Chapter 76: Collection of wise men

Yang Yi was very strict in his army. The trumpet stopped but the trumpet was not arrived. He was punished severely for the first time and beheaded the second time! Cao Kun and Xue Yunshan quickly put down their milk wine and rushed to gather. The trumpet stopped. The camps had already arrived. This was the result of Yang Yi's training in the past period. If the weapons were sharp and the equipment was prepared, the combat effectiveness of this army was actually quite impressive.

Cao Kun thought to himself: "If there is strict discipline, no force in Hexi can do this, and Liu Guangwu will not be able to catch up with it."

Zhang Mai stood on the platform and swept around. There was no voice in this natural open space used as the schoolyard. Some dependent people stood outside to watch and did not dare to make any sound. Yang Yi reported to Zhang Mai that the people had arrived. Zhang Mai then started to speak, saying: "According to the latest rewards of the spies, Di Yin has crossed the Guasu border, and one of the Jinchang defenders has already left the city. Yizhou has also sent troops to the Xingluo Gorge, and the border of Yizhou is too Rouyuan. There are troops arranged in the Xingluo Gorge of Guazhou. There are not only Guiyi troops in Yizhou, but also Hu people. In short, three forces are now pushing towards this side like iron plates! The situation is very critical."

Cao Kun's heart was a little shocked. He had expected that the Guiyi Army would definitely make any moves next, but he did not expect that the movement would be so great that even the troops in Yizhou had moved.

"It seems that the Cao family has made up their minds to kill Anxi this time, but they don't know what Zhang Mai will do?" Cao Kun thought to himself: "If he wants to escape..."

"The most urgent thing now!" Zhang Mai's words interrupted his thoughts: "It is how to protect the people!"

Xue Yunshan and Cao Kun were stunned, but they heard Zhang Mai continue, "War is the business of our soldiers! People cannot be involved! Whether it is the herdsmen in Zebei or the farmers in Zenan, they come to rely on me because they believe in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, I have the responsibility to be responsible for them! Whether Di Yin or Cao Yijin, they will let them come if they want to come. I am not afraid, but the first step is that we must first try to save the unarmed herdsmen and the farmers from being affected by the fish in the pond!"

Cao Kun was a little stunned when he heard this. In addition to the three thousand elite cavalry, most of the newly joined Muqi and peasant soldiers also had relatives nearby. What Zhang Mai called "unarmed people" were their parents, wives, children and sisters. When he heard Zhang Mai say that he should protect them first, he felt grateful in his heart.

Zhang Mai said: "This time the enemy attacked from all directions, the west, the south is the Guiyi army, and the south is the Uighurs of Ganzhou in the south. These two divisions should attack first. In Yizhou, the troops are not as strong as the previous two directions. I expected to set up blocks, which means that it is likely to be a blockage in the south and the north! Therefore, I judged that as long as our army still exists, the desert grassland area north of Guazhou Daze can be preserved! Di Yin and Cao Yijin's goal this time is Zhang Mai, so let me Zhang Mai attract their attention!"

Cao Kun was stunned again. He heard that Zhang Mai was not going to use the people as cannon fodder, but wanted to block the robbery for the people. That was something he could never expect, so he heard that Zhang Mai was already casting a spell order.

"Guo Zhang obeys the order!"

"In." Guo Zhang left the list.

"Prestle the banner of General Yang Yi and me to let the enemy know where I am!"

"Receive the order!"

"Zhang Zhongmou obeys the order."

"exist."

"You deploy peasant soldiers and take all the supplies and equipment to the old Yumen Pass, and we will wait for the visit of Cao Linggong and Di Yin Khan!"

"Receive the order!"

"Tian Hao, Qiu Ziqian!"

"exist."

"You two each bring two battalions of troops, Tian Hao is in the east and Qiu Ziqian is in the west. If you encounter a cavalry approaching the people's ranks, you will annihilate them!"

"Receive the order!"

"Shiba!"

"exist!"

"You lead the troops in the middle of the entire army. If a large army attacks, no matter how strong the people coming are, you will be responsible for repelling them! If the large army approaches the army, don't come to see me!"

Shiba did not hesitate at all: "Receive the order!"

"Jiangshan, Xue Yunshan, Xue Yunfei, Cao Kun!"

Cao Kun didn't expect to call him so quickly, so he quickly left the line.

Zhang Mai said: "You four quickly mobilized the people to retreat into Zebei, Xue Yunshan, Xue Yunfei was responsible for the people's corps, Jiangshan, and Cao Kun were responsible for the protection. The last group arrived at Yumen Pass within five days, bypassed from the south corner of Guazhou Great Jersey, and entered the Zebei Grassland within ten days! After entering the grassland, all the people were broken into pieces and scattered into nomadic areas in the grassland. I will withstand the attacks at Yumen Pass. If you four people try to repel a small group of attacks!"

Jiang Shan said: "Daduo Protector, if our inner camp and auxiliary camp are gone, and the remaining large captains are alone in Yumen Pass, wouldn't that be very dangerous?"

