Ma Dai led the army to wreak havoc in Hedong County, and Zhang Xi led the army to hesitate at the gate of Wen County. At this time, Xuchang was already surrounded by Xu Shu's 130,000-strong army.
Chen Tai and Guo Huai were worried and had no choice.
The aristocratic families in Yingchuan County surrendered too quickly, causing them to be caught off guard.
According to Chen Tai's idea, under the current situation, it no longer makes sense to stick to Xuchang. Eighty percent of the aristocratic families in Yingchuan have chosen to surrender to the Shu thieves. Could it be that the aristocratic families in Xuchang City are so determined and willing to follow the two of them? Stick together? !
I'm afraid even Guo Huai, a foreigner, wouldn't believe this.
Therefore, Chen Tai's idea is to stop grinding and retreat to Yanling in the east before the Shu thieves have surrounded the city.
No matter how late it is, there will be no way out.
As for Guo Huai, Guo Huai thinks that if he holds on for another ten days or so, it should be no problem.
Are the aristocratic families in the city unstable? !
It doesn't matter, as long as Guo Huai and Chen Tai still control the military power, the wealthy families in the city will not dare to act rashly.
After all, although the Wei army is at a disadvantage, it may not be able to defeat the more than 100,000 Shu thieves who are outflanking them in three directions. However, there are still ways to deal with the wealthy families in the city, but the methods will be a bit cruel.
Furthermore, Guo Huai's reason for requesting to hold on for ten days is also very good. It is not yet known whether Sima Yi, the general who conquered the west, has withdrawn to Yanzhou, so Xuchang cannot retreat for the time being, and must contain the Shu thieves for a period of time. No Let the Shu thieves easily go north and threaten Sima Yi's flanks.
According to Guo Huai's estimate, about ten days is just right.
Although Guo Huai dislikes this Sima Yi very much, he, Guo Huai, is sticking to Xuchang now because he is considering the entire war situation, and he must stick to these ten days to be loyal to the Wei Dynasty.
Both sides had some differences, but fortunately, the two people did not have any conflicts because of this difference. After coordinating with each other, Chen Tai and Guo Huai reached an agreement and stayed for another five days.
So, the matter of moderation is not without any benefits.
It's just that Xu Shu is not a person who eats hard work.
Yes, the 100,000-strong army led by Xu Shu was a little slow in advancing, and they had to appease the aristocratic families in Yingchuan counties along the way. Especially in Yingyin County, it took an extra day and there was no way. The aristocratic families here were quite strong. More, it took an extra day to appease.
But Xu Shu finally arrived at Xuchang City the day before Chen Tai led his army to retreat.
Seeing that the Wei army was about to abandon the defense and retreat, Xu Shu entered the city and took over the defense of Xuchang. At the same time, he sent Hu Zun and 20,000 soldiers to follow and pursue, trying to hold back the retreating troops of Chen Tai and others.
Three days later, when Kou Feng led 40,000 troops and horses to Xuchang, Xu Shu once again sent 20,000 Liangzhou cavalry led by Pang De. Relying on the speed of the cavalry, they once again pursued the Wei army and cooperated with Hu Zun in the battle.
As for the direction of Changshe, there is no need for Xu Shu to send special orders. It was agreed before the war that as soon as Jiang Xu occupied Changshe, he would immediately rush east to attack Yanling and cut off the Wei army's retreat.
The ten thousand Wudang flying army led by Wang Ping had arrived less than eighty miles away from Yanling.
Now, it was a matter of whether Chen Tai and Guo Huai arrived at Yanling first, or Wang Ping and Pang De, who could complete the task of interception or pursuit first.
Xu Shu sat in Xuchang, getting close to the major Yingchuan families while waiting for military reports from the front.
Finally, Xu Shu waited for a piece of news that was not good, but not too bad either.
In the end, it was Chen Tai and Guo Huai who led the army to Yanling first.
Wang Ping really tried his best, but he only had ten thousand Wudang Feijun in his hand.
Wudang Feijun's offensive capabilities are very strong. Whether it is field battles or sieges, they have their own methods. But the problem is that Gao Tanglong, who is guarding Yanling, has 30,000 Wei troops in his hands.
The gap in military strength is too great.
It is true that Gao Tanglong is not very good at military tactics and battle formations, but he also had the experience of defending the city in Runan County. Coupled with his delicate mind, relying on the advantage of defending the city, he did not let Wang Ping succeed in the sneak attack at the first time. .
But then, as Jiang Xu led his troops, 40,000 Han troops faced off against 30,000 Wei troops. Gao Tanglong showed his unfamiliar side in military tactics and battle formations, and was continuously suppressed by Jiang Xu. He clearly had the ability to defend the city. Although it is a "superior" force, Yanling is still in danger of being guarded by Gaotang Long.
At this critical moment, Chen Tai and Guo Huai finally led the Wei army that had withdrawn from Xuchang to Yanling.
Neither of them are doing well.
Withdrawing one day late, the Wei army was entangled by Hu Zun's troops at the beginning of the withdrawal, and the withdrawal was very slow.
Although Chen Tai and Guo Huai withdrew their troops all the way by alternately breaking off and covering the rear, Hu Zun's ability was really not bad. Even if he was temporarily repelled, he could quickly pack up his soldiers and entangle them again, which made Chen Taihe Guo Huai had a headache.
