Chapter 24 23. Competition for Luoyang

The offensive and defensive momentum of Yu Wentai and Gao Huan was reversed for a while.In the winter of the third year of Datong in the Western Wei Dynasty (AD 537), Yu Wentai organized soldiers recruited from various states into the army together with soldiers from the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and launched a comprehensive counterattack to the Kanto in three routes: the main force was about 20,000 infantry and cavalry, led by Feng Yi Wang Yuan Jihai Led by Duguxin, they drove to Luoyang; in the south, Li Xian, the governor of Luozhou, led to Jingzhou; in the north, led by He Basheng and Li Bi, they crossed the Yellow River and entered Puban, an important town in Hedong.

When the capital was moved in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, not only the bricks and wood of the palace city were completely dismantled and transported to Yecheng, but also more than 400,000 households of Luoyang people were forced to go north with them, leaving only a few soldiers guarding the nearby cities.The shadow of Gao Huan's defeat permeated both sides of the Yellow River. When the Western Wei came to attack, the defenses of the Eastern Wei army collapsed.From Xin’an in the west, to Liangzhou (now Kaifeng, Henan) and Xingyang in the east, to Yingzhou (now Changge, Henan) and Yuzhou (now Runan, Henan) in the south, to Fenzhou (now Jixian, Shanxi) and Jiangzhou (now Xinjiang, Shanxi), the defender of the Eastern Wei Dynasty either surrendered or lost.In the process of conquering the cities, many famous generals such as Yu Wengui and Wei Xiaokuan emerged in the Western Wei Dynasty, and the reinforcements including the Eastern Wei Xiao general Yao Xiong were all defeated (Yao Xiong had repelled the attack of Chen Qingzhi from the Southern Liang Dynasty in the border contact war. , is the only general who defeated the "White Robe General" on the battlefield).Gao Aocao, the general who retreated to Luoyang, was also forced to continue to withdraw from the undefended city and cross the Yellow River north to avoid the sharp edge of the Western Wei Dynasty.Duguxin's army did not meet strong resistance, and drove straight into Jinyong City, Luoyang, and captured the former capital.

However, the rapid victory and smooth progress planted a potential crisis for the army of the Western Wei Dynasty.This time, less than 20,000 troops actually came from Guanzhong, and more than half of them were surrendered. In addition, every time the army captured a city, they were assigned soldiers to guard it. The troops were forced to disperse, and their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.The so-called "when the moon is full, it will lose, and when the water is full, it will overflow", Yu Wentai is in big trouble. What's more, his opponent Gao Huan is definitely not a person who will be intimidated by momentum.The reason why Gao Huan did not take immediate action and allowed the Western Wei army to sweep Henan was, of course, because the army was defeated not long ago, and a few months of buffer time were urgently needed to recover. .

Gao Huan raised troops in Hebei, and later incorporated a large number of Erzhu's troops. The forces supporting him were concentrated in Hebei and Shanxi. The Henan area around Luoyang has never been very satisfied with him. This was one of the factors that drove him to move the capital. .Since Yu Wentai wants to attack Luoyang and get addicted to restoring the old capital, then he might as well fulfill his wish and use his hands to eradicate dissidents.After Yu Wentai's help, Gao Huan will show his last sword and take a "brand new" Henan as his own. In February of the first year of Yuanxiang in the Eastern Wei Dynasty (the fourth year of Datong in the Western Wei Dynasty, 538 A.D.), Hou Jing, who was stationed in Hulao, was the first to attack.The defenders of the Western Wei Dynasty were not enough to resist Hou Jing's main force. In one month, the generals abandoned their defenses one after another. Hou Jing quickly recovered Liang, Ying, Yu and other states, pushing the front line to the east of Luoyang.

In July, Gao Huan, who had finished resting in Jinyang, ordered Hou Jing and Gao Ao Cao to join forces and enter Luoyang. Gao Huan personally led the army as his successor, ready to respond at any time.The cruel Hou Jing set fire to the official residences, Buddhist temples, and folk houses inside and outside Luoyang (the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty was turned into ruins and broken tiles. Nine years later, Yang Xuanzhi, an official of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, was ordered to come here, witnessed a scene of depression, lamented the impermanence of the world, Reminiscing about the prosperity of the past, he wrote down the notes on the scenery handed down through the ages-"Luoyang Jialan Ji"), and surrounded the Jinyong City guarded by Dugu Xin and others (Jinyong City is located in the northwest of Luoyang City).Jinyong City is in danger, and Duguxin asks Guanzhong for help urgently.

