God of War through the ages: Han Xin

Chapter 19

In fact, this is indeed the case. When someone told Zhang Han who was still trapped in the dream of wealth and wealth, Zhang Han was stunned.Has the Han army occupied Chencang?how is this possible!Isn't the dog meat dealer Fan Kui basking in the sun on the construction site of the eclipse?The scouts on the front line did not find any signs of the Han army's movement.If the Han army took the risk of taking the Baoxie Road, which was under Zhang Han's nose, it would be even more impossible.

The visitor replied: "There is an old road to the south of Chencang, and there are few traces of people. The Han army passed here."

"Cultivate the plank road tomorrow, and cross the Chencang secretly." Zhang Han leaned weakly on the desk, his face pale.

This is a military deception plan proposed by which expert in the Han army?The visitor said that he didn't know about this, but according to reliable sources, the Han army had a new general named Han Xin, who turned out to be the spear bearer in front of the tent of the overlord of Western Chu.If there is no mistake in guessing, it must be Han Xin's plot that the Han army built the plank road and crossed Chencang secretly.

Although Zhang Han had seen the spearman in front of Xiang Yu's tent many times, he didn't know his name or where he came from.What kind of insight does a halberd bearer have, how can he come up with the clever plan of "building the plank road in the open, and crossing the old warehouse secretly"?Zhang Han is still suspicious.

But it is meaningless to think about these again. What Zhang Han needs to do most now is to resist the attack of the Han army.Zhang Han did not dare to be careless in the slightest, he knew how heavy the burden was on his shoulders, he was the front line designed by Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, to defend against the attack of Han, as long as he guarded Guanzhong, Guandong would be at ease.And once defeated by Liu Bang and let the Han army rush out of Hangu Pass, will Xiang Yu spare himself?
Xiang Yu's killing of 20 Qin troops in Xin'an pit is the shadow that will never be erased in Zhang Han's life, and it also completely shattered the last fortress of Zhang Han's soul. Now Zhang Han has lost his courage, and he dare not offend Xiang Yu.What worries Zhang Han even more is that the Qin people's father and children have increased hatred towards him because of the Xin'an incident. If he loses the military power on which his life depends, he will be torn to pieces by the angry Qin people.

Zhang Han tried to heal the scars from the depths of his memory, and led the panic-stricken Qin army to Chen Cang with complicated emotions. Fight to the death.

As for King Sima Xin of Sai and King Dong Yi of Zhai, Zhang Han did not consider borrowing their troops. Yi is even further away, and the fiefdom of Zhai State is in Gaonu (now Yan'an, Shaanxi).

Even if Zhang Han wants to borrow troops from them, they may not be willing to help. Although they were once as close as brothers, people will change, and interests can change many things.

I can't control that much, let's get rid of that inexplicable Han general Han Xin first.But what made Zhang Han suspicious was that he led his army from Feiqiu (now Xingping, Shaanxi) to march westward along the north bank of the Weihe River. After traveling a hundred miles to the west, when we arrived at Guo County (now Baoji County, Shaanxi Province), we could almost see the walls of the small city of Chencang in the distance, but we didn't find a single Han soldier along the way.

Since the Han army succeeded in attacking Chencang, why didn't they advance along the Weihe River?Could it be that they were waiting to die in Chencang, waiting for the king to attack them?Since ancient times, the use of troops is more important than speed. After taking Chencang, one should rush eastward without stopping, and kill Feiqiu with lightning speed, but why is he standing still?

The military logic that Zhang Han didn't understand was precisely Han Xin's brilliant strokes.

From the perspective of time, Chencang was captured by the Han army, and it would take at least a few days for the Yong army intelligence system to report the matter to Zhang Han who was far away in the abandoned hill.After Han Xin captured Chencang, he could immediately send his troops eastward, speed up his march, and take down Feiqiu before Zhang Han could react, and depose Sanqin in one fell swoop.

But doing so just violated the taboo of military strategists.

