Liu Jin's expression remained calm upon hearing this, feeling that what Lu Zhi did was perfectly normal.
As a Central Protector-General, he naturally had to firmly control all the troops in the army, and could not allow arrogant soldiers and fierce generals to emerge, or any dissenting opinions.
The military order given to him was a test, to see if he would obey the arrangements.
If he could complete it outstandingly, after joining the army, Lu Zhi would certainly treat him well.
If he failed to complete it, he might very well be made an example of, or even be beheaded as a sacrifice to the flag, to intimidate the generals in the army and make everyone behave.
Seeing that everyone in the tent was still complaining, he waved his hand and slowly said!
"Stop saying useless things. Since the military order has been issued, we naturally must obey. We should think of a way to resist Zhang Liang's 30,000-strong army."
Zhang Fei, Han Dang, and others nodded upon hearing this, putting their complaints aside and beginning to address the matter at hand.
Guan Yu, sitting nearby, pondered for a moment, then stood up and slowly said!
"Big Brother, according to intelligence, Zhang Liang's 30,000-strong army is currently stationed in Pingxiang County, only a few dozen li away from us."
"And for Pingxiang County to support the Yellow Turban in Ye City, they must pass through Baixiang County. We can just occupy this place."
"Using the city as a stronghold, we can block Zhang Liang's troops outside. Holding out for ten days should not be a problem."
Everyone in the hall nodded upon hearing this, still quite in agreement with Guan Yu's words. With a city to defend, holding off these 30,000 Yellow Turbans would not be a problem.
Liu Jin did not refute Guan Yu's words upon hearing this.
If they were to defend against these 30,000 Yellow Turbans, indeed, occupying a city as a stronghold was the best method.
But Liu Jin not only wanted to defend, but also wanted to annihilate these 30,000 Yellow Turbans, and even kill Zhang Liang, one of the three great bandit leaders.
As long as this person died by his hand, that would be an unprecedented fortune. His reputation would quickly spread throughout the world, and promotion and ennoblement would be just around the corner.
After all, Zhang Jiao, Zhang Liang, and Zhang Bao were the leaders of the rebel army, the main culprits, and could not be compared to those Qu Shuai.
Looking at the map beside him, he fell into deep thought. His eyes lit up, and he pointed in one direction, slowly asking!
"What is this mountain range?"
Everyone looked over upon hearing this, and it was indeed a mountain range in front of Baixiang County.
Guan Yu thought for a moment, then quickly said!
"Big Brother, this place is called Xiaoping Mountain, located between Pingxiang County and Baixiang County. It is a necessary path."
At this point, Guan Yu had some suspicions in his heart, wondering if his Big Brother had some idea.
Liu Jin stared at the mountain range, his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxing, and he spoke!
"Since it's a necessary path, we can occupy it, then set up an ambush here. When Zhang Liang leads his army past, we can catch them off guard, charge out from both sides, and defeat them in one fell swoop."
"Moreover, our marching route has been relatively remote all the way, avoiding the main forces of the Yellow Turban, making our route quite deceptive."
"The most important thing is that this is the Yellow Turban's territory. Zhang Liang would absolutely not expect us to ambush here. As long as we conceal ourselves properly, even scouts wouldn't be able to detect us."
"So we already have the advantage of timing and terrain. As long as the entire army bravely slays the enemy, this battle will surely be victorious."
"What do you all think?"
His voice was extremely loud, spreading throughout the entire military tent. Upon hearing this, the generals' breathing quickened involuntarily, their bodies filled with passion, and their eyes showed excitement.
They had initially thought that Liu Jin only wanted to defend, to complete the military order given by Lu Zhi.
They hadn't expected that Liu Jin wanted to devour these 30,000 Yellow Turbans.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Han Dang, and others did not hesitate, all loudly echoing!
"This plan is feasible!"
Liu Jin smiled, seeing everyone nod in agreement. He wasn't just ambushing thoughtlessly, but had great confidence in winning.
