The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: The Competition in the Central Plains

"Yes, our military rations, Shihu’s military rations. The adequacy and depletion of military rations, as well as the counterfeiting and loss of military rations, all affect the outcome of both sides at all times." Zu Ti said. Seeing what Zu Ti said, Zu Huan nodded and said,"My father's plan is so shameful for me!

After saying this to Zu Huan, Zu Ti's face became serious. He stood up and said,"Generals, listen to the order!" In the past two days, we should seize the time to train our soldiers, and all camps must be prepared to guard against enemy sneak attacks. Two days later, Zu Yue, Zu Huan, and Zu Gai each led 10,000 troops and went to Pengpi to support Han Qian and Feng Tie. There must be no mistake! Zuna and Feng Chong led three thousand men and horses to transport grain and grass!"

"Got the order!"Zu Yue, Zu Gai and others agreed in unison.

After breakfast on the third day, Zu Ti sat down in the government office. Zu Yue came back from the camp in the north of Chen County. Zu Ti asked:"Brother, each way. Have all the troops set off?"

"People from all walks of life have already followed the established route to Pengpi. The food and fodder of the three armies are hidden in the army, making it difficult for the enemy to find them. In addition, in our grain transport team, among the 100 carriages transporting grain to Pengpi, 95 were loaded with bran and soil. Only on the five carriages is the real rice."Zugai said. Zu Ti burst out laughing after hearing this.

In the big tent, Shi Hu was giving orders, preparing to lead 30,000 men in person and several generals to Pengpi to reinforce Taobao. There was a soldier guarding the big tent. Come in and report:"General, the three generals Duan Qin, Duan Si, and Duan Cong are back!"

"Very good! Please come in!"Shi Hu said happily. Duan Qin, Duan Si, and Duan Cong came in and saluted Shi Hu:"I will finally meet the general!"

"The three generals are exempt from the gift. How many troops did you bring? Shi Hu asked. Duan Qin said:"Father gave us 10,000 troops. We collected some separated soldiers on the road and recruited some new soldiers. Now we have 20,000 troops.""

"Very good, we have a total of 50,000 troops and are heading to Pengpi to support General Taobao and avenge Chen Chuan and General Wei Shuo!."Shi Hu ordered:"Generals, set off!"

Shi Hu led an army of 50,000 to Pengpi. Tao Bao and several generals who were stationed on the west platform of Pengpi came to the north of the west platform to greet him. Seeing that Shi Hu and other generals had brought so many soldiers, Tao Bao was very happy. It's broken. Tao Bao dismounted and knelt down to Shi Hu:"See you, General!""

"General Taobao, no gifts! Shi Hu said. Then Shi Hu and other generals dismounted, and Shi Hu asked:"Is there any movement over Zu Ti?" How many troops do they have?"

"Several troops have arrived in the past two days and are stationed in several camps east of Pengpi. Including Han Qian's original men and horses, the total number was no less than 50,000."Taobao said:"The general is here, and our strength suddenly becomes much stronger. It is easy to eliminate Zu Ti's forces."

After Tao Bao finished speaking, Shi Hu nodded, got on his horse and continued to drive south, arriving at Pengpi West Platform. This is an open area, and Shi Hu ordered:"The generals set up camp and wait for the opportunity."

Han Qian, Zu Huan, Zu Yue and others climbed to the highest point of the city wall on the east platform of Pengpi and looked towards the west platform. Han Qian pointed to several large camps to the west of Pengpi and said:"There are at least 50,000 soldiers in these companies and camps. about. This time Shi Hu personally led so many soldiers to Pengpi, and he must be determined to win. The strength of our troops is not much different from that of Shihu"

"The combined strength of both sides exceeds 100,000. If the two sides fight, it will definitely be a fierce battle to the death. Shi Hu is a veteran on the battlefield. He knows that we are close and have a geographical advantage. And they were on an expedition, so Shi Hu was not in a hurry to start a war. Instead, he asked his soldiers to set up camp first, recharge their batteries, and wait for the opportunity to start the war."Zu Yue said

"Then we should take advantage of the enemy's busy setting up camp and give them a surprise attack when they are tired!" Zu Huan said. Han Qian said:"What the second young master said makes sense, but it is impossible for the generals under Shi Hu not to take precautions."

"How about we go to the hijack camp at night?" Zu Huan said. Han Qian said:"The larger the battle, the more careful and thoughtful it is. If he went to rob the camp rashly, Shi Hu would definitely be prepared. When the time comes, stealing the chicken will end up losing the rice, and the gain will outweigh the loss."

"According to the general, how should we break the situation now?"Zu Yue asked Han Qian. Han Qian said:"Shihu came from a far distance compared to us, and the food and grass he brought will not be much. Therefore, it is best for us to use Master Zu Ti’s ingenious plan to defeat the enemy. At the same time, our various camps must also strengthen their vigilance to prevent the enemy from stealing the camp and robbing the village at night."

Zu Yue, Zu Huan and other generals all nodded.

Shi Hu, Tao Bao and other generals have been checking the enemy's situation near Pengpi for several days. Duan Qin said:"These generals from Zu Ti are all deeply respected by Zu Ti in running the army. True biography. Seeing the arrival of our army, we were in no hurry to start a war. Their camp is also well defended and airtight."

"If this consumption continues, our food and grass will become less and less. When the time comes, Han Qian and Zu Yue's 50,000 to 60,000 troops rush over and we will be in danger."Taobao said. Chen Chuan said:"We should send out a few detective horses to discover Han Qian's team transporting grain and grass in time. Once discovered, we must spare no effort to snatch it. The enemy will be in a hurry if they have no food and fodder. If we take the opportunity to attack, we can win this battle."

Shi Hu led his generals back to his tent. A soldier came to the tent and said,"General Qi, the lunch meal has been prepared. Can you bring it over? Before Shi

Hu could answer, two detective horses hurried in to report:"General, generals, Han Qian's carriage team transporting grain and grass was discovered on the road south of Pengpi!""

"Approximately how many people are there? How many carriages are there? Taobao asked eagerly. A detective said:"It looks like there are about a hundred carriages, and there are about a thousand soldiers escorting them." Tao

Bao was very happy when he heard this, and he said to Shi Hu:"General, you eat first, and then we will eat after Generals Chen Chuan, Wei Shuo, I, and our five thousand troops have snatched back the food!""

Shi Hu nodded, and Taobao, Chen Chuan, and Wei Shuo left the tent. Returning to their respective camps, the three of them gathered a total of 5,000 men and horses, and came to the south of Pengpi with great momentum. The general escorting the grain and grass was exactly Zuna and Feng Chong. Feng Chong looked around and said quietly to Zuna:"The governor is strategizing to win a victory thousands of miles away. Most of our grain and grass have already been transported to various camps. The team currently transporting grain and grass is actually a decoy. It depends on whether Shi Hu and his men take the bait."

Each carriage transporting grain and grass has ten soldiers responsible for guarding it. Of these ten soldiers, five are on horseback, holding bows and arrows. There are also five on foot, holding swords in hand. The soldiers led by Tao Bao and Chen Chuan, Hidden in the woods on both sides of the north-south road. The half-human tall grass in the woods is also convenient for concealment. Chen Chuan said to Taobao:"General, the enemy only has 1,800 people. We have 5,000 people. Should we rush over and grab them?" These grains and rice?"