Don't laugh when you are lying drunk on the battlefield. How many people have fought in ancient times. ------"Liangzhou Ci" by Tang Wanghan
It is said that Zhang Jiao knew that he was seriously ill and saw that the war situation was unfavorable, so he entrusted Zhang Ning to Chen Long, and his feelings for licking the calf were beyond words. Chen Long agreed and knew that Mei Niang would have someone to rely on for life, so he laughed with satisfaction.
After returning to the living room and sitting down, the soldiers served refreshments. When Chen Long looked carefully, they were all black flour and whole grains. Zhang Jiao sighed: "Wen Long, it's late spring and early summer. The imperial troops are besieging you on three sides. We are really short of food and grass. I still have a hundred thousand mouths here, so I can only neglect Chen Long."
Zhang Ning asked: "Father, how many elite soldiers are there who can fight now?"
Before Zhang Jue could answer, Zhang Liang had already rushed to say: "Niece, although it is said to be one hundred thousand, fifty thousand are old and young women, who can only open their mouths to eat. I have advised my eldest brother several times to abandon these young and old, but he refused. One day we will have to worry about food and grass."
Zhang Jiao said: "Third brother, if I abandon these people, I will lose the hope of the world. It's just that there are continuous battles without a chance to breathe. Now the camp is full of wounded soldiers, and the number of capable soldiers is only 30,000. The situation is not good. .”
When Zhang Ning heard about it, his face looked worried and he winked at Chen Long. Chen Long cupped his fists and said, "Senior elders, I don't have the right to speak, but today is the right time to meet, could you please interrupt?"
Seeing that no one objected, Chen Long said: "When Mei Niang and I escaped from Luoyang, we heard that the imperial court sent troops from three directions. Now Lu Zhi's troops have crossed the Yellow River and settled in Puyang. The surrounding counties and counties have also sent troops to respond. Peace, this is a situation of decisive battle. The Yellow Turban soldiers are few and their combat effectiveness is not strong, while Daming County has no danger to defend. It can be said that it is in danger. Why not break it into pieces, use guerrilla tactics to occupy and retreat, and wait for the imperial army to pass, and then look for it again Good opportunity?"
Zhang Baodao: "No. If we break it into pieces, do you want us to flee without fighting? Wenlong's plan is inappropriate."
Chen Long was calm and said to Zhang Jiao: "The timing of this uprising is not the best. Although the poor people rose up because of the scenery and claimed to have millions of people in a few months, the training was insufficient and the good and bad were mixed. Why not give up? It is useless to defend the city and fight in the mountains and swamps. After finding a base, stocking up on food and grass, training soldiers, and waiting for an opportunity to occupy the prefectures and counties, we should be able to make a comeback."
Zhang Ning also said: "Father, although Wen Long's words are conservative, they are also mature and prudent methods. If we go head-to-head and both sides are destroyed, we will lose future opportunities."
Zhang Ning has always been the think tank of the Yellow Turbans. As soon as her words came out, several elders began to think about it. Zhang Jiao was obviously a little powerless, so Zhang Baoxian said: "What my niece and Wen Long said means that there is no chance of winning this account."
Chen Long said: "Calculating the strength comparison between the two sides, there is indeed no chance of victory. Moreover, there is no strong city to refuse, no natural danger to defend, and there is insufficient food and grass, so I am afraid that we cannot defend it."
Zhang Liang said: "How about taking the initiative?"
"To take the initiative to attack, we must first reduce the number of troops. Otherwise, it will not function well and it will be difficult to achieve the effect of a surprise attack. I think that in order to take into account the lives of many people, it is better to break it up into parts and escape individually." Chen Long said.
Zhang Jiao coughed and his face turned red. Zhang Ning came behind Zhang Jiao and rubbed his father's back. Zhang Jiao coughed and waved his hands, and reluctantly said to Chen Long: "What Wen Long said is reasonable. We won't talk about official business tonight. You guys have been working hard on the road. Let's go and rest after dinner."
Zhang Ning was worried about his father's condition, so he took care of him by Zhang Jiao's side, leaving Chen Long and others to rest with his own soldiers. Zhang Jiao returned to the bedroom, took Zhang Ning's hand, and said with a smile: "I am very relieved that Mei Niang has such a husband."
