Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 528: Gao Lan's Methods
Zhu Ye was puzzled: "This Huguan is guarded so tightly by Zhang He, why would Yuan Shao send someone to replace him?"

Zhang Yong shook his head and said, "How could you forget that Yuan Shao sent 60,000 troops to Huguan just to defend this deserted pass?"

"Of course not. Yuan Shao, the old man, coveted the land of Shangdang and tried to attack Shangdang from Huguan, and then plotted to take Bingzhou and Luoyang."

Zhu Ye blurted out.

"Yes, that's right. But Yan Liang and Zhang He have been stationed at Huguan for more than half a month, and have lost two battles. They have made no progress in advancing to Shangdang. Now the commander Yan Liang is seriously injured and unconscious. No matter how firmly Zhang He guards Huguan, it is useless to Yuan Shao."

Everyone seemed to understand a little.

Zhang Yong continued, "Yuan Shao is a man who is eager for quick success. I expect that after hearing the report of this battle, he will not reward Zhang He but scold him. But I am not sure whether he will send someone else to lead the army. But as long as the commander of Huguan is replaced, no matter who comes, Yuan Shao will definitely order him to step up the offensive and seize Shangdang as soon as possible."

"So as soon as this general arrives at Huguan, we must prepare to take the initiative to attack. As long as he comes out of the pass for a decisive battle, or even comes to attack Changzi City, we can give full play to our army's strengths. By then, let alone the 60,000 Jizhou troops, even if another 60,000 come, we can easily destroy them."

Everyone applauded after hearing this.

Guan Yu stroked his beautiful beard and said, "Fourth brother is indeed resourceful. If we can have a decisive battle in the wilderness, my Purple Gold Dragon Riders can wipe out all the troops of Jizhou in one battle."

Zhang Yong clasped his fists towards Guan Yu and said, "My second brother's attack on the city today was unsuccessful, and he suffered heavy casualties, especially Generals Zhou Yuan and Yan Quan who were seriously injured. If this gets to Yuan Shao's ears, he will inevitably look down on our army. In this case, even if he does not replace Zhang He, he will urgently order Zhang He to take the initiative to attack. However, I am not sure whether this will happen. I can see through the key, and there must be someone among the many counselors in Jizhou who can see through it. If Yuan Shao listens to his advice and defends Huguan with our army, our army will be in danger."

Zhu Ye also remembered something and said, "Well, I remember that before we set out from Luoyang, the two military advisors said that if we were to provide relief with all our strength after the Yellow River burst its dike, the money and food we would spend would be a waste. I'm afraid that after the beginning of next spring, our army would be in danger of running out of food. If we really continue to confront the troops at Huguan, it would be very disadvantageous to our army."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.

"What should I do..."

"Well, if it really doesn't work, then we can just go with the middle strategy. I think this strategy is neither too hasty nor too slow, and is the safest."

Cheng Liang yelled.

Zhang Yong gave him a look: "Third brother, have you forgotten that my eldest brother had other arrangements for the Baibo Army? We should try not to alert them if possible..."

Cheng Liang was stunned at first, then he suddenly slapped his head and said, "Oh, look at my memory, I almost forgot about this. But it's not a good idea to continue to be in a stalemate like this..."

Zhu Ye slapped the table in annoyance. "This time, in addition to asking me to lead the army to help, my elder brother also sent another 20,000 soldiers to Xihe County to repair the river and provide disaster relief. This has almost drained all the troops in Luoyang. We have no other reinforcements to count on, so we can only choose one of these three strategies."

Ye Xiang looked at Guan Yu and said, "General Guan, you should make the decision."

Guan Yu looked at everyone and said, "Xihe County is in serious trouble. If the war ends soon, we can free up manpower to help my brother and Daozhun. We can't delay this any longer. I think we should follow the first..."

He had barely said half of his words when another messenger came running over.

"Reporting to the generals, there is new development in Huguan."

When everyone heard this, they all immediately turned their attention to the messenger.

Zhu Ye asked hurriedly: "What's going on? What did Zhang He do again?"

The messenger shook his head and said, "It's not Zhang He, but Gao Lan. Gao Lan is leading an army of 20,000 to rush to Huguan for support."

"What did you say? Gao Lan?"

When the generals heard this, they were all stunned, and then they broke into ecstasy.

Guan Yu recalled the letter Liu He had written to him after he captured Gao Lan. At the time, he, Meng Jian, Shi Tao and others did not understand why Gao Lan was treated that way. Now, they understood everything. Everything was for today, to alienate Gao Lan from the generals of Jizhou.

"Brother is indeed far-sighted, Yu is not as good as him."

To the east of Huguan, Zhang He personally led the soldiers, lined up on both sides and set up ceremonial guards.

Gao Lan was riding a horse, coming from afar, looking very proud and arrogant. How could he look like a captured defeated general at all?
Zhang He rode his horse forward and greeted him with a smile and clasped his fists.

