Liu Bian stood in front of the huge sand table, his eyes fixed on the three-acre land in Bingzhou.
On the surface, he seemed to be thinking about the problem, but in fact, he was communicating with the military advisor alliance to understand the specific terrain of Bingzhou, as well as various strategic passages and fortresses.
If it weren't for the interpretation by experts from the Military Advisor Alliance, Liu Bian would not have dared to imagine that the little-known Bingzhou in the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period could be so complicated.
"We must first strategically divide the Shanxi Plateau. This will make it easier for us to understand the situation. The Military Advisor Alliance has a simple and easy-to-understand division method:"
"The two basins of Linfen and Yuncheng, which are Hedong County where Zhang Liao is now, were the southern Shanxi war zone. However, during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, Hedong was not yet Bingzhou. We just consider them together for the convenience of understanding."
"Then, after expanding to the north, the other two basins in the central part of the Shanxi Plateau, the Taiyuan and Xingding basins, can be divided into a strategic area, which is called the Jinzhong War Zone."
"Continuing to the north, the Datong Basin north of the Hengshan Mountains is called the Northern Shanxi War Zone. It has been occupied by Xianbei, Wuhuan and other foreign tribes all year round. It is a mixed agricultural and pastoral area."
"..."
From the whole to the parts, the military-strategist alliance analyzed the topography of Bingzhou for Liu Bian bit by bit.
From Taihang Baxing to the connections between various internal basins, everything is clearly described.
It was only now that Liu Bian truly understood the strategic significance of Hedong County to the entire Bingzhou, and why experts insisted on capturing Hedong County.
To put it bluntly, if Hedong County falls into the hands of Chang'an, the threat to Heluo direction will definitely be greater. He can attack from all directions and make Nanyang Hanting exhausted.
But on the contrary...
If Nanyang Hanting occupied Hedong, it would not only be able to cut off the connection between Guanzhong and Bingzhou, but more importantly, Nanyang Hanting would have a faster way to enter Bingzhou and take the initiative strategically.
Just as Liu Bian was communicating with the military advisor alliance.
suddenly.
A long announcement sounded outside the hall:
"Report—!"
Only then did Liu Bian come back to his senses and turned to look.
But then, guard Zhu Tong pushed open the door and walked in. He leaned over and raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Shi Jiaxu, the director of the school affairs office, would like to see you."
With a thought in his mind, Liu Bian temporarily interrupted the communication with the military advisor alliance and turned back to his boss: "Let Wen He come in."
Zhu Tong cupped his hands: "Here."
Immediately.
Bowed and left the hall.
Not long after, Jia Xu came to the main hall and stepped forward: "Jia Xu, your Majesty."
Liu Bian waved his hand, indicating that he would present today's report: "Sit down and rest for a while."
Jia Xu bowed his head: "Your Majesty, today's content is relatively important. According to the intelligence sent back from Jizhou, Tao Sheng, the former Black Mountain rebel general, was secretly sent back to Yecheng by Yuan Shao. According to our analysis, it is very likely that he will be transferred secretly.
Yuan Shao’s family.”
"oh?"
Liu Bian couldn't help but be stunned and asked curiously: "Tao Sheng?"
This name is still fresh in Liu Bian's memory. It is a name mentioned by experts.
In history, it was under his leadership that Yuan Shao was able to fight 200 kilometers across the Taihang Mountains in two months, fighting one after another, and finally forced Zhang Yan out for a decisive battle.
"That's right."
Jia Xu nodded affirmatively: "That's exactly the person."
Liu Bian suddenly became interested and hurriedly opened today's report and read it carefully. Every information basis above was very rigorous, and the thinking and organization were first-rate.
In fact, Jia Xu helped Liu Bian think through all the basic combat strategies, and even the experts in the military advisor alliance fully agreed.
"Um."
Liu Bian agreed without hesitation: "Okay, just follow your wishes and pass the message on flying pigeons. General Huang is a relatively stable man. Even if he fights behind enemy lines, there will be no problem."
Jia Xu bowed his head and said, "Well, in that case, I will leave."
Liu Bian waved his hand: "Go."
