Yuan Shu's army had just passed Shenting when they heard a long trumpet blast. Sun Jian and Zhao Yun's army gradually came to a halt. They neither concentrated nor charged. They formed a line three miles away and less than four miles away from Yuan Shu's front army. The long formation quietly confronted Yuan Jun. A few orders floated in the wind from the river bank on the other side, and then fell silent again.
The leader of the forward army, Chen Ji, pursed his lips and peeped for a long time, but still couldn't figure out a clue. He glanced sideways at the floating reeds on the bank of the river. There seemed to be no movement near the bank of the Qianshui River, but there were a few horn blasts. He also heard it clearly, so how could he not know that there was an ambush hidden here?
The guard on the side whispered to Chen Ji: "Captain, what should we do now? If we continue to go to Pingyu, these people will definitely kill us. Otherwise, we can stay in place and wait for General Zuo's troops to arrive. , make further calculations?”
Chen Jishen thought so and said to his left and right: "Well, here's the order, rely on Shen Ting to form a stronghold and defend, and quickly send someone to report to General Zuo in the rear that enemies have appeared in Shen Ting."
The pavilion in the Han Dynasty was not an administrative agency such as a township government, but a paramilitary institution like a military sentry post. The pavilion had pavilions, fortresses, watchtowers, and village walls. It contained bows, crossbows, halberds and shields, swords, armor, and other daily items. Armed with weapons, the chief of the pavilion also had a military position and was responsible for the security of nearby towns and villages, the detection of theft, and the accommodation and accommodation of memorials to and from the imperial court.
To put it simply, a pavilion in the Han Dynasty was equivalent to a village-level police station plus a village-level guest house. Although it had military functions, it was small and well-equipped. But it is conceivable that after all, it was too small and could barely accommodate a hundred and eighty people. , Chen Ji's forward army has 5,000 men, and it is absolutely impossible to contain them.
Therefore, Chen Ji simply regarded Shen Ting as his headquarters, and led his personal guards and some messengers to the station. The rest of the army officers below Sima stayed behind to guard various ministries, passing orders layer by layer, and asked the soldiers to surround Shen Ting. Form a defensive formation on the spot.
Yuan Shu's front army is not far away. Now there are three generals under Yuan Shu who can be called generals. The first is Zhang Xun, the second is Qiao Rui, and the third is Ji Ling. The others are Liu Xun, Li Feng, Chen Ji, Liang Gang, Le Jiu, Lei Bo, Chen Jian and others can only be regarded as school captains and do not have much ability.
In fact, Sun Jian was originally added to this list, but now Sun Jian did not follow Yuan Shu when he challenged Dong as in history, but followed Liu Bei. Although he is here, he is in the hostile camp and is against Yuan Shu. Naturally, it cannot be generalized. .
Among the three generals, Qiao Rui guarded Yuzhang and governed the territory south of Jing and the west of Yangzhou. He was regarded as staying in his hometown. Ji Ling was in Ruyang, and only Zhang Xun withdrew his troops from Yanzhou.
So now Yuan Shu's front army is the 30,000-strong army led by Zhang Xun. Half an hour later, they came in the direction of Shen Ting in a mighty manner.
After Zhang Xun arrived outside Shenting, he also saw the enemy in the north from a distance.
Yuan Shu's army went to Pingyu from the direction of Shangcai in the northwest, while Sun Jian and Zhao Yun's army went south from Ruyang in the north, which just cut off Yuan's army's path.
Zhang Xun saw the army in the distance with three layers outside and three layers outside, with horses, baggage and vehicles placed in front of the perimeter, forming a standard defensive formation. He did not attack, but was separated from them by several miles and wanted to confront them.
"These are Sun Jian's soldiers and horses."
By the time Zhang Xun arrived at the Shen Pavilion, Chen Ji had already sent a scout to find out the words on the enemy's flag and reported to Zhang Xun: "It seems that Ruyang City has been destroyed. General Ji is in danger."
