The setting sun is like blood, dyeing the loess far and near into bright red.
Zhang Liao knelt on one knee in front of the simple sand table, three arrows were inserted on the mound of sand symbolizing the Yique Valley, and the feathers at the tail of the arrow trembled slightly with the evening breeze.
There are two ways to attack Luoyang. One is to rush towards Luoyang directly, and then use artillery or gunpowder to pry open the turtle shell of Luoyang as soon as possible. Although Luoyang has been restored and rebuilt by the Yang family and reinforcing and repaired by Cao's army, it still cannot be compared with the state of Luoyang's prosperity back then. Therefore, to a certain extent, this plan is also feasible.
Even if we already know that Cao's army has set up ambushers in Yique Pass and other places, we can still capture Luoyang before Cao's ambushers are surrounded!
But this method was rejected by Fei Qian.
Fei Qian’s idea is that it is a non-essential risk and there is no need to take it.
Although this kind of straight-forward tactic is very suitable for the Northern style, it is indeed very pleasant to kill the general's head among thousands of troops, but once it fails, it may suffer heavy losses.
In history, Guan Yu's killing of Yan Liang was indeed a masterpiece of eternal success, but it was because of this success in the ages that it became a masterpiece of eternal success!
When Guan Yu attacked the northern part of Jingzhou, didn’t he want to kill Cao Ren again?
Guan Yu must have thought about it too!
Unfortunately, Cao Ren is not Yan Liang.
Therefore, the tactic originally formulated by Pang Tong and Zhang Liao, which was very consistent with the Northern style, was rejected. Now it needs to be replaced with a more stable method, that is, to first knock down Yique's ambush, take down the outer stronghold of Luoyang, and then attack Luoyang.
Three arrows, one represents the scale of a thousand people, and the finished character shape controls Yishui and Yique Pass.
Zhang Liao frowned and thought.
In the distance, several soldiers frowned when they saw Zhang Liao and muttered in a low voice, "Are you just three thousand people? If you kill them, will you be done?"
"That's right, we have five thousand people! One person is not enough to get a chance to get one!"
"hey-hey……"
"Hahaha……"
"What are you talking about?!" A military academy happened to come over and heard the comments of these soldiers. "If you have time to chew, why not check if your equipment is ready?!"
Several soldiers responded quickly and scattered birds and beasts.
With the arrival of this military academy, several other vanguards' military academy also arrived one after another and gathered in front of Zhang Liao.
"Tomorrow, we will bury the pot to make rice."
Zhang Liao suddenly spoke.
"March hour?" A military academy said, "It will be two hours late, and when we arrive at Yique, it will be almost noon..."
Zhang Liao nodded slowly and pointed to the simple Yique sand table in front of him, "What do you think? Do you have any ideas?"
Another military academy, the one that scolded the soldiers, looked around and said, "General, I just heard someone say that we have too many people, and I won if I rushed up..."
Zhang Liao looked over and said, "You think so too?"
Zhang Liao was not a person who was too strict in normal times, so when the soldiers and military academy faced him, they were relatively relaxed. The military academy smiled awkwardly, "I just felt something was wrong, but I didn't know what to say, so I drove them to work."
Zhang Liao nodded, "If we only fight Yique, we really don't have to think about anything."
The military academy present was not considered fools, so I understood what Zhang Liao meant.
"But how could there be no casualties in the war?" said a military academy.
Zhang Liao looked over and said, "Have you been injured?"
The military academy raised his head, "I was seriously injured three times, but I was insignificant."
Zhang Liao nodded and said, "Yes, he is a warrior. However, how many soldiers who joined the army at the same time as you can survive after being injured?"
"This..." The military academy fell silent.
"Everyone is a body of flesh and blood," Zhang Liao said in a deep voice, "Don't regret not being cautious enough when you die!"
All military academies are established, so it should be given up.
Zhang Liao waved his hand and asked the military academy to get closer to the sand table.
