At the same time, the news of Qu Yi's death and Gao Lan's surrender also spread to the Eastern Capital of the Western Dynasty. From the civil and military officials to the army sergeants, everyone was overjoyed when they heard the news. Even Liu Bei was at court.
He laughed at the officials and said, "Cao Cao has been resolute in the affairs of the court for so many years, but this time he finally lost his temper!" After that, he sighed: "Although I hate Qu Yi deeply, I also admire his military strategy.
, I originally wanted to win a decisive battle with him on the battlefield, but I couldn't get what I wanted. It's really a shame!"
With the further collection of intelligence, many knowledgeable people in the DPRK realized that the opportunity to regain Hebei in World War I was ripe. For this reason, Fazheng analyzed in the table and said that with Qu Yi dead and Ju Yong changing hands, Cao Cao's military morale will definitely increase.
There was great turmoil, and according to reliable information, Cao Cao was moving the capital again. Many scholars in Hebei were opposed to it, which shows that Cao Cao was out of balance internally and externally and was in trouble.
Last year, the country captured Yecheng and Handan, but now it is in mediocrity. The Eastern Dynasty has no depth to speak of. At this time, as long as it raises troops and trusts the capital and destroys the enemy's leaders, it is very possible to take over Hebei in one battle. The so-called sky,
Land and people are three dangers. Cao Cao has lost two of them, but the country has everything. This battle is bound to win! Therefore, I advise Liu Bei not to hesitate. If you don't take it now, when will you wait?
Liu Bei was convinced. At this time, the war in Jingzhou had come to an end. Liu Bei immediately ordered Wei Yan to take a defensive position in Xiangyang, while he himself recruited the guard general Guan Yu, the governor of Dingxiang Zhang Fei, the governor of Puyang Yuan Tan, and the governor of Jizhou.
As well as the Wuhuan captain He Napinglin and other tribesmen, they traveled day and night to gather in Yecheng.
When the prince Liu Xie heard that Liu Bei was about to personally conquer the army again, he took the initiative to ask for his orders and said: "My father has been honored as the emperor. The so-called emperor means that the safety of the world depends on him. It is also said that the elder of the tree must strengthen its roots and must not move rashly. If the emperor is conquered, he will be killed.
Cutting down is originally the work of the ministers, why do you need to take part in it? I think that the great ancestor who conquered the world for many years did nothing more than drive the three heroes to use it. Later, he was targeted by Yingbu and died of illness. It was nothing more than filial piety! [1] Today is the year of my father!
The matter is already high and the bandits in the east are at the end of their rope. Why use my father to fight? Although my son is not talented, I am willing to fight for it on my behalf!"
Liu Bei was pleased with his growth, but still refused and said: "Cao Cao and I have known each other in the early years, and have been fighting each other for more than ten years. Now that he has finally got a chance, he can tell the difference, how can I not go?"
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Seeing the disappointment on Liu Xie's face, Liu Beikuan explained: "It's good if you have this intention. Now that the Prime Minister is recuperating, after I go to war, national affairs will still be discussed by you and Kong Ming. You did nothing wrong last year, and I am very happy. But this
You have to fight me personally, so you don’t need to say more."
Liu Bei read the documents again in Taichung, Shangshu. He saw that the military supplies were wasted and the national treasury was empty due to years of war. He sighed for a long time and said to his attendant Wang Ling: "I have been a ruthless soldier in my life and have fought countless battles.
But I have never been able to rest with the people. This is my fault. After this battle is won, I am willing to live for ten years so that our people can enjoy peace." He also ordered people to spread this message to the army. When the soldiers heard the news, they all responded.
The morale of the army is greatly boosted, and the troops are strengthened in order to achieve a great victory.
Before setting off, he received another letter from Chen Chong from Chang'an. In the letter, Chen Chong did not discuss any major national affairs, nor did he make military suggestions to Liu Bei. He just wrote a poem on the front of the letter, and the full text said:
"Spring and Autumn have many beautiful days. I climb high and compose new poems. When I pass the door, I greet each other and have wine to drink."
"We all go back to the farm work, and we often miss each other in our spare time. When we miss each other, we wear clothes and talk and laugh endlessly."
