Chapter 1307 Ten days of north wind, one night of snow
Tongguan.
Bai Xiaowen received information from Camille, and Ma Chao asked Han Sui to increase his troops. He also sent an envoy to Xiliang to ask the Qiang troops to come and help in the battle.
There is a high-level internal response, which saves worry and effort.
Bai Xiaowen examined the geographical map of mountains and rivers, and after investigating the terrain, decided to let Cao Ren guard the pass. He led an army of 50,000 people, detoured northward, and smuggled across the Wei River from Pubanjin at night.
It's early spring now.
Spring came relatively late in the northern land, and the Weishui River had not thawed. The ice could barely carry the army across, but it could not be used as a battlefield for fierce battles.
After crossing Pubanjin, Fengyi County is ahead, which is also the right wing of Sanfu Land.
If we can gain a foothold to the west of the Wei River, we can form a cornered attack with the Tongguan defenders!
Ma Chao's Xiliang army must also devote its energy to guarding the flanks, making it even more difficult to attack Tongguan.
However, the Xiliang Army's intelligence work was not bad either. Bai Xiaowen led his army to cross over at night and was detected in advance by the Xiliang Army.
Ma Chao said excitedly: "This is the day when Yuan Xi will be destroyed. I will mobilize all my troops and personally go to Pubanjin to stop the attack!"
Pang De said: "Yuan's army has recently increased its troops by 40,000, which is a huge force. Although Yuan Xi has brought tens of thousands of troops to cross the river, there are still close to 100,000 troops in Tongguan. Moreover, Yuan Xi has many tricks. If all our troops are dispatched, Tongguan will be destroyed."
If the enemy attacks and captures our camp, we will have no choice but to retreat to Chang'an."
Ma Chao nodded and said: "It's a pity that the reinforcements from my uncle and the Qiang soldiers have not arrived! In that case, Pang De and my brother will guard the camp. I will personally lead five thousand fine cavalry to harass Yuan Xi. I must not let him build a camp! Wait until the reinforcements arrive.
, and then take advantage of the situation to defeat the enemy."
It can be seen here that the Xiliang army does not have the shortcomings of counselors.
If Ma Chao can be more decisive and use all his troops to prevent Bai Xiaowen from crossing the river, Bai Xiaowen will definitely lose the battle.
However, Ma Chao was worried about the safety of the camp and left a large group of troops to guard against the "unnecessary" Cao army attacking the camp! He only brought 5,000 cavalry, which could only serve as a harassment and could not prevent Bai Xiaowen from crossing the river.
Of course, this is also the effect of Bai Xiaowen's suspicion strategy, which made Ma Chao and Pang De mistakenly believe that there are tens of thousands of troops in Tongguan. In fact, there are only more than 10,000 troops under Cao Ren in Tongguan now, and there is no threat to Ma Chao's camp.
ability.
In the Battle of Pubanjin, Bai Xiaowen paid a high price for crossing the river.
Because of the river-crossing operation, the vanguard must withstand the enemy's attack. Otherwise, the front unit retreats, which will inevitably disrupt the formation of the rear unit and trample on each other, which is most likely to lead to a rout.
Ma Chao was very powerful, and his lord's charge was a magical skill that destroyed the enemy's formation. Due to insufficient numbers, Yu Jin's large shield soldiers were defeated and fell into the Wei River, stained with blood on the ice.
In addition, the ice layer of the Weishui River is already very thin. When the army was in a hurry, the ice on the soles of the feet broke and many people fell into the Weishui River. Even with the quality of the soldiers in the spiritual world, they would not die after soaking in the cold Weishui for one night.
, but it will eventually disrupt the formation and prevent you from participating in the battle.
However, even at a high price, Bai Xiaowen still successfully crossed the Wei River.
Zhang Liao, Xu Huang defeated Ma Chao, and Zhang Xiu and other generals galloped among the rebellious troops, buying time and precious space for the following troops to cross the river.
