Although the Battle of Yiling was only a small-scale battle, it was the beginning of the hostility between Shu and Chu, marking the formal war between the two countries.
A few days later, Zhang Ren's 20,000-strong army arrived in Yiling and camped near Yiling County to rest.
As the sun set, Zhang Ren did not rest in the military camp at this time. He came to the ruins of the previous battle and walked aimlessly. Looking at the mess on the ground burned by the fire, he sat on a stone speechlessly. in a daze.
What a pity!
The defeat in the first battle with Chu undoubtedly had a great negative impact on the morale of the army, but what distressed Zhang Ren the most was the death of Zhang Yi.
An army of thousands is easy to obtain, but a general is difficult to find.
The princes of the world continued to conquer, and finally two behemoths, Cao Wei and Sun Chu, emerged from them. However, Shu was in a corner, and there was no sense of crisis at all in the government and the public.
But Zhang Ren noticed that the rope getting closer and closer was already around Shu's neck. If Sun Ce successfully defeats Liu Bei, his next target will undoubtedly be Shu!
There are only four generals in the Shu Kingdom: Wu Yi, Yan Yan, Huang Quan, and Meng Da. Some of them relied on the aristocratic families behind them to climb to this position. Compared with the Chu Kingdom with so many powerful generals, the leading generals in the Shu Kingdom are simply faster. It's reached a point where no one is available.
Zhang Yi and Zhang Yi are Zhang Ren's favorite generals and one of his hopes to become the pillars of Shu in the future. The battle that allowed Zhang Yi to accumulate meritorious deeds was unexpectedly so tragic, and Zhang Ren's arm was broken without any explanation. How could he not feel distressed?
Things are unpredictable, so Zhang Ren didn't know that Chu also lost a general.
"General, Tai Shici has led 10,000 troops to the vicinity of Maicheng and is on his way to Jiangling."
Zhang Ren was lost in thought when suddenly someone behind him reported military information to him. He came back to his senses, glared at the visitor angrily, and said reproachfully.
"Didn't I ask you to escort the grain and fodder and guard the granary? Why did you come here?"
The visitor was Zhang Yi. Faced with Zhang Ren's accusation, he quickly lowered his head and explained.
"Reporting to the general, the last general has escorted most of the grain and grass to the main camp, set up a small granary twenty miles away from the main camp, and has arranged the defense. Zhang Yi's defeated army has also been reorganized and joined the defense. It must not be Another mistake!”
Zhang Yi not only made two preparations, but also reorganized the defeated army, which made Zhang Ren very satisfied. However, in order not to make Zhang Yi proud, he only nodded slightly to express his affirmation.
Taking the map from the guard, he gently placed it on the stone and unfolded it. Zhang Ren squatted down and began to study the battle in detail.
"It's a pity that many of the roads ahead have been destroyed by the Chu army. It's probably impossible to get to Jiangling before Taishi Ci. Bo Gong, how many troops did Taishi Ci leave in Maicheng?"
"Without leaving any soldiers or horses, Taishi Ci passed through Maicheng without stopping, and the whole army rushed to Jiangling."
"Didn't you leave any troops behind?"
Then this fortress heading to Xiangyang is not an empty city!
Zhang Ren was stunned for a while, looking at Zhang Yi's slightly excited eyes, he looked at the map and asked with a smile.
"Bo Gong, tell me what you think."
"General, I think we can send troops to capture Maicheng first."
"Oh? Aren't you afraid that this is Tai Shici's trick?"
Zhang Yi had obviously thought about it before and answered confidently.
"The general believes that since the Chu army has fewer troops, there are only three ways to win. One is to take a small road and attack Yong'an City. Once Yong'an City is lost, the general must withdraw his troops and return to reinforcements; the other is to attack our grain and grass, and our army is far away. Come on, if the food and grass are destroyed and we can't win in a short time, we can only retreat; third, stick to Jiangling City, abandon the surrounding areas, and extend the front to look for fighting opportunities."
"Abandoning Maicheng is exactly the bait thrown by Taishi Ci. He is using the richest city in Jingzhou to lure our army to divide our troops. He can take the opportunity to concentrate his superior forces to attack one area of our army to achieve partial victory, and then expand the results. Final General I thought that our army could use a trick to capture Maicheng first and cut off the connection between Jiangling and Xiangyang, and then secretly stay still and strengthen defenses to lure Taishi Ci to attack our army; privately, we could send an elite force to attack Wulin Port and cut off Jiangling. As for the retreat to the east, Taishi Ci has only two options: hold on to Jiangling with the main force and fight to the death, or abandon Jingbei and flee to Jingnan from Jiangjin Port."
