Chapter 200: Black Mountain Migration
At the southern end of Queshu Valley, Zhao Yun, who had just arrived with his troops, was stationed in the newly built camp.

The camp was also rudimentary, with tents set up inside. The outer civil defense structure was not solid, with only one simple floor.

This place is currently temporarily called Zhongguansaizhang. After Zhao Yun inspected the general terrain around it, he arranged for military officials to organize people to reinforce the camp.

The Fenshui River Valley runs through the north and south, and there are also crisscrossing valleys connecting the east and west.

The newly built Zhongguan Pass has a small valley road that leads directly to Xihe River.

On the west side of the entire Fenshui Road, there are four roads suitable for the movement of large armies. The farthest one can directly reach Huo County at the southern end of the Fenshui Road.

The Zhongguan Barrier currently guards the second intersection from north to south.

Then he drove his horse north, and about twenty miles later he arrived at Zhang Yan's camp.

Zhang Yan arrived earlier and completed the outer construction of the camp in three days.

The barrier camp built here is called Beiguan Barrier. There are three barriers at the northern end of the entire Fenshui River Valley, among which Beiguan and Zhongguan are located in Queshu Valley.

There is a Tang city to the south of the Sanguan Barrier and between it and Huocheng.

Three passes and two cities constitute the current Fenshui River Valley defense line.

Zhao Yun was not a person who liked to join in the fun. After recognizing the battle flag of General Pingnan, he did not linger and continued to head north.

When he came out of the Queshu Valley and arrived in the southwest of Jiexiu County, he saw dense herds of animals foraging on the east bank of the Fen River.

According to rough estimates, there are still about 70,000 to 80,000 cattle, horses and sheep.

When he arrived, sick and weak animals were still being slaughtered here, and more than a thousand captives in the downstream area of ​​the camp were cleaning their intestines and going into the water on the bank of the icy Fen River.

The captives were easy to identify, as both the captives and the armed servants were wearing worn multi-layered leather clothing, but the armed servants were already in formation, wearing colorful turbans on their heads.

After obtaining permission, Zhao Yun entered the central military camp area.

He saw Black Bear's new banner, which was an eagle flag captured from Chanyu Huochequan.

In coordination with the previous tiger-patterned banners, they stood on the left and right in front of the big tent.

The guards led Zhao Yun into the tent, and Zhao Yun recognized Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan also turned around to observe Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun saluted and said, "General Zhao Yun greets the General Zhenbei."

"General Zilong, come quickly and discuss the battle opportunities together."

Black Bear stood where he was, turned around and told his personal soldiers to prepare tea and stewed beef for Zhao Yun.

"Yes."

Zhao Yun agreed and took off his helmet as he stepped forward. The helmet was covered with a layer of white frost.

He rubbed his hands and stood in front of the high table. Black Bear glanced at Zhang Yan and continued, "Zilong is new here, so let's listen to his opinion first. I think our army is the same as the Xiongnu. The more concentrated the troops are, the more difficult it is to use them flexibly. They will form a pile, like a bloated person."

The troops should be spread out, especially when attacking. The width means the contact area. The larger the contact area, the higher the killing efficiency.

But if it is spread out, there will be inconvenience in scheduling and slow coordination among various departments.

So no matter how wide the battle line is, if you can't touch the enemy and your sword can't hit the enemy, it's a waste.

Seeing Zhao Yun nod, Black Bear continued, "So I conclude that Liu Bao will not divide his troops to attack from both sides. At most, he will use one-third of his troops to attack the Fen River Channel, or attack Pingyang and Linfen to force our army to withdraw."

Liu Bao recruited so many tribal soldiers, there must be tribes with conflicting opinions or poor compatibility, so it became inevitable to send these tribes to open up a second battlefield.

Zhao Yun glanced at the map on the table and asked, "General, how long can the army's food and fodder last?"

"I have obtained the remaining grass and fodder from the right wing, and now I have slaughtered more beasts. According to my estimation, I can hold out until the middle of January next year. If the officers and soldiers are killed during this period, I can slaughter more cattle and horses, which will be enough to hold out until February next year."

When the grass and trees sprout in February, the situation on the battlefield will inevitably take a drastic turn.

