Before the real battle begins, there will be more or less tentative attacks.
They will not invest large-scale troops, but will focus on testing the opponent's true and false situation.
Just like the chess pieces on the chessboard, it is impossible to just throw the main general of the Chinese army out from the beginning, whether it is a general or a king, and throw it out for a one-on-one decisive battle?
Five miles away from the trench of Cao's camp, Xu Chu set up a crab formation.
If it were changed to the description of the formation in later storytelling, it would probably belong to the "Two Dragons Emerging from the Water Formation"...
Because the left and right wings are all cavalry, each is equipped with a cavalry general as the main general, two cavalry generals as auxiliaries, each with a thousand cavalry, and the center has two thousand infantry as the central formation commanded by Xu Chu, and in the middle
There are also a thousand cavalry in reserve at the rear of the formation.
The cavalry on the left and right are like the open claws of a crab, showing a state of both offense and defense. They can not only attack the opponent's array head-on, but also look for opportunities to penetrate the enemy's flanks and disrupt the enemy's rear line.
And Cao Jun also showed his style as a strong infantry soldier in the Central Plains, at least on the surface it didn't look bad at all.
While Xu Chu was in formation, Cao Jun also built a simple wooden plank bridge over the trench and formed a formation on the open ground in front of the trench...
Xu Chu looked at Cao Jun's formation carefully, touched his chin, and smacked his lips, "Hey, that's interesting."
At this moment, both sides are just setting up formations, and there are no specific offensive arrangements. Therefore, the generals of each branch of both sides are beside the main general, and then they will gradually go to each department to lead the battle in the subsequent battle process.
Before the leaders of both sides play the cards for the first time, they probably have the cards in their hands, but once they are played, it is relatively difficult to change the array or other tactics.
In a fierce battle, the team fighting with the opponent may not be able to see the signal flags transmitted by the central main formation, nor may they be able to hear the sound of horns and drums in time, so the secondary command will not only have a high delay,
Wrong reactions may also occur.
For example, when the commanding military generals on the front line are too angry or injured and confused, the troops appear to be completely contrary to the central orders...
The first time both sides play their cards often determines at least 50% to 60% of the outcome of the war.
Therefore, as soon as Xu Chu opened his mouth, he naturally attracted the attention of Li Li and others beside Xu Chu.
Li Li failed to block Cao Jun's cavalry yesterday.
This is not a strange thing, because Cao Jun’s cavalry all know how powerful the hussar is, and even though Li Li used the soil slope to block the movement in the initial stage, as soon as the war horse started running on the loess plateau landform, the yellow clouds were raised.
Dust cannot be controlled no matter what.
However, it cannot be regarded as Li Li's trip in vain. It was precisely because Li Li led the cavalry to outflank and intercept Cao Cao's cavalry that they were forced to retreat, allowing Xu Chu and others to clean up some of the troops in the formation area.
Obstacles and traps.
Cao Jun did learn a lot of "bad things"...
The loess terrain is very suitable for digging small pits and pits when the weather is dry.
These simple traps will basically not cause any major problems if the war horse walks slowly. Even if they are stepped on, there will be no danger. Only after the war horse starts running, will it cause great harm.
This is a similar concept to people spraining their feet when walking and falling while running.
There are also some iron caltrops scattered in the grass and shrubs, or tripping ropes pulled on short tree stumps, etc. Anyway, Cao Jun's main goal is that not every trap can trap the horsemen, but as long as one works, then
There is no loss.
Therefore, Xu Chu's current vanguard battle is not only a display of strength and competition between soldiers, but also a way to clear a suitable area for the subsequent battle.
Li Li also followed Xu Chu's gaze and stared at the Cao Jun infantry in formation, "General, what's wrong with this Cao Jun...?"
Xu Chu didn't mean to hide anything. He pointed at the Cao Jun infantry array and said, "Look carefully... Cao Jun's infantry came out from the camp, and the formation was not scattered... It means that most of them have been adjusted in the camp last night."
The formation is ready, and now it’s time to move forward..."
For battle formations, some were temporarily assembled, while others were naturally prepared in advance.
