Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 338: Retreat with humility and raise the commander
  Xia Houyuan died in battle, and the soldiers in his tent fled in all directions. The news could not be concealed. When the news reached Zhu Ling's army, Zhu Ling was frightened. Chen Dao seized the opportunity and led Bai Ling's army to counterattack. Zhu Ling was defeated, abandoned his baggage and fled north to the Han River.

As for Zhang He's cunningness, he was as smooth as a loach and escaped at night without his belongings.

It turned out that Zhang He's army was more than [-] miles away from Hanshan Mountain. Chen Dao and Huang Zhong defeated Zhu Ling on the way. The sergeant was exhausted and could no longer reach the Micangshan camp. At this time, Zhang He learned the news of Xia Houyuan and Zhu Ling's defeat, and decided to flee.

That night, Zhang He pretended to attack Gan Ning at night. While Gan Ning was guarding the camp, he led his elite soldiers to the west, fled to Dingjun Mountain via a trail, and then retreated across the Han River.

The next day, Gan Ning raised his troops to attack Zhang He. He found that the camp was empty, with only a thousand old and weak men left. He was so angry that he wanted to kill the prisoners to vent his anger.

Fortunately, Huang Zhong and Chen Dao arrived with their troops and stopped Gan Ning's behavior. After being dissuaded by the two men, Gan Ning had no choice but to put down his butcher knife and spare the lives of the old and weak soldiers.

The three armies joined forces and went straight north to join Huo Jun who was camping at Hanshan Mountain.

"Huo Du, Zhang He abandoned the camp and left the old and weak to guard the camp. In the name of a night attack, he took advantage of the night to find a trail to escape." Gan Ning looked ashamed and said, "Unfortunately, Ning fell into Zhang He's plan and let him escape. Please Huo Du punishes."

Huo Jun sat on the couch and said comfortingly: "Zhang He is known for his flexibility. He is always able to judge the situation and advance when the troops are going well, and retreat when the troops are unfavorable. It is normal to set up a camp and abandon the baggage and escape at night."

Although he said this, Huo Jun marked Zhang He in his heart. This old boy was as slippery as a loach. He was really good at maneuvering, and both Xiangfan and Hannan were escaped by him. Look for an opportunity next time to kill Zhang He.

After a pause, Huo Jun said: "This time Hanshan killed Xiahouyuan, Xingba led his army to contain him. Without Xingba, there would be no victory at Hanshan. Jun must record your achievements and report them to the lord."

"Thank you Huo Du!"

Hearing Huo Jun's words, Gan Ning showed gratitude. In the Battle of Hanshan, everyone had meat, but he didn't. How could he not be jealous?
  "Huo Du, Hou Yuan died in battle this summer, leaving Cao's army without a master. Zhu Ling was defeated, Zhang He was frightened, and the Micang Mountain Road has been dredged. How should our army advance now?"

Huang Zhong straightened his back, cupped his hands and said, "If we cross the river, please fight!"

"I would rather fight!"

Huo Jun pressed down his hands, signaling to the two generals not to worry, and said: "Xingba will have ten thousand soldiers, and there are seven or eight thousand people in a certain tent. We have surrendered prisoners, and the total army is only more than twenty thousand. Although Xiahou Yuan died, Cao Jun also had wise generals. , the main force of its sergeants is still there, so it is not appropriate to forcefully cross the river."

"Now we should turn to Dingjun Mountain to gain advantage of the geographical advantage, spy on the enemy in the north of Han Dynasty, and relieve the siege of Mianyang. Then advance towards Cao's army and relieve the difficulties in Hanzhong. Do not advance when you are victorious and underestimate the enemy. If you are attacked by the enemy halfway across the river, the war in Hanzhong will be ruined. Once in a while."

Huo Jun's mind is still clear. Xia Houyuan was beheaded, causing Cao's army to be in chaos only for a while, and would not last long. After all, Cao Hong and Ma Chao are both in Hanbei, and their troops are mostly intact. Cao Jun will definitely choose a new general.

Now Huo Jun should take advantage of the chaos in Hannan's Cao army to send troops to consolidate the advantage of victory and contact Lu Xun in Mianyang City, instead of trying to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.

"Please give me the command, Governor!" everyone said with their hands in hand.

Huo Jun looked around at the crowd and said: "Gan Ning is the vanguard and seizes Dingjun Mountain to set up camp; Huang Zhong gathers his troops to seize Liangshan and defend the Han River. The rest of the army follows me to Tun Hannan and break the siege of Mianyang."

