Lord Xinling asked with concern: "What are the losses of the former army?"
Mang Mao said: "I have been waiting in formation since noon until sunset, but I haven't received a single defeated soldier."
Lord Xinling was shocked: "Not even one?"
"Exactly! I have repeatedly sent scouts to contact us, but strong winds blew up near Xingze, flying sand and rocks. The scouts could hear but could not see. They could only hear the sound of killings, which shook the sky, and then everything calmed down."
"Then what?"
"After sunset, I sent out many raids on the princes and sent out sentries from a distance. I learned that the front army was completely destroyed. As I watched this battle, the front army was completely wiped out and no one survived. This way, either Ranghou or Wu'an Jun. The Qin army The intention of suddenly sending out two big killers is not small. I was deeply afraid that they would raid Daliang, so I sent my dog Mangshen to report back, and the army broke camp overnight and retreated to Daliang."
Lord Xinling stared at Mang Mao closely, as if he had heard something. When Mang Mao stopped talking, he suddenly said "ah". Then he asked: "The situation is so dangerous, how can the general arrange it so that he can return to the army smoothly?"
Mang Mao seemed to be aroused by Lord Xinling's attentive listening: "I personally led the central army back thirty miles and set up camps in all directions. The other armies retreated in turn and entered the camps that had been set up. Prepare for battle during the day and march at night. The enemy did not dare to approach, but our army successfully retreated to the outside of the Great Wall in just two days without any losses."
"How much did the former army lose?"
"The front team was Xingjun, with a total of 2,000 people, but they were all lost in the formation."
"How many soldiers?"
"Half of them are military soldiers. Xingjun is the vanguard of the entire army and should be ready for battle at any time, so there are many military soldiers."
"In this case, a thousand soldiers were lost."
"I am incompetent!"
"The general was suddenly faced with a powerful enemy and remained as still as a mountain; he withdrew his troops safely without losing a single man or a single arrow. His armor was complete and his troops were sufficient. The late king relied on him as a stronghold. Wuji admired him!"
Mang Mao looked guilty: "This year's five hundred miles of harvest have failed. Your Majesty has raised up all his soldiers, fearing that there will not be fifty or sixty thousand soldiers. With so many soldiers, there cannot be too few soldiers. With your grace, Your Majesty, allocate 15,000 soldiers as the backbone. , raised an army of one hundred thousand, and wanted to attack Nanyang eastward. Unexpectedly, before the troops left the country, they were destroyed. The ministers were unable to advance and retreat, and they were unworthy of the king's kindness."
"General, there is no need to blame yourself," Lord Xinling consoled him, "The most important thing now is to arrange the 100,000 troops as soon as possible and not to let the army's morale get distracted."
"It's difficult!" Mang Mao sighed again, "One hundred thousand people only brought ten days of grain, and they only waited for a year's rations to be looted after the war. If they encountered strong resistance, it would be difficult to maintain the morale of the army. The minister said When we left Nanyang in the east and encountered the Qin army, the king ordered us to go south to find another target, so that we could lead the army outside the Great Wall and prevent it from disintegrating."
"What about the general's intention?"
"It is difficult for me to have a good strategy. But I can only think of three options: the best strategy is to quickly get rid of the Qin army and find a new target for crusade, but it is not easy; the middle strategy is to open a warehouse for relief and send the troops home. If the above two methods fail, I have no choice but to make a desperate decision and fight to the death with the Qin army, so that all the soldiers will perish together with the Qin army!"
Lord Xinling's heart trembled, and he quickly said: "The lower policy is really not feasible! Not to mention the countless lives lost, the countless wounded and wounded soldiers after the war, and it is difficult to deal with the aftermath. ...But the best policy is really difficult to achieve, and the middle policy..., I'm afraid your Majesty Unfulfilled promise.”
"Young Master is saying that none of the three strategies are feasible? So what is your clever plan?"
Lord Xinling shook his head and said: "Wuji doesn't have any clever ideas. At present, we should place the army outside the Great Wall for defense. If the king agrees, it will be counted as the battle in January next year, and the villagers will give them money and food or reduce their taxes. Rent a tax. If the king refuses,... we will have no choice but to fight to the death."
Mang Mao stood up, avoided the banquet and bowed: "Young Master is wise, and you are worthy of the people!"
Lord Xinling took two steps back from the table and bowed back: "General, Wuji doesn't dare to make a brilliant move!"
After seeing the ceremony, the two went back to their seats. Jin Bi straightened up and said: "The young master and the general are in harmony with each other. It is really admirable. I respect the young master and the general!" After saying that, he stood up, scooped up a bowl of wine, handed it to Lord Xinling, and Lord Xinling drank it all in one gulp. ; Ladle another bowl of wine to Mang Mao, and Mang Mao drinks it all in one gulp. At this time, Lord Xinling had already stood up, took the bowl, scooped out a bowl of wine and handed it to Jin Bi. Jin Bi took it and drank it all in one gulp. The sound of three people laughing came from the account.
