Chapter 24: Deserving Kindness and Encountering Heng Underestimating the Enemy (Continued)
Chapter 24 of the main text of Overturning the Han Dynasty, Shen Dang Enyu Heng underestimated the enemy. When the time came to the last day of September, after nearly half a year of war, especially after the defeat in Xuzhou, there was still some anger within the Central Plains Allied Forces.
The high-level universals have already had some kind of awareness of breaking the boat. Because at this point, if you don’t have the awareness to risk everything, you can only sit back and wait for death!
Sun Ce led seven armies to sneak attack on Yecheng, which was such a product.
In fact, during this operation, Cao Cao followed Xun Yu and Liu Bei behind him and did not directly describe the specific battle plan. However, this decisive attitude at this time undoubtedly received the full support of the latter two... Otherwise
, action may not be possible.
However, attitude is attitude, and determination is determination. The problem is that even if some people have the consciousness to die, they will still fall into despair. For example, when you come to the north of Wuchao Ze and see Huang Gai, there is no one there.
.
To be fair, Huang Gongfu's strategy of false surrender was actually extremely clever, because his real strategic purpose was not to annihilate the enemy, let alone gain Gongsun Xun's trust, so there was no need to worry about whether Gongsun Xun saw through his false surrender...
…His purpose was to gain Gongsun Xun’s attention so as to give the Central Plains Allied Forces the real killer move. That is, Huang Gai didn’t know about it, but Sun Ce’s Seventh Army, which had already arrived on the north bank of the Yellow River, tried to buy time to cover up the plan.
If I had to make an analogy that was very inappropriate and inappropriate for the atmosphere, Huang Gongfu was basically out to sell it, just for the sake of novelty and attention... It would be better if Gongsun Xun really believed in him, and maybe he could cause some damage, but if he didn't believe it, he would kill himself.
It would be better if these one hundred and eighty kilograms were thrown on the battlefield to buy opportunities for the main force and the surprise attack force.
However, the problem now is that Gongsun Xun actually deceived him to go to Wuchao Zebei and then ignored him!
Huang Gongfu was really not afraid of death. In fact, he was determined to die before he came. But what made him despair was that he risked everything and was ready to sacrifice everything, but at the last moment he lost all value...or rather
, at this moment, General Sun, who was not afraid of death, was actually extremely frightened for a moment. He was extremely scared now. After he arrived at the real battlefield, would it be too late to even join the battle?
Wuchao Ze is located in the northeast of Guandu. The water is shallow at this time. It is just a swamp with a muddy area of about fifteen or six miles in radius. It is not big or small. Only Jishui passes through the center of the lake.
It is necessary to pay attention to dividing the north and the south... Therefore, the strategy agreed upon by Huang Gai and Cao Cao at the beginning was still very reasonable. Huang Gai led 3,000 troops to feign surrender and arrived at the grain transportation channel north of Wuchaoze first, while Cao Cao led 30,000 main troops to stop at
At the southeast corner of Wuchao Ze across a river, Cao Ren led his troops to hold the camp, and at the same time secretly gathered troops and horses on the easternmost side of the Guandu battlefield to respond.
If Gongsun Xun trusted Huang Gai and successfully surrendered, and was deceived by Huang Gai to go south, Cao Cao would immediately go north to the south bank of Jishui River to see if he could attack halfway across the river, and try his best to cooperate with Huang Gai to win a small victory;
But if the fake surrender succeeds, but Gongsun Xun is cautious in using his troops and is only willing to wait in the predetermined ambush site in the north of Wuchao Zebei, then Cao Cao will pretend to have discovered the ambush when he can't see the troops after arriving in Jishui, and immediately retreat. Huang Gai will live or die.
There is a destiny, success or failure depends on God, let him do whatever he wants;
As for if the fake surrender fails, Gongsun Xun will not be able to trust Huang Gai. Needless to say, Huang Gongfu will simply march to the drums and repay the kindness of Sun and his son with a suicide attack. Cao Cao is separated by a black nest.
