Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 165: The Han army is about to be defeated? Wen Pin devises a plan to win over Guan Ping (6k)

City head.

Wen Pin stood with a sword in hand.

Although he is not as famous as the Xiahou of Cao and the Five Elite Generals, but in Jiangxia, especially in Shiyang City which he has guarded for many years, Wen Pin believes that he is no worse than anyone else.

Whether guarding against Guan Yu or Sun Quan, Wen Pin achieved impressive results.

Wen Pin was able to become the rear general not by nepotism, but by accumulating military merits over the years!

Yu Jin's words "Even if Guan Yu himself came, he could not break Shiyang City, let alone Guan Yu's two sons" were not empty words, but a recognition of Wen Pin's military ability!

Looking at Guan Ping who was arguing outside the city, Wen Pin just smiled coldly and ignored him.

Firstly, the person being scolded was Yu Jin, not Wen Pin, so Wen Pin would not feel the slightest bit upset.

Secondly, Yu Jin was not in the city, and Wen Pin was not worried that Yu Jin would be angered by Guan Ping.

Although there are only a few thousand soldiers in Shiyang City, Wen Pin is so experienced that he will not simply defend the city.

Wen Pin knew the rivers, swamps, and woodlands near Shiyang City in great detail. He could even draw out with his eyes closed where soldiers could be hidden and where small paths could be found without looking at a map!
This is the confidence that Wen Pin has gained in guarding Shiyang for many years!
"A tiger father may not have a tiger son. It is not easy to break into Shiyang City guarded by me, Wen Pin!" With a chuckle, Wen Pin turned around and walked down the city wall.

As the commander-in-chief of Shiyang City, Wen Pin did not need to personally observe the enemy situation and command the battle on the top of the city.

It is more important to appease the soldiers and civilians in the city and check in time whether food, water, firewood, arrows, etc. are complete.

Guan Ping cursed for a while, but when he saw that the Wei soldiers on the city wall didn't say a word, he couldn't help but frown.

[Wen Pin and Yu Jin, these two old men, are so calm. Are they sure that Shiyang City is as solid as Mount Tai and I can't break it? Or do they have other plans?]

Seeing that the verbal battle was ineffective, Guan Ping stopped provoking the soldiers and ordered them to dig trenches, bury deer horns, build fortifications, and construct dams outside the city to cut off the water.

When attacking Shiyang City this time, the strategy discussed by Guan Ping and Guan Xing was to concentrate their forces and attack one gate first.

The opponents are Wen Pin and Yu Jin, and the battlefield is in Shiyang City, which Wen Pin is most familiar with. Guan Ping and Guan Xing dare not be careless; dividing the troops into three or four gates will make it easier to break into the city, but it will also be easier for Wen Pin and Yu Jin to defeat them one by one!

Although he is not as talented as Guan Yu, Guan Ping is pragmatic and steady in military affairs after following Guan Yu for many years.

Whether it was digging trenches, burying deer antlers, building fortifications, or constructing dams to cut off water, the allocation of combat troops and auxiliary troops was in order.

Today is no longer the Yellow Turban era of the late Han Dynasty, and the methods of attacking and defending cities have also changed greatly.

In short: professionalism has improved.

During the Yellow Turban era, some forces used their superior numbers to persuade the attackers to surrender or to deter the attackers, while others used their superiors to kill the generals, seize the flags, and burn the fields for the defenders.

Low technical content.

But now, ordinary methods of attack and defense can no longer meet the needs of war.

This requires the commanders of both sides to have not only courage but also intelligence.

The higher the intelligence, the easier it is to succeed.

Intelligence can be divided into two types: one is the intelligence developed due to outstanding talent and elite education since childhood, and the other is the intelligence formed by years of combat practice.

Guan Ping belongs to the latter.

however.

The Wei army seemed quiet, but in fact, it was harboring dangerous intentions.

At night.

A Wei army of a thousand men quietly emerged from a cave in the dense forest in the south.

