Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 103 Preparing for war
"Sorry..."

Outside the wilderness, the soldiers and horses neighed.

On the official road, dozens of elite cavalrymen, led by a tall general, crossed the grassland and arrived directly at the city of Zhangye.

The people who were weeding in the fields stood up one after another. Besides the dozens of elite cavalrymen, they saw a fluttering flag with the word "Liu" on it.

When the defenders at the city gate saw the flag and the tall figure, they quickly removed the barricades and straightened their backs.

Dozens of elite cavalrymen rode into the city and headed straight for the Zhangye government office.

When the people along the street saw the flag and the figure, they could hear endless discussions.

"This is coming from the east, it must be General Liu!"

"It must be General Liu!"

"I didn't expect General Liu to be so handsome. I thought he had a green face and fangs."

"Do you think General Liu is here to find the governor to retake Liang Province?"

"Maybe..."

Amid the discussions of the people, Liu Jilian led his elite cavalry to the outside of the yamen.

He dismounted and bowed to the soldiers at the gate of the government office: "Liu Jilong, the commander of Shandan, wants to see the governor for important matters!"

"Wait a moment!"

The shift leader quickly ordered a soldier to report it, and he brought a stool for Liu Jilong to sit on.

Liu Jilong was not polite and sat on the mat waiting for news.

Zhang Huaishen did not let him wait for long. Soon a soldier came out and said, "The governor asks Liu Zhe to rush into the main hall and take a seat and wait for a moment."

Hearing this, Liu Jilong instructed the elite cavalry beside him: "Wait outside!"

After he finished speaking, he stood up and walked into the yamen. He sat in the main hall and waited for about a cup of tea. Then he heard footsteps coming from the inner hall.

Soon, Zhang Huaishen, Li Wei and Cao Yiqian appeared one after another, but what surprised Liu Jilong the most was that Suo Xun also appeared in the team.

"Liu Jilong, nice to meet you all!"

He stood up and saluted everyone, and then Zhang Huaishen nodded and signaled everyone to take a seat.

As the four people took their seats, Liu Jilong finally sat down.

"Shandan is busy with affairs. You must have something very important to tell me when you come to Zhangye. Let's make it short."

Zhang Huaishen knew Liu Jilong's personality, and when Liu Jilong heard him say this, he did not hide anything and said straight to the point:

"Before the autumn harvest, I plan to attack Liangzhou three times."

Without waiting for anyone to speak, Liu Jilong said in a deep voice: "If there is a chance, I would like to take this opportunity to win the game!"

"Take down Banwa?!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Yiqian, Li Wei, and Suo Xun were shocked. Even Zhang Huaishen's Adam's apple moved, and he was hesitant to speak.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Huaishen spoke up, "You said last time that many people from Helong fled to Liangzhou."

"Yes!" Liu Jilong admitted.

"In that case, do you know about the situation in Liangzhou?"

Zhang Huaishen asked again, and Liu Jilong also explained: "The details are not clear, but judging from the situation in Shanzhou, Liangzhou has at least two to three thousand more armored soldiers, and a larger population."

"However, these extra soldiers and people were probably taken by Changsong and Guzang, so it would not be the turn of Jialin and Fanhe."

"Indeed." Zhang Huaishen nodded in agreement.

Unlike Ganzhou, Liangzhou does not have many valley roads, but only two official roads: the east and the southeast.

These two official roads lead to Changsong and Guzang respectively, both east of Macheng River.

As a result, Fanhe and Jialin west of Macheng River naturally would not be able to get any forces to rely on.

"Even so, if Fanhe is in trouble, Guzang, Jialin, and Changsong will definitely come to help. They still understand the principle of "the lips are cold and the teeth are broken."

Suo Xun suddenly spoke, Cao Yiqian nodded in agreement, and Li Wei said:

"Although Fanhe City has suffered heavy damage, there are still at least a thousand armored soldiers. Together with the Fan people inside and outside the city, at least three to four thousand men can be mobilized to defend the city."

"Plus, the city wall has been under construction all year round, so it is not easy to break through. Moreover, it is already July, and it is only three months away from the heavy snow."

"Relying solely on the power of Shandan...it's difficult!"

Li Wei naturally hoped that Liu Jilong would take Fanhe, but reality did not allow it. At least he could not think of how to capture Fanhe in a short period of time.

"The power of Shandan alone is definitely not enough, so I came to Zhangye to ask the governor to send troops for cooperation!"

Liu Jilong's words were shocking, and everyone turned their eyes to Zhang Huaishen.

Zhang Huaishen frowned: "The armor you sent has been repaired. Although Zhangye has 3,000 armored soldiers, we cannot send all of them to the battle."

