By the next morning, the fighting on the west bank of the river was basically over.
There are still many broken troops who have fled, and I am afraid they have spread to a radius of dozens of miles. If the Wei army wants to clear them up and capture them, or if the Wu army navy wants to meet them on the river, it will take a long time because they are too scattered. . However, organized resistance had almost completely collapsed by this time.
Zhuge Ke didn't know how many people the Wu army had lost, so he could only say that he had no calculation. A rough estimate is that more than half of the casualties were captured, which is no exaggeration at all!
Yesterday, the troops who were evacuated in groups mainly walked from the bank of Xianxi River. For the troops close to the river bank, because of the hope brought by the navy on Xianxi River, many of them resisted steadily. Some generals relied on sidecars. They resisted horse guns and other ordnance, and also built scattered defensive positions.
But more people and horses were defeated in the big formation, and some people even ran south to the west bank of the river.
Of course, unless generals such as Zhuge Ke and Ding Feng seek death, it is relatively easy for them to just transfer in. They have many soldiers around them, and the naval warships will also obey Zhuge Ke's orders and get on board. Can run away.
At this time, Zhuge Ke and others had left the battlefield by boat and arrived at Jiangxin Island on the other side of the Xianxi outlet.
Zhuge Ke did not rush to cross the river, and remained on the island in the river. The Wei army had almost no ships here, and it would be impossible to cross the river for a while. Zhuge Ke's shock seemed to be gradually returning to him.
However, as long as he calmed down, Zhuge Ke felt very depressed when he thought about the situation he was going to face in the future. His mood was extremely complicated and he almost didn't want to think too much about it.
Zhuge Ke came to the waterside, looked back at the quiet bushes around him, and thought to himself: If His Majesty had not called me back to the capital immediately, I would have liked to live here for a while if there was a chance.
He really needs to rest for a while to repair his broken mentality and slowly think about the path to take in the future. But he also knows that His Majesty cannot let him stay here. He must return to Jianye in a few days!
Zhuge Ke gave up his mount, took a boat with his entourage by the water, crossed the relatively narrow waterway, and arrived at the southern end of Jiangxin Island.
On the water bank of the South Island, there is an open pavilion with a viewing platform. Even during the flood season, the pavilion will not be submerged. However, the river is slightly shallow at this time, so the pavilion is not close to the river.
Zhuge Ke stood in the pavilion for a while and noticed movement on the road behind him. He turned around and saw that Ding Feng was also coming.
Ding Feng walked outside the pavilion, bowed to Zhuge Ke and said, "The general is here."
Zhuge Ke returned the courtesy and couldn't help but say "Alas".
Ding Feng walked into the open pavilion, and the two of them looked at the west bank of the river together. There were clouds in the sky today, and it was morning again. The broad river was covered with heavy fog, but in Xianxi City on the other side of the river, the black shadows of the towers could be faintly seen. visible.
Yesterday, Xianxi City was suddenly captured! According to reports, many defeated troops crowded towards the city gate. Before the defenders had time to close the city gate, the Wei army's cavalry suddenly and quickly attacked. As a result, the Wu army lost Xianxi City that day.
Zhuge Ke looked at the vague towers in the distance, and suddenly a thought occurred to him. Maybe Wei General Qin Liang was on the Xianxi City!
"Qin Liang, Qin Liang!" Zhuge Ke sighed with emotion through gritted teeth.
At this time, Ding Feng turned around and said: "The way Qin Liang of Wei used troops is a bit like your uncle, Zhuge Kongming. We used many strategies, but they were of no use to him."
Zhuge Ke was startled when he heard this. Zhongwuhou has a very great reputation and is respected by the world. What does Ding Feng mean by comparing Qin Liang to Zhongwuhou? Is he praising the traitor general in front of his own face?
But seeing Ding Feng slightly nodding to Zhuge Ke, Zhuge Ke felt that there was an article in it, so he turned his head and glanced at his followers. Seeing this, the followers bowed down and bowed, and exited the pavilion.
Ding Feng then said solemnly: "In this battle, our army first deployed heavy troops in Dongguan and prepared well. Iron chains locked the river surface and iron cones were buried in the river. Then we chose favorable terrain in Dongguan, occupied all the advantages, and placed on the left flank of the Wei army.
, a weak point with narrow terrain was preset to take the escape route.
Later, on the south bank of Xian River, our army used various strategies. First, we lured the enemy deep into the city and threw away goods along the way to confuse the enemy, in order to make them underestimate the enemy. The next day, we chose a favorable location to launch a sudden counterattack, which also had the advantage of a naval force. I led my elite troops from the water
Outflanking, and using great fanfare to disrupt the enemy's morale... In this battle, we made frequent clever plans and tried our best, but we still suffered a huge defeat! This is not the fault of the general, but the enemy general Qin Zhongming is too powerful."
Zhuge Ke already understood what Ding Feng meant! He thought about it for a while and realized that he had been very popular with the emperor since he was a child. Although he was defeated in this battle, as long as it was not that he was incompetent but that the enemy was too strong, he would still have a chance in front of the emperor.
?
Of course, there is one more important thing to pay attention to! It was the emperor’s idea to take the offensive in Huainan this year. The responsibility for the defeat must not be implicated on the emperor. The reason for the defeat was all because the people below underestimated the enemy and underestimated the power of the Wei State.
General Qin Liang.
Ding Feng, a rough and illiterate man, was actually quite strategic. Ding Feng was originally from Lu Xun. After defecting to Zhuge Ke, even though he suffered a huge setback, he did not betray him immediately, but actively made plans. At this time, Zhuge Ke
Ke couldn't help but cast a grateful look.
