Sima Yi was defeated in the duel, which frustrated the morale of the army and counterattacked Luoyang, but encountered disadvantages.
But then, Sima Yi received good news - Zhang Fei died in Luoyang City due to excessive injuries.
The cause of Zhang Fei's death happened to be the battle between Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang.
Although Sima Yi knew that Zhang Fei's death did not have much practical significance for the attack on Luoyang City, Sima Yi needed such news now.
On the one hand, it can re-boost the morale of the army. Although we lost on the frontal battlefield, rounding off we can be considered as killing the enemy general. We lost, but not completely.
On the other hand, Sima Yi needed to use this news to regain enough trust and time for himself in the Wei Dynasty to counterattack Luoyang.
In this engagement outside the east gate of Luoyang City, the losses suffered by both sides were within acceptable limits, but the political influence of this battle was more important than the so-called battle losses.
Sima Yi lost this battle, and there was a lot of turmoil in Hedong, Hebei, and even Yanzhou. Sima Yi didn't have to think about what kind of impeachment he would face once the news came back to Yecheng.
Therefore, Sima Yi must show some justifiable achievements to stand up for himself and prove that he can still control the situation of counterattacking Luoyang. Although it is a bit shameless, Sima Yi can also use the news of Zhang Fei's death. For a moment.
Therefore, in the battle report sent by Sima Yi to Yecheng, Zhang Fei's death was that he was besieged by the Wei army on the battlefield and died of his injuries.
You may be wrong, but you are right. Zhang Fei did die from his injuries after a fierce battle on the battlefield.
But the problem is that Sima Yi didn't mention it at all. It was Zhang Fei who shot himself with an arrow, which caused the army to lose morale. In the end, Zhuge Liang seized the opportunity to defeat the Wei army.
Therefore, when this memorial was sent to Cao Rui, it gave Cao Rui the feeling that "although we were slightly defeated, we killed the Shu thief general."
Well, if it weren't for the military report sent by Xiahou Ba, which described the process of this battle in detail, Cao Rui might have really believed it.
When Xiahou Ba's military report and Sima Yi's memorial were put together, Cao Rui was angry and angry, but there was nothing he could do about it.
What made him angry was that Sima Yi actually started to play this little trick, lying about the military situation and fooling himself.
As an emperor, Cao Rui could not tolerate this kind of leading general, no matter how talented he was.
An emperor can tolerate your failure, but he will never tolerate you deceiving Sima Yi and committing a taboo.
But Cao Rui is really helpless.
Because, at the same time that Sima Yi and Xiahou Ba sent a military report and memorial, Cao Zhen, who was in Hongnong County, also sent a memorial.
Rather than saying it is a memorial, it is better to say it is a document of apology.
Sima Yi was defeated, but compared with Cao Zhen, Sima Yi suffered more than 7,000 casualties in the first battle, which was really good. Cao Zhen's side was almost wiped out! ! !
As soon as he saw this battle report, Cao Rui was really puzzled - since his uncle in the family had been fighting others smoothly and happily, why did he stretch his hips so much when he met the Shu thieves? !
I really don’t blame Cao Rui for thinking this way. In fact, Cao Zhen’s performance in Hongnong County this time was not as good as his previous performance against Shu thieves in Guanzhong.
Originally, Cao Zhen fought well at the beginning. Whether he crossed the Yellow River and invaded Hongnong County, or pushed all the way to break Mianchi, he forced the Shu thieves to retreat to Xin'an. Behind Xin'an is Hangu Pass, and behind Hangu Pass, It’s Luoyang.
In other words, as long as Cao Zhen continues to push forward like this, with 30,000 Bingzhou troops pushing all the way past Hangu Pass to form an encirclement of Luoyang, the success rate of counterattacking Luoyang will be more than 60%.
But at this time, Cao Zhen's house was stolen.
Zhao Yun, who was stationed in Guanzhong, suddenly led a reinforcement force of 20,000 Shu thieves, entered Hongnong County from Tongguan, and directly attacked Cao Zhen's back road, Shaanxi County, which was also the place where grain and grass were stored.