"Two thousand soldiers will be enough. From Shandan, I can send out one thousand eight hundred elite cavalry!" Liu Jilong made another shocking statement.

Zhang Huaishen's pupils shrank, but he soon found out where Liu Jilong got so many elite cavalry.

"How do you want to fight?"

"The governor!"

As Zhang Huaishen asked, Cao Yiqian couldn't help but interrupt: "To take over Fanhe in three months, that's too arrogant."

"Wait for him to finish first!" Zhang Huaishen stared at Liu Jilong.

In response, Liu Jilong said in a deep voice: "I have sent people to repair the official road of Yanzhi Mountain. It will be repaired by mid-August at the latest."

"If you can lead 2,000 Zhangye troops to the east, then Zhangye will only need 4,000 civilians and 5,000 dan of grain."

"Shandan will send another 4,000 civilians and at least 20,000 dan of grain to accompany the army on the eastern expedition."

"Are you crazy?!" Suo Xun stared at Liu Jilong:
"Shandan has only 30,000 dan of grain, and after the autumn harvest, there will be at most 60,000 dan."

"You take out 20,000 dan of grain for the Eastern Expedition. If the expedition fails, Shandan will be short of at least 40,000 dan of grain next year, and all this grain will have to be supplemented by other states and counties."

After he finished speaking, Li Wei and Cao Yiqian nodded repeatedly.

Shandan's food supply originally relied on subsidies from various prefectures and counties. Although Liu Jilong had led a herd of more than 100,000 livestock to the east this year, if he really lost 20,000 shi of food and failed to achieve his goal, he would at least be charged with the crime of provoking a border conflict.

He hasn't even warmed up to his position as a lieutenant commander yet, and he's probably going to be removed from his position.

"will not!"

Liu Jilong said confidently: "There are plenty of grains outside Fanhe and Jialin cities. Even if the Eastern Expedition fails, we can harvest the millet and wheat from Fanhe and Jialin and return victoriously!"

Liu Jilian once talked with Zhang Huaishen about the strategy of "fighting to support war, so that one side will gain strength while the other side will decline".

But this strategy is not just about mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare, it also requires corresponding frontal combat.

Fanhe and Jialin suffered heavy losses, while some tribes in Helong were seeking support.

If they do not take this opportunity to expand their victory, then as time goes by, these two cities will sooner or later recover their strength, and Liangzhou will become more difficult to deal with.

"Liangzhou was able to attract so many Helong tribes because it had sufficient food."

"But if the grain of Fanhe and Jialin is harvested by our army, what else can they use to pacify the Helong tribes?"

Liu Jilong asked everyone, and then continued:

"I will lead my army to attack Jialin from the north of Longshou Mountain, while Governor Zhang will lead his army to attack Fanhe."

"Even if Jialin fails to harvest the grain, our army can still harvest the grain and retreat. There is no reason why it won't work!"

"That being said..." Suo Xun frowned and said:

"Once Fanhe sends reinforcements, Shang Moling will certainly lead the armies from Guzang, Changsong and other cities to march westward."

"With your elite cavalry, can you stop the nearly 10,000 troops from Guzang and Changsong?"

"If there are many casualties, even if we take away the millet and wheat of the barbarians, we will probably not be able to escape the crime of border conflict."

Suo Xun was not worried about Liu Jilong, but was worried about being implicated by Liu Jilong.

Liu Jilong nodded when he heard this: "It is possible, but if we are so timid, how long will it take for us to recover Liangzhou?"

"In the Helong area, tribes go to Hehuang, Liangzhou, Longnan and other places to attach themselves to the forces every day."

"These tribes have a few hundred people, some have thousands, and among them there are dozens of armored warriors."

"If we wait like this, by the time we are ready to march east again, there will be more soldiers in Liang Province, not fewer!"

His words touched Zhang Huaishen's heart. Ever since he told Zhang Huaishen about the situation in Helong in a letter last time, Zhang Huaishen knew that the longer the time dragged on, the more difficult it would be to retake Liangzhou.

These days, Zhang Huaishen has been mentally exhausted by this matter.

Now that Liu Jilong had said it, he naturally made up his mind.

"Cao Changshi, Li Beijia!"

As soon as Zhang Huaishen opened his mouth, the three of them had a bad feeling.

"Pass on my military order to escort 10,000 tons of military rations and 3,000 stone beans to Shandan."

"On the tenth day of August, I will personally lead ten regiments of soldiers and horses... to attack Liangzhou in the east!" His tone left no room for doubt. Seeing this, Liu Jilong stood up and bowed: "The grain harvest in Liangzhou should be around the tenth day of September."

