Chapter 79 The Battle of Guandu

In the third year of Jian'an, in the autumn of 198 A.D., Cao Jian refused the order of the Han Dynasty to transfer it to Youzhou herdsman on the grounds that the yellow scarf of Yuzhou was not flat.

How could He Chen give up so much? He gave three oracles in a month, all of which were rejected by Cao.

That's not bad. He Chen seized this opportunity and issued an ultimatum. If Cao Xun is no longer cold, he will plead guilty of rebellion.

Cao Yan was forced to go to Liangshan and broke up with He Chen. And he published a list of articles to tell the world that He Chen was a rebel minister and thief. He was the emperor, monopolated the government, took the emperor and ordered the princes, and called on the people of the world to attack it. In this case, the relationship between the two sides began to deteriorate rapidly. Cao Shen was deeply felt that He Chen was strong, and he was afraid that the family would be difficult to support him, so he raised the banner of "Qingjun's side, Zheng Chao Gang" and gathered the princes everywhere. And He Chen was also unwilling to show weakness. Headed by the famous tongue knife Chen Lin, he launched a public opinion counterattack, saying that Cao Shen cut off one side and split the earth to seal the king, just like a rebellion.

With the escalation of the war of words, the friction at the junction of the two forces became more and more intense, and finally evolved into a local battle.

In the fourth year of Jian'an, in the spring of 199 A.D., He Chen sent out the last spy. Cao Jian still stepped up the recruitment of troops, trained people, and prepared supplies, and prepared for the battle with a decisive momentum.

In March, He Chen raised 300,000 troops and worshipped Hebei general Zhang He as the vanguard of the main seal, and Wu Qiu Yi and Han Meng as the deputy vanguards. He led 50,000 horses to start first, and the army entered Liyang. Then he was promoted to Guo Jia's military division to sacrifice wine, worshipped as the chief army division, and went on an expedition with the army. Jia Xu was transferred to be the chief of staff, and he was accompanied by Li Yan for the time being. Wang Si is the commander of the army, Chen Lin is the head, Xin Pi is the army Sima, and Lv Chang is responsible for the food and fodder of the three armies, leaving Huang Zhong to guard Taiyuan in case of accidents in Beijing. Li Yan is responsible for the dispatching of supplies and military grain. The divine sword soldier and the "shenngun guard" include the newly formed "hammer army" not long ago, and so on. Then, He Chen ordered Xu Huang to lead 10,000 "Blizzard Legion" out of the morning song and march into Muye to find the flanks to control; Wei Yan's 10,000 "Hurricane Legion" sent troops from Gao Tang to Jibei to Zhendong. Guo Huai and Hao Zhao each led 30,000 horses as rescue envoys, Yan Liang, Wenchou, Ma Chao and Zhao Yun were generals, and nearly a hundred generals were transferred from all over the country. Finally, he set up a 200,000 troops and went to the front line of Ye City.

Among them, Huchuquan and Yueyaer once again raised 20,000 Xiongnu cavalry to help the front line. Under the leadership of Tianxiang, 5,000 flying axe warriors were included in the formation. At the same time, at the request of He Chen, the leader of the Jitu tribe in Shangjun also sent 10,000 Qingqiang soldiers to participate in the war, and He Chen's big hand was transferred to Karier's banner.

And the ernaratu people in the northern county also gathered 10,000 soldiers from Hexi County to Taiyuan and set out on the front line.

When he learned that He Chenqi raised 300,000 troops with Yan and the people of the people, he was preparing to go south to the Yellow River with the power of calming Gongsun. Cao Yan was secretly shocked. At the suggestion of Xi Zhicai, General Cao Ren led 10,000 troops to Jibei to resist Wei Yan; he was forbidden to lead 10,000 troops and stationed in Hanoi. Then he personally raised 150,000 troops out of Yingchuan and rushed to Chen Liu. Xiao, Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, Xu Xu, Le Jin, Li Tong and others all participated in it, including Cheng Yu, Xun Yu and Liu Ye, who also kept making suggestions.

In April, in order to echo the army of the middle road, Wei Yan first crossed the Yellow River from Gao Tang Dynasty and invaded Jibei. Due to the sudden dispatch of troops, he went down several cities in seven days. At this time, Cao Ren's reinforcements arrived, and the two sides began to fight several games, winning or losing each other. In the middle of the month, Wei Yan saw the enemy general Cao Ren's deep strategy of war, and it was difficult to attack for a while, so he entered the camp of Fancheng and looked at Dong'a.

In the same month, Xu Huang saw that the war on the east front had begun to spread. He also sent troops from Chaoge and fought with Yu Ban to practice martial arts in Hanoi. He wanted to tear the gap from the right and go south to Guandu. Subsequently, the vanguard Zhang Li came out of Liyang, and his deputy Han Meng led 20,000 troops to capture the White Horse Ferry. He led 30,000 horses to break through Yanjin, killed Liu Yan, the governor of East County, and fought against the two important ferry ports of the Yellow River, paving the way for the army to go south.

In May, He Chen's main force went to Yangwu.

At this time, Cao Yan's army concentrated its forces, entered the official crossing, guarded the key pass, focused on defense, and waited for work.

The famous battle of Guandu in history was a hit. It's just that the protagonist Yuan Shao was replaced by He Chen.

I don't know if He Chen did it intentionally, or it happened by coincidence. His marching route, entering the position and seizing the ferry, was almost the same as Yuan Shao, but he replaced the grain town with Liyang, not Wuchao.

Yangwu City.

He Chen gathered with Guo Jia, Jia Xu, Ma Chao, Zhao Yun and other confidant generals to discuss military affairs.

