Chapter 717: Capture the thief first and capture the king first!
Glancing around at the generals in the tent, Guo Zhiping said in a deep voice:
“If you have any ideas, please stand up and talk about them…”

After these words were spoken, there was silence for a while in the tent. The Third Army Commander Wang Ye stood up and looked at Guo Zhiping and said:
"Commander-in-chief, in my opinion, that old bastard Shangguan Hongyuan is deliberately surrounding the enemy without attacking, in order to use General Cui and his men as bait and let our army come to our rescue!"

At this point, Wang Ye seemed to be hesitant to speak, but in the end he did not open his mouth and sat back. Although he did not open his mouth, everyone present knew what he wanted to say. Shangguan Hongyuan's move was an open conspiracy, and he was not afraid that you would understand what he wanted to do!
After listening to Wang Ye's words, Guo Zhiping did not answer, but continued to look at Zhang Dabao and asked:
"Where are the Xuanwu Army and Hujie Army now?"

Zhang Dabao thought for a moment and said:
"The Hujie Army is still resting in Wankang County, but the Xuanwu Army is gathering in Pingyun County. They seem to be waiting for something!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the tent undoubtedly became more solemn. It was obvious that the enemy was waiting for them to rush to Dakou Township, and then the enemy would take advantage of the situation to entangle their side, and finally the Xuanwu Army would come and surround them, and kill Cui Desheng's more than 10,000 people in Dakou Township, as well as their more than 10,000 people!

Guo Zhiping, who also realized this, was in a very heavy mood. Although he realized that rushing to Dakou Township to help would be full of difficulties, the viciousness of Shangguan Hongyuan was still beyond his imagination. At the moment, this situation seemed to be unsolvable. Saving or remedying it would be a big problem...
Just when all the generals in the tent fell silent, a calm voice broke the silence.

"Shangguan Hongyuan has set up a trap in Dakou Township, waiting for our army to rush in. Our army must not fall for his evil plan!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the attention of all the generals was immediately drawn to the person who spoke. Under the gaze of everyone, Xun Ke stood up and looked at Guo Zhiping.

After taking a look at Xun Ke who was offering his opinion, Guo Zhiping frowned slightly and said:

"Your idea is to withdraw our troops?"

Xun Ke shook his head upon hearing this and said:
"No! My idea is that our army cannot do something knowing that it is impossible!"

After hearing this, the generals in the camp were also somewhat confused, not knowing what Xun Ke was trying to do. After a few seconds of silence, Wang Ye, who had just stood up to speak, stood up again and asked Xun Ke:

"General Xun, what do you mean? If we don't break the enemy's encirclement, how can we rescue General Cui and his men?"

Wang Ye's question expressed the thoughts of the generals in the tent. Everyone looked at Xun Ke, waiting for his answer!

Xun Ke didn't say anything nonsense about this. Instead, he walked to the sand table calmly, then drew the dagger from his waist and inserted it at a coordinate on the east side of Sanchuan River...
Seeing what Xun Ke did, all the generals in the tent looked at each other in bewilderment. Guo Zhiping pondered for a moment and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. At this time, Xun Ke continued to speak:
"I know what you are thinking. The Shenwu Army camp is indeed a tough nut to crack. The scouts sent to check it out reported that the camp is fully equipped with trenches, sentry towers, barricades, etc. The Shenwu Army is also well-organized and heavily guarded!"

"But I think we can't let Shangguan Hongyuan, this old fox, lead us by the nose! Walk into his carefully designed trap!"

"The biggest advantage of our army right now is that we have the initiative in the battle! We can decide who to fight, and the enemy can only fight passively!"

"As the old saying goes, to capture a thief, you must first capture the leader! This time we are going after Shangguan Hongyuan! As long as we break through the camp of the Shenwu Army, the Liang Army will have to abandon the trap they designed and escape to support the Shenwu Army! In this way, the siege of Dakou Township will be lifted!"

After saying this, Guo Zhiping looked at Xun Ke and said calmly:

"Your idea is very good and bold, but have you ever considered whether our army can break through the camp of the Shenwu Army?"