If they hold on and eliminate Taishi Ci's main force here, Jingzhou will be within easy reach; if Taishici retreats to Jingnan, several counties in northern Jingzhou will fall into the hands of Shu, which can be enough to explain to the king.
Zhang Ren looked at Zhang Yi with half-smiling eyes, drew a line between Yiling, Maicheng, and Wulin Port with his finger, and said.
"Bo Gong, Bo Gong, you yourself said just now that Tai Shi Ci intended to abandon the surrounding area and let our army extend the front in search of fighter opportunities. Even if you didn't bite the Xiangyang thrown by Tai Shi Ci, don't you think you drew this Is this front too long?"
Zhang Yi did not show any embarrassment as Zhang Ren expected, and continued to speak in high spirits.
"That's just right!"
"Jiangling City is high and deep. Although our army has the advantage, it will only take a month or two if we attack by force. According to common sense, it is not a big deal. It is worth spending such time. But this time our army goes out to attack But it is special. I don’t know what means the general arranged to delay the news, but this time Yong’an City is almost full of people, and within a month at most, the news will reach the king’s ears. As for the Chu State, Sun Ce is waiting After getting the news, we will definitely divide our troops to return reinforcements. Even if the fierce battle with Liu Bei is in full swing and it is difficult to escape, if we think about it carefully, it will not take more than 2 months."
"In this battle, our army's strength lies in its strength, and its weakness lies in its time. The general believes that we should ignore some losses in order to fight quickly and win quickly!"
Unknowingly, Zhang Ren's face turned serious.
In this battle, our army's strength lies in its strength, and its weakness lies in its time.
Repeating this sentence in his heart, Zhang Ren felt from the bottom of his heart that Zhang Yi had grown up and matured.
"That's very good, Bo Gong, you are really mature. But have you ever thought that if the remaining 10,000 Jingzhou troops in Xiangyang abandon Xiangyang City, storm Maicheng and join the Jiangling battlefield, our overly dispersed troops may be really large. Return defeated?"
Unfortunately, I accidentally said what was in my heart, but Zhang Ren quickly said another guess with a calm expression.
Just give up on Xiangyang? !
You must know that Xiangyang is second only to Jianye in prosperity and is the second largest city in Chu State. Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao, who didn't have some ideas? If Xiangyang's troops were evacuated, Zhang Yi was sure that Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao would not mind taking over the city.
is it possible?
It's absolutely possible!
Instead of waiting for the Shu army to break through Jiangling and put the entire Jingzhou in danger, it is better to try our best to protect the area south of Jiangling. With luck, we might only lose the two counties of Xinye and Xiangyang. At present, Taishi Ci sent 10,000 troops to rescue Jiangling and left 10,000 troops to guard Xiangyang just because the most dangerous moment had not yet come, so he would not abandon Xiangyang now.
Zhang Yi was sweating coldly. His previous deployment was based on military superiority in exchange for victory with losses. However, if the forces of both sides are infinitely closer and the Shu army's front is too long and they are attacked by the Chu army from both sides, defeat is almost certain. .
“General, then, then it’s time, it’s time????????????”
Seeing that he succeeded in scaring Zhang Yi, Zhang Ren couldn't help but laugh, turned to the soldiers behind him and said.
"Go and pass on my order, let Zheng Lue lead three thousand troops to quickly capture Maicheng, close the city and seal the pass, and cut off the connection between Jiangling and Xiangyang."
Seeing the soldiers leaving, Zhang Yi walked into Zhang Ren suspiciously and asked.
"General, why is this?"
Zhang Ren looked at Zhang Yi, put a hand on Zhang Yi's shoulder, pulled him forward, and explained with a smile.
"Because I don't know Tai Shi Ci."
"You have to know that smart people have their own way of playing, and stupid pigs have their own way of playing. If there are ten thousand people, not to mention ten thousand ways, then there are at least a thousand ways. What kind of person is Taishi Ci? Man, what is he thinking, how does he use his troops? You have to understand your opponent. The battlefield is an art. Even if you have never met, you can get to know each other as long as you have fought against each other. Since we are going to fight against each other, Taishi Ciping gave it to me for free. It’s Maicheng, why wouldn’t I want it?”