The leader was Yu Jin who was hiding in the cave!
Long before Guan Ping's army arrived, Wen Pin sent Yu Jin to lead a thousand people out of the city to the hilly woodlands in the south of Shiyang City. The hilly woodlands in the south have dense vegetation and natural caves, which can hide thousands of soldiers!
After finding out that Guan Ping's camp was heavily guarded, Yu Jin did not rush in to rob the camp, but instead implemented Wen Pin's backup plan: harass the grain route!
When Guan Ping first arrived, the baggage transport troops were still in the rear.

For Jin, harassing the grain route is a piece of cake.

Compared with fighting on water, fighting on land makes it easier to disrupt food supply routes.

Because the battle was fought on water, most of the food and fodder were on the baggage ships, so if one wanted to launch an attack, one would need warships and navy.

Fighting on land is much more convenient.

The food and fodder can be carried by animals or people, making harassment much easier.

During the Battle of Guandu, Yu Jin was often ordered to harass Yuan Shao's food supply routes. Having fought for many years, he was very familiar with this.

After only a brief thought, Yu Jin changed his main plan of raiding the camp to a backup plan of attacking the grain route.

at the same time.

Yu Jin also ordered people to light a fire in the woods.

The three long and two short fires meant that Yu Jin was going to implement the backup plan of attacking the grain route in order to inform Wen Pin in the city.

After sending the signal.

Yu Jin led his troops and quietly went behind Guan Ping.

After the Wei army on the city wall received the fire signal, they informed Wen Pin of the news.

"Guan Ping's camp is quite capable since it can make Yu Jin give up the plan of robbing the camp. Unfortunately, it is still too naive." Wen Pin sneered and led three thousand soldiers out of the city and headed straight for Guan Ping's camp.

This is the agreement between Wen Pin and Yu Jin.

If Yu Jin implements the plan of robbing the camp, Wen Pin will be responsible for going out of the city to support him; if Yu Jin implements the plan of attacking the grain route, Wen Pin will be responsible for robbing the camp and restraining him.

Both of them are veterans with many years of experience, and their cooperation is seamless.

The Han army camp.

The Han soldiers, noticing the arrival of the Wei army, immediately blew the horn.

Guan Ping, who was sleeping with Jia, suddenly opened his eyes and strode into the tent.

"Wen Pin and Yu Jin took advantage of my young age and came to raid our camp tonight!"

Although Guan Ping is not young anymore, he is indeed a junior compared to Yu Jin and Wen Pin.

A war of words is a war of words.

Guan Ping also has self-awareness.

If the main general today is Guan Yu, Wen Pin and Yu Jin would not dare to leave the city easily; if the main general is Guan Ping, Wen Pin and Yu Jin are very likely to leave the city to rob the camp and dampen Guan Ping's morale.

This is Guan Ping’s understanding of himself.

Even though he did not receive systematic military education when he was a child, he followed Guan Yu and met many great generals in the army when he grew up. The accumulated experience also cultivated Guan Ping's calm character.

Don't be arrogant or impatient, even if you lose, it won't be a big defeat.

The horse is galloping.

Guan Ping led his troops to the gate of the village.

"Who is coming!"

Looking at the Wei army soldiers who were as silent as water outside the camp, Guan Ping couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart: the enemy's general who can control the soldiers to such an extent must be either Wen Pin or Yu Jin.

Wen Pin sneered.

Wen Pin had seen Guan Ping's method of testing his opponents' identities at night too many times.

"Fire arrows!"

The only response to Guan Ping was the arrows flying through the air.

The main purpose of raiding a camp in the dark is to make it impossible for the enemy to judge how many people there are and who is leading the troops.

Guan Ping's heart sank.

When he followed Guan Yu to fight Shiyang, Guan Yu was the main general, and Guan Ping had not yet truly appreciated the power of Wen Pin and Yu Jin.

Every time Guan Yu was seen deploying troops, he was seen responding calmly; now when facing Wen Pin and Yu Jin alone, Guan Ping suddenly felt pressured.

Even though he had noticed the Wei army's raid on the camp in advance, Guan Ping did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

And at the rear.

There is another place where troops are stationed.

Wooden fences were built around the periphery, with grain carts crisscrossing like a camp, with combat soldiers outside and auxiliary soldiers and laborers inside. The lights were on and patrols were strict.

