The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 191 Li Yi's ingenious plan to capture Dongcheng, Xuzhou's men attacking with acupuncture points

After a brief moment of laughter and joy, everyone began to seriously discuss how to take Dongping Mausoleum.

In fact, Zhang He also made a great determination.

Because he had just been defeated by Zhang Fei at Tugu Mountain and his main force was completely lost, the safest way was of course to retreat to Pingyuan or Le'an.

But doing so would mean that Zhang He would have to give up the territory of Jinan.

This was unacceptable to the Yuan family, who actually controlled Jinan. Zhang He did not dare to take the risk and could only bite the bullet and defend it.

Then wait for new reinforcements from Jizhou.

"...We have 20,000 men. With so many brothers, even if we only have one kick each, we can still kick Dongpingling away."

"How can we not take it?"

"In my opinion, Zhang Fei, it is better to attack directly. Please give the order, Commander-in-Chief!"

Zhang Fei was eager to try and volunteered to lead the soldiers to attack the city.

All his troops were victorious, so it was understandable that he wanted to strike while the iron was hot.

But Li Yi shook his head. "I think Dongpingling is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Although Zhang He has few men and horses, they are well deployed."

"If we lead the troops to attack, we will probably end up with a bloody head, which is really unwise."

To give an inappropriate example,
Why are so many people afraid of dogs?

Answer: It’s not that people are afraid of dogs, it’s that people don’t want to hurt dogs.

Even if you beat the dog to death, it would not be worth it if you were bitten by it accidentally.

Now Li Yi led the army northward with great momentum, crushing the enemy with ease and trapping Zhang He in an isolated city.

Victory is only a matter of time. Li Yi certainly hopes to exchange the smallest loss for the greatest victory.

After all, when facing an opponent like Yuan Shen, you have to be careful with your calculations.

"……this."

Zhang Fei was startled and asked hurriedly, "So according to the Grand Commander, what does that mean?"

He wanted to reduce the loss of troops and capture Dongpingling, and he also wanted to do it as quickly as possible to prevent Zhang He from receiving reinforcements.

Only Li Yi dared to put forward this kind of thinking of wanting both on the battlefield.

"…If we can't attack by force, then we can only use wits to defeat them."

Zhao Yun looked at Li Yi and expressed his opinion.

"Military Advisor, we listen to you."

"If you have a good idea, please tell us and we will follow it!"

When Zhang Fei heard Li Yi speak like this, he knew that he must have an idea in his mind.

It’s just that Li Yi has always been more “democratic” and usually seeks everyone’s opinions before putting forward his own.

Only by brainstorming together can we achieve the best results.

At this moment, a confident smile appeared on Li Yi's face.

Li Yi's habit in fighting was to first find out the enemy's situation and survey the terrain before making a decision.

After these days of siege without attacking, Li Yi has already thought of a way to break into the city.

Li Yi paced back and forth in the military camp, then suddenly squatted down and picked up a handful of dirt from the ground.

Everyone looked at each other, none of them understood what he meant.

So under everyone's expectant gaze, Li Yi loosened his hand, gently put the soil down, and said to everyone calmly:
"…The soil here is loose, the Dongping Mausoleum has few defenders, and there is no moat, so we can attack through holes."

Acupoint attack?

Everyone was stunned at first, but then they quickly reacted.

What Li Yi was talking about was tunnel warfare.

Before the invention of large-caliber artillery, the only way for humans to shake thick city walls was to dig tunnels.

That is to dig to the foundation of the wall, loosen it, and make it collapse.

The reason why everyone was stunned was because their expectations of Li Yi were "too high".

I thought Li Yi could come up with some fantastic and brilliant plan, but it turned out to be just an ordinary "acupoint attack" plan.

There are two types of acupoint attack.

One is pure underground warfare.

As the name suggests, it means digging a tunnel and launching a surprise attack.

The second is to destroy the city walls.

This acupoint attack method is more complicated, but it is also the most commonly used.

That is to dig out the soil under the city wall and then set up wooden stakes to support it.

Then light the wooden stakes, and the fire will burn down the base of the wall.

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Mozi proposed the feasibility of underground warfare in his chapter "Preparing for Underground Caves".

