Han officials

Chapter 260 The Wonders of Military Strategy [3.5K]

When Chunyu Qiong led his troops to Fucheng County, the area was already filled with the atmosphere of war.

Merchants and traders alike were all rushing to escape this place, and all kinds of vehicles were constantly passing by.

The local gentry and powerful families of Fucheng County were also as uneasy as startled birds.

Seeing this situation, Chunyu Qiong, who knew the implications, disregarded the attack on Quyang and immediately held a banquet at the county temple to entertain the surrounding gentry and powerful figures, thus appeasing the local people.

After all, Yuan Shao and the gentry of Ji Province jointly governed the counties. If the local people were not at peace, then Yuan's army would be like duckweed, adrift and unsustainable.

"You can all rest assured, Mu Bo will certainly not ignore Xiaquyang."

Dangwang, Yangshi County Temple.

At the banquet, Chunyu Qiong patted his chest and assured everyone, "With me here, Yangshi County will be safe!"

Before he could finish speaking, Wen Chou, who had come with him, also declared with unwavering confidence and boldness:

"The traitor Wei from Zhongshan only took advantage of our vulnerability to seize Xiaquyang. I will definitely kill him this time so that he can never leave."

Upon hearing what the two said, the gentry in the hall, whether they believed it or not, could only suppress their worries for the time being.

However, Chunyu Qiong wasn't just boasting; at least he genuinely believed it.

The Yuan army in Yangshi County was only a detachment, mainly tasked with blocking the southward advance of the Wei army along the Zhongshan line.

This time, Yuan Shao was truly prepared for a desperate battle, and even mobilized almost his entire army.

Meanwhile, in Yi County, Gaoyang Prefecture.

Inside the Wei army camp, Wei Zhe was also analyzing Yuan Shao's arrangements with his advisors.

……

"According to scouts, Yuan Shao has mobilized troops from various counties, gathering 100,000 soldiers, claiming to be a force of 200,000."

"Now the army has split into three routes and is coming from the north with great momentum. Yuan Shao is also in the army."

Before the map, Xi Zhicai gestured with his finger, indicating:

"Among them, the Left Army was led by Chunyu Qiong as commander-in-chief and Wen Chou as general, with more than 20,000 troops stationed in Fucheng."

"Chunyu Qiong is quite capable. It is said that he has already appeased the local people and won over the private armies of the gentry and powerful clans. His fighting strength should not be underestimated."

“Jizhou is different from Youzhou. There are many powerful clans and private armies here, and they are well-equipped. Some of these private armies are even as strong as the state troops. We must be careful about this.”

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng immediately frowned and said:
"The left wing army of Jizhou is probably only there to block the southward route of Zhongshan State, and its main focus is on defense."

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai said nothing, but then pointed to Xindu County of Anping State, not far from Fucheng:
"The commander of the central army is Shen Pei, with Yan Liang as his assistant. Together they lead 20,000 troops to garrison this place."

"The Right Army Commander-in-Chief was Guo Tu, with Zhang He as his assistant, who also led 20,000 troops to garrison in Xiu County."

"As for Yuan Shao himself, he led 40,000 troops to guard Guangzong, which served as the main camp for the rear army."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but ask in surprise:
"Is Yuan Shao really preparing for a decisive battle?"

“That must be it!” Xi Zhicai nodded in agreement. “The 100,000-strong army can indeed be described as having come out in full force.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe was filled with heroic spirit and immediately drew his sword, laughing loudly:

"If that's the case, then let's settle Hebei in one battle!"

Upon hearing this, a hearty laugh immediately erupted from inside the tent.

Just as Wei Zhe said, none of the Wei generals were afraid; on the contrary, they were eager and looking forward to it.

To be honest, Wei Zhe wasn't afraid of a decisive battle with Yuan Shao, but he was afraid that Yuan Shao would cower and drag things out with him.

If that's the case, then it will take at least five years to pacify the Ji Province.

Moreover, conquering city by city was a huge loss for the Wei army.

Wei Zhe had no intention of wasting his men on this mindless siege warfare.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but sigh to himself, thankfully the governor of Ji Province was Yuan Shao, not Cao Cao.

Otherwise, based on Wei Zhe's understanding of Cao Mengde, that fellow would definitely choose to hide and wait for things to change.

After all, face was nothing to Cao Mengde.

As long as there is even the slightest possibility of holding onto Ji Province, Cao Cao would probably not give up his position as Governor of Ji Province.

Of course, one can despise the enemy strategically, but one must still take the enemy seriously tactically.

