The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 313 The Same Ditch
Compared to the left flank, which gained an early advantage, the battle on the right flank of the Wei army was significantly more protracted.

On the one hand, there was one less threat from the Wei army, but one more friendly force led by Zhang Fei.

Morale is significantly more stable.

On the other hand, Sima Yi soon discovered that Zhuge Liang had clearly deployed more troops to his left flank (relative to the right flank of the Wei army).

That would give them an advantage in infantry-based combat.

But Sima Yi was not afraid of this advantage.

Because no matter what, Zhuge Liang's formation was incomplete, with gaps in the middle.

This deficiency was amplified as its right wing collapsed.

To put it simply...

Because of the ravine in the middle, the left wing of the Han army could not provide timely support to the right wing.

It's not just because of physical obstacles.

To be honest, this little ditch couldn't possibly stop a troop of thousands.

Even infantry couldn't stop them.

The key is to maintain a dense formation.

If the Han army on the right wing wanted to get to the left wing, they would inevitably have to go around these ditches.

Once they pass through this area, the originally tight formation will loosen.

Their fighting strength will decrease if they are scattered.

We must stop and readjust.

This would not only cause us to miss the opportunity for rescue, but it would also trap reinforcements on this flank.

This was determined by the infantry tactics of this era of cold weapons.

Regardless of whether it's Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, or Sima Yi, nothing can change that.

Unless someone can manually manufacture guns and cannons, directly changing the military level of an entire era.

This was all a situation that Sima Yi had already planned out.

Therefore, regarding the battle situation on this flank, Sima Yi only sought to avoid defeat.

Success would be achieved if the Wei army on the left flank could hold out until they secured victory and then turn around to attack the remaining Han army from both sides.

However, as the sun gradually set, Sima Yi's brows furrowed.

First, the fighting strength of the Han army's left wing was significantly higher than that of the right wing.

Seeing that the neighboring team was in complete defeat, they were still able to maintain their morale.

They even pushed the Wei army back more than a hundred paces at one point.

It doesn't look like it's about to collapse at all.

This cannot be achieved simply by having a numerical advantage.

This demonstrates a strong fighting spirit.

As for willpower, aside from factors such as regular military training and clear rewards and punishments that belong to the "rule of law," it is not the only factor.

There is actually another, more down-to-earth factor:
Whether the soldiers maintained adequate food and clothing for extended periods.

An army that is constantly on the go, no matter how strong its will, will be useless if its body can't keep up.

At that moment, a thought inexplicably arose in Sima Yi's mind:
Could it be that... Zhuge Liang was not actually as short of food as he had anticipated?
No, it's impossible.

Although Zhuge Liang had capable people under his command.

But the amount of grain stored by the people in Guanzhong was limited.

No matter how clever you are, you can't conjure up more food out of thin air.

Even the most powerful families have a limited amount of surplus grain!

Since it didn't come from nothing, there's only one possibility.

The soldiers at the forefront of the Han army's left flank were likely elite troops who had received ample supplies.

The inability to feed 30,000 to 40,000 troops at the same time does not mean that it is impossible to feed 3,000 to 4,000 of them individually.

It's nothing more than robbing Peter to pay Paul.

If we think about it further...

Did Zhuge Liang deliberately place the old, weak, and starving soldiers on the right wing, while concentrating the elite troops on the left wing?

Avoid the strong and attack the weak?

Will it count?

Boom!

A thunderclap came from the horizon.

Sima Yi was startled and almost dropped the water pouch in his hand.

When they looked up again, they saw that under the dark clouds to the north, Zhang Fei's cavalry had started moving again, coordinating with the Han army on the other side to attack the Wei army.

Further away, Guan Ping's cavalry on the north bank of the Sushui River suddenly pounced on Hu Zun's cavalry.

Wu Zhi, who was supposed to come out of the city to meet them, was nowhere to be seen.

But Sima Yi no longer had time to criticize that person's cowardice.

Because he suddenly realized it.

Not only that, the Han army on that flank was more powerful than he had previously expected.

Even Zhang Fei's men were not nearly as exhausted as they had imagined.

