At this time, Zhang He was already in extreme despair.
The scouts sent out last night reported that countless people appeared on the west bank of the river and on the road behind them.
No matter how stupid he is, he should understand that all his thoughts have already been seen through.
They deliberately did not intercept them halfway, but waited for them at the terminal.
Waiting for work in leisure, suddenly burst out.
Especially in this situation where the soldiers are tired and have little food and grass left, it can be said that they have reached a desperate situation.
But they are surrounded on all sides, with obstacles in front and pursuers behind. It is really difficult to fly at the moment, unless Zhang He immediately makes a decisive decision and leads his army to break through.
But it was this that made him very hesitant, because the soldiers were now sleepy, tired, and hungry. They needed at least one day's rest, enough food and sleep, and the best option was to rush out from the west bank at night.
But now it's too late. The enemy's army is surrounding them. It's obviously impossible to break out. We can only think of other ways.
what can we do about it?
Zhang He sat in his tent, lost in thought.
In fact, compared to when he was in Shanyang County, his battlefield experience was seriously lacking. At this time, Zhang He had grown a lot.
At least when he was in Ganling, he would also arrange a trick to confuse Chen Mu by sending troops and horses to pretend to attack.
It's a pity that once this kind of strategy is seen through, it will be in vain.
To put it simply, the gap between the current Zhang He and the old Zhang He is very obvious. If you want to fight with the old fox Chen Mu, there is still a long way to go.
During the day, he ordered the soldiers to take a good rest and work in three shifts to regain their strength. Zhang He then led many generals to patrol the camp, cutting down trees, making defensive tools, and thinking about countermeasures.
But before he could think of a countermeasure, a mighty army had already attacked in the direction from the north, completely blocking Zhang Hejun's retreat.
In addition, a troop also appeared from the west bank of the river. The troop was small, only about 5,000 people. However, these troops were extremely well-equipped and had high morale. All the soldiers were not overthrowing Xiao Zhajia.
It is the large armor worn by generals.
That is, soldiers wearing helmets and covered with iron armor.
This kind of soldiers were heavy infantry at that time. In the early Central Plains War at the end of Han Dynasty, only Yuan Shao and Lu Bu had three groups of heavy infantry: Euphorbia soldiers, Xianden dead soldiers and trapped camp soldiers.
Many people read historical records and think that the first to die were 800 crossbowmen. In fact, it was 1,800 people, 800 heavily armed spearmen and shieldmen plus 1,000 crossbowmen.
Otherwise, 800 men are equipped with 1,000 crossbows and 800 spear shields. Unless each soldier has three heads and six arms, how can he shoot crossbows while holding spears and shields?
However, although the number of these special units is small, it does not mean that there are few heavy infantry.
Cao Cao said it himself, "Yuan Benchu has ten thousand armors, and I have twenty. Benchu has three hundred horse armors, and I cannot have ten."
The big armor is the large armor used by generals.
It shows that Yuan Shao has tens of thousands of pieces of fine armor like this, which can equip a heavy infantry group of 10,000 people. This shows how powerful Yuan Shao is and how strong Jizhou's foundation is.
Although Qingzhou is getting stronger and stronger nowadays, its foundation is still much worse than that of Jizhou. The number of small Zhajia used by soldiers is sufficient now, but there are only six or seven thousand pairs of large Zhajia in the entire Qingzhou, which is very rare.
Most of them were equipped to generals at all levels, as well as Xuanjia heavy cavalry, state animal husbandry soldiers and other Liu Bei and Chen Mu's forbidden troops. The remaining two thousand were assigned to Gao Shun by Chen Mu.
Gao Shun lived up to expectations, selected elite soldiers, trained them secretly for nearly a year, and brought out a group of quite elite soldiers.
This army was more powerful than the 800 trapped troops in history. The front army consisted of two thousand heavily armored fallen soldiers, the middle army consisted of one thousand crossbowmen, and there were a thousand sword and shield bearers on the left and right, which was called the trapped army.
The name "Entrapment Army" was also given by Chen Mu. He not only gave it a name, but also gave the unit a number. He also personally wrote the slogan "The power to charge will lead to death or life. The ambition to trap the enemy will never return" to express his respect for this unit.
expect.
And today is the first battle of the trapped army!
When the enemy troops appeared on the west bank of Gudu River, Zhang He climbed up and looked far away, and saw the appearance of the enemy troops.
