Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3326 Who are you?

Before the real battle begins, there will be some exploratory attacks.

They will not deploy large-scale troops, but will focus on testing the enemy's strengths and weaknesses.

Just like chess pieces on a chessboard, it is impossible to just throw the commander of the central army, whether he is a general or a king, out for a one-on-one duel right from the start?

Five miles away from the trench of Cao’s main camp, Xu Chu set up a crab formation.

If it were changed to the formation described in later storytelling, it would probably be the "Two Dragons Emerging from the Water Formation"...

Because the left and right wings were all cavalry, each was equipped with a cavalry general as the main general, two cavalry marquises as assistants, and each had a thousand cavalry. The center was composed of two thousand infantry as the central formation commanded by Xu Chu, and there were another thousand cavalry as the reserve behind the central formation.

The cavalry on the left and right sides are like the open claws of a crab, presenting a state of both offense and defense. They can not only attack the enemy's formation head-on, but also look for opportunities to penetrate the enemy's flanks and disrupt the enemy's rear line.

The Cao army also demonstrated its style as a strong infantry force in the Central Plains, at least on the surface it did not look inferior at all.

While Xu Chu was arranging his troops, Cao's army also built a simple wooden bridge over the trench and formed a battle array on the open ground in front of the trench...

Xu Chu looked carefully at the Cao army's formation, touched his chin, smacked his lips, and said, "Hey, this is interesting."

At this moment, both sides are just arranging their battle formations and there is no specific offensive deployment, so the generals of each division of both sides are beside the main general, and then will gradually rush to each division and lead the battle in the subsequent fighting process.

Before the main generals of both sides play their cards for the first time, they probably have the cards in their hands. But once they are played, it is relatively difficult to change the formation or other tactics.

In a fierce battle, the team fighting with the enemy may not be able to see the signal flags transmitted by the central main formation, nor may they be able to hear the sound of horns and drums in time, so the secondary command will not only have a high delay, but may also result in erroneous reactions.

For example, the commander of the military academy on the front line was too angry, or was injured and confused, causing the troops to act in a completely different direction from the central command...

The first move made by either side often determines at least 50% to 60% of the outcome of the war.

Therefore, as soon as Xu Chu opened his mouth, he naturally attracted the attention of Li Li and others around him.

Li Li failed to stop Cao's cavalry yesterday.

This was not surprising, because the Cao army cavalry knew how powerful the Hussars were, and even if Li Li used the earth slope to conceal the movement in the initial stage, the yellow dust raised by the horses when they started running on the loess plateau could not be controlled.

However, it cannot be said that Li Li's trip was in vain. It was precisely because Li Li led the cavalry to make an encirclement and interception move that the Cao cavalry was forced to retreat, allowing Xu Chu and others to clear some obstacles and traps in the array area.

Cao Jun has indeed learned a lot of bad things...

When the weather is dry, the loess terrain is very suitable for digging some small traps with potholes.

These crude traps would not cause any major problems if the warhorse was walking slowly, and there would be no danger even if it was stepped on. Only when the warhorse was running would it cause great harm. This is similar to a person spraining his ankle while walking or falling down while running wildly.

There were also some caltrops scattered in the bushes, or tripwires pulled on low tree stumps, etc. Anyway, the main point of Cao's army was that not every trap could trap the cavalry, but as long as one worked, then there was no loss.

Therefore, Xu Chu's current vanguard battle is not only a display and contest of strength between soldiers, but also a way to clear out a suitable area for the subsequent battle.

Li Li also followed Xu Chu's gaze and stared at the Cao army infantrymen in formation, "General, is there any problem with this Cao army?"

Xu Chu did not intend to hide anything. He pointed at the formation of Cao's infantry and said, "Look carefully... these Cao's infantry marched out from the camp, and their formation did not appear to be scattered... This means that they probably adjusted their formation in the camp last night, and are now advancing directly forward..."

