Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

On the evening of December 28th, the Han army camp.

Prime Minister Zhuge Liang sat in the main seat of the military tent, Chief Clerk Yang Yi and Adjutant General Jiang Wan stood at the first seats on the left and right, and generals including Gao Xiang, Huang Xi, Ma Zhong, Chen Shi, and Meng Yan stood behind them.

The troops will be pushed forward tomorrow. It is the end of the eleventh year of Jianxing. This is another large-scale battle after nearly three years. Everyone has a solemn expression on their faces.

According to Longnan's mountainous terrain, most of the wide roads that can accommodate the army's march are passages formed by the natural erosion of river valleys. The road from Wujie to Xiabian is actually the valley area of ​​Pingluo River.

The winters in recent years have been so cold that even the Zhongdu River close to the Yangtze River has frozen, blocking Cao Pi's fleet on its way back from his attack on Wu in November nine years ago. Not to mention the Pingluo River in Qinzhou, a remote area in the northwest.

After the freeze, the road became unobstructed, which was a perfect opportunity for the two armies to show their skills.

The Wei army's previous camp was located five miles upstream from the mouth of the Pingluo River where it flows into the Xihan River. It was built according to the mountain terrain and river valley. It had been in operation for more than a month, and it had everything, including deer horns, walls, camps, arrow towers, trenches, etc. Although it was not easy to build fortifications in winter, it was man-made. The army stationed here needed a lot of fuel, and for the purpose of defense, the mountains near the camp were almost cut down.

The main camp of the Shu army was stationed fifteen miles upstream.

It can be said that the only two slightly better places in the lower reaches of the Pingluo River have been occupied by Wei and Shu respectively.

"Tomorrow we will mobilize the troops. I have said everything I should say. Today I will just tell you a few simple words." Zhuge Liang supported his hands on the table, slowly stood up, and looked around at everyone in the tent: "Three years ago, when I led the troops to the north, the people in charge of the Wei army in Guanxi were Cao Zhen, Zhang He, and Lu Xun, and there were 10,000 elite cavalrymen in the Wei army. Today, three years later, the rebel army's generals are only Wei Zhen, Wang Chang, Fei Yao and others. In terms of military strategy, combat effectiveness, morale and people's hearts, the victory lies with the Han, not the Wei rebels! Remember this!"

"I, your subordinates, must remember that we should die for the Han Dynasty!" Everyone in the tent bowed in salute.

"Chief Secretary." Zhuge Liang looked at Yang Yi and said, "Announce tomorrow's arrangements."

"Yes." Yang Yi bowed and saluted, then turned to look at everyone: "Generals, I'm sure you can guess how we will fight tomorrow."

"Three days ago, the Prime Minister ordered General Wei Yan, the General of the Eastern Expedition, to lead his own army, led by Generals Wu Ban and Ju Fu, totaling 10,000 people, to cross the Nanshan Mountains from the camp via the mountain road, and then take a detour of 60 miles to attack the enemy's flank. According to the time agreed with Wei Yan, tomorrow is the day for the army to attack."

A look of relief appeared on everyone's face.

Although they knew that there was a major deployment in the army three days ago, they did not know what it meant. When they came to the military tent to discuss matters just now, they were quite surprised to see Wei Yan, Wu Ban, and Ju Fu missing. Now they finally knew where the three of them had gone.

The most prestigious position in the army.

If the extremely important tactical task of flanking the enemy was given to Wu Yi and Wang Ping, the generals would inevitably have some doubts and worry about the feasibility of the matter. But now that Zhuge Liang sent Wei Yan out, this was the best tactical choice for this advance, no doubt about it!

Wei Yan's troops were the strongest among all the troops in the Prime Minister's Office. If even Wei Yan could not complete the task, then this would be a failed battle plan. How could the Prime Minister not have considered all this?
After Wei Yan's 10,000 men left, there were still 14,000 men left. Although they were much smaller than the Wei army, under the command of the prime minister, it should not be difficult to maintain the offensive on the front line of the two armies.

"Tomorrow we will march out. Generals Gao Xiang and Chen Shi will be the left and right front wings. Huang Xi's troops will be in the center. Ma Zhong and Meng Yan's troops will be the prime minister's headquarters and will be in the rear. The battlefield is not wide from east to west, so all generals must strictly follow the prime minister's military orders. If there is no rear order, follow the front order."

Zhuge Liang added: "Tomorrow's battle is crucial to the restoration of the Han Dynasty. Everyone, do your best!"

"We will follow the Prime Minister's orders!" Everyone obeyed the order and clasped their fists, shouting loudly in the military tent.

All the generals were veterans who had led troops for many years and had been in the army for a long time. They had even walked through the designated battlefield in the east countless times. The prime minister's arrangements convinced everyone.

If there is any strength that the Han army has strengthened during the years of being stationed in Baishui, crossing mountains and rivers is one of them.

That was during the conquest of Hanzhong, but not in the second year of Taihe, but in the earlier 24th year of Jian'an. When Liu Bei's army was blocked at Yangping Pass and could not move forward, Liu Bei led the main force over Micang Mountain and arrived at the southwestern edge of the Hanzhong Basin, and seized the strategic location of Dingjun Mountain, thus successfully turning the tables and making Xiahou Yuan and Zhang He's troops attacked from both sides.

Opening roads and transporting tens of thousands of soldiers in unfamiliar mountains and forests in winter is indeed a rigorous test of proficiency and organization. And Wei Yan is the sharpest blade in Zhuge Liang's hands.

At the same time, fifteen miles to the east, in the Wei army camp.

Wei Zhen was sitting on a chair wrapped in a fur cloak, while Wang Chang, Fei Yao and Chen Ping were also sitting around the fire.

