked.
However, he saw that his troops were rushing into the tent, looking extremely flustered. He leaned over and cupped his hands and said, "Lord, please report the battle to the east of the river."
Yuan Shao was surprised and asked urgently: "How is the situation?"
The ordering soldier's throat rolled and he swallowed hard: "The Guan family in Hedong turned against the enemy and attacked the Wei family in Hedong on the right. Zhang Liao led his troops to break through the formation and defeated Zhang Kan, the governor of Hedong County. He fell into the camp and attacked Baibo Huangjin on the left and defeated him.
"
"ah?"
Yuan Shao exclaimed, his eyes as wide as bells.
He couldn't believe his ears.
You know, he originally knew the layout in the direction of Hedong. With such a tight formation, according to common sense, the winning rate should not be less than 90%. How could he lose so easily.
Zhiguanxing is narrow at both ends and wide in the middle. As long as the exit is guarded, it is impossible for thousands of troops to break out easily. How can Zhang Liao break through and attack head-on?
impossible!
This is absolutely impossible!
In an instant, Yuan Shao felt his head buzzing: "False alarm! This must be a false alarm! Come on, send someone to Hedong quickly and send back the latest news."
"Lord!"
The messenger bowed and handed over the mailbox: "There is a personal letter from General Gao here. He has confirmed the news and is actively cooperating to take over Wang Yun and Zhang Kan's troops and provide them with food and fodder."
A handwritten letter from a senior official?
Yuan Shao felt even more uneasy. He took the mailbox and hurriedly took out the letter and unfolded it. His eyes rolled up and down. Yes, it was indeed a letter written by a senior official.
"this......"
Yuan Shao made a puff and sat on the futon, his expression instantly numb and stiff, as if he had lost three of his seven souls, and the aura of death filled the tent.
Not only Yuan Shao himself, but also the civil and military officials in the tent were all in a state of bewilderment. They were so horrified that they did not dare to speak loudly and could only whisper:
"How is this possible? Can even the Pinzi formation be breached? Is it possible that the ambush in Zhiguan County did not have the corresponding effect?"
"I really can't imagine that with such a formation pattern, we can actually lose? What kind of team is Zhang Liao's command, and it is so strong?"
"Is it because of the trapped camp? But aren't there only 800 people in the trapped camp? Even if they were there, they would never be able to easily cross that stretch of road."
"Oh my god, the battle in Hedong has been completely defeated. Nanyang will definitely take the opportunity to occupy Fenglingdu and Longmendu. In this way, it will be almost impossible for the Chang'an direction to enter Bingzhou."
"If Hedong County is lost, Guanzhong will really be in a corner. If we can't quickly wipe out Youzhou and concentrate our forces to capture Hedong, the future will be worrying!"
"..."
We are all think tanks, so we naturally know how important Hedong County plays in connecting the Guanzhong, Bingzhou, and Jizhou plates.
Although Chang'an moved very quickly, in less than ten months, it successfully captured the Hedong Wei family, Baibo Huangjin, and in a short period of time, tens of thousands of soldiers and horses were mobilized.
but......
They were so vulnerable in front of Nanyang's elite soldiers and horses.
No one in the army could believe that with such a perfect formation, Nanyang could turn defeat into victory. This simply subverted everyone's cognition.
That’s right!
In the eyes of Wenwu in Yuan Shao's camp, when they learned about this formation, they had already concluded that the battle in Hedong would definitely end with Chang'an's victory.
It is precisely because of this that they did not choose to support as soon as possible, but concentrated their efforts to knock out the last bit of energy from Liu Yu in Youzhou, thus completely wiping out Youzhou.
I never thought that when the result came, it would be such a slap in the face. Not only was Hedong lost, but even the Youzhou battlefield was not won.
A complete failure!
However......
After being silent for a long time, Yuan Shao finally cheered up.
With burning flames in his eyes, he scanned the tent full of civil and military forces and said coldly: "Although Hedong is defeated, Chang'an will definitely not sit still and wait for death, and we cannot sit still and wait for death."
"The terrain of Bingzhou is complex and easy to defend and difficult to attack. Zhang Liao wants to break through it in a short time. It is impossible. We must not give up. We must defeat Youzhou in the shortest possible time."
