When Yu Du and Liu Shi immediately chose to return to their own camp and then sent people to Huanglong Village to find out the news, even Wulu Village had been breached.
The Black Mountain Army was already familiar with the terrain in the mountains, and the addition of Baique and Li Fu gave Feiyan, Bairao Niujiao and others great courage.
The most important thing is that the five-person alliance acted in secret. They were familiar with the secret sentry posts in Huanglong Village, and had already sent people to occupy key roads in advance, destroyed communication facilities, and captured all places such as beacon towers.
Then when everyone was unprepared, they broke through the village gate, killed Huang Long, and plundered their tribesmen, without giving Huang Long, Wulu and others any time to react.
Many times, attacking the enemy from the outside is not a good choice. Attacking the enemy from the inside is very easy.
By the second day, Wuluzhai had already been defeated, and only the White Cavalry Army remained.
The White Cavalry Army assessed the situation and chose to surrender without hesitation in the face of the five-party alliance's attack.
When everything went well for Feiyan Bairao Niujiao and others, they not only captured Huanglong Wulu and others' tribe, but also obtained a large amount of grain and grass.
The army and soldiers from Linli County descended from the sky and surrounded them.
Yu Du and Liu Shi also surrendered.
In this way, counting the two of their tribes as well as the Baique Army, Fuyun Army and other teams that had long surrendered to the imperial court, a new five-party alliance was formed and began to deal with Feiyan Bairao Niujiao and others.
In early September, almost ten days later, the entire southern foothills of the Taihang Mountains fell into Chen Mu's hands.
A large number of Black Mountain troops were moved out. According to the previous practice of the Baibo Army, their families were sent to the rear to farm, and elite men were selected, and Xu Huang took over.
The whole process went very smoothly and was divided into two steps, one was to drive away the wolf and the tiger, and the other was to defeat the Guo with false pretense.
First using inducements, taking advantage of the huge gap between the rich and the poor within the Black Mountain Army and the dissatisfaction of some leaders with the status quo, the officers and soldiers proposed to use money and grain to obtain the crucial Taihang Mountain Xiaoxing from the Black Mountain Army.
Some people disagree, and naturally some people agree. The Taihang Mountains are not a paradise, but a bitter cold land. At least with today's agricultural technology, it is almost impossible to allow millions of people to live in this mountain without worrying about food and drink.
possible things.
Therefore, at the very beginning, the Montenegrin Army did have millions of people. However, after many years of consumption, there were countless casualties. Some people occupied sacred land, while others were driven to places where food could not be grown. Naturally, there was an imbalance in their hearts.
when.
And once external forces intervene at this time, everything will naturally fall into place.
The addition of a large number of Montenegrin troops supplemented the strength of the Luoyang army. At the same time, during this period, the two sides also officially entered the stage of confrontation.
Chen Mu first defeated the Yuan Army at the entrance of Linlu Valley and occupied all the land south of the Huan River. Now north of the entire Huan River, only Anyang City is still supporting. Then he captured the Heishan Army and occupied
At the southern foot of the Taihang Mountains, a large number of people were captured and tens of thousands of young people were obtained.
These young and strong people can be trained into elite soldiers. The first person in Luoyang who is good at training soldiers is Zhu Jun, the second is Guan Yu, and the third is Xu Huang. Although Zhao Yun is also good, after all, he mostly trains second-line field soldiers and has not yet trained them.
A particularly elite frontline force was formed.
But apart from the three of them, there is actually one other person, and that is Ju Yi. Ju Yi followed Chen Mu to Luoyang this time to solve the problem that Luoyang has always had fewer elite soldiers. Now that it has such a large population, it is precisely
when.
Various ditches were still under construction. In the battle of Yecheng, Cao Cao spent half a year, first encircling the points to provide reinforcements, and then flooding the city with water, before he conquered Yecheng.
Now in the important town of Anyang, Chen Mu still has to digest the Black Mountain Army, so for now he is just building ditches and casting dams without releasing water immediately. The most important thing is that it is already autumn and winter, and the dry season is coming. He is afraid that there will not be enough water and it will be difficult to drain the water.
The city of Anyang has become a land of marshes, so we put the matter on hold until next year's spring floods.
More than a month later, at the end of October, it snowed heavily in Hebei Province. The snow covered the entire earth, and the sharp wind blew, turning the sky and earth into a vast expanse of white. The lake surface began to freeze, and the rivers were all frozen.
Even the water level of the Yellow River has dropped significantly, revealing a soft river beach.
The climate of the Little Ice Age once again began to exert its power. Summers became hotter and hotter, causing droughts of varying scales in various places and reducing food production. Winters became colder and colder, rivers froze, and lakes froze. That is to say, the Yellow River could still carry the
You have to stay there, otherwise it will be too uncomfortable if the Yellow River freezes again.
In the county town of Qian County, Liu Bei was reading the letter written by Chen Mu in the hall. It also snowed in Luoyang, and the ice and snow turned the endless Taihang Mountains into a vast ice dragon. He was keenly aware that something was wrong, and immediately
Write a letter to Big Brother asking him to withdraw the troops.