As for the array formations, some were assembled temporarily, while others were prepared in advance.

Xu Chu observed that the current formation of Cao's army was the one that had been prepared in advance. In the middle of the night, they adjusted the formation in an open space in the formation, and then went out to fight according to the original formation.

This approach naturally has its advantages.

Everyone knows that as long as there are a lot of people, there will inevitably be those guys who always want to "fight" with others. And in a queue of thousands of people like this, if there are a few people who don't get along, big problems will arise. If the queue is arranged in advance, it will appear particularly neat when it goes out, and it will have a more well-trained feel.

The key is the smoke.

If it was a temporary assembly, Cao's army should have gathered from different places in the camp to the front. Although the camp was shielded by the camp wall, there should have been smoke and dust inside. However, it was obvious that the only place where Cao's army's smoke and dust was floating was the small area in front of the camp...

After listening to Xu Chu's description of the situation of Cao's army, Li Li immediately reacted and said, "General, are you saying that these Cao's army are not as well-trained as they appear? Are they pretending?"

Xu Chu nodded, but added: "We have to try it to know whether it is fake or not. Are you all ready?"

Li Li and others responded in unison, "We are all ready!"

Xu Chu turned back to look at the low and widespread smoke rising from Cao's army. "According to yesterday's arrangement, the two wings will conduct a test attack first! The right first, the left later! The central army and the rear army will make a decision based on the situation on the battlefield! No one is allowed to enter an area that has not been investigated! Always pay attention to the changes in Cao's camp! If you wanted to catch Cao's bastards yesterday, don't let Cao catch you as a bastard today! I say it again! Be careful of Cao's traps! Do you understand? !"

"Understood!"

Xu Chu waved his arms, "Li Junhou! Try the new tactics you mentioned when you have a chance! But don't force it! Okay, pass on my orders! Attack in order!"

……

……

Cao's army formation.

Infantry is different from cavalry. Cavalry are scattered widely, but infantry are tightly clustered together.

The soldiers relied on and supported each other.

Shields connected together formed a shield wall, and spears were arranged into a dense forest.

Fragmentary human voices rose and fell behind the shields and spears.

"Damn it, we have to fight even though we are hungry..."

"I have been up all night, and now I have to stay up all night!"

"The enemy is the Cavalry..."

"Damn it, if I die, I don't know what will happen to my wife at home?!"

"Don't worry! She will definitely take your pension and find a young man!"

"Ha ha……"

"Fuck you, you old bastard!"

"Anyway, if I'm well fed, the whole family won't have to worry!"

"...But damn, I'm not full now..."

"Uh... that's right..."

The Cao army's formation suddenly became quiet.

Well, since they were not full and had been waiting until the middle of the night, what force allowed these Cao soldiers to dare to leave the camp to meet the enemy?

If you raise your sight to a higher level, for example, look down at a 45-degree angle like a god, you will find that behind the exposed formation of Cao's army, under the cover of the camp wall, is a whole row of catapults...

The crude catapults, although they were made in a hurry, and the thick throwing arms still had a lot of bark left on them, did not prevent them from becoming deadly weapons. The thick wooden throwing arms were the core components of the catapults, with one end loaded with stones or other projectiles, and the other end fixed to the axle of the vehicle. The arms that were not even polished showed that they were made in a hurry during this period of time. The arms that were not completely dried, painted, or wrapped with hemp ropes would have great problems in terms of durability and toughness, and it was unclear how many times they had been used.

This is even less reliable than buying a second-hand computer from a second-hand dealer in later generations.

But the only thing that can be confirmed is that the original strength of the wood is still sufficient.

Moreover, these catapults did not seem to be intended for a second use, because the wheels that were supposed to be on the base were not installed at all, but were replaced with a heavier wooden structure.

The thrown leather bags were now lying limply on the ground, and next to the bags were rows of shivering laborers standing there, waiting for orders.

