Zhang He was stupid, really.
You don't play tricks on people like this.
He fought tooth and nail to block Liu Bei's attack. As a result, Xia Houyuan, the commander-in-chief, only took 400 men to repair the antlers, and was beheaded by the enemy veteran Huang Zhong. So what to do next? !
Today's army is not the highly organized and disciplined army of later generations. The death of an army commander is enough to cause an army to collapse on the spot.
Zhang He knew very well that if he allowed the army to collapse now, he would not be able to escape in the face of Liu Bei's pursuit.
So Zhang He quickly found the warlord Du Xi and the military commander Guo Huai to discuss countermeasures.
Guo Huai and Du Xi also knew the seriousness of this matter, so Guo Huai simply proposed that Zhang He should temporarily take over the post of general and lead the remaining soldiers back to Yangping Pass to join Xu Huang and wait for reinforcements.
Guo Huai was the army commander and Du Xi was the military governor. The two agreed, and Zhang He had no worries. The key was that Zhang He didn't want to die in Hanzhong inexplicably.
Xia Houyuan's death was inexplicable enough. It would be really funny if he also died because of the defeat.
Therefore, Zhang He gathered the remaining troops, fought and retreated with Liu Bei's army, and slowly retreated to the direction of Yangping Pass, joining Xu Huang who was left behind, and together they defended Yangping Pass.
At the same time, he quickly wrote a letter to tell King Wei Cao Cao about the changes in Hanzhong. The rest of the matter can only be left to King Wei to worry about.
Zhang He and Xu Huang were both high-ranking officials in the army. They both knew that King Wei had arrived in Chang'an and that it would only take more than ten days to enter Hanzhong.
Given the strength of Yangping Pass, holding on for more than ten days is not a big problem.
As for Liu Bei, he didn't expect to attack Yangping Pass with less than 20,000 people brought over the mountains. If Cao Cao suddenly came from behind, he would have nowhere to run.
So Liu Bei returned to the camp on Dingjun Mountain. First, he praised Huang Zhong heavily and rewarded Huang Zhong for his extraordinary achievements. At the same time, he also collected Xia Houyuan's body and buried it on Dingjun Mountain.
First of all, Xia Houyuan is also a world-famous general. Although his stance is different, Liu Bei will still give him the treatment he deserves after his death.
Secondly, we can’t make it too difficult for the third brother.
Zhang Fei's wife is Xia Houyuan's niece, and she is the kind of person who has great kindness.
Back then, Xia Houyuan gave up one of his sons in order to support his niece.
Although the positions were different during his lifetime, having a good burial after death can be regarded as an explanation to his younger siblings.
Then, Liu Bei immediately ordered Wei Yan and Wu Yi to lead some soldiers and horses to station in front of Yangping Pass to continue to create pressure on Yangping Pass.
Zhao Yun and Pang Tong led the remaining troops to come from Micang Mountain Road to help and stationed themselves on Dingjun Mountain.
At the same time, Gao Xiang and Huang Quan were asked to prepare in advance, hoard grain and grass on Micang Mountain, and guard the grain road as the rear wing of the army.
After doing these things, Liu Bei happily told Fazheng and Pang Tong that now even if Cao Cao personally leads the troops, he is no longer afraid of him.
At this time, Cao Cao was suffering from headache.
The fall of Xiangfan caused Cao Cao's headache again.
However, Cao Cao made the decision despite his head infection. He sent Jiang Ji as envoy to Jiangdong, sent Xiahou Shang to support Cao Ren, and sent Sima Yi to take charge of Xudu. After doing these things, Cao Cao's headache was much better.
After that, things developed more and more favorably for Cao Cao.
Jiang Ji sent a letter from Jiangdong, saying that Sun Quan had accepted the imperial edict. Jiang Ji also stayed in Jiangdong and urged Jiangdong to send troops to attack Jingzhou.
Good news also came from Cao Ren. He had suppressed Hou Yin's rebellion and had now captured Wancheng. He was resting and cleaning up the mess.
Sima Yi also rushed to Xudu quickly, strengthened the city defense, contacted the defenders in Runan, and prepared well to prepare for Guan Yu's surprise attack on Xudu.
Three pieces of good news finally made Cao Cao's situation much better. Cao Cao decided to send troops to Hanzhong to support Xia Houyuan in the near future.
Then, Cao Cao received a battle report that Xiahou Yuan was killed and Hanzhong was in danger.
Cao Cao was almost out of breath, his eyes darkened, and he passed out.
After waking up, Cao Cao had a splitting headache. With such a strong headache, he ordered the three armies to immediately set up troops and go to Hanzhong. Cao Cao wanted to fight Liu Bei to the death.
After explaining this, Cao Cao dismissed his men and burst into tears alone.
Although Cao Cao was a traitor and did not trust anyone, he had a really good relationship with his brothers from the Cao family and the Xiahou family, and he was willing to leave military and political power to them.
