Wang Chang admired Zhang He's determination and knew that since Zhang He said so, it was basically impossible for him to stop the old general from carrying out this dangerous plan.
Instead of trying to dissuade him, it would be better to help the veteran general advise him on how to make this battle plan more perfect and hide it from the enemy general as much as possible.
Wang Chang and Zhang He discussed seriously.
As for the Han army camp outside Wugong County, Gao Xiang has led more than 10,000 soldiers and escorted more than a thousand Wei army prisoners back to the camp outside Wugong County.
Of course, Feng Xi also came back with Gao Xiang.
The war has come to an end for now, and it’s time to talk about some things.
Therefore, Zhang Xi held a meeting in his military tent to focus on the problems that occurred in the previous battle and the areas that needed improvement.
As soon as the discussion began, Feng Xi knelt down and asked Zhang Xi to punish him.
Feng Xi is a loyal and brave person, and loyal and brave people are basically very responsible. Without this responsibility, it is impossible to be loyal and brave.
On the way back to the camp with Gao Xiang, Feng Xi finally calmed down and realized how big a mistake he had made.
As the remaining commander of the camp, Feng Xi actually forgot his most important duty and followed Zhang He all the way. If the camp was lost and the army had no camp to shelter, then Feng Xi's guilt would be even greater. .
The defeat to Zhang He in the previous battle as a vanguard was already Feng Xi's fault, but this time his fault was even greater.
Under the combined punishment of the two crimes, even Feng Xi felt that he should not be able to pass this test, and there was a high probability that he would be dismissed from the military and sent back to Chengdu.
Feng Xi was very reluctant, but the result of two defeats left Feng Xi speechless.
Really, if Gao Xiang hadn't been persuading Feng Xi all the way, Feng Xi would have thought of just wiping his neck and forget it. He really couldn't afford to embarrass this person.
Therefore, as soon as he returned to the camp and saw Zhang Xi, Feng Xi directly fell to the ground to plead guilty and listened to Zhang Xi's resignation without any thought of defending himself.
There is nothing to explain. After all, what Feng Xi did was indeed very disappointing.
To be honest, Zhang Xi really wanted to have a good talk with Feng Xi and talk about some of this guy's mistakes. But it was only limited to a good talk.
Zhang Xi is not the kind of leader who kills decisively.
After traveling for more than ten years, Zhang Xi has gradually become accustomed to the rules of life in this era, and understands that in this troubled world, sometimes it is really necessary to be ruthless, and it is not enough to convince people without heavy rules. But when things really come to a head, Zhang Xi Xi still has some womanly kindness.
This is Zhang Xi's shortcoming. Zhang Xi also knows that this is not good, but sometimes he always reacts subconsciously and cannot change it.
Furthermore, if Feng Xi really violated military law seriously, such as plundering the people with his troops, or escaping from battle, Zhang Xi would feel a little intolerable, but he would still kill him if he should, and he would not be merciless. But Feng Xi Xi's sins are really not that big.
Feng Xi underestimated the enemy, advanced rashly, and failed to abide by military orders, which resulted in the defeat. The only people he was sorry for were those soldiers under his command who were killed and injured due to his poor command. But these days, how many people care about the life and death of the soldiers at the bottom? !
Even the lower-level soldiers themselves don't care too much.
The values of these days are like this, and Zhang Xi also knows that he cannot do things outside of the values of this era, otherwise it will make the military generals feel unfair.
From the perspective of the generals in the army, Feng Xi did not collaborate with the enemy and betray his country, and he did not flee from the battlefield. The biggest crime was that he ignored his own responsibilities and pursued the enemy without permission, leaving the camp unattended.
This is considered leaving one's post without permission, which can be a minor or serious crime.
If the camp was lost, then Feng Xi's crime might be more serious. But the camp was not lost after all, which meant that Zhang Xi could not be too tough in dealing with Feng Xi.
To put it simply, although Feng Xi made a big mistake, the circumstances were not particularly serious and did not cause serious consequences. In future generations, he will be dealt with lightly.
But a lenient treatment is a lenient treatment. Zhang Xi is now a little reluctant to let Feng Xi lead the army alone. Even the deputy general is reluctant to let Feng Xi continue to work.
Such serious low-level mistakes were made twice. In Zhang Xi's opinion, Feng Xi is not a leading general who can take charge of his own affairs. If it were not for the war, Zhang Xi would have wanted to send Feng Xi directly to Liu Bei and let Liu Bei deal with it. .
Therefore, Zhang Xi thought about it for a while and said, "Feng Xi disrespected military orders and left his post without permission, leaving the camp unguarded and falling into danger. Although it was not a big mistake, his crime must not go unpunished."
This can be regarded as a characterization of Feng Xi's fault.
Next, it is time to determine an appropriate punishment method for Feng Xi's fault.
Zhang Xi said this and looked up at the reactions of the generals in the camp. No one stood up to intercede for Feng Xi.
Zhang Xi was also a little confused about Feng Xi's popularity, wasn't it a bit bad? !
Ma Su made such a big mistake, and many people stood up to plead for mercy. Chen Zhen even let Ma Su escape privately. Why did no one stand up and say a word about such a trivial matter as Feng Xi? !
If you don't give me a step up, I won't be able to take it easy.
Actually, it wasn't that Feng Xi was too popular, but that Zhang Xi underestimated his prestige in the military.
Although Zhang Xi has always felt that he should be classified as a counselor with Zhuge Liang and others, in fact, within the entire Jihan Group, Zhang Xi is a proper military hero and a famous general in the army, just like Guan Yu and Zhang Xi. Fei, Zhao Yun and others are in a group.