Zhang Xun frowned: "Ji Ling is quite capable, how could he be defeated by the city so quickly? I'm afraid they abandoned the city and ran away."
"I don't care whether General Ji abandoned the city and fled or the city was breached. General, what should we do now?"
Chen Ji asked.
They just set up a defensive formation and stayed where they were. Although they didn't seem to have any intention of taking the initiative to attack, they couldn't turn a blind eye.
Because for Yuan Shujun, the most important thing now is time.
There are few people in Pingyu City, and Chen Wen is attacking fiercely. If Pingyu cannot be rescued in time, all the supplies, food, grass and baggage in the city will be destroyed.
In this era, what determines the size and strength of the army is not the number of the army, but the food and grass!
How much food do you have, how many people can you feed?
Looting the people may allow you to survive in a short period of time, but this is a means of fishing for the best, and the people are not stupid. They know that there is a war here, and they will not stay here to wait for death. They will inevitably migrate and escape, so in the end You don't even have to plunder the people, you can only eat each other's flesh.
Liu Bei was defeated and fled to Guangling. The officials and soldiers in the city ate corpses to survive. When Cao Cao was in Dongjun, he defeated many people in the county. In the end, he had to eat human breasts to satisfy his hunger. He also conquered Xuzhou and massacred the city. The fact that people in Xuzhou moved south one after another is the best evidence of this.
Although the people in Yuzhou are not said to have ten houses and nine empty houses, the sharp decline in population is also quite large. There are so many bandits and bandits in various places that they have turned into bandits. Villages and towns in various places have either moved to Jingzhou where the security is relatively stable, or they have fled to Luoyang and Henan. In the Yin area, the population of Runan has also decreased a lot.
It can be said that once the food and grass in Pingyu City is gone, Yuan Shu's vitality can be said to be severely damaged, his foundation will be shaken, and there will be no place to search for food and grass.
This is also the reason why Yuan Shu is so impatient.
The purpose of Sun Jian and Zhao Yun stationing troops in Shenting was also very obvious, which was to prevent Yuan Shu from returning to his army and buy time for Chen Wen to defeat Pingyu.
In history, it was the coalition of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao that completed this task, but now it is Sun Jian and Zhao Yun.
Smoke from cooking stoves rose above the vast wilderness, and the vast desert surrounded the plain in the distance. The nearby mountains, which were only a few dozen feet high, undulated, and the smoke gradually drifted and sank with the wind.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly and the weather was hot and dry. Dozens of stoves were set up in Sun Jian and Zhao Yun's temporary assembly area, and large iron pots were set up to cook soup.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! White steam swirled in the iron pot and water splashed. Brown pickles, black dried meat and green wild vegetables were mixed into the pot and cooked. Soldiers and civilians gathered in groups and received soup, vegetables and dry rations. They were clearly distinguishing between things. The two sides sat together in silence eating and drinking at their respective meeting points.
On the outskirts of the assembly area, rows of vehicles were piled up. The horses pulling the goods were pulled away, and the supplies and grain were removed. Only the bare vehicles were left in the open space, forming a simple obstacle network.
Everyone knew that they would face a decisive battle next, and the only way to fight on an empty stomach was to lose, so even if Zhang Xun and Chen Ji were in the pavilion, they would wait until they had eaten.
Zhang Xun saw the smoke rising from the enemy camp. Although it was not obvious under the blazing sunshine, children who lived in the countryside when they were young should have the impression that when every household cooks, it is no different from a fire scene. The smoke is very thick.
It chokes people to death, and you can tell at a glance that they are making a fire for cooking.
Having a full meal does not mean that you have strength, because people still have to digest, and sometimes they often eat too much. If they do strenuous exercise immediately, it will cause big problems. So at this moment, Zhang Xun's mind is
The question of whether to take advantage of the situation and attack has begun to swirl.
"Have the scouts returned?"
Zhang Xun did not answer Chen Ji's question about what to do next. Instead, he asked where the scout was.
