Once the number of people exceeds ten thousand, they are densely packed.
The camp of 30,000 people was divided into three armies, the front, middle and rear, and they set up camp relying on the Fu River.
Because it is a temporary settlement, there is no defensive significance, so no fences are built. It is a bit like a yurt on the grassland.
There were people guarding the outside and patrolling around. The soldiers performed their duties when there was no fighting. Some were responsible for fetching water, while others were responsible for cooking. Smoke was rising in the camp.
Liu Bei successfully entered the military camp, but the soldiers he brought with him could not come in and had to wait outside.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Chen Mu followed and led by soldiers to the central army.
Chen Mu looked around. As a modern person, although the knowledge and information he learned poured into his mind like an ocean, the ability to set up a camp was not something that a modern person would deliberately study.
As a practical Confucian general, Lu Zhi had great experience in the art of war. His camps were distributed in an orderly manner and his troops were deployed appropriately, which is of great reference value.
Entering the big tent, there were more than a dozen generals gathered inside, and six senior generals were kneeling on the left and right sides. Chen Mu speculated that they were the five Northern Army captains and the deputy lieutenant general who were sent to the expedition.
The other generals were standing near the entrance of the camp. When they saw someone coming in, they made way for them.
A middle-aged general sat kneeling on the main seat. He had a thin face and a goatee on his chin. Although he was wearing battle armor, he still had an elegant temperament.
This person is Lu Zhi.
Chen Mu thought to himself.
Lu Zhi once worshiped the great Confucian Ma Rong as his disciple. He is not young. He should be in his fifties this year. In this era, a 50-year-old can be called an old man. He seems to be in good spirits.
"Master!"
As soon as Liu Bei entered the tent, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to the master.
Even his eldest brother knelt down, so Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Chen Mu had to kneel down too.
Lu Zhi's hometown is Zhuoxian County. When he was idle at home more than ten years ago, he opened a school and accepted several disciples, including Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan.
Seeing that his apprentice, whom he had not seen for many years, had grown up a lot and his face had become much more mature, Lu Zhi tapped his chin and said, "Xuande has not been seen for many years, and I miss him very much. But you are not in your hometown of Zhuoxian, so why are you here in Handan?"
Liu Bei hurriedly said: "The Yellow Turban rebellion has caused strife in the world. Bei originally wanted to organize local warriors in his hometown to fight against the rebels and serve the country. Unexpectedly, he heard that the imperial court worshiped his master as Beizhonglang General and led his army north to the Qing Dynasty to suppress Zhang Jiao. Although Bei is dull
, but he also knew that the horn was powerful and millions of people were roaring together. He was afraid that the master would be short of major generals, so he volunteered to lead the army and was willing to drive the master in front of the formation and do the work of dogs and horses."
The meaning of this sentence is not that he came because he was afraid that Lu Zhi would lose the battle, but because he was afraid that Zhang Jiao had many people and Lu Zhi had few people, so he came to help. The art of language is like this. Everyone likes to hear good things, especially Liu Bei
These words not only showed his desire to serve the country, but also expressed his filial piety to his teacher. They were beautifully said.
Lu Zhi stood up from his seat and walked over to help Liu Bei up. He laughed loudly and said, "Xuande is determined."
Liu Bei smiled and said: "Share the worries for the country and share the worries for the teacher. This is the responsibility that Bei should fulfill."
Lu Zhi nodded: "Yes, you came just in time. Our army is preparing to march to Guangping and annihilate Zhang Jiao in one fell swoop. One more man and horse will give us more strength. You can be a Yulin under my tent and take charge of the guards.
When the time comes to enter the battlefield, you need to charge forward and kill the enemy bravely. Don’t be greedy for life and afraid of death, which will ruin your reputation as a teacher."
Yulin was the famous Yulin Army in the Western Han Dynasty. However, by the Eastern Han Dynasty, this team had long existed in name only. Only under Guang Luxun there was still a name of Yulin Department, with a total of only a few hundred people, serving as gatekeepers.
It no longer has the majesty of the Western Han Dynasty.
