Half a month later.
It is located in the Linle Mountain area of Taishan County, Yanzhou.
Cao Angzheng led his army to station here.
After arriving here, there was still half the distance to the final destination of this trip, which was Duchang County where Beihai Prime Minister Kong Rong was surrounded.
The shortcomings of the low-mobility infantry march are reflected here. It took a long time of half a month, but there was still half the journey waiting in the distance.
But even so.
They all act relatively quickly.
After all, the cost of the infantry marching at super high speeds is to lose their burdens and march lightly. This can increase their speed over short distances, but it cannot be sustained over long distances.
Therefore, Cao Jun always maintained a normal marching speed of more than thirty miles a day, which was particularly rare. At least there was not much time wasted along the way.
But for Cao Ang.
There is good news at the moment.
That was the cavalry team he sent out as the vanguard. They crossed the entire journey at super high speed. Not only did they arrive at Duchang County within ten days, they even took the time to send someone back to report to him.
Currently in the tent at the foot of the mountain.
Cao Ang was receiving the soldiers who were returning to report the news.
What was placed on the table in front of him was a battle report written by the cavalry commander Cao Chun. It clearly recorded the major and minor battles that took place after the cavalry team arrived at its destination.
This battle report is very thin, only one page of bamboo slips is used, which proves that the cavalry did not have much contact with the enemy.
…………
"I read this battle report that after our army arrived at the outskirts of Duchang County, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army that originally surrounded the city, led by their commander Guan Hai, immediately withdrew the encirclement."
"I just found out the flag of our army and roughly figured out the number of our army, so I chose to withdraw our troops and leave without even touching a knife or a shot."
"Is this really the case?"
The soldiers who were ordered to deliver the battle report immediately bowed and responded when they heard Cao Ang's inquiry.
"I don't dare to deceive the general. Everything that General Cao Chun said in the battle report is absolutely true. Every word is true and there is absolutely no lie."
"After our army arrived ten miles south of Duchang County, we originally followed the established tactics and planned to launch a charge while the bandits surrounding the city were unaware of our army's arrival."
"Firstly, it can break up the enemy formation and let Duchang County breathe a sigh of relief. Secondly, it can also take advantage of the situation to cause casualties, thus causing panic among the enemy, which is conducive to the subsequent defeat of thieves and relieves the danger of the city."
Speaking of which.
There was a blank look in the soldier's eyes, as if he had thought of what was going to happen next, and then he continued to state with some confusion.
"However, after our army launched the charge, it was not close to the enemy camp. Only five miles away, we were shocked to realize that the originally densely gathered bandit soldiers had quietly loosened their formation."
"General Cao Chun speculated that the enemy had actually densely packed informants around Duchang County, so he discovered the presence of our army in advance."
"In this case, the cavalry is no longer suitable for charging into the formation. After all, a loose formation is not conducive to expanding the damage, and it is easy to get trapped in the enemy's formation. Therefore, General Cao Chun had to order to charge around for a while, and then let the enemy go. The soldiers left."
…………
After describing the basic situation.
Soldiers don't talk much.
He just stood aside respectfully, waiting for Cao Ang's next instructions.
At this moment, Cao Ang was leaning on the table, tapping his fingertips on the tabletop, thinking at the same time in his mind, wondering about the pros and cons of the situation for him.
After the Yellow Turban Army saw reinforcements coming from the defenders in the city, they immediately chose to withdraw.
This shows that the Yellow Turban thief Qu Shuai Guan Hai is actually a bit of a coward, or a person with a bit of vision.
Knowing that the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans he led were nothing more than a ragtag group of stragglers composed of refugees, they didn't have much fighting power at all.
It's okay to bully Kong Rong, but once you have to face an established cavalry, or a regular army with more than 10,000 people in total, you really don't have much chance of winning.
Therefore, he decided to withdraw his troops very decisively.
Anyway, there is not much food in Duchang County, and Guanhai's siege was more just to vent his anger and at the same time remove an obstacle to the subsequent plundering of Qingzhou counties.
Now the cleanup plan has hit a brick wall.
Of course, he would obediently choose to run away.
…
Regarding Guan Hai's psychological activities.
Cao Ang had guessed him clearly and had a direct insight into this kid's psychological motivations.
But for this bandit leader.
He didn't really care.
Speaking of the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans, they are now just a group of remnants and defeated generals. The largest branches at the beginning have now become military camps under Cao Ang.
Although the remaining ones are smarter, as soon as their heavenly soldiers arrive, there is no room for them to jump. They are just like ants, being easily crushed into dregs.
What Cao Ang really cares about.
It was after the crisis in Duchang County was resolved.
He no longer needs to continue marching towards Beihai Kingdom according to the original plan. He can completely make use of the troops in his hands and the freedom of several Cao Jun generals, including himself.
play a greater role.
