Warfare in the classical period tended to show the pattern of preparing for a long time, preparing for months, or even years, in order to fight a battle. But when a real fight starts, it often takes half a day to decide the rise and fall of the regime. candle

And this half day is also the longest half day, no matter who is on either side of the enemy.

At this time, the battle of Xingyang is no different, and this decisive battle that determines the trend of the world will be decided in a short time, but I don't know who will be the loser.

On September 10 of the sixth year of Guanghe, when the Han army's Gyeonggi counties and counties and the Youzhou Commando Cavalry Corps went out to five miles east of Xingyang, the sentinels in front directly engaged in a sentry battle with the sentry cavalry of the Taishan Army.

A ten-man cavalry of the Han army was on the way to patrol when it happened to bump into the Taishan army sentry cavalry who was about to watch the march of the Han army. Seeing that there were only six cavalry on the opposite side, I thought that my Han cavalry had the advantage and took the lead in attacking. But who knows, in the dark, there is a six-person cavalry hidden, and then this Han cavalry was surrounded and killed by the Taishan army, not a Youzhou cavalry arrived, and the ambushed Han cavalry had to be confessed there.

This small encounter between the two sides ended with the Tarzan army leaving behind four corpses. But neither the Han cavalry nor the Youzhou cavalry had any intention of underestimating the Taishan cavalry, because they had six dead.

The report of this encounter was quickly delivered to Huang Wan, the commander of the Han army. Huang Wan immediately wrote a good news report to Liu Hong in Kyoto based on this result, not that Huang Wan was a person who was happy with his achievements, but that he needed to give Liu Hong continuous good news, so as to inspire the country to have the confidence to exterminate the moth thief.

But Huang Wan wrote the good news and wrote the good news, but he didn't dare to be careless at all, he realized that the Taishan army on the opposite side had also chosen to send troops today, and now the two armies were just on this big plain on the east side of Xingyang. candle

Originally, Huang Wan's plan was to take the initiative to attack and seize the lead, and besiege the Taishan army in the Yan's fortress with a numerical advantage. At that time, there were 10,000 Haoqiang coalition troops, 3,000 Youzhou cavalry, 3,000 Hedong county soldiers, 2,000 Yanzhou soldiers, and 2,000 remaining troops in Xingyang, with a total strength of 20,000, which seemed to be about the same as the number of Taishan troops on the opposite side. But Huang Wan still has Zhuang Yong and official temple disciples recruited from all over the country, although these can only be used for logistics, but they add up to more than 20,000 people. At this moment, the eastern camp governed 50,000 people, known as 100,000.

In order to maintain such a scale of manpower, Liu Hong directly went to Taicang, Kyoto. These corn and rice, which were transferred from the world's poor land, were once again continuously transported to the Xingyang front along the Luoshui River.

But now that the Taishan army on the opposite side has also been dispatched, Huang Wan has shrunk instead. It's not that he coaxed it, but that he fought with the Taishan army, and he didn't dare to underestimate it in his heart, and he also knew how much the country had paid to form this eastern camp, and he didn't dare to fight.

Therefore, as soon as he learned that the Taishan army was also dispatched, Huang Wan urgently ordered all the armies not to advance again, and all of them camped and built fortifications in the same place, and established themselves in an invincible position first.

It's not bad, this Huang Wan is a first-class person in the end, and he was originally just a celebrity who talked about his heart, but after having the experience of fighting a large army, he was also familiar with the common sense of some soldiers' wars, and knew that he could not order a retreat at this time.

If the whole army retreated at that time, don't look at the distance is only less than five miles, but tens of thousands of troops lined up, crowds of people, can not see before and after, and people's hearts are different, as soon as they see the retreat of the front army, it is natural to feel that the front army has been defeated, and when the time comes, they will rush to retreat first, and the east camp will collapse after a rout.

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It is said that Huang Wan is also bitter. It was the first time he led troops in Yanzhou, and his command was all patchwork troops, and he was still haggard despite his efforts to maintain it. And this time as the commander of the East Camp, his command is still in the east, and this time the composition is more complicated, and the soldiers of each system are more difficult to govern. candle

His command can be divided into three systems, according to the level of combat power, but the first class is naturally Youzhou Tucai, the second class is Hedong, Yanzhou soldiers, and the third class is the Gyeonggi Haoshi troops.

But I don't know whether it was intentional or unintentional, Liu Hong didn't put the Youzhou Commando Cavalry Legion of the sect members under the eastern camp sequence, but was still under the command of Lu Zhi, the original Beizhong Lang general.

And this embarrassed Huang Wan, in other words, at this time, the number one combat force corps in Xingyang was only a friendly army, not its own army, and the difference between the words could not be different.

But Rao is like this, Huang Wan still doesn't dare to ask more, because he is worried about this

It was the state that deliberately did this, that is, it was not at ease to give him all the troops in Gyeonggi to Huang Wan. Huang Wan doesn't think that this is because the country can't trust himself, these are just the emperor's instincts.

