Chapter 100: One Move, Three Gains

  "Divide the troops into two routes!" Liu Bei waved his hand and said with a tone that brooked no doubt, "The infantry will head west from here, taking the road to Shan County, and directly arrive at Anyi. The cavalry will cross over Zhongtiao, advancing stealthily, and launch a surprise attack on Huangzhong." He looked around at the various generals: "I need a general who is familiar with the local terrain to serve as the vanguard."

  Lü Bu stood up, and before he could speak, Zhang Chao burst out laughing. "Don't tease me, I know you're from Pingzhou, but your family is in Wuyuan, so you must be familiar with this place too? I dare say that before this, you've never been here."

  Lü Bu smiled proudly: "That's right, I haven't been here before. However, there are local soldiers under my command who can lead me to the most suitable route." He paused and continued: "Your Majesty, I am a wolf from the north, and wolves do not get lost."

  Liu Bian smiled: "I believe in your ability, however, you can't just think about yourself and strive for merit, leaving us behind in the mountains."

  "That won't do." Lü Bu hastily patted his chest and said, "This time, I will absolutely stay within sight of Your Majesty."

  Liu Bian agreed, and immediately had Jia Xu and Zhang Liao escort Tang Yi and Cai Yan along the north bank of the Yellow River, slowly heading west. He himself led Lü Bu, Zhang Chao and others, and plunged into the dense forest of Zhongtiao Mountain.

  Lü Bu was not wrong, his heavenly wolf's life was not only reflected in his combat ability, but also had a talent for finding roads that ordinary people could hardly match. The local guides sometimes were not as reliable as his intuition, standing at the fork in the road, he just needed to take a few breaths and he could feel which way was more suitable for marching. This point convinced everyone, including Zhang Xiu who usually liked to compete with him.

  ……

  "Two generals, listen to my advice and withdraw." Xun Yu earnestly said to Guo Tai and Yang Feng: "Anyi City is solid, and reinforcements are about to arrive. The morale of the soldiers is high, and it will be difficult to break through in a short time. Attacking the city will only increase casualties, so why not plunder around the city first, then retreat back to Baibo Valley, train and rest the troops, and fight again next year? Wouldn't that be better?"

  Guo Tai remained silent, but Yang Feng glanced at Xun Yu and laughed loudly: "Xun Gongda, you are also a proud son of the Xun family, how can you be so timid? Even if the imperial court sends reinforcements, what's the big deal? Ten thousand infantry and cavalry, can they really defeat our army of 40,000 to 50,000? Even if we can't win, when he arrives, we can retreat then. If we retreat now, what if he turns back halfway, wouldn't that ruin the alliance lord's plan?"

  Xun Yu shook his head helplessly, encountering such an unreasonable lord, he was simply out of luck.

  "If the general is determined to fight, then we can't just wait and see, it's better to take the initiative to attack."

  "This is about right, you tell me, how should we take the initiative?"

  Xun Yu moved to the front of Yang Feng's case and pointed at the map, saying: "General, from Luoyang to Anyi there are two paths. One path is along the Yellow River upstream, crossing Maotian, to Shanzhou and then northward. This path is far away and has the danger of Duanzhu, but it has official roads providing supplies, and the journey is relatively convenient. The other path is along the western foot of Wangwu Mountain, passing through Zhongtiao, directly to Dongchiwei, following the Xishui River westward, and inserting into the back of our army."

  Yang Feng and Guo Tai exchanged a glance, and Guo Tai hesitated before saying: "The mountains of Zhongtiao are high and the forests are dense, I'm afraid it's not suitable for marching?"

  "Generally speaking, it is so, but among the generals under Huangfu Song's command, there are not a few young men from Hedong who are familiar with the terrain of Zhongtiao Mountain. Moreover, the soldiers from Longxiang are from the border areas and can endure hardships. Climbing mountains and crossing ridges is not impossible for them. Once they take this path, suddenly appearing behind us..."

