My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 736 Kill Jueji first, then kill Wei Qiu

The Weiling Terrace, or Gongzhuling Terrace, located between the Liaohe River and the Songhua River, is nearly 200 miles wide from east to west and 300 to 400 miles long from north to south.

In such a vast flat highland, it was almost impossible to encircle a cavalry unit, ensure that they could attack in different directions and arrive at the battlefield at the same time, given the Han Dynasty's communication conditions.

Not to mention that the Han Dynasty couldn't do it, even in the Napoleonic era, it was impossible to ensure that it could be done. Otherwise, during the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon would not have been distracted by the enemy and his main force would not have been left alone.

In the east, in the Battle of Sarhu at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army suffered a great loss because the four armies did not arrive at the battlefield at the same time, and Nurhaci took advantage of the time difference and defeated them one by one.

In history, the only time that the two methods of attacking and combining forces could be achieved simultaneously was at least during the American Civil War or the German Unification War. Moltke was the first person in human military history to systematically summarize the advantages of the outer line. He came up with a set of generally effective tactics to ensure the synchronization rate of the two methods of attacking and combining forces.

Going further back, there were people who could do this, but they were very few and unstable.

It depends on luck and the commander's personal flash of inspiration and cannot be replicated on a large scale.

Today, the four-pronged attack faced by Zhao Yun by the anti-Han coalition is quite similar to the situation that Nurhaci later encountered in a parallel universe.

With Zhao Yun's talent in cavalry warfare and the sufficient intelligence he gained from setting up the game in advance, he could certainly make the most correct choice easily.

Therefore, after clarifying the enemy situation, Zhao Yun simply convened a temporary military meeting, and then in a very short time, he discussed specific combat arrangements with his generals and staff.

"Everyone, the decisive battle is imminent. Today we will work together and everyone can speak freely about who should be attacked first and who should be attacked later, and how to prioritize."

Zhao Yun didn't want to be the only one who had the final say, so he took the initiative to ask in a casual manner. Although he already had some ideas in his mind, this was a rare opportunity, so he still had to take this opportunity to train the team and exercise everyone's thinking process.

This time when he went north, the staff and generals who came with him included Tian Chou, Xin Pi, Xu Sheng, Guan Tong, Zhang Zhuo, etc., but none of them were talented generals.

Tian Chou was a local official in Yuyang, familiar with the affairs of the barbarians, and was brought by Zhao Yun to accompany the army. Xin Pi and Guan Tong were seconded from Yuan Tan's Qingzhou Army. Xu Sheng was seconded by Zhou Yu. Xu Sheng was also appointed by Zhou Yu to pacify the Three Hans a few years ago, and had dealt with the Dongyi people for several years.

Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci were responsible for the defense of Jizhou and Qingzhou respectively, so they could not move lightly. Therefore, they mostly sent some low-level generals to participate in and support Zhao Yun in this battle, which was also a kind of training.

Just like when Zhuge Liang dealt with the barbarians in Nanzhong in the same year, he did not mobilize too many famous generals and strong soldiers, but mostly trained Liu Zhang's old subordinates so that they could mature quickly after being baptized by war.

The current Han army has a crushing military technology and tactical level against the four barbarians. The most likely to improve in this kind of war is the vassal army of the princes who surrendered peacefully. This is the case with Liu Zhang's former subordinates in Yizhou and Yuan Tan's former subordinates in Qingzhou.

The generals also knew that General Zuo was giving them a chance, so they thought very hard and racked their brains.

Young Xu Sheng had been dealing with the Dongyi people of the Three Han for several years, and among the enemies encountered in today's battle, the Goguryeo people were relatively the closest to the natives of the Three Han. Xu Sheng thought for a while, and then bravely offered a suggestion:

"General Zuo, I think that among all the enemy armies, the Goguryeo army is the weakest.

Moreover, Gongsun Kang and Wei Choutai are in the middle. If we break through the center first, the enemy's front and rear ends can rush to reinforce quickly, and the time difference our army can delay will not be very long, and we may not be able to completely defeat Gongsun Kang during this time.

Therefore, we must choose between the Xianbei Jueji tribe and the Goguryeo people as the target of the first battle. In this case, Goguryeo is the weakest, so why not pick the soft persimmon first?

As long as we defeat part of the enemy as quickly as possible, even if the rest of the enemy arrives, their morale will be low and they will be terrified. Our army will just turn around and fight, and we can win a complete victory! "

Zhao Yun nodded slightly but didn't say anything. It was obvious that this expression was just encouragement and he didn't really intend to execute it.

He paused for a moment, and seeing that no one else came forward to refute Xu Sheng, he said in a gentle tone: "The idea is very prudent, and it can indeed ensure the chance of victory, which is worthy of praise. However, Wen Xiang should have rarely led a large cavalry army in battle before.