During the late Han Dynasty, many princes used this method to attack cities.

Coincidentally, Yuan Shao really liked to fight underground warfare.

When Gongsun Zan built the Yijing Tower, Yuan Shao used the hole attack method to break it.

Later, when fighting against Cao Cao in the Battle of Guandu, Yuan Shao also tried to attack Cao Cao from behind by using underground warfare.

However, Cao Cao was able to prevent this and ambushed a small team in advance, completely wiping out Yuan's attacking force.

Even so, acupoint attack was still a very popular tactic in ancient warfare.

Especially in siege warfare, the battle may not only take place under the city walls.

It is possible in the woods, in the wilderness, or even underground.

It was normal for countless soldiers armed with short weapons, pickaxes and shovels to kill each other in the dark tunnels.

However, saying that acupoint attack is common is a broad statement. From a narrow perspective, it also has many restrictions.

For example, the soil must be sparse.
Because tunnel warfare requires both speed and novelty, soil that is too hard will slow down the construction process.

Secondly, there must be no moat, which goes without saying.

In the end, the number of people defending the city must be small, otherwise once your position is discovered, they will have many ways to counter you.

For example, like Cao Cao did, he could dig trenches in advance to prepare and catch the attacking team in one fell swoop.

Alternatively, they could quickly ignite the prepared firewood at the entrance of the tunnel, use a blower to blow the smoke into the tunnel, and force the enemy to retreat or suffocate them to death.

So although acupoint attack is good, it requires a lot of operation and has restrictions, so most people can't do it well.

Although the generals of Xuzhou rarely used acupoint attack on weekdays, they also knew that this method was difficult to implement in practice.

It is easier said than done.

Therefore, no one showed much excitement on their faces.

"...Although there are many restrictions on cave battles, Dongpingling can meet them all."

"I think this is the best way to quickly capture Dongpingling."

Li Yi told everyone his ideas in a very confident manner.

"But I have not called you here to use my method."

"If you have a better idea to quickly capture Dongping Mausoleum, please feel free to suggest it."

"You don't have to hide anything from me."

When Li Yi said the second half of the sentence, everyone finally reacted.

It seemed that this was the only method that could satisfy Li Yi's needs of controlling the losses and leaving the city quickly.

In other words, only Li Yi proposed a targeted solution.

The rest of the people haven't come up with any practical and effective solutions yet.

After listening to Li Yi's analysis, everyone came to their senses and it seemed to be true.

The soil around Dongping Mausoleum is loose and there is no moat.

After Zhang He's main force was annihilated, the defenders of Dongpingling alone would certainly not be able to take care of all directions.

only……

After all, this tactic was just a trick, and the opponent of the Xuzhou army happened to be a famous general who was famous for his "cleverness".

"...Grand Commander."

Chen Dao raised his own objection.

"Although the hole attack method is good, Zhang He is a famous general in Hebei and is used to using troops. Will he be prepared for this?"

"When Gongsun Zan was in Yijing, he dug ten layers of trenches and built a city in the middle of the trenches. It was fifty or six feet high and there were more than a thousand buildings."

"I think I am so proud and successful that I know everything about the world."

"However, Yuan Shao dug a tunnel under the tower, destroyed its watchtower, and attacked the mound."

"Gongsun Zan lost his support and realized that he would be defeated, so he set himself on fire and died in the city."

"Given the grand scale of Yijing, the people of Hebei were able to break through its siege by using the method of hole attack."

"It shows that he is well versed in the art of acupuncture."

"Zhang He also participated in the Battle of Yijing and made many achievements. I think he also experienced it personally."

"On the contrary, when we were in Xuzhou, we either fought on horseback or sailed in the water, and rarely attacked underground."

"So I am worried..."

Chen Dao stopped talking, fearing that it might disturb the morale of the army.

But to sum up his words,

We brothers have been fighting for so many years, and we rarely use acupoint attack.

The Hebei Army has used silver coins a lot and is very experienced.

Therefore, we used acupuncture in front of Zhang He.

It's like waving a sword in front of Guan Gong and showing chicken claws in front of IKUN.

“I do this because it is difficult, as if it were not difficult.”

"I will not do it."

