Dahan: A 100-year-old veteran, I will build the strongest family

Chapter 123 Everyone is shocked! Wancheng will be conquered within days?

Huang Zhong received Li Hong's order and immediately assembled 30,000 Beiwei cavalrymen to gallop towards Nanyang as the vanguard, serving as the advanced troops to intimidate the Yellow Turbans.

In fact, Huang Zhong did not have to wait for his Beiwei army to march to Nanyang to intimidate the Yellow Turbans.

The more than 200,000 Yellow Turbans in the Nanyang area had already been frightened.

Li Hong was already famous for guarding the border and defeating the Xianbei.

It is quite famous.

After Li Hong returned to the Han Dynasty, he led 100,000 Beiwei cavalrymen to the battlefield, which immediately attracted the attention of people all over the world.

The Yellow Turbans led by Zhang Jue and Zhang Mancheng were naturally quite nervous.

Therefore, both of them sent a number of scouts to spy on and monitor the every move of the Beiwei Army.

When Li Hong led the Beiwei Army to attack Bocai, he paid unprecedented attention to it.

Li Hong's move was earth-shattering. Bo Cai, who had an army of over 100,000 Yellow Turbans, had no power to resist at all. He was defeated in the mountains and forests by the 100,000 Beiwei troops, who then blocked the mountains and forests.

Undoubtedly, the more than 100,000 Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan were instantly finished.

The Beiwei Army's tremendous combat power not only shocked Zhang Jiao who was far away in Julu.

It also frightened the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang, which was close to Yingchuan.

Therefore, Zhang Mancheng understood that Bo Cai was likely to be finished and that he would be Li Hong's next target. Zhang Mancheng was very nervous and immediately withdrew the Yellow Turbans in the Nanyang area.

The Yellow Turbans in the Nanyang area were all withdrawn to the vicinity of the fortified city of Wancheng.

When Huang Zhong led 30,000 Beiwei cavalrymen but failed to enter Nanyang, Zhang Mancheng, who was facing a powerful enemy, had already prepared for defense.

……

Xu County, the county magistrate's residence.

In the meeting hall.

Li Hong sat at the top.

In the hall, Jian Shuo, Mi Zhu, Jia Xu, Xun You, Xi Zhicai, Huangfu Song, Tian Yan, Zang Min, Yue Lu, Zhang Fei, Cao Cao and others gathered.

At this time, half a month had passed since Peng Tuo surrendered.

Li Hong has not been idle during this half month.

On the contrary, it is very busy.

On the one hand, Li Hong, facing the Yellow Turban captives and the entire Beiwei Army, assembled a team for ideological education.

Li Hong has high hopes for this team.

Xi Zhicai was appointed as the deputy lecturer, and one hundred young people with "strong ideas" were selected to form a team.

Li Hong gave them ideological training for half a month.

Li Hong referred to some things from later generations and added some things. His intention was to let the captured Yellow Turbans and Beiwei Army soldiers have a concept of the country in their hearts.

He did not clearly point out in his mind that this country originally belonged to the Liu family.

On the surface, the emphasis was on the concept of the nation, requiring the Yellow Turban captives to be loyal to the Han Dynasty rather than rebel.

This is Li Hong's plan for the future.

When the Han Dynasty declined and many heroes emerged, the lesson was changed again to say that the Li family could lead the country to prosperity.

Then, Li would naturally gain the support of the entire Beiwei Army and the Yellow Turban captives, and then steal the entire army.

The ideas that Li Hong temporarily instilled were indeed within the scope of the curriculum. At least in Jian Shuo's opinion, this team was very good.

It was able to make the Yellow Turban captives reform and realize that rebellion was wrong.

In addition to building an ideological education team, Li Hong was also busy reorganizing the Yellow Turban surrendered soldiers and sending them to Bingzhou.

Dispatching and escorting troops, arranging food, clothing, reception, resettlement and other matters.

Fortunately, dozens of talented people he recruited in Yingchuan, including Xun Yue, Xun Yan, Xun Kan, Xin Pi, Chen Qun, Du Xi, etc., have already arrived in Bingzhou and have taken up their posts. Li Hong believes that with these talents, he will not be disappointed in settling the Yellow Turbans.

He also sent Yan Liang as general, leading 10,000 cavalry to escort the Yellow Turban captives, which should be foolproof.

"It has been half a month since the news came out that Yellow Turban leaders Bo Cai and Peng Tuo led more than 100,000 Yellow Turbans to surrender. The Yellow Turbans in various places should have received the news. The Yellow Turban captives who were exiled to Bingzhou have also formed a long team and are marching towards Bingzhou. I believe they will be seen by the Yellow Turbans. The cooperation of the two should give the Yellow Turbans a big surprise."

