Chapter 323 Sending Troops to Confront Henan Taiting
On September 8, Shen Chen arrived at the Nanyang front line to block Yang.
As the general of the left and the prince's tutor under the command of the King of Hanzhong, he was the border general in Nanyang.
The four main generals under Shen Chen were Huwei General Gan Ning, Rebellious General Wenpin, Eagle Cavalry General Zhang Xiu, and Jianwei Zhonglang General Lu Chang.
Under him are Zhang Quan, Shen Tao, Liu Wei, Zhou Jian, Wang Jie, Wu Shuo, Han Hu, Zhao Jun, Li Ying, Huo Yang, Wu Dang, Wu Tao, Shan Yi, Zhou Tai and others who are lieutenant colonels in the army. , Sima.
In terms of civil servants, there are dozens of junior disciples including Zhou Buyi, Deng Ai, Xie Hui, Zhang Li, Hu Mian, Li Qiu, etc. The disciples serve as military staff officers and clerks.
Nanyang's 80,000 soldiers and horses were all led by these people.
Wenpin was good at guarding, so Shen Chen ordered Wenpin to lead Zhang Quan and Wang Jie with five thousand men to guard Danshui and defend Wuguan.
The rest of the troops were scattered throughout Nanyang, mainly in Wancheng, Duyang, Bowang, Ye County and other places.
After Shen Chen arrived in Duyang, he immediately summoned Gan Ning, Zhang Xiu and Lu Chang.
Among the three, Lu Chang is the oldest, fifty-seven years old this year. Zhang Xiu is the second, also fifty-five years old, with black and white hair that has turned gray. Gan Ning is the youngest, fifty-two years old, and his body is still majestic. .
Shen Tao succeeded as the commander of the Huangmen soldiers and maintained the basic requirements of full-time training for three thousand Huangmen soldiers every day.
These people were all in their thirties and forties at the time, and now they are generally around fifty or sixty years old, such as Liu Wei, Zhou Jian, Wang Jie, Wu Shuo, Han Hu and others.
soon.
After a while, Gan Ning and Lu Chang also came in. Needless to say, Gan Ning, although he was in his fifties, walked vigorously and vigorously. Historically, he led troops all year round and served as the prefect of Xiling in the Eastern Wu Dynasty. The time of his death was not 215 AD, but It should be at the end of 219 AD or the beginning of 220 AD, which is next year or the year after.
Deng Zhao and Shen Zhen are both in their fifties and sixties, and have retired from the army and returned home to live in retirement.
As soon as they moved here, Cao Hong quickly got the news.
Shen Chen said: "You lead your own troops as the vanguard and go straight to Kunyang."
Because everyone comes from Xinye with various surnames, and most of them have the surname Deng, fellow villagers help each other, and their combat effectiveness is naturally stronger.
"only."
"You lead our own troops to form the rear army."
At this moment, he did not dare to neglect and personally led 40,000 troops to help.
In addition, the army is constantly recruiting young and capable people, so that the structure of the lower-level army is composed of elite veterans in their thirties as corps commanders, junior officers such as captains, and elite recruits in their twenties.
But this kind of thing is harmless and no one cares about it. In life, it does not prevent Shen Chen from respecting Gan Ning as his uncle and elder.
To replace Cao Wei, he would probably have taken away the military power and given him an idle official position or found an excuse to execute him. However, Liu Bei saw that he had done a good job in sending troops in the first place, so he told Shen Chen that he hoped to properly settle Zhang Xiu's problem.
Shen Chen stretched out his hand to stop him and said: "My lord and Cao Cao are fighting in Guanzhong, and they have won many battles. There are righteous men in Chendu who are willing to rise up and respond to us. This is a rare opportunity, and we should seize it."
Otherwise, based on his guilt for killing Cao Ang, Dian Wei, and Cao Anmin on Cao Wei's side, it would probably be the same as in history: he died of fear, and then his descendants were killed by Cao Pi.