"Gong Yu, how are you?"

Gao Lan lived up to his name, with his eyes looking up to the sky, looking down at Zhang He.

"Now that we are both here for military duty, it is better for us to address each other according to our positions."

Zhang He's face was embarrassed for a moment, and the corners of his mouth trembled. Finally, he said, "I respectfully welcome the lieutenant general."

"Humph!"

Gao Lan snorted coldly and walked straight past Zhang He.

Zhang He looked back at him, his expression immediately darkening: "A villain is getting ahead."

As soon as the group returned to the interior, Gao Lan sat down in the main seat without any hesitation.

Zhang He followed in and was about to sit down when Gao Lan suddenly spoke. "Zhang He, do you admit your guilt?"

His words made Zhang He stunned on the spot.

"General Gao, what are you doing..."

"Zhang He, do you admit your guilt?" Gao Lan's voice suddenly became sharp.

For a moment, Zhang He didn't know how to answer.

"I don't know what crime I committed..."

"How dare you open your jaw!" Gao Lan stood up and scolded harshly.

"The Lord has entrusted such an important task to you and Yan Liang, but you have been repeatedly ambushed and defeated, and the battle has been delayed for a long time. Now, not only has the Lord's order to capture Shangdang made no progress, but even Huguan is in danger. You claim that you don't know about such a serious crime, which is even more serious."

Zhang He knew that Gao Lan was deliberately excluding and making things difficult for him, but he was unable to refute and could only swallow his anger.

"I am incompetent and have caused General Yan to be seriously injured. I hope General Gao will punish me! However, I have set up many traps in Huguan. If Guan Yu dares to attack again, he will never return."

"Nonsense! You have betrayed the lord's trust and even forgot the important matter entrusted to you by the lord."

Zhang He was confused again: "General Gao, what do you mean by this? Please explain clearly."

Gao Lan glanced at him and saw that Zhang He was obviously full of anger, but he could only hold it in and not express it. This feeling made him feel extremely refreshed.

"What do you mean? Why did the Lord send you to lead the army to Huguan?"

"Is there any need to ask? Of course, we should advance to Shangdang and seize Bingzhou."

"Since you know this, why don't you attack Changzi City with your entire army? Instead, you just focus on defense. Aren't you showing no ambition and ruining the lord's plan?"

Gao Lan’s words almost made Zhang He laugh.

"General Gao is wrong. General Yan led his army to attack twice, but was defeated by Guan Yu's troops each time. Bingzhou's army is strong and powerful, and we can't defeat them. We can only..."

"Nonsense!" Gao Lan interrupted Zhang He directly.

"You two are as cowardly as mice. Every time you go out to attack, you only bring 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers. You have no advantage in manpower, and you have no determination to fight. You flee in panic at the slightest setback. How can you win the battle? You have brought shame to Jizhou."

Gao Lan's aggressive attitude finally made Zhang He unable to bear it anymore.

"Since General Gao is so confident, please lead the army to attack. I am willing to guard Huguan and wait for your triumphant return. When I report to you in the future, I will tell you the truth and ask for credit for you."

Gao Lan sneered and sat down again.

"Since I have been ordered to take over military affairs, I will naturally capture Shangdang in one fell swoop to repay my lord's kindness. I will never be like you, afraid of the enemy and not moving forward. Zhang He, listen to my orders!"

Zhang He didn't quite understand what he was going to do, but he still stood up, clasped his fists and obeyed.

"The end will be here."

Gao Lan pulled out a banner and said, "I order you to lead 20,000 soldiers as the vanguard. Rest for three days. Three days later at noon, march straight to Changzi City. I will lead 50,000 soldiers to support you from behind."

Zhang He was shocked. "General Gao, this is not possible! Huguan is the only passage for our army to enter and exit Jizhou. Even if we want to attack Changzi City with a large army, we must leave enough soldiers to guard this pass. If there are only a few thousand people guarding the pass, what if Guan Yu and his men split up their forces and attack from a detour? Our army will be..."

"presumptuous!"

Gao Lan was furious and asked, "Are you questioning my strategy? If you, Zhang He, are so capable, why did you suffer such heavy casualties here without achieving anything?"

"You..." Zhang He was furious, pointing at Gao Lan and glaring at him.

Gao Lan was not afraid at all, and looked him in the eye: "How dare you disobey military orders?"

Zhang He glared at him for a long while, but finally withdrew his hand that was pointing at Gao Lan and snatched the flag.

"I will obey your orders!"

After saying that, he turned around and walked out.

As soon as he left, Gao Lan smiled with a look of triumph.

"Zhang He, I asked you to go against me. Do you think that I have been captured and you want to step on my head? You are just dreaming. This time, I will let you see what I can do..."

(End of this chapter)