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Not long after Liu Bei retreated from Boluoting, towards the end of August, reinforcements from the Beifu came to meet him. Most of the Beifu army is cavalry, with a total of 30,000 cavalry. Each knight has two horses. The reinforcements were like clouds of horses. The horses were fat and strong, and the soldiers were brightly clad and armored. They were stationed in the west of the city, attracting attention. People commented: "It is said that Jinyang's iron horses are invincible in the world. Today we saw them and they are indeed worthy of their reputation!" The armies of Hebei and Henan were newly defeated. Now that Jinyang's army is in full bloom, its morale is boosted.
This time, the Jinyang Army was still led by Chariot General Zhang Fei, and Shaofu Liu Bao was the deputy general. However, there were many new generals in the army, and a large number of young scholars from Bingzhou were promoted. The first is Yangqu Guo Huai. He is the son of the former Yanmen Prefect Guo Mian. His grandfather Guo Quan once served as an official to the great minister of agriculture. He is famous for his military knowledge in Bingzhou. When he was young, he was summoned by Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. Full of praise for his talent. Next is Sun Zi. Although he came from a poor family, he was famous for his ability to adapt to circumstances and his photographic memory. He was praised by people of his time as a king of talents. Then there are Wen Hui, Linghu Hua, Wang Ji and others, who are all leaders in Bingzhou and role models for the gentry.
There are also many Xianbei and Xiongnu righteous followers in the military generals. They interact with each other, raise horses and train troops in the Daibei and Yanmen areas, and herd horses to enrich the grain. Every autumn, he went to Yunbei to deploy defense patrols, dispatching tens of thousands of troops and horses. The military was extremely prosperous. When all the countries under the Changshi Mansion saw it, they all fought with fear and surrendered. It's just that in previous years Liu Bei thought they still needed training, so he didn't take them to Hebei to participate in the war. But before setting off this time, Zhang Fei said to Liu Bei: "How can the younger generations become talents without blood?" Only then did Liu Bei agree to bring these young people with him.
Zhang Fei first discussed the latest war with Liu Bei. Liu Bei had already discussed it with Fazheng and others, and told Zhang Fei: "The people in Hebei are currently in turmoil, which makes our army run amok. However, if we have to fight Cao Cao head-on, if we fall into his trap, we will lose money." It would be too ugly to see the power of our army if it were reduced to Beipi. It would be better for me to involve the main force here, confront him with the garrison, and then send another army to attack Youzhou. Last time we made many gains in Youzhou, this time at Juyongguan It has fallen into my hands again, and there is much to be done now. As long as you capture Youzhou into my hands, and then use tricks to drive a wedge between the Dong bandits, Xindu will inevitably be in chaos, and the Cao bandits will destroy themselves without a fight!"
After hearing this, Zhang Fei disagreed. He believed that the morale of the Beifu army was high at the moment, and the young generals under his command also wanted to compete with the Eastern Army. If they could not fight head-on, I am afraid the soldiers would not be willing to do so. Liu Bao also nodded in agreement.
After Liu Bei heard this, he summoned all the young people in Beifu for questioning. The people who came in were Guo Huai, Sun Zi, and Wen Hui. The three of them were wearing Wu Bian crowns, crimson military uniforms with round necks and narrow sleeves, short knives hanging from their waists, and bright deerskin boots at their feet. Even if they were meeting in person. The emperor also has his own general majesty.
At that time, they saw Lianzhao sitting next to Liu Bei with his feet wrapped in cloth. His face was sallow and completely grim. When Qianzhao saw the three people coming in, he greeted his two servants, stood up and said goodbye to everyone. People supported him from left to right and slowly limped out.
The three of them were astonished as they watched Qianzhao being removed with great difficulty. They never thought that Lianzhao, who was famous in Hebei and was said to be brave enough to fight, would be beaten so embarrassingly by Cao Cao!