It was Guan Xing and his troops who were escorting the grain and fodder.

The Chinese military tent.

Guan Xing was also sleeping with Jia.

It was the first time for Guan Xing to command an army of more than 5,000 people, which put a lot of pressure on him.

How to deploy combat troops, how to deploy auxiliary troops, how to arrange laborers, etc. is extremely complicated.

The difference between a great general and a brave general is that a brave general only needs to lead his troops to kill, while a great general also has to consider how to let the brave general lead his troops to kill without any worries.

If you want to truly become a great general, experience is essential.

Just as Liu Bei said to Guan Yu at the beginning: How long the older generation can live depends on fate. You can't do everything yourself, you have to let the younger generation experience it.

Didn’t Liu Bei know how powerful Wen Pin and Yu Jin were?

Definitely know!

And precisely because he knew this, Liu Bei had to transfer Guan Yu back to Jiangling.

True.

Guan Yu had been in Xiakou all the time, and was able to lead Guan Ping and Guan Xing to compete with Wen Pin and Yu Jin.

But if Guan Yu is gone, can Guan Ping and Guan Xing still compete with Wen Pin and Yu Jin?
Although Liu Bei admired Guan Ping and Guan Xing very much, he did not dare to say that Guan Ping and Guan Xing could definitely compete with Wen Pin and Yu Jin at the moment.

The younger generation is the cornerstone of inheritance.

Liu Bei must give the younger generation enough opportunities to gain experience.

Guan Xing also understood Liu Bei’s expectations!

Compared with Guan Ping, Liu Bei had higher expectations for Guan Xing.

It’s not that Liu Bei favors Guan Xing, but that Guan Xing is younger and has received more elite education than Guan Ping.

Guan Ping can be a general, and Guan Xing can be a prime minister!

This is also the reason why Guan Ping was the general who suppressed bandits and Guan Xing was the prefect of Jiangxia.

Rapid drumbeats sounded.

Guan Xing suddenly opened his eyes.

Like Guan Ping, Guan Xing had always been on guard against Wen Pin and Yu Jin disrupting the grain supply route.

While studying and practicing martial arts, Guan Xing studied the tactical styles of the generals in Cao's camp, and finally found that the tactic most used by the generals in Cao's camp was to harass the grain route.

The most successful of these was the burning of grain in Wuchao during the Battle of Guandu!

The army was on the verge of collapse and then turned around to win a great victory at Guandu, and Yuan Shao fled in panic!

The second was the Battle of Yecheng, where the food supply was cut off and the city was destroyed.

When besieging Yuan Shang's base camp Yecheng, they divided their troops to capture Wu'an and Handan, cutting off Yecheng's northern food supply route. They also diverted water from the Zhang River to flood the city, exacerbating the famine.

therefore.

Guan Xing is particularly concerned about the safety of the grain route!

but.

After Guan Xing went out of the tent and organized his soldiers, he did not find any Wei army.

“Why are the drums beating?”

Guan Xing called the drummer who was on night patrol and asked him with a frown.

The drummer was also a little panicked, and hurriedly said: "Reporting to the governor, I did see the Wei army attacking, so I beat the drum to warn them. But I don't know why, the Wei army heard me beating the drum and ran away again."

Amidst the doubts, a scout came from the front camp and said, "Sir, there are shouts and cries of killing in the front camp. I suspect that the Wei army is attacking the front camp!"

Suspicious soldier?

Guan Xing's brows furrowed even more.

The deputy general stepped forward and said, "Governor, should we send troops to reinforce them?"

Guan Xing shook his head: "Brother has been with my father for a long time, he is a cautious person, and the camp has an advantageous location, so it should be fine. If I send troops to reinforce, and there are elite Wei troops lying in ambush here, the military food will be lost.

Cao Cao's enemies love to harass our food supply routes, so we must not be careless! Tell everyone to sleep in armor tonight and be ready for battle at any time."

The deputy general hesitated: "But if we do this, the soldiers will be exhausted and tomorrow's journey will be delayed again."

