Zhang Liao clasped his hands behind his back and stared intently at the topographic map of Baibo Valley. He had imagined countless attack plans in his mind, but there was still no acceptable method.
If we attack by force, the losses will be unprecedented.
And it is too difficult to cut off the water of Fenhe River.
...
As for other methods, each has its own shortcomings.
Of course, the most important thing is that these shortcomings are unacceptable to Zhang Liao.
Think about it.
The only way to capture Baibo Valley is to attack it from within. This is the most appropriate method.
Zhang Liao sighed and shook his head slightly embarrassed.
In fact, he himself knew that the success rate of this method was actually relatively low.
"Wenyuan—!"
At this moment, a call came from outside the tent.
It's Chen Gong.
Zhang Liao judged it all at once.
He hurriedly turned around and looked back.
But Chen Gong hurriedly entered the account, with a hint of joy on his face: "Wen Yuan, there is news."
Zhang Liao naturally knew that it was news about Xu Huang, and asked urgently: "Oh? What news is it?"
Chen Gong hurriedly took out the information provided by the secret bureau of the School Affairs Office: "This is the information that the School Affairs Office sent back from Yang County. I don't care to read it. Let's go together."
"good."
At the moment, Zhang Liao took the information and slowly unfolded it. His eyes rolled up and down, and he couldn't help but gasped: "Hey, I didn't expect that Xu Huang's father was once the evangelist of the Taiping Sect!"
The Taiping Sect is an extremely large organization. Starting from the great sage Zhang Jiao, there are the divine envoys from various states and counties below, and below the divine envoys there are evangelists, Tao protectors, etc.
This system is different from that of Qu Shuai. One is the uprising general and commander system, and the other is the missionary system within the church, and Xu Huang's father is the evangelist in it, specifically responsible for the promotion of faith.
This is because back then, Xu Huang's father was seriously ill and was given talisman water to survive by the great sage Zhang Jiao. From then on, he believed deeply in the Taiping Sect and became its evangelist.
Although Xu Huang's father eventually died, this also prompted Xu Huang to join the Baibo Army and become a well-known general under Yang Feng until today.
The reason why Baibo Valley can become a burial place that even officers and soldiers are afraid of is because of the existence of Xu Huang, a powerful general who is proficient in military formations.
"this......"
Chen Gong pinched a strand of beard under his chin: "I'm afraid it will be difficult this time. We want to persuade Xu Huang to surrender, but I'm afraid it won't be that easy. At least from the current point of view, it is relatively difficult."
"That's right."
Zhang Liao took a deep breath, frowned, and fell into deep thought: "Information said that Xu Huang's father's condition later relapsed, and drinking Fu Shui didn't work. Can this be used as a breakthrough point?"
"You can try it."
Chen Gong nodded affirmatively.
After all, this can be regarded as a good breakthrough point: "But whether it can be successful is another matter."
Zhang Liao sighed and said softly: "There is no other way. If we can't take Baibo Valley again, we will definitely hinder the imperial court. If we can't recruit Xu Huang to surrender this time, then we can only ask for help from His Majesty."
"kindness."
Chen Gong deeply agreed: "Let's try it first. If it doesn't work, we will report the situation to the court. There is no way that the war in Bingzhou will be delayed because of us."
"good."
Zhang Liao did not dare to hesitate at all, and immediately ordered: "Beat the drums, gather the generals, and prepare to set off. Outside Baibo Valley, I want to fight Xu Huang twice to test his strength."
Chen Gong bowed his head: "Here."
Immediately.
Zhang Liao wore armor on his upper body, carried a horse spear, put on his equipment, and left the military camp.
The whole battalion of soldiers has been waiting for today for a long time, so the soldiers from all sides acted very quickly.
Not long after, the team gathered together and rushed to Baibo Valley together.
The golden wind is howling, and the flags are flying.
The wilderness outside Baibo Valley is covered with black clouds, and they are all equipped with elite soldiers in armor.
