I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Guo Jia's strategy could be said to kill two birds with one stone. It not only eliminated the threat posed by Kong Rong, but also made Gongsun Zan an ally of the Northern Army and a bargaining chip for Wang Jing to contain Yuan Shao.

"Among the remaining two problematic figures, the only one who poses a real threat to our army is the ambitious Yuan Shao. As for Xuzhou's Tao Qian, he was quite heroic when he was young, but now he is old and has become a mediocre person. As long as our army shows its strength, he will not dare to move and will only take a defensive stance. Yuan Shao is different. After unifying Jizhou, he will definitely mobilize all his forces and march south to attack."

This analysis clearly dissects the general situation in the world. If Liu Bei had heard it, he would probably have beaten his chest and cried bitterly.

If he had had a counselor like Guo Jia a few years ago, how could he have ended up in such a miserable state today!
All I can say is that Guo Jia is worthy of being Guo Jia. Not only is he well-informed, but his analysis is also on point. He has a thorough understanding of the mentality of the various princes in the Central Plains, as if he were reading the lines on his palm.

The title of genius is well deserved.

"Yuan Shao is indeed a strong enemy and we need to take him seriously."

Wang Jing's eyes were solemn, and he couldn't help but think of Yuan Shao in the history of the Three Kingdoms.

Before the Battle of Guandu, this illegitimate son of the Yuan family was extremely lucky, as if he was assisted by God. Everything he did went smoothly, as if he was blessed by destiny.

After moving to Jizhou, Han Fu's general Qu Yi immediately rebelled, giving Yuan Shao an opportunity to take advantage of.

After cooperating with Qu Yi, he sent Xun Zhan, who with just a few words frightened Han Fu into handing over Yecheng and even the entire Jizhou.

Then, a military conflict broke out between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. It was obvious that Yuan Shao's army was at a disadvantage and was not favored by the princes of the world. However, Yuan Shao relied on the elite troops led by General Qu Yi, the Daji soldiers, to defeat Gongsun Zan in the Battle of Jie Bridge. After that, he won battle after battle, and finally invaded Liaoxi and destroyed the once powerful Gongsun Zan army.

It can be said that before the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao had basically never experienced a devastating defeat. Even though he failed in his campaign against Dong Zhuo, his main force actually did not suffer much damage. Instead, Cao Cao suffered heavy losses and almost lost his life.

Looking at the current situation in the world, among all the princes, in terms of talent and strength, Yuan Shao can be regarded as a dragon among men. Apart from Wang Jing, the heroes and heroes in the world who can compare with Yuan Shao are only a few people such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Jian, and Sun Ce.

But what really worried Wang Jing was not Yuan Shao’s talent or strength, but his luck.

Fighting against Yuan Shao before the Battle of Guandu is like gambling against a lucky gambler at the gambling table. The opponent is so strong just by luck that you can't do anything about it.

But if the opponent is strong, we need to plan ahead and prepare seriously.

Wang Jing began to think about how to defeat Yuan Shao in Jizhou. He must not bring the war to Yanzhou again. Otherwise, even if he could win, Yanzhou would become a battlefield for the two major forces and would definitely become a wasteland. If he had to rebuild it at that time, who knows how much blood would be shed.

Jizhou is a large plain with open and flat terrain, suitable for cavalry combat.

The biggest problem for a long march is food and fodder, so Wang Jing thought of forming a chariot unit.

Don’t think that the fact that chariots disappeared from the battlefield after the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period means that they are an obsolete and backward tactic.

In fact, according to the normal historical trajectory, after the development of the Tang and Song dynasties, in the Ming Dynasty, the chariots that had been eliminated appeared on the battlefield again in large numbers.

However, the role of the chariots at that time was completely different from that in the beginning.

In addition to being used for sieges and transportation, as well as setting up obstacles and providing commanding heights for reconnaissance, the real purpose of Ming Dynasty chariots in field battles was to set up defensive fortifications and provide fire support for the army.

Of course, such chariots are also very suitable for transporting food and soldiers. What Wang Jing was thinking about was to establish a special force based on the chariot tactical system, and he planned to name it Longxiang Guard.

Jizhou has many plains, which is the most suitable place for using chariot tactics.