In the case of underdeveloped means of transportation in ancient times, long-distance trekking was the most taboo for marching, which was called fatigued soldiers.The Han army went all the way from Nanzheng along the mountain to the north, and experienced all kinds of hardships. The physical exertion of the soldiers has reached the limit. If they can't get a timely physical rest, they will force the Han army to kill Feiqiu. When they reach the city of Feiqiu, the Han army will Without physical reserves, Zhang Han could instead enjoy the advantage of waiting for work at ease, and devoured the Han army in one fell swoop.

The combat effectiveness and determination of the Han army are fine, the most important thing to do now is to rest, people are not machines, and they will be exhausted after fighting fatigue.The Han army was resting in Chencang, and Zhang Han was unwilling to sit still, so he would definitely lead his troops to attack. From Zhang Han getting the news that the Han army had attacked Chencang, to leading his troops to Chencang, the time was doubled. Enough for the Han army to rest.

Han Xin has caught fish before. Although no fish was hooked, he learned a truth from fishing: Put the bait in the water and keep still, and fish will bite the hook naturally, but you must be patient.Jumping and cursing at every turn will not catch fish, and toads will not take the bait.So Han Xin's strategy for dealing with Zhang Han is actually just one word - wait, if you don't believe Zhang Han, this old guy will not bite the hook.

When the news that the Yong army had killed Chencang reached the Han army's war room, Han Xin laughed.Liu Bang also laughed, and hurriedly complimented Han Xin, saying that Zhang Han was as expected by the general.As a general, Han Xin ordered: all the troops go out of the city and counterattack Zhang Han.

After getting the order to attack, all the soldiers of the Han army cheered and shouted: Our ecstasy big axe has long been hungry and thirsty!

When Han Xin led his troops out of the city and formed a formation, Zhang Han finally saw Han Xin's true face. It turned out that this was Han Xin, the great general of Han, and he had indeed seen this man.It really looks good!But now is not the time for Zhang Han to appreciate Han Xin, eat Han Xin first.Whether captured alive or killed, in short, Han Xin must become his own trophy.

Zhang Han was really confused. He forgot a fatal weakness of his own: the Yong army under him was no longer the iron-blooded Qin army that killed the Quartet in the era of the first emperor.Although this Yong army is composed of Qin people, its combat effectiveness is quite weak, and its morale is not stable.
Zhang Han, a big fish, couldn't stand the lure of the bait, so he bit the hook obediently, completely losing the advantage that Yong Jun had before.The Han army was a guest for thousands of miles and went through hardships, but after a period of rest, it took the advantage of waiting for work at leisure.The host and the guest change their situation, and the pros and cons are reversed. The only thing waiting for Zhang Han is failure.

The development of the war quickly proved this point. The advantage that the Yong army had over the Han army was to guard the dangerous points. Now that the Han army is standing in the plain area, the Yong army has no advantage.Moreover, the Yong army is the home court in name, but actually came from afar, and the Han army is more like fighting at home.

When Han Xin gave an order, tens of thousands of soldiers of the Han army rushed into the formation of the Yong army with shouts.

The Yong army is a "three nos" army, and these Qin people joined Zhang Han's army just to solve the food problem, and they didn't want to fight the Han army at all.It's not that the Qin people don't want to defend their homeland, on the contrary, only when they are defeated by the Han army can the Qin people have a chance to keep their beautiful hometown in Guanzhong.One day of the hateful Zhang Han's reign, the Qin people are one step away from happiness. Under such circumstances, what will the Yong army do to fight the Han army?

The result of the first battle between the Yong army and the Han army was: the Yong army was defeated and the Han army won.Zhang Han was beaten violently by the Han army, and he was defeated. He fled eastward with the remnants of the defeated soldiers with crooked helmets, until he fled outside the city of Haoding County (now Qianxian County, Shaanxi Province). Looking back, there were no Han army pursuers. Dare to stop and breathe heavily.

How far is this escape?The straight-line distance from Chencang to Haojuan is approximately equal to the distance from Feiqiu to Chencang, and Haojuan is only slightly west of Feiqiu.What is this concept?Yong Jun had a long-distance training between Feiqiu and Chen Cang, and was beaten up halfway.