Li Yi smiled calmly and appeared very confident.

We should do it just because it is difficult. If it were not difficult, we would not do it.

"Since you mentioned that people in Hebei are good at using acupuncture, then please state your opinions."

"Tell me this for Yi, if you were Zhang Junyi, what method would you use to break my acupuncture point attack?"

Li Yi asked everyone to think from the enemy's perspective and think about how to defend against our attack.

Tian Yu was most familiar with the Art of War. Coincidentally, he had just studied Mozi's "Preparation for Acupuncture Points" last year, and it came in handy today.

"I thought that we could have our own garrison dig a tunnel to extend the city wall to the weak point."

"This way, we can use the earth the attackers have dug before they can dig in."

The method mentioned by Tian Yu is also the most practical and commonly used method of defending acupoint attack.

As long as they strike first, the initiative will be in the hands of the defenders, and there are plenty of ways to kill people in the city.

"As Guo Rang said, you must know in advance that I will attack the acupoints."

"If this is the case, what method should be used to control it?"

Li Yi continued to ask.

Tian Yu pondered for a while, then said:
"First, go to the base of the wall and place a large vat every ten steps."

"Then we ordered someone to lie down at the entrance of the altar and listen. If there is any sound underground, they will know it."

"This is the method of listening in a jar. If we apply this method, wouldn't it be enough to attack through a hole?"

What Tian Yu mentioned was still the content of the "Bei Xue" chapter in "Mo Zi".

Since Mozi was able to propose the method of acupoint attack, he also gave the corresponding method to crack it.

The main player is me defending myself, while Mozi is fighting with himself.

The original text says, "Let someone with good hearing lie down and listen, and then he will know exactly where the hole is."

This method is also called Wengting, and is specifically used to prevent tunnel warfare.

"...Haha, Guo Rang's words show that he is well versed in the art of war."

While Li Yi praised Tian Yu, he also added something.

"…But Guo Rang must not forget."

"The Art of War also says, 'If we attack one with ten, we are many and the enemy is few.'"

This sentence comes from "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, which means that the key to fighting a war is to take advantage of numbers.

Sun Wu himself was very supportive of the tactic of using the majority to bully the minority.

Why fight one-on-one when you can fight in a group?

There were many battles in ancient times where a smaller force won, and while this is commendable, it is not the way of a great general.

Li Yi now wants to use the advantage in numbers to bully Zhang He who has fewer people in Dongpingling.

When Chen Dao, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei and other generals in the camp heard this, they suddenly turned around and looked at Li Yi with hope.

Li Yi raised his lips and said in a calm and orderly voice:
"The difficulty of cave warfare is nothing more than the fear of the 'jar listening' method."

"If we send a group of soldiers to feint at night, they will beat drums and gongs, but they won't fight."

"Zhang He is on guard, so it is difficult for him to eavesdrop on our army's underground movements."

"This goes on and on, Zhang He just thinks it's a tactic to tire out the enemy, and doesn't take my attack seriously."

"If that's true, we can dig a tunnel in the shortest possible time and break into the city."

"If the tunnel is open, send another team of death-defying warriors to quickly enter the city and form a large army with me to attack from both inside and outside."

"In this way, Dongpingling can be conquered and Zhang He can be captured."

Li Yi explained the strategy slowly and slowly, with a slight rise in the last line of his voice, as if he was waiting for the generals' reactions.

The central army tent exploded immediately.

Be it Zhao Yun or Zhang Fei, they were all inspired.

The doubts in everyone's eyes were immediately dispelled. It turned out that this was what the gentleman meant by taking advantage of numbers.

Taking advantage of our large numbers, we can not only send a troop to dig tunnels.

It would also free up time to send out a feint attack force, beating drums and gongs to tire out the soldiers.

What is virtual is real, what is real is virtual.

Let Zhang He be confused about what tactics we are adopting.

Wonderful, wonderful!

The Grand Commander really put the art of war to good use.

Doesn’t this method also prove the saying, “Avoid the strong and attack the weak, use the strong to attack the weak”?

Chen Dao was the first to follow Li Yi and admired him very much. He immediately praised him:
"The commander-in-chief's method is very clever. How can a common man like Zhang He see through the secret of my master?"