The personal characteristics of a leader can easily affect the behavior of the entire organization.

Zhuge Liang was dignified and abided by the law in everything he did. Therefore, whenever the prime minister's office held a meeting, everyone had to abide by the rules and be strict in their work style.

Cao Rui was pragmatic and often made decisions with important officials in his study rather than in the court, so Wei Zhen and others gradually adopted this style of behavior. The commander-in-chief and several generals gathered around the stove to discuss things clearly before executing them, without paying too much attention to the false etiquette between superiors and subordinates. "Chariots and cavalry, I think it will be these two days." Wang Chang looked at Wei Zhen sideways, "For the past five days, the Shu army has been going out to test every day, and the scouts have been sent out more and more frequently. Yesterday and at noon today, there was a feint attack of 2,000 people."

"The New Year is coming in two days. Who knows, the Shu army may invade in the next few days."

Wei Zhen nodded, and the flames in the furnace made his eyes sparkle. When he was in Luoyang, Wei Zhen's face was round and plump, but his cheeks became thin. If Cao Rui saw Wei Zhen again at this time, he would be surprised.

Being the governor of Guanxi not only brings one to the pinnacle of one's career, but also brings pressure that keeps one awake all night.

No coach can escape this.

Wei Zhen said slowly: "In that case, let's prepare for the battle tomorrow. Wenshu (Wang Chang) will lead 10,000 people in the front, Gongwei (Fei Yao) will lead 5,000 people in the camp to support, I will leave 10,000 people behind the camp to follow Gongwei, Zhouping (Chen Ping) will lead his troops to guard both sides of the West Han River, it will be absolutely safe!"

"Okay! I'll obey your command!" Wang Chang bowed first with a firm tone.

"I obey your command." Fei Yao and Chen Ping saluted at the same time.

……

The next day.

At dawn, the scouts of the Wei and Shu armies had already started fighting on the designated battlefield. Based on the experience of the battles in the past few days, the Wei army's front scouts were a minimum of 20 cavalrymen, riding back and forth on the frozen Pingluo River covered with a thin layer of snow.

For the Shu army, this was a dilemma. The Wei army's scouts came and went like the wind. If they did not stop them, they would be in a passive position. If they used cavalry to stop them, they would waste their precious cavalry resources.

And in the face of this situation... Fight! Fight and everything will be fine!
At 1:00 pm, Gao Xiang's troops from Shu Kingdom engaged in battle with Zhao Buqi's troops under Wang Chang. The Shu army's offensive was fierce, and Zhao Buqi fought and retreated nearly half a mile before he managed to stabilize his position with the help of Lieutenant General Yin Jian. With this place as the focus, 3,000 troops from Chen Shi's army from Shu Kingdom were about to join the battle.

Seeing that the Shu army took the initiative to attack, Wang Chang sent a cavalry unit of a thousand people to temporarily distract Chen Shi's troops, and then sent Jia Long's troops to suppress them, giving Zhao Buqi and Yin Jian a chance to retreat calmly.

The severe winter cold brought many disadvantages to the war.

Wang Chang followed the predetermined rhythm and fought and retreated along the fortifications, while the Shu army needed to maintain the intensity of the attack and achieve continuous military pressure to force the Wei army to retreat, so it seemed even slower. However, the man was in love and the concubine was willing, and the front line of the battle between the two sides gradually moved towards the direction of the Wei army camp.

However, the casualties on the retreating side will always be greater than those on the attacking side.

Zhuge Liang was standing on a high point in the rear, looking far ahead. Although he saw the battle line advancing continuously, his calm expression showed a little worry. It was afternoon, and there was already some wind and snow on the battlefield.
"Now everything is ready, all we need is the text." Zhuge Liang muttered to himself.

Even though he and Wei Yan had always been at odds, Chief Clerk Yang Yi echoed him, "Prime Minister, it may be because of the cold weather today that Wei Wenchang is a little slow. Now it is almost 3 p.m., and he may have already started the battle."

"I hope so." Zhuge Liang sighed.

If you could look down from a high place at this moment, you would find that in the narrow Pingluo River Valley, the strategies chosen by Wei and Shu were completely different.

The Wei army was lined up in the valley like a long snake, with Wang Chang at the head, Fei Yao at the waist, Wei Zhen at the back, and Chen Ping at the tail. The disadvantage was that the army could not be rotated in time, but the advantage was that it could avoid extreme situations. If things went wrong, there would always be someone to support them in the rear.

The Shu army's tactics were even more radical.

Zhuge Liang himself sat in the center of the army, driving Generals Gao Xiang and Chen Shi forward continuously. He did not spare the damage to Gao's and Chen's troops. He was ruthless and did not rotate them. It seemed as if he wanted to push forward with the 8,000 soldiers under his command.

Although there was an advance agreement, it was still uncertain when Wei Yan would arrive. Zhuge Liang had to keep a trump card in his hand.

As Wang Chang's troops retreated again and again, they were only about three miles away from Fei Yao's main camp. Upon learning about the battle situation ahead, Fei Yao had already prepared to withdraw Wang Chang's troops to the camp, and led 3,000 soldiers out of the camp to form a battle array, leaving only 1,000 soldiers to guard the main camp and the two small camps in the south and north.

The north wind howled even louder. Fei Yao sat on his horse, frowned and looked in the direction of Wang Chang's army. He tightened his cloak and kept silent.

At this moment, a shrill horn sound suddenly came from the small camp in the southwest. Along with the horn sound, there were shouts and drums coming from that direction, echoing in the valley. I don't know how many people were there. (End of this chapter)