As the city gates opened, the Battle of Nanpi came to an end.
Yuan Shao adopted Xu You's strategy, encircling the army from all sides and attacking crazily every day to attract the attention of the defenders.
Then he took the opportunity to dig a tunnel, and finally succeeded in breaking through the city and defeated Gongsun Fan.
Gongsun Fan led the remaining soldiers in defeat and headed towards Fuyang.
At this time, the war in the direction of Fuyang also entered a fever pitch. Gao Lan led an army of fifty thousand and launched a fierce attack on Fuyang.
In the city, Tian Yu, Guan Jing and others calmly commanded, while Shan Wenze, Gong Sun Xu and other generals fought desperately to successfully repel the first wave of enemy attacks.
But everyone knows that this wave is just a tentative attack. In the next few days, Gao Lan will be a foundry camp, preparing for long-term plans.
A few days later, the Qingzhou Army appeared in great strength north of Gaocheng and east of Fuyang. On the hillside two miles east of Fuyang, several cavalrymen appeared at some unknown time.
"Captain, look over there."
The scout team pointed to the jungle at the foot of the mountain in the distance and said.
From time to time, frightened birds flew out of the jungle, and Gongsun Zan lurked in the forest outside the city. The location he chose was also on the east side of Fuyang.
Because Gao Lan was attacking from the west, the art of war goes like this: "Encircle an enemy ten times, attack it five times, fight it if it is doubled. Divide the enemy by dividing it, defend it if it is small, and avoid it if it is too small."
It takes ten times the strength to surround the city. Like the battle of Changshe, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun only had more than 10,000 troops, but the Yellow Turbans had more than 100,000, so they were surrounded on all sides and the camps were connected into one.
Gao Lan only had 50,000 people, while the enemy had 15,000 in the city. He even knew that Gongsun Zan had a large number of cavalry, perhaps ambushing outside the city, so it was impossible to surround the city like the Yellow Turban did.
It is unrealistic to even disperse half of the troops to besiege the other two gates. This will disperse the troops and give the enemy a chance to defeat them one by one, which is a taboo for military strategists.
Therefore, Gao Lan's fifty thousand people were all in the camp two miles away from the west gate, and sent out scouts to investigate everywhere. However, Gongsun Zan also sent out scouts to patrol around the city. In addition to the tentative confrontation at the west gate on the first day, both sides had more
It's a battle between scouts.
But with the arrival of the Qingzhou Army, a war is bound to come.
Because Gongsun Zan is waiting for the Qingzhou Army. With his character, he never likes to hide in the city. He is more willing to fight the enemy in the wild.
"Come two people and follow me to see the situation. Xiao Wu, you go back and report to the general. The others stay here."
The scout captain assigned the task, and he decided to see what was going on over there.
After descending the hillside and entering the woods, I heard voices in the distance. Several cavalrymen rushed out of the woods. After the two sides met, they both put down their hostility and nodded to each other.
Gongsun Zan's Youzhou Army and Liu Bei's Qingzhou Army have been fighting side by side for several years. Both sides know each other's military uniforms and will not mistake them for enemies.
"Where is General Gongsun?"
the scout captain asked.
"Please wait a moment, I'll go make a report."
Gongsun Zan's scouts turned their horses and went to report.
After a while, Gongsun Zan let them pass and entered the forest. A large number of cavalry were hidden in the forest, and the horses were temporarily resting by a small river farther east of the forest.
The scout captain turned over and dismounted, raised his hands and said: "General Gongsun, the state minister received the general's request for help and immediately ordered the army to go north. Now the Qingzhou Army, led by General Zang, has 30,000 troops, and has arrived thirty miles away from here."
"good."
Gongsun Zan was overjoyed and said: "Please also inform General Zang that I plan to launch an attack tomorrow and wait for the assistance of the Qingzhou Army."
"only."
The scout captain went back to convey the message to Zang Ba.
By the afternoon, Zang Ba's front army had arrived twenty miles away from Fuyang.
Since the entire journey was in uninhabited wilderness, with swamps everywhere, numerous rivers, and many places covered with forests, the army did not move very fast. It often had to open roads over mountains, build bridges over water, and overcome many difficulties and obstacles before it could continue north.
