It is said in the art of war that changing generals before battle is a taboo for military strategists.
But books are dead, but people are alive.
The reason why it is taboo to change generals on the spot is because in most cases, the original general was deprived of his military power and returned to be punished due to various reasons, such as making mistakes or failing in the struggle of his faction.
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Under such circumstances, it is easy for the soldiers to empathize with the original general and then become hostile to the new general.
It's troublesome enough if the generals don't know the soldiers and the soldiers don't know the generals, let alone if the generals and soldiers are at odds.
As the saying goes, the weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the harmony. If you change generals, you will lose the harmony, which is naturally a taboo for military strategists.
But everything cannot be generalized. It is better to believe in books than to have no books at all.
Since the fundamental problem of changing generals on the spot is not the general change itself, but a series of human and human problems that may arise after the general change. Then as long as this root cause can be solved, changing generals is no longer a taboo behavior. On the contrary, there are
Could be a clever idea.
Without going too far, let’s take the Battle of Changping twenty years ago as an example.
In that battle, not only did the Zhao State change its commander, from the veteran Lian Po to the young Zhao Kuo, the Qin State also did the same. The first general to lead the army was Zuo Shu Chang Wang Lu, and he and Lian Po had a good fight.
Well, at that stage Qin had an advantage but it was not too big, at least not enough to turn it into a victory.
Then they started to use tricks.
He sent people to the capital of Zhao State and spread the rumor that "the evil of Qin is only the general Zhao Kuo who is afraid of horses and subordinates, and the honest people are easy to win, so he will surrender."
It happened that King Zhao was also very dissatisfied with Lian Po's strategy of holding on to the wall at that time, because Zhao Guo could not afford it. Although it seemed to be equally matched on the surface, it could only die silently in the end.
So King Zhao changed his commander and sent Zhao Kuo, the son of the famous general Ma Fujun Zhao She, as his replacement.
However, Zhao's change of commander was predicted in advance by Qin, and they also made adjustments simultaneously, secretly replacing the original general Wang Lu with Wu'an Jun Bai Qi.
The following story is familiar to everyone.
Facing the Qin State's God of War Bai Qi, Zhao Kuo's immaturity was clearly demonstrated on the battlefield. In the end, not only was he defeated and killed, but hundreds of thousands of Zhao troops under his command were captured, and then all of them were killed.
At this point, the Zhao State, which was originally a dominant country and could even compete with the Qin State in terms of military strength, was completely disrupted and has not recovered for decades. Although it is still among the powerful countries,
It is absolutely impossible to catch up with Qin again.
Then why did the Zhao State suffer a huge defeat when the commander was changed at the same time, but the Qin State was able to gain a lot of money?
It is because Qin's coaching change solved the problem of human relations, or in other words, it did not cause hidden dangers in human relations.
First of all, the new commander Bai Qi who was replaced was the God of War of the Qin State and the most respected object in the hearts of all Qin soldiers. His prestige was enough to quickly integrate the army and hold all the power in his hands.
Secondly, the original general Wang Hao was Bai Qi's deputy general, and the soldiers and horses under his command were also very familiar with Bai Qi. Even if they were changed, it would not cause the problem of the soldiers not knowing the general and the general not knowing the soldiers.
In the end, the original leader, Wang Lu, was not punished, so the soldiers under his command would not have any resistance.
Opposite is Zhao Jun.
The original commander, Lian Po, was transferred away because he did not obey King Zhao's order to take the initiative to attack. Obviously, he did not enjoy a happy return, so the soldiers under his command were naturally dissatisfied.
Although the new general Zhao Kuo comes from a famous family, it is his first time to lead an army. Neither his prestige nor his methods are enough to convince the public quickly. The time for Zhao Kuo's generals and soldiers to get used to each other is much slower than that of Bai Qi.
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This plus and minus, coupled with the huge gap in ability between Zhao Kuo and Bai Qi, jointly created the most famous tragedy in the history of ancient Chinese wars - the Battle of Changping.
Of course, Lord Xinling didn't think that replacing Li Mu would have the same effect as Bai Qi's defeat of Zhao Kuo, but it was still possible to give Wang Jian a small surprise before he noticed.
Why does war require knowing yourself and the enemy?
Because each famous general has a different combat style, understanding the enemy general's style can make a more accurate judgment on the enemy's movements, and only by using this can you gain the upper hand.
The biggest advantage of changing generals on the battlefield is that it will cause a sudden change in combat style, which can catch the enemy by surprise.
After all, human thinking has inertia.
For example, if you are used to your opponent's conservative combat style, then you may tend to be bolder in your strategy choices, thinking that the enemy will not make any big moves if you are not sure enough.
But if suddenly the enemy general is replaced by a man who is brave, aggressive and good at taking risks, and regards your little temptation as a provocation, and rushes out to start a decisive battle, then you will be confused at this time, right?
This is the effect of not following the routine.
As for whether he can take control of the Zhao army as soon as possible, Lord Xinling, who rescued Zhao twice and lived in Zhao for more than ten years, said that it was just a matter of sprinkles.
He can't wait to go to the northern line to compete with Wang Jian.
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Li Mu's reply was also very quick, but the content was somewhat beyond Mr. Xinling's expectations.
I saw in the letter that he felt that the strategy of changing generals had certain feasibility, especially on the northern front. Lord Xinling might be able to help the Yan-Zhao coalition break the deadlock.
However, such small matters as Zhao Guo's conquest of Yan State did not require him to personally go back and preside over it. Zhao Guo had its own people to handle it.
"Pang Nuan..."
Lord Xinling thought thoughtfully, "A descendant of Pang Gong?"
Pang Gong may not be famous alone, but no one knows about him, but when it comes to his ancestor Pang Juan, his popularity is much higher.
Pang Juan represents the history of the Wei state from its peak when it dominated the Central Plains to its collapse.
The Battle of Maling was as serious a blow to Wei as Changping was to Zhao.
In that battle, Pang Juan was defeated for the second time by his fellow sect Sun Bin, and he also completely destroyed Wei Wuzu, the powerful army of the Wei state that dominated the world.
From then on, the vitality of the Wei State was seriously damaged and its hegemony was lost. Qi State took over the power and began the era of dominating the East.
As the main culprit of the defeat, Pang Juan himself died in the war, and his family's situation in Wei was not very good. Although they were not persecuted, it was even more difficult to regain trust. Later, they simply moved to Zhao.
went.
"Forget it, since Li Mu has confidence in him, let's see how much of Naizu's skills he has inherited!"
Lord Xinling nodded, and then began to arrange the exchange of fronts between himself and Li Mu.
In fact, compared to the Qin army's northern front commander Wang Jian, who has outstanding talents and has shown himself to be a famous general, the mid-line commander Meng Wu, who is slightly mediocre in ability, is a better breakthrough.
But the problem is that Li Mu is not Lord Xinling. His prestige among the Zhao army is very high, but it does not mean that the Han army and the Wei army will recognize his ability and obey his command 100%.
Therefore, if you want to truly achieve the effect of changing generals on the spot, you need to make a careful arrangement.