Chapter 89 Chapter 87: Driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf
The plan of driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf is actually to let Shangguan Si and Miao Yuan die together with Zhang Fang, and to eliminate two unstable factors for Luoyang.
As for why Shangguan Si must be eliminated, the reason is very simple: this guy is too much!
The soldiers burned, killed, looted, and affected many wealthy families. Although the society restrained them and only wanted wealth and did not harm others, they still caused public outrage.
In addition, he held the prince hostage and looked ambitious. Everyone was afraid of him, so it was normal for him to plot to get rid of him.
Before Wang Yan left, he also sent some news.
Gou Xi, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Army, did not dare to return to Luoyang, so he turned back to Xuchang halfway and defected to Sima Gui, the king of Fanyang. I don't know where this news came from, but it should be true.
On the other side of Yecheng, Sima Ying wanted to order the emperor to issue an edict to depose Crown Prince Sima Tan and Queen Yang Xianrong - this was probably revealed privately by Wang Cheng, the lieutenant in the Ye Mansion.
Pei Kuo and Pei Xia rushed back to Hedong to watch the situation - it was Pei Xia who must have spread the news, because he was Wang Yan's son-in-law.
Due to the changes of Bingzhou Sima Teng and Youzhou Wang Jun, Sima Ying, after hesitating for a long time, appointed Liu Yuan, the Xian Wang of the Xiongnu Zuo, as the champion general to supervise the military of the five departments. Yuan Zicong was appointed as the Jinu general, and the emperor followed - revealed by Wang Cheng.
After Sima Ying won a great victory, he questioned Sima Yao, King of Dong'an, who had persuaded him to surrender. Yao was speechless and was killed. In this matter, Sima Ying was not as magnanimous as Yuan Shao. After all, he killed someone after losing.
Various news came from all sides, revealing the Langya Wang family’s huge network of relationships.
This energy is amazing.
The accumulation of generations of aristocratic families cannot be underestimated.
Before, I saw Zhang Fang’s people killing family members like chickens, which was a bit too contemptuous. In the end, the seemingly majestic Zhang Fang might be tricked to death by these people.
Thinking of this, Shao Xun strengthened his determination to build an army from scratch.
It is necessary for officers and soldiers to form a community of interests with themselves, that is, without this group, everyone will be bullied and forced to unite with each other.
Only magic can defeat magic.
The one that can counteract the clan system of aristocratic families, so far as it is concerned, is the system of joining the nobility for military merit. This is also the development direction of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It is also the reason why the clan system has begun to slowly decline since it reached its peak in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. one of the important factors.
By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the so-called aristocratic families no longer had many manors, lands, or tribes, and they gradually became decorations attached to the imperial power. If the seniors of the aristocratic families in the Wei and Jin Dynasties saw it, they would laugh out loud. Are you worthy of being called a wealthy family?
"Sima." Chen Yougen entered and saluted.
"I would like to inform the men in the training team not to practice too hard these days, so that the soldiers can save more energy." Shao Xun said while wiping the ring-headed sword.
"Is there going to be a war?" Chen Yougen was startled and asked.
"Yes." Shao Xun nodded, and gave an additional explanation to a confidant like Chen Yougen: "Wang Yifu wanted to kill Shangguan Si and ordered him to go out of the city to fight with Zhang Fang. Regardless of victory or defeat, we will do it. , Shangguan Si and Miao Yuan are dead this time."
When Chen Yougen heard this, he became excited and said, "I've already disliked that guy in Tai Chi Hall. , abandoned his weapon and knelt down, begging for his life, but now there are five and six of them, damn it!"
"He has offended everyone, what if he doesn't die?" Shao Xun, this kind of person who lacks political acumen. Always amazed.
In the late Han Dynasty, there were Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si, and now there are Zhang Fang, Shangguan Si, and Miao Yuan. What did they think?
After a little analysis, you know that you are not capable of controlling the situation, so why do you have to force yourself? Is it driven by the desire to vent?
In the Han Dynasty, Wang Yun and others deceived the warlords and played tricks on them. At this time, there was Wang Yan.
Wang Yun was in high spirits after killing Dong Zhuo, but he didn’t know what would happen to Wang Yan.
In the afternoon, Shao Xun accompanied Mi Huang and Wang Bing to meet He Lun again.
"Commander, why did you follow Shangguan out of the city?" He Lun asked with some dissatisfaction: "There are so many new people in our army, and they don't know each other very well. How? Fighting the enemy in the field?"
