Xu Huang gained Liu Xin's trust. Looking at the sand table that had just been assembled in front of him, he couldn't help but be ambitious and said loudly: "Your Majesty, Yuan Shao has lost all his elite troops. Although there are many soldiers and horses in Ye City, they are just a ragtag group. Please attack the city today.
The drums can be played!"
Liu Xin smiled and waved his hand and said: "How this battle is fought is your business. I only have two requirements. First, the war in the Central Plains has been going on for a long time and the people are in great hardship. We cannot drag it on any longer. This battle must be captured alive.
Or kill Yuan Shao. Secondly, the soldiers Yuan Shao recruits are also Han people, so casualties must be minimized."
After Cao Cao was captured alive, Liu Xin sent people to take over his territory. There were few obstacles. In just two or three days, most of the counties in Xu, Yu, and Yanzhou had been placed under Liu Xin's rule. The same thing happened.
Logically speaking, although Yuan Shao controlled the four northern states with large populations, if he himself was captured alive, there would be no reason for those local officials to work for him and fight to the death.
Both the soldiers of the Yuan Army and the soldiers of the Han Army were all common people of the Han Dynasty. Due to successive years of war in the Three Kingdoms in history, after the unification, the country's population dropped from 56 million to 26 million, and Sima Yan had to issue a decree
The policy encouraged the population in the south of the Yangtze River to move north. The sharp decline in population severely weakened the strength of the Han people, so that they were left behind by foreigners, which led to the tragedy of the Five Husty Rebellion in China. Since God sent him here, Liu Xin would not let him go.
History repeats itself.
After listening to Liu Xin's request, Xu Huang and others' faces became solemn, and they had a heated discussion around the sand table and map. Finally, at dusk, they came up with a battle plan. The sand table was also filled with red symbols representing the strength of both sides.
Yellow and green tricolor flag.
There are now 240,000 Han troops gathered in Liyang, and another 10,000 people are building positions in the north to guard against Yuan's army moving south from Yecheng. These 250,000 people come from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th legions, among which
There are 10,000 armored cavalry, 40,000 light cavalry, and 200,000 infantry. Judging from the strength of the troops alone, we know how brutal the battle was some time ago. Although the Han army achieved great victories many times, the casualties were also considerable.
Figures, just in the battle against Yan Liang and Wuhuan cavalry, the number of dead soldiers reached 40,000, and even the most brave and skillful Han light cavalry lost nearly 10,000 people.
According to the news returned by the agents lurking in Yecheng, Yecheng originally had 100,000 elite soldiers, stationed in four acropolises including Yecheng and the surrounding Wucheng. In recent days, there have been continuous calls from Ji, You, and Zhu
The young and strong people in the state were incorporated into the army, and the size of the army expanded rapidly. Yuan Shao had an army of 500,000 more.
The four northern states were originally the richest places in the Han Dynasty. Yuan Shao's family was also rich enough, and he had the support of some famous families in Hebei. The newly recruited troops quickly put on brand-new clothes and armor, and the flags above the military camps covered the sun.
The swords and guns were like a forest, and the atmosphere of the past was restored.
This is the age of cold weapons. Except for crossbowmen and cavalry, the training of ordinary infantry is relatively simple, especially for the troops used to defend the city. Even ordinary people who have never touched swords and guns can take on important tasks with a little guidance.
.What's more, these people recruited by Yuan Shao are all young and strong, and the combat power of 500,000 people cannot be underestimated. It is not easy to defeat them without suffering heavy casualties.
The result of the discussion by Xu Huang and others was to first occupy the counties surrounding Yecheng and isolate Yecheng. Although there is a lot of surplus grain in Yecheng, if it does not get supplementary supplies from the outside, it will be a waste of money. One day, it will happen again in the Yina Thirty Years.
The mistake of the ten thousand army. Except for the 100,000 elites, the rest of the newly recruited Yuan army defended the city carelessly. Letting them fight in the field or attack the city was tantamount to committing suicide. In this way, even if Yuan Shao wakes up one day and wants to escape to the north
There is no way out.
To the southwest and south of Yecheng are Linli and Dangyin in Hanoi County respectively. This is the jurisdiction of the Fourth Army. It is already heavily fortified, and Yuan Shao does not have the courage to do the opposite and kill Cao Cao.
Entering Hanoi. These two directions do not require much attention. Neihuang and Fanyang further to the southeast have also been captured by the Han army, and it is unlikely that Yuan Shao will escape here.
If Yuan Shao was alert, he could only retreat in three directions. Retreat west to Shangdang County in Bingzhou, and retreat north to Zhao or Julu County in Jizhou. In order to block Yuan Shao's retreat, Yecheng was isolated.
These three directions are the focus.
Xu Huang brought the generals to Liu Xin's tent, presented the agreed battle plan, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please take a look."
Liu Xin did not answer, but waved her hand and said: "I won't read the specific content. You can make up your own mind on how to fight. However, I want to remind you. Although Yuan Shao is indecisive, his subordinates are resourceful.
There are so many soldiers, it’s hard to guarantee that no one will see your plan, so I send you four words, be quick with your troops!"
