Zhang Xi was ordered to lead his troops to march eastward from Shanggui. After marching less than fifty miles, he encountered the troops sent by Zhang He to block his advance.
Zhang Xi originally didn't want to attack directly like this, but he couldn't resist the old man Wei and asked for a fight. He also said that the morale of Cao's army would be affected due to the new defeat. Even if they were blocked, their combat power would not be too strong.
Zhang Xi thought about it and thought it made sense. Besides, it seemed unreasonable to retreat without even fighting when encountering an enemy.
Therefore, Zhang Xi agreed to Wei Yan's request to go to war and gave Wei Yan five thousand troops to attack the troops blocking the road.
Then Wei Yan easily defeated Cao's army of thousands of people blocking the road, and Cao's army was routed.
On a whim, Wei Yan was ready to pursue the victory, but Zhang Xi immediately offered gold and called Wei Yan back.
Zhang Xi just felt that the Wei army was defeated too simply, and he was worried that if Cao Jun ambushed behind him and Wei Yan pursued him, unnecessary losses would be caused.
Wei Yan was a man with a bad temper. When he heard Zhang Xi's request for gold, he immediately cursed and yelled something like "a cowardless person would not want to do some meritorious service". But in actual action, he still led the troops back to the camp obediently.
After responding, Wei Yan inevitably had a quarrel with Zhang Xi and ridiculed Zhang Xi for his timidity. Zhang Xi also responded to Wei Yan without any sign of weakness, saying that Wei Yan was just an ignorant and reckless man. After this quarrel, what should he do? What to do.
The next day, he continued to lead his troops eastward. After passing by the site of yesterday's fierce battle, the scouts reported that the enemy troops were retreating. Zhang Xi glanced sideways at Wei Yan, and Wei Yan snorted to express his dissatisfaction.
Then, this matter is over. Zhang Xi did not settle old scores, and Wei Yan had no intention of apologizing. It seemed that this matter never happened.
Jiang Wei, who came with the army to practice, was stunned for a moment when he saw how these two were getting along.
At first, Jiang Wei was still determined to be a mediator between Zhang Xi and Wei Yan. After all, the King of Hanzhong also told him when he came out for training that Zhang Xi and Wei Yan didn't get along, and he wanted to persuade them to reconcile at the critical moment, so as not to make mistakes Something big happened.
But Jiang Wei felt that there was no need to persuade him to make peace.
These two people really don't get along, and the words they say when they quarrel can make each other angry to death.
But when the war actually started, the two of them knew their responsibilities. Wei Yan would never disobey Zhang Xi's military orders, and Zhang Xi would never go over Wei Yan's old score. If it weren't for the fact that the content of these two quarrels was really not harmonious, it would really be impossible. I can't see any difference between these two people.
So. It’s really true these days that there are all kinds of generals and all kinds of relationships are not surprising.
Jiang Wei sighed while keeping his mouth shut. It was actually quite interesting for the spectators to watch these two bickering and quarreling, knowing that they would not cause any trouble.
Zhang Xi and Wei Yan were not in such a good mood as Jiang Wei. Both sides disliked each other. If it weren't for the critical moment of the war, who would be willing to talk to this guy.
When Zhang Xi led his troops to the west side of the Wei River and faced Zhang He's army stationed here, the two sides had another disagreement.
Zhang Xi's idea is to contact Zhao Yun and others first, establish contact between the two parties, and then join forces to confront Zhang He head-on.
But Wei Yan's idea is more radical.
In Wei Yan's view, Zhang He is now on the west bank of the Wei River, and the east bank is an undefended open space. It is better to take advantage of Cao Jun's temporary inability to take care of the defense of the east bank of the Wei River, and send troops to capture these places, so that Liu Bei's army can enter Guanzhong in the future. Seize enough strategic space.
Don't tell me, although Wei Yan's idea is a bit radical, Jiang Wei feels that Wei Yan's idea is right.
Now Cao's army is divided and retreating. According to the scout reports, Cao Ren has led his troops to push to Chang'an. There is indeed no Cao army defending part of the east bank of the Weishui River. It is a good opportunity to occupy the east bank of the Weishui River.
Not only will it free up a strategic area for Liu Bei in the future, but more importantly, it will force Zhang He on the west bank of the Weishui River to move his supply line to the west bank of the Weishui River, completely exposing him to the attack range of Zhao Yun and others.
In this case, Zhang He would not be able to stay on the west bank of the Wei River for a long time. If the east bank of the Wei River was occupied by Zhang Xi, then Zhang He would have to lead his troops to retreat along the Wei River to Chang'an.
This is a good strategy.
But Zhang Xi felt that with the resourcefulness of Cao Ren, Guo Huai, Zhang He and others, it was impossible not to see the defensive loopholes on the east bank of the Wei River. The peaceful appearance on the east bank of the Wei River was probably an illusion, just to attract his The army crossed the river and then made a half-crossing attack.
Indeed, judging from the current situation reported by sentry scouts, not many Wei troops have been found on the east bank of the Weishui River. With the speed of the infantry, it is impossible to bypass the sentry scouts and suddenly appear to attack themselves when they are crossing the river. But what about the cavalry? ? !
Cao Wei has no shortage of cavalry, and they are elite cavalry.
It would take half a day for him to lead his troops across the river, no matter how fast he was. And this half day was enough for Cao Wei's cavalry to set off forty miles away and launch an assault on his own army crossing the river. This distance was enough to avoid most of the troops he sent. Sent out.
