The great man will live forever

Chapter 276 The situation is under control

In the main hall of Maoshan, an old Taoist priest with immortal style was sitting on the futon. He was dressed in a green Taoist robe, with a dignified appearance, a black Taoist crown on his head, a delicate face, and a white beard hanging down his shoulders.

He looked like he was proficient in Taoism. He often held a bronze staff in his hand, and his aura gave people a sense of tranquility.

Opposite him is a young Taoist priest, who is relatively simple. His Taoist robe is light-colored and he does not have a black Taoist crown, but he also has a handsome face and a perseverance between his brows.

The young Taoist priest is Zhu Rong, now also called Mao Gu. "He took action. Once the order to conquer the fields was issued, the powerful could no longer sit still."

The old Taoist priest spoke unhurriedly, he was Mao Ying, "Aren't you taking action too? Otherwise, it's just a land order, and it won't make such a big noise."

"It's just that even if the world is in chaos, it can't stop him. Back then, he was fighting with Huo Qubing."

"When it comes to the art of war, there are few people in the world who can compare with Gui Guzi. Thousands of troops and horses are as if they are nothing."

The young Taoist priest nodded, "That's true, fighting and commanding the army requires talent.

Those who know military skills in the world can be roughly divided into five levels. The lowest level is ordinary generals, who are talking about war on paper.

They are familiar with the art of war and have strategies in mind, but they have not been to the battlefield in person. This is the last level.

Once such people go to the battlefield, the outcome is uncertain. They may win a great victory or they may be completely defeated, just like Zhao Kuo back then.

They tend to ignore many of the actual difficulties on the battlefield, lack sufficient understanding of soldiers, and win or lose by chance.

From this point of view, their limit is to command tens of thousands of troops. If there are more, the entire army will be in danger of being annihilated.

Most generals in the world are at this level. Some of them may have the qualifications to be famous generals, but they have no chance to show them. After all, battles do not happen often.

Even if it happens, most of them will lose their lives as soon as they go to the battlefield. If they don't lose their lives, they will lose their morale after a big defeat and never recover from it.

The first level above this is those who have experienced battles for a long time and are familiar with the changes of battle formations, but lack a sense of agility in commanding operations and are quite satisfactory, but they lack confidence in grasping the overall situation and dare not have a decisive victory.

They are considered average and have good luck.

This kind of person can command about 50,000 soldiers, and rarely worries about overthrow, but it is difficult to win a big victory, and he can barely leave his name in the history books!

On top of this, those who are proficient in strategy, are familiar with battle formations, dare to take action, can be keenly aware of changes in the battle situation, and often make surprising moves. The word "dangerous and strange" in military tactics is really ambiguous. This kind of person can command a hundred thousand soldiers. Generally speaking, the one who wins more and loses less is the superior general!

The first level above this is a person who knows the art of war, but is not limited to writings. He knows the troops and manages them, and has the situation of the battle in his heart. The soldiers, vegetation, mountains and rivers on the battlefield are all his weapons.

They do not take risks, do not seek speed, are not greedy for victory, dare to fight without being timid, are as quiet as virgins, and move like thunder. They fight steadily and step by step. They seem rigid, but in fact they have endless changes in their hearts. They can lead millions of soldiers and win hundreds of battles. Undefeated, this is a famous general!

There is also the last level. At this level, they can already predict the enemy and see through people's hearts. Mountains and rivers are all chess pieces. They combine the right and the strange, and are not limited to the situation. They can understand the changes in the world and the military and political affairs. Play on the battlefield, and win decisively outside the battlefield...

To them, victory or defeat in the moment is the lowest level. They calculate in their minds what will happen to the world in the next fifty years.

This type of person can mobilize a country's troops to one hundred thousand, one million, or millions, depending on the country's strength. This is an unparalleled general.

Of course, there are also some who like to take risks, but they are also famous generals. They may be born for the battlefield, such as Huo Qubing.

I have lived for so many years, relying on experience and knowledge, and have fought many battles, but I can only be regarded as a general, not a famous general. A famous general really requires talent.

And Gui Guzi is regarded as a famous general who can see hundreds of steps with one step. "

"Then do you think Han Xin back then was considered a world-famous general?"

At this time, the young Taoist priest was silent, and after a moment he said: "Maybe, just look at the military, forget it, there is almost no one who can surpass him in ancient times."

