One hundred and eighty sixth chapter river trip (14)
In the early morning, the twin moons, one white and large, one red and small, are still high and facing each other, which allows considerable visibility under the night. Here on the south side of the military camp twenty miles southwest of Pei County,
Although the soldiers had already rested, the huge military camp and night duty activities, coupled with the hot weather, filled the entire camp with a certain atmosphere that was either restless or energetic.
This shows that the night-time silence order is not enforced strictly enough.
At this time, several leather-armored sentinels with bells hanging from their waists came flying towards them, arriving directly at the side gate of the camp, and then shouted out the password for tonight.
The visitors are Bai Peixiong and Xiaohong. Although they are not accustomed to the local environment, and although they are generals and captains of the Jia Yue camp, their specialization in ice, weak water energy and excellent equestrian skills still make these three from the North.
The samurai took on the task of scouts and messengers of Jia Yue Camp... But these few masters of Qijing came to the military camp and dismounted, but they had no time to check their identities and report military information. Instead, they each received a large bowl of iced herbal tea with added sugar.
The salt water was poured down, and then he came back to life, but he was asked to quickly take care of the horses.
At this time, we just went through the procedures, showed our military badges, verified our identities, and entered the camp.
As soon as he entered the camp, he was greeted by someone, and then he found Jia Runshi, who led him to the Chinese army's tent.
It was said to be a large tent of the Chinese army, but it was not entered... In fact, along the way, all the sergeants and officers of the battalion only had large tents and slept with them open, and the bonfires were also placed far away, for fear that they would burn.
...After arriving at the tent, the three of them followed Jia Runshi around, and saw Chief Zhang and Chief Bai, one dressed in gray and the other in white, standing in the open space beside the tent, looking at the moon and sighing, chatting about something, and adding
The last wave of cold air came out of nowhere, and I was surprised in my heart. The anxiety I had been feeling all the way before was inexplicably suppressed.
"So, it's just a random battle? There is no victory or defeat for both sides?" Zhang Xing asked after listening carefully. "The losses are not much?"
"It's like this." Bai Peixiong's tone was also a little helpless. "We met yesterday evening. There is a river bend in the west of Xiao County. Leader Shan led them across the river from the river bend. There is another woods to the south of the river bend, and the view is blocked.
, had no idea that the officers and soldiers were coming from the east, and of course the officers and soldiers didn't know that we were crossing the river from the west. It was evening, the heat was not abating, and people on both sides were walking long distances. When they saw the woods at the bend of the river, they all went there.
They burrowed into the woods, but they bumped into each other in the woods, and there was a hurried fight. Then Leader Shan and Leader Liang organized a few hundred horses and rushed from the outside of the forest, wearing armor, and three Condensing Pills jumped up from the opposite side...
...Each of them tried a few moves and couldn't get it, so they retreated while it was dark, and the camp was set up in the middle of the night."
"No one has the intention to fight." Zhang Xing nodded in response.
"That's what I mean..." Bai Peixiong nodded, and then continued to speak, but his words were a little careful. "The leader Shan also asked me to tell the chief one thing, that is, crossing the river may be useless."
"how to say?"
"Since the beginning of the month, the water flow everywhere has been getting smaller and smaller, and there are more and more shoals. Even in a big river like Bianshui, there are shoals everywhere that you can directly wade through." Bai Peixiong explained. "This is
The first time we crossed the river, they searched it everywhere. When I came back, I specifically picked a place to verify it, and it was indeed true... Therefore, it doesn't mean much if you can't cross the river, because the Bian River is smooth everywhere."
After Zhang Xing heard this, he was stunned for a long time and could only wave his hand: "Thank you for your hard work, White Bear and Dahong Xiaohong. Let's go and rest first."
Bai Peixiong and Xiaohong had no choice but to surrender.
As soon as the people left, Chief Zhang Da looked at the moon and became distracted. Bai Yousi didn't know what to say, and the previous chat was interrupted.
In other words, if you encounter a top-notch and smart opponent in a war, it is of course difficult to judge the opponent's strategic and tactical intentions, but if you encounter a bad and stupid opponent, then... it will be even harder to judge.