Zhang Xi insisted that it was prudent to establish contact with Zhao Yun and others first. After all, Zhao Yun and others were now confronting Zhang He, and they did not have the upper hand in terms of military strength.
But if you add the 20,000 people you lead, you can really suppress Zhang He's defensive army, squeeze Zhang He's living space bit by bit, push Zhang He towards the Wei River, and force him to form a formation with his back to the water. Isn't it better? !
Don't really think that the classic example of "a last-ditch battle" can be used by everyone. Han Xin can use it because he is a soldier. For this last-ditch battle, Han Xin did not know how many arrangements he made in advance. Zhang He did not have this condition, nor I don’t have the time to make so many arrangements.
If you really want to force Zhang He to the point where his back is against the enemy, that is to simply force Zhang He into a desperate situation. As long as Zhang He is smart enough, he can only retreat one picture in advance, otherwise he will be trapped in a desperate situation and a dead end.
Isn't it good to use troops in an upright manner and use force to overwhelm others? Why do we always have to think about winning by surprise? !
After Zhang Xi said this, Jiang Wei hesitated for a moment, feeling that although Zhang Xi was a little too cautious in his use of troops, his worries were not unreasonable. At least he would not be defeated. But Wei Yan really couldn't bear it and continued to follow Zhang Xi. There was a lot of noise.
But Jiang Wei has gradually gotten used to this, let alone Zhang Xi.
Zhang Xi disagreed with Wei Yan's suggestion and sent a messenger to contact Zhao Yun and others, preparing to join forces to suppress Zhang He.
During the few days that Zhang Xi was waiting for Zhao Yun's reply, according to the scouting reports, many more Cao troops suddenly appeared in the counties and villages on the east bank of the Wei River. Most of these Cao troops came from the direction of Chang'an, which is now the east bank of the Wei River. , Cao Jun is strengthening the city defense and building walls in various dangerous places to guard against Liu Bei's army.
Now, it was Wei Yan's turn to roll his eyes at Zhang Xi, but Zhang Xi had a gloomy face and said nothing. He had overestimated the IQ of Cao Ren, a slippery fish, and missed a good opportunity.
Jiang Wei also sighed slightly, feeling it was a pity. But what Jiang Wei lamented even more was that at this time, Wei Yan's stubborn temper didn't take the opportunity to sneer at Zhang Xi or roll his eyes. Can this be considered a thing of the past? !
These two really have a subtle relationship.
But things were already like this, and there was no point in regretting it. Zhang Xi still contacted Zhao Yun according to the original plan. Then Zhao Yun's camp did not move, so Zhang Xi took the initiative to move the camp and join Zhao Yun.
After the reunification, Zhao Yun's army numbered 50,000, while Zhang He, who was holding firm on the banks of the Weishui River, even if he led Guo Huai's defeated troops, the total number was only more than 30,000.
Liu Beijun did form a strength advantage here.
When Zhang Xi and Zhao Yun combined, Zhao Yun also agreed with Zhang Xi's offensive strategy of overwhelming others. Therefore, under the leadership of Zhao Yun, Liu Bei's army dispatched across the board to attack the Wei army, trying to capture Zhang He and Guo Huai. Rush to the Wei River.
Zhang He and Guo Huai suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
Neither of these two are idiots. Zhang He has been in battle for a long time and has rich experience, while Guo Huai is a wise general and has outstanding abilities. Who among these two people can't see Liu Beijun's plan? !
But the problem is, just because you can see it, doesn't mean you can defeat it.
Zhang He and Guo Huai led Cao's army that retreated from Shanggui.
To put it nicely, it is called a retreat, but to put it worse, it is actually a retreat from Shanggui. Although the losses in personnel and ordnance were not large, the morale of the army must have been greatly affected.
As for Liu Bei's army on the opposite side, part of it was the Baijie soldiers who had broken through Baoxie Pass, part of it was the victorious army that had advanced all the way from Shangyong to the hinterland of Guanzhong, and part of it was the Northern Expeditionary Army that had just finished breaking off Long and came from Shanggui. How can you fight against an opponent like the main force? !
Both Guo Huai and Zhang He knew that the best way to break their own crisis was to defeat Liu Beijun head-on and boost the morale of their own army. But who is the head coach of Liu Beijun opposite, whether it is Zhao Yun or Zhang Xi, who will give you This opportunity? !
Even though Zhao Yun is usually a quiet person and seems to have little reputation, this man has never had any obvious defeats since he joined the army. Even in a situation as difficult as Changbanpo, he can lead hundreds of rangers to fight hard. Do you expect people like Gang Cao, Chun and Cao Xiu to make mistakes when they lead five thousand tiger and leopard cavalry? !
As for Zhang Xi, forget it, it's more prudent to hope that Zhao Yun will make mistakes.
Zhang He and Guo Huai were really anxious. Facing such an opponent and facing the enemy's advancing step by step, they really had no choice but to defend and delay the battle.
I hope Cao Ren, the boss, can have a little conscience. After returning to Chang'an, don't forget that there are still people standing by the Wei River. Whether it is sending people to support or letting the two return to Chang'an, it will be fine. At least give them an order.
Just one thing, don't let the two of them defend themselves on the west bank of the Weishui River, it's really a dead end.
(End of chapter)
