Chapter 37 Chapter 1 Han Xin's Backwaters

After several hours of fierce fighting, Zhao Jun failed to effectively break through Han Xin's backwater formation. The generals were exhausted from fighting and prepared to retreat to the fortress.At this time, the rear army found that the pass fortress had been occupied by the Han army, and the red flags were all over the fortress, and they couldn't help being shocked. Military genius breaks new ground Wei Guo and Dai Guo were conquered by Han Xin, which was almost the most important key to the reversal of the struggle between Chu and Han. Although Xiang Yu owned the elite areas of Chu and Liang, most of the Liang State was actually under the control of Peng Yue, and many areas of Chu State were ruled by the friendly army Jiujiang Wang Yingbu, Hengshan Wang Wu Rui, and Linjiang Wang Gongao.Under the leadership of Yingbo, these people have complained about Xiang Yu repeatedly, and their loyalty and centripetal force have been greatly reduced.

Therefore, the areas Xiang Yu really controlled were only Pengcheng and Jiangdong. Compared with Liu Bang's control of Xingyang, Guanzhong, and Hanzhong, Xiang Yu did not take any advantage. If Wei, Dai, Yan, and Zhao of the Central Plains fall to Liu Bang again, the strength and decline of both sides will be seen immediately.Although Xiang Yu tried hard to control Qi, after he returned to Pengcheng, the hundreds of thousands of troops left in Qi were still defeated by Tian Heng and returned to Chu. Like Liu Bang, Xiang Yu lacked a single-handed general, so he had to go all out to deal with Liu Bang's main force in Xingyang.

Therefore, the real key is that Liu Bang's camp also has Han Xin who is capable of independent combat. When Xiao He tried his best to chase Han Xin back, he really had his vision. The Central Plains area was originally the territory of the Three Jin Dynasties. When Xiang Yu divided it, Wei was divided into Liang and Wei, Zhao was divided into Zhao and Dai, and South Korea was ruled by Xiang Yu, and the king of Han became a puppet. Although Xiang Yu controlled the elite areas of Liang and Chu, under Peng Yue's guerrilla warfare, he lost control of the northern half of Liang State.

Liu Bang's camp guarded Xingyang and actually controlled most of South Korea's territory.Now that Han Xin has conquered Wei and Dai again, only Zhao is left in the Central Plains. The more successful Han Xin's strategy in the Central Plains was, the more advantageous Liu Bang would be in the confrontation between Chu and Han. Therefore, the most important key lies in Zhao Guo. If Han Xin takes Zhao Guo again, Xiang Yu will become more and more dangerous. This is the main reason why Liu Bang still supported Han Xin with 30,000 troops under the strong pressure of Chu State. But Han Xin is not a legion of Liu Bang's direct line, so it is difficult to be completely trusted.Especially after he pacified the land of Wei, his wings gradually took shape, so Liu Bang specially sent Zhang Er, the guest elder of Zhao Guo, to assist him, which could play a supervisory role to some extent.

Marching into Jingxingkou, Han Xinbing came to the border of Zhao Zhao Guoyuan was a military power in the Central Plains, and suffered the most blows in the unification war. Therefore, Zhao Guo did not perform prominently in the later uprising wars. However, the key battle that determined the defeat of Qin State still took place in Julu in Zhao State. Although the protagonist of this war against Qin was Xiang Yu's Chu army, Zhao State was still the focus of attention. It was Zhang Er and Chen Yu, Hakka elders from Wei who led Zhao Guo to participate in the Julu War; but in this battle, Zhang Er and Chen Yu had a falling out. The territory of Zhao State was divided into Zhao and Dai, and its forces were dispersed. Therefore, when Chen Yu united the forces of Zhao Xie, the former King of Zhao, and Tian Rong, the strongman of Qi, Zhang Er was powerless to resist his resentment that Xiang Yu did not give him enough. Therefore, he defected to Liu Bang, who was already in the relationship.

Chen Yu, who had gained the advantage, welcomed Zhao Xie back to Zhao, and he himself became the prime minister of Zhao State and actually took control of the ruling power. Chen Yu and Xiang Yu had always had grievances, and naturally they were unwilling to rely on the Chu army, so he formed a third force with Qi Guotian Rong, trying to divide the world equally with Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. After Tian Rong was defeated by Xiang Yu, Liu Bang wanted to win over Chen Yu, but Chen Yu proposed to kill Zhang Er before talking. As the Southern Expedition was imminent, Liu Bang had to replace him with a death row prisoner who looked like Zhang Er, so as to obtain Chen Yu's joining and relieve the worries in the war of conquering Chu. Liu Bang and Tian Heng of Qi State formed a connection.