When Ma Chao saw that the strength of the 5,000-strong cavalry was exhausted, he withdrew his troops and returned to the camp. The Xiliang cavalry really came and went at will, and Yuan Jun could only watch Ma Chao walk away.
But he said that after Ma Chao returned to the camp, he discussed with Pang De: "On the west bank of the Wei River, the sand is soft and it is difficult to build a camp. Our army has rested its power. When the cavalry is dispatched again tomorrow, we will definitely be able to defeat Yuan's army."
If the infantry does not rely on camps and pass defenses, it will almost be a lamb to the slaughter when facing the cavalry.
Without an obstructing camp, Ma Chao could even lead his cavalry to penetrate Yuan Jun's formation, then turn back and charge again!
…
On Bai Xiaowen's side, after crossing the river, they relied on the Wei River to prepare to build a camp.
After excavation, it turned out that the sand and soil were loose, making it impossible to camp. All the generals had worried looks on their faces.
Bai Xiaowen smiled and invited someone out: "It's all up to the Taoist priest to set up camp this time."
That person was Ge Xuan.
When the generals saw the monks appearing next to their lord, they were all hesitant and a little hopeful.
Ge Xuan looked confused: "Sir, I am not a general, how can I know how to set up a camp?"
Generals: Meow meow meow?
Bai Xiaowen smiled and said, "Has Taoist Master forgotten what I asked you to do before?"
Ge Xuan said: "Young master just said, I wish for ten days of north wind and one night of snow. If this is what I am talking about, Pindao has already taken care of it. But, what does this have to do with setting up camp?"
Bai Xiaowen said: "The sandy soil is soft and it is difficult to build a camp. However, if it is irrigated with ice water, under severe cold conditions, it can be built and frozen overnight, and an ice city can be built overnight! What do you think?"
The generals were doubtful.
Bai Xiaowen then ordered the sergeants to dig the soil and pour ice water. After midnight, the north wind picked up and the weather suddenly turned cold, with snowflakes flying.
Just like Bai Xiaowen said, the soft sand becomes as hard as iron after being poured with ice water and frozen by the cold. Tens of thousands of troops started working together, and a camp made of frozen soil was built in less than two hours.
.
Everyone admired Bai Xiaowen's plan, and even Xun You also praised: "The great Sima's wisdom was truly given by God, and I can't match it."
Bai Xiaowen was shameless and accepted it calmly.
In fact, this method of moving earth and watering water to build a city is the method adopted by Cao Cao in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". It was not Bai Xiaowen's initiative.
If it were to be used here, Ge Xuan's ability to change the weather would be needed, otherwise the weather in early spring at this time would not be so cold and it would still be impossible to build an ice city.
Ge Xuan, as for Ge Xuan, originally did not have such a heaven-defying ability.
But after he read through the Taiping Sutra, his Taoist skills improved again, so he was able to pray for the north wind for ten days and the snow for one night.
Early the next morning, a scout reported to Ma Chao that Yuan Jun's camp had been completed.
Ma Chao didn't believe it, so he led his troops to see it in person, and indeed he saw a fortified city. He was surprised and looked back at Pang De beside him and said: "Could Yuan Xi have ghosts and gods to help him? Otherwise, how could he build a camp of this size overnight?"
?”
Pound looked worried and said: "Now the enemy has successfully established a foothold in the west of the Weishui River. If we don't break this camp early, our army may be attacked from both sides."
Ma Chao nodded in agreement, but he was still worried about the Tongguan garrison attacking the camp. After weighing the balance, he left 20,000 troops and ordered Ma Dai to guard the camp. He and Pang De mobilized the remaining 50,000 Xiliang troops to attack Bai Xiaowen's just-built
Good camp.
Xun You proposed the strategy of "ambushing on all sides" and said: "My lord can send one general to fake defeat and lead the enemy army to attack our camp. In addition, he can ambush four soldiers and horses and steal their retreat. If they attack from both front and rear, Ma Chao will definitely be defeated."