Chapter 232 Elk and Horse Wrestling: Victory Will Produce Arrogance
When attacking Wudang County today, Mi Yang not only appointed Zhang Nan as the vanguard general, but also handed over the defense responsibility of the camp to Feng Xi.
When a large army sets up camp, scouts are usually placed to patrol the surrounding areas.
Although this scout usually does not spread too far, the range of detection is usually several miles.
As for Beiying, where the Chinese army's main tent is located, the detection range of the Han army's scouts can reach as far as ten miles.
The first news Mi Yang received about the arrival of reinforcements from the Wei army was reported to Feng Xi from scouts outside the camp, and then Feng Xi reported it to him.
But the Wei troops who appeared this time were all cavalry.
Most of the terrain in Nanyang County is plain, which is conducive to long-distance raids by cavalry.
When the scouts found traces of Wei cavalry in the north, they also had to rush back from more than ten miles away to report.
So when Mi Yang learned that there were traces of the Wei army behind his camp, the Wei army's reinforcements had already appeared several miles outside Wudang County.
At such a distance, the Wei army on the wall of Wudang City, which was condescending, quickly discovered the arrival of Wei army reinforcements.
Mi Yang, who was also in a condescending position, could also begin to roughly inspect the flags among the Wei army's cavalry as the Wei army's reinforcements continued to approach.
However, although Mi Yang could not detect the arrival of the Wei army's reinforcements immediately, the operation of the army did not rely on Mi Yang alone.
Mi Yang had already handed over the defense of the camp to Feng Xi. When Feng Xi learned that there were signs of Wei reinforcements outside the camp, he immediately ordered the Han troops in the camp to prepare for the battle.
Perhaps seeing that the Han army's camp was well prepared, the thousands of Wei cavalry troops finally only dared to patrol back and forth within a few miles of the camp and did not dare to get too close to the Han army's camp.
After Mi Yang learned that the Wei army's reinforcements had arrived, compared to Feng Xi's worry, Mi Yang seemed very calm.
Although it had been delayed for several days while waiting for Lu Yi and Cheng Ji to clean the battlefield and waiting for the siege equipment to arrive in the camp.
But today, only seven days have passed since Mi Yang's soldiers surrounded Wudang County.
It takes Wudang County's courier about three days to deliver the news to Wancheng.
In other words, even if Cao Ren stayed in Wancheng, the Wei generals would receive the message from Man Chong.
If he wanted to send a large number of reinforcements, even if he had the convenience of water conservancy, he would not be able to arrive outside Wudang County in four days.
Just raising food and fodder for the army took more than four days.
Besides, it is unlikely that there will be a large number of Wei troops inside and outside Wancheng at this time.
Therefore, according to Mi Yang's inference, the number of Wei troops who arrived outside Wudang County today will definitely not be large.
In order to prove his conjecture, Mi Yang immediately asked Feng Xi to send multiple scouts to investigate more closely the Wei army coming for reinforcements.
Although many Han army scouts were sent out, they were discovered by the Wei army's cavalry and were strangled.
However, some scouts returned to the camp and reported more clear information about Wei's reinforcements to Feng Xi.
Feng Xi continued to talk to Mi Yang:
"According to reports from scouts, the enemy reinforcements this time are all cavalry, and they are all composed of one person and two horses.
The enemy's cavalry was still behind the horse's tail and tied many branches."
"And by observing the Wei cavalry battle flags closely, the scouts discovered that the main general of the enemy's reinforcements should be Cao Ren's son Cao Tai, and the deputy general was a general named Sima Yi."
After receiving more specific information, Mi Yang understood the enemy general's methods.
In ancient times, in order to truly take advantage of the cavalry, there was a very important prerequisite, which was to have one man and two horses.
Although a person is equipped with two horses, in most cases they are a war horse and a pack horse responsible for carrying heavy loads.
But don't underestimate the pack horses. The three armies will go ahead before the food and grass are used. This sentence also applies to the cavalry army.
The existence of a heavy-bearing packhorse in the cavalry is similar to a small mobile granary.
With this small granary, the cavalry can truly carry out long-distance raids.
One person and two horses can ensure that Wancheng's cavalry can reach the outside of Wudang County as quickly as possible.
In the case of one person and two horses at the same time, if the Wei army has two thousand cavalry, it is equivalent to four thousand horses.
After tying branches that trailed the ground to the tails of four thousand horses, when the enemy cavalry galloped rapidly, those branches would cause large amounts of dust around them.
This will be regarded as a sign of the arrival of the army, and can effectively prevent enemy scouts from detecting.
Of course, with this method, as long as we carefully send out scouts to investigate, there will always be a moment when the secret is exposed.
But Mi Yang guessed that the Wei cavalry did this not to confuse or intimidate him, but to motivate the Wei army in Wudang City.
It can be said that the enemy general's goal was achieved.
When Feng Xi reported, he was solemn when he talked about Cao Tai, but he was relaxed when he mentioned Sima Yi's name.