Enter.
Some people may not believe that the Yanshan and Haixing areas of later generations were so primitive during the Three Kingdoms period.
But it is indeed a fact. From the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, there were no cities or people in this area covering hundreds of kilometers.
Although it is under the jurisdiction of Gaocheng County at this time, it is forty or fifty kilometers away from Gaocheng. The farther to the northeast coast, except for the scattered fishing villages on the Bohai Bay, the places further inside are mostly virgin forests or large swamps.
Lakes and wetlands are not suitable for human habitation.
However, Zang Ba did not go deeper to the northeast, but from the east of Yanshan Mountain and the west side of Haixing.
Because it connects Fuyang, there is an ordinary official road between counties. Occasionally, Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei's troops would pass through this place, and there were villagers nearby. Just to avoid Yuan Shao's scouts, Zang Ba had to leave.
After half the journey, I abandoned the official path and went deep into the jungle.
Now his position is directly north of Yanshan County in later generations. At this time, twenty miles southeast of Fuyang County, the army is advancing along a path under undulating hills. Below the hills is a small stream. After passing the hills,
The front suddenly becomes clear.
"Where is this place?"
Zang Ba asked the guide.
The guide said: "This is southeast of Fuyang. Going further west is Hexiang and enters the official road."
"Um."
Zang Ba nodded: "How far is it from Fuyang?"
"About twenty miles."
"Is there a trail that goes directly around Fuyang?"
"There is a road to the north that mountain people often go into the forest for hunting. You can go to Jixiang east of Fuyang."
"Um."
Zang Ba turned around and said to the messenger: "Go and let the army rest where it is."
"only!"
The messenger went to give the order.
Zang Ba himself planned to return to the Central Army to find Xun You and ask what to do next.
But at this moment, a scout from a distance came galloping towards him. When he got close, he dismounted and said, "General, we have found General Gongsun."
"oh?"
Zang Ba was overjoyed when he heard this and said, "Where is he?"
"He led his cavalry in ambush outside the city and is waiting for the general to join him."
"I see."
"General Gongsun said that he plans to launch an attack tomorrow and asked the general for assistance."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Launch an attack tomorrow?"
"Yes."
The scout reported back.
Zang Ba frowned.
Why is Gongsun Zan so arbitrary? When friendly troops come over, he directly issues orders without consulting them. He clearly regards himself as one of his troops.
In order to avoid the checkpoint scouts set up by Gao Lan on the official road to the south, he chose to make a large circle and come from the northeast. The roads along the way were all paths known to the villagers, just to conceal his whereabouts and launch a surprise attack.
This was a surprise attack planned by Xun You.
In the end, Gongsun Zan actually asked them to go directly to meet up, and then took the initiative to launch an attack. In this way, the meaning of concealing their whereabouts was completely lost. If they were fighting against someone else, why fight?
Thinking of this, Zang Ba shook his head and turned towards the direction of the Chinese army.
This time, Xu Rong led 10,000 troops into Qinghe and harassed the country. Yan Zhong was the military advisor and was responsible for coordinating the rear. Zang Ba led 30,000 people to the north to aid Gongsun Zan. Xun You was the military advisor and planned a surprise attack.
Now Gongsun Zan wanted to attack head-on, which obviously ruined Xun You's plan, so he had to go to Xun You to discuss what to do.
The army rested on the spot, and Zang Ba came to the middle army.
Xun You was sitting on a shallow stone stall exposed on the grass by the river to rest. He took a sip of water. When he saw Zang Ba approaching, he stood up and walked over slowly and said, "General Zang."
"Military advisor, just call me Xuan Gao."
Zang Ba was very respectful to Xun You.
Xun You then invited him to walk to the river, and asked as he walked: "Xuan Gao, is there something wrong ahead?"
Zang Ba accompanied Xun You for a walk on the river bank and said: "The scouts from the front came to report that they found Gongsun Zan ambushing outside Fuyang City. Gongsun Zan said that he planned to attack tomorrow and asked us to assist him in attacking the enemy camp."
