Chapter 66: White Wolf's First Strike

  Thanks for " Zhao Wu Xu 2014" three consecutive blows.

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  At the end of October, the cold wind was biting and the sky was overcast with a threat of snow. Tian Yu returned to Bailing Castle at this time, bringing with him 3,000 dan of military rations from the first season and 500 dan of fodder. In addition to more than 300 laborers who followed him, there were also 1,200 newly recruited soldiers.

  These soldiers were all recruited from Liaodong, mostly young and strong men who fled from the disaster-stricken areas of Qing, Yan, Ji, and Yu to escape the chaos. The area of Liaodong was not small, with many county towns, but how could they make a living with tens of thousands of refugees suddenly pouring in? For these young and strong men, joining the army was the best way out. If so many young and strong men poured into the territory of the Central Plains warlords, it would be a windfall for them to recruit soldiers. But Gongsun Du was different, his ambition was only in Liaodong - not that he had such limited ambition, but because Gongsun Zan blocked his way south, unless he defeated Gongsun Zan, otherwise he couldn't touch the Central Plains.

  At this time, Gongsun Zan was still a fierce tiger in the eyes of all the lords, and although he had been defeated by Yuan Shao, a dead tiger would not fall down, let alone just being injured. Gongsun Du asked himself if he was not an opponent for the White Horse General, and Liaodong was a place that was very peaceful except for occasional disturbances from the Xianbei and Wuhuan, so it was unlikely that he could maintain such a large army. In those days, military expenditure was a headache for any state or county.

  Of course, Gong Sun Du has a large number of troops at his disposal, but that doesn't mean he will let Ma Han recruit and train soldiers without restriction. His goal is to bring in a fierce watchdog, not a ferocious wolf. The difference between a wolf and a dog lies in one chain, and he can't loosen this chain.

  Gongsun Du set the upper limit of the quota for the soldiers in Baima City at 2,000 people. Baima City originally had 800 cavalry and infantry, plus 1,200 new recruits, exactly 2,000 in total.

  Ma Xun's recruitment plan, led by Tian Yu, was for 2,000 people, but they only managed to get 1,200, barely over half. Although it was a bit disappointing, seeing these new soldiers strong and healthy, equipped with standard county weapons: long spears, wooden shields, bows and arrows, waist knives, and some thin armor and horses, made Ma Xun think that Gong Sun Du had done enough. Of course, if Ma Xun wanted to recruit more soldiers, it wasn't impossible, but first, he couldn't go to Liaodong to recruit, second, Gong Sun Du only took care of the expenses for 2,000 people and horses, and any more would be unfair, you have to solve it yourself. Moreover, there was an unspoken problem, even if the White Wolf Camp was a guest army, some implicit rules shouldn't be broken too quickly - the number of stationed troops was one of them.

  Under current conditions, 2,000 troops is the upper limit for the White Wolf Battalion.

  At the time of Tian Yu's recruitment, new soldiers had already been tested for their various abilities, and 600 new soldiers who were slightly familiar with riding and shooting were selected as cavalry. The other half was infantry. In this way, the White Wolf Camp would have 1,000 cavalry and infantry each, totaling 2,000 men and horses.

  The White Wolf Camp has built enough tents and earthen houses to accommodate three thousand soldiers. As soon as the new recruits arrive, they are led away by officers of various ranks to be settled in. Three days later, Ma Xun convened a military administration meeting at the City Defense Command's main hall, attended by officials from all levels of White Wolf City, Han Gou's veteran warriors, and Taishi Ci, who was present as a guest minister.

  The main hall of the city defense command is not large, with a simple structure, just a rectangular hall. The military and government officials are divided into four rows on both sides, kneeling and sitting, which can accommodate about 20-30 people, which is enough.

  Ma Huan, as the riding attendant of Liaodong County and the defender of Bailing City, presided over the meeting. On the left were the officers of the Bailing Army, such as Tang Nu, Wu Zhui, Han Xi, etc.; on the right were the officials of Bailing City led by Tian Yu, including old men from the Hange Department, Mu Ji, Yu De, Tao Liang, Meng Yuan, Ma Jun, and others.

  Ma Huan stood in the center, with a large silk map hanging behind him, which was as big as a bed. This map was compiled by Ma Huan from the maps of You and Ji states he had obtained from Yuan Shao, his own hand-drawn maps, and various maps drawn by Tian Yu's subordinates on their way to Liaodong. There were two obvious red circles on the map, one for Bailing City and the other for Xiangping City. At this moment, Ma Huan held a long whip and explained the current situation to the military and political leaders of Bailing City for the first time.

  “……In the past month, Yanmen Budugen's base camp has been set up below Pohan Mountain in the north of Bohai Sea, and has repeatedly clashed with the Kebi Neng's base camp, resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries. If it weren't for the approaching winter, there would definitely be a big battle between the two sides. However, judging from the current situation where both sides are flexing their muscles, there will definitely be a war next summer or autumn. Moreover, at that time, the Xianbei tribes of Liaodong, Liaoxi and Miga, such as Xianbei Jili, Xianbei Sulie, and Miga, will also join in the fight. The internal conflict between the three Xianbei tribes is worth fighting for. At present, Kebi Neng is bedridden with illness and cannot attend to matters, so our northern enemy has lost its power to attack us again, and the threat from the north has dissipated on its own.”

