The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 339 Preparing to Encircle and Annihilate Ma Zhong

After Ning Huan finished speaking, he calmly looked at the leaders, as if he had them completely under his control and was not worried at all.

The leaders frowned and fell into deep thought, constantly weighing the pros and cons in their minds.

In the past, if Ning Huan, a newcomer who hadn't yet integrated into the team, dared to talk about training troops, they would definitely have swarmed him and blasted him to smithereens. But things are different now, because Pan Zhang is about to attack.

Regardless of the circumstances, the key to the success of reform does not depend on the determination and ability of the reformers, but on the presence or absence of powerful external enemies.

The reason why Shang Yang's reforms were successful was not because Duke Xiao of Qin and Shang Yang were particularly capable, but because the Qin state was being bullied too badly by the neighboring Wei state, and if it did not reform, it would perish.

And then there's America in later years. Why were workers treated so well during the Cold War? It wasn't because the capitalists in America had a conscience, but because the threat from the Soviet Union was too serious, forcing them to give up most of their profits and improve workers' treatment. Once the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended, the treatment and status of workers in America plummeted. Why?

Because the threat from capitalists has been removed, there's no need to coax you working beasts of burden anymore.

In conclusion, people will only compromise on interests when their survival is threatened. When their survival is not threatened, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents, an irreconcilable enmity.

That's how the bandit army in Poyang was. In the past, they would never have trained their troops. Wouldn't it have been better to sleep in all day long?

But now it's no use. They've raised the banner of rebellion, and then they're horrified to find themselves surrounded on three sides by Wu's army. If they don't defeat Pan Zhang, they have no way out.

If we want to defeat Pan Zhang, we can't just be as carefree and undisciplined as before; we have to make changes.

Ning Huan proposed the training of troops precisely because he saw this potential. He planned to gain the opportunity to contact the lower-level bandits through the training, and then train and select the best of the best to quickly choose an elite force from the bandits who could fight Pan Zhang head-on. It shouldn't be a problem to select 2,000 elites from 20,000 bandits, right?

Seeing that the leaders remained silent, Ning Huan asked Peng Qi, "What do you think, Commander Zong?"

His question was like thunder in the silent night sky, startling the leaders who were deep in thought. They all jolted back to their senses and instinctively looked up at Peng Qi.

Peng Qi countered with, "What do you think?"

The leaders fell silent again; they remained hesitant.

Hesitation means a lack of firm resolve in opposing the plan. In this situation, it is up to Peng Qi, the leader, to make the final decision. Upon seeing this, Peng Qi decisively said, "Then let's train the troops according to the strategist's wishes and eliminate Pan Zhang first."

All the leaders bowed in unison and said, "Yes..."

The rest was simple. Ning Huan officially integrated into the team and became the second-in-command of the bandit army, in charge of logistics and troop training.

Training troops is not difficult; the difficulty lies in how to obtain these troops from the leaders. After all, training involves not only training but also selection. Soldiers with good physical fitness and high potential should be selected to form separate units. Only in this way can we concentrate our strength and maximize their effectiveness.

But these outstanding soldiers are the apple of every leader's eye, who would be willing to give them away for nothing?

Helpless, Ning Huan asked Peng Qi to set an example. Whether Peng Qi was truly loyal or intimidated by Pan Zhang, he actually agreed to Ning Huan's unreasonable request and handed over his entire army to Ning Huan for training. Seeing that their leader had set an example, the other leaders were naturally embarrassed to object and reluctantly handed over their troops, except for their personal guards, to Ning Huan for temporary command.

However, Ning Huan did not come alone. He brought nearly a hundred elite scouts with him. After gaining command, he immediately dispersed the scouts and assigned them to the army as instructors.

These instructors easily won over their students with their superior martial prowess, far surpassing that of bandits, and gained their approval. In just three to five days, the instructors could become one with the students, and within half a month, they could establish their authority among them. At that point, Ning Huan could simply give an order to take the instructors and students away, instantly turning Peng Qi and his leaders into a lone commander.