The Han army camp suddenly became busy. Groups of soldiers left the camp and ran wildly. Their targets were Wei County to the east of Yecheng, Kuiqiu to the northeast, Liangqi to the north, and Handan of Zhao State.
, Wu'an in the northwest, Shexian in the west and Luxian in Shangdang County in Bingzhou.
As long as these few county towns are captured, it is equivalent to laying a big net around Yecheng, and Yuan Shao will not be able to escape. But the most critical thing is that as Liu Xin analyzed, the troops must be quick and quick to react before Yuan Shao
Seize these places before coming here, otherwise it will be too late by the time Yuan Shao hears the news.
It was precisely because Liu Xin said these four words that Xu Huang issued a fatal order to capture these seven county towns before dawn tomorrow. Those who were ordered to capture and hold these county towns were infantry, divided into seven teams, each team
Thousands of people set out overnight, racing against time. The most arduous task was the two armies responsible for attacking Liangqi and Handan. To say that they were arduous did not just mean how easy to defend and difficult to attack these two cities.
But it is more difficult for them to reach their destination on time.
The straight-line distance from Liyang to Liangqi and Handan is not the farthest, but if they choose the shortest road, it will inevitably alarm the defenders of Yecheng, thus exposing the Han army's intentions, so they can only take a detour.
Traveling, we first arrive at Wei County, then turn westward, pass through Kuiqiu, and finally reach Liangqi.
Liang Dynasty and Handan were important towns in the north of Yecheng, especially Handan, which was the capital of the ancient Zhao Kingdom. This place was most likely to be chosen by Yuan Shao as the direction of retreat and must be captured. Xu Huang knew the importance of this place, looked around the generals, and finally
It was handed over to Guan Yu and his son.
It was getting dark, but Guan Yu and his son led the army and did not dare to stay for a moment. They were walking on the same road as the team that captured Wei County and attacked Qiu, but they set off before the other two teams. In this way, they set off before the other two teams.
It is likely to attract the attention of the defenders of Wei County and Kuiqiu, which will cause a lot of trouble for the troops attacking these two counties. However, there is not much time left for Guan Yu, and he must hurry up and hurry up.
It was overcast tonight, the clouds covered the moonlight, and it was pitch black all around. The soldiers groped forward in the dark, and their speed gradually slowed down. A captain from the front came over, raised his hands and said: "General, the dark road is slippery, everyone."
The sergeant requested to light the torch?"
Guan Yu said without hesitation: "No!"
In the dark night, if 20,000 people light up the torches together, they will instantly turn into a huge fire dragon, which can be seen clearly from a long distance. It is a small matter to reveal their whereabouts. If the intentions of the Han army are revealed, it will disrupt the situation.
The entire deployment is a big deal.
The captain hesitated and said: "General, it's pitch dark and the guide can't see the path clearly."
"In this case..." Guan Yu pondered for a moment, waved his hand and said, "Let the two or three people at the front light the torch, and the other soldiers will follow closely one by one. No one is allowed to fall behind, and no one is allowed to whisper to each other or make unnecessary noises."
A large group of torches in the dark night will naturally cause panic among the local people and defenders, but only one or two torches will not attract anyone's attention, and will only treat them as pedestrians walking at night.
The team moved forward silently, and Guan Yu also rode forward, constantly asking the guide how far it was from Liang Qi. The guide was a local businessman in Jizhou. He had traveled all year round and had seen a lot. He looked up at a little starlight through the clouds, and was worried.
He said: "If we keep this speed, we won't be able to reach Liang Qi before dawn."
Guan Yu couldn't help but become anxious, turned around and ordered: "Send the order, throw away unnecessary things, everyone only takes one day's dry food, and march at full speed!"
After giving the order, the soldiers threw away their sundries without any hesitation. Some iron pots for cooking, excess grain and grass, and even the materials used to bundle large siege equipment were thrown on the roadside. The burden on them was lightened, and the team
The speed of the march suddenly accelerated. However, it was still dark, and the people walking at the front could still use the light of the torches. The people behind could only follow the heels of the people in front. From time to time, some people lost their feet and fell. They gritted their teeth and got up and continued running.
, no one said a word of complaint.
Coming to a mountain road ahead, the team's walk became even more difficult. Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the hillside, causing a commotion in the team and stopping their progress. A soldier ran up from behind and whispered
: "General, a brother accidentally fell off the cliff. General, please tell me!"
Guan Ping frowned and said: "Why are you so careless? We won't be able to reach Liang Qi at dawn. We all have to lead the army. Don't worry about him. Let's move on!"
Mother and son were abandoned by Guan Yu at home when they were young. Although they were reunited with the help of Liu Xin after many twists and turns, Guan Ping has developed an indifferent character. He only has tasks in his eyes and does not have much family affection.
However, Guan Yu knew that Liu Xin had always loved nursing soldiers, and would try every means to help them return to their hometowns even if they were the bones of soldiers who died in battle. He waved his hands and said, "Leave a few people to search for them. I also want to inform everyone that the mountain road is difficult to travel.
It doesn’t matter if it’s slower for now, we’ll speed up again when we get down the mountain.”