For example, bypass Beihai and enter Qi State, Jinan and Le'an County to the west of Beihai in advance.
In this way, you can save a lot of time and rush to conquer the rest of Qingzhou. This is naturally an extremely cost-effective thing.
Think of this.
Cao Ang made a decision in his heart.
…
He quickly wrote a few lines of text on the silk book, then threw it into the mailbox. After sealing the opening with fire paint, he threw it directly to the soldier.
Then he told the soldiers who came to deliver the message: "You should return to Duchang County, convey my order to General Cao Chun, and ask him to convey a few words to Kong Rong, the Prime Minister of Beihai, on my behalf."
"Tell him that since this battle has not officially been fought, the bandits still retain a large number of troops. If they continue to be allowed to wreak havoc in Qingzhou, it will cause loss of life and the displacement of the people."
"Therefore, I have decided to divert my troops halfway and lead my troops to the west of Beihai Kingdom, directly intercepting the retreat route of the Yellow Turbans, and defeating their main force before they escape."
"Even if I can't completely wipe out this team, I still want them to be unable to do evil in the future, so I would like to ask Prime Minister Kong not to wait any longer in Duchang County."
Speaking of which.
Cao Ang pointed at the letter box that he had just thrown over with his finger, and then said with a serious face and a solemn tone: "You should give this souvenir to General Cao Chun privately, and no leaks are allowed in the middle!"
Wherever the cavalry belongs.
Those are basically the direct line troops of the Cao family.
The level of loyalty and trust is the highest among the several teams, so when these military orders are conveyed through soldiers, there is no need to worry about any hidden dangers.
And after the soldiers got Cao Ang's order.
Don't dare to slack off in the slightest.
He carefully put the mailbox into his arms. After confirming that it was safe, he bowed to Cao Ang and said in a calm voice.
"General, don't worry, I will definitely deliver the letter. If you tell me, I will convey it to General Cao Chun word for word!"
…………
The letter soldier did not dare to waste time.
After resting hastily for half an hour, feeding the horses good fodder, eating some food and drinking some water, we immediately set off back to Duchang.
At this moment, Cao Ang stood at the gate of the camp.
Looking at the soldiers' backs as they gallop away.
A faint smile appeared on his face, which seemed to be in the palm of his hand.
The content of the letter he sent to Cao Chun was naturally different from the words he asked him to convey to Kong Rong.
Mainly because he gave Cao Chun some advice.
That is to take advantage of his absence to stabilize Kong Rong's movements so that even if he is aware of the current situation in Qingzhou, he will not be able to respond.
This is the most important point.
besides.
Sending the cavalry under his command to explore the situation in Donglai County and other places to the east of Beihai Kingdom is secondary and convenient.
As long as these can be done well.
After Kong Rong reacted.
Qingzhou has changed its owner, and every county in the state has planted the flag of the Cao family.
But think about it carefully.
There's nothing wrong with that.
After all, Jiao He, the governor of Qingzhou, is a fool. He advocates empty talk and the art of witchcraft. At the same time, he knows nothing about marching and combat.
Whenever he encounters a Yellow Turban thief, Jiao He's first reaction is to run away, not even daring to touch him. Just think about it and you will know the consequences of such a person becoming the top leader in Qingzhou.
Qingzhou will rot to this point.
Qingzhou, which was originally densely populated, would turn into this dilapidated appearance.
Jiao He will take a lot of blame. He is not even as good as Liu Dai, the former governor of Yanzhou. After all, Liu Dai dared to fight, but he was just a little overconfident in his own strength.
If Jiao He is kicked out of Qingzhou politics.
If the governor of Qingzhou is replaced by one of his own, the governor of the state will surely be overjoyed.
…………
"General, I heard that you are looking for us?"
As a familiar voice sounded in my ears.
Cao Ang turned around and saw that the people coming were his generals, Zhang Liao and Cao Ren.
Hear Zhang Liao's inquiry.
Cao Ang nodded and drew a circle around the entire camp with his hand. After signaling like this, he said to the two of them.
"I received a military intelligence report from Zihe earlier. It said that the Qingzhou Yellow Turban bandits have now retreated to the boundaries of Duchang County, and the siege of Kong Rong has been lifted."
"I think it's such a great opportunity. If our army continues to march towards Duchang, it will inevitably delay time and easily miss the opportunity."
"So I plan to immediately change the route and divide the troops. Each of the three of us will lead a team and rush to three different directions at once, so as to march on multiple lines."
Zhang Liao and Cao Ren looked at each other.
They all saw the surprise in each other's eyes and the slight excitement.
After all, after dividing their troops, they would lead an army alone to the strategic target, which meant that once they encountered the enemy, it would be easier for them to make military exploits.
This is undoubtedly a good thing for strong and confident generals.
