Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 531 Three Brothers

No one knows where this sharpest sword in the world will eventually strike.

But Erzhu Rong did not dare to leave.

Xiurong is his foundation, the most elite soldiers, all of whom were selected by Erzhu Rong from these pasture tribes. Even Erzhu Rong himself could not go against the will of the entire army.

Dugu Xin must pay the price, and Xiurong must be protected!
If we let the soldiers go south now, I'm afraid the team will mutiny if we can't bring Xiurong with us.

But Erzhu Rong also understood that with only Bingzhou, he would not be able to dominate the world. If only Xiurong was left, he would be trapped to death by Su Ze.

In the entire Bingzhou area, the rich areas total only three and a half.

They are the Xinding Basin (Xiurong), Taiyuan Basin (Jinyang) and Linfen Basin (Linfen), plus the Dang area, which is considered half a good piece of land.

Jinyang is no longer safe. Su Ze has stationed his troops at Niangzi Pass and can threaten the Jinyang area at any time. Jinyang must enter a state of combat readiness.

No one is sure about the situation in Linfen. If we are pessimistic, it may have been conquered by Yu Jin.

Relying on the Xiurong area, he would really be trapped to death by Su Ze.

Erzhu Rong looked at the towering walls of Yanmen Pass and was unable to make up his mind.

Heba Yun beside him suddenly said:
"General, now we have no choice but to attack Xiu Rong by force."

Erzhu Rong looked at Heba Yun, and heard Heba Yun say:
"Dugu Xin burned, killed and looted in Xiurong. The soldiers hated him. This military spirit can be used."

"If we can break through Yanmen, then Hengzhou will be in our control. We can cut off the connection between Youzhou, Dingzhou and Guanzhong, and then form an alliance with Luoyang and the Southern Dynasty. There may be a chance."

"The place where the Wei Dynasty started was Daidi!"

Hearing this, Erzhu Rong's eyes lit up.

Heba Yun’s plan actually sounds unreliable. How can we attack Yanmen Pass?
Yanmen Pass is a famous dangerous pass in the world, and it is not necessarily easier to attack than Yubi City. The person guarding Yanmen Pass is Su Ze’s brother-in-law Dugu Xin, so it is even more impossible for him to surrender to Erzhu Rong.

Heba Yun's meaning was very clear. Attacking Yanmen Pass would cost human lives. He wanted to use the Xiurong soldiers' hatred for the Guanzhong army to make them fight to the death to attack Yanmen Pass.

Even if according to Heba Yun, after taking Yanmen Pass this time, Erzhu Rong still has a trump card. Can he start his career again through Hengdai, just like when the Northern Wei Dynasty started?

I'm afraid there is no such opportunity.

But for now, only Heba Yun has proposed a plan, and having a plan is always better than having no plan.

Erzhu Rong said:
"Let me think about it again."

Heba Yun stepped back with his hands folded. He looked at Yanmen Pass and sighed.

When he went south from Hengzhou, he passed Yanmen Pass and joined Erzhu Rong.

Back then, Erzhu Rong also relied on Yanmen Pass to defend Hengzhou and block the Six Garrisons rebels that were in full swing.

Unexpectedly, this dangerous pass has now become a shackle that will trap Erzhu Rong to death.

But the current situation is such that if we continue to waste time like this, I'm afraid we won't even have the capital to fight a desperate war.

Heba Yun looked in another direction, not knowing what the situation of his other two brothers was.
-
In Niangzi Guanzhong, Heba Yue was inspecting the barracks.

The Heba family has been the military commander of the Six Garrisons for generations and has a strong military background.

Just like the aristocratic families, the reason why the generals' families are called families is because of the accumulation and inheritance from generation to generation.

Patrolling the barracks and leading soldiers are basic skills, but they are also the most challenging for a general. These grassroots matters are often related to the morale of the army and are the most important things.

When Heba Duba was in Wuchuan, he would take his three sons to inspect the military camp every day, teaching them by words and deeds how to observe the dynamics of the army, grasp the morale of the army, and establish connections with the soldiers.

It is natural that Heba Yue's trusted generals would be disbanded.

No matter how merciful Su Ze was, he would never allow a surrendered general to come and guard him with his troops.

The soldiers under Heba Yue's command were all Su Ze's personal guards.

These guards were naturally unruly, but after Heba Yue displayed his superb martial arts, their unruly nature was somewhat defeated, allowing Heba Yue to gain a firm foothold in the army.

Heba Yue also established connections with grassroots soldiers through the methods taught by his father, and barely gained their recognition.

The soldiers were observing Heba Yue, and Heba Yue was also observing the soldiers.

He had served with Erzhu Rong. In terms of overall military quality and personal martial arts, the most elite guards around Erzhu Rong were better than those around Su Ze.

Even Su Ze admitted this point. He once commented on Erzhu Rong's method of training troops in front of other generals. He believed that Erzhu Rong's greatest strength was not fighting in battle, but his method of training troops which was unparalleled in the world.

However, Su Ze's army had one advantage over Erzhu Rong, which was that his army had very good military discipline.

Erzhu Rong's army was good at fighting, but its military discipline was not very good. When he was in Luoyang, he robbed the people. Later, when he conquered various places, he liked to rob places. Therefore, the people in many places hated Erzhu Rong.

Erzhu Rong was not unaware of the importance of military discipline, but relaxation is human nature. He governed the army with harsh military law and of course had to give the soldiers enough rewards to offset the high pressure of military life.

The chaotic military discipline in Erzhu Rong's army may have been deliberately condoned by Erzhu Rong. This was a means for soldiers to vent and also a way to maintain combat effectiveness.

In cavalry combat, personal quality plays a decisive role. It is natural for Erzhu Rong to train his troops in this way.

However, when facing a larger force, ordinary soldiers can also play a huge role.

For example, under Su Ze's command, there was a legion using Mo Dao.

Although they did not have elite cavalry, they were able to compete with the cavalry with their strict discipline and weapons such as the Mo Dao.

Heba Yue kept comparing Su Ze and Erzhu Rong, and discovered in despair that if the battle continued like this, Erzhu Rong would not be able to win.

He remembered what Su Ze once said, "War will be the era of the common people in the future."

Heba Yue didn't understand at first, but now he gradually understands.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, only public servants could serve as regular soldiers, and the soldiers at that time were strictly aristocratic soldiers.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, only men from good families could join the army, and the Qin and Han armies were both first-class elite and powerful armies.

It was only after the chaos of the Three Kingdoms, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, that the Beggars' Army and the Northern Army allowed the refugee army to enter the historical stage.

Overall, the requirements for military service are getting lower and lower, but the number of people needed to be mobilized for war is increasing.

The era when an elite force was invincible and could decide the direction of the entire world seems to have passed?
The armored cavalry under Erzhu Rong's command may be the last strong voice made by the most elite soldiers against the times.

Heba Yue suddenly felt a little lonely.

War has become a competition that requires all-round mobilization, not just about success or failure on the battlefield, but also about bloody consumption and tug-of-war.

Where will the fate of the three brothers go with the new historical trend?

(End of this chapter)