"If our army doesn't send people out of the city, Shangguan will be suspicious." Mi Huang also knew that this was not a good idea, but he still insisted: "Send out the newly attached people. There is no need for more, a thousand men are enough. The army will also send out a thousand men, and you will temporarily lead them out of the city to resist the enemy."
After saying that, Mi Huang glanced at Wang Bing.
Wang Bing understood and immediately said: "At that time, one thousand troops will be allocated to you."
Two thousand troops are enough. Others have no idea how many defeated troops the Royal Army has contained, and Shangguan Si has no hope for their combat effectiveness.
Shao Xun said nothing.
He must choose these one thousand people. As for who will be chosen, who needs to say? They are not from Luoyang City, but they have been rectifying it for six or seven months, so they are relatively trustworthy.
What was sent this time were a thousand newly formed auxiliary soldiers. At critical moments, trust is more important than anything else.
Seeing Wang Bing also stand up, He Lun knew that he could not change it and sighed heavily.
He knew very well that Wang Bing and Shao Xun would not be willing to give him their elite soldiers. In this doomed battle, he had better think carefully about his escape route, lest he die in confusion, which would be too unfair.
At this time, he was really angry in his heart, and he had already developed a suspicion towards Mi Huang, Shao Xun, and Wang Bingsheng.
Seeing that He Lun accepted the fact, Mi Huang breathed a sigh of relief.
In this conspiracy planned by Wang Yifu and coordinated by them, no one was noble.
One by one, they are all ruthless people, scheming from beginning to end, even including Zhang Fang...
******
Jian On the fifth day of September in the first year of Wu Dynasty (304), in the north of Luoyang City, the sky was high and the clouds were clear, and the wind was gentle.
On two post roads, one large and one small, a large group of sergeants moved southward.
In the farmland on both sides of the post road, cavalry galloped in all directions, with the sound of hooves thundering.
Fifteen thousand infantry, six thousand cavalry, plus the broken troops contained along the way, the total army is 27,000 people. This is Zhang Fang's total strength. The vanguard arrived at this time, with a total of 3,000 infantry, 500 cavalry, and another 3,000 cavalry. They were still in Mang Mountain, waiting for orders.
Zhang Fang led his soldiers to the outside of Luoyang City first. After inspecting from a distance, he ordered to camp in the north of the city.
He was old enough to fight, and he had deduced several situations in his mind in an instant.
After seeing the soldiers at the head of Luoyang City walking around in a panic, they snorted coldly and left.
Six people, Wang Yan, Shangguan Si, Miao Yuan, Man Fen, Chen Jin and Mi Huang, also went to the city to look out.
For some reason, Shangguan Si suddenly felt a little frightened and said: "At this time last year, the Western Army was not very good. A year later, it has become much more capable and disciplined. Why?"
Wang Yan was a little stunned.
In his opinion, aren’t last year’s Western soldiers and this year’s Western soldiers the same? What's all the fuss about?
Mi Huang, however, has some discernment. After taking a closer look, he explained to Wang Yan: "The Western soldiers fight every year. They may be weak at first, but after fighting for a long time, they will always improve. The Western soldiers in front of us will The army, with its flags and troops in order, is not a weak force."
Wang Yan suddenly realized that it turned out that he had practiced it through many battles. If you think about it carefully, Sima Yong, the king of Hejian, did actively participate in the Luoyang war. He sent troops every time, ranging from 20,000 to 70,000, which gave him a lot of experience.
I heard that Huangfu Zhong of Qinzhou was still holding on, and Chang'an also sent a large army to participate in the battle. The Western soldiers fought a lot of battles.
Of course, then again, Luoyang has fought more battles, but it has just experienced the tragic defeat of Dangyin. The morale of the soldiers is low and it is difficult to compare with others.
"Send the order, assemble the entire army, and leave the city to resist the enemy." Shangguan suddenly ordered.
When Wang Yan heard this, he was surprised and said: "General Shangguan, this is..."
Shangguan Si was still very patient with his future "in-laws" and explained: "The thieves have traveled a long way. Coming, the foothold is not stable, and we are attacking them together to dampen their spirit."
What he said was that he wanted to gather a large number of soldiers and horses to defeat the enemy's vanguard first. Let them set up camp smoothly, dampen their spirits, and boost your own morale. As for whether Zhang Fang will fight after the main force arrives, he is inclined not to fight.
In short, I regretted it and wanted to rely on the strong city to consume Zhang Fang. As for whether he had broken his promise to Wang Yan, he couldn't control that much.
