Chapter 26 25. Mangshan’s Regrets

The Jade Wall City, which stands on top of the huge ravine, seems to be destined to become Gao Huan's sad place, and this time is just the beginning.Gao Huan's momentum could not scare Wang Sizheng, who followed Yuwentai through life and death, and Gao Huan's letter of persuasion, using the post of governor of Bingzhou as bait, could not impress Wang Sizheng.Wang Sizheng's reply questioned Gao Huan: "But Zhu Hun's Daoyuan has been surrendered for a long time, why don't you see your brother give him the title of governor?" But Zhu Hun Daoyuan came from Huaishuo Town and had an old friend with Gao Huan.He fought against Yu Wentai under Hou Mo and Chen Yue's tent, and after he failed, he defected to Gao Huan, which is actually not a surrender.Gao Huan only named him the General of Chariots, and he was very satisfied, and he devoted himself to serving the Eastern Wei Dynasty.Wang Sizheng's questioning aroused the unknown anger in Gao Huan's heart. He ordered the siege of Yubi, and he had to capture Wang Sizheng.

Wang Sizheng defended well, and the siege continued for nine days without any progress.On the ninth day, the sky changed drastically, and there was a sudden blizzard.The army of the Eastern Wei Dynasty was insufficiently prepared, a large number of soldiers died of frostbite, and the supply of food and grass became difficult.Gao Huan had no choice but to withdraw from the siege. After returning to Jinyang, he was annoyed and appointed Ke Zhu Hun Daoyuan as the governor of Bingzhou to respond to Wang Sizheng's "provocation". One wave of Fangping, one wave after another.In the following year of the Battle of Yubi, the main forces of the Eastern and Western Wei rekindled the war in Mangshan, Henan.The direct fuse of this battle was Gao Zhongmi, the guard of Hulao in the Eastern Wei Dynasty and the governor of Northern Yuzhou, who offered the city to the Western Wei Dynasty. The indirect fuse was inseparable from Gao Huan's lustful heir, Gao Cheng.

Gao Zhongmi's real name is Gao Shen, he is Gao Gan's younger brother, Gao Aocao's older brother, and like Gao Aocao, he lives in the world with characters.In all fairness, Gao Huan treated the Gao brothers well (maybe he felt a little guilty about killing Gao Gan with a knife), and the treatment received by the Han generals in the Eastern Wei Dynasty was second to none. (Gao Huan's blood is Han, but he has been completely transformed into Xianbei. He married Lou Zhaojun, a pure Xianbei woman, and subconsciously believes that Xianbei is noble and Han people are humble. The number of Han people in the Kanto region is similar to that of Xianbei. As a ruler, he The relationship between the two parties had to be reconciled. He said to the Xianbei people: "The Han people are your slaves. The men plow the land and the women weave clothes for you to eat and clothe. Why do you bully them?" He also said to the Han people: "The Xianbei people They are your servants, who got your food and clothing, fought for you, and made you peaceful, why do you hate them?" Such exhortations did have the effect of alleviating conflicts in the short term, but the artificial division of ranks caused differences among ethnic groups. The long-term confrontation between Gao Huan’s children and grandchildren finally exposed all kinds of disadvantages) Gao Zhongmi had no motive for rebellion at first, and the reason why he embarked on the road of “surrendering to the enemy” is thanks to Gao Cheng’s “special care”.

Although Gao Cheng, who has experienced the turmoil in the Prime Minister's Mansion, restrained himself somewhat, his bad habit of being merciful has not changed.When Gao Zhongmi was serving as a lieutenant in Jinyang, Gao Cheng saw his wife, Li Shi, on a chance occasion.Mrs. Li refused, but Gao Cheng tore her clothes, and Mrs. Li got away and went home crying, making Gao Zhongmi restless. Gao Zhongmi and Gao Cheng already had grievances before.Gao Zhongmi's ex-wife was Cui Xian's younger sister. Gao Zhongmi abandoned Cui Shi and remarried Li Shi as his wife, and Cui Xian changed from relatives to enemies.As for Cui Xian, he happened to be a celebrity around Gao Cheng, and he was responsible for the formulation of "Lin Zhi Ge".Gao Zhongmi had many conflicts with Gao Cheng on the issue of the selection of the censor. He suspected that Cui Xian was behind the frame, and he was always on guard against Gao Cheng.Now that Gao Cheng has taken a fancy to Li Shi, Gao Zhongmi is half angry and half scared.Gao Huan sent him out of the Hulao, and he secretly wanted to flee.Gao Huan noticed something and ordered Xi Shouxing, the town of Hulao, to be in charge of the military, while Gao Zhongmi was only in charge of civil affairs.Gao Zhongmi had no choice but to kill Xi Shouxing and surrender to the Western Wei Dynasty.

Hulao is located in the east of Luoyang, guarding the two main roads going north to Shanxi and Hebei. It can be attacked in advance and defended in retreat. It is a place that military strategists must contend for.In the Battle of Heqiao Mangshan, Hou Jing launched a counterattack from Hulao, turning the passive situation of the Eastern Wei Dynasty in one fell swoop.Yu Wentai unexpectedly received such a generous gift, so he couldn't conceal his excitement. He personally led the army and ordered Li Yuan to go to Luoyang to meet Gao Zhongmi. Heqiao Nancheng on the bank of the Yellow River.