Li Hong sat in the main seat, stroking his gray beard and said with a smile.

Listening to Li Hong's words, Jian Shuo, Mi Zhu, Jia Xu, Xun You and others in the hall looked at Li Hong with admiration in their eyes.

To be honest, Li Hong's move was quite ruthless.

First, they used a delaying tactic to lure the two Yellow Turban leaders, Bo Cai and Peng Tuo, who might pretend to surrender, into surrendering. Then they spread the news that Bo Cai and Peng Tuo had led more than 100,000 Yellow Turban soldiers to surrender.

This was a huge blow to the morale of the Yellow Turbans throughout the world.

Li Hong also ordered the Yellow Turban captives who were exiled to Bingzhou to march northward in a swaggering manner, taking the main road, exposing them to the public so that the Yellow Turbans could see them, which would further aggravate the Yellow Turbans' low morale.

"The old general has foresight, and we really admire him." Huangfu Song bowed and said to Li Hong in admiration.

Li Hong waved his hand to Huangfu Song and said in a deep voice:
"Next, let's talk about pursuing the victory. We should take advantage of the defeat of the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan to make a final push."

"Wenhe, do you have any suggestions?"

Listening to Li Hong's question, all the generals looked at Jia Xu, Xun You and other five advisers.

Li Hong's formation of a group of advisers was something that Jian Shuo, Zhang Fei and others were looking forward to.

After all, they knew Jia Xu's strategy before.

Facing everyone's gaze, Jia Xu and the others looked at each other.

Jia Xu stood up and bowed to Li Hong:
"My lord, you are right. We should seize the opportunity to pursue the victory. Taking advantage of the defeat of the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan, our Beiwei army will take advantage of the momentum to defeat the Yellow Turbans again. This will reverse the situation between our court and the Yellow Turbans in one fell swoop."

"This matter is of great importance. It affects the situation and morale between the officers and soldiers and the Yellow Turbans!"

Jia Xu's voice resounded, and Li Hong, Jian Shuo, Mi Zhu, Huangfu Song and others all nodded.

Indeed, they have already won a great victory. If they can win another one, the situation in the world will change dramatically.

The camp represented by officers and soldiers turned around.

The momentum of the Yellow Turbans will also decline.

On the cold weapon battlefield, morale is very important.

"Go on. Since we want to pursue the victory, how should we fight next? Should we send the main force directly to Julu to confront Zhang Jiao, or should we send the main force to advance to Nanyang?" Li Hong looked at Jia Xu, stroking his beard, and asked in a deep voice.

Although Li Hong had made up his mind, he still wanted to see what his think tank would say.

Jia Xu bowed to Li Hong and said:

"My lord, Xu, Gongda, Zhicai and others have reached a consensus after discussion. We should first destroy Zhang Mancheng, and then suppress Zhang Jiao!"

"Oh? Kill Zhang Mancheng first, then suppress Zhang Jiao?" Li Hong listened to Jia Xu's conclusion, narrowed his eyes, looked at him, and asked, "Why?"

In the hall, Zhang Fei, Yue Lu, Huangfu Song, Cao Cao and other generals were also looking at Jia Xu.

Jia Xu came to the map in the hall, pointed to the location of Julu, and said:

"This is where the Yellow Turban leaders gather. The Yellow Turban's No. 1 figure is General Tiangong Zhang Jiao. The No. 2 Yellow Turban's General Digong and No. 3 Yellow Turban's General Rengong are all here. If our main army marches to Julu, with your power, Zhang Jiao and the Yellow Turban leaders from all over the world will surely be terrified and uneasy, and may even avoid a fight." "There is no doubt that even if Zhang Jiao is going to have a decisive battle with you and summon the Yellow Turbans from all over the world to help, it will not be difficult for Zhang Jiao to gather hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers."

"Although our Beiwei Army's cavalry is powerful, there are many cities in the hinterland of Jizhou, especially Julu and Xiaquyang, where the walls are too high to be defeated, which is not favorable to our Beiwei Army. Therefore, if the main force of the Beiwei Army is sent to Julu, it will definitely fall into difficulties and will not be able to achieve anything in a short time. It may even be defeated!"

Jia Xu's face was serious and his voice was loud, causing an uproar in the hall including Zhang Fei, Yue Lu, Huangfu Song, Cao Cao and other generals.

Now the main force of the Beiwei Army is attacking Julu, which is bound to be difficult and will not be able to achieve anything in the short term. Or even fail?

After hearing what Jia Xu said, Li Hong looked at him and did not speak for a long time.

Jia Xu was the first person who dared to say that the Beiwei army was defeated.

Even if Li Hong sends troops to Julu, is it really true that he has no chance of winning?