Each catapult was led by a group of soldiers, holding a small red flag and looking up at the direction of the central army platform. Under the catapult arm, there were three or four people responsible for adjusting the direction of the arm...

Although the accuracy of this thing is purely random, the huge rocks falling from the sky have a great impact on the morale of the enemy. And when there are a lot of them, you will always be able to catch a few dead mice.

Cao Hong frowned as he sketched the cavalry formation in the distance.

Beside him were the soldiers of the Central Commander.

There is a horse.

Yes, that’s right. They were not Cao Hong’s original troops and private soldiers, but the central commanders that Cao Cao later added to him.

Not only did Cao Hong lose his son, but his own troops and private soldiers also suffered heavy casualties in the battle with the Cavalry Army.

For Shandong's generals, their direct subordinates and private soldiers were not only a symbol of their power, but also the key to maintaining their status, expanding their influence and ensuring their survival in chaotic times.

If you only regard their private soldiers as tools that can only be used on the battlefield, you are really wrong. Because of the political system in Shandong, these generals' private soldiers, in addition to taking on combat missions, will also become instructors for recruit training, responsible for regularly conducting tactics and weapons training for counties or other newly recruited soldiers, improving the overall combat capability of the troops and their ability to respond to emergencies. At the same time, they are also the "military police" in the army, maintaining the internal order of the army, reducing internal conflicts, and mainly reducing the number of people who cause problems.

In addition, generals can openly build a huge interest system with their troops and private soldiers. Through marriage, adoption and other means, they can establish closer family or blood relationships with key figures in their troops and strengthen trust and loyalty between individuals. They can provide material rewards, such as money, land, etc., as well as senior positions and promotion opportunities, to outstanding troops and private soldiers, which can easily enhance the loyalty and sense of belonging of the troops and private soldiers to the general.

Therefore, in times of peace, these private soldiers would also become a link between the generals and the local nobles and gentry, or form an alliance with other generals, and sometimes advance and retreat together...

Anyway, this thing has many benefits, and the magic of using it lies in one's heart.

Of course, like many other political systems in Shandong, the benefits are private, and the disadvantages...

Cao Hong's original private soldiers were very large and effective, which made it convenient for him to control a large army through them. But now with the increasing number of casualties, the newly added commanders will need some time to understand and integrate before they can achieve the original level of tacit understanding. Therefore, the command effectiveness that Cao Hong can exert at present is actually discounted to a certain extent.

  Just like the current front-line battle, if it had happened before, Cao Hong would not have used such a rigid tactic, requiring those Cao army soldiers to assemble and line up in the middle of the night. After all, if Xu Chu did not come the next day, wouldn't they have spent the night in vain?

But Cao Hong's many years of combat experience helped him.

So he bet that Xu Chu would launch a tentative attack immediately after clearing the traps on this side of Cao's camp.

In fact, at this moment, or perhaps at an earlier point in time, the offensive and defensive situation between Fei Qian and Cao Cao had already been reversed...

At the beginning, Cao Cao was very aggressive and led his troops in several directions to besiege Guanzhong. But now he formed a coalition camp in Anyi and built a huge military fortification to resist the attack of the cavalry.

The key point is that this time when Shandong attacked Guanzhong, Cao's army was fully mobilized.

In the fierce battle, not only were the generals concerned about their own troops and private soldiers, but the gentry in the rear were also desperately trying to ensure their own food, making the supply of Cao's army even tighter.

Fortunately, Cao Cao had anticipated this situation and allocated more food and grass in advance. Later, when he saw that the situation was not good, he quickly abandoned some people. With this addition and subtraction, he has barely managed to hold on until now.

But it's also dangerous...

If the cavalry had delayed for a while longer, Cao's army would have captured Anyi and would have withdrawn immediately after receiving reinforcements.

But the cavalry arrived at this point!

It’s good that you’re here!

Cao Hong gritted his teeth and said, "Order all units to prepare for battle according to the original plan! Notice to the entire army! Those who have made contributions will be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes will be punished! If anyone holds the entire army back, watch out for his own head!"

