Du Kangting.

Zhang He sat under the trees one by one, holding a book in his hand, reading quietly. The mottled sunlight fell on his shoulders and on his book through the shadow of the tree. The war horse tied it aside, stopped to gnaw on the grass, raised his head to look at it from time to time, and then lowered his head to continue eating. The two guards walked back and forth with the swords around their waists, paying attention to the surroundings vigilantly, while whispering something.

Since Sun Ce's warship appeared on the beach, Zhang He entered a state of war readiness. Not only did he ask the counties to strengthen their vigilance, but the soldiers of Zhuo County were on standby at any time. He himself also led his troops from the county seat and lurked near Dukang Pavilion. Dukang Pavilion is located between Dukang Ze and Zezhu, with abundant water. In the middle of the autumn, the reeds were yellow but not falling, which was very dense, and it was very suitable for hiding whereabouts. Unless you get closer, it is difficult to find that there are more than a thousand elite cavalry hidden here.

If Guan Yu came from the east and attacked Zhuo County, this was the only way to go.

"General, Mr. Lu is here." A personal guard walked over quickly and whispered to Zhang He.

Zhang He looked up and saw Lu Yu standing not far away, bowing to greet him. He did not dare to be negligent, so he quickly stood up and politely returned a greeting. Lu Zhi's tomb was not far north of Dukang Pavilion. Zhang He had been here before, but he was surprised to meet Lu Yu here.

"Mr. Lu is here to pay homage?"

Lu Yu showed a shallow smile. "The general is eager to study and does not forget to read during the war. It is really admirable."

Zhang He smiled and shook his hand. "Mr. Lu can't say that. I'm just timid in the face of war and use reading to calm down. I hope I can use the words of the saint to comfort myself. How can I compare with Mr. Lu?"

Lu Yu and Zhang He made a few remarks, expressed their gratitude to Zhang He, and then turned around to leave. Zhang He had been in the county for more than half a year. Although he was a warrior, he respected scholars and did a good job in all aspects. The people of Zhuo County were quite fond of him. Lu Min had just gone to Lu Zhi's tomb to pay homage and found that the weeds on the tomb had been removed and newly cultivated soil. He knew that it was Zhang He who did it, so he came to thank him.

Zhang He suddenly called him. "Lu Jun stayed."

Lu Yu stopped and turned to look at Zhang He. Zhang He rushed over. "Is the farm of Lu Jun's family nearby?"

"Yes."

“Have the crops in the fields been harvested?”

Lu Yu smiled. "It's still a few days left. Why, is the Lord of the Mansion worried that Liu Bei will launch an attack in advance? Then you are too worried. Yuyang is north of Zhuo County, and they harvested later than us. Even if he wants to grab the harvest from Ji County, it's too late."

Zhang He smiled and said, "Lu Jun knows it clearly. This is true. However, it is difficult to say that military use is a matter of military use, especially before the two armies fight, they do things in detail and scouts. It is inevitable that they will be very important. Lu Jun should be cautious. These days, don't go far away to avoid accidental injury."

Lu Yu nodded and sighed softly. "Yes, the war is going on, and I don't know how many innocent creatures will suffer. So thank you for reminding me that I will stay in the village these days and try not to go out."

Zhang He bowed and watched Lu Yu leave. He was polite to all scholars, especially to Lu Yu, not only because Lu Yu was Lu Zhi's son, but also because he repeatedly refused Liu Bei's invitation and refused to go to Yuyang. This had a great impact on Liu Bei, and even his teacher's son did not recognize him. How could others take him seriously? Liu Bei never dared to have any ambitions for Zhuo County, and Lu Yu played a very critical role. It can even be said that the reason why Yuan Tan was confident in occupying Zhuo County was related to the scholars of Zhuo County headed by Lu Yu.

Seeing Lu Yu's thin figure disappearing among the reeds, Zhang He raised his head and looked at the distance. The autumn wind gradually rose, and the water waves in Du Kang Ze were rippling, and the reeds on the shore were rustling by the wind. Zhang He narrowed his eyes and remembered the battle of Guan Yu breaking Jiujiang. It is said that he ambushed Jiujiang prefect Zhou Ang in the reeds beside Shaopi. With such an experience, he will definitely be more vigilant when passing by the reed marshal? From this point of view, it is unlikely that he would hide here to ambush him. What he can rely on is the frontal breakthrough ability of the elliptical soldier.

Guan Yu has no cavalry, so this is a good opportunity. Even if the scoundrels fail to attack, they can still use their speed advantage to retreat and entangle them all the way, which is enough to delay Guan Yu's marching speed and control the war at the border. If Yan Liang can arrive in time and after defeating Guan Yu, they will have enough time to attack the main force led by Liu Bei.

If the war goes well, Yuan Tan can even send out main reinforcements without sending out main force to deal with Sun Ce. After this battle, if you reward merits, Yuan Tan may entrust the entire Youzhou war to him, and may even entrust Youzhou to him in the future.

Opportunities are rare, and the opportunity to make achievements and take charge is right in front of you. Zhang He is full of confidence.

A personal guard suddenly raised his hand and pointed it into the distance. "General, look."

Zhang He followed the hand of his guard and saw a horse running from a distance. The knight was lying on the horse's back, almost integrated with the war horse, constantly waving the whip in his hand. The war horse ran wildly, its four hooves almost soared into the air, kicking countless dead branches and grass, and the soil was flying. Zhang He was shocked and had an ominous feeling. He subconsciously responded and ordered the elliptical soldiers scattered around to gather in an array to prepare for battle.