Therefore, after making a few jokes, everyone started analyzing Yuan Jun's deployment.

……

In last year's great war between Yuan and Wei, Yuan Shao did not come away empty-handed.

For example, Xiu County, the southernmost part of Bohai Commandery, was captured by Yuan's army and fell into the hands of Ji Province.

This shows from Yuan Shao's arrangements that he definitely had his eye on Xiu County for a long time.

It's possible that Yuan Shao's previous heavy attack on Xiu County was part of his preparations for today.

After all, the Qinghe River and the Jiangshui River converge into one after flowing through Xiuxian County for a hundred miles before flowing directly under the county seat.

Whether departing from Ye City or Wei County, grain ships could reach Xiu County in a day by sailing downstream.

Even Guangzong is located on the west bank of the Qinghe River, making it a necessary stop on this waterway.

This is also one of the reasons why Yuan Shao chose Guangzong as the rear camp.

It can be said that thanks to the convenience of water transport, Xiuxian County has no need to worry about logistical supply issues.

If Wei Zhe hadn't taken advantage of Yuan Shao being busy dealing with Gongsun Zan last time, it wouldn't have been so easy to capture Xiu County.

And this is only part of Xiuxian's advantages.

Inside the commander's tent, Xi Zhicai frowned slightly and said:
"Yuan Shao stationed Guo Tu and Zhang He here, clearly intending to unite with Zhou Ang of Pingyuan."

"It seems that Xiu County was the eastern bulwark built by Yuan Shao to block the offensive from Bohai and Qingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng couldn't help but nod.

It must be admitted that although the Jizhou Plain is flat and has no natural defenses, it also has its own advantages.

That is because the waterways on the Jizhou Plain are so well-developed, with a network of waterways that make transportation extremely efficient.

For example, the three armies that Yuan Shao chose to station were basically able to be supplied with supplies by water.

Fucheng is located on the east bank of the Zhang River, while Xindu is on the north bank of the Jiang River. In siege warfare, if the defending side has smooth logistical support, the difficulty of the siege will inevitably increase significantly.

Sieges are difficult enough, but this bonus is like having an extra victory aura out of nowhere.

Even if they eventually capture the city, the casualties on the attacking side would likely be astronomical.

"With such a layout, it is not hard to see Yuan Shao's intention. He simply wanted to limit the battle line to the [Fucheng-Xindu-Xiuxian] line, and wear down our army's strength and blunt our morale in the siege. If necessary, the three Yuan armies can also support each other in a pincer movement, making the siege even more difficult."

Tian Feng, with a serious expression, said in a deep voice:

"When our army is exhausted, the 40,000 Yuan troops who are recuperating in Guangzong will surely go downstream and attack our army directly. At that time, no matter which route Yuan Shao attacks, our army will probably be in danger of being wiped out."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe's expression also became serious.

As the art of war says: Engage with the orthodox, and win with the unorthodox.

Yuan Shao's troop deployment this time does indeed have that kind of meaning.

Wei Zhe wanted to launch a three-pronged attack from Youzhou, Yingzhou, and Qingzhou, so Yuan Shao simply contracted his battle lines.

From this perspective, Yuan Shao's strategic vision was quite good.

Originally, the fall of Xiaquyang put Yuan Shao's army in a strategically passive position. However, after Yuan Shao abandoned northern Anping, although he seemed to have lost six or seven cities, he regained the strategic initiative.
-
Sun Tzu said:
Those who first occupy the battlefield and await the enemy are at ease, while those who arrive later and rush into battle are weary.

Therefore, a skilled strategist brings the enemy to victory rather than being brought to victory by the enemy.
-
Yuan Shao's move was clearly intended to entice Wei Zhe to fight at his pace.

But is Wei Zhe the kind of honest person?

of course not!

After staring at the map for a long time, Wei Zhe suddenly curled up the corners of his mouth.

"Send me the military order!"

Wei Zhe's eyes were firm and resolute as he said:

"He ordered Ju Shou, the governor of Bohai, to lead the garrison troops and civilians of the prefecture to besiege Xiu County."

"Remember, just surround the city with deep trenches and long moats; do not attempt a direct assault."

"Any gentry or powerful clans in the counties of Bohai who dare not cooperate with the siege may be executed first and reported later!"

After saying that, Wei Zhe added without hesitation:

"Order Commandant Wei Muhua to lead 5,000 naval troops across the Yellow River to attack Gaotang County, and Hua Xiong to lead 15,000 Qingzhou garrison troops to assist him. Also, order Governor Zhong Hu of Qingzhou to lead 5,000 prefectural troops and 15,000 garrison troops to attack Pingyuan County."

