A generation of famous generals of the Han Dynasty, in the face of many dissuasions from the Zhao army, resolutely wore the stars and the moon, led the soldiers and horses to this place where soldiers must fight, Jingcheng, and started a life-and-death struggle with the famous generals of Zhao State.
This is - in October of the third year of the Han Dynasty, Han Xin, the prime minister of Zuo, fought against the water, won more with less, and successfully defeated the "Battle of Jingcheng" of the Zhao army. The land of Jingcheng, known as the "Nine Stops in the World", has a dangerous terrain and a strategic location of great importance.
Once the enemy forces penetrate deep into the hinterland of Hebei, it will pose a serious threat to the local separatist regimes. Therefore, guarding Jingcheng is equivalent to guarding Hebei; The capture of Jingcheng became the base for the Northern Expedition.
It can be seen that the victory or defeat of the Battle of Jingcheng will directly affect the final result of the battle between Chu and Han. So, why did Han Shin decide to lead his army to a decisive battle at Jingcheng? Why did he put his soldiers and horses to death and did the opposite?
These mysteries are all revealed one by one in the battle of Jingcheng......
On the tenth day of the tenth lunar month in 204 BC, Jinyang. The wind was whistling outside the window, as if urging Han Xin, the commander of the emerging forces, to hurry up. At this time, it was late autumn, and the sky was already dark. "
If you don't send troops, it's too late! "Han Xin muttered to himself as he sorted out the armor pieces on his battle robe. From pacifying the Western Wei Kingdom in the far west to conquering the Dai Kingdom in the northeast, Han Xin led the Han army to complete this feat in less than two months.
Now, the Dai State has fallen, and the suzerainty of the Dai State, Zhao State, has sent troops to support; The Great Han State of Liu Bang in the west also mobilized a large army to put pressure on the Zhao State at this time. Han Xin must take the lead in attacking the hinterland of Zhao before these two external forces completely flank Zhao State, and strive for the opportunity of the battle between Han and Chu. "
In this expedition, our army will inevitably face many difficulties. "Han was secretly worried. With a wave of his hand, he summoned his henchmen who had been left and right, so Changshan King Zhang Er.
Zhang Er entered the account without saying a word and knelt in front of Han Xin's case. "Minister! " "You have assisted the Minister of Zhao and have a deep understanding of Zhao's military and political affairs. "
Han Xin raised his eyes from the head of the case and looked at Zhang Er with burning eyes.
Zhang Er thought carefully for a while, and then replied: "The situation in Jing Cheng is very difficult, I have a lot of old knowledge in Zhao State, we can go and investigate the enemy situation first."
I'll discuss it in detail with the general tomorrow. Han Xin nodded in agreement: "It's wise to do this, we'll discuss it in detail tomorrow." Now you go and prepare, someone may come tonight. ”
Zhang Er left after receiving the order, and began to prepare to infiltrate the well. It was getting late that day, and Han Xin waited quietly in the tent for dark. Soon after, someone came to report - Li Zuoche asked to see him.
It turned out that Li Zuoche was a famous general of Zhao State, and this time he came to Jinyang to persuade him to surrender on the order of Chen Yu, the king of the dynasty. Han Xin ordered Li Zuoche to enter the account left and right, and personally stepped forward to greet him. Although Li Zuoche was an envoy, he had to bow to the ground after entering the account.
The left car is not guilty, hurry up. Han Xin said with a smile. Li Zuoche got up, stroked his beard, and let out a long sigh: "In the Battle of Xingyang a few years ago, I fought against the general.
At that time, there was nothing to do, but I didn't expect to meet again today, and the general has become the best warrior. Han Xin waved his hand: "The left car has passed the prize, sit down, let's talk about the old days." ”
The two sat down in the tent, and the left car kept persuading Han Xin to surrender, but Han Xin refuted them one by one. In the second half of the night, Li Zuoche left, and Han Xin sent him outside the tent and suddenly asked, "Do you know the terrain of Jingcheng?" ”
Li Zuoche glanced back at Han Xin and said calmly: "Cars can't drive side by side, and horses can't be in columns. Why didn't the general change course? Han Xin smiled and watched Li Zuoche leave.