Zhang Fei also nodded repeatedly and joined in:
"Exactly! Exactly!"

"Zhang He only has 5,000 to 6,000 men, so he can't take care of everything."

"This method is feasible!" Li Yi asked the other generals for their opinions. All the generals bowed and said that they were ready.

"good!"

Li Yi nodded, frowned, and gave orders in a swift and decisive manner.

"Since Guo Rang is the most familiar with the method of 'Preparing for the Acupoints' among all the generals, I will temporarily organize the troops under your command into an engineering unit."

"Dig the ground at night to open a path and attack Dongping Mausoleum!"

"Here!"

Tian Yu bowed and accepted the order.

The other generals also received military orders and prepared to attack Dongping Mausoleum step by step.

……

All plans and calculations must eventually be put into practice.

No matter how fantastic the plan is, if it fails to meet the requirements in actual practice, it will ultimately be just talk.

Li Yi, accompanied by Zhao Yun, Chen Dao and other generals, personally led his troops to the city of Dongpingling.

But on the top of the city wall, Zhang He led his troops to form a battle formation.

The banners are clear, the guns and swords are deployed in an orderly and imposing manner.

Zhang He himself did not appear to be exhausted or tired due to the defeat. Instead, he had bright eyes and stood on the city wall in an awe-inspiring manner.

Chen Dao was also moved when he saw this:

"Zhang He has just been defeated, but the troops of Hebei are still as powerful and majestic as ever."

"This Zhang He is indeed a talented general."

Li Yi remembered that the last time he met Zhang He was five years ago.

In the past five years, things have changed and the status of the two people in their respective camps has also changed.

Thinking of this, Li Yi urged his horse forward.

The attendants asked Li Yi where he was going, and Li Yi replied:
"We are not here today to attack the city."

"It's been a while since I last met my old friend. I'll be there when I get to the city to express my gratitude."

"Let's see if Zhang Junyi is tempted."

The people around heard this and laughed secretly.

How can you make the enemy surrender just by a few words in front of the battle?
Like the famous story of Zhuge Liang scolding Wang Lang to death, Lao Luo just wanted to have fun and ignored an important logic.

Is there anyone in this world who can persuade the enemy commander to surrender in front of the two armies?

Even if the coach really wants to surrender, can he say "I surrender" in front of so many people?

Then don’t I have any face?

Li Yi didn't intend to persuade Zhang He to surrender under the city, he just wanted to reminisce about the past.

So Zhao Yun led a dozen riders, accompanied Li Yi, and drove to the city.

After walking a certain distance, he stopped and shouted loudly:
"Please ask General Zhang to come over and talk!"

Zhang He heard the shouting, stuck his head out to see, and saw it was Li Yi, an old friend of his.

He also heard him calling for him to leave the city to speak, and he did not have many men and horses with him, so he wanted to leave the city.
At the last moment, he felt something was not right, and thought to himself that now was a time of great trouble as the two armies were at war.

He was once captured by the Xuzhou army, but was eventually released.

At that time, it could be explained that Liu Bei was afraid of Yuan Shao's strength and did not dare to move against Yuan Shao's generals lightly.

Therefore, Yuan Tan, Zhang He and others were released together.

Even so, Zhang He's identity as an "old prisoner" was still too sensitive.

Zhang He did not dare to show up at this time, so he gave up the idea of leaving the city to meet Li Yi.

Just shout loudly from the city:

"Zhang He is here! I don't know what Li Tanhou wants to see me for?"

Li Yi was not annoyed when he saw that Zhang He did not come down. He just smiled and asked:

"…I have nothing else to do. I just came here to chat with General Zhang."

Hearing Li Yi's leisurely words, the other generals on the city wall came over to watch the fun.

Most of them had only heard of Li Yi's reputation but had never seen him in person.

All we know is that he is good at using strategies and is well versed in the art of warfare.

He was also an important official in Xuzhou, and at a young age he became the common strategist of the two major powers in Henan.

The young are truly to be feared!
When I met him in person today, I found that he had a handsome face and regular features.

Wearing a light blue crane cloak, he looks elegant and dignified.

With the escort of only a dozen riders, he arrived at the top of the city wall without any fear.