There is something very outrageous here that Cao Rui cannot understand.
Back then, Cao Zhen also fought in the Tongguan defense battle. Cao Zhen should not know the importance of Tongguan to Hongnong. But why did Cao Zhen not divide his troops to capture Tongguan as soon as possible after entering Hongnong County, but chose to go all the way? What about the brain's eastward thrust? !
This was the first time that Cao Rui couldn't understand his uncle's use of troops.
As for the second one, this was Cao Zhen's next response, which Cao Rui couldn't understand.
After learning that his own retreat was lost, Cao Zhen did return for reinforcements, but he did not send back the entire army for reinforcements. Instead, he divided his troops to return reinforcements, and the number of divided troops was only 10,000.
Then these ten thousand people were ambushed by the Shu bandit Zhao Yun on the road between Shaanxi County and Mianchi.
What's even more terrible is that Zhao Yun not only used 10,000 infantry to surround the Wei reinforcements this time, but also sent 5,000 elite cavalry.
In the plain area, the role of five thousand elite cavalry can be imagined. The ten thousand reinforcements sent by Cao Zhen returned in defeat. The number of people who could run back to join Cao Zhen was not even three thousand.
In the first battle, more than 7,000 people were directly lost.
Later, Cao Zhen realized the seriousness of the problem and began to return to the army to rescue Shaanxi County. However, he fought three consecutive fierce battles with Zhao Yun in the middle, but was always suppressed by the 5,000 cavalry legion led by Zhao Yun. He was defeated three times. In the end, Cao Zhen suffered a lot of losses and only Neng was helpless and led more than 17,000 people to retreat to Shaanxian County, unable to carry out his plan to advance eastward and besiege Luoyang.
But at this point, another question that Cao Rui couldn't understand arose. Where did the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, which was famous in the past, go? !
Cao Rui really couldn't understand his uncle's military tactics, but Cao Zhen, who was in Shaanxi County, actually had nothing to argue with.
In this attack on Hongnong County, even Cao Zhen himself felt that what he had beaten was like shit.
He did not divide his troops to attack Tongguan. Cao Zhen relied entirely on himself. He believed that his troops had an absolute advantage and his soldiers were stronger than Wang Chang's group of Hongnong County recruits. He could easily push all the way to Luoyang.
As long as he can reach Luoyang City, Cao Zhen doesn't have to worry about any logistical supply issues at all. He can obtain grain and grass supplies through Sima Yi and Sima Division who besieged Luoyang. Whether Shaanxi County is still in his hands is not a big problem.
But Cao Zhen didn't expect that his original subordinate Wang Chang would be so difficult to deal with. Although Cao Zhen defeated the two county towns of Shaanxi County and Mianchi and had already attacked Xin'an County, it took more than a month.
At this time, Cao Zhen's troops and horses were all gathered in Xin'an County. Let alone dividing his troops to attack Tongguan, he was already far away from Shaanxi County.
So when Zhao Yun's troops left Tongguan, the distance between the Han army and Shaanxi County was closer than the distance when Cao Zhen returned to support Shaanxi County.
The second point that Cao Rui didn't understand was that Cao Zhen was too trusting, which led to his own mistakes in judgment.
Cao Zhen received an urgent report from Qin Lang stationed in Shaanxi County, saying that Shu thieves were besieging Shaanxian County, and asked Cao Zhen to return to the army immediately for rescue. At this time, Xin'an County, which Wang Chang was guarding, was in danger.
Today, Wang Chang's men have been reduced from 14,000 to less than 10,000.
Most of Wang Chang's subordinates are new recruits with insufficient combat experience and morale. Cao Zhen can still judge this. Of course, Cao Zhen, who has been on the battlefield for a long time, is also very clear about the recruits' sustained combat capabilities.
As long as Cao Cao can really break through Xin'an this time, Wang Chang, who lost two battles and two cities in a row, will not have the confidence to continue to retreat to Hangu Pass.