Xia Houyuan's death was so sudden. Cao Cao endured the grief in his heart. After making military arrangements, he couldn't help it anymore and cried alone in tears.
After crying for a day and a night, Cao Cao finally regained his composure for the time being. He didn't care anymore and led his army to Hanzhong to fight Liu Bei to the death.
At this time, Cao Cao no longer had Jiang Ji or Sima Yi. Of course, with their personalities, they probably would not advise Cao Cao when encountering such a thing.
Therefore, when Cao Cao wanted to lead his army forward, no one dared to dissuade him.
However, Cao Zhang asked Cao Cao if he wanted to tell his clan uncle Cao Ren about this matter. This was a tactful reminder to Cao Cao that there was still something unarranged in Xiangfan.
After Cao Cao came to his senses, he immediately sent someone to report the funeral to Cao Ren in Wancheng. At the same time, he ordered Cao Ren to lead his army to Xiangfan as soon as possible, and attack Guan Yu quickly while Guan Yu's foothold was not stable, and not allow Guan Yu to go north.
Then, Cao Cao endured another headache and made a decision - he ordered Zhang Liao, the defender of Hefei, to join Zang Ba in Xuzhou. The two led the Xuzhou army as Cao Ren's backup to attack Xiangfan.
At the same time, Le Jin was ordered to guard Hefei. If there was a fierce attack by Jiangdong's army, Le Jin was allowed to abandon Hefei and retreat to Huaibei. It didn't matter if he gave up the Huainan area to Jiangdong. As long as he ensured that Huaibei was not lost and defended Runan's flank.
Cao Cao was taking a risk, betting that Jiangdong would be willing to obey his orders and attack Jingzhou secretly.
As long as Jiangdong makes a sneak attack on Jingzhou, the threats in Xiangfan and Huainan will be eliminated. As long as he defeats Liu Bei in Hanzhong, he will still have the initiative to unify the world.
If Jiangdong does not attack Jingzhou and instead attacks Hefei eastward, then Cao Cao may not be able to keep Huainan and Huaibei, or even lose Xuzhou and Qingzhou.
After all, there are no garrison troops left over there.
But Cao Cao thought about it and thought about it, and he still felt that Liu Bei was his biggest enemy, so he must not let go in the direction of Hanzhong and Xiangfan, and Liu Bei must be blocked in Yizhou.
As for Jiangdong, with Sun Quan's ability as a child, even if he were allowed to occupy Qingxu in the Huaihe River, he wouldn't be able to hold it, and he would get it back sooner or later.
After completing these things, Cao Cao continued to lead his troops westward to Hanzhong.
When Cao Ren of Wancheng learned the news that Xia Houyuan had been killed in battle, he was distraught and committed a tragic act that outraged both humans and gods.
He indulged his soldiers and massacred Wancheng.
Of course, this was something Cao Cao himself had not thought of. Maybe Cao Cao would not care if he knew about it.
Anyway, there are thirteen records of Cao Wei's massacres in the annals of history. Cao Cao himself massacred a total of five times, and the remaining eight were caused by Cao Cao's indulgence in massacres by his own men.
As for the small-scale massacres that have not been seen in the annals of history, I really don’t know how many there are.
The regulations of Cao Wei in the early days were so cruel: Cao Jun could accept enemy troops who surrendered before Cao Jun's siege, and would give preferential treatment. However, those who surrendered after Cao Jun's siege would not be accepted. Not only was the surrender not accepted, but according to the regulations, the city was Once captured, the city will be massacred.
Don't talk about "Tu" meaning conquering. This is pure nonsense.
There are indeed some differences between the word "tu" in modern and ancient contexts, but in terms of actual effects, the difference is really not big.
In ancient times, "Tu" did have the meaning of "conquering a city and killing many people." The superficial meaning did mean that after the city was broken, those defenders who did not surrender were killed, and it did not seem to involve the common people.
But the problem is that the organization and discipline of the ancient armies were just that, especially the armies under Cao Cao. It was common for them to take advantage of chaos and plunder the people. Do you expect them to stick to their moral principles and not kill the people? !
What's more, there are clear historical records of Cao Cao's massacre of Xuzhou, which meant the massacre of the people. Even Chen Shou said that Cao Cao "slaughtered too much". Besides, Cao Cao's "slaughter" meant conquering, so he was too thick-skinned.
Of course, based on the troubled times, it can be understood that this is an extreme method used by Cao Cao to quickly calm down the troubled times. The purpose is to intimidate some unsteady defenders and reduce casualties during the siege. But when it is time to slaughter, he never No mercy ever.
In some places, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so Cao Cao was not forced to do this. For example, after defeating Wuhuan, Cao Cao massacred Liucheng. Most likely, it was to frighten other foreign races so that they would not dare to despise the Central Plains. But this time he massacred Wancheng, which was just to vent his personal anger. .
