Tian Feng’s face was serious, and his voice slowly drifted over!
“Since we have pledged allegiance to the Marquis and are willing to follow him, the etiquette between lord and subject naturally cannot be neglected.”
“Especially in the army, with so many eyes watching, if the Marquis lacks prestige, what will the soldiers think, and how will he command the three armies in the future?”
Liu Jin heard this and showed a helpless expression. He had originally wanted the two to sit down properly, but instead, he was lectured.
He waved his hand and said helplessly!
“Alright, alright, alright.”
“Yuan Hao, you are right.”
Tian Feng heard this, nodded, and then sat down on another stone, beginning to eat the flatbread in his hand.
Min Chun, who was beside him, grinned. He naturally knew his friend’s character: upright, impartial, and extremely strict.
But precisely because of this, his straightforward speech easily offended people.
Fortunately, their Marquis was truly a man who valued scholars, so he didn't care about these minor details.
Otherwise, who could tolerate Tian Feng’s personality? Even if they tolerated him outwardly, they probably wouldn't truly trust him or might even exclude him from their inner circle.
Liu Jin glanced at the sky, which was darkening.
After a moment of contemplation, he said to Tian Feng and Min Chun, who were beside him!
“Yuan Hao, Bo Dian.”
“According to reports from the scouts, the Xianbei army marching south this time consists of over 15,000 men, with approximately 5,000 cavalry. The commander is Ke Bineng.”
“They have now reached Gaoliu City, clearly intending to break through it to leave Dingxiang Commandery undefended, and then plunder the surrounding villages and towns.”
“Moreover, we have already arrived in Dingxiang Commandery, in the Wu Jin County area, only about fifty li from Gaoliu City.”
“If we travel quickly, we can reach it within a day and should encounter this Xianbei force.”
“What are your thoughts on this?”
Tian Feng and Min Chun frowned upon hearing this, finding it somewhat tricky.
They hadn't expected the Xianbei to deploy so many troops.
Five thousand cavalry, ten thousand infantry, plus the three thousand cavalry from Yanmen Pass, all added up, made nearly twenty thousand troops.
Min Chun muttered to himself!
“It seems this Ke Bineng is not simple.”
“To be able to mobilize twenty thousand troops, he is probably the one with the best chance to contend for the title of Xianbei Lord and unify all the northern Xianbei tribes.”
Liu Jin nodded at the remark. He, of course, knew about Ke Bineng.
Ever since the death of Tan Shihuai, the Xianbei Lord, the Xianbei Royal Court had already fractured into several large tribes.
And this Ke Bineng gradually rose from this chaotic situation. In the following years, he controlled most of the northern regions, truly earning the title of Xianbei Lord.
At this time, Ke Bineng’s strength, though not weak, was not absolutely overwhelming. There were still quite a few who could stand alongside him.
Among them were Budugen and the former Xianbei nobles, who not only had sufficient status but also had many tribes relying on them.
Even the ambitious Tuoba Tribe and Tufa Tribe, though their strength was not as great as Budugen and Ke Bineng's larger tribes.
Their leaders' ambitions were not small; they were all future heroes who would sweep across the north.
Especially during the era of the Five Hu Uprising, these tribes were the cream of the Hu, each establishing their own dynasties.
Tian Feng, sitting nearby, pondered for a moment, then shook his head, finishing the last bit of flatbread in his hand.
He slowly said!
“I have a different view. Although Ke Bineng’s strength is not weak, and he can mobilize nearly twenty thousand troops.”
“But in my opinion, the leaders of these tribes probably won’t fight to the death for Ke Bineng. In fact, their southward march is likely just to follow Ke Bineng and see if they can gain some benefits.”
“If they can gain enough benefits to fill their coffers, these surrounding tribes will continue to obey Ke Bineng.”
“If they gain no benefits and instead suffer losses, these tribal leaders will probably gradually flee and not remain here.”
Liu Jin heard this and nodded slightly, still very much agreeing with Tian Feng’s words.
Because the various Xianbei tribes in history all had their own ambitions and absolutely did not want to submit to each other. They all wanted to unify the entire Xianbei tribe and become the next Xianbei Lord.
Even if they could gather and come to raid the border under Ke Bineng's leadership, the tribal leaders had complex minds, each with their own schemes. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would scatter.
Otherwise, the Xianbei could have long taken advantage of the chaos in the Han Dynasty to unify the entire steppe and then sweep across the world, establishing a steppe dynasty.
Why would they still need to stay in the north, vying with each other, with no one obeying anyone else’s command?
Even when Cao Wei was established, the north was still in chaos and had not been completely unified.
Only Ke Bineng was slightly more outstanding, having enough prestige among the Xianbei.
Even so, he still bowed down to Cao Wei, not daring to act recklessly.
Even after some unrest, he was still assassinated by someone sent by the Governor of You Province. The so-called generation’s hero met such an end.
Min Chun, sitting nearby, heard this and pondered for a moment, thinking that Tian Feng’s words made some sense.
So he asked!
“Since Yuan Hao says so, does that mean the invading Xianbei army is not worth worrying about?”
Tian Feng heard this, stroked his beard, and shook his head with a smile!
“Not worth worrying about, that’s not entirely true. Ke Bineng, after all, commands five thousand cavalry and an army of over ten thousand.”
“We only have five thousand, plus Zhang Fei’s two thousand troops in Gaoliu City, and Zhang He’s two thousand troops who are on their way to reinforce. All combined, we have nearly ten thousand men.”
“The Xianbei’s apparent strength is still greater than ours.”
“In my opinion, we should not engage them in an open battle. It is best to hold the city and fight a war of attrition with them.”
“After all, they have penetrated deep into our Han Dynasty territory, so they will inevitably feel some apprehension. Moreover, their primary goal is plunder. If they don’t gain benefits for a long time, they naturally won’t be able to hold out against us and are very likely to retreat back to the steppe.”
“Even if Ke Bineng doesn’t retreat, we will continue to hold out against them. As long as we keep delaying, the various Xianbei tribes that have come will grow impatient and may even secretly leave, causing unrest in their army.”
“At that opportune moment, we can then send out our troops to engage them in a decisive battle, to see if we can completely annihilate them here, to prevent them from returning to the steppe, consolidating their strength, and coming back.”
Liu Jin heard this, and his admiration for Tian Feng grew even stronger.
He was indeed Tian Yuan Hao, who started as an advisor and helped Yuan Shao pacify Hebei.
His vision was broad, and his thoughts were meticulous. In just a few days, he had already devised a strategy.
Liu Jin strongly agreed to prolong the conflict with the enemy. Fighting on his home ground, he naturally held an advantage in morale.
Conversely, if the enemy, having traveled thousands of li, failed to achieve results in a short time, they would inevitably panic and either flee or continue to waste time.
He coughed lightly and said loudly!
“Yuan Hao’s strategy is feasible.”
“We will wear them down and see how long they can last.”