With an idea in mind, Wang Jing immediately made a decision: "At present, our army already has two camps in Hedong and Luoyang. In order to fight against Yuan Shao, I want to set up a new barracks in Rencheng and form a new army at the same time."

Xi Zhicai was shocked when he heard this: "My lord, Yanzhou is in ruins now. Rebuilding it will cost a lot of money and food. I'm afraid we don't have the spare capacity to build a new camp."

"Don't worry about the money and food. I will find a way when the time comes."

Wang Jing naturally knew that there was not enough money to spend, but now the country was in a chaotic time and all construction tasks had to give way to military affairs.

Xi Zhicai wanted to persuade him again, but seeing Wang Jing's firm attitude, he could only give up helplessly: "I understand."

Xun You looked solemn and asked, "My lord, who will be in charge of the Rencheng camp after it is completed?"

Of the two previous barracks, the Luoyang camp was commanded by Wang Jing himself, while the Hedong camp was presided over by Xu Huang. After Xu Huang was transferred to guard Hulao Pass, the task of training new recruits was temporarily handed over to Wang Ling.

But Wang Ling was the governor of Hedong, a local official. If he was put in charge of military training, it would be equivalent to letting him hold both military and political power at the same time, which was too dangerous.

Once they rebel, they will immediately establish their own regime.

There is no problem with Wang Ling's loyalty, but a healthy power system should never rely on the integrity and conduct of an official, because these things are often the most unreliable.

Wang Jing understood the hidden meaning behind Xun You's question. It was a subtle reminder to him, his lord, that as the Northern Army's territory expanded, he should start paying attention to the checks and balances of power at the local level.

Otherwise, it will cause great trouble in the future.

After thinking it over, Wang Jing made a decision: "Pass my order, Jun Ming will be in charge of the Rencheng camp."

Dian Wei was shocked when he heard this, and then he stepped out and saluted Wang Jing excitedly: "I understand!"

Dian Wei had already made up his mind after gaining such trust just after joining Wang Jing's army.

If you treat me like a countryman, I will repay you as a countryman!

Controlling the training of soldiers is a very important power, and it can even be said to be a very critical position.

From the fact that Wang Jing had previously served as the chief military training instructor of the Luoyang camp, one can see how important this position is. If one is not a core member, it is impossible to touch it.

Dian Wei knew very well in his heart that Wang Jing did this in order to make him achieve merit as soon as possible so that he could be granted an official position with justification and have the opportunity to build his career.

Being so appreciated and valued by Wang Jing, Dian Wei, who already had lofty ambitions, naturally had the thought of dying for his country.

Even though he just stood there in silence after receiving the order, in fact, a raging fire was already burning deep in Dian Wei's heart.

After announcing the appointment of Dian Wei, Wang Jing began to arrange the candidates for the general leaders of the Luoyang camp and the Hedong camp.

Gao Shun was transferred to the capital and was responsible for the daily military training of the Luoyang camp, while the defense of Tongguan was handed over to Zhou Tai, with Zhang Xun as his deputy general.

As for the Hedong camp, Wang Jing separated the military and political power and handed it over to Yan Xing.

Setting up a military camp is not just a matter of spending money to build it. If you want it to be truly effective, you still have to establish a corresponding military training system, an officer training system, and the transportation and supply of military supplies such as ordnance. All these complicated things must be sorted out one by one, otherwise the combat effectiveness of the front-line soldiers will be weakened.

In this regard, Xun You can be considered a professional: "My lord, I suggest that the status and treatment of regular soldiers be established. Then, the selection of battalion soldiers should be selected from the prefectural soldiers in various places."

Wang Jing had discussed this issue with Xun You before. The government soldiers cannot lock the household registration, otherwise the system will be corrupted within three generations.

The Sui and Tang dynasties in history declined very quickly due to their over-reliance on the military system and the lack of formal promotion channels for the military.

Wang Jing naturally wanted to learn from this, and he readily agreed to Xun You's suggestion: "Then follow Gongda's advice and set up military offices in the counties of Yanzhou. When the Rencheng camp is built, we will select the best soldiers from the local military offices and send them to the camp for training to become regular soldiers."

This proposal not only established the treatment of regular soldiers, but also established their identity and status.

The most important point is that the military is not under local jurisdiction, but is independent and completely controlled by Wang Jing.

