After spending one night at the Jincheng Palace, Liu Hong moved to the Jincheng Camp.
In the following days, the accompanying staff officers, along with generals such as Huangfu Song and Duan Jiong, repeatedly simulated and made detailed plans for the upcoming battle, and formulated a feasible combat plan.
Of course, the formulation of the battle plan was undoubtedly due to the emperor's wise leadership, even though the emperor did nothing.
For Liu Hong, being treated as a mascot... was just too awesome.
March 10th.
After a period of rest and recuperation, the soldiers in the army are fully prepared, and the 200,000-strong army is ready to go into battle at any time.
Inside the central command tent.
In front of a huge sand table, Huangfu Song, who had been appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief, was explaining the specific battle plan to Liu Hong and the other generals.
"Your Majesty, it has been reported that Nama Yi has gathered a total of 100,000 troops from various tribes of the Eastern Qiang, as well as the Lesser Yuezhi and Baima Di tribes, and dispersed them in the Qilian Mountains on the north shore of the Western Sea (Qinghai Lake), attempting to use the mountains and lakes to block our army."
The 50,000 troops of the Eastern Qiang were divided into three groups, operating in three highlands on the southern slope of the Qilian Mountains. The 50,000 troops of the Lesser Yuezhi were divided into two groups, operating in the area east and west of the Salt Lake.
These five groups of people were only two hundred miles apart and were connected end to end.
If our army attacks one place, the other units can harass our army from all sides. If our army divides its forces to attack them, they can retreat and regroup, using their superior strength to gradually erode our army..."
After listening to Huangfu Song's explanation of the enemy's deployment and intentions, Liu Hong's expression remained unchanged, as steady as a mountain.
Seeing this, Huangfu Song didn't keep him in suspense any longer and continued, "Based on the enemy's deployment, under Your Majesty's leadership, I and the staff have jointly formulated two battle plans."
First, we divided our 120,000 cavalry into five units. One unit was dispatched to attack the Lesser Yuezhi located west of Yanchi, while the other four units were to ambush along the way.
However, our 120,000 troops need to reach all ambush points before the enemy notices, which is quite difficult to carry out..."
Hearing this, Liu Hong nodded slightly. After all, it was on someone else's turf, and with more than 100,000 people on the move, it was impossible to keep it completely secret.
"What about the second set?" Liu Hong asked.
"Secondly, we should send out a large army to draw the enemy's attention from the front, and then dispatch a cavalry force to bypass the enemy's rear on the south bank of the West Sea, first destroy their stronghold, then block their retreat, and then our main army will attack from both sides..."
The plan that Huangfu Song described bears some resemblance to the one devised by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing back in the day.
The main force of the army draws the enemy's main force in the front, while a cavalry force is sent on a long-distance raid to the enemy's rear.
"That's acceptable. You may proceed with this plan!"
Liu Hong immediately adopted the plan.
The instant Liu Hong nodded, three figures stepped forward simultaneously and said in unison, "Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to lead troops to flank and launch a surprise attack!"
Looking up, the group consisted of Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao.
The three men had rosy complexions and looked at Liu Hong with hopeful eyes, all hoping to take on the job.
After all, the Marquis of Champion was the idol of all the generals, and Lu Bu, Zhao Yun and others naturally wanted to try his battle tactics.
Seeing his three trusted generals step forward, Liu Hong had an idea and then said with a smile, "Fengxian, Zilong, and Wenyuan, all three of you are quite suitable, but only one of you can go on this trip. I don't know who to send. Why don't you discuss it yourselves?"
As soon as Liu Hong finished speaking, Lü Bu turned around and looked at Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao with a serious expression.
"Zilong, Wenyuan, this battle is crucial. Neither of you has experience leading troops in battle independently yet. You should stay by His Majesty's side and learn more. I will take charge of this battle!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao immediately showed a hint of displeasure on their faces.
Zhang Liao then said, "Brother Fengxian, you are mistaken. When the Marquis of Champion went into battle, it was his first time leading troops and he had no experience, yet he still achieved great success. This shows that leading troops into battle is not just about experience; it depends more on the general's ability to command troops and the quality of the soldiers!"
“Indeed, we have trained in the Imperial Guard for three years and led troops on this border for two years. We believe we have the ability to command troops, and the quality of the soldiers goes without saying. Therefore, I think we are fully capable of this task!”
Zhao Yun, standing to the side, also stepped forward with a confident expression and echoed his sentiment.
"Um?"
Seeing that Zhao Yun dared to talk back to him, Lü Bu's face darkened, and he exuded a coercive aura.
Lu Bu looked at Zhao Yun, his tone carrying a sense of pressure: "Zilong, are you sure you can do it?"
At this time, Lü Bu was nearly thirty years old, at the peak of his martial prowess. Moreover, after years of fighting and killing countless enemies, the aura he exuded was naturally something that Zhao Yun, a young man just starting out, could not withstand.
In addition, Lü Bu, as the senior disciple, had carefully instructed Zhao Yun in martial arts when they were in Luoyang.
Of course, the most important one is Lü Bu, who is Lü Zhen's older brother and Zhao Yun's future brother-in-law.
With superior martial prowess and overwhelming social status, Zhao Yun seemed to be at a complete disadvantage.
However, despite this, Zhao Yun gritted his teeth and said, "I'm sure... I can do it. Just like you said when you were instructing me on spear techniques, once you thrust out your spear, you either kill the enemy or break it. There's no turning back!"
Upon hearing this, Lü Bu's eyes narrowed, and he stared intently at Zhao Yun's slightly immature face.
In an instant, the entire tent became unusually quiet, with everyone silently watching Lu Bu and Zhao Yun.
Facing Lü Bu's imposing aura, Zhao Yun not only did not back down, but instead stubbornly raised his head to meet Lü Bu's gaze, exuding a sharp aura as he directly confronted Lü Bu's imposing presence.
"Haha~ Good, very good!"
Just as everyone was holding their breath, Lu Bu suddenly stopped his imposing aura and burst into laughter.
Lu Bu looked at Zhao Yun with a pleased expression and said with a smile, "Zilong has indeed grown up and should be trained. You will go to this battle!"
General Lü, you...?
Zhao Yun was taken aback by Lü Bu's sudden change of attitude.
"What do you mean, 'I'? I said, this battle is yours, I'm not getting involved!"
Lu Bu smiled and waved his hand, then retreated back into the ranks.
Zhao Yun's direct confrontation today has truly earned him Lü Bu's approval.
In Lü Bu's view, Zhao Yun would eventually become his brother-in-law, but if he wanted to marry his sister, good looks alone wouldn't suffice; he would need solid military achievements.
This battle is a sure victory. If Zhao Yun fights well, he might not be granted a marquisate, but he'll at least be a count.
We're all family after all, and I've already made quite a bit of contributions, so there's nothing wrong with giving it to Zhao Yun.
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