Liu Bei called the three of them to sit down, then told everyone his decision and asked them what they thought. When Guo Huai heard that he was going to divide his troops and go to Youzhou instead of fighting Cao Cao head-on, he really showed his dissatisfaction. He asked Liu Bei for orders and said that the knights coming from Jinyang were elite, so it would be better to go out to challenge him first and fight for a while.
Liu Bei thought to himself, this group of young people are full of vigor and vitality, not as sluggish as I am. I am afraid they will be reluctant to let them go to Youzhou. I don't know if trouble will arise. Now they have all the cavalry in their hands. Let them go out to fight. If Cao Cao is defeated, he will not be able to catch up, which will destroy his arrogance. If I win, I will continue to advance and pursue the remaining enemies.
He thought about it in his mind, but deliberately said: "No! I have been fighting for half my life, and I have never defeated Cao Cao in a head-on battle. You should just be patient for the time being. After I take Youzhou, it will not be too late to go out to fight again." .”
As soon as this statement came out, the three of them were really angry. Sun Zi stood up and asked for orders: "I have been favored by your majesty and can now lead the army in battle. I no longer care about my life or death. I only want to make contributions to the country. But it is unavoidable that your majesty does not believe in the officers and soldiers." It's so chilling. Could it be that Cao Cao's army that suffered consecutive defeats can still compare to when he defeated the city?" Zhang Fei listened on the sidelines and was very happy. He also stood up and said: "Brother, you see that my subordinates are wary. Let’s fight first!”
Liu Bei said in embarrassment: "In that case, I won't stop you. You can fight him if you want, but remember not to cross the Zhang River. Lure him across the river, and then charge with your iron cavalry. You may win."
Seeing how many people had to be ordered out of the camp, Fazheng smiled at Liu Bei and said: "Your Majesty is already old. Even if the Prime Minister is here, I'm afraid he can't handle it better!" It turns out that he clearly understood Liu Bei's thoughts. Liu Bei But he shook his head and laughed at himself and said: "After so many defeats with Cao Cao, if you still haven't learned a lesson, then it was all in vain." Then he turned to the general Guan Yu and said: "You lead another cavalry to respond from the side. If the war situation is unfavorable, we must bring them back so that they will not be defeated by Cao Cao." Guan Yu nodded and promised.
Besides, Guo Huai and others came out to discuss with Zhang Fei how to fight the battle. Zhang Fei thought for a moment and said: "How about the three of you lead half of the troops to form an array on the west side of the water to attract the bandit soldiers. I will lead the other half of the Qingqi to cross the river from upstream and copy his back."
But the others discussed it and felt that if they had a small number of troops and formed half of them along the river, it might not be enough to stop the enemy, let alone defeat them.
At this time, Guo Huai had an idea. Thinking about the dry autumn and the frequent northwest winds, he came up with a plan and suggested that he take a thousand Qingqi across the river upstream and set fire along the east side of the water with the wind. Zhang Fei led his army to form an array west of the river and crossed the river disguised as sheep, but in fact he attracted Cao Cao's army. When the fire breaks out and the enemy is in chaos, take advantage of the situation and cross the river to break it. After hearing this, Zhang Fei realized that this plan was very clever, so he nodded in agreement.
The next day, the generals of the Beifu Army led the Jinyang cavalry all the way eastward to the Zhangshui River. Guo Huai led his men across the Zhangshui River from Tangyang upstream and sneaked to the southeast. Generals Zhang Fei, Linghu Hua, Sun Zi, and Liu Bao led a large group of troops, flying flags and drums, and headed south along the Zhang River, making a plan to cross the river at a selected place.
Along the way, red and white military flags fluttered in the wind. Zhang Fei, who is known as the "enemy of ten thousand people", wears a gray-white riding leather hat, bright light armor, a gold silk belt around his waist, and deerskin boots on his feet. His mount is a blue-gray fast horse, with bow bags stuck on both sides of the saddle, and he holds a bow more than ten feet long. Although he was traveling lightly, his majestic appearance made people look at him. The other generals were also riding on horses, all of them had rich clothes, embroidered hats and extraordinary weapons.