This is very important, because only in this way can the military power be firmly in your hands. Don't look at the various mysterious skills and magic methods in the Three Kingdoms, as if the great power is in one body, and the strong can defeat a hundred with one and a thousand with one.

But in fact, due to the existence of the power of thought, both Confucianism and military strategists rely heavily on the power of the masses, so the number of people is still an important bargaining chip that cannot be ignored.

Why did the various princes within the Yanhan Dynasty not dare to take action against the aristocratic families?
Why was it that the two Yuans were so weak in the early days and were chased away by Dong Zhuo like chickens in Luoyang, but they rose rapidly after Dong Zhuo was defeated?
The reason is very simple. It is because the aristocratic families and powerful families control a large population and land, and control various spiritual fields, spiritual beasts and other cultivation resources, so that they have money and food, and even a large number of industries, and can forge their own armor and weapons!
In terms of population, land, and various cultivation resources, the aristocratic families are actually the most powerful force in the Yanhan Dynasty. If it were not for the open and secret struggles within, other classes would have no chance of turning around.

You must know that any prince can only rise quickly by relying on aristocratic families and powerful clans.

Even for Wang Jing, if he had not been born into the Wang family of Taiyuan, practiced high-level martial arts from the very beginning, and had the support of his family, it would have been extremely difficult for him to rise.

Unless you have the luck to pick up peerless magical skills even by jumping off a cliff, it may take you twenty years, let alone two years, to strive to the position of captain.

As for using modern people's technological advantages to get rich, that is even more ridiculous.

To deal with a commoner like you, the noble families and wealthy clans can just rob you openly without spending any money.

It was because Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had control over the Yuan family's connections that they were able to easily obtain a large number of soldiers, money, food, and military supplies.

Sun Jian conquered Nanyang, but ended up giving the city, which he had taken with great difficulty, to Yuan Shu.

Is it because Sun Jian is mentally retarded?

No, it was because Sun Jian understood that it was useless for him to occupy Nanyang. He could not sit in that position, and he could not balance the interests of all parties. You know, only Yuan Shu could sit firmly and balance them.

Let's look at Yuan Shao in Hebei. The main reason he was able to replace Han Fu, apart from Qu Yi's betrayal and Gongsun Zan's attack, was that almost all of the local families in Jizhou unanimously supported Yuan Shao.

Han Fu is alone and cannot do anything. If he doesn't give in, he will die.

Why did Liu Bei have no fixed place to live and wander around in his early years?
He had warriors like Guan and Zhang, but before he invited Zhuge Liang to come out of retirement, he didn't even have a place to stand. Why? Was it really Zhuge Liang's strategy that was divine?

Zhuge Liang's strategy was only a secondary reason. The more important reason was that before Zhuge Liang joined Liu Bei's camp, Liu Bei was not even in the eyes of the aristocratic families.

Apart from Mi Zhu, Liu Bei received almost no investment from any aristocratic family or wealthy clan in his early years, so no matter how hard he tried to start a business or how hard he struggled, he ended up in failure.

Without money, food, or soldiers, what can you do even if you have the ambition to conquer the world and are unyielding?
It was not until Zhuge Liang joined that Liu Bei gained recognition from some of the southern aristocratic families and obtained support in terms of money, food and talent. It was also because of this that Liu Bei quickly became successful after the Battle of Chibi, like a fish in water and a trapped dragon in the sea.

However, success is due to the family, and failure is also due to the family.

Aristocratic families are just like capitalists in later generations. They invest not for charity but for profit.

If you take money from a noble family, you have to work for them.

The aristocratic families are profit-driven, short-sighted and will drain all resources to catch the fish. Once you choose to obey their orders, you will only become a puppet without any autonomy at all.

In history, Cao Cao was unwilling to be controlled, so he suffered backlash from the Yanzhou family and was stabbed in the back by Zhang Miao, Chen Gong and others. He was once like a stray dog, living in fear all day long.

It was this betrayal that made Cao Cao see the true nature of the aristocratic families. The subsequent policy of selecting people based on their merits, cultivating military farms, and training Qingzhou soldiers were all efforts Cao Cao made to break free from the control of the aristocratic families. He also relied on the policy of selecting people based on their merits and developing military farms to truly grasp the power in his own hands.

Cao Cao's victory in the Battle of Guandu was both accidental and inevitable, and by no means simple luck.

