Reduce stove by 30%

  In the dry and desolate night, a bright moon hung high in the sky, the entire land was a silver-gray color, and the Han army officers wearing orange-red uniforms were rushing along the official road all night.

  Gao Ping led the 20,000 soldiers from Jizhou to quickly catch up with Fu Shuo and Gai Xun. The two groups immediately merged into one army. The baggage train was guarded by more than 700 elite cavalrymen led by Gao Ping, while the Han military officers marched in an orderly manner under the command of their respective military administrators.

  Gao Fei walked at the front of the team, with Fu Xie and Gai Xun by his side. Although they hadn't personally witnessed the scene of killing Zuo Chang in the evening, it wasn't hard to imagine that doing such a thing required courage. The two of them couldn't help but feel admiration for Gao Fei.

  "Gao Gao still had to thank the two adults again today, if it wasn't for the two adults lending me the previous imperial edict, I'm afraid I would have been empty-handed and hard to convince everyone. Also, this equipment of mine is also thanks to the two adults' gift." Gao Fei rode his horse forward while bowing his hands in gratitude towards Fu Xie and Ge Xun.

  Fu Xie and Gai Xun responded politely: "It's just a small effort, Lord Hou, no need to mention it."

  Behind Gao Fei were all his followers, so he dared to speak so boldly. He continued: "This statement is wrong. If it weren't for the two of you helping me out, I'm afraid I wouldn't have succeeded either. But don't worry, once the imperial court investigates this matter, I absolutely won't implicate the two of you..."

  "Master Hou is speaking as if he's treating us like outsiders. We're willing to help Master Hou with all our might because we understand his intentions. If the imperial court investigates, my friend and I are willing to take responsibility together with Master Hou and petition the Emperor to clarify the truth." Gai Yun hastily interrupted Gao Fei's words.

  Gao Fei said: "But I still feel guilty for implicating the two of you."

  Fu Xiantao said, "Lord Hou, do not be ashamed. Now we are all bound together like a swarm of locusts on a single rope. Since we have decided to help you with this matter, we will not fear being implicated. We are all loyal and devoted to the great Han dynasty. I believe that His Majesty will understand our good intentions. At worst, it's just a matter of losing our heads, but twenty years from now, we'll be heroes again."

  Gao Fei heard Fu Xie and Gai Xun speak in this manner, so he thought for a moment and said: "Since that's the case, let's just do it once and for all. Let's make the crime of Zu Chang colluding with the Qiang Hu barbarians to rebel true. Anyway, there's no one to testify against us after death. Even if the imperial court lets the?ξ investigate, as long as the two of you and I have consistent testimonies, I believe nothing will happen. This way, we can avoid being guilty of killing an official appointed by the imperial court, and the matter of forging the imperial edict will also be easier to explain. What do you think, gentlemen?"

  Fu Xie and Gai Xun were both benevolent gentlemen, and such baseless slander of others was something they couldn't bring themselves to do. However, with their lives hanging by a thread, and considering that Zu Chang was an insatiably greedy person, they felt it wasn't worth sacrificing their lives for someone like him. After exchanging a glance, the two men's eyes sparkled with a tacit understanding, and they nodded in unison, saying in perfect harmony: "The young master is right, let's settle it this way."

  Afterwards, the three of them chatted casually. As they talked, Gaifei discovered from Fu Shuo and Gai Xun's words that they were dissatisfied with the eunuch Shi Changshi in many ways. Although they were dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do about it. After all, they were always by the emperor's side and deeply favored by him. Even if they made mistakes, at most they would be fined some money. Those officials who had impeached Shi Changshi for his crimes against the country and the people had all been framed to death by these eunuchs.

  Gao Fei didn't like the officialdom of Eastern Han, nor did he want to mix in with the Kyoto crowd. Even if you were one of the three dukes and nine ministers, it was still like being on a production line, where changes in position happened frequently - today you might be a senior general, but tomorrow you could be a commoner. So for him, being an official in a local area was definitely not a bad choice, and a remote region like Liaodong would be the best choice of all.

  Liaodong, he once again unknowingly thought of Liaodong, that was the place where his soul was tied to, and also the place where he had a lingering attachment. He secretly made a vow, after pacifying the Liangzhou rebellion, he must go and occupy this piece of land in Liaodong.

  When the sun first rose, more than 20,000 troops stopped at the side of the road. After running for a night, they all felt tired, and the speed of their march was much slower than that of pure cavalry. The infantrymen were walking on foot, and the degree of hardship was naturally greater than that of the cavalry. However, Gao Fei could not abandon these infantrymen, who numbered 18,000. In an army of 20,000 people, there were only 2,000 cavalrymen, while the rest were archers, swordsmen, long spear soldiers and long halberd soldiers who formed a phalanx of infantry, which was a regular Han dynasty formation.