Emperor Wen of the Western Wei Dynasty in Chang'an is planning to go to Luoyang to pay homage to the cemetery of the first emperor.After receiving the battle report, Yuwentai had to change his plan, and asked Emperor Wen to change Yeling to a personal conquest, and Zhou Huida, the minister's left servant, assisted Prince Yuanqin to stay in Chang'an, and ordered Li Bi and Da Xiwu to lead a thousand cavalry as the vanguard, and quickly reinforce Duguxin.The third large-scale contact battle between East and West Wei began. In August, Yuwentai's main force arrived at Gucheng, west of Luoyang, about fifty miles away from Jinyong City.Eastern Wei generals Mo Duolou and Daoyuan Ke Zhuhun did not listen to the dissuasion of Hou Jing and others, and led the troops to attack rashly. They met Li Bi and Da Xiwu in the dark, and were caught off guard. Modolou was defeated and killed. But Zhu Hun Daoyuan escaped alone, and the Eastern Wei army was defeated for a while.

The experienced Hou Jing knew that the morale of the Western Wei army was high, and there was nothing to gain from head-to-head.The news that Yu Wentai marched to the east of Chushui and was close at hand came. He, Gao Aocao and others lifted the siege of Jinyong City overnight and retreated north. In the early morning of the next day, the vigilant Yu Wentai found that Hou Jing's camp was empty, and immediately led a light cavalry in pursuit.Before leaving, he ordered a large group of people to join Dugu Xin in Jinyong City, and then the whole army followed up. When Yu Wentai came to the bank of the Yellow River, there was a shocking scene in front of him: the cavalry formation of the Eastern Wei Dynasty occupied the river bridge in the north, and stretched southward to the foot of Mang Mountain in the north of Luoyang City, with countless dust flying.Hou Jing has been waiting here for a long time!

With Yu Wentai's consistent style, he will only fight the battle he is prepared for, and will not easily follow the opponent's pace and fall into the opponent's circle.Perhaps it was the victories along the way that gave him a lot of confidence, but now it is "the arrow is on the string and has to be launched", the two armies quickly mingled together and fought into one group.The Eastern Wei army waited for work with leisure, and their numbers also had an absolute advantage. In a short while, hundreds of light cavalry in the Western Wei Dynasty were rushed to pieces. During the chaotic battle, Yu Wentai's war horse was shot by Liu Ya, and he ran away in panic, not knowing where he was going.Yu Wentai accidentally fell to the ground, and the Eastern Wei pursuers surrounded him. Behind him, Li Mu, the governor of the Western Wei Dynasty, jumped off his horse and beat Yu Wentai with a whip, while cursing: "You dog slave, where are you? Here?" Yu Wentai was beaten and rolled all over the ground, the soldiers of the Eastern Wei Dynasty saw him in such a miserable state, they thought he was an ordinary soldier, so they ignored him and let him go.Li Mu protects Yu Wentai on his horse and escapes from the encirclement of the Eastern Wei Army.

(This was Yu Wentai's most embarrassing time on the battlefield. If it weren't for Li Mu's first-class acting talent, Yu Wentai would have died without a place to bury him. Li Mu is Li Yuan's younger brother, and he received a lot of rewards for saving his life after the war. Yu Wentai Tai still felt that it was not enough, and sighed: "Although he was given a title and rewarded with jade, it is not enough to repay him." He was given an iron coupon to save him from death. Since Li Mu rescued him with a green horse, Yu Wen Tai also ordered that all horses of this color in the stables should be rewarded to Li Mu.)

