Volume 1 The World Moves Chapter 36 Formation Duel
Tang Yu led 100,000 troops to the north of Wancheng, and Zheng Sleeve received a letter from Mi Yue to persuade the king of Chu, and then said to the king of Chu:
"As the head of the alliance, the king sounds mighty, so don't fall for someone else's strategy?"
"What is the high opinion of the concubine, and the widow is willing to listen to it!" said Chu Huai.
"In the past, the king took the initiative to marry Qin, but today he took the lead in attacking Qin, and the world is afraid of criticism, saying that the king has rebelled, this is one of them; the king of Qin is affectionate and righteous, and he treats a woman like this, how can he be unkind and unjust to that Gongsun Yan for no reason? Moreover, this woman is your daughter and mine, and the heart of the king of Qin can be said to be clear at a glance, this is the second; now Gongsun Yan takes the lead in opposing Qin, but pushes the king forward, so that the king is higher than the kings, and its purpose is very clear, hasn't the king thought about it?" Zheng Sleeve said in an orderly manner, looking at the face of the King of Chu as he spoke.
"What Concubine Ai said is reasonable! The widow thinks that the major affairs of the military state cannot be measured by reason alone, if all the countries are trying their best to destroy Qin, why don't the widows sit back and enjoy the success!"
"The king is right! I expect that the two kingdoms of Qi and Yan may not be sincere, and the kingdoms of the three Jin Dynasty are just the power of the king, so that the two tigers compete with each other and profit from it!"
"If that were the case, then this king would not be able to go out of the crowd and strive to be this wicked man!"
"The king is wise, now the king can let Tang Mo hold his troops still, and see what the movements of Qi Yan's army are, and how the country of the Three Jin Dynasty will use its troops!"
The king of Chu adopted Zheng Sleeve's opinion, sent people to keep an eye on the movements of Qi and other countries, and ordered Tang Wu to stand still for the time being. The State of Qi had no intention of destroying Qin, as Zhang Yi said, the State of Qi at this time was concerned about the State of Chu. On that day, King Qi Xuan asked Su Qin about the merger of the six countries, and Su Qin only said, "The five countries are all cutting down Qin, how can Qi be the only one!" King Qi Xuan agreed to Gongsun Yan. King Qi Xuan made Kuang Zhang raise 100,000 troops, but in fact it was just a bluff, lest the world be in chaos! Kuang Zhang led 20,000 horses to Ma Ling and then stagnated, and excused Gongsun Yan that the grain and grass had not yet arrived, and he needed to wait for a few days. Yan Jiangshi was led with 60,000 troops, and when he arrived in South Korea, he was stationed with Han General Shencha, echoing each other from afar.
After Gongsun Yan learned of the intentions of the Qi State, he had to urge the King of Chu to enter the Hangu Pass, and the King of Chu learned that the Qi State was stagnant, so he ordered the general Tang Yu to stand still and not to advance rashly.
After Sima Cuo returned from Yiqu, Zhu Lizi led 200,000 troops out of Hangu Pass, and took the initiative to break the enemy's strategy, so that Gan Mao led 50,000 troops on the left and Sima Co led 50,000 troops on the right.
Gongsun Yan learned that Lizi had left Hangu Pass, but the two great powers of Qi and Chu were so angry that he gritted his teeth, so he agreed to meet with the kings of Han, Zhao and Wei in Anyi to discuss the major affairs of Qin. After Fei Yi learned that the two kingdoms of Qi and Chu were stagnant, he sent people to remind King Zhao Wuling not to rush rashly, and at the same time, Lou Fu and Lin Hu from the north urgently summoned Lou to ease the hatred and return to the capital, preparing to be sent to the front line to protect the monarch in case of accidents.
The three kings and the generals met in Anyi, and Wei Si, the king of Wei, sat on the throne and said to the others:
"Now that the six countries are sending troops to attack Qin, this is the great plan of the world, and the righteous act of Qiankun! However, the troops of Qi and Chu are waiting and watching, and they are not moving forward, as if they are suspected of duplicity, what do you think?"
"At present, Lizi has led his troops out of the customs, it is a good time for us to join forces to break through the Qin State, the two kings of Qi and Chu do not focus on the world, causing the alliance to miss a good opportunity, it is really in vain!" Gongsun Yan said solemnly.