Zhang Ning's face turned red. He didn't know how his father saw through it, and said mischievously: "Father, you are disrespecting your daughter by teasing your daughter." Zhang Jiao laughed at first, and then said seriously: "Your father is also considered a half-immortal, why? You can't see through Chen Long's character. I can have such a good son-in-law, and you will be happy in life. I have a request for you, that is, no matter what happens to me, you must not act out of anger, and you must ensure your own safety."
Zhang Ning refused and said: "Father, if we can follow what Wen Long said, break it into parts, and use guerrilla tactics to fight and retreat, we should be able to preserve part of our combat power for the future."
"Mei Niang, the rebel armies are surging everywhere now, and they are all listening to my orders. I am not only your father, but also the commander-in-chief of millions of Yellow Turbans. I am seriously ill, and I don't know how long I can hold on. If I can't fight with the imperial court vigorously, A battle with the main force will chill everyone's hearts. Even if I fail and die, I must set an example for those who come after me."
Zhang Ning knew that he could not persuade his father easily, so he had to arrange for his father to rest first and come to Chen Long to find a solution. Chen Long knew that Zhang Ning would come, so he called Zhou Buyi to the bedroom to analyze the current situation. By the time Zhang Ning came in, Zhou Buyi had already drawn a simple sketch of Jizhou, marking out the surrounding armies of the imperial court.
Zhang Ning looked at the sketch and said to the two of them: "The location of Daming County is surrounded by fortified cities and heavy troops on three sides, especially Puyang, Yecheng and Handan, which cannot be broken through."
Chen Long nodded and said: "If Lu Zhi's army attacks from the direction of Puyang and cooperates with the surrounding troops, they can have enough troops to encircle Daming County. At that time, they will not be able to leave even if they want to."
Zhou Busuo looked at the sketch and said: "Now only the north has no heavy troops, but if we retreat to Guangzong, there will be suspicions of fleeing without fighting, which will greatly affect morale. What I mean is that the existing 100,000 Yellow Turban troops can be divided There are six routes, with 50,000 troops left to defend the city for the weak ones, and 10,000 troops for each route of the remaining 50,000. The most mobile route takes Puyang from the front. It is only used to lure the enemy and disturb them. They can leave at a touch and cannot be attacked by Lu Zhijun. Fighting with the Qiao Mao Army."
When Chen Long and Zhang Ning saw that Zhou Buji's eyes were shining again, they knew that he had entered his battle mode, so they listened silently.
"The first route to Puyang must be a cavalry team. After leaving the battlefield, bypass the enemy army and pretend to capture Puyang. If the enemy rescues them, immediately go to the northwest and harass Yecheng so that the defenders of Yecheng will not dare to attack Daming County. .”
"The second line of 10,000 soldiers is to attack Pingyuan from the front and try to plunder the food and grass there. Bao Xin has 10,000 elite soldiers in Pingyuan, 5,000 elite soldiers are in the field, and another 5,000 elite soldiers are in the city. If the 5,000 elite troops in the field can be defeated, Pingyuan will be defeated. Don’t dare to attack again from this direction.”
"The third line has 10,000 troops, and attacks Yuan Yun's 5,000 troops in Handan from the northwest to prevent Yuan Yun's army from cutting off the retreat to Guangzong. Similarly, if these 5,000 troops can be defeated, Yuan Yun can only huddle in his Handan In the city.”
"The fourth group of 10,000 men will attack Yecheng and contain Han Fu's 30,000 elite troops, allowing him to flawlessly take care of Lu Zhi's flanks."
"The fifth route, ten thousand men, will cross the plain between Yecheng and Handan diagonally to open a passage for the army to retreat towards Bingzhou. This will prevent Daming County from having no way to escape after retreating to Guangzong if it is unfavorable to defend the city."
After Zhou Buji finished speaking, he looked at Chen Long, looking quite confident. While Chen Long was digesting Zhou Buji's plan, he said to Zhang Ning: "Mei Niang, what do you think?"
Zhang Ning frowned and said: "What Yuan Zhi said is a positive plan, but the troops are scattered and may be defeated individually; and the soldiers guarding the city are too weak."
Chen Long said: "Puyang and Yecheng are not far away. I think it would be better if the two groups of people harassing Puyang and Yecheng could coordinate with each other. For example, if the first group of troops bypassed Puyang from the west and pretended to capture In Puyang, the troops of the fourth route can be ambushed near the southern suburbs of Yecheng to attack and kill the pursuing troops. When the second route comes into contact with the defenders of Yecheng, the first route will just complete the task of harassing Puyang and can be used as a surprise force for the second route. . In the same way, the third and fifth routes also use troops interactively in this way, which can confuse the enemy."
