Chapter 192 Taihang Arrangement In early summer, after Tian Ze finished dealing with many internal affairs, he mobilized his troops and prepared to march south to Bingzhou. Before this, he had already relocated many people from Taihang Mountains and northern Jizhou to the Northeast Plain. Due to the generous treatment and the popularity of Tian Ze, most people chose to obey. Only a small number of people were reluctant to leave their hometown and stayed there. Because the number was small and it was not a big deal, Tian Ze did not force them. However, before Tian Ze prepared to march south to Bingzhou, Yuan, Cao and Lu took the lead and began planning an action against Zang Ba's tribe in the southern part of the Taihang Mountains. In Zang Ba's tent, Xun You and Zang Ba were studying the garrisons in various places. As early as when Li Ru left Youzhou, Xun You had already come here to assist Zang Ba in guarding this deepest line of defense as a military advisor. Along with him came 10,000 reinforcements led by Taishi Ci. The entire southern Taihang Mountains now have a total of 30,000 troops stationed there, and coupled with the defense line that Zang Ba has built over the years, it seems impregnable. The strategic position of the Taihang Mountains is extremely important, and the southern part where Zang Ba is located is close to the three states of Ji, Yan and Bing. It is in a commanding position and can send troops out of the three states at any time and penetrate into the heartland of Yuan, Cao and Lu.
As long as the Taihang Mountains can retain an army of more than 10,000 people, both Yuan and Cao must retain enough troops to garrison the base camp. Moreover, they also have to consider the situation in all four parties. Cao Cao had to consider whether Liu Bei and Yuan Shao would take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Yanzhou, so he had to leave enough troops to garrison. Otherwise, Yuan Shao would not mind letting Tian Ze go first, taking the opportunity to occupy Yanzhou and Xuzhou, taking control of four states and dominating the Central Plains. Liu Bei would not mind taking the opportunity to seize the Central Plains and become the overlord of the Central Plains. As long as Yanzhou was in his hands, Tao Qian would definitely be more inclined to surrender to Liu Bei. And as long as Cao Cao left behind a certain amount of troops, Yuan Shao would not be able to act freely. Even though he knew that Cao Cao was unlikely to go north, so as not to give Tian Ze an advantage, but facing the rich Jizhou, who could resist? The alliance between Yuan, Cao and Lu was extremely fragile because the conflict of interests between Yuan and Cao was inevitable and completely irreconcilable. It was impossible for Cao Cao to occupy Tianze's territory, and attacking Tianze was in a sense helping Yuan Shao. If Tian Ze was too powerful and Cao Cao was determined to rule the world, he would never do such a "stupid thing" that would not bring him any practical benefits. Xun You looked at the map of Taihang Mountains and its surrounding areas drawn under the personal guidance of Tian Ze, and constantly circled and outlined on it, perfecting the defense of the entire Taihang Mountains. "Zi Yi, most of your troops are cavalry, disperse the garrison at these locations. Once Yuan and Cao invade, wait for opportunities to harass the surrounding areas, attract Yuan and Cao's attention, and try to make the momentum as grand as possible." Xun You said, pointing to several points on the map. "Remember, you must be cautious and focus on self-preservation and harassment. The results of the battle don't matter. Each time you send out troops, don't send more than half of your existing forces. If you notice anything wrong, withdraw immediately." "Your goal is to let Yuan Cao know of your existence and make them feel threatened. Don't be greedy and act rashly!" Xun You warned. "Yes!" Taishi Ci said solemnly. Xun You nodded. In fact, the most suitable person for this task is Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun's talent can ensure that the army he leads always remains calm. He can ignore the enemy's temptations and can handle the task on his own. But the opponent of Bingzhou was Lu Bu, so Tian Ze had to leave Zhao Yun behind to limit Lu Bu's martial arts. Therefore, he could only send Taishi Ci. Fortunately, Taishi Ci is also a calm person. As long as he pays more attention, there should be no problem. "Xuan Gao, how much food and people are there in the Taihang Mountains? Are your soldiers familiar with the terrain of the Taihang Mountains?" Xun You asked. "My lord has made preparations. He has built many secret food storage places in various places in the Taihang Mountains. The food in the mountains is enough for our 30,000 troops to eat for more than three years. There is no need to worry about the food problem." "Most of the people have evacuated, leaving more than ten villages and more than 20,000 people. Among them, there are few young and strong people, and they have to guard the villages, so they can basically not be mobilized. These villages have built forts and tunnels, and food is relatively sufficient, so there is no need to worry too much about safety issues."
"When our soldiers were stationed in the Taihang Mountains, I arranged for them to take turns in various places in the mountains. They are very familiar with the local terrain. They have also been trained for mountain warfare and marching." Zang Ba said confidently. These things are easy to say, and not difficult to actually do if there is enough time, but they represent the consumption of countless money and food. As long as there is enough money and food, there will be no problem. But money and food themselves are the biggest problem. Tian Ze’s greatest confidence is that he has plenty of money and grain, which allows Zang Ba to do as much as he wants. Zang Ba was so extravagant that he set up several hidden strongholds in Taihang Mountains and repaired all the checkpoints in the Eight Passes of Taihang Mountains. Xun You nodded. Tian Ze knew exactly how much money and grain Tian Ze had spent in the Taihang Mountains. With so much money and grain, anyone who was not a fool could turn this place into an iron barrel, let alone Zang Ba who was familiar with mountain warfare. "Among the eight passes in Taihang, only Fukou Pass and Jing Pass are suitable for a large army to pass through. The rest are extremely dangerous, and the roads along the way are only a few steps wide. But we must not be careless. There are also many small roads that we must be careful of." Zang Ba smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, Military Advisor. I have also rebuilt the other six checkpoints and arranged hundreds of soldiers to guard them. Even if the enemy army comes, we can block the roads and make it difficult for them to move forward." "Including those small roads, there are also people around to help monitor the situation. If Yuan Shao and Cao Cao want to enter Bingzhou, they can only take the Hukouxing and Jingxing roads." "Ba has stationed 3,000 elite soldiers at the Tumen Pass in Jingxing, and this pass is close to Gongming's garrison area. Gongming can send troops to support us at any time, so there will be no problem." "As for Fukou Pass, Ba has renovated and reinforced the original Huguan Pass, and will personally lead 10,000 soldiers to garrison here." Having stayed in the Taihang Mountains for so long, it was basically no pressure for Zang Ba to eliminate the local bandits. He spent most of his time studying how to garrison here and how to attack the surrounding areas, and he already had a plan in mind. Xun You kept nodding his head, but his eyes were fixed on Tumen Pass, and he vaguely felt that this might be the key. This was once the place where Han Xin fought a decisive battle. Although both passes are equally difficult to attack, Tumen Pass is relatively less important than the Hu Pass, which has higher strategic value, and is generally used as an important trade route. It is normal for Zang Ba to focus on Huguan and neglect Tumenguan. He would make the same choice if he were in their shoes. But the problem is that Yuan Shao did not want to occupy Bingzhou, but to support Bingzhou, or to pass through Bingzhou. Lu Bu would most likely be unwilling to let the Xianbei move south, but Yuan Shao would not refuse to do so. However, the troops at hand were limited, and Xun You thought Zang Ba's arrangement was the best choice. "Who is the commander of Tumen Pass?" Xun You asked. (End of this chapter)