"Cao's army traveled a long distance, all the way to Hanzhong. The road to Shu was hundreds of miles away, and the supply of food and grass was difficult. It is not expected that Cao's army will withdraw soon. I hope that all the troops can guard their camps with peace of mind."

"No!" Everyone responded.

The generals asked for orders to retreat, but Huo Jun left Gan Ning behind.

"Hodo!"

Huo Jun looked gentle and said: "I heard from the group that Xingba wanted to kill the prisoners to vent his anger. Is this possible?"

Gan Ning hesitated a little and said, "I dare not deceive Huo Du. This is indeed the case."

Seeing that Gan Ning was so unfamiliar, Huo Jun smiled and said: "For private matters, just use the title of Xingba, and there is no need to match it with the official position."

"Yes!"

Huo Jun pointed out: "Xingba, in this battle of Hanzhong, our army can force Cao Cao to retreat if we stand firm. If Bashu is defeated, the lord will found the country and establish a foundation and reward the generals. If you do cruel things, you will be controlled by others. Reporting it to the lord will be detrimental to you!"

"promise!"

Gan Ning tilted his head and sighed, "Thank you Zhongmiao for your kind words!"

After fighting for such a long time, no one is waiting for the day when he will be awarded a title, so naturally it is impossible for him to ruin his own affairs.

Not to mention that Huo Jun took advantage of the leaderless situation of Cao's army and ordered his troops to capture the dangerous terrain of Hannan. Zhang He, Guo Huai, Zhu Ling and other generals of Cao's army led the defeated army to withdraw across the Han River and took refuge with Ma Chao and Cao Hong in northern Han Dynasty.

In the north of Han Dynasty, Cao Jun camped.

In the big tent, Cao Hong and Ma Chao were discussing military matters.

"There are many places for new construction in Mianyang City, such as the northwest corner of the city wall. Our army can pile up an earth platform here to get closer to the city. We can deploy our chariots on the earth platform and hit the northwest corner to destroy the city wall. We can send heavy troops to climb the city, or The city can be broken!"

Ma Chao pointed to the city defense map and said: "But if General Xiahou can defeat the enemy and abandon the enemy's flags under the city, it will be enough to frighten the enemies in the city."

"good!"

Cao Hong nodded, agreeing with Ma Chao's plan.

Since entering Hanzhong, Ma Chao has made many contributions and made great achievements. He destroyed Lu Xun's raids several times and allowed Cao's army to tightly surround Mianyang City. According to the current progress, it is only a matter of time to break through Mianyang City.

Just when Cao Hong was about to reply, there were rapid footsteps outside the tent.

"General, it's not good!"

The attendant rushed into the tent in a panic and said, "Something bad is going to happen!"

"Why so panic?"

Cao Hong frowned and asked displeasedly.

The attendant gasped and said: "The Hannan army was defeated. Generals Zhu Ling, Zhang He, Guo Huai and other generals withdrew across the Han River. General Duoyan Xiahou died in battle."

"what!"

Cao Hong suddenly changed his face and said: "General Zhengxi is brave and well-prepared, how can he be killed? This must be a rumor in the army and cannot be believed."

Ma Chao's face changed slightly and he said: "General Zilian, now we should gather the defeated troops and judge the situation in Hannan."

Before Ma Chao finished speaking, another attendant ran into the tent and said: "General, General Zhu Ling led the remnants of his troops outside the stronghold. He suffered several wounds and asked to see the general."

"Please!"

"promise!"

After a while, Zhu Ling's arm was injured, and the blood dyed the linen red. His face showed sorrow, and he walked into the tent in a hurry.

Seeing Cao Hong, Zhu Ling looked sad and said: "General, the enemy army in Hannan is not led by Huang Zhong and Chen Dao, but by Huo Jun. He hid in the army and lured General Miaocai to attack the mountain. Setting up an ambush. When the battle was fierce, Huo Jun planted a large tree to intimidate the general. At that time, Huang Zhong led his elite cavalry to fight out. The general was blocked by the antlers and died tragically under Huang Zhong."

"what!"

Cao Hong exclaimed, his face full of disbelief! Ma Chao's eyes flickered, thinking deeply about the changes in the situation.

"This~"

Du Xi was shocked, but when he saw that Zhu Ling's arm was injured, he took the initiative to help him and said: "General Zhu!"

