In the west of Luoyang City, soldiers and horses from all parties gathered here and started intensive training to prepare for the upcoming battle.
Huangfu Song ordered people to build a general ordering platform more than one foot high near the edge of Luoyang City. Coach Huangfu Song, deputy commander Cao Cao, as well as Yuan Xi, Xu Rong, Zhang Ji, Qubei, Zhang Yang, and Baibo Army leader Yang Feng all gathered here to watch the training of the coalition forces.
In such a decisive battle, the battle formation is particularly important. However, the coalition forces did not belong to each other before and lacked tacit understanding in cooperation.
No matter how powerful Huangfu Song was, he couldn't mash all the troops into a ball in a short period of time, so he just practiced a square formation and a round formation by swaying around. It would be useless if you replaced Zhuge Liang, the wizard of formation. All this takes time.
Fortunately, Guo Si and Li Que were at war with each other some time ago, but now there is also a lack of cooperation, so it depends on the coach's on-the-spot command and dispatch. Obviously, in this regard, Huangfu Song, who has been in battle for a long time and is experienced, has a great advantage.
In front, Huangfu Song and Cao Cao were directing from left to right, while Yuan Xi and others were sitting on chairs behind, watching their drills.
"Young Master, look! With just such an arrangement, the combat prowess of these soldiers and horses can be judged." Guo Jia pointed to the military formation below and said softly: "The Yanzhou Army and our cavalry have the fastest response. Xu Rong and Zhang Jijun are the fastest. Secondly, the Baibo Army and the Xiongnu Army were the slowest to respond, obviously due to lack of training in daily life."
"Nowadays, there are not many armies that can deploy tens of thousands of people in flying geese formations and cone formations. There are not many armies with such complex formations. Our Jizhou Army and Qingzhou Army count as one, and the Yanzhou Army counts as one. The remaining Xuzhou Army, Jingzhou Army, and soldiers Although there are many horses and although the equipment is sophisticated, they still cannot be compared with us for various reasons." Yuan Xi said. There are not many opportunities for a large-scale decisive battle like this. First of all, there are not many powerful people with tens of thousands of troops.
"I have almost finished thinking about the new battle formation. I can practice it on a small scale after returning to Qingzhou." Guo Jia said softly. Previously, he, Yuan Xi and several generals discussed arranging their own unique battle formation. This is also Yuan Xi's inspiration from Zhuge Liang's "Eight Formations Diagram" of later generations, but it is still different from the original Eight Formations Diagram.
The so-called "eight formation diagram" is actually a large formation composed of several small square formations of infantry, cavalry and crossbow. In actual combat, both large and small formations can randomly change their formations and tactics, but the one who evolved the eight formations to the extreme was Zhuge Kongming.
Historically, the Shu Han Dynasty often suffered losses in frontal battles with Cao Wei because of the lack of cavalry. In order to solve this problem, Zhuge Liang created a coordinated strategy of infantry, cavalry, and crossbows, which highlighted the effectiveness of bows and crossbows, which was more able to restrain Cao Wei's army, which had more cavalry.
Jizhou is also rich in crossbows, and Yuan Xi's Qingzhou Army has plenty of infantry and cavalry. Coupled with the genius Guo Jia's strategic planning, it can devise more tactics than the Shu Han in history. *****When the Qingzhou Army's infantry, cavalry, and crossbows completed their array, they fought together. Then the Qingzhou strong army in the true sense was formed.
"Li Ru and Jia Xu are both good at planning. Will they fight so calmly? I have a bad feeling." Yuan Xi said worriedly, feeling vaguely uneasy in his heart.
"It shouldn't be a big meeting." Guo Jia also frowned. For him to immediately guess the other party's plan, it is really not something he can figure out in a short time, not to mention he is not a god.
Guo Jia closed his eyes and thought hard, and a bright light flashed through his mind. "No, is it a water attack?" Guo Jia said tremblingly.
Surprising strategies are his specialty. He changed his position and stood on the enemy's side, and then he thought of attacking the ground with water.