"That's right!"
At that moment, Guo Tu came out of the tent and bowed his head: "My lord is right. There are high-ranking officials in charge of Bingzhou. Now even Situ Wang Yun has returned. No one can capture Bingzhou in a short time."
"We still have a chance!"
Guo Tu glanced at the civil and military forces in the tent and said with absolute certainty: "There must be a chance."
Then, another Xun Chen took a step forward, leaned forward and raised his hand: "My lord, there are Lu Bu, Huang Zhong, and Xu Chu in the direction of Hanoi. We must find a way to stop them in advance."
"Now that Yanzhou Shepherd Liu Dai has defeated Yu Du, Bai Rao and others, we can unite with Liu Dai to temporarily restrain Lu Bu, and at the same time send people to contact Yu Fuluo to use cavalry to control cavalry and delay time."
At the same time, another Xin Ping came out, leaned forward and said, "In my humble opinion, even Yufuluo may not be able to stop Lu Bu, otherwise they would not be so peaceful when Lu Bu was in Bingzhou.
"
"Therefore, I believe that while we contact Yu Fuluo, we must also send people to build the Zhanghe Great Wall again to stop the bandit's war horses."
The Great Wall of my country not only refers to the mountain Great Wall, but also the river embankment Great Wall.
The Great Wall of River Embankment is very obvious in Jizhou.
This is because since the three dynasties were divided into Jin Dynasties, the game between Wei, Zhao, Han and other countries has been very obvious in the Bingzhou area. Mountainous areas have their own mountains as barriers, while in the plains they rely on river embankments and the Great Wall as barriers.
The Zhanghe Great Wall and the Yishui Great Wall are both river embankment Great Walls!
Although there is no trace of the river embankment Great Wall in modern society, in the late Han Dynasty, it was only damaged at best. As long as people are sent to repair it, it can still be put into use.
Yuan Shaoshen nodded in agreement: "That's right! It should be so. Immediately send an order to the county magistrates of Yecheng, Handan and other places to ask them to quickly recruit civilians and build the Great Wall."
Xin Ping bowed his head and said, "Here."
"As for Yuvluo..."
Yuan Shao pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes to look at Guo Tu: "I'm just going to pay you a visit. No matter what conditions Yu Fuluo proposes, you just have to agree to them."
"Anyway, according to the principles of Nanyang Hongnong King, he will not easily win over Yuvluo. This is barely good news for us."
Guo Tu nodded and said, "Don't worry, my lord, I'll leave it to you."
Yuan Shao gradually calmed down and turned to look at Jushu: "Gongyu, as for Gongsun Zan, you have to go to Gongsun Zan and try your best to clear up the past grudges and jointly deal with Liu Yu."
"Gongsun Zan has white horses and loyal followers, and we also have tens of thousands of strong crossbows. Together, we can definitely defeat Wuhuan's sudden cavalry and make him feel at ease."
Jushou cupped his hands and said, "Here."
*****
Hedong County.
Outside Baibo Valley.
Zhang Liao stared at the mountains and rivers outside and waited for a while.
Not long after, Chen Gong arrived and handed over a sketch of the temporary painting: "Wen Yuan, this is the sketch of the topography of Baibo Valley, and Cheng Yin, Hou Xuan and others have already seen it, so there should be no problem."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Zhang Liao took the map and started browsing it.
As expected.
The terrain here is very dangerous.
It is backed by a mountain, showing an inverted C shape, with one and only one entrance.
As long as the mountains on both sides are defended, it will be impossible for thousands of troops to get in.
Chen Gong explained: "Look, Wenyuan, the mouth of this valley is very narrow. There are many watchtowers built on the mountains on both sides, which can observe the enemy's situation and make it easier to shoot arrows. There are also many rolling logs and rocks."
"Judging from the combination of the watchtowers and archery towers, as well as the mountain defense array and the layout of the valley gate, it must have been made by someone who was proficient in the art of war. It is definitely not reckless."