"What the head of the rhino said is good! If the Qin people defend the pass, although the six countries have a large number of troops and horses, it will be difficult to break through the pass quickly, and the Hangu Pass is narrow, which is not conducive to large-scale troops! Now that Lizi has taken the initiative to go out of the pass, our allies will take advantage of the opportunity, and it is a pity and shame for the two kings of Qi and Chu to delay the warplane!" Han Xuan said.
"Lizi raised 200,000 troops and stationed them outside the pass, but our four-nation alliance army has 300,000 people, with 300,000 against 200,000, why be afraid?" King Zhao Wuling doubted.
"That's right! Therefore, I invite the kings to come here to discuss, even if it is only with the troops of the Three Jin Dynasty and 240,000 against the 200,000 of the Lizi, the coalition army will not be left behind, why not attack Qin first? First, you can show your ambition to the world, and second, you must not miss the opportunity, since the Qin army has already left the pass, you can no longer return to the mountain!" Gongsun Yan said.
"I have the same intention, I don't know what you think?"
"What the rhino head said is reasonable, and the few people agree!" Qi Xuan said.
"The Three Jin Dynasty was originally a lianzhi, since the two kings are determined, Zhao Yong has no reason to retreat!" "King Zhao Wuling was young and vigorous, and he left the reminder of Feiyi behind, and insisted on raising troops on the battlefield and experiencing the war in person.
"Okay! In this case, we and the other generals will immediately discuss the battle, and the first battle must be won, so as to strengthen the prestige of the coalition army!" Gongsun Yan said with great joy.
"The last general is willing to take the lead, I will attack the body of the Qin soldiers with a strong crossbow, I will definitely be able to win, and the rhino head can rest assured!" Shen Cha volunteered.
"General Shen personally went to battle, Yan is naturally relieved! Han crossbow is strong, the best in the world, and it will live up to expectations!" Gongsun Yan said happily.
Everyone nodded yes, and King Qi Xuan also nodded, feeling that his face was very face-saving.
On the afternoon of the second day, Shen Cha led 3,000 men and horses to call for battle in front of Sima's wrong formation. Sima mistakenly sent a general to meet the battle.
The two sides set up a formation, and the Qin army used a phalanx of hundred bird infantry to face the Korean army's infantry mixed goose-shaped formation. Shen Cha is determined to win the first battle, so he has an advantage in terms of equipment and formation. Contrary to the Han army, Sima Cuo deliberately wanted to lose the first battle.
The Han army swished out their bows and crossbows, and the cavalry on both sides rushed forward quickly, and soon the Qin army's array was disrupted, and the two sides fought. After a while, more than half of the Qin soldiers were killed and wounded, and the generals who led the troops collected their troops and fled from the battlefield. Shen Cha was overjoyed when he saw this, and defeated the Qin army in the first battle, so he led his troops back to invite merit.
The king of Qin adopted Zhang Yi's plan and sent someone to bribe the king of Ba to make Ba attack Chu, and promised to help Ba capture Wujun, which had been taken away by Chu in the past, and recapture the lost salt springs. Pakistan originally had three major salt springs, which were an important economic source for Pakistan, and later they were all taken away by Chu, and there was no one left. At this time, Ba Guo got the benefits and promises of Qin, and naturally refused to miss the opportunity, so he really raised troops to attack Wu County.
The king of Chu got the news that Ba was attacking Wujun, and while urgently dispatching troops from Yingdu to help, he ordered Tang Wu to withdraw his troops from Wancheng and march westward.
The king of Qin once again bribed the prime minister of Yan State, and asked him to find an excuse to make the Yan army return to Yan as soon as possible. Zizhi then said to the king of Yan:
"The king is a benevolent and righteous person, and the queen is the eldest daughter of the current king of Qin, and the queen must be displeased when the king raises an army to attack Qin; my Yan country and the Qin state have always had good relations, and Qin and Yan have not broken their promises, and the king is afraid that there is a suspicion of injustice in attacking Qin! Now that the state of Chu has withdrawn its troops as the commander of the joint column, why did the king still let the city be led with troops outside? The king can quickly order the city to be led back to Yan on the pretext that Donghu attacked our Yan country!"
Yan Wang Hao has always relied on the prime minister, and when he heard him say this, he thought it was good, so he ordered the city to be withdrawn from the army.
