Early the next morning, the emperor who was stationed in the Huaibei camp was furious when he learned that the right army had been defeated and had retreated to the west bank of Feishui River. Before noon, envoys were sent south to the camp of the three armies in Huainan, and the generals of the three armies were ordered to immediately put down their chores, temporarily hand over to the deputy generals, and come to the camp in Huaibei for military discussions.
The commanders-in-chief of the three armies all knew the emperor's temper and did not dare to show any slights to it. After receiving the news, they gave some hasty instructions to their subordinates. Regardless of the fact that it was already late at night, they took only a few followers with them and set out from the camp with torches. They all arrived in front of the emperor's tent early the next morning.
Because Zhou Buyi was the farthest away, he naturally arrived the latest. When he arrived at the Huaibei Camp, it was almost Chen time, and the soldiers in the Huaibei Camp were having breakfast. Today, meat soup was prepared in the military camp, and the aroma wafted out from the noisy crowd, making Zhou Buyi feel even more hungry. But he didn't dare to stop, but walked straight towards the emperor's tent.
There was order and silence in front of the emperor's tent, and there was no noise in the outer camp. Zhou Buyi saw two familiar figures in the distance. When he got closer, he saw that they were indeed Huang Quan and Guo Huai, but they were standing hard in front of the tent. After saying hello, Guo and Huang hurriedly returned the greeting. When the three of them looked at each other, they found that everyone looked tired and their eyes were red, and they couldn't help but smile with a bit of sympathy. It's just that Bu Dou knows that he is not in trouble, but the two people in front of him are not so good.
Zhou Bujiu asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty has invited us to come, why don't you two go in?"
Guo Huai replied: "Well, Your Majesty is having a meal in the tent and said he would talk to us later."
Speaking of this, Zhou Buyi felt even more empty in his stomach and asked, "Have you two had a meal?"
Before Guo and Huang could answer, the emperor's rebuke came from inside the tent: "How many people have been killed because of their inappropriate behavior and insubordination?! You have only been standing here for a few moments, don't you still feel aggrieved? Come in and talk!" "
The three of them quickly opened the tent and went in. They saw the emperor sitting in front of the case wearing a round-neck underwear and a long robe. He was bareheaded and staring at the map on the case. There was a bowl of meat soup lying on the map, but one mouthful had not been touched, and there was no heat on the soup. It had obviously been left out for too long and had become cold.
Originally, several people were ready to be scolded, but unexpectedly, the emperor's tone was cold. He waved his hands to several people and said without raising his head: "You are all my appointed generals, and I won't say any more words." . It is a taboo to change generals on the spot, so I do not intend to pursue the matter of previous defeats, but I have also made up my mind that if I cannot win this battle, I will not return to the court. You should also be prepared, either to achieve glory or glory. The bones are buried here, there is no other way out!" After saying that, Guo Huai and Huang Quan were ordered to come forward and describe their gains and losses in the battle.
Guo Huai had already prepared a plan on the way. Whenever the emperor asked something, he would immediately answer it. Regarding the Battle of Bagong Mountain, he summarized his mistakes in the battle into three points: First, he failed to detect the enemy's movements after encountering heavy fog, causing the reinforcements to go up the mountain without knowing it; second, he had the intention of underestimating the enemy because the Han army had previously After winning several battles, he thought it would be easy for the Wu people, so he used infantry to attack up the mountain when the Wu people had the advantage. This was really an unwise move and was also the main reason for the defeat of this battle; thirdly, it was his first time commanding an army, and his experience It was insufficient and the command was improper. During the war, the troops were not reserved, but the whole army pressed forward. As a result, after the forwards collapsed, the rear troops followed closely behind, and the result was a complete collapse.
After summarizing his mistakes, Guo Huai then described what he gained from this battle: Although this battle was a setback, it also made him understand the style of the Wu people better. It can be simply called generals but no soldiers. The generals of the Wu people are not bad. Lu Su built camps at Bagong Mountain, connected end to end, taking care of each other, forming a system of its own, and contrary to common sense. It can be said that he knew the geographical advantages well, while Lu Meng marched and set up battle formations, planning and predicting the enemy. , are all superior to him, and there are also generals who are determined to fight decisively. For example, Zhu Ran can lead his troops lightly armed and go deep behind the enemy's rear to fight bloody battles with the sergeants. But it is a pity that these generals are hampered by the quality of their soldiers. The Wu army can perform well in counterattacks and downwind battles, but once it reaches a decisive battle, it will become timid. If the casualties increase slightly, the Wu army cannot maintain The offensive shows that the Wu people have no ability to fight decisively on land.
After Guo Huai finished speaking, it was Huang Quan's turn to discuss the situation of the navy. After all, according to the original plan, he was responsible for blocking the Wu army's reinforcements from moving northward. As a result, he had no news about the Wu army's northward movement, and did not take the opportunity to obtain victory in Shouchun. This has to be said to be his dereliction of duty. Huang Quan did not refuse this, but said that he was a demoted general and lacked ability. He begged the emperor to replace him and find another famous general. But everyone could tell that this was actually saying that his reputation was shallow and he could not convince the public in the army, so he evolved like this.