Early the next morning, Zhang Er came as promised. "General, Chen Yu has already led 200,000 main forces to camp on the riverside northwest of Tumen in Jingdongkou, obviously preparing to destroy us. ”
Two hundred thousand? Han Xin thoughtfully, "It seems that Chen Yu is going to make a desperate bet." "But I also made some friends in Zhao Junzhong, and I got some news from them. ”
Zhang Er's expression became serious, "I heard that Chen Yu's henchman Li Zuoche suggested that 30,000 troops should be used to detour our back road and cut off our grain route, which was a winning strategy, but Chen Yu didn't follow Li Zuoche's suggestion and said that he would fight to the death in a dignified manner. ”
Is it? Han Xin's eyes lit up after hearing this, and he seemed to have some idea, "You also mentioned the terrain of Jingcheng?" "Li Zuoche said that Jingcheng cars cannot drive side by side, and horses cannot be ridden in columns. ”
Zhang Er replied. Han Xin was silent for a moment of contemplation, and then brushed his sleeves up. "Tomorrow I will go straight to the enemy's camp and try Chen Yu's strength. You go back and prepare, and wait for my military order to be delivered. ”
At dawn on the 14th, Han Xin summoned the generals in the military tent and put forward a bold plan. He was to lead the army across the water to attack at night and fight a decisive battle against the water.
Han Shin explained that although our army is not numerous, it is fast and can surprise the enemy camp in the backwater array. This plan shocked the soldiers present, who had never heard of the victory in a desperate situation.
Some people objected to this, believing that it was contrary to the common sense of the soldiers, and that the camp should be on the right side of the mountain and the left side of the water, which was a major taboo in the army. However, Han Xin insisted that he would use Sun Tzu's strategy of "leaving the place of death and surviving, and falling into the place of death and resurrection" to make the enemy misjudge the situation and open a breakthrough.
Han Shin's plan was eventually appreciated by the generals. That night, he led an army of 10,000 across the Mianmanshui River, occupied a waterfront high ground in the east of the river, and condescendingly challenged the main force of the Zhao army.
At this time, there was silence all around, only the sound of insects and horses neighing, which seemed even more empty and secluded. Han Shin's battle against the water is a feat of surviving in the dead.
Listen, you're waiting to see what's going on! Wait a while, let Chen Yu see what the real strength of the Han army is! Early the next morning, Chen Yu really led a large army to challenge.
The two armies fought fiercely by the river for a whole day, and at dusk, Han Xin suddenly ordered his soldiers to abandon their forces and pretend to be defeated, so as to lure the enemy deeper. Chen Yu planned and personally led all the main forces to pursue.
At this time, Han Xin and a group of 2,000 cavalry went around the rear of the Zhao army's camp from the small road and captured Chen Yu's banner. Chen Yu looked back and saw that the camp had been replaced with the banner of the Han army, and he was immediately shocked!
At this moment, the morale of the children collapsed in an instant, and the whole army collapsed. Han Xin seized the opportunity and immediately counterattacked, completely defeating Chen Yu's army!
Han Shin's plan was not crazy, but deliberate. His last battle became a classic example of soldiers, proving his wisdom and courage. Han Shin cleverly hides his plans in a way that makes them elusive.
His tactics were surprisingly winning and admirable. So, why did he choose the decisive battle of Jing Cheng and make a desperate bet? In fact, all this was expected by him. Facing Chen Yu with an army of 200,000, he must find a breakthrough to win.
He knew that the Zhao army had to attack with all his might, and what he had to do was to lure the enemy deeper, stimulate their blind self-confidence, and make them misjudge the situation and attack rashly.
Next, the intricate terrain of Jingcheng and the commanding heights of Hedong were crucial to the successful implementation of Han Xin's plan. Only by personally leading the army to cross the river and set up a formation on the waterfront heights can the Zhao army's desire to attack be stimulated to the greatest extent.
Finally, the Han army must make full use of the advantage of a quick victory. A quick decisive battle can avoid the arrival of subsequent reinforcements, and can also reduce the pressure on supplies, thus reversing the numerical disadvantage.
With these factors in mind, Han Shin decided to take a desperate gamble and fight his back in Jingcheng. This seemingly crazy operation actually contains a subtle tactical strategy.
This unexpected surprise attack disrupted the enemy's deployment, causing the Zhao army to fall from blind self-confidence into a desperate situation, which eventually led to a rout.
With a 100% victory rate, Han Xin's Jingcheng victory successfully broke through the Zhao defense line and reversed the balance of strength between Han and Chu. This battle just illustrates the core idea of "falling into the place of death and then revitalizing" in Sun Tzu's Art of War.
After the war, soldiers asked Han Shin if his tactics were in line with military sense. Han Xin replied with a smile: "I just want to stimulate your combat effectiveness in a moment of crisis, if you were in a living place, I am afraid that you would have already fled."
This battle against the odds is the magnificent scenery of life, and you will definitely experience it in the future. Only then did the soldiers suddenly realize that the most beautiful scenery in life was to fight against the water, that is, to be reborn from the fire.