"If the governor leads his army from Zhangye, they can reach Fanhe by August 17 at the latest."

"If that is the case, then I will lead the army out of Longshou Mountain on August 13th!"

"But before that, please ask the governor to send people to Xiu Tu Ze and Bai Ting Hai!"

Hearing this, before Zhang Huaishen even opened his mouth, Li Wei knew what Liu Jilong was thinking: "You want to unite with Umo?"

As Li Wei spoke, Suo Xun and Cao Yiqian looked at each other.

When Tubo was at its peak in the past, the generals of the major clans all had the habit of bringing slaves with them.

These slaves usually farmed and grazed in scattered places, and followed their masters to fight in times of war. This was why Tubo would often mobilize 200,000 to 300,000 people to fight.

However, with the internal strife in Tubo, a large number of slaves began to escape from the control of the powerful and gathered together to protect themselves. This is the origin of Emo.

The Umu people roamed in Hexi, Longxi, Longnan and other places. There were dozens or even hundreds of tribes, large and small. Among them, the stronger one was the Umu tribe in Xiutu Ze and Baiting Hai in the north of Liangzhou. There were nearly 10,000 tents of people, and they could mobilize thousands or even tens of thousands of people to go south to plunder Liangzhou at any time.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Although this saying does not exist in this era, it does not mean that Li Wei and others do not understand it.

"That's a good idea." Suo Xun nodded.

"The people of Xiu Tu Ze and Bai Ting Hai have gathered nearly 10,000 tents and are able to send thousands or even tens of thousands of light cavalry to invade Liang Province. Their strength should not be underestimated."

"After you invaded Liangzhou, Liangzhou suffered a great loss. We must guard it strictly this year."

"This way, these idiots won't be able to steal anything."

"If we send people to join them in attacking Liangzhou, even if they are not tempted, they will take advantage of the situation and attack the herds in Liangzhou."

Without Liu Jilong's explanation, Suo Xun started talking.

Hearing this, Li Wei took the initiative to stand up and said, "Governor, I am willing to take generous gifts to Baitinghai and Xiutuze to persuade Emo to send troops."

"How much iron is left in the treasury?" Zhang Huaishen looked at Cao Yiqian.

"More than 700 kilograms."

After Cao Yiqian finished speaking, Zhang Huaishen nodded and said, "Please ask Li Beijia to take this batch of iron materials to Baitinghai."

"Whether this succeeds or not, Li Biejia must protect himself."

After all, Zhang Huaishen had never had any contact with the Umo people, so he reminded Li Wei to be careful.

Upon hearing this, Li Wei bowed in return and then looked at Liu Jilong.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong said, "Why not send Shandan Zuo Guoyi Li Yizhong to lead a thousand elite cavalry to escort Li Biejia? This will also let the Umu people see the strength of the Han people!"

"Yes!" Zhang Huaishen spoke briefly and then glanced at everyone.

"Since there is nothing else, you can all go and do your work. Liu Jilong, you stay."

"Yes!" Li Wei and the other two left one after another, and Liu Jilong moved to the first seat on the left.

Seeing Li Wei and the others leave, Zhang Huaishen then said to Liu Jilong:

"What you just said is just paper talk. When we really face the enemy, I'm afraid things won't go as you expected."

"Let me ask you, how confident are you that you can win the game, and how confident are you that you can keep it?"

Zhang Huaishen did not ask how confident he was of harvesting the rice and wheat, because in his opinion, harvesting the rice and wheat was very easy.

As long as their two armies joined forces, they would be able to harvest most of the grain outside the city of Fanhe before the reinforcements from Jialin and Guzang arrived in Fanhe.

If we just look at it from the perspective of looting, this expedition is a sure win.

But Liu Jilong just said that what he wants is to win the game.

Now that the goal has changed, all plans must be carried out around winning the game.

Zhang Huaishen was not sure, so he wanted to know how sure Liu Jilong was.

"Now it's 50%..." Liu Jilong said in a deep voice:
"After I take down Fanhe, I'm 100% sure I can hold on!"

"If this is impossible, I will lead the elite cavalry to cover the rear."

"Okay." Zhang Huaishen did not continue to ask, but stood up and looked at him: "Just have a good rest in the government office today."

"No." Liu Jilong shook his head and stood up: "There are too many things to do in Shandan. I have to go back now."

Hearing this, Zhang Huaishen nodded: "Then I won't keep you."

"I'll take my leave." Liu Jilong bowed and left the main hall. He led dozens of elite cavalrymen from the yamen and set out on the road back to Shandan.

