When Liu Bei's army crossed the river, the outposts, fortresses and scouts of Cao's army arranged along the river naturally had to take shelter and retreat one after another.
This gave the imperial scouts the opportunity to spread out and investigate, and the spies poured out like a tide.
Although Liu Bei had an intelligence system called the Military Intelligence Department, he had countless secret agents and spies.
But information does not appear out of thin air. Spies need to collect intelligence, such as what the specific terrain is around, where Cao's army's grain and grass are piled up, the specific number of enemies, etc.
Now Cao Cao has established a camp in Guandu and the defense is airtight. Even if spies within Cao Cao's army want to send out information, it will not be easy.
After all, there is no Morse code in this era, and Chen Mu is not bored enough to learn this thing, so he can only briefly involve a set of intelligence transmission methods belonging to the Military Intelligence Department, such as hanging fire warnings, tying cloth to pass letters, etc.
Cao Jun had a large number of soldiers coming in and out every day, transporting grain and grass, going out to perform tasks, and changing guard posts. Spies could not pass on complex information, but could only pass on some simple information.
The meaning of the fire warning was that a large number of enemies were coming out of the camp. This news had always made Liu Bei's group of counselors more concerned, and they wanted to know what it contained.
At this moment, Liu Bei was riding on horseback, surrounded by the emperor's guard of honor. The front army had successfully crossed the river and occupied the other side of the river, and the Chinese army also began to advance one after another.
By noon, in addition to the more than 10,000 men and horses left behind in the camp, there were 30,000 people around them. Dian Wei was the commander of the front army, followed by the army staff Dong Zhao, plus more than a dozen middle- and high-level generals, large and small, making the entire army
There was no obstacle to the team crossing the river.
Cao Cao did not dare to come out of camp to intercept, because this part of the front army only had 6,000 men, and another 4,000 men under Dian Wei crossed the river from the lower reaches and met on the other side of the river. If Cao Cao's army dared to come, they would have to face two groups of troops attacking at the same time.
.
Liu Bei's army is not just a mob. After the two military reforms, even the irregular armies were eliminated only the best of the best. Since there is a twenty-level military merit title system to increase their morale, their combat effectiveness is very strong. They are eager for Cao's army to come out of the camp to fight with them.
They fought decisively without fear at all.
Facing the fierce Liu Bei army, Cao Cao knew that it was very difficult to defend the camp, so it was impossible for him to go out to fight.
The main reason is this terrain. Unlike the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, which are super big rivers, there is no point in crossing a small river halfway. People don’t need boats or bridges. You can walk across the river by flowing water, so there is no geographical advantage.
After Liu Bei's army successfully crossed the river, they began to adjust their formation about four or five miles away from Cao Jun's camp. The former troops who had crossed the river in advance spread out and drove away Cao Jun who came to watch.
It took some time to reorganize the team, so Liu Bei came to a hillside and used a telescope to observe the situation on Cao's army, surrounded by many counselors.
In addition to Xu Chu, the bodyguard, Jia Xu, Mao Jie, Wang Lang, Cui Yan and others were also there, and Zhuge Liang and others served as the army chiefs.
"When Cao Cao saw my army crossing the river, he no longer dared to leave the camp."
Liu Bei is holding a telescope.
Their current location is about five miles away from Cao Jun's camp, which translates to a distance of two kilometers. The telescope can clearly observe the situation of the camp.
I saw that the camp stretched for several miles. The camp faced the Guandu River to the west and was sealed with a fence. To the north and east were connected several other camps of Cao Jun. The camps were crisscrossed with each other. Only the south side was the camp.
gate entrance.
At this time, the gate of the village was tightly closed, and Cao Cao dug a canal from the river to protect the river. There were many pits outside the village, and there were a large number of ditches, horse pits, ground thorns, and horse-barriers, iron caltrops and other defensive equipment built around the village.
This is because the imperial army launched the offensive quickly and did not allow Cao Cao to prepare for longer. Otherwise, these defensive equipment would probably be more abundant.
In addition to the peripheral defense, the camp is also very strong. The perimeter is made of fences and mud walls. Although it is a relatively fragile wooden rammed earth structure, rather than the brick wall and rammed earth structure that appeared in the late Han Dynasty, it is
This can still effectively resist arrow attacks.
There are parapets, crenels, a large number of baffles and high oars above the wall, and there may even be crossbows. Catapults are definitely indispensable. After all, Cao Cao used catapults to attack Yuan Shao's wells in history.
The tower was knocked down.
Flags were fluttering above Cao Cao's camp, and countless densely packed heads poked out from the stronghold wall to look at the situation here. Liu Bei had vaguely seen Cao Cao's position, and he was also looking over here from the gate of the stronghold wall.
