"Generals Yuan Shao, Zhang Yang, and Zhang Yan gathered their troops to cross the Taihang Mountains to attack Taiyuan. Zhang Wu defeated Zhang Yang. Dian Wei led the Xuanjia camp to kill Chunyu Qiong and defeated more than ten thousand enemies. Zhao Yun killed Zhu Ling and Jiang Qi and defeated the enemy. More than 10,000 people. Liao Hua's formation killed Yang Feng and poisoned him. Zhang Yan was defeated and fled into the mountains. He captured 30,000 soldiers and the governor Guo Jia was in Jinyang to deal with the aftermath."
After listening to the communications sergeant's report, Wang Yan nodded with satisfaction.
He gave Guo Jia great authority, and Guo Jia was in charge of the Shanxi side. In other words, Zhang Wu, Dian Wei, Zhao Yun, and Liao Hua were all dispatched by Guo Jia, who was the de facto commander-in-chief.
General Wang has always had a big plan, and Guo Jia has the ability, so let him use it. After deciding to attack Yuan Shao, he sent a message to Guo Jia and others, asking them to defend Shanxi and look for opportunities to attack.
The results of this battle were pretty good. Chun Yuqiong was undoubtedly a general that Yuan Shao relied on. In addition, Zhu Ling and Jiang Qi were also highly regarded generals. Yang Feng and Yu Du were the leaders of the Black Mountain Army. They not only attacked Yuan Shao's He had enough force, killed useful people, and probably captured a lot of supplies. It was a perfect military operation.
Of course, the war was not completed in one day. It started in July and is now at the end of September. It has been fought from late summer to early winter. What is reported to Wang Yan now are the results of the battle, marking the complete end of the battle in Shanxi.
But the battle of Julu is not over yet, or it has just entered a fierce stage. From the beginning, the number of troops on both sides was less than 100,000, and now the number of troops on both sides has reached 500,000. The battle line stretches from the Taihang Mountains to the seaside, and fighting is happening everywhere.
Yuan Shao was really crazy. Counting Wang Yan's surprise attack, Yuan Shao actually invested nearly half a million troops. The troops mobilized by Wang Yan, on the Julu battlefield, only had less than 100,000 of his own troops.
But his army numbered 150,000, and the larger number were all captured enemy soldiers. The younger ones served as reserve troops, and the older ones went to the rear to escort grain and grass. During the previous autumn harvest, the older ones were sent to collect grain. .
So overall, Wang Yan is currently taking advantage. In three months, they had advanced 200 miles. If Yuan Shao had not had a large number of troops, Yuan Shao would have been accompanying Gongsun Zan in medicine.
At present, there are actually two battlefields in the North China Plain. The most fierce ones are in the Julu and Anyang areas, where Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and several others are working. Because this place is so close to Gaoyi, precautions must be taken. Wang Yan's faction is also full of fierce generals. Huang Zhong, Taishi Ci, Lu Bu, and Gao Lan are all capable of fighting. Of course, Gao Lan is just a military prince now, leading 500 men, but his fighting power is enough to complete the plan.
In addition, in the Bohai and Hejian areas, Zhou Cang had constant fighting with Yan Liang and Wen Chou's lieutenants. Wang Yan sent Zhang He over to assist Zhou Cang. Their personal combat effectiveness was not too bad, and they were very stable in battle. Their goal is to defeat Yuan Shao's troops along the coast and the Yellow River and break Yuan Shao's rule here.
After thinking for a moment, Wang Yan said: "Reply to Guo Jia and look for an opportunity to get out of the pass. If the enemy cannot capture the pass, they can surround Hanoi and march into Yanzhou to cut off Yuan Shao's retreat. Let's go."
The soldier who brought the message answered, turned around and ran away.
Although Guo Jia will most likely do this, he still needs to say what needs to be said. It's an endorsement. If Guo Jia takes action on his own and is defeated, it's hard to turn back.
After all, Guo Jia is not omnipotent. He is indeed wise and capable, but this is war after all, and it changes rapidly. No one can guarantee success at every step.
Wang Yan stood up and looked at the map, thinking about the current battle situation.
Currently, the forces of both sides are mainly concentrated in Zhending (Shijiazhuang), Xiaquyang (northwest of Jin County), and as far as Nanshenze (Shenze), spanning Changshan, Julu, and Anping.
It is more than a hundred miles from Zhending and Xiaquyang to Gaoyi, so the fighting here is the most intense. There is no way to expand further west, because there are mountains and Jingxing to the west, where Yuan Shao also has heavy troops. I'm just afraid that if Guo Jia fights in Shanxi, everything will be lost.