I can understand Cao Cao's purpose of formulating the military regulations to massacre the city, but this kind of approach of taking human life without taking human life seriously is really unacceptable.
Guan Yu is one of these people who cannot accept it.
When he was in Xiangyang, he heard that Cao Ren had massacred Wancheng. Guan Yu was furious and went directly to Fancheng to find Zhang Xi and seek the possibility of sending troops to attack Wancheng.
Although Zhang Xi also hated Cao Ren's actions, there were many ways to vent his anger, but what was the point of venting his anger on innocent people? !
But, it really doesn’t work.
"Your Majesty, Feixi is unwilling. It's just that the flood is receding and Xiangfan is not yet stable. We should not move lightly!" Zhang Xi himself was also suppressing his anger, but he had to persuade Guan Yu, "Furthermore, north of Fancheng to Wancheng , most of the plains are suitable for Cao's cavalry to fight. If we lead the infantry there, we may not be the enemy. It is better to defend the city!"
One more thing, Zhang Xi couldn't say that by the time the news reached Xiangfan, they might have finished slaughtering them long ago, and they wouldn't be able to save anyone, so he had better endure it for now.
Guan Yu obviously knew that this could only be the case, he was just angry.
Besides, Guan Yu doesn’t have to worry.
Anyway, Cao Renpiu is stationed in Wancheng. If Cao Jun wants to attack Xiangfan, Cao Renpiu will definitely be the commander. It is better to wait in Xiangfan and wait for this shameless man to come to his door.
But talking about the defense of Xiangfan, Guan Yu finally remembered that he still had a very important matter to discuss with Zhang Xi.
Should we mobilize troops from Nan County? !
Guan Yu has been thinking about this for a long time and has always wanted to talk to Zhang Xi, but unfortunately Guan Yu is in Xiangyang and Zhang Xi is stationed in Fancheng. The two of them can't leave their station for a while.
And both of them are very busy during this time.
Zhang Xi was busy rectifying Fancheng's defenses, rebuilding the housing facilities in Fancheng, and repairing the water-soaked city walls. At the same time, he had to pay attention to preventing and controlling the plague. There will be a great epidemic after the disaster. The ancients must heed the lessons learned through their lives.
And Guan Yu is also very busy. He has been busy sorting out the affairs in Xiangyang City. He also has to deal with government affairs, appease surrendering officials and army sergeants, and is also responsible for dealing with the aristocratic families in the city and considering some exchange of interests. Son, Guan Yu is really not good at it.
Therefore, Guan Yu has written to Ma Liang, asking him to come to Xiangyang to help him if he can spare time. At least it would be better to leave things like dealing with aristocratic families to Ma Liang, who was born in a Jingzhou aristocratic family.
By the way, Guan Yu also asked Ma Liang to bring Fei Yi with him. This man was capable enough and might be able to help him handle government affairs.
After making these arrangements, Guan Yu finally found time to come to Zhang Xi to discuss the matter of transferring troops from Nanjun to the north.
Now, the flood outside Fancheng has receded long ago, but the ground is relatively muddy, which is not suitable for going out to fight and march.
Winter is coming soon. When the weather turns cooler and the ground freezes, Cao Jun will definitely send troops to attack Fancheng at this time.
With less than 40,000 troops currently available, Guan Yu always felt that he was a little short of troops.
In order to defend the Xiangfan Waterway, Guan Yu must prepare at least 20,000 naval troops.
In Xiangyang City, Guan Yu must leave at least 10,000 men to watch over the original 20,000 surrendered soldiers. Otherwise, once the front line starts fighting and there is a mutiny in Xiangyang City, that will be the most troublesome thing.
In the thirteenth year of Jian'an, Liu Bei suffered this loss and resisted Cao's soldiers in Fancheng. As a result, Xiangyang surrendered first, causing Liu Bei to be defeated and fled to Changbanpo.
With the lessons learned from the past, Guan Yu will not leave the aristocratic families and subordinates in Xiangyang alone. He must leave someone behind to keep an eye on these young men.
Therefore, Guan Yu could only put five to six thousand defenders in Fancheng.
This arrangement means that Guan Yu has allocated all the troops at hand. Guan Yu has no mobile troops at all. Once the battle situation reaches a stalemate, Guan Yu will be unable to do anything.
Therefore, Guan Yu came to Zhang Xi to discuss whether 10,000 soldiers from Nanjun could be transferred to Xiangyang to support him.
There is a lot of nonsense today, but the main reason is because when I was watching the video, I received some information that destroyed the three views. I insisted on saying that Cao Cao's "slaughter" of the city meant "conquering". Professor Yi Zhongtian only dared to use euphemisms to clear Cao Cao's name. He said that it was not necessarily Cao Cao's order, and he did not dare to deny the fact that Cao Cao's army massacred the city. Nowadays, some people really have no bottom line.
(End of chapter)
