Just as Jia Xu had judged, after Cao Cao received Xia Houyuan's body, he didn't care what he thought in his heart. He immediately sent an order to the three armies, accusing Xia Houyuan of not being good at using troops. He was always known as "General Bai Di" in the army.
, which means the idiot general, to show that the loss of Pubei and the death of Xiahou Yuan are not worth mentioning.
On the other side, after Gongsun set up camp in Pu River, he actually immediately issued a clear military order to the three armies, but it was an "Investigation of Sin"!
The reason why it was a complaint rather than an edict was because the edict was reserved exclusively for the emperor... In the complaint, Duke Yan admitted that he was deceived by Cao Cao because he was proud and complacent and underestimated the enemy, and fell into the latter's plan of killing a strong man.
As a result, all the time and space advantages brought by the early Hebei army's surprise attack were lost. Tens of days of decisive battle opportunities were wasted for five thousand cavalry, allowing Cao Jun to complete the construction of a deep military defense.
A strange and completely asymmetrical battle, in terms of tactical results, it was undoubtedly an absolute victory for the Yan army. They used their absolute strength advantage in the local battlefield to completely annihilate an enemy army and capture the enemy general; however,
From a deep strategic perspective, it was undoubtedly the success of Cao's army, because they barely stabilized their position during Gongsun's surprise attack and established a lifelong defense line.
However, in the face of this battle, the coaches of both sides said that the other side won and they lost, and then criticized and self-criticized desperately... The fact that war is so strange can only mean that both sides have some understanding of war before.
Unrealistic expectations, and then I finally realized it.
In fact, after Cao Cao's "Baidi General Order" and Gongsun's "Guilty Report" were issued, the biggest shock was the senior generals below the commander-in-chief of the two armies.
The generals of Cao Cao's army who were from Peiliang naturally began to share the same hatred of the enemy. Lu Su, who came to Chenliu as a reinforcement, Liu Ye and others understood Cao Cao's difficulties and were shocked. On the other side, the generals of the Yan army also fell into panic.
Amid the shock, Zhang Liao, who had taken advantage of the situation, and Zhang Jia, who had just been promoted, both wrote to apologize and confessed.
The former claimed that Xia Houyuan's death was actually the result of the combined efforts of all the generals; the latter reviewed and concluded that the general should not have taken the lead personally and ignored the army.
In response to this, Gongsun stayed behind and did not send any action. He only ordered the entire army to set up a defense line on the north bank of Pu River, then completed the camp, and confronted Cao Cao across the river in the upper reaches of Pu River, Jujube and Pingqiu.
It is said to be a confrontation, but in fact it is a gathering of forces while testing each other.
In just a few days, to be precise, it was early June, the number of troops from both sides in the two camps of Suanzao and Pingqiu, which were separated by the Pu River, reached an incredible level.
Fifteen thousand people, plus 20,000 auxiliary soldiers who came to support, the standing 5,000 civilians, the number reached 90,000 people; Punan was the 50,000 soldiers who originally supported Xiahou Yuan (the two soldiers Cao Cao brought from Chen County
Wan, Lu Zijing brought 30,000). After Liu Pan, Huang Zhong, Wenpin and other generals brought Liu Biao's support in place, there were also a full 70,000 field elites, plus tens of thousands of locals who hadtily gathered for local operations.
The total number of civilians should be no less than one hundred thousand!
In addition, there were troops from both sides facing off along the lower reaches of the Pu River, all the way to Puyang and Baima.
Xu Huang and Zhang Jaw led fifteen thousand people to live in the four cities in Pubei, opposite Li Tong, Wenpin led his troops to live in Kuangcheng, Pucheng, Changyuan and other cities, then Gao Shun lived in Baima, and Le Jin lived in Puyang
.
In a confrontation of this scale, both sides were a little nervous, and the tests never stopped from beginning to end. Small groups of elite troops kept crossing the river to test, but it was always difficult to gain a foothold... The large army was hampered by the rising water in summer, making it extremely difficult to calmly dispatch them face to face.
.
However, on this day, as Sizhou Mu Lou Gui came from the west of the ditch, the deputy envoy of Jingantai Guo Jia also came to Pushui from the direction of Baima.
, but he instantly understood that the second phase of the battle was about to come.
"Not to mention the generals, the quality of the rebel soldiers is not as good as ours, and after Xiahou Yuan's tribe was encircled and annihilated, the disadvantage of the cavalry became even more obvious..."