Zhang Xing is considered a smart man, and Sima Zheng is certainly not stupid.
However, the first confrontation between these two young heroes as commanders was full of incompetence, loss of control and clumsiness from the beginning.
The main reason is of course the horrible weather. This is the hottest time of the year, and this year there is a general drought and lack of rain north of the Huaihe River. This makes war horses and people suffer from heatstroke frequently, and the armor wears on the body for an hour.
After being tortured, the scouts could only go out in the morning and evening. A master of the Ice Qi Qi Meridian who had access to the Conception Vein tried his best not to let himself sleep comfortably. The biggest effect was to cool down everyone's herbal tea and sour plum soup.
In a word, the limitations on troop capabilities and military activities are very large.
Secondly, the start of the war was quite unexpected. Everyone knew that the gang's rule over Langya was unstable from the beginning, but something like this suddenly broke out, forcing both sides to rush into action. It is also true that they acted hastily.
But at the same time, both sides' troops gathered more and more, and the battle capital inevitably emerged with the deployment and movement of both sides' troops.
After all, no matter how clumsy and hasty the actions of both parties are, this is friction between the largest rebel group in the world and the most powerful and one of the last few heavily armed groups in the imperial court. Just friction may cause landslides.
It's cracked, so no one dares to neglect it.
In this case, the development of the battle situation will often have a ridiculous but powerless result.
Just like what Bai Peixiong reported.
On June 16, that is, yesterday morning, as Xiong Bonan led a large number of stragglers and reinforcements to the front line and slightly strengthened the troops, the Liuxian camp quickly passed a discussion and ordered Shan Tonghai to lead an army of five thousand
Leaving the triangle formed by the Bian River and the He River, we crossed the Bian River and camped on the south bank to open up a new front and increase the threat to Pengcheng (the base of Xuzhou).
After all, although Pengcheng is located at the intersection of Bian River and He River, the city itself is on the south bank of Bian River.
From the perspective of military planning, this matter is undoubtedly full of decisiveness and courage. In the past, it was the winner of the battle.
Xuzhou's adjustment of subordinates was also very appropriate. As soon as the follow-up reinforcements arrived, they immediately sent out sufficient reinforcements, including three masters of elixir condensation, to go west along the Bian River, preparing to fill the defensive space on the south bank of the Bian River. It was also watertight.
.
At this time, the two sides suddenly met on the south bank in the evening. Theoretically, it should be a drama where the brave one wins.
But the fact is that neither family has any determination to fight to the death, and neither party wants their outstanding son to lose his life easily in this state.
What’s even more ridiculous is that as soon as they crossed the river, they found that the significance of crossing the river had been greatly weakened - if the Bianshui River and the Heshui River can calmly allow large troops to pass through any battlefield section, how about opening up a new front line?
"We can let Shantong Hai withdraw."
Early in the morning, everyone taking advantage of the cool breeze in the morning had not yet finished "eating before the tent". Xu Shiying, who had read the military intelligence report, gave advice in front of the long table put together. "Let's see if the other party will take advantage of the situation."
Go west from the south bank of the Bianshui River to take this gap. If you come here, it means that the other side is not very clear about the situation in the Bianshui River. At that time, we will gather our troops and horses to cross the Bianshui River and capture this army."
"It's feasible." Zhou Xingfan immediately expressed his agreement.
"That's it!" Wu Jingfeng couldn't wait to agree to this plan.
"We have to fight no matter what!" Liu Heifu couldn't wait.
"I don't think it's necessary." Zhai Qian hesitated, and rarely took the initiative to express an objection that was different from others. "The weather is too hot and the soldiers are too tired. There is no need to bother."
"Boss Zhai." Wu Jingfeng explained patiently. "This is not a toss-up, Xu Dalang... Xu Dalang means that now we have control over the large-scale passage of Bianshui River, but the government and the army may not have control, so we take orders.
Dalang's troops retreated to act as a decoy...it would be great if he fell into the trap, but if he didn't fall into the trap, we wouldn't suffer any loss."
