In the third year of Xingping, the Yuan Dynasty had not yet been changed to Jian'an. By the end of January, Zhang Ji decided to march south from Wuguan to attack Nanyang.
There is really no food. Guanzhong has been hit by drought and locust plagues in turns in the past two years. People have fled to Yizhou or Jingzhou with their families and families, causing a large number of population losses.
Now the entire Guanzhong Basin is truly empty.
Those who were able to escape fled, and those who were unable to escape basically died on that land.
The loss of population means that there are no people to grow food. The more food is lacking and famine occurs, the more people will have to flee to other places.
Under the vicious cycle, Guanzhong is empty of land but uninhabited.
In addition, strength is also a big issue.
At the end of last year, Zhang Ji had a disagreement with Yang Feng and Dong Cheng, who escorted Liu Xiejie back to the east, and the two sides fought.
Although he later joined forces with Li Jue and Guo Si to defeat Yang Feng and Dong Cheng, he was not much better and lost many men.
The army was seriously short of food and its strength was severely reduced.
Moreover, Li Jue and Guo Si were also eyeing him. Surrounded by wolves and faced with natural and man-made disasters, Zhang Ji had to choose to escape from this land of right and wrong.
It is definitely not possible to go to Guandong. There are princes everywhere in Guandong. Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, Cao Cao and others are not good people.
What's more, Zhang Ji's army is already very small, no more than 10,000 people. Even if he travels a long distance to Guandong, it is just to die.
If we go south to Yizhou, Zhang Lu will guard the Hanzhong gate, and the road to Shu is difficult and impossible to break. This choice is the same as going to Guandong, and it is an act of seeking death.
Therefore, the only way to go is from Wuguan to Nanyang to find trouble for Liu Biao of Jingzhou.
It's not that Zhang Ji looks down on Liu Biao, but there really aren't many places he can choose from. Guanzhong is already poor enough, so it's impossible to go to Xiliang, which is even more barren.
Han Sui and Ma Teng were also much stronger than him. There was almost no place in Xiliang, Yizhou, or Guandong that could accommodate him, so he had no choice but to come to Nanyang.
First of all, the Nanyang Basin is not much smaller than the Guanzhong Basin, and it has not been damaged on a large scale, so there will definitely be no problem with food.
Secondly, Liu Biao's main troops were deployed in Xiangyang, and only Wenpin and some men were stationed in Nanyang.
So Zhang Ji finally came to Nanyang.
certainly.
There is probably no suggestion from Jia Xu in this.
Just as he expected, Liu Biao did not expect that anyone would take the initiative to attack him. The defense force of Wuguan was extremely loose. Under Zhang Ji's fierce attack, Wuguan quickly fell and the army threatened Danshui.
On the fourth day of February, before daybreak, Zhang Yun sent for Gan Ning, Lou Fa, Shen Mi and several other subordinates, captains and Sima, to discuss matters.
The news of the fall of Wuguan came seven or eight days ago. The latest news is that Zhang Ji was in charge of Danshui, Nanxiang, Shunyang and other places. At this time, they were attacking Rangcheng. Liu Biao did not have many troops in Rangcheng, and he was afraid of overcoming the enemy.
If he couldn't stop, he considered asking Zhang Yun and Deng Ji to send some reinforcements.
In the hall of Fancheng County Government House, Zhang Yungao is sitting on the throne. He is surrounded by many trusted generals. Gan Ning, Lou Fa and Shen Mi are Yizhou surrendered generals. Their status is not high and they are at the bottom of the ranking, leaving Zhang Yun.
Very far.
Zhang Yun looked around and said in a deep voice: "Everyone knows that Zhang Ji of the Xiliang Army has come to invade Jingzhou, and Wenpin has led troops to defend Rangcheng, but we don't have many troops in Nanyang, so uncle
Let me select soldiers and go to the rescue. Who among you is willing to fight?"
School captains Liu Wei, Zhou Jian, Wang Jie, Sima Huodu, Wu Shuo, Han Hu, Zhao Jun, Li Ying, Gan Ning, Lou Fa, Shen Mi and others all stood up immediately and said: "I am willing to go."
If a general wants to be promoted, he relies purely on merit in battle.
There were not many wars in Jingzhou, and if you were a commoner from a poor family, there would be no way to ascend. So now Zhang Ji came to attack, and with very few troops, everyone wanted to get this military exploit.
Seeing that everyone wanted to go, Zhang Yun thought for a while and said: "Liu Wei, Wang Jie, please bring eight thousand people from Wu Shuo, Han Hu, Zhao Jun, and Li Ying to go there."
Gan Ning suddenly became anxious and said, "The general also wants to go."
Zhang Yun frowned and said: "The small Xiliang army, why do we need so many troops? Fancheng still has to be stationed, just obey the order."
After saying that, he ignored him, got up and left.
"General."
Gan Ning shouted unwillingly.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Yunquan pretended not to have heard about it, threw up his sleeves and walked away.
