Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 326: One Battle to Decide
Being energetic is a gift. If it were an ordinary person, he would be exhausted after leading a large army and pursuing Han Sui day and night. But Zhang Yu just happened to have this gift. So when he was at the battle, even if he fought for a while and didn't eat for a day, Zhang Yu felt hungry and thirsty, but he felt that his body could still hold on.

In fact, many people think that talent and timing are the keys to a person's success, but in fact, energy is also a key factor in personal success. People who are entrusted with important tasks will be exhausted by social activities and official duties every day, so it is difficult to withstand high-intensity work without sufficient energy.

A typical example is a general who leads troops. Commanding troops is not just about fighting, but also about considering war strategies, bearing the pressure of defeat, and even many things cannot be entrusted to others. Therefore, if you don’t have an energetic body, your body will easily collapse under high pressure.

Zhang Yu has been accustomed to this kind of pressure since he started his business, or it can be said that Zhang Yu is driven by a goal and vision. If he didn't know that Han Sui was ahead, it would be difficult to settle Longyou without dealing with Han Sui. Zhang Yu actually wanted to rest.

After defeating Song Jian, Zhang Yu pursued him non-stop from dusk till night. When he was twenty miles away from Xingguo, he saw that the terrain was rugged and it was not convenient for cavalry to maneuver. He also saw that Han Sui had retreated to Xingguo, so he stopped the pursuit.

Xingguo, Xiyuan.

There were bonfires lit on the plateau. Zhang Yu and his soldiers had worked hard all night and were now resting on the plateau. Many tired soldiers fell asleep and the sound of snoring could be heard one after another.

"Is there any food today?"

Zhang Yu poked the campfire with a wooden stick and asked Zhang Liao.

"My Lord, our army is lightly armed and has little food. We have already fed the horses along the way!" Zhang Liao said, "And because we just captured the Di people in Xingguo, we got three sheep and dozens of Hu cakes."

"There are more than 10,000 soldiers. How can just three sheep and dozens of Hu cakes be enough for the soldiers to share?" Zhang Yu said.

"It's better to kill the horse!"

Zhao Yun said: "Han Sui fled to Xingguo. When he saw our army chasing him here, he knew that he could not escape and would definitely fight with our army tomorrow. If we don't feed the soldiers now, how can they have the energy to fight Han Sui's army tomorrow!"

It is not difficult to understand why Han Sui wanted to fight Zhang Yu. If he continued to flee tomorrow, Zhang Yu would easily chase him with his cavalry, and Han Sui's troops would turn from retreating to fleeing. If he stayed to fight Zhang Yu, if he could defeat Zhang Yu, he would not only have a chance to return to Jincheng, but also a chance to make a comeback. Therefore, it was inevitable that Han Sui would send troops to fight Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Zilong's words make sense. Han Sui has run out of tricks and will fight me tomorrow. The soldiers have been busy and exhausted for several days. If they can't eat enough, how can they have the strength to fight tomorrow!"

"Choose a suitable horse to slaughter, and cook the three sheep together. Let me and the soldiers eat together!" Zhang Yu ordered.

"As ordered!"

"Sir, if we fight Han Sui tomorrow, how should we arrange it?" Zhang Ji asked.

After a series of battles in the Western Expedition to Longyou, Zhang Ji was completely convinced by Zhang Yu. Previously, he was defeated by Zhang Yu and had to surrender due to the situation. Now Zhang Yu's perseverance in pursuing Han Sui and his attitude of not returning until Han Sui is defeated has made Zhang Ji admire him. Even if he cannot win tomorrow, in Zhang Ji's eyes, Zhang Yu will sooner or later achieve great things, and even defeat Han Sui again.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then used a small wooden stick to outline the terrain on the ground, and said, "I just surveyed the terrain. The terrain south of Xingguo is rugged and the riverbank is narrow. We need to line up among the hills tomorrow, and the cavalry cannot be deployed. Therefore, Han Sui will line up east-west tomorrow, with Xingguo to the north and our army to the south."

"So tomorrow, the cavalry will dismount and fight on foot. Zhang Liao and Gao Shun will line up in the east, and Zhang Ji and Xu Chu will line up in the west. Huchuquan will lead the cavalry behind the formation and be responsible for supporting the army at any time. Zilong and I will lead two hundred armored cavalry to the dense forest on the east side to observe the situation and make our moves."

After a pause, Zhang Yu added: "Tomorrow's battle, I will raise the white flag as an order, and all troops need to retreat a little!"

The generals looked at each other and vaguely understood the strategy Zhang Yu was going to use tomorrow.

"Your Excellency, why don't you stay in charge of the army? Tomorrow Liao and Zilong will lead the armored cavalry to break into the enemy line!" Zhang Liao said worriedly.

"In times of emergency, all soldiers, regardless of their rank, must prioritize defeating the enemy!"

Zhang Yu warned, "When we retreat tomorrow, do not disperse your troops. When I lead the cavalry to attack, you must fight hard, only then will we have a chance to defeat Han Sui."

"Yes!" All the generals responded in unison.

Soon, while Zhang Yu was discussing military affairs with his generals, dinner was finally ready.

As they had too few pots and bowls, they could only drink the mutton soup with their helmets. It was inconvenient to cook soup, so they mostly roasted horse meat.

Zhang Yu, holding his helmet, stood up from the campfire and said to all the soldiers who were preparing to eat, "We have been marching for more than 200 miles day and night, and the transportation of food and supplies has not been fast enough. We must treat you badly!"

"The mutton soup smells fishy and there is not much mutton. But when Han Sui is defeated, I will invite you to drink and eat meat!"