Many people in later generations thought that Han Xin's military capabilities were exaggerated, which is simply ridiculous.

Li Shimin once said, "In war, you rely on two things, one is calculation, and the other is deception."

In fact, this is what Sun Tzu said in The Art of War: "Soldiers are deceitful, so they can see it as incompetent, use it as it cannot, use it as it is not, see it as far away, and see it as near."

This trick is easy for you to say, but it is very difficult to actually do it on the battlefield, especially the second trick. How to skillfully deceive your opponents on the battlefield is a winning way for a general to win.

Historically, most of the famous generals who were able to defeat more with less relied on deception to win repeatedly on the battlefield. When Lu Xun was able to win the battle of Yiling, didn't he just deceive his opponent Liu Bei?

In the Battle of Changping, Bai Qi was able to annihilate 40 Zhao troops. Didn't he also deceive his opponent Zhao Kuo?

Therefore, anyone who can repeatedly deceive his opponents on the battlefield is undoubtedly a famous general.

Don't think that this is easy to do. You need to know that the liars of later generations can deceive people. He relies on verbal communication. Only when you hear his words can he deceive you in your brain.

On the battlefield, the two armies generally cannot communicate verbally, and all rely on the movements of the troops in formation to confuse the opponent.

This is equivalent to a liar coming to deceive you. He cannot speak and can only rely on body language. This is very difficult.

If you want to deceive the enemy on the battlefield, you must not only know yourself and the enemy, but also have a thorough understanding of the surrounding geography and other environmental factors, understand the opponent, judge the opponent, and then use marching and formation methods to confuse the opponent.

The opponent may also be a general who has experienced hundreds of battles, and they also have a large number of spies to judge whether the enchantment array you have deployed is true or false, so it is not easy to deceive the opponent.

One of the main reasons why Sun Bin was able to defeat Pang Juan was that Sun Bin knew Pang Juan too well.

Therefore, if you want to deceive your opponent, you must go to the extreme. This calculation is what is called in the art of war to anticipate the enemy's opportunities.

Those who take these two points to the extreme on the battlefield are the masters on the battlefield, and Han Xin himself is the master among masters.

Han Xin was not only able to deceive his opponents in group fights on the battlefield, he could even deceive his own soldiers to the end. You will not find many people who can do this in history.

Everyone knows that Han Xin defeated the 20 Zhao army with recruits who had no combat effectiveness. Han Xin deceived these recruits into a desperate situation, and then fought against the odds, stimulating the fighting spirit of the soldiers, thus defeating more with less.

In this case, ordinary famous generals can at most deceive their opponents and make them underestimate them. But Han Xin not only deceived his opponent Chen Yu, but also deceived his own soldiers.

You must know that everyone has fear. If a group of new recruits face an army several times their own, if the fear at that time overwhelms their rationality, the outcome may be different.

There were many people in history who wanted to imitate Han Xin's last-ditch fight. For example, Wang Baoshu of the Southern Qi Dynasty, Ma Di during the Three Kingdoms period, and Zhang Shijie of the Southern Song Dynasty. They all wanted to imitate Han Xin's last-ditch fight.

As a result, they all failed and were crushed.

Don't think that these people who imitate Han Xin and fight against the odds are incompetent. It is very difficult to fight against the odds. Soldiers are also human beings.

When people see no hope of survival, their instinctive reaction is to run. You want to stimulate the fighting spirit of soldiers in a desperate situation, but the survival instinct will gradually occupy the human rational brain.

In the end, they ran away like animals trying to survive.

Therefore, in this state, it is difficult for the army commander to control the advancement and retreat of the entire army. Xiang Yu was able to destroy the cauldron because he took the lead and advanced and retreated together with the soldiers, regardless of life and death. He relied on courage.

But as for Han Xin, he relied entirely on calculation and confusion.

Relying on these to allow opponents and soldiers to move at their own pace can really be said to be a stroke of genius.

Moreover, Han Xin had calculated all the time rhythm and the enemy's movements, and while fighting a last-ditch battle, he let the cavalry penetrate Zhao Jun's camp from the flanks. What was the role of these cavalry? It’s also cheating.

