Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 255 rhetoric
Let’s take a look at the situation of Xiang Kang’s emissary, Yue Yu. After Wei Bao flatly rejected the covenant with the Han army, Yue Yu, who had not reported much hope, did not waste time in Anyi, and left Wei Jun with his entourage on the same day. Departure, go straight back to Guanzhong along the road from Shangdang, Handan to Xianyang, and return to Puban in only two days.

Hedong County was restored by the army of Zhao State before, and although it once fell into the hands of Shen Yang, who was named the King of Han by Xiang Yu, Shen Yang was still a general of Zhao at that time. The same is true after leading the army to leave Hedong. The young commander who needed to conclude an alliance with Zhao's army did not attack Puban. On the same morning when Yue Yu returned to Puban, the command was handed over to Wei Bao's Puban. The defenders hastily changed to display the Wei flag.Fortunately, Yue Mao and his party carried Wei Bao's reply to Xiang Kang, so the defenders of Puban did not make things difficult for Yue Mao, and let Yue Mao and his party cross the Yellow River westward and return to Guanzhong that day.

As soon as Yue Yu and his party crossed the river, the soldiers of Uncle Zhou of the Han army stationed on the west bank of the Yellow River got in touch with them, and according to Uncle Zhou's instructions, they immediately invited Yue Yu and others into the Han army camp. Uncle Zhou personally received Yue Yan, and asked as soon as they met, "How is the situation, Yue Xingren? Did the King of Western Wei agree to conclude an alliance with us?"

"General Zhou forgives the crime, the lower officials are incompetent, and the trip was in vain."

Yue Yan replied helplessly, and told Uncle Zhou carefully about Wei Bao's categorical refusal to form an alliance with the Han army. After hearing this, Uncle Zhou also looked very helpless, and said: "As I expected, the king of Western Wei still did not Changes, still can't see the situation clearly, I like to go all the way to the dark."

"General Zhou, it seems that a big battle is unavoidable." Yue Yan said more helplessly: "General Zhou is also requested to prepare for sending troops as soon as possible. After the officials return to Xianyang and report to the King of Han, the King of Han will probably immediately I order you to go to war with the Wei army, and the general will prepare earlier, so that you can save yourself from being in a hurry."

"Thank you, Yue Xingren, for reminding me that I have already prepared. Tomorrow I will send troops to cross the Yellow River and take down Puban."

Uncle Zhou's answer surprised Yue Yan, who exclaimed and asked, "What? General, you are going to rush across the Yellow River tomorrow? The King of Han hasn't ordered the war yet?"

"Soldiers are expensive." Uncle Zhou said calmly, "When the pedestrians go back and report to the King of Han, and then the King of Han gives the order to start the war, the reinforcements from the Wei army have already arrived at Puban. Time-consuming and labor-intensive, only by making a decisive decision and immediately dispatching troops to cross the Yellow River to take down Puban, can we grasp the initiative on the Hedong battlefield."

"But the King of Han hasn't issued an order yet?" Yue Yan still had a face full of disbelief, and reminded: "General, you started the war without an order. What if the King of Han blames you?"

"Our King of Han has never been confused in military matters." Uncle Zhou replied: "When I went back to attend his enthronement ceremony a few days ago, he told me that as long as Wei refused to make an alliance with us, we would immediately attack Wei. Now that Wei Guo has rejected our alliance offer, I seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, and he will never blame me."

After all, Uncle Zhou didn't waste time with Yue Yu, he immediately ordered drums to raise the account, and summoned all the generals under his command to discuss matters in the Chinese army's tent. Uncle Zhou quickly issued an order, requiring the [-] Han troops on the west bank of the Yellow River to prepare for battle immediately. The next morning, the vanguard of Ling Yi's troops attacked Puban Ferry. rush to cross.