Jinyang Beifu Army advanced in such a swagger, the Eastern Army's reconnaissance cavalry on the east bank had long been aware of it, and followed them along the river. Later, more and more cavalry gathered on the east bank, and the head and tail gradually disappeared. When the army reached Wukou Ferry, the two armies stopped moving. The river here is narrow and the banks are gentle, making it easy to cross. The armies of the Eastern Dynasty have gathered here and are in a confrontation with the Beifu army across the river.
That night the two armies camped across the water, but they saw Cao Cao's camp on the east bank burning with torches, and the end could not be seen in the distance. The soldiers in Jinyang were a little surprised, and they all talked about it: "Why are there so many soldiers in the east? Could it be that Qingxu's soldiers have also come to help in the battle?" When Sun Zi found out, he sent an order to all the battalions, saying: "The thieves are just Just light more fire to scare us, don't be fooled!" After saying this, the soldiers felt a little more at ease.
The two armies faced off all night. At noon on the second day, the Jinyang army approached Zhangshui, seemingly intending to force a crossing. The army of the Eastern Dynasty also formed an array close to Zhangshui. There was only a narrow Zhangshui between the front rows of both sides, and the faces of the soldiers on both sides could be clearly seen.
Zhang Fei reviewed the military formation on horseback and found that the wind direction was indeed coming from the north and slightly to the west. The two armies were facing each other from east to west. The wind was diagonally passing through the Western Army's camp and blowing upstream against the Zhang River. He thought: "Guo Boji is quite clever. He is setting fire to the windward point in the north. He can't help but stop the rebels in the east! Let me hold back the rebels and take the opportunity to show them the rising talents of our army!"
After thinking about it, he looked across the river, pointed at a black tiger-head flag opposite, and asked the young people around him: "Since we want to show off our power in a battle, we must challenge before the battle. Which of you dares to take the lead and shoot that black tiger flag?" Come down?"
After that, a young man jumped out from the crowd and said to Zhang Fei: "Uncle, I am willing to go."
Zhang Fei looked at it and found that it was his son-in-law Chen Zhang. He shook his head repeatedly and advised Chen Zhang: "Hanzhen's ambition is commendable, but you have not been in the military for a long time and have not yet developed your skills, so it is better not to force yourself."
After Chen Zhang fell out with Chen Chong, he turned to Zhang Fei and stayed in his house. During this period of time, he learned from the painful experience and determined to join the army and make contributions in order to get rid of the shadow of his father. Unexpectedly, this was the first time he asked for a fight, but his father-in-law persuaded him not to do so. Although he looked unhappy, he was really unsure. After Zhang Fei persuaded him a few more times, he held the Taiqiu Sword and retreated.
When Zhang Fei saw Chen Zhang returning to the team, he turned around and asked Wen Hui, Linghu Hua, and Wang Ji: "Who are you waiting for who dares to come forward?"
Unexpectedly, a young general rode out from among them. It turned out to be Wang Guang, the son of Wang Ling. He smiled at Zhang Fei and said: "I am the descendant of the Wang family in Taiyuan. When the patriarch killed the Dong thief for the country, I longed for it. Now that I am facing How dare I fall behind the Cao thief? If the chariot and cavalry refuse to give up, then send me."
Zhang Fei glanced at him and nodded slowly. Wang Guang immediately mobilized his mount and ran out of the military formation. The horse galloped for dozens of steps and stood by the river with its hoofs. On that day, Wang Guang wore an iron bag with white goose feathers on his head, two armors, and a yellow-red brocade robe. The Daijun war horse he sat on was very tall and strong. In order to facilitate galloping, it did not wear iron armor and was only covered with cowhide. He did not bring a long weapon, but held a bow in his left hand. He immediately stood on the shore, looking high-spirited and full of vitality.
