Chapter 243 Before the War
Jinmao did not send Sun Jian and his family to Jianye, but let them settle down in Jiangling County.

If Cheng Pu had not pleaded for mercy, Jin Mao would have settled the family in Xiangyang City to prevent Sun Quan from causing harm to the rear area.

No matter which one it was, Cao, Sun or Liu, Jin Mao never dared to let his guard down for a moment.

We have always done a good job by adhering to the principle of eliminating it if possible and staying away from it if not possible.

Facts have also proved that these sons of the planes are not so easy to die. For example, Cao Cao has escaped death many times.

In addition, if Sun Jian surrenders, Jinmao will have the next opportunity.

Summon Xun You again.

"Gongda, what should we do next?"

At this time, the news of the retreat of the Guandong coalition forces had not yet arrived, and Dong Zhuo was unaware of the situation at Hulao Pass.

In Jinmao's eyes, the advantage lies with me.

However, Xun You had a longer-term vision. He knew that the Guandong coalition would be defeated, especially after the more powerful Yuan Shu in the south was defeated by Jin Mao, the coalition's defeat would definitely be accelerated.

Therefore, Xun You still gave the same advice: proceed step by step, but there is one difference.

"Sun Jian is nominally under the jurisdiction of the lord, but in reality, he has a high degree of autonomy."

Xun You analyzed: "Sun Jian is a brave and fearless man. If he gets enough food and grass, he will definitely attack Dong Zhuo."

"My lord has already promised to supply food and fodder, so there is no way to stop Sun Jian from heading north."

"In this case, why not let Sun Jian go and test Dong Zhuo's strength?"

Xun You pointed to the area near Guangcheng Pass and said, "The terrain here is flat, with only two forests, Songshan and Lushan, which is disadvantageous to our army."

"My Lord, you can send a cavalry division led by one or two brave generals to act accordingly."

Xun You raised two fingers and said, "There are two benefits."

"First, it can test the results of our cavalry training."

The cavalry under Dong Zhuo's command consisted of Qiang Hu, Xiongnu, Xiliang Dama or Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, which were considered the top cavalry units of this era.

It is indeed an excellent whetstone, but it is too hard and may break the knife.

"Secondly, we can form a pincer attack with Sun Jian and reduce his burden. If we win, we can expand our victory, and if we lose, there will be no loss."

The only difficulty is that Jin Mao has too few cavalry under his command.

Apart from the 1,000 cavalrymen of the Imperial Guards, the rest of the scattered cavalrymen added up to less than 3,000 cavalrymen, and only about 2,500 cavalrymen could actually be used in combat.

In other words, including the Imperial Guards, the total number was only 3,500, and the other 500 were needed to deliver messages to various places and act as liaisons.

The most frustrating thing is that these cavalrymen cannot go to the battlefield at will, because Jinmao has no place to replenish war horses. If one is missing, there will be no more.

When Jin Mao expressed his concerns, Xun You had no good solution.

"It would be great if Xun Yu was here."

Judging from the time, Xun Yu might still be floating on the Yangtze River. It is fast to go downstream from the upstream, but it is not easy to go upstream.

In the end, Jin Mao adopted half of Xun You's opinion and only sent out 1,500 cavalry, most of which were middle-aged war horses, that is, secondary war horses.

Good things should be kept in hand so that when they are needed, there is no need to panic.

As for the cavalry generals, Jin Mao naturally preferred Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.

But Guan Yu could not be the chief general, and Zhang Fei could not be the chief general, so the chief cavalry general was a big problem.

Xun You suggested: "My Lord, why don't you let Cheng Pu be the commander?"

Jin Mao thought it made sense.

He must have trusted Cheng Pu, otherwise, Jin Mao would have let him serve as the Cavalry Commander of the Imperial Guard right after he surrendered. Only a fool would have let someone he didn't trust take such an important position.

but!

"Gongda, Cheng Pu is still injured, how can he fight the enemy?"

It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone, and it's been less than a month!
Xun You, however, had a different view: "The commander only needs to have a clear mind, and killing the enemy can be left to Zhang Fei and Guan Yu."

Jin Mao thought about it and agreed. Two intact Cheng Pus might not be able to defeat one Zhang Fei. With such a powerful general, it would be too much to ask Cheng Pu to kill the enemy.

"Then I'll ask Demou's opinion."

Soon, Cheng Pu limped into the tent, knelt down and said, "I am here to see you, lord. What do you want to see you for?"

Jin Mao got straight to the point: "I want to dispatch you as the cavalry commander, with 1,500 cavalrymen, to Guangcheng Pass, and act accordingly."

"What do you think?"

Cheng Pu had never expected that such a big mission would befall him right after he arrived. He was so excited that he could not restrain himself and bowed, "My lord, I am willing to go!"

"But your injury..."

"It's okay!" Cheng Pu said and wanted to stand up to show off, but he grimaced in pain.

Jin Mao smiled and said, "Okay, stop trying to show off."

"Your mission this time is not to charge into battle. I will send Zhang Fei and Guan Yu to do that."