On this morning, which was the second day after Guo Jia entered the Pushui camp during the confrontation, a large-scale high-level military meeting officially began. However, after the generals were called to the Chinese army's tent by Gongsun, it was Guo Jia who led the generals.
We will explain the latest information obtained by Jing'an Station.
"Approximately how many cavalry are there?" Just as Guo Fengxiao stood in the tent and talked, Gongsun, who was sitting at the top, suddenly interrupted and asked.
"There should be more than ten thousand..." Guo Jia immediately explained.
"Why are there so many? Haven't we already cut off the horse business for several years?" Someone asked curiously, but it was Cheng Lian. "We have all the horse-producing areas in our hands, right?"
"It is true, but although the Central Plains and Jianghuai Province do not produce horses, before the world was in chaos, there were generally horse-breeding people." Guo Jia also explained seriously. "After the world was in turmoil, the number of horses in the Central Plains decreased sharply, and the princes of the Central Plains
He is not a fool, so naturally he wants to collect war horses, tame them and breed them... The Cao and Liu families, as well as Tao Qian before him, all have dedicated horse prisons in their farming areas. However, in the past six or seven years, the quality of the war horses grown locally is somewhat insufficient.
It’s just that, but it doesn’t mean that the shortage of horses is so bad that we can’t do anything. But now that the three major princes have joined forces, it is no problem for the three families to collect a total of 20,000 horses.”
Everyone nodded.
"But it is worth mentioning." Guo Fengxiao said here and paused for a moment. "Among them, Cao Mengde is the most northerly. In the past few years, in the name of the leader of the alliance, he repeatedly asked for good horses from Xuzhou and Huainan, which can be regarded as gathering an elite team.
There are about three thousand Guards Cavalry, known as the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, led by his younger brother Cao Chun."
The words "Hu Leopard Cavalry" attracted a burst of scornful ridicule, but when they heard the word "Cao Chun", many people in the tent couldn't help but feel a little strange. The combination of the two words caused a commotion.
It turned out that Cao Chun was also the person named on the wanted animal sign, but it was a winter chicken, and alongside him were the three generals Chen Wu, Xu Sheng, and Dong Xi. According to the description, these four chickens were all young.
A powerful, yet brave and aggressive assault general!
Among them, Cao Chun, needless to say, is Cao Ren's biological brother and Cao Jinzhi's cousin. He is twenty-seven years old this year. Because of his prominent family, when Cao Song was a Taiwei, he served as a Huang before he was crowned.
When Dong Zhuo was in chaos, he happened to be crowned as a minister, and he continued to work with Cao Cao. He was very famous in the Central Plains and even Hebei.
As for Chen Wu, his family has always been from a wealthy family in Lujiang. His father served as Liu Bei's general in his early years and served as the Danyang Captain. However, he died at the hands of Shan Yue in Danyang County two years ago. At that time, Chen Wu was only sixteen years old and happened to be in the army.
When he saw his father dying in battle, he simply raised his sword and led his father's old troops to counterattack, but he actually killed his enemy with his own hands!
After this incident, Liu Bei showed his bravery and actually allowed him to lead the army at the age of sixteen, and he accompanied him like an adopted son. Now he was allowed to go on an expedition with Lu Su. All three thousand of his troops were recruited from the hinterland of Huainan.
Lujiang has complete iron armor, and they are all so-called "armored soldiers". They have always been Liu Bei's elite, and they are painted black, so they are always known as "Lujiang Xuanjia"!
Opposite him was Xu Sheng.
Xu Shengnai is from Langya. In his early years, his family moved south to avoid the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Mount Tai. When he arrived at Guangling, he happened to hear that Liu Bei was in power in Huainan during the Qingming Dynasty. Many people from Xuzhou went there, so they no longer crossed the river, but turned to Huainan.
Then he lived in Shouchun, Jiujiang. Xu Sheng followed Liu Bei with bravery at that time. He followed him to sweep Huainan and had many meritorious deeds. He was young and brave, liked to ride a white horse and wore white armor, so he was very popular with Liu Bei.
It is also used in front of the body.
His troops of 3,000 men were all recruited from Jiujiang. They were all well-equipped with iron armor, but most of them were plainly painted, so they were called "Jiujiang plain armor." When the two troops of Xu and Zhang were put together, Liu Bei had only 3,000 Peinan soldiers.
