Chapter 178 1 Fish 2 Eats
Chapter 178 Killing Two Birds with One Fish (Additional chapter for Dr. Pavlov, the leader of the alliance)
Ji Sang had retreated from Dongwuyang to Yangping.
Dongwuyang was occupied by Gou Xi, and the "righteous army" lost more than 5,000 people.
However, Ji Sang was not heartbroken. The old and capable troops ran away very quickly and most of them withdrew. Most of those who died were able-bodied men conscripted from Dongyu, Yangping and other places.
These peasants can have as many as they want, and they can die if they want.
After Gou Xi occupied Dongwuyang, he did not pursue the enemy immediately, but instead collected boats and ferried across batches of troops, supplies, and food that were still on the south bank of the river.
Ji Sang took the opportunity to repair the city, dig deep trenches, and build fortifications, intending to maintain a long-term stalemate with Gou Xi.
But there was still one worrying thing. That was the news from the west that Liu Yu, the left chief secretary of the Taifu's office, had led an army of 80,000 from Ji County to the north, had already recaptured Yecheng, and was heading towards Yangping.
An army of 80,000? Ji Sang just smiled.
The real number of his troops was only over 50,000, but he once claimed to have 200,000. Who can't brag? Liu Yu was lucky to have 30,000 soldiers.
But Liu Yu is also a real threat and must be taken seriously.
Ji Sang called the scouts and asked them carefully about the movements of Liu Yu's army, then sneered in his heart.
After all, he had traveled far and wide for many years, and had been attached to the Chilong, Ji and other ranches run by the imperial court in Chiping. He had also done the horse trading business and was knowledgeable. How could he not see the mystery?
Shao Xun, the so-called vanguard, was simply a poor fellow who was pushed to the front by everyone. Liu Yu didn't care about his life or death at all, and he was also a coward, shrinking back and had already opened up a considerable distance from Shao Xun's troops.
Since you've given me such a big gift, don't blame me for being rude.
Ji Sang felt hot all over, so he threw off his fox fur coat, grabbed a palm leaf fan, and fanned himself. He laughed loudly and said, "This is to defeat Shao Xun and dampen Liu Yu's spirit. He is so timid that he will not dare to come after hearing that the vanguard army was defeated."
The generals sat in the tent, staring at Ji Sang with bated breath.
Once the general threw away the fox fur, it meant that he was about to make a big decision.
Being attacked from two directions by the government troops is indeed very uncomfortable. If we can force the route with fewer troops to retreat, the current situation will be greatly improved, and we may be able to hold out against Gou Xi for a long time.
"Lu Ping!" Ji Sang shouted.
"General, I'm here." Lu Ping stood up suddenly and responded.
"You bring three thousand old brothers, and I will give you another ten thousand. Find a good place and kill Shao Xun. Do you dare?" Ji Sang asked.
"Why not?" Lu Ping laughed: "General, just wait for good news."
Ji Sang smiled, but still worried, and pointed out another person: "Li Le, you lead our 1,000 cavalry and obey Lu Ping's orders."
"Yes." Li Le agreed immediately without any further ado.
The war has entered a critical moment and there is no room for error.
The general owned two large ranches in Chiping, but he only had a few thousand horses. The cavalry he organized did not exceed three thousand, most of whom were herdsmen from the ranches, soldiers, and old brothers who used to sell horses - part-time horse bandits.
He took away a thousand cavalrymen, which was already one third of the old base. The general had indeed made up his mind.
"Go if you understand." Ji Sang said straightforwardly, "Take the equipment and food and go. Remember, you need to use your brain to fight. Last year, Shi Le defeated Ding Shao by using clever tactics. You can learn from him."
"Yes." Lu Ping and Li Le responded in unison.
Ji Sang waved his hand and let him go.
These are basically all the mobile forces that can be mobilized. The rest have to be deployed to guard various locations to guard against Gou Xi.
It was for this reason that he asked Lu Ping and Li Le to use their brains and not to defeat Shao Xun, which would cause them to suffer heavy losses and make subsequent battles difficult.
This time, the dog court was really determined, and there were too many soldiers rushing over.
He had to think carefully about where to go if he couldn't win...
******
Inside the Guandu camp, staff members came in and out, constantly summarizing the latest situation and reporting it to Sima Yue.
Sima Yue looked at the map and felt very annoyed.
"Qing Sun (Liu Yu) is not here, so I have no one to use?" Sima Yue pointed his finger at the map and said unhappily.
Yu Hua, Guo Xiang and others looked at each other and dared not speak.
These two people are usually very bothered by mundane affairs, especially the former, who "keeps his mind out" and "does nothing", basically not caring about anything.
From their point of view, we celebrities are here to support you and enhance your reputation. Do you really want me to give you some advice?
If we have the time, why don’t we sit down and talk about metaphysics? Isn’t that better than racking our brains to deal with “mundane affairs”?
Yu Hua raised his head and glanced, and found that Sima Yue's finger fell on the word "Fei Xiang".
Is there anything strange about this place? Yu Hua is not sure. Perhaps the Grand Tutor was so angry that he didn't care and just touched it casually.
