Chapter 258 Dilemma
War in the classical period often followed this pattern: preparations took a long time, and preparations for a battle took months or even years. But when a fight actually breaks out, the rise and fall of the regime can often be determined within half a day.
And this half day is also the longest half day, no matter who is the enemy or ourselves.
At this time, the battle of Xingyang is no different. This decisive battle that determines the trend of the world will be decided in a short time, but I don't know who will be the loser.
On September 10, the sixth year of Guanghe's reign, when the Han army's powerful coalition forces from various counties in the capital and the Youzhou Cavalry Corps advanced five miles east of Xingyang, the front sentinels directly engaged in a sentinel battle with the Taishan Army's sentry cavalry.
A ten-man cavalry team of the Han army was patrolling when they happened to bump into the Taishan army's sentinel cavalry who wanted to spy on the Han army's march. Seeing that there were only six cavalry on the opposite side, the Han cavalry thought that I had the advantage and took the lead in launching the attack. But who knew that there was a six-man cavalry hiding in the dark, and then the Han cavalry was surrounded and killed by the Taishan army. If a Youzhou cavalry had not arrived, the ambushed Han cavalry would have to give an account. There.
This small encounter between the two sides ended with the Taishan army leaving four corpses. But neither the Han Cavalry nor the Youzhou Cavalry had any intention of looking down on the Taishan Cavalry, because six of them died.
The battle report of this encounter was quickly sent to the Han army coach Huang Wan. Huang Wan immediately wrote a eloquent victory report based on the results of the battle and sent it to Liu Hong in Kyoto. It was not that Huang Wan was a man who was happy with great achievements, but that he needed to give Liu Hong constant victory reports to inspire the country to have the confidence to eradicate the moth thieves. .
But Huang Wan wrote a victory report and wrote a victory report, but he did not dare to be careless at all. He realized that the Taishan Army on the opposite side had also chosen to send troops today. Now the two armies happened to be on the large plain east of Xingyang.
Huang Wan's original plan was to take the initiative to seize the upper hand and trap the Taishan army in Yan's barrier with their numerical advantage. At that time, there were 10,000 powerful coalition troops under the east camp, 3,000 Youzhou sudden cavalry, 3,000 Hedong county soldiers, 2,000 Yanzhou troops, and 2,000 remaining troops in Xingyang. The total strength was 20,000, which seemed to be about the same number as the Taishan army opposite. . But Huang Wan also had heroes and official temple disciples recruited from various places. Although these could only be used for logistics, they totaled more than 20,000 people. Now, the camp in the east has jurisdiction over 50,000 people, known as the 100,000.
In order to maintain such a large scale of manpower, Liu Hong directly established Taicang, Kyoto. These millets, wheat and rice transferred from the most fertile places in the world were continuously transported to the Xingyang front line along the Luoshui River.
But now that the Taishan Army on the opposite side was also dispatched, Huang Wan shrank back. It's not that he is a coward, but he has fought against the Taishan Army, and he doesn't dare to look down on it. Moreover, he also knows how much the country has paid to set up this east camp, and he doesn't dare to waste the battle.
So as soon as he learned that the Taishan Army was also dispatched, Huang Wan urgently ordered all armies not to advance further, and all camped in place to build fortifications to establish themselves in an invincible position.
Not bad. After all, Huang Wan is a first-rate person. He was originally just a famous person who talked his heart out. But after having the experience of fighting with a large army, he became familiar with the common sense of some military strategists and knew that he could not give orders at this time. retreat.
If the whole army retreated at that time, even though the distance was less than five miles, tens of thousands of troops were lined up, and there was a sea of people, unable to see the front and back, and people's hearts were different. As soon as they saw the front army retreating, it would be natural to feel that the front army was defeated. When the time comes, they will be the first to retreat. After a rout, the camp on the east side will collapse.
It is said that Huang Wan is also suffering. It was also the first time he led troops in Yanzhou. He had a patchwork of troops under his command, and he still felt haggard even though he managed to hold on. But this time as the head coach of the eastern camp, his subordinates were still mixed together, and this time the composition was more complex, and the soldiers of each system were more difficult to manage.
His subordinates can be divided into three systems, ranked according to the level of combat power. The first-ranked troops are naturally the Youzhou Cavalry, the second-ranked are the Hedong and Yanzhou soldiers, and the third-ranked are the Gyeonggi powerful troops. .
But whether intentionally or unintentionally, Liu Hong did not move the Youzhou Cavalry Regiment of the clan members to the east camp sequence. Instead, it was still under the command of Lu Zhi, the original Beizhonglang general.
This embarrassed Huang Wan. In other words, the most powerful army in Xingyang at this time was only a friendly army, not his own army. The difference was huge.
But despite this, Huang Wan still didn't dare to ask more questions, because he was worried that this was what the country did deliberately, and he was not sure that all the troops in the capital would be given to Huang Wan to control. Huang Wan didn't think it was because the country couldn't trust him. These were just the emperor's instincts.