In addition to the soldiers, there is an elite headquarters that is like a lifeline, which is the famous "Huainan Shangjia"!
And Xu Sheng, naturally followed Lu Su in the expedition this time!
As for Dong Xi, he was under the command of Sun Ce. He was originally from Kuaiji, but he always looked down on the Zhu family and his son. Instead, he admired the bravery of the Sun family and his son. When Sun Ce marched into Kuaiji, he simply led the children from his hometown to the county boundary.
Gao Qian knelt down in front of the pavilion to greet him. Therefore, Sun Ce was overjoyed and saw that he was very brave, so he simply asked him to lead three thousand Kuaiji disciples, and together with another general Ling Cao who led three thousand Wujun disciples, they served as a standing vanguard.
.
It is said that this setting itself was modeled after Liu Bei's Huainan Second County Shangjia.
However, this time Sun Ce went north, and because Ling Cao was older and more stable, he stayed behind to look after the rear. Only then did Dong Xi stand out, and he was able to join the other three in a tie for four!
"The animal cards are limited, except for the four seasons cards, there are only fifty." Gongsun Jing, who was sitting sideways and squinting in the Taiwei's chair, waited for the silence in the tent, and then gave a slight reminder. "Of course the ones included in it are
The enemy's heroes are also affected by the opponent's status and duties. For example, these four chickens are because they all lead famous armors and more famous cavalry...and many heroes cannot be listed due to space.
However, it should not be underestimated. For example, Ding Fei had a field army of 40,000 to 50,000 men, all equipped with infantry and cavalry. Several famous generals from Hebei Province were unexpectedly blocked by a county magistrate. Isn’t this lesson enough? Don’t put the cart before the horse."
As soon as these words were spoken, the generals sitting on both sides of the tent dared to be negligent at this time. They quickly stood up and said yes, and the sound of armors clashing could be heard for a while.
"Everyone, sit down, Fengxiao will continue to speak!" Gongsun raised his hand to signal.
"Here!" Guo Jia also did not dare to neglect. "In any case, the enemy's cavalry is just like this. The quantity and quality are not comparable to our cavalry... However, the enemy also has an advantage, that is, the cities throughout the Central Plains are really
It's too dense! For example, in Chenliu County, in addition to the jujube on the north bank of Pu River, which is controlled by our army, there are a full 21 cities in the hands of Cao's army! Our army is attacking, and the enemy is defending.
Needless to say, the advantage of the city is the auxiliary army. Once the civilians occupy the strong city and have stable and good officials, they can replace the elite of our army in the field, and the enemy's biggest disadvantage will be eliminated.
Smooth it out! For example, Liu Xuande sent a total of 120,000 troops to support Cao Cao. Among them, there were only 30,000 field elites with complete equipment and combat experience. There were also 30,000 auxiliary troops who had some training and were armed, and the remaining four
They are nothing more than common people... But now that their troops are divided into three, with the elite following Cao Cao to the camp on the other side, while the auxiliary troops are stationed in various cities along with Cao Cao's local officials, and the common people are transporting grain and grass to and from the Huaihe River, they can no longer be allowed to do so.
We underestimate the strength of 30,000."
There was silence in the tent for a moment, because this was the serious issue mentioned in Gongsun's previous "Guilty Report". Cao Cao used the time Xia Houyuan had bought to successfully accomplish this matter.
"Total strength!" In the silence, Gongsun held his chin and continued to ask sideways.
"Yes!" Guo Jia bowed his head in response, and then raised his head to face him. "According to the information compiled by Jing'an Station, it is roughly as follows... Cao Jun had originally prepared to mobilize 100,000 people. This time, he lost more than 10,000 people. It should be
There are still **0,000 people, but they live within the stronghold, and the civilian supplements should be limited to logistical preparations; Liu Bei is slightly more powerful, and he can send 120,000 people this time; Liu Biao sends 30,000 soldiers
, 30,000 auxiliary soldiers, a total of 60,000 people, and their people are responsible for transporting grain and grass to Nanyang, and it is difficult to calculate the civilians; only Sun Ce is the simplest, with 20,000 people almost coming out in full force, and Jiangdong has been experiencing frequent wars in recent years
, they should all be considered combat soldiers...and when all are put together, there are still about 300,000 soldiers! Although our army had small victories and annihilated enemies before, it did not shake the overall situation."
"Rough distribution and arrangement." Gongsun continued to ask with his forehead raised.