"I know what Xu Dalang means." Zhai Qian replied in a deep voice. "Isn't it just a bet? Betting on whether the officers and soldiers know the water conditions... But what I mean is, not to mention that the officers and soldiers are fighting in the local area, they may have known it for a long time.
, even if you don’t know, there’s no need to bother like this anymore!”
"How do you say this?" Wu Changzai, who was like a hill just opposite, suddenly put down his bowl and raised his eyebrows to ask.
"What can I say?" Zhai Qian was not afraid at all. "Everyone who is facing up and has a body-protecting Qi is not afraid of anything, but you may not know what the sergeants below are like. Now I don't dare to let the sergeants
I kept my mouth shut at night, for fear of holding it in and suffering from the heat, so I just ran away... So, chief, what I mean is, it’s so hot now, if you can do something less, don’t worry about it anymore, just fight here.
, wait until Langya’s partial master succeeds!”
"Be careful!" Xiong Bonan said seriously before Wu Changzai spoke again.
Zhai Qian was slightly startled, but after taking a look at Xiong Bonan and Wu Changzai, he immediately nodded and shut up, and his initial manic and depressive mood disappeared.
"I actually think so too." After Xiong Bonan paused for a while, he glanced at Zhang Xing, who was silently lowering his head to eat, and then continued. "I followed from behind and was responsible for picking up the brothers who were lagging behind. I really felt that
Brothers, it's so difficult... Not to mention those ordinary soldiers, look at the horses surrounding the horses. Although they are weak, they are not weak, and they still have some cultivation. What is the result, the second day after leaving Fang Yucheng?
Didn't he just carry him away and take him back to the city? I came from behind, but he wanted to follow me. After walking for half a day, he collapsed again and was sent back again..."
"He has a problem with alcoholism. He is afraid of heat and cold." Liu Heifu leaned sideways on the table and couldn't help complaining about his new compatriot. "I also drank alcohol back then, but I drank less after realizing that it was not good for my health.
Touched."
Regardless of Liu Heicu's interruption, the opposition of Xiong Bonan and Zhai Qian was clear. These were the two big leaders, especially Xiong Bonan's prestige was placed here, and what he said was not unreasonable.
Jingfeng and Wu Changzai also lost a lot of momentum and didn't know how to argue.
Immediately afterwards, the other leaders expressed their opinions one by one. Among the twenty or so people, seven or eight people opposed it, and seven or eight people agreed. It was a tie.
At this time, everyone naturally looked at Chief Zhang.
But Chief Zhang Da, who had just finished breakfast, did not respond. Instead, he looked back at Xu Shiying like a puppet without any opinion.
Xu Dalang was silent for a moment and responded seriously: "We still have to fight."
The two parties with clear opinions cheered up, while the other frowned, but with different attitudes, they all listened with bated breath.
"First let me tell you the premise that I have mentioned many times. The Lord of Sanhui, we are all hot together, and we are tired together. Our difficulties must be the same on the other side. Isn't this a problem?" Xu Shiying asked the leaders at the table seriously.
.
There were a few scattered echoes around him.
"Then there are three reasons. First, their difficulties are more difficult than ours and greater than ours; second, their ability to withstand difficulties is smaller than ours." Xu Shiying continued. "In other words, if we really want to
Worrying about the collapse of military morale, the more they collapse, the faster they collapse... In the end, if Xuzhou doesn't come hard and let them divert their attention and mobilize their troops, it will be difficult to win the partial division.
.”
"I didn't understand the first two of the three points," Zhai Qian said. "Didn't it mean that it would be better to have military equipment and soldiers on the opposite side? We are still worried about food?"
"What we are comparing now is the morale of the sergeants below." Xu Shiying looked at the other party and explained seriously. "It is said that they have more difficulties than us, and the difficulties are greater because they respond passively. This has been verified. As long as they are prepared
, it’s not like we abandoned three major counties in a row..."
"That's true..."
"As for their ability to withstand difficulties, it is not only based on the military equipment and the quality of the soldiers, but also other things...what is it? Let me ask you, what should you do if you want to be a soldier with all your heart?"