Like Yue Yan, because they were worried that they would be held accountable for going to war without receiving Xiang Kang's order, Lu Kuang, Chong Da and other generals also questioned Uncle Zhou, and kindly suggested that Uncle Zhou wait for Xiang Kang's order before doing it. decision.But Uncle Zhou didn't listen at all, and said decisively: "If the King of Han pursues the responsibility in the future, I will bear it alone, and I will never implicate you, but in tomorrow's battle, we must cross the Yellow River no matter what, and take the initiative on the Hedong battlefield! "

Seeing that Uncle Zhou had made up his mind, Lu Yan, Chong Da and others, who were born in the young commander-in-chief army, did not dare to insist on objecting. He wrote a letter, explaining the necessity of doing it immediately, asking Xiang Kang to forgive himself for his crime of arbitrariness, and handing it to Yue Yan to take it back and hand it over to Xiang Kang.

After an afternoon of emergency preparations, Uncle Zhou’s headquarters of the Han Army, which had already made all corresponding preparations, quickly completed the final pre-war preparations, and sent troops to the Yellow River Ferry early the next morning to launch a rush crossing to the east bank of the Yellow River However, the defenders of Puban who had just changed to the Wei army's banner were caught off guard, so they could only send people to Anyi to ask for help, and at the same time dispatched troops to reinforce the ferry to prevent the Han army from crossing the river.

Reinforcements are useless. Before that, Uncle Zhou sent people to figure out the hydrological situation in the Puban area, and he had already prepared a large number of boats and sailors. There are thousands of Han soldiers, and the total number of Puban defenders who have just changed flags is only [-]. How can it be possible to stop the tide of the Han army's offensive?The well-equipped Han army officers and soldiers successfully occupied a large beachhead for the first crossing. When the second Han army crossed the river and crossed the Yellow River, the balance of troops on the west bank battlefield became that the Han army had the upper hand.

Even so, the Han army crossing the river still did not rush to launch a counterattack, and still held on to the beachhead and waited for the rear army to cross the river. It was only after the young commander Ling Yi personally led the third wave of Han troops across the Yellow River that the Han army launched a full-scale counterattack , using the advantages of troops and equipment to strongly crush the Puban defenders who had changed their masters several times. The Puban defenders couldn't hold on and were forced to abandon the ferry and retreat to the city to defend the city. Break through the Yellow River and move to the east bank of the Yellow River.

Then, the old generals Lu Kuang and Chong Da, the young commanders assigned by Xiang Kang to Uncle Zhou as accomplices, spoke one after another, persuading Uncle Zhou to surround Puban first, and lure the Wei army to send troops to rescue Puban. Soldiers to the rescue.Uncle Zhou still shook his head and said, "Don't waste time. Wei Jun has just arrived in Hedong, and his foothold is not stable. He will definitely not send troops for a Puban city. He will immediately send people to Sima Yang in Hanoi and Zhang Han and Sima Xin who are going north. Waiting for the army to ask for help, we adopt the tactics of besieging the city and fighting for help, which will only hit the arms of the Wei army, and can only be a quick decision, and will not give the Wei army a chance to gain a foothold and ask for help."

After shaking his head and rejecting the tactics of besieging the city and fighting for aid, Uncle Zhou immediately assigned troops and horses, and decided to attack Puban with [-] troops led by Lu Kuang and Ling Yi. Jin, decided to take only five days of food and grass to go directly to Anyi, luring the main force of the Wei army to send troops for a decisive battle.

Uncle Zhou’s doing so is of course very risky. Compared with the main force of the Wei army, the Han army’s strength advantage is not very large. Among them, more than 6000 are newly recruited Guanzhong recruits, who lack experience and are unreliable in combat effectiveness. Therefore, Lu Kuang, Ling Yi and other generals are all worried. They are all worried that Uncle Zhou's strategy of dividing troops is too risky, and they have repeatedly persuaded Zhou Uncle does not need to take risks to fight.

