When the news of Zhu Ling's defeat and capture reached Zhang He, Zhang He was not surprised at all.
Not long after his army set off, a message came from the rear saying that Zhu Ling, as the last unit to break up the rear, had already fought with Cao's army near the forest on the south bank of Dahe Gudu.
Although he did not know the situation of the battle at that time, Zhang He knew very well that the few troops left by Zhu Ling could not compete with Cao Cao, and defeat would definitely happen sooner or later.
However, it was not a bad thing for Zhang He to lose seven or eight thousand men and horses in exchange for the smooth retreat of the large army.
It's just a pity Zhu Ling...
Riding on the horse, Zhang He looked at the east in the distance, feeling a little bit regretful in his heart.
Zhu Ling is indeed a good general.
One day's march continued along the river. Although there was snow on the road and the ground was full of potholes, it seriously hindered the marching speed of the carriage and baggage.
Fortunately, this place is not far from Yuancheng, and with about two days' journey, they can successfully complete the entire retreat.
The sky gradually darkened, and towards dusk, Zhang He finally decided to set up camp and rest again.
Marching day and night in such weather is a great test for a soldier's physical fitness and willpower. If he does not rest, traveling all day and night without sleep, no matter how good his body is, he will be exhausted.
Once you encounter the enemy on the last day, there is almost no need to fight, and you will definitely lose. After all, Zhang He is not a fool, and he knows very well who is in the hands of Qingyuan and Guantao counties.
At nightfall, Zhang He summoned the generals in the camp to discuss matters. Everyone tacitly agreed not to mention Zhu Ling's name, but instead talked about Yuan Shao's situation.
"Mr. Yuan has just taken charge of Jizhou. I'm afraid he still has some internal issues to deal with and has no time to take care of us."
Zhang He expressed his analysis and said to everyone: "So this time we must return to Yuancheng safely. Otherwise, even if we stay in Ganling, the final result will be defeat because we run out of food."
"It's a pity that if Mr. Yuan could have sent people to help us as soon as possible, we would not have ended up in this situation. We would have been chased up to the sky and into the earth by Chen Zigui, and fled in embarrassment."
"But there's no need to worry. I think that Chen Zigui is in vain. Yuancheng is very close, and the scouts sent out should be arriving soon. Yuancheng's soldiers and horses should be able to reach us tomorrow, so we don't need to worry too much.
"
"Wasn't Yuancheng already ambushed?"
"Although they were ambushed, think about it, Wei County is right behind Yuancheng. There are tens of thousands of troops in Wei County. If they are dispatched, plus us, they should be able to defeat Qingyuan Guantao and Chen Zigui.
Let’s compete with the Qingzhou Army.”
The soldiers are relatively optimistic. After all, why can Liu Bei's main force compete with the Jizhou army now? That's because Gongsun Zan's troops are there. In terms of total military strength, Qingzhou is far behind Jizhou.
The population base is here. We have also developed in the past ten years. Jizhou has a population of more than six million, while Qingzhou barely has a population of four million. How can we compete with it?
Although these generals do not know this, it is generally recognized that Jizhou is the richest in the world, whether before or after the Yellow Turbans. On the other hand, Qingzhou is one of the most serious areas where the Yellow Turbans occur. No matter how it develops, it cannot be better than Jizhou.
.
Therefore, judging from past experience, these generals also feel that Jizhou has a high chance of winning. At least as long as Yuan Shao can free his hands to repel the Qingzhou and Youzhou coalition forces, there will be no problem.
"Um."
Zhang He also agreed with the soldiers' analysis, nodded reservedly, then turned to look at the deputy general beside him and asked: "How are the arrangements for tonight?"
The lieutenant general said: "An ambush has been arranged. The soldiers are also lying down in their clothes, with their armor on their bodies, and they are ready."
"good."
Zhang He smiled contemptuously: "If the Qingzhou Army company attacks the camp tonight, I will definitely show them some shame."
Many generals laughed loudly. In their view, even if the Qingzhou Army attacked, there would only be troops from Qingyuan and Guantao in a short period of time. The surrounding defenders in other places were at least three to five days away from Ganling at that time.
distance.
If we think about it this way, even if the Qingzhou Army set out at the same time as them, they would still be at least three to five days behind them. Moreover, Cao Cao failed to complete the delaying task and was held back by them abandoning his vehicle to protect his commander.
As for the defenders of Qingyuan and Guantao, they and the soldiers and horses of Wei County in Yuancheng are enough to compete with them, so there is no need to worry at all. In this way, the Qingzhou army can't catch up with them, so I think they can already sit back and relax.
"It seems that Chen Zigui, who is rumored to have perfect plans, is just a person with a false reputation. He is not that extraordinary at all."
Jiang Qi smiled and said: "The general still thinks too highly of him."
"I think it's because the general is superior in skills. I'm afraid Chen Zigui would never have dreamed that we would dare to break through in winter."
Ma Yan flattered Zhang He and said, "I'm afraid Chen Zigui is still gathering dust in the back."