"Is this principle going to be defeated? Inaction will suddenly disappear. You must take care of your food and clothing, and you will not be deceived if you work hard."
At the end of the poem, he wrote: "I heard your promise and look forward to good news."
After Liu Bei read the letter, he led the letter to the Tai Pavilion and said: "The Prime Minister said it well. After this battle is over, we should all retire with success and enjoy peace and happiness at home."
By the end of July, all the armies gathered in Yecheng, and Liu Bei was there to inspect various ministries. He saw that there were many strange and strong young men among the officers of each government, but many of the old brothers around him had gray beards and hair.
He couldn't help but think of Liu Xie's request for battle, which aroused his pride and said with a smile to his generals: "Although Lian Po is old, he can't let his descendants be more beautiful than his predecessors!" So he immediately set off with the number two hundred thousand,
With 60,000 men on horseback, their flags were armored and the sun was shining brightly, they marched forward with drums beating all the way. The army was in great glory for a while.
As for the large-scale mobilization of the Western Dynasty, the Eastern Dynasty had long expected it. On the one hand, Cao Cao forced his eldest son Cao Pi to continue to take charge of the capital relocation, and on the other hand, he mobilized the armies of the four states of Qingxu, Youji, and Hebei, with a total of 80,000 soldiers and 10,000 horses, and they all gathered in Xindu.
.After that, he continued to send people to collect grain and grass from the prefectures and counties, and the land rent was also collected for three consecutive years. Hebei's treasury was almost empty, and there was no remnant of the civilian settlements, so that there were many complaints from the government.
Someone advised Cao Cao, saying that this would harm the people's livelihood, so could it be slowed down? Cao Cao sneered and said: "This is a time when the country's life and death are at stake, how can we use common sense to judge it? If we win this battle, I will take advantage of the victory to invade Henan, and the food shortage will be solved."
.If this battle cannot be won, Hebei will no longer be owned by the state. What does the quality of the people's livelihood have to do with the imperial court? What you said is ridiculous!"
During this period, Cao Cao continued to send scouts to inquire about the Western Army. At the same time, he loudly announced that Sun Quan had united with the Eastern Dynasty and would soon send troops to the north to attack Yan and Henan. He secretly tried to cause commotion in the Western Army and sent cavalry envoys as a letter.
Send it to Yuan Tan. The words in the letter are quite befitting of elders and old relatives. He recalls the past events between himself and his father Yuan Shao, and said: "The day when the Han Dynasty flourished, that is when Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbu died together. The wise should be
Think twice." In the end, he even sent an envoy to Liu Bei and said: "The common people are unlucky, so why use a large army? Isn't it wonderful that you and I each hold swords and decide the outcome with our own bodies?"
Liu Bei knew all of Cao Cao's actions. He immediately invited Yuan Tan out and confronted the envoy, saying: "Meng De is deceitful. How can we believe it? We are fighting for life and death on the battlefield and there is no need to say more!" Then he took all of Cao Cao's possessions.
Come and send them back together.
Without waiting for a reply, Cao Cao ordered to build a fort at a high point in the north of Jiangshui River, dig a trench, and trap all the supplies and grain and grass in it. He would surround the camp with infantry and cavalry, waiting for the Western Dynasty's army.
Although he used various methods, Cao Cao knew that Liu Bei was determined this time. If he could not win this battle, he would no longer be able to gain a foothold in Hebei. Therefore, before the arrival of the Western Dynasty army, he dispersed all the gold and treasures and distributed them to elite soldiers.
Promise the armies that after victory, women will be distributed to every soldier.
But even so, he was not at ease, still worried that his subordinates would not fight to the death or surrender to the enemy before the battle. So he sent an envoy to inform Cao Pi that while moving the capital, he would also take the soldiers' families into Liao hostage, in order to blackmail the soldiers and avoid them.
Double-mindedness.
At this time, the leading cavalry of the Western Army had arrived. They saw Cao Cao's camp from a distance and quietly built a camp to monitor it. The next day, Liu Bei and Guan Yu's central army also arrived, in addition to He Napinglin's Wuhuan.
Army, Yuan Tan's Dongfu Army. At this time, about 150,000 people rushed to the battlefield first, and the Xifu Army in the rear was still more than 70 miles away.