"General Zhang, sit down."
Gan Ning led the front army with 8,000 men to open the way, and the rear army of 10,000 men was led by Lu Chang, so his main force was probably more than 40,000 people.
Including Zhang Xiu and Shen Tao's partial divisions, the total force dispatched was about 53,000.
Shen Chen walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back and ordered the people around him: "Go to the army and set out tomorrow."
Therefore, it can be said that the Nanyang Basin is leaking from all sides and cannot be stopped by blocking it alone. Even when Shen Chen's 80,000-strong army stationed in Nanyang and faced off against Cao Hong's 100,000-strong army, the reason was not blocking, but deterrence.
Gan Ning stood up excitedly.
There are currently only 5,000 guards in Ye County, led by general Zhou Jian and Shen Chen's disciple Wu Tao. The two have fought many small-scale battles with Cao's army on the Kunyang front line, and both sides have won and lost.
Shen Chen always called him uncle, but Deng Hong was Shen Chen's mother's cousin and his maternal uncle.
The reason why others are Yingwei and he is Yingruo is because he and Deng Hong are good friends.
Lu Changze was a talent discovered by Shen Chen in his early years. When Gan Ning established the army and recruited soldiers, Lu Chang was among them. He followed and participated in several attacks on Xudu, and was gradually promoted due to his merits. Finally, after Lou Fa, Shen Mi and others died of illness , became Gan Ning's deputy.
Later generations said that Qin was the leader of Hannuo, but in fact it should be Qin was the leader of Hannuo.
On the vast horizon, Shen Chen's army was stationed on the spot. To the north was Kunyang County, to the south was Wuyang County, and in front was Cao Hong's camp.
Fortunately, Shen Chen trained a large number of young officers, and the reduction of the old and weak in the army was also implemented more thoroughly. The remaining elites were all veterans who had been on the battlefield in their twenties, and most of them are now in their thirties. In his prime.
Eighty thousand versus one hundred thousand, it seems that there are twenty thousand less, but Shen Chen has a reputation for being fierce, who dares to say that he can beat him with eighty thousand with one hundred thousand people? Even Cao Cao is probably not completely sure.
Shen Chen nodded solemnly and said: "After my main force is dispatched, you and General Zhang will walk from Zhongyang Mountain to Langling. Cao Hong must have thought that it was just a partial force and would not send a large army. As long as you surround Langling, you will immediately Take ten days of food and grass and rush to Chendu at starry night. I don't expect you to be able to defeat him, but if you can defeat Yan Kuang, it will be a great achievement."
By September 12th, Shen Chen's 40,000 people were already in Kunyang, Wuyang and other places, and Cao Hong's total of more than 60,000 people were holding a stalemate.
"The end is here!"
Now the new five thousand cavalry are commanded by Zhang Xiu. This is a great trust for a person who has been on both sides of the fence. It also makes Zhang Xiu admire Liu Bei deeply. He can't help but feel sorry for him, and he will keep a low profile from now on. , be content with following orders.
After years of training and occasional actual combat with Cao Jun, his combat effectiveness is still very high.
The Nanyang Basin is not like the Guanzhong Basin. Although it is also surrounded by mountains on three sides, the gaps are too large. Like the Dabie Mountains in the east and the Funiu Mountains in the north, there are a large number of flat roads that are dozens of miles wide to choose from.
"General, please speak."
Because the "Three Kingdoms·Pan Zhang Biography" also recorded Gan Ning at the time, saying that a large-scale plague broke out in the world at the end of 219. Gan Ning probably contracted the plague and died, so Sun Quan ordered Pan Zhang to take over Gan Ning's troops. It can be seen that Gan Ning lived until before and after the Battle of Xiangfan.
Zhang Xiu sat down honestly.
He answered like this.
