All the generals followed Chen Mu with great confidence.
But Chen Mu actually handed over the command to a nineteen-year-old boy like Zhuge Liang.
Although he was Chen Mu's proud disciple, it was soldiers like them who fought on the front line. If they made a mistake in command, their lives would be in vain.
This is obviously an irresponsible behavior for the entire army.
Therefore, the generals who had followed Liu Bei for a long time, including Wu'an Guowen Su and Feng Kai, all looked at each other and were at a loss.
Chen Mu looked at everyone with a smile and said softly: "I know what everyone is worried about, but I will watch the whole process and will never let the soldiers lose their lives."
With his guarantee, Wu An, Guowen Su and others were the first to express their opinions, stood up and said with cupped hands: "I have seen the supervisory army!"
Zhuge Liang breathed a long sigh of relief and immediately began to command: "General Wu'an, the enemy's army has moved out and is attacking our army. It is time to attack head-on. Please lead your troops and meet the enemy head-on."
Wu Anguo brought 10,000 people, these were his own troops. When he heard that Zhuge Liang wanted 10,000 people to fight against 20,000 people, he hesitated for a moment and looked at Chen Mu, but saw Chen Mu nodded slightly, so
He raised his hands and said: "Respect the military order of the supervisor!"
"After the general encounters the enemy, there is no need to send a vanguard to harass us even though we are facing each other head-on. Even if we lure the enemy deep, the enemy will not pursue us because their mission is to hold us back until Zhang Xiu's army arrives for reinforcements."
Zhuge Liang continued: "General, you only need to engage in a full-scale battle with the enemy. There is no need to worry, I have other arrangements."
"Got the order!"
After receiving the military order, Wu Anguo left the tent and prepared to carry out the order.
It is more than 70 Hanli from Yuyang to Nanjiuxiang, almost 30 kilometers. Calculated at an average of 4 to 5 kilometers per hour, even if Liu Biaojun set out at 8 o'clock in the morning, he would not arrive until 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
The sides can be arranged easily.
As for Zhang Xiu's detour, the distance was twice as long. Just to listen to the reports from the scouts, they set off at three quarters before dawn, which was about four o'clock in the morning, and the distance they moved was more than 60 kilometers.
In this way, even if we take a long detour, we will arrive at the battlefield around five or six o'clock in the evening, more than an hour later at most.
Therefore, for Zhuge Liang, time is still very tight. However, he is not worried that the enemy will choose to march in a hurry. Although a rush march can speed up the march, their troops also have to go south. They gallop all the way, and when they meet on the battlefield, they are exhausted.
, what to fight with?
So although time is tight, as long as you plan properly, success is still possible.
After ordering Wu Anguo, Zhuge Liang looked at Wen Su again and said: "General Wen, you are in charge of the cavalry in the army. Please cross Wan Bridge and pursue Zhang Xiu's tribe. Do not fight them, just follow them from a distance. If they send a few
After the enemy is cut off, it is up to the general to decide whether to fight or bypass. But be sure not to fall into Jia Xu's scheme and be ambushed by the enemy. Do not enter any mountains or forests. There are only open areas. Make sure there is no ambush before choosing to attack."
"Got the order!"
Wen Su was Liu Bei's cavalry commander before, and he was accompanied by three thousand light cavalry. It was still early in the morning, and the army had just finished eating. Zhang Xiu's troops had only traveled for about two and a half hours, almost thirty miles.
On the ground, the cavalry charged in a short distance, and it was not difficult to catch up with Zhang Xiu's troops.
Zhuge Liang then said to Feng Kai: "The general will lead his troops south along the direction of Feishui, and follow General Wu'an's right wing to take care of him. Remember, it must be in the direction of Feishui. General Wu'an's right wing must not appear on the left wing."
Feng Kai looked surprised. He didn't understand why Zhuge Liang insisted that he rely on the Jieshui River. But since he had an arrangement, he just followed it and said, "Yes!"
Zhuge Liang looked at Chen Mu and asked, "Master, is it possible to use the Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry?"
"You are the chief officer today, you can do whatever you want."
Chen Mu responded.
Zhuge Liang then said to Xu Chu: "Commander Xu, please lead the heavy cavalry of Xuanjia to follow General Wu'an, but you must keep a distance and don't get too close, so as not to be discovered by enemy scouts. Once General Wu'an General Feng Kai engages the enemy,
When the two sides are in a stalemate, attack the enemy's flank from the left wing and you will definitely defeat the enemy!"
Xu Chu glanced at Chen Mu, but Chen Mu didn't respond, so he cupped his hands and said, "Yes!"
After Xu Chu went out, Zhuge Liang called for the messenger and said to him: "Go to Wanqiao and send someone to inform General Li Lan, instructing him to send a small number of men and horses to pretend to attack Wancheng. If the enemy comes out of the city to pursue him, he will set up an ambush at Wanqiao. If
If you don’t come to chase me, I will harvest the wheat fields outside the city.”
Harvesting the wheat fields outside the city?
