amaotonovel Chapter 332 Yu Fan's Vicious Plan
Chapter 332 Yu Fan's Vicious Plan
Zong Shuai Peng Qi?
As Guan Xing received the letter, information about Peng Qi, the leader of a bandit gang in the Poyang Lake area, instinctively came to mind.
In the fourth year of the Huangwu era of the Eastern Wu dynasty, he proclaimed himself general and rebelled. Within a few months, he captured several counties and commanded tens of thousands of troops. However, his joy turned to sorrow when he was defeated and captured by the combined forces of Zhou Fang, the then governor of Poyang Commandery, and Hu Zong, the governor of Jiefan Commandery.
To reiterate, the stronger the Yue chieftain was in the face of Eastern Wu, the faster he would die.
Huangwu was the reign title of Sun Quan after he became emperor, while Jiefanwei was a special force that Sun Quan established before the Battle of Yiling to deal with Liu Bei.
Sun Quan has not yet declared himself emperor, and the Jiefan Guard has not been established, so Peng Qi can still cause trouble for a while.
After reading the letter, Guan Xing asked in surprise, "Peng Qi only invited you to join in the grand undertaking, he didn't intend to unite with our Han army to fight against the Wu army, he actually wants to do it alone?"
The letter was simple. It first praised You Chong's father, You Tu, for his heroic deeds in fighting against the Wu army, and then emphasized his friendship with You Tu. After building up the atmosphere, he invited You Chong to join his team and fight against Wu together.
The entire text, spanning thousands of words, doesn't mention the Han army at all. This means that Peng Qi didn't intend to cooperate with the Han army, but rather wanted to fight against the Wu army alone. Where did he get his confidence from?
It's important to understand that this is no longer the chaotic time of the warlords' campaign against Dong Zhuo. The situation in the world has already formed a three-way balance of power, and no new warlords will emerge. No matter who wants to rise to prominence, they can only follow the three families of Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan. Without being affiliated with these three families, they can never hope to succeed.
Even Guan Xing didn't have the courage to be independent, so where did Peng Qi get his confidence? Or did he think he was Guan Yu who launched a surprise attack on Jianye, and could gain a foothold in Yuzhang just like Guan Yu?
You Chong defended Peng Qi, saying, "They may not know that you are coming to Ru, General. I have not revealed anything about you to anyone, as instructed by General Deng."
Guan Xing shook his head and said, "What you said makes sense, but Peng Qi really wants to go it alone and doesn't want to be someone's vassal. Otherwise, he could have sent someone to Jianye to see General Guan and ask him to bestow an official title upon him."
"You could even go to Wanling to meet Cao Ren and become a general of Cao Wei. That way you could at least get some supplies of food and weapons from Cao Ren. But Peng Qi didn't do that. Instead, he invited you to join him. It's obvious that he wants to go it alone."
Yu Chong was speechless, so he could only ask instead of answering, "Does the general think Peng Qi can succeed?"
Guan Xing shook his head and said, "Absolutely impossible. Look around him. To the west, there is Zhou Tai's Ruxu garrison in Chaisang; to the south, there is Pan Zhang dealing with our 10,000 troops at Riyue Lake; to the east, there are Cao Ren and Zhang Liao; and to the north is the Yangtze River. He is completely surrounded. How can we deal with him? Peng Qi's geographical location is such that even Bai Qi and Han Xin would probably be scratching their heads."
"When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer; when gods fight, mortals suffer. Right now, Poyang Lake is a battleground for the armies of Wei, Han, and Wu. It's a true battle of gods. Others, let alone participate, could be crushed into dust by the combined forces of the three. Not to mention being crushed, the aftershocks of the battle are something that ordinary people can't withstand."
"Even children understand that when people are fighting, they should quickly go around to avoid being accidentally hurt. Peng Qi not only doesn't dodge, but actively goes in. Isn't that brain-dead?"
"By the way, Chief You, what's your opinion?"
You Chong was initially somewhat tempted, but after hearing Guan Xing's analysis, he immediately abandoned the idea of joining forces with Peng Qi and hurriedly said, "I definitely won't participate. Before my father died, he held my hand and earnestly told me that we are mountain bandits and can never be a match for the government army. Only the government army can defeat the government army. He told me not to go looking for trouble with the Wu army before I become a member of the government army. So I'm sticking with you, General. I'll go wherever you point. If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west."
