Inferring the opponent's offensive plan and defensive strategy from the opponent's troop distribution is the military vision a commander should have.
Judging from the sand table, Su Yi did not unite his troops in one place, nor did he intend to attack Xiangyang at all. Instead, he had a vague encirclement.
To put it simply, the Qin army deliberately occupied the surrounding areas of Xiangyang and isolated the giant central city.
Hanzhou also quickly put forward this hypothesis.
At this time, some generals began to question the previous retreat policy, believing that the loss of Zaocheng directly led to the fall of several counties north of Xiangyang, making the current battle situation completely passive.
Hanzhou insisted on his opinion and said: "This time the Qin army goes south, our army only adopts a strategic defense focusing on Xiangyang. This is also the first charge from the north and the south. The King of Qin cannot and will never dare to cross the river. Therefore, if Xiangyang is there, Chu will No worries.”
What he said is correct. Since ancient times, Xiangyang has been a battleground for military strategists. If you get here, you will get Jianghan. That is, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are wide open. There are no dangerous passes to defend. Once you go down the river, Jiangnan will be at your fingertips. .
On the contrary, if there was no place here, there would be no way to establish a settlement. At that time, transportation was extremely inconvenient, especially in the Yangtze River area, where water networks were densely covered, making it very unsuitable for infantry and cavalry operations. This was very disadvantageous for the Qin army. But once Xiangyang was established, Not only can a large army be stationed here, but it is also well connected in all directions and can be driven straight in, connecting the north and south, and the east and west.
This shows the strategic location of this place.
Even if they take ten thousand steps back, the Qin army would not dare to go around the small road at all. Due to geographical reasons, they would not be able to carry food, grass and baggage, and would not be able to pass the army. There is also the danger of being cut off by the Xiangyang defenders at any time.
Therefore, anyone who uses military force will regard this place as the key to the decisive victory between the north and the south.
While the defensive strategy remained unchanged, Hanzhou also immediately wrote a letter to the King of Chu, reporting on the battle situation here and proposing a strategy for Wu troops to garrison Linzhang.
He wrote in the letter:
Now the Qin army has the potential to encircle a long siege. As a strategic plan for the Yangtze River, the Wu army should be prompted to garrison troops in Linzhang to form a horn with Xiangyang City, and then stick to it, then the southern border will be worry-free...
Once more troops are stationed in Linzhang, the possibility of the Qin army's detour will be eliminated.
After receiving his letter, the King of Chu held urgent consultations with a group of ministers.
At this time, King Qin Xiao Yuan mobilized another 300,000 troops and marched south.
So far, Qin's army on land and water in this southern expedition has reached more than 500,000.
Half a month later, outside Xiangyang City.
Xiao Yuan rode a war horse and arrived with an elite force. The rest of the main army was stationed in various fortresses behind him and could respond at any time.
At this time, all the suspension bridges in Xiangyang were removed and the pontoon bridges were broken. In other words, Hanzhou destroyed all the bridges leading to the city and completely closed the city in seclusion, unable to escape.
Xiao Yuan was dressed in black brocade clothes, his hair tied with a hosta, and was followed by a group of senior generals.
After arriving here, a breeze blew, and the water of the moat in front of us was sparkling. Under the eyes, the distance to the opposite side was at least 50 feet.
What is the concept of more than 50 feet? One hundred and sixty-seven meters. This width can be imagined to be difficult for ancient siege warfare.
After Xiao Yuan observed it, he couldn't help but sigh: "Xiangyang City, with its steep mountains and dangerous rivers, deserves to be the best city in the world."
Peng Shuang, who was standing by, also widened his eyes and said: "This, this, our soldiers, most of whom are infantry from the north, how can they swim past."
"You can get there if you can swim?" Xiao Yuan rolled his eyes at him, looked around again, and said: "No wonder the Jin State attacked Chu and besieged Xiangyang for several years. This place not only blocks a strategic road, but is also difficult to defend. Attack."
With that said, he also pulled the reins: "Let's go and look elsewhere."
On top of the city, Hanzhou was also looking out of the city with a group of Chu generals.
Seeing Xiao Yuan's Qin army, although they were too far away to see clearly, there were still generals who said: "I received a military report saying that the King of Qin led the army to march in person. The main army has arrived at the front line. It is expected that this time he also wants to inspect Xiangyang. For city defense.”
Han Zhou sneered and said, "Let him see. It's best to retreat when faced with difficulties."
On Xiao Yuan's side, after inspecting the Xiangyang defense line, he also returned to the main camp.
In the large tent of the Chinese army, the generals lined up on both sides and clasped their fists together: "Your Majesty——"
Xiao Yuan waved his hand to signal everyone to excuse themselves and walked to Shuai An.
Next, naturally, there will be a military discussion.
Today's observation of the terrain, in summary, Xiangyang City is tall and solid, the moat is too wide and the water is too deep, making it difficult for infantry to cross.
Based on this problem, Goldman Sachs first proposed the strategy of recruiting nearby fishermen's boats, modifying them, and using small warships to quickly cross the river.
As soon as he finished speaking, counselor Wang Su shook his head slightly and said: "Even if there are ships now, and how many soldiers can the small ships carry, the Chu army will definitely set up a crossbow array along the moat on the other side and wait for the rabbit. When the time comes, The soldiers crossing the river will become living targets."
"Taking a step back, even if our army can cross the river in a bloody battle, it will not be able to carry siege equipment. When it reaches the city, it will only die in vain."
This is to the point. Such huge rams, siege crossbows, trebuchets, and long ladders are also inconvenient and difficult to transport to the other side. Without these, even if the soldiers overcame part of the bloody battle, they could only raise their heads. Looking at the tall city walls.
Goldman Sachs was also speechless and stammered: "Then, we can only besiege Xiangyang like Jin Gong did back then?"
The generals stopped talking and were all frowning slightly, thinking about something.
In fact, besieging Xiangyang is not a good idea, because there has been military intelligence for a long time, and Hanzhou has stocked up a large amount of food, grass and weapons, which can be used by the Chu army for three to five years. If the siege is like this, when will it end.
If there were only Qin and Chu in the world, Xiao Yuan could have spent several years, but now there are still Wu and Ling, so the war can't help but be so stalemate.
"Is it possible to use water attack?" A general asked tentatively.
Wang Su shook his head again: "Even if there is a place to store water, the topography of Xiangyang cannot be flooded. Since ancient times, Xiangyang City has never been flooded."
Water attack depends on the terrain, otherwise, there will be no impact from mountain torrents.
At this time, Su Yi, who had been silent, suddenly said: "Then do the opposite."
Hearing this, several counselors were stunned. Xiao Yuan was moved in his heart and said quietly: "Do you mean to drain the water from the Xiangyang moat?"
"Your Majesty is wise." Su Yi said: "The wars in Xiangyang have always been based on sieges and rarely forceful attacks, but it is not impossible. Our army can first cut off the water source upstream, then open canals downstream to divert the water, and then Even the big moats have to be dried up.”
Su Yi has always been cunning in his military use, and his military genius is not just talk.
After Xiao Yuan heard this, he couldn't help but praise it.