Shortly after Jia Xu left, a voice sounded in Liu Bian's mind: "Master Bian, an expert from the Military Advisor Alliance, just analyzed the report submitted by Jia Xu, and one detail in it attracted the attention of the experts."
"oh?"
Liu Bian was stunned: "Why, could it be that Jia Xu's strategy was wrong? It might still be too late to send someone to chase him now."
The Military Advisor Alliance immediately said: "It's not about Jizhou, but the information about Bingzhou."
Liu Bian was puzzled: "Bingzhou?"
The voice of the Military Advisor Alliance was extremely certain: "Yes, it is Bingzhou. It is in the sixth column on the fourth page. Please open the report."
Liu Bian hurriedly picked up the report and turned to the sixth column on the fourth page. It read: "Wang Yun sent people to Xihe County and occupied Lin County."
"Lin County?"
Liu Bian frowned and couldn't help but wonder: "What kind of place is this?"
The Military Advisor Alliance immediately explained: "In later generations, this is Mengmen Town in the northwest of Liulin County, Shanxi."
Liu Bian immediately walked to the sand table and looked for Lin County: "It's strange why Wang Yun sent people to control this place. He has no village in front and no store in back. This move he made is really strange."
"Not surprising!"
The Military Advisor Alliance immediately denied it: "Actually, even the experts from the Military Advisor Alliance have ignored this key position because it is so inconspicuous."
"oh?"
Liu Bian was immediately curious: "Does it have any strategic significance?"
The Military Advisor Alliance said with absolute certainty: "Yes!"
Liu Bian thought: "Tell me and listen."
"That's right."
The Military Advisor Alliance explained: "Back then, our ancestors were stationed on the northern Shaanxi Plateau, which is somewhat similar to the Chang'an Hanting today. When our ancestors moved eastward, they crossed the Yellow River from here and entered Shanxi."
"This was originally a road used by Di Rong who lived on the northern Shaanxi Plateau to migrate eastward. It was usually very inconspicuous. Even in later generations, you would be hard-pressed to find a place like Mengmen."
"But now, we have to guard against it. Perhaps Wang Yun and others can cross the river from here and enter the northern Shaanxi Plateau to meet Yuan Wei in Guanzhong."
"certainly!"
The Military Advisor Alliance immediately added: "From the current situation, it is only a possibility, so Jia Xu listed it as a suspicious situation."
hiss-!
Liu Bian was surprised and took a breath: "Doesn't this mean... there is another road that can lead to Guanzhong?"
The Military Advisor Alliance affirmed: "Yes, it is indeed like this."
Liu Bian was shocked: "Damn it, these guys are really good at finding things. They can actually find Lin County."
The Alliance of Military Advisors said softly: "The significance of Guanzhong to Yuan Shao is extraordinary. He will not give up whenever there is a chance. Master Bian can remind Jia Xu and ask him to pay more attention to the intelligence in the direction of Lin County."
"This is indeed a dangerous place, and it's easy to be ignored. If nothing happens, we'll just take care of ourselves. But if something happens, it will definitely be a big deal, and we have to guard against it!"
Liu Bian said without hesitation: "Okay, I understand."
*****
Jizhou, Weijun.
Yecheng.
The Yuan family's residence.
At this moment, the servants in the mansion are busy moving things, waiting for it to get dark and the prepared carriage to arrive, before the whole family moves to Handan.
Of course, even though the whole family is moving, there will still be some people left in the house. Taking care of the house is on the one hand, and the most important thing is to take it as a countermeasure in case someone comes to the house temporarily.
"Zishu, after we leave, the operation of the mansion will depend on you. Do not go out when nothing happens, so as not to arouse others' suspicion. Do you understand?"
"Madam, don't worry. Just leave the mansion to me. I guarantee that nothing will go wrong. I have already taken the things you told me to heart."
"Well, very good. Remember, if anyone comes to visit, we will do everything possible to send them away. In short, we must not reveal that we have left."
"Don't worry, the villain will live up to your high expectations."
"..."
A graceful and luxurious woman was explaining things.
suddenly.
