Chapter 507: Pulling the Ladder Up the Roof
In the temporary camp, Ju Hu was feeling uneasy.

Seeing that bonfires were lit everywhere and a batch of firewood was transported from Liangxiang County, the county magistrate Yi Mensheng stayed and refused to leave.

Ju Hu stood up and walked out of the tent. A leather rope had been pulled outside his tent, which was the visible wall.

The night curfew is about to begin, and this leather rope wall as thick as a little finger is the death line.

While the curfew had not yet begun and the evening drum had already sounded for the second time, Ju Hu felt even more anxious and hurried to the central army camp.

Two campfires had been lit in the camp, and some personal soldiers were coming in and out of the big tent, moving various tools into the tent.

At the campfire in front of the tent, a black bear was patting his calves with mugwort.

Before going to bed, the big tent would be fumigated with mugwort smoke, and he would go to sleep only after hanging up the fine mosquito net.

In order to prevent insects, a layer of sulfur powder would be sprinkled inside the tent and lime water would be splashed near the tent.

Ju Hu stepped forward and saluted: "Grand Marshal, I see that the camp is just being built, why don't we stay in the city for the night?"

"Our army has a large number of horses, so it would be inconvenient to enter the city. Besides, you know that our army has a strict night ban. If we stay overnight in the city, there will inevitably be accidental killings."

Black Bear patiently explained, and then said: "My sudden words from Feihu will inevitably cause a lot of trouble to the general. I am just troubling you, sir, to return to Yecheng tomorrow to clear up the misunderstanding with the general."

"Yes, how dare an outsider not try his best?"

Ju Hu looked around again and said, "Envoy Yuan's seat is in Fanyang. Can the Grand Marshal send an envoy to inquire?"

"No, I didn't see him send anyone."

Seeing Ju Hu's hesitation, Black Bear said, "How about this, tomorrow you go to Fanyang first, and then to Yecheng. After I get to Jixian, I will take the main road to Daijun."

"Yes, I will take my leave."

Ju Hu felt relieved, bowed deeply, took a few steps back, and led his servants back to his small camp quickly.

Seeing him leave, Black Bear raised his eyebrows and smiled, then stood up and threw the mugwort in his hand into the campfire. It suddenly exploded, and green smoke and the rich smell of mugwort filled the air.

The mosquito net was hung inside the big tent, and Black Bear stood in front of the tent wall looking at the map.

The reason why Ji County is the core of Youzhou is because Youzhou’s road network is centered on Ji County in the east.

If you have chariots and want to go to Dai County quickly and completely, you can only go to Ji County, then turn northwest and enter Dai County through Juyongkou.

If I were Yuan Shang, I would need to mobilize the army and keep it secret.

Therefore, Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi would restrict the flow of personnel and try not to send envoys if possible, so as to prevent the envoy team from leaking secrets.

A reliable team of messengers that can paralyze yourself is not easy to find, and will be exposed if you are not careful.

The only way to reduce exposure is to give up the option of numbing yourself.

Blocking information facilitates military operations, but the first step in military action is always mobilization. Only after mobilization is in place can they be mobilized and participate in the war.

This kind of hasty mobilization can only roughly select a few assembly points, and let the army march to these assembly points after receiving the notification.

As for subsequent supplies, we will send other people to be responsible for transportation.

Therefore, it was difficult for Yuan's army to quickly launch an assault with superior troop strength. The more urgent the time of the attack, the fewer troops could be mobilized.

The longer the mobilization time is, the more troops will be assembled, but the probability of exposure will continue to increase.

Therefore, Yuan Shang would strike a balance and launch a tentative assault on himself with at least three times the force.

At the same time, they would definitely send troops to cut off Feihu Road and cut off their normal route back.

After doing all this, it will depend on how all parties in Youzhou choose and stand. After this round is completed and the news spreads, it will be the turn of Cao Cao, Gongsun Kang, the Wuhuan in the three eastern counties, and the Xianbei in the east to make a choice.

Perhaps Budugen would also get involved. It’s not that Budugen is so brave, it’s the ethnic habit of the Xianbei.

When most people were about to rise up in rebellion, Budugen was unable to stop them.

But in July, the Xianbei people were generally scattered and nomadic, and it would be the end of August or the beginning of September at the earliest for them to gather their forces to join the war.

At this point in time, the troops of Cao Cao, Gongsun Kang and Tadun would be able to arrive in Youzhou.

So I didn’t have much time, only about forty days in total.

We must severely injure and hurt Yuan Shang, but we must not destroy the enemy's will to fight; only by allowing Yuan Shang to maintain the front line can we continuously attract troops from all parties to join the war.

Then leave them hanging and let them chase.

Entering the Dai County or the vicinity of Juyongkou would be very suitable for fighting an annihilation battle.

But after all, his own military strength is a little weak. He is not lacking in sharp forces, but lacks in backbone forces.