Zhang Liao rode his horse forward, stared at the valley gate in front of him, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Where is Xu Huang? This general is Zhang Liao of Yanmen, and I specifically asked him to come out and answer."
Squeak—!
The door slowly opened.
A horse ran out from inside, and sitting on it was a strong general holding a giant axe: "Are you Zhang Liao, the best general in Nanyang? Huh, how disappointing."
"I'm not the number one general."
Zhang Liao was not annoyed at all. He smiled calmly and shook his head: "It's because Zhang was the first general to submit to His Majesty and his performance was pretty good during the challenge against Dong. So the generals gave me some face and called me the No. 1 general."
A mighty general."
"But when it comes to martial arts, Lu Bu, Sun Jian, Guan Yu and others are all better than Zhang. Even Huang Zhong, a veteran who is over fifty years old, is several times better than Zhang in martial arts."
Xu Huang looked Zhang Liao up and down, the original disdain on his face suddenly disappeared and was replaced by admiration.
A person who can devalue himself to an almost imbecile level is either a real master or is pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, and very few are truly imbecile.
It's obvious.
Zhang Liao's current achievements are due to his true ability, and he is definitely not an imbecile. Otherwise, in the battle of Capital Cang, he would never have been able to escape unscathed by the Xiliang Xiaoqi.
"Zhang Wenyuan!"
Xu Huang held the giant ax in one hand and pinched his beard under the chin with the other: "You are indeed a person. If you want to say anything, let's be honest. I don't like those twists and turns."
"The general is quick to speak, and Zhang admires him."
"That being the case..."
Zhang Liao was too lazy to talk nonsense, and immediately said bluntly: "Zhang will stop talking nonsense. Although you were enemies of Nanyang when we were at the entrance of Zhiguanxing, if you can surrender to the imperial court, Zhang is willing to write to His Majesty to spare your lives."
.”
"snort!"
Xu Huang snorted and said with great disdain: "Zhang Wenyuan, you have been stationed in our Baibo Valley for half a month. If our Baibo Valley could be defeated so easily, would you say such things?"
"You are the same as those officers and soldiers back then. You really have no way to deal with us, so you want to recruit us to get us out of it, right?"
"I'm telling you..."
Xu Huang raised his head and stared fiercely: "No way! If you want to fight, fight, if you want to leave, leave. Although Nanyang Hanting is good, there is no place for my brothers and others."
"Wait a minute!"
Just as Xu Huang was about to rein in his horse and turn around, Zhang Liao hurriedly waved his hand and interrupted: "General Xu, Zhang knows that you were originally a county official, and it was only because of your father that you joined the Yellow Turbans."
"However, even if your father drank the talisman water, he did not recover. Isn't this doubtful? Your Majesty once said, what is faith? If you believe it, you have it, if you don't believe it, you don't have it."
"Fu Shui is by no means omnipotent. There were many cases of drinking people to death back then. The general is a smart man. Couldn't you see this back then?"
"Today's times have changed. It is not the era of the past. Although His Majesty the Emperor today is not a great sage and good teacher, what he does is a thousand times or even ten thousand times better than a great sage and good teacher!"
"General Xu!"
Zhang Liao's voice was loud and sonorous, and he said: "Good man, you should aspire to make great achievements in all directions. You can return your body wrapped in horse leather. The arrangements in Baibo Valley are extremely strict, which proves that you are a capable person."
"In this case, you should go out to serve the imperial court, how can you succumb to a mediocre person? If you are willing to submit to the imperial court, I will guarantee that you can at least become a captain."
"You want me, Xu Huang, to surrender?"
Immediately, Xu Huang turned around, stared at Zhang Liao, and said coldly: "Okay! However, either you defeat me, or lead people to break into Baibo Valley. If I can win once, I, Xu Huang, will surrender. How about that?"
"That's what you said."
Zhang Liao was very happy when he heard this.