Ze will retreat decisively!
In this scenario, the scheduled battlefield in the northeastern corner of Wuchaoze where Gongsun Xun and Huang Gai are located is about forty miles away from the Guandu front line, which is where Cao Ren is. Cao Cao is located between the two, far away from where Huang Gai and Huang Gai imagined.
Gongsun Xun's main force was about fifteen miles away, but there was a large river in the middle, Jishui, which seriously delayed the cavalry's advance. The distance from Cao Ren was twenty-five miles away... This was a safe distance, and he could completely catch up before Gongsun's army's cavalry crossed the river.
, in front of the camp, he received support from Cao Ren who had crossed the ditch on the east side of the Guandu battlefield, gathered the army, and then slowly and calmly returned to the camp.
But the problem now is that Gongsun Xun and his main force did not appear north of Jishui at all... but went directly out of the camp to the east and appeared south of Jishui!
Or to put it bluntly, at noon, Cao Cao had just led his 30,000 main force to stop at the southeast corner of Wuchao Ze, preparing to wait for Huang Gai's message. Before he could take a breath for a quarter of an hour, smoke and dust rose due to the west, and the ground shook for a moment.
, as if there are countless cavalry, all coming here!
To put it bluntly, Gongsun Xun didn't know whether to believe Huang Gai or not, and he didn't want to guess what other mysteries were behind this battle. Moreover, he was already determined to end this protracted war, and he also didn't want to fight on a battlefield scheduled by others, let alone
What kind of battlefield speculation is there based on the so-called historical knowledge? Therefore, according to the military advice of Jia Xu and Xun You, regardless of whether Huang Gai faked his surrender or whether Cao Cao was plotting against him, he suddenly led the main cavalry to attack directly from the south of Wuchao Ze.
Seeking to cut off the main retreat route of Cao's army is the real 'perfect strategy'!
Because Wuhuan, Xiongnu, and Xianbei cavalry could not be replenished for a while, after that battle, only about 35,000 cavalry were left in the Yan army camp. At this time, they came out in full force after breakfast, easily overtaking the already
The partially dried up ditch came to the dense forest area on the east bank of the ditch to ambush. After Cao Jun arrived at the battlefield, the Yan Army cavalry who had discovered the military situation once again came out in full force and rushed eastward along the south bank of Wuchaoze.
As soon as the ten thousand cavalrymen crossed the sheltered area of the woods to the east of the sewer and arrived on the plain, they saw the Cao army's formation stationed on the bank of the river from a distance.
There was no cover on the plain, and the Yan army's cavalry was overwhelming. They were attacking in large numbers. Naturally, Cao Mengde could see it clearly, but he was three parts shocked and three parts angry. And then he was actually three parts surprised. Naturally, the Yan army was surprised.
The prime minister here is naturally angry because the Yan army clearly does not have the numerical superiority, but relies on the sharpness of the cavalry and does not pay attention to its most elite 30,000 infantry. Instead, it rushes directly; as for the joy, it is naturally because
Since Gongsun Xun came up with this strange strategy, it seems that all the cavalry of the army may be here. From a strategic point of view, his general plan of recruiting reinforcements for Sun Ce, or making suspicious soldiers, can be regarded as completed to some extent.
On the plains, infantry and cavalry must move, but they must move strategically. And to be honest, Cao Mengde is very confident that he will retreat with his whole body this time.
This is because the 30,000 infantrymen in this attack were all the elite of the Confederate army, with a large number of soldiers, famous generals and warriors filling the entire army, and they were extremely organized; moreover, after that bloody battle, most of the established cavalry was completely lost.
The Southern Army was well-prepared to deal with the Yan Army's cavalry. They had large shields, spears, and crossbows. This time the 30,000-strong army was equipped with equipment specifically designed for the cavalry.
With such preparation, it may not be impossible to fight and retreat at the same time, and successfully retreat with alternate cover.