Guan Xing remained determined: "It is better to delay for one day than to lose the army's food."

Outside the village.

Yu Jin, who retreated at the first sign of trouble, waited until the Han soldiers in the village became quiet before dividing his team of a hundred men to attack again.

How to tire the enemy.

How to suspect the enemy.

Yu Jin had fought for many years and was already familiar with the subject.

The warning drums sounded again.

The Wei soldiers still retreated at the first touch.

"Again?"

"Is it Yu Jin or Wen Pin?"

Guan Xing frowned.

Anyone who can use harassment tactics so skillfully must be a veteran on the battlefield.

"Light the torches and increase patrols."

Guan Xing did not dare to be careless.

Harassment tactics are difficult to deal with, especially when one's side has a large amount of food and supplies. The enemy is in the dark while one is in the light, and all actions are in the enemy's view.

"retreat!"

Seeing that Guan Xing had strengthened his patrols, Yu Jin did not continue to harass, but retreated to the front camp where Guan Ping was.

Then they lit torches to pass the message and quietly retreated to the dense forest to carry out Wen Pin's follow-up plan.

soon.

Wen Pin also withdrew his troops from the front camp and returned to the city.

When Guan Ping saw a fire behind the camp, he did not dare to pursue. Fearing that the food supply route to the rear might have changed, he hurriedly sent people to investigate. He learned that some Wei soldiers had appeared in Guan Xing's rear camp, so Guan Ping did not dare to be careless.

It's early morning.

Another spy came to report that there were a lot of fires in the dense forests in the south, and there were also sounds of drums, which seemed to indicate that there were soldiers stationed there.

"Strange. There should only be a few thousand Wei soldiers in Shiyang City, but Wen Pin and Yu Jin dared to divide their forces?"

Guan Ping was suspicious.

Under normal circumstances, when the defending troops are insufficient, they will try to achieve partial victories in order to boost morale.

Zhang Liao's surprise attack on Sun Quan in the Battle of Xiaoyaojin, as well as Wen Pin's plan tonight to raid Yu Jin's camp or harass the food supply route, were all for this purpose.

Dividing troops out of the city is a pincer movement. It is usually used when there are enough troops in the city to avoid being isolated by the attackers and cut off from firewood and water.
And now.

Wen Pin and Yu Jin did the opposite, and even sent troops outside the city when the army was insufficient. This made Guan Ping wonder: "Did I misjudge Shi Yang's military strength, or was it just a trick by Wen Pin and Yu Jin to confuse the enemy?"

The scouts' exploration in the dark was not thorough enough.

Guan Ping did not dare to hastily conclude that Wen Pin and Yu Jin were decoys in the dense forest.

It was daytime.

Guan Ping sent a large number of scouts to investigate the dense forests in the south, and the scouts discovered that there was a suspected "granary" in the dense forests in the south.

"Even the granary has appeared? Are they really sending troops outside the city? Have they underestimated me?"

Thinking about not seeing Yu Jin on the city wall when he went to have a quarrel yesterday, Guan Ping couldn't help but wonder whether Yu Jin had already left the city yesterday.

Thinking of the Wei army that had attacked the grain supply route to the rear army last night, Guan Ping was even more cautious.

While strengthening patrols and reconnaissance, they also sent troops to guard the grain route. They did not breathe a sigh of relief until the grain and supplies from the rear camp arrived at the camp.

And these few days.

The scouts also obtained more intelligence about the Wei army in the dense forest.

At first there were only a few flags, but later every night there would be flames like long snakes emerging from Shiyang City, and the next day there would be more flags in the dense forest.

In recent days, scouts have reported that the number of Wei troops in the dense forest has exceeded five thousand!

"The number of Wei troops in Shiyang City is not what we expected at the beginning." Guan Ping shared the intelligence he had obtained with Guan Xing.

Guan Xing read the intelligence content again and again, and then took out the geographical map to study it.

After a while.

Guan Xing analyzed: "Shiyang is not a big city like Xiangyang and Jiangling. I don't think Wen Pin and Yu Jin can afford to support more than 10,000 soldiers.