"Attack together?"
Xun You frowned. His initial strategy was to hide his whereabouts first, and then discuss with Gongsun Zan, asking him to lure the enemy to attack first. When the enemy left the camp and attacked the city, the Qingzhou army suddenly rushed out and cooperated with Gongsun Zan's troops and horses in the city.
The outer cavalry defeated the enemy in one fell swoop.
This strategy is not only a surprise attack, but also a fierce battle in the wild. With the presence of cavalry, the enemy's original failure to attack the city, and the sudden loss of morale due to the sudden surprise attack, it is certain to fail. It is a very good strategy.
But Gongsun Zan asked them to take the initiative to attack together. It was originally a fierce battle in the wild, where they could give full play to surprise attacks and cavalry mobility. However, now they went to attack the enemy's camp. The original defensive counterattack turned into an active offensive battle, giving up their own advantages.
You can use your toes to know which strategy is better and which one is worse.
"Zi Gui once said that Gongsun Zan was a headstrong man who always refused to obey others. He also had an impulsive personality and a strong character. It seems that Zi Gui was right."
Xun You shook his head.
Zang Ba asked: "Then what should we do now?"
Xun You said: "Gongsun Zan cannot be defeated, at least not at this time. Xuan Gaoyi will go there in person to see if he can persuade him to give up the attack."
"Um."
Zang Ba said with a heavy face: "I know, I'll just go there myself."
"Although I have never met Gongsun Zan, since Zigui said so, he must be a proud and arrogant person. After Xuan Gao leaves, we must not belittle his battle plan, but analyze the pros and cons and praise Gongsun Zan for his proper tactics.
At the same time, tell him that it is not easy to attack the enemy, and it is best to wait for the enemy to attack before making a surprise attack."
Xun You analyzed Gongsun Zan's human weaknesses and put forward his own opinions. Some people's personalities and tempers are just like those of adolescent children. They know that something is wrong, but they must not go back until they hit the wall, so they must not go against it.
You can only obey him first.
Only with step-by-step guidance can they achieve the results they want.
"Okay, I will be more careful."
Zang Ba nodded to express his understanding.
He had a strong personality in his early years, but after years of hard work as a thief, he has become tactful and sophisticated, and his emotional intelligence will not be that low.
Without hesitation, Zang Ba ordered the army to rest where they were, and Zang Ba personally rushed outside Fuyang City to discuss with Gongsun Zan.
Twenty miles, almost an hour, and by the time he arrived, it was almost dark.
When Gongsun Zan heard that Zang Ba was coming, he came to greet him personally.
The two met at a temporary residence in the forest, chatting and laughing for a while before officially getting into the topic.
Zang Ba said: "The general said that we should attack the enemy with the general tomorrow?"
"good."
Gongsun Zan's veins bulged and anger burst out of his eyes: "Yuan Shao bullied me too much. I will definitely defeat his army."
Zang Ba nodded and said: "The general's plan to attack by force is indeed very fast. The enemy was caught off guard and will be defeated. However, in order to avoid the enemy's scouts and detection, our army deliberately crossed the mountains and took a long way around. If we attacked by force, I'm afraid it would be a big defeat."
The meaning of the raid will be lost."
"oh?"
Gongsun Zan asked: "What are your plans?"
Zang Ba said: "The military counselor said that the general can attack first, and then pretend to be defeated and retreat. At this time, the enemy will definitely pursue us. Our army suddenly rushes out. When the time comes, we will attack with the general from front to back, and the enemy will be defeated."
"Well."
Gongsun Zan pondered for a moment.
If Zang Ba denies his plan as soon as he comes, he will definitely not be happy.
He is a stubborn person. The more others deny him, the more he wants to prove himself, and the result is that he goes further and further away.
But after hearing Xun You's words, Zang Ba praised Gongsun Zan's good plan as soon as he came over. At the same time, he also expressed his own views and told Gongsun Zan about his side's difficulties, so that both parties could have room for discussion.
Therefore, it is not easy for Xun You. As a qualified military advisor, you must not only have superb intelligence, but also have excellent emotional intelligence to deal with leaders with different personalities.