I saw that all the soldiers, even when marching in winter, were lined up in dozens of columns, with hundreds of people in each column, marching in neat steps, step by step, along the wilderness road on the west bank to reach the other side.
There is no water in the ancient Yellow River Road, it is covered with snow, and the road is bumpy and uneven. But these did not have any impact on them, and the military appearance was as neat as a single person.
What frightened Zhang He the most was the evil spirit coming towards his face. They were just walking forward, but they didn't seem to make any sound.
You must know that these soldiers are not new recruits who have not experienced combat, but are elites selected by Gao Shun with the help of Chen Mu and the entire Qingzhou Army.
Most of them are veterans who have fought with Liu Bei for many years. They are all around thirty years old, when they are physically strong.
After undergoing rigorous training, these soldiers had already obeyed the orders and prohibitions, and the whole army was as quiet as a forest.
But no one knows if there is a group of tigers hidden in this forest!
"This army..."
Zhang He's voice had a slight tremor: "It can be said that the army is the strongest in the world."
Although many of the generals under his command are not powerful, they are still knowledgeable. How can this army be an ordinary army with such a neat appearance?
Jiao Chu muttered: "General, with this army here, we may not be able to defeat it. How should we deal with it?"
Ma Yan said: "How about taking advantage of their unstable footing to launch an attack?"
"Are you crazy?"
Jiang Qi said in surprise: "Our army has just finished resting. Although it is capable of fighting, the enemy is flanked on three sides. How can we defeat such a powerful army in a short period of time?"
Ma Yan said: "We should attack when the other two groups of troops are not ready. If we wait until they are ready, we will be surrounded. By then, everyone will die here."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "But..."
Several generals were quarreling. In fact, everyone knew that if the enemy could complete the encirclement, no one would be able to escape and would surely die.
But the formation of Gao Shun's trapped army was too scary. How could they dare to fight such an army?
Everyone quarreled for a while, Zhang He's face was originally full of worry and livid, and his mood was anxious and angry.
What makes them anxious is that the enemy has surrounded them. What makes them angry is that they have reached this point. All the generals under their command have no ideas and are still arguing, which makes them very angry.
However, after a while, Zhang He's face slowly calmed down again, his eyes looked into the distance, and suddenly he had a bold idea in his mind.
He shouted to everyone: "Stop making noise."
When the general spoke out, all the generals naturally kept silent. Disobeying the general's orders in the army was no joke. If the quarrel continued, Zhang and He would have to sacrifice their heads to the flag.
Zhang He looked around at the crowd and then said slowly and calmly: "You don't have to panic. Our army has finished resting and reorganizing. The soldiers have been fully rested and eaten. They have the strength to fight. Tonight is the best time to break out of the encirclement."
opportunity."
Jiao Chu asked: "I wonder where we can break out?"
"Yin'an!"
Zhang He's eyes passed through Yuancheng and looked towards the south.
Yin'an County is located to the south of Yuancheng, and Wei County is to the southwest of Yuancheng. The three places form a triangle.
Now the enemy has deployed heavy troops in the direction of Yuancheng and Wei County.
Then Zhang He could only bypass Yuancheng from the east, go behind Yuancheng, pass through the border of Yanzhou, which was almost southwest of Nanle County in later generations, and reach Yin'an City.
From Yin'an, you can take Fanyang and Neihuang counties to Yecheng and return safely.
The most important thing is that Yuancheng is not far from Yin'an County, about three days' journey, and they have just three days of food left, so if they abandon their baggage and travel lightly, they can enter the city before the food runs out.
Hearing Zhang He's words, the generals nodded and said one after another: "Now the wolf in front and the tiger in the back, the only way to break out is to take a detour."
"I just don't know when to start and which way to attack."
"Could it be the east side?"
"But there is a hilly area to the east. What about the baggage??"
"No more."
Zhang He said without hesitation: "Let the soldiers bring three days of dry food, and we will go from the hills to the east."
The generals turned their heads to look at the mountains in the distance.
The terrain of Wuluxu is very simple. To the west is the ancient Yellow River Road, leaving many bumpy waterways, and further away is the plain.
To the north is the official road along the river, which connects Guantao to Qingyuan, and is the connecting road between Yuancheng and these counties.
To the south is Yuancheng, and to the east is a small area of hills and a large forest.
These mountain forests are not just a few rockeries and small trees in some park, but large areas of hilly areas and primitive forests. In ancient times, any forest was a primitive forest, and there might be wolves, tigers, and leopards lurking in them, and there were countless dangers.