"The terrain conditions here are more dangerous than the last mile of the road to Zhiguanxing. It can be said that we don't have to give in. We want to wipe out the White Wave and Yellow Turban, but I'm afraid it won't be that easy."
"No wonder......"
Chen Gong pinched a strand of goatee under his chin and said softly: "Hedong County sent a large number of troops to suppress the bandits, but all failed. Ordinary people would be scared to death when encountering such a formation, so how would they dare to attack by force."
Zhang Liao also realized this: "No matter how much it costs, we must win the White Wave Yellow Turban, otherwise once we leave, Hedong will inevitably repeat itself."
Yang Feng, the white wave and yellow turban, has already defected to Chang'an. Even if he wants to defect to Nanyang, His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang will not be able to take over again, so this battle must be fought.
"What a pity!"
Chen Gong sighed and said with a slight regret: "The trapped camp has been transferred to Hanoi to prepare for the attack on Shangdang Highlands. Otherwise, in this battle, we can follow the example of Zhi Guanxing and let the trapped camp take the lead and eliminate it."
Zhang Liao, however, still stared at the simplified map of Baibo Valley, with a very firm attitude: "The trapped camp has its own big things to do, how can we drag them down? Even if the trapped camp is not there, we still have to fight this battle, and we must win."
"It's natural."
Chen Gong agreed with this and said softly: "I heard that there is a powerful general in the Baibo Yellow Turban, named Xu Huang. This man was originally a county official in Hedong County, but for some reason, he became the Baibo Yellow Turban."
"oh?"
Zhang Liao frowned.
He simply couldn't believe that someone would give up his identity as a county official and eventually become a bandit.
There must be some unknown secret in this, otherwise no one would be willing to do such an uneconomical deal: "Xu Huang?"
Chen Gong nodded: "That's right! When he was trapped in the camp to hunt down Bai Bo Yellow Turban, it was this person who skillfully used provoking methods to make Gao Shun give up free hunting, and Bai Bo Yellow Turban was able to retreat calmly."
"It's interesting."
Zhang Liao nodded slowly, and his interest in Xu Huang suddenly increased: "Have you sent someone to investigate this person?"
Chen Gongdan smiled: "This is natural. How can we miss such a powerful general?"
Zhang Liao said with a smile: "Let's go back to the camp and discuss it later."
Chen Gong nodded: "Here."
Now.
The two of them returned to the camp outside the valley together, preparing to discuss the major matter of conquering Baibo Valley.
Just because the previous officers and soldiers couldn't take it down doesn't mean they can't take it down.
Even if it is a nail, Zhang Liao must pull it out.
military camp.
Zhang Liao hung up the sketch and summoned the generals of each battalion to enter the account: "Cheng Yin, Hou Xuan, and Li Kan, you are all from Hedong County. I think you should know something about Baibo Valley. Tell me your opinions."
Cheng Yin took the lead to take a step forward, leaned forward and said, "General, the terrain of Baibo Valley is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the layout we see so far is just its external layout."
"The last general heard that there are still many defensive formations inside Baibo Valley. Previously, officers and soldiers conquered the Yellow Turbans in Baibo Valley and finally rushed into the valley, but only a few of them returned defeated."
"That's right."
Another candidate came forward: "In the fifth year of Zhongping, the Baibo Yellow Turbans conquered Hedong, Taiyuan and other counties. The last general participated in the battle to conquer the Baibo Yellow Turbans. It took about half a year before driving them back to the Baibo Valley."
"But......"
At this point, the candidate sighed and shook his head helplessly: "When we finally attacked Baipo Valley, it took two months and there was no progress at all. All the officers and soldiers who rushed into Baipo Valley were killed, and no one survived."
"I heard from the prisoners at the time that there were still many elite soldiers stationed in Baibo Valley. Unless thousands of troops broke in, it would be impossible to capture it."
Zhang Liao asked tentatively: "Do you know who is setting up the formation?"
Li Kan replied: "It should be Xu Huang, the general under Yang Feng."
"Xu Huang?"
Zhang Liao frowned and asked again: "Are you sure it's him?"
Li Kan shook his head: "Nine times out of ten, it will be this person, but the general is not sure."
