Preface
In Chinese history, there was a thrilling battle known as the "Battle of Baixiang in Liang, Jin, and Jin", which became a turning point in the war situation at that time and had a far-reaching impact. The victor of this battle, General Zhou Dewei, led a small number of elite soldiers under his command with excellent strategy and tenacious will, and successfully defeated the Liang army, which far outnumbered him, thus making the Later Liang Dynasty collapse, which can be called a miracle in war history.
However, behind this battle, there are many untold stories. How did Zhou Dewei's feat of patiently admonishing and the Jin army win more with less, and how great was the significance and impact of this battle?
First, there are many dangers
In the winter of 910, the wind was bitterly cold. Chengde Jiedu made Wang Rong restless, and he learned that the Houliang army was coming to the border and pointed directly at Baixiang. Baixiang is only a few dozen miles away from Zhaozhou City, and once it is lost, Zhaozhou will also be in danger. Wang Rong's heart was full of anxiety, and he knew that his troops were far inferior to the huge army of Houliang.
At this time, his only hope was to be able to get the aid of Li Cunxuan, the king of Jin. So, he sent an envoy to Taiyuan again to ask Li Cunqiao for help. Wang Rong knew that if Baixiang fell, then Zhaozhou would also be difficult to hold, and the entire Chengde region would be in crisis.
He must get the support of the Jin Kingdom as soon as possible to turn the tide. Just when Wang Rong was anxiously waiting for news, Wang Jingren, the general of Later Liang, had already led an army of 40,000 to Heyang to join forces with the soldiers and horses of Tianxiong, Xuanyi and other towns. Subsequently, they were like bamboos and went straight to Baixiang.
Wang Rong's heart sank, he knew that his forces would not be able to resist such a powerful enemy army. At this time, his only hope was that Li Cunqiao could arrive in time and join his soldiers and horses to jointly resist the attack of Houliang.
Second, the veteran conspires
Wang Jingren's army rushed straight to Baixiang like a hungry wolf, and the momentum was violent. Wang Rong's heart sank little by little, and he knew that Chengde's soldiers and horses alone were not enough to see. At this critical moment, Li Cunmiao, the king of Jin, arrived in time to join Wang Rong.
Li Cunmiao was only twenty-six years old, and his blood was strong, and he said to Zhou Dewei: "Whether we rise or die, we will do it here." I am ready to charge for the general, who can follow. "
Zhou Dewei is a veteran with rich experience, he immediately stopped Li Cunqiao's horse head, and tried his best to dissuade him: "Looking at the situation of Liang Bing, we should wait for work at ease in order to win." If you force an attack, I am afraid it will not be easy to succeed. "Chow is well versed in the laws of war, and he understands that a head-to-head confrontation is not the best policy.
Although the army of Later Liang was numerous, its morale and combat effectiveness may not be able to completely suppress the Jin army. On the contrary, if delaying tactics are adopted, the key to victory is to exhaust the food and morale of Houliang. With years of combat experience, Zhou Dewei decisively dissuaded the young and vigorous Li Cunqiao and avoided an unnecessary frontal conflict.
Although Li Cunmiao is young, he also understands Zhou Dewei's strategy. Under the repeated persuasion of Zhou Dewei and the overseer Zhang Chengye, he finally changed his decision and ordered the whole army to retreat and retreat to Gaoyi. This decision not only avoided a head-to-head confrontation, but also created favorable conditions for a subsequent counteroffensive.
3. Wisdom is displayed
After retreating to Gaoyi, the Jin army was quite far away from the Later Liang army and was temporarily safe. However, the dilemma of a shortage of grain and grass soon appeared in the Later Liang army. Wang Jingren had to send people everywhere to cut down trees and cut forage for the military horses.
Zhou Dewei saw this and immediately sent cavalry to plunder the grain and grass line of the Later Liang army. At the same time, he sent Hu cavalry to fire arrows around the Houliang camp and shouted loudly, intending to disturb the enemy's position.
Zhou Dewei's series of measures can be described as a clever plan. First of all, he took advantage of the weakness of the Later Liang army's shortage of grain and grass and sent cavalry to loot, cutting off the supply of grain and grass to the Later Liang army. This not only put the Later Liang army in a difficult situation, but also greatly depleted their combat effectiveness.
Secondly, Zhou Dewei sent Hu cavalry to fire arrows around the Houliang camp and scold, which was undoubtedly a blow to the morale of the Houliang army. Although the Later Liang army was numerous, morale and the will to fight were also key factors in victory. This move by Zhou Dewei successfully disrupted the position of the Later Liang army and plunged them into chaos.
It can be said that Zhou Dewei's clever plans laid a solid foundation for the Jin army's final victory. With years of war experience, he accurately grasped the trend of the war situation, adopted a series of flexible countermeasures, and finally forced the Later Liang army to fall into passivity. This kind of scheming style won the first opportunity for the Jin army.
Fourth, the battle of Baixiang
On the second day of the first month of 911, the two sides exchanged fire in the area of Baixiang. Zhou Dewei and others led 3,000 elite cavalry, constantly provoking in front of the Later Liang army, luring the enemy to leave the camp.