Xun Ke met Guo Zhiping's gaze and said in a deep voice:

“I think that instead of rushing into the trap, it is better to find another way and go directly to Shangguan Hongyuan. In the current situation, we can either abandon the pawn to save the king, or just fight with the enemy. There is no other tricky third way to go···························"

"The east bank of the Sanchuan River is mostly plains, which is suitable for cavalry attacks, while the Liang Army is stationed in a hilly area. The Liang Army has already built fortifications and artillery there, waiting for our army to go up and bash them in. So I think since we have to fight to the death anyway, why not just go and fight Shangguan Hongyuan!
"If God helps us kill Shangguan Hongyuan and destroy the corrupt Luoan court, then it will be worth it for us to fight till our last breath!"

Xun Ke's words quickly infected the generals in the camp. After consideration, everyone felt that what Xun Ke said made sense, and they all expressed their opinions to Guo Zhiping:

"Commander, what General Xun said makes sense! He is fighting for his life. How can he leave the big fish alone and go after the small fish?"

"That's right! If we chop off Shangguan Hongyuan's head and present it to the Marshal, he will definitely issue an order to commend our Third Army!"

"Brothers, let's do this for the big one! Commander, there's nothing to hesitate about!"

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Listening to the generals' statements, Guo Zhiping waved his hand to stop everyone from speaking, and then said in a deep voice:

"All of you, get out! I need to discuss something with General Xun!"

"Yes!"

At Guo Zhiping's order, all the generals left the room, and soon only Guo Zhiping and Xun Ke were left in the tent.

After carefully looking Xun Ke up and down, Guo Zhiping said in a deep voice: "Do you have the idea of ​​breaking through the Shenwu Army camp?"

Feeling the affirmative tone in Guo Zhiping's mouth, Xun Ke hesitated for a moment and then said with a wry smile:

"Sure enough, I can't hide it from the commander!"

Listening to Xun Ke's words, Guo Zhiping looked at him and continued to ask:
"What are you hesitating about?"

Xun Ke was silent for a while, then he sighed and said:

"I used a telescope to observe the camp of the Shenwu Army yesterday. The enemy's deployment is indeed very sophisticated, and there is almost no chance for us to take advantage of! If our army wants to get close to the enemy's camp, it will suffer considerable casualties. It is even more difficult to break through the enemy's camp..."

"But our army still has tens of thousands of kilograms of gunpowder. If we can load this gunpowder onto a carriage and let the carriage crash into the camp of the Shenwu Army, then our army may be able to tear a gap in the camp of the Shenwu Army. As long as our army can do this, the possibility of success of the rest will be greatly enhanced!"

Listening to what Xun Ke said, Guo Zhiping also understood why Xun Ke hesitated. Although Xun Ke's method was to use horse-drawn carriages, the carriages were so large that if you put them on the battlefield, the enemy would know there was a problem at first sight and would certainly concentrate their fire on them. Therefore, these carriages would probably be blown up on the way to the charge before they even reached the enemy's camp!
Therefore, the practical implementer of this idea is human!

One hundred or even several hundred cavalrymen, carrying bags of gunpowder, would quietly rush upwards under the cover of their comrades. In this way, they could approach the camp without being noticed by the enemy and blow a large gap in the wall of the camp. However, if they did so, the cavalrymen responsible for carrying out this mission would almost certainly die!
After taking a deep look at Xun Ke, Guo Zhiping patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Compassion does not command troops!"

Hearing what Guo Zhiping said, Xun Ke secretly sighed in his heart. He knew that Guo Zhiping understood his thoughts and had said everything that needed to be said. Just when Xun Ke was about to leave, Guo Zhiping seemed to have thought of something and asked him with a smile:

"Aren't you afraid that He Jingyun will punish you this time?"

In this action of supporting Dakou Township, Guo Zhiping did not seek the consent of He Jingyun······················

The reason is very simple. He knows that He Jingyun will not agree. He Jingyun’s top priority is to ensure that Jinzhong is not lost, so he will never allow Guo Zhiping to take this risk!
But for the sake of his subordinates and his future reputation in the Fengwu Army, Guo Zhiping really couldn't choose to sit idly by!

Since we already know the reason, why bother doing this?
As for the power of executing first and reporting later given by Ye Mingsheng to He Jingyun, Guo Zhiping did not take it seriously. It was already the most that He Jingyun could do to ask Peng Ce for this, because Peng Ce was seriously injured in this matter. Although he was rescued now, it seemed that he was seriously injured and would not live long!
He Jingyun should bear a great responsibility for Peng Ce's behavior, so He Jingyun has also received a lot of criticism and accusations in the military!

