"We received news that the rebels have moved north in the direction of Meiyang." Sun Jian replied, "Bian Zhang and Han Sui's intentions are obvious, they have no intention of going deep alone, but they want to join the troops of Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou and act in unison. ”

Zhang Wen thought for a moment, and said to the attendants who were waiting in the tent: "Go and invite Lord Changshi, Lord Sima and several other adults." ”

Sun Jian is about thirty years old, tall, majestic, tiger-backed and ape-waisted, a resolute and handsome face, a pair of unruly eyes, and looks steady and confident. He leaned over and spread out the map, pointed to Meiyang City on the map and said, "Lord Taiwei, Bian Zhang quickly pounced on Meiyang at this time, and it is possible to intercept General Dong." Once General Dong can't retreat and is blocked in Meiyang City, Beigong Boyu, who is close behind, can rush to and besiege General Dong with Bian Zhang. General Dong only has 30,000 people, and against an army of 130,000, he has no intention of blocking the car with the praying mantis, and he is vulnerable. Therefore, Lord Taiwei must quickly inform General Dong and order him to immediately lead his troops to move closer to Xiaohuaili. ”

Zhang Wen didn't make a sound, he looked at the map carefully and asked, "General Zhou and Captain Huangfu's troops have withdrawn to Xiaohuaili?" ”

"The troops of the two adults are already in place, and now the troops of Lord Dong and Captain Bao have not arrived. They have been stranded in Meiyang for two days. Sun Jian frowned and said, "This person is arrogant and rude, and often does not listen to commands, and Lord Taiwei should be heavily responsible." ”

Zhang Wen smiled slightly: "Wentai, General Dong has been in Xiliang for decades, and there is nothing in Xiliang's terrain, Xiliang's rebels, and Xiliang's Qianghu that he is not familiar with." He has a wealth of combat experience in the western frontier, and we have no way to compare with him in this regard. Now, Xiliang's counterinsurgency depends on him in many places, and when it is pacified in the future, he will also need to be guarded. Therefore, we should try to be as restrained as possible with him. ”

Zhang Wen paused, looked at Sun Jian's angry eyes, patted him lightly on the shoulder, and said: "He is in his fifties, and he has made decades of efforts for the stability of the frontier of my Great Han Kingdom, and he has made great achievements, which are obvious to everyone. However, the imperial court treated him too thinly, and it was not until last year, because of the counterinsurgency, that he was given a lowly general. This was not the reward that His Majesty took the initiative to reward, or did he spend a lot of money to buy the middle attendant to help him speak. What would happen to you if it were you? Aren't you angry? Don't you hate those who have no military merits or any skills, but because of all kinds of relationships, they can be generals, arrogant, and show off their might? Don't say it's him, even if I see those people, I don't bother to pay attention. ”

Sun Jian bowed his head and was silent.

"You are Chinese New Year's Eve a year old today, and you are already a member of the Xiliang Rebellion Army, which is equivalent to a school captain. This battle is fought, we have won, you can at least be a state and county guard. What about General Dong? When General Dong was thirty years old, he was still a military commander and was fighting against Qianghu in Western Xinjiang. Look at Li Zhonglang again. He is only twenty years old, and he is already a general who is a prisoner, which is equivalent to the Taishou of a large state county. Although, he has a bad background, this Zhonglang will be exchanged for him by blood, sweat, and military exploits. But you have to think about it, they all worked for the Han Dynasty, why is there such a big gap, except for luck and ability, there are no other factors? ”

"Why did Zhao Yan, the younger brother of Zhao Zhong, of Da Changqiu, become the captain of the city gate without an inch of merit? He Miao, the younger brother of the general He Jin, can't even write a chapter, why can he be a captain of the Northern Military Academy? Even Cui Lie's position as Situ was bought with five million dollars. What reason do we have to scold General Dong for bribing the powerful and bribing the eunuchs? Is there any reason to scold his officials for being bought? He doesn't have a prominent family background, he doesn't have a powerful owner, he doesn't make money, he doesn't bribe, can he become an official? Zhang Wen sighed, "Wentai, General Dong is not easy. Although he has a bad temper, is arrogant, corrupt and perverts the law, and treats the enemy cruelly, he is a good official compared to the mediocre and incompetent people above the court, and compared with the local bureaucrats who are insatiable, bring disaster to the country and the people, eat the flesh of the people and drink the blood of the people, and force the people to rise up. He has always been loyal to guard the frontier for the Han Kingdom, and has made a lot of efforts for the peace and stability of the Western Frontier, and he is a hero of the Han Dynasty by virtue of this. ”

"Since General Dong can be regarded as a good official and a hero, what does it matter if he is arrogant? Without affecting the overall situation, what does it matter if he neglects military discipline a little? As long as I can pacify the western Xinjiang, what is my face? ”

Sun Jian was impressed by Zhang Wen's generosity and open-mindedness, and hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty.

＝＝＝

Liangzhou Thorn Shi Geng Contempt, Chang Shi Sang Yang, Sima Taoqian, and Emperor Fu Li successively walked into Zhang Wen's Chinese army tent.

Geng Wei thought for a while, and immediately said: "Lord Taiwei, I'm afraid Bian Zhang and Han Sui already know the news that the Jizhou reinforcements have arrived. Bian Zhang was worried about the danger of going deep into Jingzhao Mansion, so he immediately led his troops to move closer to Meiyang, intending to join Beigong Boyu's troops. The rebels are cunning. In this way, we must abandon the idea of preparing to annihilate the enemy in Xiaohuai. ”

Zhang Wen nodded, "The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and the plan can't catch up with the changes. If the rebels rendezvous at My Duong, they will have 130,000 men and horses rushing at us, and we will have to retreat again. ”

"Retreat to Changping Pass?" Geng asked.

