It took a lot of twists and turns for Chai Rong and others to take root here and gain the power they have today.
After parting with Liu Chan, they, about a thousand men and horses, plus the old, weak, women and children in Chai Rong Village, came to the place pointed by Liu Chan.
This place is indeed, as Liu Chan said, a good place to build a mountain stronghold.
But this good place is certainly not deserted.
There were three groups of people here before, but fortunately their number was not large, but the fighting youths were basically one to two hundred people.
Since there was no place to stay and they were prepared and had no way to turn back, Chai Rong's men were slightly instigated and quickly captured one of the group using the momentum of their previous victory.
Although there were casualties, more surrendered, which gave them more confidence.
Later, local people who were familiar with the situation joined in, and it didn't take much effort to deal with the other two groups.
The problem comes after this.
In fact, they are not familiar with the life of so many people together, and the first problem is the food problem.
The previous fire did bring some supplies, but if you don't want to be in vain, you need to prepare for a rainy day.
On the one hand, he would reclaim cultivated wasteland in the mountains in his spare time and make long-term plans. On the other hand, of course, he would plan new plunder targets.
At first, Chai Rong and other village leaders strictly followed the policy set by Liu Chan, specializing in robbing large caravans, and at the same time looking for opportunities to rob the treasuries of some small counties.
However, many problems arose during the execution. These people under Chai Rong were not soldiers led by Liu Chan.
During the first attack on the county government, a lot of looting of ordinary local people took place.
Chai Rong simply led the team in person at that time and killed many people on the spot, using thunderous means to temporarily frighten other thieves who were about to make a move.
Then he followed Liu Chan's order and distributed part of the proceeds from the robbery to the local poor, especially those affected.
The thieves were resentful and dissatisfied for a while. The advantages of doing this were not seen for the time being, but the disadvantages were obvious - they could get less money and food.
After returning, a village leader was also shaken and advised Chai Rong not to do such stupid things, but he refuted it and returned.
Not long after, the first rebellion in the village broke out. It was the village owner who led his men and some other people who were dissatisfied with Chai Rong.
The other four village leaders stayed put for the time being and chose to wait and see.
The rebellion lasted for three days and was put down by Chai Rong, who placed the leader's head on a spear and stood at the gate of the village.
On the afternoon of the first day, the bearded man resolutely led his people to join Chai Rong's side to suppress the rebellion.
The next day, other village owners who were watching also joined the battle group.
This battle completely established Chai Rong's prestige and leadership status, which was equivalent to confirming the development plan Liu Chan had previously formulated for them.
And over time, the benefits of doing so began to emerge.
The further back they go, the more they act like ghosts, making it difficult for the government to get the news in advance.
And they seemed to have clairvoyance, knowing the movements of the officers and soldiers in the target county, which big fish and meat village in the city, and where there were large caravans passing by.
Now, no one finally questioned this decision. Chai Rong took advantage of the situation and merged several villages. After being elected as the commander-in-chief, he also named the other four village owners as "Generals of the Four Directions".
But Chai Rong, who seemed to be at the height of his powers, often felt anxious inside.
The temporary calm cannot change the current situation of internal and external troubles.
He spent the most time alone with Liu Chan, and his knowledge at this time was already higher than that of other village leaders.
He knew in his heart that it was not that Soochow was incapable of destroying him, it was just that he couldn't spare the time and didn't pay enough attention to it.
The greater your momentum, the more miserable your death may be in the end.
Chai Rong desperately hoped that General Gongming would tell him how to go next?
Therefore, after he listened to Liu Chan's letter alone in the house, he only thought about it for a few breaths before agreeing.
The stakes are high and the rewards are high, but none of that matters.
The important thing is that through this incident, he got in touch with General Gongmei who seemed to be omnipotent in his eyes!
Chai Rong, who worried about his future every day, took on a high-risk mission and slept peacefully for the first time since his subordinates rebelled.
…
Jingzhou.
General Yu Jin led his Taishan soldiers and led seven armies, including surrendered general Pang De's troops, totaling more than 30,000 people, including many cavalry, and finally marched into Xiangfan in a mighty manner.
To the north and west of Fancheng is a plain area, which is the favorite fighting terrain of northern soldiers and generals.
Guan Yu's total army in this battle is only more than 30,000, and they are still besieging Xiangyang and Fancheng. The troops capable of mobile combat are simply unable to compete with them.
What's more, there are many plains to the north and west of Fancheng. If we insist on not retreating, we will definitely be defeated.
So they voluntarily gave up the siege of Fancheng, decisively pulled the defense line back to the Mianshui line, and continued to besiege Xiangyang south of Mianshui.
He had prepared sufficient ships before setting out for the expedition, but Cao Jun coming from the north had no way to deal with Guan Yu's navy above the Mian River.
General Yu Jin, who temporarily solved the siege of Fancheng, finally chose Pinglu City to the west of Fancheng as the garrison location of his army after full investigation, careful analysis, and accurate calculations.
Thirty thousand troops were in Pinglu City, guarding each other with Fancheng, Cao Ren's old comrade in the east.
Guan Yu, who had temporarily retreated, was now sitting in the Chinese military tent, holding Zuo's Chuan of Spring and Autumn Period in his hand, quietly waiting for the news from the front.
Guan Ping on the side looked slightly anxious.
Cao Cao sent a famous general to lead an elite army. Judging from the current situation, he really couldn't figure out how to win.
This is the advantage of having a vast territory and a large number of people. Cao Wei can be defeated and has the capital to defeat.
But these more than 30,000 people have basically mobilized all the troops in Jingzhou. Once defeated, there will be no room for recovery.
Guan Ping looked at Guan Yu, who was still calm, and felt a little more at ease.
Maybe my father can find a way to defeat the enemy.
"Report——!"
At this moment, soldiers came into the tent to report.
Guan Yu put down the letter and said, "But have you discovered the location where the Yuban troops are stationed?"
"Report to the general that the front has been explored and the troops and horses are stationed in Pinglu City."
Guan Yu opened his eyes slightly, stood up and walked to the map in the tent to look at it carefully.
Due to the need for flood control, dikes have been built along a long stretch of both sides of Mianshui River.
Pinglu City is located to the west of Fancheng, not too far from the Mianshui River. The Mianshui River flowing through it draws a check-like arc in the west and south of Pinglu City, as if it is about to gently sweep this ancient city. In arms.
Pinglu City also used rammed earth walls.
Rammed earth walls have many advantages. They save time and effort and are strong enough.
But the disadvantage is that once it gets older, it will be difficult to maintain its original strength, and it will become more and more afraid of water.
When was Pinglu City built?
Around 800 BC...
"Hahaha……"
How could Guan Yu, who had been in Jingzhou for many years and prepared for the Northern Expedition, not know the geography and annual climate of this place?
"Why is father laughing?"
Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said with a smile: "We just need to stay here with peace of mind and prepare more ships and arrows to wait for the right time. It is really a wonderful move to ping Lu City in Jintun, hahaha..."
