Chapter 2: Offering Strategies to Defeat the Enemy

  Below the Wan Water Pass, corpses littered the ground.

  Sun Jian retreated his troops twenty miles after suffering a defeat and set up camp to gather the remaining soldiers and prepare for another battle the next day.

  In about three days, after gathering the defeated troops, there were only 5,000 left. After several battles with the Western Liang army, nearly 3,000 more were lost.

  The eight thousand elite soldiers were the troops that Sun Jian had recruited with great difficulty, and after several battles, they had lost three thousand men. Sun Jian was heartbroken and hated not being able to immediately break through the Tong Pass, to avenge his deep-seated hatred.

  Hu Zhen won a battle, and was in high spirits, gathering his generals every day to drink wine, extremely joyful.

  Lu Zheng had the intention to remind Hu Zu to prepare for war, but unfortunately, his position was low and he didn't have the qualifications to attend military meetings, nor did he have the opportunity to advise Hu Zu, so he could only scold Hu Zu as a fool in his heart.

  Dong Zhuo came to a bad end, I think he was killed by Wang Yun's design.

  Lu Bu didn't care about Dong Zhuo's life or death, the problem was that since he was making a living under Dong Zhuo, he couldn't let Dong Zhuo be defeated and killed too early. He had to think of a way to drive back the Eastern Coalition Army; otherwise, how could he ensure his own safety?

  After Dong Zhuo's death, his generals fought each other, and the Guanzhong region was plagued by more than a decade of war.

  Lu Zheng is now a military marquis, and naturally does not want Dong Zhuo to die yet. If he must die, it would be better to wait until he becomes a general, has enough power to save his life, and can deal with the chaotic situation of the Guanzhong warlords before dying.

  The barracks is dull and suffocating, making people anxious.

  The soldiers could no longer bear it and ran out to plunder money or enter the house to vent their beastly desires.

  The Xiliang army was powerful in combat, but its discipline was lax and appalling. The reason for this was the bandit-like behavior of Dong Zhuo and his generals, which turned the entire Xiliang army into a bandit force.

  Hua Xiong led his personal troops on an inspection tour of the military camp and found that nearly half of the cavalry regiment under his command was empty, suddenly bursting into a rage.

  "Beat the drum for me."

  Hua Xiong stood at the gate of the camp, shouting loudly and killing intent was rising.

  The intense sound of war drums soon exploded in the camp, shaking the cavalry regiment into a frenzy.

  "Hurry up and assemble."

  Luo Zheng rushed out of the camp and shouted loudly. The two hundred soldiers under him immediately ran out and lined up, heading to the drill ground to assemble.

  Hua Xiong grasped the hilt of his sword, wore a heavy armor, and stood majestically on the commander's platform. His cold eyes scanned the soldiers rushing into the school field with a fierce gaze, his anger growing more intense, so angry that he almost drew his sword to kill someone.

  Outside the school grounds, a team of two hundred soldiers marched in and stood in formation under the commander's platform.

  Hua Xiong took a glance and saw that it was Luo Zheng, and nodded to himself in secret. This kid's troops were not bad, the two hundred cavalry under his command were one of the most disciplined units under his own banner, they just lacked numbers a bit.

  Soldiers who went out to look for fun also returned to their camps upon hearing the gathering drumbeats.

  It lasted for more than half an hour.

  Hua Xiong gazed at the three thousand cavalrymen gathered before him, his face not only devoid of joy but growing increasingly somber. Once everyone had arrived, he suddenly let out a loud roar, "Bring them here! Drag these good-for-nothings outside the camp and give them thirty military lashes!"

  "Spare his life, General! Spare his life!"

  Dozens of officers were frightened and cried out in alarm, hastily kowtowing to beg for mercy.

  Thirty military sticks, although they can't kill a person, are absolutely not light. Even if these officers are strong and robust, taking thirty military sticks will peel off a layer of skin. Now is the time of war, getting injured means death.

  "Pull it down and hit me hard."

  Hua Xiong let out a loud roar, and immediately dozens of his personal soldiers stepped forward, dragging more than ten officers away.