"That's what I thought. We quickly retreated to Changping Pass, kept the rebels out of the pass, and fought them for a long time. We are close to Chang'an, and the grain and grass weapons can be quickly replenished, and the enemy is in trouble. Their supplies are transported over long distances, creating problems both in terms of safety and quantity. What do you see? Zhang Wen asked.

Tao Qian said loudly: "Don't do it. ”

Zhang Wen hurriedly said: "Gongzu, tell me quickly, why can't it?" ”

"In the land of Sanfu, the population around Jingzhao is the most concentrated, with at least more than 200,000 people. When the rebels pass through Huaili, they will immediately burn and loot the residents near Jingzhao, causing devastating damage to the area west of Jingzhao. If the rebels reach Changping Pass, it will seriously affect the stability of Chang'an and other parts of the Kanto region. In order to escape the scourge of war, the people will flee to the Kannai in large numbers, which is a disaster for the people of the Kanto region, so this plan is absolutely not feasible. Even if it is exhausted, it will also block the enemy to the west of Huaili City. Tao Qian said excitedly.

"What is Gong Zu's opinion?" Zhang Wen felt that what he said was very reasonable, and hurriedly asked.

"Look at ......," Tao Qian said, pointing to the map, "Now the Qianghu troops who thundered in June are still gathering in Hanyang, but Bian Zhang Han Sui is already close to Meiyang. The four cities of Wugong, Yiguo, Chencang, and Yongxian along the Weishui River are now only guarded by a small number of rebels, and they are also responsible for the safety of supply and transportation routes, so the troops are relatively scattered. We used the 40,000 horses of General Zhou, Captain Huangfu, and Captain Xu Du to penetrate the enemy's hinterland at high speed, directly capture the two cities of Yongxian and Chencang, and cut off the supply route of the rebels. If the thunder reaches Yongxian in June, the troops must defend these two cities to the death, and must ensure that the enemy's grain routes are cut off. ”

"Lord Taiwei and Li Zhonglang's troops quickly joined up with General Dong, and then confronted the Xiliang rebels in Meiyang and held out without a fight. After a long time, the rebels will be unable to continue their food and grass, and they will withdraw their troops. ”

"After the enemy withdraws, we will outflank each other and strive to break through each one."

Sang Yang slapped the table lightly and praised loudly: "Lord Sima's plan is very clever. Now that the two sides are evenly matched, it is indeed not appropriate to have a decisive battle, and it is better to delay and defend. As long as the time comes, you will be able to calmly defeat the enemy. ”

"Lord Sima's method is good, but it takes too long. According to the best possible estimates, the rebels will run out of food until a month later. This delay is too long, and it is very likely that something will happen. What if Yongxian can't hold it? Or Bian Zhang suddenly turned back, rendezvous with June Thunder, and attacked Yongxian, what should Chen Cang do? The reduction of the forces of either side will upset the balance on the battlefield now. Therefore, I think that according to the original idea of Lord Taiwei, the decisive battle battlefield should be moved to Miyang, and the rebels will be fought immediately. Sun Jian said calmly and forcefully, "We used General Dong's troops as bait to firmly attract the rebels of Bian Zhang and Beigong Boyu. All the main forces in Xiaohuai immediately rushed to Meiyang and surrounded and annihilated the rebels. ”

Zhang Wen was overjoyed when he heard this, and praised: "Wentai's plan is very clever, and it is exactly what I want." The Xiliang war is still better to be resolved quickly, and if it is delayed for a long time, it is afraid that something will happen. ”

Huangfu Li said softly: "Brother Wentai, we are only one hundred and sixty miles to Meiyang, and more than 100,000 people are marching at the same time, the enemy will definitely be able to find our traces and guess our actions, they will not fight us in a decisive battle." "Huangfu Lishi, the second son of Huangfu Song, the younger brother of Huangfu Hong, is white and pure, very delicate, in his twenties, steady and cautious, and is deeply loved by Huangfu Song.

Sang Yang hesitated for a moment, and also said: "In this way, our actions will not have any secrets, and it will become an open decisive battle." Even if Bian Zhang is willing to fight us, he will be well prepared, and it will be difficult for us to gain an advantage. ”

Huangfu Li said with certainty: "It is impossible for them to fight a decisive battle. Mr. Lao Bian and Mr. Wen Yue are both friends of my father, and I have known them for many years, and they are very intellectual. ”

Sun Jian said: "As long as General Dong drags them in Meiyang, the battle is fierce, and our march is a little faster, faster, forgive them for not being able to escape from our encirclement." This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. ”

Tao Qian sneered: "Wentai, after the decisive battle, how many men and horses can we still have?" ”

Sun Jian said loudly: "Even if the whole army is destroyed, it will not hesitate." If the rebels are not eliminated, Xiliang will not be stable, and if Xiliang is not stable, the country will not be stable, and the country will be unstable, and the people will be even more miserable. ”

Tao Qian mocked: "For the sake of the Great Han Kingdom and the people of the world, can you abandon Xiliang and the people of Xiliang?" ”

Sun Jian said with a resolute expression: "Exactly." Without the Great Han Kingdom, where did Xiliang come from? It is a matter of course to give up a small family to protect everyone, and to give up small righteousness and take great righteousness. ”