However, Cao Cao didn't have a telescope. He was two kilometers away and could only see black spots on the hillside in the distance. He couldn't see Liu Bei's specific location. On the contrary, Liu Bei saw him cleanly.
Wang Lang stood up and said: "Your Majesty, all the sentries and scouts deployed by Cao's army along the coast have been withdrawn. They must have retreated into the camp. We can go and investigate."
"Um."
Liu Bei nodded and said: "Be careful, the enemy may be ambushing nearby."
Jia Xu said: "Last night, a warning should have been issued in the camp, saying that part of the main force of Cao's army left the camp. It may be ambushing around, waiting for us to attack from the flanks, or it may be to do other things. Our army still needs to test it.
host."
"What does Wen He mean?"
Liu Bei asked.
Jia Xu thought for a while and said: "Let's check the situation first. Let the scouts search nearby rivers, lakes, and mountains and forests to see if there are any ambushes."
"good."
Liu Bei then gave instructions to the messengers around him.
After Dong Fang gave the warning yesterday, people on Liu Bei's side became nervous. They thought Cao Jun was going to attack the camp in the middle of the night, but they waited for a long time without any response.
The outposts stationed outside and the spies found nothing special, nor did they notice the enemy crossing the river.
In the early morning, Liu Bei summoned some of the more important advisers around him, including Jia Xu, Dong Zhao, Mao Jie, several young people recommended to him by Chen Mu, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Pang Tong and others for a private meeting to discuss.
After everyone's discussion, two conclusions were drawn.
First, Cao Cao sent these troops out for other reasons, such as ambush, sneak attack, detour, etc.
The second is that there is a problem on the internal response side, maybe it is exposed or there is an error in the signal.
This possibility cannot be ruled out. After all, only the general in Dong's army was an internal agent, and the rest were from Cao's army. Maybe the soldiers of Cao's army who were on duty at night were bored and lit a fire on the tower. Who knows?
Therefore, you must be vigilant after receiving information, but you must not be too nervous. Otherwise, you will be timid and frighten yourself, which will not be conducive to fighting.
Jia Xu's suggestion was very pertinent. After the scouts spread out, they naturally had to check the nearby places where the enemy might be hiding. If they were discovered in advance, they could be wiped out directly outside Cao Jun's camp, which would greatly affect the strength of Cao Jun.
Here Liu Bei's army was busy adjusting its formation, and spies quickly spread out, searching nearby mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, and places with high and low slopes that were difficult to see.
When Liu Bei's army had almost adjusted its formation, the army slowly moved forward. Almost an hour later, 30,000 troops surged towards Cao Jun like a black cloud, carrying a terrifying momentum.
The North-South Army of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are not ordinary soldiers. They are not afraid of death, and their eyes reveal a fierceness. Those who can be left behind are either elites who have fought in hundreds of battles, or they are dead soldiers who regard death as a return home.
After two rounds of military reform, most of the soldiers under General Jiuhu have become the elite of this era. They will never retreat even if more than half of their troops are lost in battle before they withdraw their troops.
The Central North-South Army that can become a standing army is the elite among the elite. The qualifications for selection are extremely demanding. In addition to being unafraid of death, they must also be veterans who have experienced many wars, as well as those soldiers with good physical fitness and excellent personal qualities.
It can be said that even veterans who have followed Liu Bei through life and death for many years and have no fear on the battlefield, even if they kill people like chickens, will still find it difficult to be selected into the Northern and Southern armies as long as their physical fitness is not up to standard.
Therefore, the momentum of these two armies was very terrifying. They were arranged in formation, neatly and neatly, without a trace of chaos. They slowly moved towards Cao Jun's camp, as if shrouded in black mist.
"This army is terrible!"
Cao Cao stood on the camp and watched. Just by the firm but not panicky pace of the imperial army, he could tell that this army must be following orders and had high morale.
Guo Jia on the side said in a deep voice: "Sun Wu once said that orders and prohibitions should be followed, and rewards and punishments should be clear. This is the common practice of military strategists. I once hoped that Liu Bei's army would only have rewards but lack the majesty of training. Now it seems that is not the case. He has both.
Already got it both ways.”
Cao Cao said bitterly: "With heavy rewards and rigorous training, this army will definitely be very difficult to fight. An army that is brave and unafraid of death is not scary. What is scary is that this army is not only brave and unafraid of death, but it can also fight."
, have the courage to fight."
Chen Gong said: "Ming Gong, don't worry too much. Even if the enemy has high morale and strong troops, there are many trenches and traps around our army. As long as we guard the camp and resolutely do not send out troops, there is no need to worry."
"Um."