It is not surprising that Feng Xi behaves like this.
Cao Tai is the eldest son of Cao Ren, and Cao Ren is the life and death enemy of Liu Bei's power, so it is normal for Liu Bei's generals to know Cao Tai.
As for Sima Yi, he really hadn't heard much about it.
But after Mi Yang heard Sima Yi's name, his behavior was completely opposite to Feng Xi's.
For the enemy general's methods mentioned above, in addition to knowing the cavalry very well, the enemy general must also have a very decisive mind and a clear understanding of the current situation.
Because long-distance attacks are the advantage of the cavalry, but not everyone has the courage and determination to use this move.
According to Mi Yang's understanding of Sima Yi, this kind of military tactics is more like his style.
He just takes it seriously, and based on Mi Yang's current prestige, he won't be afraid of Sima Yi.
Sima Yi should be afraid of him now.
When the generals in the tent heard that the Wei army's reinforcements were less than three thousand, they originally wanted to ask Mi Yang to send troops to defeat the three thousand Wei army.
But after Feng Xi revealed that the more than 2,000 Wei troops were cavalry, the generals' desire to fight also cooled down.
The Han army is all infantry.
Perhaps before the Han army arrived at the location of the Wei cavalry, the more than 2,000 Wei cavalry had already moved to a new position.
After learning that there was a powerful Wei cavalry force outside the camp, worries appeared on the faces of all the generals present.
But unlike the disappointment of the generals, after roughly figuring out the strength and configuration of the Wei army's cavalry, Mi Yang smiled and said to the general in the tent:
"Since the Wei army is not here to help, we will continue to attack the city tomorrow."
When Mi Yang said these words, the generals in the tent were stunned for a moment, and then they instantly understood Mi Yang's intention, and smiles appeared on their faces.
Although the Han army was all infantry, they were unable to surround and kill the more than 2,000 cavalry troops.
But as long as the Han army's camp is well prepared, the more than two thousand Wei cavalry cannot pose much of a threat to the Han army's camp.
It is impossible for the cavalry to attack the main camp.
Since the Wei cavalry outside the city poses no threat to the Han army camp, they can just continue to attack the city.
Facing the arrival of two thousand cavalry led by Cao Tai and Sima Yi, Mi Yang's response method was: to remain unchanged in response to changes.
He was not Sun Quan. When he saw a small number of reinforcements, he was so frightened that he led his army and ran away.
After deciding on a strategy to deal with Wei's reinforcements, Mi Yang ordered the generals to leave and recuperate, and launch another general attack on Wudang City tomorrow.
After all the generals left the Chinese army's tent, Mi Yang stood up from his seat and went to the tent door and looked towards the north.
Looking from his direction, he could vaguely see the figures of more than two thousand Wei troops.
But because the distance was too far, Mi Yang could not find Sima Yi.
Emperor Xuan of Jin Dynasty?
As a person from later generations, Mi Yang has no favorable impressions of the Sima Jin dynasty.
Mi Yang looked in the direction of the more than two thousand Wei cavalry troops, and the light in his eyes was constantly flowing.
Finally he stood with his hands behind his back.
In history, you used your strong military superiority and national power to destroy the hopes of the great Han Dynasty.
Now that the situation has reversed, I have the advantage, so I will use your method to repay you.
Perhaps the arrival of reinforcements from the Wei army restored the morale of the Wei army in Wudang City, but so what?
As long as the general situation does not change, Mi Yang will not take any chance easily.
Besides, morale is something that can change.
Outside the Han army's camp, two thousand Wei army cavalry were patrolling back and forth.
The leader of these two thousand cavalry troops was Cao Tai, and his deputy was Sima Yi.
Cao Tai was riding on his horse, looking at Cao Ren's great banner flying high on the chariot, his eyes filled with tears.
Father!
After Cao Tai saw that the Han army had retreated from Wudang City, he could no longer suppress the sadness in his heart.
He quickly fell off his horse and knelt down in the direction of the big banner.
After Cao Tai knelt down, the tears in his eyes fell drop by drop on the ground under his knees, and then Cao Tai kowtowed three times to the big paper.
When Cao Tai raised his head from the ground, the sadness in his eyes was completely covered by hatred.
Thief! Thief!
Cao Tai kept shouting this name in his heart, and then he took out the sword from his waist. He held the sword in both hands and faced the direction of Cao Ren's great banner.
In front of two thousand cavalry troops, Cao Tai solemnly made an oath facing the direction of the banner:
"If Tai cannot avenge his father in this life, he will not enter the ancestral temple!"
Cao Tai's hatred-filled oath drifted along the wind into the ears of the cavalry behind him.
His tone was full of grief and anger.
At this time, Sima Yi, who led a part of the cavalry to surround and kill the Han army's scouts, happened to return to Cao Tai.
After hearing Cao Tai's oath, a solemn look appeared on his face.
Sima Yi looked in the direction of the Han army's camp with a pair of eagle eyes. His eyes were focused on one person.