The three of them drank and took their seats. Lord Xinling said: "There are only 50,000 soldiers in the army of Wei. Now there are 15,000 in the general's camp. How can we protect them if we fight with the Qin army?"
Mang Mao said: "If we put it all together, we will probably be destroyed together. How can we admonish the king and open a warehouse to provide relief?"
Hearing this, the atmosphere in the tent immediately became solemn again, and no one spoke for a long time.
After a moment of silence, Lord Xinling broke the silence: "The top priority now is to stop the Qin army, as far away from Daliang as possible. The king has ordered that the Qin army must not be allowed to enter the prison again. In the New Year, a spring hunting ceremony will be held in the prison. If If it is destroyed by the Qin army, it will be difficult to carry out this spring hunting ceremony! I dare to ask the general’s strategy!"
Mang Mao said: "It is unusual to have to control the Qin army outside Daliang in a hurry."
Lord Xinling said: "General, there must be something to teach me!"
Mang Mao said: "How dare I! Outside the Great Wall is the friendship between Wei and Han, and South Korea must not stay away from it. As long as our army sticks here, South Korea will be afraid; if the king sends an envoy to connect again, the South Korean army will come out. Wei and Han will attack together, and Qin will The army can be broken."
"Then we must persist until the Korean army arrives. This can take as little as a month, as long as half a year. There is no fortified city outside the Great Wall. How to deal with it?"
"The Qin army is coming from afar, and like us, it can only carry ten days of food at most. He has a long journey and consumes more than us. He must be eager to fight with our army. I will dig deep ditches and high bases and will not fight with them. It can take as little as ten days, In as little as half a month, the Qin army will retreat. At this time, it doesn’t matter whether South Korea comes to help."
"The general is saying that as long as we can persist for ten days and a half, we will be able to defeat Qin?"
"That's about it. Of course, it's not easy to fight the Qin army for ten days in the wilderness, but it won't be difficult to reach the sky."
"What's your plan, general?"
"The key to this battle is the old city of Guancheng. This city has been dilapidated for hundreds of years. The city is full of weeds and the walls are in ruins. No one has lived in the city for a long time. Wild animals appear from time to time, so no one pays attention to it. But the walls of this city are still intact. With a little repair, it is better than tens of thousands of temporary fortresses. Guancheng was originally the old capital of Guanguo, the clan of the king of Zhou. The city is vast and can accommodate ten thousand soldiers. The prince can live in it as the center.
"Ten miles away from Guancheng, there is a small town. The city is no more than ten feet high and no more than a mile square. There are more than a hundred households. Although the city is low and the land is narrow, it can be used as a side. In particular, the grain and grass in it cannot be obtained by the Qin army. , although it is a drop in the bucket for our army, it is still a small help."
"Who lives in this town? Are they my ministers in the Wei Dynasty?" Lord Xinling asked.
"This town has lived here for a long time. From afar, it seems that a tribe of Di people have settled down at the junction of various countries. But here is the main road in the world, and there are many people coming from all directions. Many people from all over the world have wandered here, and their customs are very It’s a mixed bag, and its accent also has a southern accent and a northern accent. Of course, Wei and Han have the most people fleeing here, and their customs are the most similar to those of Wei and Han.”
Lord Xinling nodded: "It is best to conquer them with virtue. If we take them with a large army, we will still waste our troops in vain."
Mang Mao praised: "Young Master is benevolent and righteous! There are only more than a hundred families, and the Young Master will requisition them as long as he rewards them."
"How many sergeants should be placed in the city?" Lord Xinling brought the topic back to the military.
"This is the most difficult thing in my heart. This town is not big, so it can't send many soldiers, but it is a key point in this campaign. The troops are too small and difficult to support. I believe that we must have elite soldiers to be able to do the job."
"According to the general's words, this city must be garrisoned with all soldiers?"
"And it must be elite. A thousand ordinary soldiers cannot be a force of the Qin army. And this city can only station a thousand soldiers at most. If one cannot be equal to ten, how can it survive!"
"Time is in a hurry, how can we allow us to choose our pawns!"
"I have come up with a plan. It would be the most convenient way to select the commanders and corps commanders of the entire army, gather them into one army, and station them here. I have fifteen thousand soldiers under my command, and the corps commanders cannot be counted as less than a thousand. .”
"The general's strategy is very good. Our army relies on the city as its base and the towns as its horns. There are rivers and canals outside the city, and many forts can be built based on them. If the enemy comes to attack, his troops will be wasted, and if he does not attack, he will be unable to advance. After more than ten days, the Qin army will run out of food and will undoubtedly retreat. Our army will take advantage of the situation to pursue and win a complete victory."
Mang Mao once again avoided the banquet and bowed: "Young Master is wise. He should speak without being troubled and make the best use of the situation. God truly favors talents!"
