Deng Ai suddenly felt feverish all over, had a cold cough, and could hardly stay at home. Sima Yi sent a doctor to express his condolences, and found out that the illness was not fake. But this kind of wind-cold emergency could obviously be contracted deliberately, such as getting wet and standing in the courtyard in the middle of the night.
He will fall ill most days.
He had such a motive. After all, Deng Ai did not know the outcome of the Battle of Xuchang when he was summoned. If Deng Ai did it on purpose, then this person is really chilling. If it weren't for Sima Yi, Deng Ai would still be a straw guard.
Little official! This is how he repays his kindness.
But Deng Ai had just returned from Liangzhou and traveled all the way, so it was not impossible that he really fell ill.
No matter what the reason is, such a battle can no longer allow Deng Ai to control the army, and Sima Yi can't take care of one or two people. However, this matter also casts a shadow on Sima Yi's heart. The Sima family has no choice, but these so-called close confidants, in
At critical moments, you may have little thoughts to protect yourself!
In addition, the person Sima Yi trusted the most and was the most capable was Sima Division, whom he personally taught. However, Sima Division was defeated in Xuchang, and his prestige was greatly affected, so he could only let Sima Fu jointly oversee the southern line of Yique.
close.
The generals in the army have been replaced by a large number of noblemen, including Wei Guan, Xun Xu, Gao Xun (a disciple of Gao Rou), Jia Chong (an official of Sima Division), etc., as well as some old generals who were dismissed by Cao Shuang.
They all received promotions. There were also many generals whose positions were unknown and who were promised to retain the rewards of being granted lordships. However, among the Chinese and foreign military generals, there were many from Qiao County, Cao's hometown.
This is also the reason why Sima Yi is unwilling to rush to war. The generals appointed in a short period of time are experienced and have doubtful reliability. It is more reliable to check family relationships. In the Chinese and foreign armies, the soldiers do not know the generals, and the generals do not know the soldiers. Now Yuzhou Ying
Chuanjun, Yanzhou and Chenliuguo, places with the most "scholar families", were occupied again, and the soldiers became less reliable.
But now there is really no choice. The rebels have reached Luoyang. If they do not go to war, the morale and morale of the army will further collapse.
Fortunately, the officers and men of the New Fifth Battalion had already been brought under control by the imperial court, and they were quite afraid of imperial military orders and military laws, so they habitually obeyed military orders from above. At the same time, Sima Yi was quite prestigious in the army, and the officers and men did not recognize their own generals, but they recognized Sima Yi.
Otherwise, Sima Yi would have problems gathering this group of people.
At this time, the morning sun has risen and is flying through the clouds, and the ground is filled with dust.
As expected, a large number of rebel troops were deployed around the north. Because of the obstruction of Yique Mountain, they came close to the mountain at an angle. Therefore, it was so late and the rebels had not yet launched a large-scale attack.
Small-scale battles had begun long ago, mainly in the mountains and forests of Yique Mountain. There were usually no roads in that place, but the army would clear the way, but the battle formations could not be set up on the mountain, so they had to fight inside.
But near Yique Pass and Yishui, it is difficult for the army to go up because it is too steep.
The Luoyang army formed a large formation on the open ground to the north, with the horizontal direction facing north-east. The enemy troops circled around, and there was still a diagonal line in front. The southern end was closest, and to get closer to the northern end, they still had to walk a long way.
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In this open land, there is a hilly highland with gentle mountains. Sima Yi is standing on the highland to supervise the army. Next to him, the big flag is fluttering in the wind, and the big drum is making a slow and loud sound of "dong, dong...".
A small group of enemy horsemen spotted the opening and rode over with a flag. A trench fortification was built near the south end, making it difficult for the enemy to attack, but it was also difficult for their own troops to get out. So the enemy group came over on horseback.
No one can stop me.
When the group of people reached a hundred steps away, they began to fire arrows from behind the fence, and most of the arrows landed in front of the enemy cavalry.
The enemy cavalry finally reined in their horses and stopped. They actually shouted in unison: "Your Highness has issued an edict that those who surrender will not be killed!" While shouting, they raced north along the front of the formation.
Then another group of horse soldiers came from behind, repeating their old tricks and shouting in unison: "Throw weapons in front of the formation, raise your hands, no guilt will be rewarded!"
The cavalry team in front changed their call again: "Soldiers, think of the families to the south!"
There were some private soldiers of the Sima Division in the formation, and they immediately began to curse, each one referring to the opponent's female relatives.
Soon, a group of light cavalry rushed out of the Luoyang army's formation. When the two small groups of enemy troops saw this, they turned around and ran away without engaging in combat!