Today, our Han cavalry is much stronger than those weakly armed barbarians. What we want to pursue is not only to win, but also to win as much as possible. "

(Note: Wenxiang is Xu Sheng's pen name)

After Zhao Yun made this clear, other staff members and generals in the tent had to think more carefully and comprehensively.

Everyone was silent for a while. Xin Pi was the first to figure out Zhao Yun's true intention. He also knew a little about the art of war, so he pretended to be suddenly enlightened and suggested sincerely:
"General Zuo's painstaking efforts are truly far-sighted! I thought about it again and again before I understood the reason. General Zuo must have felt that the Goguryeo army was not only weak, but also mostly mountain dwellers, with a large number of infantry in the army.

Gongsun Kang and Wei Choutai had to recruit a large number of soldiers to fight in their homeland, so it was impossible for their army to be composed entirely of cavalry. Only the Xianbei tribes, who came from afar and were barbarians on the grassland, had their entire army composed entirely of cavalry.

Once the situation is unfavorable, the Xianbei people are most likely to flee when they see that the situation is not good. At that time, our army will find it difficult to catch up. On the other hand, the Buyeo people and the Goguryeo people, even if they see that their friendly army has been defeated, they can't escape immediately. This is why we can annihilate them more thoroughly! "

Xin Pi's view is the same as Xu Sheng's in that "one should give priority to attacking the enemy's two ends rather than the center, and avoid reinforcements from the front and rear at the same time."

Obviously, he was also convinced by Xu Sheng's previous purely military interpretation, so he used the parts without problems directly and only made slight adjustments based on political considerations.

Since Zhao Yun wanted not only victory but also a great victory, Xin Pi explained along this line of thought. Anyway, the general direction of "attacking both ends" is correct, so there are only two options in total. If one is rejected, the other must be correct.

Xin Pi just needs to figure out how to explain this principle.

This is somewhat similar to the proof questions that middle school students in later generations do. The teacher has used the elimination method to eliminate one wrong option from the two-choice answer list, and the students just have to find a way to prove that the remaining option is correct.

Xin Pi's deduction did seem reasonable to Zhao Yun. Even Xu Sheng, who was refuted, felt that there was no problem after calming down and thinking about it.

Finally, Zhao Yun looked at Tian Chou again, hoping that Tian Chou, who was familiar with the barbarian affairs, would also express some opinions.

Tian Chou was also well aware of the terrifying mobility of the Xianbei troops. Following this line of thought, he felt that he should indeed destroy the Jue machine first.

He said pertinently: "We will surely defeat them if we meet them head-on in the first battle. However, Suli, the hidden enemy, will be exposed immediately. We can no longer count on him to show up and stab the enemy in the back at the critical moment. We can only join our army in chasing the remaining two enemy forces. We need to prepare for this in advance."

Zhao Yun nodded, indicating that he had already prepared for this. Everyone worked together to discuss some details and finally finalized the plan.

Finally, Zhao Yun gave a big reward to the soldiers in the camp. He killed a group of sheep that night and let all the cavalrymen have a full meal of mutton and then have a good rest for the night.

The next morning, they got up at four o'clock, prepared their troops and had a meal of the leftover mutton soup and pre-made cold noodles, then set out north to meet the enemy's attack.

The mutton soup was left in the pot after a big reward the day before, and was kept warm over a low fire for half the night. It was still hot when I woke up at four o'clock in the morning. The dough was made in advance and was already very hard, but after breaking it apart and soaking it in the hot soup to swell up, it was not difficult to chew.

……

The anti-Han coalition forces had originally calculated the time and agreed to arrive at the battlefield together before noon that day to attack Zhao Yun from both sides.

Previously, Jueji and Suli had deliberately slowed down once because the messenger they sent out reported that the Goguryeo army was slow to move and might arrive later than originally planned.

If the Goguryeo people hadn't been so slow, the armies would have been able to reach the battlefield early this morning. The new appointment of "before noon" was already the result of a delay.

However, Zhao Yun took the initiative to move northward, and the anti-Han coalition's plan was completely scrapped, and they could only act on improvisation.

At noon in the morning, when Jue Ji was still more than thirty miles away from Zhao Yun, the scouts he sent out from afar discovered that Zhao Yun was charging towards him with all his strength, and they quickly rode their horses to pass the news back to Jue Ji and Suli.

When Jue Ji heard this, he was shocked. As the barbarian king of the Xianbei in western Liao, he was certainly not an easy person to deal with. He had a strong sense of smell and instinct on the battlefield. Even though he had never read the art of war, he could see that Zhao Yun wanted to take advantage of time to defeat him one by one.

"Zhao Yun suddenly took the initiative to attack from the north. He intends to fight us before Gongsun Kang, Wei Choutai and the Goguryeo people arrive. Why don't we retreat for the time being and buy time so that Gongsun Kang and the Goguryeo people can slowly catch up?"