"The general's arm is injured. He should retreat to recuperate. The sergeants under the general's tent should be taken care of by Xi!"

Zhu Ling had a sad face, tears could not stop flowing down, and said: "It's too much trouble for the guards!"

Zhu Ling was helped down by his attendants. Cao Hong sighed and said, "Huo Jun suddenly arrived in Hannan. General Miaocai was unfortunately killed in battle. Now the army has no owner. What should we do now?"

Du Xi saw that Cao Hong's morale was low and said: "Although the expedition to the west has been destroyed, the main force of the army is still there, and the generals also have strategies. Even if they cannot defeat the enemy, they can still defend the territory. The general is a close confidant of Wei Gong, so he should be Take charge of the overall situation.”

"Exactly!"

Ma Chao nodded slightly and said in a loud voice: "Huo Jun was able to win the Western Conquest only because he was caught by surprise and the old things were in vain. Now that a wonderful plan has been devised, Huo Jun has no backup plan, so there is nothing to be afraid of!"

Cao Hong realized that he had lost his temper and said: "What you two said is reasonable. Now we should gather Hannan's defeated troops and gather the generals to discuss the choice of the general!"

"This~"

Du Xi was quite puzzled and said: "The general belongs to the clan of Duke Wei. I am afraid that no one will be able to take charge of the overall situation."

Cao Hong shook his head and said: "Before Hong went to the expedition, Wei Gong told me to pay more attention to his subordinates. Now that Huo Jun is in the south, Hong himself expected that he would not be able to defeat him. He only chose a general who was resourceful and dared to fight. For the post of false commander, a certain person was The deputy general will assist him."

Cao Hong was greedy for money and lustful, and was mostly known for his bravery. But Cao Hong is better than himself because he is self-aware and able to listen to what others say. Historically, Cao Cao asked Cao Hong to listen to Cao Xiu, and Cao Hong listened to Cao Xiu; Cao Hong also accepted Yang Fu's advice.

Now that Cao Hong knew that he was no match for Huo Jun, he naturally wanted to humbly resign from the post of general and recommend a worthy general to the post.

"General, noble!" Du Xi praised.

Under Cao Hong's orders, Ma Chao volunteered and led the Xiliang cavalry to meet Generals Guo Huai and Zhang He, gathering together Hannan's troops and defeating tens of thousands of troops.

That night, Cao Hong convened a military meeting. Du Xi, Ma Chao, Zhang He, Xu Huang, Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu and others were seated in the tent.

When Cao Hong saw the generals on his left and right gathered together, he coughed a few times and said in a low tone: "General Zhengxi fell into Huo Jun's treacherous plan and was unfortunately killed in Hanshan Mountain. Now that Micang Mountain Road has been lost, Gan Ning has joined forces with Huo Jun, and our army has no master. It is advisable to select a general to act as the governor; to formulate strategies to defend against the enemy in preparation for Huo Jun."

As he spoke, Cao Hong said: "Hong has a shallow view. I am afraid that Huo Jun will take advantage of our army's lack of masters to attack me, so I want to form an array along the water to wait for Huo Jun."

"No!"

Guo Huai coughed a few times, cupped his hands and said: "General, please forgive Huai for speaking bluntly. Today, Mianyang has not yet set, and our army is arrayed along the water. If Lu Xun selects his soldiers to go out to fight, and Huo Jun crosses the water to attack me, our army will lose ground in advance and retreat, and we may lose our troops." Defeat you!"

"This~"

Cao Hong pondered for a while and said: "The strategy of forming an array along the water is not good. I wonder if any of the generals have any good strategies to offer?"

Ma Chao straightened his back, cupped his hands and said: "General, Chao thought that our army should stay away from the river, retreat and set up camp. He ordered the general to command the cavalry. At that time, Huo Jun led the army to cross the river. If our army falls with the cavalry, we will be able to defeat it. When Huo Jun saw our army deployed like this, he was afraid of our fine cavalry and would not dare to cross the river."

Guo Huai quite agreed and said: "What Ma Yizhou said is actually the best strategy. The cavalry is fast. Huo Jun crosses the river from upstream or downstream. With the speed of the cavalry, he can attack halfway across the river."

Zhang He stroked his beard and said: "It is actually the best policy to retreat in order to advance. Mianyang is difficult to break, Lu Xun has raised his troops inside to defend it, and Huo Jun is peeping outside. If we don't move the stronghold now, the bandits will definitely take advantage of it."