"The weather in the past two years has been really abnormal. A heavy snowfall has turned the defense zone we built into a smooth road. The fourth brother also noticed this and wrote a letter asking me to evacuate to the plains immediately. He expected Yuan Shao to prepare for the winter
Attacked."
Liu Bei raised the letter in his hand and said to Ju Shou and Xun Yu.
The three people did not sit in order of priority, but wore new cotton-padded jackets and sat in the hall, around a stove.
It's freezing outside, with heavy snow falling, and there's a constant whistling cold wind inside.
Jushou put his hands in his sleeves and looked at the flames in the stove. He sighed and said, "It's up to people to plan things, but it's up to God to make things happen. All kinds of plans can't beat the destiny of God."
"Things are not that difficult. We just gave up on the county and lost the barriers of the Majia River, Xiaohe River and other places."
Xun Yu smiled and said, "Even if Yuan Shao comes to attack, what will happen if we let them go for a while?"
“Isn’t it true that nearly 30% of all the previous preparations were wasted?”
Liu Bei was a little reluctant.
They had made a lot of preparations in the Gujiuhe Defense Zone, and they had started planning carefully five or six years ago. However, a heavy snowfall directly destroyed the first defense zone, which affected people's mentality too much.
Xun Yu shook his head and said: "Should we give up, we still have to give up. Moreover, Qian County is originally the most dangerous place. The city here is low and is not conducive to large-scale city defense operations. We originally planned to only hinder the momentum of Yuan Jun here.
Now that the weather is like this, we have to give up.”
"Um."
Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then turned to Xu Chu who was not far away and said: "Zhongkang, please pass on my military order and ask the soldiers to prepare and organize their baggage. We will be ready to evacuate within two days."
"only!"
Xu Chu took the order and left.
After he left, Jushu continued: "The latest information from the Military Intelligence Department is that Yuan Shao's army has been mobilized frequently, winter clothes are ready, and large quantities of grain and grass have been transported to Xiajin. The return of the son is as expected, and Yuan's army has indeed made some moves."
In fact, Chen Mu didn't need to remind him that Liu Bei and the others were also discussing the withdrawal of their troops.
The sudden cold weather made the originally set-up Gujiuhe defense zone useless. Just like Cao Cao set up a defense zone in Guandu, because the sediment near the Guandu River was accumulated and the land was soft, it was not suitable for cavalry and large-scale infantry attacks.
Let Yuan Shao's cavalry troops and numerical advantage fail.
The same is true for Qingzhou in the Ancient Jiuhe Defense Zone. Qianxian County is at the outermost periphery, surrounded by the Majia River and Xiaohe River, one of the Ancient Nine Rivers. These areas also belong to the alluvial sectors of the tributaries of the Yellow River. Like many river terrains, the geological structure is relatively complex.
It is soft and has many swamps and lakes.
Therefore, the Qingzhou Advisors' vision for these areas was that they should be the first line of defense. After a battle, they would gradually retreat to plains, Ande and other places, and use other rivers to continue to serve as buffer zones.
Blocking the attack at this stage will not only damage Yuan Shao's morale, but also effectively kill the enemy troops. Finally, after the evacuation from the plains to Gaotang, the decisive battle will be on both sides of Longcuo at the Yellow River ferry, forming a confrontation like the Battle of Guandu.
It's a pity that God was not kind, and the heavy snow turned the soft land into a piece of hard frozen soil. Although the snow also restricted the cavalry, after comparing the advantages and disadvantages of Yuan Shao's infantry, Liu Bei had to discuss with the advisers and give up.
Instead, they moved to Pingyuan County, which had a relatively low city and had a high city and thick walls. It was originally supposed to be the second line of defense in Pingyuan County.
Hearing that Jushou mentioned that there had been a lot of movement within Yuan Jun recently, Liu Bei asked: "Is there any latest news from the insiders in Yuan Jun?"
Jushou said: "Mr. Yan sent a message saying that after the autumn grain harvest today, Yuan Shao has mobilized tens of millions of shi of new grain from the rear. It is currently stocked in Ganling, Xiajin and other places, and there are also new grains.
Grain continues to be transported in a steady stream, and Hebei is indeed a fertile land. Even if there is a drought this year and grain production is reduced, there will still be sufficient supplies."
Xun Yu took over the conversation and said: "Our insiders in Yuan's army are mostly party members and other middle- and lower-level civil servants. Among them, there are many chief clerks, officials, officials, and followers who manage grain and grass. Each of them has access to warehouses.
Different, after summarizing their information, I think it is possible to draw a map of the granary?"
Jushou thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I don't think it's necessary. The war hasn't started yet, so Yuan's army's food and grass must be concentrated in various granaries in Ganling City. Once the war starts and the battle lines start to move forward, the food and grass will also move forward.
If the location changes, even having a map may not be useful.”
