Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 51 The Battle of Rang City
In the third year of Xingping, Yuan Jian'an had not yet been changed at this time. At the end of January, Zhang Ji decided to go south from Wuguan to invade Nanyang.

There is really no food. In the past two years in Guanzhong, drought and locust plagues have taken turns. The people dragged their families and fled to Yizhou or Jingzhou one after another, resulting in a large population loss.

Now the entire Guanzhong Basin is truly empty.

Those who were able to escape all fled, and those who were unable basically died on that land.

The loss of population means that there is no one to grow food. The more food is lacking and famine occurs, the more people will flee to other places.

Under the vicious circle, there is no land in Guanzhong but no people.

In addition, strength is also a big problem.

At the end of last year, Zhang Ji had a feud with Yang Feng and Dong Cheng who escorted Liu Xie back to the east, and the two sides fought.

Although he later joined forces with Li Jue and Guo Si to defeat Yang Feng and Dong Cheng, he was not much better and lost a lot of people.

The army is seriously short of food, and its strength has declined sharply.

Moreover, Li Jue and Guo Si were also staring at him. Surrounded by wolves and natural and man-made disasters, Zhang Ji had to choose to escape from this land of right and wrong.

Going to the Kanto is definitely not possible, the Kanto is full of princes, Yuan Shaogong, Sun Zan, and Cao Cao are all bad people.

What's more, Zhang Ji's military strength is already very small, no more than 1 people. Even if he traveled long distances to the Kanto, he was just going to die.

If you go south to Yizhou, Zhang Lu will guard the gate of Hanzhong, and the road to Shu is difficult, and it is impossible to break through.This choice is the same as going to Kanto, which is an act of courting death.

Therefore, the only way to go is from Wuguan to Nanyang, to trouble Liu Biao in Jingzhou.

It's not that Zhang Ji looks down on Liu Biao, but that he really doesn't have many choices.Guanzhong is poor enough now, it is impossible to go to Xiliang, which is even more barren.

Han Suimateng is also much stronger than him. There is almost no place in Xiliang, Yizhou, and Kanto that can accommodate him, so he can only choose to come to Nanyang.

First of all, the Nanyang Basin is not much smaller than the Guanzhong Basin, and it has not been damaged on a large scale, so there must be no problem with food.

Secondly, Liu Biao's main force deployment is in Xiangyang, and only Wenpin has some people stationed in Nanyang.

So Zhang Ji finally came to Nanyang.

of course.

It's not that there is no suggestion from Jia Xu.

Just as he expected, Liu Biao did not expect anyone to attack him. The guards of Wuguan were very loose. Under Zhang Ji's onslaught, Wuguan quickly fell, and the army threatened Danshui.

On the fourth day of February, before the sky was bright, Zhang Yun sent people to find Gan Ning, Lou Fa, Shen Mi, and several other subordinate captains and Sima to discuss the matter.

The news of the fall of Wuguan came seven or eight days ago. The latest news is that Zhang Jiba Danshui, Nanxiang, Shunyang and other places are currently attacking Rangcheng. Liu Biao's troops in Rangcheng are not many. If he couldn't, he considered asking Zhang Yun and Deng Ji to send some reinforcements.

In the hall of the Fancheng County Government Mansion, Zhang Yungao sits on the main seat, and most of his trusted generals are around him. Gan Ning, Lou Fa, and Shen Mi are Yizhou surrendered generals. Their status is not high, and they rank at the bottom. Very far.

Zhang Yun looked around and said in a deep voice: "You all know that Zhang Ji from the Xiliang Army has come to attack Jingzhou, and Wenpin has led the troops to defend Rangcheng, but we don't have many troops in Nanyang, so Uncle Let me choose soldiers and go to the rescue, who is willing to fight?"

Lieutenants Liu Wei, Zhou Jian, Wang Jie, Sima Huo Du, Wu Shuo, Han Hu, Zhao Jun, Li Ying, Gan Ning, Lou Fa, Shen Mi and others all stood up immediately and said: "The general wants to go."

Military generals want to be promoted purely by military exploits.

There were not many wars in Jingzhou. If he was born as a commoner from a poor family, there would be no way to rise up. So now Zhang Ji came to attack, and with very few troops, everyone wanted to take the battle.

Seeing that everyone wanted to go, Zhang Yun thought for a while and said, "Liu Wei, Wang Jie, take 8000 people from Wu Shuo, Han Hu, Zhao Jun, and Li Ying to go."

Gan Ning became impatient and said, "The last general also wants to go."

Zhang Yun frowned and said: "Little Xiliang army, why do you need so many troops? Fancheng has to be stationed, obey orders."

After all, he ignored him, got up and left.

"General."

Gan Ning shouted unwillingly.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yunquan pretended not to have heard of it, flung his sleeves and walked straight away.