Han Xin sent these cavalry to do nothing but plant flags everywhere. These Zhao troops saw a strong enemy in front of them, and the base camp behind them was dotted with Han army flags. It was impossible to tell how many Han troops were coming, and the 20 Zhao troops were suddenly thrown into chaos.

In fact, Han Xin only had 2000 people, but he achieved the effect of 20. All of this was within Han Xin's calculations. In terms of ancient tactics, this battle can be called a work of art.

It is impossible for a commander like Han Xin to be blown away. Others scored 100 points in the exam because their ability was 100 points. Han Xin scored 100 points in the exam because the test paper limited him to a maximum of points.

The two of them talked about some things, and even talked about many secrets that Han Xin didn't know at that time. Even Han Xin's death was not without their help behind the scenes.

"Where are Chi You and Zheng Dan?"

"I don't know, Chi You, don't count on it, just don't be our opponent."

"Cough cough!"

The old Taoist priest started coughing as he spoke.

"Your body is getting weaker and weaker, and I'm afraid you may die soon."

"That's feathering."

"Okay, Yuhua, I still have some longevity medicine. It was made from Liu Han's corpse. Are you sure you don't want it?"

"No, after practicing Taoism for so many years, it's time to become immortal."

……

Luoyang, inside the palace,

"Report, a great victory in Yingling. On the fifth day of April, General Haochou Jianwei fought a decisive battle with the Gongsun family rebels and won a great victory, beheading more than 2000 people..."

"Report, a great victory in Guangling, Yang Xuhou captured the general and achieved a great victory in Gaoyou, captured Nalan Bulong, the head of the Nalan family, and beheaded more than 1000 people..."

"Report, a great victory for Chenliu in Yanzhou. General Zhu Ahou defeated the rebel Jiao Leyi in Cheng'an when he was in danger. The rebel Jiao Leyi led his men to escape. Zhu Ahou is leading the army to pursue him."

……

"Okay, you are indeed my general. How can those rebels jump up?"

Liu Xiu was extremely happy to hear the news, and he was ready to go on a personal expedition.

General Hou Jianwei of Haochou is Geng Yan, ranked fourth among the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai. He brought his tactics to the extreme, such as encircling points to attack reinforcements, attacking from the east and attacking from the west, and luring snakes out of their holes. He was highly praised by the military circles of all dynasties.

And he is the master of the allusion that where there is a will, there is a way.

Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasty and Song Dynasty wrote in "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Geng Yan Biography": "The general was in Nanyang when he established this great strategy. He often thought that it would be difficult to get along, but for those who have a will, things will come true."

At that time, when Liu Xiu had not yet unified the world, he sent Geng Yan to attack the powerful Zhang Bu who occupied the twelve counties of Qingzhou, Shandong.

Zhang Bu had strong troops and horses at that time, and he was a strong enemy of Geng Yan. Zhang Bu heard that Geng Yan led his troops to attack. He sent General Fei Yi and other troops to guard Lixia, Zhua, and Linzi in preparation for the attack.

Geng Yan first captured Zhu'a, and later used tactics to capture Lixia and Linzi.

Zhang Bu immediately became anxious and personally led his troops to counterattack Linzi, leading to a bloody battle of life and death outside Linzi City.

During the battle, Geng Yan was shot in the thigh by an arrow, but he bravely cut off the arrow shaft with his saber and continued to fight even though he was injured.

After Liu Xiu heard the news, Yichang was concerned and personally led his troops to support him. Before the reinforcements arrived, his general Chen Jun believed that Zhang Infantry was strong and suggested a temporary truce and wait until reinforcements arrived before launching an attack.

But Geng Yan believed that he could not leave the difficulties to others. After a fierce battle, Geng Yan finally defeated Zhang Bu.

A few days later, Liu Xiu came to Linzi to express his condolences to the army. He praised Geng Yan in front of many generals and said: "In the past, Han Xin broke the records and created a foundation. Now the general has conquered Zhu'a and won consecutive battles. The two achievements are similar."

Once upon a time in Nanyang you suggested asking for Zhang Bu to be pacified. At that time I thought you were too aggressive and I was afraid it would be difficult to succeed. But now I know that where there is a will, there is a way! "

Of course, because in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio":

“Those who have a will, things will come true, even if the cauldron sinks the boat, a hundred and two Qin passes will eventually belong to Chu;

The painstaking efforts of man and nature will not let him down, and he will suffer hardships while sleeping on the firewood. Three thousand Yue Jia can swallow Wu. "

As a result, people often use the story of Chu King Xiang Yu's burning of cauldrons and boats as an example of how those who have a will can do things, thinking that it all comes from Xiang Yu.