Zhang Mai smiled and said, "Danger? Haha, haha! Don't worry, I have a plan to defeat the enemy! It's summer now, the water is abundant and the grass is growing. After the herdsmen retreat to Zebei, they will be able to grazing and self-sufficiency. We work harder and we should be able to endure it. When I defeat Di Yin and Cao Yijin's siege, we will be given good fields and beautiful ponds and fertile land to live a good life together!"

There were many peasant cavalry and soldiers in the schoolyard. When they heard the last few words, they were full of expectations. Jiang Xuecao and the other four received the order. Zhang Mai said: "Okay, the situation is urgent, everyone should do their own things!"

Guo Zhang indeed raised Zhang Mai's flag and clearly stated where Zhang Mai was.

When Cao Kun saw it, he sighed in his heart and whispered when he met Xue Yunshan to discuss matters: "I misread him! Today I know why so many heroes are loyal to him, and why the Anxi Iron Cavalry can rampant in the Western Regions!"

Xue Yunshan said: "Then are you still planning to bring your own way of retreat?"

"What are you talking about!" Cao Kun said: "In order to protect our elders and brothers, Zhang Daduhu was trapped by his wife, children and sisters. It was too late for us to help him fight the enemy. Why did he say he would bring his own way out! He just didn't know how he was going to defeat the enemy."

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Xue Yunshan was Liu Guangwu's son-in-law. As early as during Liu Guangwu's reign, he was responsible for many common affairs. At this time, he took over the migration of the people and was well-organized with Xue Yunfei's assistance.

At this time, Zhang Mai's headquarters was located in the middle section of the south bank of Daze, Guazhou. The first place to fight the enemy selected by Zhang Mai was the old Yumen Pass on the south corner of Daze, Guazhou. At this time, there were two main parts of the people who were dependent on Zhang Mai. One was the people of the Hundred Treasures who stayed in Zebei, and the other was the herdsmen and farmers who came back from all over Zenan after they retreated from Di Yin. At this time, the latter was the latter.

There are many herds in Hexi. In addition to war horses, there are more than 10,000 horses. Of course, most of them are inferior horses. There are not many high-quality war horses produced by the Hundred Tent Army and Guabei Ranch, but there is no problem with transportation. Xue Yunshan has a high organizational ability, and Yang Yi has finished woven the army. He commands like an arm and wrist, and the wrist and fingers. In addition, the people heard that Zhang Dadu's Protector was in danger to save the people, so they all acted very well. They arrived at Yumen Pass in just three days, and retreated into Zebei in two days, and moved very quickly.

On the other hand, Di Yin seemed very cautious because he had suffered a great loss at Zhang Mai. The Guiyi Army wanted to borrow Hu Zizhong and refused to take the risk of advancing lightly, so the march was very slow.

When Zhang Mai entered Yumen Pass, Cao Kun came to see him and said, "The Protectorate, the last group of people have set off. As long as you walk along the lakeside, you can meet with the Hundred Sects of the Military and Civilians of Zebei in a few days." Zhang Mai Lian praised his rapid work and said, "There are only three directions that can be attacked in the Zebei grassland, one is the Yizhou army from the northeast, the second is the Baowenshan tribe in the north, and the third is the Ganzhou Uighurs from the southeast. If the Guiyi army wants to go to Zebei, it must pass by Yumen. As long as I don't die, I will definitely not let them go. You can rest assured. Yizhou side must bear the burden of facing Beiting and facing Gaochang and encirclement of our army. I don't think that the Yizhou guards will not send a large army to go deep, so there is no need to worry about this direction. So you go here mainly to prevent the Ganzhou Uighurs from going around the southeast corner of Guazhou Daze to attack Zebei. In addition, you have to handle the relationship with the Baowenshan tribe well, and don't let them go south to take advantage of the situation."

Cao Kun said: "Don't worry, the Great Protectorate has an unwritten agreement with us, so we will not invade each other. As for the Uighurs in Ganzhou, there is no need to worry about it. The land of the Hundred Miles in Zebei is the territory of our hundred-tent army. If Di Yin is so stupid that he wants to send cavalry to come here to capture us, he will play hide-and-seek in our backyard, and there is no need to worry at all. The Uighurs in Ganzhou are also nomadic. When it comes to knowing that scattering forces to capture nomads like wind and shadows, it is far better to concentrate troops to attack strongholds that cannot be escaped, so I have to worry about it. But those who I am confused about are not sure how the Great Protector is preparing to defeat the enemy."

Speaking of this, his eyes looked very sincere, but he hoped that Zhang Mai would reveal some news to him.

Zhang Mai pondered and said, "Okay, you have to cooperate with this matter, I will tell you. With the three thousand troops under my command, it is no different to dream that the alliance between the Guiyi army and the Uighurs in Ganzhou at the same time, so I just struggled to resist at Yumen Pass. The real victory is still to rely on the army from the three towns of Gaochang."

Cao Kun said oh, but he didn't show much surprise and asked, "Did the people sent by the Great Protector to report the news?"