The generals have fought several battles with the Eastern Army, and this is the first time they have attacked the capital of the Eastern Dynasty. From a distance, the walls of Xindu are towering, but from a closer look, the Eastern Army is despondent. The generals are all proud, and they all ask Liu Bei for a battle. p>
Liu Bei estimated that it would take about four or five days for the Xifu Army to arrive. He also saw that the morale of all the armies was high, but Cao Cao's army had few horses and horses and was outnumbered. It still formed a formation with its back to the water and was in a desperate situation. Many of Cao Cao's previous attempts also failed.
It shows that he is in an unprecedented political crisis at this time and does not want to fight a decisive battle with himself.
Liu Bei quickly made up his mind and planned to fight a battle first. Although he wanted to take down Cao Cao in one go, he still said: "Cao Cao used his troops cunningly. Have you forgotten the defeat of Beipi? You must not
I have the intention of underestimating the enemy." He still ordered all the troops to take a short rest and prepare to go out to fight the next day.
It was about the Mid-Autumn Festival at this time, and the sky gradually darkened until Mao hour, when the sky was dim and bright. After dawn, the wind weakened, but the wind blew from the northwest. The flags of both opposing sides fluttered in the wind and made a hunting sound. Ji Han's army came out from the southwest and marched towards
It made a circle from the north and turned into an east-west horizontal formation, pressing towards Cao Cao's barracks from the north. This is because Xun You considered that the wind was blowing from the north, so he suggested to Liu Bei to set up the formation with the wind facing south and north.
By Chen time, the Western Army had already completed their formation, but no Eastern Army was seen coming out of camp to fight. A few moments later, dozens of light cavalry rushed out of the Western Army's formation, galloping towards various parts of Cao Cao's camp. However, the Eastern Army was seen with high bases and deep ditches.
, to avoid fighting, he had to return to the formation to report.
In the open space surrounded by the guards of the Central Army of the Western Army, there were several huts placed, and Liu Bei sat on one of the middle ones. Although he was already in armor, but not moving, he actually felt cold, and put a robe on his upper body. Detective
After the rider reported back, he looked up at the gray and gloomy sky, and said to Xun You who was sitting sideways: "It's not that Cao Cao didn't come out, he was waiting for the wind to stop. It is estimated that the wind weakened at noon, and they would not come out until they had lunch. I
We have already expected it, and all the armies have prepared dry food and water, and are moving around, waiting for him to come out and fight again."
After that, he got up, asked someone to take his mount, and inspected the armies, which was considered a little exercise.
The generals and staff who followed him crowded around, and the hot air from the war horses formed bursts of white mist. It seemed that the wind had indeed dropped a lot.
Liu Bei and General Guan Yu were riding side by side. Guan Yu's horse, Red Rabbit, suddenly tilted its neck for no reason and bit Liu Bei's ankle. Liu Bei was startled and pulled his leg hard, while Guan Yu also pulled the reins back and whipped fiercely.
He whipped the horse's neck. It took a lot of effort for the horse's mouth to loosen its grip. During the struggle, Liu Bei almost pulled off his boots.
Everyone on the left and right were frightened and jumped off their horses to see if the emperor's feet were injured. Liu Bei waved his hands repeatedly, telling everyone not to disturb others and that he had no problem. But he endured the pain and thought to himself, everyone said that the old horse has a spirit.
Is this a warning of bad omen? When fighting Cao Cao, you must be extra careful. The smoothest battle in your life is against Yuan Shu, but against Cao Cao, without the help of Ting Jian, you have never defeated Cao Cao alone. Although this time
You have an advantage, but you still have to be cautious and don't reveal any flaws.
Just at this time, the reconnaissance cavalry Fei Bao said that the East bandits had opened their camp and went out to fight, marching in a horizontal column from south to north, with the cavalry in front and the foot soldiers behind.
[1] Filial piety and benefit: During the Yingbu rebellion, Liu Bang wanted to order the prince Liu Ying to lead the army, but Liu Ying was afraid and refused. After Empress Lu interceded, Liu Bang had to fight with his sick body to fight in person. Later, Yingbu's rebellion was suppressed.
, as a result, he was hit by an arrow on the battlefield, which aggravated his condition, and he died shortly after the rebellion.