The soldiers in the central army beside Cao Hong responded loudly and immediately ran to the catapult arrays in various parts of the military camp and the infantry lines in front of the camp to convey the order.

……

……

The Cao army's messenger carried the recognition flag on his back and rode past while shouting Cao Hong's orders.

The yellow dust kicked up by the warhorse's hooves was blown up by the wind and flew towards Bao Zhong's face.

Bao Zhong seemed to be in a trance and did not dodge. He was choked by the dust and coughed twice. Then he raised his eyes and saw the messenger carrying the Cao army's flag running away. He only heard the messenger in the central army loudly encouraging the Cao army soldiers in the infantry line to cheer up.

Bao Zhong couldn't help but sigh softly.

At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out from beside Bao Zhong, "The war is imminent, and General Bao is actually sighing at this time... If the Prime Minister knew about this, then... it would not be good..."

  The sound was very small, but it was like a sharp blade, which suddenly hit Bao Zhonghou's heart and made him shudder!

Bao Zhong quickly turned his head to look, but saw that the person standing behind him was the Heluo surrendered soldier who was assigned to the reinforcement just two days ago.

Like Cao Hong, Bao Zhong suffered heavy casualties among his guards and troops.

Moreover, during the attack on Anyi, Bao Zhong's son was seriously injured. Although other military officers blamed Bao Zhong for not conquering Anyi in time, Cao Cao did not punish Bao Zhong. Instead, he provided Bao Zhong with some additional troops and soldiers.

Of course, the reinforcements given to Bao Zhong would definitely not be the elite Central Commander and Central Guard of Cao’s army.

So, as a surrendered soldier under the Heluo Yang family, he came under the command of Bao Zhong.

This man is smiling all day long, and he greets everyone with a smile, so he is not annoying. At first, Bao Zhong transferred him to his side because Bao Zhong's own soldiers had suffered heavy casualties. If he brought his own soldiers to the battle this time, they might all be killed here, so he had to save some seeds...

Hmm, this is very Shandong style. No matter civil or military, they all need some seeds.

Another reason was that Bao Zhong's son was seriously injured and was now in the rear camp for treatment, and he also needed manpower to take care of him. Bao Zhong was also thinking in his heart that if something really happened, when the army was defeated, if there were no people around his son and he was seriously injured, then he would really be like meat on the chopping board!

Therefore, this time when Bao Zhong went out of the camp to fight with the cavalry vanguard, he only brought a few personal guards, and the rest were replaced by these newly deployed Heluo surrendered soldiers. At the same time, because this guy was considered the leader of this group of surrendered soldiers, he deliberately stayed by his side, but he didn't expect that when he was about to fight, he suddenly heard such a sentence from him!

When Bao Zhong's personal bodyguard heard this, he wanted to step forward and grab Cong Lai, but was stopped by Bao Zhong.

At this point, even if we hold back, it will lead to chaos!

If it's not handled properly, Cao Hong's sword will chop it down directly!

Perhaps it is precisely because he realized this that this guy is so bold and presumptuous.

Bao Zhong narrowed his eyes and stared at Cong Lai, "You...you'd better explain yourself clearly...what do you mean by what you just said?"

Bao Zhong's voice was also very low, as if it was squeezed out from his throat.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, still smiling, as if he had a smiling mask on that stayed on all day long. No one knew what expression he had underneath the mask. "General Bao, logically speaking, your son is seriously injured now, and he has a grudge against the cavalry... But, in war, swords and guns have no eyes, and the real grudge is not between you and me, it's just a matter of loyalty to the emperor..."

"..." Bao Zhong frowned and remained silent.

In the Cao army formation, various sounds came one after another, and the drums roared. A little further away, the noise was so loud that it was hard to hear anything clearly, so Bao Zhong couldn't help but asked directly: "Who are you?"

(End of this chapter)