For the sake of lighting, the personal soldiers also lit torches. The fire shone on Zhang Liao's armor, and the loess left behind when they surveyed the battlefield a few days ago.
Zhang Liao pointed to the arrows on the sand table, "The Cao army was placed in the Ming Dynasty, the camp in Yique Pass, the three levels of the deer fort, and the flags were hung from the Cao family's general flag, but it was not clear which general was in charge."
Zhang Liao's finger slid across the other side and stopped at the groove representing Yishui. "Here, the scout suspected that there was a river dam..."
The finger continued to slide and moved to the third arrow. "The scout's return, on the south slope, Cao Jun found smoke from cooking... Because it was inconvenient to get close to the investigation, it was not clear about the specific number of people. It is estimated that there will be at least about a thousand people..."
"Cao's army crossed the guards," Zhang Liao said, "If we attack Yique Pass, then water will be released upstream, we will inevitably be in chaos... If we attack the dam and block the river, there is Yique Guard on the left and Cao's army ambush on the right... If we go directly to the ambush of Cao's army, we have to pass Yique Pass and the dam can only reach the dam...
After hearing what Zhang Liao said, the military academies also found it a bit difficult.
If you forcefully attack without regard for casualties, these Cao army soldiers would not be considered anything. For example, you should divide a small team and hold back the ambush and Yique's guards to the left and right attack, and then destroy the dam, which would be equivalent to abolishing Cao's most powerful killer weapon, and naturally it would be much easier to fight in the future. However, according to Zhang Liao's intention, it was obvious that he did not want too much casualties, so of course he needed to be well-organized...
Everyone was thinking of a solution every time, and the strategy was gradually formed in such a discussion.
...
...
Before the morning mist dissipated, Cao's army began to get nervous.
Zhang Liao appeared on the battlefield with the vanguard of the cavalry, and anyone could see the smoke and dust like the sky and the sun.
Therefore, the defenders in Yique almost didn't sleep well all night, worried that the Cavalry would suddenly launch a night attack. After finally waiting for the day to arrive, they hurriedly ate the early rice dumplings, and were nervously waiting for the Cavalry to appear.
The Cao army didn't know when the Cavalry Army would arrive, but it was certain that Zhang Liao and others arrived here, so they definitely did not come here to travel around the mountains and rivers...
The non-commissioned officers of Cao's army ran back and forth on the military line to cheer the soldiers and also cheered them up.
"We represent the Emperor! We are the teacher of justice!"
"We used to fight Tongguan, but they were not easy to fight. Now it's our turn to fight, and they are not easy to fight!"
"Don't be nervous! Don't be afraid! We have wood and fallen stones! When they come, see if their bones are hard or their stones are hard!"
These inspiring words may be useful, or may not be of much use, but if you don’t say it now, it seems to make Cao Jun more and more uneasy.
From early morning to morning, from morning to noon, the soldiers of Cao's army were numb and muttered to each other, "I'm probably not here today, right?"
『It's better not to come!』
"Just not come..."
As the sun began to deflect westward, just when most Cao's soldiers thought they could spend another day, they suddenly heard scouts screaming from outside, and immediately saw smoke and dust rolling up!
For a moment, many Cao's army gathered into a cool breeze because of disappointment, and whizzed over, causing Cao's army's flags to sway.
"The Cavalry Army is here!"
『Prepare!』
『Don't be nervous!』
『Don't move!』
Miscellaneous shouts came one after another.
...
...
Zhang Liao stood on the high slope and looked at Yique Pass in front of him.
"Come, take my banner down!"
The guard on the side said with some concern: "Master, you really need to withdraw... If... it's better for us to change the flag of another surname..."
In ancient cold weapons battles, the general's flag was undoubtedly an extremely important position.
The reason why the general's flag is crucial and even directly affects the outcome of the battlefield is because this thing is not just a flag, but a visual command center for the entire army.