The smoke does not mean that cooking is actually taking place, and no one knows whether it is fog or not.
"Go and see if the scout has returned."
Chen Ji issued the order.
After a while, the scout, covered in blood, hurried back and reported: "General."
"Where did you go to investigate?"
Zhang Xun asked.
The scout said: "Went to the river and the enemy camp."
"What are you doing at the river?"
Zhang Xun was puzzled.
Chen Ji then explained: "When I came here before, I heard the sound of a horn in the reeds by the river, so I sent them over to take a look."
"Um."
Zhang Xun nodded: "Have you found anything?"
The scout shook his head: "There are no signs of enemy activity by the river, and I have also seen the reeds, but there is no one there."
Chen Ji then said: "I think it was Sun Jian's trick to confuse us."
"What about the camp?"
Zhang Xun asked again.
"We went around the flank of the enemy camp and saw them lighting a fire. Then their scouts rushed out and fought with us."
"Just lighting a fire?"
"Some are already eating. Soldiers and civilians in the camp are lining up in twos and threes to receive their meals."
"Look carefully, have they really eaten it?"
Zhang Xun put up a pavilion with his hands, and the soldiers defending behind the vehicle obstacles in the distance lay feebly in the scorching sun. After the entire army entered Cuishi, they seemed to have lost their strength.
This is normal, because the Preserved Season is between three and five o'clock in the afternoon, and the third quarter of the Preserved Season is around four o'clock, which is when people in the Han Dynasty had their second meal.
The rich can only eat three meals a day, the common people can eat two meals a day, and the poor can only eat one meal a day to be full, or even have nothing to eat, and will starve to death.
"Look carefully, they are indeed here."
The scout still had fresh blood on his body, having just been killed by the enemy.
A group of people went around the flank of the enemy camp to conduct reconnaissance. There were more than ten of them when they went there, but only two came back, and the other one was seriously injured.
The scout didn't know why the enemy came out to chase them with only seven or eight scouts. He only knew that the leading young man with a spear was like a lion and killed several of his companions in an instant.
After hearing what the scout said, Chen Ji's eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "General, why not take advantage of this opportunity..."
"Well......"
Zhang Xun originally thought that he could take advantage of this opportunity to attack, but he suddenly glanced at the soldiers around him. They all had haggard faces, withered lips, and they were constantly smacking their mouths. There was no trace of blood on their pale faces.
They have been marching in a hurry for two days. They stuffed themselves with dry food when they were hungry and drank some river water when they were thirsty. No one had a good rest. Compared with others who waited for work in leisure, they were indeed working harder now.
Zhang Xun, who originally wanted to take advantage of the situation to attack, hesitated for a moment and gave up the idea. Using a tired army to attack an already rested team was not something a smart person should do, not to mention that he was also a little afraid of Sun Jian.
After pondering for a moment, Zhang Xun still said to Chen Ji: "Sun Jian, a veteran general who has been on the battlefield for a long time, once defeated Dong Zhuo and had to temporarily avoid the edge. How could he reveal such a big flaw and make fire and rice when the two armies were facing each other? I expected it would be
If there is an ambush, it is better to wait until Duke Ming arrives before making any calculations."
"But......"
Chen Ji hesitated and said: "What if he is really eating and is unprepared?"
Zhang Xun thought for a moment and then said: "Since you want to try, then I will send your forward troops to try. If there is an ambush, you should withdraw immediately and I will meet you from the rear."
Chen Ji was dumbfounded.
Originally, he wanted to encourage Zhang Xun to attack with 30,000 people, so that 35,000 people would attack others without suffering any loss in terms of military strength.
In the end, Zhang Xun only sent 5,000 of his men there. Wasn't this a way to die?
However, it was he who proposed the matter, and Zhang Xun was his immediate boss. For a moment, Chen Ji was in a difficult position, so he could only bite the bullet and say: "Wei!"