Xu Chu observed the current formation of Cao's army, which was one that had been prepared in advance. In the middle of the night, he adjusted the formation in the open space in the formation, and then went out to fight according to the original formation.
This approach naturally has its benefits.
Everyone knows that as long as there are more people, there will inevitably be those guys who "get into trouble" with others no matter what. And in a queue of thousands of people like this, if there are just a few who don't get along, big problems will arise.
, and if you arrange the queue in advance, it will look particularly neat when you go out, and it will give you a bit more of a well-trained feel.
The key is smoke.
If it was a temporary assembly, Cao's army should have gathered from different places in the camp to the front of the formation. Then, although the camp was covered by the walls of the camp, it should be filled with smoke and dust. However, obviously the only place where Cao's army's smoke and dust floated was in front of the camp.
This small area...
After listening to Xu Chu's description of Cao Jun's situation, Li Li reacted and said: "General, you mean these Cao Jun are not as well-trained as they seem? Are they just pretending?"
Xu Chu nodded, but added: "Whether it's just pretending or not, you have to try to find out. Are you all ready?"
Li Li and others all responded in unison, "Everything is ready!"
Xu Chu turned back to look at the low and widespread smoke rising from Cao's army, "According to yesterday's arrangement, the two wings will conduct a tentative attack first! Right first, left first! The Chinese rear army will make a decision based on the battlefield situation! The areas that have not been investigated clearly
No trespassing is allowed! Always pay attention to the changes in Cao Jun’s camp! You wanted to catch Cao Jun’s bastard yesterday, don’t be caught by Cao Jun as a bastard today! Say it again! Be careful of Cao Jun’s trap! Do you understand?!』
"Understood!"
Xu Chu waved his arms, "Li Junhou! If you have a chance, try the new tactics you mentioned! But don't force it! Okay, pass my order to my general! Attack one after another!"
…
…
Cao Jun array.
Infantry is different from cavalry. The cavalry is spread out widely, but the infantry is tightly clustered together.
Soldiers and soldiers rely on and support each other.
Shields connected with each other to form a shield wall, and spears were arranged to form a dense forest.
Tiny human voices sounded one after another behind the shields and spears.
"Damn it, if you don't have enough to eat, you still have to fight..."
"I've stayed up most of the night, and now I have to stay up again!"
"The opposite side is a hussar..."
"Damn it, if I die, I don't know what the mother-in-law at home will do?!"
"Don't worry! She will definitely take your pension and find a young man!"
"Ha ha……"
"Fuck you to death! Old villain!"
"Anyway, I can eat enough for myself, so the whole family won't have to worry about it!"
"...but damn, I'm not full now..."
"Uh...that's right..."
There was sudden silence among Cao Jun's soldiers.
So since they didn't have enough to eat and stayed up until midnight, what kind of power did these Cao soldiers dare to leave the camp to face the enemy?
If you raise your gaze, for example like a god looking down at an angle of 45 degrees, you will find that behind the exposed military formation of Cao Jun, under the cover of the camp wall, there is a whole row of hurled stones.
car……
Although the simple catapult was made in a hurry, and there was still a lot of bark on the thick catapult arm that had not been cleaned off, it did not prevent these guys from becoming a weapon for killing people.
The thick wooden catapult arm is the core component of the catapult. One end is loaded with stones or other projectiles, and the other end is fixed on the axis of the catapult. The catapult arm has not even had time to be polished, which shows that these guys are
It was made in a hurry during this period of time, and it was not completely dried, painted, or wrapped with hemp rope. There will be big problems in terms of durability and toughness, and it is unclear how many times it will be used.
This is even more unreliable than buying second-hand computers from second-hand dealers in future generations.
But the only thing that can be determined is that the original strength of the original wood is still sufficient.
Moreover, these trebuchets do not seem to be prepared for secondary use, because the wheels that were originally supposed to be on the base were not installed at all, but were replaced with a thicker wooden structure.
The ejected leather bags were now lying limply on the ground, and beside the leather bags, rows of trembling civilians stood, waiting for orders.