In the era of cold weapons without radio and instant communication, the general's flag is the core tool for battlefield command. Soldiers judge attack, retreat or change of formation commands by observing the movement, tilt or color changes of the flag. In a battlefield environment of several miles apart, soldiers use the flag as the spatial coordinates. The positions of the front, back, left and right are also determined by the direction between the main general's flag. Once the main general's flag is lost, it means losing the direction benchmark, causing the troops to easily fall into a state of confusion of lost direction.
Although the cavalry army has copper whistles, which can enhance the transmission effect of sound, they still have to rely on flags to convey messages. After all, fighting on the battlefield of cold weapons is extremely noisy, almost equivalent to the construction site of a large construction site. You may not be able to hear what you say when shouting in person, but the flag can convey instructions more clearly. The clear weather can effectively convey within a range of 500 meters to 1 thousand meters.
Zhang Liao now wants to pull off the flag of the commander and hide it, which means that after the battle begins, he will not command the troops again, and the middle and lower-level military academies have become the actual "commander" on the battlefield now.
Zhang Liao pondered for a moment and still ordered, "Removal of the flag!"
This is undoubtedly an extremely bold attempt!
Although at the pre-war meeting, Zhang Liao convened military academies and assigned tasks between various military academies, explaining how to cooperate and implement certain strategies, who can guarantee that there are no emergencies or unexpected changes on the battlefield?
If Zhang Liao's flag is still there, then when these accidents occur, these military academies can make corresponding adjustments and changes according to the guidance of Zhang Liao's flag. However, in order to hide their identity and paralyze Yique's defenders, Zhang Liao took down the flag. This certainly made the Cao army unable to tell where the central army of the Cavalry Army was, nor who was the real commander, which was conducive to the development of the strategy, but it also tests the front-line execution ability and mutual cooperation ability of the middle and lower-level military academies.
The reason why Zhang Liao did not change the flags of other surnames was because Zhang Liao retained the last means of rescue. If there was a real situation, then Zhang Liao would raise the flag again and quickly return to order. If the banners of other generals were raised at the beginning, even if Zhang Liao changed back to the original flag, it might not have any good results.
Although Zhang Liao had repeatedly determined the tasks, specific contact information, execution steps and other issues between military academies during the military meeting last night, Zhang Liao was also a little nervous when it was really about to be implemented.
Using Yique Pass and a small-scale battlefield to conduct experiments, and completely hand over the command of the battlefield to the more grassroots military academies, this is undoubtedly a new attempt, and may also represent a new beginning...
...
...
dusk.
The Cavalry Academy, hiding in the reed marsh in Yishui, untied the arm armor on her left arm and sent the orders to her soldiers, "Prepare, pretend to be a little bit, throw a few pieces of armor... Don't you all look like me, can't you change one arm armor? And you, don't take off your belt, you can't run and count the ball when you can't run!"
In another half an hour, they will pretend to be a defeated army to lure Cao's army to attack.
The soldiers on the side complained, "Military academy, we have never done anything to escape! We haven't escaped, why can't we pretend? We can't pretend!"
"What you said makes me feel like I'm running away every day!" The military academy slapped the soldier on the back of the head, "It's so spicy, the general said, there are Cao's ambushers on the mountain. If we don't lead those ambushers out, do we really have to go up the mountain and search the mountain little by little?"
"Will all the soldiers be gone if they set a fire?" A soldier suddenly said.
"You are so smart!" The military academy replied bluntly, "When is it now? Autumn or winter?"
"Uh..." The soldier got stuck.
The military academy did not continue to mock him, but said, "The scouts reported that those Cao soldiers dug up the graves and found that the yin soil in the water a few days ago was dug out by those unethical things! Now the Cao soldiers may all be hidden in the tomb chamber! If you don't lure them out, will the cemeteries be opened one by one?!"
"Cao army still digs a grave?"
"How rare, before...oh, it's okay..."