Outside the hall, there was a man with a strong figure and bright eyes like stars. He hurried in, leaned over and cupped his hands and said: "Madam, have you finished explaining what you need to explain?"
"Um."
The woman nodded and said with absolute certainty: "Don't worry, General, everything has been arranged. You can leave at any time after loading everything."
"Oh right."
The woman frowned and asked tentatively: "Has the general arranged for a carriage? I'm afraid it will take more than twenty, or even more."
"Um."
Tao Sheng patted his chest and assured: "The arrangements have been made. The general is afraid that there will not be enough, so he has prepared thirty carriages, more than twenty more than last time, specially to carry some for the ceremony."
"very good."
The woman smiled brightly and then nodded with satisfaction.
She still trusts Tao Sheng.
After all, if it hadn't been for the man in front of them, their whole family would have died at the hands of the Black Mountain bandits. Although Tao Sheng was originally a member of the Black Mountain bandits, he is worthy of trust if he can turn from darkness to light.
"General!"
At this moment, a soldier in regular uniform came up from behind.
"What, what happened?"
Tao Sheng asked hurriedly.
"Um."
The soldier nodded: "General Chunyu Qiong sent back news that Lu Bu and others have led the cavalry and have crossed Hanoi County and entered the direction of Wei County. They may be disadvantageous to Yecheng."
"Damn it!"
Tao Sheng cursed secretly: "These guys are so fast. It seems that we can't stay in Yecheng anymore. We have to leave as soon as possible, otherwise if something happens, we will never be able to leave again."
"Please go back and tell General Chunyu Qiong that he must block Lu Bu, Huang Zhong and others outside Ye City and not allow them to go any further, otherwise he will not be able to bear the consequences."
The soldier leaned forward and handed over his hands: "General, don't worry, General Chunyu Qiong has already arranged for people to go to fight, and there are nearly ten thousand Huns blocking Huang inside. Lu Bu and Huang Zhong will not come so soon."
"Where is General Chunyu Qiong? Is he gone?"
"Well, I went there myself, but I was behind the Huns."
"good!"
Tao Sheng nodded with satisfaction, this time it was a double guarantee, there must be no problem: "I understand, you can leave now, and by the way, I can give orders to the brothers to have a good rest. You must stay alert tonight."
Come."
The soldier nodded: "Here."
After the soldiers leave.
Tao Sheng immediately took out the map, laid it flat on the table next to him, and carefully searched for the route north to Handan.
Although he has already had an experience, the habit he developed when he was a black bandit will never be on the same route twice in a short period of time. Therefore, every time, it is all improvised, and even he himself does not know how to do it.
Too clear.
Only in this way is the safest state.
About an hour later.
Night falls.
Then, soon after, the curfew began.
Because Yecheng is the administrative seat of Jizhou, the curfew has always been enforced very well.
In the dead of night, when everyone was quiet, dozens of carriages came slowly outside the Yuan family's residence.
Tao Sheng arranged for a sergeant to help load the truck. Within a quarter of an hour, it was all loaded and he left Yecheng.
Stars were in the sky, torches were blazing, and a long and winding team was like a fire dragon, straddling the Hebei plain, slowly sneaking towards the north.
In the carriage carriage in the middle, an old woman with white hair and beard was closing her eyes slightly. Next to her, there was a young man sitting upright, opening the curtains and staring at the pitch black outside.
"Grandma, look—!"
The young man raised his hand and pointed outside: "The moon is so big tonight. That sparkling thing should be the tributary of Fushui. I didn't expect that the river under the moonlight would be so beautiful."
"Ayu."
The old woman called softly to the young man: "Come back quickly. Don't look around. Be careful not to arouse the suspicion of the soldiers outside. We are outsiders after all."
"Grandma, it's okay."
Gao Yu smiled at the old woman and said softly: "They are all very good people. Besides, this is the residence of Wei County, so what danger can happen?"
"grandmother-!"
Gao Yu didn't take it seriously. He still stuck his head and looked out: "Don't make a fuss all the time. Don't worry. General Tao has said that as long as we go to Liang Qi, we will be safe."
That’s right!