He knew that Cao Hong's main force was in Kunyang, Wuyang, Xiping, Dingling, and Linxian, so he raised his troops to go north. Cao Hong must be facing a powerful enemy, so Zhang Xiu and Shen Tao's partial troops could naturally drive straight in to rescue Chendu.
Later, the horses brought by Zhang Xiu from Guanzhong were used by the veterinary experts in Zhang Xiu's army to breed and breed new horse populations. At the same time, elite soldiers and the eldest sons of the Xiliang old stroke families with two or more sons were recruited into the army to train them. Five thousand cavalry.
At this time, Shen Chen took the initiative to attack. He had already known the layout and strength of Cao's army well. Although Cao's army often changed defenses and made constant adjustments, it could not be hidden from Shen Chen's eyes.
Among the three, although Gan Ning and Zhang Xiu were both generals with two thousand stones, Gan Ning was the highest in terms of status, followed by Lu Chang, and Zhang Xiu was the lowest. Therefore, according to the seating arrangement, Gan Ning sat on the lower right side of Shen Chen. The first position.
Shen Tao handed over his hand.
The youngest of the soldiers who followed Shen Chen to attack Xudu were in their forties, and most of them had retired or transferred to other troops to become officers, but the military spirit of this team had been preserved.
What's more, Cao Hong himself was more than capable of attacking generals, but lacked the wisdom of generals, and was far less powerful than Cao Ren. Therefore, facing Nanyang garrisoned by 80,000 men, his main purpose was defense, restricting all major transportation routes, and never thought of attacking Nanyang.
Shen Chen said: "I have already made arrangements. Where is General Zhang Xiu of the Eagle Cavalry?"
"Uncle Xingba, don't be anxious."
Shen Chen said to him: "This time I sent troops north to attack Cao Jun because someone behind Chen Du wanted to revolt. Although the strength of the enemy and us is very different, the possibility of their success is not very high, but reinforcements are still needed. I tell you to be quick Traveling more than five hundred miles, we rushed to Chendu to help."
Shen Chen called Shen Tao again.
But since then, he has started to behave with his tail between his legs. His original group of Xiliang cavalry followed his uncle Zhang Ji to conquer the world. Now they are generally around fifty or sixty years old, and they have basically lost their combat effectiveness.
When Shen Chen saw the three generals gathered, he said: "Last year there was a great plague, which killed and injured more than 100,000 soldiers and civilians in Nanyang. Fortunately, Mr. Zhang saved us and we were able to escape the disaster. But even though we suffered from the plague, Cao's army would not They will be better than us, and now is a good time for us to send troops to fight and make achievements."
"promise!"
Since then, those veterans of Xiliang have taken root in Nanyang.
After giving the order, the three people quickly executed it.
"Where is Lu Chang?"
At this moment, Shen Chen summoned three generals in the Duyang Council Hall. Zhang Xiu was the first to come in. When he saw Shen Chen, he raised his hands and said, "General Zuo!"
In his early years, his status in the military was not as high as expected due to his conflicting issues.
Although such means of communication are still backward, due to the slow departure time of the army and the heavy baggage, the average troop movement speed in the Han Dynasty could only reach forty or fifty miles per day, so a single person reporting a message on horseback or even walking was much faster than a large army.
Since Gan Ning and Deng Hong were like brothers, they were Shen Chen's elders.
After Shen Tao arrived, Shen Chen said to him: "Brother Muzi, I have a task for you."
Zhang Xiu remained silent until he suddenly heard his name. He stood up in excitement and cupped his hands and said, "The general is here!"
Therefore, during the initial disarmament, Shen Chen placed some of the older Xiliang Army cavalry in local farming areas, allowing them to live with their families and establish village settlements and township pavilions.
It is only the subordinate who responds to the superior, and Nuo is the elder, the peer or the superior who responds to the inferior.
Now the commander of the Huangmen soldiers is no longer Shen Chen's uncle Deng Zhao and father Shen Zhen, but his cousin Shen Tao.
