Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 472: Breaking the enemy’s plan
On Fancheng, flags were fluttering in the wind and people were shouting. The soldiers stood with spears in hand, alerting the Han troops outside the city.

Cao Ren and Zhu Zhi were patrolling in armor, sometimes pointing to the Han army's camp outside the city and discussing the Han army's current arrangements.

"There is no doubt that Pang Tong is dead!"

Cao Ren looked at the Han army camp in the distance and said: "The enemy camp was slightly chaotic last night. The scouts put on the uniforms of the rebels and mixed in. According to the scouts, there were many sergeants in the enemy camp talking about Pang Tong's death, and around the middle camp It is a sign of mourning and filial piety, so Pang Tong’s death must not be false!”

Zhu Zhi nodded and said: "This morning I looked at the southern and northern camps. The morale of the army under Huo Du in the south camp was gradually declining. The troops under Feng Xi in the north camp were arranged as usual. Pang Tong was the deputy governor of Jianghuai. Having unified the Jianghuai army for a long time, it is normal for Nanying to feel depressed."

As the cross-military general, Pang Tong was able to control and command the Jingxiang troops, but he was not in charge of the army himself. Instead, he commanded Jingzhou's troops and horses through Generals Shiren and Feng Xi. Now that Pang United Front is gone, it is Jianghuai that has the greatest influence. For the Jingxiang soldiers and horses, its influence is not that great.

"Pang Tong is dead, the thieves have no generals, and the Jianghuai and Jingxiang armies are not subordinate to each other. If I attack the head of the thieves, the tail will be unable to respond. This is an opportunity for our army to take advantage of."

Cao Ren patted the city wall and said excitedly: "I want to lead the infantry and cavalry warriors out of the east gate of the city tonight, turn around and attack the west camp. With a small number to defeat a large number, we can break through the enemy camp, kill the enemy generals, and break the enemy's siege." If the siege of Fancheng can be solved, Xiangyang will also be safe!"

Although there are only a few thousand soldiers and horses in Fan City, the Han army has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses outside Fan City. The Han army is several times more than the Wei army, but this does not mean that the Han army can definitely defeat the Wei soldiers.

There are many examples of soldiers who defended the city breaking into the enemy camp and causing a large number of casualties. For example, in history, Huo Jun used hundreds of men to defend Jiameng. Faced with the siege of Xiang Cun and Fu Jin, he held on for more than a year.

Although Cao Ren did not have the strategy of a general, he had the courage to educate. Now I want to take advantage of this opportunity to lead an elite attack on the Han camp, defeat the Han army, and free myself from the siege of Fancheng.

Compared with Cao Ren's bold plan, Zhu Zhi's method was much more reliable. It is true that Liu Bei blocked Cao Cao in Xinye, but it does not mean that the Han army completely blocked the Wei army's southward passage.

If this army is composed of various armies, the commander is only the talker. Although he has an influence, it does not mean that the army cannot fight. For example, Xia Houyuan was killed by Huang Zhong, and the generals elected Zhang He as the commander-in-chief to continue fighting Liu Bei in Hanzhong.

If Pang Tong really dies now, the impact on Shiren's department may not be as great as Shiren's death. Of course, this does not mean that Pang Tong's death has no impact, but that the newly appointed general must be familiar with various ministries and establish his own command system.

Zhu Zhi shook his head and said: "Pang Tong is not Guan Yu or Huo Jun. They are not fighting today. It is expected that the generals have recommended their commanders yesterday. If Guan and Huo are killed, the morale of the army will be in chaos, and we may follow the general's plan."

The death of the general does not mean that the army is defeated, nor does it mean that it cannot fight. The impact of his death on the army depends on the depth of his relationship with the army.

Zhu Zhi pondered for a while and then said: "Now that Pang Tong is dead, it is not impossible for the general to lead the elite to attack the camp. However, it may be difficult for Zhi to defeat the enemy and completely break the siege of Fancheng. Zhi thought that because of Pang Tong's death, the rebel army may have If there is a commotion, you can send sergeants out from the east gate to ask for help from His Majesty."

