"So it was General Junyi, I've long admired you!" Zhang Chen quickly helped Zhang He up. "General Junyi, you've had a tiring journey. Please, come into the city."
Saying this, Zhang Chen quickly welcomed Zhang He and his entourage into the city.
On this trip, Zhang He brought a total of three thousand Soldiers and horses. Zhang Chen immediately ordered them to be settled in the Military Camp south of the city, combining them with the Soldiers of the Trap Camp and First to Ascend Camp.
The Military Camp south of the city had housed twenty thousand official troops during the court's suppression of the Yellow Turban last year, so the area was quite spacious.
Upon returning to the main tent, Zhang He exchanged names with everyone and explained his purpose. It turned out that Prefect Lord Li Wen had received Zhang Chen's message and attached great importance to it. He immediately ordered Zhang He to muster troops and rush to Guangping County overnight.
Qu Yi and Zhang He had already met during the suppression of the Yellow Turban last year. This meeting was a reunion of old friends, making their bond even stronger.
After exchanging names with everyone, Zhang He went directly to Gao Shun, cupped his hands, and saluted, saying, "Is this General Gao? Even in the commandery, I had already heard of the 'Trap Camp' trained by Brother Gao, how mighty and brave they are, repelling over three thousand bandits with only a few hundred men! I have personally witnessed Brother Qu's 'First to Ascend Camp,' but I didn't know Brother Gao's 'Trap Camp' also possessed such power!"
Gao Shun said, "General Zhang is too kind. The 'First to Ascend Camp' has followed General Qu through life and death, naturally they are incredibly brave. The 'Trap Camp' has not been trained for long and still needs battlefield experience to stand on its own."
"May I have the honor of witnessing the military might of the 'Trap Camp' Brothers?"
"This..."
"Hahaha, General Junyi, why are you in such a hurry?" Zhang Chen laughed heartily. "Instead of observing their training, wouldn't it be better to see the outcome on the battlefield?"
"What the Lord said is very true," Zhang He said. "Prefect Lord ordered Zhang He to await the Lord's command. Please give the order, Zhang He is willing to personally behead Yu Du and present him under the tent!"
"Oh? Hahahaha!"
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.
Zhang He was confused and looked at everyone with doubt.
Qu Yi smiled and said, "Junyi, you're late. Yesterday, Brother Zifan used two schemes. First, he ordered men to set an ambush in 'Black Cloud Valley,' causing that Yu Du to be routed, and then he launched a night attack on the bandit camp, utterly defeating the bandit army! That bandit General Yu Du has already been killed, and the more than four thousand bandit Soldiers have all surrendered!"
After Qu Yi finished speaking, Zhang He was immediately startled and said, "Is... is this true?"
Everyone smiled and nodded silently.
Zhang He said, "After the Prefect Lord received the message, he even instructed Zhang He to march day and night without delay, but I didn't expect to still be a step late. I never thought Lord Zhang had such military tactics. Zhang He is deeply impressed."
"It's just..." Zhang He hesitated and said, "It seems Zhang He made this trip for nothing..."
As Zhang He spoke, his words carried a hint of regret.
"General, that's not right," Zhang Chen said. "General, you've come at exactly the right time. Although Yu Du has been eliminated, there are two other groups of men, Bai Rao and Sui Gu, who have now occupied Linzhang County. From what they intend, they plan to advance on Yingtao County."
"Yingtao County?" Zhang He was startled and quickly stepped forward, examining the map on the table.
"Yingtao County is the gateway to Great Deer, only a hundred li from Linzhang County. If the bandit army advances, they can reach the city walls within two days!"
"That's right," Zhang Chen nodded and said, "Now the two bandits are holding their ground, waiting for orders, and there is another group of Soldiers that has not yet appeared."
"Which group is it?"
"The Black Mountain Army leaders, Zhang Niujiao and Chu Yan's forces."
"What!" Zhang He was startled and said, "Lord, is the information accurate?"
Zhang Chen said, "This is what Fang Ping, the deputy General under Yu Du, said. Now that he has surrendered, this statement is certainly not false. Originally, Yu Du should have also met up with Bai Rao and Sui Gu in Linzhang County, but Han Xuan, to avenge being whipped by me, bribed Yu Du and ordered him to advance on Guangping County. That's why he changed direction and came towards Guangping County. I have already explained the whole story to the Prefect Lord in my letter."