  Tan Nu, Wu Zhui, Han Xi and others exchanged a glance, their faces filled with uncontainable delight. Mu Ji, Yu De, Tao Liang, Meng Yuan and others let out a long sigh of relief, their faces full of joy.

  Ma Xun's gaze swept lightly over the faces of the crowd, and he coughed softly. The long whip in his hand struck a certain place on the map with a loud thud, causing the wooden board supporting the map to emit a crisp crackling sound: "Gentlemen, don't be too early to rejoice. Just because the northern wolf doesn't bite anymore, it doesn't mean that the western dog won't bare its teeth. Here - Pinggang! That's our real threat."

  "Ugh...long..." Two words escaped from between Tang Nu's teeth.

  Ma Huan's face was cold and stern, the whip in his hand drew a circle on Ping Gang's position: "That's right, it's this Wu Yan who stabbed us in the back. Everyone look, from Ping Gang to the southeast, along the White Wolf Valley, less than 300 miles away is the White Wolf City. In other words, if Wu Yan wants to harm us, a fast horse can rush there in two days and nights at most."

  Tang Nu almost jumped up: "What? Wuyan this rubbish actually dares to come!"

  The old man Muji glared at him, and Tanu still had a respectful heart for this master, and also realized his own loss of composure, and quickly knelt down obediently.

  Ma Xun said calmly, "I don't dare to confirm whether Wuyan will come this year, but I can be certain that he will definitely come next year. I have received news that he has broken an arrow and sworn an oath in front of the entire tribe, vowing to personally behead the killer who killed his son, so he will definitely come."

  Breaking an arrow is a solemn oath of the nomads, and once spoken, it must be fulfilled. Everyone's heart was heavy with foreboding.

  "So, I won't wait for him to take out his knife, but instead, I'll strike first and kill him at his doorstep!"

  Tian Yu's eyes lit up: "Take the initiative, great! Good courage."

  Ma Chao smiled and said: "Without the 1,200 elite soldiers brought back by Guo Si, I wouldn't dare to use this strategy of striking first."

  "Right! Strike first and gain the upper hand, damn it!"

  Ma Hu pointed to a place on the map: "While attacking Gan Yu, we must take down this city - Wen Cheng. This is the old nest of Hou Neng Shi, the right general of the Wuyuan Department, and now his uncle Neng Shi Yu is in charge of the department. This is the ear and backhand of Wuyuan, once Wuyuan attacks Bai Lang City, or our Bai Lang Camp advances to Ping Gang, Neng Shi Yu will come from behind and entangle us, even heavily damage us. This thorn must be pulled out.

  "Will simultaneous attacks by separate forces be... too hasty?"

  Ma Xun said decisively, "We must strike at the same time, otherwise it's easy to leak news, and...". Ma Xun smiled with a hint of playfulness, "We're not alone in this, Liao Xi has no shortage of helpers."

  Assistant? Everyone looked at each other in dismay, but Ma Xun and Tian Yu remained calm.

  Tai Shi Zi, who had been quiet all along, suddenly said: "If we're going to do it, we must hurry. Looking at the sky, there will be a big snowfall within ten days."

  Ma Xun heavily knocked his head, whipped out a long whip and slapped it on the case, making a loud cracking sound: "Now I order!"

  Everyone stood up straight.

  "Tomorrow, I will lead three hundred White Wolf cavalry to launch a surprise attack on Pinggang. Leave five hundred infantrymen to guard the city, and one hundred cavalrymen divided into two teams, advancing separately to the south-facing Guangcheng Black Mountain and the north-facing Mashan Road, monitoring the direction of Liu City and Youbei Ping. The remaining one hundred White Wolf cavalry and one thousand horse infantry will be led by Tian Chang to capture Wencheng."

  Tao Liang anxiously said: "Cheng You led only three hundred cavalry, isn't that a bit too few? Moreover, Wen Cheng's Wuhuan people are not few either, it is said that there are nearly a thousand skilled archers."

  Ma Xun waved his hand calmly: "Soldiers are valuable for their quality, not quantity. Besides, I said earlier that we have helpers. If it weren't for worrying about insufficient troops and being unable to hold down Wen Cheng after taking it, I would have taken action long ago. This battle, from the first day I entered White Wolf City, I began preparing, I dare not say I'm fully confident, but I have 70-80% confidence, please don't worry, gentlemen."

  Since Ma Yuan said so, with his prestige, naturally no one disagreed.

  Ma Xian swept his gaze around, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light, his voice colder than the winter wind outside: "I will use this battle to make the Xianbei and Wuhuan people understand one thing - if I am bitten in autumn, Ma Xian will not put off revenge until winter!"