"Xiazhou has a total of 30,000 soldiers and horses, 10,000 of whom are stationed in Xiazhou City, directly commanded by Hou Zongmin."
"The remaining 20,000 are distributed among the other five counties in Xiazhou."
"Hou Zongmin was originally a bandit leader in Shizilin, Xiazhou, with a thousand followers."
"When they saw Li Jingang starting a rebellion, they burned down their stronghold and came to join him."
"At that time, Li Jin had just formed his army and had only two to three thousand men under his command. With Hou Zongmin's joining, his influence was greatly boosted."
"Li Jingang quickly captured the two counties of Dejing and Changze. With weapons and food supplies, he expanded his forces and occupied several counties in Xiazhou. At the same time, his army also expanded to 10,000."
"Then they laid siege to Xiazhou. Xiazhou Zhechongfu only had a thousand soldiers and was quickly captured by the rebels."
"During the attack on Xiazhou, Hou Zongmin displayed the most valor, leading his men at the forefront. Xiazhou's chieftain, Zhang Hong, had a history with Hou Zongmin and led a group of men to open the city gates and let the rebels in..."
Shuozhou City, the headquarters of the Pinglu Commandery Commandant.
Zhao Muyun hurriedly summoned Han Zhong and Tang Yanhai for discussion.
One of Tang Yanhai's subordinates reported the situation in Xiazhou and Hou Zongmin's information in detail.
"So Zhang Hong and Hou Zongmin are related. This makes things easier! Old Tang, send someone smart from the scout camp to Xiazhou and tell them we're willing to trade Zhang Hong for the pillar."
Zhao Muyun listened carefully to Hou Zongmin's intelligence and said, "First, show your sincerity in exchanging hostages to stabilize the other party."
"After exchanging the pillar, did you just let Hou Zongming go?" Tang Yanhai asked with a frown on his scarred face.
He and Wang Tiezhu were in charge of the scout camp together for half a year, and they also had a deep relationship.
What's more, Wang Tiezhu was taught the job of scout by Tang Yanhai himself, so he was half an apprentice.
When something happened to Wang Tiezhu, apart from Zhao Muyun, he was the one who was most worried.
"Hou Zongmin will definitely not let it go!"
Zhao Muyun stared at the map and said coldly, "I told you, Hou Zongmin is doomed."
"Also, now is the best time for us to defeat Hou Zongmin and recover Xiazhou."
Han Zhong asked, "Boss Zhao, what do you mean?"
"Li Jingang's main force of 200,000 men is now stationed outside Xijing City. The imperial court has sent the Minister of War to lead the army, commanding five battalions of troops from the capital, as well as troops from Hedong Road, Guannei Road, and Longyou Road, to engage in a decisive battle with Li Jingang."
"As for Ma Zongliang, who stayed in Linzhou to contain Li Chenghua, and Hou Zongmin, who stayed in Xiazhou, the connections between the three places were not very close."
"The weakest point right now is actually Hou Zongmin."
"As far as we are concerned, the Northern Di Tartars won't be heading south anyway. The 10,000 soldiers and horses in the Commandery are sitting idle anyway, so we can seize the opportunity to bite them!"
Zhao Muyun looked at the map, ran his fingers across it, and then rapped his knuckles hard on Xiazhou. "If we take Xiazhou and kill Hou Zongmin, we will not only avenge Zhuzi, but also put pressure on Li Jingang and invisibly assist the imperial army in the battle."
He now regards the four states of Yan, Yin, Shuo and Wei as his base.
At present, the focus must be on developing the economy, storing up food and fodder, training soldiers, and upgrading equipment.
The main enemies were still the Northern Di Tartars in the north, including King Zhelan, King Loufan, Wutugu Chanyu and others.
As for Li Jingang, it is better to leave it to the court to deal with.
The corrupt and broken Dayin court really needs a drastic measure.
Either the illness is serious and needs to be treated, or it is as severe as a mountain.
Attacking Xiazhou and destroying the rebels' lair was just Zhao Muyun's way of repaying the court.
"Boss Zhao means that we should not only rescue Zhuzi, but also send troops to Xiazhou?" A gleam of light flashed in Han Zhong's eyes.
In the past, Zhao Muyun would probably just organize people to rescue Wang Tiezhu.
Now, Zhao Muyun not only has to save people, but also has to take this opportunity to seize Xiazhou and maximize his profits.
The butt determines the head.
Zhao Muyun is currently one of the few generals in Dayin who commands tens of thousands of troops on the border.
He is increasingly showing the demeanor of a team's head coach.
If he was a little excited when he first heard that Wang Tiezhu was arrested, it was because he was a man of loyalty and righteousness, and he could not believe that Wang Tiezhu was arrested so easily.
At this moment, he analyzed the enemy and our situation so calmly and deployed troops against Xiazhou, which showed his decisiveness and perseverance as the commander-in-chief.
Behind every order he gives, there are countless soldiers to carry it out.
The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility!
The lives and deaths of these soldiers are in his hands alone.
How can we not be extremely cautious and careful?
"That's right, the content of the first military training class has also been revised! Old Han, in addition to other training items, the training class will add an important topic, which is how to use troops against Xiazhou."
“On the first day of training, we should throw it out for everyone to discuss and think about.”
"These captains are no longer ordinary soldiers, but important military officers who command thousands of troops and guard a region."
"Anyone who does not do the job properly will be immediately expelled from the military and will never be recruited again."
Zhao Muyun said seriously.
"Yes, sir!" Han Zhong immediately straightened his body.
Zhao Muyun continued, "In addition to the garrison troops guarding the four prefectures, how many troops can we mobilize, and how many do we need to recruit? In short, I want you to completely capture Xiazhou and annihilate Hou Zongmin's 20,000 troops."
"I will immediately summon the various prefectures' Zhechou Duwei, Guoyi Duwei, Jun Sima, Canjun, Cao Yuan, etc. who have already rushed to Shuozhou City, and give them a limited time to come up with a military plan."
Han Zhong remembered every word and agreed loudly.
"Old Tang, recall all the men Wang Tiezhu recruited from Black Camel Mountain and place them in Shuozhou City. I will personally train them."
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