Honglou: This bastard is too persuasive.

Chapter 720: Changes in the Border

In Gongsun Zan's Youzhou camp, the atmosphere was heated and tense. A group of generals and counselors sat together, discussing the development plan of Youzhou. Gongsun Zan, wearing armor, had a burly figure. He scanned the crowd with his sharp eyes and spoke first: "In this chaotic world, the princes have risen up. If you want to gain a foothold in this ever-changing situation, you must have a strong military strength. This time I returned from Luoyang and saw the situation of various forces. I also heard about Jia Changsheng's methods of governing Jingzhou. Although there are some things that can be learned, for Youzhou, the most urgent task is to strengthen the military. Everyone, tell me, what good strategies do you have?"

Veteran General Yan Gang clasped his fists and said, "My lord, Youzhou cavalry is world-famous, which is our advantage. But now our weapons and equipment are a bit backward. If we can increase investment and build more sophisticated weapons, such as sharp sabers and powerful crossbows, we will be able to improve our combat effectiveness."

Gongsun Zan nodded and said, "General Yan is right. I heard that Jia Changsheng's army is developing new weapons, and we can't fall behind. We can recruit more skilled craftsmen, set up a weapons research and development camp, and make every effort to create new weapons."

At this time, the counselor Guan Jing said: "My lord, in addition to weapons, the training of soldiers is also crucial. We can formulate a more rigorous and systematic training plan, increase actual combat drills, let the soldiers become familiar with various combat scenarios, and improve their ability to respond."

Gongsun Zan slammed the table and said loudly, "Okay! Let's make a detailed training plan according to what Mr. Guan said. In addition, we must also focus on intelligence gathering. Only by knowing ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle. We can arrange special personnel to plant spies in the surrounding forces to keep track of their movements at any time."

General Tian Kai said: "My lord, Youzhou is a vast territory and it is not easy to defend. We can strengthen the city defenses at strategic locations, build beacon towers, and form a complete defense system. Once the enemy attacks, we can respond quickly."

Gongsun Zan praised him and said, "General Tian, ​​you have made a thorough plan. I will leave this matter to you. Make sure that the city defense works are as strong as a rock."

During the discussion, a spy came hurriedly to report: "My lord, I heard that after Yuan Shao returned, he handed over the important affairs and territories of Jizhou and Bingzhou to his sons and relatives. Now his relatives are acting in various places, causing many problems."

After hearing this, Gongsun Zan sneered with disdain: "Humph, Yuan Shao is appointing people based on personal connections, how foolish! How can his sons and relatives, who are still wet behind the ears, manage such a large Jizhou and Bingzhou? I, Gongsun Zan, have always valued ability. As long as someone has real ability, no matter their background, I can use them. If he does this, it will be strange if Jizhou is not in chaos."

Yan Gang also said: "My lord, what you said is very true. Yuan Shao's move will probably cause internal conflicts and divisions in Jizhou. As for Youzhou, we are committed to military development and unity. We will surely stand out in this chaotic world in the future."

Guan Jing nodded and said, "Yuan Shao's move is indeed short-sighted. We in Youzhou should seize this opportunity and speed up our development. When our military strength is strong enough, if Yuan Shao makes any unusual moves, we can take the initiative."

Gongsun Zan said with a firm look: "Yes, we must take advantage of the internal chaos of Yuan Shao to intensify the training of troops and improve our strength. When we have strong soldiers and horses, who in this world can compete with me, Gongsun Zan!"

Tian Kai said: "My Lord, can we secretly contact other forces? If Yuan Shao really falls into civil strife due to poor governance by his relatives, we can also unite with other forces and divide his territory."

Gongsun Zan pondered for a moment and said, "We need to be cautious about this matter. For now, we should focus on our own development and improving our strength. As for joining forces with other forces, we can observe secretly and wait for the right time. But we must not reveal our intentions too early, so as not to alert other forces."

Guan Jing continued, "My Lord, in order to boost the morale of the army, we can also set up a military merit reward system. Soldiers who have made great achievements on the battlefield will be given generous rewards, which will surely inspire their fighting enthusiasm."

Gongsun Zan smiled and said, "This is a brilliant plan. A big reward will attract brave men. Mr. Guan will be responsible for formulating detailed regulations on military merit rewards, so that the soldiers will know that as long as they fight bravely for Youzhou, they will be rewarded generously."

Yan Gang added: "My Lord, although Youzhou is known for its cavalry, we cannot neglect the construction of infantry and crossbowmen. We can select strong men to form elite infantry and crossbowmen units to cooperate with the cavalry and exert greater combat effectiveness."