After Han Xin defeated Wei and Dai, his next target was Zhao.Especially Zhang Er, who wanted to fight Chen Yu more actively. At this time, the struggle between Chu and Han had entered its third year. In the tenth month of winter, Han Xin and Zhang Er led more than 20,000 troops to attack Zhao Guo. The capital of Chen Yu and Zhao Xie was in Xiangguo, which belongs to the northwest of present-day Hebei Province, and is located around Shijiazhuang. Han Xin's army was going north from Pingyang in Wei State to Yanyu in Dai State. Before entering the Hebei Plain, it had to pass through the Taihang Mountains.It is very difficult for the army to cross the mountains, so they must choose the horizontal valleys that cross the mountains, but these valleys are generally very narrow, so they are called "Xing". Although it is easier to march, most of the terrain of this Xing is easy to defend. Formidable."

The most famous one in the north of the Taihang Mountains is called Jingxing. It is called "Jing" because it is high in all directions and low in the center. The army of Han Xin and Zhang Er chose to cross the Taihang Mountains from Jingxing and enter the north of Xiangguo. Before entering the plain from Jingxing, there is an ancient pass called Shangmenguan, commonly known as Jingxingkou, which has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. Therefore, as long as anyone guards Jingxingkou, he will be invincible. . Chen Yu's army, which claimed to be 200,000, gathered near Jingxingkou, preparing to resist Han Xin's Northern Expedition Army.

Originally guarding here was Li Zuoche, the general of Zhao Guo's elder sect, known as Guangwu Lord. Mr. Guangwu suggested sticking to the strategy According to the information collected by Tanma, due to the tense situation in Xingyang, a large number of Han troops were forced to deploy on the front line of Xingyang to counter the increasing pressure of the Chu army. In addition, Han Xin had to stay in the newly ruled Wei and Dai, and Han Xin was able to bring it to Jingxingkou military strength is very limited. The State of Zhao assembled an army of 200,000. In addition to the troops guarding various places, the Zhao army that arrived at Jingxingkou was judged to be more than 100,000, about 5 times that of Han Xin's Han army.

Therefore, Chen Yu believed that he was 100% sure to win, and he was full of confidence and wanted to fight a beautiful victory. Although Chen Yu was born as a literati, he is good at manipulating vertical and horizontal connections, so he has a high international reputation and has become the new strongman of Zhao State. But in actual combat, Chen Yu is obviously inexperienced, so he didn't dare to participate in the Julu battle at all, and even made international jokes, which dealt a great blow to his image, and thus became old enemies with Zhang Eryou. . Guangwu Jun Li Zuoche is not so optimistic.

