Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 616: Prepare for each other
Changan.

"Divide the troops into two groups?" Liu Zhang made a surprised sound. He thought that the Hebei troops would focus on one place, but he did not expect Gao Gan to divide the troops, attacking Taiyuan in one group and plotting against Hedong in the other.

Moreover, the main general who led the detachment to harass Hedong County was not second-rate officers such as Gao Lan and Qu Bei, but Qu Yi, one of the most famous generals in Hebei. This is not very reasonable.

After all, Gao Gan, as the commander-in-chief, was heading for Taiyuan, which showed that Hebei's target this time was Taiyuan County. In this case, the brave and warlike Qu Yi should act together with Gao Gan to capture Taiyuan as soon as possible. Otherwise, Gao Gan would fail to capture Taiyuan, and Qu Yi would be blocked by the jade disc, and neither side would gain any benefit.

Xun You heard Liu Zhang's confusion, and he explained: "Your Majesty, according to the investigative report, the reason why Qu Yi did not fight with Gao Gan, but attacked Taiyuan as a detachment, is because Qu Yi's priority was Hedong, which was contrary to Gao Gan's plan to seize Taiyuan..."

"So," Zheng Du said, "Qu Yi and Gao Gan were arguing with each other, and Gao Gan had no intention of fighting alongside Qu Yi. He simply sent Qu Yi as a detachment to Hedong to end the matter."

"That's right." Xun You smiled and nodded. "It is a big taboo for military strategists to have a general who is not in harmony with his commander. Now Qu Yi, the most valiant among the Hebei troops, is leading a division alone and is separated from the rest of the army. This is a misfortune for Hebei, but a great fortune for us."

"I suggest that Gan Xingba, Fa Xiaozhi, and Ma Mengqi lead their troops to the location of Yubi, and confront Qu Yi who is stationed outside Yubi City, and wait for an opportunity to defeat Qu Yi's troops. If the opportunity arises, Qu Yi's life should be spared."

"In the past, Qu Yi defeated the White Horse Volunteers and chased away the Black Mountain Volunteers. His reputation spread throughout Hebei and all the soldiers looked up to him. If we can kill him here, Hebei will be terrified and the morale of the army will naturally be weakened."

"Yeah." Liu Zhang nodded with some intention in his eyes. Among the generals under Yuan Shao, Qu Yi was the leader. He was the most brave and good at fighting. Now Liu Zhang planned to take over Hebei, so naturally he had to cut off Yuan Shao's minions and then swallow the lucrative Jizhou.

Now that the matter was settled, Liu Zhang ordered Xun You to write a royal decree and send it to Hedong immediately, ordering Gan Ning, Fa Zheng, Ma Chao and others to act according to the circumstances and wait for an opportunity to act, and try their best to keep Qu Yi in Hedong and prevent Qu Yi from returning to Shangdang.

After deciding the affairs of Hedong, Liu Zhang read the military intelligence documents of Taiyuan County. The documents stated that the Right Wise King of Southern Xiongnu, Qubei, sent an envoy, Lan Ke, deep into Taiyuan to lure the remaining Xiongnu in Taiyuan County, intending to wait for Gao Gan to arrive, and then join forces inside and outside to overthrow Taiyuan County.

Fortunately, there was a loyal and righteous man among the Xiongnu - Huligai, who privately reported the matter to Du Ji. Du Ji and Zhang Ren were prepared. They set up a plan to kill all the Xiongnu before Gao Gan arrived, thus stabilizing the internal situation.

"Hun traitor!" A word popped up in Liu Zhang's mind. The spy among the Huns must be a Hun traitor.

Liu Zhang sneered in his heart and began to ponder. He could only say that he didn't know whether this Xiongnu captain named Huligai was a loyal and righteous man or a hero who knew how to adapt to the times.

However, no matter what Huligai's original intention was, Liu Zhang was fully confident that he could control Huligai. After all, the Southern Xiongnu, from which Huligai came, were a lost dog that failed in the fight for hegemony on the grassland. They were taken in by the Han family and were able to survive. His intention to overthrow the world was wishful thinking.