Zhang Han originally imagined that he could eat up the Han army in one fell swoop and get a few more rewards from Xiang Yu, but he was hit on the head by Han Xin, and he was really embarrassed.But Zhang Han still refused to accept Han Xin. I have been in the army for more than 20 years, how can I lose to a Han Xin whose origin is unknown?

Zhang Han looked down on Han Xin, but reality told him that seniority does not represent ability. Some people are born to be mediocre princes and pass by in a hurry on the stage of history, such as Zhang Han; some people are born to be great generals. The most gorgeous light flashed across the sky, such as Han Xin.

Han Xin's previous tactical choice was correct: he did not take one city and one place as gains and losses, but aimed at destroying the enemy's vital force. If Han Xin rushed eastward from Chencang regardless of the physical exertion of the Han army, the result might be the opposite. of.

Zhang Han fled to Haoping, and Han Xin followed Yong Jun to catch up to Haoping. The big fish biting the hook must never break free from the hook.This time, the battle with Yong Jun in Chencang was a "home court" battle, without the physical exertion of running long distances.The Yong army fought from Feiqiu to Chencang, and then fled from Chencang to Haojuan. Their physical reserves were almost exhausted, but the Han army was eager to try, and it was no problem to run one way.

Tens of thousands of soldiers of the Han army sang the songs of their hometown and marched towards the east under the leadership of the king of Han and the generals full of fighting spirit.Every step towards the east is one step closer to his hometown. This is the greatest spiritual guarantee for Liu Bang to return to his hometown and Han Xin to become a god in all battles.

Why is the combat effectiveness of the Beifu soldiers in the Eastern Jin Dynasty so strong?The reason is that most of the Beifu soldiers are composed of farmers who lost their land in the north, and they don't want to return to their homeland for a moment.Don't underestimate the spiritual power. Once everyone's beliefs are united, the spiritual power that erupts is extremely terrifying.If a person, an army, or a nation wants to survive the brutal competition, they must have a strong faith.

Due to the long rest, the Han army was very energetic. Not long after the Yong army staggered and fled to Haozhang, Zhang Han saw a large red banner swaying back and forth in the wind, hooves and feet kicking up dust, and singing loudly.Zhang Han's heart sank suddenly, it seemed that Han Xin had no intention of letting him go.Forget it, I will fight with Han Xin Xiaoer today, and let him know the prestige of Zhang Han, the former Qin Shaofu supervisor.

Fortunately, there is nothing to say about the result of the First World War. Yong Jun was beaten again by the Han Army.

However, Han Xin did not rely on his superior strength to wipe out the main force of the Yong army in one fell swoop, but beat Zhang Han until his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, and then let the remnants of the Yong army flee south.Where can Zhang Han escape?Naturally, it is the abandoned hill, which is the only fortress where Zhang Han can escape the attack of the Han army.

Zhang Han huddled in the abandoned hill city, listening to the tsunami-like shouts of the Han army outside the city, his heart was completely chilled.It seems that Liu Bang and Han Xin did not intend to let them go. Zhang Han knew that Liu Bang was very popular in Guanzhong, and the people of Qin would not want Liu Bang to be king in Guanzhong. The head was used as a gift to the angry Qin elders.

Feiqiu, could this be the graveyard where he ended his glorious life?Zhang Han stood on the wall, sighing and speechless.

What does the battle of Chencang and Haojuan mean to Zhang Han?It means that the large piece of land of Yong Kingdom west of Feiqiu has been put into his pocket by Liu Bang, and it also means that Han Xin's domineering spirit of "blocking ghosts and killing ghosts, and gods blocking and killing gods" has burst out, which belongs to the historical curtain of Han Xin's era With a decisive momentum, it opened grandly.

But at this time, Han Xin was not under the city of Feiqiu, and Liu Bang was not in the Han army besieging Feiqiu. They had more important things to do.As for the mediocre Zhang Han, it would be best to send any general to block the exits of the gates of Feiqiu.

