I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 370 The war is about to begin
Yuan Feng had just finished dealing with the political changes in Luoyang and had basically eliminated the partisan group. He was further purging the political power of this group in the local area when he learned of this defeat at the border.

He was furious.

Tian Yan was a veteran general and a former subordinate of Duan Jiong. He was appointed governor of Youzhou by Duan Jiong's recommendation, but he did not have any noteworthy achievements since taking office. Instead, he was repeatedly defeated by Tan Shihuai!

This angered Yuan Feng and embarrassed Duan Jiong, who had recommended him.

While annoyed, Yuan Feng also began to worry about whether Yuan Shu could handle the increasingly powerful Tanshihuai Group.

According to the battle report, Tan Shihuai now has not only cavalry under his command, but also infantry equipped with siege weapons. These infantrymen, composed of Buyeo and Goguryeo people, have the ability to attack cities and have a considerable deterrent effect on the generally low, dilapidated border cities with limited defenses.

Ning County and Guangning County, despite the support of the Protector of the Wuhuan, could not be defended and were instead captured, demonstrating that the Xianbei people's fighting capabilities have made significant progress.

This greatly worried Yuan Feng.

However, the Eastern Han Empire was not without its own advantages.

The advantage was that the political turmoil following Liu Kui's death had ended, the opposition group had been eliminated, and Luoyang had returned to stability, allowing them to concentrate their efforts on dealing with the threat posed by the Xianbei.

On the third day of the eighth month of the first year of Yande, Yuan Feng convened a military conference in Luoyang to discuss how to deal with the threat of the Xianbei. Considering that Yuan Shu was busy protecting Bingzhou and was unable to spare any attention, and that Youzhou was clearly not strong enough to defend itself, Yuan Feng decided to send a general to lead an army to Youzhou to take charge.

Now that the Xianbei people have the ability to attack cities, the threat to the borders of the Han Empire has begun to increase. The old border defense system is no longer as effective. To defend properly, more troops and more skilled generals are obviously needed.

Therefore, Grand Commandant and General of Chariots and Cavalry Duan Jiong requested permission to lead the army to Youzhou to control military affairs, and that he would counterattack should the Xianbei invade southward again.

If the Xianbei did not move south to Youzhou, he would choose to attack Liaodong, starting from Liaodong, and unite with the remaining forces of Buyeo and Goguryeo to launch a counterattack against the Xianbei, ending the Xianbei threat to Liaodong.

At present, Duan Jiong is still the most capable and prestigious war god in the Han Empire. When Tian Yan is unable to support the defense of Youzhou, Duan Jiong is obviously the best choice.

Therefore, Yuan Feng accepted Duan Jiong's self-recommendation and decided to send Duan Jiong with 20,000 troops north to Youzhou to take command of the military affairs of Youzhou and relieve Yuan Shu of the pressure.

He had previously received a letter from Yuan Shu, who indicated that a battle with the Xianbei people was inevitable this winter or next spring, and that he had already made preparations for it.

He planned to wage a defensive counter-offensive, using defense to wear down the Xianbei people's momentum and thwart their attack before arranging for cavalry to launch a counter-offensive and ambush them, then seize the opportunity to invade the grasslands and wipe them out.

Therefore, Yuan Feng quickly issued a military tally to Duan Jiong, and Duan Jiong began to recruit Three Rivers Knights to form an army, preparing to quickly march north to Youzhou.

On Yuan Shu's side, the preparations were indeed very thorough. The Yanbian defense system he had painstakingly built was basically complete, and the militarization of the five northern prefectures was also basically complete.

The population was concentrated in cities and farms, in locations that were easy to defend and difficult to attack. The roads connecting them were specially repaired, either highways or waterways, to ensure effective connectivity every quarter.

The county troops were stationed in the county towns, ensuring that each county town had several hundred regular soldiers stationed there. The residents of the town also received a certain amount of military training. In the event of war, the able-bodied men in the town would be mobilized to assist the soldiers in defending the town.

Each county town was repaired and strengthened to some extent. The originally low and dilapidated border towns were significantly reinforced, with their height, thickness, and sturdiness increased. Depots for storing defensive weapons were set up within the towns, enhancing the defensive capabilities of each county town.

The city would also have fuel for beacon fires and signal fires. If an enemy invaded, beacon fires would be lit during the day and signal fires at night to warn of an impending invasion.

Each farm also has a defense force that serves as soldiers in wartime and farmers in peacetime for security. The farm is surrounded by a large-scale, high-strength wall. Although it is not as protected as a city wall or a moat, it is thick and sturdy, and cannot be crossed by ordinary cavalry and infantry.

In the event of war, the able-bodied men in the farm will immediately assemble into a defense team to carry out defensive operations. They will quickly take up their tactical positions according to the defensive tactics they have practiced in advance, and use bows, crossbows and spears to defend themselves and keep the enemy outside the walls.

A county might only have two or three thousand regular troops, but because of Yuan Shu's series of actions, all registered people were centrally resettled and no longer scattered, which greatly increased the manpower available.