Each trebuchet is manned by a group of soldiers, holding a small red flag and looking up in the direction of the Chinese army's high platform. Under the trebuchet's arm, there are three or four people responsible for adjusting the direction of the arm...
Although the accuracy of this thing is purely random, the huge rocks falling from the sky have a huge impact on the morale of the enemy. And if there are too many, a blind cat will always encounter a few dead mice.
Cao Hong had a sullen face and described the hussars in the distance.
Beside him were the soldiers and horses of the central army.
There are horses.
Well, that's right, it's not Cao Hong's original private troops, but the central leaders that Cao Cao later added to him.
Not only did Cao Hong lose his son, Cao Hong's own troops and private soldiers also suffered heavy casualties in the battle with the Hussars.
For the generals in Shandong, the direct troops and private soldiers were not only symbols of their power, but also the key to maintaining their status, expanding their influence and ensuring survival in times of chaos.
It would be a big mistake to just regard the private soldiers of these generals as tools that can only be used on the battlefield. Because of the political system in Shandong, these generals' private soldiers have no other role to play except in combat missions.
In addition, he will also become an instructor for recruit training, responsible for regular tactics and weapons use training for newly recruited soldiers in counties, counties, or other areas, so as to improve the overall combat capability of the army and its ability to respond to emergencies. At the same time, he is also the "instructor" within the army.
The military police "maintain the internal order of the army and reduce internal conflicts, well, mainly to reduce the number of people who cause problems.
In addition, generals can use private soldiers to build a huge interest system openly and openly, and through marriage, adoption and other means, they can establish closer family or blood relationships with key figures in the tribe and enhance the relationship between individuals.
Trust and loyalty. Provide material rewards, such as money, land, etc., as well as high-level positions and promotion opportunities to the subordinates and private soldiers who perform well, so as to easily enhance the loyalty of the subordinate private soldiers to the generals.
and a sense of belonging.
Therefore, in non-war times, these private soldiers will also become the link between generals and local gentry and powerful gentry, or form alliances with other generals to advance and retreat together at certain times...
Anyway, this thing has many benefits, and the only way to use it is to use it with concentration.
Of course, like many other political systems in Shandong, the benefits are all private, what are the disadvantages...
Cao Hong's original private armies were very large and effective, allowing him to control the huge army through his private armies. However, as the number of casualties increased, the newly added central leaders still needed some time to understand and integrate.
, can achieve the original level of tacit understanding, so the command effectiveness that Cao Hong can exert at the moment is actually compromised to a certain extent.
Just like the current forward battle, if it had been before, Cao Hong would not have used such rigid tactics and asked Cao's soldiers to start gathering in formation in the middle of the night. After all, if Xu Chu didn't come the next day, wouldn't he have stayed up all night in vain?
But Cao Hong's many years of combat experience helped him.
So he bet that Xu Chu would immediately launch a tentative attack after clearing the traps on Cao's camp.
In fact, at this moment, or perhaps at an earlier point in time, the offensive and defensive situation between Fei Qian and Cao Cao has been reversed...
At the beginning, Cao Cao was very aggressive, leading his soldiers and horses in several directions to besiege Guanzhong, but now he has formed a joint camp here in Anyi and built a huge military fortification to resist the attack of the Hussars.
The key is that this time when Shandong attacked Guanzhong, Cao's army was fully mobilized.
Under the fierce battle and exhaustion, not only the generals were worried about their own private soldiers, but also the gentry and squires in the rear were also desperately trying to ensure their own food, causing Cao's army's supply to become even more tense.
Fortunately, Cao Cao had already predicted this situation and allocated some more food and grass beforehand. Later, when he saw that the situation was not good, he quickly abandoned some of the population. After adding and subtracting, he was barely able to survive until now.
But it’s also very dangerous…
If the Hussars delay for a while, then Cao Jun will capture Anyi and withdraw immediately after receiving reinforcements.
But it just happened that Qiusi came at this point!
It’s okay to come!