Of course, Ding Feng was also involved in this battle. At least in the deployment of Dongguan, Zhuge Ke completely followed Ding Feng's advice.
But of course Zhuge Ke knew the battle he was fighting. If we look at this matter sincerely, Ding Feng should not be the main responsibility, the problem is still Zhuge Ke!
Because Ding Feng said something before that he wanted to use Qin Liang as a stepping stone and advocated a war with the Wei army when the Wei army rushed up the Dongxing Embankment; all his opinions were made before fighting Qin Liang.
And Zhuge Ke only made a big decision-making mistake after the Dongguan Battle went unfavorable. There is no excuse for being innocent!
Zhuge Ke turned his head again, glanced behind him, and asked calmly: "Perhaps the battle at Xianxi shouldn't have been fought?"
Ding Feng pondered endlessly, without commenting.
After a while, Ding Fengcai said: "After the horse soldiers arrive at the battlefield, they can maneuver very quickly. Sometimes they can indeed play a great role, and they are easier to use than warships."
"Well..." Zhuge Ke nodded thoughtfully.
Of course, this is not the only reason. Qin Liang's army is elite in terms of combat strength, military discipline, and tactics. Wu's army is also inferior in frontal infantry battles.
Those Shanyue elite soldiers were trained by Zhuge Ke himself. Of course Zhuge Ke understood that running an army is also the most important part!
Just like those dancers, whether they perform well when they go on stage naturally depends on their performance on the spot, but there is a more important point, which is the daily training that the audience cannot see! In the army, it is how to organize the troops and how to motivate the soldiers.
How to train tactics and how to ensure adequate food will affect the combat effectiveness of the army on the battlefield.
Zhuge Kongming, the Marquis of Zhongwu mentioned by Ding Feng, was also good at running the army, and was also good at administration and diplomacy. He could be described as an all-rounder. The Han Dynasty was weak and the people were small, and Marquis Zhongwu did not have many achievements that shocked the world, but he was able to
The western front pressed against Cao Wei.
Just now Ding Feng compared Qin Liang to Marquis Zhongwu. At this time, Zhuge Ke thought about it and found that his military demeanor was indeed similar. After all, it is not just luck that can make a person like Ding Feng who thinks highly of himself become conservative in his speech.
Zhuge Ke became famous at a young age, and it was useless to go through big and small battles. How could he not understand this truth? After half a day of fighting in Dongguan, Zhuge Ke knew whether he was there or not as soon as he took action!
But it was only now that Zhuge Ke finally regretted it and regretted it beyond words! If he could turn back time, he actually had a chance to escape at that time.
The Battle of Dongguan is over, and it's already dark. It's the right time for the night to cover the army's escape from the battlefield. Walking about ten miles east, you can reach Xianxi. Follow Xianxi eastward, and you can also find a city stronghold to stabilize your position.
, This is due to the favorable geographical location. The Wu army was not defeated at all that day. All units maintained their formation and combat effectiveness. It was impossible to collapse without experiencing a big battle. This was due to human harmony.
If Zhuge Ke made a decisive decision and gave up the battle, defeat would be unavoidable, and there would be no way to lose Dongguan, Ruxukou and other places, but the loss would not be so great.
At the very least, most of the tens of thousands of Shanyue soldiers he had accumulated over many years of hard work would not be lost in one day, and Wu's military strength would not be damaged!
Now that our vitality is severely damaged, the Jiangbei territory cannot be saved. All important areas will be lost! Without effective military deterrence, many places cannot be defended at all.
"Alas..." Zhuge Ke couldn't help it. He looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh. He looked at the gray sky and said slowly, "It's really a misfortune."
The situation where there was still an offensive situation in Huainan suddenly turned into a situation of retreating across the board and struggling to protect ourselves. In this sudden turn, who did you talk to about your loss and pain?
What's more, Zhuge Ke's own life and future were now in danger. Zhuge Ke knew that it wouldn't be long before he would be forced to return to Jianye to report on his duties.
At this time, his intestines were filled with regret, but he couldn't think about it. He had to think of someone, Zhu Yi!
At that time, Ding Feng also advised Zhuge Ke to make careful decisions, but Zhu Yi was the key figure who advocated retreating!
The most troublesome thing is that Zhu Yi's uncle Zhu Ju is a die-hard loyalist to the prince. Zhuge Ke is actually a supporter of the prince, and of course Ding Feng's former boss Lu Xun.
So Zhuge Ke tried again and said: "Prime Minister Zhu has arrived at Xutang a long time ago, but he has been holding back his troops. I sent people to urge him to attack Dongxing Embankment, but he was also procrastinating. He didn't arrive at such a close distance all day long!"
Sure enough, Ding Fengdao said: "Prime Minister Zhu seems to have little influence on the overall situation."
Zhuge Ke shook his head and said: "The bandit army left Dongguan and hurriedly pursued our army. The route behind them was completely under Prime Minister Zhu's military peak! The two cities of Qibao Mountain in Ruxu Mountain and Dongguan Pass are still in the hands of our army. Zhuge Liang is still in the hands of our army.
If the prime minister takes action in time and cooperates with the defenders inside and outside, he can cut off Qin Liang's army's retreat first. The Wei army will definitely be panicked, how can we let Qin Liang's army concentrate its main force and launch a vigorous battle against me?"
Ding Feng frowned and said nothing. Obviously he didn't agree with Zhuge Ke, but he didn't argue anymore. After all, the people on the prince's side who were qualified to take sides were Lu Xun and Zhu Ju. Ding Feng could only follow Lu Xun's position at the beginning.
That’s all.
Some things are not that simple, how can I say it?