"Water attack?" Yuan Xi was also shocked and said, "Only Luoshui can be used around here. But the water is shallow in autumn, so the effect is not obvious, and it is easy to be detected!"
At this time, Cheng Yu, dressed in scholar's uniform, came to Cao Cao and whispered a few words. Cao Cao suddenly stood up and said to Huangfu Song: "General Huangfu, my men have noticed that the Luoshui River has become a lot shallower in the past two days. It is possible that the enemy is upstream and is hoarding water to carry out a water attack!"
By coincidence, Cao Cao's army was stationed in the south of the city, and the Luoshui River flowed through the south of Luoyang City. Xun You and Cheng Yu's vision was so sharp. After confirmation, they immediately judged that the enemy was planning to launch a water attack.
"Mengde, are you really sure?" Huangfu Song asked anxiously.
"Old general. You are not far from ten. Besides, you are well prepared. Please issue an order to mobilize troops and horses immediately!" Cao Cao was also very anxious.
"Pass my general order. Let the Huben guards, Yang Feng, and Fan Chou escort His Majesty to the Mangshan highland in the north of Luoyang City. Meng De, lead your troops to move the camp closer to the northern highland!" Huangfu Song urgently ordered, "The rest of the troops immediately seize the northwest. Facing the high ground near Mang Mountain!"
Yuan Xi thought that he might not be able to stay in Luoyang City any longer, so he asked his soldiers to notify him that the more than a thousand people staying in the camp should be moved immediately.
"Report! Enemy troops have been found six miles to the north and are seizing the high ground above Beimang!" a scout reported.
"Ah!" The people present exclaimed, everyone was shocked and confused, and some even looked pale and stood uneasy.
"Why are you panicking!" Huangfu Song shouted and ordered, "beat the drums and wave the flags to convey the order, and the entire army will keep the formation and move northward!"
The more than 50,000 people below didn't know why, but under Huangfu Song's control, they still moved north quickly.
"Old general. You and the generals should go to the north first! I will take command here." Cao Cao advised.
"Meng De. You and the generals should retreat north first! I am the commander in chief. If I leave the command post easily, it will inevitably cause chaos!" Huangfu Song insisted.
"Two generals. As long as the commander's flag is not withdrawn, a small colonel can be left here to command. General Huangfu is the commander of an army and should not take risks easily." Yuan Xi went out to persuade, "Wait until the flood passes and the rebellion The army will launch an attack. If there is no general to command, our army will definitely be defeated! Old general, please think again!"
Huangfusong's face changed and he seemed a little hesitant. A young general nearby advised him at the right time: "Father, you and the other generals should go first, and leave this place to me to take command."
Yuan Xi squinted and saw that the man was none other than Huangfu Li, the son of Huangfu Songdi. They had a conflict in Luoyang five years ago. They were also involved in a conflict with Huangfu Li on Zhuque Street a few years ago. South city gate.
Huangfu Song gritted his teeth, left the commander's flag and asked Huangfu Li to take command, and asked the Golden Drum troops to retreat north with him. Other generals also moved north with their own troops.
Yuan Xi and Guo Jia, with five hundred guards, also galloped north at full speed. They were all on horseback, so they were very fast. After half a quarter of an hour, they had retreated to a slightly higher ground at the north gate.
Most of the cavalrymen from several families also came here to take warning. Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief. All his men and horses were cavalry, and they quickly moved to higher places.
"Rumble!" A low sound, like the wail of a beast, came faintly from the upper reaches of Luoshui River in the southwest of Luoyang. After a while, everyone saw a silver-gray water line rushing toward Luoyang. The flood is becoming more and more clear in front of the coalition forces.
The remaining one-third of the soldiers had no time to move and were instantly overwhelmed and engulfed. The Luoshui River flows right through the south of Luoyang, and the terrain outside the city is relatively flat, and the dilapidated city of Luoyang has become a vast lake.
In ancient battles, the two tactics of water and fire were the most dangerous and had to be used. Obviously, facing the poisonous warriors Li Ru and Jia Xu, Yuan Xi, Cao Cao and others were at a disadvantage in their first encounter.