Xu Shiying talked eloquently and gave the answer without waiting for anyone to speak. "In my opinion, we should not talk about righteousness at this time, but ask these sergeants to ask themselves whether there is a future for them as soldiers here.
, is there a fair reward and punishment, is there anything that can be left to future generations, that is, something that can be passed down from generation to generation? And there is no one in the world who can do this better than our gang!"
Zhang Xing's eyelids twitched, and then he became genuinely confused.
"The Wei Dynasty is going to die. I couldn't tell it was normal three years ago. I couldn't tell it two years ago because I wasn't smart enough or courageous enough. Since I couldn't tell it last year, it was probably because I was stuck in this mountain.
...In other words, the soldiers in Xuzhou and Jiangdu can live day to day without knowing where their future lies, while our sergeants all have hope."
"As for the fairness of rewards and punishments, it's really hard to say, because Sima Zheng has an excellent reputation. Not only did he reward and punish the sergeants fairly, he was also rare in treating the common people's taxes and corvees fairly. On this point, we are evenly matched... But please note that this is the Xuzhou Camp
The troops and horses of Jiangdu are like this, but the reinforcements from Jiangdu that are about to arrive may not be like this."
"There is also the matter of inheritance. For people like the lowest sergeants and team leaders, they can't worry about anything else for the time being. The fairness of granting fields is the biggest inheritance. Logically speaking, Sima Zheng's place should be the same as us, but Mo
Forgot, the main force of their sergeants are Dongdu warriors, who are stationed in Kansai. He wants to pass it on to the world, but he can't do it in Xuzhou... On this point, we have a complete victory over them."
"All in all, our sergeants are definitely more tolerant than theirs! If the weather were to overwhelm us in this battle, they would definitely collapse first."
"Finally, let's talk about food. We are short of food, but what we are short of is overall food. Is it just for the past few days? Is it for this war?"
It feels a bit like winning ten times and losing ten times.
As Zhang Xing watched Xu Shiying's words, the opponents gradually died down, while the supporters gradually became eager to give it a try, somewhat with emotion.
As for Chief Zhang's personal attitude, it is self-evident from the moment he asked Xu Shiying to speak.
However, he agreed to take the initiative to seek war not because he felt that his side had so many advantages, but because as the chief, he had no choice but to have difficulties - drought, food. The more the weather is like this, the more food must be saved, and the most important thing is to save food.
The best way is to end this battle as soon as possible, and to end this battle, we never expect a big breakthrough here, but to continue to create pressure according to the original plan and create more and better things for the partial division.
Opportunity.
Therefore, Zhang Xing thought for a while and gave a reply: "What Xu Dalang said makes sense. Since there is a fighting opportunity, we still have to overcome difficulties to fight."
Xiong Bonan, Zhai Qian and others were silent, and the military plan was carried out.
However, the controversy over the "eating in front of the tent" also fully illustrates the problem, because this simple military plan itself has no obvious loopholes. It is just an attempt to seize new information to lure the enemy. In other words, the main reason for forming objections is
The reason has little to do with military success or failure itself.
Opponents generally worry that grassroots soldiers will not be able to maintain their combat effectiveness in such weather.
Therefore, although Zhang Xing insisted on the battle plan, he could not help but feel a strong sense of uneasiness - for a moment, he felt that he was playing Yuan Shao in Guandu, Cao Cao in Chibi, and Fu Fu in the Battle of Feishui.
Strong.
If you insist on going your own way, you will fail miserably.
But just like many times before, Zhang Sanlang was uneasy in his heart, but he was extremely resolute in his actions. After dinner, the military order was already issued.
The Shantou Pass might be a mess in matters, but in the military, he has always been a decisive and brave party, never a mother-in-law. Therefore, on the 17th, he received the military order at noon. In the afternoon, he had just crossed the river for a whole day and had to do it immediately.
He led his troops to abandon the camp and return to the south bank of Bian River.
At night, Liu County received a message from Shan Tonghai that the army had seized the army's abandoned camp on the south bank of Bian River!