"The enemy's army layout can be roughly divided into five sections! From west to east, they are Nanyang Lu Bu and Cai Mao, with about 20,000 to 30,000 troops, including more than 10,000 combat troops; Yingchuan Sun Ce has 20,000 combat troops and 10,000 auxiliary troops.
Thirty thousand people; Chenliu, Jiyin, and Dongjun, or from the front to the west of Leize, are led by Cao Cao personally, with Lu Zijing as his deputy, with about 60,000 fighting troops, 60,000 auxiliary troops, and countless civilians;
From Lei Ze and Daye Ze to Mount Tai, they were led by the Marquis of Xia, with five thousand soldiers and more than 20,000 auxiliary troops. Further east, there was the Langya area of the East China Sea in Xuzhou, which was supervised by Zhou Yu, and there were about Cao Liu who was originally stationed in the East China Sea.
The two families had 5,000 soldiers and 10,000 naval troops, and later Liu Bei added 10,000 auxiliary troops..."
"Do you understand?" Gongsun suddenly interrupted Guo Jia's narration, and then frowned at the generals in the tent.
"My subordinates generally understand." Tian Chou, the most senior general below the two military strategists, Huhuan Zhonglang, quickly stood up and said. "Fengxiao probably wants to emphasize... Now Cao Cao is fighting locally, and there are
The dense city serves as a shield, so the civilians cannot just copy the previous figure of 100,000, because it is convenient for them to replenish... The key to this battle is to eliminate their remaining 90,000 combat soldiers and 90,000 auxiliary soldiers, right?"
"General Tian's words hit the target." Guo Jia bowed his head slightly. "But it's more than that... In fact, before this trip, Jing'antai had a discussion in Yexia, and they all thought that this battle would be no better than before, because
Both sides have a foundation and both can be supplemented!”
"I understand the meaning of Fengxiao." Another general, Yuyang Tianyu, suddenly realized. "What you, Jing'antai, want to say is that if this battle continues to be stalemate, the war is likely to form a stable and smooth posture.
Just like the Amway business... I mean, because both sides have production capacity, once the stalemate stabilizes, the civilians can add auxiliary troops at any time. After the auxiliary troops have been trained a lot, they can also fight in the field. The so-called combat troops, auxiliary troops.
The number of soldiers and civilians is only limited to the scale of logistics, and it is not fixed!"
"What do you mean by this?" Some people are still confused, such as Yuwen Heita.
"That is to say, if we defeated their 20,000 elites in one battle, but did not break through the opponent's camp." When Gongsun was face to face, someone would naturally explain sincerely. For example, Zhang Liao immediately spoke at this time. "Then they originally had 90,000 soldiers.
After the loss of 20,000, it will not become 70,000, but it will immediately become 80,000 after a slight supplement. In a few dozen days, the soldiers and armor will be ready, and it will be 90,000 again... It is like this time.
Xia Houyuan lost five thousand cavalry and more than ten thousand auxiliary troops in Pubei, and if the camp cannot be broken quickly, the enemy's 300,000 troops will actually soon recover to the same 300,000 troops, but there will be only 5,000 horses missing."
Yuwen Black Otter is still confused.
"The Central Plains has a large population, which is no more limited than the grassland population." Tian Yu couldn't help but interrupt and explained. "You can think of it as your tribe has enough people, but can only afford ten horses, so as long as the horses don't die, they will only die.
For one knight, there are still ten knights in your army!"
Only then did Yuwen Black Otter suddenly realize.
"A boy can be taught." Gongsun suddenly spoke, and he didn't know whether he was praising Tian Yu or Yuwen Heita.
As he spoke, the tent that was originally slightly noisy became quiet for a while, but Gongsun became silent again.
"Then how should this battle be ended?" After a long time, Zhang Liao couldn't help but ask the two military advisors who were sitting still.
He didn't dare to ask Gongsun.
“There are only three ways to end this war.”
It can't be sustained; one is to force forward, let the elite field forces of both sides face off, and defeat the opponent's most elite troops in one battle; the other is..."
"It means to penetrate the local defense chain and attack the opponent's core." Gongsun said. "Penetrate Chenliu and attack Chenjun, and Cao Mengde will die! Because by then he will not be able to raise a hundred thousand soldiers! If he doesn't attack Chenliu, he will die!"