Cao Cao nodded: "I know, I'm just a little envious of Liu Bei. This man is just a trafficker, but he finally achieved such a great cause, which makes me envious. What if I have such an army?
Are you worried that the world is unstable and the sea is not peaceful?"
After all, I am still envious.
Because he discovered that this army is not the kind of army that relies solely on rewards to burst out its combat effectiveness. The soldiers are not only high in fighting spirit, but also well-trained and have extremely high military literacy. This can be seen just by looking at the neat formation.
You can see it.
Originally, these soldiers were the elite of Liu Bei's command, but with the introduction of the twenty-level military merit and title system, their superb qualities, coupled with the desire for promotion and wealth, immediately unleashed stronger combat effectiveness.
And he's not afraid of death.
When you die, you will get a large pension, and you can make a fortune directly by killing an enemy.
The most profitable thing is to kill a few more enemies before dying. The accumulated merits and rewards can directly allow your family to live a life that was once unimaginable.
Therefore, under such a system, neither death nor killing enemies becomes scary.
Perhaps the most terrifying thing for the soldiers, and also the most painful thing, is that after a round of charge, the war was won, and they did not die, but they did not kill any enemy...
It is an honor to die in battle and kill the enemy, and it is a shame to survive without doing anything.
With such an army, what else is there to be afraid of?
And the scary thing is that this is not the idea of a few people, but the idea of the entire army.
After all, those who are greedy for life and afraid of death and those who do not come to join the army to earn a future have long been eliminated. Only those who are desperate for money can join the army, otherwise they will not be able to join.
This is the terrible thing about the twenty-level military merit title system!
The army came like a black cloud.
As the sound of the advancing gongs and drums went out, under the orders of officers at all levels, everyone stopped and quickly adjusted their formation.
One mile outside Cao's camp, the army stopped and formed a neat military formation.
The overwhelming momentum is depressing.
No one spoke, and the 30,000-strong army was silent. Everyone stared fiercely at the Cao Jun camp in front of them, as if they were about to flatten the entire camp. This was the most terrifying thing.
Liu Bei's position at this time was in the middle of the army. Scouts reported back one after another, saying that no enemy ambush was found in the mountains, jungles, lakes, and rivers for more than ten miles around.
The army that left camp last night seemed to have disappeared, which made many counselors under Liu Beijun feel strange and puzzling.
However, since there is no ambush, it means that we can order the attack with confidence and boldness.
The attack was well prepared. Although there were not many large-scale siege equipment, at the rear of their military formation, various parts shipped from the camp were quickly assembled, and dozens of well-mounted rams and nests were quickly assembled.
The curtains and catapults are coming.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Liu Bei came out of the crowd and came to the front of the two armies. It was a hot summer day, the sun was shining brightly, and the emperor's guard of honor was rustling in the wind.
After a while, a horseman came over, about a hundred feet outside the stronghold, and shouted: "Your Majesty said that Mr. Cao is an old friend. An old friend is here to visit. Why don't you come out to meet him? Your Majesty also said that Mr. Cao can rest assured. He just came out to meet you.
See, your Majesty will never order an attack until you return to camp."
Cao Cao smiled and said: "Liu Bei asked me to go out to meet him."
Cao Hong beside him said hurriedly: "Brother, please don't be fooled. Liu Bei must be trying to trick him into leaving the stronghold and launch a sudden attack."
Cao Cao thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Liu Xuande and I have known each other for almost twenty years. I have known him since the fifth year of Zhongping. This man can be regarded as a man of faith. He will not regret what he says, which will make people sad."
Open the village gate, Zilian, come with me."
"this......"
Cao Hong didn't want Cao Cao to put himself in danger, but Cao Cao insisted on going. He had no choice but to say: "Okay."
The order was given and the village gate slowly opened.
Cao Cao rode Jueying, followed by Cao Hong and more than a dozen knights.
He didn't dare to bring too many people, not for any other reason, but mainly because he dug too many traps outside, resulting in the only safer road being a narrow path for his soldiers to enter and exit.
If there are too many people, especially if the horses are not under control, it will be embarrassing if they run away in fear and run into the horse trap set by themselves.
So he didn't bring too many people.
Jogging all the way, we arrived about ninety feet outside the camp.
The distance between the two armies is about one mile, which is almost more than 400 meters, and the distance between the two armies is almost 210 meters. The two sides are in an intermediate position.
As he came over here, Liu Bei's emperor's guard of honor over there also slowly passed by.
Compared with Cao Cao, who traveled lightly and simply, Liu Bei's side was much more outrageous. Six horses carried a carriage, which was called the Emperor driving six.
There were hundreds of honor guards around, including those holding umbrellas, holding fans, holding flags, and those holding Jingo in formation. The majestic and grand appearance was like the brightest star in the war.