In ancient times, was it important to fight elite soldiers or famous generals?
Many people will think without thinking: what is a soldier, of course, the famous general is important!
However, when Lü Bu and Liu Bei fought for Xuzhou in the Three Kingdoms, the elite troops of the "trapped camp" defeated Liu Guanzhang twice, forcing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who had the title of ten thousand enemies, to abandon the city and flee with Liu Bei.
Judging from this matter: the importance of elite soldiers to the army is really no less than that of famous generals, and even more than famous generals!
Trapped Camp:
Referring to the general Gao Shun's troops under Lü Bu, the whole battalion of more than 800 soldiers, known as a thousand people, the armor and fighting tools of the soldiers are all refined and neat, and every battle, the attack is destroyed.
Chen Shou's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" does not mention the camp; later Pei Songzhi of the Southern Dynasty's annotation of the Three Kingdoms, quoting the "Hero's Record", praised this elite soldier with great color and high praise.
However, when Gao Shun led his troops to defeat Liu Guanzhang, Chen Shou wrote it clearly in the book.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Lü Bu's biography: Liu Bei and Guan Zhang stationed in Xiao Pei, and Lü sent Gao Shun to attack Liu Bei, and broke it. Cao Cao sent Xiahou Huan to rescue Liu Bei and defeated Gao Shun.
As a result, being able to defeat two "ten thousand enemies" plus a "tyrant of the time" and the famous general Xiahou Huan in one battle confirmed how brave and good the elite soldiers under Gao Shun were.
At the same time, it also proved that when Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's personal martial arts met well-trained elite soldiers, no matter how strong his personal martial arts were, if there were no elite soldiers under his troops, it would also be vulnerable.
Later, Xiahou Huan led an army to assist Liu Bei.
Xiahou Huan, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei joined forces and engaged Gao Shun again, but were again defeated by Gao Shun.
How could Gao Shun defeat the four great generals Liu Guanzhang and Xiahou Huan in a row?
Of course, it is not dependent on single-handed martial arts, if you rely on martial arts, presumably Gao Shun will not be able to defeat Guan Yu Zhang Fei. But Gao Shun's reward was: there were well-trained and well-equipped elite soldiers under his command!
How were ancient wars fought?
Judging from the interpretation, the ancient method of warfare is that the generals of the two sides first go out on horseback to call a trumpet, and then single out, and then the winner raises his gun and swings it, and the whole army rushes to kill, and the victory or defeat of the battle is determined.
Such a description, as if the war is the general's business, the small soldiers are not important at all, all become decorations and goods. As we all know, of course it's fake!
So how did you really fight?
When fighting, the battle mainly relies on elite soldiers, and the responsibility of the general is to master the troops and dispatch and command.
Famous generals are like tigers, and elite soldiers are the minions of tigers.
If there are no elite soldiers and there are famous generals, then the famous generals will become sick tigers who have lost their minions, and it will be just a bigger cat.
War or not?
It was decided by the kings and the prime ministers.
When the decision to fight is made later.
Choose when to start fighting, where to fight, which troops to send first, and where to fight the enemy first?
And so on, that's what the famous generals decide!
And once the fight is officially started.
After the battle unfolds, first the bow and crossbow are fired, the arrows fly like rain, and then the spears and swords are lined up, the white blades are matched, and the hand-to-hand combat is all about the centurions and the soldiers.
If the centurions in the army, together with a hundred teams, are afraid of the enemy and their combat effectiveness is not strong; then even if there are famous generals who command the troops, they are blind, and the result of the battle will be lost.
Battles cannot be won, battles cannot be won, and then wars will be lost.
Therefore, if the soldiers did not give strength, even if Xiang Yu was reborn, and then with the assistance of Zhang Liang Hanxin, it would be difficult to do anything.
Zhuge Liang's art of war particularly emphasized the importance of "controlled soldiers."
Tang Taizong. Li Weigong's Question also quotes Zhuge Liangzhi:
Uncontrolled soldiers, that is, troops with no training, chaotic equipment, unclear discipline, reward and punishment orders, even if they are led by famous generals, it is difficult to win the battle.
And the well-trained, disciplined, brave soldiers, well-equipped soldiers: even if the generals of the unified army are of average ability, they will not suffer a major defeat.
Zhuge Liang died of illness on the front line of the Northern Expedition, and although the Shu soldiers lost their commander, they were still not in a hurry, and the battalions withdrew their troops in an orderly and alternating manner according to the predetermined schedule.
As a result, Sima Yiming received the news of Zhuge Liang's illness and death, but because of the orderly retreat of the Shu army, he had the suspicion that "Zhuge lured the Wei soldiers to pursue with fraudulent death", so he stood still and missed the opportunity to break the enemy.
This was the result of the Shu army's clear orders and well-trained orders in peacetime.
"Well-trained teams train like they fight in peacetime, and they can fight like training in wartime." This is the truth, both ancient and modern.
For example, in modern times, if there is no strong company, then the combat effectiveness of the army is slag.
From this point of view, Zhuge Liang's insight is not beyond the times.