Black Bear continued, "It will be difficult for the Xihe tribes to fight for long. I estimate that they can only hold out until the middle and late twelfth lunar month, and then they must withdraw. I have already burned all the food and fodder of the left tribe. It would be good if there is no snow this winter, as they can still find dry grass in the mountains. If there is a heavy snow, they must withdraw."

If the horses are not well fed in the winter, big problems will arise.

Killing the enemy is secondary; the primary issue is whether you can escape from the battlefield alive.

Seeing Zhao Yun deep in thought, Black Bear said, "It is the Xiongnu who are eager to fight, not me. During this period, the Xiongnu have repeatedly tried to camp on the other side, but I drove them away. I have only two concerns now. The first is that the Xiongnu will bypass Jinyang in the north, bypass the rivers and lakes, and attack from the northeast; the other is that the Xiongnu will divide their troops and go south to harass Guanzhong."

At this time, Black Bear looked at Zhang Yan, and Zhang Yan told him his previous proposal: "I suggest to the general that we hold on. In another half month, I can dispatch more than 10,000 troops to Jiexiu, and I can help the general strengthen the Fenshui defense line."

Zhao Yun frowned as he listened, feeling that Black Bear didn't seem to like the reinforcements of more than 10,000 people, and there might be other problems.

Glancing at Zhao Yun, Zhang Yan continued, "After these 10,000 people, we can send out another 10,000. The big families in Taiyuan are so indifferent to the common people. I intend to abandon Shangdang and move all my people to Taiyuan to defend this place for the general. I have about 120,000 to 130,000 young and strong men in my army. I will leave 30,000 to guard the mountain roads and resist the pursuit of Hebei and Wuhuan."

Now Zhao Yun understood that if Zhang Yan really moved to Taiyuan, Qian Zhao would lose control of the army.

The Bingzhou soldiers in Jinyang will collectively join the Huns.

Otherwise, if the Black Mountain Army is allowed to move into Taiyuan, the big families in Taiyuan will definitely be wiped out.

The remaining Yellow Turban Army now no longer respects local nobles and well-off families like they did when the rebellion first started.

This question was too serious, Zhao Yun did not want to express his opinion at all. As a result, he heard Zhang Yan say: "This year, Hebei has suffered from severe drought, and there has not been much rainfall in the Shangdang Mountains. Taiyuan has had normal rainfall, and the tribes in the mountains have long been discussing moving to Taiyuan, fearing that they would be blocked and hunted down by the Xiongnu and Hebei. Now that the Xiongnu has been destroyed, they have given up a lot of vacant land. The big families in Taiyuan have never been able to do anything about it. It would be better to destroy them and save the people."

Then Zhang Yan looked at Zhao Yun and said, "There are more than 3,000 families in your village and mine who live in poverty in the mountains. Can Zilong bear this?"

"Oh~!"

Zhao Yun sighed and then said, "Why are there so many people?"

"Hebei is suffering from drought, and taxes remain the same; Yuan Benchu ​​has died, and many people say that chaos is coming. Since July, more than 20,000 households have migrated and fled to Shangdang."

Zhang Yan paused and said, "This year, people in the mountains are living in poverty and hardship, and about 3,000 families have died young. Even if General Zhenbei doesn't support me, I will gather all my troops and march into Taiyuan next year."

Anyway, the Yellow Turban Army was wandering around and had little attachment to their hometown.

When Zhao Yun heard Zhang Yan say this and saw that Black Bear did not object, he said, "Of course I hope that the villagers and the people can live a prosperous life, but I am just a small general under Lord Xuande. I cannot and cannot represent Lord Xuande."

Zhang Yan turned to look at Black Bear and said, "General, if our army moves to Taiyuan, we will have no choice but to serve you and will never have second thoughts from now on!"

Black Bear looked at Zhao Yun and said, "General Zilong, after defeating the Xiongnu, I will allow you to select the prisoners first. I will give you 3,000 men, together with the horses agreed before, a total of 3,000 prisoners and 5,000 horses. Lord Xuande will be able to show his prowess in the Central Plains if he gets this!"

Including the 4,000 men and 5,000 horses brought by Yuan Tan, Liu Bei's cavalry force will gain an advantage in the Ruying area next year.

Together with the 3,000 men promised this time, if Liu Bei works harder next year and Yuan Tan incites more rebellion, it will be enough to form an army of 30,000 to 40,000 men.

The cavalry advantage would cut off Cao's cities, directly destroying the possibility of Cao's army coordinating operations.

