"My lord, please inspect the new army!"
Under the leadership of Zu Ti and with the assistance of Yu Qian.
This force, composed of aristocratic servants, assassins, and tenant farmers, was trained into an army in a rapid manner.
"Hmm... I'm at ease with the two of you training me."
Based on the soldiers provided by the aristocratic families, Zu Ti and others recruited refugees and good men from Yanzhou City, bringing the total number to over eight thousand.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
These soldiers were mostly spearmen and swordsmen, with very few archers and cavalry.
In reality, if it weren't for Zhao Hao, this team would have been cannon fodder. They had already been extremely generous to them; they refused to provide weapons, armor, bows, crossbows, or warhorses.
After a thorough inspection, Zhao Hao was very satisfied with the team.
Although this army was slightly inferior to all the troops under his command, even the soldiers of the royalists.
But it's more than enough to deal with this enemy.
In October, Zhao Hao led his troops out of Puyang, heading straight for the Yellow Turban stronghold of the Eastern Ping Kingdom.
Huang Shao was not to be outdone, and all 60,000 of his Yellow Turban troops were sent out to attack, leaving only a few old, weak, sick and disabled to defend the city.
The two armies faced off on opposite banks of the Wen River outside Wuyan City, their tensions palpable.
"Brother, Zhao Hao... has brought more than 20,000 men, but only 8,000 have set up camp on the riverbank."
Huang Shao listened to Gong Du's report and simply nodded quietly, without giving any instructions.
"No, brother, how do we deal with this? A night raid? A scorched earth policy? Give me a straight answer..."
Huang Shao smiled faintly, "They released us because they thought that no matter how we resisted, we wouldn't be a match for them. In that case, the day the enemy crosses the river will be the day the two armies clash."
No matter how many conspiracies and schemes, or how many open and overt strategies, they are all useless.
"Bring over all those bloodthirsty bastards. Zhao Hao won't make us surrender this time without drawing blood..."
Gong had no choice but to obey the order.
Over the years, they have lived a life of constant danger. Many of their subordinates are extremely ruthless and have no family or relatives.
This is probably why Cao Cao spent a great deal of time and energy conquering Yanzhou in history.
"My lord, when shall we cross the river and launch the final assault?"
On Zhao Hao's side, they were also waiting for Zhao Hao to speak.
This was a rare opportunity to earn merit, one that could not be sought after. Although Zhao Hao had not provided the new army with the best equipment.
But what's on the other side? Just a bunch of bandits; ordinary equipment is enough to deal with them!
"Gongyu, we're not in a hurry."
"Go and call Xianyu Fu and Yan Rou over."
"yes!"
Yan Rou is 35 years old.
Command: 79 Martial: 61 Intelligence: 82 Politics: 83 Charisma: 84
Personality traits: 1. Recruitment 2. Pro-Crowd 3. Steadfastness 4. Support 5. Capable Official
Xianyu Fu is 27 years old.
Command: 81 Martial: 85 Intelligence: 66 Politics: 62 Charisma: 73
Personality traits: 1. Recruitment 2. Sweep 3. Cavalry 4. Hero 5. Wrath
"We pay our respects to General Zhao!"
They were used to being called generals in the army, not noble titles, so Zhao Hao let them do as they pleased.
"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on the current state of the war?"
Zhao Hao would ask for their opinions, which the two obviously hadn't expected.
After exchanging glances with Yan Rou, Xianyu Fu stepped forward to reply.
"General Zhao, although the bandits are numerous, as long as your iron cavalry is in front, we light cavalry will follow behind."
No particularly powerful tactics are needed; the enemy will be routed in a single blow!
Yan Rou thought for a moment and then added.
"If the general wants to capture him alive, perhaps a night raid could be attempted...?"
Their knowledge was almost identical to the data on their panels, so Zhao Hao didn't bother to test them.
"My plan is for 8,000 new soldiers to cross the river first. Your troops from Youzhou, together with General Zhang's forces, will then storm the left bank."
I will personally lead my troops to garrison along the right bank of the river to intimidate the enemy.
The enemy fears Zhao, but not necessarily your two divisions, therefore…”
The two men frowned slightly. "Does the general want us to fight the bandits first?"
The implication is that Zhao Hao is inhuman and wants them to be cannon fodder.
It's actually normal for the two sides to distrust each other.
Zhao Hao's family is large and powerful, so having a few thousand people is nothing to him.
But the Liu family only had so much wealth, and Yan Rou and Xianyu Fu were unwilling to squander it all.
"That's not the case. Our headquarters cannot act rashly. We just want you two to cooperate well with General Zhang when the time comes."
Including General Xianyu Fu's thousand cavalry, General Zhang also has less than two thousand cavalrymen. If the enemy attacks the new army's formation, with your cooperation and support from the side, the enemy will definitely not be able to succeed easily.
Only when the battle is at its most intense will our heavy cavalry launch a thunderous attack, which will surely deliver the decisive blow and secure victory.
Your esteemed service to your soldiers, treating them like your own children, is truly commendable. However, you need not bear the brunt of the pressure; you should simply provide strong support from the flanks.
"Is there any further objection?"
The two said no more and bowed their heads in agreement.
For a duke to explain strategy and tactics to the two of them in such a calm manner was already giving them and Liu Yu enough face.
Initially, they, like the royalists, thought that Zhao Hao wanted to drag Liu Yu down and deplete Liu Yu's forces.
Now it seems... that the rumors and opinions from the outside world are not entirely true.
After receiving news that they did not need to fight on the front lines, the two returned to their camp to reorganize their troops and went to Zhang Yan's camp to exchange information and discuss strategies.
Two more days passed quickly...
"Young master, the weather is starting to turn cold; it's time."
"Yes, I know. But you, my lord, underestimate my soldiers and men."
Even in snowy conditions, they are unstoppable.
Ju Shou was taken aback. "Young Master... isn't our plan to take down the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou at the lowest possible cost and then transport them to Qingzhou? If it takes too long... I'm afraid the river will freeze over, and the ships will become useless."
Zhao Hao shook his head. "You don't think we're going to launch a blitzkrieg against these Yellow Turban rebels, finish everything, and then move on to Yuzhou, do you?"
"Young Master...!? After defeating them, Young Master left all the ships to Liu and the others to transport them."
"We, our five thousand elite cavalry, will launch a direct land attack on Yuzhou?"
Zhao Hao nodded in satisfaction, "That's right. Zu Ti's new recruits will probably be exhausted after this battle."
Those bandits in Yuzhou were far more ruthless than the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou when they actually fought.
Anyway, we'll need manpower to make the relocation plan, so leaving the ships to them is just fine.
However, relying solely on our five thousand elite troops is too weak; their cavalry can also be put to good use.
"Young master's strategy is truly remarkable; I am ashamed to admit my inferiority! And what's next...?"
Zhao Hao smiled slightly, pointing the command flag in his hand straight ahead.
"A general order is issued to the entire army: immediately..."
Cross the river!
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