Although the mountains and rivers that rise one after another are not steep at all, the height is only about a hundred feet, or at most there are more than a dozen small hills, which are completely incomparable with the mountains in Sichuan or the south.
But what we need to understand is that this is not the modern era where roads are everywhere and has been developed, but the late Han Dynasty when the wilderness was full of dangers.
People in the city may not understand how difficult it is to walk on mountain roads, but you will know if you find a small hill to climb on the weekends. Moreover, this is an army of 30,000 people. It is not that easy to pass through safely.
Several generals hesitated for a while, and then Ma Yan asked: "General, it's okay to abandon the baggage and take the mountain road. But there is no guide on this mountain. What should I do if I get lost?"
Zhang He rolled his eyes and said: "It's just a few hills, how can it compare to the vastness of Five Elements Mountain? No guide is needed."
"That's true."
"It seems that we can only break out by taking the mountain road."
"As long as we cross these mountain ridges, we can take the main road tomorrow."
Everyone discussed it and thought it was feasible.
In fact, the danger of these hills is secondary. After all, there are so many troops, and even the jackals, tigers and leopards dare not provoke them.
Compared with Deng Ai's Du Yinping, it is like heaven and earth.
What they fear is that if they don't get out of the mountains within a short period of time and are blocked by others and trapped in the mountains, it will be really over.
If there is still a fight on the plains, but if they can't use it on the mountains, they will have to wait for death. After all, they don't have much food and grass, and they can't stand for a long time.
After finalizing the breakout plan, Zhang He said again: "There are pursuers everywhere now. If we leave directly, we will definitely be overtaken. Zhang Nanjiao, I will ask you two to act as suspects and launch a feint attack."
Zhang Nanjiao and the two looked at each other, but did not dare to accept the order.
"Um?"
Zhang He stared at them with bright eyes.
The two men trembled in their hearts, and said quickly: "I obey, it's just a general, where are you going to feign attack?"
Zhang He looked into the distance, pointed to the other side of the river and said, "Over there!"
That's Gao Shun's trapped army!
Zhang Nanjiao's face turned pale for a moment. The aura of the army on the other side was enough to intimidate them. If they went to fight there, they would be seeking death.
Seeing that the expressions of the two of them were unnatural, Zhang He said again: "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to die. I have already thought of a retreat plan tonight. I will send scouts to explore the road in the evening, and at the third watch, I will order a large-scale attack."
, you two are the front troops, pretending to attack the west bank."
"With the fighting going on here, the enemies in the north and south will inevitably be reinforced. At this time, I will order the troops to retreat and withdraw to the camp. The two of you will follow closely, light the torches, and arrange for guard duty, while the main force of the army will quietly cross the mountain."
"If the enemy does not come to pursue you, everything will be fine. If the enemy comes to pursue you, open the camp gate, put away the flag, and don't beat the drum. Wait until the enemy retreats, then leave the camp through the rear camp gate and join me in the mountain. I understand.
?"
Zhang He talked eloquently and told everything about his plan.
However, Zhang Nanjiao was stunned, and Qiqi Ai Ai said: "General... General, open the gate of the village, fold the flags, and don't want to beat the drums?"
"good."
Zhang He nodded and said: "In this case, the enemy will definitely suspect that there is an ambush and will not dare to pursue."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "But what if they catch up?"
The two asked again.
Zhang He said coldly: "Then order the soldiers to set fire to stop the pursuers. Isn't the baggage left behind used for these purposes?"
"only!"
The two of them did not dare to ask any more questions and could only accept the order.
Zhang He didn't stop for much. Taking advantage of the evening before it was completely dark, he immediately sent spies to the mountains to the east to investigate the situation.
The sky gradually darkened, and the sun set over the west mountain. More than an hour passed, and at three quarters of dusk, it was completely dark.
The lights in the Jizhou army camp were brightly lit, and the entire army was on tight alert.
After all, they are also a group of veterans left over from Wang Fen's era, and they still have some military qualities. Under Zhang He's training, they can still advance and retreat in a controlled manner, barely maintaining their morale.
Time passed by, and the spies of the Qingzhou Army outside saw only a calm scene without any waves, as if they had accepted their fate.
At midnight, Zhang He was finally ready to take action. His soldiers had rested for a day during the day and were full of energy and physical strength. They did not feel sleepy at this time. Under the leadership of Zhang He, the army began to leave the village gate.
