As the team grows, the establishment should be expanded. Previously, Wang Yan had taken charge of the military lord, and now he had 1,500 soldiers. It was naturally inappropriate to call him a military lord. So Wang Yan stood on horseback and proclaimed himself Tianwu General.
There is a history saying that when the emperor was walking through the wilderness of Anci, he gathered thousands of brave men in yellow turbans. The emperor wore a green shirt and straw sandals, stood on his horse with his hands behind his back, and said to the army: "From now on, I am called General Tianwu, and you shall be regarded as generals." Call me."
At that time, there was a strong wind, thunder was heard in the sky, birds were flying away, and everyone was frightened. Wei Emperor raised his head and asked the sky: "Can't I be an emperor?" After saying this, the sky returned to normal, and the emperor began to fight for hegemony...
He proclaimed himself a general, and added a new chief and deputy military lord above the hundred generals. Since the military lord led 500 troops, he added military deacons, who were responsible for supervising military discipline and leading the army's logistics. Some of the functions of this position are similar to political commissar, but now it only assists the military marquis in leading the troops. The military marquis is the first person responsible for the more than 500 soldiers, followed by the military deacon and then the deputy military marquis.
In the future, it may be possible to increase his authority to rival military chiefs, but not now. The main reason is that the people under him are uneducated and unaware. Excessive power will only make them think inappropriately and affect the team's combat effectiveness. Only one side must have its own territory to manage military affairs. Now there is only one premise for everything, which is to train troops, fight, and improve combat effectiveness.
More than 1,500 people are already quite a lot. Although half of them threw away their weapons while fleeing for their lives, more than 1,000 people can still be called a mighty force.
So Wang Yan decided not to take the small road, but the big road. Although this is also the area hardest hit by the Yellow Turbans, the main battlefield still revolves around the three Zhang Jiao brothers, mainly in Jizhou, and the rest of the small groups are everywhere. After all, the Yellow Turbans were originally responded to by various states, and the organization was not tight and scattered. Very powerful.
Even after the demise of the Yellow Turbans, successive uprisings were still common, and a considerable number of them were under the banner of the Yellow Turbans. Other rebels were also influenced by the Yellow Turbans to some extent.
Now Wang Yan is leading his troops in Yuyang County, which roughly covers the area east of Langfang, west of Tangshan, north of Tianjin, and north to Yanshan. Occasionally, there were defeated troops who were defeated, and there were also troops sent south by Liu Yan, which were not a big concern for Wang Yan.
To be irresponsible, even if we encounter a large force of tens of thousands of people, with Wang Yan leading the charge, it is not impossible to defeat them. And even if he was defeated, Wang Yan would definitely be able to run away, and it would be easy to raise another team. For example, Lao Cao was killed more than once, leaving behind his helmet and armor. With only a few people around him, he was chased and hacked. After escaping from death, he repeatedly pulled out his team to fight in the world again.
Moreover, mobilizing troops is not that easy. It is almost impossible for tens of thousands of people to move sparsely together, and there is no such stupid commander.
In ancient times, when marching and fighting, an army of 10,000 was dispatched, there were thousands of civilians working in logistics, and there were also troops to protect the logistics and transport food. These people did not go with the large army. Either the food and fodder go first, or the food is delayed and moved slowly. The simplest truth is that once a battle occurs, all food will not be lost.
The remaining thousands of people had to be divided into several groups. The so-called front army and rear army were all separated by miles or even dozens of miles. Further away, there were rangers exploring the road, also known as scouts. Two thousand years later, they were called scouts. .
Broken down further, each army has its own branches with different functions. There are dedicated personnel to select sites for camping, cut firewood and trees, bury pots to make rice, and drink and feed horses. In short, during this battle, we have to take into account everything we eat, drink, drink, and behave. What is more important is the safety of the entire team, as well as mutual support, etc.
It is not possible to lead an army to fight by recruiting just one person. I won’t talk about the breakdown of the march. Let’s just talk about marching from one place to another, a distance of a hundred miles. If you can bring the entire army there without missing a beat, then you are already very capable. characters. In fact, on the march in ancient times, there were many people who fell behind, got lost, and escaped.