It's a pity that Uncle Zhou still didn't listen, and he just told Lu Kuang and Ling Yi who were in charge of the rear army: "In the north of Chidao, [-] miles northwest of Puban, there is a place called Duitai, where there are rolling hills. The dense trees are very suitable for ambushes. You must take the small city of Puban within tomorrow, and then immediately rush to the pile to ambush the soldiers and horses. I will try to lure the main force of the Wei army to the west of the pile for a decisive battle, but when the Wei army passes the pile You must wait until I turn around to fight and start a decisive battle with the main force of the Wei army, and then you suddenly rush out, rush to the back of the Wei army, and attack me back and forth, and you will surely defeat the Wei army."

He had long kept in mind the terrain in the river east that the Han army had carefully explored, and Lu Kuang said immediately: "General Zhou, the pile of platforms is indeed suitable for ambush deployment, but the terrain in that area is only suitable for ambush deployment on the pile of platforms. It is impossible for the Wei army not to send Are the scouts investigating the condition of the pile?"

"I won't send scouts to investigate." Uncle Zhou replied with a smile: "I know Bai Zhi and Feng Jing's temper very well. They have never looked at me directly, and they have never put me in their eyes. See When I retreat, they will only think about killing me and making great achievements, and will not waste time sending scouts to scout the situation, and advance carefully."

Thin arms cannot twist thick thighs. Uncle Zhou, the commander-in-chief of the whole army, insisted on doing this. Lu Kuang and Ling Yi had no choice but to hold their fists together to accept the order, and then immediately prepare to attack the isolated city of Puban. In the early morning of the second day, he led [-] Han troops to march westward in light clothes, and went straight to Anyi, where the main force of the Wei army was located, along the Qin Chi Road.

It was also time for Uncle Zhou to make meritorious service. It was only at noon the next day that the Han army under his command ran into the four thousand Wei troops sent by Wei Bao to reinforce Puban. The superior Han army formed a square formation to fight, and did not launch an assault decisively. Instead, they used their partial strength to defeat the Wei army's reinforcements.Seeing that the enemy was outnumbered, the reinforcements of the Wei army did not dare to fight against Uncle Zhou. They immediately took advantage of the opportunity of the formation of the Han army and retreated immediately. Uncle Zhou also urged the army to pursue and followed the retreating Wei army all the way to Anyi. After catching up with Wei Jun several times on the road, he retreated after a short fight, pretending to be weak in combat effectiveness.

At the same time, the rescue messenger sent by Puban also arrived in Anyi smoothly, and reported the news of the Han Army Uncle Zhou's rescue to Wei Bao. Han and other troops and Sima Ang's army in Hanoi County in the west asked for help, but his most trusted general Bai Zhi sneered, saying: "Your Majesty, there is nothing to be afraid of, Uncle Zhou, there is no need to be so anxious to ask for help from the friendly army. I am willing to lead [-] troops to the west to reinforce Puban, and keep Zhou Shupifu alive and present them to the king."

"Don't underestimate the enemy." Wei Bao shook his head sensibly, and said, "Although Uncle Zhou has always been only boastful and has no real talents, but after all, he has more than 2 Han troops under his command, and his strength is not weak. Pu Ban The small town can be temporarily abandoned, it is best to wait for our reinforcements to arrive, and then find a way to get it back."

"Why should your lord be so careful?" Feng Jing also said rather unconvinced: "The information provided to us by the king of Han (Shen Yang) shows that at least [-] of the army under Zhou Shupifu's command are temporary recruits from Guanzhong, and there is no battlefield at all. Experience, purely a group of rabble, how could it be our opponent of the master of a hundred battles?"

Wei Bao still refused to listen, and insisted on sending an envoy for help, and ordered Wei Jun to hurry up to repair the fortifications of the camp, repair the city wall, and hoard all kinds of materials for defending the city for a long time, waiting for Zhang Han and Sima Ang to send troops to rescue.Although Bai Zhi and Feng Jing didn't think it was necessary, since Wei Bao had already made a decision, Bo and Feng didn't dare to be too disobedient, they could only clap their fists in dissatisfaction and organize Wei Jun to take a defensive position against their will.

