The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

Sun Jian and the others came to Xun Zhen's army in the twilight.

At this time, the tent of the commander of the Chinese army had been built, and everyone entered the tent to discuss matters.

Among Xie Rong, Ding Meng, and Liu Bing, they chose Liu Bing to build a camp on the other side.

Liu Bing's troops were already crossing the river, but as the main general of the division, he couldn't just look at the front, he needed to understand the whole situation, so he did not cross the river with Buqu for the time being, but also came to Xun Zhen to discuss military affairs.

The generals gathered together, and Xun Zhen presided over the military meeting.

Some guards have already hung up a map in the tent. The map depicts the terrain, mountains and rivers in the area to Sanfu in the west, Yingchuan in the east, Luyang in the south, Luoyang in the north, and the camps of the enemy and our troops. Situation map.

In the evening sky outside, candles rose early in the tent, reflecting the tent and the map clearly.

Xun Zhen came to the map, pointed at the map, and said to everyone, "Look, gentlemen: this is Rushui, this is the place where our army is currently stationed on the north bank of the water, and this is Liangxian County on the south bank of the water." His finger slid a little distance from Liangxian to the north, paused at a place called "Note City" on the north bank of Rushui on the map, and then said, "This is Note City." The finger followed the city to the northwest. Go, paused near Yangrenju and Guangchengju, and said, "This is the main force of Dong Jun in Liangxian area."

After briefly introducing the location of the enemy and me, Xun Zhen turned to the crowd, and then introduced the strength of the enemy's various units, saying: "After investigation, there are about 1,000 or 2,000 Dong's troops in Liangxian City, from Guangchengju to Yangrenju. There are about 4,000 or 5,000 cavalry in the main force of Dong’s army, and the number of Dong’s army in Zhucheng City is the smallest, about a few hundred people, … This is probably the situation of the enemy that our army is facing now.”

Although Xun Zhen, Sun Jian and others have always attached great importance to Liangxian and Guangchengju and Yangrenju, there are two Dong armies in the area, but in fact, there are three Dong armies on the north and south shores near Rushui. This third branch is the hundreds of Dong soldiers in Zhucheng City.

Zhucheng was a city in South Korea during the Warring States Period. In the 33rd year of Wei Wenhou, Wei used Wu Qi as a general to attack Qin. He once defeated the Qin army here. Later, when Zhao Xiaocheng was king, it was used by Zhao State to use three large cities to conquer Qin. Tian Shan, who was exchanged from the State of Yan, led the Zhao army to defeat the Han army here again and seized the city. But now, this place is no longer a county town. Although it is still named as a "city", and now there are hundreds of Dong soldiers stationed, but in fact it is just a Dong army stronghold across the river from Liang County. , does not deserve special attention.

Xun Zhen returned to the table, looked forward to everyone, and said: "Our army has now left Yingchuan and entered Liangxian. How to fight next, please speak freely."

Xie Rong said: "Today our army is advancing together with the two armies of Cao and Yuan. Although the momentum is strong, the number is nearly 100,000, and there are many new soldiers. I secretly think that the battle cannot be prolonged for a long time."

Sun Jian agreed with his point of view, saying: "We are mostly new soldiers in the army, so if we don't fight, we're done. Now that we're going to fight, we should fight. Otherwise, if we delay, it will not only give Dong Jun time to calmly schedule, but also And it will also cause our soldiers to lose their breath.”

The old saying goes: One rush, another decline, and three exhaustion.

The same is true for the old soldiers, but what about the new ones?

Dong Zhuo's army has many horses, and there are many old soldiers in hundreds of battles. Originally, for those new soldiers who have never been on the battlefield and have seen blood, there are many of them who are afraid of war. Before going into the army, he used various methods to motivate them, and added The previous victory that successfully annihilated Qianxu Dongqi can be regarded as an effort to inspire their fighting spirit, but sometimes fighting spirit is like an impulse, it comes and goes quickly. "We started a war with Dong Jun before he fell, and the soldiers "impulsively" went over and became "reasonable". At the same time, Dong Jun, who was in front of him, also made various preparations, and there might even be reinforcements coming. At that time, the battle would not be good. beated.

Xun Zhen nodded and said, "You and others agree with me, and I also thought that the battle should not be delayed for a long time."

Xie Rong got up from the seat, went to the map, pointed his finger on Zhucheng, and said to everyone: "The Dong army here is the least, and it is just in the way of our army's advance. I think it is better to hit here first."

Ding Meng and Liu Bing both agreed.

Liu Bing said: "The Dong army in Zhucheng is not only blocking the front of our army, but also echoes with the Dong army in Liang County across the river. If you don't take it first, you will not look good in Liang County."