It is winter again. Although Yuan Shao also purchased a lot of cotton from Han Sui, there is no way he can assemble cotton clothes for so many troops. So they all acted as bastards and hid in the city.
Once Wang Yan made a big move and sent troops into Gaoyi, they would come out and fight desperately. If Wang Yan didn't make any big move, they would be citing each other, and since they were not far from the rear, there was no way to cut off the food route. Because once the activity of cutting off food routes behind enemy lines is carried out, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses from all directions will come out to surround thousands of people.
Wang Yan couldn't fight, and they couldn't fight, so they were just deadlocked here. There was almost a truce here, which gave Yuan Shao a chance to breathe and repent of his reckless decision. He woke up in his dreams every dark night and slapped himself in the face.
Zhoucang's side went relatively smoothly, because the supply line was long and the main force was on Huang Zhong and others' side. They did not dare to support too many people to cross, and it was winter again, so Zhou Cang took advantage and had already cleared a large part of the Bohai Sea and a small part of the Hejian area.
Yuan Shao was determined to act like a bastard, but General Wang had no choice. If we must fight, we can only attack the city. However, the casualties caused by attacking the city were too great, and the losses outweighed the gains, which was not what Wang Yan wanted. Or another way is to mobilize more troops, wipe out all the surrounding areas, and shrink the encirclement step by step. Such an investment is too large to make.
After all, Wang Yan is not in a hurry. To be honest, it would be more beneficial to him to have this stalemate now. After all, Zhoucang has not stopped. When spring comes, Bohai and Hejian will definitely be able to conquer. Moreover, he was holding on here, there was no major military action, he just maintained normal winter activities, and even the consumption was reduced.
In the final analysis, war is still an economic issue. It's not that Wang Yan really has no way to expand the results of his victory and attack the people in the city, but it's just that this is the safest and most food-saving way. The casualties are small, the consumption is small, and it can encroach on Jizhou step by step. Although the men are transferred and the production in the rear is affected, it is not as big as imagined.
As for the most critical consumption of food and grass, he originally set a very high standard, and these people's bodies were replenished, and they could eat chicken, duck, and fish, so their consumption of pure food was reduced a lot. Because of the war, there will indeed be an increase, but it is not as high as expected. This kind of fighting intensity will not strain the logistics.
In fact, he has never used his full strength. If he fights like this, he can continue forever. Moreover, with new land and population, the harvest will be greater next autumn.
Wang Yan found a balance between war and development, making this battle against Yuan look easy.
But if we can develop steadily, who wants to fight? That's why Wang Yan asked Guo Jia to take action in the south. With such a pincer attack from the north and the south, if Yuan Shao divides his troops, the situation here will not be maintained. If he does not divide his troops, then Yuan Shao's rule will be shaken, because those wealthy families will not agree.
They supported Yuan Shao, but now the king's thieves are all at their doorstep, and you, Yuan Shao, don't send troops to rescue them? Yuan Shao will be finished by then.
Therefore, Zhao Yun and others launched tentative attacks on various passes, but they were all blocked and could not defeat them.
It is no joke that a strategic military location is easy to defend but difficult to attack. When there are guns and cannons in modern times, brave warriors can rely on a dozen people to guard a high ground and repel several times the number of enemies.
Now there are also long-distance weapons like bows and arrows, as well as high walls and hard doors, which are really difficult to attack.
So there was no choice but to mobilize Liao Hua.
In Jinyang City, Guo Jia looked at the generals sitting in the field and said: "The general wants to break through Hanoi and attack Yanzhou. He will attack from the north and the south to destroy Yuan Shao. Zilong tried many ways and wanted to go east to Taihang but couldn't. For now As a plan, we had to go to Sili, go around Huguan, and go straight to Hanoi. The surrendering troops were not strong enough to march long distances. Wenyuan and Shunyi stayed behind to prevent the surrendering troops from changing and to prevent Yuan Shao from attacking.
Zilong, Yuanjian, and you two go to attack Hanoi. You must raise your own supplies along the way and must not rob people of their property. There will be no harvests in the three auxiliary areas, and there will be starvation and death everywhere. Everyone will eat each other. Do not disturb them. You can raise food from the wealthy families and households in various places. "
Zhao Yun nodded with a smile: "Fengxiao, peace of mind, we know how to behave."