If it was just such a tangled retreat, it wouldn't matter. At best, it would be a slow move, and the battle damage would still be within the acceptable range of the two of them.
However, four days later, as Pang De led 20,000 cavalry to catch up, the good days of Chen Tai and Guo Huai came to an end.
The border area from Yingchuan to Chenliu County is all plains, which is the most suitable place for cavalry to display their combat capabilities. On the plains, everyone knows what will happen to infantry when they encounter cavalry.
Even though Guo Huai's adaptability was extremely fast, after seeing the cavalry appear, he immediately asked Chen Tai to lead 20,000 soldiers to leave first, and he led more than 8,000 soldiers to stay to break up the rear. However, Guo Huai only persisted for an hour, and his After the break, the troops were defeated by the cavalry regiment led by Pound.
If it weren't for the strength of the personal guards around Guo Huai, and Guo Huai himself was fighting on horseback, I'm afraid even Guo Huai himself wouldn't be able to escape.
After Pang De defeated the troops left behind by Guo Huai, he ignored the fleeing Wei troops and handed these defeated troops to Hu Zun for collection. He continued to pursue forward, using the high mobility of the cavalry to catch up with Chen again. Tai, continue the cavalry charge.
As a result, the soldiers led by Chen Tai also suffered heavy losses.
If Yan Ling was not right in front of him and Chen Tai could use this reason to encourage the entire army, I am afraid that all the more than 30,000 Wei troops now would have fallen into collapse and chaos.
Even so, the number of Wei troops who retreated to Yanling with Chen Tai was only about 13,000, and including the Wei troops who fled back to Yanling one after another, the number was less than 15,000.
Nearly 20,000 Wei soldiers were either killed by cavalry assaults, or were defeated and fled for their lives. They were finally surrounded and suppressed by the infantry led by Hu Zun.
It can be said that there were heavy casualties.
After retreating to Yanling, Guo Huai and Chen Tai, plus Gao Tanglong's remaining defenders, had a combined total strength of only 30,000 men.
Yes, Gao Tanglong also killed nearly half of the Chenliu County soldiers during the defense of the city. You must know that the army led by these three people totaled more than 60,000 people before the war began, but now only half of them are left. .
It was even said that if one of Guo Huai and Chen Tai arrived at Yanling a little later, there would probably be a complete rout, and none of the three would be able to escape.
But in the end, Chen Tai and Guo Huai fled to Yanling and joined Gao Tanglong, and they still had more than 30,000 troops.
Although the morale of the Wei soldiers was low after being defeated, this was a city defense battle.
In the battle to defend the city, Pound's 20,000 cavalry were a burden that could not help much. What could really be used were the nearly 50,000 infantry of Hu Zun, Wang Ping, and Jiang Xu combined.
Although they have an advantage in terms of morale, in terms of military strength, the advantage is not great.
Therefore, the four people discussed it, and Jiang Xu, the highest-ranking official, served as the temporary commander-in-chief and sent a military report to Xu Shu in Xuchang and asked for instructions on the next action plan.
Guo Huai, Chen Tai, and Gao Tanglong also seized this rare opportunity to breathe. On the one hand, they rested their troops and restored morale. On the other hand, they quickly sent people to deliver a message to Sima Yi, asking Sima Yi to make a decision as soon as possible.
Guo Huai, in particular, directly suggested that Sima Yi, whether he stick to Yanling or retreat to Chenliu, first transfer the Jizhou cavalry who had nothing to do in Taishan County to fight.
Chenliuke also has a plain terrain, and his own cavalry is not available. How can he resist the Shu thieves' cavalry? !
Next, it depends on the response speed of the two coaches.
To be honest, in terms of response speed, Sima Yi was a little faster.
When Sima Yi led his army to withdraw from Hulao Pass, he had already ordered Chenliu's county soldiers to assemble at the border of Chenliu and Yingchuan as soon as possible and wait for his order.
When Sima Yi received Chen Tai's military report and learned that Xuchang had been lost and Yanling was in danger, he immediately sent the remaining 20,000 soldiers from Chenliu County to Yanling to support him, and he was also in the process of leading his troops south quickly.
As for Guo Huai's suggestion, Sima Yi readily accepted it and sent people to mobilize the Jizhou cavalry stationed in Taishan County to go south and rush to Chenliu as soon as possible to join the battle.
But unfortunately, it will still take some time for these cavalry to go south.
Xu Shu's reaction was indeed not as fast as Sima Yi's, but it wasn't much slower either.
And the most important thing is that Xu Shu took the initiative to ask for a fight, while Sima Yi withdrew his troops halfway and passively accepted the fight. Therefore, in terms of offensive routine, Xu Shu prepared more in advance than Sima Yi.
After receiving Jiang Xu's military report, Xu Shu thought for a while and made a decision.
Let Kou Feng and Guan Qiujian each lead 30,000 soldiers to Yanling to support them, creating a military advantage in Yanling and forcing Sima Yi to send more troops to Chenliu County.
At the same time, an order was sent to Pang De, so that Pang De should not worry about attacking the city, bring enough horses and temporary military rations, break into the interior of Yanzhou, focus on attacking the four southern counties of Yanzhou, and disrupt Sima Yi's defensive deployment.
As for cavalry, they can't be used too restrictively.
(End of chapter)
