Chapter 5 The Allied Forces of the Kwantung Army Approach

  That night, Hu Zhi gathered all military officers above the rank of Sima for a banquet, with over sixty people in attendance, making it a lively and bustling scene.

  At the banquet, the envoy who came to comfort the troops publicly read Dong Zhuo's edict. Except for Hu Zhi, Hua Xiong and Luo Zheng who were granted additional titles, other generals also received rewards, those who should be promoted were promoted, and women who should be rewarded were rewarded, all were overjoyed.

  Luo Zheng was directly appointed as a school lieutenant, which was an unexpected joy.

  I thought at most it would be promoted one level, and being a military governor would be the end of it.

  Unexpectedly, Dong Zhuo was so generous and directly promoted him to Colonel, saving a lot of trouble.

  After the banquet dispersed, Luo Zheng, who was drunk and dizzy, was sent to a mansion by Hu Zhu.

  According to the Han military system, the Colonel was already a high-ranking officer, with a rank equivalent to 2,000 stones, and on an equal level with the Governor.

  Since Dong Zhuo entered the capital, the court has been in chaos, and countless generals and military officers have been appointed. The various lords have also freely granted titles to their subordinates, making a mess of the official system. There are as many military officers as there are hairs on an ox, and generals are everywhere.

  But in the army, officers of this rank still enjoy the corresponding treatment.

  To say nothing of other things, at Xingyang Pass only generals with a rank of Colonel or above could have their own official residences.

  "The little man sees the general!"

  Luo Zheng had not yet entered the mansion when Chen Tong and several of his men came out to greet him.

  "Chen Tong, what are you doing here?"

  Luo Zheng was astonished, his promotion to school lieutenant had not been known to anyone yet.

  Chen Tongxi couldn't help but say, "General Hui, it's Hu Zhen who sent someone to tell us that the general has been promoted to Xiaowei and will have his own mansion at Xishui Pass. He wants us to come over and serve under him."

  "Not bad!"

  Luo Zheng nodded, and suddenly felt enlightened.

  Anxiang Hu Zhi may not be a good general, but he is quite skilled at winning people's hearts.

  It suddenly occurred to me that anyone who can reach a high position, who is not a fool. If you don't know how to win people's hearts, who will be willing to risk their lives for you? Dong Zhuo was like this, Hu Zhi was like this, and I think the other generals under Dong Zhuo were also like this.

  Upon entering the inner courtyard, two women in their twenties came forward to attend to him and help him get ready for bed.

  Two women were both wearing coarse linen clothes, with thick calluses on their hands, and they looked ordinary, slightly older than usual. They should be farm wives. Moreover, they seemed to be timid and fearful, with a deep-seated fear in their eyes, as well as helplessness and despair towards life.

  "You all go to sleep, don't worry about me!"

  Luo Zheng waved his hand and didn't have the intention of touching them.

  Two women were sent by Hu Zhi's men, although it was said that there were no women in the army, but the Western Cool Army discipline was somewhat lax, and the general-in-chief even had a few women in the temporary mansion.

  As for the woman who was robbed, she can only wait for fate's arrangement.

  They were all pitiful people, Luo Zheng didn't want to hurt them.

  There are 30,000 troops at the Wei Water Pass, with 10,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry.

  Cavalry assisted infantry in defending the city, but were not responsible for patrolling the walls.

  In wartime, go out and fight; in peacetime, stay in barracks and wait for orders, with nothing much to do.

  Luo Zhengxin was promoted to a new official position and rose through the ranks. The next day, he arrived at the camp and made a tour of inspection, summoning all officers above the rank of Du Bo to a small meeting. He spoke some empty words encouraging everyone to bravely kill the enemy and achieve meritorious deeds. Then, accompanied by Chen Tong and over a dozen personal guards, he returned to his official residence.

  After defeating Sun Jian's 8,000-strong vanguard army, he finally got a rare rest of over ten days.

  Luo Zhengyu had nothing to do on either side, so he seized the opportunity to practice his martial arts, occasionally taking time out to tend to his vegetable garden.

  The importance of martial arts is self-evident, it's not only a means to achieve success and fame, but also a skill for self-protection and survival.

  To survive on the battlefield, one must practice martial arts well no matter what.

  Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the Zishui Pass has been very quiet all along.

  Although Hu Zhen was not good at commanding troops, he knew that the rebels in Guandong were just around the corner and could attack at any time. He sent out scouts to closely monitor the rebels' every move, so as not to be caught off guard.

  But Sun Jian, after escaping that night, ran in the dark for dozens of miles without direction, until dawn, and then turned to find Cheng Pu who had also escaped, learned that Huang Gai and Han Dang were captured, and could not help but sigh longingly, with sorrow rising from within.