"That's good. Today we will assemble the army and kill the hogs and sheep. Tomorrow we will send troops south. It is better to hurry up, otherwise things will change later. Yuan Jian has learned the true story of the general and has learned the way of guerrilla. If he goes deep alone, if things fail, he should follow Go across the river and return to Jizhou."
Liao Hua nodded in response, he knew all this.
"Today the general and Yuan Shao are holding 400,000 men against each other at Julu. It is freezing cold and Yuan Shao cannot leave the city. They are citing each other and making it difficult to attack by force. The two of you shoulder a heavy responsibility. If you succeed, we will get all the land in Hebei. To build a tripod, the world is watching, so we must be cautious."
Zhao Yun and Liao Hua responded and left.
The rest of the people also dispersed, doing their own things.
Guo Jia looked at the map silently, thinking about the war. He was surprised to find that the timing of this battle was actually perfect again. Because there was a war going on in Chang'an, the commotion never stopped. At this time, General Wang began to attack Yuan Shao without any worries.
If there is no chaos in Chang'an and Li Jue, Guo Si and others do not fight Han Sui and Ma Teng, then they will inevitably fight on both sides in this battle. Han Sui, Ma Teng, as well as the Xianbei and Xiongnu who were beaten away would never let go of this opportunity. A large army must be gathered to fight back to Bingzhou.
At that time, General Wang had to deal with it to protect the population and land of Bingzhou. After all, countless roads had been built and countless water diversion ditches had been dug. The initial investment had already been made, and it was impossible to give up the land.
When Han Sui and others join forces, they must have 200,000 to 300,000 troops. In addition to Yuan Shao's 400,000 to 500,000 troops, even if their soldiers are more capable, with higher fighting power and stronger will to fight, they can win the final victory. A victory, it would also be a tragic victory, destroying the prosperity developed under the rule for many years.
Unlike now, when Li Jue, Guo Si and others are in a mess, scheming and attacking each other, General Wang can calmly attack Yuan Shao, gain the land of Hebei, and occupy half of China. With such a power, it only takes a few years to develop, and the world can be settled.
Guo Jia lamented the unfathomableness of the general, and Liao Hua and Zhao Yun began to organize the army.
There are many things to prepare for an army expedition. Food for people, food for horses, armor and weapons, and all these things.
The standard light armor is made of iron and leather and weighs twenty kilograms. Military rations are a bag of powder, which is ground and mixed from grains, dried fruits, and herbs. The daily diet is one kilogram. In addition, there are dried salted fish, dried meat, pickles, etc. to supplement salt and energy. The standard for a long journey is to eat for half a month, which adds up to twenty kilograms. Then there are the kettles, quilts, tents, etc. that need to be carried for marching accommodation.
Even with horses carrying them, the infantry's load still reached forty kilograms.
The cavalry is much better, especially the Xiaoqi battalion led by Liao Hua, because this is the norm for them. Every year I go out with food for fifteen days and don't come back for three months. Therefore, compared to Zhao Yun's troops, the Xiaoqi Battalion was more calm.
Likewise, Guo Jia sent two of their troops to set off. Firstly, it was through the maneuverability of the Xiaoqi Battalion and the tactics used on the grassland. The most important thing was the ability to survive. However, the cavalry was unable to attack the fortress, so Zhao Yun was sent to lead the Shenwu Guard sergeants to attack together. They and the Xiaoqi battalion would refer to each other and cooperate with each other. Destroy Hanoi and Yanzhou.
That is, large-scale killings of wealthy families and officials, disrupting order. This is their original mission, or if they didn’t do this, where would they get food? By robbing the people, they would definitely be hungry for nine meals in three days. This is the consensus of everyone.
With this understanding, the next day, with the Xiaoqi battalion in front and the Shenwu guards behind, a total of 15,000 troops and horses, they marched toward the south in a mighty manner. The Xiaoqi battalion is fast, and there is no need to wait for the Shenwu Guards at this time. They begin to clear out the Shangdang area along the way, and take a detour all the way to Hanoi...
The current Sili area is in chaos. There are dozens of large and small groups. The big ones are of course Li Jue, Guo Bang, Fan Chou, Han Sui, Ma Teng, Zhang Ji, etc. The small ones are unknown. With thousands of soldiers and horses in hand, he dares to claim kingship and hegemony.
Now in the Hanoi area, Zhang Yang has been defeated. His territory is small and his troops are not many. A few years ago, he lost 20,000 soldiers in the battle of Yanmen Pass. A while ago, he followed Yuan Shao to sneak attack Shanxi and lost another 10,000 soldiers. . Previously, Yuan Shao used Hanoi as a frontline and fought with Cao Cao for more than half a year. He lost a lot of troops and horses, and now he has no fighting power.