Although he didn't have much confidence in taking over Baibogu, he still had a certain degree of confidence in his martial arts.
Even though the powerful general holding a giant ax in front of him is definitely not an ordinary person, it is still unclear who will win.
"certainly."
Xu Huang replied proudly.
"good."
Zhang Liao cheered up and held the stick in his hand: "Take the move."
Xiyuxu—!
At that moment, he clamped down on the horse's belly, and when he sat down, the horse was in pain. It raised its head and neighed, then spread its hooves and ran forward, like a strong wind, rushing towards Xu Huang in front of him.
"Well done!"
Xu Huang also shouted, without any fear on his face. He clamped down on the horse's belly, held his giant ax upside down, and rushed towards Zhang Liao, who was galloping towards him.
Tens of steps away, Zhang Liao suddenly increased his speed, let out a roar, and drew a strange curve in the air with the horse in his hand, stabbing Xu Huang's neck quickly.
Don't look at this simple attack, but it contains at least 70% of Zhang Liao's power. Not only is the timing of the shot extremely perfect, but the strength, speed, angle, etc. are all perfect.
Even Xu Huang, who is brave and good at fighting, can feel the almost terrifying aura from this spear. Xu Huang, who was originally prepared to be tough, had to turn slightly sideways, holding an ax in both hands, and swung towards the flying thorn.
That cold glow.
clang-!
Where the axes intersected, sparks burst out.
There was a deafening golden roar and a loud explosion.
Although Zhang Liao had an advance estimate of Xu Huang's strength, after all, those who dare to use an ax as a weapon must have a great advantage in strength.
but......
It wasn't until this blow that Zhang Liao truly understood how powerful the opponent's battle ax was.
With just one blow, his weapon actually curved into a visible arc. The powerful force was transmitted through the pole, along both arms, and into the body, making Zhang Liao feel unshakable.
"Good guy, awesome!"
Even Zhang Liao himself couldn't help but praise him.
but......
It's just a compliment.
The next second, Zhang Liao pressed his other hand up, completely stabilizing his weapon, and even had a faint tendency to force it back. Xu Huang's eyes suddenly turned red and he was surprised:
"What a thief general, he is indeed somewhat brave."
The weapons of both sides remained in a stalemate in the air for a long time, rubbing against each other in a daze.
It wasn't until the two sides changed positions and the horses were about to wait by mistake that they breathed a sigh of relief and it was barely a tie. However, after this trial, both sides already had a general understanding of each other's strength.
When looking back again.
The two of them didn't even answer each other, and immediately galloped forward.
Xu Huang raised his head and raised his axe, shouting loudly: "Thief, eat Xu's axe!"
Zhang Liao snorted coldly, and the horse sword in his hand turned into countless awning points, and he faced Xu Huang: "Although your battle ax is powerful, it is too slow. It is not too late to survive my attack first."
"Well done!"
Xu Huang was furious and shouted.
Have to admit it.
The force of swinging the tomahawk is indeed greater, but it does limit the speed.
Fortunately, Zhang Liao's weapon was a horse spear. If he had replaced it with an iron spear or a war spear, he would probably be faster. In this way, Xu Huang would always be in a passive counterattack state every round.
This is really not an advantage among fighting generals!
but......
Xu Huang didn't care, he picked up a tomahawk weighing dozens of kilograms and danced wildly in the sky.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The golden sound exploded, and the sparks burst out.
In the blink of an eye, the two sides were going back and forth, and it took more than ten rounds.
The sounds of gold and iron clashing together seemed to ignite the fighting spirit in the hearts of the soldiers on both sides. The men and horses on both sides roared wildly to support their respective generals.
The roars of tens of thousands of people, combined with the sounds of gold and iron, and the cries of horses, were like the vibrations of thunder, more like the tolling of bells, and the sound was extremely powerful.
In the blink of an eye.
Thirty rounds passed.
