Chapter 240: Using military force like a god?

When Luo Shixiang was serving as a soldier in Daotun, the Yan army initially felt that something strange was going on and was worried that there were ambushes everywhere, so they did not dare to act rashly and instead sent out scouts to investigate.

But after the scouts reported back, Luo Shixiang's trick was discovered.

The generals of the Yan army thought that the Jianghuai army was just bluffing and trying to delay time for the army to escape south.

Therefore, after the cavalry units of various divisions arrived one after another and learned of Luo Shixiang's strength, they immediately began to pursue him with all their might.

This time, the various units of the Yan army were not as cautious as before. When they entered the territory of Shen County and saw Li Yuanhui's flag, all the generals including Pu Gusu, Xue Qi and others were a little frightened. If it was Li Yuanhui who personally led the army to support, with drums and horns sounding and flags fluttering, could there be an ambush?
Next, large groups of cavalry came rushing over from both sides, followed by billowing smoke and dust. The first reaction of the various units of the Yan army was that it was not good and they had been ambushed.

escape.

Xue Qi even thought to himself, "We've fallen into a trap."

In his opinion, Luo Shixiang's bluffing was just to make them let down their guard so that they could successfully walk into the preset ambush circle.

The Yan army and the Wagang troops quickly turned their horses around and fled north. Although Li Yuanhui was still bluffing, he could not show his weakness and immediately led his troops to attack.

The Jianghuai cavalry on the left and right sides were Chang Yanheng and Liu Ju, each with more than a thousand cavalry. The two cavalry teams directly attacked the left and right wings of the Yan army.

On the plains, the billowing dust raised by the large group of cavalry made it impossible to distinguish the specific number of people from the Jianghuai side with the naked eye.

Looking at the cavalry charging in from all directions, one can only assume that they were ambushed, and the number of cavalry is unknown. But what is certain is that the number should be quite large.

The situation and momentum between the two sides were reversed due to the illusion created by the Jianghuai side.

Because the various units of the Yan army lacked unified command, those who were fleeing were afraid that they would be left behind and become the last to be killed, which resulted in a situation where the escape was faster than the pursuit.

Chang Yanheng and Liu Ju swept in from both wings, and Li Yuanhui personally led more than 2,000 cavalry to attack them head-on. The Yan army scrambled to escape.

The reason why all the generals of the coalition forces gathered together before was actually that none of them wanted to stand out and none of them wanted to be the front team to explore the way.

The reason why Li Yuanhui did not set an ambush at the beginning was because the Yan army was scattered. If he did not let them gather together, even if he set an ambush, he could only ambush part of the front army, but it would be easy for the Yan army's rear team to take advantage of it.

So he directly asked Luo Shixiang to stop in the main road in order to create a time difference so that the Yan army could gather together.

Moreover, such a team does not have a unified command, so there will definitely be command chaos, and each department will not want to be the first to stand out.

This is the biggest weakness of the Yan army and the Wagang coalition forces.

Although the composition of the Jianghuai Army was complex, Li Yuanhui was still able to control it with ease and effectively implement military orders.

Obviously, the coalition lacked this foundation. The Wagang Army, the Chinese and foreign armies, the state and county garrison troops, and the Hebei Volunteers.

Such a force, because Lou Jushi himself returned to Luoyang, only had a temporary commander, Murong Deyu, and could not effectively manage and control the various units. This naturally gave the Jianghuai side an opportunity to take advantage of it.

Li Yuanhui led his troops in pursuit for more than ten miles. The Yan army fled in all directions. Fortunately, they were all cavalry and most of them managed to escape.

The three-pronged attack from Jianghuai was finally achieved with more than a thousand heads beheaded, eight hundred captured, and more than one thousand three hundred horses seized.

Fierce generals such as Chang Yanheng, Luo Shixiang, and Wang Bi all rushed forward bravely, as if they were in an empty space, and captured many enemies. Even Li Yuanhui himself drew his bow and shot and killed several cavalrymen of the Yan army.

The Jianghuai Army then headed south again, slowing down its pace.

All the brave generals were very impressed by the strategy devised by Li Yuanhui.

Wang Bi said: "Although the Yan army is large, it is simply vulnerable. If I had known earlier, I would have sent a cavalry to cut off their retreat. Maybe I could have kept all the more than 10,000 Yan troops."

Chang Yanheng, who rode beside him, scolded him, "What nonsense are you talking about? Do you think this battle is easy to win? You underestimate the Northern Army too much. We Huaishang people are still not as good as the Northerners in cavalry warfare. This time it was the Grand Commander's brilliant plan, otherwise we would have been chased all the way and it would have been difficult to cross the Huai River."

Wang Bi asked curiously, "What does this mean?"

