Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 529 Zhang Yong's Deployment
On the official road west of Huguan, flags were waving and people were crowded.

An army of 20,000 strong marched out in a mighty manner, with a majestic appearance.

But if you look closely, you can see that all the soldiers are dejected, and some even have fear on their faces.

Zhang He, who was riding in the front, also had a gloomy face. Although he was furious, he had to obey orders and lead the troops to fight for the sake of the overall situation. However, no matter how patient he was, his emotions could not be high at this time.

The deputy general beside him had followed Zhang He for many years. Seeing that Zhang He was sulking, he also started to complain.

"This Gao Lan is really despicable. A defeated general still dares to show off his power. If he is capable, he should come as a vanguard and see if he will be captured by Guan Yu again. He has no ability in fighting and only knows how to bully others at home."

Zhang He glanced at the deputy general and said, "This is the order of the lord. We cannot make any irresponsible comments."

The deputy general was full of disdain: "Gao Lan dares to be so arrogant, isn't it because he relies on the support of the lord? The lord is also bewitched by a woman and messed up military affairs. I think he will definitely not be able to defeat Liu He."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Be careful not to bring disaster upon yourself by criticizing the lord behind his back!"

Zhang He glared at him with a stern expression.

The deputy general was not afraid either: "I am not wrong. Yesterday, I received news that Lord Tian Feng advised the lord about Gao Lan, but was demoted to a county magistrate by the lord. General, you are loyal, but the lord uses a shameless villain. On the other hand, the generals of Shangdang are all brave and fight together. I think our army will definitely lose this battle. It is better for you to make plans early to avoid losing your life in vain."

"How dare you disrupt the morale of the army!"

Zhang He was really angry this time.

"Seeing how many years you have followed me, I will make a note of this for now. If you dare to speak nonsense again, you will be punished by military law!"

The deputy general then kept silent.

But his words kept lingering in Zhang He's mind for a long time.

After walking for a long time, the deputy general spoke again.

"General, we still have two hours to travel to Changzi City. The soldiers have been traveling for a whole morning, so it's time to take a break and eat something before continuing on our journey. How do you think?"

Zhang He raised his head and looked at the sun which was already at its zenith.

"Well, that's fine. Pass the order down and rest here for half an hour."

Twenty thousand soldiers sat down on the ground in a relaxed manner, some drank water, some ate dry food.

Seeing this, Zhang He knew that if they took an army with such low morale to Changzi City, they would be wiped out in less than an hour. After thinking it over, he finally stood up.

"Soldiers! Don't lose heart..."

Among all the generals in Jizhou, Zhang He was considered to be the one who was more compassionate to his soldiers, and therefore he had a high prestige in the army. When he shouted like this, many soldiers, no matter how listless they were, raised their heads and looked at him.

Zhang He shouted, "General Gao and I have a good plan to deal with the enemy. As long as everyone fights bravely, our army will win this battle."

However, the crowd's reaction was very cold, and not many people took his words seriously.

"Don't worry!" Zhang He gritted his teeth and continued, "When we go to Changzi City, the enemy cavalry will be confident of their strength and will definitely come out of the city to fight. When we pretend to be defeated and retreat, the enemy will definitely chase us. General Gao has set up ambushes on both sides of the road. Once the enemy arrives, they will be killed without a burial place."

These words gave many soldiers a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

Seeing that it really worked, Zhang He hurriedly continued to add fuel to the fire: "The lord has ordered that if we win this battle, everyone will be rewarded. Good land and money will be used to reward meritorious people!"

Now the soldiers finally regained their morale and cheered.

The deputy general looked at Zhang He with a sad face: "General, if you say this out loud, then..."

Of course Zhang He knew what he was worried about. Lies would always be exposed one day. Zhang He was betting his prestige in the army, and it was clear that he would lose 99% of the time.

Zhang He sighed deeply.

"Alas, my lord has been very kind to me. Although he was unkind to me today, I cannot be unjust to him. In this attack on Changzi City, I will die, which is also a repayment for my lord's kindness. When you see that the battle situation is unfavorable, you can quickly take your soldiers and escape."

"General Zhang..." The deputy general was very moved and wanted to say something.

"Okay, no need to say more, eat something quickly and replenish your energy, because we will inevitably have a tough battle later."

The deputy general had tears in his eyes and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but looking at Zhang He's determined gaze, he finally didn't say anything.

"What's going on? Why are you sitting down? Why don't you get up and continue on your way!"

A rather arrogant voice sounded. Zhang He and the deputy general looked over and found that it was Gao Lan's deputy general who had caught up with them and kept urging them.

Lieutenant General Zhang He could no longer bear it and rushed forward.

"We've been traveling for the whole morning, so what's wrong with taking a break? Why are you rushing us?"

