Not only was the commander of the Luoyang army trying to understand the situation, Guanqiu Jian was also walking around, nervously watching the progress of the battle.
Wang Qi, the governor of Xuantu County in Youzhou, advised: "I think we can no longer attack. We should shrink the right wing as soon as possible and form a defensive deployment. We should delay it until dark. After leaving the battlefield, we can look for opportunities to fight again!"
Guanqiu Jian was immediately attracted by this sentence, and couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Wang Qi with a complicated expression.
The surrounding entourage all looked sideways, and a general immediately said: "Although Commander Wang did not want to fight in the first place, but now that things have happened, why do you need to say depressing words in front of the battle?"
But Guan Qiu Jian didn't think Wang Qi was deliberately causing trouble. Wang Qi was also considered an old subordinate. He followed Guan Qiu Jian on the expedition to Goguryeo. After the country was destroyed, a stone tablet was erected, and Wang Qi's name was also on it. Brothers who fought bloody battles together, Wang Qi also made great achievements by following Guanqiu Jian. Even if he disagreed with him, he would not go against his general so quickly!
This Wang Qi was indeed quite conservative. When Guan Qiu Jian decided to raise an army, he tried to dissuade him.
However, he did still have battlefield experience, and he should have noticed that the Youzhou army was losing money faster than the enemy army! Therefore, Wang Qi's old habit relapsed, and he advocated a very conservative strategy.
The two looked at each other. Wang Qi hesitated to speak, and finally said no more. After all, what he said affected the morale of the generals present.
Guanqiu Jian also ignored Wang Qi.
Wang Qi's suggestion is not unreasonable, but Guanqiu Jian cannot give up the battlefield so easily! The situation is indeed unfavorable, but Guan Qiu Jian still has a large number of available troops. Regardless of military strength or fighting spirit, he can continue to fight. There must be more Opportunity can turn things around!
Not giving up in the face of difficulties can be regarded as the courage and perseverance of a general. But the main reason is that Guanqiu Jian simply cannot afford to lose this battle.
This battle is not a war between countries. The soldiers have different ideas. Many of the soldiers’ families are in Yecheng and other places. After the troops were raised in Youzhou, everyone was worried about their families in the mainland. The situation at this time was also a strange one. Unknown number.
Guanqiu Jian led everyone to fight south, and the soldiers still had fighting spirit; on the other hand, if they retreated and were compressed towards Youzhou, the armies would definitely fall into a worried and war-weary mood. By that time, there would be a large number of Escape, or even surrender, is almost predictable!
At this moment, a horse suddenly came to report: "The bandits are launching a massive attack on the right wing!"
When Guanqiu Jian heard this, he immediately rushed to the right wing with his entourage to personally inspect the situation.
Before he reached the place, Guanqiu Jian glanced over and his heart immediately "thumped", as if his heart suddenly fell into an ice cave!
"Rumble, rumble..." The thundering sound of horse hooves was very close, as if it was roaring in front of our eyes. The enemy's dense cavalry charged in waves, and had already rushed to the flank of King Qin's formation.
The barren grassland that had been baking in the sun for more than half a day was now dry, and a cloud of dust enveloped the horses. The ground was trampled by countless war horses, and it became as if it were in the clouds. The pure cavalry team of the Youzhou Army on the flanks obviously did not block it. The enemy's charge, loud killing sounds, and shouts have spread to the opposite direction of the formation, to the northeast.
As for the Karasuma people, they were guerrilla firing and chasing each other with the enemy's light cavalry, but it was useless! If they did not dare to attack the enemy, they would not be able to restrain the enemy from occupying favorable terrain and prevent it from becoming a serious threat. The right wing of the formation.
Fuck you! Guanqiu Jian almost cursed in public.
When Kou Loudun was in Jixian before, he said that he was a ferocious and ruthless person who would massacre the city at one moment and eat human flesh at another! He also said that he could pick and eat, and he would not eat anything that was not tender or rough-skinned. , you don’t even need to prepare military rations, just eat people?
I boasted so much, but I didn’t expect that I would actually become such a coward when faced with a tough battle.
As the group of people rode forward, even the low-level generals beside Guanqiu Jian showed dejected expressions. At this moment, most people could tell that the moment when victory or defeat was determined had arrived!
In fact, signs of defeat had appeared earlier. It was just not obvious at the time. Only experienced generals such as Guanqiu Jian and Wang Qi could detect it; after all, local collapse, casualties, and even the Taking prisoners is a normal phenomenon, and these situations will also occur on the enemy side.
But now we can no longer hide it! If we wait a little longer, the right wing will be outflanked by enemy infantry and cavalry, more troops will be defeated, and the mood of defeat will spread among the army.
Guanqiu Jian's face turned blue and white for a while, but he still didn't talk nonsense and finally remained calm.
After a while, he finally spoke, but he didn't curse, he just ordered coldly: "Order the generals on the Zhangshui side to stop attacking."
The subordinate official bowed and said: "Here!"
The military formations on the right wing, without waiting for Guanqiu Jian's order, the generals changed their formations on their own and formed a defensive formation on all sides.