After resting for less than two hours, he was full of energy again.

According to his original deduction, Zhang Fei should be exhausted after fighting Wu Zhi for half a day.

Even if they don't retreat, it will be difficult to continue with the tactic of charging and breaking through.

Was Wu Zhi just being perfunctory? Not at all.

Or rather, it doesn't matter.

Because of the battle that morning, Wu Zhi was on the defensive.

How exhausted Zhang Fei's men were did not depend on how well Wu Zhi defended.

It depends on how Zhang Fei attacks.

In other words, if Zhang Fei still had the strength at that time.

That only means that he actually held back his energy in the morning.

Even though he held back his strength, he still managed to beat Wu Zhi so badly...

Sima Yi gulped down a mouthful of water.

Trying to calm myself down.

But seeing the Wei army's right flank suddenly begin to loosen, he couldn't remain calm.

If this continues.

Right wing.

We might lose.

Reinforcements are needed!

At this point, Sima Yi's entire army had been mobilized.

Apart from Wu Zhi, who has taken refuge in Wenxi City, all the other forces have already engaged in battle to varying degrees.

If rescue is needed, it can only be done by dismantling and repairing on the spot.

The forces closest to the right wing are naturally on the left wing.

But at this moment, Sima Yi suddenly noticed a problem that he had not noticed before.

Or rather, before the minion waves on both sides changed to their current state, this shouldn't have been a problem at all—

His left wing was unable to provide timely support to the right wing.

Just like Zhuge Liang's left wing was unable to support the right wing in time.

The reasons are exactly the same.

There was a ditch in the middle that was enough to disrupt a dense formation of foot soldiers.

Those trenches had previously separated the left and right flanks of the Han army, preventing them from supporting each other in a timely manner.

Now, however, the rapid advance of the Wei army's left flank has ironically become the obstacle for the Wei army itself!

Can we move forward or backward to bypass this section?

After all, although the right wing was at a disadvantage, it did not have any starving soldiers, and the left wing's victory was so obvious.

They should be able to hold out for a while longer.

However, this is where the problem lies.

Sima Yi discovered this in a frenzy.

The left-wing forces were caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat for the time being!

The reason we can't get in is because...

With Zhuge Liang personally leading the way to support the routed troops, the right flank of the Han army was surprisingly stabilized again.

It's not to the point of pushing back.

But that's enough to stabilize the situation for now.

This effectively blocked the Wei army at the easternmost end of the ravine.

The latter is temporarily unable to bypass this side to rescue the other wing.

The reason why they cannot retreat is because...

Behind him were Xu Shu's disruptive Wei troops from Henan!
If we don't get rid of these troublemakers first, we won't be able to bring back the infantry on the left flank.

but.

Even Commander Xu Shu couldn't control these arrogant soldiers, so who else could I turn to to command them?

We can't just start a firefight with our own forces!
The crucial point is that Xu Shu himself was in it!

No matter how incompetent Xu Sili was in military affairs, it did not prevent him from providing him with great assistance in the imperial court!

Let’s put one thing at a time!
They mustn't be killed!
For a time, Sima Yi, like his left-wing troops, found himself in a dilemma, caught between a rock and a hard place.

But the military situation was urgent, leaving him no time to hesitate.

Since the infantry can't go to the rescue in time, let's transfer the cavalry to Youyi first.

Cavalry do not need to maintain a dense formation.

That little ditch couldn't stop the horses' hooves at all.

Soon, more than a thousand Wei cavalrymen on the left wing crossed the ravine where the salt water was located and joined the other side of the battlefield.

Xu Shu's men were even among them.

From this perspective, Sima Yi believed that Xu Shu had lived up to his expectations.

However, just when Sima Yi thought he could catch his breath a little,

The battle situation took another unexpected turn.

On the north bank of the Sushui River, behind the low hills, suddenly billowing smoke and dust appeared.

A short while later, a force of about two thousand Han cavalrymen arrived from the southern end of the hills and joined Guan Ping's offensive against Hu Zun.

The leading cavalry general was carrying a banner with the character "Chen" on it.

(End of this chapter)