In order to suppress Liu Bei, Cao Cao had to mobilize all his troops to fight a decisive battle.

This is a big deal. Zhao Yun asked again: "How do we deal with Hebei?"

"Next year, Lord Xuande will lead his army to attack the Central Plains, which will be the best explanation!"

Black Bear smiled and said, "Lord Xuande is living in Jingzhou, restricted by others, and has to humble himself to keep his place. He can't even use 30% of his abilities, which is really frustrating."

Seeing that Zhao Yun was obviously interested, Black Bear added: "If the Black Mountain Army moves to Taiyuan, and the Hedong clans unite with the Taiyuan clans to rebel against the Han, then I can send another 3,000 Hedong prisoners of war."

Zhao Yun was very embarrassed and closed his eyes: "Five thousand."

"can."

Black Bear turned his head and looked at Zhang Yan: "Once we take this step, there will be no room for maneuver for you and me."

Zhang Yan just smiled and said, "Yanmen, Daijun and half of Yuyang have fallen into the control of the Wuhuan people. Looking at the three Xiongnu royal courts, Taiyuan and Hedong will also become Xiongnu horse pastures in the future. If the general does not rise up to clear the world, even if we live in the mountains, our descendants will be harmed by the barbarians."

"Your family name is despicable. We are just doing what we didn't finish last year. What else can we talk about?"

Zhang Yan raised his head and sighed as he spoke: "Next year, Liu Xuande will lead a large army to attack the Central Plains. I don't care about victory or defeat. What I am worried about is Youzhou. I have always disliked the Yuan family, but I am worried that Xianyu Fu and others will fail. If they are expelled, no one will be able to control the Youzhou Hu people."

From a standpoint, Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Army has always been an ally of Gongsun Zan.

Cao Cao's army's attack on Liyang also indirectly relieved the pressure on Xianyu Fu.

Although Xianyu Fu rebelled against Gongsun Zan because Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, but judging from their stances, Xianyu Fu, Tian Yu, Yan Rou and their group were similar to Gongsun Zan in that they all adopted an attitude of suppression and checks and balances, rather than blindly indulging and accommodating.

Zhao Yun remained silent. From a personal standpoint and the sentiments of his fellow villagers, he, like Zhang Yan, liked Gongsun Zan.

For those people in the border counties who suffered from the harm caused by the various Hu people, whoever killed the various Hu people would be a hero and the guardian of their peaceful lives.

People have friends and relatives in this world. Even if the invasion of the Hu people does not kill your relatives and friends, it will affect your life.

Among the Zhending folks, Zhao Yun’s influence is definitely not as great as Zhang Yan’s at present.

The people of Zhending fled due to disaster this year, and as long as they went to seek refuge with Zhang Yan, the Hebei authorities did not dare to stop them.

It has only been three and a half years since Gongsun Zan's defeat, so his influence will not fade away easily.

Yuan Shao used the method of marrying his clan daughters to win over the various Hu people. After these people moved inland, they destroyed and encroached upon the local areas. How many local officials dared to control them?
The demise of the Yuan family, the support of the Wuhuan people for Yuan Shang and his brothers, and their subsequent decisive battle with Cao Cao were nothing more than a remembrance of the happy life under the rule of the Yuan family.

This can also be understood as gratitude, just like the great powers were grateful to the Qing Dynasty.

I wish I could have a Thanksgiving Day so I could be thankful every day.

Zhao Yun was silent for a moment, then said to Black Bear: "General, I will fight to the death in this battle to repay your kindness."

Black Bear understood what he meant, and despite his discomfort, he said to Zhang Yan: "Let's get started. Let's work together to clean up Taiyuan."

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "When I arrived four days ago, I had already sent a message to Shangdang. I think the people of Taiyuan and Hedong will know about it in the next few days, and they will inevitably send people to consult us. I hope the general will respond as soon as possible."

Black Bear glared at Zhang Yan, turned around and walked to the desk, grabbed a goose feather pen and immediately wrote a military order to Wen Pin, asking Wen Pin to speed up the march.

Wen Pin's mission was to garrison Huo County and guard the southernmost end of the Fen River.

Originally it was just a reserve measure, but now it seems that Wen Pin's mission has to be changed, and the main target of defense will be changed to the people of Hedong.

(End of this chapter)