Do we think of a battle like this: one side lays out a net-like strategy, and the other side clings to a lonely city? One side mobilizes the multitude, the other side is outnumbered; One side attacked for several days, and the other side continued to fight back. Let me ask, this seems to be a contest of great disparity, and it seems that it is destined for only one side to win, but is the real result like this?
40,000 heroic Shu soldiers, besieged for more than 20 days, but could not capture a small city, and had to return empty-handed. Is this the inevitability of the right time, the right place, or the wisdom of the defenders' command? We have to think deeply.
In 228 AD, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of the Shu Han Dynasty, germinated the ambition of the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains. After the lessons of the previous Northern Expeditions, this time, he bypassed the main transportation arteries, avoided the key passes of the Wei army's defense line, and chose the rugged and difficult Jinniu Road instead, hoping to break through the Wei army's defense line with surprise attack tactics and take the important place of Chencang.
The Northern Expedition was huge, with a total of 40,000 cavalry. But in order to speed the march, Zhuge Liang strictly ordered the soldiers to travel lightly and only carry the necessary grain and grass and **. During the march, the whole army was silenced in order to keep it secret, and even smoke and dust were not allowed to rise. During the day, the army hid in the valley jungle; At night, they march quickly to gain time. After several days of trekking, the army finally arrived at the foot of Chencang City.
However, they didn't know that this seemingly isolated town had already been fully prepared for defense. Hao Zhao, the commander-in-chief of the city's defense, was far from an idle man. He was well versed in the use of troops, and when he received the alarm of the enemy's attack, he immediately took action, and with 1,000 troops, he held the city and resolutely counterattacked.
Hao Zhao carefully deployed and defended every part of the city wall impenetrable. He also trained a crossbowman and slinger, ready to shoot and throw at his enemies. Wooden fences were set up on the walls to prevent direct enemy approach. The ordnance factory in the city rushed to produce ** day and night to ensure the supply of military supplies. Hao Zhao himself was also patrolling the city, not leaving an inch, just to guard this last barrier.
The golden sunset sprinkled all over the head of Chencang City. Zhuge Liang led the army to camp about a mile below the city, and inspected the fortifications of the city from a distance. The banner of the Shu army is fluttering, the horses are neighing, and the murderous spirit is soaring. Chen Cangcheng, which is surrounded by mountains and rivers on all sides, looks extremely small in the Shu army. At the head of the city, Hao Zhao carried a bow and arrows, his eyes were like torches, and he looked vigilantly at the enemy outside the camp.
Go quickly and tell the intention of our army! Zhuge Liang stood on the high platform and waved his arms. The soldier Jin Shen immediately stepped forward and came to the city to negotiate. His voice echoed through the empty valley, urging the defenders to surrender.
Hao Zhao narrowed his eyes and stared at the other party intently. He kept his soldiers on alert while ordering time to reinforce the defenses. For persuasion, Hao Zhao showed no mercy: "On the art of war, there are 10,000 people, I have a strong city, and the defender is the best." Even if you and I are different, I will never back down! ”
The persuasion to surrender ended in failure, and Hao Zhao's resolute attitude without giving in also showed the difficulty of this defensive battle. That night, Zhuge Liang convened a meeting of the generals to discuss countermeasures. The meeting was discussed late into the night and the lights were on.
On the second day, the Shu army again sent envoys to persuade them to surrender. Hao Zhao was unmoved, he drew his bowstring, pointed the arrow at the envoy to persuade him, and said loudly: "You don't want to retreat quickly!" I will fight with this city! The messenger returned in vain. Hao Zhao knew that the Shu army's siege plan would eventually start soon.
After full preparation, the Shu army launched a general attack on Chencang. The dense siege ** arrived at the city, and the ladders, rushing cars, and trebuchets surrounded the city. The morale of the Shu army was high, and the crowd was excited, and they all wanted to make a great contribution to conquering a city.
Woo woo" In the sound of war drums, the Shu army began to advance without moving. "Shoot! Hao Zhao drank. Suddenly the arrows on the head of the city swirled with the strings, and the rain of arrows poured down. Many soldiers fell in response, and the besieging forces had to pause their advance.
At this moment, with a wave of Hao Zhao's hand, a batch of rockets with fire-fired fuel cloth shot out of the city and landed on the siege city ** accurately. In the blazing fire, the vanguard's rushing cars and ladders were quickly burned.