Although Yu Jin was appointed as General Zhennan by Cao Pi due to the defeat in Fancheng, he still had to be under the command of Wen Pin when defending Shiyang. Therefore, Wen Pin should be the main person in charge of troop deployment in Shiyang City.

I have studied Wen Pin's past battles. He is good at maintaining the integrity and creating surprise attacks. He likes to use geography and hydrology to deploy deceptive troops. I guess that the troops in this dense forest should be those deployed by Wen Pin.

Why don't I lead an army there to eliminate this suspicious force and dampen the enthusiasm of Wen Pin and Yu Jin?"

Guan Ping tried to stop him, saying, "No! Wen Pin and Yu Jin are both veterans who have fought on the battlefield for many years. If they use a deceptive force, they will surely set up an ambush. If you rush over rashly, you may fall into their trap."

Guan Xing insisted, "But if we don't get rid of this suspicious force, Wen Pin will be able to use the strategy of false reality to make our army dare not attack the city easily. If we delay for days until the reinforcements from Runan arrive, the opportunity to break the city that His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan has won for you and my brother will be wasted."

"This..." Guan Ping hesitated: "Why not wait for the arrival of His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan's troops, and then join forces to capture it."

Guan Xing sighed and said, "Originally, His Majesty asked you and me to guard against Wen Pin and Sun Quan. If we still have to rely on the troops of His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, how can we achieve success?
Although my brother is older than His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, his contributions are far less than His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan. If Shiyang is captured by His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, I can still be promoted through civil administration, but it will be difficult for you to be promoted through military merit.

His Majesty has always attached great importance to rewards and punishments for military merits, and will not easily promote you and my brother just because we are the sons of a general. This opportunity cannot be missed!
In this battle, I will lead the troops for my brother. Even if there are ambushes, my brother can lead the troops to rescue us. If we lose, it will be my fault. If we win, the credit will go to my brother."

Guan Xing's words once again shook Guan Ping's mind.

As Guan Xing said, Guan Ping is now over 40 years old, but he is still just a general who suppresses bandits.

Looking at Liu Feng of the same period, without his identity as King of Yan, he was also the General of the Northern Expedition and the fake General of Chariots and Cavalry; Wei Yan was the General of the Northern Defense and the Marquis of Duting.

If Guan Ping had the same background as Wei Yan, it would not be considered a low position for him to become the General who Suppresses Bandits at the age of over 40. Guan Yu was even older than Guan Ping when he became the General who Suppresses Bandits!

But as the son of Guan Yu, Guan Ping, who was over 40 years old, was still just a general who suppressed bandits, which seemed relatively mediocre.

In addition, when compared with Liu Feng and Wei Yan, who are both direct descendants of Liu Bei, Guan Ping's reputation is even lower.

As the son of Guan Yu and the younger brother of Guan Ping, Guan Xing was also very worried about Guan Ping.

A good father will have a good son!

Guan Xing was able to guess that the troops in the dense forest were decoys deployed by Wen Pin, and he naturally understood the principle of "if you use decoy troops, you must set up an ambush."

However, Guan Xing thought: How can there be no risks on the battlefield?
If you just act submissively when you see a suspicious enemy, you won't be defeated, but you won't achieve any great success either!

Therefore.

Guan Xing then urged Guan Ping to take advantage of their military strength to eliminate the Wei soldiers in the dense forest.

a long time.

Guan Ping took a long breath and said, "What An Guo said makes sense. But you have little experience in the battlefield. If you lead the troops there, you will be ambushed and it will be difficult to escape. I will go there myself, and you can lead the troops to support us."

Guan Xing was stunned and quickly advised: "Brother, no! This plan was proposed by me, and I should be the one to lead the troops. Even if I fail, I can still be promoted through civil administration, but brother..."

Guan Ping interrupted Guan Xing's remonstrance and said, "An Guo, I am not as good as you in understanding the situation, and you are not as good as me in fighting a fierce battle. If you are ambushed, I may not be able to save you; if I am ambushed, you will definitely be able to save me. There is no need to argue anymore!"