After all, if you can't even stop Yuan Shao's first wave of offensive, how can you launch a surprise attack on Wuchao?
Today, Wang Jing is also on the same path, and has even done it more thoroughly than Cao Cao. Even among the high-level officials of the Northern Army, except Wang Ling, there are few civil servants and military generals who truly hold real power who are from the Wang family of Taiyuan.

For example, Wang Yun, the biological father, although he is one of the Three Dukes, his power actually comes directly from Wang Jing. He himself has no soldiers or generals, and he has no decision-making power over the actions of the Northern Army. The best he can do is call Wang Jing home and scold him, but he cannot mobilize any soldiers of the Northern Army at all.

Wang Jing was even on guard against the Wang family of Taiyuan, so one can imagine how he would be on guard against other aristocratic families and powerful clans.

The current military system allows Wang Jing to control the grassroots level directly, bypassing the aristocratic families and powerful clans, and gain control of a large amount of land and population.

Although there are many strategic disadvantages to this advance into Yanzhou, the benefits are equally huge.

Xun You often discussed with Wang Jing, so he naturally understood Wang Jing's intention: "My lord, although Yanzhou is a place surrounded by wars, as long as we put down the rebellion, we can gain a million people and get all 100,000 Qingzhou soldiers. This is truly the foundation of hegemony."

Afterwards, Xun You began to suggest to Wang Jing how to place the 100,000 Qingzhou soldiers: "These one million surrendered soldiers are now homeless. As long as we give them land, we will surely win their hearts and make them grateful. They will only obey the orders of the lord for the rest of their lives."

These words really touched Wang Jing's heart.

The 100,000 Qingzhou soldiers were helpless and their only choice was to pledge allegiance to Wang Jing.

Then fathers and sons took over as soldiers, generation after generation, becoming completely professional and hereditary soldiers.

In this way, after forming combat effectiveness, they can survive for at least 30 years, and obey Wang Jing's orders 100%, being loyal and determined.

Only by mastering such a power can one truly have the capital to compete with the world's aristocratic families.

In history, Cao Cao was able to survive the most difficult stages of several early failures precisely because he had control over hundreds of thousands of Qingzhou soldiers. Even in the Battle of Guandu, when most of his civil and military officials secretly surrendered to Yuan Shao, he still won the battle that determined the fate of the Cao Wei regime.

In the Battle of Yanzhou, these one million Yellow Turbans were the greatest wealth.

Therefore, these people must be properly resettled.

Wang Jing instructed Xi Zhicai, "I will order people to gather food and grass from Luoyang and transport them to Rencheng. I will personally resettle these one million Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou. Please make plans and assist me."

Xi Zhicai quickly agreed: "I will obey your orders."

Guo Jia thought for a moment and suggested to Wang Jing with a smile: "My lord, although the main force of the Yellow Turban Army from Qingzhou has been destroyed, there are still many remnants. Please send troops to clear out the various places and restore order."

Wang Jing was stunned when he saw Guo Jia's expression, but soon understood what he meant and laughed, "Haha, Feng Xiao's plan is very much to my liking."

It turns out that scholars have the cruelest hearts.

The main force of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou has been destroyed. Even if we ignore them, they will surely run away completely.

Therefore, the real purpose of Guo Jia's suggestion to send troops was certainly not to do good things, but to reshuffle the local forces in Yanzhou in the name of suppressing bandits.

If you are willing to surrender, you can pay money, hand over people, and provide a token of your allegiance.

Those who refuse to bow their heads are naturally the local evil forces who are in collusion with the Yellow Turban Rebellion. It is only natural to take the opportunity to send troops to eliminate them, and no one can find fault with them.

Wang Jing looked at Xu Huang with a deep gaze and said, "Gongming, I will leave this matter to you. I will send Fengxiao to assist you and give you advice and suggestions to suppress the rebellion."

"Yes, I understand."

Xu Huang's expression was calm, but he was excited in his heart.

It was obvious that Wang Jing was giving himself a chance to make a contribution. Suppressing the rebellion was not a difficult task at all for the Northern Army at the moment.

Wang Jing then made some specific arrangements and deployments: "The battle of Yanzhou has just ended, and the main force of the army needs time to repair. I will mobilize troops from Luoyang and Hedong to assist in completing this task." (End of this chapter)