Chapter 95: The decisive battle is coming [two in one]
"PS: I returned to Hong Kong today, and will return to Shanghai tomorrow. I will start updating at that time. This trip is really tiring."
————The following text————
On the first day of the first lunar month in the twenty-seventh year of Wei Hongde, Prince Zhao Run of Wei State hosted a banquet in Julu City for the generals of his Shang Shui Army, which was supposed to be a celebration of the New Year.
The soldiers and generals of the Shangshui Army are no strangers to this. After all, it is not uncommon for the Yanling and Shangshui armies to celebrate the New Year in other countries during the war. Who asked these two armies to celebrate the New Year in other countries during the war?
The army, directly under the command of Prince Zhao Run, has been the most frequently deployed army in Wei in the past ten years.
Of course, whether holding a banquet to celebrate the New Year or rewarding the sergeants, the main purpose is to create a festive and peaceful atmosphere. In fact, there is not enough meat in Julu City, so that when the Wei army and generals celebrated the New Year, they had to
Braving the cold snow and going out of the city to hunt in the mountains, in the words of many Shang Shui soldiers, being idle is just idleness anyway.
Even Zhao Hongrun, when he had nothing to do, would lead a group of merchant cavalry out of the city to hunt, looking for traces of wild beasts in the ice and snow.
This has brought disaster to the wild beasts in the Julu area. Whether it is the wolves that are still hunting in the snow during this season, the bears that have long hidden in caves to hibernate, or other wild beasts, they are all attacked by these self-proclaimed animals.
Wei Jun's humans were regarded as food.
Perhaps to ordinary civilians, these wild beasts are dangerous and deadly, but to the experienced Shang Shui army and Wei soldiers, no matter how ferocious wild beasts are, they are nothing more than food.
It is worth mentioning that in this winter, Wu Ji, the general of the Shang Shui Army, finally completed his achievement of challenging a bear alone. In the snow, with dozens of Wei soldiers watching and cheering, he forcibly defeated a bear.
A bear that was several heads taller than him was beaten to the ground, and then dragged back to Julu City. Many soldiers and generals of the Shang Shui Army could not help but exclaim again. Their general was simply wearing a robe.
Monster in human skin.
Perhaps influenced by this astonishing move, a bad trend gradually began to spread among the Shang Shui army. For a while, the Wei soldiers seemed to be keen on fighting wild beasts to prove their bravery.
This sounds like a very high self-challenge, but in the final analysis, it is just that Wei Jun is just too idle.
Of course, those who are keen on this kind of self-challenge are only a minority among the Wei army. More Wei soldiers would rather hide in the house and warm themselves by the fire and sleep. This day is not enough to be described as leisurely, it should be called decadent——
This is also the reason why the combat capabilities of many armies dropped significantly after the winter break. Due to the severe cold, these soldiers wasted the whole winter.
Under this situation, the Shang Shui Army's deputy general Zhai Huang put forward the suggestion of winter drills in order to warm up for the upcoming decisive battle in spring and enable the soldiers to maintain their original strength level in winter.
In previous years, the Shang Shui Army was not so urgent, because after the winter break, although the strength of their Wei soldiers had declined, in fact, their opponents' strength had declined even more severely, and the war was not going well.
The stalemate was fierce, so there was plenty of time for the soldiers to regain their strength after the spring.
However, the situation this year is different. Both South Korea and Wei are fully prepared to defeat each other in one fell swoop after the spring begins and seize the opportunity. In addition, South Korea's soldiers are not inferior to Wei's soldiers.
This made generals like Zhai Huang very vigilant towards this spring decisive battle, fearing that the strength of their own soldiers would decline and their side would lose the decisive battle with the Korean army.
But obviously, in the middle of winter, forcing the soldiers to practice in the snow, and when the soldiers in Shangshui generally did not have winter clothes, this did not seem like a reliable idea, and it could easily arouse the Wei soldiers.
dissatisfaction.
No, only two hours after the order was issued, the Wei soldiers began to lament and complain - even if they were as elite as the Wei merchant navy, they were unwilling to train in the snow in the middle of winter.
At the military council, Zhai Huang, deputy general of the Shangshui Army, explained: "...an entire winter of idleness will undoubtedly reduce the physical strength of the soldiers. Zhai believes that although there are still more than a month left before the decisive battle in the spring, it will still be possible in the future.
To be on the safe side, we should take precautions at this time and find ways to restore the soldiers' physical strength."
After listening to Zhai Huang's words, the generals of the Shang Shui Army did not know what to say.
After all, there were indeed many Wei soldiers who spent this winter eating, sleeping, and eating, as decadent as pigs. In fact, some Wei soldiers did not leave the residential houses assigned to them during this winter, lying in bed all day long.
