Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

After all, Qi State was different from Jinan State, which had suffered disasters not many years ago, and it was the former seat of Qingzhou and its hinterland.

Whether in terms of population density or defensive strength, Qi State far surpassed Jinan State.

Moreover, Wei Yan led only infantry, and their marching speed was far from comparable to that of the White Horse Volunteers.

If one really wanted to forcibly cross a county or state at the speed of the Baima Yicong, it would be impossible not to be discovered by Linzi in advance, even if one was covered in Cao's army.

Even if we intentionally bypass some cities, the passes on the official roads alone are still a big problem.

To this end, Pang Tong came up with a clever idea.

……

As another pass appeared before them, Wei Yan and Pang Tong couldn't help but smile.

It is not difficult to break through a small pass like this by force, but the difficulty lies in the fact that once you attack by force, you will inevitably be exposed.

However, after entering the territory of Qi State, this was the third pass Wei Yan encountered, and it would also be the last pass before reaching Linzi.

"Wen Chang, this is the last pass. Once we pass this, there is only about 50 miles of flat road left to Linzi."

Pang Tong's tone couldn't help but become a little more excited.

It is simply a miracle that more than 20,000 infantrymen are marching through enemy territory without being truly exposed until now.

"It was so smooth, and Zhong Jian played an indispensable role! When we can pass through this pass smoothly again, Tong will definitely personally ask the Prime Minister for credit for Zhong Jian."

Pang Tong turned and spoke to Chunyu Qiong, the former defender of Zhuxu City beside him.

Chunyu Qiong's face lit up and he said with a smile.

"Although I am in Cao's camp, my heart is with Han. I have no choice but to serve the enemy in order to protect the safety of my young master. Now, thanks to Wen Chang and Shi Yuan, I have been able to turn from darkness to light. I am deeply grateful and cannot express it in words."

After hearing this, Pang Tong's ugly face smiled and agreed with Chunyu Qiong.

Wei Yan did not show any expression, and his eyes and eyebrows revealed a bit of disdain for Chunyu Qiong.

Wei Yan was a surrendered general, but he had never been as bad as Chunyu Qiong. Naturally, he looked down on Chunyu Qiong, but for the sake of the surprise attack, he would not mock Chunyu Qiong.

As the Han army, disguised as Cao's army, slowly approached the pass, the approximately two hundred Cao soldiers at this small pass suddenly became nervous.

Chunyu Qiong, riding a tall horse, naturally walked in the front, followed by Wei Yan and a group of personal guards who were secretly monitoring and guarding against him.

Li Zan, the captain in charge of guarding the pass, looked at the troops coming from the direction of the North Sea with a look of confusion and nervousness on his face, and shouted from afar.

"Who is coming?"

Chunyu Qiong looked displeased. He waved his hand towards the rear, signaling the army to stop temporarily. Then he took Wei Yan and a group of personal guards and walked up to the captain Li Zan.

Li Zan's face tensed slightly, and he maintained a bowing posture, not knowing what Chunyu Qiong intended to do.

The next moment, Chunyu Qiong rode his horse in front of Li Zan, raised his whip and whipped Li Zan three times in a row, causing Li Zan to tremble all over.

"You don't even recognize my General Chunyu Qiong. You deserve to be beaten!"

Such arrogance and domineering made Li Zan, who was whipped three times, feel resentful. He also spoke with a bit of nervousness and guilt.

"Please forgive me, General."

General Dianjun Chunyu Qiong was also quite famous in Qingzhou.

Although Li Zan had never actually seen Chunyu Qiong, he had heard about Chunyu Qiong's appearance. He looked at her carefully and found that she was exactly the same as what was rumored.

However, Chunyu Qiong didn't even look at Li Zan and ordered, "Humph! Get out of the way and make way for me."

This made Li Zan look very embarrassed and said, "General, please show me the military order so that I can pass."

Almost at the moment when Li Zan finished speaking, three more whips came down, causing Li Zan to scream in pain no longer able to bear it.

"You dare to stop me, a mere guarding officer? Could it be that Cao Ren wants you to embarrass me?"

Chunyu Qiong's face was full of anger, and it seemed that he wanted to vent all his dissatisfaction on Li Zan.

The amount of information revealed in those words made Li Zan feel his scalp tingling.

The generals in the army are fighting each other, why should they make things difficult for a small fry like me?
After the whipping was over, even though Li Zan was wearing armor, his face was covered with several open wounds.

Immediately, Chunyu Qiong shook the whip and asked.

"Anything else to see?"

"I saw it all, I saw it all..."

Li Zan didn't dare to look up again, for fear that he would be whipped again.

After Li Zan made such a statement, the rest of the Cao army, who saw Li Zan being whipped, dared not say a word. They all made way at Li Zan's signal, and even subconsciously lowered their heads and dared not look at Chunyu Qiong.

"Send the order to continue the march!"

Chunyu Qiong pretended to give orders to Wei Yan, and Wei Yan gestured to the rear.

Immediately, the army advanced again and passed through this pass.

After leaving the pass, the arrogance on Chunyu Qiong's face instantly disappeared, and he said in a flattering manner.

"General, Linzi is less than fifty miles ahead of here. Cao Ren has stored most of Qingzhou's military rations there. Once we capture Linzi, you will have made a great contribution to the Han Dynasty, and you will rise to prominence and be promoted to a higher position."

"Ah."

Wei Yan responded with a neutral expression, but his eyes could not hide the excitement. He turned to Pang Tong and asked.

"Shi Yuan, if Chun Yuqiong were to trick Linzi into opening the city gate, would it be possible?"

"inappropriate."

Pang Tong shook his head, thinking about the information about Linzi, and said.

"The one stationed in Linzi is Cao's general Li Qian. It is said that he is very strict in managing the army and has some of the style of a famous general. He is deeply trusted by Cao Ren. Without the military order in his hand, Zhong Jian will definitely not be allowed to lead the army into the city."

Wei Yan nodded. He understood that Chunyu Qiong could still use his status to put pressure on the defenders of those small passes, but Li Qian's status was no lower than Chunyu Qiong's, so he would most likely not be fooled.

Immediately, Wei Yan asked Chunyu Qiong, "Do you know anything about Li Qian?"

"We have had several contacts, but we are not familiar with each other."

After a pause, Chunyu Qiong racked his brains to recall and answered.

"The chief garrison commander of Linzi is Li Qian, and his two deputy commanders are both from the same clan. One is Li Zheng, and the other is Li Dian. There are 8,000 defenders. Uh, there is also a granary in the city..."

However, the more Wei Yan listened, the more he could not help but frown. Chunyu Qiong said so much, but they were all superficial. Not only did he know nothing about the actual military deployment, but he also spoke vaguely about the personalities and abilities of the three defending generals, the Li family.

"As a fellow garrison commander of Qingzhou, this is all you know?" Wei Yan asked.

Chunyu Qiong replied with embarrassment on his face.

"General, I have always been at odds with those from the Cao family. Cao Ren also suppressed me a lot, and the number of times we met was very few." (End of this chapter)