The rest of Zhang Yun's confidants all looked joking, but they did not dare to provoke him due to Gan Ning's personal strength, but the ridicule on their faces was clearly visible.
Seeing this scene, Gan Ning, Lou Fa and Shen Mi all looked at each other with resentment on their faces.
In the final analysis, they are just surrendered generals.
Not only Zhang Yun was too lazy to pay attention to them, but even Liu Biao ignored them and just placed them in Nanyang, as if he had forgotten them and left them to fend for themselves.
Later Gan Ning wanted to go to Jiangdong to join Sun Quan, probably because Liu Biao, Zhang Yun and others despised them.
Although he knew that Zhang Yun and others didn't like them in the past, but now they are unwilling to give them a chance to fight. This makes Gan Ning understand that they have no way out with Zhang Yun, and they will have no chance to succeed in the future. .
Shen Chen is right.
Liu Biao was not a man of military training, so no matter how talented he was, it would be difficult to employ him.
Maybe I should find another way.
Gan Ning thought to himself.
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Outside Rangcheng, densely packed Xiliang troops began to gather like ants.
In fact, after breaking in from Wuguan, Zhang Ji broke into several cities and looted the needed military supplies.
But his purpose was not to grab some food and be done with it, but to occupy Nanyang as a base.
Therefore, even after having sufficient food and grass, he had no intention of withdrawing his troops.
At this moment, he was riding on a war horse, constantly directing the soldiers to line up in order. After a good meal, the morale of the soldiers also recovered a lot.
Zhang Xiu, who was in his thirties, followed his uncle, looked at the city in the distance, and said to Zhang Ji with some worry: "Uncle, this Wenpin is difficult to deal with. Last time our tentative attack was repulsed, so a strong attack is probably not advisable. .”
Zhang Ji said in a deep voice: "I don't want to attack the city, but there is no way around it. If we don't take advantage of the fact that Nanyang has fewer troops to quickly capture Wancheng and seize a better city and more food and grass, When Liu Biao's reinforcements arrive, we will have nowhere to hold on and we will surely be destroyed."
"I understand, uncle, let me attack first."
Zhang Xiu asked for orders again.
Zhang Ji looked at his nephew and laughed and said: "Axiu has always been brave, but I must take the lead in this battle, otherwise, I'm afraid the soldiers will not die."
Zhang Xiu looked back at the soldiers around him.
If the Xiliang army that had just entered Nanyang from Wuguan was a group of tigers, then it might be a group of wild wolves now.
Because the army was short of food, Zhang Ji decided to go to Nanyang to eat. In order to have enough food, the soldiers fought bravely one by one. They quickly broke into several cities and robbed a large amount of food and grass.
But now that they have had a full meal, although their original morale has been restored, it is no longer possible for them to risk their lives and fight.
At this moment, above Rangcheng, Wenpin was also standing by the female wall, watching the Xiliang army in the distance.
The turbulent water flowing from the Funiu Mountains to the north is vast and endless. On the horizon of the wilderness to the west of Rangxian County, the black Xiliang Army has been assembled and is slowly flowing towards the city like a rolling river.
The general came quickly to report: "General, General Zhang and General Deng have sent reinforcements. They will arrive in Rangcheng by noon at the latest."
"Um."
Wenpin nodded and said, "Inform the soldiers about this to boost their morale."
"only."
The general took the order and left.
The city tower was also densely packed with Liu Biao's troops.
Looking around, the Xiliang army outside the city looked like wolves and tigers. Liu Biao's army was probably not afraid. They all looked at each other with fear in their hands and feet.
It was not until the news of the arrival of reinforcements came that the morale of the soldiers stabilized.
There are two reasons why they are afraid.
First, Liu Biao's Jingzhou has been very stable in recent years. Except for one battle with Liu Zhang, there have been few wars.
At best, many soldiers had fought against the Yellow Turbans in Funiu Mountain or Dabie Mountain, and many soldiers had only been trained but had never killed anyone with their own hands. Compared with the Xiliang army who fought through mountains of swords and seas of fire, they definitely lacked courage.
Second, the most important thing is that there are not enough troops.
Liu Biao's military deployment in Jingzhou was actually mainly divided into three aspects.
One is the Jiangxia navy, commanded by Huang Zu. Its main goal is to compete with Yuan Shu for the land east of the Yuzhang River. It currently has 10,000 or 20,000 people. It will take a few years to guard against the forces of Sun Ce and Sun Quan before it can be replenished to 30,000 or 40,000.
The other one is the main force of Jingzhou Army and the Yangtze River Navy led by Cai Mao, the governor of Nanjun, who are currently stationed in Xiangyang, Wu County, Zigui, Yiling, Linju and other places.
The number of people in this part is the largest, reaching more than 40,000. After Liu Biao annexed Zhang Xian in 200 AD, the number will reach 70,000 or 80,000. The main strategic purpose is to prevent Liu Zhang from Yizhou from descending through the Yangtze River to harass the rear of Jingzhou.