While Ning Huan was training his troops, You Chong was not idle either. After bidding farewell to Peng Qi, he rushed to Xuemu Ridge as quickly as possible to report the situation to Guan Xing.

You Chong, being a local native familiar with the terrain, returned to Xuemu Ridge in just one day and successfully met Guan Xing.

Upon hearing the news, Guan Xing immediately went out to greet him, invited him into the house, exchanged a few pleasantries, and eagerly asked, "Well, did Peng Qi agree?"

You Chong nodded emphatically, briefly reported on his meeting with Peng Qi, and then frowned and said, "General, has something happened at Bloodwood Ridge? Why are there Wu troops stationed at every entrance to the mountain? Are the Wu troops preparing to block the mountain?"

Guan Xing replied, "I was also surprised by this. I've already asked Deng Hong to investigate, and we should have the results soon. Let's wait a bit longer."

Less than half an hour later, Deng Hong rushed in, drank the water from the jug in one gulp, and said, "General, we've found out. Wu's army's blockade of the mountain this time is aimed at merchants from outside the mountain. Pan Zhang is worried that the merchants will send us grain, so he sent Ma Zhong to block all the entrances and exits to Xuemu Ridge. The order is that not a single grain of grain is allowed to enter Xuemu Ridge. One of our caravans has already been robbed by Ma Zhong, and even the caravan members have been detained."

Guan Xing sneered, "It seems that Pan Zhang isn't stupid after all. He realized so quickly that the Merchant Guild was supporting us. How many people did Ma Zhong bring to block the mountain?"

Deng Hong replied, "Two or three thousand men, but they are scattered. There are four roads leading into Bloodwood Ridge from outside the mountain, each with five or six hundred men. There are also Wu soldiers on the narrow paths that can only accommodate two or three people abreast, but their numbers are small, ranging from thirty to fifty men."

"General, this is a great opportunity. These roads into the mountains are scattered, with a long distance between each entrance. The closest one is more than five miles away. If this side is attacked, the other side won't be able to provide support in time. So, how about we take them on and wipe out the Wu army blocking the mountain?"

Guan Xing laughed and said, "Of course, there's no reason not to eat the fat meat that's offered to us, but we can't eat it blindly. We have to maximize our benefits. Go and find out which intersection Ma Zhong is at. We need to take care of Ma Zhong first, whether he's dead or alive."

Guan Xing had long admired Ma Zhong, because it was this man who captured Guan Yu at Linju in history, and in the novel, he even killed Huang Zhong. He can be considered a typical example of a mortal killing a god.

Guan Xing was also afraid of being caught off guard and defeated by this master of trapping, so he had to get rid of Ma Zhong in this battle. He couldn't sleep soundly until he got rid of this man.

“Look…” Deng Hong turned and left.

Guan Xing was not idle either; he began to gather his troops for pre-battle mobilization and preparation for the upcoming great battle.

As evening fell, Deng Hong returned and pointed to the map, saying, "I've found out. Ma Zhong is on the main road into the mountains. It's the widest and flattest road into the mountains. Ma Zhong has stationed eight hundred men here and is personally guarding it."

Guan Xing said, "Then there's nothing more to say. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. Come over here and devise a battle plan. You Chong, you tell me about the terrain near the road first."

During their active discussion, a battle plan was quickly devised: You Chong would lead his bandit troops in a frontal attack to draw Ma Zhong's attention, while simultaneously preventing Ma Zhong from escaping into the mountains and becoming unreachable.

Guan Xing and Deng Hong led their troops over the mountains to circle around to Ma Zhong's front, and then launched a frontal attack to try to annihilate Ma Zhong and his eight hundred men, leaving none of them with a chance to escape.

"Master Catcher Ma Zhong, I, Guan Anguo, have arrived. Are you ready?"