  Yang Feng put down his wine cup and stared at Guo Tai. Guo Tai fell silent for a moment, nodded, indicating that Xun Yu's words were indeed possible.

  However, crossing the Zhongtiao Mountains is not a smooth journey, they must rest for a while to regain their strength before setting off again. Seeing Yang Feng and Guo Tai's reaction, Xun Yu let out a sigh of relief and continued: "If the general can take advantage of the terrain at Dongpi Slope, he will surely achieve a great victory."

  "Am I going personally?" Yang Feng furrowed his brow, looking somewhat displeased. Xun Yu's plan seemed to be a veiled suggestion for him to retreat. From An Yi to Dongchi Slope, wasn't that essentially retreating? "Just an ambush, is it necessary to have so many troops?"

  "General, ambushing the reinforcements is only one aspect." Xun Yu explained: "Our army's full-scale retreat has multiple purposes. In addition to concentrating our forces to ambush the reinforcements coming from Zhongti, we also have the effect of luring out Niu Fu from the city. If Niu Fu comes out of the city to pursue us, General can launch a head-on attack and capture Anyi City. If Niu Fu does not pursue us, thinking that our army has retreated, he may notify the reinforcements to return. If the reinforcements do not return but enter Anyi City instead, then General has still accomplished the task of containment, why not take pleasure in it?"

  Yang Feng's eyes lit up as he listened, and he praised: "Gong Da is indeed a worthy son of the Xun family. This plan achieves three things at once, it's truly ingenious."

  Kuo Tai also nodded repeatedly, praising Gao Ming highly.

  ……

  Three days later, Liu Bian stood at the northern foot of Zhongtiao Mountain, beside Dongping Pool.

  "Your Majesty, going north from here is Juye, and going south is Wenxi, both are within half a day's journey." Lü Bu smiled all over his face: "When... when do we set off?"

  "Don't be impatient." Liu Bei glanced at the eager Lü Bu: "Before a fierce battle, we should let our soldiers nourish their spirits first. I say, General Wolf, isn't it time for you to go hunting?"

  Lü Bu's face suddenly turned sour. Because of his talent for leading the way, although few people knew he was a Heavenly Wolf except Liu Bei, many people began to call him General Wolf. He was very unhappy but had no way to shut everyone's mouths, so he could only resign himself to it. Now Liu Bei also called him General Wolf, making him feel even more depressed.

  "Wolves are the kings of the grasslands, nothing to be ashamed of." Liu Bian smiled and said: "Feng Xian, in the future when there is an opportunity, I plan to form a cavalry unit, called Wolf Cavalry, you will be the commander, what do you think?"

  "Really?" Lv Bu's eyes lit up instantly.

  "Of course." Liu Bian said, rubbing the mud off his hands: "The Central Plains are in great chaos, and those barbarians on the grasslands must be eager to move. How can we let them trample our good mountains and rivers? Once the situation in Luoyang is stabilized, I will personally lead an expedition to the north of the desert, and give them a good beating. To deal with cavalry, of course, cavalry is still the most suitable. I plan to form two or three thousand elite cavalry, named after fierce beasts such as wolves, bears, leopards, and tigers. The Wolf Cavalry will be light cavalry, and I think you are the most suitable person to be their commander. What do you think?"

  "I also think so." Lü Bu was overjoyed: "Your Majesty, you truly have the eyes of a god, able to discern people's hearts at a glance!"

  "But Lancers must not only be able to endure hardships like wolves, and make long-distance raids, but also have discipline like wolves, with the collective as the top priority, and cannot be a lone wolf. What do you think?"

  "I understand." Lü Bu patted his chest: "I'll go hunting now." After finishing speaking, he turned around and walked away with a heroic stride.

  Yang Xiu stared blankly and after a long while said: "Your Majesty, you can't be serious?"

  "Of course it's true." Liu Bian smiled and glanced at Yang Xiu: "You're so clever, you shouldn't be unable to figure out the reason behind this, right?"

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