His outstanding performance in the offensive and defensive battles in Weidi proved that Han Xin is good at military strategy and is a first-class tactician. Therefore, he suggested to Chen Yu: "Han Xin and Zhang Er took advantage of the momentum of victory in Wei and Dai to launch an expedition to us, and their morale is quite high, which should not be underestimated. "But the ministers have heard that 'those who feed food from thousands of miles away, the scholars are hungry, but the teachers are not full when they burn woods and bushes'. In other words, their biggest headache is the food problem. "The terrain at Jingxingkou is very favorable to us. The roads there are narrow, grain trucks cannot run side by side, and cavalry cannot be lined up. Therefore, when marching, we must line up in long lines. The difference between the vanguard and the supply team is hundreds of miles. "Please allow me to bring 30,000 soldiers to attack their food and stocking supply team from the small road, and to defend the line of defense with deep trenches and high fortresses, and not to fight against them. In this way, Han Xin and Zhang Er's army will not be able to fight, retreat, or return. There is no place to rob food, and within 10 days, the heads of these two enemy generals will definitely be presented to the general. Otherwise, if we underestimate the enemy, we will be defeated by them." Chen Yuzheng wanted to completely win the battle and teach Han Xin and Zhang Er a good lesson, so naturally he would not accept Li Zuoche's suggestion. So he told Li Zuoche that Zhao Guo is a majestic teacher of the king and a righteous army from all over the world, and there is no need for conspiracy.Chen Yu said more easily: Han Xin puts his back in the water In the face of the huge state of Zhao and the dangerous situation of Jingxingkou, Han Xin was very careful; especially for Li Zuoche's rich combat experience, he must not be careless. He sent a large number of intelligence personnel to collect intelligence on Zhao Jun's activities in Jingxingkou. When he learned that Chen Yu rejected Li Zuoche's tactics, he was very happy and ordered to march towards Jingxingkou quickly. Thirty miles away from Jingxingkou, Han Xin ordered the troops to stop and camp in preparation for tomorrow's battle. Since Chen Yu was eager to perform, Han Xin decided to plan tactics according to his wishes. That night, he ordered to form an assault group of 2,000 light cavalry, each holding a red flag of the Han army.In addition, Han Xin ordered the light cavalry to climb to the top of the mountain from the small road, and lie in ambush on the high ground where Zhao's army can be seen. He instructed the commander of the commando: "Due to tomorrow's battle, our army is weak, and will soon retreat towards Mianmanshui in the contact war. Once Zhao's army sees our retreat, the whole army will definitely try to catch up. Therefore, there are not many defenders at the pass. Then you immediately Lead the assault team to attack the pass, pull down the Zhao army flag as soon as possible after entering the pass, and replace them all with red Han army flags. In the early hours of the morning, Han Xin ordered that only snacks be distributed to the Han army, and boldly issued an order saying: "After dawn today, let's defeat Zhao Jun first, and then have a good breakfast!" The generals of the legions didn't know where Han Xin's high self-confidence came from, but because he had often performed outstandingly in tactics since he left Hanzhong and won the trust of the generals, everyone had to reluctantly agree. Han Xin said that he would fight Zhao Jun head-to-head. It was really hard for the generals to understand why Han Xin fought hard when faced with an enemy force several times stronger. "The Zhao army stood firm on the fortress of Jingxingkou. If they could not see our generals in full swing, they would not easily go out to fight. They were even more afraid that we would use the terrain to hold on and prevent them from defeating us. So I want to fight in Mianman Deploy troops in front of the water and form a backwater formation to attract the Zhao army to fight." The generals couldn't figure out what kind of medicine Han Xin was selling in the gourd. So Han Xin personally led ten thousand soldiers and horses to set up formation by the river first. The defenders immediately reported to Chen Yu, and Chen Yu also rushed to the pass, and watched the formation of the Han army by the river from the pass. Chen Yu couldn't help laughing, mocking Han Xin for not knowing the art of war, and boasting that he would be able to repair them in the morning. The generals of the Zhao army were also happy to start the battle as soon as possible. Only Li Zuoche fell into deep thought. He didn't understand why Han Xin boldly put on such a bait to lure the enemy, but he felt a chill of fear running up his back. The marshal used as bait to defeat the enemy The Han army was well-ordered as they set up formations by the river. Han Xin and Zhang Er personally led the vanguard army as commanders.At dawn, Han Xin raised the marshal's flag, beat drums loudly, and attacked the pass with a phalanx. Chen Yu ordered the switch to attack. Han Xin and Zhang Er rushed forward, the morale of the Han army was high, and the Zhao army could not win. Seeing this, Chen Yu, who was closed, immediately led the army and rushed out. However, the enemy was outnumbered, and although Han Xin fought tirelessly, he was still unable to resist the power of the Zhao army, so he gradually retreated. So Han Xin ordered all the drum flags to be abandoned, and hurriedly retreated to the main force camp by the river. Zhao Jun then pursued and directly attacked the Han camp by the water. Han Xin and Zhang Er retreated into the camp and commanded the soldiers to fight back. The battle was fierce. The two sides suffered heavy casualties, and the Zhao army could not effectively break through the formation of the Han army. Chen Yunai ordered all the defenders to be mobilized to join the battle. The Han army had no way out, and fought to the death with all their strength. At this time, the Han army assault troops ambushing on