Even though General Wang already had 1,500 troops, the entire army did not move together. Instead, it was divided into three groups, the front, middle and rear, ten miles apart. The 500 in the middle army were responsible for providing food, grass, and supplies for the seriously wounded. The 500 in the front army led the way. , bury the pot and make rice. There are five hundred troops in the rear, and there are twenty rangers fifteen miles behind to prevent others from stealing our butts.
Wang Yan then traveled with the three armies from time to time, chatting and communicating with people on the way, practicing walking in unison, and then chatting with the military princes and other military attaches about how to lead troops and how to fight. The overall marching speed was based on the Chinese army's baggage train. Every quarter of an hour, there were messenger knights coming and going to Wang Yan's office to report the situation, and the horses' legs were thin.
What's more, when the two armies are facing each other, there is also a saying that the army is defeated like a mountain, that is, the army is defeated and the whole army is scattered. This is a matter of comprehensive factors such as the quality of the soldiers, the ability of the generals, and the battlefield conditions. Excluding the combat situation, a pure battle between two armies may cause one side to collapse as soon as the formation is connected, or both sides may be bloody and drifting. , defeated 80% to 90% of the people, but still fought to the death.
Judging from the overall level of the Three Kingdoms, those who can withstand higher battle losses without being defeated are probably Gongsun Zan's White Horse Yi Cong, Ju Yi's Xiandenshishi, Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, Liu Bei's White-Eared Soldiers, and Lu Bu's A well-known special unit such as the trapped camp.
To sum up, the more than a thousand people under Wang Yan's command, and with his personal bravery and blessing, have few opponents. If there is really an opportunity for large-scale field battles, then his troops will only become stronger as they fight.
But unfortunately, there is no chance for a big battle along the way. In addition to the yellow turbans of different sizes who had broken down and strengthened their ranks, some Han troops with only a few hundred or a thousand soldiers sent weapons and food.
Of course, these grains and grasses are not enough for the army, but when the army is in hand, there is no need to worry about grains and grasses. There are only two kinds of resources, population and land. Where there is population, there is land, where there is land, there is population, and there is real estate.
What is the nature of Wang Yan's team? Until now, they have all been known as the Yellow Turbans and have no name of their own. And what is the Yellow Turban? Rebellious thief. Then you must do what rebels should do, such as looting.
Especially now that the team is getting stronger and stronger, if they encounter Wubao along the way, they will inevitably block the gate and ask for food and supplies. Just as General Wang had taught his subordinates before, they would not ask for too much and could not let the large number of innocent people in Wubao starve. Basically, they ask for food and grass based on the size of the Wubao. As for horses, silk, etc., then the lion has a big problem.
If you don't follow, then besiege Wubao. General Wang will ascend first in person, hold the gap, expand the advantage, and attack from the inside out. He tried the wealthy family for their crimes, robbed the wealthy family's accumulated letters, and finally took away the wealthy family's tools to accumulate property, and also took away many of the people in the castle who had defected. Anyway, as long as it is useful, then take everything, leaving only food, seeds, some farm tools, and cattle for the people in the fort. It is equivalent to a measured process of attacking local tyrants and dividing their fields.
It's just that the fruits of victory cannot be retained. After they left, after a period of struggle in the castle, another powerful family was bound to appear, but all the background was stolen by Wang Yan. It only takes a few days to accumulate, and after a few good years, it becomes prosperous again. It seems to be an unbreakable cycle, and someone will always stand at the head of the people.
In addition to raiding Wubao and holding the population hostage, Wang Yan would also lead troops to attack the county seat. Nowadays, the Yellow Turbans are raging everywhere, and there are not many soldiers and horses in the county. They don't even need Wang Yan to attack first. Some of his screaming soldiers die, and the city is broken.
They have all added military deacons, and military discipline must be strict, and the most basic thing is to have no rules with the people. Of course, the people mentioned by Wang Yan are the people of Guizhou, farmers, domestic slaves, non-officials, wealthy households, and wealthy families. These are the people mentioned by the scholar-bureaucrats.