  Lu Zheng's heart was filled with a chill, and he secretly thought it was fortunate that his soldiers hadn't gone out to look for fun, otherwise the thirty military sticks would have come down and they might not have been able to make it onto the battlefield. Even if they had managed to bring their injuries into battle, most of them probably wouldn't have survived.

  Soon, a shrill and mournful cry echoed across the campus.

  The low-ranking officers who narrowly escaped were secretly wiping cold sweat and calling themselves lucky.

  More than thirty officers were beaten until their skin was torn and flesh exposed, their faces deathly pale. After being flogged with rods, they still had to grit their teeth and form ranks again.

  Hua Xiong scanned the soldiers and generals below, his roar echoing in the training grounds, "This general is inspecting the camp defenses, you bunch of good-for-nothings actually dare to sneak out to find women, who gave you the guts?"

  Thousands of people were silent, no one dared to speak, and the school grounds were quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

  The officers who were beaten with the military stick dared not speak out, but in their hearts they were gnashing their teeth, "Damn it, you yourself have hidden no less than ten women in your own house, and yet you don't allow me to find a woman, how was I supposed to know you'd come for an inspection?"

  Luo Zheng was also secretly resentful, thinking that this was indeed a case of "officials being allowed to start fires while the common people were not even allowed to light lamps".

  Will be the soul of the soldiers.

  The kind of general you have determines the kind of soldiers you get.

  Hua Xiong was just a fierce general, not a good one, and the soldiers he led were also a bunch of lazy bones.

  Such an army is indeed fierce in combat, but it can't be considered a seasoned and elite force.

  Just as Hua Xiong finished reprimanding the soldiers and was about to leave, Luo Zhen seized the opportunity to speak up, "General, I have something to report."

  Hua Xiong glanced over and coldly said "Speak."

  "General, you are unmatched in bravery and martial prowess. You beheaded Zu Mao, the chief general under Sun Jian's command. Now that Sun Jian's rebel army has been newly defeated, our army has not engaged in battle for three days. Sun Jian must not be on guard, so we can take advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack on his camp and win the battle in one stroke."

  Hua Xiong nodded repeatedly, overjoyed in his heart, thinking that this young man not only had a good hand at leading troops but also knew how to flatter people to make them feel extremely comfortable. On the surface, however, he showed no emotion and scolded, "You dare to discuss military affairs, get out!"

  "General, this is a great opportunity to establish merit. Sun Jian is the vanguard of the rebellious army from Guandong. If you can defeat Sun Jian's vanguard in one battle, you will surely dampen the morale of the allied armies. This would be a great achievement. How can you let it slip by?"

  "What you said makes sense too."

  Hua Xiong stroked his beard and fell into deep thought. He then waved his hand and said, "Let me think about it when I get back. You may withdraw for now."

  Luo Zheng reluctantly stepped down.

  Hua Xiong returned to the temporary mansion, embracing the beautiful woman he had seized and pondering Luo's suggestion to raid the enemy camp. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He quickly got dressed and rushed to see Hu Zhi.

  Hu Zhizheng used the largest mansion inside Xingyuan Gate, with three courtyards, luxurious and majestic, with dozens or even hundreds of houses.

  Hua Xiong hastily rushed to the front of a mansion, but was blocked by his own soldiers. He angrily said, "Get out of my way! I have urgent military matters to report to General Hu. If we miss this opportunity, you will be held responsible!"

  "General Hua asks you to wait a moment, he is busy with something."

  "Anything I can help you with?"

  Hua Xiong was taken aback, and then he heard the faint sound of a man's heavy breathing and a woman's moaning coming from inside the house, and suddenly it dawned on him.

  "Damn it, he's messing with women even in broad daylight, he'll die at a woman's hands sooner or later."

  Hua Xiong cursed inwardly, but had long forgotten that he too had just come out of a woman's belly. Although anxious, he didn't dare touch Hu Zhen's head, so he could only pace back and forth at the door, waiting for Hu Zhen to finish.

  The loud growl and shout were soon followed by silence in the house.

  "Hua Xiong hastily shouted: 'General, I, Hua Xiong, have urgent military news to report.'"

  "Just a moment."