This man was none other than Gao Ji's son.
The old woman was Gao Ji's mother.
"well-!"
The old woman sighed and shook her head. She loved her little grandson so much that she had spoiled him rotten. He didn't look like a child from a noble family at all.
"Huh?"
At this moment, Gao Yu was surprised to find out.
At the end of the field of vision, in the pitch-black night, there were stars twinkling one after another.
They looked like stars falling from the sky, and they were approaching them quickly: "Grandma, look, the stars there are moving, they are coming towards us."
"Silly boy."
The old woman smiled awkwardly and said softly: "The stars are all in the sky and they don't move. How could they come towards us? You must be dazzled."
"Hurry up to grandma, and when you get up from sleep, I promise you won't think about these weird things again. How can the stars come towards us?"
"It's true."
Gao Yu stared at the stars outside and pointed outside: "Grandma, if you don't believe me, look, this is true. My grandson didn't lie to you. These stars really move."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The old woman looked up to the sky and let out a haha.
Who wouldn’t love such a imaginative little grandson?
However, just as the old woman was looking up to the sky and laughing, she suddenly heard a voice outside the carriage: "The enemy is attacking! The enemy is attacking! Hurry up, form a camp and protect the Lord's family."
Enemy attack?
The old woman's laughter stopped abruptly.
Suddenly, she stuck her head out of the car window.
But I saw that little sparks were spreading to the left and right, followed by a soldier not far away, answering the call to the end, with a bow and arrow stuck on his face. I don't know if it was really accurate or just a coincidence.
but......
These are no longer important.
The important thing is that the enemy suddenly came to the front. It seemed that in just a blink of an eye, more than ten guards lay down on the ground, and even his own carriage was pierced with many arrowheads.
Where are the stars? They are clearly the enemy’s torches!
"Get down quickly."
The old woman did not hesitate at all and immediately threw her grandson into the carriage.
The next second, an arrowhead pierced from the side of the grandson, flashing with an icy cold front.
Rumble—!
The sound of horse hooves came rolling in.
At this moment, Huang Zhong galloped over on his horse, and with the bow in his palm stretched to the full moon, he missed both arrows without missing a beat. In a short time, as many as fifteen or six enemies died in Huang Zhong's hands.
While he was firing arrows to kill the enemy, he was riding his horse to make circuitous routes. With his bright eyes like stars, he was constantly looking for strategic targets among the enemy, Tao Sheng. This was the most important goal of their trip and they must not miss it.
suddenly.
A general in front who was reining in his horse and turning around caught Huang Zhong's eyes.
The opponent's body shape, the weapons in his hands, were generally the same as those in the intelligence. There were only slight differences between the appearance and the portrait, but Huang Zhong still identified the opponent at a glance:
"Tao Sheng, please go away and eat Huang's arrow."
Whoosh!
The arrow whistled like a shooting star.
Tao Sheng was so frightened that his whole body trembled, and the red tassel on his helmet fell to the ground.
"ah?"
Tao Sheng was shocked.
Under the cover of night, the opponent actually hit the red tassel on his helmet with an arrow. It was really amazing that the arrow missed like this.
Of course, since the other party chose to shoot his own red tassel but did not shoot himself, it was clear that he wanted to capture him alive.
Tao Sheng realized this and became even more unscrupulous. He clamped the horse's belly crazily and galloped forward desperately, not paying any attention to the opponent's arrows:
"drive-!"
Huang Zhong smiled, and he suddenly realized what the other party was thinking, but unfortunately, he was facing a Leopard Cavalry: "You still want to escape in front of a Leopard Cavalry? You are simply overestimating your capabilities."
Xiyuxu—!
At that moment, while Huang Zhong tightened the reins urgently, he clamped the horse's belly and sat down. The big green dragon roared away, like a blue lightning, chasing Tao Sheng crazily.
At the same time, Huang Zhong put away his precious bow, replaced it with a fine iron horse, and galloped wildly, constantly approaching his opponent. No matter how hard he threw him, he could not get rid of Huang Zhong.
"Damn it!"
Tao Sheng was so frightened that his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
He couldn't believe it.