So after Cao Ang finished speaking.
The two immediately put their hands together and clasped their fists.
"Please give me your orders, General!"
…………
Cao Ang did not lay out the map.
In order to study the battle plan against Qingzhou these days, including him and several generals under his command, they all knew the location of Qingzhou's counties by heart.
So after one finger points northeast.
Cao Ang decisively gave the order: "Today our troops will rest here. Early tomorrow morning, we will divide our troops and march. You two will go there."
"Wenyuan, please lead 12,000 troops. After crossing Qi State, go straight to Le'an County."
"Zixiao, you lead eight thousand people, and your goal is Qi. My request to you two is very simple. Take control of all military and political affairs in these two counties as soon as possible!"
The area of Le'an County is much larger than that of Qi State, so in terms of troop distribution, Zhang Liao will naturally lead a lot more troops.
And after the outline leader issued the order.
Before they could respond.
Cao Ang then thought of something else and continued to add: "I am allocating troops and horses to you to allow you to use force within the range that you can bear and accept, regardless of the cost, just for a quick decision!"
"In the process of conquering counties and seizing military, political and financial power, if there are any people who are unhappy and dissatisfied, at the beginning, they can explain the truth and understand the interests and harms, so that they can be persuaded with good words."
"If you remain stubborn and refuse to change, or even openly or covertly oppose our army, you can use iron-blooded means and lead your troops to attack and kill without mercy!"
"If something happens, I'll take care of it for you!"
…………
The superior leaders patted their chests and said, "If the sky falls, I will hold it up." You just let go and do it without worrying about any consequences.
Such leadership.
Definitely the favorite of my subordinates.
Zhang Liao and Cao Ren are no exception.
After hearing Cao Ang's impassioned and heroic words, both of them handed over their hands again and responded with the same calm and powerful voice.
"I will obey the general's instructions. We will live up to your trust and ensure that the target is firmly under our army's control in the shortest possible time!"
After a pass guarantee.
Cao Ang nodded with satisfaction.
It feels so good to have a large number of powerful generals on hand.
Whenever I was given a task, I would always get a good response and be implemented, and finally complete the tasks I assigned perfectly.
This is an ability that mediocre generals do not possess.
"By the way, one more thing. Qi State and Le'an County happen to be on the only way for the Yellow Turban Thieves to retreat. When you lead your troops to enter, there is a high chance that you will bump into them."
"Once you find traces of a Yellow Turban thief, don't be soft-hearted and hit them directly. The louder the fight, the louder the sound, the better."
"After all, we led troops into the counties west of Beihai under the banner of wiping out the remnants of the Yellow Turbans. If we don't make any actual contributions, how can we convince the people and how can we explain to everyone?"
…
This is also what it should be.
Both Zhang and Cao are able to get through it with just one point.
They didn't even need Cao Ang's orders, they had already made up their minds, and when they entered Qingzhou, they would raise the flag as loudly as possible.
Everywhere they go, they must send people to publicize their purpose of coming here, which is to exterminate the Yellow Turban bandits, to restore peace to Qingzhou, and to ensure stability.
It's not about fighting for territory.
After arranging these.
Cao Ang was about to wave Zhang Liao and the others to retreat, but before he spoke, Zhang Liao and Cao Ren looked at each other.
Then Zhang Liao took the initiative to ask.
"General, General Cao Ren and I led a total of 20,000 troops, and General Cao Chun also took away all the cavalry. After removing these, there are only less than 6,000 troops left in the army."
"And you are going to separate forces with the general and others. Your goal must be to go straight to the Jinan Kingdom in the north. In this way, the troops on your hands will be somewhat insufficient. How can this be done?"
"Why don't you allocate a few thousand men from my hand? The final general only needs 8,000 soldiers and horses, which is enough to make everyone in Le'an County submit. Don't dare to have any objections!"
In the face of Zhang Liao's kindness.
Cao Ang just smiled and shook his head.
He said with a smile.
"You two don't have to worry about me. My goal is indeed Jinan, but I don't need to take action personally this time. I will pass Fenggao on the way north. At that time, I will recruit Ying Shao, the prefect of Taishan County, and his team to merge. There are enough people in one place.”
"With Ying Shao's help, everything can be arranged once we arrive in Jinan."
I heard that Cao Ang was going to pass through Fenggao County, the county seat of Taishan County, to recruit Ying Shao's troops.
Zhang Liao and Cao Ren were obviously relieved.
Everyone knows Ying Shao, and he is considered a very reliable figure. When the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans entered Yanzhou and wreaked havoc, this Ying Governor led his troops to severely defeat the vanguard.
His fighting skills are definitely not bad.
Since there is this follower, General Cao's troops must be sufficient, and there is no need to worry about comfort. Isn't the small Jinan Kingdom already at hand?