Gongsun Zan nodded and said, "General Yan has a long-term vision. You will be responsible for selecting soldiers and training infantry and crossbowmen. Make sure these two teams become a powerful supplement to our army."

Everyone was talking and making suggestions for the military development of Youzhou. The atmosphere was very lively. Gongsun Zan listened to everyone's suggestions and was full of confidence in the future of Youzhou.

A few days later, the weapons research and development camp had recruited many skilled craftsmen and began to work hard to develop new weapons. The craftsmen studied day and night, trying to improve the curvature and material of the saber to make it sharper and more durable; at the same time, they improved the crossbow to increase its range and power.

On the training ground, the soldiers carried out high-intensity training according to the newly formulated training plan. Every day, there were not only regular horseback archery and combat training, but also simulated combat drills. On the battlefield, the dust was flying, the shouts of killing were deafening, and the soldiers' fighting will became more and more determined.

Tian Kai led a large number of laborers and craftsmen to reinforce the city defenses at strategic locations. They used huge stones and blue bricks to thicken the city walls and built watchtowers and beacon towers. In order to ensure the quality of the project, Tian Kai personally supervised the construction site every day.

Guan Jing also completed the formulation of the military merit reward system. The regulations clearly stipulated the rewards corresponding to different military merits, ranging from promotion of military rank and reward of gold and silver to conferring titles and granting land. Once this system was announced, it immediately caused a strong response in the army. The soldiers trained harder, hoping to gain military merit on the battlefield and receive generous rewards. In terms of intelligence gathering, the spies sent by Youzhou gradually planted spies in the surrounding forces. With the continuous flow of intelligence, Gongsun Zan had a more thorough understanding of the surrounding situation, especially the situation on Yuan Shao's side, and he paid close attention to it.

As time went on, the problems caused by Yuan Shao's improper family governance became more and more serious. Yuan Tan's unfair governance in northern Jizhou caused complaints from the people, and many people even began to flee northern Jizhou; Yuan Xi's academy management was chaotic, talent loss was serious, and education reform was in trouble; Yuan Shang's nepotism in the military made the generals alienated and the army's combat effectiveness declined instead of increasing; the improper actions of high-ranking officials in business caused the business of Jizhou to gradually decline.

Gongsun Zan was even more disdainful when he heard the news. He said to his subordinates: "Look, Yuan Shao handed over Jizhou and Bingzhou to his useless relatives, and now they have made a mess. And our Youzhou, with everyone's joint efforts, is becoming more and more powerful. When the time is right, Yuan Shao will be our meal."

Yan Gang said, "My lord, now that Yuan Shao is in chaos, can we take advantage of this opportunity to send troops to capture some cities on the border of Jizhou and expand our territory?"

Gongsun Zan pondered for a moment and said, "It is not the right time to send troops now. Although Yuan Shao has internal problems, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and his military strength should not be underestimated. If we send troops rashly, we may be trapped in a protracted war, which will not be worth the loss. We should continue to develop our own strength and wait for a better opportunity."

Guan Jing nodded and said, "My lord is wise. We can continue to observe Yuan Shao's movements and strengthen diplomacy with surrounding forces. If we can unite with other forces to deal with Yuan Shao, our chances of winning will be greater."

Gongsun Zan said: "Yes, diplomacy cannot be neglected. You can send envoys to contact some forces that have conflicts with Yuan Shao and test their attitudes. But all actions must be cautious and not rushed."

Tian Kai said: "My Lord, while we develop our military, we cannot ignore people's livelihood. After all, the people are our foundation. Only when the people live and work in peace and contentment can we have a stable source of soldiers and food supplies."

Gongsun Zan said: "General Tian's words make sense. We can implement some policies to encourage farming in Youzhou, reduce taxes for the people, and let them produce with peace of mind. At the same time, we should strengthen the management of local officials to ensure that the policies can really benefit the people."

Therefore, while continuing to vigorously develop the military, Gongsun Zan also began to pay attention to the construction of people's livelihood. All over Youzhou, on the one hand, there was a bustling military training and city defense construction, and on the other hand, there was a scene of people working hard in the fields. Under the leadership of Gongsun Zan, Youzhou showed a positive development trend, and Gongsun Zan's contempt for Yuan Shao also increased day by day. He firmly believed that with his correct development strategy, Youzhou would rise in this troubled times and become a powerful force that could not be ignored, and Yuan Shao would eventually pay the price for his nepotism.

When Gongsun Zan was actively planning the development of Youzhou and vigorously improving the military strength, an urgent report suddenly came from the border: 50,000 Xianbei troops invaded the border, burning, killing and looting, and the people were suffering. Upon hearing this news, Gongsun Zan's eyes widened with anger, slammed the table, and shouted loudly: "How dare the Xianbei barbarians run wild in my Youzhou! Come, gather the troops immediately and follow me to the battle, and I will make sure these barbarians will never return!"