Zhang He waved his hands and said: "Okay, let's stop talking nonsense. All camps are ready tonight. We must be careful. Don't let anyone attack the camp."
"only!"
All the soldiers responded with a roar.
After the meeting dispersed, Zhang He thought carefully for a long time and felt that there should be no problem.
Even if Chen Mu were to predict things like a god, he couldn't predict that they would break out of the encirclement one day.
As for why Cao Cao intercepted them, the reason is also very simple.
When Zhang He thought about it, although Chen Mu did not station troops outside Ganling City to besiege the city, he must have sent out scout posts.
So it was normal for them to be spotted by Tan Ma when they were leaving the city and reported to Chen Mu.
Chen Mu probably knew that he could no longer catch up, so he sent Qingqi to Cao Cao overnight to intercept and delay.
It makes sense to think so. After all, Zhang Hejun's marching speed was indeed slow due to the heavy snow and road closures.
And the front line of Guangzong Qingyuan and Guantao was in the hands of the Qingzhou Army. The Qingzhou Army used cavalry to scout horses along the line to report the message. There was reason to get ahead of them and convey the message to Cao Cao.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! But now Cao Cao’s interception mission has not been completed, so according to Zhang He’s calculation, except for Guangzong’s soldiers and horses may have arrived at Qingyuan, other Dongwu
The soldiers and horses in Chengcheng, Lingxian and Phexian counties will definitely be unable to catch up with them.
As long as the entire Qinghe Kingdom's 60,000 Qingzhou Army did not encircle them, Zhang He would have no problem escaping from the encirclement and leading the remaining 30,000 troops back.
It's a pity that Zhu Ling and the seven or eight thousand troops who were cut off from the rear...
Zhang He thought with regret.
If there hadn't been that damn Cao Cao, maybe they wouldn't have needed to make such a big sacrifice.
It was late at night, the snow had stopped for two days, and the wind was howling outside the tent.
Zhang He didn't think about it anymore in the end and fell into a deep sleep.
And at this time.
In Guantao City, Chen Mu was also convening the generals to discuss matters.
Zhang He was on the fifth floor, and he only thought that Chen Mu was on the third floor, but he didn't expect that Chen Mu was in the atmosphere.
Looking at Zhang He's tendency to shrink his troops and speculation about his remaining supplies, Chen Mu already knew that he was going to break out of the encirclement. How could he not have made preparations earlier?
So almost at the same time that Zhang He left, Chen Mu had already mobilized Guangzong's soldiers and horses, leaving only 3,000 soldiers to guard the city. He led 5,000 soldiers straight to Guantao, and the remaining soldiers from Dongwucheng, Ling County, and Qian County
The troops and horses also set off at the same time.
In fact, Chen Mu must not have known Zhang He's specific choice at that time, but Zhang He's problem was that he first led his troops to Beiqiu, stationed in Beiqiu overnight, and then went south to Yanzhou.
This movement completely exposed his intention, either to attack Qingyuan from the east of Beiqiu, or to bypass Qingyuan and Guantao cities from Yanzhou in the south by taking the Dahegudu road.
Therefore, when Chen Mu went south to Qingyuan to study pottery, no matter what Zhang He chose, he would definitely fall into the trap.
As for whether Zhang He would make a false shot and bypass the heavily defended east-west Wei County road, choose a long detour from Anping State, to Julu County, then to Changshan State, Zhao State, and finally go south to the west of the Wei army.
Chen Mu felt that, except for the greatest man in the past five thousand years who dared to do this, Zhang He probably didn't have the courage and courage to actually go around in a thousand-mile circle.
What's more, the Jizhou Plain is not the winding Guizhou Mountain Forest. Zhang Hejun's movements were clearly detected by the scouts. Even if he wanted to imitate the great man's operations, there was no room for maneuver.
Therefore, it can be said that all Zhang He's actions were carefully calculated by Chen Mu.
The only remaining error is whether Yuan Shao will be free to respond to Zhang He.
So when Zhang Liao raised this question, Chen Mu smiled without hesitation: "Yuan Shao has too much time to take care of himself. Where can he find the energy to take care of this alliance?"
"Yuan Shao has too much time to take care of himself?"
Everyone is confused. Now here are Guantao guard Zhang Liao, Guangzong guard Tai Shici, military intelligence commander Shi Houxu, Li Bo Guancheng Wang Dan and other school lieutenant generals.
As for Gao Shun from Dongwu City and Zhang Fei from Xiajin, they were still on their way here. Faced with Chen Mu's confidence, everyone was puzzled.
Only Hou Xu and Tai Shici, two people who worked part-time in the Military Intelligence Department, had access to the information, but they looked at each other and smiled.
Chen Mu explained: "Yuan Shaochu took over Jizhou. The internal factions in Jizhou are intertwined and the situation is extremely complicated. Although there are foreign enemies in Qingzhou and Youzhou at this time, it is impossible to coordinate all the forces in a short time, at least in his case.
Only when the forces of all parties are balanced can we take care of the cooperation."
"good."
