Lulong Pass, also known as Xifengkou, is located in the eastern section of the Yanshan Mountains, at the border of Chengde City and Tangshan City in Hebei Province.
It is the gateway from Beijing through Tongzhou and Zunhua City in Hebei Province to the eastern part of the Mongolian Plateau and the Northeast Plain.
This place has a strategic location and has been a battleground for military strategists throughout history.
The Han Dynasty had long ago set up a checkpoint here, named "Songting Pass".
Later, Cao Cao conquered the Wuhuan people in Liaoxi, and Murong Jun of the Former Yan advanced into the Central Plains, both using this pass as their gateway.
When people mentioned Lulong Pass, people from Youzhou, such as Tian Yu and Qian Zhao, were quite familiar with the pass.
"But now, heavy snow has fallen, which is not conducive to marching!"
Tian Yu frowned. "Even without snow, crossing the Yi River from here, traversing Yuyang County, and going through the entire Youbeiping, marching hundreds of miles to penetrate deep into enemy territory is already extremely difficult, let alone capturing Lulong Pass."
"In the freezing cold, resupply becomes an even bigger problem."
Seeing that Liu Wei's intention was to seize Lulong Pass and block the Wuhuan's retreat, Tian Yu followed Liu Wei's lead and raised the difficulties that needed to be overcome in seizing Lulong Pass.
“That’s right. As this centurion just said, there are an average of 10,000 troops stationed in Yuyang and Youbei.”
"How many troops and how much food do we plan to send?" Qian Zhao also asked.
"The questions raised by the two of you certainly need to be considered. Currently, the most skilled warriors in Yi County are none other than the cavalry under General Zhang's command."
"But they are also the backbone of our lord's future decisive battle against the main force of the rebels under the walls of Jixian, and we cannot divide our forces."
Guan Yu pondered for a moment, "Unfortunately, I only have five hundred men under my command, and most of them are local militias who were recently recruited in Zhuo County and are not well trained."
"I originally intended to launch a surprise attack on Lulong on this snowy night to defend the fortress for my lord, but unfortunately, my forces are insufficient!"
Fortunately, Guan Yu didn't say: "Unfortunately, we lack the financial resources."
However, he had this intention because he understood Liu Wei's strategic intent.
Zhang Liao's 1,700 cavalrymen were immobilized, while in Yi County, besides his and Zhang Fei's 500 troops, Tian Yu and Qian Zhao's 1,000 soldiers had just been incorporated.
Gongsun Fan and Zou Dan only had a thousand soldiers. They were only capable of defending the city, let alone sending them out to carry out such an important mission. They were simply not worth mentioning.
The discussion has progressed to this point, and things are gradually becoming clearer.
Everyone looked at Liu Wei, waiting for his decision.
"I do indeed intend to launch a surprise attack on Lulong Pass on this snowy night."
"This strategy is a risky move, requiring surprise, and it can only succeed, not fail!"
Liu Wei cleared his throat, his face serious.
The crowd's faces hardened, and they immediately understood that if they sent troops to capture Lulong Pass, they would face a massive counterattack from the rebel army throughout Youzhou.
The pressure that must be endured is immense.
However, if they succeed in capturing it, they will become famous overnight, their fame resounding throughout China.
"Just now, I hesitated for a long time among the four of you, unable to decide who to send, and even considered that I would lead the army myself," Liu Wei said slowly.
"Your Highness is of noble birth and needs to oversee the overall situation and command the entire army. How can you risk your life just for the sake of gaining a city or a fortress?" The four men repeatedly tried to dissuade him.
In this battle, Liu Wei, as the King of Yunzhong and acting General of the Northern Garrison, was in charge of all the troops in Youzhou. How could he possibly lead his troops deep behind enemy lines to capture a fortress?
If anything were to happen to you, the overall situation in Youzhou would be in an irreversible state.
"That's right, I definitely can't go to Lulong Pass."
"Next, we need to quickly capture Youbeiping and Yuyang, and drive the foreign rebels here to Guangyang County. Zhang Wenyuan will be needed to command the cavalry."
"Therefore, the only people I can use are Yun Chang, Guo Rang, and Zi Jing!"
At this time, Zhang Fei still lacked experience in leading troops. He was good at being a brave general charging into battle, but it was unrealistic to expect him to lead an army on his own.
Zhang Fei's strategic side only became apparent when Liu Bei marched into Western Sichuan, which was more than twenty years later.
Over the course of more than twenty years, many people have grown and changed.
Liu Wei paused at this point.
Guan Yu, Tian Yu, and Qian Zhao looked at each other.
Logically, since Guan Yu had volunteered to launch a surprise attack on Lulong in the snow, Liu Wei should have used him.
However, Liu Wei did not agree directly and will choose among Guan Yu, Tian Yu, and Qian Zhao. It is unknown what Liu Wei's considerations are.
"My lord, why don't you use me?"
Guan Yu couldn't help but ask, "I only need those five hundred chapters!"
"Yun Chang, don't act rashly!" Zhang Liao advised.
The two men developed a mutual respect for each other after their battle to capture the city gate of Yi County.
When Guan Yu asked for only 500 units, wasn't that just an angry outburst?
"I have a question for the three of you! If your answers are satisfactory, I will send him on this trip."
Seeing that Guan Yu was arrogant and resentful after being provoked by him, Liu Wei smiled faintly.
"Please speak, my lord!"
Guan Yu, Tian Yu, and Qian Zhao were immediately invigorated.
They immediately knew that the correct answer was to lead the army to Lulong.
If the mission is successfully completed, Liu Wei will definitely give him an important position after the victory, and he will even be able to lead an army on his own.
"A raid in the snow requires surprise, and an invasion is like fire. We certainly cannot carry too much food. I wonder how the three of you plan to solve this?"
Guan Yu spoke first: "There are still fifteen days until the day of the full-scale counterattack. I only need one person and two horses, carrying twenty days' worth of provisions, which is more than enough!"
Tian Yu added, "There should be supplies in the Lulong Fortress. We can march quickly and take Lulong directly."
Liu Wei and Zhang Liao both frowned.
After pondering for a moment, Qian Zhao said, "My lord, I would like to emulate General Huo Qubing and seize territory along the way, using war to sustain our war effort."
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