When a large army suddenly appeared under his rule and began to kill wealthy people and officials, he knew that it was the king's thieves who had come. In today's world, except for the king's thief, no one dares to kill rich people like pigs and dogs, and they kill them like a sweep. In the past, the Yellow Turbans dared, but now all kinds of thieves are not so bold.
And now that it was winter again, he was unable to organize troops to resist. Either he doesn't dare to organize resistance at all, or he can't organize one even if he wants to.
Because after Liao Hua and the others killed the wealthy people, they would explain their policies to the nearby people, give the excess food to the local people, and tell them that it would not take long for the army to arrive here. Under such circumstances, who would work for Zhang Yang? Even if they gather together, they might even kill him.
So there wasn't much he could do. First, hide in the city and not go out. Second, send someone quickly to report the news and ask for support.
But he thought wrong. Zhao Yun and Liao Hua did not stay in Hanoi for long, only more than ten days. They killed several wealthy families, obtained food, and after resting, they went directly to Jizhou.
This made Zhang Yang breathe a sigh of relief, because he saved his life, but his hanging heart did not let go, because he would die soon.
He is not stupid, he is very clear about Wang Yan's strategic intention, which is to destroy Yanzhou and Jizhou, share the pressure of Julu, and cut off Yuan Shao's retreat, so as to capture all the land in Hebei.
Where could he go then? If you surrender to Wang Yan, you will definitely die, and if you surrender to Cao Cao, you will not survive for long. The world is so big, where is his place?
But despite his uneasiness, he did not run away. Because the war is still going on, and the outcome is not yet known until the end...
Yuan Shao kicked the table away again. Today, he also understands that this time he was reckless. Although he didn't want to admit it, he really might not be able to defeat Wang Yan.
The situation is now very critical. Even if Julu resists Wang Yan's army, Zhou Cang is still advancing. Now he has received news that Wang Yan actually let go of the grassland and sent out the most powerful Xiaoqi battalion. After taking such a long detour, he came all the way to attack his rear. He has a relatively clear understanding that defeat will only happen sooner or later.
Watching his men change tables, he drank a bottle of wine depressedly and banged the bottle on the table: "Gentlemen, now the king's thieves are attacking from the north and the south. If we divide our troops, it will be difficult to save the giant deer. If we don't save, it will be difficult to stop the giant deer." Sooner or later we will attack Gaoyi. What should I do in such a situation?"
This time no one clamored, and the main fighting faction was silent. We have been fighting for more than four months now, and with spring approaching again, they are being suppressed and have no chance at all. The king's thief's logistics are not broken, but their logistics are about to be unable to withstand it. It was already very clear what the situation was, and I had no shame to say anything.
The capitulation faction wanted to taunt a few words, but when they thought that Yuan Shao was the main battler, they did not taunt.
After a long silence, Guo Tu, who came back from Julu to discuss the situation, stood up. He cupped his hands and said: "My lord, the war is not going well now. If you want to sue for peace again, the king and the thief will definitely not respond. Judging from his use of troops, he intends to take all the land in Hebei and defend it according to the danger of the river. He will claim to be heaven and earth until there is enough food." The whole world will be determined. All its elite troops will be sent out. If the goal is not achieved, they will not stop.
Our two families have been at war so far. Although I have lost one hundred thousand troops, I still have some strength left. The words of going south before the war can still be implemented. The lord will set out to capture Luoyang today and slowly withdraw his troops. We will seize Yanzhou, then advance to Yuzhou, go down to Xuzhou, go to Huainan, and seize Jiangdong. In this way, we can protect ourselves with the double danger of rivers and rivers. The king's thief has newly acquired the land in Hebei, so he will definitely not go south. My lord, your business is stable and your troops are strong. It's not too late to fight again. "
He, a surrender faction, had to say this. The main war faction wanted to save face, so they couldn't say this. Yuan Shao asked for advice. What was he asking? When the capitulationists say they surrender, they find a way to come down.
Yuan Shao looked at the silent group of sages in silence for a long time, and then he said tiredly: "I will abandon Hebei as Gongzhi said..."
I would like to express my daily gratitude to the good brothers who vote monthly for their support.
Thank you to all the brothers who recommended me for your support,
Thanks to the big brothers who read silently for their support.
(End of chapter)