He is indeed much more mature and calm than his peers...

Zhang He couldn't understand why Li Yi made a special trip to see him, but at this time he was far inferior to Li Yi.

He was the real strategist of Henan, a man who controlled the military forces of four states and one Sili.

It's really rare that he is willing to remember our old friendship and come all the way down to the city to reminisce with me.

Zhang He then bowed politely and replied loudly:

"Thank you for your concern, my Lord. I hope everything goes well."

"I remember that when we were in Le'an, you just waved your feather fan and made our troops noisy and hurried away."

"He ran away, threw away his armor and cursed Qingcong."

Zhang He first expressed his respect for Li Yi, and then continued:
"It has been a few years since I left you, my lord."

"I didn't expect that you are still as elegant as ever, and your fame has spread all over the world!"

"I remember the time when we were together and I received your teachings. I am grateful for your guidance."

"Now you are in control of the troops of four states, with power over the whole world. If your old friends hear about this, they will be filled with admiration!"

"I am fortunate to have seen you once, which deeply comforts my longing."

Zhang He's words came from the heart.

Li Yi is a gentle and kind person, without any official airs.

He did not mean to look down on a soldier like him, which touched Zhang He greatly.

"It is just a temporary reputation, not worth mentioning."

"General Zhang, you are a very handsome man, but how could you lose your virginity to a thief?"

Zhang He was shocked when he heard this, and the generals around him also changed their expressions suddenly.

How come we were having a nice chat and suddenly you start making personal attacks?

Insulting the master by pointing fingers at him is no different from a personal attack.

"Mr. Yuan has three dukes in his four generations, and his students and former officials are all over the world."

"I have only got six or seven of them in the world, so why do you call me a thief?"

Zhang He immediately refuted.

"We are ordered to fight against the enemy, how can we be false?"

At this time, the benefits of welcoming the emperor were reflected, and Li Yi once again brought out the Han Dynasty's 400-year-old golden signboard.

"Yuan Shu rebelled and secretly kept the imperial seal. He was destroyed by General Liu and Minister Cao."

"Now Yuan Shao is not satisfied with the four states he has occupied, and he wants to invade our Henan territory without any reason."

"If this isn't a traitor, then what is he?"

This is what Ju Su mentioned before, Henan is a righteous army, and Cao and Liu have the advantage of public opinion.

"Listen carefully, sir!"

Li Yi suddenly turned his spearhead towards the defenders on the city wall, "Yuan Shao is just a commoner hero, he can gather people but cannot use them."

"If you don't make a decision soon, you will be harmed."

"Why not come to us in Henan? With General Liu's bravery and wisdom and the support of the Great Shun, there is nothing we cannot accomplish!"

During the vote-gathering session, Li Yi quietly removed Cao Cao from the list and touted how good the working environment in Xuzhou was and how good the salary and benefits were.

General Liu himself is a wise leader of the world and so on...

"General, this Li Yi is here to persuade us to surrender."

Cen Bi reminded Zhang He from the side.

How could Zhang He not hear it? He was about to reply.

Li Yi has already said:

"General Zhang, please listen to me."

"Now, the mountains and rivers and the people have all been destroyed by war. Only those with conscience and kindness have been spared from the calamity of war."

"Now, the benevolent and virtuous Liu Shijun is known to the world, and he is just trying to support the Han Dynasty and protect the emperor and the people."

“But I often sigh that one person’s strength is limited, and I hate that there are no like-minded people to stand shoulder to shoulder with me.”

"General Zhang is a man of great talent. Why don't you join me in assisting Lord Xuande and become a loyal minister together?"

"You can help the emperor and the people, and your name will be recorded in history."

"You can bring honor to your wife and children, and bring glory to your family."

"General Zhang, please don't be stubborn. Yuan Shao is a man who is generous on the outside but jealous on the inside. He is always scheming but has no decision-making. He is no match for Henan and will be defeated sooner or later."

"General Zhang is a man who understands justice. Don't lose yourself to the enemy."

"Why not keep yourself useful and join us in restoring the Han Dynasty!"

Li Yi spoke out all his words of persuasion in one breath.

There was no drag at all and it was done almost in one go.