It was not yet the flood season, the Luo River water was not very strong, and the flood came and went away quickly. But after such an attack, the coalition forces were not only dispersed by nearly ten thousand people, but what was even worse was that their morale fell to the bottom.
Because the handsome platform is higher. Huangfu Li and the soldiers left behind rushed to the central army with their commander's flags after the water receded.
The soldiers of the coalition forces, especially the Xiongnu soldiers and the Baibo Army, huddled together in a noisy manner. Zhang Ji and Xu Rong's troops also experienced turmoil. Only the Yanzhou Army and the Qingzhou Army still maintained a strict vigilance array. What's worse is that we don't know the status of Liu Xiehe, ministers, Yang Feng, and Fan Chou's teams.
"Report to the general!" the scout said hurriedly: "The enemy troops have begun to move towards our headquarters!"
Several high-level generals exclaimed in low voices again. The Xiliang rebels had obviously planned for a long time and had figured them out.
Huangfu Song and Cao Cao were both good at making judgments. Huangfu Song shouted angrily and said, "Shut up, I! The situation is critical. All generals must obey my orders, otherwise everyone will die without a burial place!"
Several generals immediately became quiet when Huangfu Song shouted this. After all, the shadow of a famous tree can bring people peace of mind.
"Yang Feng and Han Xian, you two go quickly to gather the troops. Occupy the high ground and form a defensive formation. Go to Bei and lead your two thousand cavalry to form beside Yang Feng's formation. Be ready to attack the enemy at any time." Huangfu Song ordered. road.
The three of them agreed and took their own soldiers to gather the troops.
"Xu Rong, Zhang Ji, you two will lead your troops to form an array on both wings to serve as our central army's guard." Huangfu Song ordered again.
"Here!" Xu Rong and Zhang Ji also led their men to form the formation. Both of them are veterans, especially Xu Rong who has the air of a general. Yuan Xi saw a young general following Zhang Ji. My guess is that I have met Zhang Xiu a few times, but never had the chance to come forward and talk.
"Meng De. The Chinese army relies on elite soldiers like you and Uncle Zhi to maintain it!" Huangfu Song said seriously.
"Don't worry, old general, my thousands of Yanzhou sons will be your solid backbone!" Cao Cao said confidently.
Huangfu Song nodded, then looked at Yuan Xi: "Linzihou, your troops are all elite cavalry, and they can be the eyes, ears and long arms of our army. You should lead your troops to detect the movements of the rebels. Don't engage in battle easily. You must obey my orders before cooperating with the attack!"
"Here!" Yuan Xi cupped his fists and accepted the order. Then he headed west with his five thousand horsemen.
Previously, Yuan Xi asked Hao Zhao to lead one thousand Qingzhou elite cavalry to stay in Pingjin. The five thousand cavalry were led by Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Zhao Yun, and Duan Pizhen. Not long after they set off, they saw the Xiliang rebels from Guo Si and Li Que advancing. Under the orders of Yuan Xi and Guo Jia, they ran around the enemy at low speed.
West of Luoyang City.
Huangfu Song gave an order for the soldiers to beat the war drums. The coalition soldiers packed up their equipment and armor. When the second war drum beat, the cavalry mounted their horses, and the infantry marched slowly toward the Xiliang rebels according to the platoon formation.
The Baibo Army has nearly 20,000 people, but its combat effectiveness is the worst. Under the command of Yang Feng, Han Xian and the two leaders, the Baibo Army launched an attack on the front of the Xiliang rebel array. What greeted them was a hail of arrows.
The Baibo army put up their shields and finally reached the front of the Xiliang rebels' formation, but the Xiliang rebels set up rows of spears to block them. The combat power of the soldiers at the front of the battle formation was obviously relatively strong. Although there were many Baibo soldiers, they were unable to advance even half a step in the face of the hedgehog-like formation, and even small groups retreated.