After the battle of Haofeng, the Yong army was defeated and fled back to Feiqiu. According to common sense, the Han army should chase the remaining brave bandits to Feiqiu with a victorious posture, annihilate the remnants of Zhang Han in one fell swoop, and completely eliminate this hidden danger.However, Han Xin and Liu Bang made a decision that surprised the generals of the Han army: Let Zhang Han go back to Feiqiu and surround it with soldiers.

This decision should be made jointly by Han Xin and Liu Bang. Han Xin is responsible for explaining it from the military level. There are three reasons:
First, the main force of Zhang Han's Yong army was basically disabled by the Han army, and it is no longer possible to pose a strong threat to the Han army. If the Han army storms the abandoned hills, and Zhang Han defends the city, if the battle is protracted, the situation is unpredictable. And it will increase the casualties of the Han army.

Second, within the Three Qin Dynasty, there are still King Sima Xin of Sai and King Zhai Dong Yi. Although the strength of these two kings is relatively weak, if they are allowed to exist, they still have a certain ability to disrupt the situation for the Han army. Military pressure forced them to surrender as quickly as possible.

Third, although Xiang Yu paid more attention to the war on the Eastern Front, it cannot be ruled out that Xiang Yu suddenly rushed to the west. After all, Fan Zeng next to Xiang Yu is not idle.The strength of the Han army is weaker than that of the Chu army, so the Han army should guard the dangerous places in the pass as soon as possible to prevent the Chu army from advancing westward, just in case.

Liu Bangshe abandoned the hills instead of attacking, and went to Xianyang instead. The purpose of his trip was mainly political warfare.Liu Bang's box office appeal in Guanzhong ranks first. Wherever he goes, there will be applause and screams. Conquering the hearts of Guanzhong politically is far more important than conquering the Guanzhong army militarily.

Han Xin is like an agent, pulling his biggest star Liu Bang to run around to make money.Han Xin is in charge of contacting the venue and selling tickets. Liu Bang can just perform hard on the stage. Other affairs should be handled by the newly debuted big-name manager Han Xin.

Not only Liu Bang, but all members of the Han army system are actors under Han Xin's banner. Han Xin has the final say on what roles they play and how many roles they have. No one can be an exception, including Fan Kuai.This time the Yong army was defeated in Haofeng, and Zhang Han fled back to Feiqiu to shut himself up and defend himself. It was none other than Fan Kuai who was sent to besiege Feiqiu.

When Fan Kui was building the plank road during the eclipse, he was very dissatisfied with Liu Bang for letting himself be the foreman. He finally put the overall situation first and patiently basked in the sun during the eclipse.After the Han army captured Chencang, the plan of "building plank roads in the open and crossing Chencang secretly" has been successful, and it would be overkill to let Fan Kui, a tiger general, be a foreman, so Liu Bang hurriedly transferred Fan Kui to the north to join the main force.

Liu Bang and Han Xin each have their own errands to do. Liu Bang is in charge of political work, mobilizing the elders in Guanzhong, criticizing Xiang Yu's brutality and Zhang Han's betrayal, and completely stigmatizing them politically.Han Xin is responsible for clearing all anti-Han armed forces militarily, either annihilating them, or forcing them to land by force.

The military generals of the Han Dynasty, from Guan Ying to Li Shang, all wore armor and horizontal swords, and obeyed the orders of the generals, and Han Xin assigned tasks one by one.

The current situation in Guanzhong is very favorable to the Han army. Zhang Han’s Yong Kingdom has only one ruined city left, and it is surrounded by Fan Kuai’s brothers like an iron bucket. With all the turmoil, Han Xin's attention was focused on the other two kings in Guanzhong—Sai King Sima Xin, Zhai King Dong Yi, and Zhang Ping, the younger brother of Zhang Han who was guarding Longxi.

The specific assigned tasks are: Zhongye Guan Ying attacked Liyang, and the target was Sima Xin; General Cao Shen and Qi Duwei Jin She attacked Longxi, and the target was Zhang Ping.Zhai Wang Dong Yi's fief is in the north of Sima Xin's sealed off country. With Dong Yi's weak strength, as long as Sima Xin is captured, Dong Yi will have the courage to fight against the sharp and sharp Han army?

