Chapter 333: Soldiers are powerful and fast
Since he had decided to march deep into the enemy's territory alone, Zang Ba had already made preparations to be surrounded and suppressed by the armies of Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.
The combined forces of Xiahou Dun and Jiang Qi numbered over 100,000, while he only had 10,000 elite troops, and was clearly no match for their opponent in a head-on confrontation.
But he had the confidence to deal with these two people.
Because these 10,000 elite soldiers were mountain troops he specially trained, and their greatest feature was their ability to run.
Moreover, with the bonus of his talents, they cooperate well with each other, have strong organizational ability, and their mobility far exceeds that of ordinary troops. Under normal circumstances, it is normal for them to be half the speed of ordinary troops.
"Xuan Gao, how did you come up with the idea of building such an army?" Xu Shu asked with admiration as he looked at the army that marched as swiftly and smoothly as a snake.
Although he was much older than Xu Shu, Zang Ba felt it was natural for Xu Shu to address him as a peer.
For a very capable person like Xu Shu, we naturally cannot judge him by his age or qualifications.
Zang Ba couldn't help but feel proud to be praised so highly by Xu Shu.
"Yuanzhi, family members know their own business. My talent is not very strong in frontal combat. Unless I have the help of my lord's talent, I am far inferior to Yunchang, Wenyuan and others. I am only suitable for special situations such as mountainous areas and defending cities."
"Therefore, I have never positioned myself as Yun Chang, a frontal combat style, but rather as flexible."
Speaking of this, Zang Ba felt rational but also a little disappointed.
If there was no other choice, who would be willing to give up the grand path and choose to find another way? But Tian Ze has too many famous coaches and generals under his command, so he has to take a differentiated route.
"Our army is best at relying on mountains and checkpoints to block the enemy. In this kind of war, in addition to organization and coordination, the most important thing is mobility."
"As long as we have enough mobility, we can fight and retreat at the same time, blocking the enemy layer by layer. It will also be much more convenient when chasing the enemy."
"When I first created this elite force, my goal was to create a mobile force that could run the fastest in mountain warfare and was no less powerful than cavalry when marching."
Hearing Zang Ba's ambitions, Xu Shu couldn't help but look at him in shock.
"The marching speed is not inferior to that of cavalry? This seems a bit unrealistic."
Zang Ba smiled slightly: "You always have to have a goal, what if you achieve it?"
"What's more, although cavalry is fast, it also has its shortcomings and is greatly affected by logistics and terrain factors."
"It may be difficult for us to reach the plains, but in places like Taishan County where there are many mountains, we can definitely be faster than cavalry by taking shortcuts and climbing over the mountains."
Upon hearing this, Xu Shu nodded slightly.
"If we want to perform well this time, the most important thing is the marching speed. Our troops are so elite, it shouldn't be difficult to realize my idea."
Zang Ba looked at Xu Shu expectantly: "Yuanzhi, what do you think?"
The fledgling Xu Shu became Zang Ba's military advisor. Naturally, Zang Ba did not approve of him at first.
But after a period of contact, he was soon convinced by Xu Shu.
Because Xu Shu was not only proficient in battle formations and tactics, but also had a personality that was very compatible with his, making him the most suitable military advisor.
His most suitable talent is changing formations, and Xu Shu happens to be best at formations, which allows him to bring his abilities to the fullest.
The most important thing is that the two of them have similar personalities, just like a pair of friends regardless of age.
"Xiahou Dun and Jiang Qi's troops are marching like this, obviously intending to encircle us from both sides, force us away from the Taishan Mountains, block our way, and then annihilate us."
"In that case, let's just go along with his wishes." Xu Shu had a smile on his face.
……
"General, the scouts reported that Zang Ba's army did not go north to the Taishan Mountains, but went south across the Wenshui River and headed towards Wen County."
???
Upon hearing this military intelligence, Xiahou Dun was immediately surprised. Although he and Jiang Qi were encircling the north from both sides in order to prevent Zang Ba from escaping back to the Taishan Mountains, how could Zang Ba dare to go directly south?
Although this was exactly what they wanted, it also surprised him a little.
"it is good!"
Although he couldn't understand why Zang Ba was so stupid, Xiahou Dun soon became happy.
"Hurry up and march to Sheqiu County! I want to completely block Zang Ba's retreat and annihilate him near Wen County!"
Liu Ye on the side was not so optimistic, but looked thoughtful.
There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.
Zang Ba's action was completely beyond his expectations.
He had thought that Zang Ba would react quickly, retreat to the Taihang Mountains, or choose a dangerous place to garrison there.
However, they never expected that the other party would choose to continue moving south.
"Is this Zang Xuangao too arrogant, or..." Liu Ye murmured to himself.
He had too little information, and Zang Ba himself was a bold person. He couldn't tell whether Zang Ba was arrogant or had other plans.
He had no objection to Xiahou Dun's treatment.
Wen County and Gang County near the Wenshui River have now received the news and are on guard, making it impossible for them to be easily conquered by Zang Ba.
After all, although Zang Ba's troops were elite, they were lightly armed and did not carry siege equipment. Even if they sent troops to attack, the gains would outweigh the losses. Instead, they were happy to see the other side suffer heavy casualties.
As long as the defenders in these places can hold out for a few days, they will be able to hold on to Zang Ba's army and then block the Snake Hill, making it impossible for the enemy to escape.
However, just as Xiahou Dun divided his troops to defend Sheqiu and prepared to march south across the Wenshui River to pursue Zang Ba's troops, news came that Zang Ba's troops had appeared at Yangguanting, several hundred miles away.
"How come Zang Ba's army can march so fast?"
"Not good! Fenggao!"
When Xiahou Dun learned the news, he had not yet realized what the problem was, but Liu Ye immediately noticed something was wrong.
Then he quickly spread out the map on the wall and pointed at Yangguan Pavilion and Fenggao.
"The distance between Yangguanting and Fenggao is only a hundred miles. If Zang Ba's troops march quickly, they can reach there in just one day!"
"There are 3,000 defenders in Fenggao City. It is impossible for Zang Ba to take it easily." Xiahou Dun said.
"But the problem is that these defenders are completely unprepared." Liu Ye said in a deep voice.
"Before this battle, I have ordered martial law in all counties, so it should be fine." Xiahou Dun said.
Liu Ye looked at Xiahou Dun deeply.
"General, Fenggao is hundreds of miles away from Snake Hill. Given the marching speed of ordinary armies, who would have thought that the enemy would arrive here so quickly?"
"And according to the time calculation, Jiang Qi's troops just passed through the northern part three to five days ago. I'm afraid the defenders in Fenggao City will be even more relaxed."
"Can they really defend in time?"
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Dun realized the seriousness of the problem and frowned.
You have to know that people are not machines. These lieutenants and county magistrates will not act strictly just because he gives an order.
Especially when they judge that nothing will go wrong.
The Cao army itself did not have as generous treatment as Tian Ze, and did not pay enough attention to military discipline and orders. Xiahou Dun was indeed not sure that the captain and county magistrate stationed in Fenggao would strictly follow his orders.
(End of this chapter)