We don't need the backbone to hold the line, we need them to help crush the soldiers.

Therefore, the real decisive battle site can only be Dai County, which is naturally a big round dumpling. There are only a few entrances and exits, attracting all kinds of pursuers. Regardless of whether Liu Bei helps in the battle, the pursuers will be annihilated in the county seat of Dai County, that is, Pingcheng, that is, Datong.

If we can capture 30,000 to 50,000 strong prisoners of war and slaves and bring them back to Guanzhong, we will have no shortage of labor this winter.

After pondering for a while, he walked out of the tent when he heard the evening drum stop, and quickly climbed up the watchtower next to it using both feet.

Three teams of Taoist soldiers were immediately deployed, each team had more than ten knights, divided into three layers, inner and outer layers, and began to cruise around the camp, some fast and some slow. The inner and outer teams moved clockwise, and the middle team moved counterclockwise.

During their patrols, they will attack people and animals on the patrol route without distinguishing between friend or foe.

With this kind of patrol method, accidental injuries are inevitable.

Quietly feeling the puppet knight starting to move outside the camp, Black Bear leaned against the guardrail and raised his eyebrows to look at the moonless starry sky.

I just felt it was extremely vast and brilliant, with the dazzling galaxy filled with red and yellow.

After this battle, we can have peace for a long time.

Ever since his child was born, he has been reluctant to go out to fight.

Under the cover of night, Yuan Shang was leading his troops along the highway in Julu County.

The officers and soldiers in the marching team all held wooden sticks in their mouths and moved forward in teams of 100 men. Only the front, middle and rear of the team had torches.

On the chariot, Yuan Shang, wearing a gilded armor, sat upright on a chair, and from time to time knights rode their horses galloping back and forth.

Li Fu accompanied him on horseback. Although Li Fu was young, he was already able to command and dispatch the entire army skillfully.

After midnight, the entire army rested on the side of the road, then they lit some bonfires, cooked hot soup and ate some dry food.

Yuan Shang was holding a roll of cowhide map and studying it carefully. He had already withdrawn all the standing troops from Yecheng and the surrounding citadels, and he was also accompanied by soldiers from the Shen clan who were well prepared for war.

There are 20,000 infantry and cavalry in total, and the army of Wei County will also go north to join the war after being mobilized.

What he had to do was to rush to Wuruan Pass and block the black bear's retreat route.

Only in this way can the vicious nature of the powerful people in Youzhou and Jizhou be aroused.

After guarding the Wuruan Pass, the troops from various counties in Jizhou gathered towards Zhongshan State, and then advanced along the road towards Ji County.

As for attacking the black bear... Yuan Shang never had such an idea from beginning to end.

When it comes to charging, black bears are very experienced, so we have to be on guard against their attacks.

As long as the Jizhou army advances along the Chidao in layers, it will naturally encourage various forces to jump out and take advantage of the situation.

Even if Liu Bei stayed in Dai County and watched the battle, considering Youzhou's strength, it would be normal for an army of 100,000 to emerge in the blink of an eye.

Thinking about his own thoughts, he rolled up the map again. Li Fu came back from his inspection and whispered, "Many officials are afraid of the reputation of the Grand Marshal."

Yuan Shang asked, "What else?"

"I am concerned that Cao's army's march north to join the battle will shake the morale of the army."

Li Fu said in a low voice: "Cao Cao is a man of character, and there is also the matter of Qingzhou. If he sends troops, the people of Jizhou will be in turmoil."

"Well, I won't let Cao's army cross the river unless it's absolutely necessary."

As Yuan Shang spoke, he was also thinking about the chain reaction that would occur if Cao's army appeared near the battlefield.

Just passing through Jizhou would cause chaos, not to mention Cao Cao's famous military discipline.

Therefore, Cao's army's participation in the war is likely to have negative effects.

Put yourself in his shoes and think about it. Would Cao Cao really help you to encircle and kill the black bear and severely injure it?
We cannot count on Cao’s army and must rely on the strength of Gongsun Kang.

I just don't know whether Gongsun Kang can mobilize the power of the various Dongyi tribes through trade, or it may be that the merchants deliberately boasted.

The various Dongyi tribes are very powerful, with a total of no less than 200,000 households.

Living in such a bitter and cold place, they were able to keep the most brutal and brave Eastern Xianbei out. The strength of the Dongyi tribes should not be underestimated.

Seeing Yuan Shang reject Cao's army, Li Fu breathed a sigh of relief, picked up a roll of bear skin beside him and said, "My lord, take a rest too."

"I'm going to ride, don't worry about me."

Yuan Shang couldn't sleep, so he just signaled Li Fu to rest quickly as they still had to march in the second half of the night.

After daybreak, Li Fu had to mobilize the powerful families and wealthy people in Julu to send troops.

To some extent, the mobilization of powerful soldiers is more efficient, but they need to replenish equipment from the state and county treasuries.

(End of this chapter)