Entering the city, plundering the treasury, ransacking the homes of wealthy people, and taking away all available supplies, all of which will be used to settle down in Liaodong in the future. After all, the land of Liaodong has not yet been developed. Later, Gongsundu separatized Liaodong and subdued the surrounding barbarians, and then developed the land of Liaodong. In this regard, Gongsun Du is considered a pioneer, and his position allows him to make contributions to China.
Of course, Gongsun Du is not yet the governor of Liaodong. Later, Dong Zhuo came to power and restored the governor of Liaodong. The process is unknown, I just said it was recommended by friends, but I guess I also paid for it. After all, when Dong Zhuo was in power, the places where he could give orders were Hedong County and Bingzhou. This is the place where Dong Zhuo ruled before he came to Beijing. In fact, his main location is Hedong County. The rule over Bingzhou is slightly weaker. The governor of Bingzhou is Nai Dingyuan. He has a good boy named Lu Bu...
Therefore, when he appoints others, he can only give them official positions in name. In fact, it is in vain if he is incompetent. This is the same as letting the bullets fly when the master buys the county magistrate. Therefore, Gongsun Du became the governor of his hometown, and his family was powerful.
At this time, Gongsun Du is either studying in the Central Plains or working as a local tycoon in his hometown in Liaodong, developing his family and accumulating power. This kid would never have imagined that someone would lead a team of tens of thousands of people, plunder construction supplies, and go straight to his hometown to kill him.
Yes, after a lot of time, Wang Yan had more than 23,000 soldiers, including more than 50,000 women, old and young. Along the way, many wealthy families were wiped out and four counties were destroyed. They were all people who were half deceived and half coerced by Wang Yan. In addition, during the march, Wang Yan continued to send troops to search for the defeated Yellow Turban soldiers and their families, and to capture them and join the team. It was difficult not to strengthen them.
For this reason, the establishment was updated, and the positions of chief and deputy captain were placed above the military princes, as well as military commander Shi. The military commander Shi was the superior of the military deacons and was responsible for supervising military discipline and commanding logistics. The captain led the three armies, that is, 1,500 people. The full strength of 1,500 men is a constraint, but the actual strength can reach 2,000 men. After all, with a force of thousands of troops, there are more functions in the army, as well as the captain's headquarters and so on.
The captain and deputy captains are placed above the captain, and they have titles, which are the titles of the army where they serve. At this time, Wang Yan organized and trained the four guards, Weiwu, Guangwu, Xingwu, and Yingwu, and their chief military officers were Weiwu Xiaowei, Guangwu Xiaowei, and so on. The Sima of the Army was appointed as the senior military commander. He had the same functions and was also the second-in-command of the First Guard. One guard leads three capitals. It was originally said that the full strength of the army was five thousand, but the actual full strength could reach seven thousand soldiers.
Originally, Xiaowei, Duwei, and Zhonglangjiang all used the title of "Bai" instead of "Qian", which shows that these three positions are of high authority, with a rank of two thousand stones, and are serious officials. But when it comes to Wang Yan, what he says is what he says. Anyway, he uses the official name of the Han Dynasty to build his own military system. He can even change the captain to Agou, add a title and call him Mighty Agou, etc. What's the big deal?
Anyway, as long as he has a powerful military attaché commanding 7,000 troops, who cares whether he is Agou or not? Anyone who dares to complain about calling Agou a bad person will probably be able to kill him with a knife. The name is just a code name, it represents actual power.
Next up is Wang Yan, the self-proclaimed Tianwu General, the leader of the rebels. At this point, he can only do it by commanding himself. Otherwise, his subordinates will not know whether they want to rebel against him, but they will not be able to lead the team.
He, the Tianwu general who commanded more than 20,000 troops, now had to directly command the military princes to fight, which was a third level. This was a taboo for military strategists. But there is no way, the school captain and the captain are unable to bear the heavy responsibility. Let them lead the troops to fight and they will die.