Zhang Liao's eyes fell on Chen Gong: "Gongtai, we must investigate this person clearly, especially the reason why he gave up his status as a county official and became a bandit."
Chen Gong bowed his head and said: "General, don't worry, I'll leave it to you."
Li Kan reminded: "General, I have heard that this matter has something to do with Xu Huang's father. Although he has passed away, the military advisor can start from here to investigate the real cause."
"Xu Huang's father?"
Chen Gong frowned and couldn't help but be curious.
"That's right."
Li Kan nodded and said, "I heard that Xu Huang's father believed in Taiping Dao and had a certain status in the Taiping Religion back then. However, he later died tragically in the rebellion."
"good."
With the clues, Chen Gong was naturally delighted: "I will investigate as soon as possible."
Zhang Liao hummed: "Thank you for your hard work."
******
Shaanxi County.
Fu Qian Military Camp.
Central army, big tent.
Fu Gan was holding the military order sent from Chang'an and was completely confused.
He couldn't believe that Hedong County's 50,000 to 60,000 troops were defeated so easily.
Now, Guan Yu's soldiers and horses quickly occupied Longmen Ferry and Fengling Ferry. If Chang'an's soldiers and horses had not occupied the river crossings in time to form an effective defense, their retreat might have been cut off.
Too dangerous!
Fu Gan wiped his sweat and forced himself to stay calm.
His eyes swept across the room full of civil and military officials who did not know the truth. He pondered for a moment and then said: "Everyone, Chang'an has issued an order to abandon Shaanxi County and retreat to Hangu Pass."
The uninformed Ma Chao was stunned: "Ah? Abandoning Shaanxi County and retreating to Hangu Pass? How can this be done? We are not defeated, he is just Zhang Fei. Believe me, I will definitely be able to defeat him in a short time."
"That's right!"
Yan Xingheng came forward again and bowed his hand: "These days, we have been studying Zhang Fei's spear technique, looking for its flaws. It won't take long before we can capture it."
"If we retreat now, our morale will definitely plummet!"
Yan Xing looked in disbelief and even cursed Chang'an in his heart for being stupid. How could he issue such a disgusting order? Wouldn't this be breaking his own arm and only increasing the morale of the enemy's army?
Not only Ma Chao, Yan Xing, but also all the civil and military personnel in the room also looked puzzled:
"Yes, it is not appropriate to retreat now. We are not inferior to our opponents in terms of momentum."
"I really don't understand what the meaning of the imperial court's arrangement is."
"Although Hangu Pass is good, if we abandon Shaanxi County, our own troops will inevitably be criticized and their morale will be unstable."
"Is this really a military order from Chang'an? Didn't anyone stop it?"
"Oh, I don't understand! Even if I die, I won't understand."
"..."
Faced with the doubts of the soldiers, Fu Qian quickly explained: "Don't be upset, please retreat to Hangu Pass because the enemy's ballistae is about to be built, and our city has not been reinforced. Once it is destroyed, it will inevitably be defeated."
.”
"Instead of doing this, we should retreat to Hangu Pass as soon as possible. The imperial court has reinforced Hangu Pass. In this way, the enemy's ballistae has lost its effect, and we can defend better."
Fu Qian didn't understand the reason why Yuan Wei secretly kept the war situation in Hedong from everyone, but as a general, he naturally had to obey the orders of Yuan Wei, the grand master.
Taking advantage of the fact that the opponent's ballistae was about to succeed was the most reasonable reason to retreat to Hangu Pass, as it could be concealed from Ma Chao, Yan Xing, and the entire army of civil and military officials.
Ma Chao nodded: "I see, the general has thought carefully."
Yan Xing also breathed a sigh of relief: "Chang'an is still thoughtful, and it should be so."
Fu Qian said softly: "Don't worry, General Ma. When we retreat to Hangu Pass, Liu Bei will definitely lead troops to follow us. You will definitely have the opportunity to perform by then."
Ma Chao was overjoyed. He leaned over and said, "Thank you, general. When are we going to leave?"
Fu Qian pondered for a moment: "Without further delay, we will leave tonight. Generals, please go back and prepare."
All the soldiers raised their hands in unison: "Here."