On the grass couch, either soundly asleep or chatting with Tongze who lives in the same house, one can imagine how serious the problem of physical decline will be - in this state, how can the Wei soldiers defeat the Korean army in the spring decisive battle?
?
In the end, it was Prince Zhao Run who came up with a compromise, which was to let the soldiers under his command recover their physical strength through play, and this method was snowball fights.
In the days that followed, the 40,000 to 50,000 Merchant Navy soldiers in Julu City, organized into teams of a thousand, started the largest snowball fight in history.
In order to inspire the soldiers' belief in winning, Zhao Hongrun came up with a gimmick, that is, allowing the final winning team of 1,000 people to name their own team of 1,000 people, such as "Hu Ben", "Shenwu", etc., after all, for
Nowadays, most Shangshui soldiers desire honor more than material rewards.
- Strangely enough, the Wei army's treatment is generally very high, especially that of the Shang Shui army, but most of these rewards are material rewards. As for honorary awards, there is currently only the title of "scout", that is,
Only the bravest and most comprehensive soldiers can get the honor of "scout".
Because of this, when this order was issued, the hearts of the Shangshui Army soldiers suddenly aroused: Who doesn't want to give their thousand-man team a brave and domineering name? Especially for those who
Thousands of people will speak.
For a time, even the laziest Wei soldiers came out of the warm houses with great interest and asked about the requirements for winning this snowball fight. When they learned that he currently had forty or fifty merchant ships,
When only one thousand-man team could finally get this honor, the sense of competition within the Shangshui Army suddenly increased.
Regarding this matter, Zhao Hongrun only told Zhai Huang about it, and then handed it over to the latter. After all, for him, it didn't matter which thousand-man team won the championship and got the honor. The key was to
In this activity, the participating Wei soldiers could exercise to restore their physical strength and should be used as a warm-up for the decisive battle in the spring.
Ever since, from that day on, snowballs were flying in Julu City, and the excited and excited shouts of the Wei soldiers were everywhere.
"This way! This way!"
"We need help here!... We can't suppress it anymore and we need help!"
"Ah... damn, I can't stand it anymore. Someone is coming, someone is coming quickly..."
Similar sounds can travel far and will inevitably attract the Korean cavalry patrolling the area and monitoring the movements of the Wei army.
No, not long after, the cavalry general "Hualang" under the acting governor Sima Song led a group of cavalry to the Julu area. When he heard the shouts of the Wei soldiers coming from Julu City,
Afterwards, Hualang and the cavalry under his command looked at each other.
"Wei Jun...what are you doing?"
"It seems like there's internal strife? And the fighting is very intense..."
Amid the mutterings of his cavalry, Cavalry Commander Hualang scratched his hair and felt confused.
He never believed that an elite Wei army like the Shang Shui Army would actually have internal strife. But if it wasn't internal strife, what were the Wei soldiers in the city doing? Why were they so excited? So excited?
Later, it was not until the snowball fight in Julu City that the city wall of Julu was included in the "combat area". The patrolling Han Qi who was monitoring the Wei army outside the city suddenly realized that the Wei soldiers were actually having a snowball fight.
It really hurts my ass.
The cavalry commander Hualang and his cavalry were speechless.
It is worth mentioning that they originally had doubts about whether the Wei army in the city was setting up a suspicious formation and using the snowball fight as a cover to cover up some ulterior motives. Therefore, they went outside Julu City every day to monitor every move of the Wei army.
.
After waiting for three to five days of surveillance, they realized that the Wei army was really just having a snowball fight.
Do you want to be so free?
Aren't you worried about the upcoming decisive battle in the spring? Please be more serious! Bastard!
With mixed emotions, groups of Korean cavalry went back and forth from Julu City, feeling quite uncomfortable.
It has to be said that even though they were in the hinterland of South Korea and the retreat route back to Wei was cut off by the Korean army, neither the prince of Wei, Zhao Run, nor the soldiers and generals of the Yanling Army under his command, or the Shangshui Army, seemed to have no fear at all.
Feeling panicked, in addition to hunting, they even had a leisurely time having a snowball fight in the ice and snow.
In contrast, Han Jun's side did not have the leisure and ease of Wei Jun at all. As for Han Lihou Han Wu, he did not have the same relaxed mood as Wei's crown prince Zhao Run.
It's no wonder, after all, at the end of last year, on the battlefield in Hanoi, Wei had already given up its original strategy, launched a counterattack in advance, and pushed the front back to the "common ground" before the ice and snow came.
It is difficult to guess that in another month, when spring really comes and the ice and snow begin to melt, the Wei army on the battlefield in Hanoi will definitely start operations again.
For South Korea, what is very embarrassing is that they will be in a two-sided battle, and it will be difficult to take care of both ends: on the one hand, they have to resist Wei's attack on the frontal battlefield, and on the other hand, they have to find a way to deal with Mr. Wei.