Secondly, Guo Zhiping was the commander of the Third Army appointed by Ye Mingsheng himself. From top to bottom in the entire Fengwu Army, only Ye Mingsheng had the right to deal with him!

Even if the Marshal gave the sword to He Jingyun, He Jingyun would not have the courage to do it on his own, otherwise he would be the one who would be in trouble after the war!

If he dares to attack the commander-in-chief after being given a saber, then the Marshal will probably think carefully about what else He Jingyun dare not do·································
Although he had his own calculations and considerations, Guo Zhiping also took the overall situation into consideration. He understood that Jinzhong was the top priority at the moment. Even if the Third Army under his command was wiped out, Jinzhong must not be lost!
It was for this reason that Guo Zhiping let Xun Ke's Eighth Division return to Jinzhong as originally planned. In his plan, there were several thousand men remaining from Xun Ke's Eighth Division and several thousand men who had withdrawn from the Fourth Division. There would be almost 30,000 Fengwu troops in Jinzhong City. By then, they would be able to survive even the worst situation!
Although Guo Zhiping had a good idea, what he did not expect was that after understanding his plan, General Xun Ke of the Eighth Division ordered most of the troops of the Eighth Division to withdraw to Jinzhong, while Xun Ke himself insisted on following him to Dakou Township with two thousand soldiers.

This also made Guo Zhiping a little curious. You know, He Jingyun might not have the courage to deal with him, Guo Zhiping, but he definitely had the courage to deal with him, Xun Ke!
What's more, there was already a grudge between the two of them, and He Jingyun might take advantage of this to make the most of it!
In response to Guo Zhiping's question, Xun Ke immediately said:
“The brothers of the Third Army saved us from danger. Now that General Cui is in trouble, Xun Ke naturally cannot stand idly by…”

Although he appeared to be righteous on the surface, Xun Ke actually smiled bitterly in his heart. If he really withdrew to Jinzhong, then there would be no problem with He Jingyun, but his reputation in the Fengwu Army would be ruined, and he would be branded as an ungrateful person who deserted the battlefield and backed down when faced with difficulties!

With such a bad reputation, Xun Ke will no longer be able to stay in the Fengwu Army and his future will be bleak!
Therefore, Xun Ke thought about it for a long time, and finally decided to bring two thousand people to follow Guo Zhiping!
As for the treatment of He Jingyun, Xun Ke thought that he was also a general of the Eighth Division. Although his status was not as high as Guo Zhiping, the commander of the Third Army, he was also a senior general of the Fengwu Army and was not someone that He Jingyun could easily control.

He Jingyun certainly had the courage to deal with him, but as he had already forced Peng Ce to be seriously injured and the army was constantly criticizing and accusing him, even if he had the power given to him by the Marshal, he would have to think carefully before dealing with a general!
Listening to Xun Ke's words, Guo Zhiping, who was confused about what Xun Ke was thinking, smiled and shook his head. After a moment, he said calmly:
“Xun Ke, you deserve the title of a wise general. Your idea today is very good. So based on your strategy, after I go back, I will tell He Jingyun and the Marshal that it was me who asked you to lead your troops here…”

Xun Ke was also very surprised when he heard this, and looked at Guo Zhiping in disbelief. Wasn't Guo Zhiping trying to take the blame for him?

Facing Xun Ke's gaze, Guo Zhiping smiled and nodded to indicate that he had heard correctly, and then continued:
"I don't worry about my many debts, and I'm not afraid of adding yours to the pile!"

Looking at Guo Zhiping's free and easy look, Xun Ke was also somewhat moved. In the Fengwu Army, it has always been said that Guo Zhiping is the most loyal man, with the spirit of a chivalrous hero. He originally thought that this was just a rumor, but after seeing him today, he found that it is true!

However, Xun Ke was still ready to refuse out of instinct. However, before he could open his mouth, Guo Zhiping seemed to realize what he wanted to say. He waved his hand to interrupt Xun Ke and continued to instruct:

"Since entering the Pass, I have been fighting for several years in a row, from Youyan to Jiyu, and then from Jiyu to Yunbing. I don't like you saying that I am exhausted both physically and mentally. Besides, my parents are old, and I didn't have time to honor them properly because of the busy military affairs. If I don't honor them now, I may not have time!

“So no matter whether I win or lose the next battle, I want to rest for a while, so it’s most appropriate for me to take charge of this matter…”

(End of this chapter)