People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 314 My Love for Zilong
The mighty Yellow Turban army set out from Jibei and Youzhou respectively. At the same time, the coalition forces of the princes also led their troops northward. As time passed, both sides kept trying to find out each other's movements, and then made corresponding route adjustments, and their marching directions finally slowly converged.

The three armies of the allied forces of the princes eventually attacked Hanchang in the former Zhongshan County, Zhongshui in the former Hejian County, and Leling near the Bohai Sea.

The coalition forces attacked in three directions, and Xuan Xia naturally followed suit.

After the military meeting, the army was quickly divided into three routes. Lu Ping and Xun Chen led 50,000 troops to guard Leling, Wang Dang and Ju Su led 50,000 troops to guard Hanchang, and Xu Chen personally led 100,000 troops to sit in Zhongshui to meet the enemy's main force.

After ten days of marching, the main force led by Xu Chen finally arrived at Zhongshui. They were only a hundred miles away from the main force of the coalition led by Yuan Shao. This distance was enough for the two sides to be close and a major battle was imminent.

Xu Chen did not rush forward, but rested on the spot for the time being, while spying on the movements of the enemy camp and holding meetings with his generals.

Inside the military tent, a map had been placed on the table in the middle, on which was drawn the relevant graphics surrounding Zhongshui.

Although this map is not completely accurate, the locations of important roads, passes, mountains, rivers, and counties nearby are clearly marked, and it still has considerable military value.

"Master, according to the information from our scouts, the enemy has hundreds of thousands of troops currently stationed at the pass a hundred miles ahead. The terrain here is very narrow. If we are blocked by the enemy, our army will be at a disadvantage in a frontal battle."

Taishi Ci looked at the map and soon shook his head, frowning, obviously troubled by the current situation.

Both sides are attacking in this battle. Whoever can win on the battlefield can truly occupy the entire four northern states. In this way, whoever occupies the dangerous ground first can gain the terrain advantage. Now Xuan Xia is obviously one step late.

Xu Chen stared at the map for a while and indeed found the problem. The pass controlled by Yuan Shao was very tricky, with mountains and forests on both sides, so the army could not move forward. As a result, the range of attack options available to their side was quite limited.

This kind of terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and our side really has no good solution. If we don't want to continue the fight, we may have no choice but to attack with force and suffer a loss.

Zhao Yun thought for a moment and said, "We have several thousand cavalrymen, but it is not effective on the front battlefield. It is better to attack the enemy from a distance. If we can find an opportunity to cut off the enemy's logistics, we will be able to make it difficult for the enemy to take care of both ends!"

At this point, he pointed to a place on the map and said, "There is a town here, more than a hundred miles away from the battlefield here, but it is right behind the enemy's throat. If we occupy this place, our army will have the upper hand in this battle!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Chen looked in the direction Zhao Yun pointed and nodded.

When Taishi Ci saw it, his eyes lit up and he seemed quite interested.

Ma Yan said: "This place is certainly good, but the enemy will be well prepared. Our army will have to go around and go deep into the enemy. If we can't make a breakthrough quickly, we may fall into the tiger's mouth."

Xu Chen thought for a moment and said, "War is full of risks. We can give it a try. Of course, we need to be careful. If it fails, we should withdraw quickly."

After saying that, Xu Chen glanced at the three of them and said with a smile, "This lone troop has gone deep into the enemy's territory and is separated from the rear. How to judge the situation depends on your own decision, so those who take on this task need to be bold and careful. Who of you is willing to go?"

As soon as the words fell, Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, and Ma Yan all responded in unison: "We are willing to go, and we will not fail in our mission!"

Perhaps because they were so in tune with each other, after they finished speaking, they all looked at each other.

Although they had a very close relationship in private, they were not convinced of each other at this time. They all raised their eyebrows and snorted coldly. No one was willing to give the opportunity to others.

Taishi Ci was arrogant, Zhao Yun was absolutely confident, and Ma Yan just wanted to face the challenge head-on and play his best role. Moreover, all three of them wanted to make contributions. Although they could make contributions on the front battlefield, it was not as important as this mission. Once they succeeded in harassing from behind, the impact on the battlefield would be huge, which could be regarded as a decisive contribution. All three of them wanted to compete for it.

As for the difficulty and risk of this mission, the three are confident that they can face it. This confidence does not come from their arrogance, but from the self-confidence brought to them by their military qualities.

A general who leads a truly elite army has the confidence to cope with all difficulties. This is the general mentality of the Yellow Turban generals.

Xu Chen smiled, his eyes moving between the three of them.

It must be said that although all three were outstanding talents of the Yellow Turbans, Xu Chen still had a preference. His eyes finally fell on Zhao Yun: "Since this roundabout plan was proposed by Zilong, let Zilong take charge."

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Yun burst into laughter: "I will obey your orders, Master, please wait for my good news!"

Taishi Ci and Ma Yan were slightly disappointed, but they had no doubts about Zhao Yun's ability. There was no problem with whoever proposed the plan taking charge, so they were still convinced.

"Zhao Yun, listen to my orders!" Xu Chen said.

Zhao Yun straightened his face and saluted: "I am here!"

Xu Chen said in a serious tone: "I order you to lead 3,000 cavalry and 7,000 infantry, a total of 10,000 troops, to bypass the west side of the mountain range. This detour is long, so I will give you ten days. After ten days, you must launch an attack on the villages behind the enemy lines!"

Zhao Yun responded without hesitation: "I will obey your command. In ten days, we will be able to attack behind the enemy lines!"

Xu Chen nodded, and then his tone relaxed. He smiled at Zhao Yun and said, "Of course, the outcome of the war is uncertain, and I will not force you to win. Fighting behind enemy lines is dangerous and unpredictable. If you miss, then leave immediately. There is no need to force it. Preserving yourself is the most important thing."

Feeling Xu Chen's concern, Zhao Yun was quite moved and nodded. He said, "Don't worry, Master. Zhao Yun will definitely achieve success this time!"

Xu Chen said: "I trust Zilong's ability. In this case, you should gather your troops immediately after the meeting, and sneak away under the cover of darkness when night falls."

Zhao Yun responded again: "I understand!"

Xu Chen then looked at the other generals and said, "Rest here tonight and set out to attack the enemy camp tomorrow!"

When the generals heard this, they all said yes.

There are many things to consider in a major war, such as where to set up camp, how to deploy troops, and how to plan logistics.

Just as our side is planning a roundabout harassment, the enemy may also do the same thing, and we also need to take corresponding precautions.

Everyone discussed with each other again, and soon many matters concerning the battle were finalized one by one. When the meeting ended, it was already dusk.

That night, Zhao Yun gathered his troops and quietly left the camp, disappearing all the way.

(End of this chapter)