War is always a continuation of politics.

If it can be solved through political means, why bother launching a war that wastes people and money?

Everyone has needs. As long as they understand what the Montenegrin Army wants, when they have internal differences, they can resolve them internally without the need for the court to take action.

Chen Mu was not worried at all that his strategy would fail, because it was an upright conspiracy and would always be effective when dealing with a scattered enemy.

Guan Ping came out of the city and saw the fourth uncle on Ziying's horse that was covered with dust from a distance. He hurriedly rode over. When he got close, he turned over and dismounted without saluting, and shouted happily: "Fourth uncle!"

In the second year of Zhongping, that is, 185 AD, Chen Mu met Guan Ping for the first time. At that time, he was only seven years old and about six feet tall. Now, twelve years later, he is nearly twenty years old, more than eight feet tall and well built.

He is more muscular and muscular, very much like his father.

"Ping'er, where is your father?"

Chen Mu did not dismount, but with a slight smile in his eyes, he asked.

Guan Ping came over to help lead the horses, and while leading everyone to the city, he said: "Father is in Youli City. He just captured the city the day before yesterday and is now setting up defenses in the city."

"Um."

Chen Mu nodded and said: "I will go to the city to take a rest first. You arrange for my personal guards to go to the military camp to rest. After your father is done with his work, I will go find him again."

Guan Ping said in surprise: "Why don't Fourth Uncle go and find father directly?"

Chen Mu explained: "I came here from Linli overnight yesterday. I didn't close my eyes all day and night. I went to take a rest first. I have something to do with your father tonight."

"I know, I'll take Fourth Uncle to the mansion to rest."

Guan Ping took his horse and took Chen Mu all the way to the county government mansion where Dangyin Guan Yu lived, and arranged for him to sleep in the backyard.

When it was getting late, Guan Yu came over from Youli City.

Hearing that Chen Mu was coming, he quickly went to look and saw Chen Mu sleeping on the wooden floor in the small hall in the backyard. Guan Yu couldn't bear to disturb him, so he read a book in the hall outside the hall and waited.

After waiting for an hour and a half, Chen Mu lay down at about three or four o'clock in the afternoon and slept until about ten o'clock in the evening before slowly waking up.

In later generations, nightlife had just begun at this time, but now it is equivalent to midnight, and the city is silent except for the endless chirping of cicadas in summer.

"Second brother."

After getting up from the rafter, Chen Mu saw the lights outside the hall. When he went out from the side door, he saw Guan Yu sitting on the table and staring at the book in his hand, so he shouted.

Guan Yu heard the sound, turned his head, put down the book and said, "Fourth brother is up?"

"Um."

Chen Mu walked over and sat cross-legged on another mat, holding his forehead and rubbing his temples.

After running all day and night, his whole body was sore, coupled with the lack of rest, and the chaotic and turbulent current situation, all made his head feel like a blur.

"Afu, go to the kitchen to get some food and bring a bowl of hot soup over."

When Guan Yu saw his appearance, he ordered the attendants outside the door to bring the food he had prepared before.

After the attendants left, Chen Mu regained his composure, cheered up and said, "Second brother, we have to take action."

Guan Yu heard what he said and said, "What do you think?"

"There is only one possibility for Yuan Shao to suddenly withdraw his troops, and that is something happened in the east."

Chen Mu said: "I made an agreement with my eldest brother that after I leave, he will start to take action and divide his troops to attack Jizhou. I will help contain it in Luoyang. Judging from today's situation, I am afraid that there is a lot of commotion on the eldest brother's side, forcing him to

Yuan Shao returns to defend Qinghe State, so we have to send troops immediately."

Guan Yu narrowed his eyes, stroked his two-foot long beard, nodded slightly and said: "Well, what the fourth brother said is exactly what I want. Now that the army has returned with a great victory, its morale is at its peak. This is the time to take advantage of the victory to pursue it.

, how do you want to fight?"

"If you want to cause trouble to Yuan Shao here, you must hit his sore spot. Where do you think his sore spot is, second brother?"

Chen Mu asked with a smile.

Guan Yu said without hesitation: "Of course it is Yecheng."

"good!"

Chen Mu nodded: "Yecheng is the key, but it is difficult for us to attack Yecheng, so we have to think of other ways."

"any solution?"

"Second brother, do you have a map?"

"I'll get it."

Guan Yu got up and went out. The map was important strategic information and was stored in a secret room. Only he could get it in person.

After a while, Guan Yu came out of the bedroom with a map in his hand.

Just then Ah Fu brought the food from the kitchen, and the two stopped talking. After Ah Fu put the things on the table, Guan Yu then ordered: "Ah Fu, let everyone outside have a rest.

, there is no need to keep anyone in the outer court."

"only!"

Ah Fu hunched over and went out, closing the door behind him.

After he left, Chen Mu picked up the hot soup, took a sip, and felt a soft warmth rising in his empty intestines, and then continued: "Second brother, look at the map, Hanoi and Wei County,

When there is a smooth road, taking the initiative to attack with a small number of troops is tantamount to hitting an egg with a stone."

Guan Yu stared at the map above for a long time, nodded and said: "Yes, even if Yuan Shao puts his main energy on other places, for us, he still has the advantage in military strength and cannot fight head-on with him."

