Huangfu Song summoned a man wearing an ill-fitting Han Army uniform and asked, "Is that Peaceful Stronghold ahead, where the rebel leader Zhang Jiao is staying?"
The man nodded and bowed, smiling ingratiatingly. "Yes, General, it is."
Huangfu Song said, "Once we break into the stronghold and capture or kill Zhang Jiao, you will be credited with a contribution. If Zhang Jiao is not there, prepare to lose your head."
The man looked stunned, then hurried to protest. "General, Zhang Jiao does normally stay here, but he might go to inspect another stronghold. You cannot condemn me for that!"
Huangfu Song disdained further conversation with such a man. He waved a hand, and someone led the man away.
Huangfu Song found a nearby mountain peak and surveyed Peaceful Stronghold and the surrounding terrain.
He discovered that Peaceful Stronghold not only occupied ground easy to defend and hard to attack, but also had four smaller strongholds around it, forming mutually supporting horns.
Fortunately, he had brought considerable forces: nearly twenty thousand men from the Northern Army and over ten thousand from the Righteous Army raised by local magnates. Another ten thousand or more commandery and kingdom troops conscripted from across Ji Province handled the transport of provisions. If necessary, they could be called over and pressed into service in battle or used to block key mountain routes.
After descending from the peak, Huangfu Song began issuing orders and deploying his troops.
To prevent the Yellow Turban Army's strongholds from reinforcing one another and attacking the Han Army's flanks, Huangfu Song decided to attack all four simultaneously-the magnates' ten thousand-strong Righteous Army would handle two, while ten thousand Northern Army troops would handle the other two.
He would lead the remaining ten thousand Northern Army troops as a reserve, resting while the