When Shencha won the first battle, Gongsun Yan was happy, and the messenger came to report, saying that Tang Wu, the general of Chu, had just withdrawn his troops, and Gongsun Yan was so angry that he scolded the king of Chu. Gongsun Yan was ready to take advantage of the high morale to expand the results of the battle, and gather the forces of the four kingdoms of Yan, Zhao, Qi, and Wei to defeat the 200,000 army of Zhu Lizi, so he sent people to invite the generals of the four countries to come and discuss. At this time, Yan Jiangshi was sent to report that Donghu had attacked Yan, and the king of Yan had ordered him to withdraw his army. Gongsun Yan scolded Yan Xiangzi for his words and did not believe it, so he only invited Shen Cha, Gongsun Xi and Zhao Yong to come to the meeting.
"General Shencha's victory in the first battle today is when morale is high, but the six-nation alliance has gone to the third, and only we are left with the arrow on the bow, what do you think?"
"As the rhino head said, now that the arrow is on the string, and the army of Lizi is overwhelming, I am afraid there is only one battle!" Gongsun said happily. Gongsun Xi is the younger brother of Gongsun Yan, known as "Xiwu", and is a famous general of Wei.
"The Qin army has always bullied the weak and feared the strong, and it must have been Zhang Yi who used another trick to make the Three Kingdoms retreat! The last general thinks that this battle is imperative, so that the people of the world can open their eyes, and don't look down on the country of the Three Jins!" Shen Cha said.
"The Qin soldiers are brave and good at fighting, and the people are resourceful, and now we are evenly matched with 240,000 against 200,000 Qin!
Everyone saw that although this King Zhao was young, he was neither arrogant nor humble in his speech, but it was impressive.
"What King Zhao said is very true! Yan Si's first battle of Shen Cha the day before yesterday was all due to the proper use of foot cavalry and the reasonable response of the formation! Today Yan has a strategy, please discuss!" Gongsun Yan looked at the generals and continued:
"Han is good at bows and crossbows, Wei Zhiwu is powerful, and Zhao Jun is good at riding and shooting, and now I have a method called the Crab Formation, which can integrate the three armies into it, which is flexible and changeable, and can multiply the power!"
"But in the past, Jiang Taigong used the 'rampant Wuji' array, it is said that this formation is like a lotus flower, and the use is complicated, I didn't expect the rhino head to be able to use it!" Shen Cha was surprised.
"It's the Taigong formation! It's just that this formation is a big formation, which is only suitable for the decisive battle between the two armies, and especially in the open and flat terrain, it can give full play to its power! If Na Lizi is willing to compete with our three armies, this formation will come in handy!"
"The terrain around Michi is flat and open, suitable for this formation!" said Shen Cha.
"Okay! Tomorrow I will repair a letter and hand it to Lizi, but I will provoke him with words, see how he answers!" Gongsun Yan said.
On the second day, Gongsun Yan really wrote a letter to have people send it to Lizi, asking him to fight a decisive battle in Michi. After receiving the letter, Lizi called Sima Cuo, Gan Mao, and Huang Wei to come and discuss.
"Gongsun Yan wants to win or lose in a battle, and meet me for a decisive battle in Michi, what do you think?"
"The first battle was a feint defeat the day before yesterday, in order to paralyze Gongsun Yan and let him start a decisive battle with our Qin army, so it can be said that he is in the middle of the game!" Sima said wrongly.
"Well, Gongsun Yan is a veteran of the battlefield, familiar with the art of war, good at arranging formations, you can't underestimate the enemy!"
"The terrain of Mianchi is flat and open, I think Gongsun Yan has already had a way to deal with it, so he chose to fight a decisive battle in Mianchi!" Gan Mao said.
"What do you think of the covenant of Michi?" asked Huang Lizi.
"You can fight! Flat land, suitable for chariots to exert their might!" said Huang Xuan.
"Okay, I'll reply to Gongsun Yan immediately, and I'll fight the pond in about three days!"
As soon as the three days passed, the two sides gathered men and horses in Michi, preparing to win or lose a battle.
The Qin army first lined up on the battlefield in a phalanx, and when Lizi and Huang Ji and others saw Gongsun Yan mobilizing men and horses, they began to arrange their troops. Seeing that Gongsun Yan had put on a strange formation, Lizi asked Huang Lizi:
"What kind of array is this? like a crab!"