When the nearby soldiers heard this, their leader started to make a noise and shouted, "Behead Han Sui and use his head as your chamber pot."

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu laughed loudly, pointed at the soldiers who were making a fuss, and said, "If you can kill Han Sui tomorrow, I will make you a marquis and pass down the title to your descendants." "Long live the marquis!"

"Long live the prince!"

The soldiers raised their arms and shouted, which attracted the response of other soldiers, who all called Zhang Yu "Long live".

After boosting morale, the sergeant ate his first meal of the day. Perhaps because he was too hungry, the sergeant even ate more happily than before.

As the night grew darker, the soldiers were tired after their meal and were resting. However, Zhang Yu did not dare to rest. He had his men hold torches and use the faint moonlight to survey tomorrow's battlefield to prevent any unexpected factors from affecting the outcome of the fighting.

While Zhang Yu was busy all night, Han Sui, Song Jian, A Gui and others in Xingguo City had already eaten and drunk their fill and were discussing strategies to defeat Zhang Yu.

"Zhang Yu has been chasing us for hundreds of miles, and his troops are exhausted. Our army camped in Xingguo, and the soldiers had food to eat, so their morale gradually recovered. However, Zhang Yu camped in Xiyuan at night, and his men starved. I expect his morale is low, and we may be able to take advantage of this opportunity to defeat him."

Song Jian smiled and said to everyone, "So tomorrow we will lead the army to attack. Everyone should send out the best troops, and we will be able to defeat Zhang Yu."

"What King Song said makes sense!"

Agui said, "Our Long soldiers are brave and not inferior to Bingzhou soldiers. The reason why Zhang Yu has been able to defeat us so many times is because of his strategy. When the two armies are fighting in battle array, our army may not be inferior to Zhang Yu's troops. Besides, Zhang Yu's troops have been exhausted after chasing us for a day and a night. Tomorrow will be our chance to use our strength."

After a rest, everyone forgot how miserable they were when they were chased by Zhang Yu. Now that they had arrived in Xingguo, and Zhang Yu was sleeping in the open air, and his soldiers were tired and cold, this gave everyone confidence, and they thought that the reason they were defeated before was not because they had defeated Zhang Yu, but because they lacked the conditions to fight Zhang Yu.

If they line up to fight Zhang Yu tomorrow, they may be able to win a great victory!
Fan Chou was afraid of Zhang Yu because of his two defeats. He said, "Although Zhang Yu's troops are weak, his cavalry is strong and brave. We should not underestimate him."

"Then we will set up our battle array on the hills and valleys south of the city tomorrow, making it difficult for the enemy cavalry to move!" Han Sui pondered for a moment and said, "Our army has reinforcements, with nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses, while the enemy has only about 10,000. So tomorrow we should set up our battle array east and west, taking advantage of our strengths and avoiding our weaknesses, and perhaps we can use our superior numbers to defeat Zhang Yu's troops."

"What Wen Yue said makes sense. We can follow your advice!"

Seeing that everyone ignored the issue of sending out elite troops, Song Jian reminded them again, "Tomorrow's battle will determine our survival. I hope you will send out your elite troops and do not hide your strength."

"rest assured!"

"In a life-and-death battle, I dare not fail to use my full strength," Han Sui said solemnly.

"If we defeat Zhang Yu tomorrow, I will reward the entire army with money and food." Agui said proudly.

Before, everyone had reserved their strength to some extent, and did not dare to fight Zhang Yu with all their troops. For example, Han Sui and Song Jian, both of them had reserved their strength when fighting with Zhang Yu. But at this stage of the military situation, everyone dared not hide their strength. After all, as Song Jian said, this battle was a matter of life and death.

The next day, at daybreak, Han Sui, Song Jian, Agui, Yang Qianwan and other Han and Qiang generals each led their troops and lined up in battle array in the south of the city, totaling nearly 20,000 men.

Han Sui was the main general, and he led a small number of soldiers and horses to command behind the formation. His own troops were handed over to Yan Xing for command, and they lined up in the west with Song Jian's troops. Agui and Yang Qianwan were Qiang and Dihu people, and they had a common language, so they reorganized their troops in the east.

From east to west, the 20,000 soldiers were lined up in a horizontal formation that was seven miles long. Han Sui tried to stretch the formation to expose Zhang Yu's weakness of having fewer troops.

Why is it said that stretching the army's formation is beneficial to having more soldiers but not to having fewer soldiers?

The reason is not difficult to understand. When two armies are fighting, they often arrange a formation with depth, taking into account factors such as terrain and troops. In order to highlight their advantages, the side with more troops often stretches the army, while the army with fewer troops arranges a correspondingly wide formation, which inevitably means that the depth is insufficient.

Therefore, if Han Sui's troops were deployed in a seven-li long formation, then Zhang Yu's troops must be deployed in the same length to ensure that the flanks would not be surrounded. Once Zhang Yu deployed a seven-li long formation, it meant that the formation was not deep enough.

When Zhang Yu's formation was not deep enough, Han Sui would deploy his elite troops in the front and take advantage of his large numbers. If he could defeat Zhang Yu's troops in the front row, he would be able to break through the thin formation and Zhang Yu's troops would be defeated.

"As you expected, Han Sui actually deployed his troops in a horizontal formation!"

Zhao Yun couldn't help but marvel when he saw Han Sui listing the formation that Zhang Yu had predicted last night.

Standing on the hill, looking at Han Sui's army formation, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Han Sui's formation is not difficult to predict. The terrain south of Xingguo is rugged, and if he wants to fight with our army, he can only form a horizontal formation. It is unexpected that the formation is only seven miles long."

"Han Sui is eager to defeat us, and our army is already halfway victorious!"

(End of this chapter)