Therefore, the two of them stopped trying to persuade him.
………………
Half a month later.
Located in Dongpingling County, Jinan State.
Ying Shao solemnly took over the command flag from Cao Ang, took command of the troops led by Cao Ang and the Taishan County soldiers, a total of more than 8,000 troops, and temporarily took over Dongpingling County.
In fact, it was as early as three days ago.
The army has already arrived here.
Under the two-way deterrence of nearly 10,000 regular troops and the reputation of Cao Ang himself, the people in Dongpingling County were extremely obedient.
In addition, Cao Ang's banner was to wipe out the remnants of the Yellow Turbans, preserve the stability of Qingzhou, and reorganize the mountains and rivers, and the resistance to him in the county was even weaker.
And after three days of renovation.
Even if there are opposition forces in Dongpingling County, they have been almost eliminated at this moment, leaving only some who are hiding in the dark and dare not show their faces.
After taking control of the city's military and political power, as well as the granary and treasury, the city basically belonged to the Cao family.
All goes well with the operation.
As the administrative seat of Jinan Kingdom, Dongpingling County is the most important and largest town in the country.
The direction of the wind here can often affect the trend of the entire Jinan Kingdom. Therefore, after this city chooses to surrender to the Cao family, the subsequent counties in the country will not be too difficult.
And some follow-up work.
Cao Ang has now also handed it over to Ying Shao, just as he temporarily entrusted the mobilization power of this army to Ying Shao.
As for himself.
Then he led a team of two thousand people and quietly left Dongpingling County and marched northwest, preparing to enter Pingyuan County.
…………
Now in the wilderness.
Cao Ang led Dian Wei and Xu Chu in front.
Two thousand elite soldiers followed behind.
"General, we have a small number of people and are traveling fast. I think it will take only a few days to enter Pingyuan County. I don't know which route we will take by then."
"Should we cross the river and rest for a day in Ande County, or should we go straight to Xiuxian County in Bohai County, Jizhou?"
Cao Ang took the simple map from Xu Chu.
Then spread out on the horse.
Then he drew a route with his finger. This route did not pass through any city, but the final destination was still Xiu County in Bohai County.
"The trip of the three of us is a secret operation. We go there and back again. It is best not to leave any clues, so we cannot stay in the cities along the way for a long time."
"Before we leave Jinan, we need to make the last supply trip and then enter Pingyuan County. Let's go back quickly and bypass places like Ande County. After crossing the river, we will go straight to Bohai County!"
Xu Chu nodded repeatedly.
I silently memorized this route.
However, while accepting the order, Xu Chu had some doubts that he could not suppress. After hesitating for a while, he finally asked with a slight hesitation.
"General, the Qingzhou attack is imminent. We are not staying in Jinan, but we are going north to enter Jizhou. My subordinates really don't understand."
…
Although Dian Wei and Xu Chu are his personal bodyguards, they are generals of the inner guard.
But it's not a robot.
There will always be doubts and curiosity. At this moment, there is no one else around, so it is quite reasonable to put the confusion in your heart into words.
As for the two door gods under him.
Cao Ang has a high degree of trust in them.
So there is nothing to hide.
He explained very simply: "Our purpose of traveling north is to muddy the waters. After all, Qingzhou is not only adjacent to Yanzhou, but also adjacent to Jizhou."
"The most important point is that Pingyuan County is adjacent to Bohai County. Bohai County is Yuan Shao's territory. Is it possible to say that he has no thoughts about Qingzhou?"
"So we have to use means to lock him in Jizhou, locked in the fight with Gongsun Zan, and have no time to go south."
"Even if he found out that we were attacking Qingzhou at that time, Yuan Shao couldn't take any countermeasures and couldn't be distracted. Naturally, he could only sit back and watch us take Qingzhou into our hands, and then continue to confront Gongsun."
Speaking of which.
Cao Ang tapped his finger north of Bohai County, and then chuckled.
"Gongsun Zan once appointed his general Tian Kai as the governor of Qingzhou, which shows that he is also eyeing Qingzhou."
"If I don't muddy the waters, but arrogantly attack the city in Qingzhou, I'm afraid that Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan will join forces and point the finger at me first."
…
Progress layer by layer, whip into the inside.
Cao Ang's explanation made the two of them suddenly realize.
No wonder General Cao can be a commander, while the two of them can only be generals of guards. The heights they can see with their eyes are not on the same level.
The angles that come to mind are simply incomparable. He really deserves to be General Cao.
Xu Chu even raised his hands and spoke on the horse.
"The general is far-sighted and thinks far better than ordinary people, and his subordinates are convinced."
"I just don't know what method we should use to muddy the water in Jizhou?"
In response, Cao Ang just smiled mysteriously.
"I have a clever plan, I'll know it when the time comes!"
…
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
(End of chapter)