Yang Feng broke out in a cold sweat. This was really embarrassing. Our side retreated in the first attack. They were incomparable to the professional Xiliang rebels. After all, they were border guards.
"Brother Yang, the order given to us by General Huangfu is to hold back the rebels. We don't have to let our brothers attack by force." Han Xian saw that the situation was not good and he quickly advised.
Yang Feng agreed and asked the shield bearers and spear bearers to move forward, and then let the few archers shoot arrows at the enemy formation to contain them.
Although they could not break into the formation, they were able to contain the enemy forces in front.
Looking at the loose attack of the White Wave Army, Lu Bu sneered and said, "Song Xian, Hao Meng, Cheng Lian, Wei Xu, you four will lead your troops to charge with me. Gao Shun, Cao Xìng, you two will lead the camp and follow Uncle Zhang Zhi." Come in. Several generals took orders and promised.
Lu Bu mounted the sacred horse, the red tug, and with a little push, the red tug penetrated the enemy formation like fire. The extremely sharp iron halberd only required a few simple moves of chopping, slashing, picking, and stabbing, but Xi There is no one among the Liang rebels who can resist Yihe.
Lu Bu is the god of war in their hearts. They faced each other head-on again today, and they couldn't help but feel extremely discouraged.
Li Que, Li Ru and others also saw Lu Bu's heroic figure from a distance, and they quickly mobilized their crossbowmen to suppress him. Spearmen lined up side by side to protect the center of the Chinese army's formation, and the Xiliang cavalry also guerrillaed over to fight.
Although Lu Bu and his Bingzhou cavalry were brave, once they entered the formation, they lost touch with the flamboyant and docile infantry behind them. Several square formations of Xiliang rebel infantry separated them. Only then did Lu Bu think of the infantry behind him, and he led his troops to turn around and try to break through the enemy's divisions.
However, there were many iron cavalry among the Xiliang rebels, and they entangled Lu Bu's Bingzhou cavalry. Although the formation on this side was chaotic, the Xiliang army firmly held back Lu Bu and Zhang Yang.
On the left wing and rear formation, Cao Cao's army and Yuan Xi's army also struggled to break through the enemy's formation. They were like two sharp knives, but the Xiliang rebels were more numerous than them, and their battle formations were concentrated. After defeating a small square formation, other square formations were added, always blocking the front of the Chinese army's formation to prevent their attack.
Suddenly, plumes of black smoke ignited on the Beiman Mountain behind. The soldiers on both sides of the battle saw this situation almost at the same time.
Li Ru clapped his hands excitedly and said, "General Li Li and the others have succeeded. Let the soldiers shout in unison to increase their momentum!"
Li Que and Guo Si were even more proud. Now that the emperor was in his possession, they could advance or retreat.
"General Li and General Guo, since we have recaptured the emperor, we can withdraw to Hongnong first and then make further calculations. The enemy will be defeated if the battle continues, but it will be difficult for our army to annihilate them in one fell swoop. It is better to preserve our strength." Jia Xu advised. He also sighed in his heart, thinking that the Han Dynasty was really in decline. There were so many soldiers and horses escorting them, but Li Guobin and the others still succeeded.
"This is a great opportunity to defeat the enemy army in one fell swoop. Mr. Wenhe, you said you would just give up when the situation is good. Could it be that you have some collusion with them?" Li Ru asked rhetorically.
"This is a comprehensive strategy. Even if the emperor is recaptured by us, the enemy's morale will not necessarily collapse if we don't know the details." Jia Xu retorted.
"Okay, gentlemen, stop arguing. This is God's help. This is a good opportunity to defeat the enemy. If Cao Cao and the others are not removed, there will be more troubles in the future." Li Que said. His confidence increased. He also wanted to defeat the emperor's coalition forces in one fell swoop.
"The emperor has been captured!" "The emperor has been captured by us!" After Li Que gave the order, the Xiliang soldiers all shouted in unison.
Looking at the black smoke on Beiman Mountain behind. Listening to the shouts of the Xiliang rebels, the coalition soldiers were shocked and doubtful, and their offensive suddenly came to a halt.