By his side, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were both capable of fighting ten thousand men. Historically, Liu Bei, leading a few hundred of them, could move freely among hundreds of thousands of Qingzhou Yellow Turbans.
Furthermore, his nearly 3,000 troops had experienced fierce battles and seen blood, so calling them elites was not an exaggeration.
The most important thing was that he still had a trump card: Guan Yu's 500 cavalry. This was a great killer against infantry, slaying gods and Buddhas alike.
With the advantage of timing, terrain, and human factors, facing 30,000 Yellow Turban rabble, if he couldn't even defeat them, he might as well just find a piece of tofu to bash his head against and die.
Even if Zhang Liang had some elites by his side, at most a few hundred to a thousand, the rest were just rabble. After falling into an ambush, it still wouldn't change the course of the battle.
It's impossible for 30,000 troops to all be elites; otherwise, the Yellow Turban Army would have already taken over the world, and wouldn't have been annihilated by the imperial court.
Comparing the two, the advantage was on his side.
However, in the main tent, one person seemed a bit hesitant.
Liu Jin frowned slightly, then asked!
"Yuan Cheng, is there something wrong with this plan?"
Wei You quickly stood up upon hearing this, and after a moment of silence, slowly said!
"It's not that the General's plan is flawed; on the contrary, I firmly believe we can win."
Liu Jin was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this, and asked with doubt!
"Since you believe this plan can win, why are you hesitant, Yuan Cheng?"
Everyone in the tent looked over, all appearing somewhat confused.
Wei You, seeing everyone staring intently, gritted his teeth and simply said!
"General, Lord Lu's order was for us to focus on defense and hold off Zhang Liang for ten days."
"If we take the initiative to attack and ambush the enemy, if we fail, we will suffer heavy losses and have no troops left to resist."
"This would lead to the Yellow Turban pushing south, attacking the Han Army outside Ye City, and it's very possible that we would lose everything, and the situation would completely deteriorate. We cannot bear such a huge responsibility!"
Everyone in the hall frowned upon hearing this, their faces showing displeasure.
Zhang Fei immediately stepped out and said coldly!
"Wei You, what do you mean by that?"
"Are you distrusting my Big Brother, or are you afraid of death, fearing military punishment, and dare not take a risk?"
Guan Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold voice came!
"Wei You, ever since you joined the army, my Big Brother has treated you well. The money you received was given as a priority, and you were never mistreated."
"Why are you so timid?"
Wei You's face became somewhat grim hearing everyone's words. He patted his chest and said loudly!
"You all underestimate me, Wei You. The General's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. Why would I not dare to fight with my life?"
"It is precisely because of this that I worry about the General's safety. After all, this matter is somewhat risky. Deep into enemy territory, if the ambush fails, not only will our entire army be annihilated,"
"Even the main army behind us will be ambushed by the Yellow Turban, and the situation in Jizhou will completely collapse. Even if we are lucky enough to survive, we will be beheaded by the imperial court."
"Therefore, I am somewhat hesitant about this matter."
Everyone's eyes showed a hint of solemnity upon hearing this. What Wei You said was not without reason.
If the ambush failed, their army would be surrounded by the Yellow Turban and would surely die.
Liu Jin pondered for a moment, then said!
"Yuan Cheng, what you said certainly has some truth. If we fail, we will surely die, and the risk is indeed very great."
"But have you ever thought that if this battle succeeds in annihilating 30,000 enemies and killing Zhang Liang, our names will shake the world, and achieving that fortune will be just around the corner?"
"We were originally of humble birth, and our lives are worthless. With the arrival of chaotic times, if we don't seize this glimmer of opportunity to climb up and break this class barrier,"
"We will ultimately just be mediocre people, and after a few decades, become a pile of dry bones, unknown to the world."
At this point, Liu Jin's eyes showed determination as he looked at Wei You beside him, and said coldly!
"Yuan Cheng, if you don't dare to take the risk, I won't force you."