Liu Bing will be responsible for guarding Liangxian County, so he will definitely look at Zhucheng's problem from this angle. If Zhucheng is not taken down, it is indeed not conducive to his mission. Although Dong Jun of Zhucheng was on the north bank of Rushui, Rushui could not stop them from crossing the Henan. After the main force of Xun Zhen and other troops left here, in case Dong Jun of Zhucheng took the opportunity to go south to Rushui and attack Liu Bing's flank, At the same time, Dong Jun of Liang County went out to fight, and Liu Bing would face the dilemma of being attacked by the enemy on both sides. It would be difficult to stop him with a mere 3,000 troops.

Xun Zhen asked Xi Zhicai, Xun You, and Xun Yu, and asked, "What do you think?"

Xi Zhicai did not agree with the opinions of Sun Jian and others, he said: "Although the city is small and the garrison is small, the city is quite strong, which can be described as 'small and tough'. With my tens of thousands of people, attacking this small city will be solid. It is not difficult to take, but it is not easy to pull out. If you want to overcome it, it will take a day or two at least. This is not good for the morale and morale of our army. In my opinion, it is better to leave a group of troops and horses to besiege the city, and then use the main force. Advance fast and take the main force of Dong’s army from Yangrenju and Guangchengju, as long as this main force of Dong’s army can be defeated, this small town can be defeated without a fight.”

Xi Zhicai was right.

Although Zhucheng is small, the city is not large, and there are not many Dong troops in the city. It can only be regarded as a military stronghold of Dong Jun, but because of its small size, it is not conducive to the advantages of Xunzhen, Sun Jian and other troops. , - No matter how many troops and horses you have, the perimeter of the city is so large that you cannot deploy too many troops and horses to attack the city at the same time. I can only watch from the side. If the Zhucheng is not strong, it can be taken in one battle. That’s fine. According to the reconnaissance, although the main city is small, the walls are not low, and the defense measures are relatively complete. They are all veteran soldiers. In this way, the besieging side will definitely be difficult to win. To say that the city can be captured within a day or two is actually a "win", but for the new soldiers who account for the majority, Witnessing this situation, they inevitably muttered: "Hundreds of Dong's troops will fight for two days in a small town. What if they encounter the main force of Dong's army? Wouldn't it be more difficult to fight?" unfavorable.

And there is one more thing, usually, those who attack the city do not take advantage of those who defend the city. If they hit the next, there will be a lot of casualties.

Xun Zhen asked Xun You and Xun Yu, "What do you think?"

Xun You and Xun Yu agreed with Xi Zhicai's opinion.

Sun Jian pondered for a moment, then said, "Zhicai is right."

Ding Meng said, "What the theater captain said, but I have a different opinion."

Xi Zhicai said, "The captain, please speak."

"Since the betting city is not easy to obtain, and the captain is worried that it will damage morale, why not surround the betting city without attacking, and lure the main force of Dong's army to rescue?"

On the surface, Ding Meng's suggestion seems good. Surrounding the city and fighting for help is the only way to win by mobilizing the enemy's army to the battlefield prepared by his own army, but Ding Meng ignored the key one.

Guo Jia, Xu Zhuo, etc. are also in the account.

Guo Jia said at this time: "Xiaowei Ding's words are not good enough."

Ding Meng looked at him and saw that Guo Jia was speaking, because he knew that Guo Jia came from a private school in the Xun Zhen family and was deeply loved by Xun Zhen, so he did not underestimate Guo Jia because he was young, and said with dignity, "Oh? I don't know what's wrong with me? Dare to ask how good you are?"

"The lieutenant forgot that our army just defeated Dong Jun for a while."

Ding Meng suddenly woke up, slapped his forehead, and said, "Yes, Xun Hougang defeated Dong's army for a while, and wiped out the Dong's army of thousands of cavalry. The **** of ten will not come to the rescue."

Guo Jia said: "Exactly." After a pause, he added, "If Zhucheng is a must-see, then even though our army has just defeated Dong Jun for a while, he will most likely have to come. Rescue, but note that the city has no important strategic position, and for Dong Jun, losing it is not much harm, so Dong Jun will most likely not come to the rescue, so that I am surrounded by the city without any help."

Dong Jun of Yangrenju and Guangchengju had only a few thousand people. They had just lost a big defeat for a while, and lost a thousand horsemen. There are as many as 30,000 or 40,000, and Zhucheng is not a strategic location. Even if Zhucheng is surrounded by water, Dong Jun, who is Yangrenju and Guangchengju, will definitely not come to the rescue.

This is the case in Zhucheng, and so is Liangxian.

In addition to the impossibility mentioned above, there is another trouble in encircling Liang County and waiting for Dong Jun's assistance: that is, Liang County is on the south bank of Rushui River. If Dong Jun wants to come to rescue, he has to cross the river. Everyone knows the story of half crossing and attacking. , Dong Jun will not take such a risk to save Liang County.