And when we retreated a dozen miles and approached the Guandu camp, it would be dark, and the wheeled artillery carriages would be shielded across the ditch, plus there would be a hedgehog nest like the Guandu battlefield, no matter what!
However, before that, we must stabilize our formation!
In fact, although these ideas were complicated, they had already been deduced in Cao Mengde's mind. At this time, as soon as the idea came up, he made a prompt decision and ordered the entire eight battalions of the army to form formations to protect themselves, but also required to maintain order as a whole. , protect each other.
Which eight camps?
Liu Bei's general Zhou Tai led three thousand Danyang soldiers;
Wen hired five thousand soldiers from Jiangxia;
Li Tong led 5,000 soldiers from Runan;
Chen Wu cited three thousand Lujiang Xuanjia;
Xu Sheng cited three thousand plain armor from Jiujiang;
In the end, Cao Cao's army of 11,000 soldiers was divided into three. He led 3,000 men, and Liang Jiashi and the remaining 2,000 cavalry of the entire army were in the middle. Two lieutenants, Du Xi, and Mao Jie each led 3,000 troops to the two wings. Branch camp!
The Eighth Battalion of Soldiers, Li Tong and Wenpin are in the east, Cao Cao and his two lieutenants are in the middle, and the three generals Zhou Tai, Chen Wu, and Xu Sheng are in the west. They are all typical infantrymen who stick to the square formation, but they look a bit hollow, with shield hair. The soldiers were outside, with the crossbowmen in the middle and behind. Then the eight battalions of soldiers gathered together and formed a large square formation similar to a nine-square grid, facing the Yan army cavalry.
However, it is worth mentioning that the three Huainan generals who bore the brunt cooperated tacitly. Before Cao Cao issued the military order, Chen Wu and Xu Sheng took the initiative to move forward slightly on both sides, while Zhou Tai retreated slightly in the middle. , the three generals worked together to set up a concave array posture more than a hundred steps deep.
The cavalry of the Yan Army galloped in, led by Tian Yu and his troops. Tian Guorang was young and energetic after all, and had experienced the battle a few months ago, so he could not help but underestimate the field strength of the Southern Army's infantry... so he Although people guessed Cao Jun's plot at a glance, he still ordered the cavalry not to slow down and trample forward, as if thinking that the opponent's hasty formation must be unstable, and the army was attacked hastily, and the army was panicked. Maybe they could rely on the cavalry to intimidate them. Crash in one fell swoop to accomplish extraordinary feats!
However, the three formations in front of him, that is, the troops of Zhou Tai, Chen Wu, and Xu Sheng, are basically the three most elite troops that Liu Bei relies on most. Not only are they fully armored, but most of them are veterans. At this time, all the peripheral troops are equipped With large shields and spears, all the troops inside were equipped with bows and crossbows. They were not afraid when tens of thousands of Yan army cavalry came to cover the ground!
Tian Yu led his troops forward bravely. He had already passed Chen and Xu Er's formation on the left and right, and rushed to Zhou Taijun's formation more than a hundred steps away. However, he found that the opponent was still motionless, and he was shocked... You must know that the cavalry The effect of charging against heavy infantry is more to intimidate. To truly step forward and trample melee, you need to find the right angle to charge around from behind, or simply take advantage of the enemy's formation to disperse and massacre, and directly charge head-on to the heavy infantry equipped with spears and large shields. It is tantamount to committing suicide... As a veteran cavalry general, how could Tian Guorang not understand these truths?
As a result, he was so shocked that he could only turn in front of Zhou Tai, and his three thousand cavalry had to be divided into two, sliding to both sides like running water against a stone, but they penetrated into Cao's army. Within the large formation.
And at this moment, on the command platform piled with simple debris in the middle of the military formation, Jiujiang Zhou Youping, who had always been taciturn, suddenly gave an order, but there was only one word:
"shoot!"
Upon hearing this, the guards beside him immediately waved their flags. Immediately, not only the Danyang military formation under Zhou Tai, but also the Huainan Shangjia on the left and right also launched their attacks!
Arrows rise like locusts and fall like rain!