Soon Chen Ji led his guards out of the pavilion and issued military orders to the two corps commanders of the forward army. Under the command of the commanders of the subordinate Qujun houtun commanders, Shichang Wu, Chang, the 5,000 men of the forward army were sent from their original positions.
Everyone got up and rested, formed a team, and started to move forward.
If no scouts reported that there was no enemy ambush by the river, Chen Ji must have felt guilty, because he had heard several horn sounds before and always thought there were enemies there.
But after the scouts confirmed it, at least Chen Ji could be sure that there was no ambush by the river, so he could prepare to attack with confidence and boldness.
Now the location of the confrontation between the two sides is very simple. Pingyu is on the north bank of the Qishui River, close to the river. The Qishui River originates from Yingchuan, flows from northwest to southeast, and finally flows into the Huai River. Shenting is northwest of Pingyu, close to
There are some tributaries and swamps around the Pianshui River, which are shaded by trees. There are also tigers and wolves in the nearby mountains and forests.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zhang Xun’s troops are stationed in Shen Tingzhong, while Sun Jian’s troops are on the plain to the north, with some undulating hills, small hills, and more
There are still abandoned farmlands and countless stray weeds. If it weren't for the rolling hills, people might suspect that they are in a grassland.
In fact, there were many villages in the north of Pingyu County, living and living on the plains of eastern Henan. However, they first experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion and then Dong Zhuo's political chaos. Now the country is torn apart, with dragons and snakes rising side by side, and heroes from all walks of life standing everywhere.
The war has ceased, no one understands the suffering of the people, unburied bones can be seen everywhere on the roadside, and no matter how good the fields are, they can only turn into barren wasteland.
Chen Ji led five thousand soldiers and horses, slowly walked out of Shen Pavilion, and headed towards Sun Jian's camp in formation. Sun Jianjun was not blind, so the movements here were naturally visible to them, and they were alerting the soldiers to their roars. Amidst the sound, Sun Jian's camp seemed to wake up from the dead silence, with the sound of rustling and the clash of swords.
Under the urging of officers at all levels, everyone put down their bowls and chopsticks, picked up their weapons and prepared to enter the battle. Cheng Puhan, Huang Gai, Zumao and other generals summoned their subordinates and quickly entered the battle state. But they were faster, and some were faster than others. They are still fast.
While Sun Jian's own men were almost still gathering in formation, Sun Ce, who had been resting and had not yet prepared to cook, had already rushed out with more than 4,000 men under his command.
Everyone only saw a lightning-like shadow charging forward, leading Zhu Zhi, Sun Ben, Xu Kun and other generals to attack Chen Ji first.
Seeing this scene, not only Zhang Xun was surprised, but even Sun Jian was also very stunned.
Zhang Xun was surprised that as expected, Sun Jian had an ambush.
Sun Jian, on the other hand, did not expect that his son would not obey his military orders at all and chose to take the initiative to attack.
Before cooking, Sun Jian and Zhao Yun had already made up their minds. This battle was to prevent Yuan Shu's main force from returning to rescue Pingyu, so they had to win. Even if they could not win, they would still have to delay Yuan Shu's progress.
We ate at Preserved Time because after the army had breakfast in the morning, they marched all the way to Shenting. The soldiers were hungry and had not had time to eat.
Therefore, Sun Jian and Zhao Yun agreed that Sun Jian's army would eat first, Sun Ce would coordinate the camp, and Zhao Yun would take care of the rest. After Sun Jian's army finished eating, Sun Jian would coordinate in the camp, and Sun Ce's army would light a fire and make food, while Zhao Yun on the other side would It's up to you.
Unexpectedly, when the war started here, before Zhao Yun took action, Sun Ce, who was originally fighting a defensive battle in the camp, actually took the initiative to attack!
"Bo Fu..."
Sun Jian had already emerged from the crowd and stood on a blocked vehicle. He saw his eldest son Sun Ce charging forward from a distance. He was worried that something might happen to him, so he anxiously said to his guards: "Bring my horse."