The military academy turned around and said, "Stop chatting, check each other! Don't expose your stuff! Your armor is too neat, and you'll be more tilted! Take all the extra weapons, remember, you can throw them when the Cao army chases you! Don't throw them together!"
"I said military academy, your experience... is really..." An old man made fun of the military academy.
"You old guy! Why didn't you see Cao's army retreat? Do it like that!" The military academy smiled and scolded, "If you old guy reveals the situation, you will be punished to open a feces tank for everyone for a year!"
As he was speaking, the sound of a copper whistle blowing came from a distance, which was a signal of preparation.
...
...
The Cao Army Military Academy was stunned when he saw the Hussars scattering like falling corn.
"this……"
They can't believe their eyes.
But those "terrified" screams, the armor and guns thrown on the ground, and the scattered flags seemed to tell them that nothing in this world is impossible...
『Defeated! Defeated!』
"There are ambushers! There are ambushers!"
Four or five hundred people shouted randomly, and the sounds alarmed the wild ducks that were originally trying to rest in the reeds, and they flew around in a row.
The soldiers of Cao's army looked at each other.
It turns out that's all the Hussar soldiers?
"No... why are these cavalry troops so unstoppable?"
"Can't it be a fraud?"
"Scam it! What are we going to cheat on them?"
『So now... or not to chase?"
Just when everyone was hesitating, one of the Cao army military academy suddenly raised its sword and rushed out first, "Kill! Kill the thief army!"
"Wait!" The soldiers of Cao's army next to the military academy tried to stop the military academy, "This may be the cavalry army seducing us!"
"I know!" The military academy's footsteps didn't stop. "It didn't seem to be true at first glance... Think about how many people turned around and kept looking at each other when we were defeated? Look at those guys again, and they turned around while running. Are they afraid that we will chase, or are they afraid that we will not chase?"
The soldiers of Cao's army were speechless, "Since that's the case, then you...
"You idiot," the military academy said while chasing, "No matter whether it is true or false, Fang Zheng is defeated by us now! We rushed out to chase after him first! Look at those swords, guns, armor, we will go up and grab a wave first! This is our merit!"
The military academy thought very well, and he also felt something was wrong, but he felt that this was an opportunity!
Cao's army retreated all the way to Tongguan, and it was a mess to throw away his helmet and armor. Now the Cavalry Army is "defeated" in front of him. No matter whether it is true or not, Fang Zheng Military Academy wants to confirm the "meritorship" first!
It is a great achievement to steal the swords, guns, armor and flags of the Cavalry Army!
Will others understand, or can't control their pursuit too much, and instead get the counterattack of the Cavalry...
What does that have to do with him?
As long as he has the credit, it will be fine!
As for reminding others, or asking others not to chase them...
Don't even think about it!
Wherever you are in Shandong, do more and make mistakes!
The truth is to find ways to climb up!
Among the Cao army, there are many cases of making dumplings for two or three plates of vinegar. If you want to be promoted in this environment, you cannot rely solely on doing more things, and you must also learn to make fewer mistakes!
Just like this time when facing the "defeat" of the Cavalry Army, the safe way is to pursue, rather than to indicate that the "defeat" is fake. Because the "natural" thing is correct. Seeing the enemy's defeat, the "natural" pursuit is in line with the compliance of the procedures, and it also reflects "political correctness".
If the Cavalry Army is defeated and there is no pursuit, is there any activity with the Cavalry Army? Is it necessary to initiate an accountability mechanism?
Anyway, if you win, it is the credit of the superior general. If you lose, it is the fault of the lower-level soldiers. If you "actively" indicate that there is a risk of defeat in pursuing the Cavalry Army, then if the Cavalry Army is really defeated, or if there is no pursuit, someone will come up with this matter again, will you bear the "responsibility"?
Choosing to follow the "process" and "convention" rather than based on actual conditions is undoubtedly the best choice for Shandong to protect itself.
As the military academy led the soldiers to pursue them, the other Cao army soldiers looked at each other and couldn't help but shout and chased them out...