Moreover, this part of Liu Biao's army is the most elite. It fought a large-scale war with Liu Zhang and later fought with Zhang Xian. It has experienced a certain amount of war baptism, and its current combat effectiveness is much higher than the other two parts.
The last one is in Nanyang. The total strength of Nanyang does not exceed 10,000. Wenpin has thousands of troops in Wancheng, and Deng Ji is stationed in the Xinye area of Huyang, with thousands of troops.
Although Zhang Yun stationed about 15,600 men in Fancheng, Fancheng was located at the southernmost point of Nanyang, across the Han River from Xiangyang, so it was not so much the defender of Nanyang as the penultimate line of defense of Xiangyang.
Line of defense.
Therefore, the actual Nanyang garrison only consisted of the troops of Wenpin and Deng Ji. There may be hundreds of troops scattered in other counties, but they are basically of no use.
The Nanyang defenders, who originally lacked the baptism of war and were at a numerical disadvantage, would naturally be afraid of the enemy.
Fortunately, Wenpin was not an ordinary person. Although he was outnumbered, he was good at inspiring morale and was quite capable in defense. Therefore, he not only had sufficient preparations for arrows and equipment, but also stabilized the morale of the army with the news that reinforcements were coming.
The Xiliang army has been assembled on the vast land, and the water is flowing turbulently in the north. The rural people outside the city on the fertile fields have already fled with their families. The overwhelming Xiliang army seems to be trying to make Rangcheng, Nanyang second only to Wan,
The city and the third largest city of Fancheng were flooded.
"woo woo woo woo!"
As the horns sounded, the warriors in the front row of the Xiliang army began to march toward the city carrying ladders.
Behind them were attacking soldiers forming phalanxes.
Without armor, he had at most a small round wooden shield. He held the shield in his left hand and the Huanshou sword in his right hand. This was the most famous infantry sword and shield wielder of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
They lined up in a neat formation, and under the leadership of Zhang Ji, they slowly approached the city and were already half a mile away.
"Archers prepare!"
Seeing that the opponent had launched an offensive, Wenpin roared loudly.
The archers on Rangcheng began to bend their bows and set arrows at the same time. They stuck their heads out of the female wall and began to take aim.
Generally speaking, if soldiers launch a charge and want to attack the bottom of the city, they have to go through at least three rounds of arrow rain.
The first round is most of the effective distance of the arrow, which is the so-called one-shot distance, which is about one hundred and twenty meters.
The second round is the process of launching a charge, which takes about fifty or sixty steps.
The third round is under the city.
Zhang Ji personally supervised the battle. After giving the order, the death squads at the front howled and rushed forward.
It was as if a dark flood was spreading towards the city.
When they ran within a stone's throw, Wenpin gave the order again.
"Fire the arrow!"
"Swish swish swish swish!"
A fire net composed of countless arrows shot towards the Xiliang army like it covered the sky.
They drew brilliant arcs in the sky, and finally fell into the Xiliang Army's formation like raindrops.
In an instant, the sound of squeezing into the flesh could be heard endlessly, screams came and went, and countless people fell down.
But when the person in front fell, the people behind him took up their place, and they continued to rush forward.
Zhang Ji himself was also in the charging team. He was riding on his horse and kept shouting: "Kill, kill! If you don't want to go back to Guanzhong, just charge!"
"Kill, kill!"
The Xiliang army roared loudly.
Wenpin kept waving the sharp sword in his hand and shouted: "Fire the arrow, fire the arrow, fire the arrow!"
The rain of arrows in the sky never stopped.
Even so, the Xiliang army finally broke through the arrow rain blockade and reached the city.
After all, Wenpin only had four to five thousand men. Not only did the west gate need to be defended, but the other gates also needed to be defended.
In this way, his frontal strength was basically less than three thousand, and the number of archers was only seven or eight hundred.
No matter how hard you shoot, the Xiliang Army under the city organized two to three thousand people to attack in the first wave. It is impossible to kill all the enemies within three rounds of arrow rain.
Until the attack led by Zhang Ji rushed to the city, only a few hundred people were lost. Then ladders were set up and the siege began.
Seeing this situation, Wenpin knew that the two sides were approaching hand-to-hand combat, so he had to go into battle himself and fight with the enemy.
At the same time, rolling stones, wood, lime and other defensive equipment were thrown down as if for free.
There were not many ladders prepared by Zhang Ji, and several of them were quickly destroyed by rolling rocks and trees, causing the offensive to stagnate and making it difficult to reach the top of the city again.
Therefore, as a last resort, we finally chose to withdraw our troops.
The tinkling sound of gold sounded, and the first wave of Xiliang army's attack was beaten back, leaving hundreds of corpses on the spot, receding like a tide.
Wenpin was breathing heavily on the city tower. He had just killed seven or eight Xiliang soldiers in succession, and the bravery of the other party exceeded his imagination.
This time, I was lucky and destroyed many of the opponent's siege ladders. Although the enemy attacked the city, they were unable to get up to the city due to too much damage to the ladders, so they were not breached.
Next time, when Zhang Ji prepares enough ladders, he will not be so lucky.