Compared with Sai and Zhai, Zhangping in Longxi, west of Chencang, is more worthy of Han Xin's attention. Longxi is one of the six counties established in Guanxi by the Qin Dynasty. It has been an important town on the western frontier of Qin since ancient times. At the junction of the four provinces, in the west of Guanzhong and in the north of Hanzhong, the terrain is very dangerous.If the Han army did not take Longxi in time, it would have an unpredictable impact on the Hanzhong headquarters. After the dispatch of the various armies, they left the big tent with chicken feather arrows, and went to gain fame and wealth.Under the leadership of Han Xin, the main force of the Han army marched in the direction of Xianyang. The vanguard of this army was General Zhou Bo, who used to play the funeral trumpet by profession.

Although Xianyang was set on fire when Xiang Yu returned to the east, the ruins in the sunset still testify to history the pride of this imperial capital.Standing outside the city of Xianyang, Liu Bang, dressed in brocade and saber, looked at the heavenly imperial capital in his mind that once crowned the world with splendor.

Although Xianyang is dilapidated, the danger of the land still dominates the world. If you win this city, Guanzhong can be settled; if you win Guanzhong, the world can be settled.The military tasks are handed over to the general Han Xin, who is mainly responsible for ideological and political work. He must appease the elders of the Qin people with great fanfare and let them all know: the benevolent King of Han is back!
As for the remnants of the Yong army still trapped in Xianyang, for Liu Bang and Han Xin, this is not a question worth considering.General Han Xin gave an order: All troops attack the city!

General Zhou Bo and the Peibing Group under his command shouted the slogan of returning home, waved the spears that reflected the cold light of the sun, and with the momentum of mountains and tsunami, with the attitude of blood and determination, they recklessly attacked the already embarrassing history. Xianyang.The Qin people who defended the city with deep hatred for Xiang Yu didn't have much motivation to fight. Although the Han army paid a certain price, they still attacked Xianyang smoothly.

When General Zhou Bo, who made the first contribution to winning the city, came to Han Xin to report the battle, Han Xin smiled.He knew from the beginning that this was a battle without suspense.The king of Han dominates politics, the general dominates military affairs, the two heroes are perfectly matched, and the world is always in a disadvantageous position!
This battle is actually not big, but Han Xin knows that the political and strategic significance of conquering Xianyang is immeasurable.The development of the situation was as expected by Han Xin. Xianyang was captured by the Han army, which was a fatal blow to Sima Xin, the King of Sai, who was still watching not far from Xianyang.

Since learning that the Han army had attacked Chencang, Sima Xin's only chance to survive was to pray that Zhang Han would defeat Han Xin, at least Zhang Han could stop the Han army from advancing eastward at Chencang.But Zhang Han was repeatedly beaten by Han Xin, and now he is huddled in the ruined city, and Sima Xin is directly exposed to the attack power of the Han army.

What's more, the Han army has conquered Xianyang, Liyang is just around the corner, and Guanying's Han army has also arrived at the city of Liyang.Now is the time for Sima Xin to make a choice. If he doesn't have the absolute confidence to defeat the Han army and the courage to fight to the death, then Sima Xin should know how to choose.Sima Xin was originally a double-faced character. He could carry Qin Jiangchu, and he could also carry Chu Jianghan. The most important thing was to live, and loyalty was never an option for him.

Among the three kings of Qin, Zhang Han was Sima Xin's strategic barrier, and Sima Xin was Dong Yi's strategic barrier.After the Han army captured Yueyang, Zhai Wang Dongyi suddenly felt a strong pressure to survive.The wise Dong Yi also made the right choice: surrender.

Dong Yi understood current affairs and expressed his willingness to follow the King of Han to Liu Bang who was far away in Xianyang. Although Liu Bang knew that Dong Yi surrendered to him only under pressure, as long as Sima Xin and Dong Yi did not fall to Xiang Yu, Dividing the strength of Xiang Yu's allied forces is the greatest help to Liu Bang.

(End of this chapter)