Countless Yan army cavalry who ventured to attack were in the gap between Cao Jun's formation, and were suddenly shot from two sides. They were also hit by arrows and fell to the ground, causing heavy casualties!
In fact, as the armored knights produced by Ye, the combat skills and armor of these knights cannot be said. The probability of being hit by an arrow is not high. Even if someone is hit by an arrow, it is difficult to cause fatal injuries on the spot.
But the problem is that the horses under their crotches are too big to cover up... As for iron horse armor, Gongsun Xun doesn't have it. He also tried the so-called 'iron pagoda' as his mother calls it.
But even with the economic strength of Hebei Jiuzhou, they could only produce 500 pairs. This battle was not brought at all, but was thrown away... As for the ordinary Yan Army knights, even if they are officers, if
To stand out from the crowd when sitting on a war horse, the most you can do is to put a horse-faced armor on the horse's head, maybe even leather.
Therefore, back to the present, this battle really fulfilled the saying: shoot the man first, shoot the horse!
When Cao Jun's arrows were fired in unison, it was not the arrows themselves that caused widespread casualties to Yan's army, but the injuries caused by falls and the trampling of his own cavalry and war horses.
Tian Yu didn't have time to be alarmed and regretful, because after the first wave of arrows fell, his horse neighed and was hit by an arrow. He staggered and left Tian Guo in the passage between Cao's army formations.
.And Tian Yu, out of the instinct of a northern knight, stood up almost immediately and tried to turn over and jump onto an empty horse. However, he felt that his left leg had no feeling and he could not exert any force at all. Instead, he fell down again.
The earth is also horrified!
Fortunately, there were dozens of close guards beside him. Seeing this, they almost stopped their horses and took advantage of a hail of arrows to help the general onto a war horse.
While Tian Yu was mounting his horse, he looked around and saw that there were no less than a hundred casualties on his side of the passage. He couldn't help but feel more horrified, and immediately ignored him and shouted an order:
"Quickly move out from both sides! Quickly move out!"
After saying this, the man did not dare to be negligent. He immediately leaned over and hugged the horse's neck. He took his own bodyguard and protected his flag and tried his best to escape to one side.
At this time, the differences between the various battalions of the Confederate army became apparent.
Among them, Liu Bei's core elite, that is, the Danyang soldiers and the Huainan Shangjia, saw the situation with restraint and did not miss the opportunity to fight. Zhou Tai's troops in the center just sent forward spearmen to kill those who were unable to land.
The wounded knights of the Yan Army did not waste precious arrows to fire another volley that was destined to be insufficient. However, Xu Sheng and Chen Wu on both sides did not hesitate to take advantage of the knights of the Yan Army to escape from behind their formation.
At this time, another volley was fired to the east, again causing a lot of casualties.
In contrast, the second battalion of Mao Jie and Du Xi, who were also facing fighters, fired one arrow too early and the other too late. They did not form a tacit understanding of cross-killing with Xu Sheng and Chen Wu in front of them.
However, from another aspect, Tian Yu would not be grateful for the poor cooperation between these two people. His knights suffered heavy casualties, and he barely escaped with his life and even had a broken leg. He was already filled with regret, shame and anger...
...and as soon as he escaped from a safe distance, he gritted his teeth and called his personal guards to come over and find him wooden sticks and ropes. While fixing the injured leg itself, he also had someone tie him tightly to the war horse.
Showing determination to fight to the end.
At this time, the rest of the main cavalry of the Yan Army also came to the front. Seeing Tian Yu's miserable situation, they naturally did not take any more risks. They just spread out to the two wings and surrounded the Cao Army's formation to observe and search for fighters.
However, even so, there were still a small group of troops who were eager to test and then returned in confusion... Until a moment later, a cloud of white horses appeared on the west side of the battlefield, protecting a light white horse flag that attracted 60,000 to 70,000 people from both the North and South armies.
When they arrived, the whole army quickly reorganized, retreated slightly, and half surrounded Cao's army from the west in a three-and-a-half-sided manner, and then all the generals gathered under the banner.