The spies of the Qingzhou Army were almost asleep, but they were suddenly awakened. Almost the moment Zhang He's army left the camp, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing countless ripples.
In the surrounding mountains, forests, wilderness, and rivers, a large number of scouts wearing white cloaks and lying under the bunkers appeared, running around like wild horses, rushing to report the news.
These scouts were not only Chen Mu's scouts at Wuluxu, but also Gao Shun's army's scouts who were hiding near the ancient Yellow River Road on the west bank, and Zhang Fei's scouts on the official road to the north. These two groups had just set up camp and were not ready yet.
Choosing to take action at this time was also calculated by Zhang He, because if you take action when Gao Shun and Zhang Fei come, people will be on guard early, and with the support of soldiers and horses from Wuluxu, it will be difficult for you to take advantage.
As for moving when others are setting up camp, the same principle applies. Therefore, waiting until they have set up camp and are preparing to rest the army before the decisive battle tomorrow is the best time to take action, because this is the time when the opponent's vigilance is at its lowest.
It can be said that Zhang He performed exceptionally this time. Not only did he set up a complete breakout plan, but he also had an empty city strategy, a suspicious enemy strategy, and psychological tactics.
If the enemy is an ordinary general, even if he has 20,000 more troops, he may not be able to escape.
It's just a pity......
Over there, Zhang He's army pressed forward, aiming directly at the west bank of the ancient Yellow River road five miles away.
Although the once great river left a wide channel, over time, through human activities and natural burial by wind and rain, some places have been filled in, leaving only bumpy roads.
Therefore, marching from the river is feasible, and the reason why Zhang He chose to fight Gao Shun's army is also valid. There are at least 20,000 troops in Wuluxu ahead, and there are so many defense facilities. It is easy to hit them with your head.
Looking for a way to die, and a rough look at the number of the army behind them shows that there are no less than 20,000, densely packed and countless.
In fact, Zhang Fei brought the garrison troops from Xiajin, Lingxian, Pingyuan County and part of Pingyuan County, which totaled 30,000 people. Together with Chen Mu's 20,000 and Gao Shun's 5,000, the total number reached 55,000.
On the contrary, Liu Bei only had 30,000 troops on the front line, and the Qingzhou Army came out in full force just to win this local war.
Tactics are not the goal, strategy is. If Zhang He's army is eaten up, then Yuan Shao can only retreat to Wei County, and part of the Qinghe Kingdom and Bohai Kingdom to the east will be divided between Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei. This will greatly weaken Yuan Shao's army.
Strength, prepare for the attack on Jizhou.
Of course Zhang He didn't know that his position was very important in Chen Mu's heart. Zhang Nan's front army crossed the river smoothly. He looked nervously at everything that was happening in the distance. All the troops around him were there, it was just an illusion to the enemy.
That's all.
As soon as the enemy reinforced, he immediately called for gold and retreated his troops. After leaving Zhang Nan and Jiao Chuduo, he immediately led an army of more than 20,000 people to withdraw into the mountains and forests to the east, and followed the roads discovered by the scouts to cross the mountains and ridges to Yin'an.
At this moment, outside the trapped military camp, the torches turned into a long dragon. There were dark and hazy shadows everywhere, charging towards the gate of the trapped military camp with great momentum.
Because the camp was built in a hurry, the fence was pulled by a baggage truck, and there were almost no internal walls, towers and other defensive facilities.
Therefore, Gao Shun's army could only patrol outside the camp and did not have sentry guards on the towers of the inner walls.
The soldiers on duty outside the stronghold only saw silhouettes of people, and the enemy was coming towards them like a flood. Even though the two sides were only three or four miles apart, these soldiers sat still like old monks, doing nothing but watching coldly.
——Before the orders from their superiors come, they must fulfill their duties loyally even if the sky falls.
"Enter the stronghold!"
The clanging gongs sounded, and the captains leading the troops outside the camp immediately led the soldiers back into the camp.
Gao Shun had a serious face and was always majestic. When the battle was approaching, even when he should be sleeping in the middle of the night, he was lying on the bed wearing armor. When he heard the scout's report, he woke up instantly, put on his helmet and walked out of the tent to observe the enemy's situation.
Zhanghe camp was five miles, or two kilometers, away from Gao Shunxuan's camp, and the road in the middle was not easy to walk, which gave him enough time to prepare.
When Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu's former military headquarters arrived outside the camp, Gao Shun had already organized troops and horses. The camp gate was wide open, and a large number of soldiers with guns and shields walked out of the camp gate in a phalanx and lined up in the open space outside the camp.
Battle formation.
Immediately followed were the crossbowmen at the back and the sword and shield men on the left and right protecting the flanks. The five thousand troops were waiting in full formation, looking indifferently at the enemy who was getting closer and closer.
"The enemy is one mile away!"
"Sixty steps!"
"Fifty steps!"
"Forty steps!"
"Crossbowmen prepare!"
"shoot!"
Amid the hoarse roars of the messengers, bows and crossbows fired in volleys.
In the Han Dynasty, six feet was one step, and forty steps equaled two hundred and forty feet, which was about fifty meters.
Bows and arrows can shoot a hundred steps away, but crossbow arrows have a shorter range. More than fifty meters is the best range for crossbow arrows. Thousands of arrows were fired at once, raining down on Zhang Nan's front army.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zhang Nanjiao is not stupid. Naturally, he does not attack in formation, but disperses on three sides, and the front row is also full of sword and shield players, with the power of crossbows.
limited.
The crossbow arrows crackled on the shield. The first wave of crossbows caused few casualties except for a few hundred unlucky people.
Seeing this situation, Zhang Nan, Jiao Chu and others cheered up and immediately ordered an attack.
Their mission was not to defeat Gao Shun's troops, because even if they defeated Gao Shun and were surrounded by Chen Mu's and Zhang Fei's troops, they would not be able to escape.
So they were just trying to lure people over, attract the main force of the Qingzhou Army, and gain space for their main force to break through.
For example, if you choose to escape directly from Dongshan at this time, then the scouts are not blind. How can you hide such a large operation of 30,000 troops? The enemy will take a detour and encircle Dongshan, making it difficult to fly.
Therefore, first mobilize the main force of the Qingzhou Army. When they all arrive at the battlefield, Zhang He's army will pretend to withdraw their troops and flee back to the camp. The main force will enter the mountain from the back door, leaving those behind to pretend to be the main force and confuse the enemy. Everything will go smoothly.
Complete the entire strategic shift.
I have to say that Zhang He was quite capable. This move was also used by our army during the Long March in later generations. Moreover, due to the strong combat effectiveness of our army, feint attacks were often turned into main attacks, defeating the enemy to the point where they could not catch up with the founding generals.
force.
It's a pity that the quality of Zhang He's army cannot be compared with that of our army. Just when Zhang Nan, Jiao and Chu thought they could rush forward smoothly, fight in a melee with Gao Shun's army, and attract the main force of the Qingzhou army from the north and south.
The next scene made them unable to believe their eyes.
I saw it after a shout.
The neatly arranged army on the opposite side suddenly erupted with a terrifying murderous intent.
"kill!"
Gao Shun led the troops in front, raising his gun and roaring.
"Kill, kill, kill!"
All the trapped soldiers shouted at the same time, and their voices echoed through the sky.
The next moment, the trapped troops suddenly began to move forward, fighting with Zhang Nanjiao's troops.
Almost at the moment of contact, it was like a kick, hitting a one-meter-thick steel plate.
The shield-hand, who was fully armored and held a shield in both hands, slowly moved forward. The crossbowman behind him put down his crossbow, raised his spear, and began to stab outwards from the gap in the shield.
Like a tank army composed of 5,000 men, the Jizhou soldiers were completely unable to break through the defenses. They chopped down on shields or armors, making violent metal friction sounds and sparks flying, but without leaving any trace.
However, a spear that is three to four meters long can take away a life in an instant.
The outside was densely packed with people, and those in the back rushed forward, while those in front seemed to have been hit by guns, lining up to die. It was almost a one-sided massacre.
Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu, who saw this scene from a distance, looked at each other and could see the panic in each other's eyes.
How can we fight this battle?
It is completely an iron shell, and even the enemy's perimeter cannot be broken through. No matter how many lives it takes, it won't be enough.
It was indeed impossible to fight. On the first day of the battle, hundreds of people were lost, and nearly a thousand people were lost. Zhang Nanjiao's nearly seven or eight thousand troops collapsed instantly, and before Ming Jin's order, he began to be defeated on a large scale.
escape.
Zhang He's Jizhou army met Gao Shun's trapped army, just like an egg hitting a stone, it broke as soon as it touched!