In the camp, all the generals quickly received orders and rushed to their posts to prepare to meet the enemy. Gongsun Zan knew that this battle was severe, but he was full of confidence in the Youzhou army that he had trained with great effort. While he deployed troops and arranged infantry, archers and cavalry to fight together, he urgently prepared food and supplies to ensure that the logistics supply was safe.

Soon, Gongsun Zan personally led 30,000 elite troops from Youzhou to the border. Along the way, the military flags fluttered, the soldiers were in high spirits, and the shouts of killing shook the sky, showing their determination to defend their country. After arriving at the border, Gongsun Zan immediately observed the terrain and deployed a defense line. He found a valley with a dangerous terrain that was easy to defend but difficult to attack, so he decided to set up an ambush there and give the Xianbei army a head-on blow.

The Xianbei army came with arrogance and arrogance. When they heard that Gongsun Zan was coming with troops, they were not afraid at all, but instead accelerated their march, trying to defeat the Youzhou army in one fell swoop. When the Xianbei army entered the valley, Gongsun Zan gave an order, and suddenly, thousands of arrows were fired from both sides of the valley, shooting at the Xianbei army like raindrops. The Xianbei army was immediately in chaos, and many soldiers were shot and fell to the ground. At the same time, the Youzhou infantry rushed out from the front, holding long spears and large shields, and rushed towards the Xianbei army like a copper wall and iron wall.

Seeing the situation was not good, the Xianbei army commander hurriedly commanded his troops to resist. However, under the fierce attack of the Youzhou army, they could not organize an effective counterattack for a while. At this time, Gongsun Zan personally led the cavalry to attack from the flank, like a tiger descending from the mountain, and rushed into the Xianbei army. Gongsun Zan took the lead, wielding the iron spear in his hand with great vigor, and wherever he went, the Xianbei soldiers fell off their horses one after another. Under his leadership, the Youzhou cavalry rushed left and right, completely disrupting the formation of the Xianbei army.

After a fierce battle, the Xianbei army suffered heavy casualties and was forced to retreat from the valley. In this battle, the Youzhou army won the first battle and its morale was greatly boosted. But Gongsun Zan knew that the Xianbei army would not give up and would definitely come back. So he ordered to strengthen the defense, set up fortifications such as deer horns and chevaux de frise around the camp, and arranged spies to closely monitor the movements of the Xianbei army.

Sure enough, the next day, the Xianbei army attacked again. This time, they changed their tactics and no longer attacked rashly, but adopted a strategy of attrition war. The Xianbei army was divided into multiple routes, taking turns to attack the Youzhou army camp, trying to wear down the Youzhou army's defense. Gongsun Zan responded calmly. He flexibly deployed troops according to the attack direction of the Xianbei army, letting the crossbowmen keep shooting on the city wall to suppress the Xianbei army's offensive. At the same time, he also sent a small group of cavalry to go around the rear of the Xianbei army to harass its supply line.

The two sides fought back and forth for several days. Under the command of Gongsun Zan, the Youzhou army held their ground and refused to give up an inch of land. However, the long battle also made the Youzhou army exhausted, and the consumption of food and arrows was also very huge. Gongsun Zan knew that he could not continue to be in a stalemate like this, and he had to take the initiative to break the deadlock.

After several days of observation, Gongsun Zan found that the Xianbei army had a relatively weak defense in one camp. So he selected 5,000 elite cavalrymen and sneaked towards the Xianbei army camp under the cover of night. When the Youzhou cavalry approached the camp, they suddenly launched an attack. For a while, shouts and horse neighs were intertwined, and the Xianbei army woke up from their sleep and rushed to fight. But at this time they were unprepared and were killed by the Youzhou army. Gongsun Zan took the lead and rushed into the tent of the Xianbei army commander and started a fierce duel with the Xianbei army commander.

The Xianbei army commander was a burly man with great martial arts skills, but Gongsun Zan showed no fear. The two fought for dozens of rounds with swords and spears. In the end, Gongsun Zan, with his superb martial arts and tenacious fighting spirit, stabbed the Xianbei army commander with a spear. When the Xianbei army saw their commander was killed, they immediately lost their morale and fled in all directions.

In this battle, the Youzhou army won a great victory, not only destroying an important camp of the Xianbei army, but also seizing a large amount of food, weapons and horses. After this battle, the Xianbei army was seriously injured and morale was low. But they were still unwilling to fail, and gathered the remaining troops to try to make a final struggle.

(End of this chapter)