The order was quickly conveyed, and the soldiers from the camps who had been prepared for a long time left the city one after another.
Shangguan has already descended from the city, riding a horse and bringing with him five thousand soldiers.
Three thousand people from Miao Yuan's tribe, one thousand from Chen Jin's tribe, two thousand from Manfen's tribe, and two thousand from He Lun's tribe came together one after another.
There are thirteen thousand in the whole army, most of which are infantry. The cavalry from various units is put together, but it is less than a thousand, which is a bit shabby.
But that's enough. The enemy's vanguard only has three or four thousand infantry and cavalry.
Three times the force is overwhelming, using the masses to overwhelm the few, using the strong to attack the weak, victory is inevitable.
Wang Yan looked at the top of the city for a while, his face a little tangled.
Today is not the agreed day to take action.
Before Zhang Fang's main force arrived, Shangguan had already attacked with his entire army, intending to take advantage. In this way, even if there is a war, Shangguan will probably not suffer too much loss, and may even capture a group of thieves, making the momentum stronger.
In this case, can we still attack him?
Will Chen Jin, Man Fen and others change their minds on the spot?
Wang Yan felt a little uneasy subconsciously, and was already thinking in his mind about how to further compromise with Shangguan if the situation changed.
Oh, what a mistake! Why are there so many surprises?
Chu Zhong often ridiculed me for not knowing much about military matters, but now he really got it right.
The rumbling drums woke Wang Yan up.
He widened his eyes and stared outside the city.
More than 10,000 people were arranged in a phalanx in a chaotic manner.
The front army has three thousand soldiers, the left and right wings have three thousand soldiers, the rear army has two thousand soldiers, and there are three thousand soldiers in the rear army. He didn't know that this was the standard square formation since Cao Wei, but he just thought it was a bit like a variation of Bagua.
After the formation was arranged, the rhythm of the drums suddenly accelerated.
The entire army of more than 10,000 people, under the command of Shangguan Si, rushed straight towards the Western Army.
The Western troops who were encamped hurriedly gathered and sent cavalry to harass and block them to buy time.
Shangguan Si also sent out cavalry, and the two sides collided head-on, fighting before the infantry.
The drumming continues, and the two sides get closer and closer.
The battlefield was already filled with the sound of dense arrows piercing the air, and soldiers kept screaming and falling down.
Wang Yan stood at the top of the city, his fingers slightly curled, as if he was trying to pull off a piece of the city wall.
After a while, the two sides finally came into contact with each other.
Wang Yan watched intently.
It turns out that the confrontation between tens of thousands of people was so huge and the process so cruel.
"Pu She, our army is going to win." Tingwei Zhou Fu leaned over and said with a complicated expression.
Shangguan Si really has some strength, no wonder he is so arrogant.
After three thousand Chinese soldiers engaged with the enemy, they were still in a stalemate at first, with both sides suffering extensive casualties. But as time went by, the Western Army gradually became exhausted and retreated. By this time, the formation was in disarray.
The Luoyang Chinese Army is indeed powerful!
Zhou Fu sighed with emotion. They were much stronger than Xuzhou Shibing. Unfortunately, they were basically all lost - or there were still many stragglers who collapsed, but from an organizational point of view, the Chinese army was indeed gone.
"Kill!" Warm cheers suddenly erupted on the battlefield.
Zhou Fu and Wang Yan left in search of fame.
"Dong, dong, dong..." The drum sound became more and more intense, which was a signal to pursue the enemy.
The morale of more than 10,000 people was greatly boosted, and they ran in columns towards the direction of the enemy's retreat, shouting for a fierce battle.
"We won." Zhou Fu said expressionlessly.
Wang Yan said nothing, only frowned and thought hard.
The enemy troops fled more and more chaotically, and the pursuers became more and more scattered. There was a serious disconnect between the front and rear, and the formation was loose and loose, no longer as neat as before.
At this moment, people on Mount Mang were shouting.
After a while, one team after another of cavalry slowly descended.
After roughly forming the team, they ran at a fast pace, slowly increasing their speed, and outflanked the pursuers on the left and right flanks.
"It's over..." Zhou Fu's mind went blank.
He didn’t expect Zhang Fang to be so prepared, and there would be such a surprise in this battle!
After Wang Yan was shocked, he suddenly turned his head, and Mi Huang was no longer there!
He did not dare to neglect, so he called several people on the spot and ordered them to go separately to find Governor Mi.
(End of this chapter)