the mountain had taken the opportunity to attack the empty Zhao army pass, pulled out all the Zhao flags, and replaced them with 2,000 crimson Han army flags. After several hours of fierce fighting, Zhao Jun failed to effectively break through Han Xin's backwater formation. The generals were exhausted from fighting and prepared to retreat to the fortress. At this time, the rear army found that the pass fortress had been occupied by the Han army, and the fortress was covered with red flags, and they couldn't help being shocked. Because the number of Han troops in the fortress was unknown, some people even believed that the Han troops had invaded Zhao territory, and the Zhao troops on the front line could not return home. In the chaos, there were even rumors that Zhao Wangxie had surrendered to the Han army, and the morale of the Zhao army collapsed and they fled one after another. Although Chen Yu ordered the deserters to be chased and killed, he still could not stop the chaos in military discipline. After receiving the good news of the attack on the fortress, the morale of the Han army was greatly boosted, and they couldn't help cheering in unison, and all of them fought hard to kill the enemy like tigers coming out of their cages. Although Zhao's army was large in number, no one could control it when they broke up. As a result, Chen Yu was chased by the Han army when he fled to the upper reaches of the Mishui River, a tributary of the Mianman River, and died among the rebellious army. Zhao Wangxie was captured, and all the remnants of Zhao Guo surrendered. die and live The Han army won a complete victory, captured many important generals of Zhao State, and the whole army celebrated with carnival. After the generals finished their congratulations, someone asked Han Xin: "The principle of the art of war is that 'the formation should be backed by mountains or used as a barrier on the right side, and the water should be used as a front or left barrier when facing water'. Today, the general ordered us to deploy our formations with our backs on our backs, so that there is no way out. He also predicted the defeat of the Zhao army. After breakfast, I was quite unconvinced, but in the end we still won a big victory, what kind of tactic is this?" Han Xin also immediately held a campaign review meeting and explained: "Actually, the backwater formation I used is also clearly recorded in "Sun Tzu's Art of War". It's just that the generals and others failed to notice it. Doesn't the law say, 'Sink into a dead place to survive, and put it to a dead place to survive'?" "I, Han Xin, did not enter the Han camp step by step. I belonged to the 'airborne troops'; this is like the common saying of 'leading unfamiliar people to fight'. Only the momentum of putting them to death can make everyone voluntary. If you fight on the ground, if you see an enemy army several times larger than our army attacking, all of them will have fled long ago, will you still fight this battle for me?". The generals finally saw Han Xin's extraordinary resourcefulness, and they couldn't help sighing: "It's beyond my reach." Han Xin has been familiar with military books since he was a child. He has a delicate mind and a lot of thinking ability, so he can convince Xia Houying and Xiao He with his arguments. Since leading the army, due to Liu Bang's full authorization, Han Xin has been able to play quite well.In particular, the experience of the severe defeat during the Battle of Gucheng helped Han Xin to have a breakthrough growth, and his thinking on the use of tactics was more delicate than before.Be more creative. Worshiping the enemy as a teacher, Han Xin learned strategy Han Xin ordered a thousand gold rewards for the pursuit of Li Zuoche. The results came soon, and the residents in the mountains tied Li Zuoche to see him. Han Xin stepped down from the commander-in-chief himself, untied Li Zuoche, and asked him to sit in the east-facing position to serve him as a teacher. Li Zuoche, Zhang Er, and the generals of the Han camp who were beside him were startled, not knowing what Han Xin was up to. Why would a victorious general go to teach a defeated general? Han Xin expressed his admiration and respect to Li Zuoche as if he had something to do. "I really want to attack Yan State in the north and Qi State in the east. I really don't know how to successfully complete this important task." Li Zuoche said modestly: "The subject is a prisoner of the defeated army, how can he have the qualifications to plan such an important task." Han Xin said with a smile: "I heard that Baili Xi was a minister of Yu State, but Yu State perished; he was an assistant in Qin State, but Qin Mugong became the hegemony because of this. It's not that Baili Xi was stupid when he was in Yu State, but became very wise in Qin State. The main reason is that he Whether the strategy can be adopted, and whether the advice can be accepted. "If Chen Yu had adopted the general's strategy at Jingxingkou, I, Han Xin, might have become a prisoner too. Only because the general's advice was not adopted, Han Xin had the opportunity to serve you, the general. "Now I really want to ask you about military plans, and I hope the general will not refuse again." Li Zuoche has been guarding the north of Zhao State for many years, so he knows the situation of Yan State much better than Han Xin. In addition, Zhao State and Qi State are in an alliance, so the information is of course much more complete.Therefore, Han Xin's statement has its authenticity. Zhang Er and the generals of the Han camp finally understood why Han Xin valued Li Zuoche so much. Li Zuoche naturally felt Han Xin's sincerity, so he suggested: "The general went through the Xihe area, and captured Wei Wangbao and the prime minister of the country, Xia Shuo. Now, in less than one morning, he has defeated 200,000 Zhao troops at Jingxingkou, and killed Chen Yu, a strong man of Zhao. The army and the people are all willing to serve the general! This is the general's current advantage. However, the long-term expedition makes the soldiers tired and the general tired, and it is getting more and more difficult to use them to fight again!" Both