Chen Long's analysis was one step closer than Zhou Buyi's, and he had the intention of cooperating with all arms to fight. Although there was no detailed plan, it placed high demands on the commander leading the troops.
Early the next morning, Chen Long and the others continued to rest in the mansion. Zhang Ning announced Zhou Busuo's plan to take the initiative and send troops in five directions at the military meeting of the Yellow Turban Army, but he met with opposition. Zhang Ning argued hard, but in the end, Zhang Jiao only agreed that Zhang Liang would lead an army of 20,000 people to attack Bao Xin's 5,000 field troops in the plains, with the main purpose of looting grain and grass; Zhang Bao would lead an army of 20,000 people and be responsible for Open the passage between Handan and Yecheng. Zhang Ning had no choice but to give up and returned to Chen Long's bedroom in a depressed mood.
Chen Long comforted Zhang Ning and said: "The senior management of the Yellow Turbans seem to have lost their courage. The front is not considering taking the initiative to attack. They are afraid of Lu Zhi's army. How long can we hold on like this? Let's do a good job to rescue your father. Let's make a plan." Zhang Ning nodded and said with twinkling eyes: "After rescuing his father, how does Wen Long want to retreat?"
Chen Long thought for a while and said: "Of course the safest way is to go to Bingzhou or Youzhou, but you need to take the Xiliang land route from Dakuan to return to Lingling; if you risk going south directly through the Yellow River, the road will be blocked by heavy troops, and it will be too difficult. Overcoming hardships and dangers. If your third uncle captures the plains, you may be able to go to Qingzhou."
Zhang Ning nodded slightly, and Chen Long suddenly thought of the sea to the east and said, "There is another way, which is to escape to the Bohai Sea and take a sea ship to Jiangdong."
Zhang Ning had never seen the sea before, so his imagination was opened after hearing this. Asked Chen Long: "Brother Long, what does the sea look like?"
Chen Longdao: "The sea is the deepest and most beautiful water in the world. It nourishes all life on earth and regulates the climate of the entire continent. Its area exceeds the sum of all land, and its deepest place is higher than the highest mountain on the road. The sea There are many magical creatures there, including whales as big as houses, weak and boneless octopuses, sharks with iron teeth and steel teeth, and swordfish as fast as meteors. If you can see the sea, you will understand the meaning of everything in the world. So insignificant!”
Zhang Ning's smile had just spread, and he put his arms around Chen Longxiong's waist and said, "Long Lang, what you said is so beautiful, then we have agreed to go take a sea boat!" Suddenly he heard the thunderous sound of war drums outside the city and thought of tens of thousands of people. The shouts went up to the sky, and Zhang Ning's smile froze on his face.
Lu Zhi and Qiao Mao's 50,000 leading troops had already arrived at Daming City. Since there was no cover, there was no field battle and they rushed directly towards Daming City. The brutal siege began, just like the bloody battle in Lingling that day.
Taking advantage of the siege, Zhang Jiao followed the planned plan and released 40,000 elite troops from the north gate. Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang each led 20,000 troops. Zhang Jiao's requirement for them was to provide them with food and grass. Of the remaining 60,000 Yellow Turbans, only more than 10,000 are active troops, and the rest are civilian husbands and women, serving as support.
The siege was extremely brutal, and the city wall in Daming County was not very high. It was only because of the large number of people that the city wall could be defended. Chen Long ordered Lu Chang and others to go to the top of the city to kill the enemy. He only worked with Zhang Ning and Zhou Buyi to provide logistics to prevent others from recording their appearance.
After persisting like this for a few days, he could no longer hold on. However, news came from Zhang Liang that he had won a battle in Pingyuan and had taken advantage of the situation to attack Pingyuan City and plundered thousands of stones of food and grass.
Zhang Jiao saw that Daming County could not hold on, so he ordered his army to retreat to Guangzong in the dark, and wrote a letter instructing Zhang Liang to retreat to Guangzong with grain and grass, intending to hold on to Guangzong. The retreating soldiers were pursued by Lu Zhi all the way to Guangzong County. The soldiers suffered numerous injuries and lost their helmets and armor. He had just settled down in Guangzong and was wondering why Lu Zhi's soldiers suddenly stopped pursuing him. Suddenly Zhang Bao's messenger arrived. When he saw Zhang Jiao, he knelt down and saluted: "General, I am very happy. Lu Zhi has withdrawn his troops!"