Since he has no command over Youzhou's sudden cavalry, many things need to be discussed with the other side, so what Huang Wan can rely on is the core Yanzhou soldiers and the county soldiers transferred from Hedong. Because the Yanzhou soldiers had been with him for a long time, especially the general Lu Qian he had collected, they were braver than anyone else and were a core force. There are also Hedong soldiers, who are indeed from the most victorious places in the world. They are elites. Many county soldiers even provide their own armor and horses. After a little training, the Hedong soldiers formed combat capabilities.
In fact, this is why Huang Wan gained the shadow of his predecessors. The land east of the river has always been the same as the six counties in the north, with good families. But unlike the Northland, the economy of the Hedong Land is much stronger than that of the six counties of the Northland. Therefore, the Hedong warriors here were even more proficient with bows and horses, and often brought their own vests when joining the army, thus becoming one of the core weapons of the Han Dynasty.
The land east of Hedong has been a place of great success since ancient times. In the past, the people of Tang Dynasty were all in Hedong, the people of Yin were all in Hanoi, and the people of Zhou were all in Henan. Therefore, this Sanhe area was the seat of royal industry in ancient times.
One reason for the prosperity of Hedong is that there are Fenshui and Sushui in the territory, which nourish agriculture. But the more important point is that Hedong has the advantage of salt and iron. Hedong has the best iron office in the world. The two ponds of salt with the best quality in the world can be said to account for all the wealth in the world. What is even more exaggerated is that the benefits of salt and iron are controlled by local private individuals in Hedong, and the state only collects salt and iron taxes.
It is precisely because of the wealth of local salt and iron that the Hedong area has rich people and inheritance. Every year, the samurai who retire and return to their hometowns train their nephews and fellow villagers, so that the Mikawa Knights can be passed down from generation to generation.
Before the rise of the Yellow Turbans, Hedong had already contributed a number of high-quality soldiers to the Han Dynasty. Now the country called again, and these long-trained warrior men once again took up armor and went out to fight for the country. Therefore, Huang Wan also received the support of his predecessors. It was the peace and stability of the Hedong area for hundreds of years that gave the warriors in the Hedong area a sufficient environment for growth. Of course, human resources will also be exhausted. With the advent of troubled times, no one knows how many of these high-quality Hedong warriors will be left.
But it is a pity that too few Hedong soldiers came. Including the Yanzhou soldiers in Huang Wan's hands, the total was only six thousand, which was far from being able to suppress another group under his command, the Qu soldiers of the powerful troops in Gyeonggi. Although the latter is not very elite, it can't resist others.
In fact, at the beginning, Liu Hong planned to send 10,000 Hedong soldiers to go south. Don't be surprised that one county can muster ten thousand soldiers, because Hedong County does have one, and there is a special regiment under his rule, namely the Wubi soldiers.
During the period of Emperor An, because the Qiang invaded Hedong and even reached Hanoi along Hedong, the Han Dynasty set up thirty-three dock walls in Tonggu Chong within Hedong, with fifty soldiers on each wall and drums. .
Therefore, Liu Hong initially wanted to mobilize these troops to go south. But Liu Hong's suggestion was directly blocked by the ministers from Hedong, Chaoyang. Of course, they had their reasons. They said that before the Yellow Turbans emerged, there were moth thieves causing chaos in the Hedong area. Later, Bian Zhang led the Qiang bandits to harass Hedong again. The thirty-three docks originally arranged in Hedong were originally established in the north of Kyoto, along the Yanyuan County, Pingyin, Jixian, Biyang, and Wushe areas of Hedong and Hanoi. A defensive strip. If all these troops are mobilized, if the Qiang people drive down, the story of the Western Zhou Dynasty being destroyed by the Xirong may happen again.
Liu Hong was very angry by these words. After thinking about it for a while, he guessed that these people only used these as reasons. The more important reason was that they, the wealthy people in Hedong, did not want all the troops in Hedong to be exhausted. When the time comes, whether it is the Yellow Turbans or When the Qiang people entered Hedong, they were the first to suffer.
But what can Liu Hong do after he understands this? They have already compromised once with the wealthy family, and this time is no different. So in the end, only 3,000 Hedong soldiers went south.
Originally, Liu Hong planned to ask Dong Zhuo, the governor of Hedong, to lead his troops south, but he had already led his troops to the battlefield in Hebei, so he gave up.
At this time, Dong Zhuo was still a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty. He came from a good family in six counties and became a Yulinlang. Later, he fought for the country in the Western Xinjiang and made military exploits. He was a rising star of the Han Dynasty and was expected to succeed Liang Liang. Zhou Sanming became the new benchmark for the martial arts of the entire Han Dynasty.
Because of this trust, Liu Hongcai appointed Dong Zhuo as the governor of Hedong. You must know that Hedong, as the head of the Three Rivers, has always been filled by the emperor's most trusted minister because of its geographical location and economic advantages.