The legendary Nanyang Leopard Cavalry was just a veteran, but his riding skills were so superb.
You know, it's night now, and the visibility is not up to standard, but you can still follow so closely. This is enough to prove that the opponent's strength has far exceeded your imagination.
Not long after.
Huang Zhong caught up with Tao Sheng, and with a seemingly light thrust of the fine iron horse in his palm, he knocked away the opponent's weapon with great accuracy, and whirred, spinning, and rolled out.
At the same time, Huang Zhongmeng clamped down on the horse's belly, and his speed increased by 30% in an instant. Like a cannonball, he quickly approached Tao Sheng.
"ah-!"
A sound like a wolf howling exploded.
But they saw that Huang Zhong's body tilted sharply on the war horse, and his ape-like arms reached out to directly hold Tao Sheng under his ribs. The huge force was like a pliers, twisting the opponent and preventing Tao Sheng from moving.
"Are you Tao Sheng?"
Huang Zhong shouted coldly.
"no!"
Tao Sheng denied it without hesitation.
"no?"
Huang Zhong immediately pulled out the Huanshou sword and put it on his neck: "If it's not Tao Sheng, it's useless to keep it, kill him!"
Before Huang Zhong could take action, Tao Sheng hurriedly shouted: "Yes, yes! Yes, I am Tao Sheng, don't kill me, don't kill me!"
Huang Zhong stared and shouted coldly: "If it turns out later, I will gouge out your eyes, cut off your legs, cut off your hand tendons, cut off your tongue, and throw it into the wilderness to feed the wolves."
"Okay, okay."
Tao Sheng was so frightened that his eyes almost popped out, and he quickly agreed: "I am Tao Sheng! It's absolutely true. I would never dare to lie. Please rest assured, general."
"good."
Huang Zhong said sternly: "I'll ask you to answer. If you say anything wrong, I'll kill you immediately."
Tao Sheng nodded: "General, please ask."
"You are a yellow official, right?"
"right."
"You later defected to the Montenegrin Army, right?"
"right."
"You are known as the Pinghan General, right?"
"Ah, yes, but General, this is not something you brought upon yourself, but..."
"Stop talking nonsense and be honest."
"..."
Huang Zhong was sure that it was Tao Sheng. He immediately slashed the opponent's neck directly with his knife. He immediately put him on the horse's back, quickly tied him up with a rope, and rode his horse back to the military formation.
At this moment, Taishi Ci, Cao Xing and others have taken control of the situation. All the soldiers in the group have been killed. Only Yuan Shao's family and some servants are left in fear.
"Who is Gao Ji's mother?"
"It's an old man."
"good!"
Huang Zhong got the person he wanted and ordered without hesitation: "Kill all the rest, and then quickly retreat in the direction of Neihuang without making any mistakes."
All the soldiers shouted in unison: "Here."
"Don't!"
Gao Mu was startled and quickly held the child in her arms.
Gao Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously crawled into his grandmother's arms, trembling.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A wave of arrows struck, and another body lay on the ground in pieces.
Although this is a bit cruel, this is a battlefield after all. If the other party is allowed to escape and their whereabouts are revealed, it will be very bad.
As the commander-in-chief, Huang Zhong would never commit such a thing: "Don't be afraid, old man. The general will send someone to protect you, so don't worry."
"Ziyi!" Huang Zhong shouted loudly.
"The end is here." Taishi Ci rode out, cupping his hands and fists.
"Take Gao Mu and this son back to Hanoi County quickly without any mistakes."
"Here."
According to the original plan, Taishi Ci immediately led a group of people and returned to Hanoi with Gao Mu.
Looking at Tai Shici's leaving figure, Huang Zhong completely relaxed: "Brothers, follow me and gather in the direction of Zhanghe River to attack the Huns' rear."
All the soldiers shouted in unison: "Here."
The Wolf Cavalry and the Tiger Cavalry first attracted the attention of Chunyu Qiong and the Huns, buying the Leopard Cavalry time for a sneak attack. Then, after the sneak attack was over, they immediately rushed to the designated place to rest and ambush.