Chapter 768 Learn from history!

Facing Cui Shao’s praise, Gu Sansi also said very modestly that it was under the guidance of the Marshal and Lord Cui that he could successfully complete the work.

Because Cui Shao wanted to praise him and Gu Sansi was also very modest, the atmosphere between the two was very warm for a while. However, this was not what Gu Sansi wanted. Seeing that Cui Shao was always avoiding the topic, Gu Sansi was somewhat impatient and spoke first:
"Master Cui, I heard that you are quite knowledgeable about Han history?"

Hearing what Gu Sansi said, Cui Shao knew that Gu Sansi was about to get down to business, so he hesitated for a moment and said:
"I can't say I've done much research, but I can say I've read a little about Han history. Sansi, is there anything I can do for you?"

Gu Sansi heard this and preached very respectfully:
"When I was confused at work recently, I read history books, hoping to find the answers from them. Recently, I read about Dong Han and was confused. I wonder if you, Lord Cui, can give me some advice?"

Cui Shao smiled and said:

"It's too serious to ask for advice. As the saying goes, there is no end to learning. We can learn from each other!"

Seeing Cui Shao say this, Gu Sansi was not polite and spoke directly:

"Master Cui, why did the Eastern Han Dynasty not flourish as much as the Western Han Dynasty after Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu revived the Han Dynasty? And how did it go from prosperity to decline?"

Although he had expected that Gu Sansi had bad intentions, seeing that he said it so bluntly, Cui Shao couldn't help but put away the smile on his face and said lightly:

"Party fighting!"

Hearing Cui Shao's answer, Gu Sansi clapped his hands and praised:
“Sir Cui, you are indeed a man of great learning, the foremost academician of our Fengwu Army! You really hit the nail on the head…”

After saying this, Gu Sansi sighed:

"Because of Wang Mang, the traitor, the emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty all used eunuchs to check and balance the officials. At this time, the relatives of the emperor's wife took the opportunity to become more powerful. The two sides fought for power and eventually exhausted the luck of the Eastern Han Dynasty!"

"Every time I read this, I always remind myself to learn from history! We must not let this history repeat itself!"

After listening to Gu Sansi's words quietly, although his heart was cold, Cui Shao still smiled and said:

"Think twice, you really worry too much!"

"In ancient times, the prerequisite for factional strife was often a weak ruler. But now the commander-in-chief is only thirty years old and in his prime. With the commander-in-chief in charge, who would dare to form a faction for personal gain?"

After saying this, Gu Sansi looked at Cui Shao deeply, and under Gu Sansi's gaze, Cui Shao remained calm. Seeing this, Gu Sansi forced a smile on his face, stood up, bowed to Cui Shao and said:
"Master Cui, your opinion is profound! I am just worrying too much!"

The purpose of this trip had been achieved, and Gu Sansi also knew that he was not liked by Cui Shao, so he said goodbye and left.

Looking at Gu Sansi's leaving back, Cui Shao's eyes became profound. He originally thought that Gu Sansi's trip was instructed by Ye Mingsheng, but now it seems that this was just Gu Sansi's own willful behavior. This is really surprising!

This Gu Sansi is a man of great talent. His future is limitless given time. However, he is still too young now...
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Yunbing, Dagu County
"Governor, an urgent report has been sent from Pingyun County saying that there are 3,000 enemy cavalry heading west!"

Wang Muzhi, who was observing the situation in the room, heard the urgent report from the lieutenant general, and his eyes immediately became sharp. He immediately observed on the sand table. After observing for a while, Wang Muzhi asked:
'What flag did the enemy fly?'

Facing Wang Muzhi's question, the lieutenant general thought for a while and said:
"Looking at the enemy's flag, it seems to be the troops of the Third Division of the Fengwu Army, and the leader seems to be General Xun Ke of the Third Division of the Fengwu Army!"

Hearing the name Xun Ke, Wang Muzhi's eyelids twitched immediately and then continued to ask:
"Besides this, are there any other actions taken by the enemy around Pingyun County?"

The lieutenant said without hesitation:
"In the past two days, there have been frequent military movements centered in Lingyuan County. It is even said that Lingyuan County is rushing to produce a large number of siege weapons."