"Remember this for me!"

Jin Mao said seriously, "You have to use your brain this time. I'll give you 1,500 cavalry. Don't bring me only 500 cavalry. If you do that, I'll be very unhappy!"

"In this operation, you are only allowed to take advantage, not suffer any loss!"

Then, Jin Mao gave Cheng Pu the sixteen-character formula for guerrilla warfare.

"Cavalry should behave like cavalry. If they only know how to charge like reckless men, then what is the point of having cavalry? Wouldn't it be better to just charge with chariots?"

Cheng Pu kept these words in mind and clasped his fists, saying, "Don't worry, lord!"

"I'm an expert in this area!"

Jin Mao nodded and said, "I hope so."

Then, Jin Mao called Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, and the two had no objection to being deputy generals.

Zhang Fei originally had some objections, but as soon as he heard that someone was going to be replaced, he immediately no longer had any objections.

There was definitely no big battle to be fought near Luyang City, so Zhang Fei couldn't sit still and wanted to use force.

Guan Yu has accepted his fate and no longer hopes to lead an army on his own, nor does he want to recognize Jin Mao as his leader for this purpose.

...

The fifteenth day of the first month.

Cheng Pu once again escorted grain and grass to Guangcheng Pass, this time with a total of 20,000 shi of grain and grass. Even if part of it came from the 1,500 cavalry, it was enough for Sun Jian to struggle for more than half a month.

When the king and his minister met again, everything had changed.

Cheng Pu always mentioned "Sun Yuzhou" in a businesslike manner.

Sun Jian also kept calling him "Captain Cheng", as if he had already accepted the fact.

This scene left the people around confused.

Especially Han Dang!
After Cheng Pu finished telling Jin Mao what he had said, he led his team to set up camp south of Guangcheng Pass.

Han Dang followed closely behind and was soon discovered. Cheng Pu came over to inquire.

"Cheng Pu! What the hell are you doing?"

As soon as Han Dang saw him, he started to scold him: "You ungrateful thing, you have forgotten the kindness of your lord so quickly..."

No matter how Han Dang scolded him, Cheng Pu never responded. He kept Jinmao's mission in mind and tried to keep a calm mind at all times.

When Han Dang was tired of scolding, Cheng Pu clasped his fists and said, "Captain Han, if you have nothing else to do, I will take my leave."

This really annoyed Han Dang, and he immediately took out a feather arrow from the quiver, snapped it, and said, "The relationship between you and me is like this arrow, and we are no longer friends!"

Cheng Pu left without looking back. Only he knew how sad he felt.

Guan Yu looked at Cheng Pu and couldn't help feeling a sense of sympathy. He glanced at Zhang Fei involuntarily and was discovered.

Now Zhang Fei pointed at Guan Yu's nose and cursed: "Guan Lao San!"

"I asked you to acknowledge me as your master, but you refused and shamelessly called me ungrateful!"

"You are the ungrateful one!"

"The lord is so good to you, but you insist on insisting on the perverse idea that the eldest brother is the lord."

"Big brother is big brother, lord is lord!"

"Aren't the two clearly separated? Why do you insist on mixing them together? What is your intention?" These words were used to insult both of them.

Han Dang, who had not yet left, immediately clasped his fists towards Zhang Fei and said, "This brother scolded me well!"

"May I know your name?"

Zhang Fei immediately changed his target and caught Han Dang and scolded him: "I scolded my brother, it's none of your business!"

"A dog catching a rat is meddling in other people's business."

Han Dang was so angry that he drew his sword immediately: "I was talking to you nicely, but you are so rude. Look at the sword!"

Zhang Fei's face was full of disdain. He picked up the Zhangba Snake Spear and swung it at Han Dang's face.

"choke!"

After only one round, Han Dang's ring-handled sword was knocked out of his hand and he fled away on his horse.

Seeing that Zhang Fei did not catch up, Han Dang could not help but say something harsh: "Black-faced bastard! You just wait for me!"

Zhang Fei shouted: "Grandpa is right here, waiting for you!"

Cheng Pu kept shaking his head as he watched. Han was really asking for trouble by daring to provoke one of the best generals under his lord's command.

The next day.

Sun Jian personally went to apologize for Han Dang's recklessness.

Before Cheng Pu could say anything, Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "We are all family, so it's normal to have some quarrels."

Zhang Fei's next words made Cheng Pu terrified.

"I heard that Sun Yuzhou is extremely powerful, I want to see him for myself."

Hearing this, Guan Yu's eyes lit up. Which top general wouldn't want to compete with his peers?

Especially someone like Sun Jian, who had a long and distinguished life, was simply a perfect stepping stone in the eyes of the two.

As a top military commander, Sun Jian certainly knew what the two were thinking, and said modestly: "My martial arts skills are nothing."

He pointed in the direction of Dagu Pass and said, "Dong Zhuo has an adopted son named Lu Bu, who is extremely skilled in martial arts. I am no match for him."

"If you two are interested, you can follow me to challenge me!"

