Chapter 618: The first strategy is to know yourself and the enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles.
Unknown to Zhang Zhao, the seeds of chaos had been planted within the Soochow army, but even so, what really caught the Soochow army off guard was what happened next on the frontal battlefield——
It also proves the saying: An arrogant soldier will be defeated——
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As early as when Hefei was still a small county, it was valued by Liu Fu, the governor of Yangzhou.
After so many years of development, and after Yuan Shu's defeat, Hefei has even gradually begun to replace Shouchun's strategic position.
Zhang Zhao's covetousness for Hefei certainly had historical factors involved, but he did not explain the more important reason.
Regardless of whether it was Zhang Zhao or the noble groups standing behind him, they often followed the old-school style. Just like northerners riding horses and southerners taking boats, the navy has always been their most valued strength.
Nowadays, Soochow has a large territory, but when it comes to waterways, starting from Soochow, whether it is driving along the east-west river to Jingzhou Xiangyang, or along the north-south Ruxu River, entering Chaohu Lake, and finally connecting
North and south, occupying the Huaihe River basin, require a very important node.
Needless to say, there is no need to say more about the east-west direction. Xiangyang has proven how important its strategic position is more than once. Otherwise, Cao Cao would not have left Xu Dujie alone and stayed on such a dangerous front line. Even if Chibi was defeated,
We must fight to the death to keep Xiangyang in our hands.
Xiangyang... is the springboard that Cao Cao must rely on whether he is marching into Sichuan or Sichuan, or making plans for Jiangdong.
And this path obviously doesn't work for Zhang Zhao, because Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang have almost lost all their troops, and they have not yet taken Xiangyang with such heavy casualties, leaving Zhang Zhao and the others with no way to go.
Is there just one?
Hefei... This was a big operation in which Zhang Zhao and the gentry group behind him risked everything - as long as they captured Hefei and further captured Shouchun, most of Yangzhou would be firmly in their hands.
The key is that the line from Hefei to Shouchun, or in other words, the line from Ruxushui to Shishui, is the most important line used by Zhang Zhao to expand the naval advantage.
Speaking of the north, Zhang Zhao only had many bad memories.
Whether they are fighting on horseback or wandering around, facts have proven that the people from the south of the Yangtze River are not as brave as the men from the north on horseback.
Then we need to give full play to their greatest advantage on the water.
Huai River, this is the key to everything.
Therefore, Sun Quan was wrong when he said that Zhang Zhao did not want to make progress and only wanted to stick to Jiangdong. Zhang Zhao was very ambitious.
After capturing the Huaihe River Basin, Dongwu's Wudishui Division used a pestle on the northern waterway. No matter how many cities there were along the Huaihe River, he could knock them all down in one breath.
Not to mention, when the distance between the Huai River and the Yellow River is so close - if they want to plot the world, in Zhang Zhao's opinion, this is their best chance.
But it is true that Zhang Zhao wants to firmly control Sun Quan——
He respects Sun Jian and follows Sun Ce. When it is Sun Quan's turn, he is always a bit difficult to deal with. Having experienced the three dynasties of Soochow, he is highly virtuous and respected. At this time, if you want him to bow his head and be submissive, except for Zhou Gong, translate
If you look through history books, you really can't find a few people.
Not to mention, there were big hands behind him pushing him forward.
Power is like wealth. When you pick it up and put it down again, you have to weigh it and decide whether you can stand the contrast.
It's just that... Zhang Zhao thought very well, and he did have strong soldiers and horses.
But from beginning to end, he was never a truly good general or commander.
An army has a unified goal and a commander that everyone loves. No matter how small the number of the army is, it can burst out with unimaginable power. On the contrary - even if the number of the army is large, it may be like a rabble.
Generally speaking, they can be easily defeated after a slight setback - this... depends on who they encounter.
Unfortunately, with the Hefei garrison filled with mournful soldiers and the famous general Zhang Liao with great charisma, an army that seemed to fully fit the template of a strong army appeared.
The one who brought them together seemed to have created an army that was about to become a nightmare for the Soochow people with just a few strokes.
——
Around the time the sun was setting, the vanguard troops led by Zhu Huan had already protruded out of the valley, crossed the boundaries of Wancheng, and arrived at the outskirts of Hefei——
Hefei, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers, looks like the prototype of a grand pass under the reflection of the setting sun.
However, Zhu Huan didn't pay much attention to it——
The moment the soldiers and horses emerged from the valley, under the leadership of Zhu Huan, the army quickly crossed Shishui and headed towards the north of Hefei City.
At the same time, Han Dang and Ding Feng's teams also arrived one after another.
They were covering Zhu Huan's team, as if they didn't want to alert the enemy. Zhu Huan and the others wanted to outflank the retreat. Naturally, the sooner they were discovered by the other side, the better.
It's just that... nearly 30,000 soldiers and horses suddenly appeared near the valley on the outskirts of Hefei. Naturally, they had already alerted the rangers who were always paying attention to the movements here.
This was Zhang Liao's arrangement. Obviously, the Soochow soldiers and horses under Zhang Zhao's command did not do everything. The key is... Although the team led by Zhang Zhao this time is like a cloud of fierce generals, these 100,000 soldiers were provided by the gentry group.
The soldiers and horses temporarily sacrificed were not the team they were familiar with at all - the only team that could be regarded as elite soldiers and generals was currently at the rear of the army, leisurely drinking tea and listening to music. Obviously, there was no one going into battle to kill the enemy.
the meaning of.
——Several cavalrymen rushed towards Hefei. Within the time of two sticks of incense, Zhang Liao, who had been waiting in the city for a long time, received the news of the movements of Soochow soldiers and horses outside the city——
"Hmph... As expected, Zhang Zhao doesn't know how to fight at all. With such an obvious outflank, does he really think we are a bunch of idiots?"
After Zhang Liao heard the report from his subordinates, he sneered and admired Yi Xiaotian's prediction even more -
"The general's miraculous calculation... I admire you! I will inform General Wen right away and let them prepare for an ambush and counterattack!"
"I didn't come up with this. If you want to thank me, just thank Mr. Yi!"
"As for General Wen, it's not time yet. Let them continue to ambush. When the other party makes a move, we will kill them together and catch them off guard!"
Jiang Ji complimented Zhang Liao on the side, but Zhang Liao did not dare to take any credit. As he said, all the mysteries have been solved with a piece of advice.
What the tip bag says - this time the Soochow soldiers and horses will definitely not be the elite soldiers trained by Zhou Yu, and as long as the opponent sends troops, the local coach cannot have a more suitable candidate than Zhou Yu - then we need to do something
It's very simple...
The first strategy is to know yourself and the enemy and fight a hundred battles without danger.
In terms of information and intelligence, the Soochow Army was completely defeated, and all their actions were exposed to Zhang Liao's eyes.
The reason why Zhang Liao stood still was because it was obvious that there was more than one strategy in his bag -