At that time, 30 troops from Qin State surrounded Julu (now Pingxiang County, Hebei Province) of Zhao State. King Zhao asked King Huai of Chu for help overnight.

King Huai of Chu appointed Song Yi as the general and Xiang Yu as the second general, and led 20 troops to rescue Zhao. Unexpectedly, Song Yi heard that the Qin army was powerful, so he stopped halfway and stopped advancing.

There was no food in the army, so the soldiers cooked vegetables and beans as meals, but he didn't care. He just held a banquet and ate and drank.

This angered Xiang Yu. He killed Song Yi and led his troops to rescue Zhao. In fact, this may be an excuse for Xiang Yu. He has long wanted to seize military power.

Xiang Yu first sent a force to cut off the Qin army's grain transportation route; he personally led the main force across the Zhang River to rescue Julu.

After all the Chu troops crossed the Zhang River, he let the soldiers have a hearty meal, and each of them took three days of dry food. Then he issued an order: sink the boats crossing the river into the river, and use them for cooking. The pot was smashed to pieces and all the nearby houses were burned down. ,

Xiang Yu used this method to express his determination to only advance and never retreat, and to win victory. When the soldiers of the Chu army saw that their commander was determined to fight to the death, no one planned to return alive.

Under Xiang Yu's personal command, they fought one against ten and ten against a hundred, desperately charging towards the Qin army. After nine consecutive charges, the Qin army was defeated...

This is Xiang Yu's desperate battle, which is similar to Han Xin's last stand. They both put themselves to death and survive. In history, they are probably the only two people who can do this beautifully and perfectly.

One is the Overlord of Western Chu, and the other is the Immortal Soldier. Both of them are well-deserved.

This time, Liu Xiu dispatched Geng Yan in Qingzhou, and he was naturally victorious.

As for the general Yang Xuhou who won the great victory in Guangling, Ma Wu, who was the eleventh among the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai, also fought in the north and south.

When Ma Wu was young, he moved to Jiangxia to avoid hatred. In the last years of Wang Mang's reign, the three elders of Jingling and Xiyang raised troops at the county boundary. Ma Wu also participated, and later joined the Green Forest Army and joined the Han Army.

Gengshi was established, with Ma Wu as his minister, and he followed Liu Xiu to defeat Wang Xun and others in the battle of Kunyang. Later, he voted for Liu Xiu and remained loyal to him.

General Zhu Ahou who won a great victory in Yanzhou Chenliu was Chen Jun who was the nineteenth of Yuntai's twenty-eight generals.

When this man was young, he served as a minor official in Nanyang County. In 23 AD, Gengshi Emperor Liu Xuan proclaimed himself emperor, and Chen Jun's fellow Nanyang native and Han clan member Liu Jia was appointed Taichang General. Liu Jia appointed Chen Jun as his chief minister.

In October of 23 AD (the first year of Gengshi), Gengshi Emperor Liu Xuan sent Liu Xiu north to comfort the states and counties in Hebei. After Liu Xiu arrived in Hebei, he went around recruiting talents. Liu Jia wrote a letter recommending his subordinates Chen Jun and Jia Fu to Liu Xiu.

Chen Jun arrived at Liu Xiu's army and was appointed as An Jipu. From then on, he followed Liu Xiu and began his journey to dominate the world.

It can only be said that the generals under Liu Xiu are not bad. Although they are not famous generals, they are basically at the middle level. It is not too troublesome to fight powerful servants who have never been on the battlefield.

As for the others, Deng Yu was the Tutor, and Liu Xiushao asked him to fight. Wu Han was the Grand Sima, with important generals under his command. He was stationed in Luoyang and could not leave easily.

Others, such as Feng Yi, Kou Xun, Cen Peng, Ji Zun, Jing Dan, Gai Yan, Yao Qi, Geng Chun, Ren Guang, Pi Tong, Liu Zhi, Wan Xiu and Fu Jun, fifteen years before Jianwu, Most died of illness, died in battle, and some were assassinated.

Good guy, nearly half of Yuntai's twenty-eight generals are gone now.

(End of this chapter)