Uncle Zhou's careless advance made Wei Bao change his mind. The distance from Puban to Anyi was about 150 miles. Uncle Zhou's troops marching lightly followed the reinforcements of the Wei army and marched eastward. Although the speed was fast, the fast horses sent by the Wei army sent emergency messengers However, the speed was faster, and it was only in the early morning of the second day when Zhou Shujun met the reinforcements of the Wei Army led by Wei General Zhang Zhi, that the rescue messenger sent by Zhang Zhi had already rushed back to Anyi, and reported to Wei Bao what happened in the west. By the way, he also reported Uncle Zhou's military strength.

After carefully understanding the specific situation of Zhou Shujun, Wei Bao still wanted to be careful, and planned to wait for Zhang Zhi to withdraw to the vicinity of Anyi before sending troops to respond, but this time Bai Zhi and Feng Jing said nothing, saying: "My lord! Uncle Zhou is so bold that he dared to divide his troops to pursue our reinforcements. We should seize this opportunity and decisively dispatch the main force to the west to reinforce General Zhang Zhi. Entering troops and annihilating his rear team will definitely win a big victory."

Wei Bao still hesitated, and Bai Zhi said again: "Your Majesty, the general knows that you want to be on the safe side and wait for the reinforcements to arrive before taking care of Uncle Zhou, but we don't know when our reinforcements will arrive, and even if we can wait until the reinforcements arrive , in order to repay them for saving Anyi, we must give them money and food to thank them. Since there is a chance to defeat Zhou Shupifu one by one, why should we insist on asking for help, wasting countless money, food and supplies for a vulnerable Zhou Shupifu? ?”

Considering that asking for help from wolves and hungry tigers such as Zhang Han and Sima Ang would indeed cost countless money and food, Wei Bao, who is currently clinking and clinking, inevitably began to waver. If you don't know how to seize the opportunity to use the advantage of local forces to launch a surprise attack, you obviously lack confidence.Wei Bao thought about it for a long time, then nodded, and said: "How about this, I will lead [-] troops to guard the city of Anyi, and Bai Zhi and Feng Jing, you two lovers, will lead the rest of the army to the west to reinforce Zhang Zhi. General, see if there is a chance to defeat Zhou Shupifu one by one."

"But remember!" Wei Bao warned again: "Don't underestimate the enemy and take risks. If the situation is not right, retreat immediately! Our troops are weak and cannot withstand any big defeat."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Bai Zhi said confidently: "The final general will wait for this time to dispatch troops, and he will take care of capturing Uncle Zhou alive for you, so that everyone in the world will know what will happen to the traitor who betrayed our country Wei. "

Wei Bao has indeed never looked down on Uncle Zhou. Although he felt that Bai Zhi's words were a bit complacent, he nodded his head and asked Bai Zhi and Feng Jing to lead the 3000-odd Wei army to set off immediately along Chidao all the way west. Advance, meet and reinforce Wei Jun Zhang Zhi's troops who were forced to retreat.

It is of course very convenient to march along Chidao. With the east and west facing each other, it was just after Shen Shi that afternoon, and the main force of the Wei army led by Bai Zhi and Feng Jing was in Yaozicha, about [-] miles southwest of Anyi, head-on. He bumped into Zhang Zhi's unit of Wei Jun who was being pursued by Zhou Shujun.As a result, what made Bai Zhi and Feng Jing laugh out loud was that just as they saw the main force of the Wei army from a distance, Zhou Shujun immediately turned around and walked away. He withdrew ten miles in one breath before stopping to rest. The main forces of the Wei army joined forces at one place.