Zhang Mai said: "I have sent five groups of people to carry encrypted documents, disguised as beggars, merchants, nomads, refugees and even deserters of the Guiyi Army, and sneaked from all directions to Gaochang."

Cao Kun said: "The enemy is very cautious this time. Although the Great Protector sent five groups of troops, they may not be guaranteed to arrive. From here to Gaochang, there is a secret path. It passes from the north of the Great Wall site, crosses Xinghubo, and enters the desert, and walks south along the southern foot of the Loulan Mountains. This road is very difficult to walk. There are some places along the way that it is difficult to find water sources for two or three hundred miles, and it is easy to lose its direction. You must have sufficient preparations to get started. However, you can go directly to Quli when you walk this path. This is the road that Liu Guangwu opened to an affair with Gudu. I have an uncle named Cao Ju who has walked this path three times. If the Great Protector can trust our uncle and nephew, can you draw another secret letter and give it to my uncle to take it?"

Zhang Mai was overjoyed and said, "What can I believe!" He immediately pointed out a team of elite soldiers, brought enough dry food and water, and set off today with Cao Ju as his guide.

Yang Yi arranged Yumen Pass here, and Xue Yunshan came to find him after hearing Zhang Mai's plan from Cao Kun, and said, "The Great Protector, Yumen Pass is an old pass, and has been deserted for a long time. Cao Yijin has stationed some veterans here. For the convenience of their lives, the veterans also added some bricks and tiles to make some minor repairs, but not as a defensive fortress to repair it. No one can say whether the under walls can be resisted. Moreover, although the Great Protector is standing at Yumen Pass, he does not have to converge his troops in the pass, nor does he have to defend himself until the Cao family and Di Yin army encircle. He can attack as a defense and use the specialty of the three thousand light cavalry to make Yumen Pass become unattainable in the eyes of the enemy."

Zhang Mai asked how to use the strengths of the Light Cavalry. Xue Yunshan said: "The reason why this Yumen Pass was abandoned was mainly because the water of the Styx River was reduced. The dozens of miles near the Styx River was deserted, so Yumen Pass had to move. Within a radius of seventy miles, except for the Styx River, there were only fourteen water sources left. Moreover, eight of these fourteen water sources were turbid springs, and they could only drink animals. Just like the water in the Guazhou Daze, people could not bear it if they drank too much, and there were two more in the Styx City. Therefore, we only had to use Yumen Pass as the core and sent cavalry to continue to raid in the lower reaches of the Styx River and all over the river. If a large army came, avoid it. If a small group of troops attacked, it would make it difficult for the previous front to gain a foothold, and the subsequent troops would be delayed and swollen. This was enough to make it difficult for the Nanlai coalition forces to approach in the short term."

Zhang Mai said happily: "Although I have been to Yumen Pass, I don't know as detailed as you. We came to Hexi here, I didn't expect to fight a defensive battle. All the soldiers and generals who defended were staying in Gaochang, and only a few people were brought here. I was worried about how to carry out the defense. If Yunshan said, it would be just right to use our army's strengths. With your own strategy, how can Cao and Di Yin be worth it!"

Seeing that he adopted his own strategy, Xue Yunshan felt a sense of confidant in his heart, and said, "In addition, the herdsmen in Zebei will actually avoid the enemy on their own on the grassland. We only need to leave 3,000 people on the north bank road of Daze, Guazhou to prevent Di Yin from going around the north bank to attack Yumen Pass. The remaining troops can be used on the battlefield near Yumen Pass. There are more than 1,000 peasant soldiers, and hundreds of people can be transferred to the city to garrison. In this desert grassland, it is advisable to move rather than quiet. The enemy must come and retreat, and the enemy retreats and advances. Since our purpose is to carry the reinforcements, there is no need to hold on here and hold on! The Great Protector is so concerned about the people of Hexi. If you retreat into the Zebei grassland, even if we kill the stallion and eat grass roots, we will definitely support the Great Protector to fight this war!"

Zhang Mai heard Xue Yunshan's last sentence saying that even if he "kills the stallion and chews the grassroots", he held his hand and said, "If the soldiers and civilians in the hundred tents have such a determination, then why should I worry about not winning this battle! Yunshan, please rest assured that after winning this battle, what we will get will be ten times the time being lost!" He immediately followed Xue Yunshan's suggestion, reduce the number of herds and cavalry guarding the people of Zebei, and dispatch a thousand peasant soldiers to enter Yumen Pass City to assist in defense.

The sea seal secretly measured the deployment of the army. He could not speak out about these military affairs, but he also came to find Zhang Mai and said, "Protector, since you have established this big banner, you must let the people of Shagua know. You must make an edict to Hexi to let the people of Shagua know that the Protector is still adhering to the Han throne at Yumen Pass, and let the monks and laymen in Hexi know that the Special Envoy of the Imperial Envoy has not given up on them yet."

Zhang Mai said: "The manifesto is easy to write, but now the martial law in various cities is difficult to spread."
Chapter completed!