Chang Yanheng said: "Do you think that just setting an ambush can scare the Northern Army and make them retreat? It was the governor who asked General Luo to bluff and attract the Northern Army to gather together. The Wagang Army and the Northern Army have been under the command of many different units. When they gather together, they become like cattle and sheep. But if they are left alone, they are all jackals, tigers and leopards."

Upon hearing this, Wang Bi sighed and said, "The governor actually planned so much?"

"The governor's strategy is unpredictable and beyond our reach."

Although Chang Yanheng was a fierce general who was good at charging into battle, it did not mean that he had no insight. In fact, his insight was far more than that of a common warrior. He was full of strategies, wisdom, and military intelligence, and was a great general.

On the other side, in the central cavalry, Luo Shixiang lagged behind Li Yuanhui by half a body length. Like a student, he asked about the many puzzles he had just encountered.

The coach in front of him, who was of the same age as him, was like an elder and patiently answered his questions one by one.

Finally, Li Yuanhui also warned: "Remember, the so-called brilliant plan just now was only done out of necessity, and is not a long-term plan.

Luo Shixiang behind him felt that he had gained a lot.

Only Li Yuanhui's heart finally calmed down. In fact, he had been very nervous all the way since he started heading north.

He knew very well that his journey north would be somewhat dangerous, but he felt that God, or some unknown deity, had sent him to this world, so he had to do something, and his luck should be pretty good.

Can I not come this time? Actually, I can.

If the grain in Nandun is not burned, he will probably stay in Shouchun to fight against Lou Jushi, and let Zhu guard Zhongli. After Pei County falls, they will have to face Zhai Rang's Wagang Army. These two strategic locations should be able to delay the pace of the coalition forces and fight a war of attrition with the opponent. We can pin our hopes on our father and brothers to quickly digest Guanzhong and open up Qiaohan.

But this is definitely not what Li Yuanhui wants. As the Art of War says, those who are good at using troops can control others rather than being controlled by them.

There are too many variables when being besieged on three sides. It is impossible to predict where problems will occur.

It will also have a great impact on the hearts of the powerful and the people under its rule.

If faced with pressure or temptation from Luoyang, some people in the Jianghuai Army might turn against them.

Li Yuanhui was still unwilling to bet on people's hearts, because this thing could not be estimated.

As the commander-in-chief, the controller of more than 100,000 troops in the three counties of Jianghuai, the more he is besieged, the more he must show his strength and toughness.

Therefore, taking the initiative became Li Yuanhui's natural option. He had actually been paying attention to the situation of the Xiangxian coalition forces.

In the end, it was decided to burn the grain. Even if Chang Yanheng and Liu Ju were sent to lead 3,000 cavalry to attack the old city of Nandun, there was still hope of success, but the Huaishang Camp and Huaiyuan Camp under their command were basically destroyed.

Li Yuanhui still felt that it was not a last resort to let his men die easily in this kind of suicide mission, because it would alienate people.

Chang Yanheng and Liu Ju were both born bandits. They came to surrender, but you just let them die and let the elite troops in the central army watch the show?
The final decision was to send out all the light cavalry. Considering the situation on the opposite side and on his own side, there was no general who could make the four battalion commanders obey his orders, so Li Yuanhui could only go into battle himself.

After all, you can’t just stand by and watch others fight for their lives.

Take the Battle of Guandu for example. Cao Cao risked his life to attack Yuan Shao's grain storage area at Wuchao.

On the other hand, if Yuan Shao personally led his army to attack Cao Cao’s camp, would Xun You and Cao Hong be able to hold it?
Fortunately, the result is gratifying.

After this battle, Li Yuanhui's personal prestige increased significantly.

He led more than 6,000 cavalrymen into the camp of hundreds of thousands of troops, burned the grain storage area, and returned with most of the troops.

He even devised a plan during the retreat, defeated the pursuers, and beheaded over a thousand people.

This kind is called a fairy staff.

After this battle, when the Jianghuai Army mentioned their commander, in addition to "famous at a young age", "born rich", "a talented person of the time", "generous and righteous", and "quite magnanimous", they added four more words.

"Use troops like a god."

As for Li Yuanhui himself, he would never admit it. Using troops like a god? What a joke, this phrase doesn't apply to me at all! This trip was just a stroke of luck, a stroke of genius, a flash of inspiration.

He didn't think his trip was anything special. Instead, he felt grateful and relaxed on the way back.

He led more than 2,000 cavalrymen on the road, unfurled their flags, and faced the overwhelming force of tens of thousands of elite cavalry.

There were over ten thousand men and horses, boundless and endless, and the dark mass of cavalry gave people a strong sense of oppression.

His face looked normal, but his hands were shaking like Wu Lao Er.
Is there such a weak military commander?

(End of this chapter)