Furthermore, Yuan Shu reorganized the Bingzhou government system according to the model of the Yixin Society, making it more down-to-earth, highly organized, and greatly enhancing mobilization efficiency.

They are all farmers by day, but when faced with an invasion, the young and strong can rise up to defend their homes.

Furthermore, because the connecting roads between the counties have been greatly improved, communication and travel between them have become much more convenient. So if something really happens and the regular army can't get there in time, neighboring cities and farms can support each other and lend a hand.

Of course, it was a low probability event that the regular army couldn't arrive in time. Yuan Shu spent several years training 30,000 cavalrymen. These highly mobile and powerful troops were not just for show, and all that money was spent on them; they were for real combat.

Once news of an invasion by a foreign enemy is received, the local military system will primarily focus on defense, not on proactive attacks. Their job is simply to hold their ground; counterattacks will be left to the Tianxiong Army. The Tianxiong Army will undertake both counterattacks and proactive strikes, with everyone working together in a coordinated and hierarchical manner.

According to Yuan Shu's assessment, the Xianbei people now possessed a certain siege capability, and their southward advance would inevitably be aimed at attacking cities. Furthermore, the major cities and farms stored a considerable amount of military strategic materials, and their loss would be a huge gain for the Xianbei people.

Therefore, Yuan Shu could not accept that the cities and farms under his jurisdiction were arbitrarily ravaged by the Xianbei people. Each city and farm had a considerable degree of defensive capability, which was incomparable to the past.

If the Xianbei people come this time, they will surely be met with a fierce counterattack from Yuan Shu.

Meanwhile, as autumn began, Tan Shihuai also began to seriously plan his attack on Bingzhou.

In the preceding years, he had continuously restored his strength through campaigns in the north and south and the formation of an infantry force. While achieving great success, he enhanced his personal prestige and restored and strengthened the military strength of the Xianbei tribal alliance, allowing his prestige to return to its peak.

Previously, they had even captured two cities on the border of Youzhou in one fell swoop, which greatly improved the military skills of the Xianbei people, and this was a great thing for them.

This means that when they march south to Bingzhou again, they will no longer be helpless against the cities and farms of Bingzhou.

Over the years, Tan Shihuai also continuously sent people south to Han territory to investigate news about Bingzhou. He learned that Bingzhou's defenses had greatly improved, and based on his dealings with Bingzhou merchants, he also learned that Bingzhou's economy had developed well.

According to the merchants, the major agricultural production areas in Bingzhou have achieved bumper harvests for two consecutive years, resulting in a large amount of agricultural product reserves. The fear of famine in many places has been brought under control, and people have enough food to eat.

The policies of Yuan Shu, the governor of Bingzhou, were very effective. The people of Bingzhou admired and respected Yuan Shu and were willing to obey his orders. Their lives were getting better and better.

Tan Shihuai was somewhat surprised by this, but he quickly noticed the key point.

Bingzhou became wealthy.

This means that if they succeed in plundering, they will gain far more than they did before!
Before, everyone was poor, but now, you, Bingzhou, have some savings.

Since that's the case, of course I, your poor neighbor, have to come to you for some money to spend!

Tan Shihuai, eager to get started, summoned the leaders of various departments to the royal court at Tanhan Mountain for a military conference to discuss the matter of launching a full-scale war against Bingzhou in the south.

Tan Shihuai believed that this southward expedition to Bingzhou was not only for plunder, but also for revenge, and even more so for demonstrating military strength, so that the Han Empire would be more wary and fearful of the Xianbei.

The Xianbei people have suffered for a long time under the threat of the Han Empire. Now that their suffering has come to an end, it is time for them to go and collect the debts owed to the Han people in the past!

In the future, everyone will be able to live in Han people's cities, in spacious and comfortable houses, where they will not be cold in winter or hot in summer. They can capture Han people as slaves, have Han people serve them their daily needs, and have Han people help them cultivate the land!

Therefore, Tan Shihuai directly proposed the strategic goal of occupying two or three counties in Bingzhou.

He was full of confidence, believing that in addition to cavalry, the Xianbei people had also trained an infantry auxiliary army, which was capable of conquering cities and territories, and that the cities of the Han people were no longer insurmountable obstacles for cavalry.

Now that the Xianbei people are stronger, they can no longer remain in the past state of looting and running away. They should occupy and rule Han lands, fight for living space, and live a more comfortable life. They cannot let the Han people own everything.

Under Tan Shihuai's instigation, the leaders of the various Xianbei tribes were filled with passion and enthusiasm. They all expressed their willingness to follow the invincible Great Chanyu Tan Shihuai in launching an attack on the Han Empire. They dared to win, and they wanted to win.

They were willing to lead the tribe's most elite and skilled warriors to follow Tan Shihuai on a full-scale southward march.

Of course, Tan Shihuai was not unprepared; he would not act blindly but rather with a plan.

He believes that this attack should not be carried out haphazardly, but should be conducted in a systematic manner.

First, he felt that the Xianbei should concentrate their main force when they marched south. He would lead 60,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry south to Bingzhou to fight a major battle with Yuan Shu.

The goal of this battle, of course, is to conquer territory.

(End of this chapter)