Chapter 523: Huangfu Song
Chapter 523: Huangfu Song
September 25, 2017
Qinghe Province, within the Han Army camp.
Huangfu Song lifted his head and gazed at the map of Ji Province spread out before him. He meticulously rehearsed the orders he had just issued.
In reality, Huangfu Song had not only commanded Lu HaiKong to attack Liangqi, but he had also received orders from Gongsun Zan in Anping Prefecture to attack Julu. As for the forces in Wucheng, they were to march towards Ye City, while Huangfu Song's own troops would set out in five days' time, advancing from Qinghe Province towards Weizhou.
In this tactical plan, there was not a hint of trickery, instead, it was a straightforward and overwhelming strategy.
With five armies at his disposal, Huangfu Song could have implemented various creative tactics, such as launching surprise attacks, feigning attacks in one direction while striking from another, or even directly dividing Weizhou and Julu, splitting the Yellow Turban forces in two.
However, Huangfu Song did not do any of those things. He merely pushed the main force forward, and the five armies resembled a giant hand, gradually tightening its grip on the Yellow Turban forces, crushing them bit by bit.
This approach seemed to be the least efficient, but in Huangfu Song's opinion, it was the best method.
The primary reason for Huangfu Song's decision was not his confidence in the strength of his own troops, but rather his complete lack of knowledge about the Yellow Turban forces in Weizhou and Julu.
Despite sending in a large number of scouts, only a few returned, and even those who came back brought back almost no useful intelligence.
How many troops were there in Weizhou and Julu? Where were their garrisons located? Where were the granaries, and what was their logistical capacity? Huangfu Song had no grasp of any of these details.
Originally, they could have gathered some information, but a few days ago, after the Yellow Turban forces concentrated in one place, even this last channel of intelligence disappeared. Now, Weizhou and Julu seemed shrouded in a fog, making it impossible to discern the true situation within.
This was the first time Huangfu Song had encountered such a situation. Under these circumstances, what he wanted most was to concentrate the five armies together, but the current situation did not permit it, so he could only attack separately.
Of course, this approach also carried risks. If the Yellow Turban forces concentrated their attack on any one of the armies, that army would likely be overwhelmed by the Yellow Turbans. However, Huangfu Song was not overly concerned about this; he even wanted to take advantage of this situation.
"Liangqi was previously a logistics hub for the Yellow Turbans in Weizhou, and it is undoubtedly still an essential link in the supply chain for Ye City. If Lu HaiKong can capture it, attacking Ye City and the other areas of Weizhou will be much easier." Huangfu Song said as he looked at the map.
Of course, his words were not complete, and he did not say the second half of his thought.
If Liangqi is still an important link in the logistics supply chain for Weizhou at this time, then Lu HaiKong's attack will undoubtedly face fierce resistance, and even a possible encirclement by the Yellow Turban main force. In that case, Lu HaiKong's situation will become extremely dangerous.
Moreover, if the Yellow Turban main force is indeed drawn towards Lu HaiKong, Huangfu Song will not go to his rescue.
Huangfu Song had his own pride, and in his opinion, his army was the absolute main force in suppressing the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province.
Although Huangfu Song did not underestimate Lu HaiKong and Gongsun Zan's armies, he also did not believe that anyone was stronger than himself. Therefore, when designing tactics, he would subconsciously make moves to protect his own main force.
That was why he ordered Lu HaiKong to attack Liangqi before his own army's advance. If the Yellow Turban main force was attracted by Lu HaiKong, Huangfu Song's main force could easily capture Weizhou.
As for Lu HaiKong's life or death, that was not something Huangfu Song needed to consider.
...
Zhao Commandery, Handan, within Lu HaiKong's army camp.
Not long after the young general from Huangfu Song's side left, Xi Zhaitai's intelligence system also conveyed the imperial edict from the capital.
The message from Xi Zhaitai confirmed Lu HaiKong's role as the overall commander of the Ji Province campaign, and a major battle was now inevitable for Lu HaiKong.
After Lu HaiKong's army stationed in Handan, they continued to gather intelligence on Liangqi. With the help of the Phantom Guards, Lu HaiKong's intelligence-gathering efforts were more convenient than Huangfu Song's, and they obtained significantly more information.
Lu HaiKong understood that Liangqi was indeed still an essential link in the supply chain for Ye City, which was a real headache!
Weizhou and Julu were gathering places for the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province and even beyond, and now every county within the two prefectures had a considerable force.
As the previous logistics transit point for the Yellow Turbans in Weizhou, Liangqi County had at least fifty thousand troops.
These fifty thousand were not the disorganized Yellow Turban rebels of the past, as even the lowest-ranked soldiers were at the Yellow Turban Warrior level.
Of course, fifty thousand troops were not something Lu HaiKong feared, but he was concerned that in this stalemate, if he suddenly launched an attack, it might provoke a full-scale counterattack from the Yellow Turbans.
In the 1619th chapter of the novel, you can see this clearly!
However, Lu HaiKong had no choice but to follow the orders. The military order had been issued, and within four days, Lu HaiKong had to attack Liangqi.
Huangfu Song's military order was politely worded, but in the end, he only gave Lu HaiKong four days. In four days, what preparations could Lu HaiKong make? This time was only enough for Lu HaiKong to march his army towards Liangqi.
Currently, Lu HaiKong had less than forty thousand troops in Handan, which was not enough to easily capture a heavily fortified county like Liangqi, let alone face a possible counterattack from the Yellow Turban main force.
The situation was challenging, but Lu HaiKong was not one to be deterred.
After three days of preparation, on the fourth day, Lu HaiKong led a cavalry unit from his camp in Handan towards Liangqi.
This cavalry unit was composed of the Bloodthirsty Legion and three battalions from Wang Yi's forces, recently transferred from the mountain stronghold. The total number was less than four thousand, and with this force, Lu HaiKong arrived at the gates of Liangqi within a few hours.
Looking at the heavily fortified Liangqi, Lu HaiKong strode forward under the incredulous gazes of the Yellow Turban soldiers. Wielding the Savage Axe, he pointed at the city and shouted, "Lu HaiKong has come to suppress the rebellion! Yellow Turban rebels within the city, open the gates immediately!"
The Yellow Turban soldiers on the city walls were all stunned by this sight.
With just over three thousand cavalry, they were about to launch an attack in broad daylight?
Chapter end
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