  Recalling the grand ambitions when I first raised my army, now reduced to defeat and fleeing for my life, how can I not sigh with regret?

  Han Dang, Huang Gai and Zu Mao, three of Sun Jian's most trusted generals, were all killed at the Battle of Xiapi, causing Sun Jian great distress.

  Recalling the three generals' unwavering loyalty over the years, following him through thick and thin in battles across the land, although they were his subordinates, their bond was stronger than that of brothers, now fallen on the battlefield, Sun Jian couldn't help but shed tears.

  Soldiers can be recruited again, but a capable and loyal general is not easily obtained.

  However, Sun Jian was a hero of his generation and soon rallied, gathering the defeated soldiers who had fled back, and in about five days, he gathered nearly a thousand remaining soldiers. Along with Cheng Pu, who brought over a thousand defeated soldiers, they rushed straight to Xiangguo, planning to reassess the situation once they arrived at the allied army's camp.

  Three days later, they arrived at the Allied Army's large camp.

  Sun Jian rushed straight into the central army and arrived at Yuan Shao's large tent, where all the lords were present.

  "Why didn't you, sir, issue grain and fodder, resulting in the defeat of our troops and the loss of the Allied Army's morale?"

  Sun Jian's eyes widened in anger as he rushed up to Yuan Shu and sternly interrogated him.

  This defeat was indeed due to being ambushed by the Western Liang army and being caught off guard, but the main reason was that Yuan Shu believed in false words and did not provide grain to Sun Jian's vanguard army, which caused the military morale to be unstable, and then took advantage of the situation.

  Otherwise, Sun Jian, who had been on many battles for years, would not be easily ambushed by others.

  Yuan Shu knew he was in the wrong and looked around awkwardly, saying "I also believed the slander of a minor person, Wen Tai please don't blame me."

  Sun Jian drew his sword and said in a stern voice, "Who is it that dares to deceive me? What benefit is there in keeping such a petty person around? Who exactly is behind this scheme? I demand you bring them out, and I will kill them with one stroke of my sword to comfort the spirits of my deceased generals."

  Yuan Shu's face turned red with rage and he let out a cold snort.

  The various lords also came forward one after another to comfort him, and pulled Sun Jian aside to sit down.

  After a discussion among the crowd, the grain and grass were already ready, and it was decided to march westward immediately and take the Ze Water Pass.

  Five days later, all the vassals raised an army of 300,000 men and marched towards the Ze Water Pass.

  Sun Jian was left with nearly a thousand defeated soldiers, and had no choice but to borrow three thousand troops from Yuan Shu, which made him less embarrassed.

  Yuan Shu was in the wrong from the start. Previously, Sun Jian had killed Zhang Zi, the governor of Nanyang, and helped Yuan Shu seize Nanyang, so they were on good terms. Now that Sun Jian was down on his luck, Yuan Shu readily agreed to his request for a loan of troops, giving him 3,000 soldiers.

  Five days later, the 300,000-strong Kwantung Army arrived at a place twenty miles west of Zishui Pass and set up camp. As far as the eye could see, the area east of Zishui Pass was filled with dense military camps, stretching for tens of miles, a magnificent sight to behold.

  There were scouts who reported the movements of the Guandong Allied Army to the pass, and Hu Zhi was shocked and lost his color. The Guandong Allied Army had a mighty momentum, but unexpectedly, there were 300,000 troops. He hastily sent an urgent report to Luoyang while summoning all generals to discuss countermeasures.

  The Chinese military headquarters.

  Hu Zhi took his seat at the head of the hall, with military officers above the rank of Sima standing on either side.

  Luo Zheng attended this high-level military meeting for the first time and sat in the sixth seat on the left side, which was still considered a relatively forward position.

  Hu Zhi scanned the generals under his command, and said in a solemn voice, "Now the rebel army from Guandong has launched an attack with 300,000 troops, ten times the strength of our army. The situation is critical. How should we respond to the enemy? Do any of you have a good strategy to defeat them?"

  There is a saying that "the Kwantung Army's military strength is ten times that of our army, and it can only be taken by strategy, not by force."

  "What's the plan for capturing him?"

  That general hesitated for a moment before awkwardly saying "I haven't thought of a good solution yet either."

  Hua Xiong, the leader of the vanguard, shouted loudly: "My Western Liang Iron Cavalry shakes the world with its might, undefeated in battle and invincible in attack. The rebel army from Guandong may be numerous, but they are nothing more than a bunch of chickens and dogs, a mob of rabble. What is there to fear?"

  All the generals who heard it were inspired and their spirits lifted.

  Yes, the Western Liang Iron Cavalry shook the world with its might. How could they be afraid of those ragtag rebels from Guandong?

  Just heard that 300,000 troops were shocked for a moment.