"That's true."
Xun Yu nodded and said: "Once the war starts, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the insiders in Yuan's army to pass on the news."
"yes."
Jushou sighed: "Ganling City has not yet been completely controlled. The nearby villagers can still enter and exit the city, so they can pass on information. Once the war comes, their lower-level party members who are responsible for management will not be able to enter and exit at will, and the people will not be able to enter or exit at will."
Maybe no matter how close they are, unless they defect, it will be difficult to know all of Yuan Jun's actions as clearly as now."
The war period is not an ordinary time. Ganling City is the seat of Qinghe Kingdom. Even though Liu Bei often moved people to Qingzhou in recent years. But because he did not force him, the actual number of people who moved was very small. Almost 80% of the villagers were displaced from their hometowns.
Therefore, there are still more than 100,000 people living nearby Ganling City.
Cities played an irreplaceable role in ancient times, and nearby villagers had to rely on towns when buying and selling their means of production. In addition, it is now in a confrontation period, not a war period, so Ganling City is not yet under control, and the people and
Villagers can still come and go freely.
It is precisely by taking advantage of this that the Military Intelligence Department can pass on intelligence. But after the war started, Yuan Shao's troops moved forward and the army was stationed in the wild. Under the strict control of the army, it was difficult to pass on all internal intelligence directly.
By that time, most of the Qingzhou Army's relatively developed intelligence system will be useless. This is actually a big loss for Liu Bei.
Fortunately, Liu Bei did not feel too sad, but said in deep thought: "I have been in the army for many years, and I deeply understand the principle of food and grass going first before the three armies are moved. Now all Yuan Shao's food, grass, baggage, weapons and equipment have been prepared, I am afraid that not long ago
They are going to attack us within a few days, and we should prepare in advance."
"Um."
Xun Yu said: "Ming Gong, in these two days, we will immediately start to move the county and transport the materials in the city to the plains."
Liu Bei nodded: "I know, I will do it myself when the time comes."
"Pity."
Jushou suddenly smacked his mouth with a look of regret.
Liu Bei thought he was worrying about the defense area, so he smiled and said: "You don't need to worry, sir. Don't we still have the plain city with high walls and thick walls to rely on?"
"I don't regret this."
"That is?"
"I was thinking that it would be a pity if I just left like this and gave Yuan Shao a city for nothing."
Jushou mentioned it casually.
Then, the next second, his and Xun Yu's eyes lit up instantly.
Yes.
Why should Yuan Shao be given a city for free?
Although the city of Qian County is not large, with Yuan Shao's ability, after occupying this place, he immediately expanded it, hoarded grain and grass, and became a bridgehead for attacking the plains. At that time, it would be a troublesome thing for Qingzhou.
If that's the case, why not destroy it?
Thinking of this, the two looked at each other at the same time and said in unison: "Destroy the city!"
"Destroy the city?"
Liu Bei was confused and asked: "What city was destroyed?"
"Of course it's Zhencheng."
Jushu said: "This city is too close to the plain. We originally used it to resist Yuan's army. If we give it to Yuan Shao in vain, wouldn't it give Yuan Shao a place to gain a foothold? When the time comes, Ganling - Xiajin - Qian County
They are connected in a line, and each place is only a few dozen miles apart. The threat to us is too great."
"good."
Xun Yu nodded: "The most ideal situation is for Yuan Shao to travel a long distance to attack us. If there are no Xiajin and Qixian cities in the middle, then there are more than 200 miles from Ganling to the plains, and the army will have to go on an expedition.
There is no city to rest in the middle, and the transportation of grain and grass will be inconvenient. So if we can destroy Xiajin and Yi County, then our chance of winning will increase by at least 20%!"
"I see."
After hearing the answers from the two men, Liu Bei suddenly realized.
This is the same as the inn.
There is a post station every twenty miles, changing horses without changing people, and expediting eight hundred miles, which can ensure the speed of message transmission.
And if there is only one inn every hundred miles, the end result will be a dead horse and exhausted people.
It is about seventy miles from Ganling to Xiajin, almost one hundred and ten miles from Xiajin to Exian County, and finally only about forty or fifty miles from Exian County to Pingyuan.
In this way, the long stretch of road from Ganling to Pingyuan was divided into three sections. In each section, Yuan Jun had a city to rest and store grain and grass. In this way, during the operation, the safety of grain and grass could be guaranteed.
Personnel can also get adequate rest.
Now Xiajin is in Yuan Shao's hands, but even if he only destroys the county, the journey from Xiajin to the plain is still 1,670 miles, almost three days of marching, and the weather is heavy with snow, so it may take even longer.
Such a long journey, and running to the plain city where the city is strong, is enough for Yuan's army to lose morale and lose all will to fight. Therefore, destroying one's own city is definitely not a bad thing.
Thinking of this, Liu Bei's eyes showed a resolute look, and he nodded and said: "Gong Yu, Wen Ruo is right, this city in Yi County should indeed be destroyed!"