Xu Huang responded and said: "If we camp along the water, Huo Jun can attack from the east and attack the west. If we retreat and retreat to the stronghold, Huo Jun will have nothing to do. We will face each other across the Han River. It won't take long before Wei Gong arrives!"

"good!"

Seeing everyone's unanimous approval, Cao Hong said: "In this case, Meng Qi's words can be used. Hong has little talent and little knowledge. If he wants to be the commander-in-chief, he is willing to assist the commander-in-chief. Now that we have seen the official positions in the army, only Du Hujun, Ma Yizhou, and Zhang Dangkou are Sir, I wonder who can be the commander-in-chief?"

Du Xi, Ma Chao, and Zhang He were the three with the highest official positions in Cao's army. Du Xi, the minister of Wei, the chief of the prime minister's office, and the guardian of all the armies; Ma Chao, general Zhenwu, the governor of Yizhou, and Marquis of Chencang; Zhang He, the general of the Dang bandits.

After Zhang Liao's death in battle, Cao Cao appointed Zhang He as general Dangkou. Although General Dangkou is a general with a mixed number of names, he is a relatively high-level general with a different number of names.

"Although Xi has a long history as prime minister, he is a scholar and it is difficult to serve as a general!" Du Xi withdrew from the election.

Zhang He looked around at the crowd, lowered his head and said: "He will not be able to become the commander of a defeated general!"

Guo Huai, the commander of the Western Conquest, endured his cough and said: "Ma Yizhou is a famous general in the country. He is famous in Longyou and is feared by the people in the south. Today's matter is urgent, so it may be better to let Ma Yizhou handle the military affairs on his behalf."

Cao Hong looked at Ma Chao and asked, "I wonder if the general is willing to take on a big responsibility?"

Ma Chao was overjoyed and said with a smile: "If the generals don't give up, Chao is willing to take charge of the military affairs. General Zilian will supervise the infantry and Chao will command the cavalry. Sitting in the north of Han Dynasty, he is enough to control Huo Jun!"

"good!"

Cao Hong looked at Cao Xiu and Cao Zhen and ordered, "Wen Lie and Zi Dan are leading their cavalry to temporarily go to Yizhou's tent to listen to orders."

Ma Chao also ordered: "Bo Zhan led the infantry into General Cao's tent and listened to his orders."

Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, and Ma Dai accepted the order.

Ma Chao looked at Cao Hong and said, "Now that I'm guarding the southern thieves, Chao thinks that he can use the seven Qiang people in Wudu for our army. What do you think, general?"

Cao Hong hesitated a little, thinking that Huo Jun's military strategy was terrible, so he agreed and said: "Meng Qi has a reputation in Wudu. This general will trouble the general."

"Don't dare!"

Ma Chao's face was solemn, he raised his hands and said: "These are all working for Wei Gong, how dare you say the word 'trouble'."

After the military meeting, the generals left and exited the camp.

Cao Xiu stayed alone, went to Cao Hong, and asked: "Ma Chao, not long after his surrender, was a general with a foreign surname. Wei Gong saw that he had done something to destroy Hanzhong before, so he used him. Now the military situation is critical, how can he be entrusted with the post of general? he?"

Cao Hong smiled and said, "Wen Lie is too late to see things happen!"

"Ma Chao is in charge of tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry, most of whom are brave and elite. The battle is critical today. If Ma Chao does not fight to protect himself, our army will be defeated by Huo Jun, and Hanzhong will be in danger. Now if you give up your position as commander, you can calm Ma Chao's heart and lure the horses to fight." , isn’t it beautiful!”

Cao Xiu suddenly realized this point about Cao Hong, raised his hands and said: "The general is wise!"

"Ha ha!"

Cao Hong stroked his beard and smiled proudly.

If he were the commander, he would be afraid that Ma Chao would not listen to his orders and would be afraid to fight to protect himself; but if Ma Chao is the commander, it will be different. Ma Chao fights hard, he listens to Ma Chao's military orders, and everyone works together.

As for whether Ma Chao will cause trouble, Cao Hong is really not worried. If he doesn't cooperate with Ma Chao, how many generals can really listen to Ma Chao's command? Zhang He, Xu Huang, Zhu Ling, Yang Fu and other generals still obeyed his military orders.

(End of this chapter)