“Because our army in Pingyun County was also on guard, they discovered the whereabouts of the enemy cavalry at the first time. General Li Yun wanted to lead his troops to stop them, but the enemy cavalry was too fast and the front-line troops could not catch up at all…”

Hearing this, Wang Muzhi showed some confusion in his eyes, and then waved to the lieutenant general, who immediately bowed and retreated, leaving Wang Muzhi a quiet environment for thinking. Looking at the coordinates on the sand table, Wang Muzhi fell into deep thought.

In recent years, with the sudden rise of the Fengwu Army, in addition to Ye Mingsheng, the names of He Jingyun, Yuan Song, Guo Zhiping, Lin Huaiwu and others are also well-known across the country. Compared with the above people, the name Xun Ke seems somewhat unknown!

However, Wang Muzhi was very familiar with Xun Ke. About ten years ago, Xun Ke followed He Jingyun to fight against the Cumans in Yongliang. Wang Muzhi, who also served in the Imperial Guards, had contact and cooperation with him. At that time, he lamented that Xun Ke was smart and clever, and did not stick to one style of fighting.

Although the two sides had no contact after the Yongliang War, Xun Ke still left a deep impression on him. Ten years later, when he heard the name Xun Ke again, it was on the Yunbing battlefield. He, Wang Muzhi, was the commander-in-chief of the Liang Army, and Xun Ke had transformed himself into the general of the Eighth Division under Ye Mingsheng.

Although they were both on the battlefield of Yunbing a few months ago, they were not anxious because one was in Pingyun Lingyuan and the other was attacking Sanchuanjiang. However, Xun Ke, with only the newly formed Eighth Division, resisted the attack of the Xuanwu Imperial Army for more than half a month, and gained a certain reputation, letting the world know that the Fengwu Army is not only composed of He Jingyun, Yuan Song, Guo Zhiping and others······························
During the Fengwu Army's counterattack in Yunbing, the Third Division led by Xun Ke annihilated more than 2,000 of their cavalry. This can be said to be the only bright spot of the Fengwu Army in this counterattack.

Not only that, Xun Ke also successfully supported Lin Huaiwu's Second Army, ensuring that the main force of the Second Army could safely escape and retreat to Lingyuan County. These achievements not only won Xun Ke the appreciation of Ye Mingsheng and the position of deputy commander-in-chief, but also made Wang Muzhi more cautious and fearful of him.
Because he knew Xun Ke's abilities and means, Wang Muzhi was a little unsure about the current situation!
During this period, the Fengwu Army was active in the Lingyuan County area, and a large number of scouts were wandering around Dagu County and Pingyun County. Many Yun generals, including Wang Muzhi, believed that this was a sign that the Fengwu Army would launch another large-scale attack, so they were on guard as if facing a great enemy.

Wang Muzhi has always been eager for the Fengwu Army to launch another attack as soon as possible. In his opinion, after the defeat in Pingyun County, the Fengwu Army's morale and troops had been damaged.

Although the Fengwu Army rested and recuperated in Lingyuan County and received a large amount of logistical supplies, the morale of the Fengwu Army was restored to a certain extent, but due to financial constraints and the orderly supply of logistics, the Fengwu Army did not receive too many military reinforcements.

Therefore, in Wang Muzhi's opinion, it would be difficult to take down the two counties of Dagu and Pingyun, which were heavily guarded by him, with only the troops and strength invested by the Fengwu Army in the Yunbing battlefield...

Based on his understanding of Ye Mingsheng, Wang Muzhi believed that with Ye Mingsheng's arrogance, the failure of Pingyun County was absolutely unacceptable to him, so Ye Mingsheng would definitely ask Lin Huaiwu to continue the counterattack. Faced with Ye Mingsheng's pressure, Lin Huaiwu would certainly grit his teeth and continue to attack Pingyun Valley.

And this is an opportunity!
An opportunity to give the Fengwu Army and Ye Mingsheng a deep sense of pain!
Although five or six years have passed, Wang Muzhi still hasn't forgotten Ye Mingsheng's betrayal. If Ye Mingsheng had not chosen to betray him, the Zhenwu Army would have completed the integration of Liaoyang's resources, entered the pass and attacked Zhao Fuqu from both sides with the Prime Minister, and Youyan would have been successfully pacified.