"So we have to come up with another plan. Now the areas of Anyang and Neihuang are heavily guarded by Yuan Shao. I predict that the eastern front will be shaken and he will not dare to fight us. My second brother can lead the army to Anyang to provoke us. Let's do something.

The plank roads are built openly and the warehouses are built secretly."

Chen Mu put down the hot soup and started to use his chopsticks. He hadn't eaten a grain of rice from yesterday to today, so he was really hungry. The kitchen prepared food, but it was only heated at the last moment. The taste was not very good, but he ate it with gusto.

"Building plank roads in the open and secretly destroying Chencang?"

Guan Yu was surprised and said: "If we can't advance from the front, is there any other way for my fourth brother to threaten Wei County?"

Chen Mu chewed and said, "There is indeed a road. Does Second Brother know about the Zhanghe Ancient Road?"

"Zhanghe?"

Guan Yu thought: "The Zhang River flows out of the Five Elements Mountains, but I heard that the terrain in the Five Elements Mountains is extremely complex, with steep mountains, countless cliffs and ravines, which may not be suitable for marching. Moreover, these places seem to be occupied by the Black Mountain Army.

"

Chen Mu nodded while picking up the rice in the bowl: "Yes, these places are indeed in the hands of the Montenegrin Army, so we must capture the Montenegrin Army before we can send out surprise troops to attack Anyang."

Attacking Wei County from the front is tantamount to the battle of Guandu. Cao Cao took the initiative to attack Liyang and launched an attack on Yuan Shao, which was a way to seek death.

No matter how difficult it was for Cao Cao to fight in the Battle of Guandu, it was just as difficult to defend Luoyang on the frontal battlefield.

Fortunately, Qingzhou and Youzhou were there to restrain him. Otherwise, Yuan Shao would have led his troops southward, flattened Hanoi, and reached the ferry crossing of Mengjin and Xiaopingjin.

Therefore, it is almost impossible to find a breakthrough in the direction of Luoyang. The only way is to send out surprise troops from the Taihang Mountains to attack Anyang. As long as Anyang can be captured, it will be no less than Zhang Fei's capture of Ganling again.

It brought unimaginable turmoil to Yuan Jun.

To put it simply, this is the effect of the wolf pack tactic. Considering any one of them, it would be easy for Yuan Shao to eliminate them. The most difficult one is definitely Qingzhou, the easiest is Youzhou, and the second is Luoyang.

If Luoyang faces a large-scale attack by Yuan Shao, the only strategy is to abandon Hanoi, defend the Eight Passes, and at the same time summon Sun Ce and Cao Cao to come together to help resist.

Despite the large number of troops in Youzhou, Gongsun Zan and Xian Yufu gathered more than 100,000 people, but large numbers of people would be accompanied by problems with food and funds. Gongsun Zan always hired others to fight, and the more money he spent, the less he spent. He could not continue

They hired people from Xianbei and Wuhuan.

The same goes for Xian Yufu. His people were gathered because of Liu Yu's previous friendship. This kind of friendship can only be maintained once, because Xian Yufu has no money or food to give these people, so he can only let these people

Bring your own dry food. If you don't provide food and grass, others will have to fight hungry. So if you help this time, most people will have to disperse.

In this way, most of the soldiers and horses of Gongsun Zan and Xian Yufu will actually leave. Except for some speculators, such as Yan Rou and Kebi Neng, there are more than 100,000 troops bustling with them. In the end, only tens of thousands of people can stay in total. Therefore,

Now Youzhou's strength is actually the weakest.

But even if Yuan Shao wants to attack Youzhou, the vast strategic depth is enough to prevent him from using all his strength. Luoyang and Qingzhou are eyeing each other, especially Qingzhou as the main attack direction, giving him great pressure, so he can maintain it now

status quo.

As the battlefield in the east breaks the status quo, even if Chen Mu still doesn't know what is happening there, as he said to Big Brother when he left Qingzhou, communications are not developed, and they can only pass through the movements of Yuan Shao's army and some internal information of Yuan Jun.

Spies, to learn the news, and then make the best response based on this information.

This test is the tacit understanding between Chen Mu and the Qingzhou Advisors.

No matter what happens in Qingzhou now, Chen Mu must respond immediately.

Big Brother has already bitten Yuan Shao, and now it's his turn.

After listening to Chen Mu's words, Guan Yu nodded slightly and thought, "Does the fourth brother already have a countermeasure?"

"Um."

Chen Mu held up the bowl and chopsticks in his right hand, walked over and drew on the map with his left hand: "Second brother, look, the Black Mountain Army is entrenched at the southern foot of Fukouxing, north of Linlu. This area is the outlet of the Zhang River.

, there are either mountains and forests or valleys on both sides of the coast, which connects to the Huan River in the south and reaches the back of Anyang. I used the strategy of differentiation to trigger internal fighting among the Montenegrin Army. In less than two months, I expected that these people would fight to the death.

Even the winner can only surrender to the imperial court. From then on, this road is for my use, and I can send troops out of Wuxing Mountain at any time to threaten Yuan Shao's rear."

"So all I have to do is delay?"
To be continued...