Cao Hong gritted his teeth and said, "Instruct all ministries to prepare for battle according to the original plan! Inform the whole army! Those who have made merit will be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes will be punished! If anyone drags down the whole army, be careful with your head!"
The leading soldiers beside Cao Hong responded loudly and immediately rushed to the trebuchet arrays in various parts of the military camp and the infantry lines in front of the camp to convey the order.
…
…
Cao Jun's messengers carried the flag on their backs, shouted and passed Cao Hong's orders, and rode past.
The yellow dust kicked up by the hoofs of the war horses flew up with the wind, curled up and flew towards Bao Zhong's face.
Bao Zhong seemed to be in a trance and did not dodge. He was suddenly choked by the dust and coughed twice. Then he raised his eyes and saw the messenger carrying Cao Jun's flag running past in the distance. He only heard the leading messenger in the center.
He loudly encouraged the soldiers of Cao's army in the infantry line to cheer them up.
Bao Zhong couldn't help but sigh softly.
And at this moment, a voice suddenly came from beside Bao Zhong, "The war is about to begin, and General Bao is actually sighing at this moment... If the Prime Minister finds out, then... it won't be good..."
The sound was very small, but it was like a sharp blade, which suddenly hit Bao Zhong's heart, making his hair stand on end!
Bao Zhong quickly turned around to look, only to see the people standing behind him were the Heluo troops who had been assigned to replenish them two days ago.
Bao Zhong, like Cao Hong, suffered serious losses in his bodyguards and troops.
Moreover, Bao Zhong's son was seriously injured during the attack on Anyi. Although other military generals blamed Bao Zhong for not conquering Anyi in time, Cao Cao did not go along with the situation and punish Bao Zhong for this.
Added some tribes and soldiers to Bao Zhong.
Of course, those who supplement Bao Zhong will definitely not be the elite central leaders and central guards of Cao's army.
So as a surrendered soldier from the Yang family in Heluo, he came under the command of Bao Zhong.
This person's surname comes from his name, and he smiles all day long. He greets everyone with a smile, so he is not annoying. At first, Bao Zhong kept him around, partly because Bao Zhong
Our own soldiers have indeed been severely damaged. If we bring our own private soldiers into battle this time, then we will have to leave them all here. At least some seeds must be saved...
Hmm, this is very Shandong style. No matter civil or military, they all need some seeds.
Another reason is that Bao Zhong's son was seriously injured and is currently being treated in the back camp and needs manpower to take care of him. Moreover, Bao Zhong is also thinking in his mind that if something happens and the army is defeated, what if he
There are no people around my son, and he is seriously injured, so he is really like meat on the chopping board!
So this time when he left the camp to fight against the Hussars forward, Bao Zhong only brought a few personal guards, and the rest were replaced by these newly deployed Heluo surrender troops. At the same time, because this guy was always regarded as one of the group of surrender soldiers.
The leader of the soldiers deliberately stayed by his side, but he didn't expect that when the battle came, he suddenly heard such a sentence that he had never said before!
Bao Zhong's personal guard on the side heard this and wanted to step forward to twist Li Cheng, but was stopped by Bao Zhong.
At this point, even if you twist it, it will lead to riots!
If there is any mishandling, Cao Hong's supervising sword can just cut it down with one strike!
Perhaps it was precisely because he realized this that this guy acted so boldly.
Bao Zhong squinted his eyes and stared at Qi Cheng, "You... you'd better make it clear... what did you mean by what you just said?"
Bao Zhong's voice was also very low, as if it was forced out of his throat.
Jieng raised his eyebrows slightly, but still had a smile on his face, as if he had a smile mask that stayed on his face all day long. No one knew what the expression was under the mask.
"General Bao, logically speaking, your son is seriously injured now, and he has a grudge against the hussar... But it's a war, swords and guns have no eyesight. The real grudge is not between you and me, it's just a matter of loyalty to the emperor...
』
"..." Bao Zhong frowned and remained silent.
In Cao's army array, various sounds came and went, and war drums roared. A little further away, there was a murmur of noise, and nothing could be heard clearly, so Bao Zhong did not hold back in the end and asked directly: "Who are you?"