  One night withdrawal, Gao Fei also sent scouts to investigate in the back, he must know the situation of Beigong Boyu behind him. He knew that Beigong Boyu had already made a ruthless statement and would not give up unless he was captured alive. In addition, from what he learned about Beigong Boyu's character from Li Wenhou, he could not help but be on guard against the pursuit in the back while marching. However, fortunately, he now has 20,000 troops, even if Beigong Boyu comes after him, he is not afraid.

  When the sunlight shone into the woods by the roadside, through the withered branches reflected on Gao Fei's face, Zhao Yun rushed over from the side and bowed to Gao Fei: "Your Excellency, scouts reported that Beigong Boyu has set out from Xiangwu and is heading towards Jicheng, bringing nearly 10,000 cavalrymen!"

  Ten thousand cavalrymen were a bit of pressure for Gao Fei, who had once led three hundred cavalrymen and more than a thousand rebel cavalrymen to fight against the Qiang Hu rebels. He hastily stood up and said "Reconnaissance again" to Zhao Yun, then walked straight towards where Fu Xie and Ge Xun were.

  Fu Xie and Gai Xun were responsible for the logistics of transporting supplies on their journey. The food and drink for the 20,000-strong army were all taken care of by them. Gao Fei thought of a clever plan, but it was difficult to put into action without seeking help from Fu Xie and Gai Xun. Although Fu Xie and Gai Xun held civil positions, they came from good families and studied Confucian culture. As Confucian scholars, they had learned the six arts since childhood, which included archery and horsemanship. For them, although they had limited experience in battle, their martial skills were not inferior to others, and they naturally had a strong and resolute side to their character.

  Fu Xie and Gai Xun were sitting upright under the tree, both of whom were traveling at night for the first time. They were exhausted and drowsy, but they tried to boost their spirits. However, as soon as they relaxed, they unknowingly fell into a dreamland.

  "Are the two gentlemen sleeping soundly?" Gaofei came to the side of Fu Xie and Gai Xun, seeing that they were still snoring away, although he didn't want to wake them up, but things were urgent, so he couldn't care about that anymore.

  Gao Fei called out three times in a row, finally waking up Fu Xie and Gai Xun. Seeing that their eyes were filled with bloodshot, he said: "I've troubled you two gentlemen, the situation is special, I had no choice but to do so, please don't blame me!"

  Fu Xiu rubbed his eyes, forced himself to be spirited, stood up and cupped his hands: "Is it time to set off?"

  Gao Fei shook his head and said: "Before we set off, I'd like to ask the two of you to do one more thing."

  Gai Xun also stood up and asked: "Your Excellency, please give your orders. Now that Your Excellency is the Governor of Liangzhou, we are all under your jurisdiction, so there's no need to be polite."

  Gao Fei opened his mouth and said straightforwardly: "I would like to ask the two adults to make 2,000 stoves when the army sets out."

  "Stove?" Fu Xue and Gai Xun looked at Gao Fei in confusion, asking in unison.

  Gao Fei nodded and said, "I have received news that Beigong Boyu is leading 10,000 cavalrymen in pursuit from behind. With their full cavalry speed, I'm afraid they will soon catch up with our army. Those cavalrymen are all composed of Qiang Hu, who are very brave in battle. Ten thousand cavalrymen are indeed a considerable pressure on our two million horse infantry who have been marching continuously at night and are tired. So, I thought of an idea to make the rebels underestimate us, so that even if we are caught up, our army can launch a surprise attack and defeat them!"

  Fu Xie and Gai Xun, having studied poetry and military strategy, thought carefully and asked in unison: "Is the lord asking us to build a stove platform, perhaps to emulate Sun Bin's clever plan of reducing stoves?"

  Gao Fei smiled and said, "Exactly."

  Gai Xun said: "The Qiang and Hu are many, relying on their strength to bully the weak. Lord Hou's plan to reduce the camp is indeed the most suitable. However, since we want to do it this way, we must not arouse the suspicion of the rebel army. I think that Lord Hou can order the great army to march only thirty miles a day, and every time they arrive at a place, they will set up a camp. On the one hand, they can rely on the camp to resist the harassment of the rebel cavalry, and on the other hand, the soldiers can recover their strength in the camp. After three days, it will be almost believable, and the rebels will inevitably worry that our army will escape into Sanfu and launch an attack on the camp. At that time, we can take them by surprise and give them a blow!"

  Gao Fei listened and felt that Gai Xun's words were basically the same as his own thoughts, so he smiled: "Gai Zhangshi is indeed well-versed in military strategy, I admire you."

  Fu Xiu smiled and said: "This is all the credit of Master Hou, if it weren't for Master Hou's clever plan, how could we have drawn the calabash?"

  The three men looked at each other and smiled, and immediately Fu Xie and Gai Xun led two thousand people to a desolate place to build two thousand stoves. Then they fetched dry firewood from all directions and put a fire on each stove, burning the stoves black. The whole process took only a moment.