"My lord, you must not do this. If our soldiers have not yet gathered together and are rushing out to fight, I am afraid that the battle line will be easily dispersed. When the time comes, the enemy will mobilize all their troops and they will not be able to defeat us."
The veteran Cheng Pu quickly persuaded them that the formation should be the first in battle. Once the formation is dispersed, it will be a fatal blow.
That's why they are currently using vehicles as obstacles to prevent the enemy from forming a formation when they attack.
Now more than 20,000 soldiers are still massing in confusion. Attacking at this time and rushing forward in a chaotic manner will not only play into the enemy's hands, but also implicate Zhao Yun over there, making all the previous achievements of this battle in vain.
Therefore, there must be no rush at this moment.
Before Sun Jian could say anything, Huang Gai suddenly said: "Ming Gong, look quickly."
"What's wrong, what...what?"
Sun Jian turned his head and saw in the distance that Sun Ce had led an army to rush into Chen Ji's army.
There were four to five thousand people on both sides, and a war involving tens of thousands of people broke out.
Chen Ji used a square formation to attack Sun Jian's camp, but in Sun Ce's dictionary, there seemed to be no other battle formations except the conical formation.
Like Zhang Liao, he liked this kind of charge formation. As the leader of the cone, Sun Ce just led the army out of the camp and launched a charge when the two sides were less than one mile apart.
Under the leadership of Sun Ce, Sun Ce's army, charging in a cone formation, was like a blocking stone erected in the middle of the river, forcibly dividing Chen Ji's army into two.
Sun Ce, an awl-headed man, seemed to pass through the military formation without any hindrance, killing several people along the way, just like Zhang Liao did in Xiaoyaojin, taking his warriors and killing them directly!
Chen Ji fled almost as soon as the military formation was broken. Sun Ce beheaded one of his army commanders. He saw Chen Ji's general flag from a distance and followed him all the way. He killed him less than a mile away from Zhang Xun's army.
Intercept it.
"Come die!"
Sun Ce roared angrily, drew his gun and stabbed Chen Ji in the back.
Chen Ji quickly turned around and raised his sword to block, but he didn't expect that this shot seemed to have the power of a thousand pounds and knocked down his sword. By the time he tried to draw the second sword from the side of the horse, it was already too late. Sun Ce's second
The attacks came one after another, stabbing him straight through.
A general is the courage of the three armies. Sun Ce's five thousand soldiers and horses had been transformed because of the bravery of the general in Chen County. At this time, they charged forward and fought against Chen Ji's army very bravely.
Sun Ce led Zhu Zhi, Sun Ben, Xu Kun, and less than a hundred bodyguards on horseback, and chased Chen Ji with more than 200 people. He even stabbed the enemy general to death in the midst of the chaos. His morale became even greater. In one go, Chen Ji was quickly defeated.
Ji's troops were defeated and scattered, and they all shouted that the Major General was powerful.
"Jiangdong Sun Bofu is here, who dares to fight me!"
Sun Ce's muscles all over his body were knotted, his veins were bulging, and he held the spear high in his hand. With the Sun family's army full of awe and the enemy full of fear, he actually used the strength of one hand to lift Chen Ji's body, which weighed more than 100 kilograms.
, shook the entire Zhang Xun's front army.
Zhang Xun had originally sent an army to rescue him. The army slowly moved forward and was about to rescue Chen Ji. However, he was a step too late and watched helplessly as Chen Ji was killed a mile away.
In anger, Zhang Xun almost planned to attack immediately, even if he had to press forward with his army first and order the archers to fire a volley.
But under Sun Ce's momentum, all Zhang Xun's soldiers stopped, their eyes full of fear.
How should they fight against this god-like person?
For a while, the two sides were in a stalemate.
And at this time.
Less than five miles away from Shen Pavilion in the northwest, a mighty army surged in like a tide.
The main force of Yuan Shu's Chinese army finally arrived at Shenting.