"Hey? You guys just lost a battle, what qualifications do you have to confront me?"

Lieutenant General Gao Lan held his head higher than Gao Lan himself, almost looking down at people with his chin.

Deputy General Zhang He said angrily: "My General Zhang clearly repelled the attack of the Bingzhou army in Huguan, but it was you... hehe..."

"How about us?" The other party stared at Deputy General Zhang He angrily. He was not afraid at all: "A guy who not only lost the battle but also became a prisoner has the nerve to give orders here. How shameless."

"What did you say? If you say it again..."

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Zhang He hurried forward to mediate.

"Zhang is not good at managing his subordinates. I beg the general to forgive me. Please tell General Zhang that we will set off now."

After saying this, he did not give the other party a chance to continue speaking and immediately ordered the entire army to march out.

Although Lieutenant General Gao Lan was still dissatisfied, he could not chase after him and continue scolding him.

"Humph, you will suffer if you fight me and my general. Wait..."

He cursed secretly, turned around and left.

In Changzi City, all the generals were extremely happy.

"Second brother, it's time to attack, right? Those idiots in Jizhou are attacking us so soon, just as fourth brother said. Second brother, don't compete with me for credit today. I have only five hundred Thunder God Cavalrymen, and can defeat his twenty thousand soldiers. Brothers, don't compete with me for credit!"

Zhu Ye was rubbing his hands in anticipation, extremely excited.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said with a smile: "Since this matter was planned by my fourth brother, then how to attack from now on will be decided by my fourth brother. I will also be at your disposal. Now, just tell me how to act."

Although Zhang Yong is humble, he knows that this is not the time to be polite as the war is imminent.

"Since Second Brother said so, I will respectfully obey your command."

He walked to the center of the hall and looked at the generals inside. Sure enough, they all stretched their necks and were eager to fight.

"Where is Ye Xiang?"

"I am here!" Ye Xiang stood up.

Zhang Yong took a flag and said, "I order you to lead our Shenji Battalion, go ten miles out of the city, and ambush in the mountains and forests on both sides. Remember one thing, do not move out when the enemy comes, and make sure to wait until the enemy retreats before you can act."

Ye Xiang was slightly stunned, but soon understood Zhang Yong's intention. He walked forward with a smile and took the command flag with both hands.

"The last general takes command!"

"Where are Qin Chu and Zhang Liao?"

"The general is here!"

Zhang Yong took the two command flags and looked at the two men seriously. "I order you two to lead 3,000 heavy cavalry each. General Qin Chu and General Ye Xiang will ambush on both sides of the mountain road. When the enemy retreats, lead the troops to block the enemy's path. If you allow an enemy soldier to escape, you will be punished by military law!"

"The last general takes command!"

Qin Chu took the command flag, and Zhang Liao became anxious when he saw that this order had nothing to do with him.

"General, where is this general?"

Zhang Yong looked at him who was urging him anxiously, smiled, and handed him another command flag.

"Zhang Liao, listen to my orders. Lead your cavalry to the direction of Tunliu County and take a detour to Huguan. I estimate that Gao Lan will attack this time. Even if he does not send out his entire army, the garrison inside the pass will only have a few thousand people at most, and there will be no generals guarding it. You must take this opportunity to capture Huguan. Don't make any mistakes!"

Zhang Liao was overjoyed when he heard this. He was best at this kind of battle and quickly accepted the order.

"Zhu Ye obeys my orders!"

"Haha, it's finally my turn. I'm here!" Zhu Ye excitedly jumped out of his seat in one step.

"I order you to lead 500 Thundergod Cavalrymen and 5,000 heavy cavalrymen, a total of 5,500 people, to go out of the city and engage the enemy's vanguard..."

"I obey your orders! Haha, everyone just wait for my victory report!"

Zhu Ye was about to take the command flag, but Zhang Yong's hand suddenly retracted, leaving him empty-handed.

"Fifth brother, why are you in such a hurry? I haven't finished talking yet."

Zhu Ye smiled awkwardly: "Hey, fourth brother, go on."

Zhang Yong glared at him unhappily and said, "In this battle, you can only lose, but not win. You must make it look like you are going to be defeated and retreat after a hard fight."

"Ah?" Zhu Ye was dumbfounded.

"When I fight, I always win. I won't do this if I lose. Why don't you let Third Brother do it?"

Cheng Liang was anxious now: "Hey, Lao Wu, I think you are itching for trouble. If you don't want to do this kind of thing, do you think I will be happy to do it? Big brother always emphasizes that orders must be followed. What's wrong? Do you want to disobey orders?"

Guan Yu also frowned: "Fifth brother, don't mess around. Since Mingwei has arranged this, there must be a deep meaning. Just do as you are told."

Both of his brothers had spoken, and Zhu Ye had no choice but to pout and obey.

(End of this chapter)