He has no capable people, and because of the special opportunity, the expansion has been too great. Almost all of his people who can read have become officials. There is really no one who can stand alone, so General Wang has to do his own work. After such a long time, stubble appeared on his beardless face.
It was also because he grew so fast that he slaughtered several local wealthy families and attacked several counties, and finally attracted the attention of Youzhou prefect Liu Yan. It was impossible not to pay attention. Wang Yan's behavior was indeed very bad to them. Killing wealthy families, destroying county towns, plundering people, and seizing materials is really treason.
In addition, Liu Yan also heard that Wang Yan called himself General Tianwu. Looking at Wang Yan's behavior, it was not difficult to guess that Wang Yan wanted to establish himself as king outside the wall. Although at present, this is less harmful than Zhang Jiao and others, Wang Yan cannot bully Liu Yan like this.
Therefore, when Wang Yan and his party of more than 100,000 people entered the western Liaoning territory in late June, they encountered a blow from Liu Yan, the governor of Youzhou.
That afternoon, the large army was slowly marching northward under the scorching sun. Children are better, some sit on baggage carriages, and some ride on the backs of old oxen, mules, donkeys, etc., in short, there is room for them. The old and weak women couldn't do it. Their men were forcibly recruited into the army, and they carried their belongings behind them. Although they were not much, they were still heavy.
Fortunately, we grabbed many water trucks along the way, and there were many rivers and wells along the way, so we could draw water at any time, which was a lot of relief.
Wang Yan smiled and checked the pulse of the person who had fainted on the carriage due to heat stroke to confirm the situation. Although he is the initiator of all this, he is doing well for these people here, and people recognize him. And they don't think Wang Yan is harming them. After all, it's difficult to live anywhere. Wang Yan is very good to them and may have promised a lot of conditions. He doesn't have the majesty of an ordinary official at all. People are still willing to believe in the general.
At this time, smoke and dust rose in the distance, and a burst of rapid horse hoofbeats came. A messenger jumped off the horse and said: "General Bingda, there are a thousand Han troops fifteen miles south."
At this point, they couldn't stop. After a while, two more cavalry came. There were one thousand Han troops twenty miles to the west and two thousand thirty miles to the north. They were already surrounded by them.
Wang Yan walked on the road with his hands behind his back, thinking about hostile strategies in his mind.
Today, his headquarters is located near Lingzhi in western Liaoning. Thirty miles further north is Lingzhi County, which is the area of Luanzhou and Qian'an in Hebei two thousand years later. He was not in a hurry all the way, and even went to the county town and destroyed Wubao, just to snowball and grow. So now, more than two months have passed and we have only traveled 500 miles.
On the other hand, the team has also grown. There are many women, old and young. Besides, there is nothing urgent. Now that we have arrived in Liaodong, we can’t farm. It’s already missed the farming season. So we just go north while robbing and hoarding supplies for the winter. In addition, carpenters, blacksmiths, etc. The craftsmen also caught a lot of them.
This is not two thousand years later, but it is still happening during climate change and the Ice Age that must occur in the last years of the dynasty. At this time, Liaodong is really bitterly cold. If you are not adequately prepared, you will be seeking death in the past. In other words, he has now recruited more than 100,000 people, and half of them have died from cold and hunger.
The order pillows Yanshan Mountain and steps across the Bohai Sea, screens Beijing and Tianjin and strangles the outside of the pass. It lies to the south of Wuhuan, to the east of Youji, and to the north of Lu and Henan. It is considered an important place for military strategists. The terrain is plain and hilly, with no dangerous mountains.
The rangers reported that the incoming troops were 3,500. According to the usual principle of rounding up the troops, the upper limit of the incoming troops was about 5,000 troops. No amount of Liu Yan can be brought out. After all, Wang Yan and his group are not the only ones in Youzhou who want to attack, and Qingzhou and Jizhou also need to divide their troops to support. The most important thing is that the Yellow Turban Army's combat effectiveness is not strong. There are more than 20,000 people. Liu Yan sent 5,000, which is enough to spread the posture and fight in the field. The Yellow Turban Army was completely beaten.