The rest of Zhang Yun's confidantes and others all had jokes on their faces, but Gan Ning did not dare to speak provocatively because of his strong personal force, but the mockery on his face was evident.

Seeing this scene, Gan Ning, Lou Fa, and Shen Mi all looked at each other with resentment on their faces.

In the final analysis, they are just generals.

Not only Zhang Yun didn't bother to talk to them, even Liu Biao didn't care about them, he just arranged them in Nanyang, as if he had forgotten them and left them to fend for themselves.

Later, Gan Ning wanted to go to Jiangdong to join Sun Quan, perhaps because Liu Biao, Zhang Yun and others looked down on them.

Although I knew that Zhang Yun and the others didn't like them very much, but now they are unwilling to give them the chance to fight. This made Gan Ning understand that they have no way out with Zhang Yun, and there is no future for them. .

Shen Chen was right.

Liu Biao did not study military affairs, so it would be difficult for him to employ people with military talents under his command.

Maybe it's time for me to find another way.

Gan Ning thought to himself.

.

.

Outside Rang City, the dense Xiliang army began to gather like ants.

In fact, after entering from Wuguan, Zhang Ji broke through several cities and looted the necessary military supplies.

But his purpose is not to grab some food and finish the job, but to occupy Nanyang as a base.

So even after he had enough food and grass, he did not intend to withdraw his troops.

At this moment, he was riding on a war horse, constantly directing the soldiers to line up neatly. After a full meal, the morale of the soldiers also recovered a lot.

Zhang Xiu, in his 30s, followed his uncle, looking at the city in the distance, and said to Zhang Ji with some concern: "Uncle, this Wenpin is not easy to deal with. Our tentative attack was repelled last time, and a strong attack may not be advisable. "

Zhang Ji said in a deep voice: "I don't want to attack the city either, but there is no other way. If we don't take advantage of the fact that Nanyang has fewer troops, we can quickly take down Wancheng and seize a better city and more food and grass. When Liu Biao's reinforcements arrive, we will have no place to hold our ground, and we will be destroyed."

"I see, Uncle, let me strike first."

Zhang Xiu asked for orders again.

Zhang Ji looked at his nephew, laughed and said: "Axiu has always been brave, but I must take the lead in this battle, otherwise, I'm afraid the soldiers will die."

Zhang Xiu looked back at the soldiers around him.

If the Xiliang army that just entered Nanyang from Wuguan was a group of tigers, then it may be a group of wild wolves now.

Because of the lack of food in the army, Zhang Ji's banner was to go to Nanyang to eat. In order to have enough food, the soldiers fought bravely one by one, and soon broke down several cities and robbed a large amount of food and grass.

But now that they have had their fill, even though their morale has recovered, it is already impossible for them to risk their lives and work hard.

At this moment above Rangcheng, Wenpin was also standing on the edge of the parapet watching the Xiliang army in the distance.

The turbulent water flowing from the Funiu Mountain in the north is endless, and on the horizon in the wilderness west of Rang County, the black army of Xiliang has already assembled, slowly rushing towards the city like a tumbling river.

The general quickly came to report: "General, General Zhang and General Deng have sent reinforcements, and they will arrive in Rangcheng at the latest in the afternoon."

"Ah."

Wenpin nodded and said, "Tell the soldiers about this, so as to boost the morale of the army."

"only."

The general took the order to go.

The city tower was also densely packed with Liu Biao's army.

Looking around, the Xiliang army outside the city was like a wolf like a tiger, and Liu Biao's army was not afraid, they looked at each other in blank dismay, fearful of their hands and feet.

It wasn't until the news of the reinforcements' arrival that the morale of the soldiers stabilized.

They are afraid for two reasons.

One is that Liu Biao's Jingzhou has been very stable in recent years, except for the one battle with Liu Zhang, there have been few wars.

At most, many soldiers had fought against the Yellow Turbans in Funiu Mountain or Dabie Mountain, and even many soldiers had only trained but never killed people with their own hands.

The second is the most important, not enough troops.

Liu Biao's deployment of troops in Jingzhou is actually divided into three aspects.

One is the Jiangxia navy, led by Huang Zu, whose main goal is to compete with Yuan Shu for the land of Yuzhang Jiangdong. It is now 2 people, and it will take a few years to replenish to [-] to [-] due to the need to guard against Sun Ce and Sun Quan's forces.

The other is the main force of Jingzhou led by Nanjun Taishou Cai Mao and the Yangtze River Navy, currently stationed in Xiangyang, Wuxian, Zigui, Yiling, Linju and other places.

This part has the largest number of people, reaching more than 4. After Liu Biao annexed Zhangxian in 200 AD, the number will reach [-] to [-]. The main strategic purpose is to prevent Liu Zhang from Yizhou from raiding the rear of Jingzhou through the Yangtze River.