His words are very inflammatory.

Not only did he elevate himself ideologically but also belittle Yuan Shao.

He also planned Zhang He's future life path.

However, Zhang He was not persuaded and only clasped his hands and bowed:
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. However, we each serve our own masters now."

"Your Excellency, please conquer my city first, and then we can talk about the future!"

Li Yi smiled at Zhang He's decisive refusal and continued:

"If I do manage to take the city, I will not trouble the general in the future."

Zhang He also smiled and said:
"If Yuan Gong conquers Henan in the future, the world will be unified again."

"Zhang will certainly plead for mercy in front of Lord Yuan."

Having said this, Li Yi secretly made a decision.

That is, Zhang He at this time was not suitable for surrender.

Obviously, Hebei is still strong and Henan is weak.

Now most of the generals and senior officials in Yuan’s camp firmly believe that Yuan Shao will eventually win, it is just a matter of time.

Even if there was infighting among Yuan's camp, it was only because they "divided the spoils unequally" and were fighting over how to divide Henan in the future.

Not to mention that people in Yuan’s camp thought so, even in history, there were a large number of people under Cao Cao’s own command who were secretly communicating with the Yuan family.

Asking Zhang He to surrender Henan now would be tantamount to chronic suicide for him.

In history, he was the one who led his troops to rebel in the middle of a battle.

But the war situation was already very intense at that time, both sides were very tired of war, and the people were full of complaints.

Although Zhang He suffered repeated defeats at this time, his overall advantage was still very great.

Even if the entire Qingzhou was lost, it would be difficult to shake Yuan Shao's foundation.

Thinking of this, Li Yi uttered his last words.

"General Zhang, do you still remember what Li said to you when we were in Xuzhou?"

"I said, if you are unhappy in the future, feel free to come to Xuzhou to find me."

"No matter when or where, Li will definitely welcome you!"

Having said this, Li Yi urged his horse to leave.

Zhang He remained silent upon hearing this, not knowing how to respond.

Sincerity is the ultimate weapon. Zhang He felt very uncomfortable that Li Yi valued him so much.

It is not right to invest, and it is not right not to invest.

Seeing this, Cen Bi whispered to Zhang He:

"General, why didn't you shoot him with an arrow just now?"

Zhang He was shocked when he heard this, "Why is that so?"

As soon as he said this, he realized he had said something wrong, and hurriedly tried to make up for it:

"At the distance just now, it is difficult for arrows to reach."

"Even if he goes over, he has so many powerful generals around him that it would be difficult to hurt him."

Zhang He's excuse was barely acceptable, because the distance between them just now was indeed quite far.

Even if there is a good archer who can deliver the arrow, its power will be greatly reduced.

But Cen Bi didn't mean this, and sighed:

"General, don't you know that disaster is approaching?"

Zhang He was shocked again, "What trouble have I got?"

Cen Bi sighed:

"Mr. Yuan has become increasingly suspicious in recent years. The general has a history with Xuzhou. When Mr. Yuan sent the general, someone suggested that Mr. Yuan should not use the general to guard Qingzhou."

"Although Lord Yuan rejected all objections, he still sent Generals Lü Kuang and Zhang Nan to monitor the situation."

Zhang He was stunned. Lu Kuang guarded Pingyuan and Zhang Nan guarded Le'an.

These two men were generals arranged by Yuan Shao. Zhang He thought that they were simply there to assist him in defending Qingzhou.

I had never thought so much about it. Did they even intend to monitor me?
"Lü Kuang is the third young master's trusted general, and Zhang Nan is the second young master's general."

"The general is in charge of the military affairs of Qingzhou, and Lord Yuan has sent these two men to take charge of the two important towns of Pingyuan and Le'an."

"What is the meaning? Doesn't the general understand it?"

Zhang He was silent. How could he not understand?

As soon as I show any change in my behavior, Zhang Nan and Lu Kuang will immediately lead their troops south and capture me.

No wonder when reporting military intelligence before, he had to pass through Pingyuan and Le'an before reaching Yuan Shao.

Now it seems……

"Mr. Yuan suspected me!"

Zhang He looked up and sighed, feeling helpless.

(End of this chapter)