The two sides missed each other again, and Zhang Liao's hands couldn't help but tremble slightly. Even he, after a series of high-intensity battles with the powerful Xu Huang, was still a little out of his depth.
Xu Huang's ax technique is really powerful. Not only is he extremely powerful, but he can also keep up with him in terms of speed. The opponent can take two of his attacks, and the damage is not too great, but the same amount will be a bit difficult for Zhang Liao.
Although, after the thirty rounds, there is no clear winner between the two sides, but if they continue to fight head-on, I am afraid that if I persist for another twenty rounds, I will be defeated miserably.
Zhang Liao has a clear understanding of himself!
His strength lies in leading troops to fight, rather than fighting generals before battle. Since he is slightly inferior to his opponent, there is no great need to continue to persevere:
"General Xu's ax skills are really good, Zhang admires him."
"Your technique is equally exquisite."
Xu Huang sighed from the bottom of his heart, pinched a strand of short beard under his chin, and replied solemnly: "There have been several times when I, the general, almost died in your hands because I couldn't dodge."
Zhang Liao was very grateful for Xu Huang's frankness: "No matter what, he still failed to defeat the general, which proves that Zhang still needs to work hard. But general, in three days, I will find someone who will defeat you. Do you dare to accept the challenge?" no?"
"If it were Lu Bu, Xu would be ashamed of himself."
Xu Huang was really honest and said directly that he was not as good as Lu Bu.
After all, Lu Bu was from Bingzhou, and Hedong was not too far away from Bingzhou. In later generations, Hedong County was even included in Shanxi. Naturally, he had heard of Lu Bu's reputation.
"It's not Lu Bu."
Zhang Liao shook his head without hesitation: "He should be in Jizhou now. He may not be able to come to Hedong within three days. The person I am looking for is also from Hedong County. Do you dare to fight?"
"oh?"
Xu Huang couldn't help but be surprised: "A person from Hedong County?"
Zhang Liao nodded: "That's right."
"Then I really want to see it, okay, I agree."
"It's a deal, we will have a decisive battle in three days."
"Can!"
Zhang Liao bowed his hands in salute, then reined in his horse and returned to the military formation: "Gongtai, please quickly send someone to send a message to the court to inform His Majesty of the current situation in Hedong County."
Chen Gong bowed and cupped his hands and said, "Here, just leave it to me."
"Where is Li Kan?"
"exist."
"Hurry to Fenglingdu and invite General Guan to come."
"You mean... Hedong Guan Yu?"
"That's right."
Zhang Liao nodded affirmatively: "Although I have not been in contact with Yunchang for a long time, I know that he is superb in martial arts. Both he and Xu Huang are born with supernatural powers. If he can take action, he will definitely defeat Xu Huang."
Li Kan cupped his hands and said, "Here."
*****
White Wave Valley.
Xu Mansion.
Xu Huang took off his armor, put on his regular clothes, walked to a spiritual tablet, and knelt on the futon: "Father, Zhang Liao is actually right. Times have changed, and they are completely different from those days."
"Zhang Jiao cannot achieve the world you expect, but His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang can. I heard that now everyone in Nanyang has food to eat, every family has farmland, and the court even builds new houses for the people."
"If this kind of thing happened in the past, I wouldn't have dared to think about it. From the emperor to the scholar-bureaucrats, all the officials in the world are so bad. How could anyone be so kind to the people?"
"..."
"Seriously..."
Xu Huang sighed, his eyes twinkling, imagining a certain world in his mind: "Father, I really want to go to the outside world and have a look. I want to go to Nanyang to see if it is really as good as the rumors."
"Although Yang Feng has great ambitions, he is a reckless man after all, and his vision is too narrow. At best, this is what he will look like in this life. It is difficult to achieve success. If you follow him, you will be in disaster sooner or later."
"Father-!"
Xu Huang stared at the spirit tablet with bright eyes: "I'm sorry, I can't abide by your last wish. If the Nanyang court can really break my formation, I am willing to submit to them and achieve a great career."