The vanguard of the Shu army suffered heavy losses, but soon a dense reinforcement arrived and re-encircled the city of Chencang. Hao Zhao had already prepared, he asked the soldiers to throw a long rope hanging from the boulder, and smashed it into the Shu army below with great lethality. This kind of primitive and simple ** actually became a good prescription for controlling the enemy, which made the Shu army extremely heavy and had to retreat for rectification.
It was late autumn, the sky was getting late, the sun was setting in the west, and the Shu army temporarily retreated. However, early the next morning, a new siege ** was transported to the city. Under the command of Zhuge Liang, the Shu army took turns to attack, day and night.
Hao Zhao was also not tired, and commanded for several days and nights, fighting hard with the enemy under the city. In order to save energy, he only allowed himself to sleep for 2 hours a day. The soldiers also fought hard, although they were heavy, but they had no intention of retreating. In this way, the offensive and defensive battles between you and me lasted for more than 20 days.
The prolonged head-to-head head-to-head without a win has left both sides looking for tactical flexibility. The Shu army secretly dug tunnels, hoping to bypass the frontal defense line and break into the city. And Hao Zhao also noticed it in time and quickly dug a deep ditch in the city to sabotage his plan.
The battle in the underground began. Soldiers dig and run in the dark, giving up rest to buy time. The Shu army had to avoid the foundations of the city walls; And Hao Zhao needs to judge the enemy's digging path and accurately set up blocks. Although the two armies could not see each other, the battle between life and death continued.
It is difficult for the two sides to distinguish between the winners and losers in the tunnel war. On the frontal battlefield, Hao Zhao continued to command the soldiers to defend, intending to consume the combat strength of the Shu army with battle. And the Shu army, under the leadership of Zhuge Liang, launched fierce offensives many times. However, the high threshold of Chencang City, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack, coupled with Hao Zhao's use of various ingenious tactics, made it difficult for the Shu army to win. As the fighting enters a stalemate, both sides face severe tests.
As time passed, the situation became more and more unfavorable to the Shu army. They penetrated deep into enemy territory, running out of ammunition and supplies; And Hao Zhao stuck to the city to ensure backup. This made the Shu army gradually feel nervous. What worried Zhuge Liang the most was that he had learned from the scouts that reinforcements were coming to support Hao Zhao. At that time, the Shu army was trapped in the city in front of the city, and then it was pursued, and the situation was as dangerous as an egg.
This situation is unsustainable. In a military and division dispute, Zhuge Liang made up his mind and demanded that the whole army retreat. How difficult it was for him to make such a decision for the Northern Expedition! He knew that this would be a serious blow to the morale of the soldiers; It is more clear that this move will make the Central Plains royal industry close at hand, but it will be a complete failure. However, there is no way back, and this is the only option.
On the eve of the retreat, Zhuge Liang climbed the battlements and looked at Hao Zhao and his few elite soldiers standing in the city from afar. He couldn't help but sigh secretly: the capable person is handsome, and the art of war will be displayed here. The defeat of our army is also due to human nature, how can we blame it?
That night, the horn of retreat sounded mournfully. The Shu army left in discouragement, and there was a mess everywhere outside the city. And Hao Zhao and the soldiers in the city were thunderous with joy. They celebrated this thrilling deathmatch with a victory. In the mountains in the distance, the figure of the Shu army can no longer be seen.
Editor: Search for a picture in February**Dynamic Incentive Plan
When we stand in the long river of history and look back at this battle, we can't help but think: In this seemingly disparity of competition, why is the loser not the Shu army? What's the secret? In this battle, we used a weak division to resist Wanfu, and we won the offensive with a defensive position, which almost subverted our understanding of the true meaning of soldiers. Zhuge Liang, as an outstanding military strategist of this era, could not break through Hao Zhao's city defense line.
It can be seen that the art of war and war are not simple calculations, but more often depend on the confrontation of wills. The defeat of the Shu army did not mean that its ambitions were narrowed, nor did it mean that the strength of Hao Zhao's army was superior. In this era of drones and missiles, we can re-examine and decipher the internal logic of this battle.
It teaches us that victory or defeat is not based on hard power alone, and that the essence of war is a contest of human nature. Only by establishing will, establishing faith, and sticking to hope can it become possible for people to win over genius. This is the moral that we can learn.
No matter how the drums of war are beaten in the future, no matter how the victory and defeat will be divided, we will all remember: the 1,000-strong Chencang defenders and the 20-day protracted battle were a heroic, abnormal, and thrilling victory in Chinese history!