People like Tian Feng and Xu You, who have high intelligence but low emotional intelligence, often find it difficult to get along with narrow-minded leaders. This is a typical example.
"It's not impossible to set up an ambush."
After thinking for a while, Gongsun Zan said: "Okay, then according to your strategy, I will lead the army to challenge tomorrow. If the enemy attacks, it will be up to you to pretend to be defeated."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zang Ba smiled and said: "General Gongsun, please don't worry. Although my Ming Gong went south to rescue General Sun this time, he told us long ago before leaving.
, Qingzhou and Youzhou are one, and this time Yuan Shao comes to invade, we must not let him succeed."
"That's good."
Gongsun Zan was very satisfied with Zang Ba's attitude, and the two parties exchanged opinions harmoniously and reached an agreement.
However, just when Zang Ba was about to say goodbye and leave, making arrangements for tomorrow's raid.
A spy flew on horseback to report that Nanpi had been breached.
After Gongsun Fan led the remaining troops out of the city, he evacuated toward Fuyang and sent knights to report the news quickly.
Since Gao Lan only set up camp outside the city and blocked all major transportation routes, the knights crossed the mountains and ridges, bypassed the north city gate from the north flank, and entered Nanpi to inform Tian Yu of the information.
Tian Yuze immediately sent someone out from the east city gate to inform Gongsun Zan, who was ambushing here, of the information.
When he learned that Nanpi had been broken and that Yuan Shao's main army was about to go north to join Gao Lan, and then more than 100,000 troops would attack Fuyang, Gongsun Zan was also shocked and quickly thought of countermeasures in his mind.
Zang Ba immediately said: "General, we can't hesitate any longer. It seems that we must change our plan. We can't take action tomorrow. Without further ado, we will attack tonight."
"Attack tonight?"
"Yes, we will attack tonight. Gao Lan must also know the news that Nanpi has been breached. At this time, the general is attacking all night. He must think that the general has decided to abandon the cauldron, so he will definitely hold on to the camp until the general pretends to retreat.
We will attack immediately, and this is our opportunity."
"What if he doesn't take the initiative to pursue him?"
Gongsun Zan asked his doubts.
If Gao Lan is determined to hold on and must wait until Yuan Shao arrives before attacking, then this strategy is meaningless.
However, Zang Ba said: "General, think about it. In Gao Lan's eyes, the general has retreated and retreated into the city. There is a city to defend, and there is a possibility that Qingzhou reinforcements will come. If he were replaced by a general, would he hope for a quick victory or a quick victory?"
Do you want to continue to fight the city war?"
Gongsun Zan thought: "Of course it is best to fight in the wild."
"Yes."
Zang Ba analyzed: "Now that the general has taken the initiative to leave the city, Gao Lan must be happy, because even if Yuan Shao's main force arrives, it will not be easy to attack the city. The general has reinforcements outside and food and grass inside. It is not us who are anxious, but them. Therefore.
If Gao Lan is not stupid, it would be a good strategy to attack when the general is defeated."
"I know, we'll attack tonight."
Gongsun Zan agreed without hesitation.
Regardless of whether Gao Lan can reveal it or not, it is a fact that Nanpi has been breached, and it is like treating a dead horse as a living horse.
Seeing that he agreed, Zang Ba was relieved and immediately went back to tell Xun You about the situation here.
Yuan Shao broke through Nanpi so quickly and came to Fuyang, which was unexpected by everyone.
But now they don't have no chance.
As long as Gao Lan is defeated first and the Qingzhou army delays Yuan Shao, until Gongsun Zan returns north to Youzhou, the worst possible outcome is to return the Bohai Sea to Yuan Shao.
Now Gongsun Zan does not want to fight Yuan Shao, and his hometown Youzhou is still under attack by Xianbei.
He is anxious to go back and defend against Xianbei!
It is also not in the interest of Qingzhou for Gongsun Zan to be eliminated. It is only in line with his return to Youzhou. Therefore, it is the common goal and interest of both parties to prevent Yuan Shao from encircling him.