"It is the crab array, also known as the lotus array! It was created by Jiang Taigong in the past, and the formation is flexible and changeable, not to be underestimated!" said Huang Xuan.
"Sir, do you have a formation to deal with it?" said Lizi.
The prime minister can turn the square array into a triangular formation, with a formation of 400 people, distributed on the battlefield one by one in the shape of fish scales, and the triangle and triangle are interspersed with each other, which is convenient for changing the formation, merging the troops, and turning small into large!" replied Huang Li.
She then ordered the formation to begin immediately. Gongsun Yan and the others saw each other put up a triangular formation from a distance, and King Zhao Wuling was puzzled after seeing it, so he asked Gongsun Yan:
"What kind of formation is this?
"This is the Yuli Array, in the past, Zheng Zhuang Gong invented this formation, it belongs to the attack formation! Zheng Zhuang Gong uses a square array array, and the Lizi changes into a triangular formation, or there is a master to guide him!" Gongsun Yan said.
"Fish have no advantage over crabs!" Zhao Wuling King doubted.
"The decisive battle on the battlefield often does not lie in the formation itself, but in the echo of the beginning and the end, and it is used flexibly! King Zhao don't worry, I will personally command with the tricolor banner later, and I will definitely be able to break the enemy!" Gongsun Yan said confidently.
The two sides set up their lineups and began to beat the drums and march. Gongsun Yan first attacked the Qin army's "fish head" with "crab claws", and the Qin army fought hard, and the two sides officially kicked off the war.
Seeing that the Qin army's formation was not moving, Gongsun Yan still slowly advanced forward, so he increased the attack power of the crab claws, and ordered the rear team to immediately fill the formation and wait for the opportunity to attack. Seeing that the coalition forces were riding on foot, with bows and crossbows fired in unison, the attack was fierce, but he was still not in a hurry, and only attacked one by one with triangular "fish scales", keeping the main body unchanged.
Gongsun Yan saw that many of the Qin army's "fish scales" were eaten by the "crab claws", so he divided the Chinese army's crab body into two sides to strengthen the attack power of the crab claws and continue to maintain the results.
Seeing that the other party was beginning to divide his troops and the central force was weak, he immediately waved his flag, causing the multiple small triangles in the central phalanx of the fish body to merge into a large regular triangle, and quickly rushed forward from the head of the fish. Seeing this, Gongsun Yan immediately waved the handsome flag, causing the "crab claws" on both sides to flank the Qin army's triangular formation that rushed out left and right.
The Qin army's big triangle formation was huge, the offensive was unabated, and the crab claws were difficult to shake for a while, Gongsun Yan was anxious, and immediately sent troops from the Chinese army to attack the head of the triangle formation to block its attack. There were three or four thousand people in the big triangle of Lizi, and with the Mojia chariot as the main force, the coalition army could not stop it, and was rushed by the triangle array.
Seeing this, Gongsun Yan immediately dispatched the Korean army's strong crossbow phalanx to respond, but the Mo family chariot was not afraid of bows and crossbows, and still attacked unabated, advancing rapidly.
Each triangular formation of the Qin army can not only fight independently, but also echo each other, with a small triangular formation to contain a large number of crab claw troops of the coalition army, and concentrate the chariot force to attack the "crab body" of the coalition army, the meaning of breaking the formation is obvious. Gongsun Yan knew the intention of the Qin army, and immediately waved the flag, ordering the remaining crab claws on both sides to move closer to the middle and merge the three into one to resist the impact of the opponent's triangular array.
The flexibility of the crab formation lies in the fact that the formation can change at any time, and Gongsun Yan can also be said to have a proper command and quick response, but the Mo chariot used by the Qin army is too powerful, and although the coalition army has three teams in one team, it still cannot block the impact of the chariot! Half an hour later, the crab body of the crab formation was broken by the triangular formation of the Qin army, and the coalition army could not take care of each other, and it was chaotic, and the defeat was obvious.
Gongsun Yan saw that the general trend had gone, so he had to Mingjin to withdraw his troops, sighed, and led the rest of the men and horses with King Zhao and others to gradually retreat.
In this battle, the coalition army lost 80,000 horses, although it was not the whole army annihilated, but it was also greatly damaged and morale, and it was difficult to fight against the Qin army again.