From a strategic point of view, Run this partial division is a complete mess.
In addition, before the twelfth lunar month of last year, the heavy cavalry of Daijun, which the Han army had placed great hope on, lost nearly 10,000 people at the hands of the Wei army. The morale that fell due to this defeat has still not been fully recovered to this day.
Many Korean soldiers and generals are thinking about a question: If even Daijun's heavy cavalry, which costs a lot of money, cannot defeat the Wei army under Wei Gongzi Run, then will South Korea still have a chance to win this battle?
Thinking about this problem all day long, and barely seeing the possibility of victory, how much better can the morale of the Korean soldiers be?
Not to mention them, even the generals are pessimistic about the decisive battle in the spring - they will definitely fight, but they don't know whether they can win.
Even Han Lihou Han Wu, who had absolute trust in Daijun's heavy cavalry before, now felt a little uneasy.
It is undeniable that the heavy cavalry is very powerful, so powerful that even after a defeat, Han Lihou Han Wu still believed that the heavy cavalry was the key to defeating Wei. The problem was that Wei Gongzi Run on the opposite side, Han Lihou Han Wu could not figure out whether the opponent would Come up with some other tactics to restrain his Korean heavy cavalry.
If it were an ordinary opponent, I believe that Han Lihou and Han Wu would have sworn to boast that no matter what kind of conspiracy the other party played, it would be nothing but empty talk in front of his Korean Daijun heavy cavalry.
But facing Wei Gongzi Run's treacherous military tactics, to be honest, Han Lihou Han Wu was still a little unsure.
"Report! The cavalry patrolling Julu is back!"
Outside the commander's tent, the soldiers' announcement came.
Immediately, a general stepped into the tent and saluted Han Lihou Han Wu, Dangyin Hou Han Yang, Yuyang Shou Qin Kai and others inside the tent.
This general is Hualang, the Han general who just went to patrol the Julu area. Because of the "warhouse chariot incident" of the Wei army a while ago, he was temporarily transferred from the Han general Sima Shang to the Yuyang army to make up for the Yuyang army. The Yang Army's lack of patrolling cavalry prevented the Wei Army from once again using the unpredictable military chariot tactic to sneak to the rear under the eyes of the Korean Army and attack the Korean Army's food routes.
"Is there any movement from the Wei army in Julu?"
Lihou Hanwu asked while drinking hot wine to drive away the cold.
After hearing this, Hua Lang clasped his fists and said, "Reporting to Marquis Li, there is no abnormal movement of the Wei army in Julu City. However..."
"But what?" Li Hou Han Wu's face straightened and he asked slightly nervously.
Perhaps he didn't even realize that neither he nor the Korean generals under his command were becoming more and more fearful of Wei Gongzi Run and the Wei troops under his command.
So much so that sometimes the slightest move by Wei Jun would make Han Jun nervous for a long time.
"The last general led his army to Julu City and found that the Wei army was playing..." As he said, Han General Hualang told the truth about what he had seen with his own eyes, that the Wei army was having a snowball fight in Julu City. After hearing this, Lihou Han Wu was stunned. Hou Hanyang, Yuyang Shou Qin Kai and others looked at each other in confusion.
After a while, after Han General Hua Lang retreated from the commander's tent, Qin Kai, the governor of Yuyang, considered his words and broke the silence in the tent with half-joking words.
"Wei Jun... seems to be sure of victory, haha..."
However, embarrassingly, no one among the generals in the tent answered his words. Whether it was Han Lihou Han Wu, Dangyin Hou Han Yang, or the other generals, their expressions were very strange.
It's no wonder, after all, the Korean army was worried about the upcoming decisive battle in winter. When they first learned that their opponents were playing around, it seemed that they didn't take them to heart at all. It was strange that they were in a good mood.
At any rate, you (Wei Jun) are also a little nervous. Can you show your respect for us?
Silently clenching his fists, Li Hou Han Wu felt humiliated.
And this once again strengthened his belief that "the national war can be lost, but Wei Gongzi Run must die"!
After taking a deep breath, Li Hou Han Wu said in a deep voice: "A month later, when the weather gets warmer, we will immediately launch an attack on Julu. Previously, I had ordered Handan, Wu'an, and Guantao to recruit sergeants. When the time comes, these new troops will arrive here to assist our army in attacking Julu..."
After hearing what Lihou Han Wu said, the generals in the tent exchanged glances with each other, feeling quite confused: Lihou, it seems that he intends to focus the war on Julu's side?
In order to confirm his guess, Shanggu Shou Ma Shechi asked: "Lihou, then... where is Hanoi?"
After hearing this, Li Hou Han Wu thought for a moment and said: "When the time comes, Bao Yuan, Jin Mao and others will retreat to Qiguan."