However, Lu Zhi’s Beizhonglang general belongs to the Wugan Zhonglang general, who is the subordinate officer of Guangluxun. The Wugan Zhonglang general also has subordinate officers, and Yu Lin is the bodyguard of the Wugan Zhonglang general, so Lu Zhi asked Liu Bei to be his personal bodyguard.
mean.
This is him, the teacher, guiding Liu Bei, the disciple. Although Yu Lin is still just a small soldier, being a cannon fodder outside and being a guard beside the general are two different concepts.
The former dies quickly and has almost no upward path. The latter is safer. You can get some credit by fighting a few battles. It is easy to become a junior officer. Plus, if the commander recommends you, you will be promoted very quickly.
Lu Zhi also helped Liu Bei because of his filial piety and the relationship between master and disciple. Otherwise, with his upright character, he would never help others through the back door.
Unexpectedly, Liu Bei said: "To be honest with my teacher, although my disciple is not talented, he also rode on the battlefield. Along the way from Youzhou, he encountered no less than 10,000 yellow scarf troops, large and small. We fought more than 10 fierce battles, big and small.
I defeated thousands of thieves, beheaded more than a thousand thieves, and killed more than forty bandits with my own hands. I have achieved many results in battles. I am definitely not a person who is greedy for life and afraid of death. So I sincerely ask my mentor to let me go to the front line to clear the way for my mentor."
"oh?"
Lu Zhi's expression changed slightly and he said in surprise: "Are those troops of yours the elites of Youzhou?"
There are only 500 people in one song. The 500 people encountered tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans and killed more than 1,000 people. Only elite troops can do this.
Liu Bei shook his head: "No, they were local elites recruited by Bei in his hometown of Zhuo County. They have never been on the battlefield before."
"Hahahahaha."
Someone in the tent immediately laughed and said: "You are such a braggart. 500 country warriors who have never been on the battlefield defeated thousands of thieves and killed more than a thousand people. How is this possible?"
The speaker was a stout man eight feet tall with thick eyebrows and big eyes, with a look of disbelief.
In fact, it wasn't just him, the other middle- and senior-level officers present also had teasing expressions on their faces and weird expressions in their eyes.
Obviously no one here believed what Liu Bei said.
This era is not the age of firearms. The number of people and the eliteness of the troops often determine the outcome of a war.
Although there are countless examples in history of defeating more with less, more battles still involve advancing with large armies, with more people beating fewer people, and thus victory is achieved.
This is the so-called one-power reduction of ten societies.
It's just that because Liu Bei is Lu Zhi's beloved disciple, no one else has pointed it out.
The man who spoke was a mid-level officer of the Northern Army, the garrison commander, Meng Zhen, who was under the command of the garrison captain Bao Hong. He had a rather reckless and straightforward personality, and did not consider giving face to the commander-in-chief, so he retorted.
Zhang Fei couldn't help but get angry when he heard someone refuting his elder brother. He was about to speak out when he saw his fourth brother Chen Mu pulling him and shaking his head in an incomprehensible manner, indicating that he should follow his elder brother's instructions.
Liu Bei took a look at Lu Zhi's face and found that he didn't look good. Apparently he suspected that he was lying and slapped him as a teacher in the face.
However, Liu Bei did not panic, and just said to Meng Zhen: "Who is this?"
"Tunqi Sima Meng Zhen."
"hehe."
Liu Bei smiled and cupped his hands at Meng Zhen and said: "Meng Sima, don't speak so decisively sometimes. The yellow scarf thieves are just like local chickens and dogs. My second and third brothers are brave enough to be worthy of ten thousand men. In addition, my fourth brother makes suggestions.
By formulating a battle strategy, even if our troops are outnumbered, we can still win in chaos. If you don't believe it, you can check the heads, it's all ironclad evidence."
In the Qin Dynasty, beheading the enemy's head was considered a meritorious service and could be promoted to a higher level, so it was called a head level. However, this method was a burden for soldiers. A brave soldier would have to hang a few heads on his body before continuing to hunt down the enemy.
It's also impossible to achieve.
So after the Han Dynasty, ears gradually replaced the first rank, and the left ear was always used. However, this way of recording military achievements is relatively rare. Most of the time, it is still recorded by specific officers in the army. It’s just that Liu Bei formed the Xiangyong Army.