Chen Mu's eyes suddenly lit up, Zhuge Liang was really smart, and he had already inherited all his abilities.
It is already June now. Since Chen Mu's army has already moved south in May, Zhang Xiu is huddled in Wancheng. The wheat is mature in May and June, so there are still a large number of wheat fields outside the city that have not been harvested at this time.
Zhang Xiu occupied Nanyang, and many counties and cities in Nanyang followed his lead. However, after Chen Mu's army came, they captured a large number of cities on the east bank of the Feishui River without spending a single soldier. Since these cities had surrendered to the imperial court, the people reaped the benefits.
Naturally, there is no need to hand over the wheat to Zhang Xiu.
As a county that was severely affected by the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Dong Zhuo's Rebellion, its population has long been reduced from the more than two million Dingkou during the emperor's time, and many counties south of Nanyang are controlled by Liu Biao, making the population and territory under Zhang Xiu's rule actually small.
Not that much.
Since the imperial army had already occupied a lot of territory, Zhang Xiu still had to support the army, so it became very important to harvest a large number of fields near Wancheng. If they were all taken away by the imperial court, the losses would be heavy.
Therefore, Zhuge Liang's move can be described as hitting the snake seven inches. Even if Zhang Xiu doesn't come back to help, then you won't want the wheat fields outside the city. Unless Liu Biao helps, the food for this winter will become a problem.
However, this move is very powerful, but it still can't hurt your muscles and bones. Let's imitate Cao Cao and directly move the people around Wancheng away. At the same time, send people to attack Li State, Shunyang, Qi County, and Danshui to the west of Nanyang.
, Nanxiang and other counties emptied the newly replenished treasury, and used a trick to drain the firewood. The custody made Zhang Xiu despair.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It’s just that it would be too hurtful to the people. Zhuge Liang may have thought of it, but he didn’t do it.
After finishing the tactical layout, Zhuge Liang raised his hand to Chen Mu and said, "Master, are there any omissions?"
"Not bad."
Chen Mu praised: "The central army was entangled with the enemy, and the right army was restrained. Finally, the heavy cavalry of Xuanjia made the final decision. As for Zhang Xiu's troops, they also took precautions and used cavalry to deter them and delay their steps. At this point, even if
I can't do any better."
Zhuge Liang said in a deep voice: "These are all tactics used by Master Shijun in the past. He once told the students in class, and the students wrote them down one by one. Today, the students are just copying them, and it doesn't matter."
"The tactics I used back then?"
Chen Mu recalled it, it really happened.
Using cavalry as a deterrent to contain enemy infantry was a tactic used against Guo Daxian during the Yellow Turbans.
Not to mention the confrontation between the Chinese army and the heavy cavalry flanking attack, they have almost become Chen Mu's magic weapon. They are often used by Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao when fighting against the Yellow Turbans, and they have proven to be successful time and time again.
In fact, he did not invent this tactic. Let alone the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In the ancient Roman period, Caesar and Pompey's Battle of Fasalu was a classic victory over the greater number with less, using the main infantry to contain them head-on.
The enemy then makes a cavalry flanking attack to disrupt the enemy's rear formation.
So it's not actually about the superiority of tactics, it's about analyzing the specific actual situations of one's own side and the enemy's and then making a choice.
Just like Chen Mu's existence of a heavy cavalry, when he used this tactic, he often had no disadvantages.
If he does not have such a heavy cavalry, then this tactic will naturally not have any effect.
After Zhuge Liang conveyed the order, all the troops of the imperial court began to move, totaling 27,000 troops, including 22,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry.
The source of the infantry was the 7,000 Hanoi soldiers trained by Ju Yi and the 3,000 Sanhe knights brought by Chen Mu when he left Luoyang. He also brought 10,000 county soldiers left behind from Yingchuan, Henan and other places, and then Zhao Yun sent five
Thousands of backup troops were stationed in Ye County, and the remaining two thousand cavalry were Chen Mu's Xuanjia heavy cavalry.
Zhuge Liang almost used all his troops to the extreme. Wu Anguo led 10,000 men on the front battlefield to attack, and then Feng Kai led 7,000 men on the right battlefield to squeeze the enemy's position to the left battlefield, while Xu Chu led 2,000 men.
Cavalry attacks the enemy's left flank.
In this way, the pressure from Feng Kai on the right caused the enemy's formation to veer to the left. Once he was heavily ridden, the entire formation would become very crowded, resulting in a chaotic situation.
It can be said that from the front, it is 19,000 to 20,000. It seems that there are 1,000 fewer people, but Zhuge Liang has exerted his super military advantage. Judging from the formation alone, it is enough to reverse this insignificant difference of 1,000.
It is only a matter of time before the Jingzhou Army is defeated.
The key lies in how long the civil service lasts.
If Wenpin cannot be defeated in a short period of time, then Zhang Xiu's reinforcements may not be able to win until Zhang Xiu's reinforcements arrive.
So Zhuge Liang made second-hand and third-hand arrangements. The second-hand was to harass Zhang Xiu's army with Paiwen Su's cavalry, and the third-hand was to pretend to attack Wancheng and force Zhang Xiu to return to defense.