Liu Xie didn't say much about this, but took out a sword behind him, threw it to Huang Quan, and then said: "This is the Zhongxing sword that the late emperor often wore. Now I give it to you, but some people in the army don't listen." Order, you will use this sword to chop off his head!" Huang Quan was about to refuse, but Liu Xie said again: "General, does he want me to admit that I am blind in my selection of generals?" Huang Quan then accepted it.
In this way, the defeat the day before yesterday was finally settled. Liu Xie's expression softened a little, and he asked the three of them to sit down on the left and right, and then asked the attendants to fetch some meat soup, so that the three of them could discuss the next move while eating.
Liu Xie was most concerned about the current arrangement of the Wu army. He repeatedly confirmed it with Guo Huai and Huang Quan, and then marked them one by one on the Huainan map: After Lu Meng led the reinforcements to Bagong Mountain, there were about 50,000 Wu troops here. There are 20,000 defenders in Shouchun, 40,000 naval troops in Daze, Shaopi, 20,000 in Hefei City, and 10,000 in Zhongli and Dangtu. These are all arrangements with proven numbers. The remaining Wu troops are stationed in the Lu'an and Bo'an areas. Based on this, it can be estimated that there are about 30,000 people here. And according to the current situation, the famous generals of the Wu people have gathered at the Shouchun-Bagong Mountain defense line. , the person setting up defense here will not be a strongman.
After making this estimate, Liu Xie breathed a sigh of relief. He finally turned his head to look at Zhou Buji, then turned back and asked Guo Huai and Huang Quan: "After resting, how many days can you make a feint attack?" ?”
Guo Huai estimated: "Based on the experience of crossing the river last time, it will take about ten days this time."
Huang Quan replied: "Your Majesty, there are no feints in water battles. When we meet, it is a decisive battle."
Liu Xie thought for a while and said to Huang Quan: "Then withdraw the navy from Shouchun. You and Bo Ji will join forces and fight in front of Bagong Mountain." He also told Guo Huai: "Young Master Heng Xiangzhu, I asked you to surround Bagong Mountain, not to climb up the mountain to defeat, but to trap the rebel army to death, can you do it?"
Guo Huai nodded and responded: "Even if the army can be defeated again, I have no shame in seeing Your Majesty again. I will bring the leader of the thieves to see you!"
After the other two armies had finished discussing, Liu Xie once again turned his attention to Zhou Buyi and said to him: "Wen Zhi, in five days, I want you to lead a large army southward, and go straight to the enemy to force the Wu people to retreat. In this way, when the traitor is choked, he will definitely be frightened and hastily withdraw his troops. If Gong Heng and Bo Ji take advantage of the situation to pursue them, they will definitely win. The victory or defeat of Huainan depends on you."
Several people were shocked when they heard this. Although the emperor likes to be arbitrary, his relationship with Zhou Buji is unusual. When he usually talks about national affairs with him, Liu Xie will humbly ask for advice and ask Zhou Buji's opinion. But this time, his words were firm and there was no trace of discussion. room.
Zhou Buji knew very well that Liu Xie attached great importance to this war, and immediately expressed his position: "Your Majesty has such high hopes for me, and I will wear a grass ring, and my brain will be wiped out, even if I die on the battlefield, I will not hesitate!"
After hearing this, Liu Xie laughed and said, "Why is Wenzhi like this? After I'm in the world, I plan to share the peace with you and talk about poetry and scriptures!" At this point, he pulled out another silk book from under the map, and continued He said to everyone: "There is a letter from the palace saying that the queen's illness is much better. In two or three months, I will have my first child. It has been so long since I started a family. I only understand now that the ancients said that parents love their children. This is such a far-reaching plan, what a headache it is. The late Emperor left these nine points of the world for me and passed it on to the next generation. I think it should be peaceful."
Having said this, the atmosphere in the tent had relaxed a lot, and the three people quickly congratulated Liu Xie. Seeing that they were tired, Liu Xie knew that it was not appropriate to say any more, so he finally said: "You have been traveling all night, take a rest early, and then go back to make arrangements. Don't let me down again." Then he pointed at his red eyes and laughed at himself. Said: "Don't look at me being complacent in front of you and others, but when I heard the news of the defeat, I also tossed and turned and couldn't sleep at night!"
At this point, the conversation was finally over. After leaving the tent, the three of them looked at each other a little bit, especially Guo and Huang. They thought they were going to face a catastrophe, but unexpectedly they were not damaged at all. Instead, they saw another side of the emperor. They were a little moved for a moment, and thought of it. The emperor's plan made them feel more responsible and uneasy. Zhou Buyi's expression remained as usual, and he comforted the two of them and said, "You two have accomplished your mission by transferring the Wu army to around Shouchun. All major events from now on will depend on our department. You two can just act as usual." Then he actually said: Without resting, he immediately rode his horse to the left camp and galloped back.
Zhou Buji's words certainly made sense. In the original plan, the left army was the key to defeating the enemy, so the emperor placed most of his elite troops there. However, the situation was never clear, so he never dispatched it. Now that Wu Jun's arrangement has been figured out, it is time for the left army to make a contribution. But in terms of military tactics, Zhou Bujie wanted to lead his army directly into the heart of the Wu army. This was not only a strange move for the Wu army, but also a dangerous move for the Han army. After all, in a sense, this was to Put yourself in danger. But now that the decision has been made, there is no possibility of going back and changing it. The key to final victory or defeat can only depend on one's own struggle and the illusory destiny.