"What do you think of Jun Li?" Cao Ren asked.

Pang Tong's death will also cause riots among the soldiers to a certain extent, but it will not lead to a collapse.

Pang Tong was able to command Shiren, Huo Du, and Feng Xi only because of the tacit approval of Liu, Guan, Huo and other military bosses. Before Lu Su took office as deputy governor, he had thousands of Jiaozhou soldiers and horses; Pang Tong succeeded as deputy governor and only had a few attendants on his left and right.

"At that time, Pang Tong was dead and Lü Meng was defeated. Our army joined forces with General Zuo to cut off Liu Bei's food route. At that time, Liu Bei's old Gege generals were ready to die, and all the rebel troops were annihilated in the north of Han Dynasty."

As Zhu Zhi said, Cao Cao could send five thousand elite cavalry down at night to echo Cao Ren in the city. At that time, the two armies should cooperate internally and externally to defeat the leaderless Han army. Then he marched westward and cooperated with Zhang He to defeat Lu Meng of Huangban.

Today, Pang Tong is not as important to the Han army as imagined. The source of authority is the same as Xiahou Yuan, but the prestige is weaker than Xiahou Yuan. If Huo Jun did not allow Pang Tong to command his troops, he would not be able to command Huo Du.

"The rebel army outside the city is relying on Liu Bei in the north to confront Your Majesty. In addition to the loss of the commander-in-chief, they should prepare themselves internally and not defend the outside. Lead an army outside to attack the camp, and our army will wait for the opportunity to attack. We will be able to defeat the traitor army and relieve the enemy. Siege of Xiangfan."

"However, only Pang Tong is dead today, but the three generals Shiren, Feng Xi, and Huo Du are here. It is difficult for the general to defeat him with one blow, so he will attract all the troops to surround him. I think it is best to ask for troops from your majesty and cooperate with the inside and outside."

Cao Ren paced thoughtfully and said, "What you said makes sense, but I'm afraid I'll miss a good opportunity. When the thief is replaced as the leader, or Liu Bei appoints him, it might be bad."

If this army was formed by the general, who was like the backbone, his death in battle would be like the sky falling to his troops. For example, Zhuge Liang died of illness in Wuzhangyuan. Not only did the army retreat, but Wei Yan also mutinied.

Hearing Cao Ren's plan, Zhu Zhi was very worried and said: "The general is a great general for the country. How can he charge into the battle like an ordinary general? If the general is defeated by the enemy, it will be difficult to defend Fancheng!"

"otherwise"

Fan Wai's Han army was defeated, and Lü Meng was defeated. Cao Ren joined Zhang He, and the two were able to join forces. At the top, they can attack Liu Bei with Cao Cao, and at the bottom, they can break the siege of Xiangyang.

"We, the Wei Dynasty, have cavalry as our commanders. We can ask your majesty to send five thousand elite cavalry around the new fields, marching at starry night, straight to Fancheng. If you raise a fire as a signal outside the west gate, and echo it inside and outside, you can defeat the bandit army. Fancheng is besieged. , then order the cavalry to advance westward, echo with General Zuo, and defeat Lü Meng again."

Gai Pang Tong knew his position in the army, so he dared to play such a trick. Of course, Pang Tong must have taken precautions when he arranged such a plan. If Huo Jun was leading the army, the impact would be different and it would be difficult to implement this strategy.

"What you said is a good idea!"

Cao Ren hesitated for a long time, then agreed and said: "Tonight, when the east gate is unguarded, we will send a message to ride out of the city and report to your majesty to the north."

"good!"

Zhu Zhi smiled and said: "The general is wise!"

At dusk that day, Cao Ren summoned his clever confidant Jing Wen and ordered him to carry the letter and go out of the east gate at night.

