In the winter of 191 A.D. (the second year of the first peace), Yuan Shu appointed Sun Jian as the assassin of Yuzhou, and Sun Jian was stationed in Yangcheng. At the same time, Yuan Shao took the opportunity to appoint Zhou Ang as the assassin of Yuzhou and successfully captured Yangcheng. While Sun Jian struggled to defend against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu sent Gongsun Zhan's younger brother Gongsun Yue to help, but unfortunately died in the battle.
After learning the news, Gongsun Chan was furious and sent troops to attack Yuan Shao, shocking Hebei. Jizhou counties surrendered one after another, and Yuan Shao promoted Gongsun Fan to Bohai Taishou in order to calm the situation, but he did not expect Gongsun Fan to rebel. In 191, Gongsun Zhan conquered Qingzhou and Xuzhou, and was stationed at Jieqiao (in present-day Wei County, Hebei), and the situation gradually became stronger. In this battle of the boundary bridge, Yuan Shao's general Lu Yi defeated Gongsun Zhan with 800 infantry, how did he do it?
First, the strategy is ingenious, and the infantry is elite.
Specifically, the two armies of Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zhan fought fiercely twenty miles south of the Jieqiao. Gongsun Chan formed a phalanx with 30,000 infantry, supplemented by 5,000 cavalry on both flanks. Yuan Shao ordered Liyi to lead 800 elite vanguards, with thousands of strong crossbows as cover, and tens of thousands of main infantry behind. Although Yuan Shao's troops were relatively small, he skillfully used the main force of infantry, especially the 800 infantry led by Ko Yi, which was elite and amazingly combative.
In contrast, Gongsun Chan sent an army of 40,000, including 10,000 cavalry, and it was obvious that the huge force might not be able to take advantage. Gongsun Zhan's white horse Yicong, although he was an elite light horseman, looked a little light in the face of the 800 elite soldiers led by Koji Yi. This made Gongsun Chan fall into Yuan Shao's exquisite layout in the early days of the Battle of Jieqiao.
Second, take advantage of the situation and win by surprise.
Gongsun Zhan's arrogant mentality led him to take the initiative to let Bai Ma Yicong take the lead in attacking without fully analyzing the battlefield situation, trying to level the enemy army through the impact. However, Koji Yi had already been prepared, and the 800 elite soldiers he led had already laid an ambush under the shield, waiting for work. When Gongsun Zhan's White Horse Yi rushed to Koji Yi only a few dozen steps away, Koji Yi's 800 infantry quickly counterattacked and won a surprising victory, making Gongsun Chan's White Horse Yi unable to deal with it, and finally routed.
It is worth noting that the 800 infantry under the command of Ju Yi are all brave and fierce Liangzhou infantry, known as "all soldiers are sharp". Rebellions broke out in the Liangzhou area many times, and heroic warriors were cultivated. Juyi's troops, though limited in size, were a powerful elite force, and Gongsun Chan's failure to fully recognize this led him to make major mistakes at the strategic level.
3. Strong crossbow shooting to restrain the advantage of cavalry.
On the other hand, Yuan Shao's side arranged a thousand strong crossbows before the war to target Gongsun Zhan's white horse Yicong. The cavalry was restrained by the archers in terms of the relationship between the arms, and Yuan Shao made good use of this principle. In the Battle of the Boundary Bridge, Yuan Shao's Thousand Qiang Crossbows played a key role. Gongsun Zhan's cavalry fell into disarray after being fired from a strong crossbow, leading to the rout of the entire army.
According to historical records, Gongsun Zhan's army was hit by an unexpected blow and the whole fell into chaos. The cavalry and infantry tried to flee the battlefield, causing Gongsun Chan to lose the initiative at the beginning of the Battle of Jieqiao. Yuan Shao's Lu Yi relied on his strong infantry strength on the battlefield to kill Yan Gang, the assassin of Jizhou, appointed by Gongsun Zhan, and quickly pursued to the boundary bridge.
Fourth, the coach responded calmly and counterattacked at critical moments.