"Taifu, the armies from the east and west have surrounded Jisang. What is there to worry about?" Ruan Zhan, the new secretary of the palace, stepped forward and asked softly.
Sima Yue didn't know how to answer him for a moment.
Ruan Zhan looked at the map, then compared it with the movements of the various tribes he had heard before. He looked a little uneasy and reminded, "Taifu, General Shao Xun underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly. Should I remind him?" Yu Hua and Guo Xiang looked at Ruan Zhan at the same time, as if he were a fool.
Ruan Zhan didn't take it seriously and continued slowly, "Shao Caiguan is a famous brave general in the army. If he is killed because of underestimating the enemy, it may hurt the morale. The Grand Tutor should quickly send an envoy to persuade him not to be greedy for merit."
The loss of brave generals can indeed hurt morale and even lead to a major defeat. This is not uncommon in history.
Ruan Zhan reminded Sima Yue to pay attention to this point and not to harm his "favorite general". This was out of duty and not out of any selfish motive.
In fact, he had no ill feelings towards Shao Xun.
He did not have much prejudice against family background. In his early years, he even played the piano for people of humble family background and entertained everyone.
When the Grand Tutor summoned him, he didn't want to come.
He knew he was not cut out for this and had no interest in fame, wealth and power. When recruiting subordinates, the Grand Tutor prioritized reputation over ability, and he thought this was not a good idea and did not want to cause trouble for the shogunate.
Helpless, the Grand Tutor repeatedly summoned him, and he finally got the job of Recorder and Assistant Military Officer, doing clerical work and other menial tasks.
This was actually his first time to make military suggestions, and he didn't know if it was right or not, but he was just doing his duty. It was up to the Grand Tutor whether he listened or not.
Of course the Grand Tutor didn't listen.
"Qianli (Ruan Zhan), you don't understand military warfare." Sima Yue said calmly: "Sometimes, you need to be prudent and advance slowly. Sometimes, you need to be brave and aggressive and not give the enemy a chance to breathe. Now it is the latter. Shao Xun is the bravest of the three armies, and the Yamen Army he leads is also the elite of the imperial army. Ji Sang is a small thief, and it will not be difficult to defeat him. Once Shao Xun is in place, Gou Dao will advance head-on, and the thieves will surely be defeated."
"Taifu, you are wise. I am wrong and have made a fool of myself." Ruan Zhan said embarrassedly.
Yu Hua and Guo Xiang turned their heads away, not wanting to look at this honest fool anymore.
Sima Yue looked at the map, his mind a little dazed.
A while ago, he accidentally learned from the servants in the mansion that Shao Xun had actually given a fur coat to Princess Pei.
Pei wore it every winter, and Sima Yue had seen it several times.
It's really no big deal.
It is not uncommon for staff members and retainers to give gifts to their mistresses in the hope of advancement, and it is normal to tell others about it.
But Sima Yue was very unhappy.
Thinking back to when Pei came out of the bath before leaving the town, Sima Yue discovered for the first time in years that his wife was so beautiful. He wanted to ask for sex, but unexpectedly, Pei shook his hand off.
The Pei family was of considerable background, so Sima Yue could not force his way in, so he could only vent his anger on his concubine, but in the end he failed.
This made him even angrier, and he even suspected that there was something going on between Shao Xun and Pei.
Of course, he knew that this was impossible and was pure speculation and unnecessary worry, but he just couldn't help but think about it.
Does Shao Xun have any special preference for women of noble status like princesses?
Fortunately, he still had some sanity left and quickly put aside these boring thoughts.
But Shao Xun did make him very troubled.
Such a brave general, who is also a native of Donghai, should be won over and entrusted with important tasks.
He did so at the beginning, but after the Xuchang Arsenal Case, Shao Xun's ambition was exposed, forcing him to face it.
After Chang'an massacred the Xianbei, even a fool would know that something was wrong.
This person has no loyalty at all, is a traitor to the core, and is not worth winning over at all.
Well, something has to be done.
Using Shao Xun as the vanguard to attack Jisang was part of the overall situation.
Fundamentally speaking, the strategy Liu Qingsun planned for him was to make the annihilation of Ji Sang the primary task.
Let Shao Xun and Ji Sang consume each other, this is an upright plan. If he dares to disobey orders, no one will support him. It is just right to mobilize Gou Xi, Wang Zan (same as "zàn", zàn), Liu Yu, soldiers from various counties in Hebei and even the Qihuo Army to surround and kill him.
Thinking of this, Sima Yue finally felt satisfied.
If Shao Xun is not restricted, he will become increasingly difficult to control in the future.
I know my own body, how many years can I live? If I die, and Shao Xun is still alive, can He Lun and Wang Bing control me? Can the prince control him?
At this time, he understood Sima Yong more and more.
This man actually wanted to kill Zhang Fang a long time ago, but he was reluctant to do so because he was useful. He kept delaying and it became too difficult to get rid of him. Finally, he had to take a risk and let Zhi Fu take action unexpectedly to get rid of this beast.
To pacify Hebei and weaken Shao Xun's strength is to kill two birds with one stone, how wonderful.
Sima Yue's gaze fell back on the map, as if he saw the tragic scene of thousands of troops fighting repeatedly and corpses everywhere.
(End of this chapter)