In the past, Guan Yu besieged Fan City and built long fortresses on all sides outside Fan City. Pang Tong's main army implemented the strategy of encircling three and missing one, leaving Cao Ren and Cao Ren alive at the east gate. Even so, Cao Renduo was worried about an ambush at the east gate and did not dare to go out of the east gate. Instead, he risked going to the other three gates to contact the outside world. Now that Pang Tong has died of illness, Cao Ren is relieved and lets Jing Wen go out from the east gate.

Under the night, the stars are dotted and the cold wind blows.

"drive!"

After leaving the city gate, Jing Wen took advantage of the night and took advantage of the night to run along the path.

Looking at the silent night around him, Jing Wen felt cold in his heart for some reason. He always felt like someone else was staring at him in the dark.

Flustered, Jing Wen whipped his horse to speed up and galloped forward.

However, the night was dark, and while the horse was galloping, he stumbled over something. With a plop, the war horse suddenly leaned forward, and both the man and the horse rolled to the ground. Jing Wen was beaten so hard that he felt dizzy. The smoke was in his mouth and nose and he was choking.

The war horse fell to the ground and neighed, but when he tried to get up, someone grabbed the reins.

Before Jing Wen woke up and stood up, several cold lights approached under the night cover and held his body.

"Don't move!"

Ran Sheng emerged from the darkness and said coldly: "If you dare to act rashly, don't blame the spear for not being sharp!"

"I surrender!"

With the cold wind blowing on his face, Jing Wen had woken up from his dizziness. Looking at the soldiers around him, he became excited, raised his hands in the air, and shouted: "I am a messenger for Cao Ren, and I have been ordered to deliver a message to Cao Cao. Today there is a major military intelligence report, Don't kill me!"

The messenger Cao Ren selected was very clever, but it was a pity that his cleverness was used in surrendering. Jing Wen was afraid that the soldiers would kill him, so he shouted out his usefulness.

Seeing Jing Wen's cooperation, Ran Sheng lifted him up and said with a smile, "Are there any other Xinqi besides you?"

Jing Wen shook his head and said cooperatively: "When I was received by Cao Ren, I was the only one. I really don't know if there are other messengers."

"Ok!"

A spear was pressed against his throat, making Jing Wenton feel goosebumps and tremble.

Jing Wen was so frightened that his face changed and he begged. "General, my servant dare not hide anything. Every word he said is true."

"Where is the letter?"

"At this!"

Jing Wen pointed to his chest and motioned to Ran Sheng to get it himself.

Seeing how cautious he was, Ran Sheng believed what Jing Wen just said. Reaching into his pocket, Ran Sheng touched a letter.

"Leave it to the general!"

Ran Sheng did not open the letter and read it, but asked his subordinates to ride directly back to the camp and hand it over to their superiors.

"promise!"

Seeing that someone was leaving with a letter, Jing Wen hurriedly said: "I also know some military information about Fancheng, please let me report it!"

Ran Sheng did not forget Jingwen, and ordered his surroundings: "Tie him up and take him back to the stronghold!"

"The rest of the sergeants will stay with me on this road to see if there are any rebels who believe in the cavalry."

"promise!"

In the Chinese army's tent, because Shiren was really dead and Pang Tong was fake, Huo Du became the nominal commander. The letter was delivered to him, and he shared it with Pang Tong.

Pang Tong read the contents of the letter, showed a proud smile, and said: "Cao Ren sent a message to Cao Cao's army, hoping to have five thousand cavalry to go south. When the cavalry arrived, he raised a fire as a signal outside the west gate, echoing both externally and internally, and defeated our army. department."

"Do you have a date?" Fei Yi asked.

Pang Tong handed the letter to everyone to browse and said with a smile: "The uprising will start in five days. The specific time is not yet known. With Cao Ren's arrangement, Fancheng will not be able to leave soon!"

"Okay!"

(End of this chapter)