Therefore, strictly speaking, the only thing standing in front of Cao Zhen was Xin'an City.
Therefore, Cao Zhen did not want to give up the hope of finally conquering Xin'an City. He only sent Dai Ling and led 10,000 soldiers back to aid Shaanxi County. The purpose was to help Qin Lang defend Shaanxian County and ensure that he would not lose his food routes in a short period of time.
Originally, Cao Zhen thought that although Qin Lang was not capable enough, with 10,000 reinforcements and Dai Ling's help, at least defending the city should be no problem. However, Cao Zhen really didn't know that Qin Lang actually allowed Zhao Yun to mobilize a team of soldiers so easily. Ten thousand infantry and five thousand cavalry are here to set up an ambush to surround and suppress your reinforcements.
If the intelligence is true and Zhao Yun only brought 20,000 people into Hongnong County, then when Zhao Yun set up an ambush for his reinforcements, the number of Shu thieves who besieged Shaanxi County was only 5,000. Is Qin Lang a dead man? ! Such a small number of people can trap you, so that you can't even send out a warning, just sit back and watch your reinforcements being ambushed? !
And Dai Ling is also a fool. With an army of ten thousand, even if you are ambushed, you shouldn't be completely trapped and then ravaged back and forth by cavalry, right? !
Even if you can't do it, can't you make an orderly retreat? !
Really, sometimes, Cao Zhen really has a feeling. It's not that the Shu thieves are cunning, nor that I am incompetent, but my teammates are really in trouble.
Well, Cao Zhen may still have room to shirk the blame on this matter, but then, Cao Zhen has to admit that he is actually not much better, and is also a huge pit.
Cao Zhen gave up the siege of Xin'an County and returned the entire army to support Shaanxi County to protect his own retreat. He marched cautiously along the way and inevitably fought with Zhao Yun's troops three times in a row.
They lost in the same place every time - the infantry was entangled by the Shu thieves, but the own cavalry team sent to intercept the Shu thieves cavalry was broken through by the Shu thieves cavalry every time and suffered heavy damage.
Zhao Yun's five thousand cavalry really became a decisive weapon on the battlefield.
Cao Zhen did have cavalry on his side, but only the two thousand cavalry directly under Cao Zhen's headquarters could not stop Zhao Yun's cavalry attack.
As for Cao Rui's doubts, it is also what Cao Zhen regrets most now.
Bingzhou is a place where cavalry is sent out. Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry once followed Lu Bu in battles, and his reputation spread all over the world.
But, most of the Bingzhou cavalry remained in Bingzhou to deal with external threats from foreign tribes such as Wuhuan, as well as to check and balance the internal Southern Xiongnu tribes to prevent them from causing chaos.
The 30,000 Bingzhou troops that Qin Lang transferred to Hedong County were actually mainly 20,000 Bingzhou infantry and 10,000 Bingzhou cavalry.
But no matter what, Qin Lang still mobilized 10,000 cavalry to go south. However, after crossing the Yellow River, Cao Zhen ordered that only 2,000 cavalry be retained. The remaining 8,000 cavalry were transferred from cavalry to infantry. .
After all, according to Cao Zhen's prediction, most of the next march will involve siege battles. In this case, the cavalry can only watch helplessly and cannot help at all.
In addition, Cao Zhen also wanted to pursue speed when he crossed the river to attack Hongnong. When the cavalry crossed the river, they not only had to transport soldiers, but also horses and various logistical supplies needed by the cavalry. It was too time-consuming.
Therefore, Cao Zhen decided to retain only 2,000 cavalry and convert the remaining 8,000 cavalry into infantry. This would not only improve the army's siege capabilities, but also reduce the time of crossing the river and logistical pressure.
Then, Cao Zhen was restrained by the five thousand Liangzhou cavalry led by Zhao Yun, and finally had to retreat to Shaanxi County to wait for changes.
(End of chapter)