Since he did not have the right to command the Youzhou Cavalry, many things needed to be discussed with the other side, so what Huang Wan could rely on was the core Yanzhou soldiers and the county soldiers transferred from Hedong. Because the Yanzhou soldiers have been with him for a long time, especially the general Lu Qian he received, they have the courage of ten thousand people and are a core force. There are also Hedong soldiers, who really come out of the world's victorious places, that is, elite, and many county soldiers even bring their own armor and war horses. After a little training, the Hedong soldiers formed a combat force.

In fact, this is also Huang Wan's shadow of his predecessors. The land east of the river has always been the same as the six counties in the north, and they all have good families. But unlike the Northlands, the economy of the Hedong Lands is far stronger than the six counties of the Northlands. Therefore, the Hedong warriors here are even more skilled in bows and horses, and often bring their own vests when they join the army, so they have become one of the core weapons of the Han family.

The land east of the river is the place of Rao Sheng since ancient times, the people of the Tang Dynasty in the past are all in Hedong, the Yin people are in Hanoi, and the Zhou people are in Henan. Therefore, this area of the three rivers was the place of the king's industry in ancient times. candle

One reason for Hedong's prosperity is that there are Fenshui and Shushui in the territory to nourish agriculture. But the more important point is that Hedong has the benefits of salt and iron, Hedong has the world's first iron official office, and the world's first quality of two pools of salt, which can be said to occupy the world's wealth. What is even more exaggerated is that the benefits of salt and iron are in the hands of local private individuals in Hedong, and the state only extracts salt and iron taxes.

It is precisely by relying on the wealth of local salt and iron that the Hedong region has wealth and inheritance. Every year, the samurai who retire and return to their hometowns train their children, nephews, and villagers when they arrive in their hometowns, so that generations of Mikawa knights continue to pass it on.

Before the Yellow Turban swarmed, Hedong had contributed a group of high-quality soldiers to the Han family, and now the country has summoned again, and these long-trained warrior men have picked up armor soldiers again and set out for the country. Therefore, Huang Wan also got the shadow of his predecessors, and it was the peace and stability in the Hedong region for a hundred years that made the warriors in the Hedong region have enough growth environment. Of course, human resources will also be depleted, and with the advent of troubled times, no one knows how many of these high-quality Hedong warriors will be left.

But it's a pity that there are too few Hedong soldiers, plus the Yanzhou soldiers in Huang Wan's hands, the total is only 6,000, which is far from being able to suppress the other group under his command, that is, the Gyeonggi Haoshi troops. Don't look at the latter is not very elite, but it can't withstand the number of people.

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In fact, at the beginning, Liu Hong planned to send 10,000 soldiers from Hedong to the south. Don't be surprised that a county can make up 10,000 soldiers, because Hedong County really has it, and there is a special corps under his rule, that is, Wubi soldiers.

During the period of Emperor An, because the Qiang people once hit the east of the river, and even hit the east of the river to Hanoi, so the Han family set up 33 dock walls in Tonggu Chong in the east of the river, with 50 soldiers on each wall, all set up drums.

Therefore, Liu Hong wanted to transfer this part of the troops to the south at the beginning. But Liu Hong's suggestion was directly blocked by the ministers of Chaonei Hedong, of course, they also had reasons. candle

They said that before the yellow turban bees rose, there were moth thieves in the Hedong area. Later, Bian Zhang took the Qiang people and attacked Hedong again. The reason for the establishment of the 33 dock walls originally located in the east of the river was to build a defensive belt along the north side of Kyoto, along the area of Hedong and Hanoi, Binh Yin, Ji County, Miyang, and Mushi. If these troops are withdrawn, in case the Qiang people drive straight down, the story of the Western Zhou Dynasty being destroyed by Xirong will be repeated.

Liu Hong was so angry by these words, he pondered for a while and guessed that these people were just using these as reasons, and the more critical reason was that they, the wealthy clans in Hedong, did not want the troops in Hedong to be exhausted, and when the time came, whether it was the Yellow Turban or the Qiang people entering Hedong, they would be the first to suffer.

But what can Liu Hong, who understands this, do? They have already compromised with the Hao family once, and it is not bad this time. So in the end, only 3,000 soldiers from the east of the river went south.

Originally, Liu Hong also planned to let Dong Zhuo, the Taishou of Hedong, also lead his troops south, but he had already led his troops to the Hebei battlefield before, so he gave up.

At this time, Dong Zhuo was still a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, and his person came from a good family in the six counties, and entered Yulin Lang, and then turned to fight for the country in Western Xinjiang, performing military exploits, and was a rising star of the Han Dynasty, and was expected to succeed Liangzhou Sanming to become a new benchmark for the entire Han Dynasty martial artists

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It is also because of this trust that Liu Hongcai appointed Dong Zhuo as the Taishou of Hedong. You must know that Hedong, as the head of the three rivers, because of its geographical location and economic advantages, its position as Taishou has always been the emperor's most trusted minister.