The Han Dynasty relied on the administration of local officials. That is to say: "If the people are peaceful and have no complaints, the government is peaceful and the officials are good. Anyone who shares this with me is only as good as two thousand stones."
Therefore, Dong Zhuo's ability to serve as the governor of Hedong is a reflection of this trust. But this is also related to Dong Zhuo's good luck. He happened to catch up with the transition period when the Han Dynasty promoted a new batch of military attaches as civil officials. The Hedong area has been the headquarters of Legalist officials since the Han Dynasty. However, because of this, in order to check and balance, all the governors of Hedong in the past were Confucian officials. For example, Li Wen, Shi Bi, Kong Biao, and Wang Yi were all Confucian officials. If it weren't for the turmoil in the country and the local area becoming more and more difficult to govern, Liu Hong would need more military attachés with military experience to govern the local area for him, and Dong Zhuo would have no chance at all.
Therefore, Dong Zhuo's current status was all promoted by Liu Hong, but I don't know how Liu Hong would feel if he knew that the big man was buried in Dong Zhuo's hands.
Back to Huang Wan again. Although Huang Wan has many difficulties, one of his strengths is that he can know people and make good use of them. He made such arrangements based on the situation of each soldier under his command.
First of all, it was the Youzhou Assault Cavalry that was the most difficult to mobilize. After negotiation, it was placed in the northeast of this plain battlefield, guarding the traffic lines in the Aocang area behind. The reason why the clan members agreed to arrange it here is also related to the fact that it is close to Aocang and is more convenient for supplies.
After that, the Yanzhou soldiers and Hedong soldiers, who Huang Wan relied on most, were deployed at more than a dozen slopes on the east side of Xingyang. These camps were either on the edge of the river or at the head of the road. In short, they were meant to act as horns to each other to block the Taishan army. Movement westward and northward.
As for the remaining powerful soldiers from Gyeonggi who had the largest number, this was what Huang Wan was most worried about.
One of these soldiers has unclear discipline, because they are all tribes of wealthy families. They are usually ordered by Yi Qi, and they are in Weiling Township. Now they are out in the Xingyang area, just like those foreign soldiers from Youzhou, in Yurou Township.
The second is that these soldiers are not good at giving orders. Because they are private soldiers of wealthy families, especially since the heads of each family are big shots in the court, these people also think that they are figures and do not take Huang Wan as the coach seriously. On weekdays, most of these wealthy tribes will be If you don’t come, you shouldn’t.
It is precisely based on these factors that Huang Wan is worried that if there is a real fight with the Taishan Army, these wealthy tribes will wait and see and postpone. By then, there will be dozens of battalions and dozens of ideas. Whenever something happens, you will look at me and I will only want others to take the lead. Pick up the bargain yourself.
How can these soldiers and horses be used on the blade? Having experienced the great defeat in Fengqiu, he no longer wanted to put his success or failure on these bastards.
Therefore, Huang Wan arranged these more than ten thousand powerful tribes behind the lines of Yanzhou soldiers and Hedong soldiers. His idea was that he, the coach, would personally take the lead, let his direct descendants take the lead, and lead by example to inspire the conscience of these powerful people to serve the country.
As for whether it will be effective, Huang Wan is not too confident, but this is no longer a solution. If he dares to place more than ten thousand wealthy tribes on the front line, these wealthy tribes may wonder if Huang Wan wants to eliminate dissidents and dye his Huang Wan's ribbon with the blood of their wealthy tribes. When the time comes, Huang Wan is really afraid that these wealthy tribes will give him a "camp roar".
In this way, Huang Wan worked hard amidst all kinds of difficulties, and Zhang Chong on the other side didn't feel very well either.
Zhang Chong, who had not long left camp on September 10th, learned that the Han army on the opposite side was stationed and dug deep trenches and built camps. He also decided to stop the army and camped five miles away from the Han army's camp.
In fact, Zhang Chong led the Taishan Army to take the initiative to attack, which puzzled everyone. Because according to the intelligence obtained in recent days, the strength of the Han army on the opposite side is about 50,000, while our own side has less than 30,000.
According to general military common sense, if the Taishan Army takes the initiative to attack or even attack a fortress, if it wants to form a deep encirclement against the enemy, it must have an advantage in military strength.
But what now? The Taishan Army was at a numerical disadvantage, had no internal response in Xingyang City, and had lost the opportunity to attack. To a certain extent, it was a very aggressive decision.
But Zhang Chong understood all this, and he also knew that the reasonable tactic should be to hold on to the Yanshi barrier first, and then wait for the Han soldiers to be unable to attack for a long time and their morale deteriorated, and then look for an opportunity to go out for a decisive battle.
Originally, Zhang Chong had planned this, but two military reports received from the south and north in the past two days disrupted all plans, and Zhang Chong had to take huge risks to lead his army to fight with the opposite Han army. The main battle.
And what did these two letters say?
(End of chapter)