Therefore, there should be a force of one to two thousand soldiers and horses, blocking that place waiting for support, or waiting for him to make a move to attack the Chinese army and take Wang Yan's head.
Such a division of troops underestimates General Wang's ability to command troops. It has been so long, a relatively sound military structure has been set up, and the basic methods of infantry warfare have been passed down. Every day, there are always troops marching for training. The body is preparing for battle under the scorching sun. Although they are still a mob, they are much stronger than before.
After thinking about it, Wang Yan ordered his troops: "Send the order, the Weiwu Guards will camp twenty miles in front, the Guangwu Guards will make a detour and camp ten miles west of the city, the Xingwu Guards will march quickly to protect the Chong family, and the Yingwu Guards in the rear will camp ten miles further. , each military prince will look for an opportunity to fight with the incoming troops from the south. If he is defeated, he can just run away to me."
In a battle in the wilderness, there are no dangerous mountains and rivers. The enemy divides his troops to attack and harass, which is nothing more than asking Wang Yan to mobilize his troops and horses to expose the open space. The so-called art of war strategy, in the general direction, the instructor has used practical actions to clarify the essentials of the art of war, which is just to attack more and less. Except for special situations such as a last-ditch battle or being trapped in a dead city, anyone who can move flexibly is for the purpose of using more to defeat fewer.
Don't say that if Liu Yan sent troops to the south, northwest, or all directions, Wang Yan could only stand still. I will go my own way and see if you dare to come and fight. His original purpose was to attack Lingzhi and rob him, so he just moved on now. Of course, this is because his troops are not effective in combat. Otherwise, how would Liu dare to send thousands of people to fight?
This is also a hypothesis. After all, his men are really capable of fighting. Why does General Wang have to travel thousands of miles to Liaodong? Kill Liu Yan directly, separate the territory of Youzhou, plant the land for three to five years, go south, plant it for another three to five years, and then go south again, and the big thing will be decided.
As for the Yingwu guards he sent to the rear to look for opportunities to fight, one was to see the quality of the one thousand enemy troops, and the other was to find out where the ambush was. If the enemy army was not good, more than 5,000 Yingwu Guardsmen would be wiped out directly. If the enemy army is too strong to defeat them, more than 5,000 people are not so easy to kill. His military lord is not good at anything else, and he can run around very quickly. He mainly fights local tyrants and robs the county town in the past two months. He eats quite well and maintains a good body. He has been training his legs a lot in the past two months...
No matter what, Wang Yan judged that there could be two small battles today, which were equivalent to the two sides touching each other in the ring. The punches were regarded as polite greetings to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses, and a big battle could not be fought. Whatever happens next, we have to take advantage of the situation.
The cavalrymen followed the order and left. Liao Hua, who was behind, stepped forward and said: "General, my subordinates invite you to fight."
"You haven't grown up yet, and your muscles and bones are weak. Please wait for two more years. In today's troubled times, the Han Dynasty is about to fall. If a man has practiced martial arts, why worry about having no place to use it? Don't be impatient, and protect the children of our generals and our families. It’s a great achievement.”
Wang Yan casually taught Liao Hua that young people are like this, they always want to show off. He is only sixteen years old. Although he has been a father for many years, he is indeed far behind. He is not suitable for fighting on the battlefield and needs to practice more.
He can serve as a soldier only if he is over seventeen years old. If he is under seventeen, he will be sent to work in the baggage brigades.
Liao Hua nodded in resignation and asked again: "General, do you want to wear armor to fight?"
"I don't expect there to be a big battle today, so don't be impatient and just go and rest."
Wang Yan waved his hand, and then continued to smile and chat with these people who came to treat them. Give full play to your abilities and win people's hearts.
After the transport team had advanced for fifteen miles, tens of thousands of people were sparsely camping for several miles to rest. Wang Yan rode a horse, and Liao Hua and other personal guards came to the front army camp, carrying his armor and carrying his weapons. .
