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Kong Zhou's concerns were not unfounded.
Although he had managed to recruit some soldiers in Yingchuan, they were merely local troops. Now, hearing that Liu Dai, the Inspector of Yanzhou, along with Qiao Mao, the Grand Administrator of Dongjun, Bao Xin, the Chancellor of Jibei, and Yuan Yi, the Grand Administrator of Shanyang, were converging their forces, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
The troops Liu Dai had recruited aside, the combined forces of Dongjun, Jibei, Shanyang, and Chenliu meant that the majority of Yanzhou's military strength was gathering here. Meanwhile, Kong Zhou only held the nominal title of Inspector of Yuzhou, with nothing more than the soldiers from Yingchuan under his command.
In comparison, his position was pitifully weak.
That was why Kong Zhou had hurried from Yingchuan to Suanzao in Chenliu, hoping to meet with the Zhang brothers—Zhang Miao and Zhang Chao—ahead of time.
Kong Zhou was originally from Chenliu and had once served as an accounting officer there under the then-Grand Administrator Feng Dai. In a way, he was something of a veteran figure from Chenliu, which meant he shared at least a somewhat closer relationship with the current Grand Administrator of Chenliu, Zhang Miao.
Thus, Kong Zhou's plan was to strengthen his ties with Zhang Miao. If Liu Dai, the Inspector of Yanzhou, proved difficult to deal with, he could at least rely on Zhang Miao's local influence.
So Kong Zhou said, "My visit is for no other purpose than to show appreciation for the troops. I have brought twenty jars of wine, ten heads each of cattle and sheep, and a number of chickens and ducks, which will arrive shortly."
These supplies had been brought along, but Kong Zhou didn't want to cast pearls before swine. He had arrived first, delaying the delivery of the goods slightly until he confirmed Zhang Miao's attitude before mentioning them.
Naturally, Zhang Miao was delighted. Compared to Liu Dai—a distant imperial relative who had spent most of his career in the central government before suddenly being appointed Inspector of Yanzhou—Kong Zhou gave him a much more familiar and comfortable feeling.
As for his new superior, Liu Dai, Zhang Miao had no prior interactions with him, let alone any friendship. Now that Kong Zhou, the Inspector of Yuzhou, was subtly expressing goodwill, it wouldn't hurt to ally with him. That way, even if Liu Dai arrived, Zhang Miao could use Kong Zhou's influence to counterbalance him and avoid being implicated due to Qiao Mao's actions.
Both Kong Zhou and Zhang Miao had their own reasons for seeking mutual support, and since they were already somewhat acquainted, their conversation grew increasingly lively, the atmosphere harmonious.
Just as the three of them were chatting happily, a soldier suddenly reported that a contingent of about a thousand troops bearing a banner with the character "Liu" was approaching from the south, now less than twenty li away.
From the south? A "Liu" banner?
Was Liu Dai, the Inspector of Yanzhou, arriving already? So soon?
The three of them were startled, but upon reflection, something didn't add up. If Liu Dai were coming, he should be approaching from the east toward the west, meaning he should appear on the eastern side of Suanzao. Why would he come from the south?
Then who else could it be from the south?
Someone from General of the Rear Yuan Shu's forces? Unlikely. Rumor had it that Yuan Shu had already dispatched General Sun Jian toward the Liangdong route. Besides, if it were Sun Jian, the banner would bear the character "Sun," not "Liu."
Unable to determine the identity of the approaching force, the three immediately ordered scouts to investigate further.
The second scouting report was clearer: it was an envoy named Fei Qian, sent by Liu Biao, the Inspector of Jingzhou.
Liu Biao, the Inspector of Jingzhou?
Envoy Fei Qian?
The three of them were momentarily at a loss.
Was Liu Biao also joining the campaign against Dong Zhuo? But why send an envoy instead of leading troops himself?
For the moment, they couldn't make sense of it. However, since this force clearly wasn't from Dong Zhuo's side, they could at least be certain it wasn't an enemy. With that, they relaxed slightly and settled in to wait.
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Fei Qian had rushed as fast as he could and finally arrived at the allied camp in Suanzao before nightfall.
Suanzao was a relatively open area, accessible from all directions, situated at the mouth of a natural funnel formed by the Taihang Mountains to the north and the Qinling Mountains to the south. The Yellow River flowed north of Suanzao, meaning this location effectively blocked Dong Zhuo's forces from advancing eastward along the southern bank of the Yellow River.
If Dong Zhuo's army wanted to march east along the southern bank of the Yellow River, they would have to pass through here. If Suanzao fell, the allies could cross north into Jizhou via the Baima crossing, advance eastward into the open plains, or turn south directly into Yingchuan.
Thus, this place was of great strategic importance to the Guandong coalition.
However, the distance between Suanzao and Luoyang left Fei Qian somewhat puzzled.
Based on his memories from his past life, it seemed the allied camp had been quite close to Hulao Pass. There were frequent skirmishes—Hua Xiong cutting down several warriors before being instantly slain by Guan Yu, followed by Lü Bu's appearance, during which Zhang Fei famously branded him the "Three-Surnamed Slave." That battle had cemented Lü Bu's fearsome reputation.
But now, standing in Suanzao, Fei Qian realized that while this place was neither too far forward nor too far back, Hulao Pass in Chenggao was still nearly two hundred li to the west, past Xingyang.
Two hundred li was no small distance.
From what Fei Qian knew of Han Dynasty marching speeds, it would take at least three or four days to travel from Suanzao to Hulao Pass. And with the coalition's massive numbers and lack of coordination, it might take even longer.
This was…
How were the "Three Heroes" supposed to fight Lü Bu at this distance?
If Lü Bu rode out of the pass on Red Hare, even at its legendary speed, he'd still have to wait for his infantry to catch up. Meanwhile, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei would be racing toward Hulao Pass. By the time the two sides had marched for a full day without even seeing each other, night would fall, and they'd have to withdraw to their respective camps.
This was… truly absurd.
Fei Qian also couldn't recall any mention of the coalition relocating their camp closer to Hulao Pass. As far as he remembered, only Sun Jian's vanguard had advanced, been defeated, and then retreated to the main camp, after which Guan Yu famously slew Hua Xiong.
Had the coalition moved their camp closer to Luoyang at this point in time?
Probably not.
Even if the allied forces of the eighteen warlords, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, tried to squeeze into the funnel-shaped terrain between the Taihang and Qinling Mountains, the geographical constraints of the Qinling range and the Yellow River would force their encampments to stretch dozens of li from east to west. If Dong Zhuo's elite Liangzhou cavalry launched a sudden assault, the front lines could collapse before the rear even realized what was happening. With no unified command, a snowballing rout would render their numbers meaningless.
Thus, the only strategically sound option was to maintain a north-south encampment in Suanzao, effectively sealing off the eastern exit from Luoyang.
Well, so much for relying on memories from his past life.
It seemed even Dong Zhuo's forces would have a hard time "eating this jujube" (Suanzao's literal meaning). They'd have to march a long way. Speaking of which, Cao Cao's defeat at Xingyang had also been east of Luoyang, not west…