"Gongming!"
"Gongming!"
"..."
At this moment, there were calls from outside.
Xu Huang stood up in a hurry, turned around and walked out of the room: "Why, what happened?"
A soldier cupped his hands and said, "General Yang wants you to discuss politics."
"good."
Xu Huang nodded: "Let's go."
Soldier: "Here."
Not long after.
Xu Huang rushed to the council hall and subconsciously stood at the back of the queue.
The superior, Yang Feng, frowned and was obviously a little angry: "Okay, now that everyone has arrived, let's talk about what our plans are next. Should we seek refuge in Nanyang, or wait for Wang Yun and others to fight back to Hedong?"
"Let me make a statement first."
Yang Feng took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and glanced at everyone present: "My personal opinion is that although Nanyang has a strong momentum and strong soldiers, it is precisely because of this that they will not take us seriously."
"What's more, we have already defected to Chang'an before. If we switch to Nanyang again because of this, His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang's temper, there is no telling what will happen to us."
"Even if he really takes us under his wing, some of us will be farmed and some of us will serve as soldiers. Maybe you and others will be able to become military princes and army commanders. Not only will you have to fight on the battlefield, but you will also have no hope of advancement in this life.
"
"After all, there are many elites in Nanyang who have taken the exam and climbed up from the grassroots. With your little combat experience, you will definitely not be able to compare with them."
"so......"
Yang Feng concluded: "From a personal perspective, I don't agree to take refuge in Nanyang, because if we take refuge in Nanyang, our brothers' hard work over the years will be in vain."
"I don't agree either!"
Another Han Xian took a step forward and said loudly: "I heard that Nanyang Hanting has some kind of assessment responsibility letter. If you can complete it efficiently, you will be promoted. If you fail to complete it, you will be demoted."
"Although we are somewhat brave, it is difficult to compare with others. I am afraid that if we cannot adapt, we will be eliminated. As the general said, our efforts over the past few years will be in vain."
"But surrendering to Chang'an is not the case. Chang'an is currently short of major generals. As long as we can surrender, at least we can seal alive a general, a partial general or something like that."
"Isn't this better than surrendering to Nanyang?"
Han Xian held his head high and spoke with great enthusiasm: "Brothers, to put it bluntly, if we can really get the official position of a general, we will be considered a proud ancestor, won't we?"
"My life is gone, how can I give back to our glorious ancestors?"
Li Leshan came out again, glanced at Han Xian beside him, and said sarcastically: "I am naming you the general of Baibo Valley, but I want you to live for more than two days. Why are you doing that?"
"Nowadays, Nanyang Hanting's army is at its peak. Bingzhou, Jizhou, and even Guanzhong Chang'an are in danger. If we garrison troops in Baibo Valley, the other side will definitely pull us out before they continue to go north to Taiyuan."
"You have a knife on your neck, do you still think about such unrealistic things? If Yuan Wei was really capable, he wouldn't be in this situation today!"
"Anyway!"
Li Le said coldly: "If there is a chance, I will definitely join Nanyang. Even if I am just a small soldier, it is fine. Don't you know? The food and salary of Nanyang soldiers are very sufficient."
"Moreover, look at Zhang Liao. If he hadn't been worried about too many casualties, how could he not have attacked Baibo Valley? Where could he find such a boss? At least I, Li Le, have never encountered one in my life."
Compared with Zhang Liao's pursuit of excellence, the Yellow Turbans are indeed a bunch of reckless people. They only know how to swarm forward and attack violently. It is an attack regardless of casualties and does not treat the soldiers as human beings!
"That's right!"
Another Hu Cai followed up and said: "Nanyang really loves his soldiers like his own children. Not only are they well-equipped and well-trained, but they also have good food and even better welfare benefits."
"I have heard before that the Nanyang imperial court gave preferential treatment to military family members when recruiting soldiers. Not only can they reduce taxes by 10%, but they also have preferential treatment when applying for housing and other conditions."