Therefore, it is not feasible to besiege the city and fight for aid, whether it is besieging Zhucheng or besieging Liang County.

Sun Jian said: "It will not be easy to take Zhucheng, and if you surround Zhucheng, you may not be able to wait for Dong Jun's rescue. In this way, it seems that only Ruzhi said, 'Around Zhucheng and directly capture the main force of Dong's army. 'On the way."

Xun Zhen asked Xie Rong, Ding Meng, and Liu Bing, "What do you think?"

Xie Rong, Ding Meng, and Liu Bing all said, "What the theater captain said is the best policy."

Xun Zhen said: "Okay! Then, according to the strategy of Zhicai, leave the city and quickly take the main force of Dong's army from Yangrenju and Guangchengju."

So far, two principles have been established.

One is to fight, it cannot be delayed for a long time. One is that Shezhucheng and Liangxian ignored the main force of Dong's army, who directly attacked Yangrenju and Guangchengju.

Xun Zhen said: "Although the Dong army in Yangrenju and Guangchengju is only four or five thousand people, they are many veterans and should not be underestimated. How to fight this battle, what are your opinions?"

It was Sun Jian's first statement again, he said: "Just as Fengxiao said, Dong's army has just been defeated for a while, and has lost a thousand cavalry, and his courage is very depressed. Our army of 40,000 people is powerful. Do not dare to fight. In my opinion, this battle does not require 40,000 soldiers and horses. We will select elites from our headquarters, and the combined soldiers should not exceed 10,000. Then we invite them to fight in front of the enemy's base, which is the best. "

What Sun Jian said was very reasonable.

If 30,000 to 40,000 cavalrymen were pressed together, then Dong Jun, who had just lost a great deal, damaged as many as 1,000 cavalry, and had less than 5,000 troops in the camp would definitely not dare to fight, and once Dong Jun did not dare to fight , close the gate, and hang up the free-of-war card, then this is contrary to the principle of "war" and is not conducive to the maintenance of military morale and morale.

- Then said, if Dong Jun dare not come out to fight, why not just attack his fortress with 40,000 people? of course can. However, there is no way after the way. As mentioned above, the side attacking a city is usually the side that does not take advantage. This is the case for attacking a city, and the same is true for attacking a heavily guarded enemy's fortress. Therefore, it is best not to attack the camp if you can, and it is best to fight in the field if you can.

Xun Zhen agreed, and Xie Rong and the other three also agreed.

Xun Zhen said, "Wentai's views are exactly the same as mine." Xiao said to Sun Jian, "You made a bet with me that I won the position of the vanguard, and now I am attacking Dong Jun's fortress, should I be the main attacker? bear?"

Xun Zhen won the role of the vanguard. It is said that Xun Zhen attacked Dong's camp first, but Sun Jian was in a hurry when he saw Xun Zhen's previous victory. Qian's old pawns are really not easy to fight with only Xun Zhen, so when Sun Jian proposed that "all troops should join forces to attack them", Xun Zhen did not object, but only proposed to be the main attacking position.

Sun Jian lost the bet to Xun Zhen, and he knew that the soldiers in the army were not as good as those in Xun Zhen's army, so he had no way to disagree with Xun Zhen's request, and said angrily: "Okay, it's up to the main attack. It's up to the Qing to take care of it, and I am the Qing's left team."

Xie Rong and Ding Meng said, "The two of us would like to lead the troops to the right of General Ming."

Xun Zhen, Xie Rong, and Ding Meng fought together for the first time. I don't know how capable the two of them are. This time, Dong Jun, who has attacked Yangren Gathering and Guangcheng Gathering, can be imagined. It must be a tough battle, but they dare not hand over the right wing to Xie Rong and Ding Meng. He thought: "If Xie and Ding lose on the right wing, my central army will be affected, but the right wing cannot be guarded by the two of them." But it is not appropriate to directly refuse, he laughed, " I am fighting with Wentai, and the army behind must not be without a heavy general. In my opinion, the two captains do not have to be on my right wing, but should lead the troops to sit in the army behind, not only to prevent chaos, but also to help me and Wen at any time. Taiwan's help."

Xie Rong and Ding Meng replied, "Yes."

Xun Zhen said to Xun Cheng again: "Qing and the two captains are also staying behind in the army behind."

Xun Cheng replied, "No."

Sun Jian saw that Xun Zhen had begun to arrange the matters of staying behind in the army of his own headquarters, but he did not mention the matter of the right wing, so he asked: "Your Excellency is the central army, I am the left wing, who is the right?"

Xun Zhen smiled slightly and stopped one person in the tent, but it was Yue Jin.

He said to Sun Jian, "I would like to take Wen Qian's command of the Yingchuan soldiers as the right, do you think it's okay?"