After a period of waiting, the scouts soon sent back the news.
Scout: "Report to Master Zhou Mu, Master Lu Zhi's troops have been spotted thirty miles ahead."
"But they didn't set up camp, and they didn't light a fire to cook. Even the troops were scattered in the mountains and forests."
Yuan Shu waved his hand to let him go down, and then immediately summoned Jia Xu and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to come over.
After everyone gathered, Yuan Shu said: "Our scouts have confirmed the authenticity of the matter, and now it is our turn to take action."
"Wen He, please tell me the specific tactics."
Jia Xu stood up, bowed and said: "My lord, two generals."
"In this war, we only need to capture the thief first and capture the king first. The rest is not much different from what we just said."
"So, General Guan. When you charge with the army, you need to find the right target and kill the yellow turban thief with his first horn off his horse."
"This is the most critical and important part of this battle."
"I wonder if General Guan can do it?"
Guan Yu: "Military advisor, please rest assured, Guan will definitely live up to everyone's expectations."
Jia Xu ignored Guan Yu and continued: "General Zhang Fei, the things you are responsible for are equally important."
"You need to summon the people in the army to follow you and shout the lord's name."
"Just let the people, the Yellow Turban Army and General Huangpu Song know that it was the lord who did it. This will completely establish the lord's name."
Zhang Fei: "Yide will definitely fulfill his mission."
"As for the rest, my lord, you only need to lead the cavalry and charge into the battle."
After Jia Xu finished speaking, he waited for Yuan Shu to make a decision. After all, Yuan Shu is their backbone, and all strategies can be implemented only if Yuan Shu says they can be implemented.
Therefore, after Jia Xu finished speaking, Yuan Shu still needed to nod.
Yuan Shu was naturally unambiguous and said immediately: "In that case, let's start preparing to set off."
"Wenhe, you lead a small team to contact General Lu Zhi's troops."
"Go over with my token and let them prepare it in advance."
Jia Xu: "Lord, don't worry, Jia Xu will definitely fulfill his mission."
Then he took Yuan Shu's token and went out with an elite squad of cavalry to contact General Lu Zhi.
Not long after Jia Xu left, Yuan Shu also set off. The army began to set off in the direction of Youzhou City in a mighty manner and gathered with General Lu Zhi's troops.
Lu Zhi was also anxiously waiting for information from his scouts at this moment, and he felt even more anxious without knowing it. However, he didn't know that the scout who disappeared from his army was now following Jia Xu to his side.
If he could know, he would definitely be very excited. After all, this represents the arrival of reinforcements, which means that the siege of Youzhou can be lifted. The most important thing is that these Yellow Turban Army can also be annihilated, and his friend Huangpu Song will also be saved.
In Youzhou City, Huangpu Song and Liu Yan were discussing the issue of borrowing grain, but none of these aristocratic families were willing to sell it. Not to mention lending them food, but there is not much food left in the army.
We can hold on for at most three days. Even if the army retreats after three days, there is nothing we can do. They are still facing the problem of food shortage. For Liu Yan, this is the most disadvantageous to him.
After all, he is the governor of Youzhou, even though his family has hundreds of thousands of dan in food. But Liu Yan didn't want to contribute. He would never use his family's granary until the last day.
Moreover, no matter how many of these soldiers died. It has nothing to do with him, as long as Youzhou City is not breached in the end.
Liu Yan: "Well, since they are unwilling to sell, then let our army forcefully requisition food. If anyone refuses, we will send them to fight against the Yellow Turban Army."
After Huangpu Song heard what Liu Yan said, he thought about it for a long time. To be honest, he didn't want to take this step unless he had to.
After all, this is not conducive to uniting the people and is likely to put them in a state of being attacked from both sides. At that time, even the arrival of reinforcements may not be able to help.
And it may not last until then.
But Huangpu wanted to say it for a long time, and finally said: "In that case, let's follow what the prefect said."
"After all, this is an extraordinary period, and we cannot let the soldiers feel cold."
Finally, Huangpu Song made up his mind. After all, if the soldiers can't defend Youzhou City, they really can't defend it, but they can completely suppress the rebellion of these nobles.
It just leaves a bad reputation.
What Huangpu Song didn't know was that the Yellow Turban Army would attack the city tonight. They might not even be able to defend tonight's attack. After all, there are only seven or eight thousand capable soldiers in the city.
On Lu Zhi's side, a soldier came to report: "Report to the general, a small group of cavalry is coming to us."
"The leader claims to be a subordinate of Nanyang Prefecture Mu and wants to see the general."
This sudden news wiped away the fatigue on Lu Zhi's face, like timely rain.
Lu Zhi said quickly: "Invite the people over quickly. Don't be violent. You must treat them carefully."