"If we people really go to Nanyang, we can even let me go back to my hometown to farm. I heard that the rice field fish has a very high yield and can even eat fish."
"We got together because of the Great Master. What does the Great Master want to do? He doesn't want to rebel, but he wants to build a truly peaceful and prosperous age."
"Now, although he is dead, Nanyang Hanting has inherited his will. He truly loves the people like his own children and truly puts us ordinary people first."
"If you seek refuge with the Han Court of Nanyang, the great virtuous master who wants to die will be very happy, but if you seek refuge with the Han Court of Chang'an, that will really chill the great virtuous master!"
...
*****
Fenglingdu.
Guan Yu camp.
Central army, big tent.
Guan Yu pinched a strand of his long beard under his chin and said with great interest: "This man can't even fight Wen Yuan?"
Guan Yu was very clear about Zhang Liao's martial arts. He was definitely a fierce man, and he was loyal and proficient in the art of war. Even Guan Yu himself admired him very much.
"That's right."
Li Kan nodded affirmatively and said loudly: "It shouldn't be said that we can't win. It should be said that we can't win. The two sides are tied. There will be no winner or loser for at least fifty rounds."
"It's interesting."
Guan Yu smiled indifferently, put down the letter in his hand, and pondered for a moment.
Now, he has occupied Fenglingdu and has deployed troops and horses on the other side of the river. It is unlikely that there will be a war in a short period of time. Even if it does happen, he will work hard, one day and one night, and it will be enough to get back.
Meeting such a tiger general today, Guan Yu really felt a little itchy: "Okay, you go back and tell General Wenyuan that after I have arranged the military affairs today, I will rush to Baibo Valley as promised in three days."
Li Kan was overjoyed and leaned forward, holding his hands in his hands: "Here."
After he left, Guan Ping immediately took a step forward: "Father, I will go with you."
Guan Yu shook his head and refused directly: "No! There cannot be no generals in the army. It is better for you to stay here."
"But......"
Guan Ping frowned and said loudly: "Isn't General Zhang still here?"
Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said, "We have already divided the work. He is stationed at Longmen Ferry and I am stationed at Fengling Ferry. Listen to my father and stay in the military camp. If anything happens, send someone to send a message to my father immediately."
call-
Guan Ping let out a long breath: "Father, I just want to get to know you."
Guan Yu smiled: "You are still young and you have gained experience. Now you have to focus on the overall situation. Do you understand? If Baibogu is not eliminated, it will become a drag on Wenyuan. Father is going to do business."
"But father."
Guan Ping added: "I know this place, Baibo Valley. The officers and soldiers have gone to seize it before, but they couldn't attack it at all. Isn't that why General Zhang asked his father for help?"
"oh?"
Guan Yu couldn't help but be surprised: "I didn't expect that you know quite a lot."
Guan Ping said softly: "Er Ke has been in Hedong for so many years, so he naturally knows more than father. Don't worry, taking him with you will definitely be helpful to father."
Guan Yu smiled faintly: "If you say you can't, you can't. Military orders are like mountains, how can they be changed day by day? Just stay in the military camp obediently, which can be considered a test for you."
"whispering sound!"
Guan Ping was furious and unhappy.
but......
He also understood his father's temper, and even more so his military habits. He always said, "Father, that Xu Huang is very powerful. Please be careful."
Guan Yu naturally knew that his son was worried about his own safety, so he was not upset at all. He just said proudly: "Don't worry, father has never been afraid of anyone in his life!"
"Ping'er."
"exist."
"While father is away, you have to send people to ordinary ferries and various river banks three times a day to prevent unexpected events. You have to send people to Longmen Ferry every day to exchange news with General Zhang. Do you understand?"
"Father, don't worry, my son understands."
"kindness."
Guan Yu nodded, and finally warned: "If there is a flying pigeon from the imperial court, send someone to inform my father immediately. If not, just train as usual."