So calling Gan Ning uncle means calling Gan Ning a generation younger.
Shen Tao responded.
Gan Ning said: "General, how should we send troops?"
Gan Ning immediately became excited when he heard this. He stood up and said, "The general should have sent out troops a long time ago. The last general is willing to be the vanguard."
Fortunately, he came to his senses at the critical moment and sent troops to help Liu Bei in the Battle of Pingting, so he was able to gain the reputation of a general.
Shen Tao took the order and left.
Now the Nanyang Army actually faces a problem, that is, the senior generals are aging. Most of the middle and high-level generals are from the subordinates of Cai Mao, Zhang Yun and others of the Jingzhou Army in the early years.
"You will eventually understand."
At that time, Zhang Ji brought 10,000 cavalry from Guanzhong and fought with Liu Biao and Cao Cao. After several battles, there were only six or seven thousand people left. Their families were also brought here. They were once controlled by Liu Biao, and now they are reunited. .
Therefore, when Shen Chen's army set off, of course Cao Jun's spies in Nanyang rushed back immediately to report the news.
"You lead five thousand eagles and ride on Zhongyang Mountain directly to Langling."
Especially when the plague was rampant last year, tens of thousands of people in Yingchuan, Runan and other places fled to the south with their elderly and young children. Cao Hong not only turned a blind eye, but even opened the door wide open and mixed in. There was a lot of sand.
The two sides faced each other at Taiting, which is located southeast of Kunyang and due north of Wuyang. It is the middle artery between Nanyang and Henan.
Immediately he left Duyang Mansion and went to the army.
In this way, in Wuguan, in addition to the 5,000 people led by Wenpin and Zhang Xiu's son Zhang Quan, and the general Wang Jie, about 20,000 troops were placed in Wancheng, Shunyang, Rangcheng, Duyang and other places in the rear to serve as Reinforcements on the Wuguan and Nanyang front lines.
With Shen Chen fully prepared early in the morning, the next day, Shen Chen personally led more than 20,000 people and headed for Ye County.
"Where is Gan Ning?"
Because Jingzhou’s attitude is not to prohibit northern people from fleeing to the south.
"only."
Shen Chen waved his hand, they were all old friends and they didn't have so many rules and regulations.
Lu Chang pondered: "General, should we get in touch with the king first? If Cao Cao sends troops from Wuguan, won't we be attacked from both sides?"
"only."
But later, after the new army in Nanyang was formed, Shen Chen promoted him to General Zhonglang, responsible for leading the army alone.
As a result, on September 11, the 22nd year of Jian'an, Cao Hong in Dingling had already learned that Shen Chen had arrived in Ye County and was about to send troops to attack Kunyang and Wuyang.
Shen Chen smiled and said: "Don't worry, I have reported this matter to my lord last month. Your lord has given me full authority to handle it. Once Cao Cao launches a large-scale military attack on Wuguan, he will immediately send troops to attack Chang'an, and Cao Cao will not I want to lose Guanzhong."
Speaking of which, there is also a seniority issue.
And they still strictly follow the clan selection method, which is somewhat similar to the servants in the late Ming Dynasty, but they no longer only select people from Huangmenting, but also expand to all the major clans in Xinye.
"The end will be here."
Since Cao Hong immediately started building a fortress after arriving and guarding the center so that the army could not pass by, Shen Chen had no choice but to camp on the spot and confront the enemy.
However, although he was surrounded on three sides, Shen Chen was not afraid. He just sent people to cut down some trees and built fences to surround the camp. Then all the tents and luggage were placed in the camp.
This is actually very easy to do. It is often used when the army is stationed in the field. Basically, it only takes a day or two to repair the camp.
However, because no time was spent digging trenches, building watchtowers, building walls, and making defensive equipment such as horse-barriers, pits, and high oars, the camp's defensive power would be extremely empty and it would be easy to be breached.