In this way, the Prime Minister will definitely be able to unify the north, the world will not be like it is now, and the Luoan court will not be as difficult as it is now!
All of this is the fault of that despicable villain Ye Mingsheng!
During the years that Wang Muzhi lay dormant after the defeat of the Zhenwu Army, he had been secretly telling himself in his heart that he must settle the account with Ye Mingsheng, put the sword on Ye Mingsheng's neck, and make this despicable villain regret everything he had done for him!
In Wang Muzhi's opinion, punishing Ye Mingsheng and taking revenge on him is the meaning of the rest of his life!
Originally everything went smoothly as planned. Just as Wang Muzhi had expected, Lin Huaiwu began to work on various matters for another attack, such as building siege equipment and conducting reconnaissance by a large number of scouts. Wang Muzhi was looking forward to it...
However, although Lin Huaiwu made big moves and acted as if a storm was brewing and he might launch a large-scale attack at any time, this posture lasted for several days and nothing came of it. The main forces of the Second Army and the Third Division were still entrenched in Lingyuan.

And now there is news that Xun Ke is personally leading the cavalry westward, which makes Wang Muzhi very confused about what the Fengwu Army is trying to do!
According to the current situation, if Xun Ke's 3,000 cavalrymen continue to move westward, they will soon enter the territory of Jinyang, which is the hinterland of Yunbing. In order to resist the strong attack of the Fengwu Army, Wang Muzhi has withdrawn all the troops that can be withdrawn from the rear, so now the defense in the Jinyang area is very empty.

Therefore, if they allowed Xun Ke to enter Jinyang, there would be no doubt that Xun Ke would cause chaos in their heartland. Wang Muzhi could already foresee that once Xun Ke led his troops there, the counties around Jinyang would inevitably be looted by Xun Ke, the grain in the granary would be distributed to the people, and the officials and gentry who supported them would be ruthlessly killed.

The frontline already relies on a wartime state, and the barely supported very fragile logistical supply will collapse immediately. The food reserves in Pingyun Valley can only support more than 20 days at most. Not to mention how the morale of the soldiers would be hit if they knew that their hometown was under the iron hoof of the Fengwu Army...
Therefore, no matter how you look at it, Xun Ke and his 3,000 cavalry must be intercepted, but the key issue now is how to intercept them?

Compared with the Fengwu Army, the cavalry under his command are already few in number, not to mention the loss of more than 2,000 people in the ambush designed by Xun Ke. Now there are only more than 1,000 people left. Even these 1,000 people are still under his command, and they are wandering around the area from Sanchuan River to Lingyuan County, harassing the logistics of the Fengwu Army.

Now Wang Muzhi can only mobilize a few hundred cavalrymen, so if he wants to intercept Xun Ke, he must dispatch infantry, and a large-scale infantry. After all, your two legs cannot catch up with his four hooves. If he wants to intercept Xun Ke's 3,000 cavalrymen, he must dispatch at least 15,000 infantrymen.

This made Wang Muzhi begin to doubt whether this was a trick of the Fengwu Army, using such means to disrupt his combat deployment. When he ordered a large number of infantry to intercept Xun Ke, Lin Huaiwu would take advantage of the situation and let the main force of the Fengwu Army launch a large-scale attack.

The reason why his troops were able to resist the Fengwu Army was largely because of the protection of the city. The city was used to offset the Fengwu Army’s advantage in firearms. If the two sides met in the wild, Wang Muzhi was still very self-aware...

Thinking of this, Wang Muzhi was in a dilemma. After thinking carefully for a while, he ordered his men:
"Order Wang Zhide to lead 5,000 elite soldiers to quickly enter Sanmenling. If you find any traces of the enemy in the Sanmenling area, immediately intercept them using the terrain. Don't let the enemy pass through Sanmenling smoothly. If the enemy wants to bypass Sanmenling, harass them and slow them down!"

"Also, send a message to the counties around Jinyang and ask them to implement the policy of clearing the fields and gathering the people in the fortified fortresses to ensure that the cavalry of the Fengwu Army have enough food!"

"Yes!"

Wang Muzhi felt relieved only after giving this order. He knew that in order to ensure speed, the cavalry under Xun Ke's command would definitely be lightly equipped and would not carry much food supplies. Therefore, as long as he slowed down their pace and prevented them from getting food replenishment, they would most likely collapse and retreat.

Now is a moment to test endurance and will. Wang Muzhi firmly believes that under Ye Mingsheng’s pressure, Lin Huaiwu will be the first to give up...

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(End of this chapter)