"In addition, we have been secretly watching General Deng Hong's training these days, and now we are starting to look more like an official army, no longer as undisciplined as before."
The campsite at Xuemu Ridge was found by You Chong for Deng Hong. You Chong originally planned for Deng Hong to stay in his own village with him, but Deng Hong remembered Guan Xing's instructions and was worried that there would be conflicts with You Chong's people in terms of living habits, which would cause unnecessary misunderstandings. So he asked You Chong to help him find another place to live separately, which would be better for everyone.
After settling in Xuemuling, Deng Hong did not slack off. He continued to do his daily drills and even memorize song lyrics, just like before. These actions were observed by You Chong's troops, who were curious about the Han army.
The environment is the easiest thing to influence a person. Anyone who has been to school knows that if classmates skip class with you, you will feel at ease skipping class. But if classmates are all working hard and striving for improvement, then skipping class becomes meaningless.
I ignored the sounds of my roommate playing games, but the sound of him turning pages was deafening.
This is the current mentality of You Chong's followers. Before the Han army came, they were carefree and undisciplined. After the Han army arrived, seeing how hard the Han army was working and how they even ran to the outhouse, You Chong's followers suddenly felt that their behavior was a waste of time. Not to mention playing, even drinking no longer tasted as good as before.
Therefore, You Chong also began to train actively, and even asked Deng Hong to send several instructors to assist in the training, actively moving closer to the Han army.
Guan Xing smiled and said, "Chief You has lofty ambitions, which I admire. I will write a training manual for you later, which may be of some help in training your army. If you wish, you can also send a copy to Peng Qi. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
You Chong was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, General."
Guan Xing then looked at Geng Shang and asked, "Mr. Geng, are you aware of the situation in Nanchang? What has Yu Fan been doing lately?"
Geng Shang replied, "According to the information we have gathered, Yu Fan is actively training his troops to guard against your sneak attack on Nanchang while also suppressing bandits in the mountains and gathering the Yue tribes to expand his strength. He seems poised to launch a proactive attack on Nanchang."
Although Yu Fan carried out these things in secret, the merchant group was too large, with tentacles reaching into almost every industry and corner. Since they decided to use the Han army to avenge the White-Clad Crossing the River, they would naturally actively seek out the information needed by the Han army. Yu Fan's actions could not be kept secret from this group.
Geng Shang continued, "I also heard that Yu Fan is planning to implement the Baojia system in Yuzhang. Ten households will form a Jia and a Jia head will be appointed. Ten Jia will form a Bao and a Bao head will be appointed. Whoever discovers the Han army must report it immediately. Anyone who knows but does not report will be punished along with the entire Jia. Anyone who secretly colludes with the Han army will be punished along with the entire Bao. In short, if even one person colludes with the Han army, the entire village will die."
Guan Xing was stunned. Wasn't the Baojia system proposed by Wang Anshi during the Northern Song Dynasty's reforms? How could Yu Fan have mastered it without a teacher?
It seems that when people are pushed to the limit, they'll come up with all sorts of underhanded tricks.
However, it must be said that the Baojia system was indeed an effective means of dealing with guerrilla warfare. Wang Yangming of the Ming Dynasty used this method to suppress bandits, and Chiang Kai-shek also used it to suppress our army.
"Damn it, Yu Fan really can't stand to see me doing well," Guan Xing gritted his teeth and said, "When will the Baojia system be implemented?"
Geng Shang shook his head and said, "It will probably take some time. Some people in the prefecture disagree, thinking that this would be too harmful to the people. You know, there are also powerful clans in Yuzhang. Many villagers in the villages belong to the same clan. If this is done, the Han army will not be able to wipe them out, but the clans will be killed first."
"Moreover, many aristocratic families are opportunists, waiting for the Han and Wu armies to decide their sides so they can choose one. Yu Fan's actions have effectively dashed the hopes of the Yuzhang aristocratic families to extend an olive branch to the Han army. How could the aristocratic families agree to this?"
Guan Xing sneered, "Since that's the case, there's no need to worry too much. As long as we eliminate Pan Zhang before the Baojia system is implemented, Yu Fan's Baojia system will naturally be unable to be implemented. But how should we deal with Pan Zhang? Everyone, please share your opinions."