Suli had wanted to take Jueji's hand for a long time, but he couldn't do it now, otherwise he would suffer heavy losses. If both sides were defeated, Zhao Yun would feel that he was no longer useful and would just sit back and reap the benefits. That would be bad. So Suli thought about it and decided not to show it too obviously and encourage Jueji to act recklessly. In the end, he just said in a seemingly pertinent way:
"There is really no need for our army to fight Zhao Yun alone in advance. We should wait for all the friendly forces to arrive. However, there are many infantry in the Goguryeo army, and Zhao Yun and I are both cavalry. If one of our armies flees and the other pursues, the Goguryeo army and the Buyeo army will probably be pulled further and further away, right?
If it really comes to that, after we have been running for a long time, if we are finally caught up by Zhao Yun, we will not be able to count on reinforcements at all. In my opinion, it is okay to retreat slightly, but we cannot retreat blindly to the rear.

We can change direction slightly and move closer to Gongsun Kang, and we can also try to pull Zhao Yun back while retreating. If Zhao Yun is really chasing us and the front and rear can't take care of each other, then we can't miss the opportunity to fight."

What Suli said was in line with the art of war. Jueji agreed with it and made the decision immediately. Both tribes made the same adjustment.

Jueji also knew that most Xianbei cavalry were light cavalry, and even if they had armor, it was mostly leather armor, or some leather armor had iron plates nailed to key parts. But except for senior generals, Xianbei cavalry rarely had full body fish scale iron armor, let alone the breastplate of the Han people.

Therefore, the mobility of the Xianbei cavalry is definitely stronger than that of the Han people's cavalry.

In Zhao Yun's army, the most terrifying thing in a head-on battle is the Iron Cavalry. Once Zhao Yun is pulled away, the Iron Cavalry and the Light Cavalry will be out of touch.
It is not impossible for him to consider seizing the opportunity and kill Zhao Yun's light cavalry who were left alone because they were chasing too fast.

"Okay, our army won't retreat. Let's turn left and march as fast as we can to get closer to the Fuyu army! Let's try to meet the enemy together! In addition, if Zhao Yun's light cavalry dares to go deep into our territory alone and chase us, we will turn around and annihilate them! Let's show our power first!"

Jueji raised his whip and gave orders with high spirits.

Suli next to him also said that this decision was really wise and he followed it.

The Xianbei quickly followed the order, just like the naval battles of later generations, trying to seize the advantage of the T-shaped cross section. Zhao Yun, who was thirty miles away, pointed his head directly at the Xianbei, and rushed straight at them, but the Xianbei swept across the formation and only focused on sideways maneuvers.

The cavalry was very fast and they arrived at the thirty-mile mark in just half an hour. Even so, they had to ride slowly to conserve their horses' strength.

When the two armies met, Jue Ji soon discovered to his surprise that the situation he had been pursuing, "the disconnection between Zhao Yun's heavy cavalry and light cavalry", had already appeared without him having to work hard to achieve it.

Zhao Yun also apparently discovered that the Xianbei coalition forces had turned and began to maneuver to the flank, so Zhao Yun was afraid that the night would be too long and dreams would arise, so he ordered his troops to speed up and try to catch up with Jueji as soon as possible before the Buyeo army joined forces.

The price of all this was that Zhao Yun's light cavalry arrived at the battlefield earlier than the heavy cavalry.

Seeing that there was no time for his side to join forces, and Zhao Yun was also left alone, Jue Ji's vicious nature as a Xianbei leader was completely aroused.

Even a clay figure has a temper, let alone a Xianbei barbarian king? If he is not hot-tempered and impulsive, can he still be called a barbarian king?
"Soldiers, follow me to kill Zhao Yun! In order to pursue us, Zhao Yun dared to lead with light cavalry. Apart from his personal guards, there are few armored cavalry in his army. Now is the time to annihilate Zhao Yun! Soldiers, follow me to kill him! Lord Suli, you and I will attack Zhao Yun from the left and right! Whoever kills Zhao Yun will be the unifying leader of the three Xianbei counties!"

Jueji made the decision quickly and gave the order in person with a loud voice. He also repeatedly shouted to boost the morale of his own side and also discussed the conditions with Suli.

Then, Jue Ji used the carved bow to lead 20,000 Liaoxi Xianbei cavalry directly into the attack.

Suli next to him seemed to be reorganizing the formation, but his military discipline did not seem to be as rigorous as Jueji's, and his preparations were more slow. Fortunately, the difference was not too big.

Afterwards, Suli finally started the raid with an army of 10,000 to 20,000 Yuyang Xianbei cavalry.

However, Jueji soon discovered that something was wrong.

