What would be the consequences if five thousand infantry were attacked by three thousand cavalry? Disaster. Literature Museum
What would be the consequences if five thousand unsuspecting infantry were attacked by three thousand cavalry who had no chance of seeing a future? It would be a disaster.
Wei Yan and Ma Di are both generals with combat experience. Wei Yan has fought with the Wei army for many years and is well aware of the power of cavalry. Ma Di has personally experienced the power of cavalry assault. It was a painful lesson that he will never forget in his life. Just because A slight oversight can lead to irreversible consequences. For Ma Su, who has always been proud, this memory is deep and the lesson is heavy enough for him to remember for the rest of his life.
"How...how could this happen? Even if we are defeated, the whole army should not be wiped out, right?" Even Wei Yan, who has been on the battlefield for a long time and has experienced countless fierce battles, can't believe this fact. "Ma Dai is cautious, these four thousand Although the cavalry has not been assembled for a long time and their coordination is not good, their basics are good, so there should be no problem in a stalemate for a while, right?"
"It should have been." Qian Fei lowered his head in shame: "But the Wei army went crazy. Niu Jin killed me in one breath and rushed towards General Ma. For some reason, the Chinese army was in chaos all of a sudden. There was no response, but by the time they reacted, Xiahou Ba had already arrived."
Qian Fei stammered and explained the situation. He was a defeated soldier and knew a little bit about the situation of his forward. He didn't know exactly what happened to the Chinese army. He could only analyze and guess based on the situation at the time.
However, what he guessed was not very different from the actual situation at the time. Wei and Ma also roughly understood the reason from his guess. Although they were surprised at first, they didn't think it was strange. The Wei army entered the pass. It is entirely possible for them to be able to do this desperado-style fighting method of putting everything on the line and risking their lives to survive.
In fact, it is normal for Xiahou Ba to do this. It is abnormal not to do so. Anyone who is normal can see the significance of Ma Dai's four thousand cavalry to the Shu Han army. As Ma Dai's subordinate Brother, although he is not as outstanding as Ma Chao in terms of cavalry combat, he is no less outstanding than any general in the Wei army at present. As long as he is given time, it is entirely possible for him to build a cavalry that can rival the Wei army with the same strength. The cavalry, this threat to the Wei State, which dominated the Three Kingdoms with its cavalry, should not be underestimated.
When Ma Di was willing to support Zhuge Liang's plan, he also had this consideration in mind. The purpose of this Northern Expedition was to seize Longyou. To establish the Shu Han Army's own cavalry, it was very important to cultivate some officers with experience in cavalry warfare before doing so. If Ma Dai can be allowed to build this cavalry, once the horse breeding land in Longxi is captured and there are more war horses, the Shu Han army can quickly build a powerful cavalry team and enter the battlefield as quickly as possible.
If the four thousand cavalrymen who may produce many cavalrymen can be strangled in the cradle, even if both sides suffer losses, it will be worth it to Xiahouba. In the same way, Ma Dai is unwilling to fight Xiahouba desperately. It makes sense. Zhuge Liang gave him the command of the cavalry, maybe because he took a fancy to his steady character.
However, in front of the two armies, one wants to fight wholeheartedly, while the other hesitates and wants to delay. These subtle psychological differences often lead to unbearable consequences.
Ma Dai is a living example.
Guessing the reason did not make Ma Su and Wei Yan feel any lighter. On the contrary, they felt even heavier.
Ma Dai's entire army was wiped out. No one could compete with Xiahou Ba anymore. The more than 300 miles between Qixian County and Wuzhangyuan became Xiahou Ba's world, and the communication between the Shu and Han armies became a problem. What is even more worrying is that,
Cao Zhi stopped to rest at Wuzhangyuan. He had the intention of eating them first before the decisive battle with Zhuge Liang.
Five thousand infantry faced eighteen thousand cavalry. If they encountered them in a field battle, the fate would be almost self-evident.
Qian Fei's unexpected arrival was like a wake-up call to Wei Yan and Ma Di. They originally thought that Cao Zhi was a beast that had jumped into the trap, but unexpectedly they almost became a piece of meat in the beast's mouth. If they were killed by Cao Zhi
If they were severely damaged or even completely annihilated, the situation in Guanzhong would be even more dangerous.
Wei Yan's cheek twitched. "You Chang, reinforce the camp immediately."
Ma Di shook his head, pinched his fingers, and pondered: "Just holding the camp is not a problem. I think we should go back to the dock and defend it. It may be safer."
Wei Yan frowned: "Then if Cao Zhi goes west, should we pursue him?"
"We'll talk about it then." Ma Su said with a wry smile: "With our small force, what's the use of chasing after us? There is only one possibility for it to be effective, and that is when Cao Zhi and the Prime Minister are in a stalemate. Before that, chasing rashly
It's just Cao Zhi's pre-dinner fruit."
Wei Yanchang took a long breath, and after a while, he slowly exhaled it. He knew that Ma Di was right. The only one who could stop Cao Zhi at the moment was the main force led by Zhuge Liang. Their troops were too small and they were not Cao Zhi's at all.
Opponent, if you catch up, you are asking for trouble.
"Then it's Yi Youchang. However, we must inform the Prime Minister as soon as possible, lest the Prime Minister still expects us to attack Cao Zhi with him."