Li Hong did not agree with Jia Xu's words, as he still had a trump card that he had not used.

You know, Li Xi can turn against Zhang Jiao and attack him at any time by sending troops to Julu. It is impossible that Li Hong really has no chance of winning, right?

However, Jia Xu did not know about Li Xi's existence, and Li Hong would not tell Jia Xu about his own plans. Li Xi's existence could not be disclosed.

"You have already pointed out the disadvantages of attacking Julu with the main force. What are the advantages of attacking Nanyang with the main force?" Li Hong changed the subject and continued to ask Jia Xu.

Zhang Fei, Yue Lu, Huangfu Song, Cao Cao and other generals who were restless in the hall calmed down and looked at Jia Xu nervously.

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu frowned, looking unhappy, and said:

"My lord, the main force of this battle is to attack the imperial city of Nanyang, and temporarily abandon Julu. This is the best choice."

"First, if we don't attack Julu first, Zhang Jiao won't be in such danger, and Zhang Jiao won't think of gathering the Yellow Turbans from all over the world. And once Zhang Jiao doesn't gather the Yellow Turbans from all over the world immediately, the Yellow Turbans in each state and county will be locked up in the state and county, or even wiped out. You know, your majesty has newly appointed eight governors. Except for Bingzhou, the seven governors will immediately open the warehouses to release grain, recruit young and strong people, and organize troops to wipe out the Yellow Turbans in the states and counties. In this way, the scattered Yellow Turbans in various places will be wiped out, which is equivalent to the governors of each state lending a helping hand to the lord."

When Jia Xu answered the first point, Zhang Fei, Yue Lu, Huangfu Song, Cao Cao and other generals in the hall looked at each other, and it could be seen that there was sudden enlightenment in each other's eyes.

Jia Xu's answer to the first point actually gave them a wake-up call.

Yes. If they had taken advantage of the victory in Yingchuan and marched to Julu, Zhang Jiao would have certainly fought them to the death and even called on all the Yellow Turbans in the world.

And if they did not attack Zhang Jue immediately and Zhang Jue had no sense of crisis, then with the new governors taking office, the Yellow Turbans in various states and counties might be wiped out by the governors.

"Yes, sometimes it is a good idea to take advantage of the situation." Li Hong also praised Jia Xu.

The state governor system was restored. Although it was a landmine for the Han Dynasty, it was undeniably effective in clearing out the Yellow Turbans in the state. Apart from the four major Yellow Turban forces, the remaining scattered Yellow Turbans were not a big deal.

"Secondly, Nanyang is the imperial hometown. The lord first defeated Yingchuan, and his might shook the heavens. Yingchuan is adjacent to Nanyang. The Yellow Turbans in Nanyang should be fighting with low morale. Whether the lord restores the imperial hometown to the people's support, or takes advantage of the victory to attack Nanyang, the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang are the easiest to fight."

Jia Xu cupped his hands and told Li Hong another chance of winning if the main force attacked the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang first. However, after a pause, Jia Xu sighed and said to Li Hong:

"If we win Nanyang and restore the imperial city, then the government troops will be able to wipe out the Yellow Turbans. The victory rate of the government troops and the Yellow Turban camp will be reversed, and the people and the noble families of the world will be excited. However, Zhang Mancheng led the Nanyang Yellow Turbans to be timid and dare not take the initiative to attack. The Beiwei army can only attack by force, which may cause a lot of bloodshed!"

Jia Xu sighed. This was what he least wanted to see.

The Beiwei troops were the elite among the elite, skilled in both infantry and cavalry combat, and Jia Xu felt that it was not worth it for them to be defeated by the Yellow Turbans.

"Peng!" Li Hong slapped the table, stood up, stroked his beard and smiled:

"It would be a good idea to restore the people's hope in the imperial city, or to use the victory to attack Nanyang. The Yellow Turbans in Nanyang are trembling. In this case, choose a day to march into Nanyang. I will see how many of my troops can be lost in Nanyang!"

"Where are Zang Min, Huangfu Song, and Tian Yan?"

"I'm here!" Li Hong was as powerful as a dragon, and his voice shocked everyone. Zang Min, Huangfu Song and Tian Yan did not dare to be negligent when they heard Li Hong's call, and hurriedly stood up and bowed.

"Appoint Zang Min as the main general, Huangfu Song and Tian Yan as deputy generals, and Cao Cao as the accompanying general. Lead 30,000 Beiwei cavalry to attack Julu. Focus on distracting Zhang Jiao's main force. Don't be impatient and don't let Zhang Jiao rush out of Jizhou. Wait for me to lead the victorious army to help you!"