There was nothing anyone could do. The cavalry on the flanks of the Youzhou Army were defeated in large numbers, and the space on the flanks was occupied by the enemy's cavalry. The soldiers had to be on guard at any time for loopholes to appear, and the enemy cavalry would seize the opportunity to overwhelm them.
So for most of the afternoon, the enemy troops were attacking, and the battalions of Guanqiu Jian's army were shrinking and delaying.
Even so, due to insufficient defense preparations and lack of fortifications, the right wing was defeated in many military formations. Some of the defeated troops could be collected and regrouped by the supporting troops who were not dispatched from behind, while some people ran everywhere. Yes, he may have taken advantage of the chaos and fled the battlefield directly.
However, the Youzhou Army was considered the elite of the local garrison. Finally, the formation still maintained its position until the sun went down.
As night gradually fell, both sides withdrew their troops. It was going to be dark soon and no one could see clearly. The two sides continued to fight, but it was useless.
The warm sunshine was gone, and as soon as night fell, there was a vague chill in the air. Maybe the weather in March was not that cold, but Guan Qiujian's heart was cold.
In the camps around the Chinese army, firelights lit up everywhere. There were sounds floating in the air, as if there was a faint groan of pain, and the cries of the wounded soldiers were intertwined, like ghosts and monsters appearing in the night.
Guanqiu Jian ate a meal, but he didn't even taste it. He was distracted when eating, and he almost didn't stuff it into his nose. He was also a human being, and no one could comfort him at this moment.
The generals gathered in the central military tent. At first, some people were blaming each other. Soon, the generals didn't even bother to blame each other. Many people gathered together and fell into a strange silence.
At this time, Wang Qi, the governor of Xuantu County, spoke again, and suddenly said softly: "Qin Liang's ability to defeat Sima Yi in the battle formation must not have been due to trickery. Sima Yi was not ready at that time, but he occupied Luoyang after all, and So many people listen to his orders." Wang Qi continued: "Qin Liang's military formation looks ordinary, but in fact there is nothing wrong with it. He chose Julu County, with Taihang as his back and a grain road to the south. It’s also about establishing an invincible position first. This person has some knowledge.”
Guanqiu Jian didn't refute, but he was not very happy. But it didn't matter. Even if he said some positive words now, what would happen? We are not three-year-old children. With just a few encouraging words, people would not know that the defeat was certain. ?
After Guanqiu Jian's battle today, he did not say anything at this time, but he really felt in his heart that Qin Liang was relatively calm in his military use and did not give his opponents any chance; however, Qin Liang's advantage in this battle was mainly in running the army, and some tactics were used by everyone. never seen it.
The enemy's specific tactics, from cavalry to infantry, caught the Youzhou Army off guard. Accumulating slight advantages in details, they would gradually gain the upper hand in a battle involving thousands of troops.
"Alas!" Guanqiu Jian himself couldn't help but sigh.
He slowly remembered the situation at the beginning of the war, after the Karasuma people were defeated. If he had adopted the general's advice and continued to ask the Youzhou cavalry to risk the attack, would the result have been different?
If you don't really do this kind of thing, you will never know the result. Guanqiu Jian seems to feel some regret, maybe?
Sometimes, just a split-second decision can have huge consequences, even costing your life.
In any case, Guanqiu Jian felt that he did not perform well in this crucial battle! But he could not tell where he made mistakes.
In retrospect, he neither took risks and continued the fierce attack with cavalry; nor did he take timely defense to preserve his strength when the signs of victory first appeared, so he suffered great losses later.
But this is not a mistake. Because even now, Guanqiu Jian is still unwilling to admit defeat and withdraw from the battlefield! He knows that hope is slim, but is there any choice?
At this time, his younger brother Guan Qiucheng asked: "Are you... going to do something tonight?"
Guanqiu Jian remained silent. His younger brother said it politely, but his intention was obviously not to attack the enemy camp at night, but to lead the army and leave at night.
Wang Qi looked sideways at Guanqiu Jian, and seemed to understand his dilemma, so he persuaded him: "If we don't retreat tonight and continue fighting tomorrow, I'm afraid there will be a huge collapse in front of the battle. By then, I won't be able to leave even if I want to, so the general will leave the battlefield." By then, we may lose everything! It’s not too late now, at least we can retain most of our troops.”
Guanqiu Jian looked at Wang Qi coldly and thought: It's just the difference between long-term pain and short-term pain!
Wang Qi thought for a while and then said: "The general will face the dilemma of soldiers constantly fleeing and surrendering. However, as long as some strength is preserved, there is still a chance! Over time, there may be changes in the court on the border of Wu and Shu, and the general will wait for changes. , maybe we can call back again!”
When Guanqiu Jian heard this, he suddenly felt like an enlightenment. He had been immersed in the frustration and panic of failure, and he didn't think so much at that time.
Guanqiu Jian tolerated Wang Qi for a long time because of his friendship with his old subordinates, but now Wang Qi finally said something useful!
…
…
(Thanks to book friends such as "La La La La La Fei", "Save the Otaku", "Geographical Location 123321", "Jun Nanhai", "Feng Xu Piao Can", "Furuo Milan", etc. for their strong support in the recent period. .)