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were both moved and were about to agree, but were stopped by Cheng Pu.

"Sun Yuzhou, please don't worry about this matter. My master will make the arrangements."

Sun Jian looked at Cheng Pu deeply, didn't say much, and said goodbye with a fist salute.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu immediately turned to look at Cheng Pu, with the former impatiently asking, "My lord, when do you think we can attack Dagu Pass?"

Cheng Pu's face darkened as he said, "The Lord said that we can attack Dagu Pass at any time. It all depends on whether you two can gain an advantage!"

"If there is only loss and no profit, then I can only borrow your heads!"

"If there is no loss or gain, I will just turn a blind eye."

"If you make a lot of money, you two will be my adoptive fathers. I will kneel down and kowtow to you even if you want!"

Suddenly, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu lost their passion.

Lu Bu is a more powerful general than Sun Jian. The two of them are not sure they can get the upper hand over Lu Bu, so they had better just obey his orders.

After finally suppressing the two, Cheng Pu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and began to rack his brains to prepare for the next action.

the other side.

When Sun Jian returned to the military camp, the generals surrounded him.

Han Dang was the most excited among them: "My Lord! Let me fight them!"

"The master humiliated the minister to death!"

These words immediately resonated with people, and Sun Jian's subordinates were outraged.

Sun Jian stretched out his hands and pressed down, and everyone calmed down.

"Stop talking!"

“Those who achieve great things don’t stick to trivial matters.”

"Everyone, bear with it. Once we capture Luoyang and overthrow Dong Zhuo, we will be great heroes and no longer have to be looked down upon."

Only then did everyone give up.

Sun Jian then called Zu Mao and Zhu Zhi into the tent to discuss matters.

"Jun Li (Zhu Zhi's courtesy name), Lord Yi is in a bad mood. Please take care of the military affairs."

Zhu Zhi nodded. He was not a talkative person, but he would speak when necessary. He also had a good relationship with the soldiers. Except that his fighting ability was not as good as Cheng Pu, in other aspects, the two were similar.

After Cheng Pu left, Zhu Zhi took over the vacancy created by him and became Sun Jian's new right-hand man.

It can be said that the biggest beneficiary this time is Zhu Zhi.

But no one could tell whether Zhu Zhi was sad or happy, as if he always had a poker face.

"I have decided to lead 10,000 troops to attack Dagu Pass tomorrow."

Sun Jian stood up, put his hands behind his back, stared into the distance and said, "Guangcheng Pass will be handed over to you, Jun Li."

Zhu Zhi responded again.

Zu Mao, who was standing by, could not bear to watch and asked, "My Lord, why didn't the governor of Yangzhou send his main force to attack Dong Zhuo?"

"Could he be one of Yuan Shu's ilk?"

Sun Jian waved his hand and said, "The governor of Yangzhou has done enough. Besides, I should obey him now, not him obeying me."

"I think he should have made some arrangements."

Zu Mao said disdainfully: "What a bullshit arrangement!"

"I think he just doesn't trust the lord and wants to reap the benefits!"

Sun Jian hurriedly stopped him and said, "It's fine if you say these things in front of me, but don't say them outside."

Zu Mao was still indignant, but he didn't say anything more.

The seventeenth day of the first lunar month.

Sun Jian sent out 10,000 troops, marched out of Guangcheng Pass, and attacked Dong Zhuo.

Cheng Pu led his cavalry to support Sun Jian from behind.

the other side.

The scouts discovered the enemy and reported it. Lu Bu did not dare to be careless and reported it to Dong Zhuo.

"You dare to go out with only 15,000 soldiers?"

Dong Zhuo looked at Li Ru suspiciously and asked, "Is there a trick here?"

Li Ru shook his head firmly and said, "Yesterday, the spies in the front reported that Jin Mao is still in Luyang County. There will be no tricks."

Dong Zhuo still didn't believe it and said, "This could be Jin Mao's trick to confuse the enemy. We must investigate."

Li Ru did not try to persuade him anymore, because the other party was the lord.

Seeing Li Ru's acquiescence, Dong Zhuo immediately gave the order: "Let Lu Bu's main force attack and find out the enemy's strength!"

An hour later.

Lu Bu led his troops out of Dagu Pass and met Sun Jian's troops less than ten miles away.

"stop!"

Lu Bu hurriedly arranged the battlefield. He originally had 6,000 men, but after the last battle, only 4,000 were left, and there were only more than 1,000 infantrymen.

Fortunately, the infantry commander Gao Shun was very good at training soldiers, and these more than a thousand men were fearless and brave.

"Gao Shun blocks the front!"

"Cao Xing, Hao Meng, Wei Xu, Cheng Lian, Song Xian, and Hou Cheng each lead a troop of cavalry to guard the flanks."

"The rest of you, listen to my orders!"

There were 200 people in each group. Lu Bu sent nearly 2,500 people to the front, while he himself led more than 1,500 elite cavalry to support the rear and wait for an opportunity to act.

(End of this chapter)