Moreover, this part is the most elite part of Liu Biao's army. It fought a large-scale war with Liu Zhang, and later fought with Zhang Xian. It has experienced a certain amount of war baptism, and its current combat effectiveness is much higher than the other two parts.

The last one is in Nanyang. The entire Nanyang has no more than 1 troops. Wenpin has thousands of troops in Wancheng, and Deng Ji is stationed in Xinye, Huyang, with thousands of troops.

Although Zhang Yun stationed about [-] people in Fancheng, Fancheng is located at the southernmost tip of Nanyang, separated from Xiangyang by the Han River, so it is not so much the Nanyang garrison as the penultimate way to defend Xiangyang. line of defense.

Therefore, the actual Nanyang defenders are actually only the troops of Wenpin and Deng Ji. There may be hundreds of episodes scattered in other counties, but they are basically useless.

The Nanyang defenders, who lacked the baptism of war, were at a disadvantage in numbers, so they would naturally be afraid of the enemy.

Fortunately, Wenpin is not an ordinary person. Although he is outnumbered, he is good at motivating morale and is quite capable in defense. Therefore, he not only has sufficient arrows and equipment, but also stabilizes the morale of the army with the news that reinforcements are coming.

On the vast land, the Xiliang army has assembled, the north is turbulent, and the rural people outside the city on the fertile field have already fled with their families. The city and the third largest city of Fancheng were submerged.

"woo woo woo woo!"

With the long sound of the horn, the warriors in the front row of the Xiliang Army have already started to march towards the city carrying the ladder.

Behind them are attacking soldiers forming a phalanx.

Without armor, at most it is a small round wooden shield, with the shield in the left hand and the ring sword in the right. This is the most famous infantry sword and shield hand in the Eastern Han Dynasty.

They lined up in a neat formation, and under the leadership of Zhang Ji, they slowly approached the city, half a mile away.

"Archer ready!"

Seeing that the opponent had launched an offensive, Wenpin roared loudly.

The archers on Rangcheng began to bend their bows and set their arrows at the same time, poking their heads out of the female wall one after another, and began to aim.

Generally speaking, when a soldier launches a charge and wants to attack below the city, he must go through at least three rounds of arrow rain.

The first round is most of the effective distance of the arrow, which is the so-called land of an arrow, which is about 120 meters.

The second round is in the process of launching a charge, about fifty or sixty steps.

The third round is under the city.

Zhang Ji personally supervised the battle, and after an order was given, the death squad at the front rushed forward with howls.

It seems that a dark flood is spreading towards the city.

When they ran within a stone's throw away, Wenpin gave the order again.

"Fire arrows!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

A firepower network composed of countless arrows shot towards the Xiliang army as if covering the sky and covering the sun.

They drew brilliant arcs across the sky, and finally fell into the formation of the Xiliang Army like raindrops.

In an instant, the sound of puffing into the flesh was endless, screaming one after another, and countless falls.

But the people in front fell down, and the people behind made up again, one after another, and continued to rush forward.

Zhang Ji himself was also in the charging team. He rode on the horse and kept yelling, "Kill, kill! If you don't want to go back to Guanzhong, just charge!"

"Kill, kill!"

The Xiliang army let out roars.

Wenpin kept waving the sharp sword in his hand and shouted: "Let the arrows, let the arrows, let the arrows!"

The rain of arrows in the sky never stopped.

Even so, the Xiliang Army finally broke through the Arrow Rain blockade and arrived at the city.

In the final analysis, there are only 5000 people in Wenpin, not only the west gate needs to be defended, but also the other gates.

In this way, his frontal force is basically less than 800, and the number of archers is only [-].

No matter how you shoot, the first wave of attack by the Xiliang army under the city has organized two to three thousand people. It is impossible to shoot all the enemies to death within three rounds of arrow rain.

Until the attack led by Zhang Ji rushed to the city, it only lost hundreds of people, and then the ladder was built and the attack began.

Seeing this situation, Wenpin knew that the two sides were close to hand-to-hand combat, so he had to go into battle and fight the enemy himself.

At the same time, defensive equipment such as rolling stones, wood and lime were thrown down as if they didn't want money.

Zhang Ji didn't prepare many ladders, and soon they were destroyed by rolling stones and trees, which made the offensive stagnate and it was difficult to kill the top of the wall again.

Therefore, as a last resort, he finally chose to withdraw his troops.

With the sound of tinkling gold, the Xiliang Army's first wave of attack was beaten back, leaving hundreds of corpses in place, receding like a tide.

Wenpin on the tower was panting heavily. He had just beheaded seven or eight Xiliang soldiers in a row, and the opponent's bravery was beyond his imagination.

This time it was luck, and smashed many of the opponent's siege ladders. Although the enemy attacked the city, they were unable to go up the city due to too much damage to the ladders, so they were not breached.

Next time, when Zhang Ji prepares enough ladders, he will not be so lucky.

(End of this chapter)