How effective it will be depends on whether Jia Xu can respond quickly.
But overall, Zhuge Liang's plan is still relatively good. Ask yourself, in Chen Mu's position, there is nothing to consider except a few details, such as whether Jia Xu will adopt other strategies.
Therefore, when Zhuge Liang had already done a pretty good job, Chen Mu did not go out of his way to point fingers or help him find and fill in his gaps. After all, people have to learn to think independently, and relying on others for everything will not make them successful.
As for the future names and appearances, Chen Mu's attitude is that he will definitely be taught whoever needs to be taught, but he must be allowed to grow on his own, otherwise he will just be a hothouse flower that cannot withstand the cold wind.
Here, under the command of Zhuge Liang, the imperial army began to move in an orderly manner, with all units in their respective positions and began to advance according to the previously planned plan.
Wu Anguo's main force began to move southward, heading towards Wenpin's troops.
Both sides ran in both directions, approaching quickly.
By the afternoon, the two sides had already met at Xiaochang'anju, northwest of Jiyang, which was almost the southernmost Wadian in Wancheng District, Nanyang City in later generations.
Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu and King Qi Liu Yan once fought with Wang Mang's army here, which is known as the Battle of Little Chang'an in history.
Although this place is called Little Chang'an, it has high mountains and dense forests, and a large valley in the northeast. The terrain is extremely complex. From the north of the village entrance, you will enter a valley surrounded by dense mountains and lush vegetation.
Historically, Liu Yan was ambushed by the New Dynasty army in this valley. His younger brother Liu Zhong, younger sister Liu Yuan and three nieces all died. It can be said that he suffered heavy losses.
Since this place is closer to Nanjiuxiang, Zhuge Liang's troops actually entered the valley early to set up an ambush, and Wu Anguo divided his troops in the mountains on both sides.
Wenpin was not a fool, so he naturally knew that this place was very suitable for an ambush, so he immediately stopped and sent scouts to investigate.
Soon the scout reported back that the forest was dense and the actual situation could not be clearly seen, but there seemed to be nothing unusual.
Wenpin's deputy general Deng Ji said to him: "General, it seems that there is no ambush in the valley. If we take a detour, we will have to go a long way. Why not go straight through the valley and go straight south?"
"No."
Wenpin sat on his horse and looked at the valley over there, and said calmly: "Our mission is to stop the enemy from going south and wait for Zhang Xiu to come for reinforcements. There is no need to risk our lives. Since it is difficult for us to take a long way around, it will be equally difficult for the enemy to take a long way, so let's
Holding the mouth of the valley will help us delay."
Deng Ji thought about it and nodded, "Then just follow the general's words."
The army then stopped outside the valley to rest.
Seeing that they did not enter the valley, Wu Anguo's scouts over there hurriedly came to report. When Wu Anguo learned the news, he muttered that the young people were unreliable and that the four generals trusted their disciples too much, so he could only send people to the rear immediately.
Signaling.
At this time, Chen Mu, Zhuge Liang, Chen Qun and other rear commanders had also arrived at Nanzhenju, which was located south of Nanjiuxiang and north of Xiaochang'anju, just in the middle. When they learned that Wenpin's army had stalled at the mouth of the valley, everyone
He quickly entered the valley, joined the Wu Anguo army, and stood on the hillside to watch from a distance.
Wu Anguo didn't trust Zhuge Liang in his heart, but he didn't dare to ridicule because Chen Mu was by his side. He could only say: "If the enemy doesn't enter the valley now, we have to go out of the valley to fight them. But the terrain at the entrance of the valley is narrow, and it is impossible for the cavalry to get out.
, what should we do if we are blocked here?"
Zhuge Liang calculated the time silently in his mind, turned around and asked the local guide on the side: "Is there a road from here that bypasses the Xiaochang'an Ju Valley and reaches the bank of the river ahead?"
The guide smiled and said: "Xiao Chang'an Ju is actually just a small valley. A little further away is a large piece of flat land. It's easy to get around. There is a direct connection from the bank of the Wei River in the southwest of Nan Zhenju to Yangjiaju in the south. But if you take the long way,
We have to walk for nearly two hours."
"What if we use a carriage?"
Zhuge asked.
The guide replied: "The road in that place is flat. If the carriage goes faster, we will arrive there in an hour."
Zhuge Liang immediately said to the messenger: "Go and tell General Xu Chu to load the armor in a carriage and quickly go to the Yang family gathering. As long as there is a war on our side, he will send troops immediately."
"only."
The messenger immediately went to convey the order.
Wu Anguo said in surprise: "Are the supervisors planning to have the cavalry make a detour to make a surprise attack? Isn't this wasting too much time?"
Zhuge Liang raised his head, glanced at the hot summer sun in June afternoon, and said calmly: "It's a waste of time. Zhang Xiujun didn't come from Wancheng that fast. As long as General Wen can delay the enemy for half an hour, then this battle will be a waste of time."