The Han dynasty relied on the rule of officials to govern the locality. That is, the so-called: "Those who are safe and have no grievances are peaceful and good." Those who share this with me are only good for 2,000 stones. "Candles

Therefore, Dong Zhuo's appointment as Hedong Taishou is the embodiment of this trust. But this is also related to Dong Zhuo's good fortune, he just caught up with the transition period when the Han family promoted a new batch of military attaches as civil officials. Since the former Han Dynasty, the Hedong region has been the base camp of Legalist scribes, but because of this, in order to check and balance, one of the Hedong Taishou in the past dynasties is considered to be a Confucian official. For example, Li Wen, Shi Bi, Kong Biao, and Wang Yi are all Confucian officials. If it weren't for the turmoil in the country, the place would become more and more difficult to govern, and Liu Hong needed more military attachés with military experience to govern the place for him, and Dong Zhuo would have no chance at all.

Therefore, Dong Zhuo's current status is all raised by Liu Hong, but it is not clear what kind of emotion Liu Hong would have if he knew that the Han was buried in Dong Zhuo's hands.

Back to Huang Wan, although Huang Wan has a thousand difficulties, he has a strong point that he can know how to make good use of people. He made this arrangement according to the situation of the soldiers under his command.

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First of all, the Youzhou Assault Cavalry, which was the most difficult to mobilize, was arranged in the northeast of this plain battlefield after consultation, and held the communication line to the Aocang area behind. The reason why the sect members agreed to arrange it here is also related to the fact that it is close to Aocang and is more convenient for supply.

After that, the Yanzhou soldiers and Hedong soldiers that Huang Wan relied on the most, were arranged on the east side of Xingyang in more than a dozen slope posts, these camps were either on the edge of Ze or at the head of the road, in short, to be each other's horns, blocking the movement of the Taishan army to the west and north.

As for the remaining Gyeonggi heroes, who have the largest number of soldiers, this is what Huang Wan is most worried about.

One of these soldiers is unclear in discipline, because they are all Hao clans, and they are the commanders of Yiqi on weekdays, Weiling Township, and now they are out of the Xingyang area, just like those Youzhou foreign soldiers, in Yumeat Township. candle

The second is that these soldiers are still intimidating. Because they are private soldiers of the wealthy family, especially the heads of the families are the elders of the court, these people also think they are characters, and they don't take Huang Wan, the boss, in their eyes.

It is based on these factors that Huang Wan is worried that if he really fights with the Taishan army, these wealthy tribes will wait and see, and when the time comes, dozens of battalion heads, dozens of ideas, whenever there is something, you will look at me, just want others to come out and pick up the cheap themselves.

How can these soldiers and horses be used on the blade? Having experienced the defeat of Fengqiu, he no longer wants to put success or failure on these rabble.

Therefore, Huang Wan arranged the tribes of more than 10,000 wealthy clans in the rear of the front of the Yanzhou soldiers and the Hedong soldiers. His idea is that his own coach will personally take the lead, let his descendants be in front of them, and set an example to inspire these heroic consciences and serve the country.

As for whether it will be effective, Huang Wan is not too confident, but this is no longer a solution. If he dared to arrange these more than 10,000 Hao clan tribes on the front line, these Hao clan tribes might wonder if he Huang Wan wanted to eliminate dissidents and use the blood of their Hao clan to dye his Huang Wan's ribbon. When the time comes, he Huang Wan is really afraid that these wealthy clans will give him a "camp roar".

In this way, Huang Wan worked hard in the midst of all difficulties, and Zhang Chong on the opposite side was not very comfortable.

Not long after leaving the camp on September 10, Zhang Chong also decided to stop the army and set up camp five miles away from the Han army camp after learning that the Han army on the opposite side had stopped stationing and digging deep ravines and building a barracks. candle

In fact, Zhang Chong led the Taishan army to take the initiative to attack, which also made everyone quite puzzled. Because according to the information obtained in recent days, the strength of the Han army on the opposite side is about 50,000, while the own side has less than 30,000.

According to general military common sense, such as the situation that the Taishan army takes the initiative to attack, or even has to attack fortified positions, in order to form a large encirclement of the enemy, it must have an advantage in troops.

But what about now? The Taishan army is not only at a disadvantage in numbers, but also has no internal response in Xingyang City, and has lost the fighters to attack, which is already a very rash decision to a certain extent.

But these Zhang Chong understand, and he knows more about reasonable tactics

It should be to hold the Yan barrier first, and then wait for the Han soldiers to attack for a long time and their morale will fall, and then find an opportunity to fight a decisive battle.

Originally, Zhang Chong had planned to do this, but the two military reports received from the south and north two days ago disrupted all the plans, and Zhang Chong had to take a huge risk to lead the army to a decisive battle with the main force of the Han army opposite.

And what exactly do these two letters say?

Please call me Mr. Chen