It's not bad, Bai Zhi and Feng Jing didn't underestimate the enemy to the extreme. After meeting with Zhang Zhi, Bai Zhi and Feng Jing didn't immediately launch a counterattack, but let the army stop for a while to rest, and at the same time asked Zhang Zhi about Zhou Shujun According to the specific situation, the result is that birds of a feather flock together and people are divided into groups. In front of Bai Zhi and Feng Jing, Zhang Zhi also belittled his former colleague Uncle Zhou to the extreme, boasting that his own army defeated Uncle Zhou's attacks several times. With brilliant achievements, he said disdainfully: "It's a pity that my army is too small, only [-]% of Uncle Zhou's. Otherwise, you don't need to send troops to reinforce the general, and you will be sure to kill that traitor Uncle Zhou!"

"It doesn't matter, isn't our current military strength already in the upper hand?" Bai Zhi replied with a smile, then turned to Feng Jing and said, "Brother Feng, it's getting late, why don't we take a break for a while, let the soldiers hurry up and prepare dry food for the torches, In the evening, give Uncle Zhou a heavy one?"

"A great plan by the general." Feng Jing grinned and said, "Uncle Zhou is exhausted from a long distance, the soldiers must be lacking in physical strength, if we send troops to attack at night, it will be difficult for us to win a complete victory."

Bai Zhi laughed, and immediately ordered the soldiers of the Zhao army to rest on the spot, and hurry up to prepare dry food and torches, so as to launch a surprise attack at night, and teach his former colleague Uncle Zhou who dared to betray the Wei State and was still prosperous.

…………

At the same time, in the Han army formation, after hastily withdrawing ten miles away and stopping to rest, Uncle Zhou also summoned all the generals under his command at the first time, and said: "It is already You hour, and we only have two hours to rest and prepare. During these two hours, we must prepare torches, dry food and other necessities for the night march, and at the second watch, the whole army will retreat overnight."

"General, isn't the time too short?" It was Li Bi, a local general in Guanzhong who was handpicked by Uncle Zhou, who asked this question, and said: "We are tired from a long journey, and we have to rest for two hours, and we have to prepare torches and dry food. The soldiers can't recover. How much stamina is there? If you must retreat, why not wait until the fourth watch?"

"We can't wait until the fourth watch." Uncle Zhou smiled and said, "I know Bai Zhi and Feng Jing's tempers too well. At the third watch tonight, they will definitely send troops to attack our temporary camp and wait until the fourth watch before retreating. Isn't it a chance for Bai Zhi and Feng Jing to clean us up?"

The generals of the Han army looked at each other, and then Chongda said: "General Zhou, since you are sure that the Wei State's bandit army will launch a sneak attack tonight, why don't we follow the plan and set up an ambush for the Wei State's bandit army to drill?"

"How far is it from Anyi? How open is the terrain?" Uncle Zhou asked back, "The plan is to set up an ambush here directly. How many enemies can we kill? Let most of the enemies flee back to Anyi to defend the city, and we will go back to Anyi to defend the city." How much time and effort will it take to annihilate the enemy's main force?"

After asking back, Uncle Zhou smiled and said: "Of course, if you just want to win a small battle, then I can also set up an ambush right here, and teach Bai Zhi and Feng Jing, two incompetent people who can only talk big. But if you want to make great achievements, you have to work harder and lead the main force of the bandit army back to our predetermined battlefield to defeat the enemy in one battle and directly annihilate the enemy's main force."

There is no general who does not want to make great achievements. After understanding Uncle Zhou's good intentions, Chong Da and Li Bi immediately clasped their fists together and said in unison: "Follow the general's order."

It was the second watch of the night, and Uncle Zhou's troops of the Han army, who deliberately lit many bonfires, quietly withdrew from the bivouac camp. The national general Bai Zhi was surprised to find that Zhou Shujun's camp was empty when the third watch was approaching.

In the end, under disappointment, Bai Zhi also looked down on his former colleague Zhou Shu even more, and shouted: "Chasing! Put on a torch and chase to the end! Give Feng Jing and Zhang Zhi the order to tell them that Zhou Shu has already run away, tell them Also lead the rear army to catch up with me, no matter what, we must catch up with that incompetent bastard Uncle Zhou!"

(End of this chapter)