Gongsun Xun came to the front of the formation and looked at Cao Jun's hollow formation from a distance. He was also shocked for a moment, and almost instinctively turned back to look at Xun You, who was the most outstanding in military strategy.
Xun Gongda, who was usually taciturn, watched carefully for a while, and couldn't help but sigh, unable to say more: "Although Liu Xuande, who knows cavalry, is indispensable here to assist the staff, the fact that Cao Mengden was able to set up such a large formation against the cavalry after a defeat shows that
He is a genius in the world in military strategy!"
Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, but then looked at the clearly visible crossbowmen inside and outside the enemy formation. The shield-haired man narrowed his eyes slightly, thoughtfully.
But at this moment, the injured Tian Yu finally arrived, but his face was red, and he immediately bowed his head and apologized:
"The loss of my troops has only increased the morale of the enemy. I really have nothing to say. I would like to ask Your Highness to punish me for the crime of rash advancement after the war, so that I can have the opportunity to fight to the death in this battle to repay the country!"
"That's good." Gongsun Xun came back to his senses, his face remained as usual, and he seemed not to care at all. "All merits and demerits will have to wait until this battle. Killing you now will only boost Cao Cao's morale. Try your best first."
Regarding the war, let’s talk about how you broke your leg again...
Tian Yu became increasingly embarrassed and angry, but he still described in detail the details of his reckless advance and damage in front of the generals and many Chinese army staff, Yi Cong. Gongsun Xun was also particularly meticulous, and even asked Zhou Tai, Xu Sheng,
The sequence and effects of the arrows fired by Chen Wu, Mao Jie, and Du Xi's fifth battalion soldiers.
After roughly understanding it, Gongsun Xun was still thoughtful and was not in a hurry to attack. But when he turned around and looked behind him at the woods not far away that covered the sewer and the Guandu camp, he saw
Suddenly he whispered something to Xun You, and immediately called Wang Xiang forward, and immediately asked him to write a military order that sounded very ordinary to the generals around him. After reading it for a while, he rarely added it himself, and then
Let Jiang Gan return to the camp in person, and then immediately arrange tactics and organize an attack.
But at this moment, a cavalryman suddenly galloped out from Cao Cao's banner in the front of Cao Cao's army. When he came to the formation, he abandoned his spear, cut his head to the ground, and then continued to move forward... causing the Yan army generals to look at each other.
Gongsun Xun instinctively looked at a military advisor accompanying the army this time, but it was Jia Wenhe.
And Jia Xu immediately understood:
"It should be to see if all the cavalrymen beside His Highness are here!"
Gongsun Xun laughed dumbly and wanted to refuse, but for a moment his heart moved slightly. Instead, he directly promised to the messenger who had come to him under the surveillance of the Yan army knights: "I tell your lord, you are not allowed to bring crossbows. There is a gap in front of the formation."
It's enough to meet and talk to each other a hundred paces away, so there's no need to hand over the horse and reminisce about old times."
Before the messenger could speak, he immediately nodded and returned to his own formation.
And sure enough, a moment later, Cao Mengde personally led dozens of riders out of the formation, and stood at a safe distance of only twenty or thirty steps in front of Zhou Tai's formation. Zhou Tai also specially opened a gap to take care of it, while Gongsun Xun shook his head for a moment and also personally
Leading dozens of horses forward...the two sides were separated by more than a hundred steps, barely at the edge of the normal arrow range, and far away from each other.
Speaking of which, this was actually the first time the two old friends had met face to face since Meng Jin said goodbye that day... People were different and things were different, old grudges were new, and the two of them didn't know how to speak for a moment.
"Mengde."
Just when Cao Cao was counting the banners of the Yan Army's famous cavalry commanders, Gongsun Xun suddenly spoke, but he seemed to be at a loss for words. "Did you come up with this large formation against the cavalry yourself? Or did Xuande do it for you?
Thought?"