"Zhang Gongyi and Lou Zichu are in Taiyuan, but Gao Gan is powerless. We can just wait and see whether it succeeds or fails." Liu Zhang had no worries about Taiyuan County, even though the main force of Hebei Province, Gao Gan and Zhang He, invaded Taiyuan.

Skipping the battle in Bingzhou, Liu Zhang asked, "Has Cao Mengde made any unusual moves?"

"Nothing unusual has happened." Xun You shook his head. "Now the war is raging in Bingzhou. Cao Mengde probably wants to reap the benefits of being a fisherman. He is just preparing his troops and keeping his weapons ready. He has nothing else to do."

"And write to the governor of Henan, order Huang Gongheng to be cautious. Cao Mengde is an extraordinary warrior, and he might suddenly attack." Liu Zhang warned. Only dogs that don't bark will bite. Now Cao Mengde is silent, and he is definitely not holding back anything. Therefore, it is necessary to order Huang Quan, the governor of Henan, to be cautious to deal with the turbulent situation. Otherwise, Cao Cao, who is as wise and decisive as Sun Wu in using troops, will make all kinds of plans for the governor of Henan. If he is not careful, the governor of Henan will be taken away by Cao Cao.

"That's what I mean." Xun You echoed. His attitude towards Cao Cao was more cautious than Yuan Shao's. After all, Yuan Shao was not as good as Cao Cao in using troops. When dealing with an enemy like Cao Cao, one had to be extremely careful, otherwise, one would easily fall into Cao Cao's trap.

……

Xudu.

Xun Yu reported to Cao Cao the recent events: "Yuan Benchu ​​sent Liu Xuande to attack Liaodong. Liaodong Governor Gongsun Du has always been tyrannical and ruthless, and treated the common people harshly. Therefore, when Liu Xuande arrived, all the heroes welcomed him, and the common people flocked to serve him."

"Gongsun Du was indignant for some reason, and relying on his troops, which were twice as many as Liu Xuande's, he sent out his army to fight Liu Xuande. However, his soldiers were not as well-trained and skilled as the prepared troops, and he was defeated repeatedly. His plan was lost, and now Liaodong has been occupied by Liu Xuande."

"What a great Liu Xuande." Cao Cao was not unhappy about Liu Bei's pride. Instead, he clapped his hands and sighed.

Cao Cao had a feeling of both friend and foe towards Liu Bei. He thought that among all the heroes in the world, except Qin King Liu Zhang, only Liu Bei could be on par with him and could run on equal terms with him.

Therefore, Cao Cao was very pleased and grateful when Liu Bei captured Liaodong in one fell swoop. This incident showed that he had a good vision and was good at judging people.

Suddenly, Cao Cao asked, "Yunchang left from Taishan County and headed for Qingzhou, right?"

"Yes." Xun Yu nodded. He saw the disappointment on Cao Cao's face. Ever since Guan Yu was sealed and left Xudu, Cao Cao always had unspeakable sorrow when he mentioned Guan Yu: "According to the news handed over by Zang Ba, Guan Yu left Taishan and intended to sail from Donglai to meet Liu Xuande in Liaodong."

"I hope Yunchang will have a smooth journey without any troubles." Cao Cao gave his blessing, but at the same time he felt a little sad. Such a loyal and righteous man could not be used by him, but instead swore to be loyal to Liu Xuande until death.

Cao Cao's sadness lasted only a moment, and he quickly adjusted himself. He discussed the war in Bingzhou with Xun Yu: "What is the current situation in Bingzhou?"

Xun Yu replied: "The Shangdang army is divided into two groups, one heading towards Taiyuan and the other towards Hedong, with a total of more than 30,000 soldiers."

"More than 30,000." Cao Cao was not satisfied with this number. Only 30,000 soldiers and horses were dispatched, which meant that Yuan Shao did not try his best. The war in Guanzhong and Hebei could not be said to be in full swing. It was a matter of life and death, and he had no chance to take advantage of it.

"Let's wait and see how things develop before making a final conclusion."

(End of this chapter)