Ma Su's eyes narrowed slightly and he nodded.
Wei Yan immediately sent dozens of scouts towards Qian County from different directions. Most of these people would die in the pursuit of the Wei army, but as long as one person could deliver the news, Wei Yan's plan would be considered a success.
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Wei Yan then broke camp and returned to Xiwu. He was very nervous. He sent his scouts fifty miles away and went to the rear in person. He ordered all the soldiers to be alert, with swords in hand and bows at waist, ready to fight at any time. At the same time, he arranged all the baggage vehicles in the team.
If there is an enemy situation on both sides, these baggage vehicles will serve as temporary forts once they stop, which can help the soldiers resist the impact of the cavalry.
News of their retreat soon reached Cao Zhi's ears.
Cao Zhi sighed with some regret: "It's really not easy to catch these two people."
Cao Zhi didn't know the situation east of Tongguan yet, but he saw Wei Yan's battle flag and roughly guessed what might happen. But at this moment, he was no longer in the mood to care about that. Even if Cao Zhen was defeated, the Shu Han army would also
Without the strength to drive out of the pass, the county soldiers from Hedong, Hanoi and Henan will inevitably rush to intercept them as quickly as possible.
He originally wanted to defeat the five thousand Shu Han army before contacting Zhuge Liang, but he didn't want to have to watch his back while fighting Zhuge Liang. Along the way, he was patiently waiting for the opportunity, but unfortunately he didn't expect Xiahou Ba
He would achieve such a great victory and actually ate up four thousand Shu Han cavalry in one bite. Even Guo Huai, who said goodbye to Xiahou Ba two or three days ago and just arrived at the camp, couldn't believe this result. Maybe even Xiahou Ba before the battle
They didn't even dare to expect this. Now Xiahouba still has the main force monitoring Zhuge Liang two hundred miles away, and there is no time to rush over. Otherwise, he will definitely attack without hesitation.
Now, he can only watch Wei Yan run away. Just as Wei Yan couldn't catch up with him when he came, he can't catch up with Wei Yan now. Everyone is running on two legs, and the time difference of half an hour is enough.
Let Wei Yan retreat into Xiwu.
Cao Zhi felt a little regretful, but he didn't take it to heart. The difficulties he faced were not only Wei Yan, but also Ma Di and the five thousand people. He didn't have much time and he would soon face his biggest enemy. He didn't dare to take anything lightly.
Cao Zhi was like a hungry tiger, staring at his strong opponent, patiently looking for an opportunity to kill him with one blow.
He knew very well that he would not get a second chance. Once he came into contact with Zhuge Liang, there was no possibility of changing his plan.
Either die, or turn the tide and turn defeat into victory.
Cao Zhi looked at the silent Guo Huai and waved his hand in disinterest: "Have a nice trip."
Guo Huai bowed: "Thank you, Your Highness."
…
Zhang He led his army forward with great strides and pressed close to Jiang Wei's position again. This time, his 10,000 fine cavalry did not show up. Only he knew where they were. Jiang Wei's scouts spared no effort to search, almost 10,000 men within a hundred miles.
I searched all the ravines and found no trace of the cavalry.
Jiang Wei was very nervous. He knew that he had a heavy burden on his shoulders. No matter how fierce Cao Zhi was, he was just a beast dying to fight back. As long as he held his ground, Cao Zhi's fate was doomed. The real danger came from Zhang He and Cao Zhi in front of him.
Of course, taking the risk to enter the pass cannot be just for death. He made such a big bet, there is only one possibility, and that is to help Zhang He enter the pass.
If Zhang He breaks through his blockade and enters Guanzhong, the situation in Guanzhong will be completely reversed. Not only will the Prime Minister's plan to take Longyou come to nothing, but even the Guanzhong that has been occupied will be surrendered, including the efforts that the Prime Minister has poured into Guanzhong over the years.
With the arrival of Zhang He, Jiang Wei's nerves were almost broken. He couldn't sleep at night. When he was sleepy and tired, he would lie down with his clothes on, and he would wake up from his dream after a short nap. He dreamed a lot, some of which were as fierce as Zhang He's.
The sneer, the prime minister's expectant eyes, the mother's compassionate and tolerant eyes, and Wei Ba's contemptuous sneer.
He knew that Wei Ba didn't like him. Not only because of the Prime Minister's preference for him, but also because he refused his mother's call and was determined to stay in Shuhan with the Prime Minister. He could understand Wei Ba's contempt for him, because he
I sometimes despise myself.
But he doesn't want to look back, he will only work harder. He will use his own strength to prove that his choice is correct, that the prime minister's choice is correct, and that his mother's understanding is correct. One day, he will follow the prime minister to revive the Han Dynasty.
, one day, he will return to his hometown with pride and stand proudly on the city tower of Ji County.
However, Zhang He's reaction made him temporarily unable to care about those dreams.
Zhang He came to the foot of Liupan Mountain and set up camp. He was ready to attack, but he didn't launch the attack. It's like a bow with arrows attached and the string fully drawn, but it didn't launch.
He seems to be in no rush to attack Guanzhong.
This made Jiang Wei puzzled, uneasy, and had an ominous premonition. He always felt that behind Zhang He's actions, there might be a more dangerous plan than a violent attack.