When the battle reaches Shouchun, my brother Xuande will not be able to support his 120,000 troops. At that time, he will either surrender or go to the south of the Yangtze River to make do... However, judging from the current situation, Cao Cao will definitely rely on layers of cities.
, resist constantly and try to avoid fighting! In this case, a head-on decisive battle may not be possible; if you want to penetrate Chen Liu, you will inevitably suffer heavy losses."
"Then what should we do?" Tian Yu asked carefully.
"Of course we are advancing while seeking a decisive battle, what else can we do?" Gongsun sneered. "Do we have to waste it? If it takes three to five years, believe it or not, the whole world will be ruined! Even if it only takes one year,
Year, there is no way a famine will come, because all the people in the Central Plains of Hebei have lost their savings, and more than 100,000 people have died!"
All the generals were in awe.
"Of course, pushing forward and forcing a decisive battle will require you." Gongsun suddenly laughed again, but stood up and walked towards the tent, causing the whole tent to become nervous. "Cao Mengde has 70,000 soldiers and 70,000 auxiliary soldiers.
The fighting troops are concentrated in the Pushui camp, and the auxiliary troops are deployed in the surrounding cities to provide support. We now have nearly 90,000 troops in Pubei... If I go to attack him and he defends it, it is equivalent to facing 120,000 troops.
The crowd may not be able to win, and there is no chance that he will find a gap behind him to cut off the food path. But on the other hand, if he comes to attack me, he can only attack me with a crowd of 70,000, and I will use 50,000 steps.
With the soldiers and 20,000 auxiliary troops, it will be enough to occupy the city and defend it by the water! So...Zibo!"
Lou Gui, who had been silent until now, immediately stood up.
"I have had some discussions with the two military advisors before, and I am even going to leave all the infantry to you... Let you guard the camp here for me, and the commander-in-chief Xu Huang, Zhang Jiao, Gao Shun, guard the Pu River!"
Gongsun turned around in the middle of the tent and said, "Then I will personally lead all 40,000 cavalrymen around Sizhou to attack behind Cao Mengde! What do you think?"
Everyone cheered up. At this time, there was Sizhou on the flank to rely on!
"Our army's advantage lies in the cavalry. It is naturally feasible to bypass Sizhou." Lou Gui responded in a deep voice. "But how far do you intend to bypass, my lord?"
"It doesn't have to be too far. Just enter Sizhou, walk to Zhongmou, and attack Chenliu directly!" Gongsun replied casually. "What do you think?"
This Chenliu must refer to Chenliu City where Chenliu County is governed by Chenliu County, not Chenliu County.
Lou Gui is from Nanyang and is quite familiar with the geography here. After thinking about it for a moment, he suddenly realized: "Is the Lord going to leave Guandu?"
Gongsun was suddenly startled: "Guandu?"
"To leave Zhongmou and attack Chenliu... we must go to Guandu." Lou Gui responded sternly. "The Pu River and Ji River meet in the upper reaches, and there is also Wuchao Lake to the west of the Pu River junction. The water rises in summer, and the lord wants to avoid it.
When the main force of Cao Cao's army moves to Zhongmou, whether he wants to attack Chenliu to the east or Yingchuan to the south, he can only skip the intersection of Wuchaoze and Puji, cross the river from further upstream, and then cross the chasm to Shangguandu... In fact,
I have been thinking that if my lord hadn't made a surprise attack first and disrupted the opponent's plan, otherwise Cao Cao would have set up a formation at Guandu first to strangle Sizhou to the south of Cheng Zhen, because that is the strategic point at the junction of Sizhou and Yanzhou, and the first critical point outside Hulao Pass.
"
Gongsun was thoughtful.
I am the thoughtful dividing line
"Taizu has been in control of the sea, and the barbarians are ugly. When he marches and uses troops, he mostly follows the methods of Sun and Wu. He devises surprises according to the situation and deceives the enemy to win. He changes like a god. When things happen, he uses his hands to control the situation, and those who follow the order can overcome it.
If you are quick, those who violate the teachings will be defeated. If you are facing off with the captives, you will feel at ease, as if you don't want to fight. However, when the decisive opportunity comes to seize the victory, your momentum will be overflowing. Therefore, every battle will be defeated, and the army will not be lucky to win. If you use force throughout your life, you will never be able to defeat anyone.
Only Cao Cao can be compared to him." "Old Book of Yan". Volume 2. The Chronicles of Emperor Taizu Wu