  Then Gaotang ordered the whole army to advance slowly, letting Fu Shuo and Bian Xi lead 1,000 infantrymen to escort the grain and luggage, and Zhao Yun led 500 cavalrymen to guard the rear of the team. After advancing slowly for thirty miles, Gaotang ordered the whole army to stop advancing, and then began to set up camp in an open space, constantly sending scouts to explore Beigong Boyu's situation.

  Half a time later, the soldiers set up the big camp and cut down many trees from the surrounding bare woods to make deer horns, refuse horses and other obstacles to hinder the cavalry, surrounded by the big camp, and there were many bowmen in the big camp, guarding the big camp with great vigilance.

  Just past noon, the large camp began to bury pots and cook meals. This time, the number of stoves was only 1,500, which is far less than 500 in the morning. According to the number of people who can be fed by a stove at that time, ten soldiers can eat per stove. Just from the number of stoves, it can be seen that the number of troops is not large.

  After eating, the soldiers took turns standing guard and resting. The scouts returned one after another, then went out again one after another. Gao Fei placed a scout every ten miles, they walked nearly eighty miles that night, plus the distance from Xiangwu to Jicheng, it was about 156 miles. Every time a scout came back to report, he knew that Beigong Boyu's cavalry team and he were getting closer by ten miles.

  Bei Gong Bo Yu led 10,000 cavalry to arrive at Xiangwu yesterday, but what he saw was the empty city of Xiangwu and hundreds of corpses on the streets. He knew what had happened after seeing this scene, rested for a night, and set off from Xiangwu towards Jicheng at dawn.

  After galloping for seventy or eighty miles, the group finally arrived at Jicheng at noon. They saw that the city gate of Jicheng was tightly closed, and the Han army's large flag on the city tower was still waving in the wind. On the city wall, soldiers wearing Han army uniforms were still standing guard. From a distance, it looked like they were heavily guarded.

  Bei Gong Bo Yu knew that Jizhou was the seat of the Governor of Liangzhou, and he also knew that there were soldiers in the city. He did not act rashly, but first sent out a thousand cavalrymen with bows and arrows to shoot randomly at the Han military officers on the city wall by the moat. The dispatched cavalry shouted loudly and rushed over quickly, originally prepared to defend against the arrows shot down from the city wall at any time, but saw that those Han military officers did not move, they were very angry, thinking that these Han military officers didn't take them seriously, so they raised their bows and arrows and shot randomly.

  The arrows shot onto the city wall, piercing through the bodies of those Han soldiers. However, the rebels saw a very strange scene - they did not hear any cries, nor did they see those Han soldiers fall down, but instead saw their arrows stuck firmly on those Han soldiers' bodies.

  The strange phenomenon made the Qiang Hu rebels feel very confused, and everyone gathered near the moat, covering their eyes from the sun to take a closer look at the strange scene on the city wall. It turned out that there were people tied up with dry grass. They quickly reported this to Beigong Boyu, who then sent someone to circle around the other two gates of Jizhou City and found that all the city walls had such straw men, but only the east gate was open.

  Bei Gong Bo Yu immediately ordered his troops to turn around and head towards the east gate. He thought that the Han army would not easily give up this city, and there must be an ambush inside, so he hesitated and did not dare to enter the city. After letting people shout and curse outside the city for a while, there was no response, and the city was even more silent than death. Only then did he send someone to carefully enter the city, and the people who entered the city searched everywhere, but surprisingly, they didn't see a single person.

  Bei Gong Bo Yu led the army into the city, and they thoroughly searched the governor's mansion, the prefecture, and the treasury. They didn't leave anything of value behind, leaving the entire Ji City a desolate place. He was perplexed and couldn't understand why such a prosperous city would become a ghost town, and when all the civilians inside had withdrawn. After resting briefly in the city, he continued to lead his troops out of the city, pursuing eastward along the official road.

  By dusk, Beigong Boyu arrived at an open space and saw a large number of stoves. He roughly counted the number of people, which was as many as 2,000. He did not dare to advance rashly again, knowing that 2,000 stoves represented something, indicating that he was pursuing a force of 20,000 men. He sent out scouts to reconnoiter ahead and led his main army to rest at this place.

  After a while, the scouts sent out reported that there was a Han army camp thirty miles ahead, with about 1,500 stoves in the camp, and the Han army had retreated eastward.

  Bei Gong Bo Yu was overjoyed when he heard the news, and he firmly believed that the Han army's morale had collapsed, otherwise they would not have fled in a hurry with 5,000 people. No matter whether there were any remnants of the Han army in front of him, he wanted to crush this Han army, and then lead his cavalry to directly attack Chen Cang, capture Gao Fei, that little boy, and behead him, to comfort the spirits of his deceased men.

  "Advance!" With a single order from Beigong Boyu, the 10,000 cavalry set off again. This time, however, Beigong Boyu did not rush to pursue them hastily. Since the Han army was afraid of him, he didn't need to be in such a hurry. Let them disperse on their own, and then annihilate them with superior forces.