Guan Xing hesitated: "Brother, why don't we wait for the troops of His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan to arrive, and then join forces to capture it."

Guan Ping laughed: "Why is An Guo acting like a little girl? Just now you advised me not to miss the opportunity, but now you want to wait for His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan to join forces?"

Guan Xing was speechless.

I didn't expect that you would go first, brother!

Guan Xing suddenly felt like he was lifting a stone, and seeing Guan Ping's insistence, he could only say, "Brother, when you go, if you encounter a narrow place, don't go in lightly. The grass and trees are dry now, be careful of fire attacks."

Guan Ping nodded, and then discussed the plan carefully with Guan Xing.

By the afternoon.

Guan Ping led three thousand soldiers to the dense forest, hoping to defeat the decoy troops deployed by Wen Pin.

Guan Xing mobilized 5,000 soldiers to be on standby at all times, and ordered all officers to guard the camp carefully to prevent the defenders in Shiyang City from leaving the city again.

And in the dense forest.

A "big village" is hidden in it.

It is called a big village, but in fact it is a straw village. The so-called "granary" is just a wooden frame covered with thatched grass.

Except for a small number of Wei troops who were responsible for beating drums to simulate garrison activities, most of the Wei troops hid in the caves in the dense forest.

"General, there are Han army flags arriving, about 3,000 men, they should be heading for the Xu camp."

In the cave.

The scouts came hurriedly and reported the movements of Guan Ping's army to Yu Jin.

Upon hearing the news, Yu Jin's silent face turned a little colder: "General Wen was right. Guan Yu's calf really couldn't hold back. Being too clever backfired. Now that the troops have been divided, it won't be easy to go back."

immediately.

Yu Jin stood up and gave orders, asking all the soldiers to pack up their equipment and wait for the Han army to enter the empty camp before cutting off their way back.

And on the top of Shiyang City.

The Wei army had already seen the Han army heading towards the dense forest from their high ground.

Wen Pin heard the news and came to the top of the city wall. After carefully observing the speed and direction of the Han army's march, he clapped his hands and laughed: "Guan Yu's bastards are really heading for the empty camp. My plan has worked!"

Immediately.

Wen Pin ordered the soldiers in the city to gather.

After Guan Ping's army entered the dense forest, Wen Pin seized the opportunity and personally led 5,000 troops out of the city and headed straight for the Han army's main camp.

"The Great Wei's rear general Wen Pin is here, little boy from the Guan family, do you dare to come out of the camp and fight?"

Wen Pin was coming with great force, so Guan Xing did not dare to be careless. He only ordered all the officers to guard the camp carefully and not to go out into battle without orders. At the same time, he sent several soldiers to attack Wen Pin.

Upon learning that Wen Pin had about 5,000 men attacking the stronghold, Guan Xing secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "There shouldn't be many Wei soldiers in the dense forest. Brother has 3,000 men, which is enough to deal with them."

Think of this.

Guan Xing then came to the front camp and shouted back: "Wen Pin, if you have the guts, come and attack the camp. If you don't have the guts, go back to the city."

Wen Pin laughed loudly: "A child is a child. Even though he came to attack the city, he is still as weak as a woman. Well, just consider me a coward today."

Seeing that Wen Pin had admitted that he was cowardly and then withdrew his troops, Guan Xing was puzzled: "Strange, Wen Pin is a veteran of the battlefield, why would he leave the city for no reason?"

In shock and doubt.

Someone reported that a fire suddenly broke out in the dense forest, and someone else reported that Wen Pin did not return to the city but went directly towards the dense forest.

Guan Xing suddenly realized: "Wen Pin is not coming for Dazhai! Damn it! Wen Pin is plotting something!"

Guan Xing expected that the Wei troops in the dense forest were decoys, and also expected that there were ambushes in the dense forest.

What was unexpected was that the ambush was not only hidden in the dense forest, but also in Shiyang City!
Wen Pin was so familiar with the geography near Shiyang City that he could find the right time to come to the Han army’s main camp to challenge the enemy, and then turn back to the dense forest to join forces with Yu Jin!
Nanyang Wenpin lives up to his reputation!
(End of this chapter)