At this time, a signal trooper came running up and reported to the general: "To the general, the Yingwu Guards engaged the enemy. Halfway through the battle, two thousand soldiers and horses came out. The Yingwu Guards were defeated. The casualties are unknown. . The captain said that the enemy general is Liu Bei, please teach me to report to the general."
Wang Yan raised his eyebrows. In his impression, Liu Bei should have gone to Qingzhou to fight the Yellow Turban at this time. Anyway, the time is unknown. After Liu Bei defeated Cheng Yuanzhi, he first went to Qingzhou and then to Yingchuan County. He also rescued Dong Zhuo in Yingchuan, but was looked down upon by Dong Zhuo.
Now come over and beat him. General Wang either didn't leave or was recalled by Liu Yan. After all, Wang Yan's abuse was widespread and caused considerable harm. The three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang had outstanding records in the past, and Liu Yan had no one available, so it was possible to recall him.
Wang Yan ordered: "The Yingwu Guards will withdraw the baggage team, reorganize the team, count the number of casualties and enemy kills, report to me, and leave as soon as possible."
Liu Guan and Zhang led the troops. Three thousand versus six thousand were killed, and his men were severely defeated. This is really normal. Three people led the charge, but he didn't have any generals under his command. It would be strange to be undefeated.
It's not that his subordinates are useless, they are actually Liu Guan and Zhang Qiang. As usual for the Han army, he has more people and fewer people, and has never been defeated so far. It is understandable that we can only fight smooth battles but not tough battles.
As for casualties, in ancient wars, as long as the prisoners were not slaughtered and the city was massacred, there would not be many casualties. They all died due to post-war treatment. At this time, the medical conditions were not good and there was no anti-inflammatory method.
There are no conditions now. When he settles down in Liaodong, he will organize manpower to prepare penicillin on a large scale using local methods, which can always reduce battle losses. This is a must for travelers, and it is also his traditional craft. He relied on this to conquer the world before. He worked hard to build a health system, anti-inflammatory drugs that were ahead of the times, and saved more injured soldiers. With so many veterans of hundreds of battles under his command, and generous treatment, the generals all risked their lives, and their combat power was strong. .
After a long time, the Signal Corps reported casualties. More than 2,000 people were killed in the battle. They either died, ran away, or were captured by Liu Guan and Zhang. Those who have run away will come back on their own after some time. It was also reported that this battle was not all in vain, it caused a lot of casualties to Liu Guan and Zhang's troops. If Liu Guan and Zhang were not too strong and penetrated the military formation, they would have won.
After a while, the scouts came to report that Liu Guan and Zhang led troops to escort the prisoners into the city. At this point, all the previous soldiers have entered the city, and they are going to fight the city defense battle with General Wang.
Wang Yan shook his head and laughed. He comforted the sergeants as usual, arranged for night defense, and sent the Yingwu guards back to the battlefield to look for Brother Paoze, so that he could have a good night's sleep ten miles outside the city.
Early the next morning, before dawn, after breakfast, Wang Yan let the soldiers eat and drink, then sent 15,000 soldiers and horses to escort the grain and grass trains to restart their journey, and continue northward around Lingzhidong Mountain. He led 15,000 troops and horses, armored and armed, and marched to the city.
At this time, Lingzhi City was heavily guarded, with the four gates tightly closed, and there were crowds of figures on the city wall, waiting in full formation. Outside the city, Wang Yan could smell the smell of golden juice.
From this point of view, what Yingwuwei said yesterday was true. Liu Guanzhang must have suffered a loss, otherwise he would not have fought a city battle with General Wang, but would have drawn up a team to come out for a guerrilla attack and wear him to death bit by bit.
Outside the south city gate, Wang Yan was wearing a suit of armor newly made by craftsmen in the past two months, boots made by an old woman who was skilled in needlework, carrying a horse gift from nature on his shoulders, riding Zhang Fei's red-maned war horse, lightly Knocking on the horse's belly, he slowly arrived at the foot of the city and reined in the horse to stand still.
He raised his head and smiled and said: "Xuande, it's been three months since we parted ways in Zhuojun. Today you and I are meeting each other with swords and swords. Why don't we come down to the city and reminisce about old times..."
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