This series of actions took place from mid-February to early March in the ninth year of Datong (the first year of Wuding in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, AD 543).The location where Yu Wentai sent troops was Huazhou in Guanzhong. It took at least 20 days from receiving Gao Zhongmi's letter of surrender to arriving at Heqiao.This was enough for Gao Huan to calmly mobilize an army of 100,000 in Jinyang and rush to the north bank of the Yellow River. Judging from the casualties after the war, the number of Yu Wentai's entire army was comparable to that of Gao Huan, or was slightly at a disadvantage.Yuwentai's strategic goal is to take over Hulao and open up the front line of Tongguan-Hongnong-Luoyang-Hulao in Henan, and then the problem of competing with Gao Huan in Hebei.In order to prevent Gao Huan from advancing quickly, he retreated to the Dangshui in the west, and set down the burning boats downstream from the upper reaches of the Yellow River, intending to burn down the river bridges.Gao Huan also had countermeasures. General Hu Lujin sent people to line up more than a hundred small boats in the river. The boats were loaded with iron chains. Once the fire boat approached, they would be locked with iron chains, nailed to death, and dragged to the shore. side.The river bridge was safe, and Gao Huan's army crossed the Yellow River smoothly, and came to Mangshan, the place where the two armies fought five years ago.

In the past five years, Gao Huan's tactical thinking has obviously improved again, and the Gao Huan who rushed into the sand garden has disappeared.He was not in any hurry to pursue Yu Wentai, but set up a formation in front of Mang Mountain, and there was no movement for several days.The two armies faced each other across Mang Mountain, and time seemed to stop passing. This time it was Yu Wentai who couldn't hold his breath, and the army was dispatched for more than a month, so he must not return without success.He left his baggage at the edge of the water, and ordered the soldiers to make food in the second shift, and raise troops in the third shift, and climbed Mang Mountain from the west foot (the trend of Mang Mountain is roughly northwest-southeast), preparing to attack the Eastern Wei camp by night.

Gao Huan did not fall asleep that night, and every move of the Western Wei Army was under his surveillance.The horse came to report: "The enemy army is 40 miles away from here, and they just came after eating dry food." Gao Huan replied lightly: "You should die of thirst, our army is only waiting to chop off your head." Immediately ordered to stand in line to prevent the Western Wei army from attacking. Gao Huan seemed to be making big talk, big talk, and even meant to make fun of it, but in fact he had a lot of insight.Ordinary people are somewhat afraid of the enemy marching with a full meal, but Gao Huan's joke just hits the dead end of the Wei army in China and the West: After being tired and thirsty, it will become a weak army.The more dry food you eat, the thirstier you will be when you turn around. This is an inevitable physiological reaction and does not depend on human will.Gao Huan was able to take this aspect into consideration, and it can be said that he performed tactics on an artistic level.

Yu Wentai's sneak attack tactics failed. At dawn, the two armies met. General Peng Le of the Eastern Wei Dynasty used thousands of cavalry on the right wing to attack the northern part of the Western Wei formation horizontally. The Western Wei army was thirsty and tired, and collapsed. Peng Le rode his horse into the enemy camp, and someone reported to Gao Huan: "Peng Le has betrayed!" Gao Huan was furious.Suddenly seeing the dust flying in the northwest, Peng Le sent people to succeed and captured a large group of Western Wei clans and generals.Gao Huan turned his anger into joy, and ordered the generals to take advantage of the victory to follow up.In this battle, the Western Wei Dynasty was defeated, and the beheading alone reached more than 30,000 levels.

Yu Wentai fled alone, and Peng Le chased after him.Seeing the horse's head biting the horse's tail, an interesting scene appeared, Yu Wentai suddenly turned around on the horse, and said to Peng Le: "Isn't this Peng Le? You are so stupid! Without me today, how can we have you tomorrow? Not happy yet Hurry back to the camp and collect the gold, silver and treasures?" Peng Le made sense when he heard this, he raised his own self-respect, and really obediently returned to his horse to collect the spoils left by Yu Wentai. The joke was not over yet, Peng Le hung Yuwentai's gold belt and returned to the camp, saying: "Yuwen Black Otter slipped through the net, but he was scared out of his wits!" Gao Huan asked him why Yuwentai escaped, and Peng Le said: On the tenth day, he repeated Yu Wentai's words, and did not forget to add a sentence at the end: "The last general did not let him go because of this."