  At this time, they came back to their senses and immediately became spirited, rubbing their fists and palms.

  Hu Zhen was infected by this atmosphere and his spirit was greatly lifted, and he immediately became ambitious.

  At this time, the Western Liang army had not suffered a single defeat since following Dong Zhuo to occupy Luoyang, so it's no wonder that these generals were full of energy. Before being severely attacked head-on, no one took the Guandong army seriously.

  Lu Zheng then rolled his eyes and was speechless.

  The Kwantung Army is definitely not a ragtag bunch, and even if it were a hastily assembled mob, the number of 300,000 cannot be underestimated.

  These Western Liang generals all thought that the Western Liang Iron Cavalry was invincible under the heavens, and dared to look down on heroes from all over the world.

  Lu Zheng shook his head secretly. Although Dong Zhuo's subordinates did have a few wise and insightful men, they absolutely did not include the people present here.

  Zhang Liao and Xu Huang are a few of the truly great generals, but now they don't even know where to go, and have not yet made a name for themselves.

  Hu Zhen had some ability, but in terms of commanding troops and going to war, he was truly not suited for it.

  Luo Zheng did not speak, quietly observing the dozens of officers present, and found that although the vast majority of officers did not take the Kwantung Army seriously, there were a few officers who showed concern, clearly not optimistic.

  It's strange that no one reminded him.

  Lu Zhengluo thought for a moment and suddenly understood.

  Now Hu Zhi and his subordinates are all in high spirits, at this time to pour cold water, not only will it not work, but also will cause Hu Zhi and the majority of the generals' displeasure. This kind of unappreciated hard work is naturally something that no one wants to do.

  "When the commander is not of one mind, how can he avoid defeat?"

  Lu Zheng shook his head and became even more determined in his mind.

  Hu Zhen arranged the details of the city defense and ended this not very long military meeting.

  Luo Zheng did not go to the government house, but instead went directly to the military camp, gathering his two thousand cavalrymen to intensify their training, sharpening their swords and feeding their war horses in preparation for the impending great battle.

  The wars of the Cold War era have been going on for a long time. The evolution of strategy and tactics is almost the crystallization of human progress.

  From the earliest chariot and horse slaughter to the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, when the military saint Sun Wu changed the mode of war, the purpose of military warfare became clearer and more definite. For victory, it can be said that nothing was spared.

  Thus, many masters of military strategy emerged in response to the situation.

  Wu Qi, Sun Bin, and Zhao Wuling Wang are all great military strategists in Chinese history, who have played a crucial role in the evolution of warfare, making it more focused on details, with greater emphasis on coordination between troops and tactics.

  All sorts of tactics and strategies have emerged one after another, and by the pre-Han period, a relatively complete system had been formed.

  Especially the pre-Qin Zhao Wuling Wang, this ruler of Zhao's 'Hu Fu Qi She' directly promoted and changed the mode of warfare from chariot warfare to large-scale cavalry warfare, eliminating the war chariots that had been prevalent for hundreds of years.

  Later, Li Mei, Wang Jian and other peerless famous generals further perfected the use of cavalry. By the time of Emperor Wu of Han, famous Han generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing brought cavalry to its peak.

  Up to now, ancient people have summarized a complete system of war.

  Luo Zheng was learning from the experiences and wisdom of the ancients while training his troops, striving to enrich himself as soon as possible.

  War is not a child's play, as Sun Wu said, the way of war is a cunning one, on the battlefield everything can change in an instant and anything can happen.

  So the visible is not seen; what is used is not useful; the near is not near; the far is not far. What is advantageous can entice it, what is confusing can take it away, what is solid can guard against it, what is strong can avoid it, what has a strong momentum can disturb it, what is lightly regarded can make it arrogant, what is hidden can exhaust it, and what is intimate can separate it.

  Attack it where it is unguarded, strike it when it does not expect it.

  The outcome of war depends on heaven's timing, geographical advantage and harmony among people.

  The tactical application, however, depends on the commander's utilization of all favorable conditions. An excellent commander can make good use of all favorable conditions, including extreme schemes and psychological manipulation, and thus win; otherwise, he will lose.

  Luo Zheng didn't dare look down on ancient people's intelligence just because he was a transmigrator.

  War is not just about the application of strategy and tactics, but also about grasping and understanding human nature.

  Fathom the enemy commander's mind, character, style of action, and winning the support of his subordinates and soldiers, every detail affects the outcome of war, can not be ignored.

  It's easy to talk about it, but when you actually do it, you'll know how difficult it is.

  Therefore, in every era, there are only a handful of truly famous generals.

  If you read a few books on military strategy and think war is nothing more than that, then it's just armchair theory.

  Zhuo Kuo is a typical example. The defeat at Changping left the most vivid negative teaching material for later generations.

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