  A loud shout came from inside the house, and after a while, Hu Zhong rushed out of the door in disarray, asking loudly, "What's the matter? Is it that rebel Sun Jian leading his army to attack Guan City again?"

  Hua Xiong hastily said, "Sun Jian has never come to offend."

  Hu Zhi was taken aback, frowning in displeasure. "Even if Sun Jian hadn't led his army to attack, what business do you have here?"

  "Hua Xiong said, 'I report to the general, Sun Jian has just been defeated and his morale is low. Our army has not gone out to battle for three days, I reckon Sun Jian will not have made any preparations. I request permission to lead a night raid on the camp, we can certainly win in one battle and defeat Sun Jian's rebel army.'"

  Hu Zhi nodded and said, "General agreed, lead your troops to launch a surprise attack on the camp tonight, no mistakes allowed."

  Hua Xiong stepped forward and said, "I will take on this task."

  He turned around and strode away, going to the military camp to inspect the troops.

  Cavalry Regiment

  Luo Zheng led his two hundred men, carrying twenty kilograms of sandbags on their backs, running around the camp.

  People born in peaceful times are mostly idle and weak-limbed, panting after running a few steps.

  However, in this chaotic and war-torn late Han Dynasty, even women could easily lift 100 kg sandbags. Those robust soldiers carrying heavy loads of over 40 kg could run for tens of kilometers with physical strength not much inferior to that of special forces in later generations.

  As the lowest-ranking officer, in order to survive, one must use their brain and also possess extraordinary martial power.

  Luo Zheng insisted on exercising every day, and with each increase in strength, his chances of survival on the battlefield increased by one percent.

  The two hundred soldiers under his command also had to undergo training. The officer set an example, and the soldiers had nothing to complain about, persisting in their exercises every day. Alert soldiers found that fewer and fewer comrades were dying, and they trained with more energy.

  Outside the camp gate, a horseman came galloping quickly and shouted loudly: "The general has an order to summon all those above the rank of Doubo to attend a military council."

  "It's settled then, Hua Xiong has probably decided to attack the camp."

  Lu Zheng hurriedly stopped and wiped his sweat, quickly ran back to the camp to put on his leather armor, and headed to Hua Xiong's mansion.

  Hall of Deliberation

  Hua Xiong sat high on his case, with dozens of low-ranking officers above the rank of Du Bo sitting in two rows.

  Luo Zheng was a military marquis, seated in the right rear position, and below him were two other military marquises and several dukes.

  Dozens of officers were unclear and did not know what Hua Xiong had gathered to discuss, so they all looked at each other with their eyes.

  Hua Xiong scanned the surroundings and said, "Now that Sun Jian's rebel army has been newly defeated, their morale is greatly dampened. My intention is to start a surprise attack on their camp at night, defeat Sun Jian's rebel army in one move, behead the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, and present his head to the Prime Minister. Everyone should strive to kill the enemy."

  The generals and officers were suddenly enlightened, and it turned out that they wanted to raid the camp. They hastily agreed in unison.

  Lu Zhen saw that it was not good, Hua Xiong had bravery but no strategy. If they just snuck into the camp like this, he feared there would be no great victory to be gained. He hastily spoke up and said: "General, you can lead a thousand cavalrymen in a surprise attack on Sun Jian's main camp. Also prepare many torches as decoys for the enemy. Set an ambush at the place where the rebels must pass through when they abandon their camp and flee. When the rebels flee, take advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack and kill them all. We can definitely annihilate the rebel army in one move and capture Sun Jian."

  "This plan is excellent."

  The crowd of generals and officers all cheered, but with a hint of surprise in their eyes, they looked at Luo Zheng sideways.

  Hua Xiong also thought secretly that this little guy really had some clever ideas, and immediately nodded in agreement, saying "Good, let's go with this plan."

  At this time, all the generals dispersed and returned to their respective camps to tidy up their troops and prepare to sneak out of the city at night to launch a surprise attack.

  ——————————————————————

  New book needs care, seeking collection, recommendation votes, member clicks and so on, of course, rewards are better.

  As for updates, I have stored 150,000 words and will update twice a day, which should be relatively stable.

  Friends who haven't collected yet, hurry up and collect them, wait until they're fat enough before killing!

  ————————————————————