The Later Liang army was finally furious and swarmed out. The two sides fought fiercely by the wild river, you come and go, and it is difficult to distinguish the winner from the loser. At this moment, Li Cunmiao suddenly said to Zhou Dewei: "The battle between the two armies has become a stalemate, and it seems that it is difficult to separate. Whether we rise or die, it's up to us. I am ready to charge for the general, who can follow. "
Zhou Dewei tried his best to dissuade him again, and analyzed: "The Liang soldiers have been killing all the way, and they have been more than 30 miles away from the camp, even if they bring dry food, they don't have time to eat. When the sun turns west, the Liang soldiers must be very hungry and thirsty, and the soldiers are already tired of swords and arrows, so they will have the intention of retreating. At that time, we will be able to win a great victory if we charge through it with elite cavalry. "
Chow's analysis is precise and nuanced. He had insight into the exhausted state of the Later Liang army and predicted that they would soon have the idea of retreating. Therefore, he dissuaded Li Cunmiao not to act rashly, but to wait patiently for the opportunity, and when the morale of the Later Liang army was low, he would send elite cavalry to launch a fierce attack. This cautious and flexible strategy is the best choice.
In the end, Li Cunmiao listened to Zhou Dewei's advice and did not rashly launch a frontal charge. In the afternoon, the Later Liang army began to waver, and Zhou Dewei immediately shouted: "The Liang army has fled!" The Jin army immediately marched into a loud voice, and the Later Liang army was suddenly in chaos.
Fifth, turn things around
The Later Liang army collapsed and fled in all directions. The Jin army took advantage of the victory to pursue, and the Liang army was embarrassed. From Yehe to Baixiang, corpses are everywhere. Later Liang commander Wang Jingren and others fled back to Xingzhou with the remnants of the soldiers and horses, embarrassed.
In the battle of Baixiang, Houliang suffered heavy losses, killing more than 20,000 people. The Jin army won this battle of life and death with a small number of soldiers and horses. Li Cunmiao immediately took advantage of the victory to pursue and directly attacked the two major feudal towns of Baoyi and Tianxiong.
The outcome of this battle was unexpected. Although Hou Liang had an army of 40,000, he was eventually hit hard and suffered heavy losses. And the Jin army relied on Zhou Dewei's strategy and Li Cunxuan's decisive decision-making to win more with less and achieved a decisive victory.
The turning point of this battle was the collapse of the Liang army in the late afternoon. Zhou Dewei's prediction was completely fulfilled, and the soldiers of the Later Liang army were exhausted and demoralized, and finally gave up resistance. The Jin army took advantage of the situation to launch a fierce attack and completely defeated the Later Liang army. From Yehe to Baixiang, corpses were everywhere, and Houliang coach Wang Jingren and others fled back to Xingzhou in a hurry.
This tragic battle not only caused Houliang to suffer heavy losses, but also greatly enhanced the strength of the Jin State. Li Cunmiao immediately took advantage of the victory to pursue and attacked the two major feudal towns of Baoyi and Tianxiong, trying to further expand the sphere of influence of the Jin State. This battle was an important turning point in the rise of the Jin state, and also marked the decline of the Later Liang.
Sixth, there are many crises
In the face of the onslaught of the Jin army, Zhu Huang also had to transfer troops. He appointed Li Zhen, the head of the household department, as the deputy envoy of Tianxiong Jiedu to assist Luo Zhouhan in defending the city, and at the same time sent the general Yang Shihou north to reinforce the two towns of Baoyi and Tianxiong.
Just when Zhu Huang was dispatching troops, Li Cunqiao suddenly changed his deployment. It turned out that Liu Shouguang learned that Houliang had lost in Baixiang, so he planned to personally lead 30,000 elite cavalry to open the way for the Jin army. But at the same time, he was also worried about what position he would be in after the four towns were united.
When Wang Rong learned of this, he immediately reported it to Li Cunqing. Li Cunmiao said to the generals: "When Chengde was in an emergency, Liu Shouguang did not send a single soldier. Now that we are victorious, it is so stupid that he wants to drive a wedge between us. "
Although Zhu Huang was angry at the defeat in the Battle of Baixiang, he did not give up control of the two major feudal towns of Tianxiong and Baoyi. He quickly appointed Li Zhen as the deputy envoy of Tianxiong Jiedu to assist the young Luo Zhouhan in defending the city, and at the same time sent the general Yang Shihou north to reinforce these two important feudal towns.
This was a hidden danger, and Wang Rong immediately reported it to Li Cunqing. Li Cunmiao was very dissatisfied with this, thinking that Liu Shouguang was taking advantage of the fire to rob and wanted to split the alliance of the four towns. This is the ultimate stupidity and must be stopped.
7. Family friendship
Although the Jin army eventually retreated, this did not affect Wang Rong's gratitude to Li Cunxuan. On the contrary, Wang Rong personally came to Zhaozhou and brought a rich reward to express his gratitude to Li Cunqiao for sending troops to save him. This kind of sincere gratitude also made Li Cunqiao have a deeper friendship with Wang Rong.
As a result, the two further deepened their relationship, Wang Rong called Li Cunmiao the "forty-sixth uncle", and Li Cunmiao married Wang Rong as an in-law and married his daughter to Wang Rong's son. The establishment of this kinship relationship has greatly enhanced the strategic cooperation between Jin and Zhao.
Since then, the relationship between the two countries has become even stronger, and it will surely become a solid backing in future conquests. The establishment of this kinship also reflects the wisdom of the two leaders. They understand that in turbulent times, only by uniting can we jointly defend against foreign enemies!
epilogue
The war may be extinguished, but the troubled times will continue. Who will be able to win the world in the end and achieve unification of the country? The answer to this question still needs to be further developed by history.
But what is certain is that in this thrilling war, Zhou Dewei, Li Cunmiao and Zhu Huang all showed outstanding wisdom and determination, and won valuable opportunities for their respective countries and forces.