Now Lu Zhi just put up a reed in the forest and rested there.
As for the soldiers, most of them slept in groups of three or five on the ground. Just put some grass underneath and roll yourself up with a quilt.
After Jia Xu entered, he saw those people resting on the ground and didn't say much. On the contrary, there is some admiration, after all, he himself cannot do this.
Even though they had been traveling with Yuan Shu during this period, they had never tried to rest like this. Moreover, they basically eat cooked food every meal, and they must have a military tent when sleeping.
Not just himself, but also ordinary soldiers. Moreover, they also have enough confidence to face the enemy.
Jia Xu: "I am a counselor under Yuan Zhoumu. I have met General Lu Zhi."
Then Jia Xu took out Yuan Shu's token and said, "General, this is Lord Zhou Mu's token."
After Jia Xu finished speaking, Lu Zhi couldn't wait to take the token from Jia Xu's hand.
Then after taking a look at the token that was indeed exclusive to the Yuan family, he immediately asked: "Sir, come here, what message do you want to convey to Mr. Zhou Mu?"
"I wonder how long it will take before Mr. Zhou Mu can arrive in Youzhou?"
He asked two questions in a row, but the word "Master Tizhou Mu" was included in each sentence. Even though he is now over 60 years old, his official rank is overwhelming.
What's more, Yuan Shu, who holds the official position of Nanyang Prefecture Mu, is a real ambassador to the border. A first-grade official, a full four levels older than him.
After all, he himself is only a third-level master, so even if Yuan Shu is his junior. Lu Zhi also had to call him this, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Jia Xu: "General, don't panic, Lord Zhou Mu is less than thirty miles behind the general's troops."
"I came here just to convey the order of Lord Zhou Mu. Lord Zhou Mu said that the general should assemble all the troops immediately."
"Wait until Lord Zhou Mu's troops arrive and then unite together to launch an attack on the rebel Yellow Turban Army."
Jia Xu finished speaking in one breath and waited for Lu Zhi to take action.
Lu Zhi was extremely happy when he heard what Jia Xu said. He quickly opened his mouth and continued to ask: "I wonder how many troops Master Zhou Mu has led this time?"
"Is it a hundred thousand?"
Jia Xu shook his head and said: "General, Master Zhou Mu has not brought a hundred thousand men and horses."
"And we don't need so many people to deal with the Yellow Turban Army. Before that, we met Cheng Yuanzhi, the commander of the Yellow Turban Army."
"Master Zhou Mu just led the army to charge and defeated them. The army composed of these refugees is not worth mentioning."
"Of course, the army led by our Lord Zhou Mu only has ten thousand people. But these people are the best among the best. As long as the thieves are captured first, the king will be captured, and the rebels of the Yellow Turban Army will naturally defeat themselves."
After Jia Xu finished speaking, the hope that had just been ignited in Lu Zhi's heart was dashed again.
In his opinion, these 10,000 people cannot make any big waves at all. After all, there are 300,000 thieves in the Yellow Turban Army, and the 10,000 people he has are nothing more than a mantis serving as a chariot.
Although he also has an army of 30,000, the combined army of the two armies is only 40,000. Even if the defenders in the city are included, the chances of winning this battle are still slim.
Moreover, he also knew what Jia Xu had just mentioned about Cheng Yuanzhi. He is one of the thirty-six commanders of the Yellow Turban Army, and he is extremely cunning.
Moreover, he had an army of nearly 40,000 to 50,000 men, and Yuan Shu's troops were able to defeat them with just one charge. He still didn't want to believe it, after all, it was too mysterious.
Lu Zhi said: "Did you know that there are 300,000 people in this Yellow Turban Army?"
"Although most of them are refugees, we are outnumbered. The number of people between the enemy and us is seven to eight times greater. How can we have any chance of winning?"
Jia Xu did not refute his words, but asked: "General, do you have any cavalry?"
Lu Zhi didn't know what Jia Xu meant, so he said, "Yes, there are four thousand cavalry left."
Jia Xu: "General, let me ask you again. Do these Yellow Turban rebels have cavalry?"
Lu Zhi: "No, but what does this have to do with the number gap between us?"
Jia Xu: "Hahaha, it's natural that the general is in the middle of the situation and doesn't know about it."
"One horse can equal a thousand might be an idiom, but it is a reality for Mr. Zhou Mu."
"The general may not know how powerful the cavalry under Lord Zhou Mu is. But what I can tell the general is that in the battle we encountered Cheng Yuanzhi a few days ago, not a single one of the 1,500 cavalry was lost."
"Moreover, we defeated the other party at an extremely small cost. This is the confidence of Mr. Zhou Mu."