Today, there are five post stations between Shandan and Zhangye, so it only takes one day to reach the other city.

On the way from Shandan to Fanhe, Liu Jilian also asked Cui Shu to build post stations, so that five post stations could be set up before mid-August.

The remaining sixty or seventy miles of journey would only take one day for the army.

At noon the next day, Liu Jilian led his elite cavalry back to Shandan.

In the following time, he led the army to make grain and beans into military rations and horse feed, and Zhang Huaishen also sent elite cavalry to Dunhuang in an urgent manner.

When Zhang Yichao received the news, it was already July 25th.

Faced with the news sent by Zhang Huaishen, he frowned and did not put down the letter for a long time.

"Uncle, what did Huai Shen say in the letter?"

Seeing that Zhang Yichao didn't speak for a long time, Zhang Huairong couldn't help but ask.

At this time, the two of them were in the study room in the inner hall of the government office, and there were no outsiders present, so Zhang Yichao frowned and handed over the letter: "Read it yourself."

Seeing this, Zhang Huairong quickly took the letter and read it quickly.

"This... this Liu Jilong is too bold, and Huai Shen actually agreed to it, this..."

After reading the content, Zhang Huairong didn't know what to say.

"Uncle, if we use Ganzhou's military strength to attack Liangzhou, let alone capture Fanhe City, it is hard to say whether we can even harvest Fanhe's millet and wheat and withdraw the troops."

"I think Liu Jilong is complacent, so he encouraged Huaishen to march eastward."

"Besides, after taking Fanhe, can Liu Jilong really hold on?"

Zhang Huairong had always supported Liu Jilong, but today, he felt that Liu Jilong was carried away by his previous victory.

Zhang Yichao rubbed his brows and thought carefully before saying to Zhang Huairong, "Do you think he is so unpromising?"

"It's not that my nephew doesn't think it's a good idea, but this is too far-fetched!"

Zhang Huairong also wanted to give it a try, but no matter how he thought about it, he felt that it was too difficult and almost impossible to do.

Even if Fanhe was captured, how many soldiers and horses of Ganzhou would be killed in battle? How long would it take to train the lost soldiers and horses?
Rather than gambling on uncertainty here, it is better to train the troops honestly for two years and wait for the army to march east in two years.

"I can't imagine how Liu Jilong won the game..."

Zhang Yichao smiled bitterly, but finally said: "It's just that he is so confident, we might as well believe him."

"Even if he loses, with Huai Shen covering his rear, and the road to Yanzhi Mountain is about to be repaired, retreating should not be difficult."

"But this..." Zhang Huairong wanted to continue, but Zhang Yichao raised his hand to interrupt:
"If we lose, it will just mean postponing the Eastern Expedition for a year or two."

"But if I win..."

Zhang Yichao stood up and paced back and forth, his eyes burning: "If we win, our army will have a firm foothold east of Yanzhi Mountain, and then it will be Shang Moling who will be anxious."

Zhang Yichao was skeptical about whether Zhang Huaishen and his men could recapture Fanhe, but if Zhang Huaishen and his men really took Fanhe, it would undoubtedly be a thorn in Liangzhou.

If Shang Moling and his men did not want to see Fanhe provide food and fodder for the future Eastern Expedition Army, they must gather their forces to attack Fanhe.

Since Liu Jilian was confident that he could defend Fanhe, there must be some truth to that.

Even if Fanhe City cannot be defended, Shang Moling will have to pay a huge price in casualties if he wants to capture Fanhe City, and that is enough.

"Put this matter on hold for now, and don't tell anyone else in Dunhuang!"

Zhang Yichao stood up, snatched the letter from Zhang Huairong, lit it with candlelight and threw it into the incense burner.

"If we don't tell them, it's fine if we win, but if we lose, they'll probably argue again."

Zhang Huairong looked worried, and Zhang Yichao watched the letter burn to ashes before he slowly spoke:

"Then Liu Jilong is right. The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for us to recover Liangzhou."

"If we don't send troops now, we will have to wait until two years later."

"Will we be able to recapture Liangzhou in two years?"

He asked Zhang Huairong in return, but Zhang Huairong hesitated and couldn't say anything.

Zhang Yichao walked back to his seat and sat down: "Since you are not sure, why not take a gamble?"

Hearing this, Zhang Huairong stopped talking, and Zhang Yichao also opened the document book, ready to handle government affairs.

Zhang Huairong bowed helplessly and left. When he walked out of the inner hall, he looked back at his uncle, then looked up at the bright sky above Dunhuang.

"Liu Jilong, you'd better win..."

(End of this chapter)