The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 114 Complete System

Therefore, no matter how far Gongsun Zan developed, Chen Er was confident that he was the most advanced, and no other lord in the world could possess a more complete military industrial system than Youzhou.

"My lord, Gongsun Zan has already sent out his troops."

With a complete intelligence system, Chen Er can now get the latest news about what is happening in Chang'an from Chang'an to Yuyang in just two days. It seems slow, but it is actually very good. Compared with other lords, Chen Er has much better conditions.

"They've sent out troops?" Chen Er put down his book and asked Xi Zhicai, "How many troops has our brother Bo Gui sent out?"

"According to intelligence reports, Chang'an has deployed a total of 60,000 troops, including 40,000 musketeers and 3,000 cavalry," Xi Zhicai said, glancing down at the report in his hand.

"Sixty thousand! Gongsun has bet most of his fortune on this!" Chen Er exclaimed in surprise. He then asked Xi Zhicai, "And what about Liangzhou? How many people are there in the Western Liang warlord alliance?" As the chief of staff, Xi Zhicai had a strong memory. After a moment's thought, he immediately replied to Chen Er, "The Western Liang army has at least seventy thousand men, but most of them are armed with cold weapons, so they are not a threat."

“It seems that the two sides are not far apart in terms of troop strength, but the Xiliang army has at least tens of thousands of cavalry. This battle will not be easy to fight.” Chen Er said to Xi Zhicai with a smile: “However, the Xiliang army is too complicated. Li Jue and Han Sui are all people who are easy to deal with. As long as we make good use of the contradictions between the various units of the Xiliang army, Gongsun Zan has a great chance of winning.”

"My lord, aren't you really afraid of raising a tiger that will become a threat?" Xi Zhicai asked Chen Er with slight concern.

Chen Er shook his head and said to Xi Zhicai, "This world is changing every day. None of us know what we will face next, but one thing we can be sure of is that our autonomous region is determined to be ahead of everyone else. We have the most elite army, a complete military system, and tens of millions of people who support us. Gongsun Zan only obtained Liangzhou. What is left of Liangzhou after it was destroyed by Ding Yuan and so many warlords before and after? I'm afraid it will take Gongsun Zan several years just to rebuild Liangzhou."

"My lord, do you mean you deliberately let Gongsun Zan obtain Liangzhou, and then let him fall into this bottomless pit?" Xi Zhicai said.

"Not only that, Gongsun Zan, who occupies Liangzhou and Yongzhou, also controls the emperor. He will successfully draw the attention of all the warlords from us to him, buying more time for the development of our autonomous region. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Your subordinate," Xi Zhicai said respectfully.

While Chen Er and Xi Zhicai were discussing the overall strategy against Gongsun Zan, in Yongzhou, Gongsun Zan's army had already crossed Sanguan Pass and was advancing towards Tianshui, a major town in Liangzhou. At the same time, a detachment of Gongsun Zan's army had crossed the Wei River and was moving along the north bank of the river, aiming to coordinate with the main force on the south bank.

Gongsun Zan also prepared a large number of boats on the Wei River. Although most of these boats were small and there were not many warships that could actually fight, Gongsun Zan was already satisfied as long as his army could cross the river. As an important tributary of the Yellow River, the Wei River had a large flow, and Gongsun Zan's army could only cross the river by boat.

Besides, it's almost November, who would want to go into the water? That would be suicide!

As for why Gongsun Zan still wanted to wage war in winter, the reason is actually quite simple: this is the best time for rain. Two-thirds of Gongsun Zan's musketeers are still equipped with matchlock muskets. As soon as it rains, these soldiers will lose most of their fighting ability.

However, the Xiliang army didn't have this concern. Most of their troops were still armed with cold weapons, and rainy days were more advantageous for them. Of course, the Xiliang army wouldn't recklessly attack in the rain during this season, as it would freeze people to death. They didn't want to suffer heavy non-combat casualties due to the rain instead of killing many of their own men. It was for these considerations that Gongsun Zan decided to launch the campaign at this time. Another reason was that his army had undergone organizational and tactical reforms based on Chen Er's experience, and these reforms were already showing initial success. This was the best opportunity to test them.

Under the guise of suppressing the rebellion, Gongsun Zan had a moral advantage over the Xiliang army. After all, to the Chang'an court and the Liu imperial family, the Xiliang army was indeed a legitimate rebel force.

According to Gongsun Zan, the policy was to annihilate all rebels without showing any mercy. Liu Xie's imperial edict was written entirely according to Gongsun Zan's instructions, and it contained no words of mercy towards the Xiliang army. Gongsun Zan was still the same Gongsun Zan, showing absolutely no tenderness towards the enemy and employing a completely iron-fisted policy.

This had its advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage was that almost none of Gongsun Zan's enemies would surrender. This was unavoidable given Gongsun Zan's ruthless and iron-fisted policies. Of course, it was possible that his enemies would surrender before the war even began, but such a scenario was extremely difficult. Gongsun Zan's military record was not extensive; most of his victories were under Lu Zhi's command. He had never fought a truly significant, large-scale battle. This meant his iron-fisted policy did not achieve the desired effect. All the Xiliang troops chose to resist to the death. The Liangzhou region of the empire was known for its fierce and warlike people, and once such strong resistance erupted, Gongsun Zan's 60,000-strong army seemed truly insufficient.

"attack!"

After leaving Sanguan Pass to the west, Gongsun Zan personally led his army to launch a surprise attack on Wudu, southwest of Sanguan Pass. Then, 10,000 troops were sent from Wudu to advance along the valley towards Shangbang, while the rest of the army continued to advance along the south bank of the Wei River towards Tianshui.

The battle to attack Wudu ended very quickly. Wudu was basically an anarchic county. Although it was nominally Li Jue's territory, it had been abandoned by Li Jue, a man with no strategic vision, because it was too far from other counties.

The fall of Wudu means that Gongsun Zan can bypass the city from the southwest and threaten the west of Tianshui. Only a few brainless guys like Li Jue and Guo Si could come up with such a clumsy strategic vision.

Since Han Sui and Ma Teng's power was mainly concentrated in Jincheng and Longyou, they could not interfere with the defense of Tianshui. They could only fulfill their nominal allied obligations and send reinforcements to help Li Jue and Guo Si defend Tianshui.