If you are so nervous about doing things carefully, there must be an unexpected situation and it is very serious.

The flag was shaken, and the elliptical soldiers took action one after another, pulled the grassy war horses, tied up their armor, put on their helmets, and rushed to the formation under the war flag.

The scout came to Zhang He, tightly pinned his mount, the war horses neighed, and the horse's hooves pedaled on the ground, kicking the soil everywhere, and some even fell on Zhang He. The personal guard was furious and was about to come forward to scold him, but Zhang He stopped him.

"General, more than 3,000 cavalry are coming, and the marching speed is very fast." The scout shouted in a hoarse voice.

Zhang He was surprised. The enemy not only came quickly, but also had three thousand cavalry. This was beyond his expectations. Could it be that it was not Guan Yu, but the main force led by Liu Bei? If this was the case, the situation would be a bit serious. Liu Bei did not attack Zhuo County head-on, but instead seized his retreat first. It was likely that he had received the support of Youzhou Governor Zhang Ze, and another army attacked the front, and he had to rely on his military strength to wipe out him completely.

Although Zhang He was a little nervous, he could not see any uneasiness on his face. Even if the opponent had three thousand cavalry, he was confident that he would win the battle. First, the opponent rushed over for a long distance, and his horsepower was insufficient. Second, although the Yuyang Tuqi was famous all over the world, his equipment was far less than that of his supravaged soldiers. He waited for his work and attacked the weak with strong force. Even if he couldn't win, he could retreat calmly.

"Who is the commander?"

"It's too far away to see clearly." The scout looked a little panicked.

Zhang He frowned, slowed down his tone, and asked someone to bring some water to the scout to drink some water first to calm down. The scout was his eyes and ears, and all the people sent out were loyal and brave. Today, he was so nervous that he didn't even see the other party's flag clearly. It was not that they were timid, but because the emergency situation exceeded their imagination. At this time, we should not just show our power, otherwise it would be like forcing them to lie, and the information they got would definitely have problems.

The scout drank two sips of water, and his breath was a little calmer, and he explained the specific situation. They were reconnaissance on both sides of the Holy Water, and at the same time monitored Anci and Quanzhou. The farthest one was to Anci and outside Quanzhou City. There was no news at all, but Liu Bei and Guan Yu had been gathering troops, but there was no sign of sending troops, so they were all routine news. This morning, an emergency news was sent to Quanzhou. Three thousand cavalrymen left Quanzhou City and rushed westward. They walked very fast and almost marched so quickly that the scouts outside Quanzhou City had no time to react. Gu Fat was exposed and ran at full speed. Finally, they sent the news before the other party crossed the Holy Water.

After hearing this, Zhang He frowned even more. The other party marched so quickly, so he naturally thought of it unexpectedly. Three thousand cavalry suddenly appeared, and the previous scouts did not receive any news. It should not be a cavalry in Yuyang or Anci, but it might be from Youbeiping.

Could it be that Gongsun Xu sent troops to support Liu Bei? This is possible. Gongsun Xu and Yuan Tan had a grudge against him to kill his father. In order to avenge, it was entirely possible that he would help Liu Bei with his arm. However, Gongsun Xu was too young, and even if he had some old subordinates of Gongsun Zan under his command, his combat power was very limited. However, Guan Yu had cavalry to help, so this battle was a bit difficult to fight.

The bigger problem is that Guan Yu sent troops in advance, leaving Quanzhou's soon-to-ripening crops, at least half a month earlier than he expected. This is an accident. Yan Liang was rushing to harvest them in order to fight with sufficient military rations, and the grain in Zhuo County was about to be harvested. Now Guan Yu suddenly arrived, and he didn't have time to harvest them. Should he burn them directly or leave them to Guan Yu?

Zhang He was a little uneasy. Such a serious accident occurred just as the battle began, which made him feel an ominous feeling.

Zhang He suppressed his mind and ordered people to prepare horses and dry food, and prepare for long-distance cycling, while waiting for news anxiously.

Half an hour later, another scout came to report. The other party had already crossed the holy water and was marching towards this side. They were all equipped with two horses, and their equipment looked good. Each of them had a white cloak and a spear. They were not like ordinary Yuyang thunder cavalry, nor were they all like the old subordinates of Gongsun Zan. The generals' banners were also a bit strange, all of which were duplicate surnames, one was Gongsun and the other was Taishi.

Zhang He sighed to the sky. He knew who the visitor was. The surname Taishi was so special. He would not be someone else, except for the newly appointed prefect of Liaoxi, Taishi Ci. This time he was a powerful general under Sun Ce's command. This time, Sun Ce was arranged to come to Youzhou by Sun Ce. It can be seen that Sun Ce valued him, but he didn't expect that his first battle to attack Zhuo County. With his help, Guan Yu was like a tiger, and this battle was even more difficult than he thought.

Zhang He no longer hesitated and immediately wrote two urgent reports and sent someone to send Yuan Tan and Yan Liang to prepare for assistance. He solemnly reminded that Taishi Ci's participation in the war means that this will be a fierce battle, and it is likely that it will directly determine the ownership of Youzhou and must not be taken lightly.

The knight had just left, and another scout arrived. Taishi Ci and Gongsun Xu had already crossed Xidian and could appear at any time.

Zhang He sighed softly, turned over and ordered an attack.

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Chapter completed!