"..."
Ma She, the guardian of Shanggu, opened his mouth but stopped talking.
He couldn't guess what Li Hou Han Wu was thinking. Although Qiguan was indeed a pass that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, it did not mean that it could not be conquered by the Wei army. In fact, in recent years, the pass of Qiguan had been After changing hands several times, he could not imagine that Li Hou Han Wu still expected Qiguan to block the Wei army.
After thinking about it, Ma She said tactfully: "Marquis Li, at the end of last year, the Wei army in Hanoi suddenly counterattacked. It was probably because the Wei State had learned that Wei Gongzi Run was trapped in Julu. It is not difficult to guess that when spring comes, , the Wei army in Hanoi will launch the most ferocious offensive to date in order to rescue Wei Gongzi Run... In this case, the soldiers and horses under the two generals Baoyuan and Jin Bo alone may not be enough to stop the Wei army. …”
After hearing this, Li Hou Han Wu nodded and said calmly: "Of course I know that Bao Yuan and Jin Yao can't stop them for a long time. The task I assigned them is just to delay the Wei army as much as possible... to buy time for us. ." After that, he raised his head and said seriously: "As long as the spring begins, our army will capture Julu as soon as possible, and then we will have enough time to support Qiguan."
"this……"
Shanggu Shou Mashe frowned slightly, feeling that there was something wrong with Lihou Hanwu's strategy.
Because in his opinion, although the Wei army in the Julu area is also a great threat, in fact it is far inferior to the Wei army in the Hanoi battlefield.
Why?
Because the Yanling Army and Shangshui Army under the command of Wei Gongzi Run were isolated armies, they had actually been completely cut off from the mainland of Wei. This meant that these two Wei armies could not receive direct support from the mainland of Wei. ——For example, some war weapons cannot be transported to the Yanling Army and Shangshui Army at all.
Although I am a little embarrassed to admit it, I cannot deny that without those many war weapons, the Yanling Army and Shangshui Army under Wei Gongzi Run could not fully demonstrate their full strength.
Because of this, in the view of Ma She, the guardian of the Shanggu, the Wei army and the Korean army on Julu's side only need to surround them, and do not need to attack to defeat them. As long as they wait patiently for the Wei army here to run out of supplies, they will all be in trouble after all. The grain and grass plundered by the Wei army during the autumn harvest of next year could only last until spring at best. Once the grain and grass were exhausted, the Wei army would definitely collapse without a fight.
Wouldn't it be easy to deal with this Wei army when the time comes?
But the Wei army on the Hanoi battlefield is different. After accumulating strength throughout the winter, the Wei state must have built a large number of war weapons or new equipment. These war materials are transported to the Wei army on the Hanoi battlefield and will undoubtedly pose a huge threat to them and South Korea. .
Therefore, it is obvious that the direction of Hanoi puts greater pressure on him from South Korea. No matter how you think about it, the focus of the war should be shifted to the Hanoi battlefield - at least it must ensure that the Wei army on the Hanoi battlefield cannot march straight into it. As for Wei Gongzi Run on the Julu side, What's the rush?
But unfortunately, Ma She, the guardian of Shanggu, did not convince Li Hou Han Wu. It may be that the latter believed that the existence of Wei Gongzi Run was a greater threat to South Korea than the Wei State. If he could not take this opportunity to kill him, Li Hou would Hou Hanwu had trouble sleeping and eating.
In this way, as the days passed, the Wei army in Julu City gradually regained their strength with the help of snowball fights. On the Han army's side, Lihou Han Wu also ordered Handan, Wu'an, Guantao and other places to transport large amounts of supplies to the Julu battlefield. , prepare for the spring decisive battle.
Among these materials, there are many assembled siege equipment such as ladders, pit carts, and catapults.
By mid-February, the weather had warmed up slightly and the ice and snow had begun to melt. Just as Shanggu Shou Mashe had judged, on the Hanoi battlefield, Wei's Nanliang King Zhao Yuanzuo and Yan King Zhao Jiang had just arrived in spring. On this occasion, they launched an offensive against Gongdi, Linlu and other places, and their war mentality was extremely urgent.
In this case, Lihou Hanwu did not choose to reinforce the Hanoi battlefield after all, but ordered the attack on Julu without hesitation.
Perhaps in his opinion, as long as Wei Gongzi Run is killed, the problems Korea is currently facing can be solved.
On February 18, Li Hou Han Wu personally supervised the battle and led Yuyang, Shanggu, Beiyan and several new armies just transferred from Handan, Wu'an and Guantao to march to Julu in a mighty manner.
After learning about this, even Zhao Hongrun felt a little baffled.
"No matter how you look at it, the battlefield in Hanoi is more pressing. What on earth is Li Hou Han Wu thinking? ... Or am I just hated by him?"