Guo Jia's eyes finally moved out of the map and sighed, "This Cao Yan, as the master said, is far from comparable to Yuan Shao and Zhang Yan. He concentrated his troops and concentrated on the strategy of the main force to fight for the decisive battle. At present, it is the most beneficial side for him. Thousands of miles of the Yellow River, there are countless crossings. If you can't defend against the rules by the division of troops, it is not only difficult to stop our army from going south, but also makes the troops that are already at a disadvantage more dispersed. Secondly, Guandu is located in the upper reaches of the chasm and is on the verge of Bianshui. The Honggou Canal is connected to Huluo, Gong and Luoyao in the west, and Huai Si in the east. It is a barrier to the north and east of Xuchang. It is the place for our army to seize Xuchang's key capital and the battle. In addition, Guandu is close to the rear base camp, and the logistics supply is also more convenient. It seems that our army should be ready for a protracted war.

"Ha ha, there is nothing wrong with the protracted war. The two states of Yan and Henan have been in turmoil for years, and they lack enough time to recuperate. Although Cao Wei's elite soldiers were created, there was also a shortage of food and fodder materials, and it was impossible to support 200,000 soldiers for half a year. With the strength of the four prefectures in Hebei, even if it is consumed, it can also consume Cao's grain and grass, forcing him to withdraw from the army. He Chen smiled twice, and a ray of light flashed in his eyes. In those years, Tian Feng and Ju Shu, the two major advisers under Yuan Shao, first opposed Yuan Shao's sending of troops to Guandu. In the case of no success, they put forward the strategy of exhaustion and the protracted war of consumption respectively, so as to drag Cao Cao. It can be said that this plan was a very correct choice when Yuan Shao could not defeat Cao Qian in a short time. Unfortunately, Yuan Shao did not adopt it again, which eventually led to the defeat of Guandu, allowing Cao Qian to take the opportunity to reverse the situation of the enemy's strength and weakness, and lay a solid foundation for the unification of the north.

"What the Lord said is extreme. Cao Li is fighting quickly, and our army is long-lasting. Of course, if the lord personally wears a charge, it will be another matter. Guo Jia said with a very bright smile.

He Chen stared at Guo Jia, and then laughed and said, "Hey hey, it depends on the situation. If it is needed, I will not hide in the rear for comfort."

"Report..." Just as the generals were talking about how to send troops, a letter of soldiers came.

"What's the matter?"

"To the general, Cao sent General Xia Houyuan to lead 5,000 troops to attack the white horse, and was killed and repulsed by the deputy general Han. Then Vice General Han drove the troops straight after him, killed and scattered the enemy, and confiscated hundreds of weapons and armors.

"It seems that Cao Yan wants to retake Yanjin and Baima Ferry, and threatens my rear nearby." Guo Jia didn't move.

"Oh? Xia Houyuan was repulsed? He Chen was very happy about the news and won. The situation was good. Wait, it's not right. He Chen suddenly thought of one thing, when Cao Wei personally led his troops north to rescue the white horse for the victory of the first battle. The counselor Xun You thought that Yuan Shao had many soldiers. He suggested that he should attack the east and the west and disperse his troops. First, he led the troops to Yanjin, disguised the river to attack the rear of Yuan Shao, so that Yuan Shao could divide his troops to the west, and then sent light horses to quickly attack the Yuan army that attacked the white horse, attacked it unprepared, and then killed the general Yan Liang. Although Xun You has invested in his account, it is difficult to guarantee that Cao Shen sang the same song again.

"Order quickly to let Zhang He and Han Meng defend Yanjin and Baima. Without the general's leadership, they can't go to war." Just as He Chen gave the order, before the first messenger left, the second soldier hurried to report the news. Looking at the panicked posture, I guess it would not be good news.

"Report, Cao sent General Xia Hou Dun to take advantage of Han Meng's main force to take the opportunity to take away the White Horse Ferry. Han Meng was attacked by both sides and retreated after being defeated. Fortunately, General Zhang Qian got the news earlier and led 10,000 people to save him. Only then did he save Vice Admiral Han in the encirclement of Cao's army.

"Grass." He Chen's worry became a reality in an instant. He patted the table fiercely and said angrily, "This Han Meng is greedy. In the first battle, my army lost the White Horse Ferry, which severely frustrated my military morale. The crime should be be cut off."

"Lord, don't be angry. At present, it is time to use people. This Han Meng is also a brave general in Hebei. Although our army lost the first battle, it should not be punished. If you want to kill the generals, I'm afraid it will be more unfavorable to the army. In the opinion of my subordinates, Baima and Yanjin are two important ferries to protect Liyang. Once they are lost, I will suffer endless disturbances, especially the grain road, so I must find a way to take them back in a short time. Guo Jia did not expect that the situation would turn so directly, so he quickly stopped He Chen's anger.

He Chen took a deep breath and calmed down his anger. Guo Jia was right. This matter was really strange, and he could only blame himself for not knowing it. When thinking about how to transfer troops, Guo Jia continued: "The nearest army of Baima is Yanjin, but in the eyes of his subordinates, Zhang He's army can't be mobilized. In case of Cao Qian's siege to help, or transfer the tiger from the mountain, if Yanjin is empty, it will take the opportunity to have a lot of fun. The enemy army can continue to go deep into Jizhou and disturb everywhere. At present, the most effective way is to let Guo Huai or Hao Zhao get out of Puyang quickly and unite with Han Meng to launch a new offensive against the White Horse Ferry.

He Chen nodded and said in a very dull voice, "Come on, someone."

"No."

"The fire quickly ordered Wang Chen to lead three thousand light horses, and disturb the white horse ferry at night, so that the enemy was exhausted from defense until my reinforcements came up. At the same time, let 30,000 people from Guo Huai leave Puyang and make every effort to recapt the white horse stronghold, no matter what the cost. He Chen was murderous and said with a ferocious face.

(to be continued)