When he was at the foot of the Public Security City, he also set his sights on the city.
But what was different from that time was that now his eyes were full of fear.
In just half a month, he never expected that such drastic changes would occur in the southern border of the empire.
But Sima Yi soon withdrew his gaze. He dismounted and came to Cao Tai, and helped Cao Tai up from the ground.
Sima Yi said to Cao Taiyan: "Both humans and gods are angry about the thief. However, Anton appears to have a heavy responsibility. Don't be overly sad."
"Anton needs to take care of himself."
Although Cao Tai is not very old and has not made many military exploits, because he is the son of Cao Ren, he currently holds the position of General Anton.
Sima Yi's worry was not without reason. People in this era were rich in emotions, so they would really die from sadness, resentment and other emotions.
After Sima Yi helped Cao Tai up, a trace of gratitude appeared on Cao Tai's tear-filled face. He put his sword into its sheath and bowed to Sima Yi:
"If Zhongda hadn't arrived this time, I'm afraid Wudang County would have been captured by bandits."
Facing Cao Tai's gratitude, Sima Yi did not dare to accept it. He avoided Cao Tai's gift and then said to Cao Tai:
"It is only natural and right for Wei ministers to offer advice to defend Wei. Anton does not need to say thank you."
Although Sima Yi delayed his thanks, Cao Tai was still grateful to Sima Yi in his heart.
Cao Tai could clearly see the situation under Wudang City just now. If it weren't for Sima Yi's plan, Wudang City might have been breached by Mi Yang.
It is said that Sima Yi was originally in Luoyang, why did he appear in Nanyang now?
This is thanks to Cao Pi.
Previously, Cao Pi was overjoyed when he learned about Meng Da's hair loss. He specially issued an edict to reward Meng Da with a high official and a generous salary.
Not long later, he also worshiped Sima Yi as the military governor and censor Zhongcheng, and asked him to come to Nanyang as the emperor's envoy to prepare to welcome Meng Da into Luoyang.
Confucian emperors attach great importance to ritual.
The day Sima Yi arrived was shortly after Cao Ren led his army to leave Wancheng.
Because of the mission of welcoming Meng Da into Luoyang to meet Cao Pi, Sima Yi waited for the good news from Cao Ren after arriving in Wancheng.
Unexpectedly, Mengda, who Sima Yi had been waiting so hard for, did not arrive, but what awaited him was a huge change.
Cao Ren's life or death is uncertain, and Wudang is in danger!
After Cao Ren led the army on the expedition, he took away most of his close generals, leaving his eldest son Cao Tai to guard Wancheng.
When Cao Tai, who stayed behind in Wancheng, received the information from Man Chong Kuai Ma, for Sima Yi, this information was a huge change, and for Cao Tai, this information was simply shocking news.
After learning this shocking news, Cao Tai was deeply saddened, and on the other hand he was anxious to summon an army to rescue Wudang County.
But his idea was dissuaded by Sima Yi.
This great change did not make Sima Yi lose his mind.
In Sima Yi's view, most of the soldiers in Nanyang County were taken away by Cao Ren.
Now the only one with fighting strength is Cao Xiu's troops stationed in Fancheng, but those troops cannot be moved.
That army is Nanyang County's last hope.
If Cao Xiu's troops cannot be mobilized, then Nanyang County will have no mobile troops, so it can only seek reinforcements from other states.
But in this case, it will take more than a month at the earliest.
Now Wudang County must be in a state of panic due to Cao Ren's defeat. Under such circumstances, Wudang County cannot hold out for a month.
Because he knew what was the biggest hidden danger in Wudang County at present, Sima Yi proposed to Cao Tai the strategy of leading the cavalry army on a long-distance attack.
Two thousand cavalry may not be enough to pose a threat to Mi Yang's army, but as long as they can use the characteristics of the cavalry to create the illusion that a large army is coming to help, then they can at least greatly boost the morale of the Wei army in Wudang County.
In this way, Wudang County will be easier to defend, and it is possible to hold on until other reinforcements from the Wei army arrive.
After Cao Tai learned about Sima Yi's plan, he also felt that it was a good plan.
So he and Sima Yi set out that day, leading two thousand cavalry troops south from Wancheng.
And when Cao Tai led two thousand cavalry troops to Wudang County, everything developed exactly as Sima Yi expected.
Now that the Han army under Wudang City has retreated, the crisis in Wudang City has been temporarily relieved, so Cao Tai asked Sima Yi:
"According to Zhongda's opinion, what should our army do next?"
Now Cao Tai has great trust in Sima Yi's resourcefulness.
Under Cao Tai's inquiry, Sima Yi thought for a while and replied:
"The thieves will win a great victory, their morale will be high, and the troops who take advantage of the victory will be invincible.
However, after a great victory, the thieves will easily become arrogant, and this may be used to cause chaos."
Hearing what Sima Yi said, Cao Tai's eyes lit up.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!