Li Hong's heroic voice resounded in everyone's ears. Everyone became agitated. Generals Zang Min, Huangfu Song and Tian Yan all looked red in the face.

"Promise! I will live up to the old general's trust!" Zang Min expressed his gratitude to Li Hong excitedly.

Zang Min was originally just a criminal, living a life of drunkenness and dreaming at home. He was rescued by Li Hong and joined the army to defeat the Xianbei. Now he is trusted by Li Hong and becomes the main general in suppressing the Yellow Turbans.

It seems like a second spring.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host, Zang Min's favorability +9, Zang Min's current favorability towards the host is 96!"

A reminder sounded in his mind, and Li Hong's smile became even more intense. Looking at the other generals in the tent who were ready to fight, he said:
"The rest of you, follow me into Nanyang!"

"Yes!" Zhang Fei, Yue Lu and other generals responded loudly and excitedly.

The next day.

The Beiwei army outside Xu County was divided into two, with one group led by Zang Min, Huangfu Song and other generals heading north to Jizhou.

One group was led by Li Hong, and they marched towards Nanyang County in a mighty manner.

……

Nanyang County is also known as "the Emperor's Hometown" and "the Largest County in the World".

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Nanyang County still belonged to Jingzhou. Its county seat was Wan, and it governed 37 counties with a population of 240 million. It was the most populous county at that time and was known as "the largest county in the world."

The areas under its jurisdiction include 37 counties including Wancheng, Xinye, Bowang, and Dengxian.

This place is blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Not only did it produce Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, but eleven of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai also came from Nanyang County.

The Empress He Lian and the generals in the court were also from Nanyang.

With its large population, Nanyang provided a lot of numerical support for the growth of the Yellow Turbans.

However, as Li Hong, who had defeated the Xianbei, went on the expedition, he struck with a stunning blow and defeated one of the main forces of the Yellow Turbans, the Yellow Turban leader Bo Cai, and all the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang County were terrified and worried.

Zhang Mancheng believed that he was also afraid of Li Hong's power, so he took measures to retreat. He ordered more than 200,000 Yellow Turban soldiers in the Nanyang area to hide in Wancheng, Xi'e, Zhiyang and Yuyang with Wancheng as the center, forming a barrel. He planned to use the city walls to resist the massive offensive of the Beiwei cavalry and fight a siege battle with Li Hong.

Huang Zhong led 30,000 Beiwei cavalry all the way into Nanyang County.

There was not a single Yellow Turban soldier to be seen on the official roads or in the fields.

“They are so cowardly that they retreat into the city and dare not fight with me.” Huang Zhong looked at the densely packed yellow turbans on the wall of Xi’e City. He was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, but he was also helpless for the moment.

The Yellow Turbans are defending the city. They can't use the elite of the elite to fight a bloody battle to attack the city. Huang Zhong feels distressed about it.

Huang Zhong sent out scouts to inquire about the situation in Nanyang County, while waiting for Li Hong's follow-up orders.

Li Hong led the Beiwei cavalry in a mighty force and joined forces with Huang Zhong. The 50,000-strong Beiwei army, working together, was extremely powerful.

On a high ground outside the thick-walled Wancheng, Li Hong, Jia Xu, Xun You, Huang Zhong, Zhang Fei and other generals will observe the defense situation of Wancheng.

"My lord, Zhang Mancheng is in awe of the might of the Beiwei Army and has gathered 150,000 troops in the city. He has stored a large amount of food and water in the city early in the morning. He intends to defend the city to the death and engage in a siege war with us. This battle may not be easy to fight!"

Huang Zhong cupped his hands to Li Hong and introduced the situation in Wancheng to him. However, while introducing, Huang Zhong couldn't help but sigh.

In ancient times, it was normal for a war to last for half a year.

The reason is that if the other party holds their ground and does not come out, and has stored enough drinking water and food in the city, then no matter how crazy you are, there is nothing you can do.

For example, in the Battle of Diaoyucheng, the comparison of the forces of both sides was:
Attacking Mongolian Army: Over 200,000

Defenders of Diaoyucheng: more than 4,600 people
Result: The Mongolian army was defeated.

Li Hong stroked his gray beard and looked at the densely packed yellow scarves on the walls of Wancheng. A sneer flashed in his eyes and he said with a smile:

"How can a mere Zhang Mancheng stop me from quickly suppressing the Yellow Turbans? Go back, everyone. Within 20 days, I will capture Wancheng and take Zhang Mancheng as my prisoner!"

After saying that, Li Hong did not stay any longer and turned around and left.

"This...Wancheng will be captured within twenty days?" Jia Xu, Xun You, Huang Zhong, Zhang Fei and others opened their eyes wide and looked at Li Hong's departing back in disbelief.

(End of this chapter)