Han Xin and Zhang Er nodded repeatedly. Li Zuoche continued to explain: "If the general wants to use this tired army to attack the strong city of Yan, if it doesn't go well, he will be unable to fight, and he will be invincible, and he will be in danger. The battle will last for a long time, and the food will be severely scarce. , This will cause big troubles. If the Yan State cannot be attacked, Qi State will strengthen its defenses and refuse to surrender. In this way, Yan, Qi, and the generals will be at loggerheads, just like Liu Bang and Xiang Yu are in a stalemate in Xingyang. This is where the general is most disadvantaged. "Those who use soldiers well should avoid disadvantages and make good use of their advantages!" Han Xin asked: "Then what should I do next?" Li Zuoche suggested: "Nowadays, if you plan for the general, it is better to stand still for the time being and deal with the defeated army and people of Zhao State in a pacifying way. The people of Zhao State will definitely feel the kindness of the general. Condolences to the generals of the Han army. "Then the general can point the arrow at Yan State, pretend to be about to send troops, and then send eloquent people to write a letter written by the general expressing his intention for peace talks with Yan State. The advantages shown by the general, Yan State will surely Don't dare to disobey the general. "With the advantage of subduing the Yan State, the general then marches east to the Qi State. At this time, no matter how resourceful a strategist is, he does not know how to plan for the Qi State. "In this way, you can have the strength to map the world. The main spirit of this plan is to create momentum first, and use it to gain real benefits." Han Xin was very happy to accept Li Zuoche's suggestion, and immediately assumed the posture of going north, and sent envoys to the country of Yan. Sure enough, Yan country immediately accepted the peace talks and became an ally of the Han army. In order to appease Zhao's army and civilians, Han Xin sent envoys to suggest to Liu Bang that Zhang Er be the king of Zhao to restore the political order of Zhao. Liu Bang also approved this request after weighing the interests and actual needs. As a result, the general situation in the Central Plains was determined, and Xiang Yu was very nervous. Although he sent troops to assault Zhao Jing several times, they were quickly repelled by Han Xin and Zhang Er. Han Xin also re-established a fortress in the south of Zhao State to consolidate the defense against the Chu army. Soon the situation stabilized, and the Chu army was unable to set foot in the Central Plains, so Han Xin was able to often send troops to Xingyang to assist in the battle between Chu and Han. 【Chen Wende Commentary】 Lao Tzu (Chapter 32 of Tao Te Ching): "Taoism is always nameless and simple. Although there are no ministers in the world, if the king can guard it, all things will be in harmony with the heaven and the earth, and the nectar will come down, and the people will be equalized without orders. If there is a name, the name also exists, and the husband will also be like stop, knowing stop will not perish. For example, Tao is in the world, like rivers and valleys are in rivers and seas." Tao is nature, so it cannot be described in any words. It is very straightforward and difficult to describe.Even if it is only a small part, there is nothing in the world that can reverse it and control it. If princes and princes can keep their way, everything in the world will follow its own course. This is like the rain from heaven and earth due to the combination of yin and yang, but people don't need to give pointers, and it will naturally fall in a very balanced manner. Tao created all things and gave all things names. Only after having names can all things know their duties and stop each other.Everything knows where it is, so that the world will not be chaotic, so Tao is to the world, just like rivers and valleys are to rivers and seas, it is its most important source! Tao is nature, it operates in the universe of heaven and earth, and it also operates in the human world. Anyone who can understand nature, follow nature, and keep nature, everything in the world can operate smoothly. But the question is what is nature?Going with nature is often misunderstood as laissez-faire and indulgence, so that bold radicals often admit it to themselves. In fact, nature is by no means laissez-faire. Instead, we must carefully observe its phenomena and changes, follow its natural nature to find it, and use it. This requires a high degree of wisdom and experience, otherwise it is difficult to experience the way of nature. Everything in nature has its own nature and its own face.There are many different things in nature, but there are homogeneity and similarity in the difference. We should accept the reality and inevitability of differences, not seek forced homogeneity, but seek the sameness from the differences, and follow the trend to guide them. Changes in nature are like yin, yang, sunshine, and rain in the weather, as well as joy, anger, sorrow, and joy in mood and encounters.Therefore, spring, summer, autumn, and winter in nature are comparable to the rise, fall, rise, and fall in life and fortune.All these are natural and inevitable, and those who cannot perceive this phenomenon and forcefully violate its changes are just asking for trouble. Han Xin faced Zhao Jun who was several times superior in number and strength at Jingxingkou. He knew his own weakness and recognized his opponent's strength. Therefore, he carefully deduced the mentality of the strong, the strategies and risks that Cai Rong wanted, and carefully used the strength of the strong. A small patch of weakness, hit with precision. " Back against the wall is to correctly perceive the psychology of the weak and bravely face his own weakness. Han Xin is indeed a terrible rational person. Putting it to death will lead to life, letting it live will turn back death, using the natural psychology of human beings to survive and fear death, accurately grasping the human nature at a critical moment, so that he won an almost impossible victory.