Not long after, the enemy soldiers in the south were the closest and approached the formation first. The partial troops started shooting arrows in the distance. The officers and soldiers of the Luoyang Army here also hid behind the trench fences and fired arrows.
The dusty sky was filled with crackling sounds and black shadows of flying arrows.
Archery alone will not have much effect. The array in front must be armored soldiers, as well as shields and wooden fences. There are casualties from time to time, but they are just consumption. People will not be distracted by arrows a hundred steps away.
rout.
Sure enough, a large number of enemy phalanxes began to advance one after another, approaching from south to north. The southern end of both sides' formations reached the northern foot of Mount Yique, and the rebel formations seemed to be rotating.
With this kind of march, the rebel army will be farther and farther north from Yique Mountain, and they will have to go back to the big gap in the road for reinforcements, and the distance will be further extended.
Sima Yi glanced around and walked towards a simple watchtower on the hill.
Seeing this, the generals hurriedly advised: "The watchtower took several days to build, but it is not strong enough. Taifu, be careful."
Sima Yi ignored them and continued to climb up slowly. He was already sixty-seven or eighty years old. It was impossible for him to fight in person at such an old age. He didn't even wear armor, so climbing a wooden building was easier.
Sure enough, the watchtower made of wood was a bit thin. As soon as Sima Yi climbed into the middle, he felt the wood swaying in the wind. He rested for a moment, and the two nobles above put away their crossbows and grabbed one of his arms. He finally stood on it.
on the wooden board.
The top of the watchtower was covered with straw, and when the wind blew, the surrounding straw was floating randomly. Sima Yi looked down at the magnificent scene in front of him, and saw a large black area on the ground filled with phalanxes of men and horses.
In this large formation, there are at least more than 100,000 people on both sides!
Sima Yi fought many battles, and he could not remember where he had seen so many people gathered together. Whether it was on the Western Front or on the battlefield against Gongsun Yuan, the army was divided into many groups to fight. Because
The terrain is limited by mountains or water, so it is difficult to find such a large piece of flat land. I am afraid that only the battlefields in the Central Plains and Hebei can gather so many people on the same battlefield.
In a decisive battle in the Central Plains, almost all generals will choose to concentrate their forces. Otherwise, just like the current situation, the two sides will continue to expand horizontally. The side with fewer troops will easily be outflanked and attacked.
The wind was filled with the non-stop sound of strings and the neighing of people and horses, just like in a big market. The noise never stopped. At this time, arrows were being fired in most places. The front line on the north side was relatively far away, and from time to time on the south side there were arrows.
The main army's infantry and cavalry began to charge into the formation.
Sima Yi paid close attention to the enemy's troop deployment. It was roughly estimated that the enemy had deployed at least 40,000 to 50,000 people!
At least the large formations composed of the square formations in front are unlikely to be a mixed army. Otherwise, such a huge military formation placed horizontally can be easily broken at one place and easily divided.
Wang Ling, Zhuge Dan's elite Chinese and foreign troops, totaled more than 30,000 troops; Linghu Yu had more than 10,000 troops. Sima Division reported that Qin Liang's military garrison was also very capable of fighting, but he had doubts.
In addition, the side troops surrendered by the Xuchang Army can be used quickly. As long as the mid-level and senior generals are replaced, they can shoot arrows immediately. There is no problem with the martial arts skills of the Chinese and foreign army officers. The side troops are mostly responsible for projection, and they are not easy to retreat.
It can be easily calculated that almost all of the rebels' more capable soldiers and horses are in this formation, and the battle has already begun.
Sima Yi arched his back, holding on to the wood next to him with one hand, and looked at the battlefield with sharp eyes. His expression changed several times, sometimes filled with hatred, sometimes with cold eyes.
I don't know when, a group of soldiers had gathered downstairs, looking up worriedly and trying to persuade. But at this moment, Sima Yi turned a deaf ear. He seemed to be unable to hear any sound. Even the shouts and noises from far and near seemed to be getting farther and farther away. He was vaguely aware of it.
Listening to your inner voice.
Can we turn everything around and change the passivity since the Yangzhou rebellion? The opportunity is at hand!
Sima Yi finally leaned over and shouted below: "Ziyu, send someone to Yique Pass and send an order to the guard general (Sima Fu) to assess the situation and attack."
Gao Xun bowed and said: "Here!"
In the south of Yique Pass, Sima Yi left the most elite military guard camp there, with about 10,000 people, as well as more than 10,000 Chinese side troops to assist, and a large number of soldiers guarding the pass.
The biggest weakness of the rebels is that there are not enough elite soldiers capable of fighting. They cannot have 20,000 elite soldiers on the southern front.