"Of course I came up with it myself." When Cao Cao saw that almost all the famous cavalry generals of the Yan Army were present, and the previous information that Xu Rong's flag appeared at Shenyuan Pass, he was also convinced, so he chuckled and said
"How? Can Wen Qi's cavalry break this formation?!"
"You will know later whether we can break it or not." Under the noon sun, Gongsun Xun reined in his horse and responded with ease. "However, if you really thought of it alone, it is really like what Gongda just sighed, you are in the military affairs
His talent is enough to be called a genius in the world!"
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes slightly and did not answer.
"However, I am also really curious, how come you have the courage to come out and fight me to the death?" Gongsun Xun continued to ask casually. "So what if you are a genius in the world, have you ever defeated me half a time in your life? It would be really unbearable to say that you have ended up in such a bad situation.
What will happen to me, how can I bear it?"
"Wen Qi!" Cao Cao sat on the horse and sighed, then responded loudly. "What you said is so ridiculous. When did people like you and me lose our ambitions because of differences in strength and personal relationships?
?Dong Zhuo was so strong that day, weren't we the first to declare war? I still remember that after you killed Dong Zhuo, you scolded Fang Qiu in front of the Weiyang Palace and pointed out the country. At that time, Zhu Gongwei asked you, what did you say that you were subordinate?
I was thinking about that day when I read the book..."
"This is what I mean!" Gongsun Xun interrupted with a laugh.
"Then I also have something to say from the bottom of my heart!" Cao Cao shouted back with all his strength. "You must listen carefully today!"
Gongsun Xun was curious for a moment.
"This battle!" Cao Mengde straightened up on his horse and spoke loudly with all his strength. "From the day I learned that you were stationed in Yandi and roughly understood your wolf ambition, I, Cao Mengde, have thought about it day and night, no more, no less.
, I have waited for a full twelve years! Next year, today, for the sake of our relationship, I will personally write a memorial to you to comfort your soul!"
The white horse knights and the generals behind him were all furious, but Gongsun Xun raised his head and laughed. After laughing, he raised his voice and responded: "Mengde! You want to kill me, but I have been reluctant to kill you from the bottom of my heart.
I sincerely cherish your talents and our old friends, so much so that I regard you as a comrade who reformed the old system and established the New Deal! Sometimes, it’s not that I haven’t thought about it, you will be my prime minister and Xuande will be my
Prime Minister Zuo, let's create a prosperous age together..."
Cao Cao was slightly startled.
"But you and I are both contenders for supremacy in the world. When the battle reaches this level, who can tolerate the other?" Gongsun Xun continued to sigh. "So, Meng De, you really put me in a difficult position. Because
If you die, my Gongsun Xun will be heartbroken..." When Gongsun Xun said this, he couldn't help but look at the sky for a moment, but without waiting for the other party to speak, the leader of the world suddenly responded with a solemn look and a sharp voice.
"But if my subordinates don't die for a day, I won't be able to live in peace for a day!"
After saying this, Gongsun Xun stopped talking nonsense, directly took out the sword from its sheath, raised it high, turned around and galloped back.
Behind him, thousands of knights on white horses and generals and officers from various departments saw this, and they all drew their swords and shouted for victory. Immediately, almost the entire Yan army shouted for victory, and the sound shook the field and shook the enemy's formation!
Cao Cao looked at the opponent's back and stood silent for a moment, but just a moment later, he immediately pulled out the green sword from his waist, reined in his horse and returned to the formation, while shouting to himself long live.
I am the dividing line that calls myself long live
"... By the end of September, Taizu set up an ambush in Wuchaoze with tens of thousands of cavalry, and with all his infantry, he suddenly set up a formation, with long spears and shields outside, and bows and crossbows inside. Eight battalions were arranged in a hollow, and each one was hollow.
The Jingqi could not move forward even an inch. When Taizu arrived at the formation, he looked at the military formation and sighed: 'This is truly a genius in the world! Therefore, he will not be able to live alone until he dies!'" "Xin Yan Shu", Volume 27