Gao Huan was angry and funny, and real Peng Le didn't tell lies, but he was kind of cute.But letting Yu Wentai go is really abominable, he picked up Peng Le's head, and slammed it on the ground, cursing at the same time: "The defeat in Shayuan is all because of your bullshit!" kill general. Peng Le covered his head and said, "Please give me five thousand cavalry, and I will catch Yu Wentai back for you." Gao Huan asked back: "What do you mean by letting him go? Now you say you want to bring him back? Forget it!" He ordered someone to fetch 3,000 bolts of silk and press it on Peng Le's back (if it was an ordinary person, it should be flattened) ), as a reward. Yu Wentai packed up the remnants, there were still about tens of thousands of horses, and the two armies fought again early the next morning.Yu Wentai led the central army, Zhao Gui and other five generals led the left army, and several Hui and other five generals led the right army.A small soldier in the Eastern Wei army violated the military law and faced severe punishment. At this time, he was thrown into the Western Wei camp and pointed out Gao Huan's exact location.Yu Wentai immediately ordered the elite to storm the army led by Gao Huan. Gao Huan's infantry were all captured and the cavalry were scattered. Gao Huan was also unlucky, and even his horse died. Fortunately, He Lian Yangshun, a general in the army, played Li Mu of the Eastern Wei Dynasty and helped Gao Huan get on his horse.Gao Huan led seven entourages to break out of the siege, and his confidant Wei Xingqing said: "My lord, go quickly, Xingqing still has a hundred arrows in his waist, enough to kill a hundred people." Gao Huan said with emotion: "After the matter is completed, I will make you the governor of Huaizhou; if you unfortunately die in battle, I will make your son." Wei Xingqing said: "My son is still young, please use my elder brother!" Gao Huan promised and left.Wei Xingqing tried his best to resist the Western Wei Dynasty's pursuers and died. Gao Huan had just escaped from a dangerous situation, but was in trouble again.He Basheng, the governor of the Western Wei Dynasty, was in Er Zhurong's tent with Gao Huan in the early years. He saw it clearly among the thousands of troops. Run, He Ba Po Hu (He Ba Sheng's Xianbei name) is going to kill you!" Seeing that Gao Huan's life was hanging by a thread, General Duan Shao shot an arrow and hit He Basheng's horse under the crotch.He Basheng changed his second horse to battle again, but Gao Huan had already slipped away.He Basheng sighed for a long time: "It's God's will that I forgot to bring my bow and arrow today!" Although Gao Huan's army was almost destroyed, the other armies of the Eastern Wei Dynasty fought bravely and defeated the left army of the Western Wei Dynasty led by Zhao Gui and others.Yu Wentai led the Chinese army to fight again, but was defeated again.It was getting late, Yu Wentai ordered the withdrawal of the troops, Dugu Xin and Yu Jin gathered the scattered soldiers and repelled the Eastern Wei pursuers from the rear, so as to ensure that the main force of the Western Wei Dynasty did not suffer any more losses. Gao Huan's army pursued to Shancheng near Hongnong, and his advisers Feng Zihui and Chen Yuankang urged Gao Huan not to miss the opportunity and to take advantage of the victory to enter the pass.Gao Huan asked: "If there is an ambush, what should I do?" Chen Yuankang didn't take it seriously: "Your Majesty was defeated in the Shayuan last time, and he hadn't encountered an ambush yet. Now that they have lost the battle, how could they still have such a brilliant move? If they give up and don't pursue, it will cause future trouble." The soldiers of the Eastern Wei Dynasty were exhausted, and the generals were unwilling to fight again. Gao Huan decided to give up. He only sent Liu Fengsheng to lead thousands of cavalry to continue chasing, and the main force returned to Hebei. (In the Battle of Shayuan, Yu Wentai failed to cross the river; in the Battle of Mangshan, Gao Huan did not enter the pass. The two "reciprocity" on the battlefield, in the final analysis, is due to strength, and no one can try to eat the opponent in one bite. Even so Said, after all, this battle is the closest to killing Yu Wentai, and Gao Huan will inevitably regret it for the rest of his life.) Before the war, Yu Wentai summoned Wang Sizheng from Yubi, and originally planned to let him guard the tiger prison, but now that the tiger prison can't hold it down, he ordered him to guard Hongnong.Liu Feng sent his troops to Hongnong City, Wang Sizheng opened the city gate, and the soldiers did not prepare for battle, which was "peaceful".Liu Fengsheng did not dare to enter the city, and led the army back. Wang Sizheng's Hongnong version of the empty city plan worked. In the battle of Mangshan, the Western Wei Dynasty lost.The battle between Yu Wentai and Gao Huan has so far two wins and two losses, temporarily tied (Sima Ziru's battle against Tongguan, Gao Huan's battle against Yubi, etc. are small in scale and are not included in the statistics). When Yu Wentai returned to Guanzhong, he recruited powerful men to fill his army and carried forward the military system of the government.When Gao Huan returned to Jinyang, he did three major things: 1. He killed all of He Basheng's sons in the Eastern Wei Dynasty to avenge his pursuit on the battlefield. When He Basheng learned about it in the Western Wei Dynasty, he vomited blood and died; 2. Appoint Hou Jing as Sikong, dominate the Henan military, and bury the chaos behind him; 3. Pardon the death row prisoners in the country.Gao Zhongmi has been transferred to the Western Wei Dynasty by Yu Wentai, but his wife and children cannot escape the knife.Gao Cheng dressed up like a dog, went to see Li Shi who was about to be executed, and asked: "What do you have to say now?"As everyone knows, more than ten years later, this beautiful woman caused a court disaster, and even the Northern Qi officials died and the king was abolished.