Because Suli's cavalry had just accelerated, and then shouted a mess of slogans that had never been heard before, and the flags became disorderly, and they actually rushed towards the friendly forces.

"The Yuyang Xianbei have accepted General Liu as their leader! Assist General Zuo in killing the bandits!"

The 10,000 or 20,000 Yuyang Xianbei cavalry actually turned against their own side on the battlefield. However, they only shouted and made a lot of noise, but they didn't actually charge in directly and fiercely.

But even so, the Xianbei army in western Liao on the side was frightened by the sudden defection of its friendly army, and became scattered and panicked for a while.

This is not because Suli deliberately conserves his strength and is unwilling to fight to the death - because at this time, it is very difficult to control the troops.

In order to prevent early leaks, Suli did not inform his grassroots soldiers before the battle, so the soldiers below did not know who they would actually fight today and who the real enemy was.

Only the middle and high-level generals in the army could know Suli's plan and the behind-the-scenes deal between Suli and Zhao Yun in advance.

The higher up the hierarchy, the earlier they would know. The middle-level officers who were in charge of thousands of herdsmen would only get the news early in the morning of the day they were to go out. Those lower down would only know right before the battle.

However, even if Suli did not immediately launch a substantial attack on Jueji's troops, this was enough to bring about a decisive change in the situation of the battle.

After all, the situation on the battlefield instantly changed from "nearly 40,000 Xianbei cavalry against 15,000 Zhao Yun light cavalry" to only 20,000 Xianbei cavalry against 15,000 Zhao Yun light cavalry.

Moreover, these 20,000 Xianbei cavalrymen had to divide their energy at all times to guard against friendly forces nearby stabbing them in the back. Their low morale and confusion were enough to be fatal.

"Only kill the enemies! Those who surrender will not be questioned! Those who submit to the court will be recruited!"

Zhao Yun also wielded his spear, held the horse bow in his hand, and personally led his troops to charge into the battle.

He did not bring many armored cavalry in this battle, but his own armor was absolutely excellent. There were at least hundreds of personal guards around him equipped with excellent full-piece forged steel breastplates, and the rest of their bodies were protected by chain mail skirts or scale mail skirts. Their weapons were also of the best quality.

When these guards were marching, they were all equipped with three horses, just like Zhao Yun himself, and one horse was specifically used to carry armor, which was only put on the person before the battle, so the horses were plenty powerful until the time of charge.

Hundreds of cavalrymen were like a hot knife cutting into butter, stabbing into Jueji's center army.

Jueji's right army was pinned down by Suli and could not come back to support him in time. The central army faced Zhao Yun alone and was soon cut into a bloody gap, which was still being torn apart on both sides.

Horse lances and long spears made of fine steel flew among the light cavalry, causing bloody storms, broken limbs and arms, and countless Xianbei cavalry were stabbed directly off their horses.

The Xianbei cavalry, without double-sided metal stirrups and high-bridge saddles, had no strength to fight against the Han army. Once they were caught in close combat, they would be thrown to the ground.

The Xianbei people's sabers posed no threat to Zhao Yun's personal guards.

The lance was somewhat threatening, but the stability of the Xianbei cavalry on horseback was simply not comparable to that of the Han army's heavy cavalry.

On the battlefield, we often see the lances of the Xianbei cavalry piercing the one-piece forged steel breastplates of the Han cavalry. The huge force of the impact did indeed dent the dome-shaped arc of the steel armor, and the knight behind the breastplate was injured and vomited blood and fell off his horse.

However, because there was a considerable difference in mass and inertia between the two sides, and the Han cavalry had double-sided metal stirrups and high-bridge saddles to fix their positions, even if they were stabbed, the recoil force was very large, often knocking the Xianbei cavalry off their horses and rolling to the ground.

However, if the long weapons of the Han cavalry stabbed the Xianbei cavalry, the Han cavalry would never be knocked off their horses by the reaction force. After killing the enemy, they would often continue to charge forward with a relaxed attitude.

This was an absolute crushing defeat caused by the generation gap in weapon technology. If anyone was to blame, they could only blame the Liaoxi Xianbei people for being offline for too long. They had not fought against the Han army for too many years, and they didn't know to what extent the combat effectiveness of the Han cavalry had improved.

Even in Bingzhou and Daijun, Cao Xiu and Cao Zhang were able to crush Kebinen, Budugen and others.

What about Zhao Yun in Liaodong? Can Cao Xiu be compared with Zhao Yun? Can Jueji be compared with Ke? None of them can be compared, and Jueji was stabbed in the back on the battlefield.

The Xianbei cavalry in western Liao were soon torn apart by Zhao Yun's frantic charge and close-range archery, and were killed and scattered.

Jue Ji and his personal guards were caught in a dilemma and tried to break out, but he was held tightly by Zhao Yun and was eventually shot to death in the chaos.

(End of this chapter)