Hou Xu also nodded and said: "Right now, Yuan Shao's main focus is on facing the two envoys to the north. Unless it endangers his Wei Commandery, he will never care about the south and east. The main reason is that he doesn't have the energy to care about it.
One Lu Bu is enough to give him a headache."
It is true that Wang Fen left a huge legacy to Yuan Shao, but he also left a lot of big historical problems. For example, the factional disputes in Jizhou, the change of old and new forces, and even what to do with Lu Bu, his adopted son.
?
If you look carefully, you will find that it is impossible for Yuan Shao to solve these troubles as soon as possible. Especially when there is external pressure, he can only compromise for the time being and deal with it slowly.
After all, the main contradiction in Jizhou now lies in the alternation between old and new forces. Yuan Shao himself was a party member, so he himself was marked by the old and old party members.
But there are a large number of new dependents under his command, such as Xu Youshen, Xin Ping, Guo Tufengji, etc., as well as Yan Liang, Wen Chou, etc. If they want to rise to power, the older groups of the old faction will have to give up their positions, and the emerging nobles and the old forces will have to give up their positions.
The confrontation between light and dark is Yuan Shao's biggest headache at the moment.
In addition, there is Lu Bu who obeys orders but not announcements. Although Lu Bu obeyed Wang Fen's orders before his death and marched into Dangyin to confront Guan Yu's tribe in Hanoi County, but just like in history, Yuan Shao simply did not
He does not trust Lu Bu, and Lu Bu has no intention of being loyal to Yuan Shao, which makes the relationship between the two currently somewhat tense.
But generally speaking, although there are constant minor problems, under the pressing pressure of the Qingzhou-Youzhou coalition forces, internal conflicts have not broken out for the time being. After all, everyone knows that internal fighting is a self-destructive approach when foreign enemies invade.
behavior, so Yuan Shao still had no problem controlling the situation.
But no matter what, it will take time to adjust these internal conflicts. Therefore, in addition to sending more troops to the north toward Ping'en and continuing to confront Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan's coalition forces, if he wants to spare his time to take care of Zhang He who is hanging outside, it is indeed
I don't have the energy.
After analyzing that Yuan Shao currently has no free control over Zhang He, Chen Mu continued: "Jizhou is like a tiger now, with too strong foundation and too strong strength. Although our Qingzhou and Youzhou are not weak, they can compare with Jizhou
It's still a little bit worse, so our purpose in this battle is to weaken Jizhou."
"Can't you beat it?"
Tai Shici asked.
Chen Mu shook his head: "It's too difficult. Since recorded history, many battles in which the weak defeated the strong have specific conditions. Unless Yuan Shao himself has some big problems and we find an opportunity, otherwise, it is more likely that both sides will suffer losses in a head-on confrontation.
.”
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Yeah, don't look at our troops entering Jizhou now, but Jizhou's troops are now shrinking in Wei County, and it is as difficult to attack as a turtle shell. I'm afraid this time
The war is also a protracted war."
Zhang Liao looked at the problem a little more carefully than Taishi Ci. Jizhou's troops were originally larger than those of the Youzhou and Qingzhou coalition forces, but now they were shrunk together, making it even more difficult to break.
If you look at it from a God's perspective, you will find that the east and north of Wei County are almost densely packed with soldiers and horses from Jizhou, ranging from tens of thousands to tens of thousands. Together they form a huge Jizhou Army. If not
At present, Jizhou is still in a short period of chaos that has just changed its owner, and the coalition forces cannot attack Wei County at all.
"Um."
Chen Mu continued: "I know that Cao Cao is unreliable. Zhang He can only leave some troops to break up the rear, so he can use this as an excuse not to attack. In the end, we still have to rely on ourselves. This battle must be defeated."
In that case, it is best to fight a battle of annihilation, and the generals will obey orders."
"only!"
Everyone responded with a roar, waiting for Chen Mu's instructions.
Chen Mu said: "Zhang He is still two days away from Yuancheng at this time. Now is the time when he is most vigilant. It is not advisable to attack his camp at night. We should wait until he is close to Yuancheng and relaxes his vigilance before attacking. Where is Zhang Liao?
?”
"The end is here!"
Zhang Liao got up from the table, went to the center of the main hall, knelt down on one knee and raised his hands in response.
Chen Mu took out his military token and threw it over: "I order you to lead eight thousand troops and ambush in Shating to block the reinforcements from Yuancheng."
"only!"
Zhang Liao picked up the military token and attacked Zhao Rui Yanchang's troops in Yuancheng. He was familiar with it and had already fought twice.
Chen Mu took out his military order card again and said, "Where is Taishi Ci?"
Taishi Ci stood up excitedly: "The general will be here at the end."
"I order you to be the vanguard and station in Wulu Ruins, set up camp and block the passage."
"only!"
Taishi Ci led the military order.
Chen Mu looked at the crowd and said: "Now we only have about 20,000 troops. The main thing now is to wait for the troops of Gao Shun and Third Brother to arrive before we can launch a large-scale attack on Zhang He. We must hold on for at least two days and never let Zhang He enter the city.
, did you hear that!”
"only!"
Everyone shouted in unison, and the momentum was high.