Moreover, in terms of military exploits alone, Zhang Xi may be second only to Guan Yu, and even Zhang Fei may not be able to compare with Zhang Xi who has greater military exploits.
Therefore, Zhang Xi wants to deal with Feng Xi in accordance with military law in the army. Who dares to stand up and persuade him? !
Besides, as far as Feng Xi is concerned, even if it is calculated strictly in accordance with military law, it is just a stick plus dismissal. If Zhang Xi is soft-hearted, it is not impossible to dismiss him and retain him. It does not cost Feng Xi's life. Everyone, please stand up. What are you advising? !
No one tried to persuade him, and Zhang Xi had no choice but to bite the bullet and find a way out.
"Feng Xi, I hope you have been with His Majesty for many years. You have always been diligent and loyal in your duties, and you have not made any big mistakes this time. Therefore," Zhang Xi said, glanced at Feng Xi who was still silent, gritted his teeth and said, "Drag him out, give him forty punishments, and demote him to lieutenant colonel. He will serve under Gao Xiang's tent."
After finishing speaking, Zhang Xi looked at the reactions of the generals in the army with some guilt, fearing that his punishment would be severe and everyone would be dissatisfied.
But Zhang Xi really thought too much.
Although it is very embarrassing for a general of Feng Xi's level to fight, Feng Xi's sins cannot be easily overturned if he does not fight.
Only forty strokes were considered a mild punishment.
As for the demotion, no one took it seriously.
Everyone is a warrior fighting on the battlefield. As long as their lives are still alive and relying on their own abilities, sooner or later they will be promoted and come back.
Therefore, in the eyes of the generals in the army, Zhang Xi's punishment was a bit light, but it was not unacceptable.
Besides, Feng Xi's popularity in the military is not as bad as Zhang Xi thought. On the contrary, Feng Xi's popularity is quite good.
If Zhang Xi insists on punishing Feng Xi severely and wants to kill him, maybe someone will stand up and give some tactful advice. Now that Zhang Xi is being punished lightly, what's the point? ! !
Gao Xiang was even afraid that Zhang Xi would change his mind. As soon as Zhang Xi finished speaking, he quickly called Jun Zheng into the tent and escorted Feng Xi out for execution, for fear that Zhang Xi would regret it.
The commotion made Zhang Xi a little strange. Why is this Gao Xiang more anxious than me? Could it be that he has a grudge against Feng Xi? !
I can't see it on ordinary days.
Well, no matter whether Gao Xiang has a grudge against Feng Xi or not, at least Gao Xiang can use it more easily than Feng Xi.
In this regard, Zhang Xi doesn't want to pursue it further, as long as it doesn't delay the business.
Next, Zhang Xi should discuss with the generals how to deal with Zhang He's next use of troops.
The previous strangulation battle was not completely successful after all. Zhang He returned to Wugong County with more than 5,000 people. Including the soldiers left behind in Wugong County, there should be about 6,000 people.
Although these troops are not large, it is still possible to march into Wuzhangyuan.
After Zhang Xi returned to the camp, he counted the soldiers and found that there were only about 13,000 soldiers under Zhang Xi who could still fight.
After the four thousand soldiers led by Feng Xi were defeated by Zhang He, they were scattered all over the mountains and plains.
Although Zhang Xi has sent Liu Yin to gather as many soldiers as possible, not even a thousand soldiers can return to the camp now.
Moreover, these people needed to be reorganized even after returning to the camp. They would not have combat effectiveness in a short period of time and could not directly participate in the battle. It happened that more than a thousand Wei soldiers were captured, so Zhang Xi simply arranged for them to guard the prisoners in the rear camp.
Coupled with the casualties and scattered soldiers in the previous strangulation battle, Zhang Xi only had so much combat power at his disposal.
To be honest, if it was under normal circumstances, whether it was the army led by Zhang He or Zhang Xi, if the casualty rate reached this level, the morale of the army would have been low long ago, and the army would be unable to fight anymore.
But this time there are somewhat special circumstances.
Although Zhang He's army suffered heavy casualties, they finally escaped from the enemy's encirclement and safely withdrew to Wugong County.
Although Zhang Xi did not completely annihilate Zhang He's rear army, he was able to encircle and annihilate more than 3,000 enemy troops. He also captured a lot of military flags, ordnance, and grain and grass. These are all military achievements.
Both armies did suffer heavy casualties and their morale was somewhat affected, but unexpectedly they were not to the point of being unable to fight.
Therefore, Zhang Xi did not think that Zhang He would choose to stay in Wugong County and give up marching to Wuzhangyuan.
Although Zhang Xi still had the advantage in military strength, his opponent was Zhang He after all. Zhang Xi had also experienced the combat effectiveness of the Wei Imperial Army under Zhang He, and he did not dare to take it lightly.
Just as Zhang He predicted, Zhang Xi had no intention of actively attacking Wugong County.
Although, siege is indeed a good way to completely contain Zhang He here, but it will also increase one's own casualties. In these days' siege battles, the attacker always suffers the most, because the lives of the soldiers are completely at stake. fill.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the leading generals will try to avoid direct siege warfare.
Although Zhang Xi's troops had an advantage, the organization and combat effectiveness of his soldiers could not compare with the elite Wei army on the opposite side. Once the losses are too great during the siege and Zhang He seizes the opportunity to attack and break the city, that will be the most fatal thing.
Therefore, Zhang Xi decided to keep an eye on the Wei army in Wugong County, strictly prevent the Wei army in Wugong County from invading Wuzhangyuan, and do a good job in flank protection.
After all, time is the best thing for you.
(End of chapter)