In the end, while Ju Yi continued to pursue, Yuan Shao advanced slowly in the rear, carrying only dozens of strong crossbows and more than a hundred guards. More than ten miles away from the boundary bridge, after learning the news of the victory ahead, he dismounted and unsaddled for a short rest. However, Gongsun Zhan's cavalry suddenly appeared and surrounded Yuan Shao heavily, and arrows rained down.
At the critical moment, Yuan Shao showed extraordinary calmness and decisiveness. He quickly threw his helmet on the ground and ordered the crossbowmen to fight, successfully killing and wounding many of Gongsun Zhan's cavalry. Gongsun Zhan's troops failed to recognize Yuan Shao and began to retreat. The 800 elite soldiers led by Koji Yi also arrived in time, forcing Gongsun Zhan's cavalry to evacuate. Yuan Shao's calm response became the key to the counterattack, making Gongsun Zhan's battle situation more passive.
Summary: Outwitting wins, infantry wins.
To sum up, in the Battle of the Boundary Bridge, Gongsun Chan's defeat was mainly due to his own underestimation of the enemy and his lack of adequate preparation. Yuan Shao made good use of wisdom and clever layout, giving full play to the advantages of the infantry, especially the elite of the Liangzhou infantry led by Ju Yi. Gongsun Zhan's arrogant attitude, tactical choice to underestimate the enemy, and insufficient analysis of the enemy's situation eventually led to his defeat in the Battle of Jieqiao. Yuan Shao successfully counterattacked with a delicate combination of 1,000 strong crossbows and 800 infantry and became the winner of this war.
The article "Yuan Shao's Counterattack and Wisdom to Win the Battle: Analyzing the Battle of the Boundary Bridge" vividly depicts how Yuan Shao successfully counterattacked Gongsun Chan with 800 infantry in the winter of the second year of the early peace in 191 AD. This pivotal battle demonstrated Yuan Shao's superior ability in military resourcefulness and strategic layout, as well as Gongsun Zhan's mistakes in underestimating the enemy and choosing tactics.
First of all, the article elaborates on the strategies adopted by Yuan Shao, especially his precise use of the main force of infantry, making full use of the elite combat effectiveness of the 800 elite soldiers led by Ko Yi. This strategic layout focused on infantry allowed Yuan Shao to quickly and forcefully counterattack Gongsun Zhan's army with a relatively small number of troops. The ingenious use of this tactic shows Yuan Shao's superb level of military command.
Secondly, the article makes a profound analysis of Gongsun Zhan's underestimating the enemy's mentality and tactical mistakes. Without fully analyzing the situation on the battlefield, Gongsun Chan rashly ordered Bai Ma Yicong to take the lead and tried to win by impact. However, Yuan Shao had been prepared for a long time, and his tactical layout and accurate judgment of the battlefield situation made Gongsun Chan fall into Yuan Shao's exquisite tactics at the beginning. This also laid a solid foundation for Yuan Shao's subsequent victory.
The article also pointed out the key factors in Yuan Shao's use of strong crossbows to restrain Gongsun Zhan's cavalry superiority. Yuan Shao's 1,000 strong crossbows arranged before the battle successfully broke up Gongsun Zhan's cavalry offensive and plunged Gongsun Zhan's army into chaos. This shows that Yuan Shao not only excelled in tactics, but also was comfortable in understanding the relationship between arms and arms.
Finally, the article emphasizes Yuan Shao's calmness and decisiveness at the critical moment of the battlefield counterattack. Surrounded by Gongsun Chan's cavalry, he did not panic, but acted quickly and skillfully coped with the situation. Yuan Shao's calmness and decisiveness laid the foundation for the counterattack of the entire battle situation.
In general, the article "Yuan Shao's Counterattack, Outwitting and Winning the Battle: Analyzing the Battle of the Jieqiao" vividly shows Yuan Shao's resourcefulness and military talent in the Battle of the Jieqiao through detailed tactical analysis and a review of military history, and also points out Gongsun Zhan's tactical mistakes in this battle. This article provides an in-depth interpretation of historical warfare, giving readers a clearer understanding of the background of the war and the resourcefulness of the commanders at that time.
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