, without the military system of a regular army, we have no choice but to use this bloody and straightforward method as military merit.
Seeing that they had evidence in their hands, Meng Zhen stopped talking.
Lu Zhi's expression softened and he asked: "Xuande, if this is true, it is a great achievement, but I am very curious as a teacher, how did you do it?"
Liu Bei turned to look behind him: "Teacher, let me introduce to you. This is my second brother Guan Yu, whose courtesy name is Yunchang."
"Guan Yu pays homage to the general."
Guan Yu hurriedly raised his hands in salute. He was proud of his superiors but not his subordinates, but he respected the learned people very much. Lu Zhi was a great scholar in the country, Ma Rong's disciple, and Zheng Xuan's junior brother. He had a distinguished reputation and deserved his respect.
"This is my third brother Zhang Fei, whose courtesy name is Yide."
"Zhang Fei pays homage to the general."
Zhang Fei also paid his respects.
"This is my fourth brother Chen Mu, whose courtesy name is Zigui."
"Chen Mu pays homage to the general."
Chen Mu is not dressed like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. He wears a long hakama gown with pleats, no crown, and a turban on his head. He is personable and elegant.
Liu Bei added: "My second and third brothers fought bravely and always charged forward in every battle. This time we captured more than a thousand heads, and he and I accounted for three or four out of ten. This is one of the keys to our army's victory."
"
"My fourth brother, Naiqu Nihou, has a profound family knowledge and is good at planning. He arranged the march route. He also planned how to ambush and annihilate the enemy along the way. This is the second key to our army's victory.
"
Lu Zhi said in astonishment: "After Qu Nihou?"
Chen Mu cupped his hands again and said with a smile: "Exactly."
The ancients respected their ancestors. If their ancestors were famous, their descendants would not only have a bright face, but even outsiders would look up to them.
If after praising a famous person, you say that he has the legacy of his ancestors, that is the greatest compliment.
Therefore, Liu Bei told people everywhere that he was a descendant of Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan, a clan member of the Han Dynasty, and Liu Bang, which became his greatest political capital.
In the same way, Ma Teng and Ma Chao can gain a firm foothold in Xiliang by using the posterity of General Fubo Ma Yuan.
Needless to say, Cao Cao used the name of Cao Shen, the founding prime minister of the Western Han Dynasty. Although the Cao family was in decline at that time, with this sign, Cao Cao, as a child of a eunuch family who was despised by the scholars, was able to compete with the four
The descendants of the Yuan family of Sangong lived together.
Therefore, sometimes celebrities are not important, but sometimes they are also very important.
After hearing that his disciple's sworn brother was Qu Nihou, Lu Zhi couldn't help but look at Chen Mu and asked, "Can you tell me the details of your plan?"
"Without it, I can sum it up in just two sentences."
Chen Mu said: "Use your strengths and avoid weaknesses, and defeat them one by one."
“How to maximize strengths and avoid weaknesses?”
"We have 50 cavalry in our unit. The yellow turban thieves have few horses, so they can use their mobility. When the army advances, the cavalry will be dispersed to conduct reconnaissance. If they encounter a large group of troops, they will evade in advance and not engage in combat. If they encounter a small group of troops, they will
Invade them, devour them, and annihilate them all.”
"How to defeat them one by one?"
"Most of the main force of the Yellow Turban Army was looting in the county, and only small groups were invading the countryside. Our army did not take the official road in the county, but took the country roads. It first slowly eliminated the small troops outside the county, and then concentrated its strength and summoned local people.
The brave and powerful people from Guanfu Township attacked the county seat together."
Chen Mu thought for a while and added: "But this method will not work in Guangping. There are few yellow scarf thieves in Zhao State, and there are at most a few thousand people in the county. Moreover, they will be restrained by the powerful local officials and are not strong.
While the two sides are fighting, we can fish in troubled waters. But when we enter Guangping, almost all counties and cities are completely occupied by bandits. The number ranges from tens of thousands to tens of thousands. Our soldiers are small and we are unable to defeat them."
After he finished speaking, there was silence in the big tent.
After a while, Lu Zhi nodded and praised: "It's very good. It has the style of being an ancestor."