The Eastern Wei army on the south bank of the Yellow River was about to take advantage of the victory to counterattack, and the main force of the Western Wei Dynasty arrived.The army of the Western Wei Dynasty was divided into two parts, Duguxin and Li Yuan were on the right, Zhao Gui and Yifeng were on the left, and Li Hu and Nianxian were the rear troops to attack the Eastern Wei phalanx and divide it into several sections.Gao Aocao had never suffered a defeat in front of the Western Wei army. He was proud and arrogant, and deliberately erected banners and canopies in front of the battle. Once the army was in chaos, it became a living target.The cavalry of the Western Wei Dynasty attacked Gao Aocao's army with elites. Gao Aocao's entire army was wiped out. He crossed the river bridge alone and fled to Heyang Nancheng on the north bank.

Gao Aocao's bravery in killing the enemy won Gao Huan's respect.Gao Huan usually gave orders and generally used Xianbei language. If Gao Aocao was present, he would use Chinese for him alone.Gao Aocao almost died of serious injuries on the battlefield once, and sighed: "I have no hatred to die, but I can't see my brother Gao Jishi as the governor of Jeju in this life!" After Gao Huan heard about it, he immediately appointed Gao Jishi as the governor of Jeju.From all these, it can be seen that Gao Aocao's status is high.It's a pity that he couldn't manage the relationship with his colleagues. He had conflicts with Xianbei generals many times, and even shot and killed the guards of Gao Huan's mansion because he was blocked. The soldiers of the Eastern Wei Dynasty dared not speak out.Gao Huan's extreme favoritism further accumulated the Xianbei people's resentment towards Gao Aocao. At this time, Gao Yongle, Gao Huan's nephew and the governor of Northern Yuzhou, was guarding the head of Nancheng.Gao Yongle has hated Gao Aocao for a long time. Seeing Gao Aocao fall into Pingyang, he was secretly happy and ordered the city gates to be closed.Gao Aocao couldn't call for help, so he drew his sword and slashed at the gate of the city. Before it could be opened, the pursuers of the Western Wei Dynasty had arrived.Gao Aocao roared emotionally: "Take my head! I'll make you the founder of the country." This general who was compared to Xiang Yu ended up so similar to Xiang Yu... The soldier who captured Gao Aocao's head in the Western Wei Dynasty was killed Yu Wentai rewarded 10,000 pieces of cloth and silk, which was paid in installments every year. It is said that the payment was not completed until Yuwen's Northern Zhou Dynasty died more than 40 years later.In the Eastern Wei Dynasty, Gao Huan heard that Gao Aocao had died in battle, and his heart was about to burst. He struck Gao Yongle two hundred times with a cane, and presented Gao Aocao as a posthumous gift to Taishi Gao, Da Sima, and Taiwei. Although the Eastern Wei lost troops and lost generals, after all, they had a large number of people, and they took advantage of the home field.From early to late, the soldiers of the Western Wei Dynasty were exhausted and fell into a disadvantage, unable to respond from head to tail.Everyone didn't know the whereabouts of Emperor Wen and Yu Wentai, and they were unable to gather to fight again.Duguxin and the others withdrew their troops, burned the camp and went west.Wang Sizheng, Cai You and other generals were trapped in the enemy's formation, dismounted and fought on foot, killing and wounding countless enemy soldiers.Wang Sizheng was injured and fainted, and was rescued by soldiers only after hiding in the pile of dead bodies.As the sky darkened, the Eastern Wei finally retreated. The various ministries of the Western Wei Dynasty retreated to Hongnong, and then they took a breath of relief.Yu Wentai appreciated Wang Sizheng's fearless style of death, so he left him to guard Hongnong, and the rest of the troops entered the customs with him.At this time, Gao Huan's main force had just arrived at Mengjin, the ferry of the Yellow River, so he sent his generals to pursue Yu Wentai, but failed to catch up.Gao Huan personally led an army to capture Jinyong City, and ordered that all the city be destroyed, and no more soldiers were left to guard it.Half a year later, the Western Wei army recaptured Luoyang, but it was tantamount to occupying an empty city.At this time, Luoyang's gains and losses are more of a political symbolic meaning. This thrilling battle with twists and turns was known as the Battle of Heqiao Mangshan in history, also known as the Battle of Heyin.The Western Wei army won first and then lost, and retreated to Guanzhong. Yu Wentai realized that it was not realistic to eliminate Gao Huan in one fell swoop. The final victory depended on the long-term accumulation of economic and military strength in Guanzhong.