Moreover, Shan Tonghai had also obtained information about three pill condensation masters on the other side at this time. They were Yuan Lizheng, the first Ying Yanglang general on the left and Zhang Qianda, the second Ying Yanglang general on the right belonging to Zuo Tunwei.
It was Zhao Xingmi, the number one eagle on the left wing of the right imperial guard, Yang Lang.
In addition, there should be a General Ying Yanglang who is not Ningdan and a supervisor, named Sima Shida and Niu Fangsheng respectively.
"That's right!"
Under the attention of everyone, Xu Shiying quickly received feedback from the staff, and then reported to the leaders. "The staff and the clerks checked the information... These people include soldiers and horses belonging to Xuzhou Fangzhen,
There were also soldiers and horses directly under Jiangdu, but they were all stationed near the mouth of Huaiyang where Surabaya enters Huaiyang... They went north along the Surabaya River to Xuzhou, and were then sent to the west side without any problems."
"Zhao Xingmi is actually a master of elixir creation. He is from Hebei. He was moved to Guanzhong to live in Guanzhong after condensing elixirs in his early years. He mainly relied on the Sima family." Bai Yousi suddenly said. "Zhang Qianda was born in the Zhang family in Hedong, and was the guard of the saint's dormitory in Jiangdu.
Origin: Yuan Li is the nephew of Yuan Baocun, the former royal family; Sima Shida, needless to say, is Sima Zheng's third uncle, the son-in-law of that saint; Niu Fangsheng is the eldest son of Niu Xianggong, Nanya, Dongdu."
Everyone was stunned for a long time.
Zhang Xing sighed again and looked around: "Everyone, this is Guan Long's strength, and this is why I am cautious when fighting... Zhao Xingmi is the leader Xu Shiren who has not returned, and Zhang Qianda is the untalented Zhang Changgonghuo.
As he came down, Yuan Lizheng was the Murong Zhengyan who had not yet matured... And there were no fewer than fifty or sixty similar people in Jiangdu! The Wei Dynasty had only been founded for more than 20 years, and even if it had just ruined the world,
It's gone, but some of its atmosphere and skeleton are still left! Even if the sky collapses or the tower collapses, people can be killed!
"This battle must be fought quickly. It must be fought quickly. We must not drag it out here. Otherwise, even if we win in the end, we will be consumed by the essence accumulated by the Wei Dynasty in the early stage!"
At this point, the generals were already in awe.
Zhang Xing paused for a moment, but his tone softened inexplicably: "When the war starts...according to the original plan, we will send out troops by the moon tonight. I will go in person. King Xiongtian will stay behind. If you stay here, you must be extremely careful, because there is Liu County on the other side.
It’s Sima Zheng!”
Xiong Bonan stood up and took the lead in handing over his hand: "I will obey the chief military order."
Zhai Qian, Xu Kaitong, Ding Shengying and other remaining generals quickly got up and followed.
On the other side, the generals who went out to fight were obviously stunned for a moment, and they were at a loss for a moment. Bai Yousi smiled, then stepped out, took the lead and handed over his sword and said: "I will obey the chief military order."
Generals Wu Jingfeng, Wu Changzai, Jia Yue and Xu Shiying also surrendered.
Zhang Xing sat there motionless, glanced at the generals on both sides, hesitated for a moment, and then asked Xiong Bonan: "King Xiongtian, do you want to leave another Ningdan? How about leaving Jia Yue and his battalion behind?"
"I don't need this one, as long as you keep your deposed flag." Xiong Bonan answered calmly. "That's what I visualized."
Zhang Xing nodded: "The King of Heaven should be holding the flag."
After saying that, he stood up and went to the outside. Behind him were the leaders selected for the battle, including Bai Yousi, Wu Jingfeng, Jia Yue, Wu Changzai, Xu Shiying, Wang Xiongdan, Jia Runshi, and Fan Bao.
, Liu Heifu and Tang Bairen followed one after another.
Here, the soldiers of the 16th battalion actually sent the 8th battalion to the side of the division. The strange situation was reversed in an instant.
PS: Thanks to my old book friend Little Flying Carpet for the tip.
