Guan Yu launched the Battle of Xiangfan in 219 AD, the Northern Expedition to Xiangfan, the first reinforcement sent by Cao Cao to rescue Xiangfan was more than 30,000 people of the Seventh Army led by Yu Ban, why did Cao Cao not send Xiahou Huan to lead the 26th Army to rescue, but insisted on sending more than 30,000 people of the Seventh Army led by Yu Ban to rescue Xiangfan?
The reason is very simple, one is that the near water tower platform first gets the moon, and the Forbidden garrison is closest to Xiangfan; the second is that Cao Cao has actually sent xiahou Huan's army to rescue Xiangfan.
Guan Yu launched the Battle of Xiangfan was not launched suddenly, nor was it directly fought from Jingzhou to Xiangfan in a day or two, but there was a long-term process, before the outbreak of the Battle of Xiangfan, many generals of the Cao camp had already fought many wars with Guan Yu at the junction of the two countries, and LeJin, Manpet, Cao Ren, Wen Ping and others had successively fought with Guan Yu, but obviously did not succeed in stopping Guan Yu's northward advance.
When Guan Yu's troops pointed to the Xiangfan area in 219 AD, Cao Ying's military deployment was as follows:
Xiangyang Taishou Lü was stationed at Xiangyang City, the Zhengnan general Cao Ren was stationed at Fancheng, the left general Yu Ban and the Liyi general Pang De were stationed in the area between Fancheng's northern Wancheng and Fancheng, and Xu Huang was stationed at Wancheng (present-day Nanyang, Henan), which was the approximate military deployment of Cao Wei's Jingzhou front.
When Guan Yu was on the northern expedition to Xiangfan, Cao Cao led a large army on the road from Chang'an to Luoyang, leaving Guanzhong in the west for Zhang Gao, Guo Huai, Cao Zhen and other generals to guard the town, while in the east Juchao (present-day Chaohu, Anhui) and Hefei were guarded by generals such as Xiahou Huan and Zhang Liao, and Xiahou Huan had been leading 26 armies in Juchao since 216 AD.
Judging from the defense of Cao Cao's entire border, Cao Wei's southern border was divided into three military regions, one was the eastern Hefei Military Region, guarded by Xiahou Huan, the second was the central Xiangfan Military Region, guarded by Cao Renzhen, and the third was the Western Guanzhong Military Region, which was originally guarded by Xiahou Yuan, who was temporarily replaced by Zhang Gao after Xiahou Yuan's death, and later managed by Cao Allah.
When Guan Yu attacked Xiangfan, Lü Chang of Xiangyang and Cao Ren of Fancheng were both defeated by Guan Yu, and the two cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng were surrounded by Guan Yu, and it can be seen from the military deployment map at that time that Cao Cao was able to mobilize and the army closest to Fancheng was more than 30,000 people in the seven armies of Yu Ban and Pound, so when Cao Cao himself was still on the road from Chang'an to Luoyang, Cao Cao first sent Yu Ban and Pound To rescue Fancheng.
After Yu Ban and Pound's Seven Armies were all eaten by Guan Yu using the advantages of weather and water troops, Cao Cao began to feel that the situation was serious, and once Guan Yu took Xiangyang City and Fancheng, the southern gate of Cao Cao's Central Plains region was opened by Guan Yu, and the Central Plains region would never have a peaceful day, so Cao Cao made several preparations.
The first is to send Xu Huang, who is closer to Fancheng, to lead the army, the history books record that Xu Huang's army is a new soldier, if it is a new soldier, it can only show a problem, Cao Cao's regular army has too much loss, can only recruit additional troops, or summon Tuntian soldiers, or call up reserve soldiers, but the possibility of Tuntian soldiers is greater.
In addition to dispatching Xu Huang, Cao Cao also sent Xu Shang and Lü Jian to lead an army to support Xu Huang, as well as an army of twelve battalions led by Yin Bureau and Zhu Gai to support Xu Huang, and at the same time, Cao Cao also mobilized Zhang Liao's troops from the Hefei front to support Xiangfan.
Where the four generals Xu Shang, Lü Jian, Yin Shu, and Zhu Gai were transferred to support Xu Huang, the history books do not clearly record, according to limited information, Yin Shu was originally a general in Zhenshou Guanzhong, and most of his subordinates were the old departments of Han Sui and Ma Chao, and it is possible that Yin Shu was transferred from Guanzhong, but Guanzhong was farther away from Xiangfan, and Hefei was closer to Xiangfan, and where the other three generals Xu Shang, Lü Jian, and Zhu Gai were transferred from, it is not known, it can only be said that some of them were transferred from Xiahou Huan in Hefei, of course, it is possible that they are not.
But what is certain is that Zhang Liao must have been transferred from Xiahou Huan on the Hefei front, and Zhang Liao's subordinates were one of the 26th Army that Xiahou Liao had originally supervised.
In addition, few people notice that in June 219, before Guan Yu sent troops to attack Xiangfan, Sun Quan had prepared to attack Hefei, when Cao Cao immediately made arrangements and arranged for a large army to defend Sun Quan, and it was at this time that Guan Yu suddenly launched the Battle of Xiangfan, attacking Xiangyang and Fancheng.
When Cao Cao was far away in Hanzhong, he could only send emissaries to mobilize Yu Ban, who was closest to Xiangfan, to participate in the war, and Yu Ban was the only general under cao Cao who had the power of a false festival, whether it was a foreign surname or a surname of Cao and Xiahou, only Yu Ban had the right to kill the general without notification.
Why was it transferred to the forbidden to participate in the war, Cao Cao also had this consideration, the situation on the battlefield changed in an instant, Yu Ban in the army has always been known for its majesty, in the Cao army has a high prestige, like Zhu Ling, Cao Cao wants to seize his military power but has jealousy, but as long as he is sent to Yu Ban, he immediately solves the problem, Zhu Ling sees that Yu Ban is coming, and he does not dare to have any objections.
Yu Ban has the power of a false festival, and can make some decisions on the front line according to the scope of authority, without informing Cao Cao thousands of miles away, which is conducive to controlling the situation on the battlefield, otherwise send a general who has no power to go up, this cannot make up his mind, that has no authority, it is not easy to deal with things on the battlefield, just as the so-called foreign king's order will not be granted, this is the truth, now that there is a false festival, there is no need to worry too much about the king's order.
Besides, Yu Ban was a general who had followed Cao Cao very early, followed Cao Cao for nearly thirty years, and had always been loyal to Cao Cao, otherwise Cao Cao would not have given Yu Ban so much power.
In addition, Cao Cao could not send all of Xiahou Huan's 26th Army to the Xiangfan front to support, then who would guard Hefei, although Sun Quan had secretly declared himself a vassal to Cao Cao, but in politics there was no eternal friend, Sun Quan's claim to be a vassal was only a stopgap measure, Cao Cao knew in his heart, and if he could send Xiangfan to support, Cao Cao would definitely send out, such as Zhang Liao, who needed to guard hefei, even if Sun Quan was an ally, he still had to send people to guard.