At this point, Wei Zhe laughed heartily and said:

"I want to see how Yuan Shao plans to reap the benefits without lifting a finger!"

Indeed, Sun Bin said, "Those who first occupy the battlefield and await the enemy are at ease, while those who arrive later and rush into battle are weary."

But Sun Bin also said, “When an enemy advances, he cannot be resisted because he attacks their weak points; when they retreat, he cannot be pursued because they are too fast to catch up with. Therefore, if I want to fight, even if the enemy has high walls and deep moats, they will have no choice but to fight me because I attack what they must defend. If I do not want to fight, even if I draw a line on the ground and defend it, the enemy will not be able to fight me because I will be contrary to what they want to do.”

The art of war, its principles of deception and reality, is nothing more than this!

Once Xiuxian is besieged, Gaotang and Pingyuan will become "must-rescue areas".

Zhou Ang alone has absolutely no way to resolve three changes at the same time.

No matter which place Zhou Ang came to the rescue, the Wei army was able to break through the eastern defenses set up by Yuan Shao.

After realizing this secret, both Xi Zhicai and Tian Feng couldn't help but show their admiration.

They were indeed ashamed of their inferiority in Wei Zhe's mastery of military strategy.

However, the two were not to be underestimated, and they immediately offered their own ideas.

For example, Xi Zhicai suggested that Zhao Yun lead a surprise force into Zhen Ding, recruit heroes from Changshan and Zhao to revolt, bypass Julu County, and head south directly along the edge of the Taihang Mountains.

In this way, it can be of great use whether it is to launch a surprise attack on Ye City or to cut off Yuan Shao's retreat.

However, this would put Zhao Yun in a very dangerous situation!
However, before Wei Zhe could even speak after Xi Zhicai uttered these words, Zhao Yun's eyes immediately burned with fervor.

At that moment, Zhao Yun realized that Xi Zhicai was his half-brother.

There's no way around it, even his own brothers aren't as loyal as him!

After all, those who bear heavy responsibilities are destined to achieve extraordinary feats!
Without saying a word, Zhao Yun stepped forward and volunteered to fight.

Seeing that Wei Zhe was still hesitating, even the usually composed Zhao Yun couldn't help but speak up:

"Yun is willing to sign a military pledge..."

Wei Zhe, however, waved his hand helplessly to interrupt him.

Just as Liu Bei was reluctant to kill Guan Yu even once, would Wei Zhe be willing to kill Zhao Yun?

Rather than doing that, it's better not to bring up the military order at all, to avoid being embarrassed later.

Seeing Zhao Yun's surging fighting spirit, Wei Zhe finally nodded and said:
"There's no need for that. This journey is inherently dangerous. Zilong should act according to the circumstances. There's no need to force it."

"If there are any soldiers in the army that you fancy, you may order them around. I grant you the authority to make decisions on the spot!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun was deeply moved beyond words. He immediately bowed respectfully and then left with a resolute look in his eyes.

I have nothing more to say. A scholar will die for one who understands him!

He, Zhao Zilong, was willing to risk his life!
Zhao Yun then refrained from mobilizing a large force in the camp and instead selected eight hundred cavalrymen from Changshan and the State of Zhao.

A moment later, he disappeared into the night with only eight hundred light cavalry.

For a time, not only Yuan Shao's spies and informants were unaware of his whereabouts, but even the Wei army itself was unaware of his location.

After Zhao Yun left, Wei Zhe led his army on another expedition the following day.

However, instead of joining forces with Taishi Ci, he led his army towards Xiaquyang.

Similar to Yuan Shao, Wei Zhe's offensive strategy this time was also very simple.

The army was also divided into three routes:
Wei Zhe led 10,000 soldiers and 20,000 infantry and cavalry to garrison Xiaquyang, where they joined forces with Zhongshan troops to attack Julu in the south.

Taishi Ci led 30,000 infantry and cavalry from Yingzhou to garrison "Guanjin City" and attacked Anping Kingdom.

Zhong Hu then led the Qingzhou garrison to attack Pingyuan and directly seize Qinghe Kingdom.

No matter how Yuan Shao maneuvered, his strategic depth had already been gradually eroded by Wei Zhe's relentless pressure. Under these circumstances, even if he didn't want to fight, he had no choice but to engage the Wei army in a real battle.

Wei Zhe wanted to see if Yuan Shao could really stop his battle-hardened army...

(End of this chapter)