Zhang He nodded and said, "That's right, the Prefect Lord was furious when he learned of this. He had long seen that Han Xuan was a person of poor character, but he never expected him to dare to collude with rebels and commit such a heinous act! The Prefect Lord ordered Zhang He to inform Lord Zhang that Han Xuan's collusion with rebels is a capital crime of treason. The Lord should handle it impartially and not worry about the Han Family. Everything will be borne by the Prefect Lord!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen immediately cupped his hands and bowed towards the distance, saying, "The Prefect Lord is wise, a blessing to the people of Wei Commandery!"
Zhang Chen secretly sighed in his heart, although he had never met this Prefect Lord, his reputation for integrity was indeed well-deserved. With such a superior, Zhang Chen felt even more confident in doing what he needed to do.
However, it was not yet time to deal with Han Xuan. First, he had to figure out how to resolve the Black Mountain Army issue.
The two groups of Bai Rao and Sui Gu were in the open, so they were easy to deal with, but the armies of Zhang Niujiao and Chu Yan had not yet shown any trace.
According to historical records, Zhang Niujiao and Chu Yan's invasion of Yingtao County should have been a large-scale military operation, so why was there no movement at all?
While Zhang Chen was deep in thought, Zhang He on the side said, "Does the Lord plan to reinforce Yingtao County and fight a battle with the Black Mountain Army?"
"That's right, Yingtao County is also part of our Great Han territory, how can we let rebels run rampant?" Zhang Chen nodded and said, "This time, I not only want to relieve the danger in Yingtao County, but also recover Cheng'an and Linzhang County, which have been occupied by the bandit army. This will let these bandits know that the military might of our Great Han is not to be violated!"
As Zhang Chen spoke, his eyes revealed determination and decisiveness.
"This matter is of great importance, should we inform the Prefect Lord?"
"There's no time, a major battle is about to break out, we must make a decisive decision. Otherwise, we will miss the opportune moment!"
Immediately, Zhang Chen looked at Ju Shou and said, "Gongyu, quickly dispatch scouts to investigate the direction of Yingtao County and Linzhang County. Once any suspicious movement is discovered, report back immediately!"
Ju Shou replied with a "Yes" and then left the main tent to make arrangements.
"It's getting late today, General Junyi, Brother Qu, you can rest in the camp for a while and let the Soldiers also rest. We will discuss matters again tomorrow."
After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he dismissed the meeting. The few people who had received military orders went to carry out their tasks according to the orders.
That night, Zhang Chen did not return to his residence, but stayed in the camp to prevent the battle situation from changing at any time.
Fortunately, the night was uneventful. In the early morning, scouts reported that there was no unusual movement from the bandit army in Linzhang County, and no other bandit army was seen in the Yingtao County area. Zhang Chen pondered for a moment and ordered another reconnaissance.
Around noon, Fang Ping reported that all the surrendered Soldiers had been settled, and there were over three thousand Soldiers, all of whom had been incorporated and registered.
Zhang Chen was overjoyed and immediately ordered Fang Ping to train the surrendered Soldiers and rectify military discipline.
On the other side, Gao Shun was ordered to recruit Soldiers. In less than half a day, nearly a thousand young men had enlisted.
Indeed, the momentum and prestige that Zhang Chen had built up in these past few days finally came into play at this moment.
At this rate, it would not take three days to recruit three thousand Soldiers.
By then, with the Trap Camp and First to Ascend Camp, plus the three thousand men brought by Zhang He, Zhang Chen would have nearly ten thousand troops under his command.
In terms of Generals, Gao Shun, Qu Yi, and Zhang He were all famous Generals in history, each brave and skilled in battle, which goes without saying.
In terms of strategists, there was also a top-level strategist like Ju Shou assisting from the side.
With Soldiers, Generals, and strategists, Zhang Chen had absolute confidence that this battle would utterly defeat the Black Mountain Army in one fell swoop.
After recovering Cheng'an and Linzhang County, he would be able to gather another wave of popular support and boost his prestige.
In times of chaos, popular support and prestige are crucial. By accumulating these now, once the world changes, he only needs to call out, and inevitably, responses will come from all directions!
